Disclaimer: Backdraft is not mine. It belongs to Universal and Ron Howard.
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Helen McCaffrey stood at the window of her suburban Chicago home and watched the last of the cars drive away.
The one thing that she had been most afraid of when she'd married Stephen had come to pass. He had died as he had fought a fire and as alone as she had sometimes felt when they'd been together, now she really was.
She'd loved Stephen with all of her heart and not even a legal separation that she had initiated could have changed that.
Before they were even married, she knew how much he loved being a firefighter and it was the one thing that had made her hesitate when he had proposed. She didn't know if she wanted to go through her married life with the daily fear that she might become a widow. But she had accepted his proposal because she loved him and wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of her life with him. How long or short it would be she didn't allow herself to think about it.
After Sean had come along, she didn't have as much time to worry because she had a newborn to take care of. Stephen adored him and he had been a wonderful father. It surprised Helen at first that he helped her as much as he did, but it filled her heart with such gladness that he was so attentive.
But somewhere along the line, she never did figure out exactly when or why, Stephen started to take chances. He knew the risks of not being properly outfitted for going into a fire, but he had begun to ignore them.
She had had more than one conversation with John Adcox, Axe as he was known to the Fighting 17th, about what Stephen was doing. Or rather what he was not.
But John was gone now too. He had died in that same fire that had taken Stephen.
She sighed as she turned around and looked at her living room. It was littered with empty plates and half empty coffee cups from friends and family who had come back to the house after the funeral. She had sent Sean home with her parents because she needed some time to herself and he needed the distraction. He hadn't said much after she'd received a phone call from Stephen's brother Brian and she had gone to the hospital. He had told her that the paramedics revived him once after his heart had stopped in the ambulance and had gotten him to the hospital.
She remembered how she had called her parents to come stay with Sean. She didn't know what kind of shape Stephen would be in and she didn't want their son to see him.
When she had arrived at the emergency room of the Edgewater Medical Center, she saw the men from the 17th all there. They waited in groups and sipped on coffee, frowns on all of their faces. She felt a chill come over her because she knew it wasn't good.
Brian had met her at the nurse's station and took her hands. "It's not good Helen."
"Was he burned badly?" She could barely get out a whisper.
A tear had rolled down his cheek. "He wasn't burned. A catwalk he was on gave way and he landed on a piece of broken railing below him."
"Is it really bad?" She had taken a deep breath as she felt the tears gather.
"You should go see him." Was all he had told her and deep down she knew it would probably be the last time she would have the chance. He took her hand and walked her down to the room where Stephen was.
She looked up at him. "Is he in pain?"
Brian shook his head. "He's pretty doped up so he's not feeling much of anything." And he had let go of her hand.
Helen stepped into the small room and saw Stephen flat on his back and his eyes were closed. He had been hooked up to all sorts of machinery and she could see a monitor that showed his heart and pulse rate.
She walked over to the bed and took his hand. "Stephen, its Helen. Please open your eyes." She said quietly.
She glanced up at the monitor because the beep that indicated his heart rate accelerated; he knew she was there.
"Stephen, please." She pleaded with him.
It seemed to take a super human effort and Helen knew that the morphine must have been strong, but he eventually opened his eyes. The look in them was one of love and happiness that she was there. "It must be pretty bad if you're here."
"I seem to remember a scene like this after I'd had Sean and I was the one here."
"I was never so scared in my life." Stephen remembered, his voice husky. "I thought I was going to lose you."
Helen nodded. "I know. But I was never worried about Sean because I knew you'd take good care of him."
"Dad did it with us." He said matter of factly.
"Yes he did."
Tears began to roll out of the corners of his eyes. "I really miss him."
"I know you do Stephen." She said and sat down on the edge of the bed next to him, his hand still in hers.
"I don't want to do that to Sean. I don't want to leave him."
He knew he was dying. Helen realized that and she couldn't stop the tears that finally came. "Then don't. You love being Sean's father."
"I love you too Helen, but I'm so tired." He sighed.
She had run out of time. With his hand in hers she leaned over so he would be sure to hear her. "I love you Stephen, I always have."
He squeezed her hand. "I'm sorry for putting you through all that bullshit."
"I know you are and it's all right."
He took a deep breath and sighed again. "Tell Sean that I love him and that I didn't want to leave him or you."
"I'll tell him." She promised before she leaned over and kissed him.
She didn't know where he found the strength to kiss her back and she suddenly had this overwhelming urge to curl up next to him.
He had seemed to read her thoughts and when she'd broken the kiss asked her to stay. "I've really missed you."
"I've missed you too." She admitted and as carefully as she could, curled up next to him on the bed.
She was brought up short from her reverie by a knock on the front door. She walked over to answer it and Brian was there, still in his dress uniform. "I'm sorry I had to leave, but I had a job to do for the Department."
"Being a firefighter is in your blood Brian, just like your brother." She smiled and invited him inside.
