Angels With Dirty Faces
XIV
The night dragged on with only two minor calls, Kevin sat in the back of the ladder watching as the streets sped past, bathed in the neon blue from their beacons, he felt his rib cage throb with his heart beating harder, memories flashing through his mind, the same terrifying crash from the accident almost 8 months ago echoed in every corner of his mind,
“Alright Kev?”
Billy shouted.
He nodded biting his lip trying to quell the nausea that was crashing through his abdomen, he kept his fear silent and got on with the job, keeping Scarlett tucked in the back of his mind, as he pulled his BA over his face.
-
She placed her knife and fork on her plate, moaning and placing her hand on her bloated stomach,
“You’re going to get us in trouble if we keep showing up on station fat!”
She smiled up at her mum, Kevin nodded in agreement slouched in his chair,
“I might have to undo my belt”
Scarlett rolled her eyes,
“Please don’t!”
She laughed as her husband feigned hurt feelings,
“I think I am going to have to put in for a new tunic though, a bigger one, mines a bit tight”
“It’s mum! She’s a bloody feeder!”
“And how wonderful she is at it”
Kevin smiled as he stood taking his plate to the sink and planting a kiss on Rita’s cheek, the woman laughed
“Oh sod off! The pair of you you’ll be late!” she ushered them towards the front door “Scarlett take care of my Kevin and Kevin take care of my Scarlett!” she kissed them both before pulling the door open “Stay safe you two! Love you both!”
Her boots squeaked against the tiled floor as she ran through the winding corridors, she threw herself at the desk in front of her taking a second to draw a breath,
“Kevin Medhurst, he’s a fireman he’s been brought in where is he?”
The young receptionist looked up startled,
“He’s just in the trolley area, second doors on the left, bay three!”
Scarlett took off again bolting through the doors and shoving through a curtain, there he was sat on the bed, leggings slouched at his waist, tunic and helmet lazily thrown on the chair, his t-shirt splattered with blood, he glanced up at her still holding the wad of bloodied paper towel to his temple,
“What are you doing here?”
He laughed, she looked like a scorned child her hands weaved nervously in front of her and eyes brimmed with tears,
“I worried”
She sniffled as he held his arm out, he couldn’t help but smile as he pulled her in to his chest,
“Well don’t it was only a bump on the head, a bit of glue and I’ll be back on station before you know it!”
Within the hour he found himself back in the mess room, his wound dressed and the pain beginning to subside,
“What even happened?”
Billy asked staring at the dressing,
“wall collapsed, tried to move back and tripped over my own bloody feet”
The young boy howled with laughter, Scarlett glared from across the table,
“He could have been seriously hurt Bill! He was still on a – “
The alarm wailed cutting her off mid-sentence, she slammed her hands on the table as she stood, Kevin placed a hand on the small of her back kissing her forehead softly,
“Don’t worry about it Dolly, no harm done!”
They pulled along the road to a housefire, they jumped out of the pump, he rushed to the locker pulling the hose and branch off in one swift move, the shrill whistle of the BA tanks filled the air, he glanced over to his left to see his wife fitting her BA mask, he took a deep breath and nodded at her, she pulled her helmet on and winked back to him, pulling the tag from her distress signal unit, it was slipped in to the board, he watched almost helplessly as he watched, her and Billy run in to the glowing shell of the building,
“Please be lucky”
He whispered to himself before carrying on with the hose.
The intense heat surrounded them as they slowly moved through the house, their vision obscured by billows of heavy black smoke, she fronted, dousing the place as quickly as she could, feeling her skin prickle with sweat as she shuffled forward, the house groaned and hissed around them, they flinched as a loud bang came from above them, stopping dead for a second they looked around them,
“It’s fine it’s just the beams” She yelled “We’ll keep moving”
Billy nodded as they kept moving, they walked In to what they could only assume had been the lounge, she yanked the hose unsuccessfully,
“We’re caught I’ll go and move it” Billy shouted moving quickly to the hallway, she carried on swiping side to side, ignoring the rubble falling from above her, in a sudden burst of activity, she heard the house groan once more, louder this time, almost aggressively, she jolted as a panicked voice came from behind her “Scarlett! Move now!”
She turned quickly looking over her shoulder, she watched as his eyes widened and his body flew backwards, a loud crack filled the space around her, feeling as though she had been shoved to the ground as a searing hot pain tore through her legs, she clawed at her chest as air became scarce, she felt herself become heavy as a haze set in, she was tired she drifted off, the sounds of crackling and popping around her were soon followed by voices, she slept.
-
He rolled over, thrusting his arm out in to the dark, hunting for the ringing phone, he screwed his face up as he pressed the receiver to his ear,
“Hello?”
“Mr Medhurst?”
“Speaking?”
He replied confused,
“It’s nurse Jodie, from the hospital?”
