Terry and Dean have been best friends for over 12 years. They went through university together, worked the same jobs, and Terry even stood by Dean’s side at his wedding. Now, they both serve as firefighters in their local city.

It was a quiet Friday evening at the station. Dean was dozing off in his chair, head tilted back, while Terry sat across the room reviewing their debrief for the day.

Dean drifted into a dream—one where he and Anna had finally started a family. He pictured a modest life, standing at a playground, laughing as his kids ran toward him. It was peaceful. Simple. Everything he ever wanted.

Terry glanced up and noticed Dean half-asleep. He smirked, walked over, and lightly smacked him with his clipboard.
“Oi, brother, we’re not done yet. Our shift doesn’t end until nine. We’ve still got work to do.”

Dean jolted awake, shaking his head. “Alright, alright. Sorry. Just been thinking… a lot of stuff with the wife.”

Terry raised an eyebrow. “Let me guess. Future family again?”

Dean gave a small smile. “Yeah… just dreaming about it.”

Terry chuckled. “You can dream all you want. Right now, we don’t know what kind of call we’re getting next.”

Three hours later, after their break, a loud alarm shattered the calm. Red lights flashed across the station.

One of the chiefs rushed into the room. “Listen up! There’s a massive fire ten minutes from here. Family of four trapped inside—we need to move now!”

Terry and Dean didn’t hesitate. They grabbed their gear and sprinted to the trucks. Terry jumped into the engine on the left, Dean into the one on the right. Their squads followed quickly.

Before pulling out, Dean leaned on the horn, catching Terry’s attention.
“Hey! I’ll see you on your side!”

Terry nodded firmly. “See you on your side.”

The sirens roared as they sped into the night—Dean leading, Terry close behind.

---

When they arrived, the scene was overwhelming. A massive three-alarm fire consumed a medium-sized mansion, flames swallowing nearly 75% of the structure. Thick black smoke poured into the sky.

“Oh my God…” Dean muttered as he stepped out of the truck.

Terry looked up at the inferno. “This is the biggest one we’ve had.”

“The biggest in our entire career,” Dean replied.

Terry tightened his gloves. “Doesn’t matter. We’ve got work to do.”

Terry’s team grabbed the hoses and began attacking the fire from outside, while Dean’s team prepared to enter the building to rescue those trapped inside.

Terry quickly caught up to Dean at the entrance.

Inside, the heat was intense, the structure groaning under pressure. They located the family members one by one—the husband and wife in the kitchen, the grandmother in the living room, and the young boy in the basement.

“I think that’s everyone,” Dean said, catching his breath.

“No—no, it’s not!” the father shouted. “Our daughter—Cindy! You missed Cindy!”

Dean froze. “Where is she?”

“She was in the kitchen… she ran deeper inside when the fire started. We couldn’t find her!”

“You’re serious?” Dean looked at Terry.

Before they could move, the fire department director stepped in. “It’s too dangerous to go back there. I can’t risk losing more of my men.”

Terry and Dean exchanged a glance—no hesitation.

“We’ll go, sir,” Terry said.

“We can make it quick,” Dean added. “Seven minutes.”

The director studied them, then nodded. “Seven minutes. That’s all you get. Move!”

---

The mansion was collapsing as they re-entered. Flames licked the walls, and debris fell around them as they pushed toward the kitchen.

“Holy shit, Terry,” Dean said, ducking under a falling beam. “This place is coming down.”

“Not yet,” Terry shouted back. “Not if we’re quick!”

They searched frantically until they heard faint sobbing. In the last cupboard, curled into a tight fetal position, was Cindy.

“Hey, hey, Cindy,” Dean said gently, kneeling down. “It’s okay. We’re here. We’re going to get you out.”

She hesitated, then reached for his hand.

Dean lifted her onto his shoulders. “I’ve got you. Let’s go.”

As Terry turned to leave, a deafening crack echoed above them.

The ceiling gave way.

A massive beam crashed down onto Terry, pinning him to the ground.

“Terry!” Dean shouted.

“I’m okay!” Terry yelled through the pain, though his voice strained. “I can’t move… you have to go! Take Cindy and get out!”

“No! I’m not leaving you!” Dean’s voice shook.

“If you don’t go, we all die!” Terry snapped. “Dean—leave. That’s an order.”

Dean froze.

“Go!” Terry shouted. “I’ll see you on your side.”

---

Dean ran.

Every step felt heavier than the last as the building crumbled around him. He held Cindy tightly as he sprinted toward the exit.

Just as he reached the front door, he tripped over debris and hit the ground hard.

He looked up.

A massive chandelier hung above him—cracking loose.

Instinct took over. Dean rolled over, shielding Cindy beneath him.

The ceiling collapsed.

Glass and metal came crashing down.

Everything went black.

---

“Dean!”

His team rushed in, clearing the debris.

“Dean, you did it! You saved her—you saved the girl!”

Cindy was pulled free and rushed to her family. They broke down in tears, holding her tightly.

But as the team uncovered Dean, the mood shifted.

There was blood—too much blood.

“His leg—his leg’s gone!” one firefighter shouted.

“Get a medic! Now! He’s losing too much blood!”

---

A month later, everything had changed.

Terry didn’t make it out alive.

Dean survived—but lost his right leg.

Now, he sat alone in a hospital room, staring at his laptop. On the screen was Terry’s funeral. He had watched it over and over again—ten times, maybe twenty.

Each time, it hurt just as much.

His best friend. His brother. Gone.

