by Carrie Elks
“Yeah, it’s pretty neglected.” Lucas’ voice held a hint of regret. “But hopefully I can change that now.” Chief Simons had been right about one thing – renovating this cottage was definitely taking his mind off his job. He would be spending the next few days drawing up plans and working with Frank Megassey on all the tools and fittings he’d need.
“You want to come take a look?” Lucas asked Griff.
“Why not?” Griff propped his board up on the side of the cottage and stepped through the doorway. Lucas took him on a quick tour – the space so small there really wasn’t that much to see. The two of them discussed his plans for updating the tiny bathroom and kitchen, and what type of paint would be best for the interior of the house. Then Lucas grabbed them both a soda from the ice cooler he’d brought with him, and they sat on the front stoop, overlooking the golden sand.
“Remember when we used to come here after school?” Griff asked him. “Me, you, Jack and Breck? We’d surf for hours until your grandma yelled at us to come and get a drink.” His lips curled up. “They were good times, weren’t they?”
“Yeah, they were.” Lucas nodded. He lifted the can of soda to his lips, taking a big mouthful. It tasted good, but nothing like the homemade lemonade his grandma used to make.
In the distance he could see a surfer paddling to hit an oncoming wave. When was the last time he’d been out on the surf? He could barely remember. Too busy saving lives to think about living his. Maybe that was the problem.
“How often do you go out there?” he asked Griff, inclining his head toward the water.
“Most days if I can. It’s gonna get harder once I’m running the daily boats, but I’ll still try and hit the waves in the early morning.” Griff gave him a lopsided smile. “I guess I’m the one out of all of us who never grew up.”
“Does Jackson not join you?” Lucas asked. “I thought he still liked to surf.”
“He comes when he can, but he’s busy, ya know?” Griff shrugged, running a fingertip along his overgrown beard. “Mostly it’s just me.”
He didn’t look too sad about it. Why should he? He was living the life they all thought they would. There was a time when all four of them lived for the waves. Now, they had to work for a living instead.
“Maybe I’ll come out with you some time. I’m a bit rusty though.”
“It’s like riding a bike, or so they tell me. You never forget once you’ve done it.” Griff grinned at him. “You should come out this week. The swell is great right now. I’ll message you when I’m next going out.”
“Yeah, that’d be great.” He rubbed his finger along his chin. It had been a while, but right not the thought of riding the waves sounded like bliss. No need to think, no need to worry. Just him and the ocean.
“It’ll be like old times.” Griff rubbed his hands together. “We can surf, grab something from the beach café, and then if you’d like I’ll come and give you a hand with your renovations. I’m pretty handy with a saw.”
“I’d really appreciate your help.”
A sharp sound cut through the air, coming from the counter on the far side of the kitchen. Lucas recognized it right away. His pager – the one they’d issued him at the Angel Sands Volunteer Fire Department. He shot up and ran into the cottage, grabbing the pager and reading it quickly.
Incident at Angel Sands Elementary School. Emergency Crew required.
“I gotta go,” he told Griff, grabbing his keys from the hook next to the front door. “It’s a call out.”
“Of course,” Griff said, standing up and grabbing his board. “I’ll catch you later. You want me to lock up?”
“It’s already done.” Lucas slid his key from the lock and gave a wave to his friend. “I’ll talk to you soon. And don’t forget to let me know about the surfing.”
The adrenaline was already shooting through him and making him single minded in his thoughts. The drive to the firehouse would take five minutes. Getting his protective clothing on and climbing into the engine would take another three. That was eight minutes before they could even head toward the school – he really had no time to waste.
Within seconds, he was on his way.
While Rachel was calling for help in the school building, Ember found herself standing at the bottom of the playhouse, craning her head to see Carter on top of the roof. Or half of him, at least. His bottom half was wedged in the chimney, she guessed.
Not that he looked upset about it. In fact, he was loving the attention, wiggling his body as he waved at all his classmates looking up at him. A big smile on his face.
“Carter, are you okay?” Ember called up to him.
He waved down at her, grinning. “Hey, Miss Kennedy, look at me. I’m Santa and I’m coming down the chimney. Ho Ho Ho.”
The children staring up at him started to giggle. Carter let out some more Ho Ho Hos to entertain them further.
“It’s May,” Ember called up at him. “You’re a little early.” She took a deep breath. “Shall we get you out now?” Ember asked him. “You can come back when December’s here.”
“Yeah, otherwise these girls and boys won’t get any toys.”
Oh joy. Now he was quoting Christmas songs at her.
She opened the front door of the playhouse and looked inside. The only thing she could see were Carter’s legs and feet dangling in the pretend-fireplace. From the looks of things, he was well and truly wedged in the small chimney.
“Carter, how did you get up there?” she asked him.
“My reindeers flew me here.”
She took a deep breath, not that it helped much. Then somebody tugged on her sleeve.
“Miss Kennedy?”
“Yes, Sally?” Never had she been happier to see such a sensible face.
“He climbed up the back. He used the windows like a ladder. I saw him.”
“Tattletale,” Carter yelled at her.
