Ahh airport security, to some it's a mild annoyance in their path on their way to a much more enjoyable place and experience, to others it's a more moderate annoyance. To Bailey, it was hell. Her bag was always flagged because of her medication and the detectors always picked up on her port and she had to explain to the agent that no, she had not somehow implanted a bomb or anything dangerous into her abdomen rather it was a built in thermometer and yes, that was a thing. It hadn't surprised her when the metal detector beeped but she groaned and hung her head nonetheless when the TSA agent called her over.
"Any sharp objects or anything that could injure me on your person miss?" The woman asked.
"No ma'am." Bailey replied.
"Do you know why the detector went off today?" She asked.
"Yes ma'am," Bailey replied. "I have a port in my side."
The agent nodded.
"And are you traveling with anybody today?" She asked.
"My dads." Bailey said, gesturing to TK and Carlos who were waiting a couple feet away.
The TSA agent turned to them.
"Gentlemen," She greeted. "Since your daughter is underage you will need to be present while we complete our search."
Carlos nodded.
"We understand." He said.
"Can I just show you my port so we can go?" Bailey asked.
She really wasn't in the mood for a search at 4:30 in the morning. Carlos gave her a look.
"Let the agent do her job, Bailey. We have plenty of time before our flight." He said.
"You're right," Bailey replied and turned back to the agent. "I'm sorry for being rude."
The agent smiled gently.
"It's alright hun, I know this isn't fun," She said. "Can I see your port? And then we'll just swab your hands and shoes and that should be all."
Bailey nodded and pulled up the left side of her shirt, easing the waistband of her leggings down so that the agent could see her port. The agent expected it for a moment before nodding.
"It looks very similar to an insulin pump or a Dexcom," The agent said as Bailey moved her leggings back up over the device. "My daughter has one."
Bailey nodded.
"It's pretty much the same thing just with an internal thermometer instead of an insulin drip and it's surgically implanted and I don't change it every few days," She replied. "This one is smaller than the one I originally had."
"When did you get it replaced?" The agent asked grabbing the residue wipe from the table next to her."
"Last October," Bailey said holding out her hands. "I clipped my old one climbing out of a firetruck and it tore."
The agent winced.
"What were you doing in a firetruck?" She asked.
"Reading. My dads are first responders, a paramedic and a police officer. I hang out at the fire station sometimes and I was reading in the back cab of the ladder truck. When I climbed out I hit my port on the side." Bailey said.
The agent nodded.
"Ouch," She said. "I'm sure your dads loved that."
"Not really," TK spoke up with a light chuckle. "Nearly gave us heart attacks."
The agent laughed.
"Well, you're clear." She said. "Have a nice trip and try not to hurt yourself anymore. Your dads don't need any more heart attacks.
"Thanks." Bailey said, picking up her sweatshirt and her backpack and rejoined TK and Carlos.
Together they began walking through the terminal in search of their gate. Normally, she did okay in the airport crowds when she was with somebody but the early morning flight combined with the impending long travel day just made her feel like there were extra eyes on her and it made her uneasy. She moved so that she was walking in between Carlos and TK as her eyes ran across the closed storefronts.
"Bailey." TK said, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.
Bailey's head swiveled to him.
"Sorry what?" She asked.
"I asked if you wanted anything to eat. There's a Starbucks next to our gate." He said.
"Uh, yeah, that sounds good." She said.
"Okay, how about you and I go grab some seats and papá can grab us something." TK suggested.
Bailey nodded.
"Sounds like a plan," Carlos said. "I'll be back."
TK took Carlos' backpack from him and together TK and Bailey went to find a good set of three seats to claim. They weren't difficult to find, so early in the morning the airport was practically deserted.
"You wanna tell me what's going on kiddo?" TK asked.
Bailey looked up at him and shrugged.
"Come on Bails, don't shut down on me," TK said. "You know what Dr. Stevens said. Shutting down is the first step back to-"
"Back to panic, I know," Bailey said. "I just don't like going through TSA is all."
TK nodded.
"Because of getting searched?" He asked.
Bailey nodded.
"It happens all the time but with so few people around it feels like they're all watching me, judging me. I don't like it." She said.
TK nodded again.
"You know they aren't though right?" He asked gently.
The last thing he wanted to do was invalidate Bailey's feelings. He knew her anxiety could take her to some pretty dark places and invalidation could push her there. She nodded vigorously.
"Yeah, no I know. It's just like the hairs on the back of my neck are standing on end and it makes me all fidgety and anxious." Bailey said.
TK nodded.
"Okay Bails, just take some breaths and let's take your mind off of it. You brought your sketchbook right? Maybe work on some sketches and listen to some music. Papá should be back soon with breakfast." He said.
Bailey nodded and pulled out her sketchbook, a pencil, her phone, and a pair of headphones. Carlos returned about ten minutes later carrying a drink carrier and three bags all containing breakfast sandwiches.
