Rhett by Margaret McHeyzer
I’m so tired today, I can barely keep my eyes open. But I still have three hours left of my shift at the restaurant. The past few days have been a mixed bag of emotions. Rhett’s been sleeping on the sofa at night, refusing to leave my side. Thankfully, I know he’ll have a good sleep in the morning because he’s at work today.
A part of me feels like a villain for what’s been happening, but another part of me is petrified he’s going to abandon me once our baby is here. I’d rather be on my own from now, than to have my heart broken with a newborn. I doubt I’d cope if that happened.
“Dani, order up,” Tony, the chef, calls.
“I’m sorry,” I say as I blink several times and try to snap out of my heavy mindset.
“Hurry up,” he snaps.
I grab the plates from the counter, and head out to the customer’s table. “Thank you,” the woman says as I place her food down first, before moving over to her partner.
I walk back into the kitchen and exhale loudly. “Keeping you from something important?” Tony barks over his shoulder at me.
“What’s gotten into you today, Tony?” I reply as I stand, waiting for the next dishes to be prepared.
Clair, one of the line cooks, chuckles. “He’s been in a bad mood all day,” she murmurs under her breath.
“Maybe he needs stress relief,” Jackson, one of the servers, says with a chuckle.
“Fuck off, Jackson,” Tony spits. “I’m not in the mood for your shit.”
Man, Tony’s not usually the type of guy who takes his frustrations out on us, so something big must be eating away at him. I opt to wait quietly, because the last thing I need is an angry chef yelling at me. Especially today when I seem so damn tired. It feels like I’ve hit a wall and I can barely keep my eyes open. I haven’t even done anything more than my normal days. “Service!” Tony yells above everyone.
Jackson takes the food out to his table, and I pop my head out to check my section is okay and doesn’t need anything. I see one of the tables looking around, so I leave the kitchen to see what they need.
They all order a refill of their drinks, and once I’ve got them sorted, I walk into the kitchen to get my next plates of food. “Fuck this shit!” Tony screams so loud I’m sure the customers heard.
“Hey, Tony, it’s okay,” I say as I walk around into his area. “Are you okay?”
The moment he sees me, his eyes widen, and his jaw clenches. “What the fuck are you doing back here, Dani?”
“I’m just seeing if you’re okay. Calm down.”
“Get the fuck out!” He points to the other side of the pass-through, and I roll my eyes as I start heading over.
Walking backward, I hold my hands up to Tony. “Whatever’s happening, it’ll be fine!”
“The fuck you know how things will be?”
The next few seconds happen so fast that I barely have time to warn anyone. The grease rag catches on fire, exploding the deep fryer which throws what appears to be a fireball outward heading straight for me.
I fly backward, hitting my head on the pass-through’s metallic counter.
There’s a terrible ringing in my ears as I try to stand and help Tony, who’s doused in flames. I keep slipping, unable to find my footing to stand. My head is throbbing, and there’s the commotion of people in the kitchen wielding fire extinguishers.
Someone scoops me up and rushes me out of the kitchen into the dining area. The back of my head is throbbing, my throat is restricting and I can’t keep my focus on anything. What the hell?
I reach up to touch the back of my head, and when I lower my shaky hand, it’s covered in thick red blood. “Are you okay?” someone asks. I try to focus on who’s talking to me, I can barely make out the blurry person. I think it might be Jackson, but I’m not sure.
A thick blanket of smoke billows out of the kitchen, while a pungent, toxic smell clings to my nostrils. I try to blink the double vision away but it keeps getting hazier as the seconds pass. I attempt to stand, but my legs are wobbly and my head is spinning. I need to help Tony.
Crap, I can barely stay awake, I’m so tired. I lean my head against the wall and close my eyes for a second. I need to rest for a moment, then I can help.
“Has she taken you back yet?” Dean asks while we’re in the gym.
I’m working on my arms, and Dean is on the treadmill. “Not yet.”
“You think she will?”
“I hope so.” I rest after the first set of bicep curls. “I’m persistent,” I add with a chuckle.
“That you are.” Dean laughs.
The siren sounds, and we all head down to the truck. We’re in our turnout gear within thirty seconds. Hugo starts the truck, and we’re out of the firehouse in another forty seconds.
“Listen up,” Dean starts. “Oh shit,” he says as the information is being conveyed. He looks back to me.
“Kitchen fire The Narrow Table, Willow Heights.”
Did I hear that right? The Narrow Table? “Dean?” I ask.
“Is she at work?” Dean asks.
I can barely speak. “Yes, she is.”
“Hugo,” Dean says turning to the front.
“On it,” Hugo replies. He honks at cars and flies toward Willow Heights.
