Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to HiT Entertainment. All OCs belong to me.

Chapter 13

Fireman Steele's POV

Why did I have to get summoned to Newtown today? I thought as I drove along the road towards Newtown. I know we need to discuss the investigation into the fire, but I wish they could've waited until after Boyce got back from his holiday. Oh well. At least I'll get to visit young Sam. I hope he is okay. If I get the opportunity, I need to have a little chat with him about what I saw in his bedroom…

When I arrived in Newtown, I drove to the fire station. Next door to it was the Newtown Fire Training Academy where I'd trained to become a fireman many years earlier. This was a very familiar stomping ground for me, so it didn't take me long to find the Chief Fire Officer's office. I knocked softly on the closed door.

"Come in."

I entered the office and saluted my boss.

"Take a seat, Fireman Steele," Chief Fire Officer Morgan invited. "I asked you to come here today to discuss the investigation into that horrible fire that occurred in Pontypandy the other night. I've received your statement, and so far, it collaborates with what the investigation team have uncovered."

"Do they any idea about how the fire started?"

"Not yet. They suspect it may have been an electrical fault, but they haven't found anything to confirm it. The fire destroyed pretty much everything in the first house, so I doubt they'll ever find the cause. I hope the family was insured."

"They were," I confirmed. "They're currently staying with some friends. When the insurance money comes through, they'll use it to purchase a new house. Their old one will have to be demolished, along with the neighbour's house."

"Well, I'm just glad the family has been taken care of. Now, I'd also like to inform you that I've decided to award you with a Medal of Outstanding Bravery. The way you rescued that poor boy was truly heroic."

I was stunned. "I… Thank you, sir, but I really don't deserve it. A man died in that fire. I was just lucky I was able to rescue young Sam in time."

"Yes, you were lucky, which is why I'm giving you this medal. You cannot refuse it, of course, even if you feel that you don't deserve it. In the eyes of your superiors, you do deserve it. I'll come to Pontypandy the day after tomorrow to present it to you. The press will be there too, so make sure everything is in order and looking ship-shape."

"Yes, sir."

"Do you know how the boy is?"

"His parents have informed me that he's recovering well. I'm going to see him for myself before I return to Pontypandy."

"Very good. You may leave now."

"Thank you, sir." I stood up and saluted him before I left the office. I exhaled deeply in the hallway. Then, I made my way back outside and over to my car.

About ten minutes later, I entered the hospital. The receptionist gave me the directions to the children's ward, and then after I'd identified who I was, a nurse kindly showed me into the room where Sam was recovering. I found him sitting up and playing a game of snap with the other boy in the room. He appeared to be perfectly fine aside from the fact that he was wearing an oxygen mask and he had an I.V. line in his arm. The laughter and friendly childish chatter stopped when the nurse and I entered the room.

"Sam? You have a visitor," the nurse said gently.

Upon seeing me, Sam's demeanour changed. He immediately dropped his gaze and I could see guilt written all over his face, despite the oxygen mask. I nodded slightly. That expression told me exactly what I needed to know.

Sam had started the fire in his room. I'd seen the pile of wood at the foot of his bed when I'd rescued him, and I knew it had been put there deliberately. He's just a child, I quickly reminded myself. He isn't responsible for his actions, so there's no point in mentioning it to the fire investigators. Nothing will happen to Sam regardless of what the investigators find, so it'll be cruel for me to put him through the pain of being questioned by the fire investigators. I hope he has learned a harsh lesson from this disaster though.

"Hello, Sam," I said kindly. "How are you feeling?"

Sam's POV

I glanced nervously up at Fireman Steele after he spoke. Granddad had said that he wouldn't say anything about my involvement in starting the fire, so I hoped that Fireman Steele didn't suspect me.

"Better," I replied quietly after I'd found my voice.

The nurse left us alone. Fireman Steele sat down in the chair beside my bed. "That's good. You're looking a lot better. Do you know when you'll be able to come home?"

"The doctor said it'll be a few more days. I don't want to stay here, but he said I'm still sick, and I have to stay, so I can get the medicine I need."

Fireman Steele nodded slightly. "Smoke inhalation does take a while to recover from. Don't worry. You'll be back home soon. I've brought you a little gift. I know you're probably a bit old for teddy bears, but since you were so brave, I felt that you deserved to have one as a reward." And he handed over a brown teddy bear dressed in a cute little fireman's outfit. I had to smile when I saw it, because it was very cute.

