Whole Story Disclaimer: I do not own Firehouse Dog, only Amber Fahey, my original character!
Summary: Amber Fahey; her Uncle died in a fire, her grades are slipping and fast, she's become secluded and on top of that, the relationship between her father is breaking. Everything seems to be falling apart but what happens when a mysterious dog smelling like rotten tomatoes pops up? Or a guy she's known since pre-school starts to feel more than concerned for her? How will her life turn out?
Firehouse Dog Fanfic | The Dogpatch Family | The Consequences of Skipping
Amber stared into space, her eyes blank while her body slouched into the wooden table connected to a bench either side. Her long blonde hair that was tied into a tight braid went down to just above her elbow. Her arms were bent in a cross against the table, her body weight leaning into the shoulder bag sitting in front of her that was full of school books and papers she rarely looked at anymore.
The blonde hadn't been the same for the last couple of months, not since her Uncle Marc died in that Textile Mill – the fire that had trapped him and the Chief inside before it killed them. Ever since that fateful day, the relationship between Amber and her father had subsided, they were drifting apart in their father-daughter relationship and it was clear that it had begun to take a toll on the younger girl. She may be a young adult, but she's still also a kid too – one who lost a family member just as he did. For a while, the same realisation had set in her mind, and that was that the Mill fire hadn't just taken her Uncle Marc away – but it had also taken her father too. The only people she really had left was the small number of people at Dogpatch and Masen Presley, the son of the Fire-Captain at Greenpoint Station.
Masen Presley; he was slightly taller than she was – a medium build despite his young age and his muscles were starting to come out nicely due to the workouts he had semi-daily. Both of them had wanted to follow in their single parent's footsteps in being Fire-Captains. The 17-year-old boy had messy blonde hair that hung down to the tops of his ears and his eyes were a vibrant dark green, mixed with a clear flash of ocean blue.
"Amber?!" A voice called next to her from the right, a small shove nudging against her shoulder that startled her out of her current mindset.
Amber blinked back to reality, shaking her head, before slowly turning towards the voice of her best friend. "What?" She exclaimed, wincing, rubbing her shoulder with her left hand and frowning at the action done to her.
Masen gave her a dumb look but did look apologetic for the amount of force it took to snap her out of it. He rolled his eyes, almost as if this situation had happened many times before, "You spaced out - again." Stating the obvious.
Amber hadn't actually realized it. Sometimes it would happen out of nowhere and lately, school was becoming really boring and it felt like she had nothing to go for it anymore, "Right, sorry." She told him, lying slightly when she apologized. "What were you saying?" Leaning her head against her left palm, her head tilted towards him in an effort to stay awake as he repeated what he was saying before.
He sighed, "The test." He repeated, "According to Darren, we're getting an out-of-the-blue math test today. It's supposed to be brutal." Masen was fine with it, he made a routine to revise everything he made notes of as soon as he got home each day. It was lucky he went through extra last night; he would have been more than a little screwed when the time came around.
Amber let out a low groan from the back of her throat - another day she's going to be skipping by the looks of it. "Wasn't there one like, what? Five days ago?" It must have been; it was the day her father hounded her about leaving the school grounds, again, during class time.
Masen nodded in acknowledgment, "Yeah," He remembered that day clearly too – he had been trying to find Amber for about half an hour before he realised what she had done.
A large sounding bell sounded from the speakerphones on the building walls that stopped them in the middle of their conversation. All the teenagers and kids around them in the school grounds began filing inside towards their next classes, knowing that bell meant it was time for the afternoon lessons.
Masen got up from the bench, throwing his backpack over his shoulder, "Come on." He motioned his head towards the school building, hoping that his best friend would come to class today. He knew she's been through a lot lately, and even though she hasn't told him – there's seemed to be many things that bother her these days. She's become so much more distant with him lately and that hurt. Every day they're together and luckily, they always had the same classes … apart from maybe 4-5 of them since high school began. Before her Uncle died, she told him practically everything with a smile but now, she seemed almost reluctant to say anything at all, like it didn't matter what she was feeling. He really wanted to help her but didn't know how - it's obvious that her father wasn't going to do anything about it anytime soon.
