Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Firefighting was a dangerous job. There was no doubt.

Even the situations that might not seem to be dangerous sometimes are, such as a medical call gone wrong or even getting a kitty down from a tree. Cat claws are no joke, people.

Even if the job was dangerous and hard, station 19 was the best fire house of the department. They knew how to do the job better than anyone else. And still, sometimes, things don’t go as planned.

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The sound of the brakes squeaking as  the trucks stopped in front of an apartment building was almost drowned by the sirens as 19 arrived to the scene.

The captain got down from the ladder’s passenger seat and secured her helmet with the strap below her chin. “Alright, 19, let’s get this fire out.” She lifted her face to take a good look at the tall building, seeing how the smoke coming out of the second floor obscured the blue and orange sky as the sun began to set. Her eyes drifted down again and saw a few inhabitants of the building starting to make their way out but they were not as many as a building of that size could hold. Then, she glanced at her team over her shoulder. “Listen up! We need to evac the tenants. I want a throughout search. Herrera, Higgins, Larson, you start in the ten floor and make your way down.”

The lieutenant and the other firefighters nodded as they removed their helmets to place their oxygen masks on.

“Gibson, Hughes, Cutler, go from the fifth floor down. Pay extra attention to the second and third floors as the smoke is concentrating there and there could be people already unconscious from hypoxia. Expect more serious injuries as well.” Maya continued.

“Yes, captain.” Both Jack and Vic said, Cutler only nodded, already making their way to the entrance of the building, carrying extinguishers as well.

“Russel, Bennett, hydrant. We need to be ready once everyone is out.” The blonde pointed at the yellow fire hydrant a few meters away.

The men ran to the engine to get a hose and a wrench to start the connection.

“Miller, Montgomery, Warren, start triage, get these people some oxygen, let’s go.” Maya snapped her fingers as she finished saying her orders.

The captain started helping people make their way to the triage area, speaking to some of them to get a bit more information about the building they were evacuating.

Once she left a woman with Warren, she brought her left hand to her radio, the sound of the static was immediate once she pressed the button. “Herrera, Gibson, status report.”

“The tenth floor is all clear, we’re halfway through the ninth; over.” Andy said through it the comms.

“Fifth is clear too, we’re getting started on the fourth floor but the smoke is getting thicker; over.” Jack said and Maya could hear his heavy breathing over the radio.

“Cutler, I want you on the stairwell, help people get down, I don’t want anyone tripping over.” The blonde ordered, watching as more and more people got out of the building slightly covered in soot.

“Copy that, captain.” The firefighter said.

Maya changed the channel on her radio and pressed the button again. “Dispatch, requesting additional aid cars to 19’s location. By the size of the building, we estimate there are at least 150 civilians living here. There are no victims yet but let Grey Sloan know we need beds for smoke inhalation and possible burns; over.”

“Copy that, 19. Sending additional aid cars to your location. ETA is 5 minutes for station 42 and more on the way; over.” The woman from dispatch said.

“The hoses are ready, captain.” Bennet informed Maya as he jogged to her.

The blonde turned to look at him and Russel. “Good. Get the ladder into position, you’re going up.” The man nodded at his captain and made his way to the ladder truck. “Russel, get that line inside, but be careful, I don’t want any civilians stepping on it.”

“I’m on it.” The firefighter said, grabbing a hose, placing it over his shoulder and heading to the entrance of the building.

Maya brought her hand to her radio again, turning her face to look at the triage area. “Warren, how are your patients?”

“So far, everyone is okay, captain. We’re giving supplementary oxygen to a few coming from the second and third floors but nothing life threatening so far; over.” The doctor let Maya know.

“Good. We have more aid cars on the way, get them up to speed once they arrive; over.” The blonde said as she walked the scene, instructing curious bystanders to back away with an extended arm.

“Of course, captain.” Warren answered.

“Ladder is ready, captain.” Bennett said over the radio, making Maya look up at the big white ladder above her head.

“Grab a hose, start climbing and wait for instructions.” The captain’s eyes shifted to look at the building again, narrowing her eyes as she saw the smoke getting darker and darker. “Gibson, Herrera, report again.”

“Ninth and eighth floor are cleared, were about to finish on the seventh, Bishop. No injured so far; over.” Andy said.

Maya nodded, a small smile on her face as she observed more people coming out of the building thanks to her friends.

“Captain, we’re having some problems on the third floor. The fire is starting to make it’s way through the floor and two out of the four apartments are locked, I’m gonna start kicking some doors.” Jack let Maya know his situation.

“You do what you gotta do, Gibson, make sure everyone’s out. Russel, where’s the line I asked you for the second floor?” Maya barked through the comms, upset that the fire kept spreading and apparently her team hadn’t gotten to it.

The answer took a few moments to come. “I’m sorry, captain, I encountered a victim who can’t walk, I had to leave the hose just outside the second floor access, I’m coming out.” After that, the firefighter appeared from inside the building, carrying a teenager in his arms.

“Warren, get the gurney, now!” The blonde ordered, jogging to her subordinate and the victim.

It was a young boy, maybe 14 or 15 years old, skinny and covered in soot.

“I’m captain Bishop, you’re safe now.” She reassured him with a smile which he tried to return but was unable as pain shoot through his leg, making him grab his calf as the firefighters finally settled him on the gurney.

“I tripped as I was making my way out and someone stepped on my leg.” He whined, clenching his jaw.

Ben immediately started to cut his pants’ leg and they all saw the big bruise starting to form.

Just in that moment, station 42’s aid car pulled over.

“Let 42 take him to the hospital. I want all of 19 here for the time being.” Maya said as they all started to wheel the boy to the aforementioned aid car.

They transfered the victim to aid car 42’s gurney and the blonde ordered Russel to go back in to start spraying the fire while Bennett did the same from the outside and Warren to keep managing triage.

“Bishop, sixth floor is cleared; over.” The latina informed over the radio.

Maya reached for her radio again. “Do a quick secondary search and then get out of there.”

“Will do, captain.” Was the lieutenant’s answer.

“Gibson, how are you doing? Are all your floors cleared?” The blonde inquired, pacing around like a lioness, impatient. Jack should be making his way out soon.

Inside the building, Jack and Vic had just finished clearing the second floor –using all the foam in their extinguishers in vain– and were about to start sweeping the first floor to finally get out of that inferno.

The lieutenant reached for his radio with one hand as he palmed the wall with the other since visibility was almost zero. “Hughes and I are starting on the first floor, we should be out in a few minutes.”

“Make it quick, Gibson, we need all hands to tackle this fire and I want this building cleared in case we lose the structure.” The captain said over the radio.

“We’re on it.” Vic said as she walked next to the wall opposite Jack. She reached a door and started banging on it. “Seattle Fire Department! Call out if you need help!” She yelled as she tried to twist the doorknob. When it didn’t open, she put all her weight on her shoulder and pushed, the wood cracking by the heat. The pair quickly combed through that apartment, glad it was empty before moving on to the next.

“Seattle Fire Department! Is anyone here!?” Jack called out this time as he opened the next door with no problem as it wasn’t locked. It was empty as well.

Just as he and Vic were about to check on the next apartment, a high pitch sound started to fill the air over the creaking sound of the wood as it burned through the ceiling. Jack’s O2 was starting to run low.

Hughes patted him on the shoulder and got him out of the way. “Take it easy, Gibson, don’t you die on me.” She teased him as she lifted her boot to kick the door down.

The smirk on her lips was replaced with a deep frown when the headlamp from her helmet cut through the smoke  to reveal something that was very bad for everyone.

“Oh shit.” She hissed before turning around, wishing she could see far ahead enough to run but cursing because she definitely couldn’t.

Jack’s eyes widened in fear as he saw the flames coming through the ceiling just above half a dozen cylinders of what appeared to be oxygen tanks. He reached for his radio as he turned around, placing his hand on Vic’s shoulders so they wouldn’t part ways. “Captain, you need to clear this entire building and the street, we have half a dozen oxygen tanks about to blow up this whole place, I repeat, imminent explosion!”

Back outside, Maya felt her chest tightening at Jack’s words. She pressed the button on her radio as she ran to the engine to get a megaphone. “All firefighters, exit the building, I repeat, exit the building, that’s an order!” She then put the megaphone next to her mouth and turned to address the bystanders. “Everyone needs to back away, now! The situation might escalate, you need to clear the area!”

