Michelle
The fire truck came to a screeching halt in front of the burning house. Everyone jumped off of the truck going their separate ways.
In a matter of seconds the hose was hooked up and everyone was in place.
Melinda spotted a little girl off to the side and rushed to her, "Do you know if anyone is in this house?"
The little girl nodded and coughed, "My sister."
"Where," Melinda said in a hurry.
"Second floor, first door on the left hurry please!"
She nodded and the girl disappeared before her eyes.
A car pulled up and a couple got out yelling, she seen the police go to them as she put on her helmet and ran inside.
The crew was on the bottom floor struggling against the flames, Melinda quickly moved around the fire to the staircase.
"Hey! Don't go up there, it is not stable!"
Melinda ignored them and rushed up the stairs.
"Melinda don't," She heard Jim call up after her, but she kept going.
She reached the top of the staircase and as soon as she stepped of the stairs her foot went through the floor.
"Melinda!"
"I am fine! Just get that fire down!"
She pulled her foot out and steadied herself as the floor started to shake.
"Get down from there, are you trying to kill yourself!"
All the men fell backwards as the fire grew, causing the stairs to collapse.
Melinda looked in shock and the captain came over their radios, "Get out of there she's about to blow!"
Jim quickly looked up at where she was standing but she wasn't there anymore, "Melinda!"
"Jim come on," Nick yelled grabbing his arm and pulling him out.
"Hello," she called out as she walked down the long hallway.
"In there," the little girl yelled pointing to the room.
Melinda heard a loud crash and quickly made her way into the room. Through the thick smoke she saw a crib. Stepping over the furniture she reached the crib.
Looking inside of the crib she saw the baby, grabbing the baby she put a blanket over her and the little girl appeared again.
"Hurry, get out!"
"How!"
"Uh… my mommy and daddy's room come on!"
The little girl opened the door and led her down the hall to the door on the end, "Hurry come on!"
Melinda kicked the door down and went to the terrace.
"I always climb down the house from here go, go, go!"
Melinda carefully held the baby as she held onto the side of the house climbing down. She jumped on the ground and ran towards the end of their back yard then BOOM!
Melinda fell down hovering over the baby. Breathing heavily she looked back at the house and looked at the roof cave in over the big blue house.
Looking back down at the baby she noticed she wasn't breathing.
"Help!"
"They can't hear you, they think your dead! They can't see you back here and until they put the fire out you can't get around in time to save my sister. Please try to save my sister!"
Melinda nodded and looked at the baby and positioned it to begin CPR. Within minutes the baby coughed and she took a deep breath and was finally able to laugh.
She picked up the baby and cradled it in her arms as tears of joy streamed down her face. She looked up to see the little girl smiling at her.
"Thank you so much! Um… do you think you can do me one more favor?"
****
The fire was out, finally. Jim leaned on the truck and took his helmet off. An hour ago they were all sitting around joking and now she is gone.
Nick stood by him, "Dude I am sorry."
Jim ran a hand through his hair and looked at him, "Why?"
"I saw the way you looked at her, you liked her we all seen it."
"Yeah, well so much for that," Frank said standing by them.
"This is why a woman shouldn't be in the fire department," Eric said sitting down.
"I resent that!"
They looked up seeing Melinda standing there with a baby in her hands.
"You… were…huh?"
Melinda laughed, "See what I told you, women can do what you do!"
The parents dunked under the tape and rushed to Melinda, "Oh thank you so much," the woman cried taking her baby.
The husband reached over and shook her hand, "Thank you sir."
The guys behind Melinda held their laughs. She took off her helmet and he quickly corrected himself.
"I am so sorry, thank you miss," He hugged her and she smiled, "Anytime."
She turned around and saw all of the guys smiling at her.
"What?"
"Our Melly," they teased, all grabbing her into a hug.
She laughed and when they finally let go of her the captain walked over.
"Great job Melinda, thank god you are okay though. You were trained very well obviously, your almost better than these men behind you."
She turned on her heels quickly and smiled, "Ha I am better than you! Even he thinks so!"
"I heard him say almost!"
She stuck her tongue out at Jim.
"Meanwhile Melinda, you need to have Jim clean your forehead for you."
Melinda touched her forehead and realized she was bleeding, "Oh, okay… but why Jim?"
"Because I am a paramedic too."
"Oh, well by all means, come and clean me up!" She grabbed his hand and pulled him to the ambulance, ignore the 'ooooo' from the team.
She sat in the ambulance while he opened a box and started cleaning her forehead.
"I have got to say, for a beginner you are not that bad."
"Well for a paramedic and a fireman your not that bad."
He smiled, "Well I have to have two jobs or you might be better than me, we cant have that now can we?"
She laughed, "Because that would be the end of the world!"
"See now you are starting to understand!"
They laughed and they were silent as he finished.
"There good as new, but you will have a few scratches on your forehead."
"Thank you," Melinda remembered the promise with the little girl when she spotted the parents.
"Um… if you would excuse me for a sec, I need to talk to them."
She stood up but stopped when he said her name, "What do you say to dinner later around 8?"
She smiled, "Are you asking me on a date?"
"Well it's not really a date; see… uh the rest of the team will be there too."
She nodded, "Sure!"
She walked away.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid" Jim said to himself.
Melinda walked over to the smiling parents holding their daughter.
"Hello, my name is Melinda I…"
They looked up and smiled, "We can not thank you enough for saving our daughter."
She smiled, "Don't worry about it… can I talk to you sir?"
"Sure," he followed her to somewhere private.
"What do you need?"
"Well, uh… your daughter… Michelle…"
"Oh she's at her friends' house, but wait how do you know…"
"She was in the house."
"That's impossible; the babysitter said she left to her friends."
"Well I am so sorry sir, but she… she died."
Tears filled his eyes, "That's not true, don't say that!"
"They cancelled their trip and she didn't tell the babysitter."
"That's not true! Here I will call her now!"
He quickly pulled out his cell phone and dialed Michelle's friends. Melinda watched in total and complete sadness as she watched his face fall. He ended the call and looked at her.
"How do you know this?"
"I… um… I can see ghost."
"Oh, you can see ghost?"
"Yes."
"Your absolutely crazy, just stay away from me!"
"She told me to give this to you!"
He turned around and gasped as he saw her pull out a small box out of her pocket.
"How did you get this?"
"She told me where to find this and to give it to you. She wants you to take care of it and keep it forever."
"That was in our…"
"Super Duper secret hiding spot."
He quickly looked at her, "How did you…"
"She told me."
"Oh my god you're not lying, so that means that… that… oh no."
Daddy please don't be sad. I love you, I don't want you to cry.
"She is here, and she doesn't want you to be upset."
"Michelle?"
Daddy, I want you to give that to goober when she gets older please?
"What is she saying?"
"That she wants you to give the box to goober when she is older?"
"Goober… it really is her. She always calls her little sister goober…" He broke down in Melinda's arms crying.
Melinda held him with tears blurring her eyesight.
"How am I going to tell my wife?"
Melinda looked up at the woman standing, smiling and playing with the baby in her arms.
"What a fire," Melinda thought.
Thanx for all the reviews I luv'd them! I hope you liked the new chapter. REVIEW PLEASE!!!!!
**~DQ~**