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“Celeste, I’m so sorry to hear that happened to you. I can’t imagine the pain you must have battled at such a young age,” Andrea sympathized.
“It’s fine. I got over it,” the woman replied airily.
Andrea was about to respond when she caught Donny coming her way with a man dressed in a white dress shirt, slim black tie, and navy slacks. She could see that he sported the same crests and epaulets as the other firefighters. She also noted the silver-gray hair and wrinkle lines around his eyes. She could tell that he was around her father’s age, and she guessed this must be his friend, Captain Braun.
“Miss Hamilton, it is a pleasure to meet you. Lieutenant Hasgrove here was telling me that you’ve gotten the ball rolling already— that’s what I like to hear,” the captain praised as he held out his hand for her to shake.
“Thank you, Captain Braun. It is a pleasure to meet you. When you have the time, I’d like to have a sit-down with you,” she requested.
“Of course. I have some free time on Thursday. I’m running out to a meeting with the fire chief now, but I’ll definitely keep my Thursday free session open for you.”
Andrea gave him a grateful smile before he headed back through the door.
“So, how do you like what you see?” Donny asked as he came to stand at her side.
“It’s great. I like the camaraderie between your staff. They have been welcoming, and I appreciate that,” she replied.
“I’m happy to hear that.” Donny beamed. “They can get a bit overwhelming at times, especially if they choose to rag on you,” he confessed.
She tucked a long strand of hair behind her ear before responding, “I don’t mind. I can hold my own.”
Andrea noticed the small smirk that graced his lips and wondered what that was about, but just then, the alarm went off.
“Lieutenant, there’s an old lady stuck on the third floor of her apartment in Harbor Village. She fell and couldn’t get up. Neighbors say the door is bolted from the inside.”
“All right, Jay, Kevin, Sam, Celeste, Nick, you’re with me. Let’s go.”
Andrea marveled at how quickly the firefighters sprang into action as they exited the room to head down to the trucks and grab their gear.
“Have you ever been in a fire truck before?”
Andrea stared wide-eyed at him. “No.”
“Well, today is your lucky day,” Donny returned, smiling down at her. “That is if you’d like to come.”
“Of course,” she agreed readily. “It will give me a chance to see you guys in action.”
“Great. Let’s go.” Donny ushered her to the stairs. As they jogged down the steps, he told her, “Next time, I’ll show you how to slide down the pole.”
Andrea nodded excitedly, although she doubted he saw it.
“Here, put this on.” Celeste handed her one of the safety jackets for her to put on.
Taking it from her hand, Andrea shrugged it on. Celeste also gave her a helmet, and she kept it by her side.
“This is called a fire truck, and the other one over there is called a fire engine,” Donny informed her as he ushered her into the vehicle that had a long ladder resting at the top.
“What is the difference?” she asked, curious.
“The fire engine has all the hoses that store water. It’s the main source for putting out fires. Now this one here…” Donny patted the side of the truck they were about to enter. “This one has a ladder for reaching high places that you may not be able to get in any other way. It has a number of tools for breaking, cutting, and lifting,” he finished.
Andrea got to ride up front with Donny, and three of the five he had called rode in the back, and the other two followed in the ambulance.
When they made it to the apartment building, Andrea could see a crowd gathered on the outside, looking up.
“All right, Jay, I need you and Nick to head to the third floor, assess the situation, and report back to us on the ground,” Donny ordered his men.
Donny and Celeste cleared the onlookers from the area they needed to position the truck. The other firefighter, Sam, remained in the truck to operate the ladder.