Amber gave him small smile, "I'll meet you there," She told him, grabbing her own bag before putting it over her shoulder and grabbed the skateboard that leant against the bench. The skateboard itself was pretty old, more than four years to be exact. There were cool flower designs with a mix of purples and blues, she wasn't very girly and this could be said by the fact that she even owned a skateboard and rode it everywhere. Unlike other girls, she wore skinny jeans and tank tops every day with a jacket to put on over top – many of the female population at this school wore dresses and skirts – something she'd only be caught wearing on special occasions - and high heels were pretty much a once in a lifetime thing, so you're lucky if you get to see her in them at all.
Masen frowned, looking at her with a little skeptical, "Really?" He was having a hard time believing her words, especially after the last couple of times a quiz/test had come up. Maybe he shouldn't have mentioned the test at all?
"Yeah," She nodded to him, giving him a reassuring smile against the odds, "I just need to go to the office. I'm supposed to be getting some of those volunteer slips – dad's been ragging on me to get some more lately." It wasn't a total lie, a while ago he did mention that she needed another 2 hours or something of community hours left before graduating next year.
He nodded, looking relieved, and this action caused a puddle of guilt to build up within Amber. She hated lying to him, but she really didn't want to go to class and do a test she knew she was bound to fail. "Fine," He accepted the excuse, "But don't be too long." He said sternly. Masen turned on his heels before running inside the building along with the swarm of kids doing the exact same thing. There wasn't much time left until the final was to ring; lessons would start in a couple of minutes and hopefully Amber could be fast enough to get to class on time.
Amber sighed, glancing around the area after having just watched her best friend head inside without her. She noticed that it was only her left outside and with that, she gripped the skateboard harder in her left hand before weaving her head through the shoulder bag's hole so that the strap now went across her chest. She didn't want it falling off while gliding down the street.
Now, where to go until school's out?
~ 8 ~
Several blocks away from the school; Amber zoomed down a semi-busy street on her skateboard – pushing her foot against the ground every couple of seconds to keep the fast pace going, her balance shifted every once in a while, but was making sure she wasn't bumping into anyone or anything along the way.
In her ears, she wore earphones that were the same colour as her IPod – baby blue. The back of the device was a little darker than the buds in her ears and had a white Apple logo on the back. She still loved both colors all the same.
Suddenly, the blare of familiar sirens caught her senses through the music – her heart momentarily stilled, knowing she was caught if it's the person she thought it was. The board skidded against the ground as she stopped, knowing that just bolting it would look very bad for her. Not even a second later, the Fire Department's van pulled up along side with Lionel and Terence sitting inside, and just then, she immediately knew there was still a chance of avoiding being taken in now.
She just had to spout a lie that was very convincing.
Amber slowly pulled out the earphones from her ears, pretending to be confused as she turned towards the firetruck. The earphones dropped from her hand so they hung from inside her jacket, the wire had been threaded through so they didn't get caught on anything. "How's it going, Amber?" Lionel questioned, his eyes narrowed at her sudden presence on the street. His tone was suspicious yet it moulded together within a knowing one.
The teenager frowned, trying to hide the fact that she was a little annoyed they had found her. She must really stick out from the crowd after all, no matter how hard she tried not to, "Don't you have a fire to put out?" She bounced back, not really answering his question.
"We're picking up filters for the rig." He countered, putting the van into its parking gear for the time being, "You're not ditching school again … are you?" Raising an eyebrow, telling Amber silently that they were onto her so it was no point in lying.
Amber scoffed, "Of course not," She lied, "It's a holiday Lionel." Feeling a little guilty for not telling the truth. She gave them a look that clearly said, 'How could you forget something like that?' Hopefully, that would buy her enough time to get away from here. "It's Malcolm X's birthday." She knew it wasn't, it was nowhere near Malcolm X's birthday … was there even a holiday-birthday that required the day off school?
"Malcolm X's birthday." He nodded, not a bit convinced until he realised what she said. He paused – wondering the same thing Amber was.
Terence turned to Lionel and gave him a big nod, which was more than overly exaggerated. "Right." He agreed, playing along, "Malcolm X Day. Right … on." He raised his closed fist slowly like a small fist pump. On the street, Amber pursed her lips in amusement – Terence was always the one who could always make her laugh at the stupidest things back at the Station. It was probably because if you took her out of the picture, he'd be the youngest in the 'group' but was still the most immature.
