The fire had already spread to that level and it burning out of control. The smoke was so thick I couldn’t see. I knew Jett was right. There was no reason to lock a door in the building unless they were trying to keep someone inside. If Brylee was in the building, that was where she had to be. We hammered the lock with our ax as other firefighters joined to assist. Several others ran up the stairs to check the next floor. When the lock finally broke, I nearly ripped the door off the hinges to get inside with Jett on my heels. I saw something—in the smoke. It was an outline of a person laying on the floor. I ran towards them and dropped to my knees when I saw Brylee’s face. She was in bad shape. I didn’t think she had been burned, but she wasn’t conscious. Jett leaned down to scoop her up while I cradled her head.
“Let’s get the fuck out of here.” I motioned toward the door.
We ran down the stairs as fast as we could. The front door was finally open and they had the hose aimed at the fire. I cleared the way as Jett followed and as soon as we were outside, I ran to the paramedics. My mask and helmet went flying as I yelled for them to help. A team rushed over to Jett with a stretcher and he gently
put Brylee down. She was in bad shape and it didn’t look like she was breathing. The sight of her laying there on the stretcher made me want to break down and sob. The paramedics worked on her for nearly ten minutes while Jett and I stood next to them. I knew her chances weren’t good. I didn’t want to accept it, but I had been a firefighter long enough to see when the grim reaper was sharpening his blade.
“We can’t lose her.” Jett grabbed the front of my jacket and I saw tears forming in the corner of his eyes. “We just can’t!”
“Pray with me.” I grabbed Jett around his neck and pulled him close to my chest. “Just like Mom used to do. Come on, bro. If there’s anyone up there, we need them right now.”
I hadn’t prayed since I was a kid. I hardly even remember how. I just closed my eyes and said everything I could think of, hoping that some sort of divine miracle would bring Brylee back to us. I didn’t care if the whole world saw us standing there in the middle of the parking lot sobbing like children. Brylee meant everything to me. That much was crystal clear. The thought of losing her ripped my soul out of my chest, tore my heart into a million pieces, and left me with no emotion except sorrow. I don’t know how long we held onto each other, but we didn’t let go until one of the paramedics grabbed my arm.
“She’s breathing! We need to get her to the hospital—now.” He motioned towards the ambulance.
“We’re going with you.” I threw off my jacket and Jett did the same.
We climbed into the ambulance and sat beside Brylee. Each of us took a hand and squeezed, just hoping she would squeeze back. Her chest moved slowly, and only when one of the paramedics pumped oxygen into her lungs. I put my hand on her chest and I could feel a heartbeat. She wasn’t gone—not yet. There was still a chance that we could save her. If I had a timeline for how long she had been trapped in the carbon monoxide hell, I would have been able to work out the odds, but I knew they were low. Even if she opened her eyes, she could have brain damage—she might not even know us. No matter what happened, if those beautiful eyes opened again, I was going to spend the rest of my life making sure they never reflected an ounce of pain as long as she drew breath.
“She’s going to be okay.” Jett looked up at me. “She’s a fighter.”
“I know, but—fuck.” I squeezed my eyes shut. “I know.”
The hospital was chaotic when we arrived. A couple of nurses met us at the door and took Brylee into the emergency room. Time passed in agonizing minutes as we waited for some sort of news. A doctor finally walked out and brought us back into the emergency area. He was optimistic about her chances of survival but wasn’t sure how bad it truly was. The best course of treatment was to administer hyperbaric oxygen therapy which would allow her to breathe oxygen in a room with heavy air pressure. That told me enough to know the situation was dire. They didn’t put anyone in the hyperbaric oxygen chamber unless they had severe carbon monoxide poisoning. Once the doctor gave us the news, we went back to the waiting area and sat down. We had a long night ahead of us, and it was going to be filled with more turmoil than either of us had ever experienced before.
The next day
We fueled up on coffee once the adrenaline wore off. The hospital staff was kind and gave us updates almost hourly. Jett called the apartment complex and got the number for Brylee’s parents from the application she filled out. He nearly broke down in tears when he had to tell her parents that their daughter was in the hospital fighting for her life. I had no idea how we were going to explain why we cared so much when they arrived, but I really didn’t care at that point. They needed to be there because she needed as much love as the world could pull together for her. Brylee’s progress was promising. I nearly did a backflip when the nurse told me that she opened her eyes and appeared to be responsive to light. They decided to administer a sedative to keep her under for more oxygen therapy, but she didn’t need a ventilator. She was breathing on her own. That was practically a miracle.
“Excuse me, Jett?” A woman walked up to us.
“You must be Brylee’s mom.” A faint smile formed on Jett’s face when he turned around.
“I’m guessing you’re her father?” I extended my hand to the man beside her. “My name is Rand.”
“You two—are twins.” Brylee’s father lifted his eyebrows in surprise.
“Yes, sir.” I nodded.
“The nurse just filled us in.” Her father shook my hand and I saw him fighting back tears.
We sat down together and I told them how their daughter ended up in the emergency room. It was against protocol to release all of the information, but I wasn’t going to hold back anything that pertained to their daughter. They deserved to know the truth. I told them about Dana, the issue that Brylee found on the accounts at work, and my theory—that someone associated with Dunkirk Accounting had tried to kill Brylee like they did her coworker. I had no way to substantiate that theory, but it seemed like the most plausible one since the fire was intentionally set and the door to her floor was locked. By the time I finished telling them everything, Brylee’s parents were both pale.
“I didn’t want her to leave Cedar Grove.” Brylee’s mom turned to her father. “I told you she needed to find a job close to home.”
“I regret telling you that you were right.” Brylee’s father looked down and shook his head.
We didn’t mention anything about our relationship with Brylee, and her parents didn’t ask. They had to know we were more than friends because we couldn’t hide our emotions each time the doctor came out to give us an update. It was a roller coaster of turmoil mixed with joy as the prognosis kept getting better. It was late in the day before they finally told us that she was awake, talking, and apparently asking for us by name. That was an incredibly good sign. It would be a few more hours before we could actually see her, but they were moving her to a regular room once the doctor confirmed she didn’t need any additional time in the oxygen therapy chamber. As much as I wanted to rush to her side, I knew her parents needed to be the first ones through the doors once she was able to have visitors.
It looks like I’m going to get to stare into those beautiful eyes again.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Brylee
“There should be two guys out there—somewhere—waiting to see me. You can’t miss them. They’re firefighters and they’re twins.” I looked at the nurse and pleaded for her assistance.
“Brylee, you’re lucky to be alive right now. You have to wait until the doctor clears you.” The nurse patted my hand. “Besides, your parents are here and I think they’re going to let the family in first.”