Title: Turmoil
author: Cindy Ryan
notes and summary: See part one
"You're more of a bear than normal."Angela Lopez commented as she stood by a food truck at noon on Friday. "What's eating you?"
Tim glared at his friend then sighed and ran a hand over his face. He walked to a nearby table that was a bit away from the others and sat. He knew Angela would follow and she sat down across from him with her tray of soft shell tacos.
"Lucy's struck up a friendship with that firefighter she saved."Tim began gruffly.
"In this profession you know she's going to have male friends, right?"Angela countered with a raised eyebrow. "Or have you gone caveman?"
Tim rolled his eyes and took a half hearted bite of his steak and cheese panini. He stabbed a fry in ketchup and took a bite trying to organize his thoughts.
"No, I haven't gone caveman."Tim replied a bit more snappish than he intended. "I just think Diaz is not interested in friendship."
There he'd said it outloud. And he sounded like a jealous boyfriend even to his own ears. But facts were facts.
Angela smirked and leaned back in her chair. Tim knew what she was thinking but he wasn't going to raise to her bait.
"You're jealous!"Angela exclaimed with a delighted smile. "You are human under all that hard shell."
"Not the point."Tim countered.
"I bet Diaz being on the task force isn't helping things."Angela commented her smile fading.
He looked past Angela to where Lucy sat with Nolan and West. She looked relaxed and happy a far cry from this morning with the confrontation in the hall. Tim hated that their relationship was causing her pain with the fallout. If she was tempted by Diaz...Tim shook off the thought. He trusted Lucy, but he knew their current situation wasn't easy but it wasn't going to last forever. Still the thought niggled at him that Diaz could be competition.
"No."Tim ground out as he slumped back in his chair.
The humor left Angela's expression as she sat forward.
"You're worr..."Angela began.
Both their radios crackled to life.
"All units."Dispatch called. "Four alarm fire in progress three hundred block of ninth street in Manhattan Beach. Possible arson."
"Duty calls."Tim said as he stood.
He listened as everyone around him responded to the call. As he left the table Tim caught Lucy's gaze briefly. A millisecond passed between them. A look that said be careful and I love you without words. Then Tim tossed his half eaten lunch in the trash and ran for his squad.
Lucy felt a sense of Deja Vu when they arrived on the scene of the fire. Brick building that had been a bar or a restaurant engulfed in flames. Fire spreading to the next and two engines from the one eighteen at the front of the line. The difference this time was the police had more to do than crowd control. Looters were attacking nearby businesses. The rookies and their T.O's split and covered the next three blocks.
Lucy and her T.O arrested one looter and put the twenty something blond man in their squad then went back to help West and Lopez. The business was a small convenience store with maybe ten rows of food and other supplies. The manager was in a standoff with one of the looters. Both had guns drawn on each other. Lucy stood next to Jackson as her friend began to try ot defuse the situation. They were close enough to the fire to be in the danger zone. Lucy could hear debris falling even from where they were in the back of the store. Smoke was drifting in from the street. They had to end this quickly and get everyone to safety but she had a sinking feeling that wasn't how this was going to go.
Tim was among the officers helping to evacuate nearby buildings. He'd reached the street when he'd heard the call from Lydell and the standoff with the looters. Tim cursed and grabbed his mic the air was thick with smoke and his skin felt dirty from the soot. He radioed that he was on his way to assist. Halfway there Tim met up with Bishop and Nolan. They quickly came up with a plan and made their way to the small store. Just as they reached the sidewalk Tim heard an ominous creak from the building that was on fire. He looked over and then up. Half the second floor fell into a firey heap on top of the roof of the store Lucy and the others were currently in.
"Scatter!"Tim ordered.
They hunkered down behind one of the nearby SUV's and watched in horror as the convenience store quickly caught fire. Tim grabbed his radio and yelled into it to be heard over the noise of the scene.
"We've got officers and civilians trapped! Al's convenience store!"Tim thundered.
"Oh God."Nolan said from his spot between Bishop and Tim.
Tim looked in time to see the front section of the store fall inward taking part of the roof with it. The glass front doors shattered on impact. Once more Tim snagged his radio.
"Bradford to Chen."Tim called.
No response.
"Bradford to Chen respond; what's your twenty?"Tim repeated struggling to keep the emotion out of his voice.
The only answer was the crackle of the flames.
The one good thing about them being in the danger area was the falling debris on the roof was enough of a distraction for West to end the standoff and arrest the looter. The manger had just put his gun down when the front wall of the store collapsed inward. Lucy swore under her breath.
"Is there a backdoor?"Lydell demanded.
"Y-yes."The manager replied as he started to cough.
"Move!"Lopez ordered herding everyone to the back of the store.
All first responders at the fire scene were on the same radio channel. Eddie Diaz heard the LAPD's call about people trapped. He looked over at Bobby who nodded.
"You and Buc; meet up with the one fifteen. They've started attacking that fire."Nash ordered crisply. "Be safe."
"Yes, Sir."Buc and Eddie acknowledged as they left their truck and went to the other station's.
As they neared the one fifteen Eddie heard Bradford's radio call and it chilled him.
"Bradford to Chen, respond; what's your twenty?"
Eddie exchanged a worried look with Buc. They regrouped with the one fifteen and got in position. Seconds later water was attacking the flames.
They were all coughing by the time they exited the store and ran into the alley. The alley led to the street behind the fire. West was in the lead followed by Lopez, the two looters, Lydell, the manger and Lucy. Lopez had got midway up the alley when they heard a crack from above. Everyone looked at the fire. There was a building between them and the main fire but it was small and one story nearly half the width of the building they'd left. Not much protection at all. Another crack and the ground shuddered as something heavy fell.
"Go, go!"Lopez ordered.
They were close to the street when the manager stumbled and fell. Lucy stopped to help. She saw the others scramble to the alley's exit.
"Come on,"Lucy urged as she helped the middle aged man to his feet. "We're almost there."
Just as they began to run once more a timber of fiery wood fell from the roof of the neighboring building. It was large the length of a normal tree trunk. Lucy yanked the manager to the ground covering both of them as the burning wood crashed and blocked their only way out.
