Expanding The Comfort Zone

Out of the Rubble

"Victoria? What's happened?  Where is Maya?"
"Carina, I-I...I'm...I..just..."
Carina wrapped Vic in a hug as she broke down sobbing and looked past her through the glass doors of the ER trauma room.  She had been priority paged out of a consult and had tried calling Maya on her way down but the phone went directly to voicemail.  Her SFD app had gone off earlier and she heard dispatch announce the Medical Complex fire before going into her consult but she hadn't had a chance to check it again.  The look on Vic's face made her sick to her stomach and as she stared at Teddy, Owen and Miranda working feverishly, she tried desperately to hold on to hope that this was a mistake.  Her mind began racing as all of the worst fears she had ever conceived bubbled up and threatened to choke the life out of her. Taking a deep breath, Carina fought them back as she grabbed at Vic's shoulders and forced her to face her.
"Victoria, take a deep breath and tell me what happened?"
"Th-they said it...it was a flashover from exploding oxygen tanks.  Maya was caught directly in its path...I got there...I got the fire out...I pulled her out of the rubble b-bu-but...oh God!  What am I going to tell Mason?"
Carina could feel her heart beating in her chest as she thought about her children.  'NO CARINA! SMETTILA! YOU DON'T KNOW FOR SURE YET!' She kept repeating it in her head as she felt the pain and fear threatening to overtake her. 
"Victoria, listen to me.  We have to-"
The trauma doors slid open and Owen stepped out, his face tight as he stared at Carina.
"Carina....I'm so s-"
"No! Don't say it Owen!"
Carina let go of Vic and pushed past him as he reached to catch Vic who had started to slump to the floor.  Stepping into the trauma room, Carina looked back and forth from Teddy to Miranda as they both stared back with darkened expressions.   Miranda motioned for the nurses to leave as she and Teddy both laid a hand on Carina's arm before following them out. 
"We're going to be right out here.  Take as long as you need."
Carina stood at the foot of the exam table and forced herself to keep breathing.  The smell of burnt flesh mixed with smoke and antiseptic assaulted her nose and eyes.  She stared at the disfigured face, unrecognizable as her eyes were drawn up to the wisps of blonde hair.  Looking around the room, Carina spotted the burnt and discarded turnout jacket. She stepped toward it, bending down to pick it up and feeling the tears start to burn in the back of her eyes.  She stood up and opened the jacket, turning it over to look at the back.  A single tear dropped on to it as she read BISHOP on the singed tail, displaying scorch marks across it. Carina stared at it for a long moment, trying to keep herself from collapsing until a flash of revelation came over her.  Lowering the jacket, Carina turned toward the figure and stared intently.  Something was off, the blonde hair wasn't the exact right color and as Carina kept looking up and down, she realized the body type was slightly off.  It was a bit fuller and longer than Maya for sure, but Carina knew what she needed to see if she was going to prove her suspicions correct.  She dropped the jacket on the floor and moved toward the body, reaching for the scarred left hand and tenderly running her fingers over the ring finger.  There was no ring and Carina felt her breath catch in her throat.  She scanned the room until she saw the possessions cup on the table near the now dark monitor.  Carina's hands were shaking as she picked the cup up and looked inside.  There was no silicon ring and no necklace, just a silver bracelet.  Turning back toward the lifeless figure on the table, Carina felt her blood pumping through her ears as she began to cry tears of relief and fell to her knees.  The trauma doors opened and Miranda and Teddy rushed toward her.
"Carina! It's ok, we're here!"
"No! It's not her!  It's not Maya!"

The sound of her pass device activating pulled her out of unconsciousness as Maya slowly opened her eyes and tried to focus.  She felt enormous pressure on her body and everything was dark.  Her mask was pressed close to her face and she could feel the tiny breeze from the oxygen flow against her cheek. Trying to get leverage, Maya began wiggling her fingers, hoping to be able to grasp something sturdy. Her right arm was extended out over her shoulder and she could feel her gloved hand moving around unobstructed. Making slow, sweeping movements, Maya began moving her hand, wrist and arm, feeling debris all around her. As she pulled her arm back toward her she felt the debris covering her shoulder shift. Maya bent her arm under her shoulder, took as deep a breath as she could and pushed her body up. She managed to create enough space underneath herself to move her pinned left arm out from under her as she planted her hand and continued forcing her body up from under the mountain of debris she was encased under. She had nearly gotten her waist clear when the debris shifted and pressed down on her, pushing her back to the ground. Maya grunted as she gritted her teeth, resetting her arms and drawing on what she knew best as she spoke out loud to herself.
"Eyes Forward!"
In a burst of strength, Maya managed to push the debris off of her back, feeling an instant sensation of relief as her lungs were able to move inside her rib cage. Leaning back onto her knees, Maya sat there for a moment, wiping the coating of wet dust from her mask and looked around. Reaching up to her chest, she pressed the reset button on her pass device before grabbing her comm only to realize it was melted and the wiring was completely fried.
"Well that fucking sucks doesn't it?"
Maya took a deep breath and gingerly stood up, making sure that her legs weren't going to buckle under her as she began searching the area.
"Angie? Angie can you hear me?"
There was no response but Maya noted that there were drag marks and the indents of gurney wheels and boots a few feet away from where she had just emerged. Taking one last look around her, Maya made her way toward the gaping hole that led to the hallway she'd been blown out of. She was hugging the walls and trying to navigate her way back to the exit when she heard the faint sounds of a someone coughing.
"Hello? Seattle Fire Department! Call out!"
"H-Help...help me..."
Maya stopped in her tracks and listened. The voice was coming from the other side of a partially collapsed office wall. Moving toward a small opening, Maya called out.
"Hang on, I'm coming! Keep talking so I can find you!"
"Help..me.."
Maya moved waiting room chairs and a section of charred drywall before spotting the back of a man's head, pinned underneath a twisted exam table.
"Hang on sir, I'm here! I'll get you out! Don't move!"
Being careful to pull the table up and away, Maya spotted a C-collar and smiled to herself at the little bit of luck this situation was giving her.
"Ok, I'm going to slide this collar around your neck and then I'll be able to pull you free. Just hang on, ok?"
She attached the collar and did a quick pat down of the man to make sure nothing had impaled him before she hooked her arms under his shoulders and carefully pulled him out into the open space. Laying him on his back, Maya finally got a look at him and felt her blood go cold as he stared up at her.
"Dad?"