“Maybe he’s downstairs.” I pull my hand from hers and turn to where we came from.
“Aidan, no, he isn’t!” she shouts. She shuts her door when we enter her room. Soft smoke dances in the air. Mama’s bedroom is the closest to the street, so I hear the sound of sirens.
“They’re here, Mama.”
She coughs. She reaches into a drawer and covers my nose and mouth with a scarf of hers. She doesn’t do the same for herself. She’s coughing hysterically. “We have to wait here till they come get us, okay? The big red fire truck is here, baby.”
“Okay, Mama.”
“Come sit here with me.” I do as she says. She starts to move the curtains, waving hysterically at whoever is out there. She leans against the wall, her back sliding down until she’s seated. I can hear the commotion outside. They will get to us. I shuffle closer next to her, placing my head in her lap. She wraps an arm around me, and I snuggle into her. My eyes are suddenly heavy. I’m finding it hard to stay awake and even harder to breathe.
“I love you, sunshine.You are my sunshine,” she starts to sing. I hear the crack of glass and muffled sound of voices, and then everything fades until I’m certain I’m floating in a starry sky.
2
Aidan
Present Day — Twenty Years Later
The station is noisy, which is nothing new. Freddy is giving a new guy shit, and Dan is brewing coffee in the small kitchen.
“Want a cup?” he offers as I pass by.
“Sure do. Barely got any sleep last night.” I prop myself against the counter. Dan pours a large mug, handing it to me. The spicy aroma instantly perks me up.
“Thanks, man.” I hold my cup up in salute. Leave the kitchen, I wave and greet the other guys as I make my way outside.
Settling on a bench outside with a smoke, I watch the orange glow of the cigarette brighten when I take a drag from it. This shit is bad for me, but I do it anyway, occasionally, when I feel like pissing myself off. I take a large sip of my drink. Lightning flashes across the sky and thunder rumbles somewhere in the distance. I sigh. It’s going to be a long night. This weather is a fireman’s nightmare, especially in a town as close as we are to a rainforest. A small spark can result in an inferno, leaving hell in its wake.
“Wild, you need to give that up.” I look up just as Kyle Wills approaches.
“Yeah, and you need to give up fucking everything on two legs,” I throw back. “Since that ain’t gonna happen, you should shut up about my guilty pleasures.”
“Ah. Touché.” He laughs, slapping me on the shoulder as he settles next to me.
“You’re late. Chief is going to have you fired one of these days.” I cast him a sidelong glance. “I already did the truck and equipment inspection.”
He throws his hands up in surrender. “Overslept, bro,” he tells me honestly. “Had Meghan over today.” He grins at me smugly.
I shake my head. “I thought you two broke it off.”
“Unlike you, I’m not destined for a life of celibacy and loneliness. I prefer to keep my bed warm. Thank you very much.”
“Don’t come knocking on my door when she goes psycho on you again.” I frown. And she will. A few months ago, Meghan smashed the windows out of Kyle’s car when he clarified that he had not, in fact, proposed to her. He’s had his tires slashed twice and sent a hundred pizzas — I didn’t complain that time — and more recently, she nearly flooded his apartment after a fight. Left the faucet running while he was at work. Thankfully, the landlord chose that exact day to do some repairs in the kitchen.
And Kyle still crawls back between the sheets, like the sucker he is. He claims he’s just fooling around, but he likes her kind of chaos. People need that, a connection with other human beings to make their lives less pathetic, even if that someone is Meghan. Kyle here is a friend, my only friend, but his decisions in life are questionable.
Kyle and I met in training. Ten years, two stations, and we’re now heading up search and rescue at Station 3, the largest firehouse in town. He’s the only person who dares to call me on my shit. I like that about him. He’s a single dad. His daughter, Gabriella, is six and lives with Kyle’s mama. His ex-girlfriend dumped the kid on him and hightailed it out of town.Another reason why love is nothing but a useless vice.
I ash my smoke. “Let’s get this party started, shall we?”
We walk into the station. Freddy and a rookie are under the hood of a truck, and Dan is checking his equipment.
Firefighters spend a lot of time waiting for that one call. And when it comes, we answer. We’re trained to be prepared for anything. Because every second counts and one lapse in judgment could cost a life — another person’s or our own. I’ve been working here for the last three years. I eat, sleep, and drink this life. I have nothing outside this. I don’t know how Kyle or anyone else does it, have families, and work a job like ours. I’d rather not. Why put someone else through hell? It’s selfish and unnecessary. I settle at the front desk and look over the reports from the day.Kyle disappears into the kitchen.
The windy weather we’ve had lately caused multiple wildfires. Thankfully, the fatality rate has been low.
House fires are on the increase, faulty wiring, gas leaks, that kind of thing. I’m wrapping up around ten p.m. when Chief Brenner sounds the alarm. He's a tall, burly guy with a bit of cushioning around the midriff. Brenner retires in a few years. The plan is that I step up and apply for Chief. “Suit up, boys. We got a frantic call from a woman whose house is on fire. The entire first floor is up in flames, and they’re trapped upstairs.”
