by D. M. Webb
“Going in.”
Tony’s voice crackled over his earpiece. “Fire’s in the right of the house. Smoke is thick, boys, so stay alert.”
“Copy.” David stooped and entered. He shook his head. Just like a training day, thick smoke hung in the air, allowing only three feet of visibility.
The rookie laid his hand on David’s shoulder. Together, they step-shuffled their way into the living room.
David touched the arm of a ratty couch. The fabric stuck to his glove. “Smoldering. Let’s see if we can find them. Tony? The little girl and anyone else?”
“The grandmother. Neighbors saw them earlier.”
David pushed ahead. They should be easy to find in this small house. He keyed his mike open. “Rook, down the hallway.”
“Wait. I think I see an arm.”
David turned and strained to see through the fire. The smoke swirled and revealed a flash of pale skin. Old woman hands. Maybe Poppy would be with her. The rookie took a step as a faint sound reached David.
He snatched the man’s jacket. “Hold up.” David cocked his head. Down the hallway. A faint scratching. A small yell. “This way. Poppy is down the hall.”
The rookie shook his head, his eyes glaring at him. “There’s a body there. We grab the closest, man.”
David grabbed the man’s jacket and hauled him closer, masks touching. “We don’t know if she is alive, but Poppy is. Follow me.”
“Look, man, you grab her. I’ll take the grandmother.” He started to step forward.
“Never leave your partner.” David thumped the rookie’s mask and yanked him down the hall. “Follow or find another job. Grab your ax.”
He touched the wall to his right. Heat emanated from the paneling. He touched it farther down. No heat. Yet. The smoke cleared somewhat, giving him a look at their surroundings. Short hallway. Three doors.
The rookie felt the door to his left. “Hot.”
David nodded. He touched the door next to him. No heat. He banged on it. “Poppy?” A faint cry sounded from the room. “This one.”
“Command, victim one. Room on right, behind kitchen.” He pushed against the warped door. “Rook, hit it.”
He stepped back as the rookie took an axe to the cheap, wooden door. Smoke billowed into the slashes as the ax bit and shredded the barrier. David kicked at the remaining splinters.
“Poppy!” His muffled voice in the tiny, smoke-filled bathroom was met with silence. He snatched the shower curtain back.
Her small form curled into a fetal position within the tub, a wet towel over her head. His smart girl. He scooped her up as his partner called it in to command.
They entered the hallway. Smoke hindered their vision. “Where’s the line?”
“I got it.” The rookie tugged the line as David pressed his shoulder against the man’s back, following him through the black cloud.
David stumbled over a warped floorboard. He cursed the house. They should have been out by now.
Bright sunshine shot through his mask. David tripped over the sidewalk and rushed to the engines. Behind him the flames rolled out of the house, determined to capture their prey.
He ripped his mask from his head as he collapsed onto the ground with Poppy in his arms, covering her small body with his. The heat flowed over them. He pushed to his knees and looked down at Poppy.
No. No. No.
Her tiny chest wasn’t rising.
: : : : :
Maggie waited and waited. David had disappeared into the house. Her David. Her Poppy. Jeremy’s arms held her upright. Her knees had long ago turned to gelatin.
She prayed through her tears, mumbling through her hands. “Please, please, let them live. Please, please.”
How long had it been? David went in moments ago. Voices split the air. Poppy was found. Grandmother in the living room.
She faltered forward a step. Jeremy’s hand clamped on her forearm.
“Stay back.”
She didn’t want to. Fire shot through the kitchen’s roof. Her eyes followed it as it traveled along the roof. Where were they? They had to be on their way out.
A yell penetrated the chaos. Flames shot from the living room’s window. That hated duct-taped window.
“They’re coming out!”
Maggie wrenched her arm from Jeremy’s grasp as one of the firemen and David stumbled out. They ran to the engines. Behind them a tremendous roar filled the air.
Tony yelled out from one of the engines. “Flashover!”
