Page 36 of Fighting for Tawny

“Okay, I’m taking you with me, and we’ll look for your parents.” She lifted the boy into her arms.

Something heavy fell onto the tent, crushing them beneath it and setting the tent on fire. Jimmy screamed. He’d landed beneath Tawny’s body. Her arms were free, and she could see the shovel nearby. From the weight on her back, she assumed a huge tree limb hit the tent. If she could grab the shovel, she might be able to use it as leverage to lift the limb off them. She had to hurry because breathing was becoming more arduous, and she could feel the heat on her back.

“Jimmy! Listen to me! I’m wiggling over to the shovel. We’ll be out of here in a jiffy.”

She moved a little, but the shovel was still beyond her reach. Tawny tried again, straining her muscles to reach for the shovel, but to no avail.

“Jimmy, can you help me? You’re closer to the shovel than I am. Try moving it toward me.”

He coughed and started to cry again. “It hurts.”

“I know, sweetheart. Can you see the shovel?”

Jimmy tilted his head and coughed. “I think so.”

“Try to stretch your arm far enough to move it just a little so I can reach it.”

The little boy tried twice and missed. “I can’t!”

“Please try one more time.”

This time, his small hand succeeded in pushing it a fraction of an inch toward Tawny. Her fingers clutched the handle. “You did it!” She gave him a high five. “Now all I have to do?—”

Buzz! Buzz!

Tawny’s heart palpitated with relief. “Do you hear that, Jimmy? Other firefighters have come to help us!”

The sound of the chainsaw scared Jimmy. He closed his eyes and covered his ears. Several minutes passed before Tawny felt the weight lifted off her. She rolled off Jimmy, but he panicked and grabbed her.

“Don’t leave me!”

“I’m not. I’m right here.”

Within a few more minutes, pieces of the ruined tent were cast aside. From the flat of her back, Tawny gazed into Moira’s anxious face. “Thank God you’re okay!”

She leaned over to give her a hand up, but Jimmy clung to her. Tawny lifted him with her. He wrapped his arms and legs around her and buried his face in her neck. “This is Jimmy. He was separated from his parents.”

“Hi, Jimmy. I’m Captain Finnigan. Guess what? Your mommy and daddy are waiting for you with your brother.”

“Hear that, Jimmy? We found your mommy and daddy!”

The fire had been contained while she’d been trapped in the tent. There were only a few hot spots to douse. Yolanda and Terrin fell into step on either side of her.

“Man, are we glad to see you,” Yolanda said. “When that tree fell on the tent, we thought you were a goner.” She gazed at Tawny closely. “What else?—"

“A whole tree?” Tawny cut her off.

“A majority of it.”

“Fire was burnin’ all around us,” Terrin added. “We had to find a way out so we could get help.”

“I’m glad you were there.”

When they reached the fire engine, the rest of the Titans and some firefighters clapped their hands. A young couple in their early thirties broke away from the group and hurried toward Tawny.

“Jimmy!”

Jimmy squirmed out of Tawny’s arms and threw himself at his parents. “Mommy! Daddy!”

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