The all too familiar cry of the bell echoed through the house while Hen's voice joined in. "Station 118, Station 118. Please dispatch a fire engine and an ambulance to the Meadowbrook School library immediately. Harry Grant didn't do his homework!"
Mariana took that as her cue to slide down the firepole and land neatly on the first floor before she walked over to join her boys.
"Alright, who wants to check out the trucks?" she called.
Voices filled the apparatus bay as the kids clamored out of their seats and choursed their interest. Mariana laughed and gestured her hands away from her sides.
"This side goes with Eddie, this side with Buck. I'll show you guys our equipment and gear!"
Buck excitedly led his group of kids while Mariana took a slower approach towards the ladder truck. She was practically beaming as she interacted with the kids, putting her helmet on them and letting them try on her turnout coat. The latina looked over at Buck and found him laughing as he helped lift a kid into the truck. He looked completely at ease working with the kids and her heart tugged at the image. Shaking her head, she cleared her mind and focused back on the kid standing next to her.
/
"Okay everybody, we are in tactical emergency mode!" Bobby announced as they headed towards the truck. "That means we will not be at the station today. We will be driving all around the district to be ready for anything that might come our way."
"Yes, Bobby. I do believe we have trained for this," Mariana drawled as she scurried by on her way to the driver's seat.
"Cap, you do realize we work here, right? We're trained professionals, not fifth graders," Hen added.
Mariana settled in and pulled her headset on, waiting for the all clear. Buck flashed her a thumbs up and she eased out of the garage, leading the engine and ambulance out onto the streets of LA.
"Cap, you ever see something like this?" Buck asked.
"Once in St. Paul. Blizzard took out the power grid around the call center and backup generator."
"I've been through like three of these," Hen sighed. "I'm surprised they don't happen more often. The way the city funds us, the department is held together by chewing gum and spit."
"Hey, c'mon. I like these old trucks!" Buck argued.
"Uh huh, I like 'em when they run," Eddie said.
Dispatch patched them out to a scene and Mariana started to turn them towards the street when another truck ran a red light. She slammed her foot down on the breaks and her hand down on the horn, a steady stream of curses spilling past her lips.
"¡A la verga, no mames! Te crees muy acá ¿no? Who taught these idiots how to drive?!"
"Mari, let's not start a race in a forty ton fire truck," Bobby warned. The younger woman let out an undignified snort and shook her head.
"I'd still win," she muttered.
"Do you want Buck to drive? Because he can drive."
"I thought you wanted to actually get there?"
"Ok, that was rude," Buck called.
"Can I turn off his mic? Where is that button?"
/
A geriatric pregnancy in the middle of a hotel lobby. This would be fun.
"Hen and Mari, you're up. Eddie, start fluids," Bobby ordered.
"We can't just have the baby in the lobby that's not how this is supposed to happen!" the husband insisted.
"Roger, this is pretty much how it's happened for all of human history," the woman gasped out.
"Hi, I'm Hen and this is Mari. What's your name?"
"Sonya. Thirty-nine weeks pregnant. Thirty-eight years old. Which makes me a geriatric pregnancy. God I hate that word."
"Who cares about the word?" Mari assured her. "You're going to get a baby out of this either way."
"I can't believe I'm finally gonna meet him! Here…in the lobby."
"That's alright, you're doing great," Hen said soothingly. Mariana moved around Sonya's head, being ready to keep an eye on her vitals.
"On this next contraction, we're going to push, okay?"
Sonya fell quiet and Mariana quickly tapped her on the cheek. "Sonya, what's wrong?"
"There's something wrong...with the baby."
"Nonono! Everything's fine with the baby," Hen said. "You'll be able to see for yourself in just a minute!"
"No! This was a mistake. All of it! Roger was right to panic. Look, we can't do this! I can't do this. I shouldn't have this child!"
"Sonya!" Mariana exclaimed. "You can do this! You can handle this! And when that baby is in your arms, you will know just how right you were. All you gotta do is push. Push and you will be able to see just how right you were."
Sonya relaxed and nodded. Hen started to coach her through the contractions and when to push and soon, the baby joined them in the world. Mariana grinned as the baby's cry reached their ears. Sonya let her head fall back onto her lap and Mariana quickly supported her neck and head. The latina tore her eyes away from the new mother and froze.
