Tracy

088:

Tracy turned, a hand to her mouth, she started to whirl back toward the house, but the fireman grabbed her arm. "I'm sorry, Miss, really sorry we couldn't save them."

Julian was standing close, his eyes were full of what she was feeling. She turned back to the house once more, her mind refusing to believe what she'd heard. Smoke was still billowing, but no more flames were shooting out. The house looked like a semblance of itself.

She whirled around. "No!" She said slowly as if everything in her world was still on fire. She took a wavering step.

Julian's eyes blurred, turning opaque in the ash filled sludge. He heard his name called and whipped around just as Richard's presence parted the smoke.

Richard caught Tracy as she collapsed , he barely made it to her, lifted her up and re-steadied himself. Ashes clouded his eyes and stung in wet rivers of bile in his throat. He held her awkwardly searching the soot stained cheeks and grimy flared nostrils.

Julian reached them, shouldering the limp body. "She must have called you."

Richard's bleak eyes sought Jules' for one split second. "How can this family stand even one more thing? This is insane!" He hefted Tracy against his chest as Julian tried to take her out of his arms. "Find a place I can lay her down."

Julian jerked his head in the direction of the ambulance and Richard grimly nodded.

Her hair dragged on the ground and he felt it against his bare legs. He hadn't even changed out of his sleep shorts, but had driven a hundred miles an hour down PCH through every red light there was.

He'd got there in time to see the house billowing smoke and Tracy on the lawn approaching a fireman. He'd started running as her hand came up to her mouth and reached her just in time.

"Where is Raine?" He asked Julian.

"With Steven." Bridget sobbed. "With Steven."

Richard looked around at them all, he took in Danny following them, saw Bridget's hysterical eyes and Julian's remorseful ones as he laid Tracy's inert form on the grass near the ambulance, which he now realized held Tracy's twin daughters.

He held her to him, shook her a bit, and then called her name, diffusing the build. Somebody handed him a cold pack, which he laid against her neck, Tracy's eyes fluttered open.

She sat up slowly with help. "What happened?"

"You passed out." Richard said calmly.

Tracy looked toward the house. "My eyes are blurry." She said, she had a hand to her head and then she felt the dizziness start again. "My baby! Steven! Where is Steven? Where is Raine?"

She turned toward the house again, her eyes rolled back into her head, and she collapsed as Richard caught her. She was building every second, on overload, unable to get ahold of it.

"Somebody get over here." He yelled. "Do you have something for her? She keeps passing out."

A paramedic ran over to them. They put her on a stretcher and started treating her for shock.

"I think we should get them all to the hospital away from here anyway. Every time she sees that house she's going to pass out." Richard yelled. The paramedics were already on that.

He turned as professionals took over, wiping blackened hands across his eyes as he stared at what was left of the collapsed house. Bridget came slowly to his side after making sure the three children were inside with their mother.