He was exhausted, sweaty, gritty, and dirty. It had been a long tough fight and even though he had done his very best, he felt guilty and helpless.

The call came in as a simple house fire. The kind he had been to a thousand times before. And like every other time, he had jumped out of bed, scrambled to get dressed, and get on the truck as fast as possible. But he wasn't as young as he used to be and he could feel the toll the years had taken on him. He was still in decent shape, he thought. He had recently passed his physical and he was still able to keep up with the younger members of his crew. But jumping up from a dead sleep and running to the truck was getting harder and harder these days.

As they drove to the address that flashed on the screen of the truck's laptop, sirens blaring and lights flashing, his mind raced trying to formulate a plan for when they arrived. He mentally went through a checklist of a hundred different questions he needed to answer before they got there. What was the weather like? What time of day was it? Was anyone still inside? What about traffic? Would other units be arriving? How big a fire would this be? These and many more questions would have to be considered and he had precious little time to do it in.

As they rounded the corner and saw the fire scene for the first time, his heart sank. It was big. What once was a very nice house was now a raging inferno with orange flames erupting from every window and curling into an evil smile at the top of the door. A quick scan of the area showed several people standing outside in their robes and nightgowns watching the fire. Were any of these people the building residents, he wondered.

He barked out his initial orders, "I want a line to the hydrant and two preconnects to the door. Tom, I want the monitor ready to deploy. Jim and Alan, you are with me. Get ready to make entry!" he screamed over the sound of the siren. The driver stopped at the hydrant to let one man off to "catch the hydrant", and then drove the last few yards and pulled up in front of the building. The remaining crew bailed off the truck while the driver began his ritual to get the truck pumping water.

Most of the fire seemed to be coming from the middle of the building, although it was hard to tell from the outside. It was widespread, and looking at it initially, he doubted they could do much to save the building. He instantly called for a second alarm - two more trucks and a dozen more firefighters. The Assistant Chief had pulled up right behind them and had taken charge of the operation, leaving him free to go in with his men and fight the fire.

Still unsure if anyone was inside, the three man crew knelt at the front door, putting on their gear and preparing to enter the hell that awaited them on the other side of the door. He looked at the way the smoke acted around the edges of the door and the window next to it. He noticed that it seeped out then curled back. He noted that this fire was starving for air. The perfect setup for a backdraft! He pulled his men around behind him and stood to one side of the door. He forced the door open and with a whoosh he heard the fire suck in a huge breath of fresh air.

With hose lines stiff and hard with water, the crew entered the building. It was hot - hotter than usual. The fire had had a good start on them and he could see the orange glow everywhere, it seemed. He could just make out the stairs to the right and knew from the outside appearance that the bedrooms were probably upstairs. The crew began working their way upstairs, with him leading the way. Knowing another crew was going to be there in a couple of minutes, his first task was to make sure the occupants were not still inside, and rescue them if they were. So as he made his way up the stairs he hoped, he prayed, that he would find the bedrooms empty.

He reached the first bedroom and pushed the door in. On hands and knees he searched the room. Nothing on the bed. Nothing under the bed. Nothing in the closet (he knew that kids often hid from the fire). This room was clear thankfully. He shut the door and put a mark on it so others would know it was clear. He moved on to the next room, performing the same search with the same results. The third and finally fourth bedrooms were similarly searched. The top floor seemed to be clear. Maybe they had made it out! He opened the window in the last bedroom to let some of the smoke and heat out before going downstairs to continue the search.

That's when it happened. Opening the window had created a path for the superheated air to escape. With the door downstairs open and the fire sucking in fresh air from it, opening the window caused an explosion that blew him out the window and onto the ground outdoors. He hit the ground with a sickening thud, the last thing he remembered before blacking out.

He woke to a cool hand gently washing his forehead. A nurse in her mid to late 20's looked into his eyes and smiled. "Welcome back," she said softly.

He was lying naked under the sheets of the hospital bed. Confusion and a sense of guilt raged through him. "How long have I been here?" he asked. "What about the rest of my crew?" He tried to get up - he had to know the rest of his crew were safe!

She held his shoulders and said, "Easy there, hero! You aren't going anywhere for a while! You had yourself a hell of a fall from what I've heard. You came here unconscious and have been here since last night. The ambulance brought you in on a backboard and we have had to run some tests to find out just what happened. The good news is you didn't break your back when you fell. The bad news is, as you can tell yourself, you are pretty beat up. You've broken a couple of ribs, got a concussion, battered and bruised - even if I let you out of here, you couldn't do anything! You just lay back and do some mending before you rush off to play Superman again!"

