The Family We Choose

Chapter 2

The shaking started right before the principal's voice rang through the intercoms. Yelling at everyone to get under their desks and prepare for an earthquake.

Screams followed shortly after, from her classmates and her teacher to other students all the way down the hall. None from her own mouth. Her fear was silent.

The violent shaking sent the books flying off the shelves and papers around the class. Pencils sliding across the floor and their supplies falling off the desks.

She was so wrapped up in her fear that she didn't even notice the book collide with her head. She didn't feel anything and maybe that was a good thing.

The mere 22 seconds the earthquake happened felt like a lifetime for her. Mind racing to all the people she cared about. Her brother, Eddie, Eddie's family. Even her mom. And even when the shaking stopped and the ground stood still, her legs still wobbled. Struggling to stand up and her head spinning wildly.

Before her teacher could stop her she was running out of the classroom. A single thought on her mind.

Christopher.

He had to be more scared than her and what if he was hurt. It would take him longer to get under the table and protect himself.

Bolting down the hallway to his classroom, she was sure she had a few thumb tacks stuck in the bottom of her shoes. The amount of paper she slipped on should have gotten her to slow down but she made it in one piece, despite her blurred vision and blinding headache.

The child care worker looked at her with wide eyes, ready to rip her a new one for not staying in her own class. But was blatantly ignored, Emelia climbed over a fallen desk and around crying children to reach Chris. She dropped to the floor next to him and pulled him into her chest.

Tighter than she ever did before.

She let out a sigh of relief, seeing him all in one piece. She felt him squirm in her arms, not used to such a long hug from his old sister but she didn't let go.

"Are you okay?" He asked slowly, whispering into her hair.

"Yeah, yeah I'm okay." She pulled away to look at him finally to check on him. Looking him up and down to ensure he was okay.

He was. Thank god.

"Are you okay?" She asked, pushing his glasses up his nose and back up to his eyes.

He nodded his head and pointed to the small gash on the side of her head. Blood trickled down the side of her face. Her finger came up to her cheek, blood sticking to the tips of her finger.

She shook it off with a bright smile and lifted him off of the floor, placing him back into his chair.

"Don't worry about me, it's just a scratch. Stay here and I'll come get you soon okay?" He nodded his head brightly and she kissed the top of his head. Blinking away the tears so he wouldn't be anymore scared.

After picking up his thrown crutches, she placed them on the side of his desk, swerving around fallen chairs and little kids to reach the door.

She apologizes quickly to the worker for barging in and heads back to her own class. Her feet became heavier with each step, eyes falling closed and her head spinning.

The adrenaline had been using to survive faded as soon as she knew Chris was safe and felt the blood fall through her fingers. She gripped the wall tightly, using the brick wall to get her back to her class just in time for her legs to give way and her head to lull back against the teacher's embrace.

—

"Is everything okay?" Buck saw the concern growing in Eddie's face as he pounded away at his phone. His new found friend looked frustrated about something more than the natural disaster wreaking havoc on their city.

"Yeah, there is no service." he tried to type again. "Texts won't even get through."

"Who you trying to get a hold of?" he asked, curious as to who would be earning such a reaction out of him.

Eddie hesitated, worried at what his teammates would think of him being a father. A single father at that. But in looking at Buck and his kind eyes that seemed to hold no judgement towards him, he felt safe in that firetruck.

"My son. I'm trying to reach my son."

"Whoa, you got a kid?" he inquired further and raised his eyebrows in a bright expression.

"2 actually." Eddie smiled at the photo that popped up on his phone, a candid shot of the two playing video games together.

"Christopher is 7 and Emelia's 14." He bragged, and from the picture. Buck couldn't blame him.

"Super adorable. She must break all the boys' hearts." Eddie chuckled, nodding his head slowly.

"I-Uh-I love kids." Buck went on, hoping to distract him further from the worry now growing in both of their chests.

"I love these two. I'm all they have. Their mother isn't in the picture" Eddie explained without prompt, looking worried at the photo before going back to his messages to try again.

"They at school?"

"Yeah"

"Hey, I'm sure they're fine." Buck tried again, to ease his anxieties. And Eddie only prayed that he was right.

—

Emelia groaned, eyes filling with light before she could grasp her surroundings. It smelt funny and her head was throbbing under a patch of something. The person tugging on her hair wasn't helping much either.

Her hand came up to touch the band-aid across her forehead, it felt weirdly soft and she cursed the look she would surely receive when Eddie saw it.

Pity and worry, the same look she's seen so many times before.

The hyper awareness hit her like a truck a second later, all her senses came crashing down all at once. The room was bright, posters covered in vibrant colours, it smelt stale and everything she touched was freezing cold. There were other voices in the room, from kids and adults alike. Memories rushed through her like a tsunami. She shot up from her bed, causing the room to spin.

Her eyes wandered the room, looking for something to ground her. She found it in the form of her little brother.

"Hey buddy." She tried to smile at him but was met with a less than impressed frown.

"You said you were okay." Chris said accusingly, clearly upset with her current state. Scared of what happened and upset at a broken promise.

"I am, I promise." She hated lying to him but if anything she was lying mostly to herself. Nonetheless, Emelia held up her pinky for a pinky swear. Wordlessly, he returned the gesture. "I'm just super tired."

Emelia yawned dramatically to further prove her point and earned a small smile. Ruffling his hair, she turned her attention to the nurse watching over them.

"Have you heard from his dad?" She asked. Letting Chris play with her bracelets to distract himself.

"Sorry, service is still down and you'll have to stay here till he picks you up. Everyone else is in the library." The nurse made no effort to fill her in on her condition, Emelia figured she would be filled in when Eddie got here. Two birds, one stone.