Michaelishious - Vol. 2018

Dec. 22: The Firefighter, Pt. 2

I looked at the little girl in front of me. She was tucked up in my clean bedsheets, and with her little dog coiled up on top, right next to her. She had been scared when I brought her here. She had been scared when I went to the toilet and left her in the living room alone for a few minutes. And she had been scared when I told her that she could have my bed. But after we'd eaten a bowl of Cheerios each, I promised to sleep on the floor right next to her, and she wasn't scared anymore.

Now I was sitting on the edge of the bed, with her tiny hand in mine as protection against all the dangers in the world. She was exhausted, and she missed her mom, but she was so brave to trust me, a complete stranger, that any firefighter would envy her spirit. It felt strange to have a little child to take care of, like this. But it was a good strangeness. The kind that warmed my heart in a way I'd never felt before.

This girl had lost her home, her dad and almost also, her mother. If Mrs. Montgomery had been inside that house one minute longer, it would have been too late. I knew that. I'd seen it way too many times before. And now her mother would be hospitalized for at least a few days, and her most precious little jewel was here with me. And she could be here for as long as necessary too. Of that, I was sure. And just the thought made a spontaneous smile pull on my lips. The only thing I worried about, was how damaged her mother's lungs were after inhaling all that smoke.

I laid down on the floor next to Kensie, just as I promised, with my arms folded behind my head, staring at the ceiling. This was going to be a really sad Christmas for them, no doubt about that. But I had so many questions... Where would they stay until they found a new place to live? Was it true that they didn't have any family? That can't be! At least friends. They probably had lots of friends. Would their insurance cover the rebuild of their house? And would Mrs. Montgomery be okay? Mrs. Montgomery... Leila.

******

"Michael! Michael! Can we go see my mom now?"

I jolted awake by the unfamiliar sound of someone squealing into my ear. And it took quite a few seconds to comprehend what happened last night. I didn't get much sleep, either, but looking at the eager five year old in front of me, made me forget all about it. And now she sat down on my lap and poked my nose.

"Your hair looks funny."

I giggled at her straight forwardness. Kids...

"I've never seen a man with that long hair before."

"Really?" I asked playfully, and poked her nose back.

"Mhm," she hummed as the matter of factly.
"My dad had short hair. And it was light brown."

I smiled at her, but couldn't help but to feel a sting in my heart.

"Same as you then?" I said, and twirled a lock of her hair between my fingers. She might have inherited the hair color from her father, but I was absolutely amazed by how similar her eyes were to her mother's. They were beautiful. Dark blue, with long eyelashes framing them so perfectly. Oh, this little one should definitely have a dad to keep the boys away when she gets older, that's for sure!

I blushed a bit. Why did I get all these thoughts? What made this girl, her mom and her dog any different from other people I had saved in fire? Truth is, I didn't know.

"Molly needs to go pee-pee. Do you have a yard?"

I raised my eyebrows.

"Oh. Of course! I... Yes. I'll show you."

I lifted Kensie off my lap and got up.

"Molly likes you, you know," she said out of the blue. And I looked at the little furball sitting in front of the bedroom door, then back at Kensie.