This is an alternative twist to 2x03. For my newbie friend.
"Herrera, the floor's about to collapse" Sullivan shouted as he stood at the door.
"Incoming, need some help" Andy shouted as she shoved Evelyn out.
Maya and Ben took her, putting her on the gurney that was in the passageway. A sense of relief filled them up, they only needed to see Andy come out now.
Standing by, they could now hear the creaks intensify and they knew that wasn't good. It was now or never.
"Get her outa there" Ben shouted while Maya clutched to the wall, her heart beating at a way above average rate.
Sullivan called out for Andy with an outstretched arm and with their fingers just inches apart, the floor collapsed and Andy went crashing down.
Andy felt her world crumble and she thought 'well at least if its bad and I go out it'll be with my boots on'. Not the way she'd hoped, at the very least, not yet.
Vic, Trav and Dean who had just finished evacuating heard the crash and were about to radio in to see if everything was good when they heard Sullivan -
"Herrera! Do you copy"
They gave each other a look like 'what the hell' was happening.
"Herrera"
They waited for a while, less than a minute when Andy responded. "I'm good Cap"
Everyone let out a breath, hearing she was good.
"Hughes, bring me the rescue tools from the truck. Montgomery, Miller assess the damage on the first floor and then make your way back to the 2nd floor."
He looked at Maya and Ben who were rooted in the same spot beside the patient. "Let's call for another aid car and in the meantime get the patient transported to get treatment."
Andy could feel a striking headache coming on and she really needed to try and get out of there. Getting up wasn't easy as a few items fell on her. Luckily she was at the entrance where the items weren't heavy enough to cause any severe damage. She's sure she'd have a few bruises though.
The team was working hard to get the tools and then make a plan to get her out. Maya wanted to go down for her but Sullivan didn't allow it. He instead sent Dean.
"Herrera, a little help in finding you would be good"
"Oh, I don't know, I just fell through the floor and..."
Dean chucked. "Still bossy" he commented as he walked to her direction.
Soon enough he was standing beside her. "Good to see you're alive"
"Took you long enough, I might've died from laying still for so long"
"How do I look?" With all the adrenaline, she didn't know if there were any injuries she hadn't felt.
"You'll be fine." He spoke as he started removing a few of the boxes and items from on top of her. Soon enough he was asking for the gurney so they could pull her up.
Andy was met by grateful faces, all relieved she was okay.
"Guys I'm fine, it's me we're talking about" she tried to joke while getting up.
"Andy what are you doing?" Maya asked grabbing her.
"We still have work to do. I'm capable of moving around."
Sullivan then sent Travis, Vic and Dean to start overhaul.
Meanwhile, Maya kept looking at Sullivan telling him to do the one thing Andy will hate him even more for, block her from working. As if fate was working against her as soon as she stood up and took a step she felt dizzy and passed out.
Sullivan by now had rushed to help hold her up and put her on the gurney. They elevated her legs and within a min or two she regained consciousness. Sullivan then instructed Ben and Maya to bring her to Grey-Sloan quietly. The team had already been through it so early in the day. He'd update them once they left the scene.
He reached out to Jack to have him join the team soon since they were a lieutenant short. As the Captain he would then join the others at Grey Sloan.
The trio on overhaul, started gossiping as usual.
"Who do you think sent Herrera in?" Vic asked looking at Dean. She was still mad at Travis.
Travis and Dean shot her a look like 'where is this going?'
"Wouldn't Andy volunteer?" Travis asked. Vic ignored him so Dean cut in.
"Could be, she was all about impressing Captain Fire Grinch. Then he seemed less impressed" he let out as they broke out into laughter.
"Hmmm" Vic said while she continued working.
"Spit it out" Travis said shoving Vic. She side eyed him but then she continued.
"I think he sent her in there. She did piss him off this morning. Maybe she didn't agree with him and he wanted to show her he's in charge and whose plan would work. That went downhill rather quickly though"
"Oh how I love gossip" Dean said as he continued cleaning up.
In the Aid Car Andy as expected was bent on not going to the hospital. She kept repeating that she was good.
"For someone who just passed out, you're not good. We're almost at the hospital either way" Ben replied.
Andy just sighed and rolled her eyes. She tried sitting up slowly but felt a striking pain in her abdomen so she just laid still.
