The Falling Angel of Fire - Part 1

“What's up, Girl? How come a beautiful woman like you look so sad?"

 

" C'mon, beautiful! Don't be sad! Cheer up and smile! I love it when you smile."

"Oh, you want me to make you smile again? You can bet on it. You will be smiling again in no time."

"Ugh, at second thought, I think this is not going to work between us."

"I'm sorry, Cleo."

 

"According to the book you should have a melancholic face." 


He gripped the hammer and swung it like a pro. He had been practicing his sculpture skill by then, and he hadn't gone insane yet or in desperate loneliness. He was only getting excited in completing the project, especially on his day offs. It was a very enjoyable thing to do, particularly to release his stress from doing his duties as a fireman besides hanging out with his team and, of course, being with his wife.  He started doing this new hobby when he and Lila took a short trip to an exotic island. Since then, he fell in love with this new hobby.


Despite the fact that his sculpting skill has been progressing so well, and he could easily make a statue,  would he be able to make a beautiful masterpiece, the one which would be appreciated for all time? He still had not able to make one with high standard of quality, even after he had finished making a head sculpture of the Egyptian princess which had a very high complexity. 


Yet, he smiled a lot in the process, running his fingers into the clay, feeling the shape he had pictured inside his head and carefully formed the muddy soil into a work of art. He decided to make a small one. Maybe, by putting all of his effort  to a smaller size, he could display the artwork at The Louvre and get the attentions of Art Critics. 


"Honey!" a  voice of a woman soon meddled in his mind, right in the middle of it. His open palms quickly clenched and, by doing so, his nails made a scratch on the clay. He stood up, walking to source of the sound, greeting her with a soft kiss upon her lips.

"You're home,  angel."

Theme Song: "Just The Way You Are" by Bruno Mars

***

In the morning, noises in the kitchen disrupted him from his amazing dream. He got up from the bed and stared straight to the kitchen which was a few feet away from the bed. He and his wife were still living in modesty. Most people would find it not nice or comfortable, but, he and his wife loved the place. They called it simplicity, simply practical, and they simply didn't need anything else at that time. Not, when there were only two of them around, and they spent most of their time at the firehouse. Still, he took a note to re-paint the walls on the weekend.

He smiled, seeing her -- the woman of his dreams-- standing behind the counters with a knife in her right hand and fresh vegetables in her left hand. Undeniably, she was the greatest gift from heaven,  the one that  made him fell to sleep at 2 a.m beside of fire. 


*** 

"What are you making, love?"
"Autumn Salad."
"Are those organic cranberries that you've bought from the market yesterday?" He opened the refrigerator and  grabbed a bottle of milk.
"Yes. I got a discount. Fifty percents." Her eyes twinkled, as  it was a small victory.
By that time, he had finished drinking the milk and his mouth had already begun to chew a stolen carrot from the cutting board. He tried to take another one, but her hands stopped him from reaching it. "You may eat after it served."

Being unsuccessful, he waited, staring at her while smiling, but after the minute hand ticked for the forty  times, he could not stand it anymore.

"Come here!" He pulled her body onto his chest - -so fast that she wasn't aware of it. Of course after she put down the knife, or it might have already stabbed him in the stomach.

"...I haven't finished cooking." 

"It can wait. I'm not that hungry. Even if I were  hungry,  this would make me forget about it."  

"Oh right? Like you can stand not to eat the whole day? And what about me?" She rolled her  eyes, still hasn't tried to freed herself from him either.

"I will cook for you as the replacement. I love you, gorgeous. Until now, how many times I've said it? I love you..." He kissed her on her forehead.

"I need you." He kissed her lips.

"I want you." Then down to her neck.

LIAM - The Winter Dreams

"Sometimes, it doesn't need an army to fight, one warm and sincere hug will also bring us to victory. And that victory will be for all."
 ----------------------------------------

“Liam, Liam dear, wake up, honey! Shouldn’t you go to school now?” asked Catherine.

“Just a few minutes more, mom.” answered Liam with a sigh, still closing his eyes even though the clock had made its sound for the eighth time.

 

“Come on, Liam or you're going to be late.” said Catherine as she shook Liam’s arm gently.



Liam finally got up and sat on the side of the bed. 