She then looked up at Bennet who was still at the top of the ladder. “Bennett, get down, the explosion will –!” She didn’t get a chance to finish her sentence as the big blast coming from her right pushed her back a few meters, making her slam her left shoulder into the side of the engine.

Maya groaned in pain as she felt something popping out of place and a sharp pain to the left side of her head as her helmet hit the metal of the engine. She ended on her knees on the pavement, using her right hand to keep herself from tumbling down. She flexed her left leg so her only knee on the ground was the right one. Her left arm hung limp at her side and it hurt like hell but she didn’t care about that right now, she needed to find out if her team was okay. The blonde looked up, glad to see Bennett had made it almost all the way down from the ladder so the blow didn’t affect him.

The captain took her only working hand to her radio. “Bennett, if you’re okay, start spraying the surrounding buildings, I don’t want this thing to spread.” Then her eyes shifted to the burning building in question. “Herrera, Gibson, Hughes, Larson, anyone, answer!”

“Herrera here. Larson, Higgins and myself are okay, Bishop. We were finishing the second sweep when the explosion happened. We’re a little shaken but we’re fine.” Andy said through the radio and Maya let out a big exhale.

The blonde finally stood up again, leaning against the engine for a second. “Get out now, the whole building is unstable.” She turned to look at Travis, Dean and Ben who had gathered around her, waiting for orders. “Gibson, Hughes, Cutler, Russel, what about you?”

There was just static for a few seconds.

“Cutler here. I’m fine and making my way up to the lieutenant.” The man said, clearly shaken from the explosion.

“Captain, let us go in!” Dean yelled, trying his best to stop himself from going inside.

“No! That place is about to collapse!” Maya said, grinding her teeth because of the pain on her shoulder.

“That’s why we need to get them out!” That time it was Travis who spoke.

Maya twisted her mouth. She knew they wanted to get in. She wanted to get in, but she also didn’t want to get them killed.

“Herrera, help Cutler find the rest of the team.” Maya ordered through the radio. “You two stay here, get the gurneys ready.” She pointed a finger at Dean and Travis.

Just as she said that, station 23’s aid car finally arrived.

“One of you can ride with 23 and we’ll use our aid car and the PRT if necessary.” Maya continued. She turned her face to the two firefighters from 23 as they approached. “Mayhorn, grab a hose and start hitting the fire, one of my team will ride with Ruiz once we get our people out.”

The lieutenant and the other firefighter nodded, Ruiz quickly going to grab the gurney.

“Warren!” The blonde called out to stop the man from going back to the triage area. She started opening her turnout jacket.

“You okay, captain?” The doctor asked as he saw Maya wince trying to remove her heavy jacket with one hand.

The captain shook her head. “I’m not. I think I dislocated my shoulder.” She let the jacket fall to the ground.

Ben quickly got closer and saw how the curve of her shoulder was poking out of her shirt in a strange way. “Oh, yeah, it’s definitely dislocated.”

Maya bit her lower lip as another flash of pain coursed through the limb. “Pop it back in.”

“Maya, we should get you to the hospital.” Ben suggested. “It’s gonna hurt.”

“I don’t care if it hurts!” The blonde snapped. “Half of our team is inside a building that’s about to collapse, I’m not going anywhere. Now, pop it back in.” Her nostrils flared and her forehead puckered.

Ben clenched his jaw but he nodded, placing one hand on Maya’s wrist and the other under her upper arm, close to her elbow. “Keep it limp.” He said as the captain started to inhale through the nose and out through the mouth fast, trying to keep herself from screaming in pain. She ground her jaw when the doctor slowly lifted her arm and moaned in pain when he finally popped the joint back into the socket. She took a few moments to compose herself, her eyes tightly shut.

“Bring me a sling from the aid car.” She said, biting her bottom lip to stop it from quivering.

Ben nodded even if his captain couldn’t see and he ran to get her what she asked. He went back to her as fast as he could and helped her into the sling and into her jacket, which looked weird with one sleeve hanging limp.

“Thank you, Warren. Now go wait for our team.” Maya said, gesturing with her head to Miller, Montgomery and Ruiz waiting near the entrance with the gurneys ready.

In that moment, a figure came out from the smoke followed by another and another one. It was Andy, grabbing Vic’s legs with Larson grabbing her from under her arms. “We have Hughes! She’s alive but unconscious, let’s go, people!” The latina yelled as Travis helped them get his best friend into the gurney Theo was holding onto.

Behind them, the rest of the team came out, Higgins and Cutler carrying Jack and Russel limping by himself. “Gibson is out too but he has a pulse!” One of the men said, setting Jack on the floor on top of a backboard Dean had prepared for him.

Maya could breath a little bit better once her friends were out. She reached for her radio again. They needed help. “Dispatch, this is 19. There has been an explosion. Requesting 4 more engines, the battalion chief and structural engineers, we have injured firefighters, we need more hands here.” She looked around at the people gathering around the emergency vehicles as if the danger was over. “And I need PD for crowd control.” She added.

“Copy that, 19. Battalion chief Frankel and additional engines are on the way; over.” Dispatch informed Maya.

The captain saw as Vic was wheeled to aid car 23 by Travis and Theo, Jack to aid car 19 by Dean and Cutler and how Ben helped Russel walk to triage, deciding against using the PRT for a minor injury which Maya agreed with in her mind.

She approached the rest of her team, Andy, Higgins, Larson, who had made it almost without a scratch but were obviously shaken by the events. They stood a few meters away from Maya, seeing as the ambulances drove away.

“Guys, I know you’re worried about Vic and Jack but we have a job to do.” The captain said, keeping her voice firm even when she was just as concerned as them.

The latina finally looked at her friend and noticed the way she was wearing her jacket. “What happened to you, Bishop?” She asked, her sweaty brow furrowing with worry.

The blonde shook her head. “It’s just my shoulder, I’m fine. Let’s put this fire out.” She locked eyes with her best friend, telling her to trust her.

Andy nodded and started to take off her mask and the oxygen tank on he back. “Alright, guys, let’s all grab a hose!”

Maya was grateful the water pressure was high enough for them to reach the fire even from ground level. Unfortunately, the explosion had spread the fire from the first to the fourth floor and the whole building was unstable so they would need all the help they could get from the stations coming their way. While they waited, the blonde continued to give her team instructions, trying to contain the fire as much as they could, working around some debris and shattered glass.

It didn’t take long for a red pickup truck followed by two fire engines and an aid car to arrive. Battalion chief Frankel stepped out of the pickup and made her way to Maya, not before ordering the firefighters from station 12 to hook the main line to the next nearest fire hydrant. “Captain Bishop, status report.” She said when she got to the captain’s side.

Maya straightened up, instinctively pushing her shoulders back like she always did when facing a superior which made her injured shoulder hurt. She gritted her teeth to stop herself from wincing before answering. “The fire started in the second floor. It appeared to be contained to that area when my team and I arrived so I ordered the evacuation floor by floor from the top, down. When lieutenant Gibson reached the first floor, he discovered that one of the apartments had several oxygen tanks stored for unknown reasons and I ordered all firefighters to retreat but then the explosion occured, resulting on three injured firefighters, two already on route to the hospital and the third one not being a serious injury, therefore was treated on the field.” She gestured the triage area with her head.

Frankel nodded but narrowed her eyes when she saw Maya’s arm, or lack there of, in her turnout jacket. “Are you counting yourself amongst the injured or were you missing an arm since before this call?”

The blonde looked down for a second, pressing her lips in a thin line. “No, ma’am, I didn’t count myself with the injured because it’s just a minor thing, I need to be here commanding the scene.” She said, firmly holding the battalion chief’s gaze.

The redheaded tilted her head, her eyes going to the slightly open collar of Maya’s jacket and noticing the strap of the sling. “You broke your arm due to the blast?”

“No, ma’am. I just dislocated my shoulder.” The captain corrected, biting the inside of her cheek.

“You need to go to the hospital, Bishop.” The older woman said.

“With all due respect, ma’am, I need to be here. The building has been compromised, it’s all hands on deck and –” The captain started to say but was interrupted by her superior.

