A Place at Our Table

by Amy Clipston

  Brody moved past them as he talked into his radio and Jamie brought Noah up to speed as the three younger men hastened toward the barn. “They have two horses, and they think their fourteen-year-old son may have gone in to try to save them.”

  “Ach, no,” Noah said.

  “Nathan!” a voice screamed.

  Jamie was surprised they hadn’t seen the young woman standing near the open barn door as soon as they arrived. But the fire had already advanced across the roof line, further illuminating everything on that side of the barn.

  This has to be Kayla. Her thick golden-blonde hair wasn’t covered. Instead it hung down the back of her blue robe to her waist, shimmering in the bright firelight.

  “Nathan!” she screamed again. “Get out of there before you get yourself killed! Leave the horses! Help is already here.”

  Jamie’s pulse spiked. He broke into a run ahead of his partners, and as he approached Kayla, she turned and collided with him. She grabbed the front of his coat, gasping. “My little brother is in the barn! You have to get him.”

  “How long has he been in there?” Jamie shucked his turnout jacket.

  “I don’t know.” She shook her head as Jamie yanked his shirt over his head. “A few minutes. I thought I heard him scream. I was going to go after him, but the smoke . . . and I don’t have any shoes . . .” Her voice cracked as her eyes searched his. Jamie noticed they were sky-blue. “Please get him out. Please don’t let him die!”

  “I won’t let him die.” Jamie swiveled toward the other men as he pulled his turnout jacket back on and stuffed the shirt into his pocket. “Leon, stay with her. Noah, let’s go in. Take off your shirt. We’ll need to shield the horses’ eyes so we can lead them out. We don’t have much time!”

  Kayla squeezed Jamie’s arm. “His name is Nathan.”

  “I’ll get him.” Jamie glanced at Noah. “You ready?”

  Noah quickly nodded as he pulled off his collared shirt. “Always.”

  As Noah pulled his jacket back on, the sirens that had been blaring in the distance suddenly stopped, announcing the arrival of another fire company and an ambulance. Jamie hesitated just long enough to see members of the other fire department begin to pull out hoses. They’d have to use water from the tanker. No fire hydrants were anywhere near the barn.

  “Jamie! Noah!” Brody hollered from somewhere in the distance. “Give me your status!”

  “They’re going in for a teenager and two horses,” Leon called back. “Tell the paramedics to be ready in case the boy is injured.”

  Jamie and Noah put on their helmets, facemasks, and respirators and rushed inside the barn. Jamie’s vision was immediately blurred by smoke. A hard smack on his arm drew his attention to Noah, who pointed to the stall beside them. The boy was sprawled on the ground with a large wooden beam resting on his legs, and he was coughing.

  “We found Nathan,” Jamie said over the radio. “He’s on the floor, trapped by a fallen beam. He seems to be injured. I’ll bring him out. Have the paramedics ready to treat him.”

  “Ten-four,” Brody responded. “We’re ready.”

  Jamie squatted beside Nathan and touched his arm.

  “Nathan,” he said, and the boy looked up. “We’re going to help you.”

  Jamie nodded at Noah, and together they lifted the heavy beam from Nathan and dropped it beside him.

  Jamie leaned in close to Nathan. “Can you stand?” He motioned up.

  Nathan shook his head and pointed to his legs. Another coughing fit overcame him, and he covered his mouth with his arm.

  Jamie lifted the boy and hefted him over his shoulder. He carried him out the barn door where Brody, Leon, Kayla and two paramedics waited. Jamie deposited him on his feet, and the boy stumbled. His sister and one of the EMTs rushed forward and grabbed him, lowering him to the ground.

  “Nathan!” Willie called. He and the two other women ran toward them.

  Kayla looked up at Jamie. Her eyes sparkled with unshed tears as she whispered something that looked like “Danki.”

  “Let’s get you over to the ambulance and the rest of us back from this smoke,” one of the EMTs said to Nathan as she tapped a gurney. “Can you climb up on here?”

  Jamie raced back into the barn and found Noah already leading one horse toward the door. Noah’s shirt was tied around its head, and he pulled on one sleeve to guide the horse. Jamie moved past him and made his way to the second horse stall. He quickly tied his own shirt around that horse’s head and pulled him forward.

