Storytime Tapestry Newsletter

The newsletter devoted to spreading love and cultural awareness around the world.

August 26, 2007

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Hi Carol,? I've attached a sneak peek at my new novel.? If you can publish it to Storytime Tapestry, I'd certainly appreciate it.? As always,

Love, Peace and Joy,

Pam

You can also visit me at: Relations at Bella Online ; and, buy my novel "At the Pineapple Inn" at the following link.?



My latest novel, "Into the Flames" is also available and part of the proceeds for this will go to the Shriner's Burn Center. Click here to purchase this book:

To all my friends at Storytime Tapestry, I thought I?d give you a sneak peek at my latest novel just released at www.LuLu.com. You can find it with a title or author search. I hope this look into the most horrific night of Lacy Boyce?s life will make you want to read more.

Pam Garlick

K_P_Garlick@msn.com

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Into the Flames

The ringing of her alarm clock disturbed Lacy's dreams. She reached instinctively for the button to silence the shrill beeping sound even before her eyes opened and registered the total darkness. No wonder she was so tired: it was the middle of the night.

Then the beeping changed to a scratchy voice and she was immediately alert, listening as the dispatcher's voice came across the airwaves, giving the type and location of the emergency. Lacy felt the bed give and the sounds of her husband, Mike, quickly slipping into the clothing he kept close beside their bed.

"Eleven Eighty Cindy Lane, a structure fire," the dispatcher's voice stated, as Lacy flicked on the bedside lamp, squinting as her eyes adjusted to the light. She, too, rolled from the warmth of their bed, as quickly as her eight month pregnant body would allow.

"People still inside," the disembodied voice continued. As adrenaline started to flow more swiftly through Lacy's veins, she said a silent prayer that whoever was still inside the structure would be okay. She grabbed her maternity jeans and slipped them beneath her cotton nightgown.

"What do you think you're doing?" Mike said gruffly as he slipped socks onto his bare feet, followed swiftly by his Nike sneakers. These were the only times Mike wore socks with his sneakers. Many years ago, he had learned that blisters and open sores were a firefighter's reward for slipping bare feet into heavy rubber bunker boots.

"I'm coming, too," Lacy replied simply. "It's a sure thing I won't be able to go back to sleep."

"Lacy, you know you're out-of-service till after the baby's born," Mike stated harshly.

"I'm not going in-service," she spat as she hurriedly slipped her gown over her head. "I'll just watch."

"That'll be the day," Mike replied sarcastically as he rushed toward the door, with Lacy following, still buttoning her blouse. "Even 'God' says the paramedics can manage without you till after the baby comes."

Lacy bit back her retort, knowing there wasn't time, now, to fight over the nickname "God" many of the firefighters, including her husband, gave to the chief of the city's rescue crew.

It wasn't that she totally blamed any of them. She knew, as well as anyone, that Brody Langford wore his authority like a general wears his clusters. But the fact was, putting his conceit aside, Brody had every reason to be that way. Aside from the fact he was Rescue Chief, Brody was also was the best paramedic in Schuylkill Valley ? in Montgomery County, for that matter.

Truth was, she admired Brody's skill, if not his disposition. She'd probably trust him nearly as much as Doctor Kelly to deliver her baby, more if she were to deliver in an emergency. She didn't know anyone who kept their cool more than Brody.

Of course, she didn't admit any of this to Mike. He already had enough resentment toward the other man. Mike blamed Brody because she had chosen to become a paramedic. At the time, she had thought Mike would be happy that she had given up firefighting. Instead, if anything, he grew more bitter.

Knowing how he felt, she sometimes wondered how he had ever managed to fall in love with her. She never wondered about her own reasons for falling in love with Mike. She had admired him for so many years as they worked side-by-side fighting fires. Next to her father, he was the best firefighter she knew.

"I'll stay out of the way," she promised Mike as he raced toward the door. "I'll probably see if I can help the Ladies Auxiliary. I'm sure they'll be out for this one."

To that, her husband only laughed. That was another of his pet peeves. As far as he was concerned, the Ladies Auxiliary was worthless. They had outlived their usefulness.

