Bending Steele

Chapter Thirty-Seven

As Abby reached the last rung of the fire escape, she stepped into chaos. People were shouting, women crying, sirens wailing, blinding lights flashed and the fanatical barking of dogs caused a massive sensory overload. Trying to tune it all out, she desperately searched above her, waiting for Adam. A pair of hands reached out and roughly grabbed her around the waist, pulling her off the fire escape.

Struggling, she tried to protest, but her lungs burned in agony as racking coughs shook her body. All she could do was clutch the frame to her chest as she swiped frantically at her stinging and watering eyes, hoping to clear her blurry vision so she could see where Adam was. The lights, the sounds, the smoke and the darkness...all of it making it impossible for her to see him.

"Ma'am! It's alright. We've got you." A harassed male voice told her.

"V...Vivian," she gasped. Her throat felt like it was on fire. "I need to get to Vivian."

"You need a paramedic," the voice growled, continuing to drag her along.

Her week objections and struggles were useless as she was passed around from one set of hands to another until she ended up in the back of one of the many waiting ambulances. Tears rolled unheeded down her cheeks. Adam. Where was Adam? An oxygen mask was slapped over her face and she clawed at it.

"No...no...leave that on. Take some nice deep breaths." Another male voice reached her buzzing ears. A rough blanket draped over her shoulders. "That's it. Nice and slow," he said gently, snapping on a pair of gloves. "My name is Shawn and I'll be your paramedic this evening." A smiling unclear face topped with curly brown hair popped into her line of vision. "You have several bad cuts I'm going to get cleaned up, are you hurting anywhere else I need to be aware of?"

Abby shook her head, though every inch of her body screamed otherwise. Pulling the mask off, she pushed his hands away from trying to wrap a blood pressure cuff around her arm. "I'm...I'm fine. There was a man with me..." she coughed harshly, her lungs feeling like they were trying to vacate her chest.

"Okay, Miss...you need to leave that on." Shawn placed the annoying mask back over her nose and mouth. "There's a lot of confusion going on right now. I'm sure your friend is fine."

He wrapped the blood pressure sleeve back around her arm and Abby listened to the puff, puff, puff as the cuff grew tighter. Slumping her shoulders in defeat, her eyes anxiously roamed the pandemonium around her in search of Adam.

"How about you let me have that, so I can take a look at the cut on your arm." Shawn reached for the picture she had tucked against her chest, but she jerked it out of his hand. "No? Okay..." He pulled back and gave her a tepid smile. "I'm going to start on the cut on your forehead then." He dabbed something from a bottle onto a piece of gauze. "This might hurt a little."

It stung like a bitch, but Abby didn't flinch. She deserved it and so much more. This was all her fault. She may not have struck the match that started the fire, but she brought the man into their world who did. A sob broke painfully out of her throat. He found her...and now...Vivian had paid the price. Her heart lurched agonizingly in her chest. Oh God...more blood coated her hands.

"Abigail!" A voice boomed through the confusion.

A commanding voice she would recognize anywhere. "Adam!" Abby leaped up, running unseeingly towards the sound only to be jerked back when she hit the end of the oxygen tubing. With agitated movements, she tore at the damn thing until she had it off, ignoring Shawn's pleas for her to stop.

Within moments she was wrapped in his arms and she buried her face into his chest. The putrid smell of smoke mixed with his scent, but she didn't care. He smelled of Adam and she clung to him as her world around her went up in flames. "I was looking for you...but...but...they...," she coughed harshly.