"Hen, switch with me," Mariana barked.
"Hen, Hen. Give me the baby," Buck called. Mariana gently set Sonya's head onto the ground and rushed to kneel at her legs.
"Blood pressure went off a cliff," Eddie announced.
"Sonya, can you hear me?" Hen gasped out.
Mariana raised her head from where she was examining Sonya and shook her head. "I need her on the rig now. She's PPH and my Pitocin is in the back. Hen, start compressions. I need that gurney!"
Bobby affirmed her orders and waved the stretcher in. Mariana pointed at her bag and Eddie nodded to indicate he had it. The dark haired woman rushed out to the ambulance to prep the drugs while Hen and Bobby transported Sonya to her.
"Hen, you're with Mari. We're taking the father and baby with us in the truck," Bobby ordered as they lifted Sonya into the truck. Mariana wordlessly nodded but focused on the vial in her hand and the syringe in the other.
"Hen, start a saline line and O2 before you begin compressions. She's having uterine atony." Glancing back at Bobby and Eddie, the younger woman shouted out one more order before they shut the door. "Call Leslie and tell her it's a bleeder."
They slammed the door shut and the truck sped out of the parking lot. Mariana injected the Pitocin into Sonya's arm just as Hen set up the nasal cannula. There was still no pulse as Hen started compressions and Mariana swore.
"She's hypoxic. Pulmonary embolism from a clot. Hypovolemic shock. Hen, I need to take over."
Hen moved aside and Mariana quickly straddled the gurney, beginning another round of compressions. Her heart was racing as she began calling out orders to Hen.
"I need you to push a thrombolytic. Sonya, you need to stay alive for your baby, okay?"
Sweat began to gather on her brow as she kept up compressions and Hen called for them to switch. Mariana shook her head, keeping with her rhythms.
"Not letting her down just because of a stupid malfunction!"
The heart monitor jumped to life and Mariana let out a sigh of relief. Just as soon as they got a normal rhythm, it dropped flat again. Mariana cried out in frustration, rubbing her knuckles on Sonya's sternum. Nothing. She continued compressions even as her arms screamed in protest.
"C'mon, c'mon! Please!" Mariana shouted. The ambulance doors flew open and she glanced up at her team and her nursing team. Eyes wild, hair mussed, and cheeks wet with tears.
"What are you doing? Let's get her into the ER!" she roared.
"Mari, she's been down at least fifteen minutes," Bobby said quietly. Mariana slowed in her movements and Hen placed her hands on her shoulders, helping the younger woman off the gurney. The nurses carried Sonya off as Mariana slumped against the wall, her entire body shaking with exertion or emotion, she didn't know. Blood coated her gloves and tears and sweat clung to her cheeks. She let out a gasping sob as Hen rubbed her hands comfortingly up and down her arms.
"How is she?" Sonya's husband asked, rounding the corner of the ambulance.
"Guys." Bobby stopped the nurses.
"Wh-what's wrong?"
"I am so sorry."
Mariana bowed her head and stared at her blood soaked gloves. Was it her fault? What did she do wrong? What could she have done differently? That child lost a mother and he wasn't an hour old.
"You were right. He's perfect. I wish you could see him and I know I was scared and worried that we weren't ready for this. And I am damn sure not ready to do this without you...but I will. I'm gonna figure it out," her husband sobbed. He placed their son on her chest as the steady, unyielding cadence of the heart monitor sang into the air.
Beep. Beep.
Mariana's head shot up as Eddie pressed his hand against Sonya's wrist. "She's got a pulse!"
Relief gripped her heart and she hopped out of the back of the ambulance as the ER nurses started to push her in.
"We pushed Pitocin and Eminase and supplied her with saline. It's uterine atony PPH that shifted into a pulmonary embolism. Get Dr Carter on it ASAP!" she yelled. Leslie flashed her a thumbs up as the gurney disappeared into the hospital.
The husband followed the gurney in but paused at the doorway, turning to face them one last time. "Thank you."
Mariana's knees gave out and she collapsed against the back of the ambulance, sobs wracking her body. Bobby wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into a hug.
"That was...amazing," Eddie breathed.
"That was a miracle," Buck added.
Buck grinned as Mariana's tears dried and she let out a weak laugh. Hen eased off her bloodied gloves and disposed of them into the biohazard bin before wrapping her arms around Mariana from behind.
