[ - ]
Table of Contents [Report This]
Printer Chapter or Story Microsoft Word Chapter or Story
- Text Size +
A/N: Welcome everyone and I want to personally thank all the readers that have supporting this story since the beginning. This story is dedicated to all the everyday heroes that are overlooked. Remember to review this chapter and enjoy it. Take care.



A/N: Welcome everyone and I want to personally thank all the readers that have supporting this story since the beginning. This story is dedicated to all the everyday heroes that are overlooked. Remember to review this chapter and enjoy it. Take care.



“A Hero’s Heart”



-“What do we live for, if it not for helping each other.”- George Elliot.



**~Chapter Sixteen- With All the Heart~**



-September 10th, 2001. 12:09 PM. New York City, New York. Central Park West, 23rd street. Fire Company twelve station.



“Yeah, listen I have to let you go. I’m gonna take a shower and yes I love you with all my heart. I’ll be home in a few days sweetie. I love you.” Kevin states to his wife as he feels a smile on his face. He hangs up his small portable phone and leans back on the on cushion chair as it creaks. Getting up, he makes his way to the bathroom in his room. It seemed the past few days have been pretty slow. Besides the tragic scene with the elderly couple back a few days ago, there hasn’t been another appalling disaster and Kevin was happy about that. He didn’t need to see another corpse anytime soon. The meetings stopped as well as the city seemed to running fine with very few accidents.



“Kevin.” Darrel shouts down the hallway.



Kevin sighs and walks to the door peering out, “What?”



Darrel stares at Kevin down the hallway from his own room he shared with an experienced firefighter Jeff. “Nothing.” Darrel states confused and scratches the side of his light brown hair.



Kevin raises his eyebrows and whispers, “Ok, well I’m gonna take a shower. So if you need me, leave a note or something ok?”



Darrel smiles, his gruff peach complexion glitters in the hallway florescent light. “Ok, cool.” And with that closes the door to his room.



Kevin goes back into his room and was about to walk back to the bathroom when this time he hears Nick in the hallway calling for him.



“Kevin, where you at?” Nick asks, standing in the hallway, his head peering out of the door from his room he shares with A.J.



Kevin sighs and walks back to the doorway, stepping into the hallway. “What do you want Nick?”



“Whoa, what’s with the attitude dude? I just wanted to say hi.” Nick states smiling, his ocean blue eyes glittering in the hallway light.



Kevin smirks, “Is that all? Cause I’m busy now.”



Nick smiles, “Yup that’s all.”



Kevin lets out a deep sigh and walks back into the room heading for the bathroom. As he reaches the door to the bathroom again his name was being called this time by A.J.



Kevin grumbling stood in the bathroom doorway listening to A.J. shouting his name for over a couple of seconds. Finally getting annoyed, Kevin marches over to the door and swings it open to see A.J. standing there in front of him.



Kevin narrows his eyes and grumbles, “Yes, how can I help you Alex?”



A.J. smiles, his chocolate eyes twinkling in mischief, “Uh, hmm. See now I forgot. You took too long answering the door.”



Kevin mumbles something incoherent and whisks A.J. away from the door, “Go, it’s too hot for this. I wanna take a bath.”



“Oh now I remember!” A.J. says suddenly, his eyes lit up in excitement.



“Well?” Kevin asks, gazing at his friend. Kevin knew A.J. was up to something and it was annoying him to know that he’s the joke today.



“Oh you’ll see later, I’ll talk with you later you seem like your in rush.” A.J. states, smiling and walking down the hallway.



Throughout the time they all got together in the beginning of the summer, they all played a joke on one unlucky person and it seemed that today it would look like its Kevin. Kevin recalled this morning was disastrous when he was eating breakfast. The guys felt like serving him some oatmeal only it was sick pudding junk that only made Kevin sick to his stomach. Following that after he had eaten, Brian had brought Kevin a wrapped present for “Just being you.” Brian had told him. Kevin falling for it unwrapped the present to see two tweezers for as Brian would like to say to “Help eliminate the grouchy brows that was frightening Nick in the night. Two, one for each cause one just won’t do!” Brian had stated cockily, knowing he was only fanning the flames to Kevin’s patience. Following that rude present, it seemed to have gotten worse when Howie, poor sweet Howie was involved in being the nuisance for the unfortunate Kevin.