"Is she okay?" Carlos asked, sitting down next to TK.
TK nodded.
"Just a little anxious. Some food will help I think." TK said gently putting a hand on Bailey's shoulder.
Bailey's head jerked up and she pulled a headphone out.
"Yeah?" She asked.
"Breakfast mija." Carlos said, holding out the bag with her sandwich in it.
"Oh, yum bacon." Bailey said, a smile on her face.
TK and Carlos couldn't help but laugh as Bailey took a bite of her sandwich.
"What?" She asked, her mouth fill.
TK shook his head.
"Nothing kiddo, it's just nice to know that bacon is a solution to many things." He said.
Bailey's smile widened and she took another bite humming in delight. Again, TK and Carlos didn't stifle the laughs that bubbled out.
"And Carlos looked at me and says…" TK tapered off.
"What fall?" Carlos finished.
The whole table burst into laughter. The 118 had invited the pair out to dinner when TK had called and let them know that they had gotten to the hotel safely. Bailey was practically asleep on her feet so they'd fed her something light so she wouldn't get sick and tucked her safely into bed, letting her know that they'd be back by 11:00 and to call if she needed anything. They'd caught a cab to the restaurant since their rental car wouldn't be ready until the morning and had met the 118 at the door. Now though, they felt comfortable talking and laughing about stories of calls and life since the San Andreas fire two years prior. It felt good to relax after a long day, they wished Bailey could be there as well but she was tired and needed sleep, the introductions could wait.
The table erupted in laughter again and TK felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He pulled it out expecting to see a text from his dad or one of the other members of the 126 but instead he saw a notification from the medical app that was connected to Bailey's port. He quickly clicked on it and waited for it to load. He bit the inside of his cheek impatiently as the wheel spun in the middle of his screen. Finally the live temp popped up and his breath caught.
"Carlos." TK said, sitting straighter.
Carlos looked at his boyfriend suddenly worried.
"What?" He asked but TK didn't answer. "TK what?"
TK showed Carlos his phone and the color in it drained. He looked up at the members of the 118.
"Please tell me you drove here." He said quickly.
Bobby nodded.
"Yeah." He said.
Safe to say the 118 was beyond confused as Carlos told them the hotel that they were staying at.
"Does somebody want to tell me what's going on?" Eddie spoke up from the back seat.
He, Buck, and Athena had jumped into Bobby's SUV with TK and Carlos before they left the restaurant. Chimney, Hen, and Maddie had followed in Hen's car. TK was on the phone with the 9-1-1 dispatcher, telling them everything that they needed to know and where to go. Carlos swallowed thickly.
"Remember how TK and I said that we have a daughter? We were gonna bring her by the station tomorrow since today was so long but you guys are gonna meet her now," Carlos said and as he spoke they pulled into the hotel parking lot. TK and Carlos were the first out the others weren't far behind, as they made their way through the lobby Carlos continued his rundown. "Her name is Bailey, she's seventeen years old and she has a condition called thermoregulatory dysfunction, from a spinal injury when she was three."
"Are you serious?" Maddie spoke up. "That is like a one in a hundred chance."
TK shrugged as they moved up the stairs to the third floor.
"Welcome to our lives," He said. "I got an alert on my phone that Bailey's temperature was high. She's got an implant in her side that gives accurate core body temperatures constantly."
Chim's eyebrows shot up.
"That's incredibly handy, and a little weird." He said.
Carlos shrugged.
"Yes to both but it's saved her life more than once." He said.
"Here here here." TK said, skidding to a stop and swiping the key card through the reader on the door.
Bailey was delirious when they finally got into the room. Carlos rushed to her side.
"Bails, Bailey look at me mija." Carlos said. With his hand resting on her cheek he could feel the heat radiating off of her body.
"Carlos, her eyes." TK said.
Bailey's eyes were rolling in her head.
"What's her temp right now?" Hen asked.
Carlos looked at TK's phone and his breath caught.
"105°." He squeaked.
Bailey groaned and her back bowed in the bed as she unceremoniously tried to push the blankets off of herself. TK pulled the blankets off and practically stripping the bed in the process. She was mumbling incoherent words to herself.
"She's almost completely gone neurologically." TK said.
"Ice bath is our best bet right now." Hen said.
"There's an ice machine by the elevator. Buck and I'll get as many bags as we can." Eddie said grabbing some of the spare trash bags from the desk and pulling Buck with him.
"I'll start the bath tub." Maddie said, going into the bathroom.
Bailey was on the verge of seizure temp, they needed to get it down now. Carlos and TK were already trying their best to keep her flailing limbs from hurting Bailey or somebody else.
"Bath's good to go." Maddie called.
Carlos slipped one arm under Bailey's shoulders and the other under her knees, picking her up carrying her into the bathroom.
