Souls' Rescue Part 22

"RIT 2," the call came over their radios.

Kelly answered, "RIT 2, go ahead."

"RIT 2, make entry. Team 4 is down."

"Copy that," she said, following Burke into the building.

They crawled on hands and knees, following the hose line that would lead them to Team 4. In the smoke and darkness, all she could see was Burke's boots in front of her. Kelly kept her hand on his left ankle so they wouldn't lose contact with one another.

The hose line stretched like a giant snake, covering fifteen yards along a hallway, then went down two flights of stairs before ending at a doorway backlit by an orange glow. Both men from Team 4 knelt at the doorway aiming the stream of water at the base of the fire.

Burke tapped the closest man on the helmet, said something Kelly couldn't quite make out and pointed to his radio. Kelly moved to Burke's side in time to hear the man reply with, "Oh, s.h.i.+t. I must have hit the panic b.u.t.ton."

"Watch what the f.u.c.k you're doing," Burke said. "I don't need to be wasting time coming after your candy a.s.s for being stupid."

"Bite me," he said.

"Gimme the hose line and report to Command," Burke told him. The firefighter nudged his partner, who gave the nozzle to Burke, who sank to his knees to continue spraying back the fire. They left and Kelly knelt behind Burke to back him up on the line. Just the motion of settling onto her knees made her realize how fatigued she was.

Kelly's radio crackled. "Command to all units! Immediate evacuation! All units, immediate evacuation!" The three distinct blasts from an air horn that followed were the universal sign that the building was no longer safe to be inside.

Kelly got up, her tank and gear unwieldy and feeling considerably heavier than it had when she'd first put it on. She raised a hand to signal Burke. He dropped the hose, scrambled up, and used a glove-clad forearm to knock her aside. She fell on her b.u.t.t and slid backwards, the heavy equipment on her back turning her into a turtle that, for a moment, couldn't roll itself over. Burke kicked at her as he rushed past and headed for the stairs.

"You f.u.c.king b.a.s.t.a.r.d!" she screamed, but he paid no heed. With a twist of hips, she rolled over and got her hands situated to shove herself up and onto her feet.

Burke was already out of her line of sight. Fury charged her with unexpected energy, and she raced up the steps.

Jason Burke had just broken the most important rule of firefighting. Never leave your partner. He'd been suspended for the fight they'd had a few weeks ago. This time, Kelly meant to get him fired.

"Burke," she yelled, but got not response. She'd reached the top of the stairs and heard an explosion so loud that it shook her right down to her boots. Billowing smoke surrounded her, so she dropped to her knees to crawl on all fours. Where was the hoseline? Frantically she swept her hands from side to side, crawled ahead, felt some more, pausing only when the building shook again like an earthquake had hit. Why couldn't she find the hose line? Shouldn't it be right here? The dense smoke parted for a moment, and she saw flames on all sides, felt the whoooosh of air fueling the fire's rapid progress along the ceiling and walls.

But where was the hose? She forced herself forward, reaching, stretching, and her gloved hands found it, grabbed hold, but before she could make any progress along the line, she heard a ripping sound, then a giant CRACK!

Debris fell. Chunks of plaster and lathe hit her helmet and back. Oh, G.o.d, she thought, help me. Another explosion rocked her to her side. The air tank pulled her back into turtle position. Before she could roll over, a heavy weight hit her and pressed upon her chest, forcing the air from her lungs. She wanted to scream, but couldn't make any noise pa.s.s her lips. The last thing she saw were orange flames licking diabolically all around, and then everything went black.

FROM HER BEDROOM window, Talia saw thick smoke coiling up into the sky. She wasn't sure exactly where the warehouse was, but occasionally she could actually see flames. She wondered if Kelly was working.

On her nightstand, she saw the folded-up schedule that Kelly had given her. It felt like months ago, when in fact it had only been a few weeks ago that Kelly was explaining how it worked.

Talia scanned the schedule and saw a "B" on today's date. That meant Kelly was working and she was probably at the big fire.

"Please be safe," Talia said aloud.

"Who are you talking to?" Megan asked from the living room.

Talia moved from the window and joined her. "No one. Just talking to myself."

