Through The Flames – By SIMRAN
THROUGH THE FLAMES
BY SIMRAN
MAXTON
Thump!
The door bursts open under the weight of my shoulder and I successfully push through. Inside waits a black cloud of smoke with its arms wide open, ready to engulf us. The sight is a sickening blow no matter how many times I encounter it.
A tap on my shoulder, followed by a voice. “I’ll take the right aisle, you take the left.”
I nod tightly to one of the members from my crew, Carter, and walk in the opposite direction. It looks like the fire started from the top floor and is winding down fast to the lower floors, meaning I need to be quicker in ensuring no one is stuck.
With each square feet I cover, taking in the walls with the paint peeling off and the damaged shelves, I’m shocked at how the town’s oldest library is still standing on its feet. It’s considered as one of the heritage points in Sunny Valley, yet no money was spared to ensure its maintenance.
Being a firefighter for seven years, I’ve witnessed all the worst-case scenarios.
Most of which could’ve been easily avoided.
So, the lack of safety measures that people take in everyday life pisses me off.
Why is it that a person always waits until an accident or tragedy happens to correct their habits?
The long aisle full of tall and dark bookshelves is empty and I circle back to the front of the room when I catch a slim figure in a blue maxi dress dashing for the stairs.
Straight into the heart of the fire.
“Miss!” I shout, as she climbs the steps at lightning speed.
I take off after her.
The smoke is heavier, making it difficult to breathe, and the room is dark like we’re in a black hole. The woman isn’t even wearing protective gear like I am.
What the hell is she thinking?
I swear if it’s another case of ‘I forgot my purse’ or some silly reason, I’ll be ready to rip her head off. Consequences be damn.
Upstairs, the entire ceiling is enveloped in flames. One of the bookshelves has fallen. Among the mayhem, I search for the woman.
“Ma’am! It’s not safe here,” I yell, looking left and right. “You need to get out!”
Where could she have gone?
I reach the end of the aisle and fear strikes me hard when I catch her attempting to jump off a burning piece of wood.
Muscle memory and years of training kick in and I sprint to her, picking her up around the waist.
“No!” she yells, resisting and fighting me with inhuman strength. Like I’m a predator about to pull her into a dark alley. Instead of safety.
I hold her tighter and step backward.
But then she looks over her shoulder.
And for the first time in years, I’m distracted from my task. My world stops. The heat of the flames licking up my spine dissolves into nothingness.
It… It can’t be her.
Oh, but these eyes. The color of the sunset. I’ll know them anywhere. In the dark. In the light. Across the room. In my sleep.
Anywhere .
“Let me go!”
Her cry snaps me out of the past and I drag her out of the room. My only priority is to get her to safety and checked out, not whatever material thing is left behind.
Nothing is more important than keeping her alive.
She can barely keep her eyes open. There’s soot marring her cheeks, which had a perpetual natural blush. Yet her voice is strong and her fight unwavering as she scratches at my arms.
“Please! Please. My-y daughter is back there!” she sobs. “I-I have to get her.”
She manages to drop yet another bombshell on me, breaking my composure again in the span of a few seconds.
Of course she’s happily married.
I can’t think about that now, not when I have a job to do.
“Where?” I demand, swallowing the lump at knowing she’s in love with another man.
“In the back. Near the bottom shelf. You have to save her! Please.”
“I will,” I promise. I’m not walking out of this building without both of them alive. Carter appears at the top of the stairs and I gently pass her shaking form to him. “Carter, take her.”
Passing her to him hurts worse than the time I took a bullet trying to save my elderly neighbor from a burglar.
Turning around, I run toward the last aisle, dodging the rapidly falling shelves. I’ve reached the end when I see the folded pink stroller, sitting unharmed because of the tall cupboard shielding it.
I hear the soft cries and my heart breaks.
Closing the distance in two short strides, I peek inside the hood and I’m stunned to see the baby is quite young.
A few months old. Her cries are louder. Her cute little face is all red.
Without wasting a second, I bundle her up in the blanket, and use the towel near her tiny feet, pressing her against my chest.
Finally, I make it out of the room and down the staircase that creaks dangerously under my weight.
As soon as I’m outside, paramedics rush in and take the baby from my arms.
“Where’s the mother?” I ask after yanking off my mask. Forgetting about the job, I frantically survey the crowd for her. “Did Carter get her out?”