Firemen ducked back. David fell to the ground with Poppy shielded in his arms. Maggie kicked off her heels and ran to them. Clammy hands clutched at her heart. Terror clamped her stomach. Jeremy shouted to her, but she couldn’t stop. Not when David cried out, screaming Poppy’s name.
His helmet rolled away as he leaned over Poppy. Maggie stumbled. She wrapped her arms around her middle as her body shook. Poppy’s red hair shone against the sparse grass of the yard. Her face, pale and covered in soot, fell limply to the side.
All she could do was watch. Watch as David bent and breathed into Poppy. He checked for breath, and then he breathed again. His sweaty hair clung to his head as he bent, breathed, checked, and breathed again.
She sank to her knees. “Please, oh, please!”
Paramedics rushed by her. Jeremy’s arms held her. When did he get here behind her?
“Poppy!” The anguish in David’s voice broke her heart. It competed with the roar of the fire as it engulfed the derelict house.
She pushed Jeremy away and crawled beside Poppy, the grass hot against her bare knees. “Wake up, baby! Poppy!”
Jeremy dragged her to her feet as David compressed the little girl’s chest.
“Please, God!” Maggie beat against Jeremy’s chest with her fists. Poppy’s skin turned gray, her lips blue. “Please, don’t take her!”
A small cough.
Her legs gave out. “Oh, thank you, Jesus! Thank you.”
The paramedics strapped a mask over Poppy’s face. They moved quickly, strapping Poppy onto the backboard. David looked up from his kneeling position. Black rivers trailed his face.
He rose and helped to lift Poppy onto the gurney. The paramedics wheeled Poppy away.
David staggered to her. The smells of smoke, sweat, and water surrounded him. “Maggie.”
She grabbed his face, looking into his eyes. Her head spun. Thoughts swirled, and fear beat a rhythm. He was okay, solid. Alive. “She’s okay?”
He nodded. His gloved hands grabbed hers and pushed. “She’s breathing. Go. Go with her.”
Like she needed any urging. He stood there, Jeremy beside him, as she ran to the ambulance. One of the paramedics held out a hand and pulled her up.
“Strap in.”
She plopped down on the foam bench. The doors shut as the paramedic in the back with her hooked an IV to Poppy’s small body. The oxygen hissed through the mask. She leaned over Poppy and stroked her hair as she whispered a prayer.
“Please show me that she’ll be okay.”
Poppy’s eyes fluttered opened. She gazed at Maggie for a second before they closed again.
Maggie hung her head and cried.
Chapter 20
DAVID SHUT THE LID to the trunk. His picnic spot now sat barren. He leaned against the side of the car and gazed at the river. The setting sun reflected an orange array of light onto the water.
Quiet, so strong it was almost palatable, dominated the area. This would have been a perfect day. It would have been the beginning of a new life. At least he had hoped.
Strange how things could change the course of a life. Never in a million years, no, make that a bajillion, would he have believed he would have another chance at a family of his own.
He pulled out his phone. Marty answered on the second ring.
“David, you okay? Darlene just told me about Poppy.”
He stuffed his free hand in his pocket. “Yeah. As well as expected. Look, I’m calling for a favor. I kno
w you don’t personally handle them, but Jackson does. Can you make sure that DHS doesn’t whisk Poppy away?”
Marty laughed softly. “You’re a step behind, brother. Jeremy and Darlene have already been up here. I’ve got Jackson working on it now. Don’t worry.”
“How you doing it?”
“Asking for temporary custody. Listing Maggie as guardian. We got enough to show that Maggie has been a stable force in Poppy’s life. You let my firm handle the legalities. You go take care of your girls.”
David smiled at Marty’s statement. “I will. Bye.”
He closed his phone and turned as a patrol car pulled in behind him. Jeremy climbed out. His eyes sought David’s.
“Hey. Thought I would find you here. Always been your spot.”
David turned back to the river as Jeremy joined him at the car. The wind picked up and scattered loose grass around them. “Had to think.”
Jeremy propped a hip against the trunk. “Everyone’s at the hospital.”
“I know. I talked to Maggie earlier. She’s staying the night.” David laid his head back on the car’s roof. With the day winding down, his muscles protested at every move. “I really need a drink.”