Howie had batted his chocolate orbs at him as he politely had asked if he can clean Kevin’s room. He stated he was bored, that him and Brian already cleaned theirs and Nick and A.J. had kicked them out for attempting that in their own room. So Kevin trusting the innocent Howie had allowed his friend to clean the already neat room. When Kevin had left the room and came back minutes later, the room was a complete disaster area with papers and folders scattered all over the area. His clothes were pulled out and lied in a mess on the crème carpet. In place of the clothes in the drawer, there was trash from the garbage can. Kevin recalled the sudden anger that had hit him then and how fast Howie ran from the room screaming bloody Mary. He knew that the others are waiting to mess with him and Kevin wasn’t too thrilled about that. He steps into the bathroom and locks the door, knowing that at least he can’t be messed with in the bathroom cause he was safe or so he thought.

~*~



A.J. laughs as he folds some of his clothes into his dresser.



“What’s so funny?” Nick asks curious.



“Kevin.” A.J. smirks.



“What about him?” Nick asks, smiling.



“The joke we’re pulling on him. Did you see how fast he wanted to get to the bathroom thinking he can get away from the pranks. Man he’s in for a real good one when he puts on that gel. His nice black hair will look good with green in it, don’t ya think?” A.J. states laughing, as Nick joins in.



“I feel sorry for him man.” Nick states in between his laughter.



A.J. snorts, “Na, don’t be. He needs a good laugh cause he’s been uptight lately.”



Nick shakes his head and laughing, points to A.J. “Just remember he’s stronger than you and he can take you on if you don’t watch it!”



A.J. stands up from the tiger printed rug facing Nick, shrugging his shoulders, “Ah, bring him on. I could take him.” He states joking around. What A.J. didn’t see was the room door open behind him with a color dyed, pissed off Kevin clutching his fists.



“Um, A.J. I seriously don’t think you can handle fighting Kevin. Trust me, he’ll be really ticked off with you.” Nick states from his bunk, his long legs swinging as he sees A.J. turning around to see Kevin.



“Oh hey buddy, how’s the gel? It looks good on you.” A.J. jokes around patting Kevin’s shoulder.



Kevin stared at Nick and A.J. for a few minutes his anger ready to splash out. Nick stops swinging his legs as he jumps off the bunk nervously. A.J. backs away from Kevin gulping as Kevin narrows his emerald eyes at the two. Kevin’s black spikes were now a dark shade of green from the gel and Kevin curled his fists tightly. “You know they say revenge is sweet.” He whispers quietly to the two frightened men.



Suddenly out from behind Kevin: Howie, Brian, Darrel, Jeff, Jalisa and some other workers pulls out some silly string cans and begins spraying the room covering the two surprised men in the mounds of the sticky substance. Laughter erupted in the room but was soon over when the fire alarm went off.



“Oh man, just when we’re having a good time.” Brian mutters, heading out the room followed by the others.



Jalisa runs down the stairs to her office, her dark medium brown locks in a high ponytail. She rushes over to the black phone and does a quick call. She found out only a few of the group is needed. “You guys, send out Lawrence, Jeff and Darrel. They’re needed down the street. It’s a small fire but they need real experienced firefighters cause it’s a preschool burning down and the children are in there. The other fire company twenty is over there already.”



Kevin nods his head and whistles to the others, “Forget the rush you guys, only Darrel, Jeff and Lawrence have to go.”



A.J. grumbles, still pulling off the sticky silly strings that melted with the heat. “Good cause I couldn’t work under these conditions.”



Kevin laughs and watches a sticky Nick and A.J. helping each clean off the mess on them. Brian pats Kevin’s shoulder. “Looks like things will turn out for the best.” Brian states, laughing along with Kevin as the two young firefighters stumble and complain that they got jumped and how unfair that was.



“Life isn’t fair.” Howie states: tomorrow his statement will show how true that is.

~*~



“Yo, when you coming over, I miss ya!” His brother’s voice states in the phone.



Nick sighs, “I’m not on break yet. You guys have to wait till the holidays come around for me to see you. Tell mom I miss her hugs and food and that I’ll be there ASAP.”



His brother sighs over the phone and asks if he bought the CD.



“What CD?” Nick asks, whispering as A.J. enters the room they share.



“My CD, you dork!” Aaron states over the phone line.



“Uh, yeah, yeah I got it.” Nick lied as A.J. listens and asks who he’s talking to.



Nick covers the mouth piece on his cell and whispers, “My brother.”



“Oh, the famous one. That’s right.” A.J. states grinning: flinging his wet towel across the computer chair.



“Did you hear me?” Aaron whispers over the phone line.



