"Are you SURE I can do this?" I asked my best friend Leslie Shay. She and I have been friends ever since she stepped foot into 51.
"For firemens' sakes Gabby, yes you can do this. You almost passed last time, but you sprained your ankle pretty badly. Give yourself some credit girl. You're gunna kick ass today." Shay replied patting my back.
"Yeah. I guess you're right about the ass kicking. I'm just so worried. If I don't make it, what will Casey and the guys think? I'll feel like a huge failure all over again. Casey pulled strings for me to get this far. I'm also dedicating my one more shot to Jones. I have so much on my shoulders right now." Shay came back to me from the back of the ambulance and stood in front of me. She put a hand on each of my shoulders and locked her forehead with mine.
"Gabriela Dawson. Breathe. Don't think about the guys okay? You can do this. I know you can! You gotta breathe and think good thoughts okay? I believe in you!" Shay gave me a pep-talk. I looked into her green-blue eyes and she looked back. We've never been this close before.
"Yeah." I smiled. "Gracias Shay." She stepped back, I don't know why, but I wished she didn't. We got a call to an apartment. Shay and I rushed into the garage and into the ambulance.
"This is going to be exciting. Apartment calls are always exciting!" Shay said excited already.
"I totally agree. Let's hurry though, I have to take my test in 30 minutes." I was freaking out all over again and then I felt someones breath on my neck, but it wasn't Shay's. Weird.
"Again, you'll kick ass baby girl," Shay replied as we turned the corner and pulled up to the apartment. We walked inside and up the stairs and a woman called out to us: "Up here!" Shay and I rushed up the stairs with the back board and a pregnant woman was hunched over in tears saying how she was eight months pregnant with a boy and how he can;t come yet. We tried to calm her down and get her to walk down the stairs but she couldn't. She was in active labor. I checked her dialation and freaked out when I saw the baby's head. He was crowning but he was stuck in her pelvis. With some adjustment, I delievered the crying baby boy. My second live birth.
"Dawson I got this. GO!" Mills said coming up behind me. Shit I was late for my test! I ran out and saw the guys with the Sqaud truck. Casey greeted me with a deep kiss as the guys pounded on the truck cheering. I hopped inside and got on my gear.
"How's it feel?" I was asked.
"Nerve wrecking," I replied. We pulled up to the Chicago Fire Academy and all candidates were lined up already. Casey sent me off with a kiss and the guys cheered "GO GET EM' DAWSON!" as I ran into the back of the line.
"CANDIDATE COME UP HERE!" I was being called. I ran up to the front.
"You better be ready. You're up." I nodded and put on my oxygen and oxygen mask. I quickly walked up the stairs and gave a thumbs up. The door was open to the Live Burn and I went inside.
"Here we go!" I thought aloud as my eyes adjusted to the smoke. I took the firehose and pulled the nozzle and pointed it at the fire. Just then Jones appeared.
"Don't let anything stand in your way. You've got this Gabriela!" She yelled and with a smile and a wave, she vanished. So that's who's breath was on my neck. It felt good to see her, even though it could have been an hallucination.
Once the fire was out I ran back out and took the dummy into my arms. I thought of Shay as I began to do the shoulder drag. "I'm gunna kick ass," I mutterted under my breath. I did the shoulder drag perfectly and made it to the other side. Everyone cheered and I knew I had passed. Casey ran up to me smiling.
"Dawson you DID IT!" he yelled excitedly, picking me up and kissing me.
"Si! I passed!"
"I knew you could do it!" everyone said when I got back to the truck.
I will be a firefighter. Shay was right! Finally!