Saved By The Firefighter
Chapter 117

Josie's Point of View.

I watch Davey's face, as the doctor pronounces, his sister's ex-partner dead. I am searching his face for any clue as to how he is really feeling at the moment. Davey is not an easy guy to read, he hides his true emotions behind a mask of sarcasm and distain. His mouth is set in a hard line, and the only indication that he feels anything at all, is the small flicker in his otherwise stoic eyes.

Don't get me wrong, I know for a fine fact, that he could not give a s**t about Kev dying for himself. In all honesty, it will be a relief to know that man can no longer manipulate or hurt his sister. But Davey will hurt for the heartache that Liv will go through. I understand, despite his frustrations with her of late, he will feel her pain and mourn for her more than anyone will realise.

"Take a break." The boss tells us.

I look over and see the Marley Potts crew heading back into the building.

"Only one more to replace," Stanley shouts over to his crew.

"What are the names of the missing people?" Davey snaps his head up and looks at the boss.

"Harry Ryan, and Sean Mullen." The manager of the plant shouts over to him.

"Then we still have two to replace." Davey's shoulders slump as he shakes his head, probably thinking what I am. What the hell was Kev doing in that building?

"How could you possibly know that?" Stanley asks him, stroking his grey moustache.

"Because that fucker I just brought out is my sister's low-life ex-boyfriend." Davey tells him, then stomps off towards our engine.

I went to follow him, knowing he is more bothered by this situation than he is letting anyone know.

"Davey, are you okay?" I gently ask him.

"Leave it, Josie. I can do my job, and that is all that matters." He retorts.

I am not offended by his abruptness, I understand it. This guy is like a brother, hell they all are. We all deal with different things in different ways.

I simply nod my head, and climb into the engine, grabbing a bottle of water.

"We need another crew." Headache sighs, looking at the burning factory.

He is not wrong, but we are understaffed, under equipped, and some may argue, underpaid. So we just plod on with what we have got, and make the best of a bad situation.

"They have an hour's air, we need to get some rest whilst we can. Because if they do not replace them, and the place hasn't blown to the skies, we will be in there next." Ben tells us, as Davey sits in stony silence beside him.

"I doubt the boss will send us back in there, it is too dangerous now. If Marley Potts crew don't replace them, then I reckon he will call it, and we just crack on and fight the fire from out here." Twinkle gives us his years of wisdom.

It is not a nice feeling, knowing that you are calling a fire too dangerous to go into, and the survival of those inside less than one percent, and leaving a body, or bodies, inside. It has only happened to me once in my years of service, and I still replace myself thinking when alone in the dark, that 1% is still a chance, and that they could have lived.

I shake my head, and take another sip of my water, letting the cool liquid sooth my parched throat.

The boss heads over to the engine. After having a discussion with Stanley, he is rubbing his chest, his brows furrowed.

He climbs into the engine beside us.

"You okay Boss?" I ask, as he scrunches up his mouth to the side, still rubbing his chest.

"Fine, have you got an indigestion tablets, headache?" he asks.

"Yeah, in the console, Boss."

"No offence Wayne, for all your dinner tasted edible, even nice tonight, it is repeating on me, and mixed with Stanley's f*****g archaic ways of doing things, it is giving me heartburn." The boss sighs.

I blink, I have never heard the boss be anything other than totally professional when speaking about his counterparts from the other stations, and I have to wonder if part of that is because he is now more comfortable with everyone, or because he has picked up on some of Joanne's 's**t not given' attitude.

I take another gulp of water, looking out the window of the engine. As expected, there are film crews and reporters behind the police barrier they have put in place. I guess we are the star of the local evening news on all channels again. I cannot help but wonder if Anders is watching this, and hope that he is dealing with it okay, maybe even keeping an eye on Joanne, Lucy and Kathline for the guys.

I let out a sigh, I am already over two hours late for finishing my shift, and I doubt we are going to get this fire under control anytime soon. 'Yellow watch', will be on shift now back at the station, but as usual with a major incident they will be held back, to cover any other fires that may happen in our little corner of the city, until the men in white shirts at regional HQ give the go ahead for them to relieve us.

Talking of which, the group manager from the region is walking towards the engine, Group Manager Fallow, the most pompous i***t to ever walk into a fire station, and I suppress the groan that I feel coming as soon as he opens his mouth.