"Um," Amber spoke up, getting a gritty feeling in her stomach that if she didn't leave now, Lionel and Terence would take her with them no matter what fib she came up with. "I'm gonna leave you guys to it," She told them, maneuvering her board within her fingers so it would be easier to place it down and move immediately away from the two men, "I'll see you back at the station."
Lionel quickly jumped at the chance, "Hey!" He called, getting her attention before she vamoosed off down the street, "You wanna catch a ride with us?" He knew Amber, she had that small look of guilt written on her face that told you instantly that she's lying through her teeth. He felt sorry for the kid - he didn't use to pay as much attention as he did today, but he's started seeing the drift between father and daughter. He could see it was beginning to take a toll on Amber. She never used to lie, well, it was rare anyway and skipping school and getting bad grades – that's never happened unless she became brutally ill from what he understood. Amber was the role model he wanted for his own kids, but right now, he didn't see that happening anymore unless the Captain gets his act together and notices the pain his daughter was going through because of the estrangement.
"Nah," Amber waved the offer off. If she did take it – that would mean her father would be finding out about her ditching again sooner than she wanted. She planned to go back to the Firehouse and do some of the errands her father gave her to do every day before heading home. Her father usually worked 24 hours a day, meaning she basically had the house to herself all the time. Those moments are ones that let her make her own rules unless of course, her dad came home at all which lately, was barely ever.
"I just need some time to myself," She continued, sending them a small smile of goodbye, "I'll be fine." She assured before throwing the skateboard to the ground. When it landed it on its wheels, her feet jumped onto the board and she sped off down the street without stopping. She did catch Lionel say as she left, "Don't get yourself into any trouble, Amber!" It was loud enough for her to catch even from a couple of meters away.
The blonde couldn't help but roll her eyes, "I already have a dad, Lionel - and I don't think he cares very much anyway!" She shouted back with a knowing pinch of anger, not looking back. Amber didn't like anyone trying to control her anymore, it's probably a teenage thing, but it annoyed her to no end even if the comment was out of concern.
Lionel and Terence watched as the 17-year-old travel farther and farther away from them. The African-American male sighed to himself, "We better call the Cap." He muttered, feeling sorry for the kid, again. He didn't like getting her into trouble, but she really needed to stop ditching school for the most part. Besides, it wasn't their place to tell the poor girl off or tell her what to do, it was her father's. Just like it's his job to tell off his own sons and daughters as they get older.
Terence plugged in the number on speed dial to the Fire Station as Lionel started up the engines.
~ 8 ~
Amber skateboarded down a dirty alleyway; there were dozens of wet puddles and garbage cans all over the place. One of the earphones were back in her left ear but the other was left hanging out because she needed to make sure she could hear the surroundings, just in case of trouble. Trouble from school was fine, but when it came to outside of school, that was another matter altogether.
She had just passed a broken crate when her eyes suddenly widened. At the end of the alleyway and towards the way she was heading, she saw something she considered bad – Lionel and Terence in the van turned towards her – they were driving straight in her direction. "Damn it!" She hissed under her breath, just when it was thought that she was in the clear thanks to her lie. The siren burst again like before as the van stopped in its place just a few meters away, blocking any exit from their direction. She stopped her skateboard by pushing the back to the ground, a skidding sound resonating from below her.
As Amber turned on her heels, all for running in the opposite direction – something collided into her chest and jumped on her. A gasp of fright left her lips before she could stop it. Her body fell backwards to the wet gravel underneath and her head smashed back making a wince of pain show. The weight on her chest felt more than twenty pounds but she couldn't be too sure, it was hard to breathe with something on her chest.
She vaguely heard the sounds of the two vehicle doors from the van opening and shutting when she looked up, her head turned towards the cause of her being stopped to leave. She was both surprised and annoyed to find it was a dog.
The dog itself smelled so bad it made her nose crinkle in disgust. She tried holding her breath to avoid inhaling in the bad air but it still got to her. The dog's fur smelled like the dumpsters and rotten tomatoes and by the looks of it, some of that smell would now be transferred to her shirt, much to her annoyance.
The dog looked at her for a moment before letting out a humongous belch in her face. Amber coughed, feeling awfully sick to her stomach more than before, "Oh, god!" She exclaimed as her face made gagging motions, trying to twist her head away from the smell at the same time. "Get off me!" She told it, pushing the animal off her chest and away from her - thankfully her airway felt lighter instantly. Her eyes narrowed as it trotted down the alleyway without a care. She tried to get herself up as fast as she could in a hope of running away before the guys got her – but her luck ran out when she felt hands grab her from beneath her armpits, heaving her up off the ground with ease.
