Clashing Flames

“Captain Schemmenti, you have a seven year old girl stuck on a roof. The call came from her babysitter.” a man said, his voice coming through the radio. 

“Copy that.” Melissa replied in a firm tone “Thank you, dispatch.”

There was a time in which Melissa had dreamt of being a mother. She loved being around children, and she surely loved taking care of others, but her marriage had never been happy enough for her to decide to bring a new life into the world, and her job was way too dangerous and demanding to also be a parent. From where she was standing, giving birth would’ve meant setting a kid up for misery or, in the worst case scenario, orphanage.

“Should I get ready to go up there, Cap?” Ava asked, pointing at the roof. 

“Yes, Coleman. Martinez, move the ladder into position.” Melissa instructed, turning to the babysitter “Ma’am, what is the child’s name?” 

“Her n-name’s Gina.” the woman replied, her agitation making her stutter “D-doesn’t her mother work with your squad? Is she here?”

“Barbara Howard? She does, but she’s out on another call.” the redhead stated, still processing the information “Coleman, change of plan: I’m going.”

Barbara was somewhere in the city saving people, maybe even somebody’s young daughter, while her little girl had accidentally found a way to put her own life at risk. Melissa believed her friend should be there, but her experience had taught her that it was easier to rescue someone without the pressure of having their family on the scene. 

“Hi, Gina.” the firefighter said, carefully climbing the ladder’s last stretch “I’m Melissa. I’m here to help you.”

“Hi...” Gina timidly replied, sitting on the roof “Did you find Charlie?”

“Who’s Charlie, sweetheart?” the Italian woman asked, checking for visible injuries.

“It’s my cat. I followed her up here when she jumped out of the window.” the girl confessed “I didn’t want to lose her.”

Gina was clearly scared, but it was a relief to see that she wasn’t in need of medical assistance. Still, every additional second on that roof was a threat to her safety, and Melissa had to find the right words to convince the kid to let her secure her and get down from there as quickly as possible.

“We will find her together.” Melissa reassured her, holding her hands out “I know it’s scary, but you need to take a step forward. I got you.”

“This is the worst birthday ever…” Gina mumbled, doing as the woman said “Charlie was the only friend I had, and she’s gone now.”

“Hey, we don’t know that. She’s probably just wandering through the neighborhood, cats do that all the time.” the redhead kindly explained, securing the kid to her harness.

“No one came to my party today.” the girl added, tears forming in her eyes.

As a child, making friends hadn’t exactly been easy for Melissa, so she knew what it meant to be lonely. Coming from a big Sicilian family, she had never spent a single day of her childhood in complete solitude, but her relatives never actually understood her, or cared about her interests, and she often felt like an outcast under her own roof. As she grew up, she overcame the fear of being inadequate by becoming “one of the boys”, missing out on the chance of bonding with other girls.

“Listen, sweetheart. I work with your mom, and she has told me that you’ve just moved here from New York.” the firefighter said, trying to comfort her “You’ll make friends, and they will all come to your parties. You just need to give it a minute.”

“You think so?” Gina asked with a sniffle.

“Of course. I had to say goodbye to my friends a few months ago…I still miss them very much, but I’ve met new people, and I don’t feel so lonely anymore.” Melissa replied, slowly carrying her down the ladder.

Touching solid ground after a successful rescue had always given Melissa a sense of peace. Now, by looking at Gina laugh at Ava’s jokes, she could tell that the little girl was going to be alright, and the realization filled her heart with joy.

“Gina! Are you hurt, baby?” Barbara asked with a worried look, running towards her daughter 

“Mama!” Gina exclaimed, jumping in her mother’s arms.

“I’m so happy you’re okay, honey.” the brunette whispered, holding her child tightly.

Barbara loved her job, but it was painful to miss out on entire days of her daughter’s life, especially after being a stay at home parent for years. What if something bad happened in her absence?

“Has anyone lost a stinky ball of fur?” Stevens playfully shouted with a calico cat in her arms. 

“Charlie! She’s back!” Gina cheered.

“Come on, go pet her. I bet she missed you too.” Barbara encouraged her with a smile.  

Luckily, Gina’s little rooftop adventure ended with a cherry on top.

“She’s a nice kid, Barbara.” Melissa commented, standing next to the older woman.

“Oh God, she gave me one good scare.” the paramedic replied, tenderly putting a hand on the redhead’s shoulder “I’m glad you were there.”

