A/n: yeah, uhh, I expect hate mail at the end of THIS chapter too...
Chapter Eleven
All around Joe was controlled chaos. Charlie was barking out orders between getting on the radio and requesting more stations be called in for Mutual Assist. Gloria let Bruce have 30 seconds to freak out over the knowledge that Mitch was also out there, and then yelled at him until he pulled himself together and began to help her load up the rig. Joe wished he was so lucky as to have something to focus on, and he was terrified that he would not be allowed to go with the frantic firefighters. He tried to stay out of the way, knowing that they needed no distractions, but at the same time desperately wanted to be noticed. He stood plastered against a wall, watching everyone around him move with purpose and speed. He was rapidly approaching panic, when a strong hand suddenly clamped him on the forearm. He looked up, and automatically grabbed the object Charlie was thrusting in his face without really noting what it was. "You can ride with me in the command vehicle." Charlie said tersely. The item turned out to be a turnout coat identical to the one Charlie and most of the others were already wearing. Joe slipped the deceptively heavy article on and followed the Chief to his SUV.
Joe tore open the passenger side door and quickly slipped in, buckling up even as Charlie was putting the SUV in gear and pulling out ahead of the 2 firetrucks and the smaller rig that Gloria was driving with Bruce next to her. The drive was tense and silent, Joe afraid to say a word and terrified at what he would find when they got there. As they pulled up to about the same place Mitch and Frank had been dropped off earlier, Charlie turned to Joe. "Can I count on your help? I know you aren't trained properly, but every little bit helps. Just stay out of the way unless I call you, Okay?"
Joe nodded. "Thanks for letting me come along. And I'll help in any way I can." He was still very worried about his brother and Mitch, but had managed to reign in his emotions enough to appear calm, cool and collected. He was anything but, but was not going to give in to the fear. They got out of the SUV, and immediately Charlie was barking out orders. Gloria came over and asked Joe for help in setting up a triage area. He agreed and hurried over to the clearing where Bruce was dumping equipment. "Hang in there, Bud. Frank knows what he is doing and wouldn't let Mitch be put in any danger of he could help it." he said, more to reassure himself than to offer Bruce any comfort. Bruce nodded, face grim but determined. Joe knew he was channeling his prior experience with the Marines right now. With a quick pat on the back, he followed Gloria to the rig where he was promptly laden down with various assorted pieces of gear.
He staggered under the weight and general unwieldiness but followed Gloria and dumped each item as she pointed to a spot. He soon noticed there were an awful lot of oxygen tanks he was being told to schlep from the rig to the staging area. And then he realized something. "Hey, Umm, Gloria?" he asked hesitantly. "I don't want to sound snarky or anything, but I sort of noticed a distinct lack of fire hydrants in the vicinity. How do you guys expect to put out the fire?!"
Gloria smiled, but it was a grim one that lasted about half a second. "We aren't going to put it out. We are going to try and contain it. Luckily there is almost no wind so we are at little risk of it spreading too fast or jumping lines." She straightened up from the crouch she had been in and took a short break. "Charlie will call in an air drop of fire suppressant. In the meantime, see all those shovels? The rest of us will start digging trenches to separate the fire from fuel. If it can't feed, it will die out on its' own. But we have to gauge how wide to dig the trenches, and make our best guess on wind patterns. And before you ask, as soon as we have a safe passage, yes, Bruce and I will go head toward the sawmill and look for survivors. And yes, you can come along, if for no other reason than so I won't have to carry the heavy stuff." she smiled again, this time a bit more sympathetic. Joe smiled back,if a little ironically.
It wasn't too long before the tell tale sound of a helicopter's rotors filled the air. Charlie waved Joe over and pointed up. "This is the first drop. Then he'll make a pass to assess, maybe decide to drop another load and at that point we should be able to make some progress. I already have other squads digging trenches on the other side of the fire. You stick close to me until I give the go ahead for the rescue team to go in." Joe bit back his immediate reaction; he wanted to get going right that minute and really didn't care about his personal safety. Charlie noticed his unease and gently placed a hand on Joe's shoulder. "I know you want to get in there, but trust me when I say the delay is necessary."
