“Ma’am, my name is Damon Jackson. I helped get the little girl you are picking up out of the house. She says she has an aunt in Florida.”
“We will reach out to the family once we have her in a safe place for the night,” she responds without even really stopping.
Tessa tells me to wait here until she brings the car around. I know it’s stupid, but she doesn’t need to care of me. I’ll be okay; I just need to take it easy for a couple days, that’s all. Christmas is coming up and I intend to fully enjoy it with both my girls.
The ride back to my place is silent, and it leaves me time to prepare myself for Emily. Every day when I get home, she usually runs up and engulfs me in a hug. With my bruises and pain, I have to try to hide it since Tessa doesn’t want her to know what happened. It’s completely her decision, and I don't want to step on her toes on this.
Pulling up in the driveway, Liam’s truck is parked, and I’m sure he’s waiting to give me some long lecture. Here we go.
“Do you need any help getting out?” she asks, reaching out.
“No, I told you I’m okay, just sore.”
She straightens up and backs up as I walk up the driveway and to the door. I take a deep breath, knowing what’s coming next as I turn the knob.
“Damon. Mommy,” Emily yells, getting up from the floor and running over to us. “We got to play Candy Land.”
“Oh, you did. Bet that was fun,” I reply.
She hugs me, and then I take a seat on the couch to help my back from hurting. I haven’t gotten a chance to look at my back, but that’s where the majority of my pain is coming from, and I can guess how bad it is from that.
Tessa looks at me and then Liam. “Em, let’s go figure out something for dinner.”
Liam didn’t even wait for them to be completely out of the room before starting. “What the hell were you thinking?”
“I wasn’t. There were people inside and I didn’t have time to. If it wasn’t for me, they would both be dead right now. I will not feel bad for saving a life, even if it means giving up my own. I can’t, brother. And I shouldn’t have to.”
Liam runs his fingers through his hair. “Do you remember how you felt when you lost Carol? Why would you ever want Tess to feel that? Or Emily? Next time you need to think before you act.”
He acts like I do this on purpose. Of course, I would never want them to lose me, but sometimes you have to take a risk, especially with the job we have. It’s literally in the handbook. How could I live with myself every day knowing I didn’t do everything I could to save someone? Or someone died on my watch because I just stood by and didn’t go inside. Hell no. If the fire chief has a problem, then he can take it up with me; otherwise, I will keep doing exactly this.