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Chapter Forty-three
It seemed to take forever before Ruby felt ready to contact Kurt over his last remark about the baby. At least, it seemed that way to her. Probably because she so badly wanted to get it over with… yet was terrified about what he had to say.
If only her mother hadn’t heard about the accident on the highway and stood in the Firehall, waiting for her to get off work. Seeing the fear in Jill’s eyes, Ruby knew she’d have to take the time to put her worry at rest.
“Thank God, you’re okay.”
“Mom. Of course, I am. None of the fire workers were injured. All of the causalities were those from the vehicles involved in the accident.”
“I watched it all on TV. It was terrible… those poor people.”
“I know. I’ve never seen anything like it before.”
“They mentioned a young girl seconds away from death while her car hung over the side of the cliff. Some crazy risk-taker pulled her from the car seconds before it crashed down the embankment.”
“Yeah, I heard about it.”
Jill’s eyes blazed. “Don’t bullshit me, little girl. I saw the video they splashed all over the news. Considering I gave birth to that body, I’d recognize it anywhere. What were you thinking, Ruby? You could have been killed.”
“Mom, calm down. I’m fine. I was just doing my job.”
Her mom’s face crumbled, pain appearing in her eyes that Ruby hated to see. “That’s what your father used to say all the time. Just doing my job, baby.”
“Stop, Mom. I’m not Daddy. Look – like I’ve told you a thousand times, the vast majority of firefighters retire after forty years on the job. I intend to be one of them. Please! Don’t fret.”
“Sorry to intrude, Ruby, but the chief wants to see you in his office.” Carolyn’s expression revealed only happiness in seeing Jill. “Hey, Mrs. Allen. If you want to wait for Ruby, there’s fresh coffee in the kitchen. I’ll be happy to show you the way.”
Ruby tried to search her friend’s eyes and felt discomfort when Caro wouldn’t let her. “Do you know what he wants?”
“No. But he’s not happy, so walk carefully, my friend. Don’t push buttons.”
Ruby made her way down the hall to the open door with the insignia of Fire Chief in gold lettering. When she stepped inside, she noticed there was another man with Steve. “You wanted to see me, Chief?”
He looked up, his face deadpan. “Thanks for coming, Ruby. This is Fire Commissioner, Doug Stalls. He came to talk about the videos showing on all the TV channels. About one of our firefighters not following procedures, taking unacceptable risks, and getting media coverage not appropriate for the department.”
Ruby turned to the commissioner and reached out to shake the hand he held her way. “Hi.”
Steve continued, “Ruby, the commissioner and I want to commend you on the save you made earlier. Most likely, the woman involved is alive because of you. But the facts are unarguable. You went against your training and risked yourself in such a way that I have no recourse but to suspend you for a week.”
“What? Sir, I was doing my job.”
The commissioner interrupted. “No, young lady. You were acting unprofessionally and could have ended up dead. At no time do we subscribe to that type of grandstanding. We work in teams and follow the rules. While on the job, we have safety procedures in place to be followed. I’m sorry young lady, but if I had my way, you’d be suspended indefinitely. It’s only because Steve has a way of working magic that he’s talked me into backing down.”
The obviously upset man stood and pointed his finger in her face. “Make no mistake, Miss Allen. I knew your father, and he was one of the best. But damn that man for taking the same kinds of risks… and it killed him. I won’t have another Allen death on my conscience.”
The Commissioner shook his head negatively at Doug and stalked from the room, his back stiff, and his hands clenched.
Shocked, Ruby sat stunned. After that dressing-down, her legs wouldn’t hold her.
The distressing silence in the room spoke volumes. Frightened, she had to ask, “What just happened, Chief?”
As if he measured every word, Steve took his time answering. Finally, in a strained voice, he did. “Back in the day, Commissioner Stall worked with your dad, Ruby. They were buddies. In fact, he was there the night your father was killed. And he never got over it. As brave as Bill Allen was, he made stupid choices. When faced with the improbable chance of surviving an all-out fire to save that last trapped person, he wouldn’t hesitate.”
Steve slumped back in his chair; his hands pyramided. “Your father was too brave, Ruby. Too courageous to worry about his own safety when it came to risking it for others. It’s what gets people killed.”
Ruby’s pride in her father flourished. “Yet our job is to save people. It’s drilled into us over and over. That car would have tumbled, Chief. And it would have taken the passenger with it. Her airbag had already deflated. She’d have been killed.”
“Not if you’d followed your training and gotten the vehicle a safety line.”
