Chapter 11

11

EMBER

T here was no word on old man Farcy. Ember had to move fast before it was too late. She turned to look around, they’d been largely successful with backfiring. Most of the ground around her was burned black by the fire. The strong smell of wet, burned leaves assailed her nose. They’d successfully put out the fire in this area of controlled burn and the trucks were refilling their water tanks before they moved off to other areas that might present greater risks.

She glanced up over the hill again. Most of it was blanketed in smoke, obscuring the skies above. Her mind couldn’t stop thinking.

“I’m going to check on Farcy.”

Jenna glanced at her. Perhaps she’d been expecting her to run off again, but Ember was genuinely waiting for the go ahead to move.

“We’ll need to go around, over the interstate to get to that side.”

“Not if I go on foot. I’ll cross the hill faster if I cut through the forest.”

“With all that gear?” Haley asked, incredulous.

“I can make it,” Ember said confidently.

“Alright, we’ll go around. That might take us a while.”

“Got it.” Ember broke off in a jog.

“Your mom won’t like this, you know?” Haley called.

Ember nodded to herself. “Yeah, I know,” she called back to Haley. They weren’t supposed to go anywhere alone, but Ember wasn’t going to force one of the others to go with her on this mission.

The others rushed to pack up and move. Despite her confidence, Ember’s lungs were burning with the effort by the time she crested the hill. She picked her way down carefully. She glimpsed Farcy’s house in the distance. Ember thought she saw his truck parked in the driveway in the distance, but it was hard to tell. Eventually, she descended into the forest, the tall trees obscured her vision. The fire had already spread this far. The trees around and above were already aflame. The wind had likely carried embers this way. What leaves that were left on the trees were already dry, waiting to serve as kindling.

Ember pulled her mask on to keep most of the smoke out. She was still huffing, but the descent into the forest had been less exerting than the climb.

She broke out of the tree line, getting a clear view of the old man’s home. His truck was still sitting in the driveway.

He never goes anywhere without it , Ember thought.

True enough, she found him attempting to wrestle an armoire out the door of the house.

“Farcy! You need to go!”

He glanced up at her in shock, blinking blearily.

“Can’t let the fire have it!” he protested and went back to fighting with the furniture.

Ember didn’t understand what was so important about it. It looked like an antique, probably very expensive. However, it was still furniture, nothing worth risking his life over.

“Come on,” she grabbed him by the arm, trying to pull him away.

“No!” the man refused, wrenching his arm away. “I can’t leave it!”

“We have to go!” Ember said urgently. “We don’t have much time until the fire traps us in here!”

The old man stopped to look at her. Ember saw his face for the first time. He looked utterly desperate. A shiver ran down her spine when she saw the gruff man with tears in his eyes.

“Please! It belonged to her ! I can’t leave it!” he cried.

A cold shiver ran down Ember’s spine. It wasn’t just a piece of furniture. The armoire belonged to Farcy’s late wife. Now she understood his attachment to it. It wasn’t about the monetary value of it.

“She loved it! I can’t let the fire have it!” the old man said stubbornly he went back to wrestling the furniture. But it was too heavy to move. It was a miracle he got it this far, that had probably taken up a significant amount of time.

“Let me help.” She tried to move the man out of the way.

“No! You should go! Save yourself!” he protested.

“It’s my job! Now let me help you!” She hefted the armoire, dragging it beyond the door frame. Farcy went around and placed his hand on the bottom. Together they lifted it and brought it outside.

She placed it on the ground.

“Let’s put it in the bed of the truck.”

“No,” Ember disagreed. She had a foreboding feeling. Taking the armoire wouldn’t end well. “Do you have a tarp? Something thick we could cover it with?”

“Yeah!” Farcy snapped to action. He went around the back to grab a massive tarp. They’d found a relative grassless patch to place the armoire. It was far away enough that if the house went up in flames, it should be safe. Ember threw the tarp over it to protect it from the elements.

“Let’s go!” She hurried him to his truck. He got behind the wheel while Ember took the passenger seat.

“Are you sure we can leave it there?” the old man asked. He was still worried.

“It’s our best bet.”

Thankfully, he didn’t argue any further. He started the truck, and they zoomed out of his driveway. Ember secured her seatbelt.

“Put your seatbelt on, old man!”