My heart is hammering hard inside my chest, as every worrisome thought compounds in my mind. “Dean, are there any casualties?” I ask, although I know, we’re not going to know until we get there. “Dean!” I yell.
“There’s another crew on its way, and paramedics are only a minute behind us.”
“We don’t have a minute!”
“Rhett, she’ll be okay,” Penelope tries to calm me.
“It’s okay, brother, we’ve got her,” Alec says.
It feels like time has slowed, and every dawdling fucker is out driving today. I’m on the edge of losing my shit. We’ve gotta get there, she has to be okay. “Dean? Anything?” I yell ready to jump out of the truck and run the rest of the way.
“Nothing yet, Rhett.”
The crew is trying to calm me, but I’m anything but calm. I need to get to Dani, I have to take care of her. Adrenaline mixes with my panic and stress creating a dangerous concoction.
“Rhett,” Dean says catching my attention. “You know the drill, brother. We have to secure the property.”
The truck pulls up near the restaurant, and I don’t even wait for it to stop moving. I’m all suited up and ready; I jump out and run toward the restaurant, looking for my girl. The smoke is thick and hazy, and I have Dean in my ear telling me to go back to the truck.
Chaos is something I can handle, but not knowing where my girl is, I can’t. Dean’s voice is in my ear, giving instructions to everyone. I search through the thick, hazardous smoke trying to locate my girl.
I zero in my focus looking for Dani. “Did you find her?” Pen asks over the crew-joining radio.
“No,” I say. I run through the dining room, diligently searching for her. “We need hands in here, I’ve got two down, both are crying, neither appear to have burns.” None of the two are my girl. Where the fuck is she? “Dean, is she outside?”
“On it,” Alec replies.
“I don’t see her,” Dean says.
The quick search of the dining area only uncovers the two who are likely down from smoke inhalation. I head into the kitchen, and see the fire has taken the kitchen. It’s likely started from the fryer. There’s a guy on his back, laying lifeless on the ground. I duck down, grab the guy under his shoulders and drag him back far enough to be able to lift him and get him out of the kitchen. “Line to the kitchen, we’ve got heavy involvement, and I don’t have an all clear yet,” I say into the headset so they know how to hit it up.
Dean and Hugo are rushing in on the line as I tell them what’s happening. But I still don’t see my girl. Where the fuck is she? Alec is back and grabs the guy from the floor, slinging him over his shoulder.
“Engine forty-five, on site,” I hear over the radio.
“Engine forty-five, I copy. Protect exposure to the west,” Dean commands.
“Wet it down, and start hitting it,” Hugo says.
In my ear there’s a lot of noise, but all I care about is finding my girl. She’s in here, but I don’t know where. The smoke is becoming denser, and there’s what feels like a thousand people talking in my ear.
“On the south side, we’re down the exposure. We don’t have a problem at this time, we’ll hit the west side,” another voice says.
“We’ve got a line of propane tanks on the west side. We’re hitting it to keep it cool.”
“We need to get out,” Dean calls. “Pull back,” he orders. Hugo and Dean pull the line back.
“I’m not going!” I call. I search through the restaurant, and in the back corner I see a pair of legs sticking out from a toppled over table. I grab the table and easily throw it to the side, finding Dani lying beneath it. I don’t hesitate. I swoop her up in my arms and run out to where I see the paramedics. Placing her on a waiting gurney, I rip off my headwear, place my ear to her mouth while I watch to see if her chest is rising and falling.
Relief washes over me when I see she’s breathing on her own.
Dani’s eyes flutter open, she squints and blinks quickly. “Rhett?”
I grab her hand squeezing it tight. “I’m here, baby. I’m here.”
“I love you,” she whispers before closing her eyes again.
Fear replaces the happiness I briefly had as my scattered head tries to take in what’s happening. “Step aside,” the paramedic says.
“No!” I yell.
“Step aside,” he says again.
Quickly I glimpse up to see who the paramedic is, but my head is so overwhelmed, I don’t know who’s who.
“Rhett, let them work.” Dean tries to drag me away from Dani, but I turn and take a swing at him. Dean rubs his jaw where my fist makes contact. He steps forward again. “Let them get her to the hospital. You’re no good to her like this.”
“I’m going with her,” I say to Dean.
The paramedics are loading her into the back of the ambulance, while I climb in after them. “Rhett?” Dani whispers again.
I lean into her, kissing her forehead. “You have the prettiest voice I’ve ever heard.”
“My head hurts,” she says. The paramedic in the back is establishing her pulse and heart rate. I look at the beeping display, searching for the numbers. “Rhett?”
“Yeah, baby. I’m here.” I take my eyes off the monitor for a moment to find Dani crying. “What is it?”
