An Emergency! Moment in Time

A puff of breeze swept the hot night and snatched the fine particles of drifting ash, whipping them in an upward draft. The dusky powder of what once had been someone's belongings came to rest on the sweat-dampened locks of a wearied paramedic as he lowered himself to the ground.

Johnny Gage raised a weary arm in a slow and deliberate motion. In one fluid move, his fingers swept through his hair, coming to rest against the nape of his neck. His eyes closed against the sting of the smoke that had found its way deep within as he let out a long sigh.

"You all right?" The voice that came from behind was as familiar to Johnny as the rustling of leaves was to the trees. A slight smile creased Johnny's soot-stained face in spite of the fact that there was little to smile about on this hot summer night.

"Yeah," Johnny answered unconvincingly. "I'm fine…I was just thinking…"

Roy DeSoto knelt down close to his partner, rubbing his temple as he did. "I don't know how you can think," he said. "My brain is so tired right now I'm not sure I could even tell you my own phone number."

"If you need to call home, let me know," Johnny smiled again. "Your phone number is about the only thing left in my brain right now."

Roy smiled back at his friend. "I'll be sure to let you know if I need it."

Johnny merely nodded in quiet acknowledgement.

"What were you thinking about?" Roy asked a minute later.

Johnny looked at Roy with a questioning look. "Huh?" He hadn't been kidding. About the only thing left in his brain was his partner's telephone number.

"You said you were thinking…" Roy reminded him.

"Oh, that…" Johnny smiled sadly. "Nothing, really…" Though Roy didn't push for more of an answer, Johnny volunteered on his own. "I was just thinking about the family that lived in that house." He nodded towards the smoldering, charred remains of the home they hadn't been able to save.

"Yeah," Roy said with a heavy heart, "me too."

Johnny looked up at the sky that was on the verge of giving way to dawn. "Look at that," he said with a touch of wonderment in his voice.

Roy followed Johnny's gaze, wondering what had captured his partner's attention. "Look at what?" he asked after several minutes.

"The air…" Johnny said in a hushed tone, "it's still full of ashes."

It was only then that Roy noticed the granular pieces floating through the air--tattered pieces of someone's life drifting to the earth. His eyes followed the path of the dirty white dust as it settled, sprinkling them with a light covering of someone's past.

Johnny held his hand out and watched the white powdery residue gather in his palm. "I wonder what part of their lives this used to be?" he asked quietly.

Roy didn't answer, but neither did Johnny expect one. His hand closed, trapping the debris in his fist. They sat in silence, the two of them, envisioning the house, the memories that had burned beyond recognition just moments earlier as the falling ash continued to scatter around them.

 
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Guest Dispatchers              Stories by Dianne Bay