What Happens In The Dark

CHAPTER 12

"CAPTAIN?! Are you hearing me?" Maya says exasperated at the fact Felix is still ignoring her, in a professional capacity no less. In a situation she has valuable insight to.

Felix whirls around "This is MY scene Lieutenant so no. No, I am not listening to you. I am more than capable and I don't require your input, now go make yourself useful and help Hughes on triage."

"But Cap-" Maya starts, face fixed in anger at the blatant disregard for her opinion.

"TRIAGE OR SUSPENSION. Your choice Bishop. Now MOVE." He spits out.

Maya rolls her eyes "Sir." She mutters as she stomps over to where Vic is.

"Hughes... where do you want me?" She asks, causing Vic to look at her in surprise, Maya has seniority after all so her asking Vic where she wants her is slightly surprising.

"Um, the patient over there" she points out a guy laying on the ground on the other side of the medical tent "minor smoke inhalation and possibly broken arm, will need stablisting." Maya offers a nod before going off to where Vic motioned and getting to work.

This is how it's been for the last few weeks, no matter the scene, no matter the situation Maya's expertise and capabilities are no use to Felix, or the rest of the team. He has either got her on desk duty, aid car or when in a case like this its all hands on deck, triage. Maya can barely remember the last time she saw the inside of a fire and it's making her antsy.

So when a week later she is finally on active engine duty she is excited to hear the claxon - well not excited, but you know what I mean - Just happy and glad to feel useful for the first time in a long time. She listens and bites her tongue as Felix briefs them over the headsets on the way to the scene.

Despite again feeling like she wants to ask a question or offer information she is terrified he will pull her from the engine so says nothing, and just listens.

An hour into the call and its all hands on deck there are already 3 other stations present as the fire spreads from a factory to some nearby storage units on the same site.

"Ok 19, we need to do a sweep of the storage facility here, according to a staff member there is a propane tank with a possible leak in the far west corner, we need to check it and make sure the fire doesn't spread anywhere near it..." Felix tells the team.

"Captain, Bishop and I will take the propane tank checks" Andy says seeing Maya mouth a small thank you.

"No. Herrera, I need you co-ordinating the team for the prevention of the spread to this building" He tells her, when she nods he follows up "good, I need someone with Bishop on the tank checks." He says,

"I'll do it Cap." Jack offers.

"At least one of you will be useful in there." He mutters in a way he knows most of them heard.

"Captain I think-" Maya starts

"No thank you, no thinking from you Bishop. Just doing." He barks before walking over to the other Captain's from stations 23 and 4.

"Sorry Bishop... I tried." Andy says.

Maya waves her off "it's fine at least he didn't put me on the tent again, I get to go in. Gibson, let's grab the portable multi-gas detectors and go do our thing." Maya says.

"Sure thing." He says going over to the truck to grab the equipment, Andy goes over to brief the rest of the team on the plan as Jack and Maya go off in full gear to check the propane tank.

Once they got inside they both pulled out and turned on the detectors moving towards where the staff member indicated the tank would be located. The multi-gas detector starting to read a lower explosive limit (LEL). As they made their way to the west side of the building the LEL continued to increase. Maya grabbed her radio "Captain there definitely seems to be a leak the LEL is climbing and we don't have eyes on the tank yet.