“Hey. Ember is on her way here. Blaise had a run,” I tell her.
“Oh dear, yes, there’s a fire out at the Williamson’s training stables. From what the news says here, the entire facility is up in flames.
My heart drops at the news. I worry about Blaise and Steve being there. “Did Asher get called out as well?” I ask her.
She shakes her head no. “No, but he might have to be with the way this looks.” She points to the screen. I walk around her desk and watch the live video feed of a massive fire.
Ember walks in. “It sounds bad,” she says in greeting.
“I’m going to call the other auxiliaries and see if there is a schedule. This looks like it’s going to keep our guys occupied for a while,” Nancy says.
“Schedule?” I ask confused.
“Yeah, most of the wives form the auxiliary for the firehouse. When there are bad accidents and big fires or anything that causes them to be out for long periods of time, they make sure the men have drinks and food to keep them hydrated and keep their strength up,” Ember explains.
“How can I help?” I ask.
Nancy smiles at me. “You girls run on home. I’ll call when I get more information,” she says.
As soon as we get home, I change into jeans and a t-shirt. I want to be ready to go if we get called out to help. Ember is on the phone with Jackson in the kitchen and I’m pacing back and forth in the living room, watching the live news coverage of this five alarm fire.
Ember joins me and sits down on the couch. “Sometimes I think all the media coverage makes it worse. Especially for those of us who have loved ones there battling the fire.”
“Yeah, I agree, but at the same time I can’t turn it off. They will be the first to report any injuries, and I need to be there if he gets hurt.”
“Dad is there, Tatum. If anything happens to Blaise, he will let us know,” she tells me.
“What about him? Who calls if your dad gets hurt?” I ask her.
“Dad is more of a facilitator. He suffered a back injury from a fire several years ago, and now he can’t carry all the equipment. He’s there to oversee the trucks and make sure all the men remain accounted for. It’s his job to keep track of who is in what sector of the fire and make sure they are checking in. He’s going to keep them all safe,” she says.
I take comfort in the fact that Steve is there to keep an eye on all of them, on Blaise. Ember pats the couch beside her and I shake my head no. I can’t sit.
Ember’s phone rings. I stop pacing and watch as she answers. I can tell from the conversation that she’s talking to Nancy. I don’t take my eyes off her.
“Well?” I ask as soon as she hangs up the phone.
“Mom said our local auxiliary is heading over in about an hour to take a shift,” she tells me.
“All right, where do we meet them? How do I help?” I ask, my thoughts racing. I’ll be where he is. If something bad happens, I’ll be there this time.
“Tatum, maybe we should sit this one out,” she says gently.
I shake my head no. “No, no way. I need to be there with him. If something happens and I’m not there…” I fight back the emotions threating to spill. “I have to be there,” I croak out.
Ember releases a heavy sigh. “Tatum—”
“No! I wasn’t there when my parents died in that f*cking car crash. I wasn’t there when…” I take a deep breath. “I need to be there, please, Ember.”
“Okay,” she says gently. “Under one condition.”
She waits for me to agree; I nod my head.
“You have to stay back. If something does happen, you have to let them do their jobs.”
“I’ll try. I just want to be there,” I say.
“All right, I’ll call Mom on the way to the firehouse.”
Ember tries to distract me on the way there. She talks and I try to listen. I just can’t shut my mind off. I can’t help but worry. This is all new to me, feeling this about someone. Add in the fear of not being there when something happens. I’m a mess.
Ember pulls into the lot and I see several women filling the back of a van. We get out of the car and find Nancy.
“Hey, girls. We have sandwiches and chips, and coolers of water and drinks. Our shift will run until eleven and then we switch off.” She focuses her eyes on me. “Tatum, everything will be fine. I know this is the first for you. Our guys will be okay; we have to stay strong for them. This,” she points to the van, “helps keep them going. Just knowing you are there will be all he needs,” she assures me.
Ember and I follow the van in her car. Driving toward the stables, I can see the flames lighting up the night sky. We park at a safe distance and help set up. The smoke is thick and makes it hard to breathe at times. I say a silent prayer that everyone’s okay.
I focus on keeping everything stocked while crew members come over to take quick breaks from the mayhem. Steve stopped by earlier to tell us the fire spread fast. The owner was able to get all the horses to safety. It started in the back of the stables where the new addition to the training facility was built. More than likely, electrical issues caused the fire.
Time is dragging as we watch the once state of the art stables burn to the ground. Crew members continue to stop by for drinks and food, as a quick relief. It’s almost eleven o’clock and I have yet to see Blaise. Nancy and Ember assure me he’s fine; he just hasn’t felt like he needed a break. This actually doesn’t really surprise me. Most of the people who have stopped by were ordered to do so by their chiefs. Blaise is stubborn and his dad knows this. I know he’s one of the men who insist on letting others get a break while he stays to battle the inferno. I know this, but I still wish I could see him. I need to see with my own eyes that he’s okay.
Eleven o’clock rolls around and another auxiliary comes to take our place. I don’t want to leave. I want to stay and…I don’t know what. I just know I need to be here. My mind is running through how I can convince Ember to stay when I hear him.
“Tate.” His voice is gruff, but it’s him.
Blaise.
I whip my ahead around and there he stands. He’s covered in smoke and his silver eyes are tired. None of that matters. What matters is that he’s here and he’s okay. I drop the bag filled with paper supplies and run to him.
Blaise opens his arms wide as I jump on him and wrap my legs around his waist. His arms close around me and it’s just us. He holds me tight. I never want him to let me go.
“Hey you,” he says softly.
That causes my tears to flow, tears of relief, joy, and sadness. Two little words that mean so much to me. Eventually, I release my legs from around his waist and slide my feet to the ground. Blaise places his finger under my chin and lifts my head.
“You okay?” he asks. He brushes my tears away with his thumbs.
I laugh, “I’m more than okay. I was so worried about you.”
He leans down and places a kiss on my forehead.
Nancy and Ember come over and give him a hug. He keeps me tucked into his side the entire time. “We’ll be here most of the night,” he tells us. “We have the fire under control, so it’s not spreading, but this is a big facility.”
“We just finished our shift, so we’ll be heading home soon,” Nancy says.
“I want to stay,” I say against his chest.