Station 19: The Unbreakable Team

Boiling Bottles - Chapter 2

I heard footsteps coming up behind me as I tried to get back to my feet, only to fail and collapse again. Seconds later a mask was forced onto my face and I turned to see Maya adjusting it's position on my head before she helped me to put on my air canister pack. She shook her head at me and scoffed, she said "You thought I'd just let you come back in here with no air, no mask, and an open turnout." Footsteps coming up behind me caused both Maya and I to turn our heads, Jack came over kneeling beside me he said " Andy!? What the hell are you doing in here!? You need to be taken to a hospital. There is a very likely chance that you still have shards of glass underneath your skin. Seriously, for once Andy would you just do as your told!" Maya mumbled "She wouldn't even let me finish treating her..." I gave her a look and tried to get to my feet once more, failing, yet again, as pain struck me like a wave crashing the shore and the world started to spin.

Maya caught me, she was holding me tightly in her arms, staring worriedly down into my eyes while the world slowly came back to a standstill. She said "Get that reignite out as soon as possible, I'll get Andy back outside. Notify me as soon as you have a visual on Hughes." He nodded and said "Copy." He cast a long worried, but loving, glance at me before he rushed off. Once Jack was out of earshot Maya said "Can you stand?" I closed my eyes for a brief second, we both knew the answer was probably "No." She rolled her eyes as I said "I have too, Hughes she needs-." Maya cut me off as she started closing the front of my turnout, she then said "Alright fine. Once Jack clears a path to Hughes I'll help you to her. She's probably terrified." I nodded and said "Thank you Maya." She adjusted me so that my head was propped up and laying in her lap, her back leaning against the nearest wall. I stared up at the ceiling, thinking about all the different ways Hughes could be freaking out.

Maya shaking my uninjured shoulder roughly while shouting "Andy!" Over and over again. I made a irritated expression at the shear volume of her voice before I said "What! I'm fine." I stared up at her to find that I was now laying against the floor, my air canister pack to my left, and Maya leaning over me looking extremely worried. She said "Your not fine, I think the piece of glass in your shoulder nicked an artery, I put on a tourniquet but you really need a hospital." I grabbed her shoulder and pulled myself into a sitting position, I said "Great. Then let's find Hughes and give her some motivation to get herself and the victim out of the building." Maya sighed and said "There's no use in my trying to convince you of otherwise is there? You really are the most stubborn, hard headed woman I have ever met, and you know I say that in the most loving, complimentary way." I rolled my eyes as Maya helped me to my feet, I put my good arm around her shoulders for support, she gripped my side tightly as we started making our way to where Gibson and Miller were dosing the last of the flames. After a little while I grew dizzy, the world started swaying beneath me. Maya basically carried me the rest of the way.

Hughes was crouched infront of the victim slowly rocking, her eyes sealed shut." Upon seeing her I threw myself out of Maya's arms stumbling the few steps it took to reach her before I collapsed next to her. I could hear the voices of my fellow crew talking to me, trying to get my attention, but my focus was on ignoring my own pain to pulling myself to sit up enough so that I could grab Hughes shoulders. I gripped them firmly and said "Hughes? Vic?! Vic?!! Victoria!!" Her eyes flashed open at the call of her full-first name, she grabbed my arms and threw herself on top of me, gripping my turnout tightly in her hands as she started to cry into my injured shoulder. We fell back against the soot cover floor together. I looked up to see everyone staring at us fearful expressions plagued their faces. I smiled reassuringly before I said "Get the victim out of here! I got Hughes!" Maya was barking orders while Gibson was staring at Hughes and I concerned, he just nodded in response, his eyes watering noticeably before he started helping Dean with the victim. Maya sat down next to Hughes and I after a minute or so, she placed a hand on Hughes back and said "It's okay, we got you out. There won't be any more reignites, we found the source. There's no more fire, your safe." She and I continued to offer comforting words while Hughes continued to lay half on top of me crying into my shoulder while she tightly gripped my turnout.

~Victoria Hughes~

I jerked back at the feel of something wet spreading onto the side of my face from Andy's turnout. I reached up whipping my face off with my gloves and when I pulled my hand away my eyes caught on the dark red stain and tourniquet on Andy's shoulder. I instantly turned to Maya and said "What is she still doing here with that amount of bleeding?! She needs to get in an Aid car, be taken to the hospital. Why would you let her come back in here?" Maya shook her head in frustration and said "You both need to get checked out, and you know Andy, once she gets an idea in her head there's no stopping her, she's as hard-headed as her dad." Andy scoffed and said "Alright, now would the both of you help me up. I still want to enjoying being Captain while I can. Once we are sure that the sisters and Station 23 are taken care of and informed then we will head to Grey-Sloan." Maya and I helped andy to her feet, she was leaning almost all of her weight on us, it was clear that she was in pain, you could see it on almost every movement as we started heading out of the Bed and Breakfast.

I said "Andy you really should be on a spinal board, you know that glass was ripping clean through your turnout, and knowing you, once I radioed in you probably came running... Since ya know... yea." Maya said "Vic I know, Andy told me, that you're afraid of fire." I nodded and said "I'm working on it..." As we existed out the front door of the bed and breakfast. Montgomery rushed over and took Andy from Maya and I he said "Everyone is following the Aid car over to the hospital, and can one of you call Pruitt let him know his daughter is probably having minor surgery." I heard Andy sigh before Travis led her away to the Aid car. Maya put a hand on my shoulder and said "Come with me, you need O2, and to be checked out, do you want to take Station 23's Aid car of 19's? Station 23 probably won't have as many questions about what happened today as 19 will. Although if you want to be with Andy I'll understand, she's known about your... Issue, longer." 

I nodded and said "Let's go ride with Andy in our Aid car, She'll probably want to company anyway." Maya followed me as I got into the Aid car, a minute or so later Jack radioed the "All Clear" for everyone to head out. Once Warren was finished tending to Andy, I reached forward and to hold her hand her hand tightly, trying to comfort myself as much as her that everything was going to be fine. Maya rested a hand on my shoulder comfortingly as he handed me an O2 mask, I took it gratefully before breathing deeply into it. The ride to Grey-Sloan was silent. I believe on some unspoken level everyone knew, they knew that I had developed a fear of fire and that terrified me. Yet the silence was also comforting, because that silence spoke volumes, it told me that they would have my back as much as I will always have theirs.