All Fired Up

by Houston, Nikki Dee

  She laughed softly. “Like all of us, I’m kinda weary, I guess. But I’m OK.”

  “I’ve got some good news. We’re getting another team from interstate to come help us out for a while. Seems they need some refresher training and heard how busy we’ve been.” He gave a small smile. “They start tomorrow, so Sheldon’s team can have a couple of days off. That means you too.”

  “Hey, great news!” Her heart turned over and began to beat wildly at the sight of his widening smile. She felt the flush of heat rise to her face again. “Um, what about you? You’re going to take a break too, aren’t you?”

  “Oh sure. Soon. But…” He looked away. “But not just yet.”

  “Dave, you look exhausted.”

  He looked back at her, his tired eyes burning into hers, stirring something deep within her. “I can’t. Not right now. But once Sheldon’s had a rest, I’ll get him to take charge so I can have a short break. I haven’t announced this news to the crew yet, so just keep it to yourself until then.”

  He looked around the day room. They were on their own. He reached out and covered her hand with his, squeezing it gently. “Cindy, I…I’ve…” The door burst open and several of the crew, chatting together, entered the room. He quickly withdrew his hand. Their faces showed no surprise when they saw Dave sitting there, each one calling out a friendly greeting to him. He acknowledged them, then stood up slowly and went over to the bench to make a coffee. More men entered the day room in dribs and drabs, heading for the refrigerator and grabbing out their lunch.

  When Dave turned around, he saw that most of the crew was there, including Sheldon.

  “While you’re all here, I have some news for you. Relief is on its way!” Whoops and clapping burst from the small group gathered. “In the form of a unit from Brownsville. They’re gonna arrive tomorrow. Sheldon, your team of Warner, Jerry, Buckley, and Reece will take forty-eight hours off.” More happy responses from the group. “When you get back, Curran’s team will take time off.” He looked around at the tired but happy faces. “OK?”

  Their delight at the prospect of having a couple of nights sleep in their own beds was obvious.

  “I just wanted to add…” He cleared his throat. “…that I’m very proud of you all. You’ve all gone beyond the call of duty over the last few weeks. Thanks.”

  Loud clapping filled the room. Without a glance in her direction, Dave picked up his coffee and walked out of the room, heading for his office.

  “Man, he looks bushed, don’t he?” Jerry voiced what the others all thought.

  “Yeah, he’s hardly slept, even though he insisted that each of us got some shut-eye whenever possible.” Admiration for his Captain sounded in Sheldon’s voice. “He’s a strong bastard, strong and dedicated.”

  The men chatted away as they heated their meals or made coffee, their mood buoyed by the knowledge that there was an end in sight to their nonstop shifts. Cindy finished her coffee, stood up, and made her way to the locker room, to shower and change into dry clothes. What was it he had begun to say to her when the guys came in? Curiosity gnawed at her.

  * * *

  Cindy slept soundly in her own bed, her cat comfortably sharing it with her. Apart from a few basic chores and a quick trip to the supermarket to stock up on some supplies, she spent her two precious days at home, relaxing. She glanced up at the kitchen wall where her fireman calendar hung from a white self-adhesive hook. Firefighter March stared out from it, but did nothing for her. Only three more days until April, she thought, running her tongue over her lips. Bring it on.

  But try as she might to watch a movie or read a book, the vision of Dave’s face danced in front of her, his green eyes melting her heart. Truth is, she thought, I miss him. Even though she hadn’t been able to speak with him at the station lately, she could at least see him, hear his voice. Feeling restless, she wished she could return to work.

  The phone rang, jolting her out of her reverie. She snatched it up, hoping it might be Dave.

  “This is Cindy.” Even to her own ears, she sounded breathless.

  “Cindy. It’s Sheldon. We have some problems. Multiple fires. Are you able to come in to the station?”

  “Sure. Um, I’ll leave right now.” The phone clicked in her ear. Stunned for a moment, she stood rooted to the spot, then hastily went and got ready, and jumped in her car. Dave must be having his days off earlier than planned, she thought. Otherwise why would Sheldon be calling her?

