Smoke (13 page)

acetylene tanks stored in that room—they could be trouble.”

“Dammit! Can you hack through the grate, Anthony?”

“I might but the heat is buckling the beams holding my end of the platform.

More stress might make it collapse and takes all of us down.”

Nick moaned, “I can’t feel my legs; get me out of here!”

“Relax, Nick, we’ll get you out,” Jonathan relayed. “It’s your call, Anthony; what should we do?”

“I’m gonna get him out. He might be a pain in my ass but I got his back in the field.” Anthony worked on cutting the grate apart. He had to be careful not to remove too much or Nick would fall through to his death a hundred feet below.

A large beam to the left of Anthony buckled and fell causing the platform to lean drastically. “Hurry up, Anthony,” Jonathan yelled holding onto Nick’s arms. “This damn thing is gonna fall!”

“I almost got him loose; on three pull with all you got!”

“Don’t let me go, Jon. Don’t let me die here,” Nick panted. His eyes opened wide and he appeared scared.

“We’re not gonna let you die.”

Other firefighters arrived to help with Nick’s rescue. Anthony raised his hand waving wildly. “Go! Go! Pull him out!”

Jonathan pulled hard; bringing Nick from the grate and passing him to the firefighters behind him; hearing a loud crash he whipped around. The portion of platform that trapped Nick had fallen into the fire below. “Anthony!” He yelled.

“I’m down here! Throw me a line,” Anthony yelled, looking down and seeing nothing but a sea of flames balling and growing larger. “Hurry, man, this thing ain’t gonna hold my weight much longer!”

Jonathan looped the rope around his waist and lowered it to Anthony who was holding onto the swaying platform attached by the remaining two beams. Anthony latched the rope through his carabiner securing it, and signaled for Jonathan to pull him up. With the help of other firemen, they were able to bring Anthony to the surface.

“You okay?” Jonathan asked out of breath.

“Yeah,” Anthony nodded unlatching the rope. But we gotta run like hell; I don’t think we have much time before this section with those damn tanks stored over there blow.”

Running and warning firefighters in their path, they were almost to the mouth of the plant before the strength from the acetylene tanks exploding tossed them outside.

Hitting the wet pavement face first, Jonathan curled to protect his body from the hot debris falling over him.

The impact of the debris hitting his body eased. Jonathan turned his head to see Anthony lying next to him. “Man, we’re a couple of lucky sons-of-bitches.”

Anthony sat up removing his helmet and fire hood letting the hard rain from the thunderstorm shower over him. “That was too fuckin’ close.”

“We ain’t done yet.” Jonathan got off the ground reaching a hand to Anthony to pull him to his feet. “We gotta go back in.”

“I need a break. I’m tired, hungry and don’t have any energy left to fight, Jon.”

“Yeah, me either, but we might have more firefighters trapped after that last explosion,” he said cleaning dirt and mud from his face shield.

Lieutenant Murad rounded his men together. “We’ve been working ten hours straight and fresh units are coming. We’ve been cleared to return to base. I want you guys to get some rest and then go home. You all did a great job.”

“Lieutenant, I’m gonna head over to the hospital to check on Nick,” Jonathan said.

“I’ll go with you,” Anthony echoed.

“Good idea to have someone there from our house. Have Sweeney drop you off and I’ll be there soon as I can to relieve you.”

*****

Jonathan and Anthony entered the emergency room, dirty and smelling of a hard battled fire. Going to the desk Jonathan asked the receptionist, “Could you tell me what room Nick Barona is in? He’s a fireman brought in a few hours ago. ”

The receptionist looked at both men who obviously sleep deprived. “I’ll get the doctor treating him. You can have a seat over there and the coffee is free; you look as if you could use a few cups.”

“Yeah I could,” Jonathan said walking toward the coffee station.

Anthony nudged Jonathan with his arm. “Jon, I didn’t like the look she gave; do you think Nick is okay?”

“Yeah I’m sure he’s okay. Hell, he’s too stuck on himself to be anything but okay.”

“Nick said he couldn’t feel his legs. He could be paralyzed and I didn’t help by rough-handling him—damn.” Anthony sat down on the chair dropping his head in his hands.

Jonathan remained silent as the doctor approached them. “Are you the

gentlemen here about Mr. Barona?”

