Give Me The Strength

As I have mentioned in my profile emergency services is very important to me. Whether it is the fire department or the EMS they each have a very special place in my life. I also love music and love creating stories to match the lyrics. I always find it easier to write about something I enjoy. So, here it is. Combining my two loves is a song fic about emergency services.

Disclaimer: I do not own High School Musical. I also do not own the song Shine your light recorded by Robbie Robertson or the movie Ladder 49 which this song is off of.

The Brotherhood of a fireman is strong. The faith that a fireman puts in his brothers is unforgettable. The duties of a fireman are never-ending. The presence of a fireman is reassuring. But, sometimes all that's left to say is give me the strength.

The cry of the city like a sirens song, wailing over the rooftops the whole night long.

It was impossible to miss the sirens that flooded past the windows of their three bedroom condo in Chicago. It was a long way from Albuquerque, New Mexico, but that was where Troy and Gabriella had found a home. Gabriella had become a lawyer after graduation and found a job easily in Chicago. Before long she had built her own law firm up from the ground and was handling some of the largest federal offense cases in the country. Troy had played college ball and then played in the NBA. That lasted for about six years until he got tired of traveling and being away from his young family. He had retired and moved back home to Chicago and focus on his wife and children. He had decided that the fire department was calling him and had a paid position as one of the firemen in the Chicago area.

Gabriella lay in bed missing the presence of her husband beside her. It was hard to live a life like she did. She knew that he found great joy working for the fire department and helping others. She had to admit, it was a bit better now than it was when he played. At least now he was only away from her every third night instead of every night in a week. But, she worried about him.

Saw a shooting star like a diamond in the sky, must be someone's soul passing by.

The job was dangerous and they all knew that. It was brought into full perspective three weeks ago when a good friend of theirs Chad was killed in a factory fire. Chad was a happily married man with a beautiful eight year old daughter. But, his wife was dying of cancer herself. They all knew that it wouldn't be long before she too would make the journey to Heaven. When that happened young Emily would become another child of her godparents, Troy and Gabriella Bolton.

Since then Troy's three children had been begging him to stay home and not go to work. Their oldest Ryland had said a week ago, "Daddy, Emily's daddy went to God in the fire the other night, right."

Troy could only nod slowly as he wondered where the conversation was going.

"Daddy, are you going to go to God in a fire?"

"Ry, I don't know. You see only God knows when people are going to come to him. And only God knows how people are going to come to him. Firefighting can be a dangerous job but we do it because we have to. We have to be there for any people that are trapped inside and we have to get them out. If we didn't do it, no one would. But, I want you to know that every time I go into a burning building I think of you and mommy and your sisters. I think of you and how I want to come home to you in the morning. And, I make sure that I do everything possible to keep myself safe. We all do, and all of the other firemen help protect me, just like I help protect them. I have a lot of brothers at the fire department and we all want to keep each other safe. If one day God does want me to come to him during a fire you will be taken care of. Mommy will still be here and a lot of my friends will be around if you need to ask them advice. And, I will always be in your heart, forever and always."

"Daddy, I don't want you to go."

"Ryland Alexander, I don't want to go either so we won't think about it. We will just think about all the fun we are going to have and all the things we are going to do before I go on shift again."

Gabriella had stood at the door watching the exchange between her five year old son and her husband. She didn't know what she would do if she lost Troy but she knew with his job it was a possibility. She thought about that little boy lying in bed talking to his father. She thought about his sisters, three year old Addison Grace and one year old Victoria Rose, who were asleep in their room down the hall. She needed Troy's help to raise them. She couldn't raise Ryland, Addison, Tori, and Emily by herself.

These are the streets, where we used to run where your papa's from. These are the days where you've become what you've become. These are the streets where the stories told, the truth unfolds and darkness settles in.