The boss lets out a sigh, and steps out of the engine, and I see him talking to the group manager, rubbing his chest once more. Clearly, the management give the boss indigestion as well as Stanley and Wayne's YouTube pasta. Although truth be told, Fallow gives everyone indigestion.

"I need a wee." I announce to the engine, the water going straight though me.

"We have been using the back of Marley Potts fire truck as a rest room," Wayne chuckles.

"He means fire engine and toilet." Headache quips, but his voice is not laced with the usual annoyance, only humour.

"Not a bad shout." I giggle, climbing out of the engine, ready to go squat down behind the Marley Potts one.

Inter-station rivalry is nearly as intense as inter-watch rivalry. So pissing on the big black, back wheel of their engine does not phase me in the slightest. In fact, it feels really rather good.

I finish relieving my bladder, and stamp my feet, wiggle my bum to get rid of the drip's, then pull up my yellow trousers, which are covered in a thick layer of black soot, before heading off back to the engine and grabbing some hand gel to clean my hands. As I make my way back around the side of our engine, I can hear the boss having an animated discussion with the Group Manager.

"With all due respect, this fire is too far gone. The chance of anyone being alive is literally at zero. You are telling me that despite that, and the clear and evident threat that it could blow up like Hiroshima, you still expect me to send my team in there? If this crew do not replace the two victims, there is no chance another crew can." The boss literally bellows at the group manager.

"Yes, if there is a chance of life, then you must send them back in." He tells him.

"There is no chance of life!" the boss bellows at him.

"Fine, have you got an indigestion tablets, headache?" he asks.

"There is always a chance, and the TV crews are watching. They must see that we have done everything possible to retrieve them."

"Heaven forbid they see the realities of the choices we make. The only chance you are giving my team is the chance to not get home to their families when this fire is out." The boss rages on. "Station officer Webber, might I remind you that you do not call these shots? I do."

"Group Manager Fallow, might I remind you that you only got the job you currently enjoy, because you were ready for your pension, and sucked up to the right person." The boss shouts back at him.

I bid a hasty retreat back into the engine, not wanting to eaves drop any more. I have never heard the boss so annoyed and animated. Joanne would be proud if she could hear him go toe to toe with 'Shallow Fallow' as he is known throughout the brigade, because all he thinks about is himself, and what a decision means for him. Clearly, he wants his ten minutes of fame with the TV crews around, and doesn't care about us in the process.

"That is my decision, get your crew ready to go inside. I have no time to stand here arguing with you, I have the press briefing to give." Fallow states.

I take in an annoyed breath, as I watch him lift up his peaked cap, smooth his hair, then lick his teeth with his tongue before heading over to the reporters, a smile on his face, clearly not giving a s**t about his crews or the perilous danger we are all in. "f*****g dickhead." Davey growls, shaking his head.

For once, I agree, the guy is an i***t and should have retired years ago.

"Right, let's get our tanks sorted, make sure you get some more water on board, and pray to GOD those batteries don't go off for another hour and ten minutes." Ben tells us.

As Ben checks my equipment, I put the face mask back on, and wait for the crew that is in the building to come out. As I stand watching and waiting, a sense of dread floods me. I shake my head against the feeling, before it causes me to freeze and let my team down.

I think about Anders, smiling at the memory of a time when I hated him. My mind shifts to our first passionate encounter in the changing rooms of his gym swimming pool. The heat between us is even hotter than the explosive building before us. Our lives together are just beginning, as we get into a routine of living together. The happiness he brings, which outweighs any of the previous annoyance I felt for him. The gruff CEO exterior he has, that hides the sensitive loving soul he really is, especially around me. I blow out a breath, hoping beyond hope, that I will come out of this factory in one piece, so that I can snuggle into his big strong arms, feeling the safety and security of being with the man who I love with every last ounce of me.

"I am sorry team, but they are coming out empty handed. It is not my choice, but Fallow is demanding you all go back in there. Do your best, but most of all, keep each other safe, and if at anytime you feel like that fire is going to break through to those batteries or cells, get out of there as fast as you can." The boss tells us, with another rub of his chest.

"Six in, and Six out." Ben shouts, and each of us return the shout.

"Six in and Six out."

I turned and looked at the boss.

"We will be okay." I softly say to him, as he gives me a quick nod of his head.

I only hope that we will be, as I head off behind Ben and Davey back into the jaws of hell.