Lone Star Family Values

Chapter 19

Call Home

Bailey was happily perched in the back cab of the ladder truck flipping through The Scarlet Letter, her assigned reading for English class. TK had been called out on a medical call about twenty minutes before, leaving Bailey surrounded by the rest of the 126 and her homework. Even though there were rolling blackouts throughout Austin due to the heat, the firehouse had generators to keep the AC on and humming. They were in the middle of a heatwave that didn't show any sign of relenting. They weren't predicted to let up until mid-November which left Bailey in a bit of a bind. If she wasn't sitting in front of an AC vent then she was packed in a cooling blanket, if not that then she was sitting in one of the trucks or the ambulance while they were under maintenance since they tended to keep the trucks running. However, Bailey's condition didn't like to take a day off and she was nervous about what may come with the blazing heat. Everybody on the 126 had downloaded the same application that Bailey had on her phone so that they too would be alerted if her body temperature climbed beyond or dropped below normal levels. It had been relatively helpful especially before Bailey had moved into TK and Carlos' home. Now though, she was more relaxed and with the team's help she had been able to stay in more comfortable environments which in turn kept her symptoms at bay.

When she felt the AC in the cab stop she looked up and saw Judd waving her out. She pushed the door open and poked her head out.

"All done?" She asked.

"Yup, sorry kiddo, time to find another cranny." He said.

"Okay, thanks Judd." Bailey said, collecting her book and climbing down the side of the truck.

Her side brushed rather briskly against a portion of the ladder and she tucked away when she felt the metal against her probe. Even though she'd been living with the probe for nearly ten years, it was still sensitive and she sometimes forgot to give herself a bit more space on her left side, not remembering its placement. A tug or jolt in the wrong direction could cause serious damage to both the technology and to Bailey. She definitely did not want to mess with it. The heat was considerably higher in the garage than in the cab and Bailey had to take a moment before her body wanted to move.

"You good Bails?" Owen called from the back of the garage.

"Yeah," Bailey called. "Just adjusting."

Owen nodded but she saw him pull out his phone, nonetheless. He'd become fairly protective over her since she'd moved in with his son. Bailey smiled and shook her head, walking into the kitchen and pulling open the fridge to get a snack. A sudden waive of dizziness and mild nausea washed over her and she squeezed her eyes shut and swallowed hard. Something in her gut felt off, she wasn't sure if her temp was climbing or if she was coming down with something.

"Hey, don't spoil your dinner, Carlos will be here to pick you up in a bit." TK's voice spooked her and Bailey jumped a bit.

She turned around slowly and saw him leaning against the island behind her.

"When did you get back?" Bailey asked, closing the fridge door.

"Just now. Easy call, just took a while to get there." TK said, taking in Bailey's body language. Her movements were sluggish and her speech was less fluid.

"Cool." Bailey said, smiling slightly and moving towards the couch to sit down.

TK furrowed his brow and followed her.

"Bailey, what's going on?" TK asked.

"I don't know." She mumbled slumping over and rubbing the heels of her palms into her eyes, her body suddenly feeling heavy and tired.