  She arrived at the station in record time. All of the fire trucks were out of the shed and the place looked deserted. As she opened her car door in the parking lot, Sheldon came out to meet her, wearing full protective gear.

  “Thanks for coming. Can you get into your gear right now? We have to go.”

  As soon as she was ready, they both jumped into the fire station four-wheeler, and Sheldon drove out of the station parking lot and onto the road.

  “I just got the call myself. Buckley, Mick, and the others are on vacation. Must’ve taken their kids away or something. So there’s just us. Oh, and Warner’s meeting us there.”

  “What’s the call-out about?”

  “I got a call from dispatch. Two major fires and a highway crash. Our guys and the reinforcements from upstate are out there, but they still need more. I’m gonna drop you off at the warehouse fire, then I’ll go to the apartment building fire. OK?”

  “Sure, but is one of the trucks at the warehouse? I’ll need some more gear.”

  “Yep. They’re expecting you.”

  Adrenaline began coursing through her, making her hands shaky, but clearing her mind and mentally preparing her for the work ahead. As they approached the fire-ground, she could see the plume of black smoke. She’d need her breathing apparatus. She began attaching it to her face, ready to put her helmet on as soon as she jumped out of the car.

  Sheldon pulled up next to the fire truck. As she jumped out the door, he wished her good luck, then sped off to the other fire. A yellow-clad figure stood by the faucets on the fire tender. She went over and touched him on the arm. She saw a ruddy, sweaty face through the visor. Warner. He lifted the screen with his gloved hand.

  “Can you take over here? They need me inside. They’ll let you know when to alter pressure. At the moment it’s hooked to that hydrant there, running through our pressure valves.” He passed her the hand-held radio.

  “Who’s in there?” She asked too late, as he had already gone, grabbing an ax and marching to the entrance to the building.

  Her heart beat rapidly as she waited for the radio to come to life. When it did, she jumped. “We’re losing water pressure here. Fix it will ya?” Even though the voice was distorted, she recognized it, making her heart beat even faster. Dave’s in there! The thought was instantaneous. She pushed the lever on the faucet forward two notches.

  “Any better, over?” She waited what seemed like ages for a reply.

  “No. Check the connection with the plug.”

  She turned to look at the hydrant near the truck. A spray of water squirted up into the air, the sun shining on it creating a rainbow effect.

  “Shit!” She ran over and used both hands to twist the hose fitting tighter, but it wouldn’t budge. Racing back to the faucet levers, she moved them even further forward. The geyser of water jetted much higher, wasting even more pressure in the hose. She pulled the levers back to mid-range and picked up the radio.

  “Hydrant connection busted. I’ll need to find another one to plug into.”

  The radio crackled back with obscenities. “No time. Hook up to the truck’s water tank, then put on a hose-pack and get in here.”

  With difficulty, she unscrewed the hose from the mangled thread on the fire hydrant, hauled it over to the truck, and re-connected it to the tank. It took longer than she wanted it to, but she managed to get it connected.

  “Standby. Water coming through now.”

  She moved the lever forward slowly, letting the hose fill up.

 
; Again the radio crackled. “Got it. Increase water flow to three-quarters.” She did as she was told, knowing that at this rate, the water in the trucks would only last about forty minutes if they were lucky. She opened a door on the side of the truck, pulled out a heavy backpack, and donned it. She brought the nozzle around to the front and turned the flow on. A short, sharp burst of water shot out as she pulled back on the lever. Then she turned on the compressed air cylinder strapped to her chest, pulled her breathing mask up over her face, and tested it. All good.

  She picked up the radio. “I’m on my way.” She waited a second or two for an answer, but none came. Shoving the radio in her back pocket, she entered the burning factory. The smoke was so thick she couldn’t see more than a foot or two in front of her. She pulled out her flashlight and shone it through the dense, acrid smoke. Even through her protective suit, she felt the heat from the glowing wood and metal around her, the intensity of the fire melting or burning everything it came in contact with. Pulling the radio out, she once again tried to make contact.