“Mom, I'm not feeling well. Can I stay at home?”

“Oh, honey, are you sick?” Catherine placed her palm on Liam’s forehead to check his temperature. Strangely though, it was still normal.

“It's my stomach, Mom. It's been the third time I went to the bathroom.”

“Oh honey, in that case you should be staying at home. But, I'm just wondering, maybe the pain  was being caused by something else?” 

“Like what, Mom?”

“Like...  maybe because you're afraid that your friends are going to tease you again,  dear?"

Liam turned silent.  He could not hide his feelings from his mother, but there was something else bothering his mind. 

“Honey, it's okay to be afraid and there's nothing wrong to be different from others. You should not be ashamed of it.” 

“Eh...no, Mom. Really. It's my stomach.”

"Well, okay then. But if you need to talk to me... mom is here, dear."

 

In the afternoon, Liam's friend, Chrystal, came to visit him. She brought him notes from the lessons that day .

“Geez, Chris thanks! I didn't even ask you." 

“It's not a big deal, Liam. I would want you to do the same for me too if I got sick. Why didn't you go to school today? Ms. Alice asked about you. There was no one else in the class  who dared to answer her questions. The class really bored us to death.” 

“It's my stomach.”

"Oh, are you feeling okay now?"

"Yeah."

“It's good then. Hey, have you heard?" Chrystal's said after a short pause, being so enthusiastic to the words she was about to say . "Rick is getting a punishment today."

“Really?” 

“Yeah.  He's such a teaser. I think you shouldn't have listened to everything Rick had said. I think you look cool with your blue skin.  Mine is a bit red. It'll become red like a lobster if the sun burn it. But, no matter what color my skin is,  mom said that if I don't like it then no one will. ”

Liam smiled. She was right, but then again the reason for him being not so enthusiastic in anything that day wasn't about that  matter.

“Hey, my color even makes me cuter, see?” Chrystal pressed both of her index fingers on her cheek and made funny faces in front of him.

Liam laughed. 

"Liam, why don't you show me that trick of yours again? I want to see it ." 

"Okay. As long as you will not tell them to our friends, Chris."

"Promise. Cross my heart."


They both jumped off the bed and hurled to the living room.  Liam opened his hands, concentrating on what he was about to do. 

"Why there's nothing happening now?" 

"You must close your eyes. Believe it, and say  'I believe in miracles' three times. "

"Okay!" Chrystal closed her eyes and said "I believe in miracles." three times. And suddenly: 



beautiful and glowing butterflies came out of Liam's palms. 


 

"Whoaa." Chrystal barely able to shut her mouth -- being mesmerized  to seeing all the colorful butterflies flying  around in the living room.

"Wow. You're the greatest magician I ever met."  

“Thanks." Liam chuckled. "Hey, let’s do our homeworks now!”

“Huh," Chrystal sighed. "Why wouldn't Mrs. Alice  give us easier questions than these?” 
Chrystal moaned as she sat in a chair outside Liam's house  to do their homework together.

“C’mon. I’ll teach you, Chris.” said Liam.

Chrystal's face turned brighter, but then she sighed again . “Can’t you believe it that I got a C minus today? My dad is going to kill me!”

Liam chuckled. "No. He wouldn't.  He may be angry, but… I would do anything to be with my father now, even if that means to see him being angry at me. “

“Oh, he hasn’t home yet?” 

 Liam nodded.

“Wow, that’s a really long business trip!”

“He-he… Yeah it is....” Liam pursed his lips.  There's nothing else he wished for, but to seeing his father and to hug him close. 

The Love of a Firefighter End of Chapter Part 5 - Eva - To Fix What Has Already Been Broken

We sat on a bench at the Esplanade that morning. It had been several weeks passed since our last meeting. Lots of things had changed since then, but I had not heard any news or clues about her at first. She looked a bit calm than the night she came to me. I couldn't even see the trace of tears on her cheek. 

She took a deep breath while gazing at the lake in front of us. I could hear it stuck in her throat as she cleared it off before finally spoke.

"It seems everything is going well between you and Lila."

"Pretty much." I answered. I was going to say: "It's been great." but not upon noticing the look on her face.

The Love of a Firefighter End of Chapter Part 4 - Finally

Finally....