“Yes, sir,” Jonathan said standing. “How is he?”

“Mr. Barona is in recovery and will be transferred to the critical care unit shortly.

Extensive bleeding from a deep vein artery caused Mr. Barona to lose a lot of blood. We couldn’t stop it before he went into cardiac arrest. We were able to revive him but it will be touch and go for the next few days.”

“Oh fuck,” Anthony mumbled.

“Doctor, he said he couldn’t feel his legs; is he paralyzed also?” Jonathan asked.

“As of right now; I’m afraid so. We won’t know more until he is stable enough to go through more testing.”

Jonathan heard the words but could not respond. “Nick won’t be able to deal with this, Anthony.”

Anthony ran his hands over his bald head. “I’ll call Murad.”

Jonathan paced the waiting area. Firefighters filtered in as word spread about other firemen that perished fighting the steel mill inferno or checking on other comrades. He noticed the doctor still standing near the doors leading to the trauma rooms and went over to him. “Can I see Nick?”

The doctor wavered at first. “I’m not supposed to let anyone see him but family.”

“Listen, Doc, me and the other firefighter, are the only family Nick has in Cleveland. We saved him from burning alive. I promised Nick, he would not die.”

“Son, the fire didn’t kill him—so stop blaming yourself for his current

condition.”

“I made him a promise I might not be able to keep.”

“Alright,” the doctor said taking Jonathan by the arm. “I’ll give you a few minutes with him.”

*****

Jonathan walked slowly towards the bed. The clicking of the machines worked together rhythmically. Looking down at Nick, he couldn’t remember him ever being so quiet. Curling his fingers around the railing he leaned in close. “I only got a few minutes, so I’ll make this quick. I know we’ve had our differences lately, but, I never wanted our friendship to end this way. Nick, fight to live for your kid if nothing else; he needs you. I’ll check on you tomorrow.”

Going to the elevator he pressed the button. Dropping his head, he took a few deeps breaths collecting the raw emotions enveloping him. The major nag cutting his gut was the silly argument with Nick. If Nick died, those hate-filled words would be their last conversation before the fire.

The doors to the elevator opened. Gabrielle eyes gleamed at his sight. Her words rolled from her tongue barely above a whisper. “Jonathan, thank God you’re okay.” It took all her energy not to jump into his arms.

He nodded. “Yeah, I’m one of the lucky ones to be standing after fighting that disaster.”

“I was wondering if your unit was on scene.” She stepped off the elevator realizing what floor she was on. “What are you doing on the critical care floor? Is Anthony—”

“Anthony was not hurt; Nick was. Doctors are not sure if he will survive.”

“I’m so sorry, Jonathan. But, you know he is getting the best medical care this hospital has to offer.”

“I know he’s in good hands; I was here not too long ago.”

The awkwardness fell over her causing a lag. Plus she was not getting the ‘
I’m so
glad to see you’
vibe from him. “We really have to stop meeting in elevators; people are going to start to talk.”

“Yup, we do seem to run into each at elevators a lot.”

She studied his face. Shallow lines creased his forehead and bags formed under his eyes. “When’s the last time you’ve slept?”

He ran his hands through his oily hair. “I don’t know; probably a day ago.”

“I’m my way home—I can drive you home if you’re too tired to drive yourself.”

“Home…a place I want to be, but I think I’ll stick around and see how Nick does through the night.”

“Jonathan, it’s almost noon. You’re too exhausted to sit around a hospital all day.

Come on, I’m taking you home with me. You can soak in a hot bath and get some sleep.

I’ll take you home later.”

He staggered on his feet before regaining his balance. “I don’t think that is a good idea, Gabrielle; we aren’t exactly on speaking terms.”

His anger remained and she felt the bite with each word. “I-I want to apologize for the way I acted,” she stuttered. “I blew what happened between us out of proportion, and was too embarrassed to tell you the real reason for it.”

He threw up his hands. “Gabrielle, I can’t do this right now! I’m tired as hell and my brain is trying to process the shit I’ve been through in the last 24-hours. Please excuse my language, because I don’t mean to be rude, but I can’t deal with your drama on top of everything else.”

She caressed his strong jaw. “There won’t be any drama, Jonathan; I just want to be a friend and comfort you in your time of need.”

