“Yes,” Beck said, already on his feet. “EMTs are on their way for the more minor injuries.”
“Then get over here!” Calder said, and Beck stormed forward. They worked quickly, but their movements were slightly less calm and focused than they had been before. It was clear that Ash had made a particularly dangerous decision here, one that could go south very quickly.
The parents and daughter were still close to the rig, but they were focused on one another. The grandfather, however, stood on the lawn, hands grasped together tightly as he stared at the house. It was clear that the cat meant a great deal to him, and I did find Ash’s bravery inspiring. At the same time, I couldn’t believe that he was willing to possibly sacrifice his life for this.
Calder and Beck had a second hose up and working, but I was hearing new sounds from within the fire. There were loud cracks, as if something was snapping in the house.
Calder was yelling at the others, but I could only hear the beating of my heart in my ears.
Then, it looked like part of the house began to cave in. Calder shouted, and he ran forward. I stood up, almost hitting my head against the roof of the engine. This time, I couldn’t hold myself back. I leapt out of the engine, past the family, and onto the lawn.
“Stay back!” Beck yelled over to me, and I froze where I stood, staring as Calder ran toward where Ash had disappeared. It felt as if I couldn’t think, as if my heart was going to climb out of my throat. Time had no meaning, and the world had completely stopped around me.
Calder had gone into the house while Beck and the other two members of the team still fought to douse the flames.
Please, please come back,I found myself thinking, wondering what would happen if Calder and Ash had been too injured to escape. Would the entire building collapse on them? Would they lose their lives? I couldn’t imagine that as a reality. I didn’t want to think that way.
“Medical!” Calder’s voice eventually broke through, and I saw him pulling Ash from the rubble toward the side of the house. Ash had a small bundle wrapped up in his arms, and was coughing violently, but he was alive.
25
~
Rhea
“This might sting a bit,” I said as I reached for another alcohol swab. Ash pulled a face as I touched it to yet another cut.
He and I were in his apartment, after he’d refused to go to the emergency room. He’d insisted that all of his wounds were minor, and that he’d much prefer my company over that of doctors and nurses. I wasn’t sure that was the best choice, given that I didn’t really have that much experience in wound care, but I was doing what I could.
“Thanks,” Ash said with a small smile. “This is definitely much better than going to the hospital.”
“Yeah, I don’t know about that,” I said, leaning in close to get the cut properly cleaned. “Might have been worth getting checked. What if I don’t do a good job, and you get an infection or something?”
Ash laughed dryly. “I won’t. You worry too much.”
I paused what I was doing, the sight of the fire and Calder pulling Ash from it playing in my mind. It had been the scariest moment of my entire life, and I couldn’t imagine ever having to go through that again. But if I stayed with the guys… Well, anything was possible. Their job was dangerous.
“I don’t think I do,” I finally answered with a sigh. “You could’ve…”
My voice trailed off and I swallowed, shaking my head.
“Died?” Ash asked so nonchalantly that I was shocked. “That’s part of the job, Rhea. We all know the risks that we take.”
“You didn’t have to do it,” I answered softly, reaching for a new alcohol swab to clean another small cut on his arm. “Calder told you not to. He knew that it wasn’t safe. You should’ve listened.”
Ash raised an eyebrow. “Robert would have lost his Sammy, and I’m pretty sure that cat is his whole world. I had to try. I know it’s hard to understand, but I didn’t become a firefighter to avoid danger. I did it to do the things other people are too afraid to do.”
“I know, I just…” I leaned into the uninjured part of his shoulder and sighed. “I don’t want to lose any of you, and… It seemed like I could’ve.”
Ash didn’t say anything. Maybe he knew there was nothing that he really could say. He couldn’t promise that none of them would lose their lives because of the job, because the truth was that anything could happen. His injuries this time were minor, but next time they might not be.
“Sorry,” I said, pulling away from him and wiping at the tears that were forming in my eyes. “I just don’t know how to deal with it.”
“Maybe you’ll get used to it,” Ash tried, but his voice wasn’t particularly confident. He cleared his throat. “Look, we’re good at our jobs. We know what we’re doing, and our risks are always calculated. We won’t do anything stupid.”
I didn’t know if Calder would completely agree with that. He probably thought that Ash running back into that house was absolutely a stupid move, even if it did save a life, and even though Ash wasn’t hurt too badly. It could’ve gone south so easily. When the fire had finally been put out, the entire househad been reduced to rubble. If they’d taken a few seconds longer to get out of there, it could have come down right on top of them.
And there would have been no saving whoever had been stuck inside.
