This fire was the worst one yet. The elementary school wasn't a huge building, six classrooms and an assembly space that doubled as a gymnasium, but it was built of local timber, and it had been well soaked in gasoline. Thank heavens it was nighttime and none of the students were here.
Eli and the other men - along with the crews from two neighboring towns, worked for two hours and had it mostly out, when the explosion in the nearby storage shed caught them by surprise.
Eli saw the flash, heard the roar, and saw something headed toward Boone, one of the younger men, a newlywed with a baby on the way. Eli threw himself on top of the other man and felt the sear of pure fire enter his thigh. Moments later, Boone pushed him over, spoke anxious words that Eli couldn't hear. Other men gathered round, including Stan, who helped lift Eli onto a stretcher.
Eli knew he was fading. He looked up at Stan, not sure if the other man could hear. "Tell Nettie," he said - or thought he did. There still wasn't any sound and his vision was going hazy. "Tell Nettie I love her."
After her bath, Nettie dressed in one of her old skirts and blouses, since by then Diana was home to help. She even had Diana put her braid up into a knot at her neck. She didn't know why tonight was different, why all the hairs on the back of her neck were standing on end, but she couldn't help it. After they were married, she decided, she would wait at the firehouse, with or without any of the other women.
At ten, Diana went to bed and Nettie went downstairs to tell the VanCleves they could go back to their flat above the garage. She paced the library, finding no comfort in the books as she usually did.
A noise at the back of the house caught her attention, and she saw flames licking the corners of the carriage house. While she watched, a trail of flame zipped across the path to the house. It was as if someone had poured a line of gasoline, so both structures would burn.
Nettie ran upstairs, shook Diana awake, and sent her to run to the neighbors for help, since the fire department was somewhere else. Nettie then ran around the house to avoid the flames between buildings and rang the bell that would summon the VanCleves from upstairs.
"Hurry," she screamed. "Fire!"
The neighbors began to arrive, some with buckets or shovels. Tim VanCleve ran down in his pajamas to turn on the garden hose, and his wife was right behind him with an armload of blankets. The neighbor men grabbed the blankets and began to smother some of the areas of fire while Tim sprayed others with the hose.
Nettie grabbed a blanket, beating at the house with both arms, despite any lingering pain from her fracture. By the time it was out, the general consensus was that little structural damage had been done, mostly thanks to Nettie's rapid response.
The next-door neighbor's wife came out and asked everyone in for coffee and sandwiches. She and Diana had been busy indoors, as had another couple wives. Nettie washed up as best she could and let Diana fix her hair.
The neighbors decreed that they were all sleeping there that night, since there could be unseen damage to Eli's home. Tim went off to stick a note on the door for Eli, but returned moments later with Stan Glenn, the fire department's full-time man.
"Eli has been hurt," he said without preamble. "I'm supposed to bring you to the hospital."
Nettie blinked as the news knocked with wind out of her. She looked at Diana, knowing she should say something but not sure she could speak.
"You go ahead," Diana said. "The VanCleves and I will be right behind you, as soon as we get dressed."
Nettie nodded, and followed Stan out to his truck, focusing on taking one breath after another. "How bad?" she asked once they were moving.
"I'm not going to lie," the older man said. "It was touch and go when we got him there. He's lost a lot of blood and the doc was talking about taking off his leg. He was asking for you, though, so here we are."
Would he survive? If he did, would he be crippled, scarred? She had no idea. All she knew was that if he lived, she would be there to deal with whatever else happened.
"Looks like your father wasn't the only fire bug. Tim told me about Eli's house."
Nettie nodded grimly. She didn't want to talk. She wasn't sure she could, not without sobbing. Once they got to the hospital, she was ushered by the entire fire department down a long hallway to a curtained room.
"He saved me," one of the youngest men said. "That axe head was coming at me. If he dies, or loses his leg, it's because of me."
Axe head? Dear God!
"Eli's a tough one," Stan said loudly. Now get out of the way, you thugs and let the lady through."
She entered the dimly lit room to find Eli lying still and white as a bar of soap, his leg swathed in bandages and elevated with pulleys. She sat beside him and took one of his hands in both of hers, ignoring her soot-stained cast.
"He's been sedated." Dr. Lexington stood in the doorway. "As long as infection doesn't set in, he should be able to keep the leg. The axe nicked his femoral artery, but we've got that stitched up. Several of the lads offered blood for transfusion. If there's no reaction to the blood, he should survive. Neither muscle nor bone seem unduly damaged, but of course, only time will tell if he'll ever walk again."
"As long as he survives, the rest isn't important." Nettie pressed her lips together. It wouldn't be to her at least, but the blow of losing his athletic mobility would devastate Eli.
"One factor that may work in his favor is that the heat of the metal partially cauterized the wound. If we're lucky, that kept the bleeding down and will help prevent infection. Right now, I'm keeping him sedated so he stays still. Most of his other wounds are superficial - first degree burns and minor cuts. I'll leave you alone now. Call one of the nurses if anything changes - his temperature goes up or his breathing becomes labored. Also if he wakes, all right?"
"Yes, Doctor."
Nettie didn't look away from Eli as the doctor left. Neither did she look up when Diana entered the room, followed by the VanCleves, one at a time. Later, Mrs. Lawson came in, silent and for once, looking her age. Finally, the VanCleves shuffled Diana off to the neighbor's guest bed.
Mrs. Lawson sat beside Nettie and slipped one arm around her shoulders. "He'll be all right my girl. My son has everything to live for and he knows it. Mark my words, he'll be up and dancing at your wedding."
"I hope so. Why does it feel like everyone close to me gets hurt?" Nettie leaned her head on Mrs. Lawson's shoulder.
After four hours they'd both dozed in that same position, waking as a nurse came in to check vitals or change bags of the blood and intravenous fluids they were pumping into him.
When Eli groaned, Nettie jerked awake and said his name.
"Nettie?"
"It's me, dearest, I'm here."
"My leg?"
"Still attached."
He managed a weak smile and muttered something she couldn't understand that might have been, I love you.