“I don’t doubt it. But . . .”
“But I won’t. Don’t worry. I really am trying, big brother.” David closed his eyes. “It’s so hard to ignore it, especially when something like this happens.”
A familiar scratch rasped from Jeremy’s direction. David held out his hand without looking at his brother. “Give. You promised you would quit.”
David faced him when he didn’t reply. Jeremy placed the cigarette in his mouth and inhaled. “I am. Gotta calm my nerves.”
“Stub it out. If you go back to smoking, I go back to drinking.”
“My smoking isn’t hurting others–”
David ripped the cigarette from Jeremy’s mouth and crushed it into the ground. “Dare you to make a move. One call,” he held up his phone, “and Sarah will be here. Want to explain that to her?”
Jeremy scowled and hurled a hard curse his way.
David smiled. “I seem to remember saying the same to you not too long ago.”
He resumed his diligent watch of the river as Jeremy chuckled. Some ducks quacked by, arguing with each other. More grass whipped around their ankles.
Jeremy leaned against the car beside him. “Something’s on your mind, more than Poppy. Care to tell? Time was, you used to be able to talk to me.”
“Things change, Jer.”
Lots of things changed. Him. His brother. His life. His problem was not knowing where that change was taking him. Have faith, Bro. Johnny had said.
“Some things always do. Some things never.” Jeremy pulled out a small package of gum. He took one out and offered the pack to David.
David chose a piece. “I know. Like my job.”
“How so?” Jeremy stuffed the gum package into the side pocket of his pants.
David sighed and leaned his back against the car top again. “I broke protocol, Jeremy. First victim in, first victim out. Instead, I ordered the rookie to follow me. I could hear Poppy.”
Silence stretched for a few moments. “I don’t blame you, David. I would’ve done the same.”
David huffed and chewed his gum. “Thing is, I didn’t know if Poppy’s grandmother was alive or not. Frankly, didn’t care. My only concern was to get to Poppy.” He pushed off the car and stalked to the edge of the river bank. Jeremy followed. “Thomas reprimanded me. Violation of protocol and abuse of command.”
Jeremy stood to his side. Silent.
How many times in the past did his brother seek him out, finding David standing on the river’s edge? Jeremy always knew when he needed to talk. When he needed to release whatever had bothered him.
“Her grandmother died during the flashover. Maybe before then. Who knows? I should have allowed the rookie to take Poppy’s grandmother out, but instead, I made him follow me. ‘Never leave your partner.’” David heaved a sigh. “Thomas assured me that it was a hard decision to make.”
“What decision?”
David scuffed at a lump of flattened grass where the blanket had been. “Apparently, he knew that I had a problem. He was just waiting to see if I would come clean. And I did. I told him I’m getting help from family and Bro. Johnny.” He faced Jeremy. “So on top of the violations, he and I agreed that with my frame of mind, not knowing if I would fall again or not, that I didn’t need to be in a command position. I’ve been moved to Fire Prevention and Safety Officer, plus Training Officer. Can still fight the fires, but no command.”
Jeremy fidgeted with his pocket. “That’s an eight-to-fiver?”
“Yup.” David smiled and moseyed back to his car. “I think it will work out for the best. Less stress.”
His brother stopped him before he opened the driver door. “Anything else you need to talk about?”
David paused. Jeremy’s hand rested lightly on his forearm. A hint of the pink scars peeked from underneath the thumb. No. He didn’t have anything else to say.
“Not yet.” He shrugged off Jeremy’s hand. “Someday, maybe.”
Jeremy nodded. “Whatever you say, little brother. Heading to the hospital?”
“Yeah.” He slid into the seat but paused before closing the door. “Hey, Jer?”
Jeremy arched a brow at him.
“Thanks for finding me.”
A smile crept across Jeremy’s face. “Not a problem, David. Not a problem.”
: : : : :
The harsh lighting in the hospital’s hall gleamed off the commercial tile. The highly polished floor reflected his boots with each step.
