Page 15 of Colton’s Inferno

And to be completely honest, he didn’t like any of it. Especially since he was perfectly fine. But for several hours, he was poked, prodded, scanned, and x-rayed. His clothes had been taken from him, and he was given a thin gown that didn’t quite cover him in the rear. A nurse’s assistant, a woman named Bella who graduated high school with Matti, pushed his wheelchair down a brightly lit hallway. The rubber soles of her shoes squeaked on the tiles with each step.

“How are the kids?” Aiden asked. Bella was married to Rob, the Red Grove High School class president from Aiden’s junior year.

“Both of the boys are good. Thomas wants to be a firefighter when he grows up.”

“Bring him by the station,” Aiden suggested. “I’ll let him check out the fire truck.”

“That’d be great. Thanks.”

Bella took a lefthand turn at an intersection and wheeled him into a small room at the back of the emergency department. “The doctor will be with you in a minute to go over your results.”

“Where’d my stuff end up?” he asked. “I feel so pretty in the gown and all,” he joked. “But my ass might get a little cold.”

Bella pointed to a plastic bag that hung on a wall hook. “Everything’s in there. Let me help to get you into bed.”

Gripping the back of his hospital gown to keep it closed, he rose from the wheelchair and sat on the bed. As he stretched out his legs, he said, “That’s better.”

Bella pulled up the white blankets and asked, “Do you need anything?”

There was only one thing he needed and that was to know about Lucy Harris. They’d ridden together in the ambulance but had been taken to different exam rooms once they made it to the hospital. He asked, “Are there any updates about the woman who I pulled from the fire? Her name is Lucy Harris.”

“You know I can’t say anything because of privacy laws,” she said. “Anything else?”

“If I give you permission, can you tell my mom that I’m okay?” Certainly, his mother was waiting for news.

“I’ll let her know.” Pushing the wheelchair by the handles, she walked out of his room. Her shoes squeaked with each step.

He wondered about Lucy, where she was and how she was doing. But mostly, he wondered if he would get to see her again. Before he could even think of a plan, Ryan appeared in his doorway. But he wasn’t alone. The fire chief, Charles Kane, was with him. Everything about Charles “Chuck” Kane was big. He was well over six feet five inches and had a chest like a barrel. He even had a big, booming voice. But his laugh was bigger. He’d come up through the ranks and been Red Grove’s fire chief for nearly a decade. Aiden wasn’t ready for the responsibility of being chief yet, but he wasn’t ashamed to admit that whenever Chuck retired, he hoped to get the job.

“I can’t leave you alone for a minute,” said Chuck, stepping into the room. He extended his large hand for Aiden to shake. “You did good tonight.”

“I did what anyone would’ve done.” Aiden pressed his palm to Chuck’s.

“I’m not sure that I agree with that,” said Ryan. “But if it wasn’t for you, Lucy wouldn’t have made it out of that barn alive.”

The room suddenly got cold. “Everyone survived,” he said. “That’s all that matters.”

“Tell me what happened,” said Chuck.

“I went to the carnival at the Five Steers Ranch with my family. I smelled smoke and hopped onto a table to get a better look. From there, I could see that one of the outbuildings was on fire. Lucy’s grandfather told us she was inside. Ryan and I found a place in the wall where I could get through. So, I did.”

“He forgot to mention how he calmed down the crowd. Told everyone to stay off the phone and to stay put so they wouldn’t cause a traffic jam,” Ryan added.

“Like I said, you did good. You’re an excellent firefighter. Of course, being good at your job means you’ll have to fill out a report about what happened. How’s that for a reward?” Chuck laughed at his own joke.

“I’ll take care of it first thing in the morning,” said Aiden.

Ryan held up a tablet computer. “I need to go over your test results before I let you get out of here.”

Chuck said, “Let me get going so I can talk to Lucy Harris.”

“Can you hold up a minute?” Aiden asked before he’d even decided in his mind to speak. “I’d like to see what Lucy has to say as well.”

Going with the chief to get her statement wasn’t exactly what he wanted. But he’d do anything just to see her again.

“I don’t know if you want me hanging around while you get all your test results,” said the chief.

Being a firefighter meant staying physically fit. If something was wrong, which he doubted, then Chuck would find out soon enough. “I don’t care if you stay as long as it’s okay with Ryan.”