He grumbled but did as he was told. Ember studied the roads ahead. It wound around the hill, over the river, and all if it was covered in thick, flammable vegetation. They still had a few miles to go before they hit the main road and everything was aflame ahead of them.

She remained hopeful but the wind was picking up quickly. The rain might help to put out the fire, but the wind that came with it was only going to make things worse. The feeling she had before they left the house was confirmed. They would not make it, but Ember couldn’t see any other options. They couldn’t sit in the middle of the woods waiting to be saved either.

She tried to radio in for help.

“Captain, can you hear me?!”

The voice came back garbled. She tapped the device desperately until her voice came through clearly.

“Thompson?! Are you okay?”

“Uh, not really. I’ve got Farcy. We might need some help. The fire’s trapped us over the hill. We can’t get out by road. Any chance we cou?—”

Her words were interrupted by a thunderous crack.

“Look out!” she warned Farcy.

A massive tree had crumbled from being eaten by the flames. It succumbed to its own weight, unable to support its huge bulk. That, in itself wasn’t what made the tree dangerous but rather it’s position above the hill. It had fallen off its roots and gravity had taken hold of it, carrying it further down the hill, building up momentum as it went. The thunderous crack came from the tree tearing its way through the forest.

“Shit!” the man swore.

She could hear him stamping hard on the brakes to no avail. The tree struck the passenger side of the truck like a supercharged battering ram. Ember felt the impact reverberate throughout her body, a sharp cutting pain flowed from her right arm into her shoulder, spreading all over her ribcage. Her vision swam for a moment. her eyes picked up glimpses of their truck sailing through the air. Dimly, she registered the fact that they were falling in the direction of the river below.

The sudden change in direction was all the truck needed to flip onto its side, consequently slamming the bed of the truck into the tree they’d been trying to avoid in the first place. That sent them into another spin. Dirt from the forest and inside the truck itself rained all around them.

They hit the river with a loud crash, displacing massive volumes of water. They’d landed upside down, but the raging current easily flipped them over, filling the interiors of the truck in the process. The cold water was exactly what Ember needed to jolt her mind awake, escaping the fugue the intense pain had put her in.

“We need to get out!” she told Farcy. If they stayed in their seats they would drown when the truck sunk completely. She got no response in return. She glanced in his direction. His head bobbed around, with the movement of the car. He’s unconscious, Ember told herself. Another, more pessimistic voice said, most likely dead from the impact. She ignored the latter.

She needed to get him out. Most of the cab of the truck was already flooded. She tried to move quickly, a sharp pain on the entire right side of her torso discouraged her. She hissed, trying to power through the agony. She was certain something was broken.

“Have to keep moving,” Ember told herself. She reached, unhooked her seat with her left hand, and pushed her way across to Farcy. The old man was unmoving. She didn’t want to check if he was breathing. It took a couple of tries to get his seatbelt off. By then, half the cab was already filled with water.

She tried to shake him awake but got no response. Have to get him out. That’s not going to be easy. Even with both her arms fully functional, it would have been a difficult task.

Ember bunched her feet under, bracing herself against the passenger side door. She heaved Farcy up, holding him against her body while she allowed the water to do most of the lifting. Then, she shoved both of them out the driver’s side window, nearly crying out as the rapid movement caused fiery agony to light across her arm and body. The current took him instantly, eager to carry him to its depths. Ember held him as tightly as she could and kicked her feet to keep their heads above the water. If she let go, he would drown.

The water got into her eyes, blinding her. Each breath felt like she was inhaling ample amounts of water with the air. She coughed and sputtered. Her legs were beginning to burn with the effort of keeping them afloat. She needed to get them to the bank, but she didn’t have the strength to fight the river.

The irony of it struck Ember. She was going to drown while fighting wildfire. She would have laughed but that would have gotten her nothing but a mouthful of water.

Hold on to Farcy. Stay on your back. Kick your feet. Stay afloat. Live.

The last word continued to ring in her thoughts, even when she reached the point where she wasn’t certain if she was conscious or not.

Live.

A few months ago, this would have been enough. A glorious death while saving another life. That would have been the peak of it all. There would have been statues built in her honor, she would have finally left her mother’s shadow. She would give her life gloriously in service to the people she cared about.

Now that’s no longer enough for me.

She could see Josephine’s face. Her beautiful, dimpled smile. Her warm, amber-flecked eyes. Her lovely, honeyed silk hair. Ember didn’t want to give that up forever. If she died, it would be the end. She would never kiss her again. The memory she would make with Josephine would be of her walking away after ending their relationship.