Now, she sat up in bed and flipped the lamp on. She had papers from her latest case spread out all around her and her laptop sat on her lap. Her bare feet peeked out from beneath the light pink blanket. She missed Troy on nights like this. She missed him filling the spot beside her. It was hard for her to sleep. Some nights it seemed as if the sirens never stopped passing their windows. She always wondered what was going on and if Troy was on the truck. She always wondered if somewhere out there in the city a man or woman raced into action, a man or woman who would never see their family again. She knew that there were close calls more often than Troy admitted. She knew that there had been more than one time when he was not sure that he would make it back home to her. She knew that and still every third morning she ironed his uniform, packed his lunch, kissed his lips, and watched him walk out that door unsure if he would ever walk back through it.

Shine your light down on me, lift me up so I can see, shine your light but when you're gone give me the strength to carry on, carry on.

Every moment that she spent away from him she wondered. She wondered what life would be like without him. She knew that her life had changed drastically since she met him. It had gotten better, more worthwhile. She wondered how she would handle herself if she was forced to go on without him. She knew that she could count of him to never leave her. She knew that he would always be in her heart no matter what fate decided. She knew that he would always be there but it didn't make the fear go away. She saw how Chad's death had almost destroyed Taylor and she saw the emotions hidden on Emily's face. Emily didn't give into sorrow easily. She was a strong child for only eight. She wanted to stay strong for Taylor. She wanted her mama to know everything was going to be alright when she left. Gabriella had promised Taylor that she would take good care of Emily. She had promised her that she would teach Emily all the things that a mother should teach her daughter, she would help her through those tough preteen years, and she would be there for her through her first date, first breakup, prom, wedding day, and through her first pregnancy. She would be there for her through all those things that Taylor should have gotten to do with Emi. She knew that Troy had promised Chad long ago that he would take care of Emi if anything ever happened to him. Chad in turn had promised Troy that if something were to happen to him that he would take care of Troy's family. It was an unspoken silent agreement throughout the brothers of the fire department that the children of any fallen firemen would become the others responsibility. If they lost their daddy they would gain a department full of fathers. That was just the way things worked in the brotherhood.

Don't want to be a hero, just an everyday man. Trying to do the job the very best he can. But now it's like living on borrowed time, out on the rim, over the line. Always tempting fate like a game of chance. Never one to stick around to the very last dance. Sometimes I stumble and take a hard fall. Lose hold your grip off the wall.

Gabriella sighed as she packed her husband's lunch bag on a bright sunny Saturday. It was another weekend that he wouldn't get to spend with his family. They were short on men so he was working a double shift. She worried about him on double shifts. She worried about the lack of sleep, the missed meals, and the increased volume of calls. She worried about whether he would be safe or not. Somehow when he stood by the kitchen table that morning she knew he wouldn't set foot in the kitchen again. It was something about the way he kissed her as he got ready for work. Something about the way he held his son tight before he left and the way he snuggled his baby girls. He had a gleam in his eye that shimmered like a tear. It was almost as if he knew that he wouldn't set foot back in their house again; that he would never see his family again.

Troy heard the tones go off and ran towards the truck. He passed the lockers that held his stuff and had once held his best friend Chad's too. There was a vacant locker now, void since Chad's death. It had been cleared off his personal belongings but nobody could bare to replace it. Yet, sometime soon another fireman would put his belongings into the locker before he too ran for a truck. That is the way it works in a brotherhood. You never forget the ones fallen but you move on and pray your turn doesn't come soon.

Troy nodded to the driver as he held onto the back of the truck. Report was that there was a multiple alarm structure fire in a crowded apartment building. Report was that there were kids still inside. It pulled on Troy's heart and made everyone move just a bit quicker. In every child's face that Troy pulled from a burning building he saw his own child. He saw Ryland's face in every little boy. The cheerful chatter of a preschooler Addi's face flashed into his mind, and every time he heard the soft giggle of a baby he thought of Tori. It always made him move a bit faster as he pictured his own children trapped inside a burning building. He would give his life; do anything it takes, to give a child another shot at life. He would lay down his life in a heartbeat if a child could have one more chance to grow up and fulfill their dreams. That child could change the world, discover a cure for cancer or save the world, and that would make Troy's life worthwhile.