  Jamie stumbled and stopped, suddenly disoriented. The smoke had become a thick fog, diminishing his sense of direction. The horse nodded its head and whinnied in protest, and the hair stood up on the back of Jamie’s neck. Where was Noah? It was against station policy to be in a burning structure alone. Yes, Noah went for the horses when Jamie carried Nathan outside, but only because he knew he’d be back for the horses in seconds. Yet now he appeared to be on his own. Noah must have thought he was right behind him as left the barn.

  Jamie took a deep breath as his training kicked in.

  “This is Riehl. I’m lost,” he hollered into the radio. “I was in the stall with the remaining horse. I think it’s five feet from the barn entrance.” He glanced down at the illuminated oxygen gauge on his shoulder. “I have a quarter of a bottle left.”

  “I’m on my way!” Noah called back. “Heading into the barn to find you.”

  The smoke was worse. He had no choice but to temporarily let go of the horse. He dropped to his knees and crawled toward where he thought the wall was. His thoughts spun. He had to find the exit and get himself and the horse out in time.

  Jamie’s fingers brushed the wall, and he crawled toward where he believed the exit was.

  “I’m here,” he heard Noah say. “I see you. The horse is right behind you.”

  A hand grabbed Jamie’s shoulder and yanked his arm.

  “This way.” Noah’s voice crackled over the radio as he pointed behind him. “Let’s get the horse and get out.”

  “Danki.” Jamie breathed a sigh of relief before grabbing the shirt tied to the horse and following Noah out of the barn. Harsh beams came from several sets of headlights. More crews had arrived. Once they were well away from the burning barn, he removed his helmet and facemask as a crowd gathered around. Leon was holding on to the first horse Noah had brought out.

  “Does anyone know where they want the horses?” Jamie asked.

  “We’ll take them,” a teenage boy said as he sidled up to them. “Our barn is just down the street, and we have plenty of room. And if Willie wants us to, we can call a vet.”

  “We brought reins,” a second boy said. “We’ll guide them over.”

  “Danki.” Jamie slid his forearm over his brow.

  “Gern gschehne.” The first boy pulled the shirts off the horses’ heads, handed the shirts to Jamie, and began attaching the reins.

  Jamie shoved his shirt into the pocket of his jacket. He surveyed the scene, taking in the two additional fire companies spraying the barn with water. The structure was now almost entirely engulfed in flames. If Noah hadn’t . . .

  Jamie shoved away the thought, cleared his throat, and turned toward his best friend. “Danki for coming back for me.”

  Noah’s eyebrows lifted. “Are you joking? I turned around and you weren’t there. Why wouldn’t I have come back for you?”

  Jamie rubbed his chin as he glanced toward the ambulance, where Kayla stood beside her mother. They were both looking inside, speaking animatedly, their arms waving wildly. Jamie hoped Nathan wasn’t badly hurt. He hadn’t seemed to be.

  “Let’s go see if the boy is okay.”

  Noah lifted his chin toward their fire engine, where Brody was talking with Willie. “I’m going to check in with Brody and see if he needs any help. I’ll see you in a minute.”

  A mist of rain drifted over his cheeks as Jamie made his way toward the ambulance, nodding greetings as he wove past firefighters he
knew from nearby companies. He stepped onto the rock driveway just as Marilyn started for the house. He watched as she climbed the porch steps and disappeared inside.

  Inside the ambulance, Nathan was seated on a gurney with a blanket draped around his shoulders. He held an oxygen mask over his mouth and nose. His trousers were ripped, revealing large gauze pads covering his legs where the beam must have cut them. His right foot was covered with an ace bandage, and an ice pack adorned his ankle.

  Jamie divided a gaze between Nathan and his older sister. He saw a distinct family resemblance between the two. The boy’s hair was light brown compared to Kayla’s golden blonde, but they shared the same heart-shaped face and brilliant blue eyes. He guessed Kayla was in her early to mid-twenties.

  He took in her striking features—high cheekbones, rosy lips, and a long, thin nose. She was attractive. Not that he was interested. His only purpose for being here was to do what he could to save lives and property.

