Page 34 of Vita Mia

“Don Giovanni, let us help!” The rescue captain said. The firemen arrived with a large trampoline looking type of equipment. It did look more secure. Everyone helped.

“Send the child first!” the captain yelled up. Giovanni wasn’t sure, but his baby girl didn’t look well. She was listless in Belinda’s arms. Belinda nodded that she understood and with Leo’s help they held Eve out of the window. Then she dropped. In those painful seconds he watched Eve fall, his heart stopped beating. She fell like a doll, her hair blowing upward from the descent her arms listless at her side. She hit the trampoline and bounced up. Giovanni reached for her. Mirabella beat him to her pulling Eve into her arms.

“She’s burned! She’s burned!” Mirabella screamed in horror.

Giovanni saw the burns. Eve was unconscious. She was badly hurt. The tears streamed down his face. He glanced back to the burning house.

What the hell had happened?

***

“YOU HAVE TO JUMP!”Leo pushed Belinda to the window.

The fire had spread. The attic was now burning. They didn’t have much time. Leo pushed her again to the window but she clung to him.

“Take the puppy,” he said and kissed her cheek.

“Let’s go together. Please!” she said between coughs. She squinted at him. She couldn’t see much of him because her eyes burned.

“You have to go first and I’ll jump right after,” he said. He helped her to the window.

“You promise? After I jump you’re coming?”

Leo coughed and nodded. The black smoke covered them now. She got to the edge of the window. He leaned in before she leaped.

“Belinda,mia amore. I love you.”

“What?”

Before she could turn to look at him he pushed her free of the window. Belinda held tight to the puppy but kicked her legs out of sheer fear. She hit what felt like hard rubber and her arms flung open. The pup bounced from her chest and she and the dog rolled. Her head and neck hurt something awful. She could barely collect her thoughts before men were pulling her up and off the trampoline. She looked up expecting to see Leo come from the window next. She saw nothing.

“Leo? Where is—”

The second explosion came and the roof on the East wing caved in. The attic fell along with the floors beneath it as it all began to burn. Belinda screamed in abject horror. What she saw she didn’t believe.Leo jumped. He was right behind her. He had to have jumped.The shock of it all collapsed in on her. She was lifted into a man’s arms and put into an ambulance and her mouth was immediately covered by an oxygen mask. Belinda begged them with her eyes and tears. She tried to escape the help offered and fight back. The medics strapped her down to the gurney.

Where was Leo?

Did he jump?

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