  “What’s your location, over?” Nothing. Suddenly an explosion occurred up ahead. The force of it knocked her backwards and she landed heavily on some hot metal structure. Quickly recovering, she hauled herself up, the heavy backpack and metal cylinder hampering her a little, making maneuvering harder. A wall of flames now blocked the path she had been walking on, their vicious yellow tongues lapping the remains of the rafters above, making them glow red hot in the eerie light. Again she tried the radio, but still no response.

  She trained the small hand-held hose from the backpack onto the base of the flames, fanning the fire from left to right, then back again. Steam hissed, and blended in with the roar of the fire. The wall studs and other structures around her creaked and crackled from the intense heat. Dousing the flames, she moved forward at a slow and steady pace, regularly checking behind her as she was taught at the academy. She remembered the mantra: always monitor and protect your exit.

  Suddenly, what looked like an apparition materialized from the fire. A man in once-yellow protective gear lurched toward her. Then came another, and another. Relief swept through her, making her hands tremble as she kept the hose pointing to the area. The first man came up to her, clapped her on the shoulder, and signaled with his hand for her to retreat. He turned her around, and kept hold of her shoulder as they made their way outside into the murky, smoke-hazed sunshine. Once clear of the building, she turned, seeing that the other two men were following close behind them. The one in front took hold of the backpack hose she was holding and trained it on the other two men, then himself. The black soot ran in rivulets down their suits. She was alarmed to see steam rising from some exposed parts of their suits, like the shoulders and sleeves. The special fabric looked as though it had actually melted in parts.

  “Radio?” She was shocked to hear Warner’s voice. She’d thought the man who’d held her shoulder as they exited was Dave. “Quick, gimme the radio!”

  She pulled it from her pocket and handed it to him. He changed the channel to the Dispatch Center and called for an ambulance, and a Code 1 fire unit, to come to the site. The other two men went to the broken fire hydrant, removed the threaded attachment, and replaced it with another from the truck. They soon had the main hose re-connected, and hauled it back inside the now fiercely burning building, while Warner manned the levers and talked on the radio.

  Her head was spinning. What’s going on? Why are they going in again? Warner finished on the radio, and then she heard the wail of sirens. An ambulance arrived, followed closely by their other fire truck. Sheldon jumped out of the cab and ran over to where she and Warner were standing. She froze on the spot when she heard Warner speak to Sheldon.

  “Dave’s still in there. We ran out of water, then the roof came down, pinning him under a heavy beam. Jones, Jerry, and me were trapped. Luckily, Reece came in with the hose pack and put the flames out enough for us to get out. The boys’ve gone back in for Dave.”

  She held her breath, unable to let it go. She felt a heavy hand on her shoulder.

  “Cindy?” She looked into Sheldon’s red, sweaty, and worried face. “You OK?” She nodded. “Right, stay here with Warner. Follow any instructions he gives you. The rest of us will go in and get Dave.”

  She unclipped her breathing mask and let it fall to her chest. Raising her visor, she became aware for the first time, of the chemical stench oozing from the burning building. Her eyes stung as the smoke seeped into them, and unchecked tears flowed from her eyes.

  “Put your visor down and pull your mask up again. It’ll stop the stinging.”

  With shaky hands, she did as Warner told her, but her tears didn’t stop. They weren’t flowing because of the smoke; she knew that for sure. The next half-hour—or maybe hour, she didn’t really know—crawled by slowly. Warner efficiently manned the water pressure of the hose with one hand, while with the other he maintained constant radio contact with the guys inside. She felt superfluous, just standing there. Guilt seeped into her mind. Was it her fault? Did her inexperience with the hydrant cause this tragedy? What if Dave was…? A shiver ran through her and she felt faint.

  “Reece?” She heard her name. Warner was looking intently at her. “I need you to get into the cab and monitor the dispatch radio. OK?”