Lionel sighed from her right, "You should know by now that if you're gonna ditch, you're sure to get caught." He started pulling the teenager towards the van, grabbing her skateboard from the ground as he did. "What have you got to say for yourself?"
Amber stayed silent, reluctantly letting him drag her along but glanced back at that dog as she left. There was no way to get out of this now, she just hoped that the consequences wouldn't be too bad. Right now, she hated that dog for getting her caught because if it weren't for him, she'd be hidden away somewhere until Lionel and Terence left the area. She loved dogs she did, but again, the distancing also came from losing Chief. That dog had been like a non-human friend to her and the only one who she could really tell secrets to that she didn't want her dad knowing about.
~ 8 ~
Lionel and Terence pulled up at Dogpatch station with Amber sitting between them – she kept her head looking out the window the entire time, keeping silent for the entire ride, even when they tried to ask her something. Amber felt betrayed on some level, even though she really had no right to feel that - it was her fault in the first place for lying and skipping school. It's all her fault really but some part of her just couldn't seem to care no matter how hard she tried.
Amber let out a tired sigh as she slipped out of the van after Terence. As she got out, she noticed Joe and Pep scrubbing the Fire Engine down with its special soap and water mixture. Pep was like an older sister to her while Joe was like a surrogate Uncle, she really did look up to the both of them a lot but again; she just hasn't been feeling it too much anymore. She felt like everyone looked at her in disappointment, and even though she deserved it for the way she's been acting lately – it hurt more than physical words could ever do.
Joe looked down at her when she moved closer to him, giving the exact same look she was thinking of just now, "The Cap's waiting for you in the locker room." He told her with an emotionless tone, not smiling at all – the disappointment was clear in his eyes.
Pep looked to her with sympathy, "He's seriously angry, Amb." She warned lightly.
Amber let out a scoff at the audacity of the statement, "Yeah?" Looking away from Joe and towards the older woman, raising an eyebrow at the obvious statement, "Dad being angry is old news; he's never happy when it comes to me anymore." Stating the truth from her point of view because he rarely smiles anymore, not even around her. Hence, part of the reason why she's been acting up lately. Without another word, she threw the shoulder bag back over her shoulder and waltzed past them without another word, her skateboard tightly gripped in her right hand.
Pep watched the younger girl, who was more like a little sister, walk past with a solemn look on her face, "Poor kid." She mused, shaking her head in sadness and a pinch of irritation for a certain Captain. Someone needed to knock some sense into that guy because if he doesn't act soon – he'll lose his daughter for good. It's not long until the kid had a choice to decide what she wants to do for the future and at this rate, he'll lose her to a far-away college. And then, soon there's going to be rare times he'll get to see her because of a new busy schedule. This is providing that her grades buck up in time, though.
Joe just shook his head but he could see what was happening – although, it didn't give Amber the right to make things harder on her father. He did lose his brother and her acting like this isn't going to help anyone, especially herself. "She needs to learn." He spoke, starting to scrub the Fire Engine again but watched as Terence and Lionel carried in the needed equipment for Pep. Later on, she was going to be working on the rig and that's why it's currently being scrubbed down - cleaned inside and out.
Lionel scoffs, looking at him indignantly, "Are you kidding me?" He exclaimed with clear shock at the comment, raising a disbelieving eyebrow at Joe, "Can't you see how much pain that poor kid's in because of the Cap?" For once, he looked a little angry on the outside because of his boss, "He's pretty much neglecting her! The only time he actually talks to her anymore is when she needs punishing for the way she's acting out - she's trying to get him to notice. That's one of the main reasons why teenagers act out like this." He turned away and placed a box inside the garage door.
Pep nodded, agreeing, a frown clear on her face, "She never really gets a break either," She inputted, scrubbing deeper and foamed bubbles started dripping down the side of her arm, "The poor girl's mom split at the age where she can't even remember what she looked like. She's pretty much an orphan … and we don't count."
Joe took a momentary pause before a small sigh left him, understanding – the reasoning was clear for most of what they were saying, "She still has her dad, though." Although part of that statement felt like false hope because the past couple of months haven't exactly been the happiest.
