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“What the fuck?”
Da
“Who’d he take with him?” Firefighters never entered a burning building alone. The answer would tell Da
“Took Tommy Jones with him.”
Tears burned Da
“Why’d they let him go back in? He’s just a kid,” Da
“He’s one of the best, Daniel. Don’t you dare take that away from him. Besides, it was two houses, son, all hands on. Neal and Tommy went in with backup on the ground working their balls off to put out the flames.” Allan’s voice trembled. “Got into a Mayday situation.”
Da
“Tommy and the victim were already out, on the first rung of the ladder…second story. Floor gave out under Neal. Fucking floor gave out, Da
Warmth seeped from Da
“Dad?” Julie’s voice was thick with emotion, but Da
“Jules,” his father croaked, “I don’t know how this happened. Two of my boys…gone. Please drive carefully. I love you both. Take care of my son, please.”
“We love you too.” She sniffled. “Be there by tonight.”
The sharp tone indicated that the answering machine had stopped recording. It also reminded Da
“…Then I’ll get you and we’ll leave, okay?”
He nodded, not knowing what he’d agreed to and not caring as long as he could stay in the darkness that had taken hold the moment his father told him his brother was gone.
“Be careful, sweetheart. Sit tight.”
If seconds ticked by, then they could have been minutes. If they were minutes, they could have been hours. Time didn’t exist in the black where his mind had traveled. The scales no longer balanced between life and death with his mother and both brothers in heaven and he and his father in hell. How could he make sense of a life where those who saved others perished so young, their existence fading before their lives ever truly began? What made him so fucking special that he still stood when both of his brothers had fallen? He fought in war. He fought in fire. Why? Why?
“Da
Back in North Carolina? How in the hell? “How…when?”
“We just got here. I got us packed with fresh clothing, made sure you were re-buttoned, then walked you to the truck. Once the house was locked up, I drove us here. That’s how.” Her eyes were bloodshot and filled with tears, but her tone was strong and fearless. “As you like to say, ‘We took vows, baby,’ for better or worse. This is worse, this is indescribable, but I’m here with you, Da
His mind spun with awe, with shock, with pain, but also with the inability to form words. He squeezed her hand, brought it to his lips, and gave it a simple kiss. That was all he had left to offer in that moment, so he gave it to her.
“Come on, your dad’s probably waiting on us. Although judging by the car in the drive, I can see he isn’t alone.”
The late-model Mercedes belonged to Anita, his father’s girlfriend. Allan had formally introduced her to Da
With Julie’s cool fingers laced through his, they entered his childhood home. How could it be that they had left the house only that morning? After loading their car and having coffee and waffles with his dad, Allan had given them tight embraces and made them promise to call the minute they arrived in Baltimore. He said he’d miss seeing their faces, and Da
Smiles. Laughter. Warmth. Things that had stayed in Da
“Dad?” Da
When word had come of Jeff’s death, his father drank, cried, and mourned. He explained to Da
“Son. Oh, God, son…you’re here.”
Wrapped in his father’s loving arms, Da
Embracing his father, Da
***
“HE WAS ALREADY dead,” Da
Julie reached out, attempting to calm Da