Page 68 of Fireline

Nova shifted on the supply crate, trying to find a comfortable position for her leg encased in plaster. The crutches beside her kept slipping on the concrete floor no matter how many times she repositioned them.

The rest of the team lounged around, their usual banter muted today.

Logan and Vince sipped mugs of coffee while JoJo and Eric tapped on their phones. Booth leaned on the wall beside her.

She exhaled, blowing an errant curl off her forehead, and winced at the stab of pain in her ribs. Concern creased Booth’s face, and she offered a smile despite the throbbing.

How was she supposed to lead her team when she could barely hobble across the hangar for this meeting?

At least the others had been kind, even if they couldn’t stop talking about how it’d happened. They’d asked her to recount every moment in detail. She couldn’t exactly tell them about Henry, but she did tell them the truth. About the midair collision, the mountain lion defending her cub, and falling down an abandoned mineshaft and breaking her ankle trying to escape a wildlife attack.

“All right, quiet down.” Nova clapped her hands. “I’m back from the hospital with an update. Doctors wouldn’t let me see Finn because they’re worried about infection. The burns on his back and legs are severe, so they’ll be keeping him in a medically induced coma a few weeks.”

“Any life-threatening concerns?” Eric asked.

“It’s touch and go. We’ll know more in a few days, but the doc seemed optimistic,” she said.

Booth squeezed her shoulder. “We’ll keep praying. Won’t we guys?”

Mumbles of affirmation rippled through the crew.

“How’s Rico?” asked JoJo.

Nova smiled. “He’s great. Charming all the nurses.”

“Wouldn’t expect anything else,” Vince said, chuckling.

“It’ll be a long recovery, but he’s got a pretty good shot at coming back next season.” Nova’s crutch slipped again, and she grabbed for it. Missed. It clattered to the floor.

Booth picked it up. “I got you.”

“Thanks.” She smiled. “Can you help me out? Lean both against the wall until I need them?”

“Absolutely.” Booth brushed his fingers across her hand as he collected her other crutch.

Footsteps echoed outside, followed by the appearance of Crew Boss, Tucker Newman, sporting his own pair of crutches. Tucker’s pant leg was slit to make room for the bulky cast immobilizing his knee.

“Welcome to the club,” Tucker said with a wave of his crutch.

“Thanks,” Nova said with a soft laugh. “If they gave frequent flyer miles for injuries, we’d have free vacations for life.”

Tucker lowered himself onto a crate with a grunt. “I came to give you all an update. The wildfire has grown overnight. It’s still spreading and no closer to containment. Snowhaven is in danger.”

The team shared solemn glances.

“Have they evacuated the town?” asked Vince.

Tucker shook his head. “We’re staying ahead of it. Struggling, but we’re managing for now. But listen. The real problem is we’ve had some miscommunications. Too many injuries. We need some real leadership. Unfortunately, with this bum leg, I can’t be out there coordinating teams—I can barely walk. We need someone calling the shots from the front lines.”

He flicked a glance at Nova, then crossed his arms and looked away. “That’s why Miles and I have decided on a new crew chief.”

Nova stole a look at the crew. Each face seemed to be smiling at her. Coldness spread throughout her chest. This was it, wasn’t it? Everything she’d worked for. Everything she’d wanted.

Tucker continued, “The new chief is someone with a lifetime of firefighting experience under her belt. She knows wildland fires and has proven herself as a real leader.”

Nova sat straighter, jostling the crate. Her? Run point on a raging forest fire? Memories of orange flames and billowing smoke flashed through her mind. But also the faces of helpless residents fleeing for their lives. Her parents, trapped at their homestead. This was her chance to stop that happening again.

Her brain whirred with all the responsibilities of planning crew assignments and mapping priorities. This was the moment she’d trained for, what she’d sacrificed and bled for. A chance to channel the fire that had taken so much from her into saving others instead.

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