Backfire (2 page)

“Are the kids conscious?” One of the other firefighters asked.

“I haven’t gotten close enough to see. This is just what the cop told me.”

One of the cops tapped his watch as they approached the car, his smirk arrogant. It was an officer who always felt the need to compete with the FDNY over everything. “Wow, where is your firehouse located again? In Jersey?”

“Yeah, yeah, screw you Thompson. Getting here in fifteen minutes in rush hour is pretty damn good,” Michael replied, quickly averting his concentration to the task at hand.  When it c
ame to kids, his focus was
on the job and the outside world became a blur.  He was aware of the large groups of people gathered around, pointing and watching, but that was in the very back of his mind as he tried to get the two children’s attention.

There was a boy and a girl.  The girl was wide-awake and looked to be about ten years old.  Blood was caked down here forehead and cheek. 
The boy appeared to be younger
and unresponsive. He smiled t
o help ease the girl’s worries
but she was beginning to panic.

“Mister, my brother won’t answer me!”

Michael adjusted his helmet and knelt down.  Shards of glass were everywhere and he cleared some away with his gloved hand.  “Stay calm, okay? We’re gonna get you both out and we’ll get him some help. It’ll all be fine.” He glanced to the other side of
the car where they were going
to work the saw in.  He studied the entire scene, checking to make sure there wasn’t any dripping gas or anything that could cause an explosion. 

“Don’t leave us!” Her voi
ce was shaky. S
he was trying to be strong, but failing miserably at it. “Please…”

Nodding, he remained in a kneeling position, pulled his glove off, and reached his hand out to hers.  “I’m not going anywhere.  My friends over there are going to run a machine that’s going to get you out.  I’m gonna need you both to get under this sheet.”  He reached through the shattered window and draped it over them.

“Why?” Her palm was sweaty against his and her grip was tight.

“We don’t want any more
glass falling on you
. It’s just to protect you.” He nodded toward them to signal the okay to begin extracting them from the veh
icle.  “It’s going to get loud
but I’ll make sure nothing else happens to you guys.”

The loud hum of the hydraulic pump began. The machine dug into the metal and Michael could understand how that would be scary to a child.  The machine looked like something out of a sci-fi movie.  Sparks flew in every dir
ection and he double-checked
to make sure there was no gas anywhere.  He still had a grasp on the girl’s hand, keeping his promise that he wouldn’t leave her side. 

They were finally able to get enough room to pull them out.  Michael motioned for the paramedics, informing them that the boy was unresponsive.  He led the girl to an ambulance where they immediately went to work on her head.  Looking back at him, he could swear he saw a faint smile part her lips. 

“Everything’s going to be okay,” Michael replied, patting her back.  He noticed their mother was frantic as they put the boy on a backboard.  He was still unresponsive and the looks on the medic’s faces were grim. 

“Good work, Mikey. I didn’t realize you were so good with the kiddo’s.” Gregg pulled Michael from his daydream. 

“Huh?”

“You really kept that girl calm
.  She was on the verge of freaking out
when we got on scene.”

Nodding, Michael took his helmet off.  It was turning out to be a hot and humid day.  “Oh, yeah.  Gotta do what you gotta do, I guess.” He walked a few steps forward, watching as they rushed the boy into the back of a different ambulance.  “He’s going to be okay, right?” He asked one of the cops who was passing by.

“Not sure.  Has a faint pulse, but other than that, not much going on.”

Michael sighed and looked down at his boots. He hated calls involving children. “Damn it.”

“He’ll be all right, Mikey. Kids are resilient.  Let’s get back to the truck before they leave us here,” Gregg said as he tugged on Michael’s jacket.

“I hope you’re right.”

The remainder of the morning was pretty slow.  They got a call to a suspected gas leak at a residence that turned out to be nothing.  Michael was on the verge of dozing off around three o’clock when one of the firemen peered around the corner, the firehouse phone in his hand.

“Hey McGinnis, you awake?”

Sitting up on the cot, he nodded. “Yeah, Collins, what’s up?”

“That boy from the call this morning is going to be okay.”

Michael kicked his legs over the side of the bed, his heart jolting with shock from the news. “Yeah?”

“Yeah, he’s in critical condition, but they’re saying he’s gonna pull through.  Just thought you might wanna know.”

“Hey, thanks man, I appreciate it.” He raked his hands through his hair and yawned.  There were four more hours to go in the shift.  Tonight, Casey was supposed to call him and give him an update on how everything was going.  He thought about his mom as well, and how after everything happened, he had gotten a lot closer to her.  He and Eva always made it a point to go visit her in Queens at least once a week.  He smiled at the thought of how she and Eva were bonding.  They would sit and talk about anything and everyt
hing, more than Michael would.
  He
often
remember
ed
times when he was younger and how his mother never approved of his girlfriends, but then again, he hung out with the wrong crowds back then.  Times really had changed.

He walked into the kitchen and Gregg was busily working over a pot of something boiling out of control.  Michael grabbed a bottle of water and tried to keep any sarcastic remarks to himself.  It did smell good and Gregg knew his way around the stove.  Any time it was his turn to cook, the guys usually had no complaints.

“Hey Mikey, you wanna go have a drink after the shift tonight?” He pinched some seasoning and released it into the soup. 
“
A few of us are going down to Murphy’s Pub.  Figured I could school you in some pool.”

“Sounds like fun, but I can’t.  Casey is supposed to call tonight.” All of the guys in the company knew about the recent past and everything that had transpired between he, Casey, and Viper.  No one ever went into deep detail about it, and it was only talked about if Michael brought it up, which was very rare. 