“Yes. She won’t let us check her out, though,” says one of the medical staff. “Not until she sees her daughter. I’ll just take the baby to her and inspect them together.”
“Which ambulance?” There are several parked around, tending to the victims who were rescued from the top floor.
“The last one at the back.”
I tear off in that direction. My mind won’t settle until I’ve seen her unharmed with my own eyes.
The second she comes into view in broad daylight, time slows down and an ache forms in my chest.
An ache that became a part of me like breathing.
An ache where she’s both the cause and the remedy.
An ache that throbs her name in every beat.
Lisa Madden .
The girl who was out of my league.
Fourteen years later, nothing’s changed. Except now, she’s become the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on.
LISA
I’m a terrible mother.
Why did I think bringing her here was a good idea? But with the day care closing at the last minute due to some emergency and my mother moving across the state with her new husband, I had no choice but to take Millie to work.
I can’t afford to take a sick day with my earnings being tight enough as it is. Yes, being a librarian didn’t pay much but it was the only job available in our small town after I moved back here two months ago.
Millie is the most calm and sweetest baby, never giving me trouble. I knew she’d be comfortable to take a nap upstairs while I organized the shelves downstairs. I put the baby monitor in her stroller, so I could hear in case she woke up.
Never in a million years did I think the day would take such a horrific turn.
I almost lost my daughter.
Never again am I putting a job above my baby girl’s well-being.
“Is she okay? Is she breathing fine?” I ask the female paramedic checking her over. “Please tell me she isn’t hurt.”
“Her stats are all normal. She’s inhaled a bit of smoke but other than that, she’s fine.”
“Do I need to bring her to the hospital? Does she need any medicine for the smoke she inhaled?”
“No. Just some fresh air.” She calmly soothes my worry before passing Millie to me, who stopped crying as soon as the other paramedic brought her to me earlier.
Millie’s small fingers wrap around a curl that comes loose from my bun as I hug her to my chest and inhale her strawberry scent with a hint of baby powder. I can’t believe she’ll be one next month. I’ve never felt time flow so fast as it has in the past eleven months.
“Mama’s never letting you out of her sight,” I coo in her ear, pressing kisses all over her chubby cheeks. She lets loose the softest laugh, bringing tears to my eyes.
“You should be grateful for the firefighter who brought her to safety in time.”
The giant man I mistook for a reaper after he emerged from the flames and snatched me away from my daughter. Except he was an angel meant to be my savior.
He didn’t wait for a heartbeat to go back for Millie once I told him.
I realize it’s his job but it felt like a vow when he said he will bring her back safely. Like my wish was his command.
I glance at the woman. “Do you know who he is or his name?”
“I’m here,” a deeply masculine voice says.
I turn around and my gaze smacks on a broad chest. I swallow nervously at his size as I trail my eyes up over a six-foot-tall frame. His uniform doesn’t hide the insane number of muscles he’s packing.
Is being ripped a requirement to be a firefighter?
My inner thoughts quieten when I reach his face.
Oh wow!
A mop of curly strawberry blonde hair frames an intensely rugged face.
His features are almost too angular and sharp.
Freckles dot his nose and spread onto his cheeks, softening his masculinity a fraction.
Something about his soulful eyes feels familiar.
They’re the warmest shade of brown I’ve ever seen and so alluring as they regard me unblinkingly.
Millie tugs at another strand and babbles some nonsense, yanking me out of my stupor. I realize I’m staring and probably drooling for a good, long minute while he patiently waits.
Get it together, Lisa! The man saved you and your daughter’s life.
“Hi.” My voice comes out scratchy like I smoked a pack of cigars. “I, uh… wanted to thank you. If you hadn’t gone back…” I trail off, becoming emotional that I came close to losing Millie. She’s my entire world.
I don’t think I’ll get over this dreadful fear anytime soon.
“Please. Don’t cry.” He takes a step forward, his hand rising as if he’s about to touch me before abruptly dropping it by his side. “No need to worry. You’re both safe.”
“Because of you.” I smile through the wetness on my cheeks. “My daughter, Millie, and I are forever grateful to you…?”
Something flashes in his pupils before quickly vanishing, and he answers low. “Maxton.”
“Maxton,” I whisper back. Maxton… Maxton… I feel like I’ve tasted his name on my lips before. I just can’t put my finger on it.
His gaze drops to my lips briefly. His throat bobs, before he clears his throat. “Did you let them give you an exam?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”