Mariana caught the rope and she quickly yanked it up around her waist and pulled back. With Buck and Mari holding it, Eddie was able to focus on grabbing the woman's hands and yanking her into the building. The two firefighters strained against the extra weight but eventually secured the woman and Eddie and pulled them into the hall.
"You good?" Buck asked as Mari regained her breath.
"Yeah. Just remind me to cut Diaz off at two helpings at dinner," she gasped out, leaning against the wall next to the woman who had introduced herself as Ally.
"I hate you," Eddie groaned as he pulled himself up off the floor. The brunette shot him an exaggerated eye roll.
"Let's get going," Buck exclaimed once they were all settled and the ropes were fastened back into their belts. Ally's heels were a no go for the debris and the danger of twisting an ankle so they were going to help her navigate the stairs barefoot.
They were making good progress. Mari and Eddie led the group while Buck helped keep Ally steady with a rope attaching him to her. They were almost back to the fifth floor when the trip became a little rockier.
"That's it, you're doing great. You've uh...you've done this before, haven't you?" Eddie coached Ally down the steps.
"Yeah, it was my major at the Rhode Island School of Design," the blonde snarked. Mari felt her lips quirk up at the statement. "Sorry, sarcasm is my fall back for pretty much everything."
"Totally get it," Buck muttered. "Mari is the queen of sarcasm."
The brunette shot him a glare, turning to see Ally hesitate on the steps. The woman was frightened, of course, but there was a look of panic and dread in her eyes.
"Do you think he'll still be on the sidewalk when we get there?"
"No. And we're not going out that side anyway," Buck reassured her.
"Let's hustle up, you two. We don't want to be here for the next aftershock," Eddie said.
"Wait, what do you mean the next aftershock?" Ally cried.
Eddie simply ignored her panic and reached out to help her down. Mari moved ahead of them and stopped at the sight before her. "Aw, fuck. You've gotta be kidding me."
"No way out," Eddie sighed.
"So what now?" Ally exclaimed.
"We go back up."
"Back up?!"
Before anyone could respond, their radios crackled to life on their shoulders. "Ladder 118, respond. This is Captain Nash. I need a headcount."
"Ladder 118 respond. Diaz, Buckley, Ramirez. We're good, cap."
"Castillo and Jackson responding."
"Chimney responding."
"Hen, do you copy? Hen! This is Captain Nash for Henrietta Wilson, do you copy?"
No response. Mari slammed her hand down on the railing and bowed her head. Out of everyone on the team, Hen had the most to lose. The most to go home to. They couldn't lose her.
"Friend of yours?" Ally asked.
"Let's keep moving," Eddie grumbled. They started to make their way up when Eddie laid a hand on Mari's shoulder. "She'll be fine. Her radio's probably just busted. Don't think like that."
She studied him for a moment, her hazel eyes dark and guarded. Mari then hesitated but nodded and kept climbing.
/
"Hey, you guys go ahead. I'll meet you at the end of the hall. I hear something and I just need to check," Mariana said. Both the boys looked like they wanted to protest but she shot them a glare.
"My radio is set and if you need me, you can call me. I just have a feeling, okay?"
They both sighed but kept going ahead without her, keeping Ally steady as they walked through the hall. Something in Mari's gut was telling her to check the rooms. No one had been to the tenth floor yet for search and rescue and she just needed to be sure.
Mari knocked on the first few doors and called out "LAFD" but didn't hear anything. By the fourth door, she was really doubting her gut. That is until a soft cry reached her ears. The latina took a strong step back, leaned onto her left leg, and slammed her right foot right above the lock. The door splintered and opened, revealing a destroyed room.
"LAFD, is anyone in here?" she called out.
A quiet sob reverberated through the room and Mariana slid in, leaning against one of the structural columns in the room. A young couple were crushed by the bed in the corner and she didn't even have to check their pulses to know. They were deceased. However, the kid in between them was not. Mariana cursed under her breath as she realized that she would need to successfully leap to the bed without going hurtling towards the windows.
"Ramirez, what's your status?" Eddie asked over the radio.
"Got a kid trapped between...well, to put it bluntly, the corpses of his parents and the headboard of a bed. Might need some help here."
"On my way."
