Sorry folks, I am really really busy. But I've had this in my head ever since watching the episode so I wanted to write it down before the next one is up. Hope you're satisfied with it, I am. Thank you for reviews and thank you for your PMs with suggestions and ideas! That's awesome So here we go... we pick up right where we left them. In the beanery. And as I'm exhausted I'm gonna split it up into two chapters.
Maya, Andy and Travis were still watching the empty space where Sullivan used to stand just a moment before and neither was able to move or to talk. They were in shock and it was all just absolutely ... wrong. Did he say that Rigo was dead? That just didn't make any sense. No, it couldn't be true. He was getting better and he was going home. The only sound that could be heard in the room was the boiling soup.
With laughter Dean and Jack came in and stopped dead in their tracks when they saw their three friends stand there by the table motionless. Maya was the first one to wake from the shock and she looked at Jack. He exchanged looks with Dean.
"Hey are you okay?" Gibson asked and noticed unshed tears in Maya's eyes which totally shocked him. He automatically walked over to her and stood in front of her, putting his hand on her shoulder.
"Maya?" He asked her and she blinked and swallowed. She took a step back from him and he let his hand fall.
Dean came closer too and Travis coughed to clear his voice.
"Chief Sullivan was here."
"And?" Dean asked, getting a bit worried. "What's wrong?"
"Rigo died." Andy said and they all looked at her. "He came here to tell us that he got a call from Eva. Rigo died."
"No. He was getting better, he was going home." Jack said pretty much the same thing that Maya did before.
"Yeah. But he didn't make it. He died." Andy said and noticed Dean's worried look. They all had a pretty good idea how Gibson would probably feel once his mind caught up with the new information. And especially for him and Maya this would be a point that would spin their lives out of control.
"Did he tell you anything else?" Miller asked.
"No. You know what, I'll go and ask." Andy offered.
"I'll gather everyone here." Travis said and wiped his eyes. Damn.
"Call my dad too, will you?" Andy asked him.
"Sure." Montgomery answered and looked at Miller. Dean just nodded at the question in their eyes. Yeah, he would be there and watch Jack. Andy and Travis walked away and Maya walked away and faced the window. She couldn't even describe how she felt. And she was the Captain, she should be the example for them all. And she didn't know how to do that. Not now. Not like this. It was beyond her.
Andy walked to Sullivan's office and knocked. He was sitting in his chair, his elbows on his knees, his head hidden in the palms of his hands. When he heard the knock he looked up. When he saw Andy he leaned back in his chair. The curtains were closed and Andy closed the door to give them at least a bit of privacy. They agreed to keep whatever was happening between them out of the Station but this was a different situation.
"Hey." She said softly. He looked so devastated. She wanted to help somehow but didn't know how.
"Gibson?" Sullivan asked her and she smiled sadly.
"Miller's with him and Maya in the beanery. Montgomery is gathering everyone else." Andy replied and deciding that this was under very specific circumstances, she walked closer to him and put her palm on his cheek. He leaned into her touch and Andy stepped even closer. Touching his scalp gently she let him rest against her stomach for a moment. When he looked up into her eyes he looked a bit more relaxed.
"Are you in pain?" She asked then.
"I'm okay."
"Robert..."
"I know." He replied and she knew that there was no point in talking about it right there and then.
"Did Eva tell you anything else?" Andy asked then. "What happened?"
"Pulmonary embolism. It was sudden and unexpected. They tried to save him but it was too late." Sullivan replied and Andy knew that with pulmonary embolism there are no guarantees even for people already in hospital.
"Was it because of the injury he had from the blast?" Andy asked.
"I don't know. I doubt she knows. Or the doctors." Sullivan replied.
"It's 50:50 huh?"
"Yeah. I'm afraid so." Sullivan said. "We should get back to others." He added and Andy nodded but didn't step away from him.
"Robert... I..." She tried to tell him something.
"What?" He asked back.
"I want to talk about it, about what happened and what you said in that store. But right now I can't. It's..."
"It's not the right time, I know."
