Page 71 of Choosing a Forever
The fire’s at an older house on the outskirts of town. According to the neighbor who called it in, the elderly couple living there has mobility issues, making it difficult for them to get out on their own. Nathan and I are tasked with helping them.
We’re already suited up in our turnout gear, all that’s left is put on our SCBA masks.
The fire looks like it started in the living room, so instead of going through the front door, we rush around to the back but find the door locked. I give it a few swift, powerful kicks, and the old wood splinters on the hinges and opens for us.
Thick gray smoke fills the kitchen and beyond, and sweat pours down my back as the heat from the flames permeates the air, getting closer to this area of the house. The fire is spreading quickly, so we need to work faster.
Nathan and I follow the sound of faint coughing and the frail voice of someone calling out for help. In the hallway, we find an older gentleman passed out on thefloor, his cane two feet away. Nathan scoops him up and, with a nod to me, carries him out of the house while I try to find his wife.
There are three doors in the hallway, one leads to a bathroom, the second looks like a guest room, and the third is where I find the wife lying on a bed, covering her mouth with a handkerchief.
I take note of the wheelchair in the corner and her foot in a cast. She must have had some type of injury preventing her from moving on her own. I don’t have time to grab the wheelchair.
I take off my SCBA mask and place it on her face, just in case. “I’m going to lift you now, ma’am. Let me know if I need to reposition you so I’m not causing any pain.”
She nods weakly, loosely hooking her arms around my neck while I lift her bridal style. It’s not ideal, but I don’t want to cause any harm to her legs.
I hear the cracking of wood, the heat increasing as more smoke fills the room. I silently pray to whatever higher being there is that the flames haven’t made our escape route impossible. I open the door slightly and see the flames at the entrance to the hallway, blocking our way out.
I need to find another exit
I spin around to the double-pane window which looks big enough for me to carry her out. The house is only one story, so the ground is close enough. My team must have had the same idea, because Nathan and Enoch are on the other side of the window with a gurney at the ready.
I set the woman on the bed, quickly shove the dresser away from the window, and open it.
I scoop up the lady and gently carry her to the window where Nathan helps me get her outside.
She rips off the SCBA mask as soon as she’s outside. “My Jerry! My Jerry is in there!”
“No, ma’am, we got your husband out. He’s with the EMTs now,” Enoch says calmly.
“Jerry is our dog! Our baby! I can’t leave him!” She tries to sit up but can’t. Her eyes fill with tears, and she starts crying hysterically.
I know if Siren were in a fire, I’d want to get her out. The pain of losing my furbaby would be gut-wrenching, and I can’t let this woman experience that.
“Do you know where he is?”
“In the bathroom. He likes to hide in the tub.”
“Cap, you can’t. We haven’t gotten the fire under control yet,” Nathan warns.
“I can’t leave him. Give me the mask.”
Reluctantly, Nathan hands me my SCBA. I fit it back onto my head and turn around, before making my way through the bedroom and into the hall. I get down on my belly and crawl the few feet to the bathroom. The flames are working their way through the house, closer to where I am. Something crackles and crashes too close for comfort, so I pick up my speed, entering the small bathroom.
I pull back the curtain to find a small white dog shaking in the corner.
“It’s all right, Jerry. I’m just going to pick you up and take you to safety,” I coo, reaching for the dog.
Jerry barks and nips at my hands, but I don’t feel it through the gloves. I get him secured in my arms as bestas I can before I rush out of the bathroom—straight into the path of the flames.
Fuck.
Jerry panics and twists out of my arms, running towards the bedroom. I chase after him, but my foot gets caught on a rug, and I twist, toppling over. A popping sound followed by pain from my right ankle makes me howl in pain.
Fuck, that’s not good.
I see Jerry jump up to try and get to his owner through the window. I grit my teeth and scoop up the little dog and hand him to Nathan, who takes him to the older lady.
