The day had finally arrived. Just 48 hours ago Katniss had passed her final comprehension exam and now she was walking up to her assigned fire station: Ladder 7, Panem Fire Department. Her mother had been a nurse, her sister was determined to do the same, and she was now a paramedic. Everyone around the family always said that caring for others must run in the blood.
She gripped the handle of her bag tightly, took a deep breath and opened the side door to the common area only to be greeted by yelling.
"There's no fucking way he was out! His foot was in the green the whole time!" A female voice.
"Are you blind? Half of his foot was out!" A male voice.
"Let's just wait for the review." A different and calmer male voice.
Katniss walked down the hall towards the noise. On the wall were several pictures of the engines at the station, of firefighters attending parades and putting out fires, and one of the "Firefighter of the Month": Johanna Mason. The picture showed her to be a very proud and confident woman, her dark hair tied in a ponytail and with random red streaks. Her deep brown eyes were intense, her grin attractive and together they dared anyone to mess with her. Katniss stared another minute before she snapped herself out of the entrancement and continued down the hall, entering what seemed to be a living room.
"Are you kidding me? Bullshit." The source of the female voice threw her hands in the air, obviously yelling at the television again. She stood from the couch and was immediately identifiable. They locked eyes as the woman started walking towards the kitchen. The same smirk from the picture in the hallway appeared on her face. "Fresh meat is here, about damn time."
Everyone in the room turned their heads to look at Katniss. A tall and tan man stood from the same couch, giving her a large smile as he walked over to her. His bronze hair was flattened, probably from wearing his helmet at a call. "You must be Katniss Everdeen. Paramedic, yes?"
She simply nodded. "Pleasure to meet you. I'm Finnick Odair, firefighter. Over at the table is Gale Hawthorne." A gruff looking but handsome man with dark tousled hair gave a small smile and raised his hand in a silent hello. "He is one of your fellow paramedics on this shift. Across from him is Cressida, just Cressida. She is a firefighter but mostly works as Incident Commander and with public relations." Half her head was shaved and green vines were tattooed in the shaved area, behind her ear, and down her neck, disappearing under the collar of her shirt. Cressida didn't acknowledge her, seemingly too entrapped by the noise of her headphones and the laptop in front of her. "And in the kitchen, most likely scavenging for something to eat her anger away with, is Johanna Mason."
As if on cue, she walked out with a high-stacked sandwich on a plate. "Call me Jo or Mason, no need for the Johanna bullshit. Who are you?"
Katniss felt a flutter in her stomach when Johanna acknowledged her. "Um, Katniss Everdeen. Paramedic."
"A paramedic. You ever worked in a firehouse?" The woman took a full bite from the sandwich, leaning her weight on one leg as she stared intensely at Katniss the entire time she chewed.
"No. I did all my training rotations at hospitals."
"Well, let me tell you this, Everdeen: it is a different beast here. There are no comforts of a hospital. You work in the field here. And if you make a single mistake, I will personally take pleasure in ripping your throat out." She took another bite of her sandwich, not once breaking the eye contact.
"I see everyone is getting along already." A voice sounded from a doorway to Katniss' right. A man with shaggy dirty blond hair and patchy facial hair appeared. "Chief Haymitch Abernathy. Welcome to Ladder 7." He greeted Katniss with a firm handshake. "You will come to find that we have a very…. diverse group of personalities here, the most vibrant one coming from the always joyous Johanna Mason." Finnick chuckled as Katniss and Haymitch shared an amused look. "Now, I have some paperwork for you so let's get that done and I can go back to sleeping."
After signing off on paperwork and receiving official orders, Katniss made her way down to the garage to check out the ambulance. She pulled herself up into the back compartment and started looking through the drawers, familiarizing herself with item locations.
"Need any help?"
The voice made her jump. It was the guy that was sitting at the table inside.
"Hawthorne, right?"
"Just call me Gale." He stepped up into the back of the bus and sat on the bench next to Katniss. "So, where are you from?"
"District 12."
"Same. I thought I recognized your name from somewhere. Your father worked with mine. They were-" He seemed to realize what he was saying, as if remembering that this was the girl whose father died in a work accident. Katniss sighed at his hesitation. She hated when people pitied her. "I'm sorry, I didn't-"
"No, no. It's fine, it's cool. Where is everyone else from?" She poked around through a drawer before closing it and opening another one.
"Cressida is kind of unknown, we have theories but nothing exact. Jo is from 7, Finnick from 4, Haymitch is also from 12. The other guys are from all around, I can't remember all of them. Most of them will gladly chat with you." His smile was sweet and sincere. Katniss smiled back, glad her partner seemed like a good person to work with. And not the gruff he originally seemed to be.
A sharp ringing filled the station and immediately everyone sprung to life. Gale assisted her down from the bus and they ran to the cubbies where the uniforms lay ready, all except for hers. It was back near the truck. "Crap." She ran to her bag and began yanking the heavy pants over her navy blue station pants. The legs twisted up as she struggled to get them on. Gale was luckily there to help her.
"Can't get your gear on by yourself, Everdeen? I didn't know you needed the royal treatment." Johanna's voice called out from over the alarm, a teeth-showing grin across her face. Katniss' eyes were glued on the woman as she took in Johanna with her full turnout suit on. The woman walked away towards her assigned engine and Katniss watch her climb effortlessly into the passenger seat of the truck.
