Chapter 2Saved Him From Fire, He Sued Me For Damage

I was escorted to the precinct.

Derek and Sarah were sitting right across the interrogation table.

Derek looked entirely unapologetic, clutching a printed invoice in his hand.

"Officers, that is the guy. He busted into my house yesterday claiming it was a rescue, but he was wrecking the place like a damn demolition crew!"

"Look at this. These are the cabinets I just had imported from Germany last year. With shipping and installation, it comes out to exactly fifteen thousand, four hundred dollars."

"He completely smashed them to pieces with his shoulder. He needs to pay for every single cent of this!"

Sarah sat next to him, covering her face and forcing out dramatic sobs.

"Our home was burning down, and instead of trying to put out the fire, he just roughly dragged us across the floor! Look at the bruises on my arms!"

"And those cabinets... that was my anniversary present from my husband. Now it is all ruined..."

She peered at me through her fingers, her eyes dripping with accusatory venom.

I stared at this twisted couple, feeling a profound sickness settling in the pit of my stomach.

The officer taking the statement frowned. "Gavin, can you explain what happened on the scene?"

"The kitchen fire had already reached flashpoint. The smoke was banking down fast, filling the entire apartment. Both of them were unconscious on the floor."

"My only priority was getting them out alive. In a life-or-death scenario, avoiding property damage is completely secondary."

I forced my voice to remain steady and professional.

"Secondary?" Derek instantly raised his voice, pointing a finger at me. "You call yourself a professional firefighter? Is this how professionals operate?"

"You were totally reckless! If you ask me, you are completely unfit for the badge!"

"If you don't pay up today, I am taking this all the way to court!"

He slammed the invoice onto the table, looking like an absolute thug.

I didn't bother arguing. There was no point arguing with a parasite.

I quietly cooperated with the police, gave my official statement, and signed the paperwork.

By the time I walked out of the precinct, the sun had already set.

The news spread through my firehouse like wildfire.

The Captain called me into his office the next morning. His face was grim.

"Gavin, what the hell is going on? You save a life and walk out with a lawsuit?"

"Captain, I..."

"Hold on." The Captain waved his hand and let out a heavy sigh. "The homeowner is biting hard on this. He is screaming police brutality and massive property damage."

"The public is extremely sensitive to our conduct right now. This kind of PR is a nightmare for the department."

"According to protocol, until internal affairs clears you, I have to suspend you. You are off the trucks, off the training floor. Desk duty only, starting today."

Suspension.

The word felt like a physical blow to the chest, knocking the wind out of me.

I walked out of the Captain's office, feeling the weight of every single stare in the hallway.

Some guys looked sympathetic. Some looked confused. But plenty of others had that quiet, mocking smirk that said, 'Look who finally screwed up.'

"I always knew he was a hothead. Now he's dragging the whole house down."

"Fifteen grand for cabinets? That neighbor has some serious balls trying to extort him."

"Hey, you never know. Maybe Gavin did go a little crazy in there. He broke it, he should probably buy it."

I went home and collapsed onto my couch.

My phone was vibrating off the table. It was the building's HOA WhatsApp group. Derek and Sarah were putting on a masterclass.

They had directly tagged me in front of five hundred residents.

Derek posted a high-res photo of the shattered wood panels covering his floor.

[Derek @Unit 1701 Gavin: Some people wear the uniform but act like absolute thugs. Breaking people's property and then refusing to take responsibility?]

Sarah immediately followed up with a tearful voice memo.

[Sarah: I still have nightmares about yesterday. Not just the fire, but the absolute terror of being violently dragged across the floor like a sack of garbage... We just want a little justice. Is that really too much to ask?]

Brenda, the building's notorious busybody and HOA board member, instantly jumped into the fray.

[HOA Board - Brenda: @Unit 1701 Gavin, what exactly is going on here? Helping put out a fire is great, but why did you vandalize their home? And now the police are involved?]

The chat exploded.

"Oh my god, fifteen thousand dollars for cabinets? Are they made of solid gold?"

"Wait, is it a crime to save someone's life now? These people are insane."

"To be fair, saving a life doesn't give you a free pass to wreck someone's house. You break it, you buy it."

"Exactly. If firefighters are just going to trash our homes, who is going to ever let them inside?"

To them, my silence was proof of my guilt.

Derek and Sarah ramped up their performance.

[Derek: BREAKING NEWS! That thug Gavin just got suspended by the fire department! See? Karma always catches up to the wicked!]

[Sarah: Thank you Brenda, and thank you to all our wonderful neighbors for supporting us! It is so hard for normal citizens to fight back against the system!]

[HOA Board - Brenda: Firefighters with zero professional ethics need to be thoroughly investigated! A suspension is just a slap on the wrist!]

I stared at the screen, my hands shaking with pure, unadulterated rage.

I started typing out a massive paragraph, ready to expose every single lie they were spinning.

But after the first few words, my thumbs stopped.

I realized it was completely useless.

They didn't want the truth. They just wanted a witch hunt, and I was the chosen target.

I deleted the text and muted the group chat.

I walked into my bedroom, took my soot-stained uniform and my fire axe, and locked them in the deepest corner of my closet.