Post by jaglady on Apr 13, 2009 18:25:46 GMT -5
Thanks, Earthylady. A part of me isn't dealing with the idea very well, though I know I'll feel better after this is all over.
I can't tell you how much I appreciate your thoughts, prayers and well wishes.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 21—One Last Rescue
Gray smoke curled up from under the brown doorway as the smoke alarms screamed from the other side. Stukes, Ryan, Emmie, Harm, and Mac now watched. Mildred stayed put and kept her eyes weakly closed, seemingly resigned to her fate. None of them wanted to admit it, but real fear was setting in now.
As the senior officer, Stukes found himself quickly taking charge again. “Turn on those faucets!” he barked, still watching the curling smoke.
Immediately Mac leaned over and turned on the three sink faucets while the Captain’s eyes darted around urgently. His eyes landed on Emmie’s now dusty dress.
“Sorry, Emmie.” With one hand he reached down and grabbed a fistful of the black taffeta underlay in her gown, pulling her off balance. She grabbed onto his shoulder and winced at the ripping sound as he pulled the fabric apart with both hands. She loved this gown. But everyone knew it had to be.
Stukes then quickly yanked the black fabric out from under her red skirt and handed it to Harm. “Everybody tear this into pieces, wet it down, and tie it over your face!” he ordered.
Ryan’s eyes were fixed on the smoke that started to gather along the ceiling. “We’re gonna have to make a run for it, aren’t we?”
“We got no choice. This is an old wooden building. We got three minutes tops” he insisted, looking up around him.
Mac tried to put a wet square over Mildred’s face. She pushed it away. “Go without me” she said faintly.
“We’re not leaving you” she assured her friend.
The room vibrated as though something had exploded from a distance.
Stukes stripped off the red vest he had been wearing and stuffed it against the doorjamb. “Don’t think I’ll need this anymore.”
Mac quickly tied a wet cloth over Mildred’s pale, tired face, while Harm, Ryan, Emmie, Mac and Stukes each donned a wet cloth. Stukes now stood at the doorway. “Everybody breathe in as much fresh air as you can right now. There won’t be much of it on the other side of this door. It’s gonna be smoky and hot. I know this building, so everybody make a chain. I’ll get you to the nearest exit. Bend down because smoke rises. Harm, can you get Mildred?”
The Commander reached down and scooped up the pale, tired Army nurse. “Come on, Mildred. Hold my neck. We’re going home. One way or another” he said through his wet face cover. She simply leaned her head against his chest, too weak to protest anymore.
Stukes held a hand to the door. “We have to do this. Remember. Hold on to each other and walk low. Everybody ready?”
Nobody answered. Everybody knew that this was their only chance to survive.
The Commander yanked open the door and immediately began to pull them out into the smoke-filled, hot, screaming hallway. The hot air and thick smoke assaulted their senses. The fires seemed to climb the walls and draperies more and more, reaching the ceiling, surrounding them more and more by the second. Still, each one of them knew that seconds would count, and they would have to keep moving.
Flames now licked up the sides of the main entrance. Stukes stopped and immediately pulled the human chain back toward the rear door.
That one was blocked too.
“Dammit! They torched the exits first!”
Air pressure caused the windows to implode one by one. Hot glass flew through the air, spraying them, stinging them. Mac looked up as the building groaned as though it would collapse any second.
Stukes noticed that Emmie suddenly stared straight forward, her eyes fixated on something. He wasn’t sure what.
“Everybody come this way!” she shouted, waving her arm forward. With her head low, she walked forward with her head down, still gesturing with her arm.
“Emmie, what are you doing?” he hollered above the noise.
“Just come on!” she nearly screamed in her fear, moving slowly forward with her head down.
Stukes grabbed the tail of her skirt and held onto the rest of the human chain, following Emmie, who now had a fearful but determined look as she stopped at a side corridor for what seemed a second.
“Come on!” she yelled again, motioning with her arm and moving forward again. The smoke was thick and seared their eyes and skin, but the flames had not made their way to this narrow hallway yet.
In the smoky darkness, Emmie stopped again. She turned left, motioning with her arm. The human chain followed her.
The computer tech finally stopped at a door in the kitchen area. With her shoulder she pushed it open and ran out into the open air into the blaze of spotlights and confusion. The human chain followed her, now coughing and gasping for fresh air, dropping to their hands and knees in the grass.
From where he stood, Horatio noticed. “Hey! Over there!” he hollered over the noise. With his hand on his weapon, he ran with several uniformed SP’s over to where the human chain had just fallen out on the grass to safety. His colleagues now smelled like smoke. Their faces were red and tear-stained as they pulled the wet taffeta masks off their faces and gasped for fresh air.
Harm set Mildred carefully down on the grass as he kneeled down and gasped for air, yanking the now hot, dry cloth from his face. Horatio touched his shoulder. “Harm! What happened?”
The Commander was about to speak when there was a loud crack and a deafening roar behind them. All of them turned and watched in horror as the grand ballroom collapsed, sending the flames and sparks higher. Fire engines screamed in the distance.
