Chapter Text
Maya
Holy shit- that was my first thought pulling up to the scene and seeing the flames bursting out of the hospitals towers. I quickly jumped out of the engine and pulled up the schematics on my tablet. Walking over to Robert Sullivan, the Battalion Chief- my chief- the one I had to thank and prove to that this promotion was mine and not his wife's. "Chief- 19 where do you want us?"
Usually I would be coordinating but since this quickly rose to a 4 alarm fire it was deferred over. He pinched his nose at the smell of smoke in the air before looking down at me. "Bishop I want 19 on search and rescue. Coordinate your team to set up aid and you'll lead through the search."
"Heard!" I quickly turned to my team putting on their oxygen masks, "19! Search and rescue! Herrera, Montgomery, and Warren I need you setting up aid. Herrera your my eyes and ears" I walked over and grabbed my mask from inside the engine, "Hughes, Miller, Gibson on me we are going in!
We entered through the ER wing of the hospital since it was the most uncompromised. The squawk of Andy came into my mask. "Captain copy, triage is set. 23 is on standby joining search and rescue soon."
Typical 23 joining the charge with their fashionably late response time. My station was the fastest and the best, I pride myself on it. Eyes forward let's go, "19!"
"19!" I heard my team behind me as we started up the stairs. Going level to level, Hughes and Gibson cleared the 2nd level. I went in with Miller on the 3rd. "Cap. 4 civilians coming out now." Andy's voice was direct and to the point. She was my bestfriend and somehow I've never felt her more distant.
"Copy Lieutenant! Gibson and Hughes meet on 3 it's Maternity and it's not looking too good" I said as I checked the pulse of a security guard, feeling it faint. "Sir! Can you hear me?!"
I turned him on his back and checked his pulse again it was faint. Tapping his face to see if consciousness would strike him. By the look of his 3rd degree burns even if he did, it wouldn't last long. His eyes shot open and struggled to breathe. "Hi! I'm Captain Maya Bishop can you tell me your name?"
"It hurts!" he moaned in pain referencing the burns on his chest. His eyes opened wide as if he was remembering something, "she's trapped!"
"Who!? Where!? Sir tell me your name" There was someone else and I looked up at Miller shaking his head knowing the fate the man would have. I scowled at him telling him we had to help him anyway.
"J- Jones, Michael Jones and a- A doctor! Aaah" he grimaced and squeezed my hand hard. "She- she got almost everyone off the floor but on her way back to get a baby the floor above us gave out." I shut my eyes, this was horrible. But it also told me that the structure of the wing was no long stable and search and rescue needed to cease.
"Chief, Bishop. The structure is no longer stable. 4 collapsed on 3." I waited to hear back from Sullivan to receive the order I knew was coming.
"Copy Bishop pull out, get on fire attack. We are at about 60 percent containment. Hopefully we can preserve the rest of the structure." I let him know I heard him and looked at Miller before echoing to my team to pull out and imitate fire attack on the east front.
"Wait you h-have to- to help her" he started coughing up blood. I shook my head not understanding, "She- she's alive! I managed to pull her into a room before the fire came! Please do what I could- could- couldn't."
With that he let go of my hand and I looked at Dean, "Oh no! Captain you heard the Chief!"
"Miller you can go or you can stay, you have Pru after all. There is someone else on this floor and we can save them." I stood there holding my ground and looking at my firefighter. He stood firm.
"We don't leave each other behind. I've got your six" he held onto his axe and I pulled mine out as we linked our ropes and moved through the smoke. Arriving to a pile of rubble where the floor collapsed. The fire had died out from the lack of oxygen.
"Hello!!? Seattle FD Is anyone here? If you can hear me yell or make noise!" I heard a faint yell followed by a pounding noise coming from a room down the hall away from the wreckage. "Keep making that noise we are coming to you!"
"Bishop come in. Where the hell are you?" I heard Hughes in the radio with the sounds of hoses crackling through. I sighed.
"There's a civilian alive and I can't leave her behind. I'm on my way out" it was a lie but one I knew would buy me time. Miller tugged on the rope and gave me a scowl. Knowing we would not hear the end of it from Vic when we tell her the truth.