Shine your light, down on me, lift me up so I can see.

When they pulled up on the scene he could see the smoke pouring out of the building as the flames licked at the sides. He could hear the heartbreaking screams of a young mother whose babies were still inside. She was a short woman tiny, petite, and young. She didn't look much more than Gabi's age. She still looked as if she had a lot of life ahead of her. She needed her children, and he needed to get them out. He waited for the captain to give the go ahead and then rushed into the house with his buddy Randy to try and get the kids out. Other fireman blanketed the fire in water hoping to calm the fiery beast. He pushed up the stairs following the line of water and squinting to see through the black smoke. It was hard to breathe even with his air pack and his gear. He knew that he would not have much time to get them out. He looked both ways and continued to press up the stairs. He wasn't sure where the kids were but floor after floor he climbed praying the kids could hold on. Randy touched his arm and pointed to a bedroom with a door cracked open. Inside they could see black smoke crowded around a burning couch but the floor was covered in toys. Burning embers circled around them and they looked tentatively towards the roof before continuing to push on into the flames. He saw the small child in the corner of the room and hurried to soak a small blanket in water. Draping it over the child he picked him up and ran. He could see Randy doing the same thing beside him. Suddenly he heard a small whimper.

He turned to the next room over and saw two more little kids huddled together on the floor. A little boy held tight to his little sister's arm protecting her and sheltering her from the fallen embers. They had crawled to the door and were lying flat trying to get enough oxygen. He shoved the little boy into Randy's arms as he started towards the other kids. He could hear the roof crackling now and knew it wouldn't be long before it would go. Randy pulled on his shoulder and yelled, "Troy, leave them. We don't have enough time. Come on!"

Troy shook his head as he saw the kid's terrified faces. He could imagine his son's face looking like that. He could imagine his son huddled in the dark smoky hall of his home holding his baby sister. He could imagine his son seeing a firefighter emerging through the smoke and knowing that he was going to be okay, until the firefighter turned and left. Troy knew in his mind that the roof was going to collapse and that he needed to get out while he still could. But, he knew in his heart that he couldn't leave those kids here alone, to suffer and burn to death, and then go home and face his own children. If he walked out of here right now, without saving those kids, without giving them another chance to be kids, he wouldn't be able to live again from the guilt he would carry with him. In a split seconds decision he screamed, "No, go on. I will meet you down there," before he pushed Randy towards the stairs and sprinted into the bedroom.

His strong hands met the outstretched arms of the children as he picked them up and threw a blanket over them. He prayed they would keep breathing until he could get them outside to the ambulance. He dashed down the stairs and could hear the stairs crumbling. On the third floor he couldn't go any farther. Going down wasn't an option and he couldn't go back up. He raced towards the window where the department had a ladder set up. He recognized Eric on the ladder and yelled for him. Eric grabbed the kids and handed them down as the roof began to crumble.

At that moment Troy realized that it was too late. Eric reached out his hand and Troy didn't take it. If he were to take Eric's hand he would only drag him in with him, in to his death. The roof crumbled as well as Troy's body. The screams of a parking lot was heard around the block as the roof fell with firemen still inside.

Shine your light, but when you're gone. Give me the strength to carry on, to carry on.

Troy took one last deep breath as he lay on the floor of the burning building buried in the rubble. Speaking to no one in particular yet everyone he loved he whispered through cracked bloody lips and smoke filled lungs, "I'm sorry. I will miss you Gabbi. I love you Ry, your daddies little man. Addi, and Tori don't grow up to fast. If only you could be daddy's little girls forever. Emi, you help take care of my babies. Share with them your memories. Share them the laughter that you were raised in. Know that I love all of you and never wanted to leave." He took one last deep breath before the fiery inferno claimed him.

