"I wish I could say this was a first," Mariana commented as she stood next to Hen and Chimney on the street. "I really do."
The three paramedics stared up at the woman stuck in the window above them and Hen nodded in agreement. "Do you remember that time when the guy got stuck trying to escape his mother in law's visit?"
"He told me that being stuck in a window was better than hearing his mother in law beg for grandbabies," Mariana snorted.
"Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your ha-" Chimney started to say when something came flying at them from the window ledge.
"Watch out!" the woman warned. The three stepped back just in time to see it land right in front of them. Hen gingerly stretched her foot out and lifted the towel, revealing something that they had seen before, but never enjoyed looking at. Shit.
"Oh! And I thought the new baby went everywhere," Hen gagged.
"Geez, you could probably name that thing," Mariana added.
"Can one of you three muppets get out of the balcony and check on her please?" Bobby commented over the radio. The two older paramedics swung their heads over to look at Mariana who let out a deep sigh.
"I hate everyone on this firetruck," she muttered as she grabbed her helmet and went to join Eddie at the top of the ladder. They still hadn't spoken about the fight and so things were tense to say the least. Everyone picked up on the lack of communication from the normally snarky couple.
By the time Mariana joined him, Buck and Bobby had rammed the door open and were looking for a way to get her out of the window safely.
"Oh god, he's never gonna want to see me again. I'm sorry! I'll pay to fix that," the girl shouted back at her date.
"Okay, guys, let's try to gently pull her through. Ma'am, I need you to exhale."
Mariana placed her stethoscope along the woman's ribs and nodded. Clear airways and decent breathing aside from some shallow breaths. Nothing serious unless they moved her the wrong way or something.
"She's not going to come out the way she went in," Bobby declared.
"Cap, this is original wood. We can't just poop out the top panel." Buck winced at his slip up. "Pop. We, uh, can't just pop out the top panel. Sorry."
Mariana stifled her laughter by burying her face into her shoulder which silently shook. Eddie glanced back at her with an amused expression. Their eyes met and they instantly looked away, that creeping sense of hurt digging into their hearts.
"We have to take apart the frame. Guys, we're gonna need saws."
"You're going to cut the window? This just keeps getting worse," the girl bemoaned.
"Ma'am, just try to stay calm. How's she looking, Mari?" Bobby asked.
"Vitals are good. Just breathing a little heavy. No fractures." Mari wrapped her stethoscope around her neck as she looked up at the girl. "Are you in any pain?"
"No, but has anyone ever died of actual shame? I'm sorry, Gary! This is not how I wanted our first date to go."
"It can only get better from here, right?" he called back. "I've always wanted a bay window."
"He's probably never gonna want to speak to me again," she breathed. "And you have no idea how hard it is to meet someone these days."
"Oh, believe me, as a fellow solo, I know," Buck crowed. "Eddie and Mariana here met their special someone in each other but then they both bit each other's heads off and now they don't speak to one another because they're stubborn and prideful idiots."
"Evan Buckley!" Mariana yelped out as Bobby shot him a confused look and Eddie shook his head.
"What? You kinda are."
Extracting Tessa was easy and she passed a quick health check so Mariana gave her the green light for no hospital transport. As she descended the ladder, Eddie called her name and she paused before looking back at him.
"Buck and I are having a guy's night. Can you…?" He trailed off but she knew what he was asking.
"Yeah, of course," she immediately replied. He nodded in response and then awkwardly looked off towards the night sky, leaving her to continue her descent in silence.
/
Mariana shut the book in her hands and looked down at the little boy curled up next to her on the couch. She gently brushed her fingers through his curls and hummed.
"What'd you think?" she asked.
"Can we start another book?" Christopher answered. She laughed and tickled his side.
"You need to go to bed. I already let you stay up an extra half hour," she warned. "But, how about we swing by the library after school tomorrow and pick out a few more books?"
"Yes!" he cheered as she chuckled. Mariana helped him get off the couch and handed him his crutches.
"I'm giving you ten minutes before I come tuck you in. Sounds good?"
He nodded and she ruffled his hair as he headed for his bedroom. Mariana set a timer and used that ten minutes to pick up the living room and bring the dishes from dinner to the kitchen. She made barbacoa soft tacos and frankly, she was impressed by herself. Her timer went off just as she was putting the leftovers in the fridge for Eddie.