Lionel shook his head, "Soon that might not even be enough because right now, she probably thinks of herself as an orphan." He didn't get why a mother would leave their own child since he could never do that, and he knew his wife felt the same exact way.
Terence walked back out with a goofier look on his face, grinning, "She has us!" Not having heard what Pep previously said before about them in particular.
Pep sighed, a touch annoyed that she has to repeat herself, "Like I said, that might not even be enough, Terence." Shaking her head, she started getting back to the work at hand. They needed this Fire Engine cleaned within a couple of hours unless something came up. The other's followed her lead in a wondered silence, all wondering what Amber's punishment would this time because of her latest truancy mark.
~ 8 ~
Amber walked into the locker room and her eyes instantly caught her father sitting in one of the folding chairs, his feet resting on the small wooden bench in the middle of the room. In his hands, he held the white Apple IPad she must have left here last night before going home. It looked as though he was playing a game on it because small sounds pinged out of the speaker embedded into the model.
Her voice was low as she put down her skateboard, leaning it against the doorway. Her eyes never left her father's figure, "Hi, dad." He didn't look up to her at first, not even acknowledging that he heard her come into the room.
"How many times have I told you NOT to skip school?" He suddenly spoke after a moment of silence and his head still looking towards the small screen in front of him, his voice sounded tired yet there was a hint of well-known disappointment and anger mixed in. Just a normal day in paradise…
Amber bit her lip, contemplating what to say, "That's my IPad, dad." She had a bad feeling about the reason why he was currently holding her IPad. She knew exactly how many times he's told her not to skip school but the question was merely rhetorical anyway. If you counted right, it came to about 5 times now that he's told her not to skip school and get into trouble. "Can I have it back … please?"
He finally looked up at her, his features looking troubled, "It doesn't seem to matter what I say anymore." Waving his hand to either side of himself in a helpless gesture, the device just sitting on his lap. Suddenly, he pushed himself off the chair and moved towards his personal locker, "So, I'm trying a new approach to the situation." He started, "NO IPad, you're PlayStation at home is also hidden where you won't be able to find it, and I'll be taking that IPod away before you leave to go home too."
Amber blinked at the sudden declaration, honestly stunned, "What?" She breathed, crossing her arms across her chest. Did he really think that would make anything better? "Are you kidding me?!" Her fists clenched in anger which she secretly hid in the crease of her inner elbow - he really is blind, isn't he?
Her father shrugged after plugging in the combination of his locker, "Nothing else seems to work with you." He didn't get what was going on with his daughter lately. Sure, they haven't been able to spend much time together since his brother died, but he's had a lot on his plate. No matter how hard he tries when the time does come up - she pushes him away with a sad look on her face. He wanted to believe that this was just one of those 'teenager periods' where they try to rebel and everything, but it didn't feel like that – it felt more personal than that.
He tightened up the lock hanging from the small door, mixing the personal code within a dozen different numbers. Out of the blue, a siren went off from the wall speakers above the door in the locker room and everywhere else in the Fire Station. The siren let everyone know that a fire was underway and that they were needed on duty again. Amber watched her father look up to the blaring horn and sigh at the inconvenience. The teenager just looked on, feeling the light leave her eyes again and start to turn blank like before.
A woman's voice drifted through the speaker, "Engine 55, Engine 24…" The voice continued in the background.
Connor just shook his head, moving over to where Amber stood with her bag still over her shoulder, "I don't know what to do anymore, Amber." He let out a breath before placing a hand on her shoulder, turning her around before guiding her in front of him and towards the Engine room.
Not wanting to leave his daughter alone with the electronics, he decided in that moment that she was going to be tagging along with them this time.
~ 8 ~
With obvious reluctance; Amber kept up with everyone else and heaved herself up into the Fire Engine – sitting in the middle of where her father was going to be sitting and where Joe was driving. She felt undeniably squished and uncomfortable but stayed silent in her mood.
"Let's go, Dogpatch!" Joe boomed, slamming the driver's side door shut before starting the engine as everyone eventually climbed in.
Amber squeezed herself together, trying to keep her skin from touching anyone else's. She felt more depressed than anything at this second because now, it felt like there was nothing else going for her. Her head tapped the back of the seat as Joe drove out of the Firehouse, her eyes barely staying open as she watched the dozen roads and parks pass by on their way. To the place Dogpatch was needed.
