SEBASTIAN woke up in the middle of the night, and saw the tell-tale orange flicker through the window of his bedroom. He sat up and looked out the window.

Max’s house is on fire!

Alexandra!

He immediately envisioned Max and Alexandra stuck in a burning house, unable to get out. The panic hit him like a brick.

I have to get them out.

He raced out of his room, down the stairs and out the front door to get over to his neighbor’s house. Thankfully, their front door was unlocked. He hurried inside and got to Max first, almost lifting him out of the hospital bed. He hustled to the foot of the stairs with Max at his side, an arm looped across his shoulder.

“Alex!” he shouted up the stairwell. Sebastian had to get Max out first, but refused to leave her behind. “Alex, if you can hear me, get down on the floor and crawl! I’ll come back for you!”

“Sebastian, go get my daughter!”

Max tried to shout at him with what strength he had left. Sebastian dragged him toward the front door. Max coughed and sputtered. The smoke was too thick for him in his weakened state. Sebastian needed to pull him outside, away from the overpowering smoke. He looked at Max, struggling to catch his breath, and each time his chest rose to suck in some air, wracking coughs kicked in in.

“My oxygen,” Max forced out, between a fit of wheezing.

“I’ll get it. I’ll get Alexandra. Please, just stay right here!”

Sebastian set him down on the pavement at the other side of the street. It didn’t look good. With one or more oxygen tanks stored in the burning house, the place could blow anytime. He couldn’t tell where the fire had started or how much of the house was engulfed. He had no idea how much time he had before the fire would reach the dining room, but he had to get both the oxygen tank and Alex out. The smoke had already begun to creep across the ceiling and billow outside. As he ran back through the open front door, a crushing uncertainty about which to do first overcame him.

What if the fire started in her room?

Panic clutched his chest.

“Alex!” he shouted, and raked shaking fingers through his hair.

He ignored the pain in his injured leg, taking the stairs two at a time. His injury and his anxiety made the trek harder than normal. The second floor was where the fire was hottest and most treacherous. He rushed across the landing and jogged up to the third floor for Alexandra.

“Bash!” She burst through the bedroom door, barely visible in the thick clouds of smoke.

Sebastian bent forward, ducking his head to get clearer air. Up here, with all the smoke, they could both end up passing out. He needed to get them out fast.

“Get down on the floor, Alex! Get as low as you can and come to me. We don’t have much time!”

Alexandra wrapped her robe tighter around her waist and dropped to the floor. She crawled to him and they started down the stairs together, as fast as they could go.

“Where’s my dad?” she asked in her panicked state.

Sebastian didn’t mention her slip-up. He was too busy trying to get them out. “He’s outside. Move, move! We have to get out of here!”

At this point, crawling didn’t even matter. They ran down the stairs, with the fire chasing behind them. Sebastian only had one shot of getting this right.

“Alex, you get outside!” he told her when they made it down to the main floor. “Get to Max. I have to get his oxygen tank, or it can explode. Take him inside my house. My front door is open. When you get in, I need you to call 911 again. Now go!”

She ran to the front door, and Sebastian slid across the hardwood floor of the foyer into the dining room, scooping up the oxygen tank. He yanked the hose, but it was stuck. It was entangled in the rails of the bed. The noise of the fire was so familiar, but tonight, he was more terrified than he had ever felt. He wasn’t wearing protective gear, his busted knee kept shooting pain up his leg, and the people he cared about were in danger.

“Come on. Come on!” he shouted, feeling the sweat and soot on his skin as he fought to untangle the hose. The sound of flames was louder. Smoke poured into the room. It was thick and black, and the smell was acrid. He sneezed, blinking back stars. Finally, his fingers felt where it was caught on the railing. He slid the hose across and down the metal bar, and it came free. Just as flames began to run along the ceiling, he made a mad dash out the front door, ducking away from the scorching heat.

When he got outside with the tank, people from the neighborhood were already gathered around in the middle of the street. Sirens wailed in the distance. Someone beat Alexandra to calling for help. The huge sigh of relief that rushed from his lungs, was filled with a clean burst of fresh air.

Alexandra is safe.

Max is safe.

The place didn’t blow up.

Thank God.

“Good job, Sebastian.” Someone from the neighborhood patted him on the back.

“Where’s Alex?”

He pushed past the onlookers, searching for Max and Alex. A firetruck came to a stop by the curb. His coworkers spilled out. Sebastian approached them to let them know what to expect.

“Hey, guys,” he shouted. “There’s medical equipment in there, and there may be another oxygen tank in the dining room. Be careful.”

His old crew started to hook up hoses. A separate team of firefighters got to work on pushing the crowd back. The house could still blow, but all he was interested in now was finding Alexandra.

“Bash!”

He heard her call his name. It was like no one else was around them. The buzz and clamor died down, and he zeroed in on her scared face, standing out from the rest. She was at the back of the ambulance where paramedics were working on Mr. Storme. He ran to her.

“Alex! Is he alright? Are you alright?”