"You did so good," Buck announced. "You acted so quickly. Is that how fast you work in the ER?"
"Usually a doctor's giving the orders, but yeah," she choked out, wiping away the remainder of the tears. He pressed a kiss to her temple and she shut her eyes in response, leaning into his touch.
"You amaze me, Mari."
/
"It's like a war zone," Mariana murmured as she stopped the truck in the cul de sac. Flames leapt into the sky on either side of them.
"Dispatch, we're going to need a lot more units," she called into the radio. "This is priority one."
Smoke choked the sky, clouding visibility. Multiple houses and cars were smoldering but the house at the end of the block was the one most engulfed in flames.
"Help! You gotta help. My son. He's trapped upstairs," a man exclaimed as they exited the truck.
"Cap, I see him! Upstairs window!" Eddie called. Flames spilled out of the roof and the dad and sister sprinted towards the house. Mariana caught the sister around the waist. "Ma'am, you can't go in there. I know you want to help him but you need to stay out here where it's safe."
"Mari and Buck, get the ladder up to the house," Bobby instructed. They dashed off to the truck and Buck directed her through the smoke to get as close to the house as she could.
"Hydrants are blown," Bobby announced over the radio.
That leaves us with only a few thousand gallons. Certainly not enough to end all the fires.
She focused on lining up the ladder for Buck to get to the window and rescue the kid. The second the ladder extended, she felt like something was off. Buck stepped to the end and the extension snapped, dangling over the roof.
"Buck!" she shouted. He carefully dropped down onto the ground below as Mariana scrambled down from the truck. She should have done inspections this week but she had been so busy with tours. It was all her fault.
"Eddie, what are you doing?" Buck's voice called her attention towards Eddie who was using the gutter pipe to climb onto the roof.
"Dispatch, shut the damn gas line off and send some more fucking units this way!" she roared into the radio.
Eddie climbed onto the roof successfully and tied a rope around the chimney, using it to repel into the house. Mariana felt her stomach twist at the sight of him entering the burning house and disappearing from sight.
"Cap, I got him," Eddie rasped out over the radio. "Alive but unconscious. I'll prep him for evac!"
"Cap, gas guys just showed up. They're shutting it down. All neighbors are present and accounted for. Two engines are rolling in but it makes no sense if there's no water pressure!"
The house flashed over and Mariana started to bolt forward but Buck wrapped his arm around her waist and held her back. She twisted around in his grasp and beat her hands against his chest, trying to squirm her way out.
"Mari, you can't go in there!" he shouted over the roar of the fire.
"Like hell I can't! Eddie is in there."
"And he would rather you stay out here where it's safe instead of rushing into a burning building. Mari, you can't go in. He would want us safe."
Her body sagged against his hold as the reality of the situation sank in and Mariana raised her head to meet his eyes, tears building in her own brown eyes. Buck knew there was nothing he could do or say to ease the pain growing in her heart so he just pulled her into his side. Partly to provide comfort and also to ensure she didn't try running into the house again.
"Cap, negative on evac!" Eddie's voice crackled over the radio. "Pinned down, south side of the house."
Buck pulled away, yelling something about using an extinguisher and going around back, but Mariana stood stock still and watched the fire lick its way up the walls and consume the house.
"Diaz, what can we do to help?" she asked into the radio.
"I-I'm sorry, Mariposa." They both knew what he meant in those two words. I'm sorry for leaving you. I'm sorry for hurting you. I'm sorry I'm not coming home. I'm sorry that we didn't get a proper goodbye. I'm sorry I never told you. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.
"No, no you don't get to say that. Not today, Edmundo."
A low buzz filled the air and she slowly spun on her heel, spying the outline of what looked like a plane through the smoke.
"Who the fuck got a tanker?" she called as she went running for the truck while pressing down on her radio. "Hunker down, 217 is inbound!"
"Seriously?!" Eddie replied but she didn't have time to answer as she motioned for people to follow her to the front of the truck.
"Get under! Go, go, go!"
Following them, the latina rolled under the heavy metal and held her breath. This had to work or Eddie…
She pushed the thought away. This would work.
The water crashed down with a torrential roar, soaking everything around them. She waited for the downpour to stop before she crawled out, helping those near her as well. Straightening up, her eyes trained on the door to the now extinguished house and she held her breath.