The clanking got more intense and I finally identified the room. The door was stuck from the heat of the fire. In a burst of adrenaline I kicked opened the door and found the noise coming from the other side of the hospital bed. A puddle of blood making a trail. I saw a faint bloody hand banging a metal rod against the the floor. The arm was getting weaker with every clang. The once powerful screams now faint whispers whispering in a language I didn’t recognize.
I detached from Miller and ran over instantly stunned by who I found. Never in a million years did I think I would come face to face with my biggest regret. Though now she sat her pale, despite her tanned complexion. Her long chestnut brown locks were in enclosed in a dismantled bun. Holding a sheet with her blistered hands over her mouth to keep from inhaling the smoke, but I knew they were covering a set of perfect dark rosy lips. I quickly looked over and assessed her, finding a shredded sheet being used as a tourniquet. It was tightly wrapped around her leg, soaked in her own blood, giving hint to the possible laceration of a being or artery.
She was hurt and bad. The piece of metal that obviously had been impaling her from the site of blood on one end fell out of her hand as her eyes saw me. "Let's get you out of here!"
She nodded at me weakly and that was the consent I need to pick her up and get her to safety. Carefully I put and arm under her legs and under her arm before I lifted. Her head fell weakly into my neck and her grip was feeble. "Connect my rope Miller and lead the way."
"Captain I can carry her." I shook my head semi-offended that he thought I couldn't, I'd bring it up later. He knew better than to argue with me and followed my instructions. We moved through the ash covered floor and towards the stair well. Carefully moving down so as to not drop her. Her eyes open and shut in intervals.
The soft voice peaked into my ear and her breath sent shivers down my spine, "B positive." I looked at her through my mask confused. "My bloodtype is B positive."
I nodded my head and she slumped in my arms, turning to dead weight because she finally passed out as we exited the building. I quickly made my way over to triage. I set her down and took off my helmet and mask.
Travis and Vic instantly got to work assessing her, "Dr. Carina DeLuca blood type is B positive. Leg impalement and severe smoke inhalation. Lost consciousness about 30 seconds ago." I finally started taking air into my lungs after the marathon I felt I just ran.
"We got her captain! Transporting her straight to Seattle Pres" they shifted her onto a spinal board and lifted her onto the gurney. My urge was to follow them. "We got her, Cap!" Vic's voice reminded me my place. I watched as they took her away, the similar feeling I had when she stood up from the bar stool and left the bar the night she offered to buy me a drink. I watched her walk away and I had never regretted not accepting a drink as much as I did that night.
I put my helmet back on and ran back towards the rest of my team. Andy was coordinating in my absence, which I thanked her for, then proceeded to giving her instructions. I appreciated she maintained her professionalism in light of our estrangement since my unforeseen promotion, unforeseen by everyone but my team. This was something I’d worked hard for and until recently found every encouragement to do so by people far more qualified to assess than Andy who seemed almost appalled at the thought that I could be capable of being captain.
That wasn’t the concern right now. Now we had one job, to preserve the hospital and put out the fire. It took almost all night but the fire eventually went out without destroying the hospital in a way that was catastrophic or irreparable. The team celebrated on the way back, particularly Warren who shared so many memories in that hospital.
He told us about how this was the hospitals second fire and now he was anxious to see how Carina was doing because she was his friends sister.
"I'll come with you" I added into the conversation I had stayed out of until that point because all I could think of was how close she was to dying.
"Are you sure cap? I can give you updates once I hear-" I cut him off and it probably wasn't awfully reassuring but he asked the question taunting me for months. Are you sure?
"Yes! I'm going. Once we get back wipe down and I'll have B shift do the engines. You have all earned a rest. Good work 19" I raised my chin from the tablet on my lap I was inputing tonight's events on. Staring straight ahead, not able to picture my clouds because brown eyes filled my thoughts.
"19!"
***
I had my wet hair tied back. Hugging my bomber jacket to myself as I limped through the hospital with Warren, having broken down the door hurt my hip more than I let on. I guess being a doctor had its perks but being married to the chief of a hospital was a golden ticket. The mention of Dr. Miranda Baileys name was enough to grant us safe passage through the halls.