“And you have none to spare, Bishop.” Frankel stared at Maya for a moment. “I admire what you’re trying to do but you already got your team out of there. You did your job, now let me do mine. I’m taking command of the scene as of right now. Go get treated. That’s an order.” She patted Maya on her good shoulder before turning around and start barking orders at station 12 and the recently arrived 23.

The blonde sighed. There was nothing she could do against a direct order. She walked to the ladder, opened the cabin’s door and left her helmet there, knowing it would just be in the way. She started to make her way to the nearest available aid car when she heard the thud of boots coming from behind. She turned and saw Andy trying to catch up with her.

Maya’s brows snapped together at the sight. “Andy, what are you doing?”

“I’m coming with you to the hospital.” The latina said like it was obvious.

The captain snorted. “I don’t need a babysitter.” She playfully said.

The brunette arched a brow as she folded her arms over her chest. “Are you sure? You’re not gonna try to convince whoever is driving to leave you at the station instead of dropping you off at the hospital?”

Maya rolled her eyes, annoyed by the fact that Andy knew her so well. “You need to stay here. You’re the only ranking officer left from 19, I need you to keep an eye on the others.”

“You’re the one that needs supervision, not them.” Andy said with a smug smirk but her expression softened after a moment. “Look… I know you don’t want Carina fussing over you but she probably has seen Jack and Vic, she must be worried already. Let’s get you checked out, get updates on our friends and let your wife see you’re alive, okay?”

Maya covered her face with her good hand, massaging her temples for a second before removing it to look at her friend. “Okay. Let’s go.”

Andy smiled at the blonde, placing her arm around her shoulders –apologizing when Maya winced– and guided her to the aid car.

They hopped on the back on the ambulance, the brunette closing the doors while Maya sat down on the gurney. Andy helped her captain out of her jacket before strapping her to the gurney for safety and telling the firefighter on the wheel to start driving.

The latina took off her own jacket and helmet as she sat down next to Maya. “You should call your wife.”

The blonde let her head roll to the side as a heavy sigh left her lips. “I know, I know…” she sighed. “I’m just not looking forward to the Italian curses coming at me.” She half joked.

Andy snorted. “It’s cute to see Maya Bishop so afraid of her sweet wife.” She teased her friend.

Maya scoffed in response. “Please, everyone is afraid of Carina when she’s angry and she definitely will be when she finds out I didn’t go straight to the hospital to get the dislocation reduced.” The lines on her forehead began to soften and a faint blush dusted her cheeks. “Although, I do find it quite hot.”

The lieutenant laughed. “Stop it, you horndog.” Out of habit, she playfully smacked Maya on the shoulder. Her eyes opened wide when the other woman groaned in pain.

“Fuck, Andy!” The blonde whined, bringing her good hand to her left arm, protectively.

“Shit, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to!” The brunette rushed to apologize, getting up from her seat to look for an ice pack to help with the inflammation of her friend’s shoulder.

Maya let out a pained laugh. “Well, at least it worked.”

Andy placed the ice pack carefully over Maya’s shoulder, making sure to not apply pressure. “What worked?”

“I’m not horny anymore.” The captain deadpanned.

Both firefighters laughed two seconds later.

“I’m gonna give you something for the pain.” Andy made sure the ice pack wasn’t going to fall before reaching for the medicine cabinet on Maya’s right side. She quickly charged the syringe and removed the ice pack for a moment, lifted the blonde’s sleeve and cleaned the area with a small square alcohol wipe before injecting her with a muscle relaxer.

“Now, call Carina.” The latina said as she sat down again.

Maya nodded, sneaking her hand inside her turnout pants to reach for her phone in her trousers. Firefighters were not supposed to take their phones on calls, not only they are a distraction,  the heat could damage them but since Maya was captain and doesn’t go into the fires anymore she didn’t follow that rule. It’s not like anybody on her team could reprimand her over that.

She pulled the device out but didn’t unlock it yet. Instead, the blonde tilted her head to the side and spoke. “Hey, could you kill the sirens for a moment?” She asked the firefighter in the front.

“I’m not supposed to do that, captain Bishop.” The man answered, not looking away from the street.

Maya scoffed and rolled her eyes. “C’mon, it’s not like I’m dying. I just need to make a phone call.” She insisted.

The firefighter sighed as he reached for the switch to turn the sirens off.

The blonde lifted the phone from her belly and looked for Carina’s contact, wincing slightly as she grabbed the device with her left hand and used her right to touch the screen. She brought the phone to her ear and she didn’t wait even one tone before the Italian answered.

“Hey babe, it’s me.” Maya said into the phone, trying to sound as chill as possible to not scare Carina.

“Oh, Maya, grazie a Dio! È così bello sentire la tua voce. Amelia told me she was paged to check on Jack and Vic so I got worried but Dean and Travis said you were okay but actually listen to your voice makes me feel so much better.” The Italian rambled, relief very present on her tone.

The firefighter chuckled at that. She loved it when Carina rambled. “Well, that would be more convincing if you actually let me speak.”

The doctor snorted from the other side of the line. “Don’t be an ass, I was worried.”

Maya bit her bottom lip to stop herself from laughing again. It was not funny to get her wife all worried. “I know. I’m sorry about that but I’m okay.” The sound of Andy clearing her throat made the captain roll her eyes. “Well, I’m mostly okay.”

“Cosa? What does that mean, Maya?” The brunette rushed to ask, her voice dripping with concern this time.

“I may have hurt my shoulder a little… I’m on my way to the hospital now.” The blonde said, grimacing not because she was in pain but because she was afraid of what her wife might say to her.

“Don’t you lie to me, Maya Bishop-DeLuca. If it was a little wound you wouldn’t be coming here in the first place, you would still be at that fire.” Carina stated, correctly so. Maya would never leave a scene if she didn’t have to.

The blonde felt shivers going down her spine. She was both scared and turned on by Carina’s tone.

She sighed. “Okay, it’s not so little.” Maya admitted, chewing on her bottom lip. “I dislocated my shoulder but other than that I’m perfectly fine, I promise.”

“You dislocated – Maya! That happened because of that explosion, didn’t it? And don’t try to deny it, you should’ve come to the hospital with Jack and Vic.” Carina chided and Maya could almost see her angrily waving her finger to her face.

“I couldn’t exactly leave my team on their own, Carina.” The blonde declared. She was sorry for worrying her wife but she didn’t regret staying for her team. “Jack was out, Vic was out, Miller, Montgomery and Cutler were with them, I couldn’t leave Andy and the rest to deal with everything.”

On the other side of the call, Carina sighed. She knew Maya’s position came with big responsibilities, including the safety of the people under her command.

“I know… but you should still take care of yourself.”

“I’m okay.” The firefighter insisted. “You can see it for yourself once we get to the hospital, alright?”

“Bene. But I’m still angry at you.” The doctor remarked, her tone not all that serious but not totally playful.

“I’m sure I can find a way to make it up to you.” Maya said with a smirk on her lips which grew bigger when she saw Andy roll her eyes.

“It’s not gonna be that easy, Maya.” The doctor warned, although the blonde could tell she didn’t sound so angry anymore. Sadly, that would only last until she actually saw her with the sling.

“You know I’m not one to back away from a challenge.” The captain said, tilting her head up when the firefighter driving mentioned they were one minute away from the hospital. “We’re almost at Grey Sloan, I’ll see you in a minute, okay?”

“Okay, bambina.” There was a short pause. “See you in a minute. I love you.”

The blonde’s lips curved into a soft smile at that. “I love you, too.” She said back to Carina before pulling the phone away from her ear and ending the call.

“You know is really annoying to see you so in love, right?” Andy sniggered, getting up from her seat and placing Maya’s jacket and her own over the blonde’s legs, clipping her helmet to her turnouts a moment later, not wanting to leave their gear on the rig.

The other woman chuckled in response.

A few moments later, the ambulance came to a stop in front of the ER entrance. Before Andy could even react, the doors of the aid car were being opened by non other than Carina.

“Hi, Carina, I promise you she’s in once piece.” The latina said in greeting.

The OB smiled at her and extended a hand for the lieutenant to grab as she got out of the emergency vehicle and they both grabbed the railings from the gurney where Maya lay and pulled.