~ 8 ~
They arrived at the site within 7 minutes and a half and the building had already gone up in flames. The place itself was a newly renovated set of apartments - 'Luxury Lofts' according to the burning sign attached to the brick wall. Smoke poured out of the upper set of apartments but it didn't mean there weren't any fires below that could have already been put out before they arrived.
At the first sight of the flames, a nervous energy ignited inside Amber's gut and the memory of Uncle Marc being killed came flooding back to her, the guilt following it. It made her realise that if her dad wasn't careful, she'd lose him too because no matter how rocky their relationship was right now - it scared her more than anything. She felt her father shift beside her and the sound of the door opening shook her out of her thoughts. "Dad!" She wanted to say 'Be Careful' but the words just didn't come out of her mouth, she sat there like an idiot with a paused look on her face.
Connor just gave his daughter a look, "Stay in the rig, Amber." He told her with no room for debate because he didn't want her near the burning place – he wanted her safe. Behind him, he slammed the door closed and following along was Joe on the other side. The two of them started getting to work while Amber just stayed inside the rig, alone, watching the scenes in front of her play out.
Amber ran her tongue over her dry lips, looking up at the building again with sharp eyes. They moved from level to level, watching the fire with curiosity and interest – and suddenly, she wondered how it started. Maybe it was a faulty wire from the new cables being put in? She shook her head, part of her felt that something wasn't right about the amount of fires the area had been having lately and her gut is usually, always right.
Finally, her eyes moved towards the edge of the roof and a feeling was telling her that something was wrong. That prediction proved to be right when she saw something moving at the top. Her eyes narrowed for a second before they widened in horror – there was a dog on the roof barking down at them. She couldn't tell what type of dog it was, but it was a dog nonetheless.
Acting on her instincts; Amber swung the rig door open on her side and moved out the vehicle so her body was just poking out – her head over the top of door clearly, "Dad!" She yelled as loud as she could over everyone talking around her. She hoped her father would hear her and luckily, all of Dogpatch team heard her voice. Before they could scold her for not staying quietly in the rig, she told them exactly what they needed to hear. "Up on the roof!" She pointed towards the direction of the dog and thankfully, that caught everyone's attention and her father got straight to work.
Amber had to watch idly by as her father set himself up in something that would stop him from plummeting to the ground. After he was strapped up, he began climbing a long ladder that would soon reach up to the roof where the dog was. Her heart thudded against her chest as he made his way up higher and higher, her eyes eying that safety belt around his body in discomfort. If that belt was to snap if he fell off ... she shook her head, she couldn't think like that, her father was the best fireman in Dogpatch, he'll be fine.
She took a shallow breath as he neared the roof of the building. Keeping a close eye on the dog, she noticed how much it seemed to be moving around - like there was something happening up there that he wanted to get away from. It must be the fire because by now, it's probably reached the stairway entrance to the roof.
"Dad!" She gasped with a breath caught in her throat, watching as the dog jumped from the roof. It collided with her father's body and what shook her was that the force nearly made him fall back. Near the edge of the ladder, his hands and the belt were the only things from stopping his fall. Her own hands shook when she saw the dog hanging, literally from its teeth embedded into her father's jacket. Her feet itched to run forwards.
Joe noticed that she was about to move towards the scene, "Amber!" He yelled to her, "Get back into the truck!" His tone followed in more of an order than a polite request. The Cap would have his be-hind if something happened to her on his watch. A folded trampoline underneath was quickly set up in case the dog was to fall.
Amber reluctantly stayed where she was but unconsciously gripped the edge of the door as hard as she could. Soon after, all her worries slowly washed away after watching as the dog fell by itself, hitting the folded trampoline before doing a backflip. Her mouth dropped in agape along with everyone else who watched the stunt. She watched as her father climbed back onto the ladder after realising that the dog was okay – he started making his way back down.
She let out a relieved breath, one she didn't even know she was holding.
~ 8 ~
When Joe looked away, Amber sprinted from the rig without him seeing when the fire started to subside. Her father had reached the ground too without a scratch. She ran towards the area where she had seen him gone, "Dad!" She called after noticing him to the side, watching as he hung up the waistband that kept him attached to the ladder. Her heart was still thumping from earlier, from when she thought of the possibility of him falling off the ladder - it almost came true.
