In Flames Extras

Loose Ends

With a husband recovering at home from being shot three months earlier, two kids quickly approaching the moody middle school years, and a six month old daughter, Mariana needed to get out of the house. She decided to use her big sister skills and bring May lunch at the dispatch center.

A grinning Hope found herself giggling up at her mother as Mariana pulled her out of the carrier and wrapped her up in her swaddle attached to Mariana's chest. Mari dropped a kiss to the top of Hope's downy, peach fuzz covered head and grabbed the Chipotle bag out of the passenger seat.

Using her indefinite visitors pass, Mariana found herself on the dispatcher floor with voices surrounding her. She waved at Josh as she passed and then rested her hand against Hope's back. The baby was fast asleep, her face tucked against her mom's collarbone.

"Help is on the way, ma'am. Do you need me to stay on the line? Alright. You and Jumanji will be fine."

Mariana smirked as she set the bag on the desk and received a grateful look from May. The younger woman blew her a kiss and Mari winked.

"C'mon, lunch time."

Seated across from each other in the break room, Mariana shifted a bit of the wrap so May could see Hope. May loved cooing over her niece and Mari accepted any and all babysitting that she offered.

"Hey, Caleb," May greeted. "How's it going?"

A quiet looking man entered, a travel mug clutched in hand as he crossed the room towards the coffee makers. He pressed a few buttons and then walked over to the two women.

"Join us," Mariana offered. "You look like you've had a day."

"How many cats can be up in a tree?" he muttered as he took a seat.

Mari shrugged. "Seriously, I'm a firefighter and it gets old after a while."

"Caleb Neumann," he introduced himself.

"Mariana Ramirez. I'm May's friend."

He paused and stared at her with an odd expression before pursing his lips together as though to hold back a thought that fought to escape.

"I'm sorry," he blurted out. "But are you a paramedic also? With the 118?"

Mariana raised an inquisitive eyebrow and regarded him curiously. "Yeah, why?"

"Were you shot on duty a few years ago?"

"...yes."

Caleb bowed his head for a moment and then raised his shaking hands to cover his mouth as he looked up at her, tears shining in his eyes. It struck her all at once and she reached forward to rest a hand on his arm.

"You were the dispatcher that night," she said. He nodded and clasped her hands between his own.

"The last thing I heard was you saying goodbye and that's it. Sue told me you lived but I never knew what happened. If you were able to go back to work or...or how badly you were hurt."

"Caleb, thank you," she whispered. "You were there for me in one of the worst moments of my life. You were so calm and level headed. I'm fine, no complications. In fact, I went on to get married and have three kids."

Mariana pulled away from him and adjusted her sling so she could lift the sleeping Hope into her arms. The baby blinked up at her mother and waved her little arms before cuddling closer and falling asleep once more.

"This is my daughter, Hope."

"Oh fuck," Caleb sobbed. "I'm sorry. I've had some really hard calls today and seeing you like this is just...a lot."

"Believe me, I understand. They caught the guy, y'know? He's in prison. I pushed for him to do a drug rehab program and upon completion, they reduced his sentence. Sometimes I go to see him to check if he's still sober. He's doing great."

Caleb nodded and Mariana smiled gently. "Why don't you come by one night and meet my husband? I know for a fact that he would want to thank you as well."

"I didn't do anything. Seriously. I just did my job."

"You asked me to fight when I was ready to give up. You kept me awake until I couldn't keep my eyes open. You save lives on the daily. Please, let us show our appreciation."

"Okay," Caleb whispered. "This is unreal."

Mariana laughed. "Tell me about it."

A/N: ok so i had like a bad mental health day. night. 48 hours. 3 months. lol. my brain is not doing bueno.

but 5b starts on monday. In Flames is almost to one million reads??????? WHAT THE FUCK???? and i had the desire to write mari again so i found all the drafts i have of one shots and drabbles so enjoy