"I don't want to push you but if you want to tell me, I'd like to know." Andy tried to explain herself.
"Okay." He agreed. Andy noticed that when he was looking into her eyes he had this special look, special smile she only saw in such rare situations. It was so gentle, so loving, that it always knocked her off her feet. She leaned for a chaste kiss and stepped away from him. She left the office to give him a moment to take a breath before coming up to face everyone.
She walked into the beanery and found the whole crew there. Just a moment after her came her father, not understanding what was going on. When the crew saw him, they all cheered him for the boots idea and he just waved it off. Andy walked over to him and hugged him. That shocked him and he stood there frozen before he hugged her back.
"Hey, what is this about? Montgomery wouldn't say anything."
Sullivan came with a huge bottle of whiskey in his hand and put it on the table. He walked over to Maya and they exchanged few words by the window. He squeezed her shoulder then and left to stand by the side of the crowd. Everyone was tense and just waiting for the bomb to drop. Maya turned around to face them and they all could see that she had been crying and just tried to stop the tears from falling again.
"This afternoon we lost one of our own." She said. They all looked at her like she was crazy and she was so nervous she wanted to run away. She looked at Andy and she nodded slightly, giving her courage and support. Maya took a deep breath.
"Rigo Vasquez died this afternoon due to pulmonary embolism right before he was discharged home." Maya told them. "Chief Sullivan spoke to his wife. Chief?" Maya asked him to continue and he could tell she needed him to do just that.
"We're all on stand-down, effective immediately. We won't be send to any calls for 48 hours. If anyone needs more than that, come to your Captain or to me if she's unavailable."
"Sir?" Gibson asked.
"Yeah?"
"Do they know the cause?" He asked and Sullivan knew that right now he was walking on the thinnest line ever. His next words would probably determine the fate of Jack Gibson. He wanted to console him somehow, give him hope but he didn't know if he could. But he knew that the best he could do was to be honest.
"No. They don't know why it happened or if it had any connection to his injury. I'm sorry." He said.
"Thank you, Sir." Gibson said and didn't fail to notice that Dean kept his eyes on him the whole time.
"What about his funeral?" Pruitt Herrera asked.
"I offered his wife our help and she said she'd think about it." Sullivan replied and Pruitt nodded. He could understand that. Not everyone wanted to full service they could do. Some families preferred private service with family members only.
"Captain?" Sullivan asked Bishop and handed her the bottle he brought. She took it from him and opened it. Montgomery with Hughes opened a cabinet and started to take out glasses. They didn't have enough whiskey glasses for everyone as the guys from B-shift were already there as well so they just took all they could find. Maya poured a glass for everyone and they raised their glasses.
"To Rigo." Maya said and they all repeated after her and they all drank the whiskey. And so she poured another to those that wanted another which was everyone. After third round the bottle was empty.
They all stood there and didn't know if they wanted to go home or to stay. Andy noticed that Sullivan came to talk to Bishop once again and then with one look at her, he left the crew. Some of the people left as well and others stayed as they needed the company of others to digest this horrible news.
Dean told Hughes he would go home and she said she would stay for a moment longer if it was okay. She didn't want to leave Bishop there as she looked so lost it physically hurt her. And Vic knew quite well what she was going through so she wanted to stay and help. Besides, and she was not about to tell Dean that, she had the idea he would need some time with his daughter after this shift.
"Dad, you got a minute?" Andy asked her father.
"Sure." Her father said. And they left together. They came to the catwalk. Andy knew her father loved that place and she did too. The overview of the whole station was the best part of it.
"What is it?" He asked her when she stopped.
"I saw it, dad, on the TV." Andy told him and he shrugged. "Dad..."
"If you want to ask me something, just do it." He said and left it up to her.
"The department is not paying for your medical bills?" She asked and he sighed.
"No."
"That's why you sold the house?" Andy asked again as it dawned on her and he nodded.
"Yes."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't want to worry you. It was supposed to be over. Besides the place was too big for me." He tried to argue with her.
"And now?"
"Andrea..."