Lacy knew, in part, that was true. But not because the women didn't care or want to help the firefighters; more because they no longer had enough members to do the job. The days were gone when every spouse of a firefighter had joined the auxiliary. Active membership was lower every year. The members they had were either older and could no longer handle getting up at all hours of the night, or had small children at home so they couldn't come out. Those in between, like her mother, had drifted away to careers and other interests.

Lacy knew many of the firefighters felt the same as Mike. If nothing else, they were an opinionated lot. But then firefighters, were always known for that.

"Just be careful," Mike said more softly as he turned to face her before going out the door. "Wouldn't want anything to happen to our future firefighter, would you?"

"Hey, with four weeks to go, what can go wrong?" She laughed in return, then watched as he gave her his familiar wink, then raced out the door.

Lacy returned to the task of getting dressed, hating the way being pregnant made her feel awkward, slowing her down. She had always prided herself on her swift actions and fast thinking. Now she struggled just to put on her shoes.

"At least you haven't slowed the brain," she joked, lovingly stroking her protruding stomach. She smiled when she received a strong kick in response. "Oh, I see the future firefighter is raring to go, too."

It was while she was undergoing her paramedic training that Lacy had found out she was pregnant. She had been anxious to begin working in the field, and was fortunate to have been actually able to respond with the unit for a brief time before her pregnancy became too advanced. Now she was anxious to return to the work she had begun to enjoy almost as much as she had loved firefighting. The best part was that there were paid positions for paramedics in their city, while almost all the firefighters were volunteers. . . Yet another fact that didn't sit well with some of the firefighters.

But she didn't care. Once the baby was born, she'd be able to do the job she enjoyed and get paid for it. That was, if she could prove she had enough ability to get hired for the next paid opening. And even though Brody was not the Chief of Ambulance, he still carried a lot of influence among the Emergency Medical Units. In the end, he was the person she'd have to prove herself to. He'd be tough, but fair.

Part of Lacy's reason for becoming a paramedic had been because of her desire to have a child. She knew once she was able to apply for a full-time, paid position she'd have more time to spend with a child. As a volunteer, she knew she'd always feel like she had to chose between them.

The other part of her reason, she knew, was better off forgotten. But it wasn't easy. There was a competitive part of her nature she couldn't deny. Competitiveness was second nature to so many of the members of the department.

She knew competition could be healthy, or it could be destructive. She chose to give up firefighting completely rather than find out which hers would be. But it didn't stop her from wondering.

She and Mike had risen through the ranks of the fire department through their years as members. She had joined at sixteen as a junior firefighters. Mike joined right after graduating high school. They had started out as competitors, at a time when women were still thought to be unable to do the job. Being one of the first woman to join, she tried hard to prove them wrong.

At the time that hadn't sat well with Mike. But eventually he grew to respect her and the competition practically disappeared. They eventually fell in love and got married.

But then a little over a year ago, they were both nominated to run for Assistant Chief of their fire company. It would be an election of their peers and she knew she stood as good a chance as her husband of winning that position. But the competition, she feared, would have been destructive to their relationship.

So, rather than take the chance and pay the price of a ruined marriage, she decided to enter a totally new line within the department. Paramedics were always in demand. As their community grew, medical emergencies were increasing, far outnumbering any other type of emergency call. She knew once she met the training requirement she'd be able to respond with the paramedics as a volunteer, prove herself, then eventually be able to get hired for a paid position when one opened.

She knew that would provide a solution to other problems as well. She had been miserable at her job as a secretary. She was used to the excitement and hectic activity involved with the emergency service. Sitting behind a desk had grown staid and unchallenging, with every day the same as the one before it.

But she also knew she had to keep working if they were ever going to make the payments on their house. It was the house she had wanted. The house she hoped to someday fill with children. Mike had been perfectly content in the apartment where they had previously lived. At least they knew they could afford it. The mortgage on their home made it a necessity that she continue working.

Lacy always believed anyone could have anything they wanted if they were willing to work for it. She also believed there was nothing wrong with working at something you enjoyed.

"If you use your head, you can have your cake and eat it too," she often joked. Becoming a paramedic was going to be just that.

She left the house and drove straight to the scene of the fire. From her portable two-way radio, she heard that one victim had already been brought out of the house. As she got out of her car, an ambulance was just pulling away.