  Kayla narrowed her eyes at her brother. “What you did was narrisch,” she berated him, apparently oblivious to Jamie’s presence. “No, it wasn’t narrisch. It was dangerous. You could have been killed!”

  Nathan removed the oxygen mask and glared back at her. “You’re being overly dramatic.”

  “No, I’m not!” She waggled a finger at him. “We could have lost you, just like we lost . . .” She suddenly turned, her expression softening as her gaze collided with Jamie’s. She stood erect and pushed her hair over her slight shoulder. “I didn’t see you standing there.”

  “I’m sorry.” Jamie shifted his weight from one foot to the other and held up his hands as if surrendering. “I didn’t mean to intrude.”

  “You’re not intruding.” She folded her arms at her waist, and Jamie noted she was only slightly shorter than his nearly six feet. “Danki for saving mei bruder. I mean, thank you.”

  “Gern gschehne.” He leaned his leg against the bumper and looked up at Nathan, who grinned.

  “You’re Amish,” Nathan pointed out.

  Jamie nodded. “That’s right.”

  “I’m Nathan Dienner.”

  So they are the Dienners.

  Nathan nodded toward his sister. “This is mei schweschder, Kayla. She acts like she’s mei mamm, though.”

  Kayla pursed her lips, and Jamie bit back a chuckle.

  Jamie lowered himself onto the corner of the truck’s bumper. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m James Riehl.” He looked up at Nathan. “How are you feeling?”

  Nathan shrugged. “I’m fine.” He nodded toward his legs. “I had a tetanus shot last year and the EMT thinks my cuts will heal fine. I’m sure I only sprained my ankle, but she wants me to go to the hospital for an X-ray. Mei mamm says it isn’t necessary. She’s going to treat it at home, and she’ll take me to a doctor if it doesn’t get better in a couple of days.”

  “That’s probably a gut idea,” Jamie said, agreeing with that plan. “You don’t want to walk around on it if it’s broken. It could cause more problems later if it doesn’t heal right.” He rested his arms on his lap. “I heard you were the one who called nine-one-one.”

  Nathan sat up a little straighter and dropped the blanket onto the gurney beside him. “That’s right. I was restless, and I saw lightning out my bedroom window. When I heard the thunder I had a feeling the lightning was close.” He pointed toward the upper floor of their home. “I got up and looked out the hallway window. Smoke was already coming up from the barn roof. That was when I woke up mei dat and mamm and ran out to the phone shanty to call nine-one-one.”

  “And as soon as I realized what was happening, I ran out behind him,” Kayla chimed in, hands on hips. “I had a feeling he might do something narrisch. And by the time I got outside, he was already on his way to the barn. Unfortunately, I couldn’t catch up with him in time to stop him.”

  Jamie raised his eyebrows as he glanced up at Nathan, who’d lowered his head to stare down at the gurney. “Did you fall when you ran inside?”

  “Ya, I did.” Nathan sighed and raised his head. “I think I tripped over a pitchfork. The pain in my ankle was bad, and I knew I had to get out of there because smoke started pouring into that part of the barn. I felt like I was choking. I was going to crawl to the door, but when I went to get up, that beam collapsed on me. I tried to move it, but it was too heavy to lift by myself.”

  Kayla took a step toward Jamie. “Tell Nathan he shouldn’t have run into the barn on his own. Explain to him how serious this could have been.”

  Jamie paused, sizing up Nathan. He looked to be a healthy young man. He was definitely brave too. “You’re fourteen, right?”

  Nathan nodded. “Ya. My birthday was last month.”

  “If you’re really interested in learning to fight fires, then you can go to training. You’re old enough.” Jamie folded his arms over his chest.

  Nathan’s expression brightened. “I am?”

  Kayla gasped. “Don’t tell him that!”

  Jamie looked at her and felt his brow furrow. “I’m telling him the truth. I was sixteen when I started training, but we take volunteers as young as fourteen.”

  “Nathan doesn’t need to train to be a firefighter.” Kayla’s stare was intense and her jaw tightened. “He’s too young, and it’s too dangerous.”

  “That’s why we train.” Jamie was careful to keep his words measured. “We take every safety precaution.”

  “I’m certain you do, but accidents still happen.” Something more than frustration flickered in her eyes. Fear? “He’s not interested in becoming a firefighter.”

