Page 4 of Hearts on Fire

“I know! I can’t believe it. We have been so lucky. She is just incredible, every day.”

“She sure is lucky having two amazing moms like you and Dr. Frame.”

Dr. Hope chuckled. “I’ll have a good look at your shoulder once things calm down here. For now, do you need anything for pain?”

“No, I’m okay. It doesn’t hurt that much.” If she didn’t move it. Scotti kept that last piece of information to herself.

“Alright. Shout if you change your mind on the painkillers. I’ll see you in a bit.”

“Did you see the patient that I pulled from the fire? Naomi, her name is. How is she?”

Scotti didn’t usually get invested in the people she saved after they were handed over to the ambulance—that was a recipe for heartbreak in this job—but she had felt something for Naomi. Something in her frightened eyes had touched Scotti in a way she hadn’t been before.

“Dr. Naomi Crane? I hear it was a daring rescue!”

“You know me, always daring. Always rescuing.”

Cora laughed. “Oh, I know. Always sweeping women off their feet!”

“Oh, you know me! So, how is she? This Dr. Naomi Crane? Will she be ok?”

“She’s kind of a big deal in the medical world, Scotti. You really have probably saved millions of lives by saving hers.”

“So, how is she?” Scotti felt determined to find out.

“Scotti, you know the drill. No giving out patient information to anyone except family.”

Scotti could tell Dr. Hope knew how Naomi was.

“So ask her family.”

Scotti knew from experience that families seldom had any problem with the firefighter who saved their loved one knowing the medical status of that loved one.

“She doesn’t have any.”

Scotti frowned. “Then who is going to advocate for her if she needs someone? If she’s too ill to make her own decisions?”

There was almost always someone. Who didn’t have any family?

“Oh, I don’t think she will be needing someone to make her decisions.”

That was a relief. Dr. Hope may not be allowed to tell Scotti Naomi’s status, but if she didn’t think that she’d need a step-in next of kin, then it couldn’t be too serious.

“I’d better get going.”

“Sure. Go do your job. I’ll see you later.”

A few minutes after Dr. Hope left, one of the nurses came over to check on her.

“No, Megs, I don’t need any painkillers.”

“Yeah, I figured. You are the big tough hero firefighter, Scotti Saunders. You would never admit to feeling pain. Also, you have a little cut above your eye that needs cleaning up. Anyway, it’s not about that. Dr. Naomi Crane- I don’t know if you know but she is a pretty famous doctor. Anyway, Dr. Crane is requesting to see the firefighter who saved her life.”

Scotti felt her heart jump a little inside her. Apart from the thrill of a fire, Scotti always enjoyed the plaudits that came for the lives she saved.

Famous doctor, eh? Scotti vaguely recognized the name. She felt momentarily proud of herself for saving someone who was clearly a big deal. She remembered the brief connection she had felt with the doctor in the fire. When the heat and the smoke was closing in on them. When she had handed her own mask to the doctor so she could breathe clean air. When she had swung the doctor over her shoulder and felt her hands gripping tightly onto Scotti.

Scotti was suddenly aware of how filthy she was, covered in sweat, dust and grit and no doubt stinking of smoke, but she was pretty immune to that scent. She should likely have taken a shower, but it was too late for that now.

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