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Carter barked something at two men who’d donned their SCBAs. They headed for the rear of the building, just as Brick had. Search and rescue.
Thomas jogged back to her. “They’ve got a couple more engines on their way from Laurel Hill, plus an ambulance en route.” He hesitated, his expression grim. The little ones and Kobe were watching the fire, so he put a hand on Gracie, including her in what he told Les. “Carter said to get the kids in Brick’s truck and get them out of here. Take them to the clinic.”
Gracie’s expression whitened. She was old enough to understand the implication. “No,” she said, her face crumpling. Les put her hand on her back, Thomas’s overlapping it.
“Hope isn’t lost,” he told her gently, “but we need to get you to the doctor and your mom.”
The ambulance he’d mentioned was pulling in, positioning itself behind and clear of the fire truck. Les saw Doyle Williams and Stacie Warrick in the front. Doyle had been in the same grade as Brick and Rory, whereas Stacie was one of her former classmates.
Les turned to her brother. “The kids have mild smoke inhalation symptoms. Kobe’s the worst, but they should be fine. Dr. Spring should do a more thorough check, though.”
“Les, I’ll stay—”
“No. Stacie and Doyle are EMTs, not paramedics. I can help them.”
She hadn’t been there when her dad had his heart attack. She hadn’t been there when Rory got run over by the tractor. She was going to be here, damn it.
And Brick was going to be fine. Anything else was unacceptable.
She spoke to Thomas as she did to patients and their families, creating an oasis amid uncertainty and fear of the worst. “Help me by taking over this part. Chief Carter is right. If those kids are in bad shape”—or worse—“Kobe and his little sisters shouldn’t see that.”
Neither should Gracie. She’d aged a decade before their eyes. “Go with them, Gracie,” Les told her. “Kobe and your sisters need you. We’ll take care of Marty and Josie. Help my brother get them to the doctor. I’m sure someone is working on picking up your mom and bringing her home.”
Gracie nodded numbly. Thomas gripped Les’s shoulder, giving her a steady look. “He’s going to be okay.”
“He damn well better be.”
She saw a trace of his serious smile. “Do you need anything else from Brick’s truck?”
“No, we should be okay, now that the ambulance is here.”
As her brother and Gracie shepherded the kids into Brick’s truck, the EMTs had unloaded the gurney, carrying a jump kit and other things they might need. When Doyle stepped over to speak to Thomas, her brother gestured in Les’s direction, likely relaying what she’d done for the kids. Stacie knew Les was in medical school.
As Thomas pulled out with the children, a Laurel Hill fire engine arrived, the sheriff and a deputy not far behind. All hands on deck.
Carter had been back on his radio, but now he shouted and gestured to the driver of the Fairhope truck. “Mayday, Mayday.”
Les jumped as the engine’s air horn blasted, loud enough to make her cover her ears. She swallowed a scream when a portion of the roof collapsed, sagging into the front porch. A more intense wave of heat rolled over her, backing her up a couple steps.
Brick. He’s alive. He’s fine. It’s okay.
How can he be okay?
The firefighters had leaped back at the sound of the airhorn. Showers of sparks billowed and twisted, high into the sky. The firefighters with the charged lines adjusted. One hose was aimed at the upper level while another set of firemen used theirs on the first floor. They stood on the walkway in front of the porch. Still no sign of the search and rescue firefighters.
Les gripped the cross and badge around her neck as Doyle and Stacie came to stand with her, bringing the gurney with them.
“Brick’s in there,” Les said. “I love him.”
Stacie shifted a little closer, arm brushing Les’s. “The Laurel Hill guys are setting up the rehab area,” Doyle said. “We should head over there.”
He was right. Even before the roof collapse, she’d been able to feel the fire’s heat all the way to the stand of pines. The men with the hoses must feel like they were roasting.
She shut down the unimaginable things in her head and focused on the things she could do. She could help monitor the firefighters, check vitals, watch for signs of heat exhaustion or eye irritation. There’d be a case of water available on the ambulance to help with those things.
As they started in that direction, she noticed Carter and the sheriff were talking, Carter speaking into his radio. Maybe to the two firefighters who’d disappeared around back. Brick had no radio.
I told my mother you are a bloody fucking superhero. You better come out of that fire.