The Italian’s eyes shifted from Andy to her wife, her smile fading and her brow furrowing. “Sei un idiota, lo sapevi? Io qui, preoccupata per te, e tu che ti comporti come se non fosse successo niente.”

“Carina, babe –” Maya tried to talk but the brunette didn’t let her.

“Oh, no, no, no, no, don’t you ‘babe' me. I’m glad you’re okay but you better be the perfect patient from now on or else…” The doctor raised a menacing brow.

The blonde’s eyes opened wide and she gulped loud. “I’ll be good. Patient of the year, I promise.”

Andy snorted. It was hilarious seeing her friend like that. She and Carina wheeled Maya to the entrance where Link and Amelia waited for them.

“What do we have?” The Ortho doctor said as he grabbed the end of the gurney and started pulling as well.

“Maya Bishop, 35, she dislocated her shoulder but it was reduced on the scene. I already gave her a muscle relaxer and she needs a Neuro check too, she has a bruise forming on her temple.” The lieutenant informed the doctors as they took Maya to an empty trauma room.

Once inside, Andy left their jackets –previously sitting on top of the blondes’s legs– on the floor before helping Link get Maya on the other bed, much to the blonde’s annoyance and Carina’s pleasure.

Amelia was quick to get to her side, grabbing her chin to turn her face and see the bruising on her left side. “How did you get that?” She asked, pulling a lamp from her pocket and shining it’s light on her eyes.

Maya tried to not squint her eyes at the light, looking ahead so the doctor could see her pupils. “When the blast pushed me back, I… kind of slammed into the engine.” She saw Carina frown from the entrance of the trauma room where she stood next to Andy. “The side of my helmet nicked my temple but my shoulder got the worst of the impact.”

“Do you have nausea? A headache, maybe?” Amelia asked.

“Just a headache but it’s not too bad. I didn’t lose consciousness or anything.” Maya answered honestly.

The neurosurgeon turned off her light and shifted to look at the other brunettes with a smile. “Pupils are equal and reactive. We could do a CT but I’d say she only has a mild concussion.”

The OB nodded. “Do the CT. I don’t want any surprise brain bleeds or anything.”

Amelia nodded at her friend, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Okay, I’ll book it.” She was about to walk out of the room when Maya called out for her.

“Dr. Shepherd, how are Vic and Jack?” The blonde asked slightly grimacing as Link started to remove her sling and the suspender of her turnout pants.

“I’m gonna check your range of movement, okay?” The Ortho doc said before Amelia spoke, placing a hand on Maya’s shoulder and the other grabbing her forearm. She only nodded but her eyes didn’t leave Amelia.

The neurosurgeon turned to Andy, who also had an expectant look on her face, before returning her gaze to Maya. “The two of them have grade-3 concussions but other than that, neurologically, they’re cleared. Vic has some bruised ribs and a partial thickness burn on her left calf which is being treated as we speak but Jack, he…”

“He what?” Andy asked, reaching for Amelia’s arm.

“One of his ribs punctured his right lung. We placed a chest tube before taking him up to surgery, Maggie is with him right now. But I don’t want you to worry, he should be fine.” The doctor reassured the firefighters, trying to keep her expression as calm as possible.

“Fuck.” Maya said under her breath, squeezing her eyes shut and clenching her jaw as Link continued manipulating her arm. “He should be fine.” She repeated the doctor’s words, as if manifesting them.

“He will be fine.” Andy corrected, trying to smile. “All three of you will be fine.”

Carina wrapped her arm over Andy’s shoulder and gave her a half hug, smiling at her. “They will be more than fine. All of you are made of sterner stuff.”

“Everyone cheer! Carina said an idiom right!” Maya joked, trying to lighten the mood and keep a straight face.

The Italian rolled her eyes and gave Maya a faux annoyed look as she folder her arms. “Oh, please, I’ve been living in the States for half a decade, I get most of my idioms right by now.”

The blonde opened her mouth to reply but instead a grunt came out of her lips and Link finally let go of her arm.

“That’s what you get for mocking your wife.” Carina said with a self sufficient grin.

Maya scoffed at her but her lips curved into a smile before turning to address the Ortho doc. “So, how’s the shoulder?” She reached for her left elbow with her right hand.

Link smiled at her. “It looks okay. Motion range is good so I don’t think you torn any ligaments, just overstretched them. It’s starting to swell but that’s normal, although the medicine Andy gave you should kick in anytime now. I would still like to take an x-ray to confirm everything is back in place and check if there aren’t any breaks but since you’re not in too much pain, I don’t think that’s the case.”

“Okay, that’s sounds good.” The captain said and her wife agreed with a nod.

“I’m gonna page someone to get you admitted and to take you upstairs.” The man patted Maya on the leg twice. “I’m glad you’re okay, Bishop.” And then he was out of the room alongside Amelia.

As soon as they were alone –mostly, as Andy was still there–, Carina rushed to Maya’s side and leaned down to give her a kiss, her left hand going to the side of her face as she grabbed the blonde’s good hand with her right. “I love you, Maya.”

The firefighter smiled against her wife’s lips. “I love you, too, Carina.”

Those three words couldn’t be said enough.

The OB was about to lean down again when the sound of someone fake coughing called their attention. Andy was still standing by the entrance of the room.

“Andy, you should get the others and head back to the fire.” The captain said, trying not to pout as the doctor pulled away.

“I wanted to stay and check on the guys.” The lieutenant mentioned, crossing her arms.

“I’ll check on them, you’re needed at the scene.” The blonde pushed.

The latina snorted. “Should I remind you you’re a patient as well?” She lifted an eyebrow.

“I will check on them, Andy.” Carina spoke this time, squeezing her wife’s right hand. “As soon as Maya is admitted, I’ll check on Vic and will ask for an update on Jack.”

The lieutenant sighed. “Okay. I’ll go.” She reached for her jacket. “Take good care of her, doc, she’s a lousy patient.” She joked as she put it on.

Carina laughed as Maya complained with a ‘hey!’.

Andy was out of the room after winking at Maya, making her way to the waiting room to get her friends and go back to do their jobs.

The Italian was about to press another kiss on her wife’s lips when they got interrupted again as a resident came into the trauma room to get Maya admitted and to get the scans the other doctors asked for.

The blonde was taken to CT first and Amelia was happy to confirm there was no surprise brain bleed going on there. Later, the x-rays showed that, while Maya’s shoulder was perfectly back in place, she had a very small proximal hairline fracture which meant that instead of using a brace for two weeks tops, she would need you wear it for at least a month. She would be off work for 6 weeks and then she would come back exclusively for desk duty for another 4 weeks.

The firefighter was not happy about that.

Once settled in her room for her 24 hours observation due to the concussion, Maya asked for more pain meds, the manipulation of her arm from earlier finally taking a toll.

Carina knew that for Maya to admit she was in pain it had to be hurting really bad so she asked the blonde to scooch away a bit so she could lay by her good side, pressing kisses on her right shoulder, whispering sweet things in Italian, running her finger up and down her thigh over the sheet.

The blonde was enjoying the ministrations, smiling drowsily in the medicine induced high she was in, when all of sudden she opened her eyes wide and tried to sit up, being gently stopped by the OB.

“Hey, bambina, you have to stay still.” The brunette said, placing a hand on the firefighter’s good shoulder to push her back into the bed.

“Vic, we didn’t check on her. And what about Jack’s surgery!” Maya said, trying to keep her eyes open.

The Italian got up from the bed and turned to sit on the edge, facing Maya. “I can ask for an update on them, don’t worry.”

Maya tried to sit up again and this time Carina didn’t stop her. “I wanna go see her.”

The brunette placed her hands at the sides of Maya’s neck to get her to focus on her. “Bella, your pain meds are really strong, you’re about to fall asleep.”

The blonde shook her head, trying to wake herself up but wincing when she remembered she had a head injury. “I have to see Vic, c’mon, Carina, I can stay awake for a little longer.” She pleaded, locking eyes with the other woman.

The OB gazed into her wife’s eyes for a moment, noticing the urgency of her plea. “Five minutes.”

Maya perked up and nodded enthusiastically, scrunching her nose when her headache worsened a bit but that didn’t make her smile falter. “Five minutes.” She agreed.

Carina stood up, not without pecking Maya on the lips once more. “I’m gonna go get a wheel chair and find out where she is, okay?”

