Hey y'all! I really hope you're liking the new twist to this story. There will definitely be a new edge to this. I'm hoping you loving this as much as I am so far! Here's the next chapter! Enjoy!
Our ride downtown was short, too short if you ask me. Reese slightly leans toward the left, meaning we're about to make a left turn; my grip around her torso tightens as I lean with her body. I've noticed that every time we make a turn and my grip tightens around her, she slightly tenses. Which is interesting, but definitely something that I'll revisit later. Reese maneuvers the motorcycle with ease as we pass by multiple police barricades, only getting closer to the bombing site. The sound of sirens grow louder and louder as we make our way down the debris-covered street. Reese reduces the speed of the motorcycle to a crawling pace before pulling over near a sidewalk. As she parks the motorcycle, my eyes widen at the sight of downtown. What used to be a gorgeous and romantic feeling downtown has now turned into a pile of rubble. Who would do something like this? The feeling of the engine shutting off along with the sound of the kickstand hitting the pavement snaps me back for a minute. Alright, don't fall trying to get off this thing. Reese quickly gets off the motorcycle and takes off her helmet before politely extending her hand toward me. I graciously take it before sliding off the back of the motorcycle. She sets her helmet on seat before untying the medical bag while I take off my helmet. I set my helmet next to hers, and hopefully the next time I'm on the back of her bike, we won't be going to a disaster area.
Reese swings the med bag over her shoulder before nodding for me to follow her toward a tent. My eyes widen as we approach what I am assuming to be the makeshift command post. Holy shit, downtown always held such a romantic feeling but you wouldn't be able to tell because right now, it looks like a damn war zone. Well, my brother and dad never used to tell me about the horrors they saw when they were stationed overseas. It was their way of protecting me from the evil of it all. They just never wanted me to worry about them, but if I had to guess in this moment, they probably have seen something like this. No wonder they never told me about scenes like this.
As we approach the tent, the first responder personnel are running around and working as quickly as they can. The sounds of sirens mixed with screaming fills the air. The screams are all different. That's the thing, you don't realize that there are levels to a scream until you've heard them. You can hear people screaming in pain, screaming for help, but the majority of the screaming is the kind where the person is staring death right in the eyes. That is the scream the haunts me in my sleep. It makes my chest tighten. We quickly approach the main-command tent and I look over to my left to see another tent. Instantly, I notice Meredith and Teddy working with other medical personnel assessing patients as quickly as they can. I follow Reese further into the tent and we are greeted by a tall man holding a radio in his hand. He stands tall with broad shoulders and his stature radiates authority. He's clearly the one in charge. He shocks me as he wraps Reese in a hug before extending a hand toward me. I quickly shake his hand before Reese nods her head at me. It's almost like she can tell that I have authority issues. I'm grateful for her small nod, it makes me feel a little more at ease.
"Major Williams, it's good to see you, and Dr. Robbins it's nice to meet you. I'm Fire Marshal Richard Tucker. However, I wish that it wasn't under these circumstances. Now, your coworkers are working with the adult patients of the the surrounding buildings and getting them ready for transport. Now, you two are going to focus on the little ones that are trapped in the daycare. I've sent a team in to extract the kids and we have a small working area for the two of you as close to the daycare center as possible. Our goal is to get as many kids out of the building and assessed before we have them sent to Grey Sloan," he orders and we nod our heads in unison as he points to a small area were paramedics are awaiting to assess the tiny humans.
"How many were inside?" Reese asks.
"We estimate around a hundred, including the daycare center staff," he says and I slowly shake my head. Damn, so many tiny humans that never deserved any of this.
"How's the building holdin' up?" Reese asks and my eyes widen. Shit, I hadn't thought of that.
"Stable for now, but we have men on the inside looking for survivors. They will radio us if there is any change to that. You'll be the first to know. Major, Dr. Robbins, God speed and be safe," he says before dismissing us as he walks away.
Reese strips out of her jacket before pulling her hair into a messy bun. I quickly take off my jacket before reaching into the pocket and pulling out my stethoscope. I wrap it around my neck and tighten my ponytail as Reese wraps her black stethoscope around her neck. I notice her kiss a pair of dog tags before tucking them into her scrub top. She looks at me, a silent questioning look to ask if I'm ready. Honestly, I'm not sure if I'm ready. It hasn't even been a full year since my accident and I'm nervous how I'll be able to walk on the debris. But if I couldn't do it, Bailey wouldn't have sent me here. I let out a small breath before nodding my head. She flashes a small smirk before walking toward the daycare. Alright Robbins, now or never.