He hated hospitals. Their incessant beeps, loud intercom blares, and muted conversations. David rounded the last corner. At least this floor stayed relatively quiet.
David pushed open the door and peered inside the small room. The air nebulizer on Poppy’s face wheezed in greeting. No TV. No movement. The lamp above the bed cast a small glow onto the little girl and the woman who lay by her side.
Maggie glanced up as the door clicked shut and rose slightly. Her eyes lit up, going from a bright blue to dark sapphires. She put a finger to her lips. “She’s sleeping. She’d been asking for you.”
David bent down and placed a kiss on the top of Maggie’s head. “Had a meeting with Thomas and then drove out to the river to think.”
A frown creased her forehead. She glanced at his hands and back to his face, worry clouding her eyes.
He smiled. “No. I didn’t have a drink. Jeremy showed up.” He reached down and brushed a lock of red hair from Poppy’s face. “How is she?”
Maggie resumed her reclining position by Poppy. “She might be able to go home tomorrow. Smoke inhalation. She’ll be on the nebulizer for a couple of weeks.” Maggie looked at him again. Tears glistened. “You saved her, David.”
He rounded the bed. It sank slightly as he eased down on the other side of Poppy. It was a narrow fit, but he managed to balance himself on the edge, one foot hooked over Maggie’s leg. His fingers sought her hand above Poppy’s head. With his head pillowed on his arm, he gazed into Maggie’s face.
“I love her. I would never let anything happen to her.” He stared at Maggie. Her face softened as she watched him. Never did he believe this would happen to him again. “I love you.”
A tear escaped and ran down her chin. Her lips parted. “Oh, David, I love you, too.”
“I love you both.” They looked down at Poppy, who stared up at them through sleepy eyes. “Are you going to kiss? Because if you are, I need to know so I can hide my eyes.”
Maggie blushed. David hooked his arm around Poppy’s waist and dropped a small kiss on her forehead, his chin bumping against her breathing mask. “How you feeling, little flower?”
“Weird.” She patted clumsily at the mask. “Like Darth Vader.”
Maggie laughed and scooted further down the bed. “At least you don’t look like Vader.”
>
“Yeah, that’s a plus.” David shifted. “Here, let me get up so you’ll have more room.”
Fear leapt into Poppy’s eyes. “No!” She clamped onto his arm, wheezing. “Stay. Or the fire will get me. The fire won’t get me if you’re here.”
David’s heart collapsed. “Poppy, baby, there’s no fire.” He held her close. Her pulse beat wildly against his hand. “Shh. I’ll stay, though. Okay? Through the night.”
“Maggie?”
“Me too, sweetheart.” She reached below and pulled up a blanket from the foot of the bed.
David helped her settle the blanket over them. “See? We’ll sleep right here with you.”
“Promise you won’t leave me?”
“Promise.”
Maggie nodded in agreement.
Slowly, Poppy relaxed against the pillow. She watched them through heavy-lidded eyes as the nebulizer wheezed, lulling David into a comfortable doze. Maggie’s thumb caressed his hand. His arm grew numb, but he dared not shift again. Poppy’s fingernails had already laid claim to the skin.
Poppy’s voice brought him back around. “You know what?”
He yawned. “What, little flower?”
“I think there was more room on the trampoline.”
Maggie giggled. Poppy smiled at them and then giggled too. David shook his head.
“If y’all are going to giggle like little girls, I’m leaving.”
They looked at each other and then smiled at him. He closed his eyes. “But you’re right, there was more room.”
The sound of Poppy’s small laughter lifted his spirits. A thought rose from deep inside. He desired this. The image of Maggie and Poppy by his side for years to come.
Their soft conversation lulled him into a deeper sleep, his arm still draped over Poppy, hand resting in Maggie’s.
Maybe things weren’t going to be so bad, after all.
Chapter 21
DAVID STEPPED OUT ONTO the narrow dirt path of the cemetery. Grass grew sparsely in between the tracks, and he followed it past the few cars that lined the side. Josephine Littleton had few friends. Most of the people here were from church and were here for the little girl who stole their hearts. The little girl who stole his heart.
