Lost In Fire

Hospital Chaos

As Koda laid hooked up to an oxygen mask and breathing apparatus, he clung to life. Nurses came into the room to check on him.  The buzz from the hospital halls echoed into his room. the beeping from the heart monitor sounded like the beat of war drums, speeding and slowing in its pace. Three days had passed since Koda and Zipper were trapped in the fire and brought in, Zipper lucky to only walk away with burns and a broken wrist. Nikolas Zipper was all of 16 years old, a scrawny thing trying to build on muscle. His shaggy brown hair singed on the edges and in desperate need of a comb after sleeping in the hospital chair for a few nights watching over his firehouse brother. "Hun you really should get something to eat at least" the young blonde nurse came in and said to Nikolas. "I can't leave him.. He didn't leave me, it's my fault he is here." Nikolas says with a defeated look in his eyes. The nurse came over and took his hand, the one not in a cast into her own hand. Her hands were cold, but it was a nice relief compared to the hot skin Nikolas had since the fire. "None of this was your fault, you did exactly what you were supposed to do. He is getting better, should be waking up here soon" she assured the young one. Nikolas even knowing this was not going to leave, there's no way he could. "Brothers stick together, he's my crew mate, and that's one code I am not going to break '' Nikolas says as the nurse leaves the room. 

Koda laid there in the dark of his sleep, trapped in the repeating nightmare of the event. He had gone through it about 10 times before this one and kept running the scene though. The scene was safe, no indication the floor would have given in, the foundation must have been bad to begin. He could feel them falling in over and over, the dust clouding his face shield and the SCBA tank pressing into his back. The initial shock and then the piercing sound of the PASS device going off from Zipper's pack in the rubble, the indication that he was no longer moving around. Minutes had passed and Koda was able to call out over the radio the mayday distress to the other crew members to rescue them and called out Zipper's name in the darkness of the smoke as the room above them engulfed in a yellow orange blaze of fire. The relief that washes through Koda every recalled time when he hears Nikolas speak to assure he was alive. Koda knew he had to put this rookie first, there was no way he could leave him alone down there, even when he heard the alarm on his own oxygen tank indicating that it was low. Nikolas was his little brother, his responsibility. As the crew removed Zipper, the dust and smoke thickened and as his tank ran out of oxygen he opened the valves to help filter the smoke air he would be breathing in until he was pulled out. The black closed in on him as Koda blacked out and the replay began again.

After days of this event recall and darkness, Koda began to wake up, his lungs feeling more open and clear with each passing day and finally seeing the light through his eyelids. He woke with a cough and took the hospital oxygen mask off his face. "What the.." He tried to say as his voice was raspy like he had been a heavy smoker for 50 years.

Nikolas jumped out of the car and ran to Koda's side. "Chaske?! You're awake! Don't try to talk too fast.. The nurse said it will take time" Nikolas says. Koda smiled, Zipper was okay. "Zip.." Koda says and then coughs like he was hacking up his lung. "I'm okay, thanks to you.." Zipper says, smiling at him. "I'm gonna take care of you okay?" Nikolas says assuring him.

The boys sat in the room, Koda slowly getting his voice back as they talked about what happened. Nikolas was truly grateful to have a mentor like Chaske who he knew would have his back. "I think I'm going to be paired with Kepler until you get back," Nikolas tells Koda. "He's definitely not you, but he can teach me things I need to know. I'll be back on the truck too once this heals" he says holding up his casted wrist

Koda laughed, he really did like Zipper, he was a good kid. "Just take your time, there's no rush after something like this, you got to make sure you are in the right headspace" Koda says. "Of course as long as you are okay, I'll be okay" Nikolas says. A nurse came in and checked Koda's vitals and gave him a nice cool drink to help his throat. With as much smoke as he inhaled, he was lucky his throat didn't burn. She explained all the treatment they had done and will be doing to rehab him and get him back on his feet. "When will I be able to go back to work?" Koda asked. The nurse looked concerned, "Honey you will have a lot of work to do to build up your lung capacity again before you can walk back into another burning building.." the nurse says. Koda did not necessarily like that answer but he knew this would be a long process. He sighed and laid back onto the hospital bed with its hard pillows.