"Deep breaths, Madi you can do this. You've done first days before, I know that first impressions are everything but you can do this. They'll like you, everyone at your old station liked you. It'll just take some time. Being the rookie or 'new girl' again is going to be rough. All the hazing and practical jokes that lies ahead of me again is daunting. I walk up the stairs of the sleek fire station. The new Captain is taking me to the kitchen where the crew is eating breakfast. He holds the door open for me and I walk through seeing everyone at the table across the room. They all look up from their food and chatter as soon as the Captain is noticed. The vibes I was getting from him and the crew was that the Captain isn't very liked around here.
"Listen up." He says his voice bellowing, "This is Madison Hale, the new addition to your crew. I've decided to make some changes around here starting with bringing on Madison." Everyone looks up from their food in an unimpressed manner and all look back to what they're doing. A brown haired lieutenant looks around the table and gets up with a smile on her face.
"Hi. I'm Lt. Andy Herrera." She extends a hand to me and shakes my hand with a smile. "Here take a seat." She gestures to an open seat and I sit down beside a buff man eating cereal. I meet eyes with a man with a gentle smile and sandy blonde hair. His name tag reads 'Lt. Gibson' and I seem to be drawn into the depth of his ocean blue eyes. "So," Andy begins, "Let's all go around the table and introduce ourselves, we have drills and truck checks after breakfast. The Captain has already done a uniform check this morning and I'm sure your uniform is in your locker in the shower and sleep area." I smile and nod my head. "This is Victoria Hughes," Andy begins pointing at each person, "Travis Montgomery, Ben Warren, Jack Gibson, Maya Bishop and Dean Miller." She ends with the man sitting beside me.
"So, Madison tell us about yourself." Gibson says, making eye contact with me from across the table. I smile shyly and stare at the light coloured oak table.
"Um well, I go by Madi. I'm Canadian, I was a critical care paramedic, and just decided I needed a change. I just finished at the fire academy here but have loads of medical experience as a CCP and worked on the helicopter and ground units."
"Wow that's pretty impressive. Why the change?" Gibson takes a bite of his breakfast, I blush under his glances.
"I just decided to start fresh is all." I answer in a closed off tone, not wanting to get more in depth about it. Everyone just nods and continues eating, the silence fills the room. I guess fitting in is going to be harder than I expected. Maybe its just a Canadian thing...
Vic starts teaching me how to roll and dry hoses after breakfast. She has me set them up and runs me doing drills all morning. The rest of the crew is running air tank drills on the stairs and bridge over the truck bay. With huffing and puffing I finally complete the drills in a good time. I'm getting the sense that Vic is competitive and takes pride in having good times in these skills. This is very different than medical skills to know and master. Being a paramedic, once you master the call structure and protocols for every type of medical dilemma and emergency, everything else just falls into place with practice. Its crazy how I was just at the academy and now I'm in a station running drills and waiting for calls. Being completely in a new country is also so overwhelming , why did I do this? I just needed to get away. Away from everything and everyone, and to completely start over where no one knows me. The memories I left in Canada haunt me everyday. I shudder at the memories of what happened there, of how things ended. I just needed to run from everything in my head, I couldn't stand another day driving down those streets and the pity looks my colleagues gave me. They treated me like I was fragile after.. after what happened in the mountains.
"Hale?! What are you doing?" Hughes barks at me, "Your head is in the clouds." I shake the thought out of my head.
"Sorry I just got distracted."
"You need to focus." She hands me the hose and motions for me to run another length of the truck bay. Sweat drips down my temples and I take deep breaths trying to bring my heart rate down. I hear foot steps approaching, and see Montgomery enter the truck bay.
"Hey Hale, you'll be on Aid Car with me today. We still have to break you in."
"Alright as long as you drive and I can be the Attendant. I'm still not too familiar with Seattle yet." I reply wiping my forehead with my arm.
"Sure thing, you got it." He turns and leaves back upstairs. I look back at Vic and she makes me run more drills all morning.