We passed room after room but I kept my eyes in front of me. I just needed to make sure she was okay and then I would join the team for day drinking as tradition had it.
I watched Warren hug a tall tanned man. His resemblance apparent to the brunette I couldn't get out of my mind. Except he didn't have her chocolate brown eyes, they were more grey- green.
"Andrew this is Captain Maya Bishop, Captain this is Dr. Andrew DeLuca. He's Carinas brother and DeLuca she carried Carina out of the hospital." he talked me up and I couldn't help but shy under his choice of words.
Andrew must of felt the breach of personal space was needed because next thing I know he was hugging me. It was warm and I pat his back returning it. "Thank you! Thank you, I don't know what I'd do without her."
"I'm glad I could help. A security guard actually let me know she was stuck in a room. So Michael Jones is the real reason I was able to get to her. I'm glad I did." he gave me a smile.
"I'm going to ask if she's up for visitors, okay? I'll be right back." I watched him disappear into the room blinds closed. Hearing words I didn't recognize. They got louder before they stopped completely and he came back out of the room. "She's- she's not feeling too great at the moment."
"I just want to say a quick hello. I won't be more than 3 seconds." I was not leaving until I saw her. Until I saw her breathing with color in her face. The more I stood there the more I fought myself from breaching her privacy and just going in. I waited for Andrew and it was making my head spin how long it too him to go ask her again. I cracked my knuckles nervously.
Ben watched me and I didn't bother looking, we weren't on shift and I couldn't make him take a walk. I dropped my hands when he came back out. "3 seconds."
I gave a small smile and moved past them. I shuffled into the room and there she was laid in her hospital bed, leg in a brace. Bandages on her hands from I'm guessing 2nd degree burns since they weren't dressed for 3rd. Her long brown hair waved down the sides of her face kept away by a head wrap covering the stitches she had gotten.
"You're using your 3 seconds to just stand there and look at me?" I twitched up and met her eyes peering into me. I felt naked but somehow still felt invited to step forward.
"Sorry. Hi, I'm-"
"I know who you are. You have the bluest eyes I've ever seen- not very forgettable I'm afraid." She said the words so straight forward, it almost didn't sound like a compliment. She played with the blanket over her uninjured leg.
"At the risk of wasting my last second, can I talk to you for more than one." Was I begging? What about this woman was so drawing to me that I urged for more time. I was expecting something different not that I was expecting her to thank me incessantly and ask for another chance but I wasn't not expecting it.
"I don't see why, if you came here for a thank you then- Grazie mille Captain Bishop for all your help but I'd like to get some more rest, my head is pounding." She laid her head over her pillow spreading her thick brown hair. It had touches of auburn under the hospital light. My fingers itched to touch it.
"Are you sure?" The words left my mouth and I wanted the floor to swallow me up to hide the blood that rushed to my face. My eyes shot open from where I had them shut tightly when I heard a giggle.
She was shaking her head back and forth biting her lip to contain her giggle, "I am today, if my head wasn't hurting I would reconsider."
With that I took it as a win, she would see me again. "I'll come back then! What's your coffee order?"
"Shhh lower your voice" she whispered and pointed to her head but slightly grinning, "Concussion symptoms. It's a double espresso but Maya if you return with crap coffee I will be sure."
I took that note in my head: double espresso and it better be good or you luck is over. "Heard!- oops sorry!" I lowered my voice but the sight of her smiling was enough to tell me wasn't mad. "Get some rest, I'll see you after my next shift."
"Ciao Captain, tell my annoying little brother I want mozzarella sticks on the way out."
She has a body like that and eats mozzarella sticks. I shifted a little at the memory of her body pressed against mine and I turned to leave quickly. "Hey DeLuca, she says she wants Mozzarella Sticks."
"STAT!" We heard from inside the room followed by a breathe 'ow' and it made me smile. Then we all laughed as we walked together towards the elevators on a mission.
I needed to make things right and apologize to Carina for the way I behaved at the bar. Trying to convince myself this feeling was just because I didn't have her before. She wouldn't be easy but I was never one to back down from a challenge.