Traffic was bad on the way back to their small town, which was unusual. Even stranger yet, the usually quiet streets of Prescott were choked, like the normal flow of traffic had been forced to divert. It wasn’t until Freddie arrived to find his street barricaded that he started to clue in to what was going on.

“Look Daddy,” Reagan Ann said from the back seat. She had her hands planted on the windows. “A fire truck.”

Freddie saw it, too. The single red engine was parked in the middle of the street, right near their house. Dread built in Freddie’s chest, and although he knew he shouldn’t, he drove up onto the sidewalk and around the barricade, then parked once he was on the other side. Traffic continued to crawl by behind him, bottlenecking as curious motorists slowed to see what was going on.

“Daddy?” Reagan Ann asked fearfully.

“Stay here in the car, sweetheart.” Freddie unbuckled and opened the door. The smell of smoke was thick in the air, and he saw it rising in dense, coiling plumes from their home.

“No!” she shouted. She undid the buckles of her booster seat on her own and struggled to open the door. “Princess! I need Princess! She’s scared!”

“You need to stay here,” Freddie said more firmly. On the inside, he was in an equal state of panic. Princess, their cat, was in the house, and so was everything they owned. All their clothing, their furniture, his business supplies... was all of it going to be lost?

“Daddy!” Reagan Ann was shrieking now, tears streaming down her face. The sound pierced his eardrums, and he winced. If he left her here, even if it was safer, she was going to hurt herself during her meltdown. Right now, she needed him — and he needed her, too.

He shut his door and opened hers, scooping her up from the seat and holding her to his chest. She wept freely now, fat tears rolling down her cheeks. She buried her head against his chest and clutched at his shirt, and he held her close.

“It’s going to be okay,” Freddie said, even though he wasn’t so sure that was true. “It’s all going to be okay. I’ve got you. You’re not going to get hurt.”

“B-But Princess,” Reagan Ann whimpered. “Princess, Daddy! You have to save her!”

It wasn’t the right time to tell her that he wasn’t the superhero she believed him to be — that he was just a man doing his best to keep his life pulled together. She wouldn’t understand that the house was now a hazard, and that the black smoke billowing from its roof meant that Princess had more than likely already passed from smoke inhalation. All he could do was walk forward and hold her close while her perception of him changed forever.

Daddy couldn’t do everything. Not by a longshot.

Not when it came to something like this.

Freddie reached the fire truck. The hose was unravelled, but he couldn’t see where it had gone. The team had to be inside, fighting to contain the fire. Freddie didn’t know much about how firefighters worked, but he was fairly certain that the fact they were inside the building was a good sign. If it was structurally unsound, they wouldn’t have risked it, right?

God, I hope so.

Freddie lifted his head as a man came out of the fire truck dressed in full gear. His mask hung from his neck, cushioned by the thick brown fire-retardant suit he wore. Cradled in his arms, barely visible, was a small, familiar face.

“Princess!” Reagan Ann croaked through her tears. She unlatched from Freddie’s chest and reached for the cat in the fireman’s arms. “You saved my Princess! You saved her!”

“We sure did.” The firefighter delicately laid Princess in Reagan Ann’s arms, and she snuggled the cat to her chest. Princess meowed in protestation, but didn’t try to jump away. “Were there any other persons or living creatures in the house, sir? I’m assuming you’re the Boston Lahey listed in the property records as the current owner?”

Freddie’s mouth went dry. “No. That’s my landlord, but I do live in the building as a tenant. There are no other people or animals inside.”

“My stuffed animals,” Reagan Ann mumbled against Princess’ fur. Princess had sunken her claws into Reagan Ann’s shirt and wasn’t letting go. She didn’t like to be outside. “All of my stuffed animals are inside.”

“So are the other firefighters here on duty today,” the firefighter said. “They’re trying their hardest to make sure that nothing gets ruined by the fire. It’s a good thing you weren’t home today — we wouldn’t want you to get hurt.”

“I wouldn’t want that, either,” Reagan Ann mumbled.

“What happened?” Freddie asked. He didn’t know what else to say. “It... it had to be an electrical fire, right? We didn’t leave any candles burning, we don’t have a fireplace, nothing was left on... I don’t know how this could have happened.”

