crash & burn - e. buckley

002

01x02

"Please, hurry!" Devon, the guy who was currently hanging from the rollercoaster said.

They had responded to a call about a guy who had been thrown from a moving rollercoaster, and there were currently five people stuck in it, the cart having stopped in an upside-down loop. Devon, one of the people in it and the friend of the guy who gotten thrown out, was hanging from the cart, desperately hanging on awaiting rescue.

Jamie would never admit it to anyone, but she was nervous. He could loose his grip at any moment and fall to his death.

"Buck, we came in at the wrong angle," Bobby told him. Their plan was for Buck to climb up there on the ladder truck, but it didn't reach far enough for them to also climb safely back down, "I'm gonna have you climb up there, harness him in, and hang tight while we move the truck. You think you can handle that?"

Buck glanced over his shoulder to see how long the climb was.

"Hell yeah," he responded, "this daredevil hero stuff is what I signed up for, Bobby."

Bobby and Jamie were currently standing on the truck, watching it rise with Buck at the top. The people were crying and begging for help, it was difficult to listen to. Hen and Chimney were checking out the guy who was thrown out.

"Everybody, try to stay calm!" Buck ordered them, "we'll get you down. I promise, all right? I need you to relax, I need you to breath, and I need you to keep as still as possible."

The ladder successfully ascended to its destination, and Buck was climbing onto the rollercoaster. Jamie held her breath. She didn't like it when all she could do was stand around and hope for the best, she wanted to be up there, actually helping people. Instead she was just standing around, worrying.

Bobby and Buck were talking through the radios. Devon had wanted to know what happened to his friend, and when Chimney told him that he was gone he told them to put him on a gurney and pretend that he was alive. Bobby glanced over at Jamie, she was chewing her lower lip and keeping her eye fixed on Buck.

"Are you worried?" Bobby asked her.

"No," she lied.

"Good, don't be, he can handle it."

Jamie joined Chimney and Hen on the ground, as Bobby was having the truck moved and she wanted to see what was happening. Buck had reached Devon, and was trying to get him to reach up so that he could attach the harness to him.

He let go. He let go and he fell right to his death. There was nothing they could do for him, he was dead and there was nothing they could do. Jamie was feeling horrible, she felt useless and like she failed. She wanted to cry, but she never cried in front of people, and she knew that her friend would be feeling even worse, and she was prepared to put her own feelings away for the moment to be there for him.

-- --

Back at the station Buck was sitting at the table, staring straight ahead. Jamie put a plate of food down in front of him, before grabbing her own plate and taking a seat next to him.

"I'm not hungry," he told her.

"I know, eat it anyways, it's for sustenance not for pleasure," she told him sternly but still softly.

"I was right there, you know all he had to do was reach up and grab my hand."

"People do funny things at times like that," Chimney said, "sometimes they just freeze up."

"I've never lost anyone before," Buck stated sadly. "Does it get any easier?"

"No," Bobby said.

"Look, people die, and that's part of the gig right?" Chimney tried to console him, "See your problem is you're looking at every job like it's a long-term relationship. They're one night stands, man. In that moment they mean everything to you, but once morning comes, it's on to the next one."