The firefighters weren't even really needed, once they arrived. We were standing outside, while the morning slowly dawned through the low hanging clouds. After a brief investigation, the Fire Marshal had found a frayed wire in the midst of the charred corner.
"Must've thrown sparks and caught on the rug. You're lucky you woke up, missy." He said, smiling at me. "If you hadn't-"
My dad elbowed the man before he could continue that line of thought. I rolled my eyes at him before having another heavy coughing fit. My parents hovered, their hands fluttering around me in a useless net of worry. With a wave, the Fire Marshal called a paramedic over, who quickly sat me down on the tailgate of the ambulance with an oxygen mask.
"You probably inhaled some smoke. It'll be okay." he added as my parents looked at me anxiously. "A bit of oxygen and she'll be right as rain."
"We should call Dr. Cullen." My mom said, pulling her phone out of the pocket of her robe, hitting the speed dial to his cell. I started to protest about the hour, but I started to heave in another coughing fit, silencing myself.
"Sorry for the early hour, Dr. Cullen... Yes, it's about Stella... There was a fire in the basement- Oh, she's fine, but she has this cough... The paramedics said she needed oxygen, but I'm afraid that this is exacerbating her asthma... It sounds like when she had the whopping cough. I'm just so worried... Oh, will you? Thank you!" She hung up the phone looking relieved. "Dr. Cullen is on his way."
"Mom." I said, exasperated. "You can't call him every time you think something's wrong with me." She just ignored me, thanking to the paramedic. I rolled my eyes again. The good doctor arrived a few minutes later, his sleek car sliding silently up the street. Against the upscale car, my old 1977 Ford Pinto Cruising Wagon looked even more pathetic.
"Hello." Dr. Cullen said, smiling brilliantly. Like always, I became a bit disoriented by his appearance. After all the pleasantries were exchanged, he went down to business. He asked the paramedic questions, poking and prodding me all the while. After he examined me fully, he stood up and smiled at me. "All seems to be fine to me. After school, if you still are having these coughing fits, I will gladly make another attempt at diagnostics."
I paled slightly as I thought about school. A glance at my watch showed that I was already ten minutes late, and that's not taking into account the six minutes it would take for me to cross town. I swore softly, causing my mother to scold me as I raced inside. I fleeting considered taking a shower, but I knew I wouldn't have time. I grabbed a dress out of my closet and hastily changed, pulled on a pair of leggings and twisted a scarf around my neck before racing up the stairs and grabbing my bag as I slid my shoes on.
"I'm late." I said, wheezing as I wrenched my car door open and flung my pack into the passenger seat.
"Wait!" my mother handed me a sheaf of paper filled with Dr. Cullen's neat scrawl. "You'll be excused for being late with this. Please be safe."
I waved goodbye as I started my car, which rattled to life beneath my expert hands. I hit the dashboard as I shifted into drive, a trick I had learned to make it shift easier. I bounced away down the street, heading across the town I had been born and raised in.