Carmen: I love you.

Alex: I love you too Madre.

With that, Carmen stepped down and out of the ambulance and into Shane’s. She looked down to see her wife helplessly covered in blood and ashes. The paramedics had a tube down her throat, sucking out a black substance. When they pulled it out, a cough was heard and Shane took a deep breath.

Carmen: Baby?

Shane kept coughing and they put an oxygen mask on her. Her eyes wandered, searching for the source that she hoped would be who that voice belonged to.

Shane: C—C—Car—men?

Carmen: Baby, I’m right here, everything will be okay.

Shane: Alex?

Carmen: She’s fine. She saved you baby!

Shane nodded and closed her eyes.

Carmen: I love you!

Shane: I ll…

Carmen: Shh, I know.

Shane then drifted off to sleep. Carmen grabbed her hand and placed it on her stomach.

Carmen: Baby loves you too mommy.

Carmen woke up, right where she fell asleep. She looked around and saw Shane to her right, and Alex to her left. Both were sound asleep. She looked over and saw a fireman at the door.

Fireman: Mrs. McCutcheon, can I have a word?

Carmen nodded and followed him out of the room. She carefully shut the door behind her.

Fireman: After we put out the fire, we were able to identify the source.

Carmen hadn’t really thought about what had started the fire, she just thought it was electrical or something.

Fireman: None of the smoke detectors went off because the batteries were dead and there’s problem one. Now problem two, the fire originated in the kitchen. There was an object knocked over onto the stove that was still lit.

Carmen immediately envisioned the macaroni and cheese box being knocked over into the flame of the burner she forgot to turn off.

Fireman: The house is completely burnt and I highly recommend more caution is used in the future.

Carmen nodded and as the fireman turned and walked away, a single tear fell from her eye. She looked into the room at the two people who mattered to her the most in her life, completely helpless. She knew the pain they were in and hated the fact that she had caused it. She looked over at Alex. What a brave soul. She had run into the burning house, sacrificing her own life for her mother’s. The tears didn’t stop now. That should have been Carmen running in there to find Shane, but no Alex was insightful enough not only to know Carmen’s secret, but also to protect it and risk her life for it. Carmen walked in and went over to Alex’s bedside, she kissed her forehead and started to sing to the young woman who smiled in her sleep. Carmen took out a piece of paper and a pen and began to scribble on it. When she was finished that song as well as the note, she walked over to Shane, the love of her life and kissed her gently on the lips. She took her lovers’ hand and placed it on her stomach. She then lowered her mouth to her ear and whispered.