The New Recruit

Chapter Seven: The One with The Marshmallows

Chapter 7

"Come on it's all in your head! You only think you can't!" Maya yelled.

The team were all engaged in sets of high intensity workouts. Ropes, kettlebells, sprints, sledgehammer throws, pushups, sit-ups, burpes - you name it they were doing it.

Everyone was exhausted, but slowing or stopping would only result in Maya forcing them to do more so no one dared to stop.

"Keep it up!"

Everyone's lungs were burning, muscles in pieces and sweat was coating every inch of their bodies as they pushed harder and harder, willing for the seconds on their Captain's stopwatch to move faster.

"Time!" Maya called out, and everyone immediately stopped what they were doing, gasping for air and gulping down water.

"Why am I even doing this - I'm a doctor!" Carina complained, resting her body against the wheels of the firetruck.

"Team workout, means team," Vic joked, although her laugh was quickly replaced by a coughing fit as she struggled for air.

"I think I pulled an eyelid," Travis groaned, keeping his eyes shut.

"I think I pulled everything," Carina replied, her whole body aching - she'd never done so much physical exercise In her life and while she was enamoured by the blonde fire captain she really hated her right now.

"If I hit her in the head with a kettle bell, would that be murder?" Vic asked from the floor.

"I think so," Travis replied.

"What if I said it was self defence?"

"Could probably get away with that," he said causing all three of them to laugh, which was, again, a poor decision as their abdominal muscles furiously disagreed to move.

"How was desk duty?" Vic asked. "Weeks up now right?"

"Finally. Someone forgot to mention the fact that-"

"Talking about me are you DeLuca?" Maya interrupted with a smirk.

"No," Both Vic and Travis said quickly.

"Yes," Carina responded blanked.

"Oh then please do share?" Maya teased, resting up against the other fire engine tire, so she was directly opposite the brunette. How she looked beautiful, even after a brutal workout was beyond to Maya but it was Carina and Carina managed to defy expectations every single day by just being herself.

"Someone forgot to mention that Seattle was testing a rocket this week."

"Oh that's a shame," Maya replied with a smile and a subtle wink, one that only Carina managed to pick up was Maya's way of flirting with her without anyone else noticing.

"Oh Bishop you didn't," Travis gasped.

"That's low Captain!" Vic added, although both knew there was no vengeance or bad blood between the women, it was merely some workplace fun.

"So, that meant I had to deal with what felt like all of Seattle's best and brightest claiming that we were expecting an alien invasion and that they'd seen a UFO in the sky," Carina explained with a huff.

She'd been very sure to express her contempt for her predicament to Maya privately but it didn't hurt to complain to her again, after all, it had been a hellish week.

"Did you get a call from a woman who said her neighbour was an alien?" Travis asked with an amused grin.

"Please don't remind me - why?"