"Were you watching the fire?"

"Yes. It's so awful. I hope no one gets hurt."

Megan said, "I think that building is abandoned. No one works there anymore. At least that's what the news said."

"Yeah, but the firefighters are all there. One of them could get hurt." Like Kelly.

"They won't get hurt. Besides, I don't see why they don't just let it burn down. I just drove past there a little while ago, and it's an old eyesore that'd be better off leveled."

"They can't just let it burn. Something else might catch fire."

"But having to call out the fire department only costs the taxpayer, and the whole big production is a pain in the a.s.s. Traffic was so backed up I didn't think I'd ever get back. I miss the DC Metro. Why the h.e.l.l doesn't this city have a subway?"

"It does. They just never finished it."

"Hillbillies." Megan got comfortable on the couch. "Perfect reason for you to move back to DC. It's so much easier to get around. You don't need a car. Especially from my new house in Dupont Circle."

Talia was surprised. "You bought a house? When?"

"About four months ago. So, you have perfect timing." Talia lowered herself carefully to sit next to Megan who placed her hand on Talia's stump. The moment her hand felt the rounded end of the leg, Megan pulled back. "It's a two-story house, but it won't take you that long to go up and down steps. And it's close to the bookstore and the Metro. You'll love it."

"I don't know, Megan." Talia felt uncomfortable about the way Megan squeamishly pulled away whenever her hand, or arm, or body was close to Talia's stump. "I don't know that I want to go back."

"I thought we went over this. You can't stay in this backwater city."

"It's not backwater. They've got one of the best trauma hospitals in the country. They saved my life."

"Yes, but not your leg," Megan did not bother to hide her disgust.

"So what? I don't need a leg to live." Talia stood and did her best to balance on her good leg. "See?"

"Stop that. Use your crutches before you fall. What's your problem?"

"I think you are, Megan."

"What?" Megan stood as well. "What the h.e.l.l are you saying?"

What was she saying? Megan always wanted her to do things one way, but Talia usually wanted to go another direction. This old struggle, so useless and familiar, part of what broke them up the last time, and nothing had changed since. Already they were fighting. In a flash of insight, Talia realized that Megan was kidding herself. She didn't want to be with a woman who had lost her leg. Or with Talia for that matter. Talia wasn't quite sure what Megan wanted-Megan didn't even seem to know-but it was clear now that the two of them were slipping back into old patterns that wouldn't take either of them anywhere good.

A flash of color on the TV caught Talia's eye, and she glanced at video of the fire in her neighborhood. The newscaster's voice sounded excited and Talia focused on the television. "Can you confirm that Sheryl?" the anchor said. "You say one firefighter is injured and another one is missing?"

Talia grabbed the remote and turned up the volume, her attention now fully on the TV.

"Talia, I'm talking to you," Megan said.

"Shh!" Talia turned the volume up louder.

A female reporter standing near a fire engine spoke into a microphone. "Yes. At least one injured firefighter is being taken to UC Hospital. There is still one firefighter, a woman from what I have gathered, still unaccounted for inside the burning building. I believe there was a floor collapse..."

Talia didn't hear anything else. All she could think of was Kelly. What if she was the one injured? Or worse-what if she was the one trapped in the fire? "I think I'm going to be sick."

"What?"

"Oh, G.o.d. I have to get to the hospital."

"What for? What are you talking about?"

Talia turned off the television, but didn't stop staring at it. "I have to get to the hospital. I need to know if Kelly's okay."

"Kelly? Kelly the firefighter?" Megan grabbed Talia's arm and turned her so they were facing each other. "That stupid little d.y.k.e who's been chasing you? What has this got to do with her?"

"Are you deaf?" Talia pointed at the TV. "She could be the one hurt-or missing. I have to find out. Take me to the hospital. I'm shaking too much to drive."

"No. You don't need to go to the hospital. You don't need to have anything to do with that woman."

"Look, Megan, you don't get a say in what I can or can't do."

"You can stop this nonsense right now. You're packing, and we're leaving for DC tomorrow."

"Get out."

"Talia-"

"Get the h.e.l.l out and don't come back."

