No Regrets

Chapter 4

After driving around for about an hour, still not answering up for any calls, Tim pulled the car in front of a curbside food truck. Adam glanced at the truck, looked perfectly parked to him, no obvious violation, so he wondered why were they there .

Tim saw his reaction out the corner of his eye, smirked to himself as he got out and walked around to Adam's door. "Y'all gonna sit there or get out and grab something to eat?" he asked while opening the door.

Adam was hungry, he hadn't eaten anything this morning and seeing the donuts Tim wolfed down that morning while he entered the warrants was hard to take. He walked to the truck, placed his order and stepped aside while Tim gave his. Adam watched as people walked along the busy street til his order was ready. Opening his wallet the girl at the window commented "y'all are set, Timmy paid for your lunch too" handing his food and drink too him.

Leaning against the trunk of the car Adam opened his drink " thank you, but I can pay my own way" he told him.

Tim swallowed the bite he'd taken and took a quick gulp of his drink, "strike two - ungrateful recipient of kindness" he remarked.

Adam shook his head, he'd had enough already "what the fuck, there is no way that is a question on the evalution" he commented.

"Easy partner" Tim chuckled.

"I'm not your damn partner, sir" Adam retorted a bit loud.

"Well, you won't be with that attitude" Tim told him, rolling up the wrappings from his food tossing it in the nearby trash can.

Adam just looked at him, unsure if he should continue with his discontent. 'If he wants me for a partner, he sure as hell has a strange way of saying so. Question is, do I want to be" he thought to himself. Adam decided to let it go, for now. People seemed to be stopping to see what the two were arguing about. Last thing he wanted was to make the department look bad, or worse..end up on the evening news. He quickly finished his food and got back into the patrol car.

"Y'all have a nice day now" Tim yelled to the small crowd as he opened his door and got inside.

The rest of the shift was just as uneventful as all the others. Tim drove around and Adam stared out the window, only the radio transmissions breaking the silence between them. Returning to the station Adam noticed what appeared to be smoke a short distance away.  Tim had seen it too and quickly diverted towards the blackened sky.

"Dispatch to 2D4, fire department being sent to Willard Lane, report of an explosion and structure fire with possible entrapment" came the familiar voice over the radio.

Tim grabbed the mic, "2D6 to dispatch, we're closer and will be enroute as well" he answered, before hitting the lights and siren.

"Recieved 2D6, one occupant outside, another reported still inside the structure. Fire department is enroute" the voice reported.

Adam watched as Tim manuevered through the busy streets, occasionally looking towards the smoke filled sky. Arriving prior to the fire department, they excited the vehicle, running towards the person who had also been inside, a female in her fifties.

"Is the other person still inside" Tim asked as the woman coughed from the heavy smoke. It was obvious she had been burned on her arms, the remains of her shirt sleeves on the ground.

"Yes, my mother " she coughed heavily " she's was in the kitchen. I tried, I couldn't get to her" she managed to say.

A neighbor walked over to help when Tim looked at Adam. Words unspoken, they both ran to the entrance of the building. Shielding their faces as best they could they entered and began searching the building, calling out hoping for any response. Using his flashlight to see through the smoke, Tim moved things out of the way, finding the woman, unconscious on the floor. A loud crack was heard from above. Adam and Tim picked her up, carrying her as quickly as they could when the fire intensified.