Through the Fire (24 page)

already gathered outside. Brandon could see

the smoke emanating from the windows and

his stomach twisted in terror. This was déjà vu

all over again. The only difference was that the

last time
his
woman wasn’t in the building.

“Don’t panic Brandon. Maybe she got

out,” Tristan said, his calm voice belying the

panic in his eyes.

Brandon didn’t say anything. He knew in

his heart that she wasn’t out. “She didn’t get

out. We’d see her. She’d be looking for me.

Where the hell is the fire department?”

Brandon’s cell phone ringing startled

him. Quickly taking it out of his pocket and

looking at the display, he almost didn’t answer

because he didn’t recognize the number. Then

he thought better of it and answered anyway.

“
Hello?
”

“Brandon?” the caller shouted in his ear.

He could hear something roaring behind him.

“Yes, this is Brandon. Who’s this?” he

yelled back.

“Thank God! Brandon, this is Craig

Randolph. We’re stuck on the first floor.”

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247

“Where’s Dominique? Is she okay?”

Brandon cried.

“I don’t know. She’s conscious now. She

fell, hit her head, and was out for a minute or

two. She’s awake now but kind of out of it. I

don’t know if it’s from the bump on her head or

the smoke. I’m hurt, too.” Craig’s voice seemed

to be drifting away. “Too…weak.”

Brandon stiffened. Dominique was hurt.

He needed to get in there. Those damned

firemen were taking forever. “Craig, hold on!

Help’s on the way. Tell me exactly where you

are.”

Craig had to explain three times before

Brandon finally understood. He hoped the man

really knew where they were in the building

and wasn’t just babbling from confusion.

Dominique’s life depended on it. So did

Brandon’s.

“I’m going in,” Brandon said to Tristan.

“The hell you are! You are not going into

that building, Brandon,” Tristan roared.

“Yes, I am. The only way you’re going to

stop me is to either knock me out or shoot me.

Either way, you’d better make sure I’m dead,

because if I come through and something’s

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happened to my wife, I won’t be responsible for

my actions,” Brandon barked.

“Brandon, let the firemen do their jobs.

See, here they come now. You go in there now

and you’ll just be another victim. In fact, you’ll

draw their attention away from Dominique and

Craig.”

“Tristan, Dominique’s hurt. I have to be

with her. Live or die, we are going to be

together. When I married that woman, I said

till death do us part, in sickness and in health
,

and I plan on sticking to my vows. So don’t try

to stop me,” Brandon cried. “Tell me you

wouldn’t do the same thing if it was Alisha in

that building.”

Tristan looked hard into Brandon’s eyes

for a moment, absorbing the message that

Brandon really was willing to die for his wife.

Then he let go of his brother’s arm.

Brandon took off into the building,

following the directions Craig had given him.

Smoke swirled into his lungs, making him

cough and gag. He used his arm to cover up his

mouth but that still wasn’t enough. Eyes

streaming, Brandon twisted and turned

through fallen debris until he got close to where

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249

Craig had said he and Dominique were waiting.

They weren’t there.

“Dominique! Craig!” he yelled.

“Brandon,

over

here!”

he

heard

Dominique yell. She was alive. His heart beat

faster.

“Where, baby?” Brandon shouted.

“Towards the left. I can’t see you, but I

can hear you,” Dominique yelled back.

“Keep talking, baby, I’ll find you.”

“Okay. Keep walking. Craig’s sitting. He

has a head wound that’s still bleeding and he’s

dizzy...”

“I know, baby. He told me he was hurt.

Keep talking. I think I’m closer. How are you

doing? Craig said you were hurt, too.” Brandon

choked back a curse as he dodged another piece

of debris falling from the ceiling.

“I have a bump on my head and I’m a

little lightheaded, but otherwise okay. We’re

over here in the corner. I don’t think you can

get through. There’s too much debris.”

“I know exactly where you are now.

Listen, I am going to crawl beneath some of this

stuff to get to you. Keep talking to me baby. Let

me know you’re still okay.”

“I’m okay, Brandon.”

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Brandon got on his belly. The floor was

hot as hell and burned his skin, but he gritted

his teeth and crawled, making his way through

fallen sheet rock, beams, and smoke to reach

Dominique. His heart swelled when he got a

glimpse of her high heeled shoe. Not wanting to

be apart from her a moment longer, he reached

out and grabbed hold of her foot. “I got you,

baby,” he cried.

“Brandon, you found us!” Dominique’s

eyes welled up as she looked into her husband’s

soot-covered face.

Brandon smiled. “I told you I would,” he

said reaching her and pulling himself up in

front of her. Brandon drew Dominique into his

embrace and cried like a baby. “Damn, I love

you, baby. I love you so much.”

“I love you too. Looks like the cavalry

have arrived,” Dominique said pointing to the

flashlights of the firemen behind him.

Brandon looked back over his shoulder

and laughed. “Figures. We’re over here!

There’s a man hurt,” he yelled.

They watched as the firefighters cleared a

pathway with precision. They helped Brandon

and Dominique up and led them out of the

building as they put Craig on a gurney. It was

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251

still rough going, but the firemen knew the

hotspots and weak areas, and seemed to

anticipate where each piece of sheetrock would

fall before it did. By the time they were free of

the falling debris, Brandon had a whole new

respect for firefighters.

