Open Flame (Alycia Debnam-CareyXyou)

27

Squad 1, Engine 1, dispatched for a structure fire at 4432 Maple Lane. Possible occupants on the second story.

My hands pressed into the bay doors, shoving them open before sprinting to the truck, adrenalin pumping through my blood as I jumped into my turnout boots and pulled up my pants.

It was my first day back since my recovery, and I was over the moon that I got to start off my week back with a structure fire. It was rough having to sit around and rest for weeks while my friends were out on the job, but taking a step back for a while really put my whole career into perspective.

There was a lot of aspects of this job that made it suck. The death, sleepless nights, the bullshit calls, and so on.. But in the end, I still missed it.

I hopped in the drivers seat, buckling my seat belt, and once Joel made it to the passengers side, I threw it in drive and the radio turned on.

"Turn this shit up!" I called out to Joel, flicking the lights on before turning the dial to wail the sirens.

Music blasted from the speakers as I pulled out of the driveway, watching as all the cars on the road paused before making my way to the address. The engine followed quickly behind us, waiting as we cleared every intersection, pulling the horn to catch everyone's attention, but just before I hit the gas to continue through the red light, I spot a car racing toward the truck and I slam the breaks.

"Asshole!" I curse out as the car speeds through the intersection, barely missing the truck. After I double check that the coast is clear, I continue toward our destination until I spot the smoke rising into the air.

"AWEEE YEAHH!"

"Yep, it's working alright," Joel nods, chuckling at my eagerness while I park the truck a couple houses down, leaving room for the engine and space for ourselves incase we need to transport.

We both jumped out the truck, quickly opening up the outside compartments to our tools and SCBA airpacks, and slip on the gear before making our way to the engine that was prepping a supply line from the hydrant.

Light gray smoke flowed out of the upstairs window, promising a small fire somewhere at the upper level of the house, but before I could get a better look at the house, I spot a window on the other side of the house opening up, and a woman pops her head outside it, waving us over.

"LT, look!" I call out to Wilson, pointing to the second story window and he quickly follows my gaze to the woman.

"Jenkins, grab a 24ft Extension and pull it to the window. Hedge you can prep an attack line."

I swiftly made my way to the back of the engine, pulling a ladder from the back, but when I turned to the window, the woman was gone, and a man peaked outside with a worried expression on his face.

"It's coming!!" He shouted to me, desperately waving me over, and I furrowed my eyebrows, pulling the ladder over my shoulder.

It's coming??

I threw the ladder in front of me, digging the foot into the grass and holding it up vertically with my legs before pulling the rope to extend it, and then leaning it just underneath the window.

I glanced up to the man who kept moving his focus from me to the woman behind him, panic in his eyes.

"Hurry! It's coming!"

"Coming? What's coming?!" I questioned, climbing onto the ladder.

"The baby!!"

Oh shit.

My eyes widened, and I immediately climbed faster, reaching the window and peaking inside to find the woman on the ground, clutching her pregnant belly that I hadn't noticed until now.