In Your Embrace by Amy Miles Page B

open.  He leaps over the debris scattered around the front porch and ducks under the fallen tree and power lines.  He slips twice on the wet yard before finally reaching the street.  He spins around in search of help, but the street is deserted.  Most of his neighbors evacuated several days ago.  Those who stayed seem to have remained locked within their homes.
    He doubles over, his hands upon his knees as he takes in great gulps of air, trying to force himself to think.   The power is out so I can’t call for help.  No one is around to help me.  What am I going to do?
    Timothy feels helpless as he rises up.  Iris needs him and he is failing her…just as he failed to keep his wife Abby safe.
    No!   He shakes his head.   This has nothing to do with Abby.  Focus, Tim.  There has to be a way around this.
    His ears perk up at the wailing siren of an approaching ambulance.  He rises onto his toes to watch the boxy white vehicle weaving its way through the debris and turning onto his street.
    Thank you , he silently whispers, knowing that the prayer he never even spoke into existence has just been answered.
    Timothy waves his arms overhead, running straight into the vehicle’s path.  He leaps out of the way just before it reaches him and rushes to the driver’s window as the paramedics pulls up beside him.
    “You alright there, Tim?”  a gray haired man with a slightly off-kilter moustache asks as he leans out the window.  Charley Patton has been working this gig for as long as Timothy can remember.  He’s a good man, in Timothy’s opinion.  Big heart and strong arms for the job.
    “My neighbor is trapped in her house.”
    “Is she bleeding?  Conscious?”  He glances back over his shoulder.
    Timothy tries to see who it is that he’s speaking to as he answers, “she’s trapped under a cabinet.  I think she may have broken something, but she reacted to pain.”
    Charley’s face falls.  “I’m sure sorry to hear that.  I wish I could stay and help, but I’ve got a passenger who is severely injured and needs immediate medical attention.  I’ll call for help and check back as soon as I can.  Afraid that’s the best I can do for ya, Tim.”
    His shoulders sag as Charley begins to move past.  He watches after it as the vehicle rolls over downed power lines and pushes a metal trash can out of the way.  Suddenly, the back door pops open and the ambulance is forced to slow.  A girl, probably only a couple years younger than himself, hops down from the back and runs toward him.  Over her shoulder, the paramedic in the rear slams the door shut and the ambulance moves on.
    “Did you say a woman is trapped?”  the girl asks as she halts before him.
    Her hair is windblown.  Her face streaked with dried blood and tears but her eyes look alert, focused.  “Yes.” He nods and points toward Iris’ house.  “Over there.”
    Without another word, the girl rushes ahead of him, weaving through the debris.  He hardly has a chance to call out a warning before she dips low to avoid the power lines, and he rushes to catch up.   Who is this girl?
    By the time he hits the front door, she is already kneeling beside Iris, her hand curled around his neighbor’s.  “It’ll be ok.  We’ll get this thing off you and get you all fixed up,” she soothes as she shoves aside a tabby that persists in trying to coil its tail around her arm.
    He stands in amazement as she turns damp eyes up to look at him.  “This woman must be in a great deal of pain.”
    He nods and hurries forward, silently scolding himself for not acting sooner.  Truth be told, he’s not sure what to make of the girl.  He doesn’t know her name or who she is, but that doesn’t matter.  He needs help and help has arrived.  He’s not about to put his own morbid curiosity before Mrs. Stevens’ health.
    “If you can stay with her, I’m going to use this coat stand to pry the cabinet up.  Do you think you can pull her