28 Years a Hero

2009:IV

After his mother's body was out,it was covered immediately with a salvage cover,her sacred shroud as if it were the clouds hiding the sun on an overcast day.

In a most respectful way,her corpse was horrifying. The usually silver-blonde hair was burnt away leaving a scalded bald head scarred with glistening and charred angry flesh,face burnt beyond recognition. The rest of the body was gruesomely distorted as well something I knew I would never forget. I had seen bodies victim to fires before but never on such a personal level.

I pleaded for him to take the next couple of shifts off maybe more but he insisted we needed the money with the baby coming in two months and claimed he "was fine." Which I really meant he was not fine.

I was at aces a few nights later and I had begged Jay to stay home get help,plan for the funeral. He refused leading his stepfather to do all the work. It was unlike him to step aside and let someone else take over,frankly it terrified me to see him like this.

In the end,I found myself once again at Ace's bar working late and coming home tired,alone,with sore feet and keeping the pager clipped to my hip. Shuffling into our old home,with heavy eyes and a soul desire to sleep,I quickly dropped my clothes and crawled into the small squeaky bed.

The blankets were cold and I had to bring my knees to my chest in order to warm a bit. My radio sat beside my bed,the familiar background chatter of the radios humming. I couldn't sleep without the radio on especially when Jay was working.

More than usual,I couldn't sleep. I tossed turned and made journeys to the bathroom multiple times. Something was bothering me and I knew it was about Jay. I was really worried for him. Since he pulled his mother's body out he had hardly talked to me and often spent any time he had left working out. The very signs something was horribly wrong. Though he had an amazing ability to think clearly through immense amounts on stress grief always struck him like a freight train,causing him to be almost completely blind to all reasoning and logic.

Returning to my bed once again after a long swig of water,The radio crackled to life.

"Engine 28,what is your status?" My ears perked at the familiarly formed words. Engine 28 was the engine Jay worked on.

Static.

"Engine 28,what is your status?" The dispatcher repeated.

"Engine 28,available and responding to the highway accident. ETA five minutes." The voice of Station 13's captain made my heart skip a beat.

"10-4,Engine 28,arrive with caution it's extremely foggy out there."

"10-4." The captain's voice confirmed and I closed my eyes trying to relax and go back to sleep but feeling wide awake as if I had drank six cups of coffee before I laid down to sleep.

By some sort of miracle I fell into a light sleep,my hands grasping for the empty cold side of the bed my heart longed for Jay to occupy. It was selfish,I knew it was but nights when I was alone I almost didn't care about the other  people I just wanted my husband.

The pager sounded along with the cracking radio and I leapt up from my fitful position on the bed. Grabbing my duffel and the radio I ran into my car and started to drive towards the station,tying my hair into a bun as I went. Arriving at the station,I donned my P.P.E and turned to a firefighter I didn't recognize.

"Car pile-up on the freeway,so damn foggy out there not even the cars can see us." He explained,hopping onto the truck with me.

"Why are they calling us in I already heard Engine 28,11,and Truck 52,55 Respond?" I asked curiously hopping in behind two more experienced firefighters giving a nod in greeting and slamming my door shut as it pulled out of the bay. The talkative firefighter sighed and shook his head.