Tingle

What a day. Firefighting wasn't my favourite thing in the world, and neither was having to keep stoned kids under control. Well, she seemed about my age, which was not a kid. Maybe a little younger though. I recalled hearing her mother scream for... was it Anna? I couldn't remember very well. Everything had just mushed together. From the house to the hospital, then back to the house and finally the station, I couldn't remember minor details like that.

The whole crew stayed, fighting the fire like usual, while Greg, Leslie and I took the girl, her mom and dad to the hospital. We couldn't find the dog. I suspected it ran away when it smelled the smoke, but everyone else thought it had died. But I was usually wrong, so maybe it had died. It had an ugly name too, Gertrude. Sine I hear the name I couldn't help but wonder who named it. Probably the girl while she was on some other kinds of drugs. She was really fucked up when I handled her in my arms.

Which is another reason we had to take her to the hospital: to get her stomach pumped. She was definitely not going to like that. Personally I was a drug-free gal. I didn't mind other people doing drugs unless they had it under control and didn't do it too often. This Anna chick looked like a total stoner. It could have been from the heat though, it does things to people.

Somebody touched my arm. I turned around, bracing myself for a punch. "Hey, hey, it's just me." Greg's voice. I lowered my arms.

"Yeah? What do you want?" I stared at him. He looked really worn out, like I was. Maybe even more. But I didn't recall him going into the house... maybe he was trying to find the dog or something. Who knows.

Greg touched my arm. "The stoned girl, remember her? I think she's looking for you. She asked really groggily for the person who came in and got her. Her name's Ada, by the way."

Ada. The name brushed against my throat.

"Yep, Ada. She wants you."

She wanted me. The stoned girl. I nodded at Greg and slowly walked toward the room Ada, not Anna, was in. When I entered I couldn't even see her. There were nurses and doctors examining every part about her. I looked away, embarrassed.

I cleared my throat, seeing the nurses turn toward me. "Are you the one who saved her?" One of them asked me. I nodded. They motioned me forward.

Slowly I walked toward her, our eyes clicking. A small smile appeared on her face. She was so breathtaking when she smiled. "Hey," she said. Her voice was pure bliss. I felt a rise between my legs and looked away again, this time really embarrassed. Why was Ada so gorgeous?

Ada put her hand on my arm, making me turn toward her again. "Hey," she said again. "Thanks for, y'know, getting me out of there." Suddenly she scrunched up her face and looked at all the medical nurses in front of us. "Can you leave for a minute?" She was being sort of harsh toward them, but I didn't care. Suddenly I felt a need to talk to this girl. Ada.

The nurses and doctors walked out of the room, finally leaving us alone. All of a sudden I felt the world slow to a halt. Now it was just me and Ada. Why was I feeling this way? I tried to snap out of it, but I was so entranced by her mysterious beauty. I couldn't do it.

"Can I talk to you?" Her voice sounded weak. I only nodded. She sighed and looked me straight in the eye. Damn, talk about eye contact, I thought to myself. "I wanted to die in there. Did you know that? I think I'm suicidal. I'm not sure though. Don't tell anybody, though. I don't really know why, but it's like all of a sudden I completely trust you. Does that usually happen after you save someone from a fire pit?"

"That was my first time saving someone, so I can't really say." Her lips parted a little, making butterflies appear in my stomach. My heart started helicoptering away, not like I really wanted it to.

She nodded a little and continued, "Well I'm eternally grateful.. No matter how cheesy it sounds, I really am. What do I need to do to repay you?"

I've heard crazy things about what people do after you save somebody from a raging fire, but never has it happened to me. My first time saving somebody and they wanted to repay me with eternity. This was getting a little weird, but I somehow liked it. I wanted her to continue.

"Well, you don't have to repay me..."

She touched my thigh. She was so close to my -- "I need you to tell me. How should I repay you?"

I said the first thing I could think of. "Burn all your drugs." Now, if I ever saw her again, she wouldn't have to be stoned. I could know her even better.

Her face shattered. "They're already gone," she whispered. Suddenly she started bawling. I didn't know what to do. My first instinct was to pour a bucket of water on her head, to stop the fire from burning in her mind. What was going on? She wasn't such a big fuck up. She could get over whatever it was. I wanted to reach out to her, wrap my arms around her and whisper sweet things in her ear.

"Come on, I'm sorry. Just, I'm sorry, okay? I didn't, well I did mean it, but--"

"It's not that," she whimpered. "It's my parents. They don't know how much I'm into drugs. They don't understand." I didn't get it. Maybe she read my mind, so she said, "They're marriage is ending. Because of my brother, who ki--"

She couldn't say it. I nodded so she knew I understood. I slipped her hand into mine and kissed the top of it. She looked up at me, eyes glimmering with hope and sadness. We just stayed there like that for a while, me holding her hand and her staring at me mysteriously. I wanted to understand.