"Dad. Tell me."
"Well, I thought I would leave you some money but it looks like I'm gonna leave only debts to pay." He said sadly. "And I may be too old to work in the field but I can at least try to make a difference so others wouldn't end like me." He said.
"I'm proud of you." Andy told him instead of arguing with him.
"You are?" He asked as he didn't believe her that much.
"I am. And I want to help."
"I love you, Andrea." Her father told her and she hugged him again.
"Dad... the chemo and everything, is it because...?" She tried to ask him but he dismissed her.
"No, that doesn't have to do anything with the money." He answered. "Look, I know you don't agree but I just want to enjoy the time I have left. I want to be myself." He said.
"Okay." Andy said as it all dawned on her. Surviving wasn't the same as living, right? "But you'll tell me if you need help, all right?"
"All right." He agreed, well more like capitulated. Andy hugged him again and kissed his cheek.
"I'm tired so I'll go home now. Will you be okay?" He asked her softly and she felt the pain in her heart. She would miss him so terribly.
"Yes. But call me tomorrow, okay? We can have lunch or something."
"We can." He agreed and this time he kissed her cheek. He left her standing there on the catwalk and she watched him go sadly. She loved her father so much.
Andy walked to Sullivan's office but it was empty. He wasn't there anymore. But maybe that was for the better. She walked back to the beanery but Bishop was already gone and so was Gibson and Miller with Hughes. She noticed Montgomery sitting by the table looking worn out.
"Hey."
"Hey."
"Where is Gibson?" Andy asked him.
"He said he needed to take a walk." Travis said. Andy looked worried. "Bishop went with him." He added.
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"Okay..." She felt a bit better knowing he wasn't alone but didn't what to think about him and Maya processing this grieve together. She stayed with Montgomery for a moment but he looked troubled by something else than by Rigo.
"Are you okay?" Andy asked him.
"I snapped at probie." He confessed.
"About what?"
"About his father." Travis said. "He doesn't have what it takes for this job." He tried to explain.
"You think his father put him up to this?"
"I know. He told me. He's scared, Herrera, in the field. He doesn't want to do the job and he shouldn't be doing it. But I snapped."
"He's not stupid, Montgomery."
"No. No, he's not."
"So maybe he'll think about it and will either man up or quit."
"Maybe." Travis said. Andy squeezed his hand.
"Go home, Travis. Get some sleep. It was a hard day."
"Yeah, it was." He said and Andy just smiled.
"Hey, Herrera, a question."
"What is it?"
"Why didn't you leave with Gibson? Why did you stay in that store?" He wanted to know and Andy knew that she should have thought about it first but she acted on instinct at that store and didn't realize she should have thought about at all. She just knew she couldn't leave Sullivan alone there with the veteran.
"I don't really know. I just knew I couldn't leave Sullivan alone in there." She answered and Travis smiled at her which totally surprised her.
"Maya did great today." He said then.
"She did." Andy replied. "She'll be a good captain. Just gotta give her a chance."
"Yeah."
"Night, Travis."
"Night." He wished her a good night and watched her go.
He was still mad at probie for acting like an idiot today but he had to say that he was also disappointed because ... well because he slept with him and he really liked him. And then he found out he was a firefighter which wasn't that bad even though it had quite a deep meaning for him. But he was Dixon's kid and that was pissing him off all the time. At first it seemed like he would defy his father and step up but today he realized that he was not a firefighter. He was an art history major in uniform and he shouldn't be wearing it. He shouldn't be outside trying to help people because one day someone would die because of him, because of his fears and because he had no idea about what it meant to stand on his own feet without daddy's support.
Travis could only hope that his little angry speech got through to him and that he would either man up, as Andy said or he'd quit. He should quit and go back to being art history major. And to Montgomery's shock he could imagine going out with him again, with the art history major not the false firefighter. That job was too sacred for him to be abused like this. He said he had a girlfriend but well... if he was about to face his father he might as well face his orientation.