  “Ya, I am interested, and I don’t need you to speak for me.” Nathan lifted his chin.

  Kayla’s expression hardened. “It’s not up for discussion. You’re not doing it.”

  “You’re not Mamm or Dat,” he groused.

  “You need to drop it. I won’t allow it,” she spat back.

  Kayla swiped at a wet tendril of hair that had fallen against her cheek. Even in the shadows, her hair reminded Jamie of sunshine. He pushed the thought away and forced himself to focus on the subject at hand. Why was she so against her brother becoming a firefighter?

  “Kayla!” Their mother appeared dressed in a blue dress and black apron. She handed Kayla a purple scarf and pair of blue Croc shoes. “You’re getting soaked out here.”

  “Danki,” Kayla muttered as she tied on the scarf and slipped on the shoes. For a split second, Jamie was disappointed to see her hair covered, but he shook off the thought. What was wrong with him?

  Marilyn turned to Jamie and he stood. “You’re the firefighter who saved my Nathan and our horses. Thank you so much.” She held her hand out to Jamie, and he shook it. “I’m Marilyn Dienner.”

  “Gern gschehne, and I’m James Riehl.”

  He glanced toward the Station 5 fire truck. Brody, Leon, and Noah were there with members of other companies, watching the firefighters who continued to spray the barn with four different hoses. They were ready to relieve them if necessary.

  “I should get back to work.”

  “Wait, James,” Nathan said. “You said I’m old enough to start firefighter training. What do I have to do to get into the classes?”

  “Well . . .” Jamie hesitated. He had a feeling Kayla’s still-irritated expression was focused on him, and he had no idea how their mother would feel about this idea. “You need your parents’ permission, first of all.”

  “Can I do it, Mamm?” Nathan’s eyes widened as he held his hands together, as if praying.

  Marilyn gave him a gentle smile. “We’ll talk about it later.”

  “There’s nothing to talk about,” Kayla insisted. “The answer is no. He doesn’t need to become a firefighter.”

  “Kayla.” Marilyn’s voice held a hint of warning. “I said we will discuss it later.”

  Jamie cleared his throat as unease stole over him. He needed to remove himself from this private family conversation. “I’m going to go talk to my chief. Let me know if
you need anything.”

  “Danki,” Nathan said. “I’m glad you arrived when you did.”

  “I am too.” Jamie shook Nathan’s hand, nodded at Marilyn and Kayla, and left to join his company.

  TWO

  Anger surged through Kayla as she watched James Riehl walk away. Who did he think he was, encouraging her brother to become a firefighter? He didn’t know Nathan, nor, apparently, did he know what their family had endured the past year. Unless he just didn’t care.

  He needed to go back to his firehouse and mind his own business.

  But James saved Nathan’s life.

  The thought caught her off guard. Yes, he had saved Nathan’s life. Embarrassment heated Kayla’s cheeks as she remembered how she’d grabbed onto James’s jacket and begged him to save her brother. She’d never before been so forward with a man, but the thought of losing Nathan had rocked her. Her family couldn’t possibly endure another loss.

  When Kayla first saw James, he had seemed larger than life. He was taller than her father and Simeon, her older brother. She guessed he had to be close to six feet. His astute ice-blue eyes were a stark and intriguing contrast to his dark hair. He had a strong, dimpled jaw, which seemed a fitting complement to the confidence that radiated from him.

  The man hadn’t hesitated when she’d pleaded for help. Instead, he’d taken charge of the situation. James Riehl was her family’s hero—until he encouraged Nathan to sign up for firefighter training. He put that dangerous and horrible idea into her impressionable brother’s head.

  James had overstepped his bounds.

  Her eyes narrowed as she watched him approach Brody Morgan, who was addressing one of the firefighters manning a hose. James said something to Brody, and Brody patted James on his shoulder. Leon was there too. Kayla’s stomach twisted as memories of the last time she’d seen Brody and Leon assaulted her senses. It was the day of Simeon’s funeral, during the worst time of her life. It seemed like only yesterday, not almost a year ago.

  “Mrs. Dienner, are you certain you don’t want us to take Nathan to the hospital for an X-ray?” The young EMT named Kristi wrenched Kayla from her mental tirade. She had kind eyes.