THE FIRE WITHIN

Medela was about to leave for school when she heard a loud bang from the basement. She turned around and saw smoke coming out of the door. She smelled something burning and felt a wave of panic. "Mom! Dad! Fire!" she shouted. She ran to the kitchen, where her parents were finishing their breakfast. They looked up and saw her face, pale and terrified. "What's wrong, honey?" her mother asked. "Fire! There's a fire in the basement!" Medela said. Her father jumped up and grabbed a fire extinguisher. He ran to the basement door and opened it. A blast of heat and smoke hit him, and he coughed. He tried to spray the fire, but it was too big and too strong. He realized it was hopeless, and he backed away. "Get out of the house, now!" he yelled. He ran back to the kitchen, where his wife and daughter were waiting for him. He grabbed Medela's hand and pulled her towards the front door. "Come on, let's go!" he said. He looked at his wife and saw that she was holding a photo album in her arms. It was their wedding album, full of precious memories. "Honey, leave that, we have to go!" he said. "No, I can't leave this, it's our life!" she said. She ran to the living room, where more photo albums and framed pictures were on the shelves. She wanted to save them, to pick up the photos left but on her way she hit her leg on a wood which fell to the ground due to the fire outbreak their house was already falling apart, she could hear the voice of her husband from the kitchen. she was already dizzy and couldn't see anything. she tried to move an inch buh she fell to the ground honey!! her husband shouted, honey are you alright he said as he came closer to her tried lifting her from the ground, hey baby take Medela and go out of here please save our baby, she said as tears rolled from her eyes. the ceilings where already falling apart and the whole apartment was in a wreck. what are you talking about, I'm not leaving here without you babe, please let's go. no no! she said as she heled his hands with blood all over her face, she had fallen and hit her head on a piece of cracked wood. please take Medela and leave before the situation gets worse please one of us should at least be alife to tell the story, please don't let our daughters future waste this way. I love you so much but now I don't think I can make it. Evelyn please don't do this to us we have come a long way together we can go through this together my love let's not end it this way. the more he talked the worse the fire kept burning. the whole walls where falling apart now and the woods and blocks where all colliding on the floor. Evelyn couldn't take the pains no more so she gave up.david was forced to run out of the house holding Medela in his arms. he was so heart broken, he didn't know what else to do, he could feel his world coming to an end, he just lost the only person who gave him hopes in life, how would he raise his daughter alone. as all this thought flashed through his head he felt someone's hand upon HOSPITAL - NIGHT DAVID, a middle-aged man, is sitting on a bench in the hallway, his face covered with soot and tears. He is holding a phone to his ear, talking to a COP. DAVID: I don't know, officer. It all happened so fast. We were preparing breakfast when we heard the smoke alarm go off. I grabbed my daughter and ran out of the living room, but the fire was already spreading everywhere. I tried to go back for my wife, but it was too late. The flames were too high. I couldn't get to her. (breaks down sobbing) COP: I'm so sorry, sir. We're doing everything we can to find out what caused the fire. Do you have any idea how it started? DAVID: No, no idea. We didn't leave anything on. We didn't have any candles or matches. We didn't have any enemies or grudges. It doesn't make any sense. Why did this happen to us? Why did she have to die? COP: I understand, sir. It's a terrible tragedy. But you have to stay strong for your daughter. She needs you now more than ever. DAVID: (looks up and sees his daughter, Medela, a 10-year-old girl, being wheeled out of the emergency room by a DOCTOR and a NURSE. She has bandages on her arms and legs, and an oxygen mask on her face. She looks scared and confused.) Medela, honey, are you okayl Medela: (weakly) Daddy? DAVID: (drops the phone and runs to her side, hugging her gently) I'm here, baby. I'm here. You're going to be okay. I love you so much. Medela: I love you too, daddy. Where's mommy? DAVID: (hesitates, then lies) She's... she's in another room. She's getting some help. She'll be with us soon. Medela: (nods, then winces in pain) It hurts, daddy. It hurts so much. DAVID: I know, baby. I know. But the doctors are going to make you feel better. They're going to take good care of you. DOCTOR: (approaches DAVID) Mr. Jones, I'm Dr. Lee. I'm sorry to interrupt, but we need to take your daughter to the burn unit. She has second-degree burns on 20% of her body. She's stable, but she needs further treatment and observation. DAVID: (nods, then turns to Medela) Medela you hear that? You're going to be okay. You're a brave girl. You're going to get through this. Medela: (smiles weakly) Okay, daddy. DAVID: (kisses her forehead) I'll be right here, waiting for you. I won't leave you, I promise. Medela: (holds his hand) Don't leave me, daddy. Don't leave me like mommy. DAVID: (chokes back a sob) I won't, baby. I won't. The DOCTOR and the NURSE wheel Medela away, followed by a couple of FIREFIGHTERS who were also injured in