Page 4 of From the Flames
“I didn’t get much, and I had breathing gear. I’m fine.” Kevin stayed where he was, still holding April, who was fast asleep. “But thank you for everything.”
“There’s a woman here from the Red Cross. I’m going to discharge all four of you, and I’ll get that going while you talkto her.” He left, and a middle-aged woman with kind eyes and a gentle smile came inside.
“I’m Berry Silver, and I’m sorry about what happened,” she said softly. “And it’s early and you’ve had a long night, so I’ll get to the point.”
Kevin interrupted her. “I think I can save you some time. Willy and the kids are going to stay with me for a few days. They have an appointment tomorrow to look at a place that a friend has available. But other than that, they lost everything.”
Her eyes widened. “That’s very kind. I have care kits in the car for you and each of the kids. There are basic toiletries and some supplies. They also have activity books for them, things like that.” She checked her clipboard. “I was told that your daughter is two and a half and that your son is five.”
“He’s four,” Willy corrected.
She nodded. “Based on what I had, I brought a basic change of clothes for them. They may be a little big.”
Willy sniffed. “Thank you.”
“I also have a gift card from Target. You can use it to get additional clothes for the three of you.” She reached into her bag and pulled out a pair of teddy bears. She handed one to Willy, who placed it near Grant. He must have sensed it was there, because he cuddled it right up to him and slept on. The other she handed to Kevin, and he held on to it for April. These kids were going to need all the comfort they could get in the next few days.
“Thank you for everything.”
“I’ll go get the kits and bring them in for you.” She left, and Kevin shifted April to his other arm. She woke at that, blinking her big eyes.
“Hi, sweetheart. I’m Kevin,” he said softly. “Your daddy is right over there.” He turned her so she could see him. “Did you sleep well?” He showed her the bear, and she grabbed it, huggingit to her. Then she sniffled. “Are you thirsty?” Kevin asked, and she nodded. “Do you like milkshakes?”
“Donald?” she asked.
“From McDonald’s? Yes. She likes them.”
“Then let’s get them ready to go. Let me call one of the guys to come pick us all up. My car is still at the station.” Kevin called the captain and explained what he needed.
“I’ll send Ralph. He has that kidmobile of his, complete with car seats. He can get you all home.”
“Thanks,” Kevin said.
Once the papers were signed, April let him carry her out, so he had her on one side and a bag of things from the Red Cross in his other hand. He felt like a bit of a pack mule. Ralph pulled up a few minutes later, and they got everyone and everything loaded in the van and took off for his row house on West South Street, but not before going through the drive-through for shakes and fries for all of them. Comfort food it was.
They pulled into the drive area and got everyone out. The house had been built on a double lot, so it had a drive alongside it as well as a larger fenced-in yard. “Let’s go inside, but be careful, okay?” He unlocked the door and pushed it back gently before going inside. The three dogs all crowded around for pets. “This is Thumper, Benjamin, and Elsa. They’re all nice dogs.” Kevin had rescued them. Elsa he’d found at the scene of a fire at an abandoned house. She was a bulldog mix with short red hair and was the calm one and a real sweetheart. Benjamin was a terrier mix and had all the energy in the world, but was sweet and loved attention. Kevin had found him huddled in the basement after a house fire, and no one had claimed him. Thumper was the oldest, and Kevin had gotten him at a shelter when he was a puppy.
April squirmed to get down, and as soon as he set her on her feet, the dogs swarmed her. She laughed and petted each ofthem like they were there just for her. Grant stayed in Willy’s arms for a few minutes before joining her, the dogs soaking up the attention.
“Come on. We need to get both of you a quick breakfast and then down for a rest,” Willy said, and Kevin led the way to the kitchen, where he made some toast with jam. The kids ate, half asleep, and then he took them upstairs, with Willy and the pack following.
“I don’t have a crib for April,” Kevin said, realizing she might still need one.
“She’s fine in a regular bed. Once she goes to sleep, she stays pretty still.” Willy yawned and set about getting the kids out of their smoky clothes. The Red Cross had provided a nightgown with a princess on it for April, and she went right down to sleep in one of the twin beds. Willy got Grant into pajamas that were a little too big, but had dinosaurs on them that he seemed to like. He climbed into the other bed, both kids hugging the bears.
“Kids are resilient,” Kevin said as Benjamin jumped onto April’s bed and curled up between her and the edge, while Elsa claimed the foot of Grant’s. Thumper seemed left out, but both dogs gave him the stink eye as he looked over each bed, so he left the room. “They’ll be fine. All the dogs are good with kids.”
Willy nodded and followed him out of the room and across the hall to the room where his sister and brother-in-law stayed when they came to town. “This is really nice,” Willy said, sitting on the edge of the bed before covering his mouth and coughing deeply. He was still in the pajamas, now covered with ash and the scent of smoke, that Kevin had found him in.
“Let me get you something to wear.” Kevin left the room and found a pair of sweatpants that he was planning to donate because they were too small. He also grabbed a T-shirt and brought them to Willy. “Get some rest, and you can take care of things after you sleep.”
“Thank you for everything,” Willy said softly, holding the clothes that Kevin had given him in his lap. “I don’t know what I’d be doing without you.” He shivered, and Kevin smiled at him and drew the door partway closed. Thumper followed him back to his room and jumped onto the bed, making himself comfortable as Kevin used the bathroom to clean up and then returned to his room, slipping under the covers in his boxers and then turning off the light.
He listened. The house was so quiet, yet he found himself straining to hear any noise that seemed out of place. He wasn’t used to having strangers in the house, and he found himself a little on edge in case they needed something. Still, the house stayed quiet, and eventually Kevin fell asleep, but he woke to movement somewhere.
He got out of the bed and quietly left his room in time to see Willy leaving the kids’ room and closing the door. “Is everything okay?” he whispered.
“Yes. Each of the kids has a dog watching over them.” Kevin turned toward him, and Willy stopped. “Umm…,” he stammered for a second. “Sorry, I should get back to bed.” He hurried into the bedroom and closed the door. Kevin wondered what had happened until he looked down and realized he had on just his boxers. Kevin smiled to himself and went back to bed.