“Where’s the cake?” Janine asked, holding a pizza box in one hand and a bunch of purple balloons in the other.

“Oh man, I left it in the car.” Jacob answered, sprinting back to his parking spot.

“I can’t believe I let you talk me into coming with you.” Ava commented, sighing.

“Kids, behave. I’ve already rang the doorbell.” Melissa stressed, standing on Barbara’s porch.

After Gina’s rescue, Melissa couldn’t stop thinking about what the girl had told her about her party, and she needed to do something to cheer her up. She believed in what she said about being patient, but it wasn’t right to let her remember her first birthday in Philly as a depressing time. As every other child on earth, she deserved to feel important on her special day. 

“Surprise!” everyone excitedly shouted at once.

“Oh no, you did not… ” Barbara said, looking at the unexpected assembly waiting outside her front door. 

“We heard there was a little celebration going on here.” Melissa smiled, lifting the gift bags she was holding.

“Melissa! Are those for me?” Gina asked, peeking out from behind her mother.

“Well, there’s only one party girl in this house!” the firefighter joyfully replied “Happy Birthday, sweetheart.”

“I can’t believe this.” the paramedic chuckled, shaking her head “Please, come in.”

Barbara had tried to make up for the absence of family and friends by spoiling her daughter with all the things she liked best, but she could see the sadness in her little girl’s eyes. Gina missed her dad, her home, and all the kids she used to spend her time with in New York: in short, she missed her old life. The choices the woman had made during the past couple years completely changed their lives, and she felt like she was the only one to blame for her child’s unhappiness. 

“She’s having so much fun...” Barbara noted, lovingly observing Gina from the kitchen table.

“I knew she missed playing with someone her own age, so I brought the tallest children I could find.” Melissa joked, leaning against the countertop.

“Thank you, Melissa.” the brunette softly said, turning to the other woman “I really mean it.”

“I’m always glad to help, it’s a professional habit.” the redhead smiled, taking a seat next to her “How is she holding up?”

Barbara’s fresh start had been followed by all the support she could get from her family: her ex-husband, Gerald, was constantly checking on her and their child, and her parents in north Philadelphia often visited her now that she was back home, offering their help. Everyone was reaching out to her, but she didn’t want to be a burden, often hiding how much she was really struggling to make everything fall into place. It felt good to finally have someone new in her life, a person she could simply hang out with, and eventually even confide in. 

“She’s a child who saw her whole world change overnight.” Barbara explained “I know it’s only natural for her to be upset about it, but I just wish she could be as carefree as she was in New York.”

“She’s a tough cookie, Barbara. She will get through this.” Melissa kindly replied, trying to reassure her “I’m sure you did what was best for her.”

“I don’t know.” the paramedic admitted “What we had built was already perfect for a child to grow up in…I selfishly made those choices for myself.”

After months of bottling everything up, Barbara had the chance to share her doubts with someone else, finally saying out loud what was really tormenting her. By divorcing Gerald and going back to work, she had put herself ahead of her loved ones for the first time in her life, and she was still wondering if it all had been worth it. 

“Hey, don’t be hard on yourself. Gina needs a happy mother by her side: you’re trying to be the best version of yourself to give her what she deserves.” the firefighter said, gently touching Barbara’s hand “There’s nothing selfish about it.”

“I-i guess I have never thought about it this way…” the older woman commented, changing the subject “Enough about me now, how are you? Is Joe still bothering you?”

To her surprise, having Melissa sit so close to her that she could smell her perfume made Barbara feel all dizzy and confused: no one had been able to have that effect on her in a long time, and unfortunately she knew exactly what it meant. 

“Uh, he’s bothering my lawyer now. I’m getting that divorce.” the younger woman stated, rolling her eyes. 

“I would say I’m sorry, but you look rather relieved.” the brunette commented in a humorous way.

“Sure, he's acting like a jerk. He kinda has always been one.” the redhead added “I bet you know what I mean.”

“Well, not really. Gerald’s only fault as a partner was not being a woman.” the paramedic casually revealed, words leaving her mouth before she could even think about it.

Barbara Howard, well-known control freak and self-declared woman of God, had just accidentally confessed one of her biggest secrets to a partial stranger, a woman whose personal beliefs on the matter she knew nothing of. 

“I didn’t know you…” Melissa began with a curious look on her face.

“Oh boy, it’s way past Gina’s bedtime.” Barbara interrupted, talking to her daughter “Let’s go, baby. It’s time to say goodbye to our friends.”