Page 31 of All Too Well
I nod, but she can’t see me.
“Ma’am?”
“Yes, I’m outside.”
“Okay. I’ve dispatched the fire department. Can you describe what happened?”
I go through the generator experience with the dispatcher, telling her about my attempt to blow dry my hair before the popping and smoke experience.
“Is there still smoke coming out of the window?” she asks.
“Yes. No. Maybe. I don’t know.” My teeth are chattering as my adrenaline is starting to decrease.
“All right. Just please don’t approach it. They should be there soon.”
I have zero intentions of going back inside, and I stay on the line until I hear sirens. “They’re coming.”
“Good. Would you like me to stay on until they’re fully on scene?”
“No, I’m okay. Thank you.”
“Not a problem.”
We hang up, and as the sirens become louder, I see a puff of smoke flying closer. At the speed it’s approaching, they must be going incredibly fast on the dirt road.
Instead of a fire truck, it looks like a pickup truck breaking through the trees.
Sure enough, it is, and on the front it says CHIEF.
This is going to go over well.
Lachlan is out of the vehicle and running toward me. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, it’s just some smoke. Maybe a fire, I don’t know.”
He grips both my shoulders and then pulls me to his chest. “But you’re okay?”
“Yes, Lach, I’m totally okay.”
His arms drop, and it looks like he takes a breath for the first time and then looks at the cabin. “Stay here.”
Before I can say I had zero intentions of going anywhere, he’s heading into the possible burning building, and every muscle of mine locks up.
No. He can’t go in. There’s a possible fire. While I know this is his job and he’s a fireman, it doesn’t do anything to quell my nerves. He doesn’t even have all his gear on. He’s in freaking basketball shorts and a T-shirt.
I start to go after him, but then he’s coming out, his arm over his face, and then he goes around to the back. The generator noise stops, and he makes his way to me.
“There’s no fire, but the electrical isn’t meant for this. I’m going to kill Brickman. He never should’ve let you stay here. I never should’ve either.” He heads back to his truck, clearly pissed off from the way he stomps, and grabs his radio. “I’m on scene. Fire isn’t active. It’s still smoking but doesn’t require the tanker.”
“Understood, we’re five minutes out. Do we need medical on scene?”
Lachlan looks at me. “Yes.”
“I don’t need medical,” I protest, but the way his jaw tightens and eyes narrow causes me to stop speaking. He looks murderous or terrified, maybe even both.
After a second of our standoff, he sighs. “Please, just get checked out. If the EMTs say you’re fine, then you don’t have to go to the hospital.”
The defiant little girl in me wants to tell him exactly what he can do with his edict, but I decide against it. I’m pretty sure he was in bed and literally flew here. “Where is Rose?” I ask, hoping maybe her name will bring him back down.