She clipped the rope to her belt and waited for Eddie to appear so she could throw him the end. He showed up within a minute and she quickly tossed him the rope before signaling a thumbs up.
"Hey buddy, I'm gonna come over there and pick you up, okay? My name is Mari and I'm a firefighter."
She braced herself against the column and then took a chance on a jump. She landed neatly next to the dresser and planted her feet firmly against it, stretching her arms out to grab the little boy. He was silently shaking in her arms and she ran her hand over his dark curls, a somber expression on her face.
"Okay bud, I'm going to strap you into my harness and Eddie over there is going to help us get to safety. How does that sound?"
"I want my mommy!" he cried.
"I know you do. I know. I'm sorry."
She slid the harness straps over his arms and legs, ensuring that he was safely tied down before she eased herself off of the dresser. Eddie pulled up the slack and helped her climb towards the door when suddenly the dresser broke from its precarious balance and headed straight for the window.
Mariana wrapped her arms tightly around the boy as they started hurtling towards the broken glass but Eddie quickly yanked the rope up and stopped their fall. Slowly but surely he pulled them up until Mariana could find her footing and crawl the rest of the way. He grabbed her arms once she was close enough and helped pull her into the hall where she could sit back against the wall.
"Are you hurt? Are you okay?" he asked, frantically scanning her over as Mariana carefully removed the kid from her harness.
"I'm fine. How about you, bud? Are you okay?"
The boy nodded and buried his face in the crook of her neck as Mariana rocked him gently. "Can you tell me your name?"
"Ethan."
"Alright, Ethan. We're going to get you out of here, okay?"
Mari moved her gaze to meet Eddie's dark eyes and she sighed. "So what's the plan?"
"Buck and I located a guy with a spinal injury and we did a makeshift backboard to transport him. Obviously we can't use the stairwell so…"
Mariana was equally impressed and unamused. Ethan was back in her harness and tightened in nice and good considering she would be repelling down an elevator shaft. It was Buck's idea, of course.
"I like our chances," Buck announced.
Mari and Ethan went first, providing the latina a chance to open the shaft doors while keeping an eye on Batari, the spinal cord victim. She and Eddie slowly opened the doors as Buck and Ally started down. Just as everything was going right, an aftershock hit.
"Is the building vibrating?" Batari asked.
"Mari, go!" Eddie shouted. She swung into the hall and caught Batari on the backboard, trying to keep him stable while Eddie helped move him on to the hall floor. The building trembled violently and the screech of an elevator falling caused the two firefighters to bolt towards the door.
"C'mon Buck!" Mari shouted, just as the blond swung into the hall. Mari crouched down, covering Ethan with her body as debris and dust swirled around them from the aftershock. The shaking subsided and she laid back on the hall floor, exhausted from the events of the day.
"I said I liked our chances," Buck sighed from beside her.
Mari covered Ethan's ears and turned to look at him. "Fuck you."
Buck let out a low chuckle and shook his head. "Let's go."
/
Mariana didn't want to leave Ethan alone at the connection point but she had to. The incident commander ordered everyone out of the building but Hen was apparently still trapped inside. Without even discussing it, the three firefighters that had just emerged from the building were grabbing gear and heading back into the building.
"Hey! All personnel have been called out. That is an order," Commander Williams shouted.
Mariana grabbed her Halligan bar and whirled around to face the commander, an innocent expression on her face. "Ma'am, I don't think we've been properly introduced. Engineer Ramirez of the 118, yes that Ramirez who had hot lead shot into her a few months ago. Hen refused to give up on me then so I won't turn my back on her now. I don't know how you do it, but the 118 doesn't leave men behind. Go ahead, take my badge. You can't stop me from going down there."
Commander Williams stared her down and the brunette offered her a raised brow. Williams let a small grin cross her face and she gestured towards the basement.
"Lead the way, Ramirez."
Bobby was surprised to see his three youngest appear, ready and eager to help. "You know you guys are disobeying a direct order?"
"Yeah, like that's ever stopped me before," Mari scoffed.
/
The 118 was safe and accounted for. Hen found the girl and they found Hen. Mariana was caked with sweat, dust, and dirt. Her dark hair was practically white thanks to the dust and she sighed, pulling her hair tie off and raking her hands through the wavy mess. Hen joked sometimes that her hair fresh out of a braid was like a little lion's mane.
