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He got a few laughs out of the seniors, which made him think of his father’s comment. Some of us just try to bring a little fun into the world. That was good too, along with carrying people out of burning buildings.
Gradually, the flames died back, shrinking away from the constant flow of water like a demon going back into its cave. When he saw only black smoke and no show of flame, he knew they’d gotten the upper hand.
He refastened his facepiece—he’d lifted it to talk to the elders—and beckoned Erwin to follow him inside. The two of them did a thorough search of the entire premises to make sure that no one had been left behind, and to assess the damage. All the residents’ rooms were intact, but the entire place reeked of smoke. It wouldn’t be safe for them to stay there tonight.
Now they had another problem on their hands. What to do with forty seniors with various degrees of disability?
Back out front, he searched out the director, Alicia Moore, a forty-ish woman who wore her hair in a coronet of graying braids. He suspected she wore that style to connect with her more elderly charges.
“We have to find another place for everyone tonight. It’s very smoky in there, and you’ll need to set up a temporary kitchen.”
She twisted her hands together. “C’mon Jason. I mean Chief Mosedale. Where am I supposed to find space for forty seniors with a combined total of a hundred and thirty medical conditions?”
“That’s not our responsibility,” Erwin grumbled. “We just put out the fires.”
Jason shook his head at him. “We can help. We’re the Lake Bittersweet Fire Department, we can handle anything, right?” Set the tone. Lead the way.
Erwin nodded grudgingly. “Of course we can.”
“Let’s break it down into groups, from those with the most medical needs to those who can handle crashing on someone’s couch. Not literally,” he added quickly. “We’ll make sure it isn’t a couch.”
Alicia Moore laughed a little, visibly relaxing. “Good idea. Thanks, Jason. Chief Mosedale. I’m a little rattled, to be honest.”
“You’re doing great. No injuries, that’s the important thing. Everything else can be fixed.”
After consulting with her assistant, Alicia came back with a list divided into the groups Jason had suggested. He called the hospital in Braddock on behalf of the top tier of patients. It took some strong-arming, but they agreed to step up and fit them in somehow.
A call to the next closest independent living home took care of the middle-tier group, those who didn’t need oxygen tanks or more consistent monitoring. As he was hanging up with the last call, a text from Kendra came in.
Just heard about the nursing home fire. How can we help? I’m here with Carly. We can feed people, we can open up some cabins. Whatever’s needed.
He caught Alicia Moore’s eye. “The Blue Drake is offering to help.”
“We’ll take it. Is that Kendra?”
“Yes. I’ll get her on speaker.”
As soon as her voice came on the line, a sense of relief filled him. She was so smart and coolheaded. He quickly explained the situation. “We still have about fifteen people who need a place to stay.”
“No problem, so long as they don’t mind doubling up in a cabin. Everyone will get their own bed.”
Alicia nodded. “I’m sure that will be fine. Would it be okay if some staffers stayed over as well? Some familiar faces would probably help.”
“Absolutely. We’ll make it work. And Alicia—my dad and I are going to close the restaurant for the night and serve only residents. It’ll be like a night out for them.”
“Oh Kendra. That’s above and beyond.”
“This is an emergency. Lake Bittersweet always comes together in an emergency, right? Consider it done, no arguing. What are you going to need down the line?”
“Well…” Alicia seemed so overwhelmed that Jason took over.
“The kitchen is a smoldering pile of debris, so they’ll either need a camp kitchen or a whole lot of pizza delivery.”
“I’ll organize a kitchen setup. I did that here when we renovated. I’m happy to take that off your shoulders, Alicia, if that’s a help.”
“You’re an angel, Kendra.”
Jason’s heart swelled with pride and a feeling of…was it destiny? He and Kendra were an amazing team. He’d just handled his first big crisis without a hitch. And Kendra was stepping up to handle the aftermath. Between the two of them, they could do anything. The thought was intoxicating.