"I am not afraid of getting wet." Joe said with a tinge of desperation in his tone.
"That's not water." Charlie said as the helicopter above them let loose it's cargo. "Its fire retardant. Sucks the oxygen right out of the atmosphere." Joe blanched and gulped nervously.
"Oh." was all he said, looking a little paler. To his credit, Charlie didn't laugh or make Joe feel any more stupid than he did, but just then his radio squawked; it was the Pilot. Charlie stepped away, and Joe gave him the room. He returned to the staging area, where Gloria had her arm around Bruce. It was slightly comical, Bruce was very broad across the shoulders, and the only reason she reached that far high was because both were crouching. He joined them in their crouch, positioning himself slightly centered on both of them. "So what now?" he asked to no one in particular.
"We wait until Charlie gives the all clear, then the three of us go do our thing." Bruce was much calmer now, in professional mode. Joe could still see the worry in his eyes, and the slight wrinkles around them only emphasized what they were both feeling at the moment. Somehow, it was almost easier to have another person share the worry about a loved one. Maybe that was why he seldom really freaked out when Frank was around. ( not counting Hall's kidnapping, that is)
It was only a few minutes later when Charlie strode over to the waiting EMTs and PI. "We lucked out. This lack of wind has kept the fire pretty contained and the fact that the immediate area didn't have a whole lotta combustibles means it took one dump. You're cleared to go. But grab 'n go. No lingering. I am going to err on the side of caution and have another dump." he paused. "Take a couple of the guys with you." with a curt nod, he walked back over to his command center and continued to bark out orders in person and over the radio. Joe and Bruce wasted no time and immediately jumped to their feet, while Gloria hastened over to the small knot of firefighters waiting for instruction and randomly pointed to a pair. Within minutes everyone was laden down with firefighting or rescue equipment, even Joe. Bruce took the lead, although Joe kept pace.
"Wanna know something funny?" Bruce half whispered as they made their way through the forest. " I am so not used to being in front. For some crazy reason Jarheads like their Doc in the middle of the pack where it's 'safe'." His somewhat sour grin and sarcastic tone of voice got an ironic chuckle out of Joe. No one wasted any more energy talking, the air was still acrid with smoke and ash and before too long Joe was wishing he could be the first to admit defeat and take a deep breath from the oxygen tank that was resting along his back. But he was not about to show that weakness in front of the others, thinking they'd insist he return to the safe zone; that was not something he was prepared to do. He was going to find his brother. No matter what his condition was when he did.
The trees had begun to thin out ever so slightly and the smell of burnt wood began to mix with another, more metallic smell. Joe and Bruce each looked at one another quizzically, they knew something was different, and vaguely familiar, but were unable to place it. They were still staring at one another when suddenly Gloria stuck an arm between them. "Look!" she cried, a bit excitedly. They turned in unison and hearts leapt at the sight. Mitch was stumbling toward them, trying to yell but the smoke kept him coughing instead. Bruce left everyone behind as he raced towards his husband and was barely able to refrain from giving the man a bear hug and kiss. Instead he grabbed him by the upper arms and gently eased him down, then immediately placed the mask full of crisp, pure O2 over his face, telling him gently to take slow, deep breaths. He held up his hand as the others reached the duo, indicating questions could wait for ten seconds. Joe waited impatiently, shifting from one foot to the other nervously. Mitch only took a few deep breaths before shoving the mask away and speaking. "The sawmill exploded with both of them still inside!"
Even as Joe's heart sank at the news, he picked up on the 'both' reference. "Both of them?! Both of who?!" he demanded.