She was exhausted but ready to pull her hair up into a bun and get to work on helping treat anyone who needed it. That is until her eyes landed on the small figure sitting alone on one of the mats set up under a tent.
"Hey," Mari called out to an officer nearby. "What's the story on that kid?"
"Parents died in the earthquake. Aunt lives in Philly and can't get here until tomorrow at the earliest. The airport is closed right now thanks to the quake."
"So what happens to him now?"
"Social worker is coming by and taking him to a group home where he'll stay until his Aunt can pick him up."
Mariana nodded, a plan forming in her mind. She patted the officer on the shoulder and thanked him before walking over to Ethan.
"Hey kid, remember me?" she asked, sitting down next to him.
"Yeah," he replied, his voice quiet and subdued. She sighed, studying the chaos around her before she glanced back down at him.
"How old are you, Ethan?"
"Five."
"Yeah, I was five too," she muttered before smiling sadly. "Things will be hard. There will be a lot of change. But you'll be okay."
Tears welled up in his eyes and she pulled him in for a hug. "I promise, Ethan. You'll be okay."
The social worker came by soon after and found Ethan fast asleep in Mariana's lap as the firefighter gently rocked him. The woman reached out for him but Mariana shook her head.
"I work at the local group home and I'm a certified foster parent. I can show you my credentials and can take care of Ethan until his aunt comes."
A quick phone call and background check done by one of the officers proved Mariana's credibility and she walked back to the firetruck with the little boy held in her arms. Bobby gave her a confused look but she simply held her finger up to her lips and climbed into the back. Eddie and Buck stopped their conversation at the sight of Mariana carrying Ethan and they exchanged a look before staring at her.
"Did you pick up a stray?" Chimney asked.
"Ethan's aunt is trying to fly here but the airports closed. So, I am playing foster mom for a bit," she explained. "Now, talk quietly or I'll kick your ass."
They grinned tiredly at her total momma bear move but Mariana ignored them, too focused on watching Ethan to make sure he didn't wake up. The drive back to the house was silent as everyone faded in and out of sleep or texted their loved ones. Mariana felt the exhaustion seeping into her very bones but she knew she still needed to drive to her apartment.
"Hey, you look tired. You'll be fine driving home, right?" Bobby asked as they filed out of the truck and into the apparatus bay. The first shift was already fixing up the mess from the aftershocks and getting ready to hunker down for the night which was a welcomed sight.
"Yeah, yeah. I'll text you when I'm in," she sighed. "Night guys."
She shifted Ethan's weight onto her hip and slung her gear bag over her shoulder before heading to her car. The young boy was drifting in and out but his arms still clung to her neck. She fumbled with getting her keys out of her bag pocket and balancing Ethan in her arms when a gentle hand landed on her arm. Mari paused in her movements and let Eddie pull out her keys and press them into her hand.
"Thanks," she groaned. "I swear I know what I'm doing."
"Hey, I get it. I'm just waiting for Buck to grab his stuff and then we're picking up Christopher."
"Did you get in contact with his school?"
"Yeah, he's fine. You were right."
"I usually am."
"You should get that little guy to bed and yourself. Drive safe."
"You too. Well, tell Buck to drive safe."
The drive was short with minimal traffic and no debris and Mari was grateful for that. She was fighting the urge to sleep and the idea of climbing four flights of stairs did not sound like her idea of fun. After tucking Ethan into her bed, she took a quick shower to wash off the grime and dust of the day and then settled down on the couch where she would sleep for the night. Before she could fully drift off, the brunette grabbed her phone and shot off a quick text to Bobby and Athena, assuring them that she was safely home. Before she shut off her phone, she saw she had another text.
From: Eddie Diaz
Get home okay?
She smiled softly and sent a quick text back.
To: Eddie Diaz
Yeah now it's time to sleep for six years. Hope you and Christopher got home safe.
She shut her eyes and rolled over, pulling her afghan over her shoulders and let sleep claim her.
A/N: so plot lightning struck me a few nights back and I changed up a big thing that will happen in the future in regards to relationships. I hope it goes well and it comes off naturally due to the fact that I prewrite these chapters weeks in advance (and my wattpad updates are ahead of y'all sorry :( but I think y'all will like it? I hope?)