“Thank you, Sally.” Ember patted her shoulder. From the corner of her eye she could see Rachel coming out of the school building, followed by Principal Sawyer. When they reached her, she turned to them, a grimace on her face. “Do you think I should climb up there?” Ember asked them. “To see exactly how bad it is?”
“I think that’s a good idea.” The principal flashed her a grim smile. “And Rachel, can you move all the children into the cafeteria, please? I’m sure the other teachers will help. I’ve called the fire department as a precaution, though I’m sure we’ll be able to sort this out ourselves.” She rubbed her chin, still staring up at the roofline. “I need to call Carter’s parents as well.”
The grin disappeared from Carter’s face. “Please don’t call my mom.” His bottom lip began to tremble. “I want to get down now.” He started to struggle, his arms flailing wildly. “I can’t get out. I want to get out.”
Running to the back of the playhouse, Ember kicked off her shoes. There was no way she’d be able to climb up with those heels on. Grabbing onto the corner of the building, she hitched her skirt up and put the ball of her foot onto the bottom window shelf.
Here went nothing.
There were a few children still milling around. From the corner of her eye she could see them pointing at her. Taking a deep breath in, she tensed her arms and pulled herself up until she was balancing on the window.
“Don’t fall, Miss Kennedy!” one of the children shouted. She could hear Rachel call them away. Carter turned around, craning to see what was happening, but the way his body was wedged stopped him from being able to see her.
“Miss Kennedy, are you there?” Any trace of bravado had disappeared from Carter’s voice. He sounded like the scared seven-year-old little boy he was. “Where’s everybody going? Don’t leave me.”
“I’m right behind you,” she told him, grabbing for the edge of the roof. “I won’t leave you.”
“Am I going to be stuck here until Christmas?” he asked her. “Is my mom going to be mad at me?”
“You’ll be out very soon, I p
romise. And your mom won’t be mad at you, she’ll be worried.”
“She gets angry when I worry her.”
Ember didn’t have an answer for that one. She was too busy leveraging her body upward, until she reached the apex of the roof. From her vantage point at the top of the playhouse, she could see all the children in the cafeteria. They were standing at the double height windows, watching her progress. A couple of them had their mouths open and were licking the glass. Ugh. Somebody was going to have some cleaning to do later.
The playhouse was taller than she’d realized. As she slowly crawled along the roofline, she could feel herself start to shake. She took another deep breath as she moved her hands and knees forward, until she finally reached the chimney.
Carter grasped for her, as if he was desperate for some body contact. “Miss Kennedy. You’ve saved me.”
She took his hand and he squeezed her palm tightly. She guessed he was afraid she’d leave him, the way all the children had disappeared.
“Okay, let me take a look at you. Check that everything’s okay.”
“Don’t let go of my hand,” he said, his voice panicked.
“I won’t. I’m still holding it, see?” Very slowly she looked him over, checking there were no injuries, and then she brought her gaze to the chimney. It was only a couple of feet wide, just enough for a small boy to crawl into and get stuck. Like the rest of the house, it was made of thick molded metal, not as easy to pull apart as wooden planks would have been.
She looked around the chimney for a weak point, hoping she could pull it out. But the thing had been made to last. She could tug and tug at Carter all day, and he still wouldn’t have moved.
“Sweetie, I think we’re going to need a bit of help to get you out,” she told him, trying to keep her voice calm.
Carter started to cry. Long, deep wails that cut Ember to the quick. Yes, he could drive his teachers crazy, and sure, he never knew when to stop. But he had a good heart, and was a lovely little boy, and his sobs made her chest hurt.
“Ember?” the principal called up from the bottom of the house. She must have been rattled – she rarely called her teachers by their first names in front of the children.
“Yes?”
“Do you think you can get him out of there?”
Ember took another look at the chimney before looking back down at Principal Sawyer. “I don’t think so.” And she didn’t want to risk him falling down inside the playhouse without anybody to help him. He could easily break a leg.
“Okay. I guess we’ll wait for the fire department then.”
Carter’s wails increased in volume, and Ember found herself kneeling up so she could hold him in her arms. “It’s okay, Carter. Everything’s going to be okay.”
Her knees already hurt from digging into the metal roof, and her stomach was starting to protest at the way she had to clench it to keep herself balanced. To top it all off, Carter wrapped his arms around her neck as tightly as a boa constrictor, sobbing into her white blouse.
One thing was for sure; it was going to be a long afternoon.
6
It only took eight minutes to get from the fire station to the school. Such a difference to the kind of traffic Lucas encountered in the big city and on the freeways that surrounded it. Matt Greyson, the driver, pulled the quad up at the curb beside the school entrance, right behind the ambulance that had just arrived, and the crew climbed out.
The quad – so called because the truck had a combination of a fire pump, hoses, water tank, and ground ladders – wasn’t much different to the trucks they had in White City. Everything else felt different though; different crew, different town, and a completely different level of call out.
At least he was on a call out, regardless of what it was for.
Lucas followed the crew through the glass double door entrance, an older lady with wiry grey hair waiting for them.
“Thank you for coming,” she called out to them. “I’m Principal Sawyer.”