Dean wiped his eyes, but the tears kept coming.

A part of him couldn’t stop thinking—

It should have been him instead.

---

Two months after Terry’s funeral, Dean and Anna got into a huge fight. Dean decided to sleep downstairs in the living room on an affordable foldable bed, while Anna slept upstairs in their master bedroom. Before they went to sleep, Anna and Dean tried to sort out their mess.

Anna sighed. “I know this seems rough for you, but there’s still work to do—for us. I wish you could come to terms with the fact that, yes, he’s gone, but I’m still here with you. I’ll be with you forever. Don’t forget our kids.” She kissed Dean on his forehead. “I love you.” She left the living room and went to bed.

Before Dean went to sleep, he noticed that the window was still slightly open, letting in a cold chill. He wanted to close it by getting into his wheelchair, but he was too lazy, so he grabbed an extra blanket and covered himself up.

It was 2 a.m., and Dean couldn’t sleep because of the cold breeze in the living room. He was still too lazy to close the window. He tried to adjust his position in bed, but it didn’t help.

Suddenly, someone sat on his bed. A quiet pressure sank into the other side, shifting slightly. Dean groaned. “Yeah, how can I help you?”

A familiar voice replied, “Yeah… I’m looking for my friend. Witty, somewhat good-looking, maybe lost a leg.”

“Terry?”

“It’s good to see you, brother.”

“Oh my God, Terry!” Dean sat up straight and hugged him.

“Whoa, whoa, easy there,” Terry chuckled.

“How? What? I saw you in the fire. You’re gone. You never came back. Everyone told me—you’re gone!”

“Yeah, that’s what everyone says,” Terry nodded with a straight face. “But it’s not my time yet. I wanted to see my friend before the sun comes up.”

“Why now? If Anna sees you here, she’s gonna freak.”

“I’ll deal with that later,” he chuckled. “What matters is that I’m here.”

Dean started to lose his breath.

“Whoa,” Terry snapped his fingers in front of him. “You good?”

“Yeah… I’m good,” Dean said. “I need some water.”

“You’re not going to pass out in front of me, are you?”

“I just might. It’s a lot to take in. Where were you? How did you survive? Why wait this long to come visit me after all these months?”

“I’ll answer those questions later. I want to hear from you first.”

“What is there to talk about?”

“Well, how about Anna? Your future family? And most importantly, that.” He pointed to Dean’s amputated leg.

Dean chuckled. “Oh yeah. That. It was from a shattered chandelier. I tried to escape the building after you told me to leave you behind, but I tripped over a fallen door, and a broken chandelier crashed onto my left leg—completely severing it.”

“Oh my God,” Terry said. “I’m so sorry.” He gave Dean a hug.

“It’s okay,” Dean nodded. “I’m just glad I can see you again.”

“Hm… Anyways, what about Anna?”

“She’s sleeping upstairs because—”

“Because of what?”

“This seems so stupid, but ever since your ‘death,’ I haven’t been the same. I’ve become cold, bitter, and heartbroken. It’s all my fault for leaving you in the fire.”

“Hey, Dean. None of this is your fault. You followed my orders. You left with the girl when I was trapped in the kitchen. You saved lives.”

“No. We saved lives.”

“I guess you can retire early now,” Terry chuckled.

Dean laughed. “I guess so. Maybe I’ll try fixing my mess here—righting my wrongs with Anna before the babies arrive.”

“New baby?”

“Don’t you remember? Anna is six months pregnant! We’re expecting two baby girls!”

“Holy shit! Congrats!”

“Thank you. Next time, come visit. You’ll make an amazing uncle.”

“Maybe. I want her to spend time with you first.”

“That’s true.”

“Anyways, Anna is so lucky to have you as a husband and a friend. Even when I’m not here, I want the best for you two, and I’ll fight to the bitter end if I have to.”

Dean hugged Terry. “Thanks.”

“And don’t forget—Anna is way smarter than you. She’s always right 90% of the time.”

“True.”

Dean turned on his phone to check the time.

“The sun’s coming up soon,” Terry said calmly.

“Yeah. Want to look at some of our old photos? A trip down memory lane?”

“Absolutely.”

They looked back at memories from 15 years ago.

“That’s us in our first semester of university.”

“Where it all started.”

“Yup. Six years in school before finally graduating.”

“And somehow, we ended up working the same job.”

“That’s wild.”

They looked back at memories from five years ago.

“Oh, I remember this one from anywhere.”

“What? My wedding?”

“Of course! It was a magical night. I was so happy for my brother.”

They looked back at memories from a year ago.

“That’s your house,” Terry said faintly.

“Do you need some water? You don’t sound too well.”

“I’m fine. Keep going, please.”

A cold chill crept in from outside.

“And this—”

Dean looked at the picture. It was from Terry’s funeral 3 months ago.

“Terry! TERRY!!!” Dean turned beside him.

There was no one. Just a cold morning breeze from the window.

Dean got into his wheelchair and closed the window. He started to cry.

“I love you, brother. I’ll see you on the other side.”

There was a knock on the door. It was Anna.

“Dean! What happened?”

Dean rushed to her and hugged her by the waist.

“Anna… Anna, I’m so sorry.”

“About what?”

“Everything.” He began to cry. “There’s no one else in the world I want to spend my time with but you. I already lost Terry. I can’t lose you too… not you and our future children.”

“I know. It’s okay. It’s just us now.”

A cold breeze brushed past Dean.

“Thanks, brother,” Dean thought. “I’ll see you on the other side.”