EPISODE 4.2 – Riots Right.

Disclaimer – I don't own the Rescue Series, but miss it dearly since it left TV.

Chapter One-
A few weeks later, the team was sitting in the office, writing and filing reports. All was quiet, if you didn't count the tapping of computer keyboards, when Vince's phone rang.

"Rescue Special Operations, Vince Marchello."

"Really?" He scribbled on his notepad.

"Rosemeadow?" He scratched out the words faster.

"Righto, we're on to it." He put the receiver down, and lifted his notepad, peering through his glasses.

"Right team, we've been called in to an MVA in Rosemeadow involving a car that's driven into a house. Unknown number of casualties, and the police are there. That's about all of I've got, I'll update you with more as I know it. Lara, Lachie, patrol one. Chase, Heidi-Ho, patrol two. Dean and Jordan, light desk duties for you both."

"Why are the police there Vince?" Asked Lara, grabbing her phone of her desk.

"Other than the fact it's an accident, there are reports of rioting there, so watch yourselves. Lara, you're in charge." She nodded to Vince. Dean started to complain as the other thundered down the stairs

"But Vin…"

"No 'but's', 'if's', 'maybe's' or 'I'm fines'. You're not going." Dean slumped back down in his desk chair, sullen at the fact he couldn't go. Jordan, on the other hand, still had this annoying twinge in his ribs occasionally that signalled to him he should really rest at least another week. He grabbed another file, and began entering the details into the system.

"You're easy to please." Dean broke the silence.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, normally you'd be complaining about the fact you've got desk duty, and today? You're quiet, and calm about the whole thing."

"I dunno Dean. Maybe I've mellowed." Jordan chuckled and turned back to his computer screen.

"Love more like."

Rosemeadow:
"Rescue Portable Two to Rescue Base. Vince, you didn't mention how much of a mess it would be out here." Lara was irritated that he'd neglected to tell her this fact.

"Rescue Base to Rescue Portable Two, no-one told me Lara." He chuckled.

"What's the sit-rep?"

"We've got a patient trapped in the driver's seat, another under the front wheel, and unknown everywhere else."

"Ok. Ambos are on their way." Chase jumped out of his patrol, Heidi alongside him. He sniffed the air.

"Is that petrol fumes?"

"Vince, we've got petrol leaking from the car. Can you request fire crews to back us up?"

"Copy that Lara, there's a fire station nearby. I'll get onto them. Over." Lara turned to the team.

"Right. Chase, can you assess the passenger under the wheel? Heidi, see if you can get in the house, check if anyone's inside. Lachie, take the driver." A squad car pulled up alongside the patrols. A uniformed officer climbed out.

"Officer Kelly Brandon, how may I help you?" She shook Lara's hand, as Lara introduced herself.

"I'm Lara Knight, Acting Unit Leader for the Rescue Special Operations team. What's going on here?"

"Riots. It's been quiet for too long, we should have seen this coming. We've calmed most of it down, but the damage remains. There's only so much we can do before we need help, so we called you in."

"Glad we can help. Any other areas that need assessing?"

"No. We've checked them, and the other houses are empty. These blocks are due for demolition anyway. They're building estate instead, getting rid of the public housing." Lara nodded.

"Thanks for that officer."

"Lara! I could use your help over here!" She smiled at Officer Brandon, before jogging over to Lachie.

"What's up?"

"Can you grab a collar for me? He's a possible spinal." Lara grabbed the collar, and Lachie wrapped it around the man's neck, fastening it securely.

"How will we get him out? The doors jammed up against the house, and we won't get him out safely through the side window." Lachie grinned at Lara, and pointed up.

"Through the sunroof."

Heidi checked the other rooms of the house, and was about to pronounce it clear, when she heard crying. She backtracked to a little hallway, and realised there was a room just off to the side. She pushed the door open to find a two-year old boy on the floor. His skinny face was streaked with tears, as he screamed his lungs out.

"Shh bubby. It's alright." Heidi crossed the room to him, and lifted him up into her arms, cradling him. His wailing reduced to whimpering as he snuggled into Heidi's shoulder, comforted.

"I wonder where your mummy is." She reached carefully for her radio, trying not to disturb the sleepy child.

"Rescue Portable Five to Rescue Base, Vince, do we know who the occupants of the house are?"

"Give us a minute Heidi-Ho." Vince shuffled through the papers on his desk.

"Ah, here we go. Graham and Tracy Fielding live there with their son Mattie."

"I've got Mattie here, and he's been left alone, I've got no idea where the parents are, and I can't leave unaccompanied."

"Look after him for a little while. I'll organise a social worker to come and collect him off you."

"Thanks Vince." She attached her radio back to her uniform, and headed for the stairs, Mattie ensconced safely in her arms.

"Chase, how's your patient?" Called Lara.

"Not good. I think she's ruptured her spleen, and she's got the possibility of a crush injury. She hasn't woken up yet."

"Lara, I'm ready to shift Mr Williams," said Lachie. They pulled him through the sun-roof of the car, being careful not to bump him on the way out. They transferred him into a nearby ambulance, and soon he was on his way to Campbelltown Hospital. Lachie moved around to Chase's patient.

"I'm going to try and move the car mate."

"Yeah, ok." Lachie jumped over Chase, and headed for the front of the car.

"Ready Chase?"

"Ready!" Lachie pushed against the front of the car. As it moved, the girls BP plummeted, alarms beeping everywhere.

"Dammit! I'm losing her!" Lara came running. She felt over the girl's stomach.

