BUT DADDY I LOVE HIM, ᵉᵛᵃⁿ ᵇᵘᶜᵏˡᵉʸ

048

The air reeked of oil and burning metal. The 118 had been on dangerous calls before, but standing over an active oil well, one wrong move could set off a chain reaction that would turn the street they were on into a complete mess.

"Dispatch, this is Captain Nash. 118. Please advise DWP to shut the power off on this street," Bobby commanded into his radio. "Have them contact CalGEM to send a team of engineers to cap this well."

Even as he spoke, his team was already moving with precise urgency. The car was perched over the well, tilting slightly from the force of the oil pressure. A spark, a wrong move, and the entire block would go up in flames.

"What's the status of our victims?" Bobby asked.

"Gabi, the driver, appears uninjured," Dispatch responded. "But it sounds like her passenger, Chloe, might have a brachial puncture wound."

"How's her breathing?" Hen asked.

"Described as labored."

"Copy that," Bobby confirmed, turning to his team. "Okay, Ravi, Rylin, I want the two of you to start foaming this area. We don't want any accidental sparks igniting this oil."

Ravi and Rylin nodded, moving to grab the hose. As they worked, Ravi hesitated for a moment, glancing at her. "So..." he began cautiously. "I couldn't help but notice a little tension between you and Buck this morning."

"Ravi, now's not really the time," Rylin sighed, shaking her head. She turned away, gripping the hose tightly as she directed the foam across the slick surface.

"It's jammed!" Buck's voice suddenly cut through the air. "Give me the jaws."

"Negative, negative!" Bobby's voice rang out sharply. "Buck, stop!"

The urgency in his tone froze Buck mid-motion. Bobby stepped closer, his eyes locked onto Buck's hands, where he was about to use the Jaws of Life.

"We're on top of an oil well," Bobby reminded him.

Rylin's frustration was evident. "Isn't the foam supposed to help?"

"No, the foam is just a band-aid. It's good for a spark or two, but if we start cutting into metal, this whole thing's gonna go."

"Okay, so we shatter the glass, then go in," Eddie suggested. "No sparks with glass."

"But we gotta cut through the seats to get to them," Bobby countered, shaking his head. "And again—"

"Tools and sparks," Eddie finished, grimacing.

Buck exhaled sharply, looking up at the vehicle. "What if we shatter the moonroof?" he suggested. "Pull them up and out?"

"No, look at the flow of that geyser." Bobby pointed. "We cut that glass, they're gonna drown in oil."

The situation was becoming more desperate by the second. Rylin looked at Bobby, frustration still clear in her voice. "Cap, do you have any other ideas? Because you're kinda shutting all of ours down."

Hen's voice cut through the conversation, firm and urgent. "One of them has a sucking chest wound. If we don't get her out, she's gonna drown in her own blood. We can't wait."

Eddie exhaled sharply. "We need someone to cap that well."

"Maybe we cap it ourselves," Bobby said.

His words landed with a heavy weight. The team exchanged glances, the reality of what he was suggesting sinking in. It was dangerous. It was insane. But it was their best shot.

"Let's go," Bobby ordered.

The team sprang into action. With sheer force, they began pushing the car, their muscles straining against the weight.