The firefighter brought her hand to the back of the doctor’s neck and pulled her in for another kiss. “Thank you.”

The Italian smiled softly as she walked to the door. “I’ll be right back. Don’t move.” She closed the door behind herself.

Carina returned to the room a few moments later to find Maya with her legs already hanging on the side of the bed as if she was about to get up.

The Italian arched a brow as she approached the bed. “I thought I told you not to move, patient of the year.” She said, bending over to secure the brakes of the wheelchair in front of Maya.

The firefighter laughed at the jab. “I swear I wasn’t going to stand up, it’s just, I was afraid I would fall asleep if I laid back while waiting for you.”

The OB huffed a laugh and moved to stand next to the blonde, helping her off the bed and into the chair. “Vic is a few rooms away. Her burn has already been debrided but with a grade-3 concussion she also needs monitoring for 24 hours.” She informed Maya as she placed her feet on the footplates.

“What about Jack?” The captain asked, tilting her head to the side so she could look at Carina.

The doctor started pushing the chair to the door. “I’ll ask for an update as soon as I leave you with Vic.”

The couple made it to the other firefighter’s room a few moments later, Carina knocking on the door and opening it when there was a reply from the inside. Vic gave the pair a wide smile, as wide as she could, as they entered the dim lit room.

“Hey.” Vic said, dragging the ‘e’ for a few seconds as she lifted a hand to wave at her friends.

“Hello, Vic.” Maya greeted, her smile slipping a little when she noticed the bandage around her left calf which was propped by a pillow under her foot so it wouldn’t touch the bed. “How are you?”

“I’m great.” Vic said with a thumbs up. “I  mean, I barfed like three times before they gave me something for the nausea but other than that, I’m okay. They give you the good drugs in here.”

Both Maya and Carina laughed.

“Yes, they do.” The blonde agreed.

“Although they didn’t do shit while they were cleaning my burn, I felt everything then.” The black woman added, scrunching up her nose.

Carina then pushed Maya to be next to Vic’s bed and folded over to press a kiss at the top of the blonde’s head. “I’m gonna step outside to check on Jack, okay?”

“Okay.” Maya answered.

“I’m glad you’re okay, Victoria.” The doctor said, placing a hand on the younger woman’s shoulder.

Vic lifted her hand to touch Carina’s arm. “Thanks.” She said with a sleepy smile.

The Italian returned the gesture before turning around and head to the door. “I’ll be back in five minutes, Maya.”

“Yes, mom.” The blonde said, playfully rolling her eyes as Carina closed the door.

“So, what the hell happened to you?” Vic asked with a light tone once they were alone.

The captain brought her healthy hand to take her friend’s and gave it a light squeeze. “I dislocated my shoulder because of the explosion.”

Vic’s eyebrows snapped together. “What? You were like a thousand feet away.”

Maya chuckled. “I wasn’t that far away and it was a big blast… you should know.” She gestured at her injuries.

Vic rolled her head into the pillow. “Gibson and I almost made it to the end of the hallway but… that’s all I remember. I can’t recall the blast or getting hurt.”

“That’s okay.” Maya reassured her, squeezing her hand again. “You hit your head really hard, it’s okay if you don’t remember.”

The younger woman turned her head on the pillow to look at her boss. “Did anyone else get hurt besides Jack, you and me?”

“Russel hurt his knee but he should be fine, he didn’t even come to the hospital, Warren treated him.” The blonde said. “Everyone else is okay. They’re back at the fire.”

“It’s still going?” Vic wondered, placing a hand over her hurt ribs as she breathed slowly.

Both of Maya’s eyebrows rose and she opened her mouth to answer but no words came. “Uh, I’m not sure… I mean, I guess. The situation escalated after the explosion and more companies had to be called in but I’ve lost track of time in here, I have no idea how contained it is.”

“Call Andy, then.” Vic suggested, shaking Maya’s hand with her own.

The blonde looked down to her lap, trying to find her phone when she remembered she was dressed in the stupid hospital gown, therefore she didn’t have her phone with her. She let out an exasperated sigh. “I don’t know where my phone is but I’ll ask Carina for hers when she comes back.”

Vic sighed as well, glancing at the ceiling before her eyes returned to Maya. “So…” she pointed at her busted shoulder. “For how long will you be out?”

The captain dipped her chin to look at her shoulder and back at Vic. “Six long weeks.”

“What!?” Vic said a little too loud, making her own head hurt. She grimaced and covered her eyes with a hand. “Crap.” She massaged her temples for a second. “I have to wait for my stupid ribs to heal for about six weeks too but Link said it could take another two weeks for me to be clear for active duty again, it’s not fair.” She complained, her voice significantly quieter.

“Well, at least your burn will be healed by then.” Maya pointed out. “Besides, I’ll be on desk duty for a month so, even if I come back before you do, you’ll be back in action first.”

“That sucks, man.” Vic chuckled.

“I know.” The blonde replied, almost pouting.

The younger woman snorted. “We’re gonna be so bored for weeks. I already feel my brain shutting down out of boredom.”

“That could be the concussion.” The captain joked, making her friend laugh.

They remained in silence for a few moments before the door was opened by Carina. Maya tried not to turn as it made her neck and shoulder muscles ache a bit but she was glad to find a smile on her wife’s face, meaning Jack was okay.

“So, Jack is fine.” She started and both firefighters let out a relieved sigh. “His pneumothorax was quite large and that’s why the chest tube wasn’t enough. Dr. Pierce had to take him into surgery to perform a VATS procedure which is a minimally invasive thoracoscopy. Maggie only has to do two or three small cuts to help the air move out of the pleural space faster while she repairs the tear caused by his rib.” The Italian explained, shifting her focus between both firefighters.

“She should finish soon and Jack is expected to make a full recovery, although he will have to stay in the hospital longer than you two, because he’ll have another chest tube in for a few days. If everything goes well, he should be ready to go back to work in two months but Maggie will give you more information once he’s out.”

Maya closed her eyes and tilted her head back. “Thank God.” She whispered. Then, she opened her eyes and focused her gaze on the brunette. “Could you text Andy? Tell her we’re all okay?”

“And ask her about the fire.” Hughes added.

“I will tell her you’re all okay but I won’t ask her about the fire.” The other women started to complain immediately. “Both of you need to rest, not stress over work. There’s nothing you can do about that fire, let the others handle it.” Carina said with a firm tone, pulling out her phone and typing a quick text to Andy saying the girls were fine and Jack was about to be out of surgery.

Vic crossed her arms over her chest and looked at Maya. “Your wife is very bossy.”

The blonde arched a brow at her friend and smirked. “And yet, you said you’d take her side on the divorce.”

“The what?” Carina asked, amused by the banter as she put her phone away in her scrub pants pocket.

Maya’s eyes switched to see the doctor. “Everyone at the station said the other night that, if we ever get a divorce, they will take your side and not mine. So, in addition to be wifeless, I’ll also be friendless and I’ll die alone.”

The Italian guffawed loudly before covering her lips with a hand, knowing loud noises could hurt both firefighters. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to laugh that hard.” She said between giggles.

Vic joined her in her laughter. “See? That’s why we’re all taking her side. She’s so cute and nice, you can’t compete, Maya.”

“Don’t you tell me how cute my wife is, Hughie, I already know.” The blonde said in fake annoyance, rolling her eyes but with a soft smile on her lips.

Carina chuckled again, getting closer to Maya and leaning down to press her lips over hers. “Good thing I’m not planning on leaving you any time soon.” She then straightened up and went to grab the handles of the chair. “Get some sleep, Vic, and listen to your doctors.”

Vic took two fingers to her forehead and saluted Carina. “Sir, yes, sir.”

“See you later, Hughes.” The blonde waved at her friend.

“Goodbye, captain softie.” The other firefighter tittered as she got comfortable in her bed.

Maya rolled her eyes even as she and the brunette were already out of the room. “She’s gonna pay for that.”

The Italian leaned down, talking next to Maya’s ear as she pushed her to her room. “No, she won’t cause you are a softie.” She kissed her cheekbone.

The firefighter snorted. “Solo con te, amore mio.” She whispered in her wife’s native language, as if trying to keep it a secret from everyone else.

