“Yep.” Riya nodded as she wheeled the chair closer to the window where Alvarez waited. She prepared to lift the woman and hand her off to Alvarez.
“I’d rather have him help me.” She pointed at Schultz.
“I assure you that I am perfectly capable of—” Riya started to explain.
“No. You’ll drop me.” The woman gripped the sides of her wheelchair.
“Ma’am—”
“I said I want him!” the woman interrupted, placing her hands under her legs, refusing to cooperate. Smoke was filling the room in earnest now. They had to move.
“Is she out, Desai?” Ambrose spoke through the radio.
There was no time for this. Riya knelt down in front of the woman. “Ma’am, I assure you that I am more than capable of picking you up and handing you to my colleague.” She glanced at the door, at the smoke coming through the cracks. “We don’t have much time. I can pick you up with your cooperation or without.”
The woman glanced at the smoke and hissed at Riya, “Fine, but if you drop me, I’m suing.”
Riya lifted her through the window where Alvarez waited to carry her down. She weighed less than the hose Riya had carried up the ladder. Lawsuit threats continued as Alvarez carried her down.
Riya quickly folded up the chair. “The chair’s up here, Alvarez.” She spoke into her radio.
“Yeah. Okay. This lady’s pretty pissed at you, Desai.” He chuckled.
Schultz came up behind her. “Sorry about that.”
She spared him a glance. “Not your fault.” She shrugged as if it didn’t bother her, but her blood boiled. Even a woman trapped, her life in danger, thought that only a man should be doing this job. “Didn’t have time to argue with her.”
Riya focused her energy on picking up the line, then turned the nozzle, soaking the door. Alvarez joined them after delivering the chair to the woman. Schultz opened the door, and they entered a hallway thick with smoke. There was one other apartment on the floor. Schultz and Alvarez checked it for survivors, but everyone was out. The three of them headed down the steps to the continuing flames on the floor below.
“We’re through the door, in the stairwell. I see flames below,” Riya reported to Ambrose.
“Did you get the woman out?” Ambrose’s voice crackled through.
“Affirmative.”
“Come down here, and we’ll check out the rest of the place,” Ambrose said.
Flames met them in the second-floor hallway, and they activated the hose to douse the flames. Ambrose and Evans were on the other side doing the same. Once the flames were out, Ambrose sent Riya and Evans in to check for any sparks, while Schultz and Alvarez checked behind the drywall. They all came up empty, satisfied that the fire was out and wouldn’t restart.
As they exited the building, they greeted the fire investigators as they arrived to determine the cause.
“Desai, gather up the hose. Schultz, check the surrounding area,” Ambrose barked. “Let’s load up.”
After they gathered their gear, they climbed onto the rig and proceeded back to the station. Helmets were off, turnout gear open, but the heat wouldn’t stop. No sooner did Riya wipe away her perspiration than she was drenched again. She stopped bothering.
They were going over the call when Ambrose turned to her. “Schultz told me what happened up there.” His mouth was set.
Butterflies fluttered inside her as she set her own jaw in preparation for his reprimand. She had done what she thought was right. She couldn’t be arguing with people or giving in to their prejudices while trying to save their lives.
So they could go on living and thinking their prejudiced thoughts.
“She can’t really sue, can she?” She hated that her voice sounded weak.
Ambrose shrugged. “Maybe.”
Panic shook her. “No.” Riya looked around at her colleagues. “She can’t sue for that, can she? She’d have taken in more smoke. I had to get her out of there. Schultz was busy.” Not to mention she couldn’t be giving in to those demands when time was of the essence.
The guys all shrugged, none of them making eye contact.
