Chapter 36 – Clearing the air

The medic finished putting plasters on my scraped knees while Martin flapped about in the background bombarding her with questions. "Have you checked her oxygen levels a second time? What did the spirometer readings show? Is her blood pressure back to normal?"

The medic cocked her blonde head at me and asked me, "Is he always like this?"

Martin went on. "You can see she's… uhm, expecting a baby, so don't dilly dally any further!" His face was still smoke smudged despite the rough scrub up one of the other medics gave him.

"Martin, I am quite alright." I winced as I shifted a scraped leg sending a twinge up my leg.

"Then why are you crying?" he replied. He then crouched down to inspect the bandaging on my knee from the rough pavement. "Humph. All the same, we ought to go to hospital for ultrasound scan."

The medic glowered at him. "The miss appears to me to be fine. A trifle smudged but looking good," the medic glowered at him. "You… however, I heard you coughing again. So you're next."

Martin straightened and tried to clear his throat furtively. "No. I'm fine."

"I'm crying from the smoke," I said to him then got out of the way and guided him to the bench in the ambulance. "You're next. Sit. Stay."

The medic took that as a cue to start an exam on Martin. I wrapped a blanket about myself more firmly for the evening air had gone cold and not helped by the spray from the fire hoses. The medic started the same drill she'd put me through and I watched for a few moments.

"Lousier?" said a well-known Cornish voice so I turned to see Joe Penhale peering at me from outside. "I heard the call on the radio. Fire and rescue needed! ASAP! So I got here right after the second fire apparatus got on scene." It was amusing to hear Joe launch into his puffed up form of police-ese. "I'd have been here sooner, but I was… out… on patrol."

"Hello Joe." I asked him the question I feared to. "Did everyone get out?"

Joe nodded. "Affirmative." He cast a huge smile at Martin. "Not the least of which was due to this big fella." He reached into the van to lightly punch Martin on the shoulder. "Our Doc saved the day I hear. Half of the dynamic duo!"

"Oh God," Martin groaned. "Go away."

"Shhh!" retorted the medic who had her stethoscope in use. "I'm workin' here! Git!"

Joe drew me away from the van a few steps. "No, I mean it, Louiser. They took the Vicar to hospital."

"Yeah." I rubbed my arms. "Horrible. Bit frightening."

Joe got a sad look then put his arms around me. "Don't you worry, Louiser. You're safe now."

"Ahm, thanks Joe," I said as he crushed me tightly, but he let me go after a second.

"Sorry," he glanced down at my belly. "Touch for luck."

I sighed. "Yeah." There was this thing about touching pregnant women's stomachs. Weird.

Joe smiled. "I was talking to that young fella," he pointed at the young waiter's assistant who was being interviewed by the Fire Commander. "He alerted everybody and called 9-9-9."

"His name is Douglas. Excuse me, Joe." I walked over to Douglas and the boy smiled when he saw me. "Thank you," I said to him at a break in the question-and-answer between the boy and the fireman.

The fireman nodded to me. "Ma'am. Fire Commander Spenser. Just doin' a report. This lad recognized there was a fire in the ventilation system. In these old buildings sometimes the builders can take a short cut; don't always make the ducting proper."

The boy nodded. "There was flame shooting from the ducting that went past the vent hood over the stove. The chef had been complaining about all the dirt up in there. The owner didn't want to shut down for a half day to clean it." He pointed to the white-shirted chef who was being given oxygen from the back of another ambulance. "He saw the flame first up in the hood. But he ran."

The man nodded grimly. "Probably burning for some time." He went back to his forms. "Now when was this?"

"Excuse me," I butted in. "One thing," I addressed Douglas, "you helped Martin, that is my…" What was Martin? My boyfriend? Fiancé? "My friend pull the Vicar out."

"Oh yeah. After I yelled fire, I went back to kichen and pulled the fire bottle over the stove. All the customers and workers were out the door or nearly. Then was I lookin' to see if anybody else was in there. I couldn't see much, too much smoke, in the dining area and there was the old gent just layin' there.."

"The Vicar?"

"Yep. I guess. White collar. Anyway he'd sorta' slumped out of his chair. I tried to get him up." He grinned. "But he was too heavy. Then your friend came over and got him off the floor. I helped too then we came out through that busted window." He pointed to where the window used to be in the gaping hole in the front of the building.

Burned timbers still blew dark smoke. "Right 'bout there." The hole in the wall went from floor up to the third floor. The kid sighed. "I suppose I need a new job now."

I patted his arm. "Oh one will turn up." I kissed his cheek and he blushed. "Thank you for saving me and my baby. And my… friend Martin."

The Fire Commander nodded. "Good lad! All it takes is one to do something, like your friend, or we'd have had fatalities. Luckily everyone escaped." His pen was poised over his clipboard. "Now, can you tell me his full name?"

The medic eventually lost her argument with Martin. She wanted him to go to Truro Hospital to get checked out. He just told her no. So after Joe's jeep was moved Martin could retrieve his car.

Martin sagged back against the seat as we drove away. "Sorry about dinner," he muttered. He gingerly held the wheel with his fingertips trying not to touch anything for his hands were dirty. Oh how he hated filth.

"Oh," I sighed, "one of those things." I reached across the seat to touch his elbow, which he did not shrug off.

"Those idiots nearly killed us! Grease filled vents, blocked fire exits…" he grumbled. "They belong in gaol!"

"The Vicar?"

Martin glanced at me and grimaced. "He likely suffered at least a TIA; transient ischemic attack."

"What's that?"

"A partial stroke. Then I fear he may have inhaled quite a lot of smoke, and a cardiac event as well, that was what demanded CPR."

I shook my head. "Ah." Still my eyes ran tears.

"Louisa when we return home I can lavage your eyes with saline solution. Smoke is both a bronchial and visual irritant."

I bit my lip and cradled my belly tightly. "Martin…"

"Anything wrong?"

I sighed. "Stop the car."

"What? Why? We'll be home in twenty minutes. Feel any twinges? Pains? Shall I …"

"Martin…" I said through gritted teeth, "STOP the bloody car!"

So he ducked his head and at the next turnout pulled to the side. After the car came to a halt he put it in Park. "I've stopped."

I turned towards him, took a deep breath and said what I needed to say.