The OB’s lips curved into a blinding smile that only faded from her lips when Maya turned her face to kiss her. They had to pull away when Carina almost ran into someone with the wheelchair, quickly apologizing to the poor nurse before they both exploded into giggles.

They were back in Maya’s room in a matter of seconds and Carina helped the blonde into her bed again.

The firefighter groaned when her back hit the not so soft surface and moved so her wife could lay down next to her like they were before going to Vic’s room. “Come here.”

The doctor turned around to fold the wheelchair closed and leave it next to a wall. “You should get some sleep, bella, it’s been a crazy day.”

“I’ll sleep better with my doctor next to me.” Maya patted the spot next to her on the bed and put on her puppy eyes that only Carina got to see. “Please? I’m hurt and I want cuddles.”

The Italian chewed on her lower lip at the sight of the blonde. She could feel herself melting at that look. “Va bene, but only because you’re asking nicely.” She gave in, carefully getting on the bed.

Maya smiled wide and closed her eyes as they were starting to feel really heavy again. She tipped her head so it was resting against the brunette’s forehead who was laying on her side a little awkwardly with one arm partially under herself and the other thrown over the blonde’s stomach.

“I have a confession to make.” Carina whispered a few moments later, which made Maya open her eyes again.

“What is it? Do you secretly want to leave me?” She joked. “Because what I said earlier was for real, my friends will abandon me for you.”

The Italian chuckled. “I would never leave you.” She kissed Maya’s shoulder, staying in silence for a few seconds. “I called your brother.”

That seemed to wake Maya up a little bit. “You what?” She muttered, surprised not upset, moving away a little to lock eyes with the OB.

Carina licked her lips, a little nervous. “I called him while you were with Vic. I think he’s coming to the hospital.”

The firefighter took a moment to process the information. The drugs in her brain were not helping. “Mason is coming?” The brunette nodded. “Did you tell him I was dying?” She half joked.

Carina shook her head this time. “No, I wouldn’t do that… but I didn’t tell him you were okay either.” She admitted the last part shrugging.

The firefighter snorted. “You’re very sneaky, did you know that? And cheeky.”

The corner of the brunette’s lip quirked up. “I do know that. And you love me for it.”

“That’s true.” Maya said with a soft smile that faded after a few seconds. “I just hope he doesn’t think I’m manipulating him with this.” She mentioned before her features twisted in discomfort as she moved a little.

“Are you in pain?” Carina quickly jumped into doctor mode, trying to get up but being stopped by Maya.

“I’m okay, it was nothing.” The captain said, weakly smiling.

“Are you sure?” The OB inquired as her brows drew together in concern. “I can see if we can give you something else for the pain.”

The blonde shook her head slowly. “No, I’m okay.” She insisted. “Unless you want to help me with some natural pain relief.” She smirked. “I read somewhere that the body can release oxytocin under certain circumstances which helps with the pain.”

“And where did you read that?” Carina decided to play along.

“It’s from a study a very smart doctor conducted a few years ago… I heard she had amazing results.” Maya placed her right hand on Carina’s hip and lifted her scrub top slightly to touch her skin.

The Italian then used two of her fingers to ‘walk’ on the blonde’s abdomen over the sheets, below the brace that hugged her body. “She does sound like a smart woman. Maybe I can help you…” her fingers drifted lower. “When we get home.” They suddenly stopped.

Maya scrunched up her face. “What?”

Carina moved her hand so it was resting on the blonde’s thigh again but far away from the place Maya wanted it. “You need a shower, bambina. You’re a little smelly right now.” Her nose crinkled like when you smell something bad.

The firefighter scoffed. “You just killed the mood.” She complained.

The OB giggled. “Right now you need to rest. I promise I will help you with your pain all the times you want when you’re discharged.” She brushed the tip of her nose on the blonde’s shoulder.

“I’ll take you up on that promise.” Maya said, brushing her fingers on the brunette’s hip.

“And I’ll be more than happy to fulfill it.” Carina replied. “But, for now, sleep.”

A few moments later, Maya inhaled deep and then let the air out through her mouth. “What if Mason comes?”

“I’ll wake you up, okay?” The Italian kissed the same place where her nose had been a moment ago.

“Okay.” The blonde replied as her eyelids finally became to heavy to keep them open and she gave in to sleep.

Carina got up from the bed a little under half an hour later when she felt her arm starting to go numb by her weight. The bed was too small for her to switch to a more comfortable position without waking Maya up so she decided it was best to get up and leave the blonde to rest more comfortably.

The Italian rolled her neck and shoulders, later stretching her arms and opening and closing the fingers of her almost numb hand to get the blood flowing again.

She pulled her phone out again and saw a thumbs up from Andy. She assumed the latina was still busy at the fire so she couldn’t answer anything else but wanted to let her know she had gotten the message.

Carina’s eyes shifted to the blonde again, observing her in her sleep. She thought about going to her office to get changed out of her scrubs but she didn’t want to leave Maya’s side for long so she dismissed the idea. She could stay in her scrubs. Although she did need to get some water cause her mouth was feeling a little dry.

The OB stepped out of the room, taking one last look through the small window on the door, before turning her face from one side to the other, trying to spot a vending machine. She smiled when she found one nearby, quickly approaching it to purchase a bottle of water.

Screwing the cap of the bottle open, Carina walked to the nurses’ station in front of Maya’s room again, her dry throat thanking her when she finally took a sip of the cold liquid.

She was about to ask the nurse for a tablet to check on her patients when she heard a somewhat familiar voice a few meters away from her, but the voice was not as important as what they were asking.

“I’m looking for Maya Bishop.” The man said to a male nurse. “I was told she was in the neurology area but I don’t remember her room.”

“Sir, I’m sorry but visitation hours are over.” The nurse replied.

The blonde man clenched his jaw, which Carina could even see from afar, as he looked at the dark haired woman next to him. “She’s my sister, you have to tell me where she is.” He said, trying very hard not to snap at the other man.

The nurse was about to tell him to leave again when Carina decided to finally step in. She walked the short distance to her brother in law but she directed her attention to the nurse first. “It’s okay, Tyler. He’s with me.”

The tall man nodded at the doctor before walking away.

Mason’s jaw seemed to tense even more at the sight of the Italian. “Where’s Maya?”

Carina took a breath before answering, extending one of her arms to gesture the couple to follow her. “She’s sleeping right now.” She said, guiding them to the room.

“She’s unconscious?” The latina asked this time, tightening her hold on Mason’s arm.

The three of them finally stopped in front of Maya’s door.

The doctor turned to look at the other two, licking her lips. “No, not unconscious. She’s just resting.”

The blond’s brows knitted. He turned his head and spotted the person sleeping in the bed through the door’s window. He got closer and quickly inspected the room, noticing there where no machines or monitors around his sister, who only appeared to be asleep like her wife said.

“You said she was badly hurt.” He accused Carina, his nostrils flaring.

The Italian lifted her hands, as if trying to get him to calm down. “I never said that. I said she was in the hospital and that you should come.”

“You lied to me!” Mason sneered. “Of course you would. I bet she asked you to do it.”

“Mason, stop it.” Ronnie chided, giving him a hard look.

“No, Mason. Maya didn’t ask me to do anything.” The brunette declared, crossing her arms. “I called you because you need to wake up.”

The blond scowled at Carina. “Don’t you tell me what I need.” He fisted his free hand, he was getting upset.

“Someone has to because it might be too late when you realize it on your own.” The Italian rebuked, and she felt her eyes starting to water. “Maya is okay right now, she only hurt her shoulder but, she’s a firefighter, Mason!” She pointed at the room. “She could get seriously injured or –” she stopped to keep her voice from cracking, “or die on any call she goes to.”

Carina drew her bottom lip between her teeth, stoping it from trembling, and looked down. When Mason didn’t say anything, she looked up again to find a hard expression on his face but with no intentions of interrupting her.

“It’s so hard to love a firefighter. Not knowing if she will make it home…” She let out a shaky breath. “It hurts. But I’ve come to terms with it because not being with her would hurt more. And the only way I can bear to see her go to work everyday is by telling her how much I love her. No matter if we’re fighting or we’re angry at each other, we say ‘I love you’ because we don’t know if it’s going to be the last time we do.” A tear finally rolled down her face.