She finally got the pants on and pulled the suspenders over her shoulders. Grabbing the jacket, she hurried to the other side of the ambulance, jumping in the passenger seat.
"What do we have?" Johanna leaped out of the engine, following Cressida to the storage areas on the engine with the breathing apparatus sets. She pulled one out and slung it over her shoulders, Finnick right next to her doing the same thing. Cressida made several calls over the radio before turning to them.
"Looks like a potential compartment fire, class is unknown. Five floor residential apartment. Neighbors are saying the fire was coming from the fourth floor and that the three residents from the apartment are not present. One older male, two children. The other trucks will survey the bottom floors, you two are heading up for rescue."
"Got it." Finnick looked down at Johanna before they walked towards the door of the apartment complex. "Two in."
"Two out. Let's do this." Johanna looked up at him as they put their oxygen masks and helmets on. The duo clanked the heads of their axes together and stepped into the complex, walking step by step with each other. As they ascended the stairs it became hotter and louder, an obvious sign that the fire was close.
"Approaching fourth floor." Johanna spoke into her radio as they turned the corner of the stairs. They were met by a fire at the end of the hall, it slowly making its way through the wall and doorway to the apartment. "Let's go through the apartment next door and see if we can break the wall to the apartment with the fire."
Finnick nodded as they both checked their oxygen masks, taking careful steps towards the first door on the right. It was already open and they now rushed to get to the farthest wall, knowing their time frame was closing. Once found, they began hacking at the wall with their axes, alternating swings. As soon as the wall was compromised, they switched to the pick sides and started ripping it away.
Fire greeted them on the other side, where an oven was glowing from the heat of the flames pouring from it.
"PAR on Engine 7. Over." Cressida's voice broke from the radio.
Johanna answered. "Engine 7 has PAR, A-OK. Over."
"Received. Over."
"We have a Class C fire, electric stove. Turn off building power. Over." Johanna waited a moment before receiving a confirmation.
Finnick stepped through the hole first and made his way from the kitchen, closely followed by Johanna. The biggest rule was to always keep your partner in verbal and visual sight. That person was your buddy and your lifeline when things got bad. Both Finnick and Johanna took the buddy system seriously, following it from the first day of training when they met each other. They were inseparable ever since, being partners for six years.
They searched the apartment thoroughly, stepping into the final room that was still untouched by the fire. As soon as Johanna stepped closer to the attached bathroom, she yelled the screaming of a scared child. "Here!" Finnick rushed to the attached bathroom, where a man and two kids sat in the corner huddled together.
Johanna pointed two fingers at Finnick, him immediately understanding to grab the children. He agreed and picked up the young boy. He could not be any older than five. His sister reached up towards Finnick and he picked her up with his other arm. Johanna had taken his axe and was now helping the father up but realized he was not stable. A deep burn was on his face and chest, the fire having incinerated part of his shirt. She bent the barely conscious man over and kneeled down, positioning her shoulder underneath his hip so he would fall over her shoulder. While straightening up slowly, she grabbed onto his pants, pulling his legs into her chest. Finnick waited for the all clear before they moved towards the building exit.
"Engine 7, exiting now. Three recovered. One man. Two children. Having medics ready and waiting. Over."
"Wilco."
Within minutes they were outside and greeted by the station paramedics. Gale and another medic assisted Finnick with the kids. Katniss jogged over to Johanna, immediately starting to assess the man on her shoulders. Johanna did not stop walking until she made it to a stretcher, resting the man on it with Katniss' help.
Johanna pulled the mask down and pushed it to the side of her neck. "Unidentified male. Has third degree burns on the right side of his face and across the chest. Not in stable condition."
"He is likely to go into shock." Katniss ordered another paramedic to prepare fluids and oxygen in the truck. Her and Johanna pushed the carrier over and collapsed it before lifting it into the bus. She quickly worked to get gauze on the area to help keep it from infection. Katniss mumbled to herself. "What am I missing…"
Johanna watched from outside the truck. "It's a third degree burn on his face and upper body. What would you do if it were on his leg?"
Katniss looked at her with a blank face, showing obvious signs of beginner's anxiety.
"Elevate his upper body, brainless." She rolled her eyes and walked away, but not quick enough to see Katniss glare deeply at her.
Katniss sat at the dining room table in silence as everyone else congregated in the kitchen, chatting. After a few minutes of watching her ice melt, everyone began to take a seat at the table with food. She continued to stare at her water until a full plate was placed in front of her. "Get over it, Everdeen. We all stumbled on our first day but now it is time to eat."
She looked up to see Johanna looking down at her. Her fitted navy blue station shirt showed off her muscular shoulders and arms. Katniss started to wonder how the rest of her muscles looked under that shirt and those pants.
Johanna sat down next to her. "Quit staring at me, brainless. I know I'm hot but damn, control your eyes." She simply grinned even more and winked, causing Katniss to blush and finally look away. Right about now, she wanted to curl up in a fettle position, embarrassed with how attracted she already was to this girl.
But, she was distracted now. The group shared stories about their first days. Some of them terrifying and some of them hilariously unfortunate.