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Chapter Thirty-eight
Ruby felt tired and sore in every bone of her body. Hauling hoses, climbing ladders, and clearing buildings never used to bother her, but tonight she felt exhausted… both inside her soul and in her physical body.
Seeing the results of what human beings were capable of, having so little care for what horrors they inflicted on others made her heart cringe. When had the world become so meanspirited?
Sudden flames on her left caught her attention. No matter how much water they’d poured on the building slightly over from the rest, the fire had shot up, and they’d need to move their equipment yet again.
Heaving a sigh, she lifted one of the hoses and began trudging as fast as she could only to feel the weight become lighter. Glancing behind her she saw three women had stepped forward and were passing the black rubber along to lighten her load.
“Thanks, ladies. Just don’t get too close.” Speaking into her mic to warn the others in her crew about this new danger, she started to investigate the openings and the exact number of windows where there might be a possible entryway.
Hearing a muffled reply, she understood she’d be on her own for a short time until Steve, the fire chief, could pull some of his people to help.
One of the bystanders, a younger man, pointed at the window on the left. “Ma’am, I think there’s a person there. I saw something break through the window and a hand holding something to clear away the glass.”
Ruby stepped over to get a better look, and she saw exactly what he meant. There was a female holding a baby over the sill so it could breathe clean air. When the victim realized she’d been spotted, she began screaming for help.
Frantic now, Ruby checked for the closest fire engine and saw there was a ladder still tied to the side of the truck. Heading over to get it, she prayed she’d be strong enough to release it and carry it back.
Noticing the younger man still near, she quickly asked him to loosen the clips at his end and when she went to take the full weight of the ladder herself, she almost cried with relief that he’d already grabbed it and was holding it aloft. “Where do you want me to put it?”
“Bless you, bro. Okay, come with me.” She led the way back to where the baby hung out the window and got him to set the ladder down. When she noticed the ground below was littered with so much junk there wasn’t any open space to stand it up safely, crouching… she began clearing a path.
Within seconds, she felt two of the ladies she’d seen earlier on their hands and knees beside her, helping.
The third, obviously pregnant, had struck up a conversation with the woman in distress, assuring her they were coming. “Help is on the way, honey. Don’t panic. Baby is fine. It’s okay for him to cry. Just don’t drop him.”
The poor female hanging as far out of the window as possible screamed and the terror in her voice sent chills down Ruby’s spine. “You have to hurry. There’s fire in the room now. Oh, my God, it’s getting close. I might have to drop Mickie. Help me. Oh, God, hurry.”
Worried sick that the mother would in fact let go of her child, she yelled back. “We’re on it, honey. We’re coming.” Understanding there were only seconds now; Ruby heaved a huge rock from the space with super-human strength while her helper cleared away two others. Brushing the ground to make it as flat as possible, they soon had enough level ground to put the ladder in place.
She began to climb, knowing this lone wolf move on her part was against all protocol, but they had no choice if the baby was to be saved. “Hold on for just a few more seconds, honey. I’m almost there.”
The ladder lurched, and she stopped in place. Hearing voices from below, she looked down to see the others crowded around the ladder, using their bodies to make sure it stayed upright. The burning building hadn’t deterred the brave souls, and she said a quick thank you to the heavens for sending angels in the nick of time.
Moving quicker now, she reached to where she could take the baby safely. Opening the front of her firefighter’s protective jacket, she snuggled the baby inside and made sure the belt was tight enough to hold the child from dropping through.
Then with one arm protectively balancing the baby’s weight and the other balancing hers, she slowly made her way down the ladder. A shift in weight occurred and she saw the mother climbing through the window, grasping the metal siding, and climbing quickly outside to safety.
The bunch below were screaming at the frantic woman. “Stop! Don’t move for a few seconds until we have the baby on the ground.” She stopped instantly, like a movie put on hold.
Only Ruby moved in the scene and felt herself being lifted down by warm urgent hands that soon had her encased in a hug, a male voice whispering his thanks to God for her safe journey.
“I’m okay, Kurt. Let me go.” She quickly passed him the baby and turned to see what was happening with the ladder.
The others were beseeching the woman still holding herself at the top of the ladder to hurry. Flames were breaking out all over and it was no longer safe for any of them to be so close.
Understanding the dilemma, Ruby headed back up the ladder to guide the frozen girl down. “It’s okay, honey. My clothing will protect you from the flames. Just crawl around my back and hold on to me now. That’s the way. Hurry. We only have a few seconds left.”
The smaller female did as she was told, and Ruby, using her own body as a shield for the dozen feet involved, was able to block her from the escaping flames.
Once she’d lowered them enough to where the others were able to reach up and pluck her passenger to safety, Ruby took those last half dozen steps down herself and then leaped the last bit to escape the newest breakout of flames.
Before she got too close to the others, she whipped off her outer garment which had become slightly singed from the heat and made sure no live embers still existed. When she began to back away from the swelling flames, strong arms caught her and pulled her in close. She looked up to see Kurt’s blackened face.
“Chrissakes, stay put this time. I can’t leave you alone for five minutes and you’re back in trouble again.”
He rushed her to a place of safety where the others who’d helped her now crowded around the weeping victim. As soon as the poor girl had reached the ground, she’d plucked her baby out of Kurt’s arms and had bellowed with grief.