We step over pieces of large concrete with various pieces of metal sticking up from the ground. I carefully make sure to watch my step. Hell, even with two legs, the path to the daycare is difficult for the first responders. I'm at a slight disadvantage with only one and a half, but Reese has been making sure to glance back and occasionally warns me of unsteady footing. We finally make our way to the tent and I slightly cough. The closer we get to the building, the heavier the air becomes with smoke and dust. Jesus, it's suffocating. A flash of relief rushes through the paramedics' eyes before quickly ushering Reese to one side of the tent. I am positioned across the tent from Reese, and the paramedics waste no time in leading me to my first set of patients. We approach two small girls who appear to be unconscious and who are covered completely with dust. I slide my hands into a pair of gloves before putting my stethoscope into my ears. I quickly begin to examine the girls as the paramedic reads their stats.
"Gracie and Hannah Thompson. Gracie is in pink, Hannah in yellow. Age five, twins and appear to have no previous medical conditions. They were unconscious when pulled from the building, both have steady pulse and normal BP. They were closest to the window when the bomb went off," the paramedic reads as I continue to exam both girls. Shit.
"Gracie has absent left lung sounds. I'm thinking a pneumothorax. She's also got a broken right arm and right leg. Hannah has a shattered left femur and a distended abdomen. Get me a kit and we're going to get the pressure in Gracie's chest leveled out or she's not going to make it to the hospital," I order as the paramedics quickly scramble around to gather supplies.
"This is all we've got," the paramedic says and my eyes widen at the lack of supplies. I quickly nod my head; it's not idea but it'll buy this little girl some time to get her back to the hospital.
They quickly help me prepare to place a small, makeshift chest tube into the left side of the girl's chest and she instantly gasps for air. Oh, thank god. Two more paramedics walk over and begin strapping the twins onto backboards before taking them to an ambulance. I make sure they have all the correct information before they leave for the hospital. Just as the twins' ambulance pulls away from the site, I glance over to notice at least ten more kids have been pulled into the tent. I discard my current set of gloves into a trash bag before using hand sanitizer to wash my hands. I quickly slide my hands into a fresh pair of gloves before the new wave of injured tiny humans arrive. I left out a small breath as I jump into another case. Today is going to be anything but easy.
Four hours later...
I find myself examining a conscious little boy who is in a lot of pain. He has a broken arm along with two broken legs. I'm making sure that all of my movements are as gentle as possible because I know how much pain he's in with the break in his left leg. It's the same kind of break I had in the plane crash, and I'm focusing on my patient's to keep me from breaking down.. I glance over to see if another ambulance has arrived yet, but no luck. I let out a frustrated grunt because I've got five patients that need to get the hell out of here. We haven't seen an ambulance in about an hour and it's frustrating to say the least. So far, I haven't lost a patient, but I can't say the same thing for Reese. We've been working extremely well together. If a paramedic is busy, Reese has been quick to help me with anything that I've needed. Hell, she's even been running in and out of the building pulling out patients. She's been absolutely incredible and that's putting it lightly.
We're down to the last few children that were inside the daycare, and that's a win in itself. I've been glancing over at her working on a small girl for the last twenty minutes. The girl came into the tent in extreme critical shape. Reese had her stabilized but then suddenly, the patient crashed. She's been doing CPR on the girl for over fifteen minutes. Reese finally holds her head in defeat before calling out a time of death. The worst feeling is when you have them stable, and then they suddenly crash. Unfortunately, her last three cases have been this way and I wish that I could do more to help her, but my own patients aren't in a completely stable state. Reese lets out a frustrated grunt before bowing her head and closing her eyes. I turn my attention back to the little boy in front of me and continue to run my hand through his hair to try to comfort him. I've given him the strongest pain medication that we have on us, but it's not doing a damn thing at the moment.
After a few minutes, I glance up to see more ambulances arriving and I couldn't be more relieved. I help the paramedics get my patients ready for transport. Reese and the paramedics that have helped us all afternoon begin carrying patients toward the ambulances. I quickly gather a few more supplies for the boy's transport while I wait, but the radio quickly catches my attention.
"ALL MEDICAL PERSONNEL, GATHER YOUR PATIENTS AND IMMEDIATELY EVACUATE! THE BUILDING'S SHIFTING!"
I glance around and I'm the only one remaining in our tent and my patient is strapped to a backboard. Shit, shit, shit. I quickly stuff supplies into my pockets and try to calm my mind for a few seconds. What else does he need? I quickly glance over at a small bear on the ground, remembering he had carried in with him. I tuck the bear into his arm.
"DR. ROBBINS! GET YOUR PATIENT OUT NOW!" a man yells into the radio, instantly causing my adrenaline to spike.
"HELP! SOMEBODY! HELP US!" I scream before looking down at the small boy.