Ben came home and was devastated by the news of Rigo's death. His wife was already waiting for him, she was there when Rigo died and knew how hard it would hit her husband. And so she was there in the living room and let him lie down on the couch with his head in her lap and just rest, she let him feel it all, the pain and anger, the sadness and the worry. Everything.
They boy were up in their rooms and when it was time for dinner they came and set up the table for them, they made salad and as Miranda gave them money, they ordered and paid for pizza so it was a little bit easier for her that evening and she could be there for her husband.
"Dinner's ready." Tuck told them and Warren got up, smiled gently at her, stretched out his hand and she took it and so together they walked to the table and had dinner with their boys. And although Warren was still sad and mad about Rigo Vasquez, his heart began to heal with the love of his family.
When Bishop left with Gibson, Hughes stayed for a moment but was so tired that she decided to call it and went home. She was trying to be as quiet as she could and probably for the first time in her life it actually worked. She walked into the boathouse and she saw Dean in the rocking chair, little Pru in his arms, he was rocking them back and forth and to her absolute surprise he was crying.
She didn't know what to do and as she just stood there, she realized she was about to start crying too. She walked over to him and touched his shoulder. He looked up at her, the quiet tears on his face showing just how much affected he had been by everything.
Vic didn't say anything, she just walked away to prepare Pru's bottle and she handed it to Dean then and he fed her. Vic knew that they needed to be together and alone so she disappeared into her room and exhausted she fell onto her bed and fell asleep, she didn't even have the energy to change.
Emmett Dixon was no fool and he was no coward. But he felt like both today when he listened to Montgomery. And not only when they got back but when they were out in the field. He watched his fellow firefighters run around and do all the dangerous things and he felt ashamed. He wanted to hide and get into safety and they? They wanted to run into buildings near the explosives and safe people. Andy Herrera stayed in the store and Chief Sullivan walked in there without back-up from the police or SWAT. Those people thought about things differently from him.
He never wanted to be a firefighter. He wanted job in the gallery or maybe teach, he loved art and not fires and explosives. But he thought he could do it for his father because he knew his father loved him. He watched the crew of 19 stand behind Captain Bishop, he watched her defend her people, she wasn't afraid, not even of his father, she just wanted to do her job and protect her people. Sullivan, of whom he was pretty much convinced, that he had a problem with drugs, walked inside and he talked the guy into walking out and deploying the grenade safely. One man and he saved the day. Every single one of the crew did something exceptional. All of them except him.
He was more scared than brave and he knew that this was nothing for him. He didn't want to run towards explosives, he wanted to run away from them. And Montgomery was right. One day this would cost somebody a life. And it would be on him. He would be the one to blame. He was ready to fight but then his father made him look like a little stupid kid and he hated it.
And Montgomery was right. He couldn't do this. So all be damned, he just rang the door at his parents' doors and waited. His mother opened up and kissing her cheek he told her he needed to talk to his father. She stepped aside and let him go inside the house and find his father. She stayed out of it and after a really long time she was proud of her son because he did man up after all and he told his father that he would not continue with this job and that he would not be his ticket to the office when the time would come. He grew up finally.
His father got very very angry and Emmett just kissed his mother on the cheek.
"I'm sorry, mom."
"Don't be. I'm proud of you."
"Really? Why? That I made him angry?"
"That you are yourself finally." She said softly and smiled at him. "Are you all right, Metty?"
"Yeah, I am." He said and he really did feel fine. It was the right thing to do. And he was determined to talk to Captain Herrera and ask him about the boots. He wanted to know more and he wanted to help. He wasn't stupid, he knew that he was not cut out for the job his father wanted him to do but he also knew that his father was no firefighter either. He was a cop. And he began to understand that his father should not be the Chief, no more than he should be a firefighter.
Andy texted Jack, asking him if he was okay. He replied that he was with Bishop. Andy asked if she should go home but he told her that he would be fine. She didn't know if it meant he would go over to Maya's place or home, together or alone but she had no other choice but to trust him. So she at least told him to call her if he would need to. And knowing what she needed, she took a taxi and gave the driver Robert's address.