Seeking a fresh start, Hestia Ashford leaves her life in Chicago for Los Angeles. Yet, the past always finds a way to catch you, no matter how far you run away. As she navigates the blurred lines between duty and deception, she may just find a new f...
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With that one phone call, Bobby's suspicions grew. He went through her file again, hoping to find something he would have missed that would explain not just the phone call but her whole demeanor. Nothing in her files screamed danger. He knew he could talk to Athena about it, but that would be a last-resort situation. He fervently believed in second chances, and putting Athena on Hestia's case wouldn't do any good. For now, at least.
So, he made it his mission to keep a close eye on her. Four shifts in and she was just starting to fit in and warm up to the team. The most obvious sign of that was her listening to Buck ranting about his latest research rabbit hole he had ended up in during his forty-eight hours off. He shouldn't be surprised that the first person she ended up really hitting it up with was Buck. While the team often joked about it, he did have the energy of a golden retriever. Plus, they were strangely alike on the field, more precisely in their recklessness. Her skills, despite her recklessness, had earned her a place in the team dynamic.
"How come couches are so expensive?" Hestia complained aloud, scrolling down her phone.
"Or you could just not have one," Buck supplied.
"Not having a couch?" Hestia asked, brows furrowing.
"Are we having this conversation again?" Eddie chipped in.
"I'm fine with my chair," Buck replied, standing his ground for the hundredth time.
"I'm lost. What is it with you and couches?"
Bit by bit, through various conversations, she learned more about the men and women she was serving with. Yet, Bobby couldn't help but notice that she always made sure to stir the conversation away from herself until Hen brought up having received a call for an emergency foster placement.
Firehouse 118. Day Fourteen. 5th Shift. 14:29.
"The kid's terrified," Hen explained, nursing her cup of tea. "I don't think he has said a word in the last two days."
"That's tough," Eddie commented. "Do you know why he has been placed?"
"His mother is currently in the hospital. She's been severely beaten up. Probably a domestic. The DCFS agent told us that he was the one who called 9-1-1."
"Damn," Eddie breathed out, shaking his head. "That's rough, especially for a kid."
"If he's the one who called 9-1-1, he might even have witnessed it," Hen added with worry.
Hestia who was quietly listening to the conversation spoke up: "I'll bet he wasn't told what's going on and what will happen next, especially if his mom doesn't make it."
Hen nodded, taking in Hestia's words. "I don't think it's our place to step in and try to explain things."
"Why not?" Hestia challenged gently. "If you're waiting for DCFS to sit him down and talk to him, it will never happen."