"Those teeth better be clean or the tickle monster is coming for you!" Mari called as she knocked on Christopher's door. His giggle gave her the go ahead to enter his bedroom, finding him already laying in bed. He grinned at her and she gave an approving nod as she sat on the side of his bed and tucked the covers around him.
"Did you and dad have a fight?" he asked quietly.
Mariana stopped her fretting and pulled away with a frown on her lips. Her first instinct was to deny it to protect him but "lying" is what got them in this mess in the first place. She sighed, fiddling with the edge of his blanket before answering.
"Yeah, I guess we did, bud. Your dad and I said some really stupid and mean things that we should have never said. We all get angry sometimes, but it's not fair to say mean things. It wasn't right of me to say those things and I need to apologize to your dad. I'm sorry that you heard us fight, buddy."
"I just want you two to be happy."
"Aw, pollito. I can assure you that when I am with you and your dad, I am the happiest I have ever been. I would do anything for the two of you. You make me so proud to have you in my life. Fights happen unfortunately. Just remember to respond with love. Ok? Love always wins."
He nodded, his eyes slowly falling shut as he drifted off to sleep. She gently removed his glasses and set them on his night stand before she pressed a kiss to his forehead and whispered a small prayer over him.
Returning to the kitchen, Mariana scrubbed at the dishes, wiped down the countertops, and grabbed her laundry out of the dryer. She was too busy folding the clothes in the bedroom to hear the front door open and shut and so when she turned to put the empty basket on the floor, Mari practically jumped out of her skin at the sight of Eddie leaning against the doorframe.
"I think we need to talk," he said.
She hesitated, her dark eyes darting between him and the bed. Mariana unconsciously pulled her arms around herself as if to protect herself. Eddie immediately softened his body language and sat on the end of the bed, simply waiting for her to move.
Slowly but surely, Mariana crossed the room and casually picked up the worn teddy bear sitting on the bookshelf she had added to their room. Her nimble fingers danced over the bear's matted fur as she approached the bed and sat next to him.
"I should have never said that. It's a lie clearly because you're an amazing father and I understood your choices and I'm so sorry," she rasped out. "I'm so sorry for even thinking it."
"We both said things we should have never said or thought. I'm sorry for what I said. You should never doubt your place in Christopher's life."
"I hate fighting. I hate fighting with you. I feel so...so trapped. Like a scared animal."
Her eyes locked with the round eyes of the bear and she blinked back the tears that threatened to well up in her eyes. Eddie rubbed his hand along the length of her spine and sighed.
"I hate it too, sweetheart. I wish I could say we will never fight again, but I know that would be a lie. We could, however, make some rules and boundaries."
"Like words to indicate we're going too far? My, Mr Diaz, you've been listening to your therapist."
He pressed a kiss to her temple and rested his forehead against her hair, breathing in the faint scent of hospital antiseptic, vanilla, and cinnamon that was such a uniquely Mari scent. She reached up to card her fingers through his hair as he pressed another kiss to her wrist.
"I love you and I want to be there for you always. I never want you to feel afraid of me," he whispered.
"I'm not. I've never been afraid of you," she admitted. "Not even since we first met. Some part of me knew you were it. You were safe. You're safety."
She tilted the bear's head up to look at him and she grinned. "This is Juanes. The firefighter that pulled me out of the car gave him to me. Every time I moved, I always fought tooth and nail to keep him with me. Bit a foster parent once who threatened to light him on fire. Sometimes I feel silly...keeping around a child's toy. But I feel like he gives me strength."
"He's safety," Eddie replied. She nodded against his touch. He reached out and paused to give her time to either deny or agree to his actions. Mariana easily handed him the teddy bear and he sat up straight, holding the bear carefully in his hands.
"Well Juanes, looks like it's up to you and me to make sure Mari knows she is safe and loved. Think we can do that?"
She let out a snort beside him and rested her head against his shoulder, her fingers trailing up and down his arm.
"You, Edmundo Diaz, are such an amazing father. Christopher is the best kid and it's a testament to you and how much you love him. I'm honored to be in the both of your lives and to see how you two love each other. Please never doubt how much he loves you. How good of a father you are. How proud I am of you."
She cupped his cheek with her hand, the pad of her thumb stroking along the curve of his cheekbone.
"I am infinitely, entirely, and unflinchingly proud of you Edmundo. Always."
He pulled her into a searing kiss before pulling away to press a kiss to her forehead. They sat in silence for a moment, just enjoying being wrapped up in each other.
Until Eddie ruined it. "So, are we not going to talk about you naming your bear Juanes?"
"You're insufferable."