"Abdomen's rigid. She's bleeding internally." As the alarms declared the girl's imminent death, Lara sat back, silent.

"The pressure of the car was keeping her alive," she said quietly. Lachie crouched down behind her.

"There was nothing you could do Lara," he said, rubbing her back.

"I should have known! I should have checked, made sure she would be ok once we moved the car. I'm in charge, I should just know!" As she dissolved into tears, Lachie pulled her up into standing position, and held her. Chase sat back on the floor, shocked by the fact he had lost another patient. It was something you hoped never happened in a rescue, but sometimes it was inevitable. Heidi appeared in what used to be their living room.

"What happened?"

Heidi sat in the back of the patrol, holding the sleeping Mattie. Lachie, Lara and Chase packed up the days gear.

"Heidi, can you help us for a second? Put Mattie on the back seat, he'll be ok for a few minutes."

"Sure." Heidi placed Mattie gently on the back seat in the patrol, and jogged over to help Lara. As they packed the gear in the other patrol, Heidi spoke.

"How are things going Lara? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine Heidi," snapped Lara.

"Geez. Just asking," she grumbled. She turned around to the patrol.

"He's gone!"

"What do you mean Heidi," asked Lachie, running over.

"Mattie. I put him on the back seat for a second, and now he's gone!"

"Alright guys, fan out. He can't have gotten too far, he's only two." The four team members spread out in the street, calling Mattie's name over and over. As they seconds ticked by to become minutes, and the minutes passed to an hour, the team disbanded their search, and returned to the patrols.

"How hard is it for me to look after kids? God, I hope Jordan doesn't want any. I'd be a sucky parent."

"It's alright Heidi, we'll hand this over to Campbelltown police. They can keep searching." Lachie slapped her on the back and headed to the other patrol. Lara got off her mobile.

"Vince says the firies are coming shortly to clean up the petrol, we've just got to wait until they show up." The team nodded and settled themselves down, waiting. Fifteen minutes had passed when a gentleman sauntered over to the wreck, inspecting it.

"Sir," called Lara, "you need to leave."

"Just looking," he said gruffly. He pulled a cigarette out of his pocket and lit it.

"Sir, you need to step away!" The team sprinted for him, right as he accidently dropped the burning cigarette into the puddle of petrol.

"NO!" The team were knocked back by the resulting explosion. The man and the house were engulfed in flames.

"Shit! Where are those firies when you need them?" Lara was pacing.

"Chase!" Lachie pulled himself up from the ground, and sprinted toward his brother's lifeless body. Chase had been closest when the petrol-fuelled eruption had occurred, and was now lying close to the burning house, his own uniform burning rapidly.

"Chase! Chase!" Lara grabbed a fire blanket from the emergency kit in the back of the patrol and ran over to him.

"Quick, put this over him," said Lara breathlessly. Lachie threw the blanket over Chase's body, and put out the flames.

"Oh my. Chase."

"He's not breathing Lara!" Heidi raced over with a medi-kit in hand, and pulled out her oxygen tank.

"No oxygen here yet Heidi, we need to shift him first." Lara grabbed a spinal board from the truck, and her and Lachie rolled Chase onto it. Together they lifted him away from the fire, and set him down. Heidi slipped an oxygen mask over his head, and Lachie started CPR. A small wail was heard.

"Mattie!" Heidi's head shot up as the firies pulled up into the street.

"No Heidi! Leave it to the firies!"

"I can't leave him Lara! I need to find him!" Heidi ran into the burning building, the smoke intensifying. She hadn't brought her BA with her, and only had a pocket knife handy.

"Mattie?" She coughed. A scream could be heard from the back of the smashed in loungeroom. She fought her way through the smoke. A distressed cry sounded again, as she found him in a high chair. She went to lift him out, and struggled to lift him

"What?" She looked down, and realised he'd been taped into the chair. She pulled out her pocket knife, trying to free the child.

"Come on!" The flames licked at Mattie's tiny legs, and he shrieked. Heidi fought with the tape.

"Come on!" He started coughing and spluttering, and started trying to fight Heidi as he struggled for oxygen.

"Yes!" She lifted the now limp child into her arms, and ran for the door, coughing herself. As she made it out into the bright sunshine, a fire officer took Mattie from her, and slapped an oxygen mask over her face. She sucked in the oxygen gratefully, then pushed it away.

"Mattie!" Heidi put an oxygen mask over his face. He was still breathing, but only just. She could have cheered when he coughed and took a deep breath. An ambulance crew who had just arrived picked him up from her, and put him in the ambulance.

"We're going to take him to Campbelltown Hospital. Can you let the parents know?" Heidi nodded. Lara and Lachie had continued working on Chase. Heidi crawled over to him.

"Come on Chase, you can't leave me now. Who will I pick on if you're not here?" Tears fell down her sooty face. She begged him.

"Please Chase."

"Rescue Base to Rescue Portable Five, Heidi, what's going on? I can't raise the rest of the team." Heidi gulped back the tears.

"Chase was in a fire Vince. He's not looking good." Dean, who was eavesdropping near Vince, slammed his hands down on the desk and swore.

"Stay here Dean," growled Vince.

"My brother is out there dying, and you want me to stay here?" He sounded incredulous. He shook his head, and headed for his ute.

"What's his obs Heidi?"

"He's not breathing Vince!" Heidi started to hyperventilate.

"Calm down Heidi-Ho. Come on."

"What if he dies Vince? What if he doesn't make it?"