"You can't be serious."

"I've never been more serious. I don't know how I managed to let you con your way back into my life, but this is it. I'm done. Get the h.e.l.l out and don't you ever come back."

"You're going to regret this," Megan said. She collected her purse and a few other items as she went for the door. "I will be back."

"Yeah, but I won't be here. I'm going to the hospital. You just go back to your new house and find someone to boss around there. I'm done with you." Talia found the phone and dialed Jacob's number. As she waited for it to ring, she added, "I don't care what the h.e.l.l you do."

Megan looked like she wanted to reply, but didn't. She left as Jacob answered his phone.

Chapter Twenty-Six.

EXCEPT FOR THE tiny lights in her mask, darkness surrounded Kelly. She panted, sucked in clean air, and wondered what she had left in her air bottle. She needed to check. How long had she been out? She tried to sit up, but something heavy pressed against her chest and pinned her left arm to the ground.

Her ears rang, and it hurt like h.e.l.l to take a deep breath. Broken ribs maybe? Pnuemothorax? Hemothorax? Broken arm too? Her mind ran through a list of possible injuries. She could move her legs, so only her upper body was pinned.

Had there been an explosion? She didn't remember hearing anything other than the air horn. Three blasts. Emergency evacuation of the building. Burke disappearing into the smoke.

That son-of-a-b.i.t.c.h. He left her to save his own a.s.s. He purposely knocked her over to leave her in a compromised position. It was an act unheard of in the firefighting community. You never leave your partner. Especially if you're ordered to evacuate the building.

Now Kelly lay trapped by what she could only a.s.sume was part of the ceiling. She remembered seeing a flash of fire above her head, but didn't see it now. At least she wasn't going to burn up. Yet.

She pushed with her free hand, but couldn't move whatever was on top of her.

The noise she heard grew louder, a shrill sound more than a ringing one. It took her a moment to figure out it was her Pa.s.s alarm, which went off any time a firefighter was still for more than a few minutes. Hers was shrieking loudly, but there would be no one to hear it.

All the firefighters were evacuating the building when she went down. By now everyone would be out. Everyone except her.

JACOB PULLED HIS car to the emergency room entrance and stopped. "Go on. I'll park and join you inside."

"Thanks." Talia managed to get out of the car and crutch in to the emergency room. The place was crowded with people. One old man in dirty clothes coughed into a tan-colored hankie. Talia suspected it used to be a white hankie. She moved past him to the reception desk.

"Can I help you?" The young man, whose name tag read Dan, looked bored.

"Yes. I came to see if my friend was brought in yet-a firefighter who got hurt at the warehouse fire."

Dan's bored face changed to one of interest. "Yeah. They came in by squad about ten minutes ago." He checked his clipboard. "Pod A. I'll buzz you back there."

"Thanks." Talia had a little trouble with the door until the filthy old man came to her aid.

"Let me get that fer ya." He coughed again.

"Thanks," Talia said. She made her way into the emergency room. She had no idea what a pod was and just headed toward a group of firefighters standing by a bed.

She had to dodge three stretchers and one wheelchair to get there. When she did, two men parted to let her through. She was disappointed to find a man on the examination table, complaining to one of the other firefighters.

"I have to get back, dammit. I'm fine!"

"No, you're not." The stocky, older firefighter arguing with the patient held his arm, trying to make sure the injured man didn't leave. "Sit still. The captain sent in a RIT team to find her."

"Find who?" Talia asked from the foot of the exam table, almost afraid to know. "Kelly McCoy? Please, I need to know."

The injured fireman was Scott and he looked like he wanted to cry. "Hey Talia."

"Is Kelly okay?"

"I don't know, dammit. I wasn't with her. I was stuck in rehab. We heard the call to evacuate the building. Kelly's the only one not accounted for-"

The man standing beside Scott interrupted him. "We sent a team to find her. She'll be okay."

"Find her?" Talia asked, feeling the panic start at the back of her throat. "What do you mean 'find her'?"

"Burke was the last one with her. She was on RIT with him." Jimmy said.

"RIT? What's that?"

"Rapid Intervention Team. They go in when another team needs help."