After all the crazy thoughts, troubles she's been through, thinking that she has gone; finally, we made our vow. I love her, and there's no one else I wanted to become my wife and the mother of my children.
I promised to cherish her all my life. Together we will build our dreams.

The Love of a Firefighter End of Chapter Part 3 - Closer than Ever

"Dave! Where have you....?"
"been... I know, Manne, where is she? Where's Lila? Have you seen her? Do you know where she is? Tell me, Manne!"
 "Whoa Dave, slow down, will ya? We've been trying to contact you and..."
"My cell phone was dead. There was a fire at a factory and Lila was taken into the hospital. Manne, where is she? Is she okay? I must find her."
Before she could answer my questions, a man who escorted me into the morgue had come to me and said:
"Sir, you left this at the morgue. Again, I would like to say  I'm glad that she's not your friend. Have you found her?" he said, handing me my helmet.
"Morgue? Dave? You tried to find her at the morgue?" asked Manne.
"It was a long story. It wasn't her. Have you seen her? Tell me! She's alive, right?"
"I'm.... Dave, I'm sorry... ." Manne looked at me with a pitiful face.
"What?! It couldn't be. She's - she's not in the morgue. She's...."

The Love of a Firefighter End of Chapter Part 2 - Hope at the Last Moment

****
[sound of sirens, smoke appear at the top of the building, fire blazing out from windows, a blast and people panic]

"The firefighters have been trying to put out the fire since 6:00 a.m., but strong winds and abundant flammable goods inside the building fueled the flames. Firefighters told the ABC News that the low water level was a serious obstacle in battling the blaze. At 7.00 a.m., a large explosion occurred in the third floor, most likely caused by a gas canister. Until now, no death reported, 10 people injured, and one firefighter has been hospitalized due to structural collapse."

On the scene:
 

"Command to Engine 41, Tell us your position!"  
"Command to Engine 41..."
"Engine 41!" 
"Damn, Lila, answer it!"

I yelled  in  panic after calling her without response.  Realizing that my effort was useless, I turned to the other firefighter. 

"I'm going to get Lila. Terry, take over the Command!"



The room filled with smoke and gas.  I could not see clearly on my way to find her. If she had stopped moving, her PASS should have made a sound, but it had not.

Fire continued to flare and blocked our way. It  difficult us to find the source of the gas leak. Lila had been out to the third floor, but it's been thirty minutes without any sign of her. 

I needed a sign, the sound of her PASS alarm.


 Then, after a few steps onward, I heard it.


It's not very far from my position. 

"Lila!!!"


[Dave cough]

I knew it must have been her PASS alarm. She's in front of me, only a few feet away, but the fire blocked our way.


 "LILA!!!"

 ****
November 2010:

[sound of footsteps entering a room]

"She's right there!" said a man who escorted him into the morgue.
At the end of those words and after seeing the view in the direction the man pointed him, he was instantly frozen. 

 He did not dare to move an inch toward it. He clenched his hands, trying to hold the shake that was coming from his fingertips. His heart beat faster and harder, much faster than the time when he  walked along the alley and into the morgue and much harder than the first time he was confronted with fire or even when he saw the death of the person he failed to save.  

He never thought that he would see it again, the corpse of the person he loved, lying  on the table with remaining pain from the fire reflected on its skin. His  father died because of fire and then the woman he put a hope for, the future he desired,  had to experience the same death. 

Deep inside, he felt guilt for not being there  when she was still fighting the fire, but guilt has no use...

"Sir?" the man broke off the silence and brought him back into reality.
"Thank you, if you don't mind, I...."
"Alright, Sir. Take your time." 

After the man had left, he continued  to stare at the body bag. It was only a few feet away from him. He swallowed hard, extremely hard....and then took a first step toward it, until he arrived - right in front of her.

****
Sometimes, I did have nightmares of our team or me being trapped in a fire, but my most nightmare was a dream of Lila being trapped and I could not reach her.

Still...

I've never thought that those dreams would never be compared to the reality: to see her lying in front of me, wrapped in a body bag.



I could not hold the shaking on my knees as I instantly collapsed.  My hands succeeded to hold the weight of my body on the side of the table. I knew I should open it, even though by opening it, everything I had would be gone in a second: her and the hope to be with her.  I could not face the truth or to imagine how she had suffered through all the pain.


