Saved By The Firefighter
Chapter 38

Kathline's Point of View

Numb, that is how I feel. Totally and utterly numb. I drive my car like I had stolen it, towards the school. I had been with a client when Tracey walked into the office without so much as a knock, and told me Andy's school was on fire, and it was believed he was trapped inside. At that point, I grabbed my coat and ran out of the building, leaving a shocked client and staff behind me. As I round the corner to the school the road is closed, so I dump the car practically in the middle of the street, as a police officer calls out after me. I run towards the burning school, hot tears streaming down my face.

"Miss, you cannot leave your car there," the officer calls out to me.

I throw my keys at him.

"Move it, my son is in that building," I shout at him, not showing any respect for the officer, and not giving a damn if he arrests me for abandoning my car.

A wave of pity washes over his face, and he silently nods at me, lifting the blue and white tape to let me past.

"I will park it for you and find you with your keys later," he shouted after me, as I ran towards the gates of the school.

The numbness I had felt left me in an instant as I looked at the building. A scream of sheer terror left my mouth, my hands covering my face. My knees became weak as I trembled, falling to the floor, as pain radiated through my body. Suddenly I felt a strong arm around my shoulders, someone placing a fire coat over me.

"Madam, I am Station Officer Webber, please take a seat in the engine." His deep voice rumbled in my ear.

I knelt on the floor sobbing, as I watched, unable to move. Two strong black arms gently lifted me up, guiding me to the fire engine, then placed me in the cab.

"Madam, let me assure you I have three of my best firefighters searching for the little boys."

His words swirled around my head, as he continued to look at me, but I could not take my eyes off the school that was engulfed in flames, and my boy was trapped inside. A fresh wave of panic began to take over, as I tried to fight against the man, wanting to run into that building and get my child out of there.

"Madam, please, you must stay here, the people who are searching for your child, they are honestly the best we have." He tried again to calm me.

"Headache, try and get an update from Davey or Ben," the Station Officer shouted.

I snapped my head up, and looked into the pool of big brown eyes, that swirled with emotion, as he looked down at me.

"Davey? Davey is in there looking for Andy," I asked, my voice breaking with every syllable.

"Yes, you know Davey?" he gently asked.

I nod my head, when another firefighter walks over.

"Comms are down boss." The firefighter looks at me.

"Kathline?" he asks.

I blink up, yes, he looks familiar, someone who had helped get Andy out of the railings, he worked with Davey.

"Davey is going to find him," the man they called Headache told me, then turned to do something with the engine, as someone shouted, they needed more water.

"You are Davey's girlfriend," the Station officer asked.

I nodded my head, although I don't know what we are now, but at this moment in time, all I can think about is that Andy is in that building, and Davey is in there with him.

My hands will not stop shaking as I stare at the building that is nothing more than a burning tomb, hoping to God that my boy is saved. But hope is slowly leaving me as I watch on in utter horror as the roof begins to cave in, the back of the building first.

I hear screaming all around me, as I watch, wanting the noise to stop so I can wrap my head around what is happening, only to realise the screams are from my own mouth.

As I stare, fixated on the building that is burning as hot as hell itself, the roof falling in, suddenly through the doors, three firefighters, carrying three small boys in their arms hurtle out of the school.

Ambulance crews run towards them, gathering the children, but one firefighter would not let his go, holding on tight as if his own life depended on it. I glanced again, unsure if what I was seeing was a figment of my imagination, that my brain had constructed some happy ending, when in reality, nobody could escape that place. Blinking I look again and see red hair, a leg hanging at an odd angle, and Davey's eyes behind the mask, holding on to him.

I jumped from the engine, the Station Officer unable, or unwilling to stop me, and ran towards Andy, my heart pounding in my chest, as Davey finally lay him on the gurney the paramedics had waiting for him.

I hurtled towards my son, and his saviour, as Davey slumped to the ground, removing his mask and gasping for air. Sweat trickled down his face, mixing with tears that streamed from his eyes.

I halted where I ran, why was he crying? Oh, good grief, no, please someone tell me he is still alive. Once more I fell to my knees, the world around me turning dark, as blackness descended, and I willingly gave myself to the darkness.

My eyes blinked open, I was on the cold floor, my legs raised in the air, Davey kneeling beside me, his face covered in soot. Where was I? Why is Davey here? Am I dreaming? Then like an invading nightmare my mind engaged. "Andy, where is Andy?" I shouted, struggling to get up off the floor.

"He is on his way to hospital, he was okay, Kathline, breathing and conscious, but his leg is busted," Davey's baritone voice reassured me.

"You got him out," I said, tears streaming down my face.

"Yes, we got him out." Davey gave me a small half smile. "I need to go; I have to get to the hospital," I shouted.

"DAVEY!" the voice of the Station Officer hollered over to him

"Boss," Davey answered but made no move to leave my side.

"You need to get checked out at the hospital, go now," he shouted over to him.