"Eddie, do you copy?" Bobby called into the radio. Silence.
"Eddie? Boy Wonder? C'mon," she choked out. A shadow passed by the front door and the charred wood flew open. Eddie had the boy carried in his arms as he made his way out of the house and down the steps. He set Alex down and Hen took over treatment seeing that Mariana was frozen still.
"What's up with the Spiderman routine?" Buck joked, patting Eddie on the shoulder.
"I don't know, I just did it," he gasped out. "I prayed a lot."
His voice broke her out of her freeze and she surged forward, hurriedly unclipping his helmet and shoving his coat off of his shoulders. Eddie let out a confused sound as she grabbed his hand and yanked him towards the ambulance, her hands shaking.
"Smoke inhalation for sure. What about the water pressure? Does your back hurt? Head? Any cuts? Bruising? Eddie, are you hurt?" she snapped as she pushed him to sit on the edge of the ambulance.
"I'm fine, Mari. Yeah, maybe a bit of smoke inhalation but I feel fine." He reached out to grab her but she twisted out of his hold and snapped an oxygen mask over his face before grabbing her stethoscope and BP cuff. Her hands trembled as she wrapped the cuff around his bicep and Eddie gently grabbed her hand, easing it to the side. He reached up and pulled off the oxygen mask and the BP cuff before setting them to the side as she turned away and buried her face in her hands.
"Mariana," he said.
The dam broke and she crumpled, sobs wracking her body. He hurried to wrap her into his arms, tucking her face into the crook of his neck. She clung to his shoulders, quivering as silent sobs ripped through her. He raised one hand to cup the back of her head, holding her steady as his other arm wrapped around her waist and anchored her to him.
"I'm fine. I'm here. Hey, hey, here. Feel my heartbeat."
The hand tangled in her ponytail drifted down and gripped her smaller hand in his. He lifted them to rest on his chest, right above his heart. Her breathing slowed down and her tears ceased as she felt the steady beat of his heart.
"I can't...we almost lost you," she whispered against his soot covered skin.
"I'm right here. You didn't lose me."
"Did you even think?" Now the fire in her was flaring. Anger coated her features as she pulled away from him and pointed an accusatory finger in his direction. "Did you even think about your family? The team? Christopher?!"
"Of course I did, Mari. I think about those things every minute of every day. But this job requires us to make some sacrifices to save people. You of all people know that." He stayed calm knowing that she just needed to get her emotions out. Expressing them wasn't her strong suit.
She opened her mouth to protest but her shoulders slumped and she stepped closer to him, regret in her eyes. "I'm sorry...I was just so scared. What would have happened if you… What about Christopher? Shannon doesn't want parental rights anymore so who would take care of him? He's settled here and...and what about the team? We need you, I need you. I need you, Eddie Diaz."
Eddie didn't even think to hesitate before he grabbed her cheeks and crashed his lips upon hers. To hell that they were on shift. To hell that they were at a scene. To hell that he was covered in sweat and soot and she had salty tears on her lips. He needed to kiss her. Needed to be close to her. Mariana melted into his touch, her mouth molding with his as her fingers tangled in his short brown hair. He slid one hand down onto her waist, pressing her closer to him if that was even at all possible, while the other slid into her dark hair. She let out a soft sigh against his lips and he nipped at her bottom lip, drawing her in again and again with sweet kisses. He pulled away, brushing some loose strands out of her hair as she chased his lips once more. He grinned deliriously, drunk on her intoxicating touch.
"I'm okay," he whispered. "And I'm not leaving you or Chris anytime soon."
She nodded against his touch, a soft sigh escaping her swollen lips.
Wolf whistles snapped them back into reality and Mariana's cheeks flushed with warmth as she realized where they were. He reluctantly pulled away from her but kept a protective arm around her waist as the rest of the team met them.
"What's the prognosis, nurse?" Bobby teased as he tossed Eddie his coat and helmet. "Airway clear?"
"I'm sure she sucked the smoke out of him," Hen added. "But now I owe Chim thirty bucks. You guys really couldn't have waited another two weeks?"
Mariana rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to the man standing beside her. Her eyes traced down his sooty cheeks before he glanced down at her. She shot him a bright smile and turned to the team.
