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standing apart from the crowd. She was bathed in the orange glare of the flames. Tracey spotted her immediately and dashed to meet her. She collapsed in a sobbing heap into Jude’s arms.
    Rubbing her sister’s back, Jude let her cry for a moment before gently pulling her away to look into her face. “What happened, Trace?”
    Scrubbing the tears from her face, Tracey tried to explain. Her words poured out in a confusing jumble of half formed sentences. She was breathing so fast, Jude thought she might hyperventilate. “Calm down. We can’t help Grandma unless we know what’s happening. Okay? Concentrate, Trace. I know it’s hard.”
    Tracey nodded, making a serious effort to calm herself before speaking. Her body trembled violently with the beginning of what Jude suspected was shock.
      “The fire started on the third floor. They have everyone out from the bottom two floors. They’ve been moving patients from three, but the smoke is getting so bad the medical staff had to leave. No one’s on five, it’s under renovation, but there are still patients on four. Grandma’s on four, Jude.”
    Jude smoothed back her sister’s hair with gentle hands. “I know, Trace, I know.”
    Jude’s grandmother suffered a severe stroke earlier in the year and couldn’t care for herself any longer. Reluctantly, Jude and Tracey decided it would be best if she had twenty-four-hour medical supervision. One of them, and sometimes both, visited her every day. She could barely communicate, but she seemed to recognize them. She also seemed to understand what they said, even if she couldn’t respond. Today had been Tracey’s day to visit.
    “What are we going to do, Jude?”
    Jude watched the coordinated, but frantic, rescue efforts by the medical staff, city police, and the fire department. If she could find Dallas or Morgan, they could tell her what was happening inside. Jude thought it possible that her grandmother had already been brought out to safety. Rows of gurneys and medical beds were lined up all the way down the street. Paramedics, nursing home staff, and emergency hospital personnel worked feverishly to calm the terrified patients and help with minor injuries. So far, no serious injuries had been reported. Still, time was running out. The patients trapped on four would be suffering smoke inhalation soon if they weren’t rescued.
    “Stay here. I know someone who might be able to help.”
    Jude watched for a break in the ambulances and fire equipment. She dashed across the street and through the momentarily distracted police line to find Ladder Six. If she could reach Dallas or Morgan, she knew they would help her. Running feverishly in the direction of the ladder trucks, she was ignored by the various emergency personnel. They all rushed past her on their way into the building without giving her a second glance.
    With the men dressed in their full bunker gear, it became nearly impossible for Jude to recognize anyone. She felt a sob of panic escape her throat. How would she ever find Morgan or Dallas? She had to find them. She had to make sure they would look for her grandmother. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and she bit back the scream that burned her throat as raw as the billowing smoke.
    At last, she spotted Ladder Six parked on the edge of the manicured lawn. Jude swerved sharply in that direction and collided with a firefighter, nearly knocking them both down.
    “Fuck!” She heard an angry male voice beneath the helmet. “What the hell…Jude?”
    She couldn’t believe she’d found
Dallas
. She grasped the man’s coat with both hands. “My grandmother’s in there, Dallas. She’s on the fourth floor. You have to find her. You have to…”
    Dallas
peeled her away from him. He pushed her back hard, making her stumble a couple of steps. “I’ll find her, sweetheart, now get out of the way. I’m serious. Get out of here.”
    “But,
Dallas
…” she began. He wheeled her around and smacked her ass hard