Up In Smoke

Chapter 2: October Part 2

Up In Smoke

Chapter 2: October Part 2


Jay Taylor felt the two men on either side of him carefully lowering him to the ground. The smoke stung his eyes, and caught in his throat. His lungs burned from coughing so much. He felt someone put a hand on his shoulder and press something to his face. Gradually over the period of several minutes he found it was becoming a little easier to breathe. He raised a hand to hold the oxygen mask in place.


“Thanks.” He found he was able to talk after a few more minutes, and that his sight was beginning to clear a little.


There were two people beside him, both in green uniforms. He presumed they were paramedics judging by their behaviour. It was the man who had his hand on Jay’s shoulder, stopping him from getting to his feet, not that he would have stayed there for long. The woman was checking the oxygen supply. Two fire engines stood with their pumps on, sending water over the dying flames. There wasn’t much left of the house or the barn, for with a second splintering crash, the barn too collapsed. The ambulance stood just inside the yard, and a little way behind it three people stood watching the activity in the yard.


“Connie.” Jay gasped. “Where’s Connie? Where’s my daughter?”


Colin turned to Pauline and nodded slightly. “Your daughter isn’t hurt. The couple that found the fire are looking after her.”


“I have to speak to her.”


“I’ll get her.” Pauline handed the equipment to Colin and carefully got to her feet.


She couldn’t help but notice the terrified expression on the girl’s face as she approached her.


“Your father is asking to see you. Come with me, but stay back from the buildings.”

* * *

“Daddy!”


A pair of arms wrapped themselves around Jay’s body.


“It’s ok, Connie. It’ll be ok.” Jay put a protective arm around his daughter.


“Where’s mum?”


“I don’t know, sweetie. I was getting my tools out of the barn. The flames were trapping me in there.” Jay broke off coughing violently.


“Jay!”


Connie turned as someone called her father’s name. A police car had joined the vehicles in the yard.


Carl knelt beside his friends.


“Excuse me, sir, we need to get him to the hospital. There’s another ambulance on the way for the mother.” The female paramedic spoke to him.


“Carl.” Jay reached out and gripped his friend’s arm with strength he didn’t know he still had. “Take care of Connie for me. Don’t let her get hurt.”


“I will, Jay, I promise.”


Something told Carl that this was goodbye, but he didn’t want to think about that. He gently pulled Connie back as the paramedics got her father onto a stretcher and into the back of the ambulance.


“I love you, daddy.” Connie whispered as the ambulance sped off, taking her father to hospital.

* * *

Connie sat at the desk in Carl’s spare room. She’d spread her homework across it, but found she couldn’t concentrate on the work she needed to do. Her mind was back at the farm, imagining what she’d be doing if she was there. Most likely she’d be sitting by the fire while her father helped her with her maths or geography. Her mother would be sitting at the desk in the corner working on her latest project while they listened to Brahms or Beethoven. It was a regular thing in the evenings. She sighed as the images faded. She wouldn’t get to share the evenings with her parents for a long time.


She heard the phone ringing downstairs. It had rung at least five times all ready. Every time the nerves had risen quickly, only to fade slowly as no more news came of her parents. She heard Carl pick the phone up and speak into it.


Not long after she heard him coming up the stairs. He stopped in her doorway.


“That was the hospital on the phone.” He said, moving towards her and stopping by the window. “They found your mother. She’s pretty badly hurt, but they’re doing everything they can to save her.” He paused, looking uncomfortable. “They also said your father’s condition has deteriorated. They’re both in intensive care, and on life support.”


Connie nodded, turning away from him.


“Things will work out, Connie. You’ll see.” Carl sighed.


* * *


The next morning dawned cloudy and dull, but within an hour of Connie getting up it had cleared up. A few clouds remained in the sky, but it was still quite warm for late October.


“I phoned the school, so you’ve got the day off.” Carl looked over the top of the magazine he was reading as Connie joined him at the table.


She nodded silently as she buttered a slice of toast.