He dragged her into his arms, hugging her, squeezing her tight. He didn’t care who was watching or what anyone thought. He didn’t care if she was worried about what they thought either. When she wriggled away, he pulled her back in. He tucked her head under his chin and ran his hand through her hair. The smoke smell clung to them both. None of that mattered. She was alive. She was safe.

“I’m fine,” Alex answered, pulling away to turn to Max. “Daddy inhaled some smoke. With his pneumonia, it can’t be good.”

“Oh, no. I wish I had made it inside fast enough.”

“They’re taking him to the hospital. I have to phone Rosa and tell her what’s going on, and I want to go with him.” She looked down at the terrycloth robe and flip flops she had on. “I can’t go like this!”

Alexandra moved to her father’s side. She stared down at him, sooty tears rolling down her gray cheeks. The gains he had made over the past two weeks were wiped away by the fire. A fresh oxygen mask was now in place, pumping air into his body. Still, Max’s face was pale. He looked weak. His eyes continued to flutter and close. He was depleted by the ordeal.

“We have to go now, Mr. Roberts,” the paramedic said.

Alexandra looked over at Sebastian, desperation on her face.

“I’ll get you to the hospital, Alex,” he told her. “We can stop over at my place and find you something to wear. You can use my phone to call Rosa on the way over.”

She nodded gratefully. Only then did she hop down from the ambulance. She followed him back through the crowd to get to his place. Sebastian heard the fire chief call him over. Already, there was reluctance on Alexandra’s face. She wanted to follow her dad to the hospital as soon as possible.

“I can’t talk right now, Chief,” he shouted over to him. “I need to get my neighbor’s nephew to the hospital.”

“Hey, Bash! Alex!” Nate waved and jogged over to them. “Are you two all right?”

“Yes,” he said for both of them.

“Glad to hear it. There weren’t any more oxygen tanks inside,” Nate told them. “So there’s no risk of explosion. We got the worst of the fire out. You know the drill. We can’t give an official cause without the fire chief’s confirmation, but it looks electrical. Probably old wiring, and definitely from the second floor. We see that a lot in old houses like this, right Bash?”

“For sure. Thanks for the update, Nate. Alex and I have to get to the hospital now. Call me on my cell when this is all over, okay?”

“Will do.”

Sebastian was still fighting through the pain that made his knee tight and inflexible. He pushed open his front door and went over to the entryway table, grabbing his keys and pocketing his wallet and phone. “Come on, Alex. My clothes will all be too big for you, but it’s better than a robe.”

He hobbled to the laundry room and grabbed a clean set of clothes from the dryer. He wasn’t going to make it all the way up the stairs after overworking his knee. It hurt like hell as he crouched down and pulled out some shorts and a t-shirt. “Try this,” he told her, and pointed to the main floor bathroom. Alexandra hurriedly went in, and came out in shorts that hung almost to her calves, cinched at the waist with a drawstring. The t-shirt was also oversized, but it got the job done.

“Let’s go,” she ordered.

He tossed her the phone and locked up before walking to the Jeep. He would have to maneuver through the crowded street and probably break the speed limit to get to the hospital. There was no way they would catch up to the ambulance.

Alexandra wheezed beside him. “There was so much smoke,” she whispered, seeming to relive what had just happened. She was shaking. He reached across the center console and squeezed her hand gently.

“You’re alright. You made it out. Max made it out. Everything’s going to be okay. Go on. Call Rosa.”

“You saved us.”

“I did what anyone would do, Alex. Nothing more.” He sped up, and quickly looked her way before returning his attention to the road. Tears rolled down her face. “You’re one of my best friends,” he said honestly. “I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”

She sucked in a breath and dialed Rosa’s number. She left a message when no one answered. Minutes later, they arrived at the hospital. Sebastian stayed downstairs in the emergency room waiting area, while Alexandra went to find Max. A few minutes later, Nate phoned to tell him the water and fire damage was fairly substantial. The structure was fine, and that meant the house wouldn’t be condemned. With a few weeks of gutting and renovations, Max and Alexandra could be back in their home.

“Thanks, Nate.” He stretched his legs out after sitting in the uncomfortable waiting room chair. “This one hit close to home for me.”

“No doubt,” he agreed. “Is your friend okay? He looked pretty shook up.”

“Yeah, he’s mostly worried about his uncle. The poor old guy was already sick before this all happened, so we’re hoping he can bounce back. I haven’t heard any news yet.”

“I hope so, man. You know, we sure could’ve used you in there.”

“I know what you mean, buddy. I’m still not there yet. The knee’s killing me, and all I did was help the neighbor get out, carry an oxygen tank, and climb two flights of stairs. The leg feels like crap. Well, I’m glad it was our team that responded. Give me a few weeks. I’ll be back.”

“Looking forward to it, dude. Oh, Chief says get in touch with him when you get the chance. He said there’s something he wants to talk to you about.”

He groaned, wondering what the chief wanted. “Tell him I will. Later, Nate.”

After he hung up, he sat forward and eyed the clock, wondering when Alexandra would be back out…and what would happen next.