Page 48 of End Of Never

“Copy, Chief 43.”

“Distress call came in from a house at 302 Nature Trail.” The radio and the fire crackling were all we heard.

Now, not only is this a forest fire, but it’s a rescue.

“Copy, heading that way now.” The air grows heavier as we watch the Chief and the Captain map the house's location from our vantage point. With panic rising in each of us, we are given direction on who will go where and what needs to be done. The fear mixes with the smoke, and the falling embers add to our stress as each ash could light another fire.

Jumping into the rig, I follow Carlos and Hayden as they clear a path with the fire truck, making our way down Nature's Trail. The drive feels excruciatingly long as we move at what feels like turtle speed, even though we are driving quickly, given the conditions. As we drive the winding road, we follow the fire as it runs along its edge. The thick smoke obscures visibility, and the fire is overtaking the land, making being outside almost unbearable.

As we approach the driveway to the house, the radio fills the truck with requests for more air drops, the urgency in their voices, the panic, makes my heart race with all the unknowns. Are we going to save this person? Will we get this fire put out before it reaches town? Will we all make it out alive? Quickly, I shift my mindset, halting the thoughts before they pull me into the darkest parts of my mind.

Arriving at the house, we all jump out of our vehicles and gather the tools and equipment we will need for our rescue. Our instincts take over, and we waste no time.

The house is engulfed in every direction. Usually, the smoke from a fire rises straight up, and the cooler air above burns out of the embers. This time is different, the rapid wind is blowing the smoke sideways, the heat is radiating off this small countryside house, and it has every intention to burn it, and everything in it to the ground.

Hayden starts up the stairs, slowly, making his way onto the once white porch, now scorched with black soot from the shooting flames. Carlos looks around the house, “The front door will be the safest point of entry.” his voice is muffled as he gives us a rundown.

Hayden pushes on the old wooden door, slowly opening it, showcasing the level of danger we are stepping into. The crackling sound of the fire, mixed with the scorching heat, puts us all in the right mindset to save. Hayden begins extinguishing the fire, creating a path through the house as we call out for anyone who might be trapped or hurt. We yell, wait, and yell again; the wait seems never-ending. Within the haze of the smoke, we can only see a few steps in front of us. Carlos goes left, Hayden and I go right, listening as we each clear room after room, finding no one.

Regrouping back in the main part of the house, the fire roasts our suits. Finally, we head upstairs. The stairs are torturous, with each step a reminder that at any moment they could give way. Rounding the corner, we enter the first room and see the caller. “Over here! Found the caller!”

I want to run to them to start life-saving measures, but we have to do this methodically, slowly, and steadily. Hayden walks in front of me, using a pike poke, checking for danger, ensuring wherever I step, the floor doesn’t cave. Carlos keeps extinguishing the flames that fight against our efforts to put them out.

The moment Hayden gives the all-clear, I drop to the patient and begin lifting, rushing out to start life-saving measures as quickly and efficiently as I can. We quickly move into position for extraction. Hayden leads the way, and Carlos follows behind me.

Carefully making it down the stairs, following the same direction we came, we stay low as we shuffle to the front door. Flames surround us, and the heat ramifies.

Getting outside, Hayden and I run to the ambulance. Hayden drives as I assess and prep the patient for handoff at the hospital. All paramedics are on the ground, tending to wounded firefighters as they take on the forest fire. Everyone is taking on every role, stepping up and helping where needed, because right now we are all one, all trying to save and protect. Carlos jumps into the rig, following orders to head back to pick up a crew to help put out the house fire. With the forest fire, they can’t afford to lose another fire truck.

Hayden drives to the hospital, lights on, sirens singing as we coast out of the mountainside and into town, where the cars part like the Red Sea. Hayden zips into the ambulance unloading bay, nurses run out ready to hand off, “Third degree burns, heart rate is 120bpm, oxygen is below 80%, high flow oxygen has been administered.”

Once I give the full report, I jump back into the rig, and Hayden and I head back to the fire that is fighting tooth and nail to stay ablaze.

Chapter 39

Lilla

Jace has been gone for almost twenty-four hours, and I miss him. I’ve texted him a couple of times, but there's been no answer. Given what I’m seeing on the news, I can see why he hasn’t texted me back.

Lying on the couch, my anxiety tries to send me to a place where worry overtakes, and the unknowns scream all the things that could happen, a torturous game I no longer want to play. Instead, I look around the newly decorated room, taking in every detail from the new photographs hanging on the wall with Jace on one side holding Zeus, and I on the other, as he gives air kisses. To the plants lining the dining room window that I have surprisingly kept alive. Everything is coming into place, making his house, our home.

Home. A place I’ve always longed for, but never had. The one thing I have learned is that home isn’t just a place where you eat, sleep, and shit. It’s a person, or persons, it’s who you surround yourself with. Here I sit alone, and I have never felt more at peace. The love from Jace shows even when he isn’t physically here. It’s in the fridge notes or in the lunches, in case I forget to pack mine. I have been alone in a house decorated with the finest furnishings, top-of-the-line furniture, the best-dressed parents, and fine dining plates. All the finest things and all the greenest money could never match the love Jace gives. The love I hope I return, and the love I hope to keep forever. Love isn’t greedy or ephemeral; love is timeless, selfless, and transparent.

My phone begins to ring, pulling me from my deep thoughts, finally. Quickly, I reach over, grab my phone, and look at the name scrolling across the top. It isn’t who I hoped it would be.

“Hey, you, missing your HayHay?” I give Haley a soft chuckle, knowing she hates my assumptions about their situation. Waiting for Haley to respond, I hear a quiet sniffle.

“Lills, I–I need you to come over, and I need you to hurry. There isn’t much time.” Her voice is a whisper as the sniffles intensify. In my heart, I know exactly what is happening, yet I still beg for it not to be true.

“I’m on my way.” Jumping to my feet, I throw on my slides, grab my keys, and run out the door. I could hear the urgency in her words, the plea as her last word fell in a soft cry.

Pulling into Mr. Wilder’s driveway, my heart hammers in my chest, my palms begin to sweat, and my eyes fill with tears, the same ones I was raised never to let fall. The moon shines high above, illuminating the dark, hazy sky, as the fire that the men fight so desperately to put out threatens our town and our lives. Trying Jace once more, with no answer, I slide out of my car, and I hurry inside.

The moment my feet cross the threshold, Haley is running down the hall and into my arms. Her words are warm as she whispers, “The ambulance is on the way. I had to call; I couldn’t let him die. I can’t. Not when Hayden is gone.” She releases me, her tear-streaked face puffy with red-rimmed eyes, drops as she grabs my hand, walking me towards Mr. Wilder’s room.

There he is.

Lying still in his bed under his cover tucked so tight I always wondered how he breathed, but that’s how he liked it. He would say, ‘Make a mummy,’ and we would always laugh and do just that. Stepping next to his bed, I watch as his chest sluggishly rises and falls. Taking a seat on the edge of his bed, I slowly slide my hand into his.