“Here we go with that
FRIEND
word again. Thanks, but we’ve already established that’s not possible. If you’ll excuse me, I gotta find Anthony.”

“I’ll help you look,” she said stepping on the elevator bringing him with her.

“I’m capable of doing it myself.”

She pressed the button closing the doors. “Jonathan, I’m going to overlook the fact you’re acting an ass because of the circumstances surrounding Nick and you’re tired.”

His mouth dropped open. “I’m being an ass?”

She kept her eyes straight ahead as the doors closed saying, “Yes, and I’m glad you agree with me.”

*****

Jonathan shook Anthony on the knee. He was fast asleep in a chair with his head resting against the wall. Stirring slowly he cleared his throat. “Well, how is Nick?”

“It’s not good, Ant. He’s heavily sedated and doesn’t know what’s going on and its’ probably best he doesn’t.”

Yawning, Anthony stood up stretching his back. “There’s not much we can do for him now. I’m going home to crash. I don’t know if I’ll come back later; it’s not like he wants me here.”

“Don’t be like that, Anthony. We have to put that part of Nick aside until he gets better. Like it or not he’s going to be indebted to you; you saved his life.”

“I did what I was trained to do.”

Gabrielle rubbed Anthony on the shoulder. “Wow, Anthony, you’re a real hero.

You saved Jonathan and now Nick. You must feel some kind of wonderful inside.”

“Nah, Gabrielle, I don’t. Jon has pulled my butt from the fire many of times, and us three have worked together as a team for many years. Nick just recently wanted me off as part of the team.”

A rapid clicking of heels on the hard surface of the hospital floor caught their attention. Sandra bounced around the corner stopping in front of them. “Oh thank goodness you’re both okay. I went to the fire station and they said you might be here but did not elaborate why. I didn’t know what to think.” Clutching Anthony she hugged him close to her big breasts. “I was so worried. And, Jonathan, I was especially worried about you.” She went to hug him but Gabrielle threw her a look making her retreat.

Gabrielle looped her arms through Anthony’s while holding onto Jonathan, saying, “We were just leaving. I’m taking these guys home to feed them a hot meal and put to bed for a few hours.”

Sandra crossed her arms. “Gabrielle—is your name right? You appear to be a little worn yourself. How are you going to take care of anyone when it’s apparent you’ve had very little sleep yourself?”

“Ms. Rhodes, don’t bother worrying with what I can handle,” Gabrielle said refusing to be intimidated. “I’m more versatile than I look.”

Sandra took hold of Jonathan’s arm. “Jonathan is better off coming with me.

He’s speaking at my daughter’s school tomorrow morning for career day. And, since I’m a Westside he’ll be closer.”

Gabrielle would not engage in an argument with the woman. Her brows formed a frowned, saying, “Jonathan, you decide what you want to do and let me know.

Anthony, feel free to go with your girlfriend.” She released her hold of both men and proceeded to the revolving doors to leave the hospital.

The cold rain flickered off her face cooling her temper. Jonathan appeared beside her. “Is your offer is still open?”

Her lips curled into a smile. “Of course it is. Is Anthony coming?”

“Anthony’s got his hands full at the moment. After you stormed out his side chick came in. I didn’t wanna stick around to witness what was about to go down.”

Chapter Eleven

Gabrielle refilled Jonathan’s coffee mug. He’d eaten double the portions of breakfast food leaving nothing to be thrown away. Placing his fork on the plate he slowly drank some of the fresh coffee before pushing everything away. “I’m stuffed to the gills. You should be a chef on television or at least own a restaurant.”

She smiled from the compliment. The majority of their meal had been eaten in silence since neither one wanted to touch the subject that caused the huge tear in the first place. “Thank you. I actually considered being a chef at one time but didn’t want the headaches of listening to people complain.”

“You don’t get that from unhappy patients?”

“I’m the good therapist remember,” she said clearing the table.

When she removed the plate from in front of him, her arm brushed against his forearm. The brief feel of her soft skin sent a vibration down his spine. Suddenly and without words he pulled her down to his lap and into his arms. Her warm body soothed the chill icing him.

Stroking his back, Gabrielle didn’t squirm from the pressure of his arms squeezing tightly around her. “Jonathan, what’s wrong.”

“I just need to hold you,” he said burying his head in her chest.