The crew had been ordered to evacuate because the building was becoming unstable. But Tyler went back inside. He found the girl and carried her outside safely. She escaped without a scratch, but part of the structure collapsed and injured Tyler.
I wanted to yell at him for risking his life, but I knew why he had done it. Then Tyler revealed something I hadn’t expected: the department had nominated him for the Medal of Valor, and the nomination had been approved. Suddenly, the crew’s strange behavior made sense.
The next morning, Captain Reyes arrived at the hospital with Tyler’s entire crew. They were carrying my cake and balloons. Everyone was smiling this time. Tyler looked embarrassed as they sang “Happy Birthday,” but I could see how much the moment meant to him.
I held his hand and kissed his forehead. “You’re still an idiot,” I whispered, making him smile. Then I told him how proud I was. Loving a firefighter means living with fear, but sometimes courage means accepting that the person you love may risk everything to save someone else—and being proud when they do.