Arriving at the hospital, they saw Dr Hunt. Ben explained the situation as they brought Andy in. The doctors did the necessary tests and they saw her blood pressure was low and with the stress her heart was beating abnormally. She definitely needed some time to calm down. They then took her for a scan to be on the safe side and maybe spot any internal injuries.
"I should've known something would go wrong. She didn't want to go in" Maya spoke as she paced in the waiting area.
"Maya, it's not your fault. The floor was unstable and Andy knows the risks and she agreed with the choice to go in. She'll be okay"
"I put her in that position, I said she should go in and she wouldn't say no to the Captain. She probably doesn't even want to talk to me"
"You're her family Maya, I'm sure she's cool with you and she doesn't blame you. Go take a walk, I'll stay and wait for updates"
Maya left to go walk and Ben sat waiting.
At the scene Jack had arrived to help with overhaul and manning the scene. He was shocked to learn about the events of the day. Sullivan had updated him and told him he'd give him a call and not worry to the team unnecessarily. He then left and made his way to Grey Sloan.
Ben sat waiting hoping for the best. His doctor mind got the best of him, knowing anything could be wrong. He just prayed she would be good and could still enjoy her career.
Bailey and Meredith were walking in and saw him "Ben?"
He looked up and walked towards them.
"What are you doing here?" Miranda asked. It's normal for him to be in the hospital bringing patients but sitting in the waiting room was strange and alone at that.
"Andy got hurt on a call, Hunt took her for a scan so I'm waiting to hear how she is"
Both doctors looked at each other and then Meredith left to go find Hunt to see what's up.
"So where are the others?" Miranda asked.
"Still on the call. Maya is around somewhere cooling off"
"Okay. I have a meeting but I'll be back"
As he went to sit down he saw Sullivan walking in.
"How is she?"
"Still waiting to hear sir. Her blood pressure was very low which is why she lost consciousness. They brought her for a scan just to be sure she's okay."
Sullivan nodded. He glanced around the room noticing he didn't see Bishop.
"Where's Bishop?"
"She went to go catch some air sir. She's really worried about her"
Meanwhile, Andy went into the MRI machine and all she could do was think about how she needed her dad. She wanted to start a new chapter yes but in her most fragile moments she needed him. She couldn't put him under any undue stress though, so as much as she needed him she couldn't do that to him. She put on a strong front but she trembling beneath that hardcore exterior.
"How is she?" Meredith asked walking in to see Hunt looking at the scans.
"She has a splenic rupture. It's minor but We need to take her into surgery before it gets worst"
Meredith nodded. She decided to deliver the message since she was a familiar face.
As soon as Andy came out of the machine, she went inside the room.
"Dr Grey. Well at least I get to see you. They had me coming here even though I told them I'm fine"
"I know you're a tough one Herrera"
"So am I all good to leave now?"
Mer looked at her and Andy knew she wasn't leaving right away. "You have a small tear in your spleen, possibly from abdominal trauma when you fell. We'll need to bring you in for surgery. It's minor so don't worry"
Andy forced a smile. "Don't tell my dad, he doesn't need to worry about me"
"Herrera, family is important. You'll need him the same way he needed you very recently"
"Trust me Dr Grey I know. I just don't want him to worry now. We can tell him when I'm out and in recovery. Let's just get over with it.
Also, my team, I don't want them seeing me like this. Just have them stay away for a while."
"Andy.."
"I know, I know. I just need some time to myself. I'll be fine, just a minor surgery right"
Mer wasn't happy about Andy's choice, she knows having people; your family surrounding you is important and vital for recovery. She had to follow her wishes though. She'd revisit the convo once she was out of surgery though.
They wheeled her off to get changed and to sign the necessary documents before surgery. Meredith made her way out to the waiting room to update Ben.
Maya by now had came back inside joining Ben and Sullivan. Ben soon saw Mer coming and tried to read her but he couldn't get one. That could mean she would be okay.
"How is she?" Ben asked.
"Well after the scans, we saw there's a small tear in her spleen. We'll need to get her in surgery right away to repair the damage"
"Okay. Can we at least see her before she goes in?" Maya asked.
"I'm afraid not.." They all looked at her surprised. "She requested that she has no visitors."
"You allow that?" Maya interjected.
"It's not ideal, we do believe that patients need their family when undergoing any medical treatment and it helps them recover and stay strong but we have to respect a patients wish"
Meredith then told them she had to go but she would keep them updated.