Gabriella stood in front of the grave that contained her husband. She remembered the horror she had felt when she realized that he wasn't coming back. She remembered the fear that had gripped her when she realized her worst nightmare had come true. She remembered the pain on her son's face and the tears in her baby girl's eyes when she interrupted their play to tell them that daddy wasn't coming home. She remembered holding Emi as she sobbed, fear gripping her as she came to the realization that her daddy and her Uncle Troy were dead, and soon her mommy would join them. She remembered the flag and the tribute. She remembered seeing the faces of the tiny four year old and two year old children that got another chance to be children, and to become somebody, because her husband sacrificed his life.

It was hard for her to think about that night, the night that claimed his life. It was hard for her to live in the house where so many great times had been shared. Sometimes she swore she could hear his voice talking on the scanner. She shivered when she heard a passing siren, or she saw another man or woman in uniform. What had once been so second nature, waving to a passing fire truck or watching them marching in the parades, now made her nauseous. It now served as a constant reminder that her husband was gone and he wasn't coming back.

I thought I saw him walking by the side of the road. Maybe trying to find his way home. He's here but not here. He's gone but not gone. I just hope he knows if I get lost. Oh! Shine your light down on me. Lift me up so I can see. Shine your light but when you're gone, give me the strength to carry on, carry on.

Gabriella sat down in front of his grave and ran a hand across the front of it touching the inscription, "Troy Bolton, loving son, husband, father, firefighter, and friend. You gave your life to help another. For that two young souls live."

Softly she said, "I miss you Troy. Sometimes I swear your still here. I keep expecting you to come home and hold me one last time. I don't know how to accept that you are gone. Four of your brothers lost their lives that day as well as you. I wish I could see you all one last time. I wish I could you hold once more. I wish we could go on another picnic and I could your smiling face as you laughed at your brothers. I know you did what you had to, I don't regret that for one minute. I just wish it could have turned out differently. I wish you didn't have to die. I wish that there had been a way to get you, Luke, Colby, Jesse, and Rich out. Randy and Eric told me what you did. They told me that you went after those kids knowing the risks and put their lives before yours. I wouldn't expect you to have done anything else. I know that you saw Ry, Addi, and Tori in every child you rescued. I know that you were a better man, a more caring father, because of the horror you'd seen. When I am sitting here I swear I can feel your arms around me. I can hear you whispering in my ear and for a split second it seems like it's all going to be okay. When I am sitting here beside you I can forget Ry's face at the funeral.

I know you heard him when he stood up in front of everybody and said, "My daddy is a fireman. He died helping a little boy and girl. Mommy says that daddy thought of me and sisters when he saved them. She said he wouldn't leave me, Addi, and Tori in a burning house so he couldn't leave them. Mommy said that cause of daddy they are going to grow up. Mommy said I will see daddy again one day, but not soon. Right now daddy is in Heaven. He is with Jesus. My daddy was brave. He loved me. He told me if he ever leaved me I won't be alone. I loved my daddy. I miss my daddy. My daddy is with Uncle Chad. Uncle Chad and daddy were friends in kindergarten and all the way through school. They played basketball together. They were at each other's weddings. Uncle Chad kept me when Addi was born, and kept me and Addi when Tori were born. Uncle Chad loved me, and daddy loved me. Mommy said that they were best friends and they always walked the streets together. I guess they walk the streets of Heaven now."

I know you're safe and that you will be fine. I know that I will too. You see Troy as much as I miss you I know that you will give me, the strength to carry on."

So, yet another story is finished. I believe this is the 5th one I have posted, but first for high school musical. Please please give me some feedback. I can't explain how hurtful it is to only get one review on a story I have worked so hard on. I want to know how it was, whether it is good or bad. I can't be a better writer if I don't get any advice. Thank you for taking the time to read it

Raineey