Pressure

Chapter One

Chapter One

Season 7 episode 4 spoilers. Guys, I can't help it. Especially re-watching the episodes right now. You're going to keep getting new stories while I plan out how to wrap up other stories. I promise, all the stories will have an ending. Just need to plan it out better than writing as I go.

"But you got one foot in the locker room and one foot in the captain's office. The sooner that you make that transition, the better off everyone is going to be."

Ross' words kept ringing through Andy's ears.

"Vibes are never this off after a line-up, right? I mean, it just feels like something's missing."

"Well, that's probably because we don't have Herrera to rally us after."

Andy heard Ruiz and Sullivan say to each other just as she was leaving the barn after dismissing everyone and her heart dropped. It hadn't even been a month of her being captain and the house was already losing morale.

The better off everyone is going to be.

How was this better? How is needing to slash 10% of the budget "better" Andy questioned to herself while walking to the reception area.

Andy was rushing around, looking for some forms when Travis came to talk to her. "Hey, you got a minute?"

Andy glanced at him, "Yeah."

"I- uh." Travis looked around. "I don't want to be "messy", as the kids say, but Warren's been struggling to keep up the last few calls. I don't know if it's his back..."

"Yeah, I appreciate the heads up, but he's been cleared for duty so how about you focus on those audits, and I'll keep an eye on him?" Andy asked him, needing him to do what she was asking.

"Yes, my concern, though..." Travis tried but got cut off again.

"I heard you, Montgomery," Andy told Travis, turning around to face him for a moment before going back to looking for the forms she needed.

"Okay. Copy, captain." Travis said, shutting up and walking away.

Not even a second later she had Vic come up to her. "Hey, can I ask you a question?"

"Make it quick, got a lot on my plate at the moment," Andy told her, not looking at Vic.

"Okay, are we auditing because of budget issues? I'm wondering if you've heard anything

about the naloxone initiative getting off the ground. Because SFD responded to over 4,000 overdose cases..."

Andy cut Vic off. "It's frustrating, but we're dealing with a lot of red tape."

"Is there a way around the red tape?" Hughes asked, putting her hands on her hips.

"Hughes, I've got logbooks, audits, never-ending calls. Just do your part and finish your inventory, please." Andy begged with some anger and desperation showing in her voice. She hated that she had to be so harsh but at the same time knew how important it was to get this all done.

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It was Later in the day when they were all having a late lunch when Travis and Vic end up bringing up how not having Andy as a friend, an equal, even though she was a lieutenant before, sucked.

"I mean she used to be the fun one. The one we could turn to but now she's almost as bad as Maya was." Travis said. "Something about that chair that turns everyone into a jerk." He added.

The group didn't hear Andy come in, but Sullivan had been looking at the entrance to the beanery and saw her come in.

"Captain!" Sullivan shouted and everyone quieted.

Andy walked in. "You know, When I imagined becoming captain, I imagined Gibson here. I imagined Sullivan as Battalion Chief. I imagined my dad being here. I didn't want this!" Andy exclaimed and several members of A shift looked down. "I didn't want to be thrown into a budget crisis. I didn't want to have to be so strict but like I learned back in the academy, like we all learned." Andy looked at everyone one by one. "Strict is good. Strict saves lives." Andy sighed, went to the fridge to grab a bottle of water, and then turned back around. "It's not like I like how I have to treat you all," Andy told them. "Finish eating and then get back to Auditing, please." Andy finished and rushed out of the beanery and down to the office. Throw yourself into work. Just throw yourself into work. It's for the best. Andy told herself while opening her laptop and looking at the budget system, trying to find if she could pull a rabbit out of her helmet so she didn't need to lay off anyone.

She sighed when she wasn't having any luck. "The one we could turn to" Andy heard Travis' voice in her head. "We don't have Herrera to rally us," Andy remembered Sullivan saying, just a few hours ago. Andy rested her head on her arms as she leaned onto her desk, releasing a sigh, but heard the alarms go off, so she ran out of the office and to the truck.

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It was 5:55 pm when they got back from what Andy will swear, was the most gruesome call she's ever been on. Only one survivor. Andy felt sick and it got worse when Travis got out of the Engine and threw up into the garbage bin. She waited for everyone to go before she looked up and sighed, trying to keep the tears in.

The stress was getting to her, and she didn't know what to do. She threw her turnout coat into the pile with the rest of them and went to her office, closed the door, locked it, and just slid down the door, not being able to move any further. She felt like she was sitting there forever when she heard a knock on the door. She looked at her watch and when she saw that only an hour had passed since they got back, she sighed. It seemed like so much longer.

Andy stood up, unlocked the door, and opened it. When she saw Michelle, she was surprised. Andy tried to open her mouth to say something, anything, but she couldn't. She pulled Michelle into the office and locked the door again.

"I heard what happened. I heard that you're stressed." Andy furrowed her eyebrows. "Your ex-husband texted me. He was worried about you. Figured you needed someone to talk to." Michelle explained, rubbing a hand up and down Andy's arm. Andy's face crumpled after a few seconds of the gentle touch and Michelle pulled Andy into her arms. "It's going to be okay, Andy. You'll figure this out."