Page 22 of The Great Maple Mistake

Chapter 10

Cody

August - Three weeks until the cook-off

“Shep!”

I spin around when I hear my name and quickly scan the smoldering remains of the three-alarm warehouse fire. Alenko is walking back toward the building, leaning toward the structure, eyes closed. He looks uninjured. “What’s up?”

“I swear I’m hearing something.” That’s all he needs to say. It could be nothing, or it could be the building settling as it cools, but maybe we missed someone in the sweep through. Regardless of my exhaustion, I tear across the loading dock driveway, jump over draining hoses, and splash through puddles to get to him. He’s focusing on a dumpster that’s only thirty feet from the edge of the dock. “Do you hear that?”

Right now, all I can hear is my thudding pulse and the chief shouting orders. I try to calm my racing heart and listen for whatever sound Alenko detected. And then I hear it. A soft squeak. It’s coming from inside the dumpster. We look at each other for a split-second before we’re both shoving the lid up andoff, scanning the sopping contents of the trash bin for whatever made the noise. I try to hear the sound again, but with the teams shouting instructions at each other and fire engines pulling out, it’s a miracle we heard the sound at all. I start throwing trash out of the dumpster. Alenko barely hesitates before helping. There’s already so much cleanup to do that extra trash on the ground isn’t going to make a difference. I grab the edge of a soggy box and the side pulls away in my glove. My heart stops. Several soaked kittens are huddled in a pile in the corner of the disintegrating box. Shit!

We peer in through the early morning light. “Can you see? Are they moving?”

There’s one little guy valiantly trying to lift its head. That must be who we heard. “Here! Help me!” I quickly but carefully climb into the dumpster and take off my gloves, shoving them into my pockets. “No gloves. We don’t want the chemicals and dirt all over them.”

“Okay.” Alenko yanks his gloves off and stuffs them into his pockets, then holds out his hands.

I pick up the mewling little one and hand it out, then pass Alenko another two. “Don’t put them against your jacket. It’s just as dirty as the gloves. And we need to get them to the EMTs. They’re soaked and probably need oxygen.” I gather the remaining two kittens and slide over the rim of the dumpster, almost falling back in without the use of my hands. When I hit the asphalt, we hurry across the driveway to the ambulances. They’re from another firehouse, and I don’t recognize the techs, so I can’t call them by name. “Hey, we need oxygen!” That gets everyone’s attention.

“Which of you?” One of the EMTs grabs an oxygen tank from the ambulance.

We stop in front of the three techs, and I nod at the soaked felines. “We found kittens in the dumpster. Not sure if all ofthem are breathing. Didn’t have time to check.” Alenko hands the semiconscious one to an EMT who already has a pet oxygen mask in her hand and passes the other two off to a second EMT. I give one of mine to a third and get started checking the remaining one for breathing and a heartbeat. It’s faint but there, and I hand off the little fur baby for its share of the oxygen.

Chief Brennan jogs over once he sees the commotion. “What do we have?”

Alenko answers. “Kittens. Shep and I found them in that dumpster.” The chief follows where he’s pointing. “Someone tossed them in there.”

“Wonder if we could see who it was on the security footage. Maybe they saw how the fire started.”

Someone throwing little kittens in a dumpster makes me furious, and my voice comes out harsh and angry. “You mean maybe they can be arrested for animal cruelty.”

Chief nods. “Yeah, that too.” He hovers while we work on the kittens, administering oxygen to the ones that need it and towel drying them all with blankets. “They all make it?”

Alenko nods and gestures to me. “So far. Thanks to Shep dumpster diving to rescue them.”

I shake my head. “You were the one who heard them first. I’d have completely missed it, and they probably wouldn’t have made it.” As it is, I’m still worried they all might not.

The chief slaps us on the back. “Good job with the fire. And the kittens. The equipment’s almost stowed. When I didn’t see you two back at the engine, I came looking for you. What’s the plan for the kittens?”

“We can’t leave them here.”

The chief scowls. “Of course not. I meant how are we getting them back to Maplewood? Who’s taking them to the vet or the shelter?”

“I will.” There’s no way I’m letting these babies out of my sight until they’re with Finn.

“I can help.” Alenko strokes the head of one of the kittens.

The EMT with the oxygen cuts in. “You’re going to need a lot of help. At least three other volunteers because each kitten should be kept against the skin. They’re still shaking from the cold and will go into shock if they aren’t warmed up.”

I quickly unbuckle my jacket and shake it off before crossing an arm over my abdomen to form a makeshift shelf. Then I place the little guy I’m holding inside my T-shirt, keeping it against my bare chest. I can feel its damp little body shivering, and it’s breaking my heart. Who the fuck would throw these innocent babies in a dumpster? They better pray I never find them.

Alenko’s already sliding out of his jacket, and when he’s handed a damp kitten, he settles it inside his shirt too. “Jesus, the poor little things. The person who dumped them here is an asshole.” The EMT with the oxygen mask looks at the chief expectantly. He rolls his eyes and holds out an ungloved hand, already out of his coat. When a kitten is deposited in his large palm, the chief tucks it inside his shirt and holds out a second hand. “They’re little. Give me another one.” He slips a second into his shirt next to the first one, and I take the fifth little dude, tucking it in with its sibling. Chief glances between Alenko and me. “You gentlemen ready to go?”

We climb to our feet, and one of the EMTs picks up our jackets, following us. We cradle the shivering kittens as we cross the debris-strewn property of the partially destroyed warehouse. When we get to our fire engine, I climb in, and Alenko follows. The EMT hands our coats to Vega as the chief climbs into the front passenger seat of the truck, and we take off back to Maplewood.

Vega points at the little bulges under our shirts. “What’s that?”

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