However, I must face the truth....Still,  I believe that the corpse inside the body bag wasn't her. I didn't know, I just felt it.

"Dear Lord, please don't let it be Lila."

The Love of a Firefighter End of Chapter Part 1 - Could it Be?

I found that it was only a dream and not a reality.

I had to remove those stupid imaginations from my head before I was completely insane. So, I grabbed the towels and took a shower, hoping that the cold water would chill out my head and erase  the love I had for her or made me forget about the dream I had the night before.

Yet, as the water flowed throughly onto my head and ankles, and the palm of my hands pressed the  pale white wall in front of me, I could almost feel the gentle touch that I yearned so deep inside my heart -- her hands caressing my waist. That day, Monday, 06.00 a.m. November 22, she would wear a white chiffon dress  I had bought for her the other day.

Without shoes or slippers on our feet, we would  stroll down along the beach to enjoy the lovely sunrise, walked side by side so close to one other. Her head leaned on my shoulders and her arms around my waist.  I would kiss her forehead - with all my attentions centered on her.  I have to let her go once she noticed a seashell got stranded in the sand by the tiny waves that carried it into the shore.  After a smile of victory and showing off  her findings,  her hands would once again reach for mine.

She would be so beautiful in that white dress with her face glowing by the morning light. Her laughter filled  the air and her joy sunken into my soul. With all of that, she would drag me into the salt water, splashing it around and onto my face that makes us immerse in laughter until I pulled her in my arms and onto my chest.

There would be silent between us except for our pounding hearts as our eyes lock into each other's, beating fast, heavy together, wrapped in one another so close without any slight of distance between us. I would kiss her tenderly until the waves  hit us both and the water sank into the drain and slowly brought my mind back into reality.

I realized it was nothing more than an illusion. Still, no matter how I tried to forget her, those thoughts kept coming back inevitably. No matter how I wished the dream to happen, those tickets to Fiji Island had turned into nothing but useless papers. It was time to face the truth and to let go all memories and the shadow of that cold hearted woman.

I knew I had to face her, to question her reason for leaving me at the altar.

Lord, please help me not to yell at her. Yet, I found that it was quite strange and funny that no matter how angry or disappointed I was, I still missed her and yearned  for her love and  her touches even more. No. I quickly increased the volume of the shower faucet in a hope that the cold water would chill out my head and bring me back to sanity.

After finished taking that cold shower, I walked heavily to the bedroom and found Eva there. Poor woman got her heart broken, just like mine at the same time. I hate to wake her up, so I let her sleep on my bed while I was being stuck in reveries in front of the mirror.

That morning, instead of waking up with a blissfulness after an unforgettable night, enjoying a day for a beautiful honeymoon,  I had to arrange few words to explain to my colleagues the reason of my failure to slip a wedding ring on her finger. I wanted to escape, rather than to face it. Even though, it would be useless because I could not hide from them either, and cover it up like nothing ever happened. Though, it was quite true in some parts that nothing ever happened that day between Lila and me that would lead us into a more committed relationship.  I grabbed my shirt, dressed up and tied my shoe laces.

It was time to face the truth.

 

 I decided to stop by at her house before going to the fire station. I had to ask her personally.

After pressing her doorbell several time, I waited quite long until finally I decided to leave. When I arrived at the fire station, Tim  was the first person who greeted me there. "Dave, I heard about Lila. She's...."

"Don't talk about her right now. I want to forget about it, Tim."

"But..."
 

" Tim, I know I was so stupid to let a woman left me at the altar like that, but please... I would buy you a drink or two if it would satisfy you."

"But, Dave... Could you hear me first? Lila is..."

Before Tim could finish his lines, the emergency alarm rang. We had to go to the Twinbrook Hospital as soon as possible. 

  

 

An x-ray machine  had a catastrophic malfunction and it drew enormous amounts of electricity, causing a lightning strike to the hospital building.

 

For about three hundred thousand volts of electricity were carried into the hospital in  just a few milliseconds. It then traveled around metal wires and pipes inside the building. The lightning rod could divert it, but still, up to fifty percent of it had already spread over different conductive elements inside the building.
  

