Let Me Carry You (Carry You Home)

14: Five Alarm Fire

There was a big structure fire in the city the next day, and Sarah had been keeping tabs on it ever since she was dropped off. Maya had mentioned the possibility of it, along with her request that Sarah go to the hospital to see Carina rather than to go to the station, as it was likely that no one would be there. They knew that Sarah was old enough to go home, but Sarah wanted to spend as much time as she could with her foster moms, as well as their friends. Sarah loved how she felt a part of the community they'd created.

Sarah was walking to class with her friends, when she was pulled out of her thoughts by a question.

"What are you up to after school?" Quinn asked, nearly tripping over her own two feet. Nate helped stabilize Quinn before she fell as Sarah shifted her backpack on her shoulder.

"I'm headed to the hospital to spend some time with Carina," She replied.

"No station?" Alex asked, and Sarah shook her head.

"There's a huge structure fire downtown, so every firefighter in the city has to be ready for the call," she said, and Elijah shuddered. "I couldn't imagine how that must feel; the anticipation of waiting. That would kill me, honestly," He remarked, and they all nodded in agreement.

Just then, Sarah saw Joey Warren walk past them in the halls. Sarah had met Joey at the station last week, and they became quick friends, almost like cousins. He was several years her senior, and always seemed to have a great piece of advice to share.

"Are they on call yet?" Sarah asked, and Joey shrugged. "Not that I know. Ben said that it's expected to get to a five alarm fire later today," He explained before ducking into a classroom.

"What's a five alarm?" Nate asked inquisitively, watching Sarah's face change with the new information.

"A five alarm means every firefighter in the city has to go fight the fire. They only happen if the fire is really out of control," Sarah sighed. She was nervous for Maya, but was comforted by the fact that they were all excellent at their jobs, and they had each other's backs. They would do anything and everything they could to protect each other.

The rest of the day passed in a blur. Due to the big fire in the city, Sarah's zias could not come pick her up from school because they were on call. She walked to the hospital to stay with Carina after school. Again, Sarah knew that she was cleared and could just go home, but she preferred to hang out with her foster moms and family than spend time alone. She wanted to spend as much time as she could with them for as long as she could. They made her so happy.

Walking into the lobby of the hospital, she ran into Amelia, who grinned at seeing her. Giving her a quick hug, Amelia then looked at Sarah with worry.

"Is everything okay?" She asked quickly, giving Sarah a once over, and Sarah smiled with a nod.

"Yes, don't worry. I'm just here to see Carina," She explained, and Amelia exhaled with obvious relief.

"Phew, okay. I'll bring you to her. You scared me there for a second," She joked, and Sarah grinned. They walked to the elevators, pressing the button and waiting for it to come.

"You know, you and I are more alike than you realize," Amelia stated softly, and Sarah looked at her.

"We are?" she asked in confusion, and Amelia nodded. "We've both been through very similar traumas. Watched as we lost parents, lost a sibling we loved," she explained.

Sarah was quiet. She didn't know very many people who she could relate this hardship to.

"It sucks," Sarah responded with a sigh.

"Yeah, it does," Amelia agreed.

They stood in a comfortable silence and rode the elevator.

"Sometimes it's hard to talk to people who don't know what it's like to go through something like that... So, know if you ever want anyone to talk to, I'm always here," Amelia offered, opening her arms for a hug.