“You’re her brother. She’s your sister.” Carina continued, wiping the tear away. “And I believe you love her as much as she loves you even if you think you hate her. Do you really want me to call you when she can’t hear you say it? When it’s too late for her to say it back? Do you want the last words you said to her be that’s she’s just as awful as your father?”

Mason unclenched his fist and looked at his feet, not wanting the Italian to see the truth in his eyes. “How can I ever have a relationship with her if she keeps lying to me? Lane didn’t do anything to her.” He stubbornly asked in a whisper.

Beside him, Ronnie rolled her eyes.

The crinkle on Carina’s forehead softened. “Not because the bone healed right it means it didn’t break at some point.”

Mason looked up, arching an eyebrow at the Italian. “What the does that even mean?”

The OB chuckled at his confuse expression. It looked just like Maya’s. “You see Maya doing okay now but that doesn’t mean she didn’t go through hell before. She’s very good at hiding her pain and that’s not a recent development, she learned to do that since she was young.” She stepped closer to the blond and placed a hand on his upper arm. “But she tries to be better every day. She goes to therapy, she works on herself. Sometimes she slips and says or does something stupid but that doesn’t mean she hasn’t changed. It means she’s human and makes mistakes just like everyone else. And she realizes those mistakes and tries to make them right but this time it won’t work if you don’t let her. Talk to her. Listen to her.”

The man sucked on his teeth and sighed. “I guess…” He looked around, avoiding the doctor’s gaze. “… we can try again.” He finally relented.

Both Carina and Ronnie smiled at him.

“She’s sleeping but you can go in, sit next to her.” The Italian encouraged him.

Ronnie took the opportunity to pull Mason closer to the door. “Vamos. Tú puedes.” She said to him before cupping his cheek and getting on her tiptoes to peck him on the lips.

Mason smiled at his girlfriend and opened the door.

The OB saw the interaction from afar, leaning on the nurses’ station, when she felt a presence next to her.

“A bone analogy. That was a good one.” The person said.

The brunette turned to find Link leaning on the desk next to her with a smirk on his face.

Carina returned the smile. “Hi, Link. Are you looking for Amelia? Because I haven’t seen her.”

The Ortho doc shook his head. “No, I was coming to talk to Maya about her PT.” He pushed his hair back with a hand. “I’m friends with the Mariners’ physical therapist and I thought he would be a good fit for her. You know, since she’s a former athlete she will want to push it but he can certainly push back since he’s used to treat people like Maya. I can get her a spot with him if you want.”

Carina’s mouth curved into a smile. “That would be amazing, Link. Thank you so much.”

“It’s nothing, really.” The blond doctor flashed one of his signature smiles.

Not far from them, certain latina stood awkwardly, not knowing what to do now that her boyfriend was inside the room but not wanting to interrupt the doctors. When they remained in silence for a few seconds, she took the opportunity to hold out her hand towards the doctor in pink scrubs. “Hi, I’m Ronnie. Mason’s girlfriend.”

Carina quickly took the younger woman’s hand in hers and shook it. “Yes, Veronica, Maya told me a little about you.” She replied with a smile. “I’m Carina and this is Link, Dr. Lincoln.” She corrected herself. “He’s a friend and Maya’s doctor.”

Link shook Ronnie’s hand as well. “Hi. I was also your boyfriend’s doctor when he hurt his wrist.” He mentioned.

“Oh, that’s right!” The latina said with wide eyes. “Mason said his doctor looked like he popped out of the cover of ‘Men’s Health’.”

Both doctors laughed at the accurate description.

“Well, that’s me.” Link pointed at himself and made a short bow with his head. “Now, I’m gonna leave you alone, ladies.” He turned to Carina then. “I’ll come by tomorrow to talk to Maya, okay?”

The OB nodded. “That’s perfect. Thanks again.”

The blond smiled. “No problem.” He placed a hand on her shoulder. “And good luck with the in laws.” He whispered to Carina’s ear before walking away.

The women remained quiet for a moment, looking at each other and then at the door where the Bishop siblings were.

“So…” Carina started with an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry about yelling at him. I know it wasn’t my place but I couldn’t stand to see Maya hurting over him any longer, not when she doesn’t have to.”

Ronnie shrugged as she shook her head. “No need to apologize. I should have pushed him too but I didn’t want to upset him.”

The OB chuckled. “I get it. Maya is the same, she doesn’t like being pushed, she has to get to her conclusions on her own time.”

“Es como hablarle a la pared.” Ronnie playfully rolled her eyes.

Carina smiled at the latina. “Oh, credimi… lo so. But sometimes, they need us to intervene.”

“What would they do without us?” The latina said, tapping her chin with a finger with a thoughtful look on her face.

The Italian shrugged as she lifted both eyebrows. “Who knows?” They shared a laugh. “Do you want to go to the cafeteria and get something to eat while they…?” She gestured at the room with a waving hand.

“Isn’t hospital food supposed to be awful?” Ronnie teased with a lopsided grin.

The Italian chuckled and cocked her head to the side. “Well, it’s not that bad and it’s certainly better than nothing. I missed dinner so…” She glanced at the siblings through the door’s window. Mason was sitting on a chair in front of Maya but she didn’t appear to be awake. “If you wanna join me, I think those two will be alright on their own for a little while.” She felt comfortable leaving now that Maya wouldn’t be alone.

Ronnie beamed at Carina and hooked her arm on the Italian’s. “Okay, let’s do it. It will give us a chance to get to know each other better, Carina.”

The Italian smiled at the way Ronnie said her name, pronouncing the ‘r’ in the way Americans cannot. “Let’s go.”

Inside the room, Mason remained the same. When he entered the room, he pulled a chair next to the bed and sat down, staring silently at his sister’s sleeping form.

His eyes roamed from her face where he spotted a bruise on her temple, drifted down to her arm wrapped in a brace and finally settled in the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed slowly, deep in sleep.

Maya was alive.

Maya was okay.

When Carina called and told him Maya was in the hospital, he felt like he had a ton of rocks in his stomach. Or like someone punched him and pushed all the air out of his lungs. Or both at the same time. He didn’t have time to ask many questions as Carina said she was being called away to get news on another one of the firefighters in Maya’s team so he naturally assumed the worst.

Mason grabbed Ronnie by the hand and dragged her out of their apartment, calling an Uber on the way down as he explained to her what was happening. Once in the Uber, his knee kept bouncing up and down as he asked their driver to go faster.

He was angry at himself for being so worried but he couldn’t help it. He didn’t know if he wanted Maya in his life again but he certainly didn’t want her to die.

When he and Ronnie arrived to the ER, he immediately asked the nurse behind the desk for his sister. She didn’t disclose her condition, only told him she was in neurology and was about to tell him he couldn’t go up there at the moment because visiting hours were over when he turned around and walked away, not listening to the nurse.

So seeing her there, peacefully sleeping and unscathed –for the most part– was a relief. Mason felt like he could breath again.

He covered his face with his hands and then slid them up, tangling them in his hair, as he thought about what to tell her once she woke up but his brain couldn’t come up with something.

Should he apologize? Mason still wasn’t sure he had to. Still wasn’t sure that the abuse Maya said she experienced was really that bad.

So he closed his eyes and started to remember their childhood. Trying to remember things he may have ignored back then because he was too focused on his own suffering to pay attention to Maya’s.

The early training sessions before school –to help them wake up and do better in class according to their dad but that had the opposite effect on Mason, who ended up asleep on his desk–, the strict diet they were in –which became worst for Maya when she hit puberty because, according to their dad, the hormones could make her gain extra weight and she didn’t need that–, the curfew their dad had in place for them because athletes need sleep –but Mason was allowed to return an hour later than Maya because he was a boy and could take care of himself even if he was younger than her, and so many other things.

Mason opened his eyes, both literally and figuratively.

It was true that Lane yelled at him more often but it was because he didn’t always win first place like Maya did but it was also true that Lane was harder on Maya even if she won –minus the yelling. He pushed her harder than he did Mason because he saw more potential in her and once Lane gave up on him and decided he was a disappointment, all that extra focus went to his sister.

He hadn’t seen it that way back then. He saw the attention as a prize, because Lane became the best dad when Maya won, but only for a short while. When she lost, however… well, the many dishes thrown at walls, shattered in a million pieces can tell you it was not good.