“Sorry, my roommate was asking me something. What was it?” Nick asks as he covers the cell over his hands and tells A.J. to go on the internet and search for his brother’s CD.



“I’m asking which song do you think you like?” His brother states with excitement.



Nick gulps and shakes his head, “Oh, oh well wow, I’m not sure which one is my fav. I mean I like the stuff you got there.” Nick gazes at A.J. frantically for help, as A.J. laughs and begins his search on the internet.



“No, come one, I know there’s one song there that you might like. I mean I was influenced by the rock from when we little and dad used to play. So I know there has to be one.” Aaron states waiting for a reply.



Nick gulps and watches A.J. scanning down a porn site not helping Nick at all. Frustrated, Nick tells his brother to hold on and places the cell on the dresser. “A.J! Help me find the stupid names of the songs before I personally kill you.” Nick grumbles rushing over to the computer clicking out of the site A.J. was amused by.



“Yo, man I was looking at that! Get back on there.” A.J. states smirking, pushing the mouse away from Nick. Nick yanks the mouse away from A.J.’s grasp and clicks on music site to find a list of his brother’s song.



“Man, you suck!” A.J. yelled loudly knowing that the cell phone was nearby. Smiling A.J. yelled out, “So you said you’re looking for which track? Number five, really? Aaron, Nick says five is the one he likes it’s the nice rap rock one he listens to all the time.”



Nick’s eyes grew wide and runs over to his cell, “Hey lil’ buddy, A.J. was only kidding. Number 10 sounds good.”



Aaron sucks his teeth, “But that’s a slow song, what about the hidden one, do you like that one?”



Nick gulps and stares at the computer screen which only showed ten of the songs there. ‘Oh God, there’s a hidden one?’ Nick thinks to himself as A.J. is cracking up in laughter.



“Is your friend ok? He’s been laughing for a while now.” Aaron asks curiously.



“He’s fine, just being retarded.” Nick growls at A.J.’s direction.



A.J. opens his mouth and spills the secret, loud enough for the poor boy to hear, “It would have been easier if you bought the CD Nick right?”



Nick dropped the cell phone and glares at A.J., “You’re so dead, you know that right?”



A.J laughs and races out the room with Nick running right behind.

~*~



Kevin went to the burning preschool about two blocks down, his concern for the safety of the children nagged at his heart. He watches Darrel carrying out the last three small children in his arms. The children were unconscious from the hazardous smoke that entered their little bodies. The smoke fogged up the thick goggles he has over his eyes as he makes his way over to the grassy field where paramedics and firefighters from the other company are giving CPR to the small children there. About twenty-five children came out the classroom from the small preschool as the last screaming flames dissipate with the pressure of the water from the hose.



“How are they?” Kevin states feeling useless as the paramedics wake up the children.



One of the women paramedics sighs and smiles, “They’ll be ok. Although I’m concerned the little boy over there isn’t waking up.” The woman states pointing: her dark brown eyes looking at a small black haired Asian child in one of her partner’s arms.



Kevin kneels down and touches the small boy’s face. The man holding the child, another paramedic shakes his head, “He’s not getting up. The smoke got to him.”



Kevin and the paramedic tried to give the child more air and suddenly the little boy’s eyes flew open and he stared dizzily at Kevin. A tear flowed down the little child’s face and the paramedic covers the boy with a cool blanket and carries him over to the back of the ambulance. The little boy coughs and once in the back of the ambulance starts breathing with difficultly. Kevin peers in the back of the ambulance to see a woman paramedic trying to help the boy supply more air for the child.



“Oh God!! He’s having a heart attack!” the woman shouts as the little boy looks over at Kevin, his small eyes filled with unshed tears, smiles at Kevin and reaches out to touch him.



Kevin stares as the little boy opens his hands and drops a bracelet into Kevin’s right hand. “Belongs to my mommy, give it to her.” The boy states in short breaths as he closes his eyes and falls back in the stretcher he’s lying on gasping for his last breaths. The paramedics rush around the child but it was too late for the heart attack took the child’s life away.

Kevin leans back on the rear of the ambulance doors and takes a deep breath. He’ll remember that child as he feels his heart breaking. He wonders how many more deaths he can handle before he begins to quit in hope. Though the question never came before, seeing something like this makes one lose faith in life. But Kevin was stronger that, he’ll have faith but how much of it when tomorrow comes? He’ll be put to the test but will he be ready for it?

~**~



**~To Be Continued…~**