Season 5 One Shots

Let's Do This

TW: Nothing explicit, but references to the events of 5x14.

Acting captain Robert Sullivan climbed down from the truck, his eyes instinctively roaming to find Andy among the controlled chaos in the barn. Under other circumstances, he might have chastised himself for being over-protective, but she had only been back at work a few days, and he was observant enough to have noticed that all the other members of the A-shift were also keeping a close eye on her.

After the details of Andy's arrest had gone viral, several of Jeremy's other victims had come forward. Thankfully, their accounts were enough to convince the district attorney that Jeremy was a serial predator who had a pattern of making friends with women in bars, encouraging them to drink, and then forcing himself on them if they didn't respond to his advances. Given the similarities between all of the stories, it quickly became clear to everyone that had Andy not fought back, the same thing would have happened to her, and the charges had been dropped.

Her suspension from the department had only lasted a few weeks, but she had asked for and been given, 2 additional weeks of personal leave. The time allowed her to continue her therapy and begin to work through her trauma, not only from the attack but also everything that had happened to her over the past several years. It hadn't been easy, but she was getting to a place where she was able to better understand how she had been impacted by all life had thrown at her, including her parents' troubled marriage, her mother's abandonment, her father's controlling behavior, and then Ryan's death, her father's death, the pandemic, and even the dissolution of her marriage. She had a long way to go, and her appointments with her therapist were sometimes painful, but she felt like she was making progress.

Being back at work also helped. She knew the team was watching over her, but surprisingly, it didn't make her feel smothered or defensive. They had all played a role in helping her survive that night and the uncertainty of the weeks after. If the price of being back with her station 19 family was a few concerned glances, she would take it.

It had also been a tumultuous few weeks for the Station 19 firefighters. A few days after Andy had been attacked, Beckett had shown up to a scene clearly inebriated. Jack had noticed first and had radioed for assistance. Chief Ross came herself, quickly relieved Beckett of his duties, and suspended him pending a formal disciplinary hearing. Robert had been appointed acting captain of 19, and the team had quickly coalesced under his leadership. Under other circumstances, there might be some question about who would take over 19, he or Andy, but at that point, Andy was still charged with a felony, and the SFD had no choice but to place her on leave. While no one thought it was fair, it was policy.

The previous night, they had been called to a massive factory fire, and it had taken several stations until mid-morning to get it sufficiently under control, allowing the firefighters who had joined the fight in the middle of the night to rotate off while other stations continued to search for hot spots. Despite their exhaustion, the team knew they had done their jobs well. Everyone stayed safe, and they worked together smoothly. It made Robert proud that despite everything they had gone through over the last several years when it mattered most they were able to perform to the highest standards.

"Great job, everyone!" Robert called out as the team attended to their cleanup duties in the barn. "You guys really put 88 to shame. Even Chief Ross noticed."

"19" Ben shouted, his voice echoing in the cavernous space.

"19!" Everyone responded in unison.

"Who's up for some day drinking at Joe's?" Vic chimed in. "That was a hell of a fire. We all deserve a beer or two!"

As the team began to answer in the affirmative, Robert glanced at Andy again. If he hadn't been looking at just the right moment, he never would have noticed, but there was a slight change in her countenance at the mention of the bar where she had been attacked.