Fireproof

I was happy to be back at the department for the next two days and I was finally working with Criss again, so it was going to be a fun two days hopefully. I had been seeing him hit and miss over the last few days due to him being busy with Blaze and then working different shifts than I had been. We had a lot to catch up on. But first, I had to go talk to Jep.

“Afternoon.” He smiled looking up from his never ending stack of paperwork as I walked into his office.

“Good afternoon to you too. Do you have a second?”

“Always. What’s up?”

“Well, I got some news a few days ago that I didn’t ever expect to hear in my life. Nikki and I are expecting a little one, possibly more than one. Because no one thought I would ever be able to have kids I am being considered as a high risk pregnancy so I’m going to have to find something else to do around here from now on.”

Jep smiled bigger than I had ever seen him smile before. “Congratulations, Parker! That’s great news! Well, I’m pretty sure we can find you something to do around here. But you are going to have to stick to that and not try anything stupid.”

I laughed. “I know. Trust me, I am. This means so much to me and I’m going to do whatever they tell me to do to keep the baby or babies healthy.”

“You know, that actually works out. For one because I’m not always going to be around and I’ll need someone to replace me as Captain and I was pretty much dreading you and your brother working together. It would have always been a battle of who could outdo the other one.”

“Yeah, you have that right for sure. “

“Look in that closet right there and get that Captain’s helmet out. I’ve had it put back for you for a while now.”

I did as he asked me to do and I couldn’t help but smile. “Thanks, Jep. This is awesome.”

“You’ll make a good captain, Parker. Go get some rest while you can.”

I had just enough time to go downstairs and get my gear ready and check over the truck before we got a call. As I swapped out my helmets I decided to stick a picture of me and Nikki in the top of my new one. I had a small sliver of hope that maybe, just maybe we were going to be okay.

“What the hell is this? Since when do you get a captain helmet?” Criss asked he pulled his gear on.

“Since you’re going to be an uncle.”

“Since I’m going to be an ---- holy shit! You’re pregnant?”

“Yep!”

“That’s awesome, Parker. Congratulations.”

And just like that the news was out to the house that I was expecting. I knew everyone was excited but we had a call to go on now and needed to focus on that. We also had another rookie with us that had started while I was in California and I wasn’t so sure how I felt about him.

“Where are we going?” Pete asked.

“Condo building on highway six.”

“Fuck. That place is full after the tornado. This should be fun.” Criss said.

We had a little bit of a drive to make to get to the condo building. We could see the rising smoke from a ways away and knew that this was going to be a long day and night. We arrived to find the twenty story building burning pretty badly and several other departments already on the scene and assessing the situation. We wasted no time in getting started ourselves.

The situation was a complete mess. There were people trapped on the upper floors and while some of the departments were trying to work their up from the inside, some of the floors were not accessible because of the fire and some of the trapped people were too high for the truck ladders to reach so helicopter recues were being done for the people who could make it to the roof. Criss and Pete and a couple of other guys had joined the fight to work their way up while Jep and myself kept reassessing the situation.

An hour flew by quickly as everyone stayed busy trying to do whatever we could to get the situation and fire under control. Someone from another department had radioed that they were coming out with unconscious kids so Jep and I went to meet them at the entrance to the building to take the kids to the ambulances waiting nearby. Just as the kids were handed off to us right outside the building, a series of large explosions went off, sending glass, wood, brick and everything flying everywhere. The force of the blast knocked all of us standing right outside the building a good ten feet back as we were showered with debris. I grabbed my helmet and put it back on quickly as I watched the building start to collapse from the bottom, almost like it was melting down. I knew we had to move very quickly if we didn’t want to get buried in this mess. I looked over at Jep who was already on his feet and grabbing for one kid and I did the same.

“What the hell was that?!” Jep yelled to the cops who had secured the scene long before we had arrived.

I handed the kid off to the paramedics and grabbed the radio clipped to my shoulder to check in with all of my guys. I had to take a second to catch my breath before I could speak though, that blast was brutal and I was willing to put money on the fact that it wasn’t anything natural about it.

“Ladder company twenty-four check in now!” I yelled

I waited impatiently, my heart pounding as one by one the guys checked in. Some had come stumbling from somewhere within the debris and some were trapped inside which I had been afraid of. I started to panic as I waited and waited to hear back from Criss and never did.

“Criss, check in now. Are you okay?”

“This is Adam from Engine company seven. I’m with who I’m assuming to be Criss. We are trapped in the debris but I can see light. There are several large pieces of concrete that I cannot move. Criss is unresponsive and injured. Get us out of here fast!”

“Fuck, fuck, fuck.”

“What are we going to do, Captain? It’s your scene.” Jep said as he walked up to me, a very pissed off look on his face and I was feeling the same way right about now.

I gathered all of the lieutenants up and got a count for how many we were missing which was about twenty it seemed. Some had made contact and others not. I gave my instructions to call in all available personnel and we were going to need equipment to get some of these guys out. I wasn’t quitting until Criss was out and then it would be Jep’s scene again because I would be going with Criss.

Four hours passed as everyone worked to free the men trapped and we had had good and bad outcomes so far, but still no Criss or Adam. Michael and a guy from another department had found the hole that Adam said he could see light through and they were working quickly now to make an opening big enough to get a backboard down and get Criss out. I was a nervous wreck and praying hard that Criss was freed soon. I had a bad feeling we were racing the clock and each second that past was a second closer to me not having Criss anymore.

“Criss is coming up!” Michael yelled.

I met the group of people who had pulled Criss out of the debris at the bottom of the pile and my heart just shattered seeing his bloody lifeless face. I could hardly even tell it was him and I wasn’t so sure that he was even alive.

“He’s alive, Parker. He’s got a pulse but it’s weak. We’ve got to go.” Clay, the flight medic told me.

“Let’s go. I’m going with you.”

The scene was turned back over to Jep as I got in the helicopter with Criss and helped the flight nurse and medic do what they needed to do to get Criss stabilized. His vital signs were shit and he had many obvious injuries. Tears filled my eyes as I considered the thought that Blaze might have to grow up not having his daddy around. This was beyond the skill of anyone in the helicopter and all we could do at this point was keep him alive until we get him to the surgeons.

A crew was waiting for us on the roof of the hospital as we touched down and Criss was rushed away from me. I followed helplessly not knowing what to do now or where to go. I almost let myself punch the brick wall of the hospital, but the thought of my little ones stopped me from doing that. I had never felt so helpless in my life.

“C’mon, Parker. You could use a few stitches in your head and Jep said for you to get checked out after the blast.” Clay said.

“Okay.” I mumbled, not really knowing what else to do.

I was put in a room as Criss was rushed from the emergency room to surgery. My feet told me to follow him, but I knew I couldn’t. I did as the nurse told me to do to get ready to be checked and make sure everything was good was the baby, and then it was just playing the wait game to see what Criss’ fate would be.