"Melody." was all Mitch said before replacing the mask and inhaling deeply. Joe gave a grunt of disgust mixed with rage and incredulity. He should have known that she'd pull a stunt like that. After all, he would have done the same were he in her shoes. He crouched down in front of Mitch, showing a distinct un Joe-like restraint as he waited for Mitch to resume speaking. "Frank said to wait an hour, no more, and then run for help if they weren't back. But it went up after about 45 minutes." He shut his eyes, taking another slow breath before continuing. "No idea how long I was out, but as soon as I came to I headed over to the site. Frank's trapped, but he was at least conscious. He yelled at me, made me leave him, check on Melody." He looked straight into Bruce's eyes then and shook his head. No one needed a translation. "So I went back and tried to move the debris but it was too heavy. Frank told me to get help. So here I am. Getting help." He smiled wanly and coughed again.
Joe, meanwhile had closed his eyes in partial relief at the news his brother was awake and coherent enough to make demands. The knowledge that he was trapped didn't allay all his fears though. He did, however, lean down and squeezed Bruce's shoulder in tacit sympathy. He may not have liked the woman, but she was still Bruce's cousin. Bruce gripped the hand in silent acknowledgment before standing up, squaring his shoulders and asking Gloria to stay with Mitch while the rest of them got Frank and his cousin. The two firemen, who up to this point had been pretty much silent, took the lead and headed to the approximate area where Mitch had said Frank was stuck, Bruce and Joe close behind.
It was a short walk, and as they approached the wreckage of the sawmill, Joe suppressed a shudder at the devastation. He gave up any semblance of self control at that point and screamed for his brother. "Frank!" he was rewarded with a weak hand waving through a pile of debris. Joe ran straight there, leaving the other three in the dust. He skidded to a halt and fell to his knees, gripping the grubby hand tightly. He could barely see the rest of his brother but was able to tell his brother was awake. "You okay?!" he gasped.
"Not really, no." Frank was never one for the over the top dramatics that Joe was so famous for, but rather usually tended to downplay things. The worse he was hurt, the more he insisted he was fine. Which meant that he was in very bad shape right now, if he actually admitted he was in pain. Joe had to suppress another rush of panic and was distracted by the arrival of the rest of the guys.
"Joe, do me a favor. Go help Jake get Mel. I just..I just can't do it." Bruce pleaded. Frank squeezed his brother's hand, hard, and nodded, so Joe reluctantly got up and follwoed the other firefighter, who was already setting up the litter.
"Sorry, Man." Frank wheezed. "She just showed up. I shoulda hog tied her like I threatened."
"Wouldn't have worked. She can..she could get out of them easy. Not that I have any first hand experience or anything." He and Brian, the fourth firefighter, were busy grunting and staring to lift the heavy sections of the wall that had pinned the elder brother. " 'sides" he ground out. "I was getting Joe out of the way. Dead bodies don't bother me. Not even family." He heaved the final piece off and squatted down to take a quick look, sucking air through his teeth as he beheld the extensive burns on Frank's limbs. "These hurt much?"
"Like you would not believe." Frank tried to make a joke out of it.
"Good."
"Unless you brought a nice big bag of morphine along, how is that good?!" Frank was incredulous.
"Means the nerves are still alive and intact. If these were 3rd degree burns, you'd be feeling nothing..and that is very bad. Very bad indeed." Bruce smiled, softening the news. "We can't linger, Charlie is having another dump of fire suppressant. So this is gonna give you a taste of what Joe felt like when we dragged his sorry ass outta here."
"Not likely. I have no intention of dropping my brother." Joe was back, having laid the covered stretcher on the ground next to Frank's. The smirk was strained; Melody had taken the full force of the explosion and it was not a pretty sight. Even the other Firefighter looked a bit green. Bruce, Frank and Joe shared a short but bitter laugh, causing the other two to look on uncomprehendingly.
Bruce and Joe picked up Frank, while the other two took the remaining stretcher. By the time they had gotten back to where Mitch and Gloria were, Frank was unconscious and having a very hard time breathing, so Gloria ended up walking beside him squeezing air into his lungs every few beats. They made it to the Triage area, where several ambulances were already waiting. Bruce climbed into the back with Frank ( and Joe of course) and Mitch said he was fine in the front seat with the driver. Gloria lingered a bit, smoothing Frank's hair out of his face before stepping out of the way and wishing them luck.
