Page 63 of Burn Point

“Nate, this is Walter Crowley and his son Wesley. Gentlemen, this is Lieutenant Nate Williams. Nate, they have something they’d like to share with you.”

The little boy peeked from behind his father. He couldn’t have been over eight or ten years old.

Walter stuck his hand out. “Nate, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

I stepped forward, taking his hand, giving him a nod. “How can I help you?”

“We don’t know each other, but you helped my father.”

The little boy poked his head out. “You saved Grandpa.”

Walter looked down at Wes, a smile stretched across his face. “Wes, you want to give the firefighter what you brought for him?”

The little boy shifted forward and lifted a picture in his outstretched hand. “This is for you.”

I took the photograph and studied it as Walter explained. The photo was of an older man, white hair peeking out from under a fishing hat. A younger version of the little boy, Wes, was at his elbow. They were holding a fish on the line, the grandpa looked to be teaching Wes how to remove the hook. His expression was one of patience as Wes looked not at the fish, but with adoration at his grandfather.

“You were on the call for my father,” Walter explained. “He was having a heart attack, and you guys saved him.”

I looked back to Walter to see him swallow with effort. His voice trembled on the last few words.

“The day after the tornado?” I asked.

Walter nodded. “We just wanted you to know the difference your effort makes.” His words, thick with emotion, slammed into me.

Wesley piped in, “And we wanted to say thank you. Grandpa is almost well enough to go fishing again. He says real soon we can go.”

Walter put a hand on his son’s head, smiling down at him, the very image of what I thought a proud father looked like. “That’s right, kiddo.” He looked back at me. “We figured you guys don’t get much recognition when things go right. We wanted to let you know how much we appreciate what you do. And to let you know how grateful we are that you were there on the day that my father needed you the most.”

It wasn’t often that I got to see how I made a difference in someone’s life. Too often, calls didn’t go well, but every now and then, we were able to get someone back. Emotion and gratitude welled up in my chest.

I studied the photo for another moment, recognizing now that the grandfather was the man we’d helped in the days after the storm. Walter’s father had coded in the back of the ambulance on the way to the hospital. But by the time they got him there, he’d had a pulse. Thoren had shared as much, but it was nice to know that he’d survived surgery as well.

I looked back to Walter and Wesley, catching Walter blinking rapidly. His throat bobbed with a swallow.

“Wes and Dad have lots more fishing to do because you were there that day.” He looked down at his boy. “Right, son?”

Wes nodded and inched his way toward me, looking back over his shoulder at his dad. I squatted so that I’d be less intimidating as he got close.

“Can I give you a hug?” he asked.

“Sure, buddy.”

Wes’s little body slammed into mine and I rocked back before wrapping my arm around him.

“Thanks for saving my Gramps.”

My heart burst at his sweet little voice. Son of a bitch, these two had me all up in my feels.

I gave Wes a squeeze. “You’re welcome, buddy. You enjoy fishing with your grandpa. And stop back by sometime and let me know if you catch a big one.”

I slipped my hands in my pockets as they drove away, taking a moment to compose myself. This was why I did my job. I’d entered my profession just wanting to make a difference. Knowing that I had a part in a little kid getting to go fishing again with his grandpa, that a family still had time with their loved one, and it was a direct result of my actions, was humbling. I absorbed their gratitude, thankful for the validation that I was doing exactly what I’d always felt called to do.

Chapter 17

Nate

“We’re headed to the Alamo for some pizza and cold beer later, you in?” Mike asked, placing the last of the tools in the back of the truck. We’d finally finished this deck repair project.

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