Author's Note: I have been working on this new story for a bit and am really enjoying it. I started it before the conversation between Carlos and TK about having kids, so I don't know if I will include that or not. I also have Gabriel in future chapters and I think I will keep him as I have not yet processed his senseless death. Hope you enjoy!
The billowing smoke of the old mill could be seen from halfway across the city. Carlos exited his patrol car and took in the scene. It was unusually hot for an April day in Austin, made hotter by the proximity to the fire. The sky glowed a muted orange color, a mixture of the Texas sun shrouded in a veil of smoke. The presence of the 126 caught his attention first, but he registered other stations as well. He started walking the perimeter that had been set. Previous calls to this address gave him familiarity that his colleagues might not have. This was a frequent homeless camp, particularly liked by kids who would scamper in all directions whenever he arrived.
A ragtag group of young vagrants lingered among the various onlookers. His eagle eyes surveyed the crowd ready to intervene should anyone, civilian or official, need his assistance, when he heard the call come from his four o'clock. "Reyes! A little help here?" He turned to see Mateo attempting to run at full speed while encumbered in his full turnout gear. Carlos joined the run and overcame him in no time, determining the object of their chase was a skinny teenage girl racing toward the burning building. Carlos overtook her as well, right before she entered an open door. His shouts for her to stop ignored, he lifted her with ease and, turning, placed her on her feet, both hands on her arms as she fought against him.
"Let me go!" she yelled, trying to maneuver around him.
"Stop fighting," he said.
Mateo caught up to them. "You got this, Reyes?" he asked. "I got to get back."
"Yeah, we're good.," he said, effortlessly handling the teen who continued to fight him.
Mateo spoke into his radio and left the girl with the officer.
"We are not good. I need to get in there. My stuff is in there!"
Grateful that she had stopped trying to move past him, Carlos removed his hands from her. "Yeah? Well, in case you haven't noticed, the building's on fire. You know anything about that?" He tried leading her away from the mill as he spoke, but she stayed rooted.
"Are you seriously asking me if I started this fire? Don't you think I would have gotten my stuff out of there first?"
"I didn't ask if you started it. I asked if you knew anything about it." He reached for her elbow but she tugged away from it. Her determined expression was almost comical, but he would never laugh at someone so distraught.
"Yeah, well, same answer." She started walking towards an open bay when they heard a small explosion from the opposite side of the building. She startled and his hand found her arm again. "Let go of me!" she said, squirming from him.
His grip tightened. "We need to move back." This time he did not stop moving, did not hesitate a bit, and ignored her protests, as he managed to pull her towards his squad car. "What's your name?" he asked when they reached his destination.
She glared in response.
"Ok," he said, "Chica it is. How old are you, Chica?"
She jutted her chin at him. "Eighteen."
He scoffed. She appeared to be about twelve. "I don't think so. What are you doing here anyways? Why are your things in there?"
"You know," she said, tugging at the arm locked in his grip, "I don't have to answer any of your questions. I know my rights."
He enjoyed her spunk. "Ok, Chica, you're right." He reached around her to open the back door of his car. "Why don't you sit in here for a bit. Think about your rights."
She dug in her heels. "What? No! You can't do that."
Officer Reyes smirked at her. "I can. I can cuff you too, if you'd like. Watch your head." He placed a hand on her head and put her in the car.
Carlos leaned against his squad car, arms crossed over his bulky chest, watching the final clean up of the mill fire. Most companies had returned to their stations; the 126 remained. The girl sat, cooling off, in the back of the car. He heard her cough a couple of times, turned to see she was not faking it, and moved to the trunk of the vehicle to retrieve a water bottle.
"Here, drink this," he said after unscrewing the cap and opening the door.
She took the bottle, but continued coughing as she struggled to breathe.
"Chica," he said. She tried to swallow the water but choked on it instead. When he saw the panic in her watery eyes, he pulled her from the vehicle to the ground, bracing her against his crouched knee, and radioed for help. "Officer Reyes, 363H-20, requesting immediate medical assistance on the Charlie side of the Ferguson Mill fire."
"Copy, 363H-20. Medical's on the way."
The ambulance from the 126 had been standing by in case needed, but no one required more assistance than an occasional bottle of water. All three members of the crew approached Carlos who was holding the hand of the young girl, leaning against him and still coughing. Tommie asked, "TK, ABCs. Nancy, grab some oxygen. What happened here, Officer Reyes?"
"Mateo found her earlier. She was trying to run into the building. She kept fighting with me, so I put her in the back of my car. She started coughing and having trouble breathing, so I called you guys."
"Was she in the building when the fire broke out?"
TK interrupted their conversation. "Pressure's 90/60. O2 is 75."
"Alright, let's get that oxygen going, Nancy. TK, grab the gurney" Directing her attention to the girl still struggling she said, "Can you tell me your name, honey?"
Her question remained unanswered by the patient, who was squeezing Carlos' hand.
Carlos took that as his cue to talk for her. "I've been calling her Chica since she doesn't seem to want to give her name. I only know that she was running towards the building, trying to retrieve her stuff."
"Her stuff?" Nancy asked. "This kid must be, like, twelve years old."
"Alright, everybody, we need to get Chica to the hospital. Let's get her loaded."
As they moved her to the stretcher, Carlos tried to let go of the girl's hand, but she held fast and tugged. TK stopped the stretcher and stepped aside so that Carlos could move in closer. "I can't go with you, Chica. But these are my friends. This is TK. He's going to drive you to the hospital." She shook her head and he continued, "I will meet you there in a little bit. I promise."
"We got to go," Tommie said. They finished loading her up. Tommie smiled at Carlos, "We'll take good care of her and see you at the hospital, Carlos."
Mateo ran to approach the group as the group was preparing to leave. "Hey, Reyes," he called, "I found this backpack inside. Think it belongs to your girl?"
Carlo took it. "Yeah, maybe. Thanks." He shut the ambulance door and slammed on it to alert TK that he was clear to drive. Then he walked back to his car and gloved up to begin his search.
He rummaged through a pile of random articles of clothing, stuffed in to allow for as many options as possible. A few beauty products lay at the bottom of the pile. An inside pocket contained cash, two hundred, fifty-seven dollars. She likely had not been on the streets for long if she was still holding that much cash. An outside pocket provided the information she wanted. Branigan Middle School ID, Elayna August, eighth grade, 2023. The thumbnail print showed a young teen with a forced smile, not unlike the wild child he met. He radioed in the information, made a call to the Austin branch of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, and raced to the hospital with his newfound information.
Author's Note: Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed it. Please review!