So, if they were in the Olympics for who had it worst, maybe Maya wouldn’t win the gold this time but she would still be in the podium.

Mason felt like an idiot for not having realized it sooner.

The truth is he hadn’t realized it because he avoided thinking about his family at all ever since he started living on his own. He took the ‘eyes forward’ too literally, trying to forget about his past although he didn’t think much about the future, he only thought of his next high. When he got clean, he avoided thinking about them as they made him crave drugs again. And after their last meeting, he forced himself to not think about the possibility of Maya being right.

Was there a medal for screwing up your children? Because Lane Bishop would definitely win that one.

The blond didn’t know how long he sat there thinking about their past. He was pushed out of his thoughts when she saw Maya moving her head to the side and taking a deep breath. He leaned closer and noticed her eyes moving under her lids, her nose scrunching up and her lips twitch, indication she was waking up from her slumber.

The firefighter’s blue eyes fluttered open and sighed when the blurry silhouette in front of her took the shape of her brother. “I don’t know if you’re really here or if they increased my pain meds.” She croaked, lifting her right hand to her face and gently pressing her fingers on her eyes as if that was going to clear her vision and make her stop seeing people that weren’t there.

Mason snorted, leaning back on the chair. “And here I thought I was the junkie.” He commented with a small smirk.

The firefighter removed her hand from her face and slowly opened her eyes. Her brother was really there.

She tried to sit up but groaned when she couldn’t as if made her head and shoulder hurt a little. She took a moment to let the pain pass and inhaled some air into her lungs. “I’m really sorry I said that. I was a jerk.”

The man shrugged and looked to the side. “I was a jerk too.” He admitted. “I shouldn’t have said what I said. I should have paid attention.”

Maya nodded but remained silent. She didn’t know what to say. She didn’t want to fuck up again. Instead, she deflected, buying herself some time to think. “Could you…?” She started, pointing at the buttons on the side of the bed.

Her brother nodded and got up from his chair, trying to figure out which button to press to get Maya into a half sitting position. Once he succeeded, he sat back down on his chair and imitated Maya in her silence.

On her new position, the firefighter was able to take a good look at Mason, even as the lights on the room were dimmed to not worsen her headache. He had his head down but Maya noticed he was cleanly shaved, unlike the last time he had seen him. His eyes where focused on his hands as he fidgeted with the cords of the hoodie he wore under his jean jacket –funny how their styles matched– and she spotted a few dark smudges in his hands, like when he used charcoal to draw instead of a regular pencil. So he was probably in the middle of drawing when he got the call from Carina, the blonde though. She would have continued to scrutinize his aspect but Mason decided to talk then.

“You know, I was thinking about us… our childhood, just now.” Mason lifted his gaze to meet Maya’s who, even with the sleepy expression, was giving him her full attention. “I was trying to remember if what you said was true, if… if it was possible I missed it because I was so blind or… I don’t know.” He shrugged and licked his lips. “And a memory came to mind… I was like 15 and Lane asked me what was new with me. I remember feeling happy for a moment that he was taking interest in me but a second later he started to belittle me and I felt like crap again.”

Mason tried to swallow the lump in his throat before continuing. “And I didn’t only felt like crap because of how he was treating me but also because of how he was treating you. Ignoring you. And then he threw the mushrooms soup to the wall.”

“It was potato soup.” Maya corrected him, grabbing the sheets with her right hand and making a fist as the memories flooded her mind.

“Right.” The man agreed. “And then he said that losers were dead to him. He was quite the multitasker, no? Making both his children feel miserable at the same time.” He humorlessly chuckled.

The captain snorted. “He had a knack for that.” She said. “That happened on a Friday.” She pointed out. “He didn’t speak to me the whole weekend. And your art show was the following Monday after school.” She smiled at that. “I… I don’t remember what you draw but I’ll never forget how everyone was saying how good it was… and I felt proud for being your sister.”

The corner of Mason’s lips twitched as a small smile formed. Maya’s, on the other hand, started to fade. “But when we got home and you locked yourself in your room as always, dad stopped me before I did the same.” She bit the inside of her cheek. “He stood in front of me and, without saying a word, he gestured for me to follow him. We got in the car and he drove me to the track field. He broke his silence then… he said ‘go’. I looked at him confused. And then he goes, ‘if you have time for art shows, you have time for extra training’.”

Maya’s jaw clenched. “I don’t know how many laps I did. I ran nonstop for two… maybe three hours. Every time I slowed down to stop and catch my breath, I could feel his glare. No matter if I was on the other side of the track, I felt the daggers shooting from his eyes. So I never stopped, I just kept a slow pace for a few moments to breathe and then I picked up speed again, even as my lungs were burning and my legs felt like they would fall off.”

The blonde felt her eyes stinging with tears. “And the next Friday, I won my race. And I thought it was thanks to him… for pushing me to train harder.” She let out a choked laugh. “That’s the thing, that’s why it was so hard for me to understand I was abused. Because his method worked. ‘Eyes forward’, ‘embrace the pain’, for me, it worked. I won my races, I broke records, I won a gold medal, I graduated first of my class in the fire academy, I’m still the youngest fire captain of this city. And it wasn’t until I realized that it came at a cost that I saw the truth.”

She felt the hot trail the tears left behind as they spilled out of her eyes. “It cost me my relationships. My friendships. It almost cost me Carina.” She locked eyes with Mason then. “It cost me you.”

“That’s not true.” Mason said and saw how his sister tensed. “I’m here, aren’t I?”

The corners of the firefighter’s lips quirked up, the tension leaving her body. “Yes, you’re here.” She let go if her grip on the sheets and turned her hand so the back of it was against the bed, as an offer for Mason to take.

The man stared at the open hand for a few seconds before standing from his chair. He glanced up to look at his sister’s face and then he placed his hand on top of hers. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry for not believing you. I’m sorry for not seeing it back then, for not protecting you.”

Maya snorted and gave him a sad smile. “I should be the one apologizing for that last part. I am your big sister, it was my job to protect you, not the other way around.” She rubbed the back of his hand with her thumb. “I can’t help but feel guilty about your addiction. If I hadn’t –”

“No, that’s not on you.” Mason interrupted, squeezing Maya’s hand. “You didn’t put the needle in my arm or stuffed the pills down my throat. That was me.” He crudely said, looking at their joined hands. “As a recovering addict, I have to take responsibility for my actions and place blame where it’s due. And now I know you’re not to blame for that. You chose to cope by becoming an overachiever and I chose drugs. And I will struggle with that for the rest of my life as I’m sure you struggle on your own way.”

The woman frowned and diverted her gaze as well. “Still, I should have helped you… back when I found out you were homeless. Maybe you wouldn’t have relapsed again.”

“I didn’t want your help. You couldn’t have forced me to take it.” The man insisted.

No one said anything for a minute or two.

“Can we start over, then?” The firefighter whispered with a hopeful expression. “Because I really want my brother in my life.”

Ice blue eyes connected with an identical pair. Mason smiled softly and nodded. “I want my sister in my life too.”

Maya beamed at those words. She was about to speak again when she started coughing, her throat felt parched from all the talking. “Could you bring me some water, please? My throat feels scratchy.” She asked, letting go of Mason and taking her hand to her throat.

The blond nodded. “Sure, but you’re telling me how you got hurt.” He pointed at her arm. “I thought you were good at your job.” He teased with an arched brow.

The firefighter chuckled, trying to swallow the little saliva she had left to calm her throat. “It was a fluke.” She rolled her eyes. “Bring me water and I’ll tell you a better story.”

Mason crossed his arms over his chest. “You and your super hero crap.” His tone was light again and was grinning at his sister. “I’ll be right back.” He said and walked to the door.

Once outside, he asked the nurse where he could get some water and he was pointed to the vending machine. He thanked the woman and went to get the water, wondering in that moment where Ronnie and Carina had gone as they were nowhere to be seen.

Mason reentered Maya’s room with two bottles of water. He got closer to her bed and sighed when he saw that her eyes were closed and her breathing was very even. She had fallen asleep again.

Oh, well… they would have plenty time to catch up when she wakes up, Mason thought to himself as he lowered her bed again and later got comfortable in his chair, taking a gulp of his water.