Maya turned to Ben "Told You she was mad at me. She doesn't even want to see me"
"Maya, Knowing Andy she probably doesn't want us to see her vulnerable. You know she's hardcore and she's probably feeling all the anxiety and she doesn't want a crowd."
Maya nodded. Maybe Ben does have a point.
"Sir have you told the others?"
"Not yet. They will get here soon though"
Andy was brought into surgery and some time after the others came. They were all updated and they sat waiting to hear how their girl was doing.
Being in the hospital was harder than Vic thought; first her bestfriend/her other half and now Andy. Then them not being able to see her was too much to accept. Why would she do that? They were her family.
They all decided to wait though and at least hear how she was before leaving the hospital.
Jack kept pacing back and forth and Maya decided to take another walk, she couldn't handle the sadness filling the room.
After what felt like an eternity, Meredith finally emerged grabbing everyone's attention.
"How is she?" Jack quickly asked.
"She did great. She should make a quick recovery." With eyes still on her she could see the burning question on their minds 'can't you just let us see her'. Meredith is known for bending rules for the patients benefit but in this case, she wasn't sure what was the way to go.
As the wheels turned in her mind, she decided she would let 2 of them go see her, just to ease their minds. "I'll only allow 2 of you to see her and then leave. I still have to observe her wishes"
Maya and Jack indicated they would go. Meredith saw Schmitt walking towards them so she told him to guide them and instructed them to only observe and be brief.
She was about to leave when Ben pulled her aside. "Mer, does her dad or her bestfriend Ryan know?"
"No. She's bent on them not knowing. She doesn't want anyone to see her like that and she doesn't want her dad worrying especially with his condition"
Ben let our a sigh. "Herrera being stubborn, hopefully you can talk some sense into her"
"I'll try...I've gotta go though but I'll keep you updated.
By now Maya and Jack has returned. Maya was determined she'd stay strong, eyes forward. She was pissed but she showed enough vulnerability in one day. She then headed straight for the door. Jack updated everyone that she was resting but she looked good.
Sullivan then rounded them all up so they could return to the station and finish the shift.
They all returned to the station and did chores, inventory and whatever kept them busy.
As Vic was doing inventory Travis came to her. Not wanting to talk to him, she uttered "I can handle these myself"
" I know I thought I'd help"
" I don't need help"
"Okay. Vic, hey what gives? what's going on?"
"All I said is that I don't need help"
"You have been weird like this all day. Then with Herrera out I know you feel sad. You say that there's nothing to talk about when there clearly is"
"No there isn't"
"I've barely even seen you...it's been six weeks and I've seen you maybe twice"
"So what are you mad I didn't visit?"
"No I'm not mad but I think that you are and I don't know why"
"Okay I'm busy and Sullivan has got this giant list..." she continued but Travis cut her off
"You're busy? This is me Vic, it's you and me!"
"You and me...Fine, You told Warren to let you die. You told him who's gonna do whatever you tell him to do, to leave you bleeding out all alone where no one would find you"
"Vic"
"Except I did find you and I dragged your ass out of there. I watched you bleed out right in front of me floor after floor after floor"
"So you're mad at me for almost dying"
"You quit! You quit on Warren, you quit on life and you quit on me. You quit on me!" Vic said getting louder. "Now Andy is lying in a hospital and doesn't want us to see her! Like who does that? She could've died and she doesn't want her friends to know how she is, her family"
They were interrupted by Sullivan charging in with a raised voice "Enough! We're not doing this here. If you need professional advice there's an FD peer support program at the Civic Center every week. Take it there. Don't be bringing your distractions and your baggage into my house, on my time. Understood."
"Yes sir" they answered. Vic looked at Trav and walked away.
She already had heightened emotions and this was only making things worst.
Sullivan headed to the gym to get his frustration out. With every punch he could feel the tension fading. All he could think about was how he just started and almost lost someone. Not just anyone, he's pretty sure Pruitt would send him to his grave if something happened to his daughter. He then thought how it seems no one updated him on her condition.
He figured he'd need to do so eventually. He decided he'd risk going seeing Andy first though. He went to go find Bishop.
"Hey Bishop" He said as he saw her heading towards the gym.
"Sir."
"Could you grab a few of Herrera's things? I'm going to drop by the hospital so I'll just leave them for her"
"Ohh" Maya said surprised. "I mean okay sir"
"How are you handling it. I know you two are close"
"All good sir" Sullivan nodded and told her to leave the stuff at the front desk and he'll pick it up. With that she left to go grab Andy's things.
