Paramedics swarm, assessing Steve for injuries as I labor to catch my breath, nodding. “That was … a close call,” I rasp, lungs burning. “Too damn close.”
“I told you to back up when the trailer was about to explode. But you refused to listen.”
“I was so close to saving him, Chief,” I say, shaking my head. I don’t know if I’m screaming or talking in a normal voice betweenthe echo of the explosion still lingering in my head, the pulse pounding in my temples, and the smoke burning my throat.
“He frowns. You could’ve died in that explosion.”
“Sorry, Chief. I couldn’t leave him.”
He nods, clenching his jaw. “Good work today, you lucky son of a bitch.”
Waldon, Donovan, and Aiden surround us, eyes wide and faces black with smoke. Instead of the normal derision in their faces, I find silent approval.
“Hollywood saved the day,“ Donovan declares. Not mocking this time, but with something close to respect.
Donovan bends low to shake my hand, followed by Aiden and Waldon.
Had to. Leave no one behind—that’s my creed, the one thing I’ll never compromise.
Kurt growls, “Well, he gets to keep saving. This is going to be a long evening.”
Looking past him at the wreckage from the overturned semi and car pile-up, I steel myself, rising and running back towards the disaster.
Hours pass that feel like lifetimes. When I finally sit down again, removing my helmet, face shield, and SCBA, I feel exhausted to the point of nausea.
I chug water, reaching for my cell phone and flipping to my texts. Messages have flooded in from friends and family who learned about the fire. At the top, I see a message from Catalina.
Please tell me you’re okay
All good
Thank God
Her almost immediate response puts a pit of guilt in my stomach. No telling how long she’s waited by the phone.
You were in the news. You risked your life to save that trucker
And I was interviewed by local media. But this time the attention felt different. Purposeful. Like what I was made to do.
Yes
You could’ve been hurt or worse
Part of the job
Firefighters were injured. People died
It was a sad day. But I did what I could to help
You’re a hero, Ambrose
But I could have lost you
Her words slice deeper than any insult about Hollywood ever could.
Not today. Not with you waiting for me
She’s seen me now—the real me. And I’ll spend every damn day proving she never has to fear losing me.