"Put her straight in the water," Maddie said grabbing a number of towels. "Does she have a swimsuit in her suitcase?"
"Uhh, I don't know if she packed one or not." Carlos said, putting Bailey directly into the half-full tub of water.
"Hen, look in Bailey's bag, see if you can find a swimsuit." Maddie called.
"Which one is hers?" Hen asked looking around the room at the three different suitcases sitting against the far wall.
"It's this one." TK said, picking up the suitcase with paint specks splattered on it and putting it on the bed.
Hen unzipped it and quickly shuffled through the clothes before finding the bathing suit that Bailey had tucked inside. She carried the suit into the bathroom and handed it to Maddie. Maddie looked to Carlos.
"Why don't you step out for a second," She suggested. "We'll get her changed and then I'll let you know when you can come back in."
Carlos hesitantly nodded and kissed Bailey's forehead. Her eyes were rolling under half closed lids but she seemingly found Carlos through her unfocused gaze.
"Pa…pá." She breathed harshly.
"It's okay Bails," Carlos said. "I'll be back in a minute."
Bailey groaned but nodded groggily. Maddie gave him a reassuring smile and he walked out into the bedroom to wait. TK looked to him when he exited the bathroom.
"They're changing her into her swimsuit." Carlos said running his hands through his hair and resting them on the back of his neck.
TK nodded and took a deep breath.
"She's gonna be okay guys." Bobby said.
"We know it's just after what happened in October, these drops are always a bit more stressful." Carlos said.
"What happened in October?" Eddie asked.
Carlos and TK explained what happened with Bailey and her port and the 118 looked shaken.
"She coded three times?" Buck asked shocked.
TK nodded.
"Worst twenty-four hours of our lives." He said.
Bobby nodded.
"I can imagine." He said.
The bathroom door opened and Hen poked her head out.
"You guys can come in now." She said.
Carlos looked to TK and they both nodded and headed towards the bathroom together. Slowly, Bailey's temperature came down. Carlos and TK didn't leave her side, resting against the bathtub. The 118 were scattered around not only the bathroom but also the bedroom, waiting for some sort of news. Maddie had gone full nurse, monitoring Bailey's temp and the temperature of the water slowly adding a bit of warm water every few minutes so that the water slowly warmed from cold to room temperature. Bobby had called into dispatch to let them know what was going on and to have an ambulance on standby just in case but Hen, Chimney, and Maddie were confident that she would be okay. Bailey's eyes peeled open after about twenty minutes.
"Dad? Papá?" She asked.
TK and Carlos raised their heads and smiled.
"Hey Bails." TK said sitting up taller and picking up her hand. "How ya feelin'?"
"Tired." She admitted.
Maddie nodded.
"You gave us quite the scare kiddo," She said. "Your temp is back to normal now though. A good night's sleep and some Tylenol and you'll be good as new in the morning."
Carlos looked to Maddie and gave her a small smile.
"Thank you." He said.
"Of course." Maddie said.
"Papá?" Bailey spoke up. "Can I get out of the water now?"
Carlos chuckled.
"Yeah, you can get out now mija," He said. "I'll grab you some clothes from your bag."
Soon, Bailey was in bed, TK keeping a close eye on her from the adjacent bed and the 118 were out in the hall with Carlos.
"Thank you for all of your help tonight guys," Carlos said. "Especially you Maddie."
Maddie smiled and leaned into Chim's side.
"Of course." She said.
"Gotta say though, this isn't exactly how we planned on meeting Bailey." Bobby said.
Carlos chuckled.
"It wasn't how we planned on introducing her to you." He said.
"If she's feeling up to it in the morning, why don't you guys come by the station for lunch?" Bobby suggested.
Carlos nodded.
"That would be really nice, thank you." He said.
Bobby nodded.
"We hope to see you tomorrow then." He said.
"Good night guys." Carlos said pulling the room key out of his pocket and swiping it against the reader.
He quietly entered the hotel room as to not wake Bailey. She was soundly cocooned in the blankets in her bed and the AC was quietly humming, keeping the room cool. TK looked up from his phone and smiled at Carlos.
"Hey babe." TK whispered.
"Hey." Carlos replied plopping down on the bed next to his boyfriend.
"So that was an interesting night." TK laughed quietly.
Carlos smiled and nodded.
"Yeah," He said. "Yeah it was."
TK looked over at Bailey and leaned his head against the headboard.
"How is she?" Carlos asked.
"Upset," TK breathed. "She feels bad that she dropped while we were out. Thinks she ruined our night."
Carlos sighed.
"It's too much for her to worry about." He said.
"This week will be good for her," TK said. "She needs time to just be a kid. Time to be able to let go and have fun instead of constantly being worried about one thing or another."
Carlos nodded in agreement.
"This week will be good for all of us." He said.