Mac patted Mildred’s shoulder. “Looks like we made it out just in time, Mildred.”
The Army nurse’s eyes were closed as her head fell peacefully to one side. Mac felt her neck for a pulse. She was gone. The Marine simply closed her eyes and bowed her head.
Harm and Horatio moved up to her. They knew immediately what had happened. “Didn’t quite make it, huh?” Harm asked.
Mac shook her head.
Ryan and Stukes had now caught their breath and moved over to Emmie. She sat on the grass, her forehead on her knee, crying uncontrollably and shaking her head.
Ryan put his hand on her shoulder. “Emmie? You gonna be okay?”
She kept her face buried in what was left of her soot-stained skirt. “Yeah. I’m fine, thanks.”
“You saw something in there, didn’t you?”
She didn’t look up or answer.
Stukes put his command aside for a moment and gently sat down on her other side. “Emmie, you’ve never been in that part of the building before. How did you know where to go?”
Harm, Mac, and Horatio stood beside her as she looked into the distance. “You’d never believe me.”
“Try us, Emmie” Horatio insisted.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I saw him.”
“Saw who?”
“Dex. My husband. My late husband.” She breathed and wiped her face again. “I swear.”
Ryan caressed her back. “Go on.”
“He…was in his camouflage. I could see him just like I can see you. He looked right at me, right into my eyes. He didn’t speak to me. He just went like this.” She motioned with her right arm. “You know. Like he was saying ‘Follow me. I’ll lead you out.’ And every time we got to a corner or a door, I saw him do it again.” She lowered her head to her knee and cried again. Ryan caressed her shoulder tenderly.
Harm nodded understandably as he recalled the time his father guided him out of the burning ghost ship the same way. “I believe you” he said softly. “Sounds like Dex came back to save you one last time.” He then looked back at the fire. “All of us.”
She looked up at him adamantly. “Harm? He’s gone. And I don’t believe in things like ghosts or people coming back from the dead.”
Horatio sat down next to her compassionately. “Emmie, I know what you’re trying to say. I don’t know what happened in there. I don’t know what you saw. But I’m sure you know angels can take on different forms. Maybe an angel took on the form of your late husband. Something you’d understand and would follow.”
She wiped her eyes with the heel of her hand and nodded. “Thanks, Sir.”
Horatio stood up again. “I’m gonna have Rescue check everybody out. Let’s get these people out of here!”
As medics quickly tended to them, Mac looked down at Mildred’s peaceful face one last time. She wiped away a tear. “Sorry, Mildred. I hoped we could save you.”
Harm looked at her. “You did, Mac.” He glanced around. “We did.”
I can't tell you how much I appreciate your thoughts, prayers and well wishes.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 21—One Last Rescue
Gray smoke curled up from under the brown doorway as the smoke alarms screamed from the other side. Stukes, Ryan, Emmie, Harm, and Mac now watched. Mildred stayed put and kept her eyes weakly closed, seemingly resigned to her fate. None of them wanted to admit it, but real fear was setting in now.
As the senior officer, Stukes found himself quickly taking charge again. “Turn on those faucets!” he barked, still watching the curling smoke.
Immediately Mac leaned over and turned on the three sink faucets while the Captain’s eyes darted around urgently. His eyes landed on Emmie’s now dusty dress.
“Sorry, Emmie.” With one hand he reached down and grabbed a fistful of the black taffeta underlay in her gown, pulling her off balance. She grabbed onto his shoulder and winced at the ripping sound as he pulled the fabric apart with both hands. She loved this gown. But everyone knew it had to be.
Stukes then quickly yanked the black fabric out from under her red skirt and handed it to Harm. “Everybody tear this into pieces, wet it down, and tie it over your face!” he ordered.
Ryan’s eyes were fixed on the smoke that started to gather along the ceiling. “We’re gonna have to make a run for it, aren’t we?”
“We got no choice. This is an old wooden building. We got three minutes tops” he insisted, looking up around him.
Mac tried to put a wet square over Mildred’s face. She pushed it away. “Go without me” she said faintly.
“We’re not leaving you” she assured her friend.
The room vibrated as though something had exploded from a distance.
Stukes stripped off the red vest he had been wearing and stuffed it against the doorjamb. “Don’t think I’ll need this anymore.”
Mac quickly tied a wet cloth over Mildred’s pale, tired face, while Harm, Ryan, Emmie, Mac and Stukes each donned a wet cloth. Stukes now stood at the doorway. “Everybody breathe in as much fresh air as you can right now. There won’t be much of it on the other side of this door. It’s gonna be smoky and hot. I know this building, so everybody make a chain. I’ll get you to the nearest exit. Bend down because smoke rises. Harm, can you get Mildred?”
The Commander reached down and scooped up the pale, tired Army nurse. “Come on, Mildred. Hold my neck. We’re going home. One way or another” he said through his wet face cover. She simply leaned her head against his chest, too weak to protest anymore.
Stukes held a hand to the door. “We have to do this. Remember. Hold on to each other and walk low. Everybody ready?”
