FIRE | H.S.

Chapter 9

"Ava, are we having dinner at your house tonight?" Leilani asks, looking up from her homework.

"That's the plan, honey. I think your dad gets off a little earlier today, which is great, isn't it?" I look over my shoulder at her and smile. She nods excitedly.

I decided to make a recipe for creamy Tuscan chicken that I found on Pinterest. I've never made this before so I'm really hoping it comes out good.

Harry arrives at 6:30. He looks exhausted and his eyes appear dull. "Hello, Ava," he says, forcing a smile.

"Hey, Harry," I say as I let him in. I want to ask him if everything is okay, but I stop myself when Leilani comes running towards him.

"Daddyyyyy!" Harry leans down and picks her up into his arms, chuckling and kissing her face over and over.

"How are you, Monkey?" He asks, his eyes brightening up.

"I'm good, daddy. Guess what? Ava is teaching me to embroider cushions!" she says, animatedly.

"That's amazing, love!" he sets her down and we make our way to the dining table. "Can I help you with anything?" he asks me.

"No, everything is ready. Just have a seat and relax," I smile at him. I grab three plates and serve the food. I set the plates on the table in front of Leilani, Harry, and my seat, then grab glasses and the pitcher of lemonade I made earlier and bring them over to the table as well.

Leilani leads the conversation as we eat like she does most of our dinner nights. Harry tells her to eat her food because it will get cold and she rolls her eyes taking a big bite of the chicken. Harry tells his usual dad jokes, but I can tell something is bothering him. His smile doesn't reach his eyes. His dimple doesn't appear as prominently as it usually does. Something is wrong.

When we are done eating, Harry helps me clean up and Leilani goes into the living room to practice punch needling. I got her a punch needle kit yesterday and I'm teaching her how to do it. She wants to embroider a cushion for Harry as a Christmas gift.

"Harry?" I say, drying the last plate.

"Yes?" Harry picks up a kitchen towel and dries his hands, turning his attention to me.

"I everything okay? You look... sad."

He looks down for a couple of seconds, crossing his arms across his chest and leaning against the counter. "It was a... very rough day at work," he says.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He nods, taking a deep breath. He nods towards the dining table and we go sit.

"We had a call today, there was a fire at this apartment complex. When we got there, it seemed like everyone had already evacuated the building, but there was this mother whose daughter was still inside. They lived on the fourth floor. Some of us went inside and went in different directions, some went to different floors to make sure the building was completely evacuated, and I went to get the little girl along with another guy." He leans his elbows on the table and rubs his face. "When we got to the apartment, we kicked the door and started looking for the little girl. It seemed like one of the fires started in that apartment.

"As we looked for the little girl, a piece of the ceiling collapsed, blocking the hallway that leads to the bedrooms. I managed to get through and I looked for the girl in every room until I found her. She was laying on the floor of her bedroom... unconscious..." he swallows hard, looking up at the ceiling. His eyes are brimming with tears. "Ava... she was about four years old. All I could think about was Leilani, you know? I saw her and saw my daughter. I picked her up and we got her out of there. I..." his voice breaks and a tear rolls down his face. I feel my throat tightening and my eyes sting with the tears that are waiting to be shed.