Page 3 of From the Flames
“I guess I do. My sister and brother-in-law have twins about her age, and after they were born, I spent time with them, helping out. They boys always went to sleep so easy for me.”
Willy could see that. “I guess I should introduce myself since you’re holding my daughter. William Daugherty.”
“Kevin Messier,” the firefighter told him with a gentle smile.
“And you’re holding April, and this is Grant.” He shared the smile as the nurse came in and took some blood for testing.
“Your blood oxygen levels are looking good.” She listened to his chest. “And your lungs are clear, which is even better. The doctor ordered a few more tests, and then you’ll all be able to go home.”
Willy clamped his eyes closed. Tests could take hours, and they had already been waiting much of the night.
“They were caught in that fire tonight. There isn’t a home to go back to,” Kevin told her quietly. “I contacted the Red Cross emergency number on their behalf, and they said that they would be sending someone over. Is there a way to let the front desk people know? It’s early enough that people should be starting to come in.”
“Of course,” the nurse said. She left the room, and Willy relaxed a little. The Red Cross wasn’t going to let him down, or at least he hoped not. All he needed was a place to stay for a few days so he could get in touch with his insurance company and hopefully find a place that was immediately available. That was all he could hope for.
Kevin shifted April to his other shoulder, talking to her quietly as he did. Then he pulled out his phone and made a call. “Chase, I need a favor. Do you know any landlords in the areawho might have a place available?” he asked. “Yeah… for one of those families. A guy with two young kids.” He went quiet, and Willy appreciated the effort no matter how it turned out. “Thanks. Is it too early to call? Cool. Text me the number.” He ended the call, and his phone dinged. He made another call. “Ellen, hello. I was given your number by Chase at the fire station. He said you might have a place to rent out.” He listened. “I’ll let you talk to Willy. Hold on.” Then Kevin handed him the phone, and Willy was grateful they had shifted him from a mask to a nasal canula for the oxygen.
“Hello. I’m William Daugherty. Our building over by the Giant was destroyed in a fire, and I need a place to live for me and my two kids. I’m a professor of economics at Dickinson.”
“Willy, it’s Ellen Thompson. We met last year at the arts benefit,” she explained. Willy breathed a sigh of relief. “George and I were just finishing up cleaning and painting at the unit on South and West. It’s ground floor, with three bedrooms. I was just about to list it, but it’s yours if you want it.”
“Oh, thank God,” he breathed. “I’m at the hospital with the kids, but they’re going to let us go soon. We have nothing but the clothes we’re wearing. Everything else apparently burned with the building.”
“George and I can rustle up a few beds and maybe a sofa and stuff. I’ll see what we have. Why don’t we meet tomorrow afternoon and you can look the place over and we can take it from there?” She sounded so upbeat that Willy felt hopeful for the first time since they’d almost… well, he didn’t want to think about that.
“Thank you,” Willy said and handed Kevin back his phone. “She has a place for us.” He slowly sat up and breathed deeply, grateful he didn’t cough.
“It’s not a problem. You’ll need a place to stay for tonight, so if you want, you and the kids can come home with me. It will befor a day or two, but with the car show going on, every hotel is booked solid.”
“Are you sure? You don’t know us from Adam.” Willy thought he was going to cry. No one had been this kind to him since Mark passed away, and he wasn’t sure how to handle it.
“It’s no problem. These two need a place to sleep, and you can start to pick up the pieces in the morning.” Kevin gently patted Willy’s shoulder, and he sighed at the kindness of strangers. Maybe there was a way forward after all.
Chapter 2
WHAT ELSEwas he supposed to do? He had April in his arms, and the little girl seemed so content. Kevin loved kids. They were without guile and didn’t hold things back. Secrets were foreign to them, at least at this age, and Kevin had had enough secrets for an entire lifetime. He knew every hotel in town was booked solid and had been for months. They always were on car show weekends. It was part of the summer life blood that kept the town going, but it made situations like this even harder.
“Are you sure?” Willy asked. “I’m certain the Red Cross will be able to find somewhere for us.”
“Yes. They have an emergency shelter in their building downtown. It’s an open room on the second floor with cots and a few lockers. That’s about it. They’ll put the three of you up there for the night, along with everyone else they are caring for at the moment. I’m sure of it. But that isn’t what you need.” He knew what those places were like. He and his mother had been homeless for a year after his father had left them, and he’d spent much of that time in shelters or living in a tent in the back of the park. The tent had been pretty cool until they were forced to leave. Then it was back to the shelters and rooms full of people. Kevin swore he didn’t sleep for months—not until Mom managed to get a job, with some help, and then a small apartment that one of the churches helped with the rent for a year. But it got them back on their feet.
“I see.”
“So like I said, you can stay with me for a few nights until you can get some things together and move into the new apartment. But I suppose I should make sure no one is allergicor scared of dogs.” Willy shook his head, and Kevin leaned a little closer to the bed. “Don’t worry about everything all at once. Just take things one step at a time. You have a place to go in a day or so. You and the kids are safe.”
Willy nodded slowly. “Do you think we will be able to see if anything survived the fire?”
Kevin shook his head. “The building is nothing but a burned-out shell. The outside walls are all that is left standing. Everything on the inside burned away to nothing. There might be some remains in the basement, but that’s about all.” He hated giving him that news. It felt like stripping away Willy’s hope.
“My phone and wallet were still inside.”
“We can get you a new phone tomorrow, and you can call to replace your credit cards and go to the driver’s license center to get a new one. Just one thing at a time.” He sat back, trying to stay level-headed for Willy and the kids.
The doctor came into the room and smiled. “It looks like everyone is camped out in here.” He checked his chart. “Your blood work came back pretty good. You need to take it easy for a few days. You inhaled a lot of smoke, and it will take time for your lungs to get rid of it. But your blood oxygen levels are good, and they’re remaining steady.”
“So no marathons in my near future?” Willy said with a smile.
“Exactly. Watch anything strenuous for the next week or so, and remember to give your lungs a chance to heal.” The doctor turned to Kevin. “I’d tell you the same thing, but you won’t listen.”