It caused damages on integrated circuits in computers and electronic equipments.  Some nurses and patient were trapped inside rooms with shorted out electronic locks. The lightning almost hit a visitor outside. He was a lucky person to be able to avoid it, but, the vital impact hit the electronic devices that support patient treatments, including life support machines. We must  handle the situation as soon as possible. 

At 3.00 p.m., I had finished handling a fire that caused by a small explosion inside the building and made sure that everyone managed to get out of the locked rooms safely, but  then I found Terry there. Strangely though, he wore a patient robe and not a uniform. I noticed he was quite surprised to see me.

"Dave! You're here. I've got a small injury because of the fire in a factory on the north bank side. Why didn't you answer your phone? I tried to call you, but your phone was inactive or something. I forgot it was your wedding day until Lila reminded me."
"Lila?"
"Yes. She kept calling you, but you didn't answer your phone. She called one of your friends to send the message to you. Lila thought that you would come, but we didn't see you around. She planned to come to the wedding as soon as we have rescued all the people who were trapped inside the factory, but on her way out of the building while assisting them, part of the roof fell on her. We had to bring her to the hospital. "

"What?! Is she okay now?"

"I don't know, you have to check on her. She's probably in a room somewhere."

I hurried off to find  her and then asked a nurse to check  the patients list, but the main computer was  still not working and it ended up for nothing. I had checked in every room, but  there was no sign of her.

I was in a real panic trying to find the person I cared so much. How could I've thought that she didn't come because she didn't want to marry me?! I should have known that she's not that kind of woman, and she might  have good reasons for it. If I saw her, I would fall on my knees and ask her for her forgiveness.

Still, everywhere I tried to find her, I could not find her. Then, a moment of shock hit greater than a lightning strike could have ever been.

A nurse said that a woman named Lila was being treated in a room. When I arrived there, there was no one in the room. The white sheet neatly covered the mattress. It seemed the room had already been emptied. Not long, a janitor came out of the toilet. She had finished cleaning the room and was about to clean another one until I stopped her before she could reach the exit door.

I asked her about the woman who was being treated in the room, and the truth unfold itself again in front of me. The nurse said that the woman died because the life support machine had stopped working after the lightning bolt.

She died?

She.... died

LILA DIED?!!! 
  

 

My world had really fallen apart.

For once in my life, I wished my life would end too.

To Be Continued...

The Love of a Firefighter Part 2/5 An Intro - The Dream

****

Her skin was soft and warm when he touched her. She was still fragile that it made him feel hesitated to let her go when the time finally came that they must be parted. If  he were granted a wish, he wanted to hold her  and shield her forever. But, no matter how eager he was, he knew he could not shield her forever and by doing so would only make him the most selfish man in the universe. How could he protect her, if her heart were the most fragile part? Just like his or anyone else. At least, he should have been content to have her and to be able to love her unconditionally.

For him, she was the purest thing he has ever seen. Her  innocent eyes and chubby cheeks added  cuteness when she smiled back at him. He took her out from the crib and then snuggled her, the fragile and delicate little child, the most important thing in his life beside of his wife. He was amazed from the first time he saw her through the glass window of the hospital room and was so thrilled for finally able to bring her home...  safe and healthy without any deficiency -- to become a mommy's and daddy's little girl,  to earn so much attention from them. Certainly, she was one lucky little girl who  gave joy for both of her parents when she was brought into this world.




Slowly, he put her down into the crib as his wife came and brought some diapers with her. Still not taking his eyes off  his baby, he said: "See her, baby? She looks a lot like me."

"Indeed." The wife answered him after a glance look at their new born baby. She contemplated it for a while. "Everything, except for her eyes. I'm glad she didn't inherit them from you, honey." She smiled, leaving him flustered over the statement. She walked away to put the diapers into a drawer not very far from the crib.

"What's wrong with my eyes?" He shrugged. Turning around to her when she had just finished closed the drawer.

The question left her with a smile upon her face -- as though she knew every little deep secret about the man she was married to. For a while, she enjoyed the little victory over the puzzle on his face.

"You were once a bad boy, and you're still. You used those eyes to get women's attention, didn't you?" She remarked.

"I did?" He questioned back, but with a smile and his flirting eyes, he said: "Baby, I forgot about that. You were once  amazed by my eyes  that you could not stand to live without me since then, right?" He winked, trying to tease her. It made her struggle --  defending her fort he had often able to breakthrough.

