Page 2 of From the Flames
“Good,” she said. “Now just stay there. I’ll be right back.” He closed his eyes and tried to block out the sound around him. “I have someone for you.” She placed April into his arms, and Willy soothed her gently. At least she was okay, judging by her cries, which settled once he could hold her.
“Sweet girl. It’s okay. You’re with me now.” He cradled her, and her crying softened.
“Daddy, are you dead like Papa?” Grant asked from next to him, and Willy took his hand.
“None of us are dead,” he told him.
“We’re going to take all of you to the hospital,” the woman EMT told him. “We just want them to check you out to make sure you’re okay.”
“What about everyone else? Did they get out?” Willy asked, turning to look at her.
She smiled. “I believe so.” That was a relief. She called someone over. “This is Kevin.”
Willy smiled up into the rugged face that filled his vision. “Thank you for finding us,” he said quietly. “You saved my family.” He wanted to cry right there. April had settled next to him, and he held Grant’s hand, turning to where he’d stuck the thumb of his other hand in his mouth. Grant hadn’t done that in months. They were all stressed to the gills, and Willy knew it was about to get worse. The building they had lived in was gone, along with everything they owned except maybe the car.
“I’m just glad I could help.”
Grant pulled his thumb out of his mouth. “Are you a real fireman?”
“Yes, I am. I found you and your sister and daddy and helped you get out, though your daddy did the hard work. He got you down by the door. He was very brave.”
Willy didn’t feel brave. All he wanted to do was close his eyes and figure out a way to escape the mess their lives were sure to become.
“Let’s get all of you in the ambulance,” the EMT said. “You too,” she told the fireman. “I want you checked out as well. You spent a lot of time in the smoke.” Willy watched as Kevin was about to protest, but he shrugged in the end.
They loaded Willy in the back with April still in his arms. Kevin held out his hand, and Grant took it. Then he lifted Grant inside and took a seat, with Grant buckled in the one next to him. The space was cramped, but they all got inside with the EMT right next to Willy, and soon the siren sounded as they began to move.
“I’m feeling better,” Willy said.
“That’s good. Just keep the oxygen on for a while. It will ease any stress on your lungs. And it’s okay to cough. That helps to bring up the particles you inhaled.” She sat quietly while Kevin answered a million of Grant’s questions. It seemed that once he knew that Willy was going to be okay, his natural curiosity went into overdrive. Willy smiled as Kevin patiently spoke with him.
“Do you get hot in all that?” Grant asked.
“Yes, sometimes. But the gear keeps me from getting burned, and it keeps the water out.” Kevin sounded so interested. Grant tended to wear people out with his questions.
“Do you wear pants under there too?” Grant asked.
“I wear shorts,” Kevin answered as though he were sharing a secret. “Maybe after this is over and all of you are okay, you can come down to the fire station and I’ll show you everything.”
“Even the siren and the dog?” Grant said, clearly in a bit of awe.
“Dog?”
“In books, firehouses always have Dalmatians,” Willy supplied. “We have a story about a fire dog.” Or at least they usedto. “And it’s one of his favorites.” He closed his eyes and tried not to let the darkness that threatened wash over him. Willy wished his mind would clear, but it seemed determined to go in circles, and that wasn’t helping with anything.
They were all on their way to the hospital, and that meant that for the next few hours, the three of them would be taken care of. Willy was a planner—he liked to try to schedule weeks and months in the future—but an accident like this reminded him just how easily everything could be taken away. And when that happened, looking hours ahead seemed good enough.
“Just relax. We’re almost there,” the EMT told him, and Willy sighed and closed his eyes once more. The burning in his lungs had already subsided, as had the constant need to cough. April had fallen asleep in his arms, and Grant was talking a mile a minute with Kevin. So at least for the moment, things were the best he could hope for.
Of course everything changed when they reached the ER. It was loud and bright, and once they had Willy in a room, Grant decided that he wanted to be in the bed with Daddy, which made April fuss. The nurse managed to get an IV into Willy’s arm, and he squeezed into the bed with Grant on one side and April on the other. He had no room to move, but at least the kids were quiet… until they weren’t.
“How are you doing?” Kevin asked a little while later, standing in the doorway. “Gosh, are you squashed?”
“A little.” He was wiped out and only wanted to close his eyes for a while. The doctor had said that he wanted to run some tests, so they had been waiting.
“Here. Let me hold her,” Kevin said, gently lifting April into his arms before sitting in the chair next to the bed. He said soft things to her as he held her. April seemed content as she curled her hands around Kevin’s neck.
“You must have the magic touch, because she won’t let anyone but me hold her when she’s tired. At least not since we lost Mark. She was very much his little girl.” God, Willy would have loved for Mark to have seen how they’d grown.