“The baby? Do you think the baby is okay?”
I reach down and place my other hand on her belly. I fucking hope the baby is okay. “I’m sure he is.” I lift her fingers to my mouth and kiss them, trying to calm her.
Dread is eating away at me. I know my girl is okay, but I need our baby to be too. She weakly smiles, but I can see the fear and terror in her eyes. I need to be strong for Dani right now, but cold fingers tighten around my heart. Please God, or whoever is listening, please let our baby survive. Please, I need them both; I can’t be without them.
The ambulance stops and the back doors open. The nurses are already waiting for us. I rush in, holding Dani’s hand. “We need you to stay out, Rhett,” one of the nurses says.
In my sheer terror, I don’t even know who’s talking to me. “I need to be in there,” I say to the nurse as they whisk Dani away from me.
“No, you don’t. You need to take a minute, and let us see what’s happening. We’ll triage her, then come get you.”
“She’s pregnant,” I blurt.
“How far along?”
“About six weeks.”
The look on the nurses’ faces speaks volumes. My heart slumps into the pit of my stomach; all the air deflates from my lungs. My legs weaken as I sink to my knees, destroyed by the look. “Rhett, the baby may be okay.”
Judging by her sad eyes, I doubt it. She disappears, and I’m left to face the fear of my own thoughts.
I feel numb. My body slackens as I sag further to the floor. “Rhett,” I hear Pen calling. I scrub my hands over my face, depleted. “Come on, brother.” She places her arms over my shoulders and helps me up. “It’ll be okay,” she says quietly.
“The baby, Pen. The baby.” We stagger over to the chairs in the waiting room, and I collapse into them.
“Dean filled us in about that.” With my head in my hands, and my elbows leaning on my knees, I feel my eyes stinging from the tears. Penelope rubs her hand on my back, offering what comfort she can.
“Where’s the crew?” I ask.
“Everyone’s here. I didn’t give Hugo time to park the truck before I was out and running up here.”
I can’t help but cry into my hands.
“How is he?” Alec asks.
Penelope doesn’t answer. She doesn’t have to. Dean and Hugo follow, and the five us sit waiting for someone to come tell us what’s happening. My tears eventually stop as the minutes turn into hours. I’m just about on the verge of losing whatever control I’ve been holding onto.
“Rhett,” Doctor Johnson says as he enters the waiting room.
I’m on my feet in seconds. My family is right here too. We all stand, waiting for whatever Doctor Johnson has to say. “Is Dani okay? Is the baby okay? What’s happening?” I ask in a single breath. Doctor Johnson quickly looks to my family, silently asking for permission to speak in front of them. “Please,” I say as I stand, waiting for whatever news he has.
“Dani’s okay. She needed ten stitches in the back of her head from where she hit it. She’s got a concussion, and I want to keep her here tonight, just for observation and on oxygen.”
“Because of the smoke inhalation,” I add.
“Yes.” He smiles tightly, then looks down at his hands. My heart shatters, because I just know the next words that are about to come from him.
“The baby?” my voice cracks with dread. The room is cold, and I can feel everyone holding their breath, waiting for the answer.
“Doing fine.” He offers a genuine smile. Shit. I clutch at my chest and sigh. “Dani’s being admitted and moved to a private room. You’ll be able to see her soon.” Everyone exhales with happiness.
“Thank you.” I extend my hand that he shakes.
Alec is the first one to grab me, and hug me. “They’re good.” He steps back, and lightly smacks my upper arm. Nodding, he exhales. “They’re good,” he says again.
Pen throws herself in my arms. “They’re okay,” she says and wipes at her eyes.
“Are you crying, Pen?”
“No, I don’t cry,” she replies with sass.
Dean hangs back, leaning against the wall, and looking down at the floor. Alec, Pen, and Hugo file out of the room, all three of them happier now that we know Dani and the baby are both okay. “What you did today,” he starts.
“I know. I broke every protocol we have. I didn’t listen, and I didn’t care that I was running into it without the crew.”
“I should write up a disciplinary memo on you.”
“I understand. It’s what I deserve.”
He pushes off the wall, and places his hand on my shoulder. “I would’ve done the same thing for the woman I love.”
A silent exchange passes between us. An unwritten and unspoken agreement. He’s not going to write me up, just like he knows I’d have his back if it was Joanne in the same situation. Love is thicker than blood, and blood is thicker than protocol. Dani will always come first for me. Always.
“Go see your woman, make sure she’s okay. I’ll call Mom and tell her what happened.”
“Thank you, Dean.”
He nods his head once, and leaves the waiting room. I spend a moment catching my breath before I find a nurse to tell me where my girl is.