Lucas nodded at her. “I’m Lieutenant Russell. Can you tell us what’s happened?”
The principal quickly filled them in as they followed her through the school and out to the playground. Though she was short, she could walk as fast as any of them, and the firefighters found themselves quickening their gaits to keep up with her.
By the time they made it to the yard, it was clear the minor wasn’t in immediate danger. The firefighters of Company 62 walked in, stopping short as they took in the scene in front of them.
Lucas scanned the area, taking in the situation. Ahead of him was the play area – fenced off from the rest of the yard. And inside that was the playhouse the principal had referred to. On top of it, he could see a woman, bare legged with a short skirt, and she was holding a child whose torso was emerging from the playhouse’s chimney.
He quickly swept his gaze around the rest of the area. The playground was clear of children, no hazards he could see. Nodding at the crew behind him, he pushed the gate open and walked over to the brightly painted playhouse, looking up at the woman and child.
A First Grade teacher, and a seven-year-old male, according to the Principal, and only one of them was actually stuck. The other was keeping the scared child company.
“Are they gonna use the Jaws of Life on me?” the kid was asking, his voice high. “I saw them do that on TV once. Those things can cut through metal and glass.”
The teacher shook her head, her dark hair swinging from side to side. “I don’t know, but it will all be okay. These guys know what they’re doing. You just have to listen to them.” She shifted positions. The movement made her skirt ride up, revealing smooth thighs. Lucas had to work hard not to look at them.
Instead he looked up at her face and recognized her immediately. The woman from Megassey’s. He blinked in recognition.
Bringing himself out of his thoughts, Lucas turned to the two crewmen who were standing behind him. Matt Greyson, the driver-engineer and Simon Shaw, a qualified EMT.
“Okay, we need to do this quietly. Our first job is to reassure the child, I don’t want to make him panic.”
Shaw and Greyson nodded.
“Shaw, you and I are going to go and assess the situation,” Lucas continued. “Greyson, can you get me a ladder?” Taking a deep breath, he looked back up at the teacher and her student.
“Ma’am, what’s the child’s name?” He didn’t need her to tell him, but it was an easy way to start the conversation.
“It’s Carter,” she said, her voice steady. “Carter Davis.”
He smiled up at the boy. “Hey, Carter.”
The boy stared back at him with wide eyes.
“And your name?” he prompted the teacher.
“I’m Ember Kennedy.”
“Are Carter’s parents here?”
She shook her head. “They’ve been alerted and are on their way. They both work at Newton Pharmaceuticals.”
Newton Pharmaceuticals was on the other side of town. If they’d been contacted at the same time the emergency call was made, and left right away, they would be here soon. “Okay.” He glanced back at the Principal. “Can you let me know when they get here?” Then he moved his gaze to his colleague. “Shaw?” He tipped his head. “Can you check Carter inside the house?” He wanted Shaw to look the boy over. Being stuck in a metal box for any length of time could cause injuries to his body or legs. By checking him over, Shaw would be able to tell if he was okay.
“Sure thing, Lieutenant.”
Greyson returned with a ladder, leaning it up against the house. The structure was small enough that they didn’t need to extend it. Lucas climbed up, stopping when he was head level with the apex of the house. He gave the teacher and child what he hoped was a reassuring smile.
“Hey. Are you guys holding up okay?”
The teacher swallowed hard, but didn’t smile back. “I’m fine. As for Carter?” She nodded her head at the child. “He’s a little stuck.”
Lucas t
ried not to laugh at the understatement. “Hey, buddy. You think you can hold on for a while?”
The child nodded, but said nothing.
“I’m Lieutenant Russell, but you can call me Lucas.”
Another nod.
“Me and my friends here,” he looked back at the crew on the other side of the fence, “we’re gonna get you out of there. I don’t want you to worry or panic, okay?”
“Okay.” The softest of whispers. “You won’t hurt me, will you?”
Ember squeezed the kid’s hand. Her eyes were soft as she looked at him. A deep brown. The sort you could drown in.
“Of course not.”
Lucas looked back at the teacher. “I think we’ve met before. You’re the propane girl,” he said, giving her the smallest of smiles. “I saw you at Megassey’s the other day.” As soon as he said it he wanted to kick himself. A blush stole up her cheeks, and she pulled her eyes away from his.
So much for making sure everybody was calm.
Damn.
“Sorry. I meant woman.” Yeah, as if that was any better. Propane Woman. Way to go, Russell.
She rolled her bottom lip between her teeth, a smile forming on her lips. “Propane girl,” she said. “I like it. Saving the world, one tank at a time.”
Lucas’ chest loosened with relief. “Sorry. I just knew you looked familiar.” Okay, back to business. He had a job to do here. Time to get on with it and stop talking to the pretty lady.
Pretty? Yeah she was. If you were looking, which he shouldn’t be.
“Okay, Carter,” he said, dragging his attention away from her. “Everything’s gonna be just fine. My buddy, Simon is inside the house. He’s a trained medic, and he’s going to check your legs and make sure everything’s okay. And then he’s going to check out the rest of you.” He smiled at the boy again. For the first time, Carter smiled back. “You think you can stay still for a bit, Carter?”