Page 5 of Dear Firefighter Hero
Dear Fire Girl,
I don’t often hear from the people I rescue, but when I do, it’s usually just a quick thank you card and a plate of cookies they baked. I have to say getting your letter is definitely new to me. You aren’t alone when you question the who, the what, and the why of what happened to you. I wish I had an articulate answer that might snuff out the struggle of survivor's guilt you are facing. But the long and short of it is a simple answer—I found you first and was able to carry you to safety before it was too late. I’d be lying if I said that I was drawn to where you were. It wasn’t divine intervention, but a situation of the right time, right place. I wish I had a better answer for you, but I hope this might help you on your journey for healing. If you feel a debt is still owed to the universe, then maybe you would consider joining me in volunteering at the Knight’s Ridge Fire Department Pancake Breakfast on Saturday.
Sincerely Yours,
Blue Eyes
4
LOUISA
“What do you mean he wrote you back?” My roommate Ivy asks.
I slump down on the sofa in our living room next to her. “The letter you sent out. He got it and wrote me back.”
“I thought you said you didn’t put your name on it?”
“I didn’t.” I shake my head and shrug. “I don’t know how he found me, but he did.”
“What did it say?”
I pull the letter from my pocket and hand it over to her. I’ve read it probably a hundred times since I got it. It’s almost as if I thought that with each new read-through, I would find some clue to who he is. I didn’t really get a good look at the guy as he walked away. I can't even be sure that itwashim who left the letter.
Ivy finishes reading and glances over at me. “So, are you going to go?”
“No way.” I laugh as though the suggestion is entirely crazy.
“Why not?”
“Is that even a question?” I ask, plucking the letter from her hands and looking over it one more time.
“I think you should go.”
“And I think you should go get your head checked out. I’m not going to meet this guy. He’ll take one look at—” I wave my hand over the covered parts of my body that are scarred.
“You can’t keep hiding from the world.”
“Please don’t say that I was spared for some special reason and that I won’t live up to my full potential by hiding away. I’ve heard the speech before.”
"Well, maybe if I repeat it, it will sink in," Ivy snaps.
She’s beyond letting me wallow in a pity party for myself. She helped me all through my recovery. Even when I tried to push her away, she stuck by me. But now she’s at a point where she’s not going to put up with my drama.
“Your counselor says you have survivor’s guilt. But you won’t take a single Saturday afternoon to give back to the community when asked to do so by the one person that saved you?”
“What if—” I start to ask, but she cuts me off.
“You can’t keep living in fear of these negative “what if” questions.” Ivy reaches over and takes my hand in hers. “What if you have a good time?”
“I hate when you make a reasonable argument against me.” I chuckle.
“It’s only because you know I’m right.”
TRAYNOR
I wasn’t sure she’d come to the pancake breakfast when I made the offer. And a part of me wondered if I’d recognize her if she did. But the long sleeves and pants in this heat were a dead giveaway that it was her. It’s clear to me know why she wears unseasonably warm clothes in this heat. She’s trying to hide possible scarring from the fire.
After I got her letter, I had to rethink a lot about the fire that night. It was the first call on the first shift, starting with the Knight's Ridge Fire Department. I remember working my way through each of the apartments on the third floor, looking for anyone that could still be there. I heard her calling for help. I took my ax and used it to break down her apartment door. She was trapped under a collapsed beam. I had to summon all the strength I had and more to lift the beam by myself, and she was able to drag herself out from underneath. She lost consciousness as I worked to get her out of the building to safety.
