Page 27 of Till The Cows Come Home

Chapter Twenty-Four

Sage

I stood outside the barn watching as flames flickered through the wooden windows. The woman on the other end of the phone continued to ask me questions, but I couldn’t focus, my mind consumed with worry.

“Hello?” the dispatcher called out. “Are you still with me?”

“Yes, sorry,” I mumbled, squinting my eyes in an attempt to see through the smoke. I hadn’t seen Miles since he ran in, and his absence was boring a hole into my nerves.

“Is there anyone inside?” she asked.

“My boyfriend,” I responded immediately, allowing the word to roll off my tongue. I regretted not declaring it sooner, and I vowed to do so the moment I saw Miles safe again.

Something moved within the smoke and relief flooded through me as soon as I saw the first cow emerge.

I waited, expecting Miles to follow any minute, and excitement coursed through me, knowing he’d successfully freed the gate.

A few minutes passed, and I kept staring, waiting for him to walk out, swaying back and forth on my feet until I could no longer take it.

Taking off, I jogged around to where the cows were now exiting into the pasture.

I’d hoped to see Miles directing traffic, but smoke billowed from the door, making it impossible to see even a few feet into the barn.

I couldn’t understand why he’d go any further than the gate, but when I scanned through the cows recovering, making sure Miles wasn’t amongst them, the realization hit me.

The calves .

He must’ve exerted himself when he broke through the gate, and the thought of him gassed running into the smoke made my chest ache. The sirens were nearing, but my gut was telling me not to wait, that there wasn’t time.

“Miles!” I called, ducking under the pasture fence.

Weaving between cows, I made my way towards the opened gate, but they were disoriented, reentering and exiting the barn in their confused panic.

Their confusion was understandable, though.

The further I entered the barn, the thicker the smoke, and after a few feet, I dropped to a crouch, attempting to navigate under the haze.

I ushered the ones closest to me away, shooing them to safety, and as I turned further into the chaos I was almost knocked off my feet by a group of calves stumbling past me, nearly knocking me over.

A sob of relief escaped me as they made it into the pasture, and I turned back silently begging for Miles to emerge through the smoke.

I just got him, just allowed him in; I couldn’t lose him, not now.

I pushed forward, hesitant to go too far into the heat, but as each moment ticked by, my panic rose.

“Damn it, Miles. Come on.”

Panic dissolved my restraint, and I dropped to my knees, crawling against my better judgment in what I hoped was the direction of the calve pen. It didn’t take me long to spot Miles, and I flinched at the fear that stung my soul when I saw his massive body slumped into a pile.

“Miles,” I pleaded, shaking him with every ounce of strength I had until a small groan escaped his lips .

His eyelids fluttered for a moment before settling closed and if not for the surrounding carnage, I may have marveled at how peaceful he looked amongst the chaos.

Instead, I crouched again, looping both of my arms under his armpits, tugging with everything I had left.

Thick air filled my lungs, my chest rising and falling with such intensity that I thought it may burst. I continued pulling though, motivating myself with every inch we gained, and as we got closer to the exit, I began to hear the firefighters calling out.

“Here!” I screamed again and again, watching their flashlights flash through the darkness in an attempt to locate my muffled cries.

My muscles stretched to their limits as I continued to pull, desperate to reach either the threshold or another human being. Because I knew if I stopped I’d end up unconscious like Miles and I cried out in relief as I saw the firefighter locate us through the last remaining haze.

“You’re okay,” he said, reaching for my arm, “I got you.”

“No,” I said, pulling back. “Take him first. I can still walk.”

“Hold on to my jacket, I’ll guide you,” he instructed, before slinging Miles over his shoulder.

I had to admit I was impressed with the ease he carried him, wobbling only for a moment as he settled Miles’ weight on his own broad shoulders.

Once he steadied, I grasped at whatever fabric I could, allowing my eyes to close as we were guided to safety.

As we walked, I could feel the smoke thinning and when we finally cleared into the open air, I inhaled deeply, savoring the breaths I thought I’d never take.

More firefighters met us, and helping hands attempted to guide me away from Miles as an oxygen mask covered my face.

“Please, no!” I protested, gripping the fabric of Miles’ shirt as I fumbled with my mask in an attempt to follow him. My heart cracked as the fabric slipped through my fingers, and I watched as his body was loaded onto a stretcher.

“Sit,” one said while the other lowered my mask back onto my face. “You can’t help him if you pass out. Let us clear you and then you can be with him.”

I nodded, sucking in deeply to combat the dizziness I was experiencing, grateful when they draped a blanket around my shoulders. The shift from blazing inferno to the cool Virginia evening air shocked my body and the crunchy foil they’d unfolded around me curbed the shivers shaking through me.

My head began to clear and despite the pounding headache coursing through my head, I felt okay.

Not Miles, though. A crowd circulated around him and I watched as one of the medics placed an IV into his arm, hanging a bag of fluids. No matter how the crew moved, some part of his body stayed visible, and I focused on what I could see of him, begging for him to move.

The smallest twitch of his foot had me on my feet, desperate to get a glance at his face to confirm what I saw, that he was okay.

But I was unable to see through the crowd, so I removed my mask, shrugging the blanket off my shoulders.

A medic stepped into my path, attempting to persuade me to sit back down, but my attention was on Miles.

Tears slid down my cheeks as I saw him being sat up by the paramedics, his eyes wide open, scanning the crowd.

Relief spread across his face when his eyes landed on me and nothing in the world could hold me back from him.

The medic blocking my path looked between us, and with a small nod, he stepped aside.