"Thank you, Fireman Steele," I said as I accepted the teddy bear from him. "I'm sorry you weren't able to save Mr Johnstone too."

"We'd have tried to save him if we'd known he was inside his house," Fireman Steele replied. "Sadly, we didn't. But that goes with the job. We can't always save everyone who needs help."

I fingered the teddy bear while I considered my next question. "Um, I was wondering… How did you become a fireman?"

"My grandfather was a fireman, but I wanted to go in the army, so I joined it when I became an adult."

"Did you fight in any wars?" Hamish asked. "I've learned all about the Second World War at school. Did you fight against that evil man, Hitler?"

Fireman Steele gave a bemused smile. "No. I was born the year the Second World War started, so I obviously missed out on fighting in that war. I did my army training, but I found it rather boring, so after five years I left to join the fire service."

"Did you consider joining the police?" I wondered.

"No, because it's not as exciting as being in the fire service."

I was surprised. "It isn't?"

Fireman Steele smiled again. "Most police officers spend their days inside, sitting at a desk. I wanted a job where I could get outside and help rescue people. Since I was born here in Newtown, I joined the fire academy here. After my basic training, I spent six months on probation here before I was transferred to Pontypandy. I've been there ever since."

My mind was filling up with questions now as an idea started to form. "Is Newtown the best place to learn to become a fireman?"

"No, Cardiff and London are the best places to go for the most up-to-date training, but I wanted to be close to home."

"What do you need to do to become a fireman?"

"Well, you need to be physically fit to start with, and you need to do quite well at school. You need to get good grades in maths, science and English. You also need to have lightning fast reflexes, and have the ability to adapt quickly. The best firemen are usually promoted to leading firemen and sub-officers, because they need to be able to problem solve whenever they're presented with a difficult situation. The ability to lead is very important too, so natural leaders tend to do well in the fire service. But you also need to be capable of following orders."

"And, do you just put out fires, or do you do other things as well?"

"Putting out fires is only a small part of the job. We also do search and rescue, which can be anything from searching for missing people to assisting with car crashes. Why are you asking me all these questions anyway?"

I dropped my gaze again. "Oh, I was just wondering, that's all. I always thought that being a fireman was a boring job."

Fireman Steele frowned thoughtfully. "No job is boring if you're passionate about it, Sam. And honestly, I could never see you becoming a policeman. You're too hyper for that kind of work."

I snapped my head up to make eye contact with Fireman Steele. "What do you mean?"

"Never mind. You'll understand when you're older. Anyway, I need to get going. Take care, and I'll see you again soon, all right?"

I nodded and Fireman Steele left.

"Who was that?" Hamish asked me.

"The fireman who saved my life."

…

Later that afternoon, a nurse had just administered some more medicine to me, when someone else arrived to see me. This time it was Mr Davies.

"Hello, Sam. I heard about the fire, so I thought I'd stop by and see how you were going."

I sat up. Since I'd just inhaled my medication, the nurse hadn't replaced my oxygen mask yet.

"I'm okay, sir."

Mr Davies smiled as he sat down on the chair beside my bed. "That's good. From what I heard, you have a very narrow escape."

"Everyone keeps saying that," I muttered.

"Sorry. Listen, I've been speaking with your parents about your schooling. They've agreed to let me visit you after school each day while you're here in hospital, so I can help you catch up on all the work you've missed. Basically, if we don't get you caught up, you won't be allowed to continue in grade five next term. We'll have to drop you back down to grade four, and I'm sure none of us wants to see that happen, do we?"

I shook my head. "Can I study during the day too?"

"Of course! Here. I've brought some work for you to try and get done before I return tomorrow after school. Just don't wear yourself out. If you find it's too much for you, just tell me. I understand that the doctor wants you to have as much rest as possible, so don't worry if you don't complete it all. Just do what you can, and we'll work on it at your own pace."

Hamish scoffed from his bed. Mr Davies and I glanced at him.

"Who's your friend, Sam?" Mr Davies asked.

"This is Hamish. He had his appendix removed last week," I explained.

"Hi Hamish," Mr Davies said. "I've never seen you before. Do you go to school here?"

"No, I'm from another town near here."

"Ah! That makes sense then." Mr Davies turned his attention back to me. "Now, let's go through the work I've set for you, just to make sure you understand it all."

"Okay," I happily agreed. After what Fireman Steele had told me that morning about getting good grades to become a fireman, I was more than ready to get back into my studies.