“I’ve got to go back to the farm later, to meet a couple of the firemen. They want to try to find out where and how the fire started.”


“Ok.” Connie shrugged.


“You can come with me if you don’t want to stay here alone. I’m picking Janet up from the station in half an hour.”





An hour later Carl pulled into the farmyard. There was already a car there, but Connie didn’t recognise it. She got out of the car slowly. In the morning light she could see just how much damage the fire had done. At one time the house had stood tall and proud beside the handsome barn. Now all that was left were a few blackened ruins. The highest point was now barely a metre above the ground. She walked forwards slowly while Carl went to meet the two men standing by their own vehicle.


“Connie.” Janet appeared at her shoulder, “I’m sorry.”


Connie nodded numbly. Suddenly it all seemed too much. She turned and away and strode off across the yard. She vaulted the low fence and disappeared into the trees beyond. As soon as she was just far enough from the yard to not see the ruins Connie stopped. She sank to the ground as the tears rolled freely down her face.


Carl saw Connie leaving and made to follow her. Janet caught hold of his arm, shaking her head slightly when he looked back at her.


“Leave her be, she needs to come to terms with what’s going on at the moment. She’ll let you know when she’s ready to talk.”


“I promised Jay I wouldn’t let her get hurt.”


“You can’t stop it from happening, but you can still be there for her when she needs a friend.” Janet spoke from experience.


* * *


If she had been through a longer week than that one, Connie couldn’t remember it. She woke early on Thursday morning. Her books sat upon the desk in the corner, but she still hadn’t been able to do any of the homework the teachers had set. Her best friend had noticed her quietness, and tried to get her to talk many times, but so far she had managed to keep her silence. She gave up the thought of getting any more sleep, deciding to take a shower. She gathered her clothes together and headed for the bathroom as quietly as she could. Carl had been on the late shift again last night, and she didn’t want to disturb him any more than necessary.


As she towelled her hair dry she glanced out the window. The sun was just rising over the horizon, creating a peaceful glow in the room. She sighed quietly and scraped her hair into a ponytail. The twittering birds seemed the complete opposite of how she felt. On any normal morning, she would wake to the chirping of the birds in the woods around the farm, and to her mother making a cooked breakfast. They’d eat out on the small veranda of the house, enjoying the calm morning air. She swiped a stray tear from her face as she replaced the towel on the rail and headed back to the spare room. She couldn’t call it her bedroom, because it wasn’t. Her bedroom lay in ashes.


* * *


Connie pulled a magazine off the rack and returned to the table where her bowl of cereal awaited. She picked up her spoon, flicked the magazine open to a random page and began to eat as she read.


“Morning.” A yawning Carl appeared in the doorway.


“I didn’t disturb you did I?”


“No.” Carl yawned again as he reached for the kettle. “I couldn’t sleep.”


His hand stopped halfway to the cupboard as the phone began to ring. He glanced blearily at the clock on the wall as he went to answer it.


“Who on earth would be phoning at this time in the morning.”


Connie lowered the magazine slightly, dropping her spoon into the half-eaten cereal. She could feel her hands shaking as she stared at the closed kitchen door. She put the magazine down on the table and got up slowly. She pulled the door opened a crack and peered through into the hall. Carl stood with his back to her, but his voice came across clearly.


“I see … yes… right … thank you.”


Connie watched him put the handset onto the base and turn around slowly. The expression on his face told her all she needed to know.


“I’m sorry, Connie…your father…”


She nodded silently.


“He was awake for a time last night…he asked them to tell you…to tell you that…that he loves you…” Carl seemed to be having trouble stringing the sentence together.


Well he has just lost his best friend, Connie thought to herself, wondering why she didn’t feel anything. She turned to the stairs, heading for the bedroom. She stuffed her feet into her shoes, grabbed her jacket, slung her bag onto her shoulder and headed back to the hall. She noticed the mild surprise on Carl’s face as she shut the front door behind her.