“I don’t know. What about Smoke and Soot?” Savannah worried over the kittens almost as much as Gabriel worried over Rio.
“You said they weren’t afraid of thunderstorms. They’ll be fine, and I’ll wake you up early so you can go feed them.” Gabriel answered. This wasn’t the first thunderstorm they’d had recently. There had been a long string of them, one after another. But, that was normal for the rainy season in Florida.
Savannah nodded slowly as she stared out the window. Large drops of rain splattered across the window sill. “Yeah, okay. But you’ll make sure I wake up early?”
Gabriel nodded and kissed Savannah’s forehead. “Yes, kitten. I promise.”
Satisfied, Savannah smiled and offered Gabriel a brief kiss. “Good. So let's go to sleep. I’m exhausted.”
Gabriel smiled, leading the way to the bedroom he shared with Rio. They were quiet as they undressed and changed into something better suited for sleeping. Rio continued to sleep in his toddler bed, undisturbed by their movements about the room.
Once Savannah was situated under the covers, Gabriel flicked off the light and joined her. He pulled her tiny body close against his strong frame and quickly fell asleep.
* * * * *
A dog barked. Not uncommon. Molly and Nanny sometimes barked in the middle of the night. Was that scraping? At the front door? The thought floated across his conscious. “Gabriel! Gabriel! Wake up!” Savannah was shaking him.
“What?” Gabriel heard his voice, thick with sleep, as though it belonged to someone else.
“Get up!” Savannah shook him again. “Gabriel, the house is on fire!”
“What?” Gabriel sat up in bed, looking around. Savannah held a still-sleeping Rio clutched to her chest and her face was frantic. Gabriel smelled smoke.
“Shit!” He cried as his feet hit the floor. Rio started stirring against Savannah’s chest, but she held him tight. There was no fire that Gabriel could see, and he said as much.
“It’s the kitchen. The back wall,” Savannah said. Gabriel watched as Savannah grabbed Rio’s blanket – something Gabriel’s mother had made his son – and wrapped it around him. She grabbed the overnight bag, too, which had been laying on the floor. Gabriel silently thanked God Savannah had better sense than he did.
Savannah looked at Gabriel once more to make sure he was coming and started out the doorway. The smoke was heavier, but still no fire here. He grabbed a shirt and a pair of shorts from his drawer but didn’t bother putting them on.
Gabriel headed out the bedroom door. The smoke was getting heavier still. He moved towards the front of the house where Jay now stood with Savannah. Jay grabbed the dog leashes off the wall near the door as they headed out.
Nanny burst through the door, barking, and growling, as they opened it. All signs of her old age seemed to disappear as she checked her people were out. Molly did her check as the group headed off the porch. Jay and Gabriel clicked the leashes onto their respective dog’s collars as they fled the yard.
Once on the sidewalk in front of the house, Gabriel slipped the shirt on. He handed Savannah the pants he’d grabbed and took Rio so she could put them on. He was awake now and crying quietly. Gabriel clutched his son to his chest and rocked him while he watched flames rise from the roof at the back of the house.
Jay was on the phone with the emergency responders. Mrs. Pearson, a woman in her mid-forties who lived across the street with her four children, came running towards them. “Is everyone alright?”
“Yeah, everyone is okay,” Gabriel said, a bit breathlessly.
The home continued to burn, spreading faster now. Mrs. Pearson looked at them. “Do you want me to take Rio and the dogs?” The older woman always had a kind heart and had even watched Rio once for Gabriel.
Gabriel looked at her for a moment and looked back at his son. The smoke out here was getting worse and wouldn’t be good for him. “If you don’t mind. Thank you, Mrs. Pearson.”
The woman nodded and reached out her arms for Rio. He cried and reached for his father as Gabriel handed him over. Gabriel felt like crying, but it was the best thing for Rio. Mrs. Pearson took Nanny’s leash, and Savannah, without saying a word, followed the woman with Molly.
Gabriel heard fire sirens in the distance as Savannah returned. He clutched her against him as the street erupted in flashing blue and red lights. Jay stood close as they watched the firefighters try to put out the fire. Nobody spoke.
A loud creaking rang out in the night. Suddenly, the roof caved in and the back wall tumbled inwards. Gabriel felt like crying, but years of holding back tears wouldn’t let him. A glance spared towards Jay said his best friend felt the same way as they watched their home burn to the ground. Savannah’s face showed a few tears had fallen, but she bravely held most back.
When the fire was finally extinguished, the small home was nothing more than ashes and burnt timbers. Everything was gone, except for the small overnight bag belonging to Rio. That, and the clothes they wore now. Jay shook his head as one of the firefighters told him the fire appeared to have been caused by a lightning strike.
To Gabriel, it seemed he was watching a movie instead of living his own life. The world continued to move around him, but he seemed disconnected from it all. Never overly religious, Gabriel sent up a small, rare prayer thanking God that the most important things – the people, the dogs – were okay.
* * * * *
Savannah made coffee, trying not to think about the events of the night, if for but a second. Jay and Gabriel sat in the living room. Rio slept on his father’s lap. Molly and Nanny were outside, and Savannah had left the empty back shed open so the dogs could get inside.
“What are we going to do, man?” Jay asked. His usually cheerful, mischievous face carried hopelessness tonight. They’d left the ruins of the boy’s old home behind not an hour past. “I am not going back to my parent’s house.”
Gabriel was shaking his head as Savannah re-entered the room. “You’ll stay here, duh.”
Gabriel and Jay both turned to look at her over the couch. “Here?” Jay was the one who answered. “Oh, Sav, that’s sweet… but there isn’t enough room.”
Savannah only shrugged. “Sure there is. I’ll move my desk and cabinets out of the office and into the living room. You can sleep in there. Gabriel and Rio can sleep upstairs with me. It’s a big bedroom, so it won’t be too cramped.”
Jay stared at his sister for a long moment and shrugged. “What do you think, Gabe?” Jay didn’t allow Gabriel to answer as he shook his head, laughing half-heartedly. “What am I saying? Of course, you want to move in here. It’s settled.”
Gabriel laughed softly and looked down at his son’s sleeping face. He moved his hand to Rio’s back, and Savannah knew Gabriel was checking the boy’s breathing. He’d been doing that repeatedly tonight.
“Good.” Savannah smiled as she went back into the kitchen.
True, Savannah wasn’t sure she was ready to move in with Gabriel. They’d only been dating a few months now. She also wasn’t sure how much work she’d accomplish with so many people living here. But, there was no doubt in Savannah’s mind that the boys would do the same for her. They’d always been there for her, and now it was her turn to repay that kindness.