There was a little confusion when they pulled to a stop and upon opening the back doors, seeing there were not at the emergency room of the Fairview Hospital, which was only a few miles from Calverton. Even more shocking was Jack Wayne's presence with his helicopter. "What the hell?!" Joe and Bruce each looked shocked.
"Fairview doesn't have a burn unit. Bayport does. Somebody called for a pickup, so here I am. Although I am surprised it isn't for you, Joe!" Jack laughed.
Joe shook his head. "It's Frank." Jack immediately sobered up and hastened to apologize.
"Don't worry about it. I'd have lay odds it was me, too!" he reassured the old family friend. In short order, Frank was tied down, although now it was Joe who was 'breathing' for him. Bruce was busy taking vitals and trying to start an IV, but was failing miserably on both arms.
"Oh my gawd." Joe had finally gotten a close up look that lasted more than half a second. Both of Frank's arms were covered in burns, one side more so than the other, indicating he had had enough time to throw them up in front of his face, which was nearly untouched. One leg looked broken, and there were burns on them as well, although not nearly as extensive or angry looking as the arms. Bruce took the time to lay a reassuring hand on Joe's arm, before giving up the attempt and sticking the needle into a blemish free spot on his thigh.
"He's had a lot of smoke inhalation, and don't be surprised if they Trach or intubate him at the hospital. He'll need the help to breathe. It looks worse than it is, really, Joe. Second degree burns means he stands a very good chance of getting all or most of his mobility back. The nerves are still intact."
"But... the scars?" Joe's voice held a note of pity for his brother.
"That can't be avoided. But skin grafts can help. But unless he gets a massive infection, he will live, Joe. Have faith in that." Bruce tried to calm the younger brother down.
Dr Meadows, the doctor from the Burn unit who had treated Joe a long time ago when he had been severely whipped, met them on the roof of the hospital. There was not enough room in the elevator for everyone, so Bruce and Joe took the stairs. Joe immediately went outside on the small patio where the smokers hung out and dialed first his parents, then his fiancee. They were there in record time; Frank was still being treated and no one had come out to bring them up to speed yet. Laura reluctantly let go of her youngest so that Halloran could take her place. Fenton, while still mightily worried, tried to be professional. "Any idea of what happened?" he asked.
"If I had to make a guess, I'd say Meth lab explosion, but you'd have to confirm with Frank." Joe shrugged, arms tight around Hall. "Just a gut feeling based on the blast pattern plus a few other things. Maybe we should call Special Agent Connely. I bet that case he used as an excuse to pass this off on us is related." the words were bitter, and he was kicking himself for being so insistent that they finish what they started.
Halloran punched him the shoulder, hard. "Don't you start with the self recrimination Joseph Aaron Hardy. I will not stand for it. And Frank will kick your butt when he finds out. So quit it. Now." Her eyes were red, she had been crying as she had been told about Melody and of course was worried about her future brother in law. But she was not about to sit around and watch the man she loved castigate himself unnecessarily.
The next couple of hours passed by quietly, with the occasional ring of a cell phone to interrupt the silence. Laura was dozing, Fenton sitting with his eyes closed and legs stretched out in front and everyone else in various acts of nervousness. Bruce had called Melody's parents and was talking to them in a broken voice out on the patio. Joe was pacing, as per usual and Halloran was trying vainly to get him to sit down and take it easy. Chet had stopped by with a few sandwiches from Subway and Phil and Biff had each called asking for updates. Finally, though, the great big double doors swung open and Dr. Meadows walked out. Fenton nudged Laura, who instantly came awake and stood up, going straight to the doctor. "How is he?!" she demanded tremulously.
A/n: All you Melody haters can rejoice. I toyed with the idea of her surviving too but being much worse off and having to suppress her antagonism long enough to beg forgiveness from Hall and make peace before succumbing to her injuries but then I decided.. nahhh. It's much more fun to have Frank beat himself up over letting her tag along against his better judgement and being granted absolution from Bruce ( mostly because of Frank's insistence that Mitch stay outta the line of fire) As for how bad Frank is, well you'll just have to wait and see bwhahahahahahah