  As if in a trance, she did as she was told. Sitting there, she listened to conversations going on all around town, between all the emergency services. For a moment, she thought that maybe Warner had told her to do this to get her out of the way. But in her heart, she knew it was because he could see she needed to sit down before she fell. Despite all the bad blood between them, she had to admit that Warner was a good firefighter—efficient and experienced—and he was able to put their differences aside when it came to the important things about their job. It was odd, she thought, that she was now feeling admiration for the man who had caused her so much grief when she first started. Despite her worry about Dave, she was glad the tide had turned with Warner.

  She jumped when a heavy thud hit the door of the truck. She looked out to see Warner pointing to the entrance of the building, where a team of firefighters was carrying out a stretcher with a heavy load. A sharp breath stuck in her throat. Lifting the lever of the truck door, she climbed out and landed on the ground. Ambulance officers, carrying boxes of equipment, raced over and began examining Dave as he was carried out. When they were a safe distance from the dangerously fragile building, the firefighters put the stretcher on the ground next to the ambulance, and stood back to let the paramedics do their job.

  Her knuckles, white from clenching her fists, hung rigidly at her side. All she could see were his legs and big black boots, the yellow of his trousers blackened and smoking in places.

  “He’s alive, Cindy.” She hadn’t heard Sheldon come over to her. “He’s suffered some bruising and a possible fracture of one arm from the beam that fell and pinned him down, but he’s gonna be OK.”

  It took a minute or so for Sheldon’s news to sink in. She’d thought Dave was dead. Or at the very least, burnt or had inhaled too much smoke.

  “He’s an experienced firefighter. He kept his breathing apparatus on, and his protective gear basically saved him.

  “But the radio. I tried to get him on the radio.”

  “Ah, now that’s a fatal, I’m afraid. The radio was totaled by the falling beams.”

  Her shoulders slumped and she felt dizzy. Managing a small smile at Sheldon’s attempt at humor, she looked up into his face. “Thanks.” Her voice was barely a whisper.

  He put a hand on her shoulder. “Come on. I’ll take you over to see him.” Sheldon gently but firmly led her over to where the paramedics were preparing to load Dave into the back of the ambulance.

  “Dave. It was Reece who put out the flames to let the others escape.”

  He peered at her, his eyes half hidden by an oxygen mask, his face blackened. One arm lay across his chest in a big bandage. He raised his other hand slowly
and gave her the thumbs up. Next thing, he was put in the back of the ambulance and driven away.

  Sheldon tapped her on the shoulder. “Go back to the station with Warner now. The rest of us’ll finish up here.”

  In a daze, she walked over to the truck. Warner, his helmet now off to reveal his bright red face, opened the door for her. She climbed up into the truck and the door shut tightly behind her. She stared out the windshield at the still smoldering building, hardly noticing Warner climb into the cab and kick the engine into life.

  They drove in silence back to the station, the dispatch radio still crackling with voices. Warner reached over and turned the volume down low.

  “No need for us to have to listen to that now.” Warner sounded different—almost friendly. He cleared his throat, then continued.

  “Reece…um, I owe you an apology. Several apologies actually.”

  She said nothing, unable to find any words to make this moment easier for both of them.

  “Look, I’ve been a total jerk. You didn’t deserve it. You’re as good as any man.” He hesitated for a moment. “I-I’m sorry.” He took his eyes off the road ahead for a moment and looked at her. She turned and, seeing the genuineness in his eyes, nodded.

  Chapter Six

  On the third morning after the fire at the factory, Cindy arrived at the station, parked her car, and walked up the hallway to stow her bag and grab a coffee. As she was about to pass by Dave’s office, his large frame filled the doorway, surprising her.

  “So, not gonna stop in and ask how I am, eh?”

  Her mouth hung open as she stared at him, not expecting him to return to work so soon. His well-tanned face shone from a recent shave, and his eyes seemed to glow emerald green. He wore his usual blue trousers and white T-shirt, but his left arm was resting in a sling. One eyebrow rose as he inspected the shock his appearance caused her. “Don’t like what you see, huh?”