After two and a half weeks, it was becoming glaringly apparent that Tyler and Jo were not getting along.
"It's not my fault you got lost!" Jo yelled.
"Yes, it is!" Tyler argued.
"How?"
"You get me nervous with all your gasping and telling me to slow down and watch out!"
"I'm not used to so much traffic yet!"
"Well, get used to it! You ain't in Kansas anymore, Dorothy!"
The angrier they got, the more their accents came out. By now, they had begun to drawn a crowd.
"I know that! I just hate heavy traffic!"
"This is San Francisco! There's always heavy traffic! If you don' like it, go da hell home!"
"Believe me, I'd love nothin' more!"
"Why'd jou come out here, anyways?"
"That ain't none 'uh yer business, Cajun!" She spun around and began to stalk off.
Tyler said something in French Cajun, which made Jo whirl around and throw herself at him.
"You nasty son'bitch!" she roared, fist pulled back, ready to tear him apart.
In the next three seconds, Rabbit grabbed Jo from behind, spun her out of his way, and used his remaining forward momentum to fill his fists with the front of Tyler's shirt as he hefted the other medic up and slammed him into the side of the nearest ambulance. The resounding boom! silenced the entire bay. "I really hope I misinterpreted what you just said." Rabbit growled through gritted teeth, his face inches from Tyler's.
"Rabbit, let him go!" Glenn pleaded as he and a few others pried the two men apart.
"What's going on here?" Boone shouted, pushing through the crowd.
Rabbit glared at Tyler, "Don't you ever talk to my sister like that again." He pushed past Boone, who grabbed his arm. "Lay off, Boone."
The dangerous tone of Rabbit's voice made Boone draw his hand back without hesitation. He watched Rabbit stalk out of the bay pulling Jo by her wrist before turning his attention to Tyler, who was straightening his shirt, "What did you do?"
"Hit a nerve, apparently." Tyler replied, trying to sound unshaken.
"Clear out, all of you!" Boone waited until the crowd had dispersed before he spoke again, "What was that about?"
"I can't stand her, Boone! All she does is criticize my drivin'!"
"I've criticized your driving for years." Boone took a step toward his former partner, "I don't have time for your temper tantrums. This'll all be over soon, and I'd really like for it to go as smoothly as possible. So shut up and do your job."
"Yes, sir." Tyler snapped before storming off into the parking lot.
Boone sighed heavily, "Why me?"
/
Jo forced herself not to jump as a cup of McDonald's hot chocolate plopped onto the table in front of her the next morning. "What's this?" she asked, eyeing Tyler as he sat down across from her.
He shrugged, "Peace offering."
She barked a laugh, "Peace offering? You're not sorry, you're just afraid of Rabbit."
"I am afraid of Rabbit. But, I do feel bad for what I said yesterday. It was low."
"That's for damn sure." She removed the lid and sniffed the steaming brew suspiciously, "There ain't no Ex-Lax in here, is there?"
"No. I didn't think of it in time."
She shook her head, "You're an ass, Tyler."
"Yeah, well, you're a bitch, so I guess that makes us even."
"Guess so." She pulled an energy drink from one of her pants pockets and sat it on the table in front of him, "Here."
"What's this?"
"Peace offering."
"You didn't shake it up, did you?"
"No, I didn't think of it in time."
Cautiously, he opened the can. Nothing happened. Relieved, he took a swig, "Were you really gonna hit me?"
"Among other things, yes." Slowly, she took a sip of the hot chocolate, trying to detect any foreign flavors.
"Where'd you learn to speak French Cajun?"
"A group of us went down to Louisiana after Katrina to help out. I learned a few things while I was down there."
And then taught them to Rabbit. he finished. "I see."
"Um…" Glenn started from the kitchen doorway.
"Hey, Glenn." Jo smiled.
"Hey. Boone wants to talk to everybody. It's about Captain Basra."
As she and Tyler rose from the table, Jo could feel the tension radiating from Glenn. He knew as well as she did what this "talk" was most likely going to be about. They walked to the ambulance bay in silence.
Boone was standing in front of a crowd, his face grim. He waited until the trio came to a stop before speaking, "Listen up, people. I've got some bad news."
Silence settled throughout the room as all eyes focused on him.
He took a deep breath, "Captain Basra's not doing too well. He's…retiring."
"What?" Tyler exclaimed.
"What's goin' on with him?" Rabbit asked.
"I don't know." Boone answered honestly. "He didn't give me a lot of information. He just said his tests came back bad and he thought it was time for him to step down."
"So…does that mean you're in charge?" Glenn asked.
Boone took a deep breath, "Until further notice, yes."
"Unbelieveable!" Tyler stormed out of the bay.
"Want me to go after him?" someone asked.
"No." Boone sighed, "Let him go. He'll be okay."
"Congratulations." Nancy offered.
"Thanks, Nance." Boone looked like the weight of the world had just been put onto his shoulders, "I think."
Author's Note: Yay, first two chapters! What'd ya think? Jo and Rachel are my creations, not NBC's, by the way. Please review, but go easy on me. :)