Chapter 5

They could see the smoke even before they turned the corner, hard on the heels of Station 58's big engine and the ladder truck. It billowed up in big black clouds that spread over the rooftops of the buildings lining the street. This was the third major fire in a week, an unusual number, and they had all been on her shifts. If she didn't know better, she'd think someone had a crush on one of the firefighters and wanted to see him at work.

Kristi knew it was a biggie when the callout had been for both the engine and ladder truck. She and Jared were right behind the mammoth machines, looking for the best place to position their ambulance where supplies would be easy to get but they wouldn't be in the way of any apparatus.

The police were already here, directing traffic and keeping onlookers from getting in the way. And lordy, there was a huge mob of them. Kristi often wondered what it was that drew people to watch fires as if it was some kind of entertainment. Didn't they know people died? And when they were asked to move, they were often surly and belligerent.

One of the uniforms waved to her, and she was glad to see it was Patrick Hayes. Pointing to the ambo, he motioned her forward and pointed to a place in front of the trucks. As she pulled up close to him, she rolled down the window.

"Thanks," she told him.

"No problem. Figured that was the best place for you guys. Easy access for people who need you but still out of the way."

"You're a peach."

He grinned at her. "You can buy me a drink later to thank me."

Stupid how, in the middle of a disaster, his grin and his words could make her pulse trip-hammer. Even more stupid how, in the past couple of weeks, every time they'd ended up together at McNally's, she'd spent far too much time wondering how his lips would feel on hers or what those long fingers could do to her body. It was getting harder and harder to stick to her self-imposed dating diet.

Before she could say anything else, he stepped away and began shouting at some of the crowd trying to surge past the trucks.

"Well, okay." Jared's voice held a trace of amusement.

"Don't get any ideas, Franklin." She hopped out of the vehicle and went to the rear to open the doors.

"I don't think I'm the one with ideas," he teased.

Since he joined Station 58 as her EMT partner, they'd become very good friends. It helped that Jared was engaged to a really nice girl, a dental hygienist who often came to McNally's with him. They also had a good work rhythm going, which meant no wasted time when they hit the pavement at an incident.

A few people were standing on the sidewalk in front of the building, coughing, some crying. The firefighters were already out of the mammoth vehicles, getting the water supply lines attached to the hydrants, and fixing the attack hoses in place. The others were preparing to search the building itself.

"Glad you got here, Kristi," Kole Brandt shouted at her. "We've already got patients for you. I'm gonna start sending them over."

The word they'd gotten was it was an unoccupied building, yet people stood there coughing and wiping smoke-induced tears away.

"Where did they all come from?" she asked Kole.

He shrugged. "You know we always get squatters, no matter how often the cops check. The ones who got out told us there are more in the building."

"Shit." Kristi hated situations like this. People who felt they had to hide were the hardest to find in a major burn and needed the most treatment because of it.

"No kidding."

"Hey, Kole." Fletcher Hayes, the lieutenant on their shift hollered at them. "Move your ass. We have to get in and out of this place before it's fully engulfed."

"Okay. Kristi, these folks are ready for you and Jared to check them out. And I'm sure we'll have more any minute now. I gotta go."

Kristi took a quick assessment of the situation. She could see a couple of faces in the windows on the top floor, the people waving and screaming. The guys in their turnout gear were hustling to finish getting everything in place. The truck was already extending its ladder, the two-man team assigned to it ready to climb as soon as it was locked in place. The attack hoses were now out and secured and, before long, a heavy stream of water was directed at the entrance of the building. She had learned that was the first place they soaked down so the search team could get in.

Kole and his partner were putting on their SCBA-self-contained breathing apparatus-and in a moment hurried into the building. One team was already ventilating the roof. As soon as they were ready, Kole and his partner would climb the stairs inside to clear the place from the bottom. Yet others would haul ass up the ladder to grab the people huddled at the windows. The hard and fast rule when searching a building was two in and two out. Always in pairs. Never splitting up unless there was a damn good reason, and Kristi knew it better be damn good.

Captain Stewart pulled up in his SUV, rocking it to a stop and leaping out. He was already assessing the situation. Kristi knew he'd make the decision any moment on whether he needed to call in another house. They didn't have time to spare.

Smoke continued to roll out in big black clouds, enveloping the firefighters as they struggled to make their way inside. More flames had broken through the roof, and now some of the windows were compromised. She said a quick prayer for all the firefighters and the people trapped in the building. Then she and Matt went to work on the survivors with their usual team efficiency. Most of the people could be treated on the spot with oxygen and medication for slight burns.

She lost track of time as she and Jared worked. It seemed as fast as they treated one person, two more took their place. All around them, people were shouting and crying, looking for family or friends. Gawkers were causing problems for the police, as usual, wanting to get a closer look. What was wrong with people, Kristi asked herself, that they wanted to be sightseers to someone else's misery?

It felt as if everyone in the world was suffering from burns and smoke inhalation. She and Jared could not believe how many people were actually squatting in that building. Finally, they sent off the last one who needed hospital care in an ambulance and stopped to take a breath. Kristi sat in the open space in the rear where the doors were open, blew out a breath, and wiped her forehead, then looked at Jared who was doing the last of the cleanup.

"It felt like we treated half the city, I swear."

"I know." He sighed. "I feel real bad for people who have no place to go and seek shelter in these abandoned buildings. But hell, Kristi, you know the truth as well as I do. Half the time the owners can't rehab the places in a cost-effective manner, they want too much for the land to sell it, and the costs to demo them are more than they want to pay. Their solution is to hire someone to burn them down."

"I know." She brushed a stray piece of hair from her cheek. "It's a never-ending battle."

"We have to stop meeting like this."