Tracy

088:

         

088:

Someone brought oxygen masks. Both babies were screaming. Tracy lifted first one tiny baby and sat on the back of the ambulance to nurse her. She could see the house now, water flying over the top of it in white streams. The flames began to succumb to the froth. How long?

How long did it take to die from smoke inhalation?

How long did it take for a house to burn down?

How long would the person responsible burn in hell?

When she'd nursed both babies and laid them on the cot, wrapped solidly in blankets and asleep, she lifted Danny into her arms and faced the house once more. Danny didn't speak or cry anymore. He just stared vacantly. She walked a few steps away from the back of the ambulance so she could see clearly. The grass beneath her right foot was cool---- she looked down and realized she'd managed to misplace her shoe.

Somebody brought her a sat phone.

"Tracy! Tracy! Is that you? Oh my God! You're safe!" It was Bridget's voice.

"Bridget." She said her name as if from a cave, from deep inside the cave.

"I'm watching the house burn on the news. It's your house, burning to the ground, isn't it? They are telling me it's your house."

"Yes. It's our house." Her voice was barely audible.

"I'm coming there." An audible click and Tracy let the phone slip from her fingers. She picked it up again and dialed a number.

"Richard." Her voice trembled.

"Honey.... What's wrong?"

"They burned my house down."

"Excuse me? What did you say?"

"Richard!" She screamed, covering her face with her free hand. The whole agony of it raced through her and consumed her. "Raine! Raine! Richard!"

The phone slid from her fingers again and when she picked it up it was dead. She felt her eyes blurring with tears and then she huddled over Danny's body and sobbed.

Bridget found her there, she knelt and covered her body with her own and tried to raise her. "Tracy, come on."

"No, Bridge, I can't leave."

"Okay, we'll wait here."

"Bridge, Raine is still in there." She looked up at the house. "Steven." Fresh sobs broke from her throat and she choked on another sob.

Bridget had never seen anything so pitiful, she'd never seen eyes so haunted, so red, so tear-filled, so full of despair.

A few minutes later, Julian was pulling them both back toward the ambulance. Tracy dug in her heels. "No, Jules, let me be. I'm not leaving!"

"Tracy, come on, let's get back to the babies."

"No, the babies are fine. God, Jules, Raine is still in there, Steven, and Monday!"

Julian was shaking his head over hers at Bridget, Bridget turned stricken eyes on him. He mouthed the words, "They're dead."

Bridget shook her head. "No!"

"Come on." But he couldn't persuade either girl to leave the grass now, or to let Danny go. So Julian sat beside them holding them both, rocking back and forth until Tracy got up and went over to a fireman coming away from the back of the house.

"Where is my husband, Raine! He went in after the nanny and the baby!" Her voice was fairly calm.

"We found their bodies ma'am. They were together near the collapsed stairway. The man had the baby, if that's any consolation to you. Your husband died holding your son."