He sat bolt upright, kicking the covers off and pulling his clothes on,
“Is everything okay? I’m on my way”
“I think it’s wise you come up”
“Alright Kev?”
Billy shouted.
He nodded biting his lip trying to quell the nausea that was crashing through his abdomen, he kept his fear silent and got on with the job, keeping Scarlett tucked in the back of his mind, as he pulled his BA over his face.
-
She placed her knife and fork on her plate, moaning and placing her hand on her bloated stomach,
“You’re going to get us in trouble if we keep showing up on station fat!”
She smiled up at her mum, Kevin nodded in agreement slouched in his chair,
“I might have to undo my belt”
Scarlett rolled her eyes,
“Please don’t!”
She laughed as her husband feigned hurt feelings,
“I think I am going to have to put in for a new tunic though, a bigger one, mines a bit tight”
“It’s mum! She’s a bloody feeder!”
“And how wonderful she is at it”
Kevin smiled as he stood taking his plate to the sink and planting a kiss on Rita’s cheek, the woman laughed
“Oh sod off! The pair of you you’ll be late!” she ushered them towards the front door “Scarlett take care of my Kevin and Kevin take care of my Scarlett!” she kissed them both before pulling the door open “Stay safe you two! Love you both!”
Her boots squeaked against the tiled floor as she ran through the winding corridors, she threw herself at the desk in front of her taking a second to draw a breath,
“Kevin Medhurst, he’s a fireman he’s been brought in where is he?”
The young receptionist looked up startled,
“He’s just in the trolley area, second doors on the left, bay three!”
Scarlett took off again bolting through the doors and shoving through a curtain, there he was sat on the bed, leggings slouched at his waist, tunic and helmet lazily thrown on the chair, his t-shirt splattered with blood, he glanced up at her still holding the wad of bloodied paper towel to his temple,
“What are you doing here?”
He laughed, she looked like a scorned child her hands weaved nervously in front of her and eyes brimmed with tears,
“I worried”
She sniffled as he held his arm out, he couldn’t help but smile as he pulled her in to his chest,
“Well don’t it was only a bump on the head, a bit of glue and I’ll be back on station before you know it!”
Within the hour he found himself back in the mess room, his wound dressed and the pain beginning to subside,
“What even happened?”
Billy asked staring at the dressing,
“wall collapsed, tried to move back and tripped over my own bloody feet”
The young boy howled with laughter, Scarlett glared from across the table,
“He could have been seriously hurt Bill! He was still on a – “
The alarm wailed cutting her off mid-sentence, she slammed her hands on the table as she stood, Kevin placed a hand on the small of her back kissing her forehead softly,
“Don’t worry about it Dolly, no harm done!”
They pulled along the road to a housefire, they jumped out of the pump, he rushed to the locker pulling the hose and branch off in one swift move, the shrill whistle of the BA tanks filled the air, he glanced over to his left to see his wife fitting her BA mask, he took a deep breath and nodded at her, she pulled her helmet on and winked back to him, pulling the tag from her distress signal unit, it was slipped in to the board, he watched almost helplessly as he watched, her and Billy run in to the glowing shell of the building,
“Please be lucky”
He whispered to himself before carrying on with the hose.
The intense heat surrounded them as they slowly moved through the house, their vision obscured by billows of heavy black smoke, she fronted, dousing the place as quickly as she could, feeling her skin prickle with sweat as she shuffled forward, the house groaned and hissed around them, they flinched as a loud bang came from above them, stopping dead for a second they looked around them,
“It’s fine it’s just the beams” She yelled “We’ll keep moving”
Billy nodded as they kept moving, they walked In to what they could only assume had been the lounge, she yanked the hose unsuccessfully,
“We’re caught I’ll go and move it” Billy shouted moving quickly to the hallway, she carried on swiping side to side, ignoring the rubble falling from above her, in a sudden burst of activity, she heard the house groan once more, louder this time, almost aggressively, she jolted as a panicked voice came from behind her “Scarlett! Move now!”
She turned quickly looking over her shoulder, she watched as his eyes widened and his body flew backwards, a loud crack filled the space around her, feeling as though she had been shoved to the ground as a searing hot pain tore through her legs, she clawed at her chest as air became scarce, she felt herself become heavy as a haze set in, she was tired she drifted off, the sounds of crackling and popping around her were soon followed by voices, she slept.
-
He rolled over, thrusting his arm out in to the dark, hunting for the ringing phone, he screwed his face up as he pressed the receiver to his ear,
“Hello?”
“Mr Medhurst?”
“Speaking?”
He replied confused,
“It’s nurse Jodie, from the hospital?”
He sat bolt upright, kicking the covers off and pulling his clothes on,
“Is everything okay? I’m on my way”
“I think it’s wise you come up”