"As his paramedic, I determine that he will still be going to the hospital for a quick check up! Can we make a quick pit stop on the way back to the house?" Eddie groaned at her decision. Bobby smiled at the two and agreed with her idea.
/
"He's fine, Mariana. You can stop giving Kelly a death glare," Leslie chuckled from her place at the nurse's station. "We're discharging him in a few minutes and then you two can be free."
"I worry! Sue me!" Mariana exclaimed as she left the comfort of the rolly chair she was spinning in. "Do I need to sign off on anything else?"
"Just that you were the paramedic that admitted him and you will also be in charge of taking him home."
Mariana scribbled her signature across the page and passed it back to her boss. Just as Leslie slid the chart into her pile of "to be submitted electronically", the doors to the ER slid open and a familiar figure hurried inside. Mariana stood up straighter, a look of panic flashing across her face for a brief second before she reigned it in.
"Shannon! Hey, is everything okay? Is Chris hurt or something?" she greeted, fumbling for her phone out of her pocket. There were no missed calls or texts from Carla, Pepa, Abuela, or the school.
"No, no. I got a call about Eddie being here? Apparently I'm still his emergency contact."
"Oh, um...yes? He's fine! Just some minor smoke inhalation but as his paramedic, I figured it wouldn't hurt to check."
Shannon let out a sigh of relief and leaned against the nurse's station. Mariana swallowed past the growing lump in her throat and offered her a small smile.
"We've never been properly introduced. I'm Mariana Ramirez, firefighter at the 118 and nurse at well...here," she introduced.
"Shannon Diaz but I guess you already knew that." They shook hands as Mariana held back her wince at the truth of Shannon's statement.
"I'm not trying to replace you!" And here comes the word vomit. Mariana groaned internally and grimaced. "Sorry, uh, I...I don't want you to think that I'm just some girl coming in and trying to take Eddie and Christopher. I love Christopher and while Eddie and I are...friends that doesn't diminish the love they both hold for you. I can't replace you nor do I want to. I just don't want to add any tension. If you want me to back off, I can and will."
Shannon smiled and she patted Mariana's hand. "Just by hearing that I know you're a good woman. From what I've heard, Eddie cares about you and seeing you here, waiting for him obviously means you care for him. And what mom wouldn't want their kid growing up around a person as great as you?"
"I've made a lot of mistakes, Shannon. I'm really not that great of a person, I-"
"Hey. I saw the way Eddie looked at you at the Toy Drive. He never looked at me like that. You're good for him, Mariana. Thank you for taking care of both of them."
With that, Shannon turned on her heel and walked out of the ER. Mariana watched her leave and didn't even realize that Eddie had finally been freed from his bed. He gently slid his hand along her hip, holding her close to him.
"What did she say to you?" he asked, grip tightening just a hint as a sign of protectiveness. Mariana leaned back against his chest and ran her hand up and down his arm.
"She thanked me?"
He looked down at her, his eyes searching hers for something, anything. All he could find was a certain sparkle that only she seemed to hold. Mariana held his gaze, a soft smile on her lips.
"Can we go home now?" he asked.
"Yeah, let's go," she hummed.
/
After reading two chapters of a new Magic Treehouse book to one very insistent Christopher Diaz, Mariana found herself in the kitchen scrubbing away at dishes. Eddie joined her minutes later and wordlessly took the plate and towel out of her hand.
"He asleep?" she hummed, refusing to make eye contact.
"Like a log."
She nodded and sighed, leaning back against the counter. Mariana fiddled with her hands before she spoke up.
"I'm scared," she admitted. "Everyone I care about leaves at some point. I don't...I'm scared for that to happen."
He leaned against the table across from her and nodded. "Me too. After Shannon…I'm hesitant. But with you, it's different. Call me crazy but it just feels-"
"Right. It feels right. And that scares the hell out of me. I can't lose anyone else. Today with that fire...it felt like I couldn't breathe. So just promise me that you won't...you won't hurt me?"
"As long as your promise that you won't run."
She held out her pinky finger and he smirked, wrapping his finger around her own before he pulled her in for a sweet kiss. She smiled against his lips but made sure to gently smack him upside the head.
"That's for scaring the hell out of me," she snarked.
"Won't do it again, ma'am. My apologies."