There was another ambulance there, waiting for another victim to be brought outside. And, she heard on her radio, that yet another ambulance was on its way to take the place of the others in the event another medical emergency would strike, as it often did in this type of situation.

Lacy felt only a twinge of guilt as she walked toward the second ambulance, knowing she had told Mike she'd be helping the ladies auxiliary that night. She knew the ladies were probably back at the fire station making coffee for the personnel at the fire. It was a cold night and coffee would not only provide warmth, but the caffeine would take over when the adrenaline flowing through their veins started to fail.

Maybe when the ladies started making sandwiches for the crew she'd go back to the station and help. From the looks of the dark, billowing smoke coming from the windows and the bright flames shooting out from the back exposure of the two-story townhouse, she was certain they were going to be there for a long night.

"How many are left inside?" she asked the paramedic standing by the back door of the ambulance. She had to practically yell over the din from sirens of incoming emergency vehicles, voices over loud speakers giving orders, and the shouts of the firefighters as they did their job.

She recognized Rich Marlowe as he turned to her with a frown. "One more," he replied grimly.

She recognized that look and turned to stare at the heavy smoke conditions in the building. She knew it would take a miracle for someone to survive after being surrounded by so much smoke: smoke that contained poisonous gasses, the very reason firefighters never entered a building to fight a fire without donning the self-contained breathing apparatus, they called their SCBA's.

She was all too familiar with those dangers. She had been one of the firefighter who went inside the burning building on search and rescue. She knew the firefighters inside that house were up against nearly zero visibility as they made their way through the endless black, searching with their hands, not their eyes for the second victim.

She knew they were also up against intense heat. Heat that could melt the masks covering their faces if they stood. But they didn't stand they crawled, staying low where both the heat and the smoke were the least intense.

Still their progress would be slow. Probably too slow for the victim still inside. But that wouldn't stop them. She knew they would continue their search until forced out by either an order from their chief, or by the hostile conditions inside the building.

"Dear Lord, I know the chances aren't good for the one left inside, but, with You anything is possible," Lacey said a silent prayer.

She glanced around the scene and spotted the Borough Fire Chief, her father, Carl MacDonald. She could hear his voice across the speakers as he issued orders to the men on the roof who were ventilating the building, cutting a hole at just the right spot to allow some of the smoke and heat to escape.

She looked again at the burning structure, the acrid smoke burning her nose even at that distance. The fire hissed and crackled as firefighters from outside sprayed water in an attempt to stop its onslaught.

Judging by the intensity of the fire and smoke, she knew that at any moment, her father would order the men inside the building to give up the search and get back outside. She knew he would not risk his men any longer. He was a firm believer in what firefighters were taught: You are number one, your partner is number two, the victim is number three.

The sad reality was that no victim could be alive within that building without the aid of some kind of breathing device. And if her father did not order the men out soon, even SCBA's wouldn't help the firefighters still inside.

She glanced around, silently noting who was where, by the names on the backs of their bunker coats. She suspected Mike was one of the men inside conducting the search. He had always been an "inside man", even after making assistant chief.

Almost simultaneously, as she heard her father's voice calling off the search and rescue, she spotted a tall figure stumbling from the building. She couldn't tell if it was her husband, but as lights were directed on him, she could see he was carrying a tiny lifeless form.

Rich and another medical technician grabbed their bag and hurried in that direction. She followed instinctively, watching the scene as they took the tiny child from the firefighter's arms and immediately started administering first aid.

Lacy saw that the man had his face mask in his hand and had obviously broken every rule of firefighting by taking it off to give air to the child. She also saw it was not her husband standing there, but another man, a member she had met only a few times. She wasn't even certain of his name.

She noted the frightened, concerned expression on his soot-covered face as he stared at the crew working on the tiny child. He turned slightly, focusing on her, as if for the first time taking notice she was standing right in front of him. She wanted to say something to comfort him, knowing how he must feel.

The harsh reality was that it was rare, with the high toxicity of today's fires, that they could find a victim alive. She had been in his shoes only once, and had done exactly as he had done: removed her mask to give air to the victim of that fire. Hers had been a happy ending, just as she prayed his would be. It would help when it came to the reaming she knew he would receive from her father for taking off his mask. Just before he patted him on the back, saying, "I can't condone what you did. But you did a good job."

