The firefighter's smile

Chapter Three

Charly's point of view.

"Morning!" Cindy, Herrmann's wife, smiled whereas I'm trying to put my not combed hair in a bun or something which is supposed to be a bun.

"Morning Charly!" Lee-Henry, Herrmann's son, shouted.

"Hi!" I simply replied, settling around the breakfast table already set.

"So, what are you doing today?" The firefighter asked me with his cup of coffee in his right hand.

"I don't know. Maybe I'll go to the firehouse" I lied.

I already know what I'm gonna do, but I know that if I told him that I count to go to the Chicago Fire Department Headquarters to try to understand what happened in Austin, he and probably the others will try to stop me and I don't want that. After all, it's my life and I can't continue to live without knowing what is the face of my past.

Just a coffee and a peanut butter toast later, I decided to take a quick shower. After that, I combed my hair and fixed them in a ponytail, I dressed a pair of black jeans and an emerald blouse. I finally put my favorite perfume before going down the stairs, putting my shoes, snatching my black coat on the hanger and my purse, and, finally, leaving the house without saying where I'm going.

The city of Chicago has never worn her nickname better than today. The cold is definitely here. Faster than I can, I walked to the headquarters of the Fire Departement of the city. Inside the building, the warm replaces the cold of the wind for my happiness. After asking the secretary if I can see the CFD commissioner, I have the bad surprise to cross in the gaze of the Austin's Truck Lieutenant. The gaze with a damn destructive flame.

"Everyones out, now!" A male voice ordered in his radio while we, the Truck crew, are reaching from some victims of this fire.

Welch stoned, thanks to a kick, a room's door. Behind this latter, he and I faced two victims: a little girl and a man, probably her dad, twice too heavy for me.

"Smith you take the man. I take the girl" My Lieutenant said.

"What?" I screamed through my mask. "You kidding me! He's at least twice my weight" I added before to cross in his gaze a terrific flame and on his lips a small grin of satisfaction.

And before I can add something, this stupid man is already out of the room. Without more time that my battalion chief authorized me, I'm out with this man on my shoulder. Once free of this weight, my only wish is to kick the ass of this asshole who is supposed to be my Lieutenant and I don't wait for more time to do it. With anger, I throw him my gloves in his face.

"That the fucking hell-" He tried to say but I don't let you more time to punch him in the face.

"SMITH!" My former battalion chief yelled.

"It's not because you don't like to work with women that you have the right to put me and the victim by the same way in danger in this fire. I explicitly told you that this man was twice my size and you laughed at me and ran out of this house." I shouted, a few inches to his visage. "Do that again and I send you directly in the arms of the Grim Reaper!"

Is it because of this that I leave Austin? I don't have the time to think about it longer than a man, wearing a CFD uniform, invited me to follow him in his office.

"My secretary said me that you want to see me Mrs. Smith" he started. "I'm listening to you"

"I worked for the CFD a year ago and I would like to have access to my files and more precisely to my transfer order to Austin from 51"