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Chapter 3

Dana just finished receiving an update from the local fire chief and her heart dropped into her stomach. She turned to look at the building and activated her radio. "Carter, you need to get out now! The fire chief said the building used to store fuel and some tanks are still inside. His crew is trying to keep the flames away from the tanks, but the fire's too hot."

"Just after I find the boy." he replied back to her. She knew better to argue with him and began to evacuate the spectators before the building blew. She could hear the building groan and tried to focus her attention on the civilians, not her friend running inside looking for a lost child.

"Fall back!" yelled the fire chief to his crew. Dana saw the firefighters shut off their hoses and begin to pull away from the fire. She knew they did their best.

Her brother was beside her when the area was finally cleared. If their faces weren't covered by the helmets she would have seen her brother's eyes widen in fear. He frantically radioed Carter. "Carter, get out! The place is going to blow any minute!" he yelled into the radio.

Dana went to ask how her brother knew when all of a sudden they were blown off their feet as the tanks exploded. She regained her senses just to see a flash of red out of the corner of her eye and then a splash. "Carter!" she screamed. She and Ryan ran to the docks. They both demorphed and Ryan pulled his jacket off and dove into the water, swimming as fast as he could to the location were the splash occurred.

Dana watched as Ryan dove underwater. Her fear mounted as she waited for him to surface. After what seemed like forever his head broke the surface gasping for air. Dread began to extinguish her hope when she saw her brother empty handed. He took a deep breath and dove back under. Dana sunk to her knees as she waited again, praying for two of the most important men in her life to be safe. Ryan's head broke the surface and this time he had an arm wrapped around Carter's chest holding him close.

Dana wanted to cry in relief. She then saw her brother tiring and quickly pulled her jacket and boots off. The water was frigid when she dove in. It took a few moments for her body to adjust to the temperature and she swam towards her brother as his head sunk under the water for a moment. "I got him." she said while wrapping an arm around Carter and held him against her body. Ryan nodded his thanks and swam slowly beside Dana towards the dock.

When they made it to the dock, Chad, Kelsey and Joel were standing at the edge. Kelsey helped Ryan out while Chad and Joel each grabbed Carter's arms and hauled him out of the water. Dana climbed out and rushed over to Carter's side. She saw blood running from a gash over his right eye. His face was pale and his lips were blue. She checked to see if he was breathing and was startled when he wasn't. She then felt for a pulse and her blood ran cold when it was absent. Her eyes grew wide and she looked up at her friends, "He's not breathing and there's no pulse!"

-:o:-PRLR-:o:-

Dana's eyes snapped open as the memories and emotions flooded her. She chocked back a sob and looked at Carter to see if he was awake. Fortunately for her, he was still asleep. She stood from the chair and stepped out of the room for some air. She sat on a chair in the hallway and buried her head in her hands trying to hide the fact that she was crying. She felt a hand on her shoulder and she raised her head to look in the eyes of her father. He was dressed in civilian clothes and had a pink duffel bag in his hand.

"I thought you could do with some extra clothes and some personal things." he said, she nodded her thanks. He placed the bag beside her chair and knelt to her eye level. His usually hard eyes softened. "My baby girl." he said and embraced her. Her arms wrapped around his neck and he began to rub her back in slow circles. "You don't have to be the tough one all the time. It's okay to cry." he whispered.

She couldn't hold the tears back any longer and cried into his shoulder. Capt. Mitchell held his little girl in his arms and would hold her until she finished. He was strangely content that she was crying. He couldn't recall a time she cried this hard since the death of her mother. He knew this was good for her and she would feel much better by the time she finished.

After a while, she pulled away slowly, wiping away the tears on her face. "Thanks dad."

"Hey that's what I'm here for." he said resting a hand on her knee. "So…" he continued. "How's Carter doing?" he said as he stood and looked in the room and watched Carter sleep.

Dana stood beside her father. "His breathing is getting better, but his ribs and chest are still sore and they're going to be tender for a while."

"That's good news." His face turned serious as he looked at his daughter. "Has he asked about the boy yet?"

Dana shook her head. "I don't know if he remembers looking for the boy. I've wanted to mention it to see if he does, but I can't bring myself to say it."

Capt. Mitchell returned his gaze to Carter. "Don't say anything unless he remembers and asks. He would be devastated if he found out."

"He's a firefighter, father. He's dealt with it before."

"Yes, but not when it's a child. This is the first for him."

Dana pinched the bridge of her nose. "Can't he get a break for once?" she asked out loud to no one in particular.

He crossed his arms across his chest. "That's why it's so important for him to not find out until he's fully recovered. I don't think he can handle the news in his current condition."

"You can count on me."

Mitchell smiled. "I know I can." He rested a hand on her shoulder. "How about I treat you to something to eat?" Dana smiled and they walked to the hospital cafeteria for some breakfast.

(TBC)