The sounds of the bending and snapping pieces of metal have silenced my cries for help. Damn it. I'm going to have to carry him. I don't want to move him this way, but now I have no choice. I quickly begin undoing the straps of the backboard and gently pick the little boy up in my arms. He cries out in pain and I hold him close as I begin to walk away from the tent. I hear the radio continue to bark orders as I walk toward the ambulances. I try my best to ignore the loud popping and creaking of the building as I attempt to quicken my pace. You can do this, Robbins. I continue to glance between the ambulances and the ground before I feel my left leg get stuck. FUCK! I quickly pull up on my prosthetic and it's jammed in between some debris. Damn it. I continue to try to get my leg free when I feel an arm wrap around me. I glance up to see Reese with a paramedic.
"Hey, what can I do?" she asks as she studies the building.
"Take him. My stupid leg is stuck. I'll be right behind you," I say and she shakes her head. Reese gently takes the boy from my arms before handing him to the paramedic. The little boy screams in pain as the paramedic quickly walks toward the ambulances, leaving Reese with me. She glances around, quickly studying the concrete piece that has entrapped my prosthetic. She bends down and grips the concrete boulder before looking up at me.
"I'm not leaving without you. On the count of three, try to pull your leg out. Ready? One… Two… Three!" she says before grunting as she tugs on the piece of concrete. I pull up on my prosthetic, freeing my leg. She slowly releases the concrete before a loud pop comes from behind us. Reese slowly stands back to her feet and I can't help but notice that she appears to be in pain. Another loud snapping sound comes from the building and my eyes widen as I watch the building start to collapse. Before I can register what's happening, Reese picks me up, bridal style.
"HOLD ON!" Reese shouts as she begins running toward the ambulances.
I bury my face into her neck as I wrap my arms tightly around her. I can hear the building collapsing and I can feel the ground rumbling from the falling debris. I feel her run begin to slowdown and I glance up to find her walking toward a flatbed truck. She carefully sets me down on the tailgate before running a hand through her hair. Her scrubs are covered with dust along with small sweat stains show through her shirt. Wait, what's on her chest? My eyes study the dark spot along her chest, and my eyes widen as I notice her once white bandage is now stained red. She takes a few steps back before she shakes her head. She opens her mouth a few times as if she is trying to decide what to say, but remains silent as she begins to pace. I slide off of the tailgate and grab her hand, hoping she will look at me. Her gaze slowly meets mine and I can't stop myself from reaching up to cradle the side of her face. I gently rub my thumb along her cheek bone, and much to my surprise, she leans into my touch.
"You're bleeding. We need to get that looked at. What the hell happened?" I ask softly and as she opens her mouth to speak, a paramedic interrupts us.
"Dr. Robbins, we'll meet you at the hospital. The boy's parents are just now coming out of surgery," he says. I nod in response as he steps into the ambulance, closing the doors behind him.
"Looks like we've got to go," Reese says softly and I nod my head.
She slowly begins walking toward her motorcycle and I slightly shake my head as I follow her. Damn the interruption. She slows her pace to walk beside me and I find it endearing. She holds her hand out for me to take as we walk across unsteady debris. I interlace our fingers together as we slowly walk over loose pieces of concrete, mentally enjoying how perfectly our hands fit together. After walking over the loose debris, she makes no effort to let go of my hand. If anything, I feel her slightly hold my hand a little tighter. As we approach her motorcycle, she lets go of my hand before handing me one of the helmets.
"Thank you for not leaving me back there," I say softly causing her to look at me.
"A thing you will learn about me is that if I say it, then I mean it," she says before tucking a stray piece of hair behind my ear. She takes a small step toward me before staring into my eyes. I raise my brows slightly before my lips turn into a smirk.
"Oh yeah? So what about when you write it down?" I ask softly and a wide, full-dimpled smile crosses her face. Her face slowly inches toward mine until I feel her breath against my ear.
"When I write it down, it's a damn promise," she rasps into my ear before placing a lingering kiss against my cheek.
My heart literally feels as if it is beating in my throat and I can't stop the goofy smile that crosses my face. A small laugh escapes her throat before helping slide my helmet on and over my head. She quickly adjusts the strap to the perfect tightness before quickly putting on her own helmet. She straddles the motorcycle and starts the engine as I slowly work my way onto the back of the bike. She slides her hands back around my ankles to make sure my feet are resting comfortably on the foot pegs, this time I'm not even worried about my prosthetic. I slowly wrap my arms around her torso before she slowly pulls away from the sidewalk. She slowly begins to drive us away from the bombing site when I feel her hand rest on top of mine. I let out a small breath as she interlaces her hand in mine. Now, the one thing I know is that I need to ask her out on a date before she has the chance to mysteriously disappear again.
So, y'all. What'd you think?