“It’s looking great. The doctor will have a look later, but I think she’ll be good to go in a day or so as long as it keeps healing like it is,” I told them, entering in everything that was done for Mel in the computer, along with all her vitals. Valerie affirmed her understanding, then went back to her seat next to the bed.
“I’ll see you guys tomorrow, okay? Get some rest, Miss Melody. You need it.” I ordered her with a playful glare.
Melody giggled. “Yes, Miss Sophia. Goodnight!”
I let out a chuckle as I left the room, feeling much lighter after my visit. I still had a long night ahead of me, but this bit of happiness would hold me over until my shift ended.
Two patients down and five to go.
Iparked in my driveway, dragging my feet as I exited and fiddled with my keys until I found my house one. Exhaustion hit me harder now that I was mere feet from falling into my warm bed.
My house was actually the one I grew up in after Mom’s death. The medical bills, and then the funeral, had drained Dad almost dry financially, so he had to sell our first—and much larger—home for this tiny, two bedroom, one bathroom house. Kaden and I shared the room I now used, and Dad had the master bedroom—which still sat unused. It was cramped with the three of us, constantly fighting over the bathroom, but it was home. Our dad did the best he could and gave us the best life possible. Always doting on us when he could and having copious amounts of cookouts that he’d invite his firefighter family to. Kaden and I would play with their kids, giving Dad the break he needed.
After he died, Kaden took it harder than I thought he would, becoming quiet and reclusive. He was two years older and took care of me since we no longer had anyone else to depend on. But when I turned eighteen, he got out of here as fast as possible. He said the house was too painful to stay in, and I was old enough to look after myself, but I found comfort here. All the good memories of our dad resided in this house. So of course, I took ownership of it, and Kaden went off to live his dream of fighting fires in Chicago. Which was fine with me. He still called once a week to check in, and I held no ill will over his choice to leave. That was his dream. And being a nurse, taking care of people who fell victim to the force of fire? That was mine.
I’d just closed and locked the front door behind me when my gray, Scottish fold cat Smoky came barreling towards me, meowing furiously.
“Hey baby,” I cooed, scratching between his cute, little flopped-over ears and running my hand down his soft back. His orange eyes blinked up at me expectedly, asking the same question they always asked every time I came home. “Okay. You can play outside for a few minutes. Then I’m going to bed.”
The little turd knew exactly how to get what he wanted. He was an indoor cat that loved taking a daily visit outside, so I’d open the back door and let him wander safely around my fenced backyard under my watchful eye.
Smoky had been a gift from my dad eleven years ago, only a few months before his death, making my fur baby the last gift I ever got from him. He was my most prized possession in life, so he was beyond spoiled. And he knew he could get away with whatever he wanted.Rotten cat.
I set my purse down and walked to the back door that connected to the kitchen, Smoky weaving between my legs the whole way. I went to unlock the door but realized it was already unlocked.Strange.I usually locked all my doors before leaving the house. I shrugged it off, thinking maybe I’d just forgotten in my rush to get to the hospital. As soon as I opened the door, Smoky shot into the yard, wasting no time getting his adventure on. My eyes caught sight of my neighbor burning some branches and leaves in a small pile in his backyard again. He learned pretty quickly that leaves could become unmanageable during fall if you didn’t burn them. He noticed me almost immediately and held up his hand in a wave and smiled.
“Good evening, Scott,” I greeted him politely, reciprocating his wave.
“Evening, Sophia. Long day?” he asked, tossing another stack of sticks into the fire.
“Very. It’s barely seven at night and I’m ready to knock out for at least the next twelve hours,” I replied with a sigh.
Scott chuckled and nodded. “Probably a good idea. Well, have a good night’s rest.”
“Thanks. You too.”
This was about the height of our communication; occasional greetings, some small talk, and waves of hello or goodbye. He was a nice guy and was only a couple years older than me. When he first asked me out, I accepted. I’d given it a thought or two of what he’d be like as a possible boyfriend, but after several conversations and a few shared drinks together, he just wasn’t for me. There was also no doubt he was attractive with his clean cut blond hair and well-built body, but the couple of dates we went on just didn’t do it for me and made me realize it wasn’t what I wanted. I didn’t feel that spark. I had never been in love before, but I knew that there had to be at least a small burning desire to be with someone. I didn’t feel that with Scott, so I kept conversations cordial and neighborly. He didn’t seem to mind and slipped into the platonic neighborly friendship just fine.
Smoky ran back up to me, clearly done with his escapades and meowed loudly at me.
“Alright. I’ll feed you one more time, Fat Cat, then I’m going to bed. You hear me?” Yes, I was the crazy cat lady who talked to her animal. I knew he understood me even though he pretended not to most of the time.
I quickly filled his bowl with food and made sure he had water before giving him one last scratch and heading for my room. I smelled like the hospital, but showering would have to wait for the morning. Stripping out of my scrubs would be the best I could do until I had the energy to stand anymore. Clad in just my underwear, I fell onto my bed, letting out ahmphsound when my face hit the pillow. I searched for the blankets with my hand, moving nothing else, until I felt them and dragged them over me.
With a hum of contentment, I snuggled deeper into my bed and fell asleep faster than I could count to ten.
The sensation of being choked shocked me awake from a deep sleep. I jolted upright, coughing harshly as a thick fog billowed into my lungs when I gasped, seeing my room completely filled with black smoke.
Holy shit! My house is on fire!
But why hadn’t my fire alarm gone off? I knew I kept up with its maintenance, so it should’ve warned me sooner.
Remembering the training my dad taught me as a little girl, I threw myself off my bed and stayed low. Grabbing my discarded scrub shirt, I wrapped it around my face, hoping to avoid inhaling anymore smoke. My eyes were beginning to burn and water, making it even more difficult to see through the thick black clouds filling my room. I surveyed my bedroom window as best I could and cursed. The decorative window bars completely took that away as an escape. I’d meant to get them removed but had never had the time. I knew my dad was looking down on me now yelling at how dumb of a move that was. Then again, he would have no room to talk. He’d never had the time to remove them either.
Nonetheless, I had to find another escape. Unfortunately, Smoky was still somewhere else in the house and I refused to leave without him.
Crawling as fast as possible, I got to my bedroom door and pressed my hand to it. Not feeling any heat, I reached up and blindly moved my hand around until it brushed the knob.
Swiftly, I turned it and pushed the door open. I peered around with fear filled eyes, seeing fire lick from beneath the door of my spare room. A scent besides smoke was in the air, but I couldn’t concentrate hard enough on it to decipher what it was. Keeping as calm as possible, I turned the other direction, slithering forward inch by inch toward the living room. When I reached the corner of the hall that met the living room and kitchen, I saw more flames engulfing the kitchen to my right, leaving no exit out the back sliding door. The path to the front door was barely clear as the fire traveled along the walls and ceiling, quickly closing in on my only escape route. I had to be quick.