the fire. DAVID watches them go, then collapses on the bench, burying his face in his hands. The COP picks up the phone and tries to comfort him. COP: Sir, are you still there? Sir, I'm sorry for your loss. Sir, you're not alone. We're here to help you. Sir, can you hear me? Sir? FADE OUT. INT. DAVID'S HOUSE - DAY DAVID and MEDELA are packing some clothes and belongings nje bought newly in a suitcase. DAVID looks depressed and distant, while MEDELA looks sad and angry. MEDELA: Daddy, why do I have to go? I don't want to leave you. I want to stay with you. DAVID: (sighs) Medela, I told you. It's for your own good. Your aunt has a nice house and a big family. She can take care of you better than I can. MEDELA: But you're my daddy. You're the only family I have left. Mommy is gone, and now you want to send me away too? DAVID: (avoids eye contact) No, baby, I don't want to send you away. I love you more than anything. But I'm not well. I can't cope with what happened. I can't sleep, I can't eat, I can't work. I can't be a good father to you. MEDELA: (tears up) But you are a good father, daddy. You're the best father in the world. You saved me from the fire. You hugged me and kissed me and told me everything was going to be okay. You made me feel safe and loved. DAVID: (shakes his head) No, baby, I didn't save you. I failed you. I failed your mother. I failed our family. I should have done something. I should have stopped the fire. I should have saved her. MEDELA: (grabs his arm) Daddy, no. Don't say that. It's not your fault. It was an accident. You did everything you could. You can't blame yourself. DAVID: (pulls away) Yes, I can. And I do. Every day. Every night. Every minute. I can't live with this guilt. I can't live with this pain. I can't live with this emptiness. MEDELA: (pleads) Daddy, please. Don't do this. Don't push me away. Don't push yourself away. We need each other. We can get through this together. We can heal. We can be happy again. DAVID: (shakes his head) No, baby, we can't. I can't. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. But this is the only way. You have to go. You have to start a new life. A better life. Without me. MEDELA: (screams) No! No! No! I don't want to go! I don't want a new life! I want you! I want you, daddy! Don't leave me! Don't leave me alone! DAVID: (cries) I'm sorry, baby. I'm so sorry. I love you. I love you so much. He hugs her tightly, then picks up the suitcase and walks out of the door, leaving MEDELA behind, sobbing uncontrollably. FADE OUT. . MILLY'S HOUSE - DAVID and MILLY, his sister-in-law, are sitting on the couch in the living room. DAVID has just dropped off MEDELA, his daughter, who is now playing with her cousins in another room. DAVID looks exhausted and broken, while MILLY looks concerned and sympathetic. MILLY: David, I'm so sorry for what you're going through. I can't imagine how hard it must be to lose your wife and your home in such a horrible way. DAVID: (sniffs) Thank you, Milly. Thank you for taking Medela in. Thank you for being so kind and supportive. MILLY: Of course, David. You're family. And Medela is like a daughter to me. I love her as much as I loved her mother. She's welcome to stay here as long as she needs. DAVID: (nods) I appreciate that, Milly. I really do. But I don't know how long that will be. I don't know if I'll ever be able to get back on my feet. I don't know if I'll ever be able to give her the life she deserves. MILLY: (puts her hand on his shoulder) David, don't say that. You're a good man. A good father. You've been through a lot, but you're not alone. You have me. You have your friends. You have your colleagues. You have people who care about you and want to help you. DAVID: (shakes his head) It's not enough, Milly. It's not enough. I feel like I've lost everything. I feel like I've lost myself. I don't know who I am anymore. I don't know what to do anymore. MILLY: (squeezes his shoulder) David, listen to me. You're not lost. You're not hopeless. You're not helpless. You're strong. You're resilient. You're brave. You've survived the worst thing that could ever happen to anyone. You've saved your daughter from the fire. You've brought her here, where she can be safe and happy. You've made the best decision for her, even if it hurts you. You've done more than anyone could ever ask of you. DAVID: (looks at her) Really? Do you really think so? MILLY: (smiles) Yes, David. I really think so. And I'm sure your wife would think so too. She would be proud of you. She would want you to be happy. She would want you to heal. DAVID: (wipes his eyes) Do you really think she would? MILLY: (nods) Yes, David. I really think she would. She loved you more than anything. She still does. She's watching over you. She's watching over Medela. She's with you in spirit. She's with you in your heart. DAVID: (smiles weakly) Thank you, Milly. Thank you for saying that. Thank you for being here for me. MILLY: (hugs him) Anytime, David. Anytime. You're not alone, David. You're never alone. They hug each other, then look at MEDELA, who is laughing and playing with her cousins in the other room. They smile, then sigh. then David took his things and his keys and left for his office. years past and Medela was already 16 years old going to college, she never heard from her dad again she assumed he had abandoned her just like her mom did. she met new friends at college and started her life over again but she kept carrying the scar in her heart. FADES OUT