39. Noah
Chapter 39
Noah
“ W hat’s the physical therapist saying about your shoulder?” Dad asks as he leans back in his office chair.
I absentmindedly start rubbing the muscles around my shoulder. “My range of motion is coming back nicely. The strength piece is a little slower, though. The PT says that's normal, but I feel like a baby deer learning how to walk again.
Dad chuckles. “You better not be pushing yourself too hard. I want you back, but I want you healthy without any further injuries.” He gives me the typical dad look that says he’ll be pissed if I don’t listen to him.
“I promise I'm taking my time,” I tell him. “As antsy as I’m getting, I’m glad to get the extra time with Nellie and Lilly.”
“How are they holding up after everything?”
“Pretty good, all things considered. Took Nellie a little while to settle back in, but I think she’s fine now.” And we’ve yet to have another interruption since last week.
“Good. You’ll let us know if they need anything else?”
“Of course.” I nod.
Dad clears his throat, a clear indication that he wants to talk about something I may not like. “I want you to take the lieutenant's exam. Of all of the guys, you have the most level head and a knack for knowing when to push boundaries and when to hold back. Not to mention the extra coursework you’ve taken.”
“Dad…” I shake my head. “I’m one of the youngest guys here. Do you really believe the old guys are going to be cool with taking directions from me?
“Yes, I do,” he says bluntly. “I think every single one of them respects you and your dedication to the job. You've already done the work. It's time to step up to the plate.”
Wings flutter in my stomach at the idea of becoming a lieutenant. It's something I've wanted for a long time. But by the time I finished the extra classes, I didn't think I was old enough or experienced enough to actually go for it. With Dad's words of encouragement, I think I might be ready.
We talk for a little bit about requirements and other details that need to be addressed before I can become a lieutenant. When we’ve covered everything, Dad and I head out to the apparatus bay, where the guys are working on the trucks.
Since this would normally be my shift, they give me hell for skipping out on my duties. One of our volunteer firefighters is here in my place, and he teases me about taking my spot if I’m not careful. I take all the ribbing since I’d do the same thing if it was one of the other guys in my shoes.
They also ask about Lilly and Nellie. They’ve been just as worried about their safety as my family has been.
It's one of the best parts about being a firefighter in my small town. These guys are like my second family. We care about each other like a family does.
I help out where I can, cleaning the bay and checking inventory. While I'm not getting paid or technically on shift, I still want to be a part of the team.
We’re sitting in the kitchen, waiting on dinner, when the alarm blares.
“Engine two, Truck nine, Ambo seven, house fire at 809 Camden Road.”
The blood drains from my face. I shoot up from my chair, my gaze landing on Dad. “That’s Lilly’s address.”
“She’s at our house, right? With Nellie?” he asks as we race out to the bay. The guys suit up, and I don’t hesitate to get into Dad’s SUV.
I pull my phone out to see if she’s sent anything else. She texted me earlier when they went over to Mom and Dad’s. Dad and I cracked up over Nellie being pissed at Carson.
Lilly
Nellie would like to have a sleepover at your parents’ house tonight. LOL. I’m headed home to pack some stuff for all three of us. Meet us at your Mom and Dad’s when you’re done at the station.
“Dad,” I whimper. “She’s there.” The text came in about twenty minutes ago.
He gets a call from the dispatcher with more information on the fire. I’m waiting on pins and needles for him to tell me what’s happening.
He hangs up and glances over at me. His expression is more serious than I’ve ever seen it. “The security company said the panic button was triggered, which is why we were alerted. They didn’t have any indication yet that the smoke detectors were going off.”
“Lilly wouldn’t have pressed the panic button on accident.”
“I know, son. We’re almost there. We’ll find out what’s going on in a minute.”
Another call comes in a few minutes later. “The smoke detectors have begun to alert,” Dad relays when he hangs up.
“Fuck!” I pick up my cell to call Lilly. Maybe she got out? She could’ve hit the panic button and fled the house. But my hopes are dashed when her phone rings out, the voice mail picking up. The automated voice sounds like it’s mocking me.
I want to throw my phone across the car—anything to get rid of this mounting panic.
It takes us fifteen minutes to get out to Lilly’s house, but it feels more like an hour.
From the outside, the house doesn’t look any different, but I can hear the smoke detectors beeping.
Lilly’s car is still in the driveway. She’s inside the house. Where smoke is thick enough to set off the smoke alarm.
I stand by Dad’s SUV while the guys work as a team to breach the house. It takes all the control I have to continue standing beside the car while I watch the guys run to the house.
The second they open the door, smoke filters out. Why of all times do I have to be sidelined now? I should be the one rushing into the house with my gear on. This is the whole reason I wanted to be a firefighter in the first place. I wanted to save the people I love the way my dad did.
Instead, I’m stuck out here like a chump, unable to help my family.
Police cars come flying into the driveway while the guys are inside.
Cooper jogs over to me, his navy blue uniform making him look more official than I’m used to seeing him. “I’d just gotten home when the call came through. What’s going on?”
“I don’t know. The security company got the panic alert, and a bit later, the smoke detectors started going off.”
“Is Lilly in there?”
“I don’t know. We’re assuming so.” As the words leave my mouth, Porter comes striding out of the house with Lilly in his arms. Her head is lulling backward, and her arm is flopped out to the side. She looks dead.
Porter gets her over to the gurney at the same time I get there. “Is she alive?” The question comes out with more desperation than I’ve ever felt in my life.
“Yeah, but…” Porter hesitates.
The paramedics roll her into the ambulance, and I get in behind her.
“What, Porter?”
“She was tied up, man. Her arms were trussed up behind the back of the chair with no way to get out.”
My stomach drops. The doors slam closed before I can ask him anything more. We take off for the hospital with the sirens blaring. My gaze catches on the red ring around Lilly’s wrist. God, what happened to her? What has she gone through in the fifteen minutes it took us to get to her house?
“Is she going to be okay?” I ask, my voice husky with worry.
“She’s barely breathing on her own. The smoke damage is severe, and she’s got second-degree burns on her arm. The doctors will be able to tell you more about survival rates than I can.”
In other words, her situation is dire, and he won’t say definitively that Lilly is going to survive because he doesn’t know that she will.