Sullivan went down to his office to go grab a shower and go change.
After maybe 20 mins he was ready and he grabbed the package and left.
By now Andy had been awake and just plagued with her thoughts. It really could've been it for her. She was lucky she escaped with a minor injury and a few scratches.
Meredith walked over and grabbed Andy's attention. "Guess you kept me alive to see another day Dr.Grey" Andy said smiling.
"Yea I did. How are you feeling?"
"Groggy but I guess that's normal"
Meredith nodded. She took a look at Andy's stats and they were all normal.
"So are we going to talk about why you don't want your team being around you?"
"I see you don't hesitate uhh? They're just going to create a lot of excitement and be all clingy and I can't handle them."
"They're your family Herrera and it's good to keep them close. I remember when I felt that way after an accident and I just wanted everyone to leave me alone and I pushed them away"
"So wasn't that better?"
"No, not really. I pushed them away but when they left I realized how much I needed them. Then when I let them in I felt happy and I finally understood how much they meant to me and they really helped me get through everything. Trust me you need your people around you."
"Guess I'll think about it. I'm sure one or two of them will ignore my wishes tho"
"Well that even proves how much they care about you and they really only want you to be okay."
They chatted for a few more minutes and Meredith noticed Andy's facial expression changed. She could tell she was shocked, left speechless.
She looked in the direction Andy was looking to see another firefighter. She recognized him from earlier.
"So, what's that about?" Mer said bringing back Andy's attention.
"Well..he's our captain. He downright hates me. Makes me feel like I know nothing and I'm always wrong. Just shocked to see him here"
"Ohh. Well he seems as shocked as you. I'll leave you to it"
"Come on Dr Grey. Say I'm not allowed visitors or I can't do any talking"
"You've gotta start somewhere" Mer said while walking off smiling.
Robert looked at Meredith. "Hi, just came to drop these off for her"
"You can go in. She'll appreciate the company"
Robert was hesitant as he didn't plan on staying but by the time he was suppose to say something Dr Grey had disappeared.
He walked in, "Herrera"
"Captain"
"Bishop Sent a few things for you, just came by to drop them off. You phone has been going off too, you may want to check that." He said while handing her the bag and then retreated to the door.
"Thank you sir"
"So umm, how are you feeling?"
"I'm feeling like someone who just had surgery" she said with a chuckle. "In pain and I'm bedridden. The universe hates me"
"Well you should be glad it wasn't worst"
Really? That's your answer, Andy thought. "I am truly."
Silenced filled the room for a minute before Sullivan spoke up "You know I'll need to contact your father right?"
This had caught Andy's attention. "With all due respect sir, I don't think that's something you should do"
"Why not?"
"He's my family and I don't want him here. I'm the patient I can determine who I want to see or not. I'm well enough to make my own decisions and it's a part of the job to get injured. It's not like I'm on the brink of death"
As those words left her mouth she closed her eyes as if trying to undo the thoughts that came up.
"What if he drops by the Station? Then what?"
"He won't. I'll send him a message and I won't be here long so I'll go look for him."
Sullivan shook his head. "Okay Herrera. You'll need him. You need your friends and they need you. I'm headed off now. I'll see on shift when your fully healed."
"Oh okay. Bye sir"
Andy quickly turned to checking her phone. She saw several messages from Maya, Jack and Vic. She replied to them saying she was good and that it's fine they could come visit. She didn't want a crowd though.
She watched TV for the rest of the day, called her dad for a while and waited for the day to run off.
•••••
The next day, Maya went to the hospital during visiting hours.
Once she was on her floor, and spotting Andy in her room sitting up on the phone, she ran over to her "Are you okay? What did they say?"
"I'm good Maya. I just need a few days off."
"You scared the crap outta me. You could've died"
"Well you're all emotional. I'm good though, just need some rest" Andy assured her while placing a hand on her shoulder.
Andy really just wanted to forget everything and move on. That meant letting go of any built up resentment towards Maya and even Sullivan who kept making her feel like nothing.
They chatted for a while and both felt better with the company. Maya had to leave early though because she had an appointment. Andy was coming home the following day so she decided to have a little welcome home with the team.
AN - Okay I'm out of words. Lol my brain is all mushy...anyways hope you enjoy that little bit!