Nobody answered. Everybody knew that this was their only chance to survive.
The Commander yanked open the door and immediately began to pull them out into the smoke-filled, hot, screaming hallway. The hot air and thick smoke assaulted their senses. The fires seemed to climb the walls and draperies more and more, reaching the ceiling, surrounding them more and more by the second. Still, each one of them knew that seconds would count, and they would have to keep moving.
Flames now licked up the sides of the main entrance. Stukes stopped and immediately pulled the human chain back toward the rear door.
That one was blocked too.
“Dammit! They torched the exits first!”
Air pressure caused the windows to implode one by one. Hot glass flew through the air, spraying them, stinging them. Mac looked up as the building groaned as though it would collapse any second.
Stukes noticed that Emmie suddenly stared straight forward, her eyes fixated on something. He wasn’t sure what.
“Everybody come this way!” she shouted, waving her arm forward. With her head low, she walked forward with her head down, still gesturing with her arm.
“Emmie, what are you doing?” he hollered above the noise.
“Just come on!” she nearly screamed in her fear, moving slowly forward with her head down.
Stukes grabbed the tail of her skirt and held onto the rest of the human chain, following Emmie, who now had a fearful but determined look as she stopped at a side corridor for what seemed a second.
“Come on!” she yelled again, motioning with her arm and moving forward again. The smoke was thick and seared their eyes and skin, but the flames had not made their way to this narrow hallway yet.
In the smoky darkness, Emmie stopped again. She turned left, motioning with her arm. The human chain followed her.
The computer tech finally stopped at a door in the kitchen area. With her shoulder she pushed it open and ran out into the open air into the blaze of spotlights and confusion. The human chain followed her, now coughing and gasping for fresh air, dropping to their hands and knees in the grass.
From where he stood, Horatio noticed. “Hey! Over there!” he hollered over the noise. With his hand on his weapon, he ran with several uniformed SP’s over to where the human chain had just fallen out on the grass to safety. His colleagues now smelled like smoke. Their faces were red and tear-stained as they pulled the wet taffeta masks off their faces and gasped for fresh air.
Harm set Mildred carefully down on the grass as he kneeled down and gasped for air, yanking the now hot, dry cloth from his face. Horatio touched his shoulder. “Harm! What happened?”
The Commander was about to speak when there was a loud crack and a deafening roar behind them. All of them turned and watched in horror as the grand ballroom collapsed, sending the flames and sparks higher. Fire engines screamed in the distance.
Mac patted Mildred’s shoulder. “Looks like we made it out just in time, Mildred.”
The Army nurse’s eyes were closed as her head fell peacefully to one side. Mac felt her neck for a pulse. She was gone. The Marine simply closed her eyes and bowed her head.
Harm and Horatio moved up to her. They knew immediately what had happened. “Didn’t quite make it, huh?” Harm asked.
Mac shook her head.
Ryan and Stukes had now caught their breath and moved over to Emmie. She sat on the grass, her forehead on her knee, crying uncontrollably and shaking her head.
Ryan put his hand on her shoulder. “Emmie? You gonna be okay?”
She kept her face buried in what was left of her soot-stained skirt. “Yeah. I’m fine, thanks.”
“You saw something in there, didn’t you?”
She didn’t look up or answer.
Stukes put his command aside for a moment and gently sat down on her other side. “Emmie, you’ve never been in that part of the building before. How did you know where to go?”
Harm, Mac, and Horatio stood beside her as she looked into the distance. “You’d never believe me.”
“Try us, Emmie” Horatio insisted.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I saw him.”
“Saw who?”
“Dex. My husband. My late husband.” She breathed and wiped her face again. “I swear.”
Ryan caressed her back. “Go on.”
“He…was in his camouflage. I could see him just like I can see you. He looked right at me, right into my eyes. He didn’t speak to me. He just went like this.” She motioned with her right arm. “You know. Like he was saying ‘Follow me. I’ll lead you out.’ And every time we got to a corner or a door, I saw him do it again.” She lowered her head to her knee and cried again. Ryan caressed her shoulder tenderly.
Harm nodded understandably as he recalled the time his father guided him out of the burning ghost ship the same way. “I believe you” he said softly. “Sounds like Dex came back to save you one last time.” He then looked back at the fire. “All of us.”
She looked up at him adamantly. “Harm? He’s gone. And I don’t believe in things like ghosts or people coming back from the dead.”
Horatio sat down next to her compassionately. “Emmie, I know what you’re trying to say. I don’t know what happened in there. I don’t know what you saw. But I’m sure you know angels can take on different forms. Maybe an angel took on the form of your late husband. Something you’d understand and would follow.”
She wiped her eyes with the heel of her hand and nodded. “Thanks, Sir.”
Horatio stood up again. “I’m gonna have Rescue check everybody out. Let’s get these people out of here!”
As medics quickly tended to them, Mac looked down at Mildred’s peaceful face one last time. She wiped away a tear. “Sorry, Mildred. I hoped we could save you.”
Harm looked at her. “You did, Mac.” He glanced around. “We did.”