Davey nodded, as he gently lifted me off the ground, then winced in pain. I looked down to see a large rip in the side of his jacket, blood staining around his arm and side.

"I have to get to the hospital," I shouted, wanting to be with my boy.

"You can travel in the back of our ambulance with Davey. Ben and Josie can go in the other," a paramedic informed me, motioning to two waiting ambulances.

I pulled myself to a standing position and looked down at Davey's side and arm.

"Your hurt," I whispered.

"Just a scratch, come on, lets get to the hospital and check on Andy." His voice was hoarse with emotion.

I nodded my head, and climbed into the ambulance, as Davey climbed in beside him, the Paramedics doing their thing. I stared straight ahead, eager for the ambulance to set off, to get me to my boy.

Finally, the driver closed the double doors behind us, as the other paramedic sat in his seat, chatting away and writing notes on a tablet.

The ambulance set off, following the one in front that contained Davey's work colleagues. A fresh wave of anxiousness pulsed through my body, as I thought of my boy, in hospital, alone. More tears began to stream down my face, as I watched the houses pass by in a blur through the tinted window on the side of the ambulance.

Thankfully the journey to Sunderland Royal Hospital was short, and soon they were backing into the Ambulance parking bay at the front of Accident and Emergency. The doors opened, and I rushed to the step, as the paramedic pointed me in the direction of the reception area.

"He is in the children's area, so next doors along, straight ahead to reception, they will guide you from there." The paramedic helpfully informed me.

I ran through the double-doors, to the crescent shaped reception desk, as a young woman sat behind the desk typing on the computer, not even raising her eyes towards me.

Nervously I tapped my fingers on the beach wood top of the desk, waiting for her to finally acknowledge me. Finally, she lifted her head up from her work, her dark brown hair in piled up in on her head, a pencil in the knotted strands.

"How can I help you?" the pretty girl asked.

"My son, he was in the school fire, Andy Brown," I said, my voice laced with panic.

"I will get him to you as soon as I can, first can you give me his details." She smiled.

I let out a frustrated sigh, the details could wait, my child needed me. Taking a breath to calm my fractured nerves and stop myself from biting off the head of the receptionist, I gave all the details, to her and with a smile, she moved out from behind her desk, pressing a button on the side.

"The doors are open; I will meet you at the other side and take you to him." She smiled.

I pulled at the doors and walked through as the receptionist glanced at me with a smile.

"This way," she beckoned me to follow her.

"Is he okay?" I asked, panic and relief, I was finally here, battling with each other in my fraught mind.

"I am not part of the medical team, so I do not know. But he is in the best hands, honestly, you could not ask for a better paediatric team." She smiled down at me. Taking a left then a right, she arrived at the small nurse's station.

"Andy Brown's mam." The receptionist smiled at the nurse on duty.

"Thank you," I whispered to the girl, forgiving her for my first impression of 'Not giving a s**t'.

"Right this way Mrs. Brown." The Nurse smiled.

She led me to the back of the area, into a private room. I walked in and once more I felt like my world was about to collapse around me.

Andy lay, oxygen mask on his soot smudge face, his leg elevated, and bandaged, an IV drip in the canular in the crease of his elbow, tears streaming down his face.

"Mrs. Brown. I am Dr. Hussain; I am looking after Andy today." The doctor of middle eastern descent smiled at me.

I scrambled to Andy, desperate to hold him.

"Take a seat by his bed and hold his hand but avoid crowding him at the moment." Dr Hussain smiled.

I nodded and sat in the large green chair with wooden arm rests, and gently took hold of Andy's hand.

"Okay, so good news and not so good news. Andy if fine, he has inhaled some smoke, so we must keep him on oxygen for 24 hours. The bad news is his foot is fractured in three places. The bones are shattered as well. He has broken the talus, the cuboid, and cuneiform 4. The x-ray shows he will need the talus pinned, but we cannot operate until his lungs are clear of the smoke. He has a couple of first degree burns on his back, but they will heal nicely, although he will have a couple of nice cool scars to show his mates when he gets back to school."

I looked at the doctor, not really hearing what he was telling me, but nodded as if I understood all the medical jargon.

"We are waiting for a bed in the children's ward, I am afraid he is going to be with us for a couple of days; at least until we get that ankle set. I have given him pain meds, which will make him drowsy, but until the breaks are plated and cast, he is going to feel that foot," Dr. Hussain continued.

"He is a lucky lad," Dr. Hussain continued.

I nodded, then looked up at him.

"What about the other two boys? Are they okay?" I asked.

He placed a hand on his arm and smiled.

"They are doing fine." Then walked out of the room.

I held onto Andy's hand as he whimpered a little.

"Hey, you scared Mammy so much darling," I whispered to him.

"But you are okay, you are going to be okay," I informed him, swallowing the sob that threatened to escape.

Then I placed my head onto the bed beside his arm and silently let my tears fall once more.