I reply as she’s walking back toward the door. “Sorry, but I can’t guarantee it’s not going to go off again shortly.”
“Then don’t talk about the fire and it won’t. Simple.” Her sarcasm is not helpful, because it’s not that simple at all. I need to know, and Rosco is the only one who can help me.
“She’s right,” Landon says. “Maybe we should wait a few days.”
“Fuck no! I’m missing twenty-fours of my life where I have no idea what happened. The anxiety of not knowing is probably more of a strain on my body than a few heated moments when I set that stupid thing off.” I’m trying my hardest not to getagitated, but I can tell I’m borderline of having that nurse march back in here to scowl at the alarm going off again.
“Okay, okay, calm down, kid. I’ll tell you what we know.” Rosco reaches out and touches my arm, and I hear a low warning growl coming from Landon. Cute, but not needed with Rosco, he’s like my dad.
“Good.” I glance sideways at Landon to give him the sign that this is my choice, and he needs to butt out. The dark look that flashes across his eyes tells me how he feels about that thought, which is basically,“That’s what you think.”
“Where do I start?” Rosco asks.
“I remember the shit that went down at the station.” I don’t want to expand on that while Landon is here because it’ll just cause more problems. “Then the fire alarm going off and climbing into the truck. Then it’s blank until a few hours ago.”
“It was a single-story factory, four people trapped inside. You and Russ were together, I was with Volk. We executed the rescue out of a cool room at the back of the building where they were cut off by the fire. We all had a patient except for you and Volk. We started evacuating them while the engine crew cleared the debris in our way, and the hoses were used when needed. I made the call for ladder crew to pull out and engine crew to start knocking down the fire.” He stops to take a breath.
“Normal job then?” I ask.
“Up to that point, yeah. But then from what Volk reported, you and he were making the final sweep of an unchecked side room. You both called clear and signaled to pull out behind us. Volk said he started walking out, engine crew had hoses nearby, so the smoke was thick, and then he heard the roof collapse behind him. You screamed and then there was nothing. Your PASS device went off, alerting us you were down, but you weren’t responding to my call.” Before Rosco could continue, I jump in with questions.
“What did Volk say, did he hear any warning noises? Who saw it happen? How long was I pinned under the rubble?” It’s times like this I wish we wore body cameras. I could see the vision for myself then.
“He didn’t hear a thing. He was relaying over the radio to me at the time that it was all clear. No one saw the internal ceiling fall, everyone’s backs were to the room you were in. As soon as it was down, Volk was screaming instructions through the radio, pulling you out with the help of the engine crew. He was pretty distressed by the time he was running out the front door of the warehouse with you in his arms. You were semi-conscious when we got you onto the gurney outside, enough to give me grief about calling your mother.” He shakes his head at me. “And by the way, never put me in that position again. Luckily this guy showed up, otherwise I don’t care what you asked, I was calling her.”
“I don’t remember saying it, and I know that’s a shitty thing to do, but thank you for listening. Mom didn’t cope very well when we called her earlier, even when she could see me and confirm I was okay.” I apologize to Rosco because he deserves at least that.
“I understand why, but…” he stresses.
“Yeah, yeah, I get it.” I close my eyes for a few seconds, trying to process everything he’s said. It just doesn’t sit right in my gut for some reason.
“Maybe that’s enough for today?” Landon wraps his arm around my shoulders and pulls me into him for a one-armed hug. His words seem to trigger my body to lose all its energy again, and the adrenaline that spiked when Rosco first arrived has now disappeared. I take a few deep breaths and then open my eyes to see Rosco running his hand through his coarse dark hair that’s starting to get those little speckles of gray.
“I’m sorry, Poppy, I let you down. It’s my job to keep you safe.” It’s then I see a dull look in his eyes, making me think how much he’s probably been beating himself up over this since yesterday. Exactly like I would, if I’d been the lieutenant in charge.
“No, you didn’t, please don’t take this on. It sounds like it was just a freak accident. If I didn’t hear anything and neither did Volk, then how were you supposed to do anything when you were concentrating on getting your patient out safely.” I reach out and take his hand in mine, squeezing it. “I’m alive and I’m going to be fine, and that’s all that matters. It’s part of the job we signed up for, right?”
Rosco half smiles at me in a sign of thanks for my words. But I know the kind of man he is and that deep down a part of him will always feel responsible. That’s why he’s so good at his job; he cares about his people.
“You’ll make a great boss of your own crew when you take it on. Station 135 will be lucky to have you. Now I should go and let you rest. Your man here told me I had fifteen minutes and that was it.” He chuckles a little as he pushes the chair back and stands up.
“Landon!” I scold, turning and glaring at him.
“I’m not apologizing for taking care of you,” Landon replies in a harsh controlling tone.
“He’s right,” I hear from beside me, and I turn back to look at Rosco. He leans in and kisses me on the cheek before stepping back. “He’s a keeper, Poppy. Like I said, you deserve more.” He winks at me and then gives Landon a nod. “Thanks for the messages and the visit, Landon. I’ll check in with you again tomorrow, but if you need anything while you’re here, please reach out. Even if it’s a bed for tonight. If you can stand a house with four loud, crazy kids, a dog who thinks she’s a human, and a wife who will fuss over you the moment you arrive, then you’remost welcome.” He reaches his hand out over the bed, which Landon shakes.
“Thank you, but I won’t be leaving the hospital without Poppy. I’ll walk you out,” Landon answers, then leans down and kisses me on the forehead and slides his arm from around me. He stands, fixes my pillow, pulls the blanket up, and then starts toward the door so that Rosco follows. As Rosco steps into the corridor, Landon looks over his shoulder from the doorway. “I’ll be just outside the door and won’t be long. Close your eyes and rest.”
I want to argue with him that I’m fine and don’t need sleep, but I can’t. Because I’m too busy using all my energy fighting to keep my eyes open. Which is a fight I quickly lose.
LANDON
Closing the door to Poppy’s room gently is a challenge for me when I feel so agitated.
Taking three steps from her door, I cross my arms and stare at Rosco. “Volk is Dean, right?” I state.
“Yes.” He can tell I won’t let him out of here without having my own questions answered.