As soon as they were away from the

burning building, they were greeted by the

EMTs and oxygen masks were put on his,

Dominique’s and Craig’s faces. Brandon

refused the gurney for Dominique, preferring to

carry her out in his arms. Outside, they were

met by his and Dominique’s families. Their

families gathered close, weeping in relief,

surrounding and shielding them with love.

“Shit, Brandon, you took ten years off of my

life,” Tristan laughed, hugging Brandon and

placing a kiss on Dominique’s head.

Brandon laughed too, from sheer relief.

“I’m okay. I’ll meet y’all at the hospital.

Dominique hit her head, and she needs to get

checked out.”

“You both need to be checked. You’ve

inhaled smoke yourself, and you have some

nasty scrapes and burns,” the EMT informed

him.

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“Yes, brother-in-law, so just climb on up

there with your wife and get checked out,”

Xavier said. “It’s official, you get brother-in-law

of the year. Now get. Sorry, Rafe, but you can’t

keep your wife quiet long enough to get

brother-in-law of the year.”

“Forget you, Xavier,” Diamond said

around everyone’s laughter.

“Love you too, Di,” Xavier teased.

At the hospital, Brandon was treated for

his injuries and released against the ER

doctor’s advice. He wasn’t worried about

himself. He needed to make sure Dominique

was good. He heard that Craig Randolph was

being treated for his head injury and smoke

inhalation.

The doctors had taken a CT scan of

Dominique’s head and had drawn some blood.

The two families were waiting for the results of

both tests. Brandon sat on the hospital bed next

to Dominique. She had fallen asleep in his

arms. One of the nurses had frowned at him.

She could frown all she wanted. He wasn’t

moving, and she wasn’t going to make him.

He looked up when the doctor pulled the

curtain back and peeped in.

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253

“Come on in, Doc, she’s sleeping,”

Brandon whispered.

“Hi, Mr. Cameron, her test results are in,”

the doctor said. “She has a slight concussion.

Also, given the smoke she inhaled, and her

condition, I’d feel better if she stayed overnight

for observation. We’ll move her to a private

room if you’d prefer.”

“Yes, I would like that very much. Thank

you. Should she be sleeping so much with a

concussion?” Brandon asked, concerned.

“We’re monitoring her. That’s why it’s

safer if she stays in the hospital. Considering

her condition and what she’s been through,

though, she’s going to want to sleep a lot.”

“You said that before, ‘her condition.’

What condition? Is something wrong with my

wife, Doctor?” Brandon asked.

The doctor looked a little taken aback.

“I…uh… take it you don’t know. I’m really not

supposed to give you any information without

her consent but…” the doctor looked at

Dominique, who was sleeping soundly in

Brandon’s embrace. “Mr. Cameron, your wife is

pregnant. It showed up during the blood work.

I want to do a sonogram before I transfer her to

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her room. I’ll get a technician in here in a few

moments.”

Brandon looked at the doctor with his

mouth and eyes stretched wide. “My wife’s

pregnant?” he uttered in disbelief. “But…but,

she was told that there was only a very slim

chance she could get pregnant again. She had a

miscarriage before.”

“Well, slim has turned into a definite.

Yes, she is very much pregnant and you have

the awesome task of telling her,” the doctor

chuckled. “I’ll have her moved to that private

room in a jiffy. Talk to you both later,” he said

slipping outside the curtain.

Brandon glanced down into the beautiful

face of his wife and smiled. “God’s given us

another baby,” he whispered. Placing a kiss on

her brow, he gently laid her back against the

pillows and slipped out of the bed. He needed

to tell his family the news before Dominique

woke up.

Brandon met the families out in the

waiting area.

“How’s Dominique?” Olivia Shaw asked,

followed by his mother.

“She’s going to be okay. She has a

concussion. They want to keep her overnight.

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255

She’s being transferred to a private room

shortly.”

“Oh, thank God,” Olivia cried. “Can I see

her now?”

“You could, but she’s sleeping. You might

want to wait until they transfer her. I just came

out to let you all know that she’s doing okay. I

have to get back in there before the technician

comes in.” Brandon smiled.

“Technician?” his mother questioned.

“Yeah, they want to do a sonogram.”

Brandon’s smile widened.

“Dominique’s

pregnant.”

For a moment the room was silent then

words of joy and congratulations flowed forth,

washing over Brandon like a healing balm.

“Y’all hold onto those cheers and

congrats,” he said with a grin. I want to be in

there when they tell her. See y’all later and

don’t tell my wife that I told y’all,” he said softly

before going back to Dominique’s side.

* * *

Dominique was awakened by a very

enthusiastic woman holding something in her

hand.

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“Good, Mrs. Cameron, you’re awake. I

just need you to lift up your gown, so I can get

this sonogram done, then you can go back to

lala land.” The technician laughed at her own

joke.

Dominique looked up into the eyes of her

smiling husband. What was he smiling about?

What was going on? “Brandon…?” she asked.

“It’s okay, Dominique, she just wants to

make sure that the baby’s okay.” Brandon

looked into her eyes.

“B-Baby?”