The young nurse was right. As much as he wanted to get up and find out about what happened to his crew and the fire, he was in no condition to be walking around, much less get back to work! About the time the nurse finished talking, a face peeked around the doorway.

"Hey Cap'n! You're awake finally! Didja have a good sleep?" his visitor said jokingly.

"Hey Jim! What happened? How are the guys? What about the fire? Did you find the family?" he said almost frantically.

"Whoa hold on there! Okay everyone is all right. The guys are all fine, and the family had gotten out and is safe. The house is a total loss, but we knew that was the case when we pulled up," Jim said.

"Well, that's good to hear. What the hell happened anyway? One minute I am upstairs with you and Alan, and the next I am laying here on my back in a hospital."

"Well seems to me you got it pretty good!" Jim said winking at the lovely nurse. "I mean a soft comfy bed and this pretty thing to take care of you. Maybe I should get hurt next time!"

"Yeah, she's been taking really good care of me. But how did I get here?" he asked.

"Well, I know you were aware the house was set up for a backdraft from the way you acted at the front door. When you opened the window upstairs, you gave the backdraft a place to go... and it was kind enough to take you with it! It blew you out the window and you hit the ground like a sack of cement about 30 yards away! I'll tell you Cap'n, you really need to brush up on your flying - your landing sucked! Alan and I were knocked against the walls of the room, then we got up and rushed downstairs to see if you were still with us. The other trucks took care of the fire. Once we knew you were on your way here, we went back and finished putting out the fire. The family that lived there had got out and had gone to the neighbors," Jim explained.

"So no one else was hurt then?" he asked.

"Well I did hit my funny bone on the closet doorway when it blew me against it," Jim said jokingly.

"Good. You can do the ten pages of reports and forms necessary to get a Workman's Comp claim from the City!" he said.

"No thanks. I've seen what that is all about. Unless I cut off an arm or something, it ain't worth it," Jim said, "Well, I guess I'll get back to the station and tell everyone you're still among the living. So much for my promotion," he added jokingly.

"Okay, okay... tell the AC not to give away my spot on the truck just yet. I may be off for a few days but I'm not retired just yet," he said.

"Okay, Cap'n.

"Your partner seems pretty glad to see you," the nurse said once Jim had left.

"Yeah, he's a good guy. Kinda of a goofball sometimes, but he's always there when you need him. And he's a hell of a firefighter too. He doesn't wear out, no matter what has to be done."

"So how long have you been a firefighter?" she asked.

"For almost 35 years now. I started in the military then joined the City after I got out," he told her.

"Wow, that's a long time."

"Yeah, I'll be retiring at the end of next year," he said.

"Well, I'm glad you didn't retire this time," she said smiling brightly. "I remember as a little girl we had a house fire. We were living over on 15th Avenue in the Jacksonville Apartments. The apartment next door caught fire, I think someone had fallen asleep smoking in bed. Anyway, the fire department came and one of the firefighters carried me out of my bedroom and outside. Because of them, I and my family were safe. That's when I decided to become a nurse and try to help others the way we were helped that day."

"Wait a minute... You lived in the Jacksonville Apartments on 15th? When was this?" he asked shocked.

"About 19 or 20 years ago. I barely remember it, but my parents have told me about it a number of times. Why?"

"I was on that fire! I remember it well - it was a real mess. That fire not only involved the one apartment it started in, but the ones on either side as well. We were just lucky that we got it before it made it into the ceiling. With the way that ceiling was constructed, it could have taken out the whole building!"

"Yes our apartment had some damage but not like the people next door. They lost everything. We got a lot of smoke damage but at least we could clean things up. We ended up moving because of all the damage though," she said.

"Which apartment was yours?"

"On the left-hand side as you look at the apartment doors."

"Oh my god, I remember! I was the one who took a little girl from her bedroom in that fire! It was you!" he said incredulously.

"Oh my god!" she gasped, putting her hands to her mouth. She threw her arms around his neck. She leaned forward and kissed him passionately, then pulled back.

"I hope that wasn't too forward, but I promised myself if I ever found the firefighter that rescued me, I would thank him," she said softly.

"What's your name?" he asked her.

"Linda," she said simply.

"Hi, Linda, my name is John. Nice to meet you," he said.

"Nice to meet you too," she said, blushing a bit as she looked down shyly. "Now lay back and let me take care of you, Captain."

