Angels With Dirty Faces
XIII
He stood to attention, feeling the sweat creep down his spine under his tunic, his hands clammy, he could feel the sideways glances and he heard the hushed voices as they turned out for duty after role call, he sat around the table in the mess room, his nerves still playing havoc,
“How’s Scarlett getting on Kevin?”
Sicknote asked drawing every ones attention to him, all of them wanting to know how she was progressing, he cleared his throat,
“She’s, erm, she’s learned to walk again, the surgery went well,” he paused thoughtfully as they all stared concerned “she’s healed multiple fractures in her legs and a small one in her pelvis and managed to get over a collapsed lung and concussion”
“So she should be home soon then? That’s good right?”
Billy asked excited, Kevin looked down shaking his head,
“No, she’s…she’s not well again Bill”
-
“Take me back to Vegas!”
She groaned as they pulled in to the station car park,
“You’re telling me!”
Kev sighed as he got out of the car, they grabbed their kit bags from either side of the vehicle, making their way up to their lockers, both flinching as they pushed the door open to loud cheers and the loud crack of party poppers, confetti fluttered to the ground around them,
“Welcome back love birds!”
Bayleaf shouted over the noise of the rest of the crew, they smiled towards each other before being dragged in to the centre of the group,
“Here! That’s not the engagement ring you left here with!”
George stated
“No Kevin struck it lucky at one of the tables in the Flamingo”
Scarlett replied,
“I offered her a new wedding ring but she weren’t having any of it!”
Kevin laughed, pulling her in to him,
“No I like this one!”
“Right! This romance stuff won’t do!” Bayleaf shouted “Get yourselves ready and down to role call!”
They stood to attention side by side, shoulders back and eyes fixed forward,
“firefighter K Medhurst” sub sighed “Firefighter S Medhurst” He rolled his eyes as Kevin and Scarlett grinned, “Blue watch, attention! For your duties fall out!”
As night drew in they sat in the mess room,
“looks like a storm is coming in” Sicknote sighed glancing out of the window “You know what that means, busy night lightning strikes RTA’s”
They all groaned as the first flash of lightning lit the room, Scarlett glanced at Kevin, he shuffled uncomfortably, clearing his throat he stood and left to the sleeping quarters, she narrowed her eyes following him,
“Kev? Everything alright love?”
She asked as he busied himself making beds and folding clothes,
“Yeah, It just needed tidying in here, nothing wrong with that is there?”
She shook her head placing her hands on her hips,
“Anything you want to tell me?”
“No why would – “
His voice cut off as the first rumble of thunder rolled across the sky, she watched as his face screwed up and his body jolted, she smirked narrowing her eyes,
“Kev?” He looked at her eyebrows raised “Are you scared of thunder?”
He sighed
“No, it just…I just”
“Just what?”
She asked smirking,
“I’m not too fond!”
He shrugged, she supressed her laughter as she strolled over to him,
“It’s just a noise love, you run in to burning buildings for christs sake!”
“And you don’t think I know this! I just don’t want the rest of them to find out!”
She sighed,
“I’ll make sure they don’t come in when you’re ready!”
She winked as she turned on her heels, pulling her soft shell around her, he grinned to himself, within moments the station shook with another loud rumble, closely followed by laughter, then Scarlett’s voice,
“I don’t mock you for being scared of bees George!! Thunder it a legitimate phobia! I can’t help it! Makes me jump!”
Kevin laughed to himself, sighing happily as he made his way back to the mess room to fake comfort his new wife, knowing she had planned it all so she could secretly comfort him, she sat at the table next to him and winked giving his hand a reassuring squeeze.
A groan chorused as the whine of the bell echoed through the station, she watched as Kevin swallowed hard, she rubbed his shoulder as they rushed to the pump bay, they raced to some nearby woodland, a tree had been struck and set the surrounding area ablaze, they moved quickly, he fronted the hose with her backing him, he concentrated on his aim, covering as much of the area as he could, the heavy air around them filled with a multitude of noises, the flames hissing as the water doused them, the trees above groaning and creaking in the heat, her gaze swept upwards, he felt a sudden tug on his tunic, he heard a shout from behind him as slack on the hose picked up suddenly, he felt himself tumbling backwards, he hit the ground with a thump, as another rumble shook the ground a branch crashed down in front of him, they scrambled to their feet, taking their positions with the hose and soaking the fallen branch in front of them, heart racing and blood pumping, hours passed a sudden heavy down pour aided in taming the flames.
With tired eyes aching bodies and wet clothes, they sat in the pump in silence the whole crew mulling their experiences over all of them varying, George was beating the flames out on the grass, Recall almost set his leg on fire with Kevin and Scarlett almost being killed by a falling branch.
“Now do you see why thunder is scary?”
He asked as she climbed in to the passenger seat of the car,
“Say no more my love, but just know that I saved your life!”
He laughed as they pulled away, making their way back to her mothers.
-
“What do you mean she’s ill again?” George asked his voice heavy with concern “Kev? Whats happened to her?”
He swallowed the lump in his throat as everyone exchanged looks around him,
“Septicaemia, she caught it from her surgery wounds”
“So what are her chances? What have they said?”
Billy begged
“She’s stable but not out of the woods, it’s fifty fifty”
“well where’s Ruby? Can we go and see Scarlett?”