“The forensics team will be dispatched shortly,” the fireman said. He was young, by the looks of him — maybe younger than Freddie. “Our job is to put the fire out, and theirs is to look into what’s gone on to cause it.”

“What about my things?” Freddie was grasping for straws now. “Has my landlord been notified? I... I operate my business out of my home.”

The firefighter frowned. “I’m sorry.”

Freddie’s arms trembled. Reagan Ann was starting to get heavy, but he couldn’t put her down. She was all he had left.

“I don’t understand,” Freddie said. “All of this... all of this is so sudden. We just went out to make a delivery, and we come home to this? You can’t give me any closure at all?”

“The fire hasn’t damaged the house badly enough that it’s at risk of collapsing, which is good news,” the firefighter said. There was a sympathetic look on his face, like he truly understood what Freddie was going through. “Depending on the spread and intensity of the smoke, you may be able to salvage certain items — photo albums, jewelry, and other important belongings. Your renters’ insurance should cover replacing the rest. The smoke will have permanently damaged more textiles.”

“I...” Freddie was lightheaded. He swallowed the lump forming in his throat and ended his sentence before it got started. The firefighter wasn’t here to listen to his rambling. The longer he went on, the greater the chance that irreversible damage would be done. Freddie couldn’t keep him away from his job any longer. “I understand. Can we please stay here near the truck while we figure out our next steps? I honestly don’t know where to go from here.”

“Of course you can.” The firefighter met his eye, and Freddie couldn’t take it any longer. He ducked his gaze and looked away, ashamed of the state he’d been reduced to.

If I keep bumbling like this, I’m going to fall to pieces. I have to pull myself together. I have to be strong for her.

“You know,” the firefighter continued. He clapped a gloved hand on Freddie’s shoulder, and Freddie felt the weight of his uniform. How could he walk around wearing something so heavy like it was nothing? “No one is ever prepared for a fire. You’re not the first one to feel lost when something like this happens, and you won’t be the last.”

“Thanks.” Freddie couldn’t bear to look at him. He held Reagan Ann a little closer. His home, their belongings, and his business had gone up in flames, but at least he still had her. “I’ll... be here. Thank you for helping to save our home.”

“You don’t have to thank me.” The firefighter squeezed his shoulder. “This is what I do. Stay strong, keep your chin up, and know that you’re capable. You can get through this, and you will get through this. Right now, you’re fighting for her, aren’t you?”

Freddie nodded.

“Then keep fighting. You’ve got each other. The rest will figure itself out.”

In time, Freddie knew he’d feel the same way. For now, all he could focus on was the fear. His routine had been taken from him and the future was uncertain. If it weren’t for Reagan Ann, he would have fallen apart.

“I’ve got to go,” the firefighter said. “Be strong. If you can get through this, you can get through anything.”

Then, with heavy boots striking the street as he jogged toward the fire, he was gone. Freddie looked up in time to see him run around the back of the building, likely heading for the patio door. He could only wish him well.

He wasn’t sure what to do, or who to call, or whether he’d done right or not by speaking to the firefighter, but with Reagan Ann in his arms to care for, his paternal instincts began to kick in. Even though he’d asked the firefighter if he could stay, he started to walk back toward the car.

“Daddy?” Reagan Ann asked, frightened. “Where are we going?”

“I don’t know yet,” Freddie admitted. “But I’m going to put you and Princess in the car, and then I’m going to figure it out. I’m going to keep you safe. We’re not out of luck yet, sweetie. I’m more resourceful than that.”

He opened the back door, strapped Reagan Ann into her car seat, then closed the door. A single, frustrated tear rolled down his cheek, and he clenched his hand and resisted the urge to slam it against the door.

Why now? Now of all times? When the future was brighter than ever and his business was finally picking up?

He looked one last time toward the house and saw a firefighter run back out onto the lawn. It was hard to tell from a distance, but Freddie was certain by his confident posture that it was the same man who’d rescued Princess.

Other emergency vehicles began to arrive, and Freddie’s plans for escape were dashed. But while he spoke to the police about what he knew, he found the peace of mind he needed to be strong.

He would recover. He would bounce back.

And one day, somehow, he would find a way to thank the firefighter who’d lent him courage to see this tragedy through. He swore it.