Fortune Cookies -A chenford story

-7. Birthday-

A week later, Tim had stayed at mine for all of the time and had taken care of me, we were able to get back to work.
And how the universe wanted was this day Tim's birthday. I didn't know why he never took the day off on his birthday, but I thought he just wasn't the birthday type. But actually? I don't care. Of course I prepared something for his birthday.

When he arrived at the station and went into the breakroom before rollcall, I had set up a birthday cake, champagne, without alcohol of course, and a few people from the station and other who were important to him.
Because I definitely WAS a birthday type.

"Comgratulatians!"

We all yelled when he entered the room. He laughed a little nervous. Then he faced me.

"I told to stop doing that!"

"And I said I won't!"

I giggled, and Tim got a big hug from his sister showing up behind all the people.

"Genny!... Hi, what are you doing here?"

"It's my brother's birthday! And Lucy texted me that we're making a little party."

He rolled his eyes in fun.

"Of course she did."

He got more hugs and congratulations until we eventually had to start with patrol.

It was a quiet shift until we got a call for a big fire.
Bailey was already there and helped the firefighters. Of course, she just gave directions and didn't go in on her own. She really loved her job, but she'd never do anything that could be bad for her baby.

But there. A Crack. A big beam from the roof falls down. And it was exactly over her.

"Bay-"

But before I could end my sentence, Tim had already reacted faster and pushed Bailey away.

Boom.

My heart stopped beating. He had pushed Bailey away, but now HE was lying under it. Unconsioness.
No. No! NO! That couldn't happen! He couldn't die! I needed him! I wanted him to be there forever! He couldn't just die like that.
I felt nausess. Weak. Terrible.

"TIM!"

I ran over to him and shook him carefully.

"Tim! Tim, hey, you have to wake up! It's your birthday, you can't die!"

I shook him a little harder, tears burning up in my eyes and fear exhausting every inch of my body.

"Genny needs you! And your nephews a d the station! And I need you! Tamara needs you. We all need you to stay! Come on, Tim. COME ON!"

I screamed the last part caused by my desperateness. Then I felt a hand on my shoulder.
Bailey.

"He still has a pulse. Give him oxigen and get him out there! And hurry up, this man saved my life!"

I heard that Bailey was crying, too.

And then everything went blurred. They got Tim away from under the beam and then loaded him into the ambulance.
And then, they drove away. The adrenaline flushed out from my body, and my fear had space to kick in. Too much space.

The sobs and tears got harder, and then... I felt a known anxiety rosing up my chest. This kind of anxiety who made it almost impossible to breathe. Which let shake every inch of your body and your legs fainting away. Which made everything moving to you and taking all of the space you had. The one which made your thoughts way too loud even if they weren't clear but everything around silent.
I knew this anxiety. I had felt a few times after I had survived Caleb.