Irresistable

The hot smoke was making my skin burn.  I saw a man in a fire suit.  He must have been looking for me.  I knew I was probably the only one left in this house.  It was my rich friend’s house.  She wasn’t really my friend, she was just kind of an acquaintance.

    Her family was rich and sort of well-known.  At least, she was well-known.  She had some sort of social media platform where she does interviews and challenges for her followers.  I wouldn’t know I don’t have social media.

    I was her project; I have no leg. 

    “I’m over here!”  I yelled.  He saw me.  He looked younger, the way that he walked. 

    “Jump!”  He yelled.   The floor had already fallen through in front of me.  He held his arms out like he was ready to catch me. 

    “I can’t!”  I yelled back. 

    “I’m right here!”  He yelled over the crackling fire.

    “No, I’m not scared.” I said, “My leg is melted.” I pulled my pant leg up to show him my disfigured prosthetic foot. 

    “Oh,” he did a double take.  I could see him look around the fiery room to figure out how to get me out of this house safely.  “Scoot back!”

    I did as he said and scooted back.  He then jumped over the big hole in the floor and picked me up cradling me in his arms. 

    “Are you ok?”  He asked me. 

    “I’m a little shaken up by that all.”  I gripped onto his garments for dear life. 

    “I can tell,” he laughed.  “Now I’m going to jump.”  He said as he jumped; not giving me much of a warning.   The floor was fragile and all I could hear was the loud crash that happened next. 

    Then, I opened my eyes still gripping tight to his body.  “I—I can’t move.” 

    “It’s ok,” He stood back up gracefully with me in his arms.  I wasn’t shaking anymore.  I was still. 

    “I think there is something in my back.”  He walked faster and ignored my comment. 

    He kept walking, we were almost out of this hot house.  “Get a stretcher,” He yelled from inside still. 

    He was running now to the stretcher.  I think, I was starting to black out.  “I’m cold.” 

    “What is her name?”  The paramedic said while looking at me.  I was on my side on the stretcher.  There was something in my back. 

    “Mia!”  Emma shrieked at the sight of me.  I could tell she was in tears. I honestly don't know if she was trying to answer the paramedics question or not.

    “Ok, Mia,” the paramedic said, “you have a pen in your back, but everything is going to be fine.”  He put some sort of breathing mask on me. 

My sight went totally ballistic.  I could not see at all even though my eyes were open. 

I then shut them since they were doing no use.  All I could hear was voices.  

“She may be paralyzed, the way it went into her back,” I heard them speak. 

“She’s going to get ink poisoning, let’s move fast!” 

That’s when I stopped remembering. 

I woke up a long time later, I can’t tell you how late.  I don’t even know myself. 

I tilted my head slightly to see my father, “Dad?” I managed to say. 

“Mia,” he began to cry.  I couldn’t tell if it was relief or upset tears.  He would probably be so relieved if this had taken me out.  I almost die all the time.  Terribleness follows me around. 

I just looked at him. 

“I missed you, both me and your sister.” 

“Rachel?”  I asked.  Rachel was my younger sister.  She is twelve.  

“Yes dear, Rachel is at school right now but she will come after.” 

“School?” 

“Yes, your extraordinary teachers have decided to waive your work for the next couple of weeks.  They would still like you looking over the material.  But, their main focus is your health.” 

I looked at him, “Ryan?”  Ryan is my older brother.  He’s off in college.  He got out of our house as soon as he could. 

“He’s not here darling.”  He had condolence in his eyes.  “He can’t miss school right now.  He was up here right after the accident, but he had to go back.” 

 “How long ago?”

“It’s only been three weeks, you're having a nice recovery and you will still be able to walk.” 

“My leg?”

“Your prosthetic was totally burnt up in the fire.  I believe your classmates are doing some fundraising for a new one.”  I am so blessed. 

I blinked at him.  Then, a nurse came in to check my vitals and take blood.  She was wearing purple scrubs and her red frizzy hair was in a bun that you wouldn’t call a bun because it had fallen down so badly.  She had circles under her eyes, and you could tell she’s been working a while. 

“Time?” I asked as the nurse left. 

“2:30,” My father answered. 

“Day?” 

“Wednesday.” 

“I have to leave,” I was so drowsy from all of the medication.  I tried to stand up but all the cords I was attached to prevented that.  It stung my back to stand up. 

*Knock, Knock*  

There was a knock on the door before a person walked in.  He wasn’t old enough to be a man but he wasn’t young enough to be a boy.  The man boy was tall and muscular but he didn’t have enough muscle to be buff.  His hair was dirty blonde, and he had some chin hair.  His eyes were blue, the beautiful blue. 

“Hi?” I asked more than I said. 

    “She’s awake?”  He rejoiced.  Why did I not know this man? 

    “Him?” I looked at my father then to the guy.

    “Oh, Right.  You’ve been in a coma or whatever.”  He was talking fast like he was excited to meet me.  “I’m Brock,” He took his hand in mine.  “Brock Ashworth.  I’m a firefighter.”  Figures.  Ashworth.  What a coincidence. 

    “I’m Mia, Mia Perry.” 

    “I know I saved you.” 

    “I have to go get something,” My dad said.  He was just looking for excuses to leave. 

    “Why do you care about me?”  I barely got the words out of my mouth.  The drugs were making me a little groggy. 