Live.

She wanted more out of life now. Ember wanted her lover with her. She wanted a family of her own. She wanted to live a long, happy life with Josephine. She wanted them to watch their children grow and flourish together.

She was blacking out intermittently. Sometimes she would forget to kick her feet and both their heads would sink below the water. That was usually enough to jolt her back action. She was exhausted. There was no hope in sight. Nobody around to offer them aid, but she held on stubbornly. Help would come. Her sisters would find her. She was confident that they would.

The water swallowed them both.

Kick your feet.

She tried to move but her legs were not listening. The muscles were locked in place. No matter how hard she tried, they refused to respond.

Is this it? she wondered as darkness crept around the edges of her eyes. The surface of the water looked so far away now. She could not reach it no matter how hard she tried.

Please. Help.

A powerful force wrenched her forward. She gasped, sweet air filling her lungs.

“Ember!”

She recognized that voice. It was Josephine. Was she hearing things in her last moments? She felt so cold.

“Ember!”

Her eyes snapped open. Josephine’s face hovered above her. She gaped in shock.

“Let go!” Josephine said. “Let go of him!”

Ember looked down and realized she was still holding on to Farcy. She forced her arm to relax and they pulled him away from her. She frowned in worry.

“He’s fine,” Josephine assured her, flashing one of her dimpled smiles. “He’s alive. You did good.”

Other firefighters crowded around her. Her sisters had come for her. She felt herself being moved on to a stretcher. The pain was enough to rip most of the haze away. She remained focused on Josephine.

“Are you real?” she asked.

Josephine looked at her with so much love. Then she leaned in. The feeling of their lips touching was electric. Warmth flooded into her body.

“I’m here,” Josephine said when she pulled away. “I’ll take care of you.”

Josephine climbed into the back of the ambulance with her. Ember had never seen her so serious before as she snapped out orders and instructions. Ember marveled at her beauty. She’d been rescued by an angel.

The doctor performed a quick check on her body. Noting the damage.

“Bruised ribs—maybe broken. Arm is broken. Shoulder might be dislocated. How are you still moving?” she asked incredulously.

Ember tried for a smile, but the oxygen mask hid most of her face. She simply resolved to stare at Josephine’s face, memorizing every single one of her features. Ember pulled the mask off.

Josephine scowled. “You need to keep that on, you nearly drowned.”

“Kiss me,” Ember said.

Josephine blinked in surprise. “Your oxygen mask?—”

“Kiss me anyway,” Ember forced out. Talking hurt but she craved to feel Josephine’s lips again.

The doctor looked conflicted for a moment, but she eventually gave in. Their lips met. Ember felt like she was amongst the stars. She would have preferred it to last much longer, but the doctor pulled away, revealing Becky standing next to her.

Ember gasped in shock. How long had she been standing there? She’d most likely seen them kissing.

Her eyes searched her mother’s face but there was no disapproval to be found. She knelt beside her, running her hand gently through Ember’s hair.

“My baby,” she cooed. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

Ember hadn’t seen her mother in a long time. The tears of relief that rolled down her mother’s cheeks tugged at her. She reached her good hand over and placed it on her mother’s cheek.

“I love you, Mom,” Ember said.

“I love you too, sweetheart. I’m sorry for letting you down. I’m sorry I tried to keep you away from the person you love. I’m…so sorry, for everything.”

“You’re perfect, Mom,” Ember said, trying for a smile but a jolt of pain shot through her body, turning her smile into a grimace.

“We need to get you back on oxygen,” Josephine stepped in authoritatively. Becky rose to her feet. She nodded gratefully at Josephine and Ember watched her leave the ambulance. She turned back to Josephine, feeling happy, in spite of everything that had happened.

“I’m glad you came back for me,” Ember said.

Josephine looked slightly guilty, but it was replaced with a content smile.

“I’m glad I came back too. I’m never leaving you again.”

That put a smile on Ember’s face. Not even the excruciating pain she was feeling could wipe the joy off her features.

“Can you not be bad ass for a moment?” Kiera joked.

All of her colleagues were gathered around her hospital bed. They’d come to pay her a visit, as well as the other victims of the fire. No life was lost, surprisingly. Old man Farcy was recovering well. The flames had spared his armoire, but his house had been lost in the wildfire.

