Page 33 of Where There's Smoke…
I began to cough as my body heated up from the warmth of the room around me. I was so delirious that I couldn’t make out what was happening. My body felt stuck, and my lungs felt like they would collapse at any moment. My eyes snap open, and all I see is smoke surrounding me. The panic set in, and I got up as quickly as possible before grabbing my phone.
My heartstarted racing as I saw the raging fire coming from the kitchen. I wanted to cry as I watched the flames engulf the appliances, but no tears would come. I knew I needed to get out, but my feet wouldn’t move. I went into a coughing fit once again and felt myself about to collapse, but someone caught me just in time.
“Sweets, you can’t stay here!” I recognize Phoenix even under all that gear. She quickly takes off her mask and puts it on me. She pushes me gently towards the door. “Go ahead! I’ll be right out after I get this fire under control.”
“No, I’m not leaving you,” I replied desperately after pushing the mask away. “Come with me!”
“Angel, this is not a game! Get out of here and don’t come back!” She yells at me, and I jump, nodding before heading towards the door. I push through it right as I hear something crack behind me. I quickly turn to see a wooden beam fall and knock down Phoenix in the process.
“Phoenix!” I yell and attempt to run back in, but I feel a hand grab me. I turn to see Maddox pulling me away.
“Angel, you gotta get out of here!” He yells, but I shake my head before using every ounce of strength I have left to push him away. I rush back into the building without thinking. “Angel!”
I didn’t look back as I ran back over to where she was. She screamed in pain as she tried to push the burning wood off of her. I covered my mouth with my shirt and grabbed a broom to jab underneath it. My heart was breaking as the tears finally started to fall. I struggled to breathe as I tried my best to free her.
“Angel!Get…out…PLEASE!” She pleads as tears fall from her eyes. I shook my head as my chest started to tighten. “Please…go…”
“I’m not…leaving…you,” I cried between coughs. The smoke was getting to both of us, and I felt like this was really about to be our last day on earth, but I wasn’t leaving her. I refused! “Phoenix, please hold on...just...a little...longer!”
“Phoenix! Phoenix, oh shit!”
I look up to see a few of the others come in. I couldn’t tell who was behind the suits, but I didn’t have time to figure it out before they jumped into firefighter mode and worked to get us both out of there. I was the first one brought outside, and once I saw the light of day, my head started to throb.
There was a whole gathering of people outside trying to see if everything was okay. My brothers and cousin had shown up, and Maddox was trying his best to get them to calm down. Once they saw me, they all rushed over to me to see if I was okay, but my attention was still on Phoenix as they helped her out of the building.
My heart sank as I watched smoke pour out of the building. I wanted to cry and scream because how could I have been so stupid to fall asleep? I could feel my knees go weak, but the paramedics caught me before I could go down. They helped me into one of the ambulances even though I refused and then hooked me up to an oxygen tank. I hadn’t realized I was wheezing until we pulled away from the curb and headed to the hospital in the nearest big city.
All I could do was cry as memories of what happened swirled through my head. I should’ve dragged Phoenix out with me. Maybe she wouldn’t have gotten hurt. I knew she was trained for this stuff, but once I saw her pinned down like that, all logic went out the window, and all I cared about was saving her. I couldn’t lose her. I loved her too much.
I feel my eyes growing heavy as voices buzz around me. I knew that Chris was riding with me, and it sounded like he was asking one of the paramedics something, but my focus was not there. I was quickly slipping out of consciousness, but I could still feel my sadness building up. Tears fell down my cheeks right as the world around me went dark.
August 26th, 2025
“Is she gonna be okay, Doc?” I hear someone say as my eyes flutter open. I wince at the bright lights above me. “She’s been out for damn near a week now.”
“Yes, she will be fine for the most part,” another guy says. “She just needs rest. From what you all told me, it seems like she was overworking herself prior to the incident. Her body needs to catch up and heal.
“Well, if that’s what’s wrong, then why is she still hooked up to all those wires and stuff?” I recognize Chris’s voice. When I’m finally able to focus my vision, I see my brothers huddled up a few feet away, talking to who I assume is the doctor.
“As you’re aware, she inhaled a lot of smoke and has needed some time to recover from that as well, especially because she has a history of asthma and bronchitis. If she had been in that smoke any longer, it would’ve been much worse,” the doctor answers. “She’s gonna shake back. She just needs time.”
My chest tightens as my eyes shut once again. All I could think about was how stupid I was for putting myself in that position. I should’ve never taken that nap. My heart skips a beat as I quickly sit up, making my head spin. If I’d been out for a few days, then what had happened to Phee? Was she okay?
“Angel, you’re awake!” Orion says as they all crowd around my bed. The doctor proceeded to check all my vitals and whatnot while my brothers looked down at me with concern. After the doctor assured them that I was doing better, they didn’t hesitate to lay into me. “We’re glad you’re okay, Angel, but what the hell were you thinking? Why would you run back into a burning building?”
“I…I couldn’t leave her,” I squeaked out as tears pooled up in my eyes. “She was hurt.”
“Angel, you could’ve died!” Chris argues. “There were other firefighters in there who were trained for situations like that. You are not! You should not have run your ass back in.”
“I…but…”
“Look,” Orion says as he sits on the stool beside the bed. He shakes his head before sighing. “I know you love her, but that was dangerous as hell, sis. You’ve been unconscious for six days now. We were terrified that you wouldn’t wake up. Don’t do that shit again. Please.”
“I won’t, I promise,” I nodded as tears fell. My mind was still on Phoenix, though. I needed to know if she was okay. “Where is Phee? Can I see her? Is she okay?”
“She’s fine aside from a fractured wrist,” Chris assures. “She should be back soon.”
“Wait, she’s not here?” I ask, my heart sinking. “Where did she go?”