    “That’s the thing; I don’t know.  I mean that wasn’t my first fire.  I’ve been in about seven but that’s not the point.  I’ve saved a lot of people, a lot of girls, hot girls in fact.  I just have this magnetic pull towards you.” 

    Did he just tell me he loved me? 

    “Huh?” I asked, trying to decide if I was imagining him or if he was real. 

    Brock grabbed my hand, “I tried telling myself that those other girls were hotter and it was just because you could have died.”  Did he just call me ugly?  What is it?  Are you into me or not man?

    I just looked at him confused. 

    “You’re the firefighter that saved me?” 

    “Yes.” 

    “So why are you here?” 

    “I don’t know if it’s because you were practically dead or if I am falling for you?” 

    “What?”  I just couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that the firefighter that saved me just barged into my hospital room pronouncing his love for me.  Don’t get me wrong, he is hot.  Firefighters are hot—that’s pushing it.  Young firefighters are hot.  (literally and symbolically.)  

    “I don’t know, I want to take you on a date.” 

    “This is sort of weird.  I’m sixteen, you could lose your job and be put on the sex offender list.” 

    “I’m only twenty-one.  It’s just a date not, like I want to sleep with you.”  He looked grossed out.  Which was kind of really cute. 

    “You met me in a fire.”  I complained trying to make valid points. 

    “You made us fall through the fire.” 

    “It’s not my fault I don’t have a leg!”  We were yelling at each other. 

    “Why don’t you have a leg?”  He brought his tone down.   

    “You are a stranger, why would I tell you.” 

    “A stranger that is going to take you on a date.  So, what happened?  I want to get to know you.” 

    “It fell off,” I replied, “I was sleeping and when I woke it wasn’t there.” 

    “Liar.” 

    “Priss.” 

    “What happened, come on tell me.” 

    “I was in a fire and it burnt off then the firefighter that saved me wanted to take me on a date.” 

    “Fine don’t tell me.”  He folded his arms and sat back in his chair looking at me.  I didn’t even know this guy!

    “Wasn’t planning on it.” 

    “Eye for an Eye.”

I looked at him confused.  Even though I was on some really strong drugs his presence was helping me fight off sleep. 

    “So, I went to high school, right.  The only thing I wanted to do with my life was be in the military and find a little lady,” oh lordy, he thinks I’m his little lady.  “Well, I went and had to go get this exam because that is what you have to do before you go to the military.  They took a tiny look at my thumb and turned me away.”  He showed me his thumb. 

    “Why?” 

    “Well, you see that little scar inside the nail?”  I nodded, even though I had no idea what he was talking about.  “Well, my freshman year I took a mechanics class.  And had dropped the truck on my thumb due to lack of communication with my peers.  I was devastated.  And that’s my story, tell me how you lost your leg.” 

    “I didn’t agree to that.  Plus, it’s a long story.” 

    “Well, it’s raining so I don’t think there will be any fires for a while.”  He sat back and looked like he was going to sit there all day. 

    “Fine, well, ok, my parents were trying for baby four, ok?  They kept the baby until about a few weeks before her due date.  I honestly don’t know what happened.  The baby probably had problems.  Mom and Dad were devastated.  You don’t know what that stuff does to people.  My mother most of all.  She got into drinking and drugs and her and dad fought a lot.  There was a lot of talk about divorce but no action—they still loved each other, I guess. 

    “Well, one day my mother came home; drunk but not like to buzzed.  Her and dad fought and she said she was leaving him and told us kids to get in the car.  We obeyed, mom is scary when she is drunk.  You could see the brokenness in my dad’s eyes.  I was only in my PJ’s and I did have my seat belt on—just note that they are not always safe.  

    “We were in the car and she was driving fast.  I don’t really remember what she hit but she hit something and the car tumbled down a hill, the hill was steep.  She flew out the window due to no seat belt and the car landed on her.  There was so much blood.” I was sobbing. 

The firefighter picked me up carefully and sat on the bed and kept me in his lap. 

    “Well somehow, I don’t know mechanics so I can’t tell you how this happened, but my seat just kind of flew up in the air.  I hit my head a couple of times but the seat belt and the car ceiling were keeping me from dying.  I wish the seat belt would have broken. I feel as if I wouldn’t have lost my leg. 

    “It somehow wrapped itself around my leg and practically folded it into two and the seat landed on it.  You know, I can’t feel the pain.  I don’t feel pain anymore, that pain was just so traumatizing that I can’t feel pain anymore.”  

    He looked at me with sympathy and touched my hair, “Uh-huh.  I’m so sorry about your mother.” 

    “Thank you,” I said.  Looking down.  He tapped my chin back up and I felt chemistry.  Then he kissed me.  I was into it.  Then— 

    “Wait!  You do this to all the girls!  You make them tell you some sob story and then you know um kiss them or whatever it turns into next!”  I slapped him, “I’m kind of into it.  But, don’t do that though!  Though I kind of want to kiss you again.” 

    “Go for it, nothing is holding you back.”  I couldn’t resist.  I kissed him. 

    “Damn it!  I didn’t mean to do that!”  I did it again. 

    He had this awfully hot smirk and said, “You can’t help it.  I’m Irresistible.  Don’t get your hopes up dear.  Call me when you're ready for the date.”  He set a piece of paper on the table side of my bed.  Then, kissed me on the forehead and left.