“I’m glad you’re all okay,” Ember said with a smile. “Sorry I made you guys worried.”

Zara shrugged. Elle’s eyes were shining.

“It was a miracle. We were very lucky the helicopter crew spotted the truck. They watched as that falling tree pushed you guys into the river, from there it was a race to head downriver where we could safely extract the both of you. Thankfully, you kept him alive until then.”

All that had probably taken just a few minutes, but at the time it felt like hours. She didn’t even notice there was a helicopter hovering above them the entire time.

They left flowers and chocolate on their way out. Ember was left with her mother. They hadn’t really been alone with each other since the last fight they had at her apartment.

“Hey, baby,” Becky said.

“Hi, Mom,” Ember replied.

Things were not nearly as awkward as she thought it would be. Probably had something to do with the fact that she almost died. Again.

“You want to talk about Josephine.” It was a statement. Her mother wasn’t asking.

Ember nodded.

“You love her?”

She nodded once more.

“Then I’m happy that you’re happy.”

Ember was surprised by her response. She hadn’t expected it. Her mom’s initial outrage at finding out they were seeing each other had been so palpable she would’ve sworn this day would never come.

“I think I want to marry her,” Ember confessed, surprising both her mother and herself.

Becky cocked her head to one side, giving it some thought. Ember knew she was going to marry Josephine no matter what, but she wanted her mother’s approval. It would mean a lot to her.

“You have my blessing,” Becky said finally. “I guess you really couldn’t have chosen someone better to be with. Josephine is incredible. She worked so hard to make sure you were okay.”

Ember nodded, glancing down at her right arm, which was in a cast. Josephine had gone above and beyond to ensure her recovery would go without a single hitch.

“When do you plan on asking her?” her mother enquired.

“As soon as I’m back on my feet again.”

When her mother left, Ember was alone in her room and she just daydreamed about the proposal.

She wanted it to be perfect. Not for her sake, but for Josephine. Maybe they’d go to a great restaurant, have a candlelight dinner under the stars. Ember was going to buy a beautiful ring…

“Do you want to get married?”

Ember’s mind ground to a halt. Josephine had come for one of her routine checkups. She hadn’t been expecting the question. She’d made all of those plans in her head, thinking Josephine wanted everything to be special and picturesque.

“I’m so sorry.” Josephine looked away sharply. “God, that was terr?—”

“Yes!” Ember said quickly before Josephine could take back her words. “I’d absolutely love to marry you!”

Josephine smiled the brightest smile she’d ever seen. There was a bit of hunger underneath her gaze, but her eyes briefly went to Ember’s cast.

“I can’t wait for you to get better,” she said.

“Yeah.” Ember grinned. “We do have a lot to catch up on.”

It took weeks before Josephine agreed to have sex with her again. She’d wanted to wait longer but Ember watched her resolve crumble over time. She was back at home, in her apartment. Josephine had come over to spend the night. Ember had planned for this. After her bath, she came out of the bathroom naked and wet.

She felt Josephine’s eyes latch on to her as she deliberately walked past her where she was sitting on the couch. She walked into the kitchen. She busied herself at the sink while she waited.

Ember didn’t have to wait long until she felt Josephine’s arm wrapping around her waist.

“How’s your arm?”

Ember turned around and pulled Josephine close. “You know my arm is okay.”

Their lips met. First it was gentle, and they savored it. Then, it grew more and more intense. Ember’s hands made their way under Josephine’s clothes and she moaned. Ember smiled to herself. She had missed those little moans.

“Let me do all the work, okay?” Josephine requested as she lowered Ember to the couch.

Ember smiled up lazily at her. “Sure.” She reclined back as Josephine sank to her knees on the floor and dipped her face between Ember’s legs.

Her tongue felt as exquisite as it ever had, and it wasn’t long before Ember found her orgasm flooding through her like a warm hug.

Josephine stripped off and straddled Ember and Ember used the fingers of her good hand to give Josephine the pleasure she was craving. Josephine tipped her head back in ecstasy as she came hard for Ember’s fingers, and Ember smiled to herself.

Josephine came back down to earth and looked into her eyes. “I love you,” she said, warmly.

“I love you, too,” Ember responded.

“Let’s never be apart again,” Josephine said. “I want to be with you forever.”

“Me too, my darling. Me too.”