“She’s at Rita’s. It’s family only at the minute”
“Are you having a laugh? We’re all family!”
“Leave it Bill” Bayleaf uttered “When she’s ready we’ll be there”
“How’s Scarlett getting on Kevin?”
Sicknote asked drawing every ones attention to him, all of them wanting to know how she was progressing, he cleared his throat,
“She’s, erm, she’s learned to walk again, the surgery went well,” he paused thoughtfully as they all stared concerned “she’s healed multiple fractures in her legs and a small one in her pelvis and managed to get over a collapsed lung and concussion”
“So she should be home soon then? That’s good right?”
Billy asked excited, Kevin looked down shaking his head,
“No, she’s…she’s not well again Bill”
-
“Take me back to Vegas!”
She groaned as they pulled in to the station car park,
“You’re telling me!”
Kev sighed as he got out of the car, they grabbed their kit bags from either side of the vehicle, making their way up to their lockers, both flinching as they pushed the door open to loud cheers and the loud crack of party poppers, confetti fluttered to the ground around them,
“Welcome back love birds!”
Bayleaf shouted over the noise of the rest of the crew, they smiled towards each other before being dragged in to the centre of the group,
“Here! That’s not the engagement ring you left here with!”
George stated
“No Kevin struck it lucky at one of the tables in the Flamingo”
Scarlett replied,
“I offered her a new wedding ring but she weren’t having any of it!”
Kevin laughed, pulling her in to him,
“No I like this one!”
“Right! This romance stuff won’t do!” Bayleaf shouted “Get yourselves ready and down to role call!”
They stood to attention side by side, shoulders back and eyes fixed forward,
“firefighter K Medhurst” sub sighed “Firefighter S Medhurst” He rolled his eyes as Kevin and Scarlett grinned, “Blue watch, attention! For your duties fall out!”
As night drew in they sat in the mess room,
“looks like a storm is coming in” Sicknote sighed glancing out of the window “You know what that means, busy night lightning strikes RTA’s”
They all groaned as the first flash of lightning lit the room, Scarlett glanced at Kevin, he shuffled uncomfortably, clearing his throat he stood and left to the sleeping quarters, she narrowed her eyes following him,
“Kev? Everything alright love?”
She asked as he busied himself making beds and folding clothes,
“Yeah, It just needed tidying in here, nothing wrong with that is there?”
She shook her head placing her hands on her hips,
“Anything you want to tell me?”
“No why would – “
His voice cut off as the first rumble of thunder rolled across the sky, she watched as his face screwed up and his body jolted, she smirked narrowing her eyes,
“Kev?” He looked at her eyebrows raised “Are you scared of thunder?”
He sighed
“No, it just…I just”
“Just what?”
She asked smirking,
“I’m not too fond!”
He shrugged, she supressed her laughter as she strolled over to him,
“It’s just a noise love, you run in to burning buildings for christs sake!”
“And you don’t think I know this! I just don’t want the rest of them to find out!”
She sighed,
“I’ll make sure they don’t come in when you’re ready!”
She winked as she turned on her heels, pulling her soft shell around her, he grinned to himself, within moments the station shook with another loud rumble, closely followed by laughter, then Scarlett’s voice,
“I don’t mock you for being scared of bees George!! Thunder it a legitimate phobia! I can’t help it! Makes me jump!”
Kevin laughed to himself, sighing happily as he made his way back to the mess room to fake comfort his new wife, knowing she had planned it all so she could secretly comfort him, she sat at the table next to him and winked giving his hand a reassuring squeeze.
A groan chorused as the whine of the bell echoed through the station, she watched as Kevin swallowed hard, she rubbed his shoulder as they rushed to the pump bay, they raced to some nearby woodland, a tree had been struck and set the surrounding area ablaze, they moved quickly, he fronted the hose with her backing him, he concentrated on his aim, covering as much of the area as he could, the heavy air around them filled with a multitude of noises, the flames hissing as the water doused them, the trees above groaning and creaking in the heat, her gaze swept upwards, he felt a sudden tug on his tunic, he heard a shout from behind him as slack on the hose picked up suddenly, he felt himself tumbling backwards, he hit the ground with a thump, as another rumble shook the ground a branch crashed down in front of him, they scrambled to their feet, taking their positions with the hose and soaking the fallen branch in front of them, heart racing and blood pumping, hours passed a sudden heavy down pour aided in taming the flames.
With tired eyes aching bodies and wet clothes, they sat in the pump in silence the whole crew mulling their experiences over all of them varying, George was beating the flames out on the grass, Recall almost set his leg on fire with Kevin and Scarlett almost being killed by a falling branch.
“Now do you see why thunder is scary?”
He asked as she climbed in to the passenger seat of the car,
“Say no more my love, but just know that I saved your life!”
He laughed as they pulled away, making their way back to her mothers.
-
“What do you mean she’s ill again?” George asked his voice heavy with concern “Kev? Whats happened to her?”
He swallowed the lump in his throat as everyone exchanged looks around him,
“Septicaemia, she caught it from her surgery wounds”
“So what are her chances? What have they said?”
Billy begged
“She’s stable but not out of the woods, it’s fifty fifty”
“well where’s Ruby? Can we go and see Scarlett?”
“She’s at Rita’s. It’s family only at the minute”
“Are you having a laugh? We’re all family!”
“Leave it Bill” Bayleaf uttered “When she’s ready we’ll be there”