"Don't be too proud on it just yet, Mister." She said sternly, "If you do that again to another woman, I'll make sure that you will get a first-class at the Twinbrook Foundation Hospital and then... I will find myself another man."

"What? Babe?"

"I'm kidding- " She said after she noticed the look on his face, smiling gently at the fool in front of her, "I couldn't possibly make you hurt or pinch your nose only to make you feel pain. Though, I do love to pinch it a little." She said, pinching his nose with care. "It's just..." She put her arms around his waist, slowly embracing him with her love, "Don't you even think trying to hurt me by leaving me for another woman. I will surely hunt you down, Mister. Can't you see I want to grow old with you? I love you... I love you from the very first moment before you even  noticed me." She said, leaning closely on his chest. Her soft and tender touches did the wonder, and he could not barely resist her for a second.

Both were immersed in a passionate kiss, as though they have just only become a married couple in a  few days. They stopped when they heard their baby's crying.

"I must say she's probably jealous of me now." he said, opening his eyes. His wife laughed  and gave a quick-soft kiss upon his lips, "It's my turn, honey." She said, hurrying off to check on the baby.

She picked up their baby  and then held her in her arms."You're feeling hungry now, Keanna?" She snuggled her, sitting on the side of the bed and put the baby on her chest. Her fingers reached for the upper buttons of her blouse. 

Every time she did this -- breastfeeding her -- she felt a wonderful and magical feeling all over her. It was a special moment for her for being able to connect emotionally with her baby.

It made her husband feeling so envy, for seeing the intimate and secluded moment between the mother and  child. She stroked her hair and cuddled her baby in her arms while doing so. It was probably one of the advantages of being a woman that he could never had. He hurried off to grab his camera and turned it on to record the memory of two of them. At least... he would be able to rewind the special moments of his dear loved ones whenever he wanted to. 

He asked her to look at the camera and smile. She was so shy yet so proud at the same time. She had never felt so much bliss throughout her life -- for finally have everything she wanted -- a husband,  her baby resting in her arms.

After feeding their baby, she felt stiff around her back and neck.  She lied down on the bed with the baby beside her. "Are you going to record us the whole day, honey?" She asked.

It took him a while to put the camera down on a table and joined them both on the bed. He laid beside them with their baby on the center. He wasn't sleeping, still looking at  them with full of amazement. His wife often found him stroked the baby's cheek. 

"Shouldn't you go to work now?" She asked.

"I have a day off." He answered. "Our girl is so beautiful, Lila. I bet, she will have lots of boys falling for her when she grows up." He said to his wife and made her laugh a little to hear it. 

"There'll be plenty of time until then, and she's not going to do anything without our permission yet."

"I know." He answered, touching the baby's arm gently. "I must watch over those guys when the time comes. But, I  hope that she's going to look a lot like you, so  perfect in my eyes." 

His words flattered her, but with humility, she said: "I'm not perfect, honey, but somehow you've completed me and made me perfect as much as I always see you perfectly. Remember how many times you often complained about me and how many times I've complained about you?" She said, remembering the times when they were arguing or when she complained about his bad habits. "Nonetheless, the life we have shared together was so wonderful that it made those arguments worth nothing. I just hope... that this will last forever... That is all  I want."

He smiled at her.  It was also the greatest desire in his life. "I promised that this will last forever. I would do anything to keep everything we have already had together ...  to keep you and our baby with me for always." 

He reached for her arms, and then the three of them fell asleep so close to one another.

 ***

I woke up that morning by the sound of birds chirping at the neighbor's yard. I've never felt so happy in my entire life -- to have my life was so complete and full -- but as I observed the surrounding,  it came to me that it was merely a dream. I had to swallow the truth that she had left me at the altar. I was alone without a wife or a child beside me. Without the woman, I loved so deeply.

The dream had gone as the morning came, not to mention a fact that the woman sleeping on my bed was another woman instead of her.





Theme Song : "Making Love Out of Nothing at All" by Air Supply.




Notes: I have to divide this in two parts: An Intro and End of Chapter. End of Chapter is coming soon... and Oops the intro was quite long, I guess.