“So come out afterward.  You gonna be on the phone all evening?”

Shrugging, Michael finished off the water and tossed the bottle into the trash.  “I haven’t seen much of Eva either. We might just hang out and take it easy. I don’t know yet. I’ll give you a call if we decide to come out.”

“I haven’t known you very long, but you act like an old married man, Mikey.”

“Don’t ya know, Walsh, he practically is,” Collins added to the conversation.

“You two can bite me,” Michael replied as he picked at the salad that was already set out on the table.  They were right, but he would never admit it out loud.  He and Eva had definitely grown a lot closer after everything, and her moving in was just one more step farther into the prog
ression of their relationship.
Michael couldn’t have been happier.

***

             
Michael was thankful for the phone calls from Casey, but it drove him insane as he waited on them.  Casey always said he would call at a certain time, and for the most part, was never on time with
them.  Michael expected it and
still grew worried as he sat by the phone and waited.  He was acting as if he were a teenager waiting for his first love to call back. 

             
He was nervous about the phone calls because of his trust level with Casey.  He was pessimistic about it, and Casey not following through on his word was an early indication that he would possibly relapse. He had always called the day he had said, so it had gone good so far.
He hated doubting his little brother, but with all of the times he had been burned in the past, it was expected. 

             
He also enjoyed
getting the phone calls. W
ith each call that came through, Casey sounded even more clear and coherent than the time before.  There was always so
much more energy in his voice
and he seemed more determined now than Mich
ael could remember. T
his was the first time he had actually left New York to take on recovery.  Maybe getting away from the usual would be beneficial.  Either way, it made Michael on edge that he was so far away. 

             
“Staring at the phone like that isn’t going to make him call any sooner,” Eva replied as she sat next to him at the dining room table, her smooth palm brushing his forearm. 

             
“I know.  I can’t help it.”

             
“He always calls, Mikey.”

             
Sighing, he spun the phone around on the surface of the table and leaned back in his chair, looking up at Eva.  “I know he does.  You know I feel bad about the fact that I’m doubting him, right?”

             
She reached out and grabbed his hand, intertwining her fingers with his.  Her skin was smooth compared to his rough and calloused palms.  “I know you feel bad, but I can’t look down on you for it either. I mean, anyone who even knew a small bit about the past you two have had would understand.  You alm
ost died because of his addictions
.  I definitely understand your point of view on this.”

             
“This time does feel different, but I’m not letting my guard down.  I think I get so anxious for his call because I fear that one of these days, he either won’t call at all or he’ll call with bad news of a relapse.” He noticed the look on Eva’s face.  “I know, I know, be positive.  I’m getting better.  You have to admit that I am.”

             
“Yes, you are.”  She leaned in and pecked him on the lips.

             
The phone finally began to ring and Michael quickly answered it, his pulse racing.  “Hey Casey, about time.”  He hoped Casey would realize he was joking with him.

             
“Hey sorry, I got caught up in a group meeting.  One of the guys was having a hard time.  He relapsed a few days ago.”

             
Michael ducked his head.  He hated that word.  “Sorry to hear that.”

             
“It’s all good.  He’ll be okay.  At least he came back to get help.”  Casey paused.  “How’s life up in New York?”

             
“Same shit, different day. How’s Texas? How’s everything been going?” With the way Michael was firing out the questions, it was obvious that he was anxious, but he didn’t care.  He wanted to learn as much new stuff as he could before Casey had to get off of the phone. 

             
“Hot as hell.  They are in a major drought right now.  Lot’s of wildfires and things. It’s really beautiful down here, so it’s sad to see it the way it is.”

             
Michael stood up and
started pacing back and forth
from the living room and back into the kitchen.  Eva looked amused as she watched, but Michael did his best to ignore her smirks.  “Lot’s of wildfires, huh?  That’s a shame.  How’s all of your rehab stuff going?”

             
“Same thing here, too.  Meeting a lot of cool people. Speaking of, they are having this family week coming up that I want you, Mom, and Eva to come to if you
guys can.  It’s the week of September fifth through the ninth
.  They didn’t want us having much contact with ev
eryone, including our families
until we proved that we were strong enough to push through the first few weeks okay.  They told me today that I qualified.”

             
Michael chewed on the inside of his cheek.  He would want nothing more than to go down there and check it all out. “I’ll have to do some checking, Case.  I’ve only been back to work for a couple of months after being hurt and stuff.  Gonna have to feel it out and see how they react first.”  He had missed a couple of weeks from being in the hospital and recovering from the smoke inhalation and injuries he sustained from Viper.  Getting more time off would probably be impossible, but it was worth a shot. 

             
“Okay, whatever you can do would be great.  That’s why I went ahead and gave you some notice with it.”

             
Michael nodded and looked down at his feet.  “Otherwise, is everything going okay?  You’re doing alright?”

             
“Yeah man, I’m doing great.  I’ve never thought clearer or felt so energetic.  Everything is good, Mikey. I promise. Don’t worry.  Almost losing you was the final straw. I’m not going back to that life. I swear it.”

             
He closed his eyes and let his little brother’s words sink in.  “I’ve got faith in you, brother.  This is the chance of a lifetime.” He almost had to repeat it just to convince himself.  It was the strangest feeling, having faith in him, but at the same time experiencing the doubt.  He was so torn, but with each day that went by, it was Casey proving him wrong.  This was something he wouldn’t mind being wrong about.