Meet me in the Middle

Chapter 27

"Damn, Bishop. This smells better than my mama's cooking and that's saying something." Danny Rizzo, the lieutenant usually in charge when B-shift went out on calls if the captain wasn't present, rubs the sleep out of his eyes before tucking his uniform shirt into his pants. The rest of his team isn't too far behind.

We had a very boring shift during the night and for the first time since leaving the hospital, I didn't have any nightmares. My internal clock woke me up at five am and I found myself next to the grocery store after I took my run this morning, so I took a chance and went in to see if they still had anything left to cook us all a nice Christmas lunch with to make the day go faster.

I texted Molly after grabbing all the ingredients and asked her for some recipes to make it as nice as possible and I have to say, if it tasted half as good as it smelled then we were in for a delicious meal. Two hams were currently cooking in the oven, the gravy and cranberry sauce were simmering away on the stove top, with the potatoes waiting to be mashed and the green bean casserole ready to be baked in the oven as soon as there was enough space.

I also had a nice warm stew going in the pressure cookers that I was planning on taking to the shelter down the street who fed the less fortunate during the holidays. The rest of the team took their seats while Rizzo scrambled up some eggs for breakfast. "I was thinking you guys can invite your families over. I'll take all the minor calls with the probie while you enjoy Christmas with your loved ones."

B-shift seems to be pumped about my idea and hastily calls their families before I change my mind. After Rizzo hangs up on his wife, he walks over to me and helps me pack the stew into containers. "Thank you for doing this. Some of these guys have young kids, and missing both Christmas Eve and Christmas morning was weighing on them. This will really lift the mood." I bump him with my shoulder and give him a smile. It was nice hanging out with a team that didn't shut me out.

Don't get me wrong, I know that the distance between my team and me was all my fault, and I knew that it was going to take some time to mend it. But, for today. It felt good to mean something to someone and not have to spend Christmas alone. The gift I bought Carina was burning a hole in my jacket's pocket and I was itching to take it to the hospital and give it to her before her flight.

We had just closed the lid on the last container when the alarm goes off.

AID CAR 19
Reported heart attack at residence
Medical assistance required.

"Let's go, probie!" The team tells me that they'll deliver the containers to the shelter while we're on the call and I warn them to not eat any of it before running down the stairs. I give the newest member of our firehouse some instructions on what to do when we reach the scene as we speed down the quiet streets of Seattle.

Luckily for the family who made the call, the reported heart attack only seems to be acid reflux, but to be safe we still took their grandfather to the ER to be sure. I was impressed with the probie who made the prognosis all by himself. Usually, the green firefighters will automatically go to the worst-case scenario according to what their handbooks taught them, and not listen to their instincts and observe the scene as a whole.

"That was some really good work today, probie." He beams at the praise and puffs out his chest as we make our way back to the station. "Thank you, Lieutenant. It means a lot coming from you." I only manage to nod his way, not entirely sure what he meant by it. He asks me to give him some pointers to ensure he didn't make a mistake on similar incidents, and I gladly fill him in on the things his handbook probably didn't teach him.

When we arrive back at the station, it is filled with family members chatting about and kids running around. I get introduced to everyone's significant others and their kids while I check on the meal I was preparing. "The team and I talked, and we'd like to tap you out on aid car duty so you can enjoy the day as well." Rizzo cornered me just before I could make my escape to Beckett's office.