He laid back on the bed, letting her have her way with him. She began caring for him by washing his forehead and neck. She took his rough calloused hands and cleaned and caressed them, kissing each palm softly. Then looking into his eyes as if asking permission, she sucked each finger slowly into her mouth. Watching for his reaction as she sucked his finger and pretending it was a small cock, she purred and licked his fingers sensuously. She pulled back the sheet and sponged his body. Her gentle touch soothed his aching muscles.

As she stroked his body, he noticed her full breasts and the cleavage between them. He knew he should not be having these thoughts, she was quite young and this wasn't exactly the time or place. But the gentleness and care she was showing relaxed him and the soft scent of her perfume was intoxicating. Her long dark hair was pulled back into a ponytail with a pair of curly wisps that hung down in front and framed her lovely face. Her soft brown eyes were kind and sparkled when she smiled. He could get lost in them. Linda smiled as he stared at her. She had a voluptuous hourglass figure that attracted him more as she moved around him and caressed his body.

Her eyes locked onto his as she wiped his upper thigh and pelvis. He felt his manhood grow, and he was embarrassed. She smiled and gently hefted his stiffening cock.

"Oh, poor John! Look what I have done to you! Well, I can help relax that muscle too if you like!" she said, looking into his eyes.

She leaned over and kissed his lips sweetly. She stroked his cock with her soft hands and felt the pulsing need in him. His cock now stiff and fully erect, she kissed his chest, then his abdomen before reaching the aching cock. Linda tenderly kissed the tip, licking it and tasting the glistening drop of precum that had seeped out. She licked around the bulbous head and then took him into her warm, wet mouth.

He moaned low in his throat as he felt her lips close around his cock. She used her tongue to lick and tease his cock as she sucked him deeper into her mouth. Slowly, she slid down his length and then back up until just the head remained inside - up and down bobbing a little faster each time. She began using one hand around the base of his cock and following her lips up and down with the other. The sensations were incredible and he had to grab the sheets next to him to keep from moving too much. His back ached terribly from the fall, but her work on his cock felt so damn good it was hard for him to keep from moving his hips in rhythm to her.

"Ohh fuck darlin' that feels so damn good!" he moaned as she bobbed on him.

"Mmmmm," she hummed in response looking up at him, her eyes shining.

Wanting to pleasure him still more, she pulled him from her mouth, held his cock up out of the way and tongue-bathed his balls, licking each one and sucking them one at a time into her mouth. Then seeing how he enjoyed that, she licked under his testes and down towards his ass.

"Oh my God!" he exclaimed, lifting his hips without thinking. Her tongue felt amazing and he didn't even think of his hurt back anymore. She lapped and teased his perineum and then moved back to suckle his balls again. He could feel the cum inside his nuts boiling and he knew he would have to cum soon.

"Ohhh, Linda baby, I'm gonna cum!" he groaned. She felt his cock swell and she swallowed him once again in anticipation. His cock pulsed once then twice before exploding, streams of white sticky cum filling her mouth. Linda swallowed as fast as she could, her mouth filling just as fast. When he finally had finished and his balls had run dry, he sank back into the bed panting while she languidly licked the last of his cum from him. She kissed his cockhead, then each nut and finally under his sack before moving up his body. He pulled her into the bed with him and cradled the young girl in his arms.

"That was amazing baby," he said kissing her softly. "Thank you."

"Thank you, John, for all that you did for me and my family and for all you continue to do," she replied.

"Well honey, you are doing your part as well. I am glad that you used that terrible experience to inspire you to become a nurse and help others. We firefighters rarely get to see anything good come from what we do. This makes it all worthwhile."

"I am just glad I got the chance to repay my hero," she said smiling as she put her head on his chest and played with his graying chest hair.

"Well you have made this old fire dog a happy one, that is for sure," he said as he held her.

After several minutes she got up. "John as much as I would love to stay with you longer, I need to make my rounds. I wouldn't want anyone to think I was spending too much time with any one patient and neglecting my others."

"I understand, sweetheart. Go ahead and do what you have to do. Just promise you'll come back by and visit when you get a chance," he said squeezing her hand.

"You better believe I will. Do you need anything before I go?" she asked him.

"No hon... you've done quite enough already," he said patting his cock.

Linda smiled. "Well, dinner should be coming soon. I'll stop back by after dinner. But if you need anything just buzz. Okay?"

"I will. Thanks again honey," he said.

Linda leaned forward and kissed him once more. "It was my pleasure, Captain." Then she left, leaving him relaxed and happy in the room.

~The End~

 The above story is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and events in it are products of the author’s imagination and are used as fantasy. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.