"Let's get a trach tube in her now!" Rich's firm orders pierced her thoughts, making her aware just how serious the little girl's condition was. The medical team would be cutting a small hole in the girl's trachea and inserting a tube, the only way they could get oxygen to her tiny lungs. Lacy knew the girl had suffered severe smoke inhalation, and because of that, her throat had swollen to the point that they could not get a breathing tube down her throat to administer oxygen.

It was only seconds, but seemed longer, till the ambulance pulled away, its high-pitched siren filling the air. She looked up at her companion, seeing his gaze following the departing vehicle. He looked so distraught. She knew how he felt.

Before she could speak words to comfort him another sound came through the air. It took only a moment to recognize the shrill sound of a LifeGuard?, the warning device that signaled a firefighter was down. Her head jerked toward the burning structure.

The man standing in front of Lacy touched his own LifeGuard?, yet they both knew the sound was coming from someone still inside the burning building.

"Mike?" she raised her eyes to meet the eyes of the man standing before her. "Is it Mike?"

"He was right behind me," the man almost groaned, turning to look back at the building.

"No!" Lacy felt a scream coming from her throat as she started toward the building. She felt the intense heat burning her face. Heavy smoke burned her eyes, choking her. She covered her mouth, still running forward, till suddenly, strong arms were pulling her back.

She could hear her father's voice across the P.A. issuing swift orders, one of which was that no one was to go back inside.

"No!" she shouted again, struggling to be free of the man's restraining hold. "We gotta get him out."

"Stop it!" the man shouted back at her as she struggled. "I can't go if I've gotta hold you back!"

She stopped, allowing his words to register. She looked up into his soot-smudged face, and realized he meant what he was saying. He was going to go against orders and reenter the building.

She felt his hold relax and watched numbly as he put his mask back over his face and started toward the inferno. Part of her knew it was a crazy move. She didn't doubt that he knew it, too.

He was going back inside to try to save his partner. But more than that he was going back inside to try and save her husband. She was certain that had been the deciding factor. She had seen it in his eyes.

The trained firefighter in her knew with certainty he was wrong. The building was near the point of flashover, the point where it would be totally engulfed in flames. If he entered now, he'd be entering his tomb.

She couldn't let him do that. "Don't go!" she called, flinging herself after the departing figure.

"Hold it!" she felt another set of strong arms grab her from behind. She turned to look up into Brody Langford's face. "Where do you think you're going?"

"We gotta stop him," she shouted, struggling within the circle of his arms as he pulled her out of harm?s way.

"You don't gotta do anything!" Brody stated firmly. "Except calm down. Now tell me what's going on!"

"He's going back inside," she quickly explained, her words rushing out through trembling lips. "For Mike. Mike's the man down."

She watched Brody's hard expression soften ever so slightly as he looked down into her face. Then he looked again toward the burning building, frowning.

As he did, there was a thunderous roar as the building became engulfed in an explosion of heat and dark smoke, followed by bright orange and yellow flames eating everything in their way.

Lacy turned too, her eyes wide with horror. Then to make matters worse, she felt a sharp cramp-like pain pass through her middle. She gasped.

No, not now, Lord. Please, let it be the excitement causing the baby to stir.

Another pain followed, this one more intense.

"Come on," Brody ordered as he started pulling her back out of the way as the firefighters switched from a defensive mode of fighting the fire to an offensive mode. When she didn't move quickly enough, he lifted her and carried her like a baby in the cradle of his arms.

She leaned her head against his shoulder, feeling hollow and empty. She had enough years of firefighting experience to understand what was happening, to have known what was going on. It didn't make any of it easier. She had seen death. Still, this was different.

Yet, in a way everything seemed unreal. At least until another pain stabbed her abdomen.

Then suddenly, the reality of all that had happened and what was about to happen hit her, and tears slowly streamed down onto Brody's shoulder.

"Brody," she hiccuped. "I hope you have your OB kit handy."

"What?" he looked down into her face. "Oh, no! Are you sure?"

She winced in reply as another pain shot through her.

It wasn't supposed to be like this. She thought. Not this way at all.