A Day in the Life by Icecat Sweat trickled it's way down the middle of his back, the shirt beneath the turnout coat clung to his lean frame like a second skin. Moving through the house, he scanned the floor of each room, checking the closets, looking under the beds. Glancing over his shoulder, he watched the flames as they crawled across the ceiling, slowly consuming everything in their path, the smoke curled about like writhing snakes sending an involuntary shudder through him. There wasn't much time left before the house would be totally engulfed in flames, the little girl would be burned alive. He breathed heavily, the mask fogging from the heat and humidity. Rushing into a small side room, he spotted a figure huddled in the corner. Even though he knew his partner couldn't hear him, he called out automatically. "Roy, I found her!" Striding over, he knelt down, praying that she was alive. She jumped at his touch, turning a terror filled face to him, choking coughs wracked her small body. Pulling his helmet back, he yanked his air mask off. Talking to her in a soothing voice, he looked around the room. They had to get out of there fast. "It's okay honey, you're gonna be fine. I'm gonna put this over your face and you'll be able to breath. Can you help me by holding this over your face?" The frightened child nodded her head yes. Placing the mask on her, he smiled as she grasped the mask with small hands and held it tightly. Gathering her in his arms, he stood and made his way out of the room and into the hall. The heat was becoming unbearable, his lungs burned from the smoke and his eyes began to tear. Tracing his steps, he found the stairway and ran down, holding the child closely to his chest. He almost ran over his partner in the thick smoke as they met in the living room area of the house. A hand grabbed his upper arm and pulled him forward. Racing to the door, they sprinted down the steps and off the porch into the blinding light of the midday sun. He could hear the building collapsing in on itself as they ran to the edge of the yard. Turning around, he watched as the flames swirled in a twisting mass around what had once been someone's cherished home. Coughing to clear his lungs, he knelt down in the grass, setting the girl down on her feet. His voice was hoarse, his eyes still burned. "Are you okay?" She pulled the mask off her soot smeared face, her expression unsure and frightened. It quickly changed to one of elation. "Mom!" Pulling away from him, she rushed to meet a woman who fell to her knees, wrapping her arms around the little girl, crying in relief. He remained on his knees, resting his hands on his thighs as he watched the reunion of mother and daughter. Small moments like these were what made all the crazy hours, lost sleep and depression over his failures worth it. Saving just one life made all the difference in the world. A hand rested on his shoulder and he looked up. "Johnny, are you okay?" He went to answer and only coughed. Clearing his throat, he nodded his head yes. "Yeah, I'm fine. How about you?" "Yeah, I'm okay." Pushing himself up, Gage motioned over at the little girl. "We need to take her to Rampart. I don't know how much smoke she inhaled." Roy nodded in agreement and looked back at the house that they had just escaped. Turning back to his partner, he smiled slightly. Like it or not, once they got to Rampart, he'd have to make sure that Gage got checked out too. The water trailed down his back, cooling his skin. Tilting his head back, he let the water run through his hair and over his face. Grabbing a washcloth, he soaped it up and ran it over his grimy body, sighing as the sweat and dirt was washed away. Scrubbing his scalp, he almost purred in contentment. By the time he was done, he still felt tired, but he was refreshed. Stepping out of the shower stall, he grabbed a towel and flung it over his head, rubbing his hair vigorously. He jumped as a whiny voice yelled at him. "Aw come on Gage, can't you cover yourself up when you get out of the shower?!" Pulling the towel away from his head, he glared at Chet. "Can't you 'ever' wait until I'm done?" The shorter man brushed by him. "If I did that, I'd never get to shower." Gage snorted and looked him over as Chet pulled his towel off and stepped into the shower. "Hey Chet, you might want to take that fur suit off before you turn the water on." The door flung back open. "Hey, at least I have hair and I don't look like a babies butt!" The door slammed shut and the water turned on. Shaking his head in exasperation, he wrapped the towel around his trim waist and made his way over to the mirror. Bringing a hand to his chest, he felt the smooth skin and smirked. "He's just jealous." Combing his hair out with his fingers, he dressed and made his way to the kitchen. Grabbing a mug, he poured himself a cup of coffee. Cap wasn't in the room, but Marco and Mike were busy preparing dinner. Roy was probably calling Joanne and the kids like he did every night before dinner. Making his way to the small sofa, he flopped down, draping a long leg over the arm. Taking a sip of the coffee, he made a face. He was still too overheated to enjoy the hot liquid. Setting the mug down on the floor, he lay back and rested an arm over his eyes. He listened to the gentle hum of the air conditioner and the sounds of the other men as they chatted. He heard footsteps coming closer to him, but he ignored them. He was tired and wanted to spend a few moments relaxing before joining their conversations. A hand tapped his foot. Lifting his arm slightly, he peeked up to see who it was. Roy stood over him, smiling as he held a cold bottle of soda out to him. "Thought you might like one." Swinging his leg off the arm of the sofa, he slouched back and took a long draught of the cold drink as Roy settled on the now vacant arm. "Are you sure you're okay Johnny?" Sighing, he gave Roy a tired look. Sometimes the man was worse than having a mom at the station. His voice was harsher than he meant it to be. "Yeah, Brackett cleared me didn't he?" He immediately felt guilty. He shrugged his shoulders slightly. "Sorry Roy...I'm just kinda hot...tired...you know." "Yeah, I know what you mean. It was like an oven in there." "You ain't kiddin'." Taking another swig of the soda, he sighed contentedly. He'd run back into that flaming inferno in a heart beat to rescue that little girl again. Roy looked down at Gage, noting the far off look in his eyes and the slight smile he wore. He recognized it as one of satisfaction. He knew exactly how his friend and partner felt. Yes their job was dangerous. Yes he wished he could have a more normal life so he could spend more time with his family, but there was nothing better than a good run to make him remember why he loved his job so much. Standing he walked over to help Marco and Mike with dinner, smiling as he watched Chet enter the kitchen. In a few second the peace and quiet would disappear. Chet would irritate Gage, Gage would yell at him and then all hell would break loose until Cap came in and sent the two "boys" to opposite corners of the room. Grabbing some plates, he began setting the table for the dinner that he knew he'd never get a chance to finish. It was just another normal day at the station. |