She ran up to him the moment he turned to her direction, "Are you alright?" She asked, honestly worried. Even in a manner of sense, he was still her father and even after everything, maybe he would come back to her from whatever he was going through after Uncle Mark died?
"Yeah." He nodded back at her distantly. Amber kept up with him as they turned the corner towards where the dog was being kept. So far, the dog was the only life-sign out of all this. He put his arm around his daughter's shoulders securely and directed her to come with him. He wasn't letting her out of his sight this time, especially if she can easily slip away from Joe just like that.
Sitting on the curb with a towel around him was the dog. Pep was crouched next to him with Lionel standing to the side. The Fire Captain and his daughter walked up, "How's the dog?" Connor questioned, silently wondering if the smoke inhalation had anything to do with that crazy stunt he got a glimpse at when the dog fell down below. Maybe the dog hadn't gotten enough air?
Lionel nodded, looking pleasantly pleased but was still cringing at the terribly wet smell that was mixed with several other things, "He smells like a bunch of rotten tomatoes," He commented, "But he'll live to fight another mountain of days." Bending down, he patted the dog's head. Thankfully, he still had his fireman gloves on since he didn't want his hands smelling like a garbage when there was no tap nearby he could use to clean them. The water from the Fire Engines was out of the question, they were being used to put out the fire and right now, they needed all they could get. This was a pretty big fire compared to some.
Amber halted in her spot after having taken a good look at the dog – a look of realization and annoyance flooded her face at just the first look. She had seen it before – it wasn't even 2 hours ago that she met him. A groan rattled in her throat, "Not you." She complained to herself just loud enough for everyone to hear. Why did it have to be the smelly mutt from hell?
Connor raised an eyebrow at the exclamation – looking down at his daughter while wondering where she could have seen this dog before, "You know this dog?" It looked like any other street dog that roamed around in the city. He did find her grimace rather enjoyable and he had just found the perfect punishment on top of the 'No Electronics'. He leaned himself against one of the other station's rigs.
Amber gave un-ladylike snort in reply, glancing over to him, "It's the 'Mutt from Hell'." And suddenly, her eyes narrowed, catching the mysterious glint in her father's eye as he looked at her and the mutt.
Pep looked closer at the name tag attached to the neck of the dog. The collar itself was a solid black but there was small silver rounded plate hanging from it where a name was branded on. "Dewy." She read the name on the collar, "He's got a name but there's no address or phone number."
Captain Jesse Presley (Masen's mother) came out of nowhere, "I'll call animal control." She declared, knowing they'll be able to take the dog in with such a short notice.
"Nah," Connor shook his head immediately with his idea already in mind. He glanced over to the daughter who now stood looking at the 'Mutt from Hell' with a frown on her lips, her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "We can handle it." Waving the suggestion off – he didn't like animal control too much anyway.
Jesse turned to him with a small smile, "So much for standing by, huh, Connor?" She rolled her eyes, just like any other day on the job and she really did like teasing him whenever the chance came up, "All right, 55!" She spoke up loudly in near shout - giving the rest of Dogpatch a chance to hear her, "We've got hot spots on the south side!" She said while starting to walk away and back to her team. "Let's hustle!"
"Yes!" Pep practically cheered with excitement as she jumped up from where she sat with the dog, "Back in the game!" Finally, something they could do that'll get the job done … something she actually signed up for.
Connor pushed himself off the rig with a sigh, watching as Pep basically bounced away from them and towards the south side of the building. "All right." He patted Amber on the shoulder, "Put the dog in the rig, all right?"
Amber blinked at the order, confused as to why she had to be the one to it. He was the one to suggest that Dogpatch deals with the dog. "Why me?" Thinking back, this must be the idea behind the mysterious glint – she crossed her arms across her chest in an annoyed way.
He just gave her a look with just a raise of his eyebrow, "Because we still have work to do." He told her, a little exasperation in his tone, "And just, please, do as I say." Before he turned and walk away, he did something that shocked his daughter still. He smiled. It was small and just a bit noticeable, but it was still a small smile. Amber just stood there for a moment. That was the first time in a long while that he's given her a smile, even if it was one out of amusement or something.
A small smile started to appear on her face too, not realising that the dog had tilted his head curiously towards her.
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