One month after the family session, Mercedes was cleared for duty. For the first time in 3 months she walked into into the firehouse and sighed. She was back, listed a firefighter. She walked upstairs, Carlos behind her, smiling. DK & Walsh smiled, pulling her into a hug. Jimmy pulled her away and held her to him, almost suffocating her. Mercedes made a 'humph' noise and struggled slightly, trying to breathe. Carlos had told them not to bring up anything that had happened, for fear it would make her upset. Lieu heard the commotion and walked out of his office, smiling towards her.
"Jimmy, don't suffocate her. Boscorelli, my office, now." Mercedes walked into his office and closed the door, sitting in a chair.
"How are you feeling, Hun?" Lieu crossed his arms over his chest and looked towards her. Mercedes looked up at him and nodded. Lieu was like the father she never had. Where her father hated her and didn't care about her, Lieu was compassionate and thoughtful towards her.
"I'm all right. I still have nightmares, but not as often. The psychologist is helping a little."
"Department Psych can be helpful, but I think the best therapy for you is to get back to work. We all missed you, you know. You're 55's baby." Mercedes smiled as she stood up.
"You don't know how long I have wanted to come back. I was not meant to be a housewife." Lieu smiled and went for the door as the alarm went off.
"Welcome back." He let her out and they both went down the stairs, getting their gear on to get back to work.
The fire was at an abandoned warehouse. Looking up and down the building, it was hard to tell where the fire had started. Lieu started making teams, pairing Mercedes with Walsh instead of Doherty. Carlos watched his wife enter the smoky doorway and disappear. He closed his eyes and prayed.
Mercedes followed Walsh into the stairwell. The radio came on to confirm the possibility of homeless people in the building. Moving down the hallway on the 2nd floor, Mercedes couldn't see 6 inches in front of her. Using the wall for support, she hit on a doorframe. Feeling the door, she felt the heat of a possible fire behind it. She called Walsh to come back, and he responded.
"Boscorelli to 55. Permission to open second floor door. Confirmed heat and smoke behind door."
"Denied! Do not open the Door! Keep going." Lieu radioed back to her.
As she prepared to follow orders she heard crying on the other side of the door.
"Boscorelli to 55. Permission to open door. Possible civilian trapped."
"A hose team is on its way up. Stay where you are and open once the team arrives." As he finished talking, DK and Doherty were running up the stairs towards her. Holding the hose, they nodded for her to bust it open. Rearing the axe back she slammed the door open, feeling heat forced out. Doherty and DK walked in, hosing down the fire. Mercedes moved down the hall to find Walsh. Calling him, she didn't get a response. Screaming back to Doherty, she got on her hands and knees, crawling, feeling the floor for any sign of him. After a minute of crawling she felt a doorway and crawled into the room. She called for Walsh again, who didn't answer her.
Carlos heard Doherty's voice come over the radio about a missing firefighter. He got a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. Moving with Doc, they prepared to handle a potentially deadly situation. Lieu called Mercedes to confirm who was missing, not getting an answer. Carlos looked at Lieu who started to get an upset look on his face.
Bosco pulled up on the scene with Faith to help keep the crowd back. Moving towards Lieu to get an idea of where he was needed, he overheard the call and no response about Mercedes. He got worried and looked towards the building. Lieu moved towards the building prepared to send another team in as Jimmy came out yelling for the medics. Jimmy ran an unconscious woman to Carlos and Doc as DK came out carrying Walsh with Mercedes. Coughing, they laid Walsh down and Mercedes sat on the bumper. She had given her mask to Walsh who had lost his and inhaled too much smoke. Doc assisted to Walsh as Carlos checked out Mercedes.
"I'm fine." She coughed and spit out some black gunk. Bosco smiled, seeing she wasn't the one that was missing.
"You're going to get checked out, and I don't want to hear that you argued with the medics." Lieu pointed at her as Carlos helped her into the bus. She looked to Walsh, who had suffered severe Smoke inhalation and a minor burn to his face. He mouthed 'Thank You' and coughed. Doc got in the driver's seat as Carlos passed Mercedes an oxygen mask.
"Breathe slowly and deeply. Mo said he would meet us at the hospital in a little while."
Mercedes nodded and leaned back. Her brother always worried when think like this happened. She knew it was no big deal, but in actuality it was. She was used to it, so she just blew it off as another day at work.
"Jimmy, don't suffocate her. Boscorelli, my office, now." Mercedes walked into his office and closed the door, sitting in a chair.
"How are you feeling, Hun?" Lieu crossed his arms over his chest and looked towards her. Mercedes looked up at him and nodded. Lieu was like the father she never had. Where her father hated her and didn't care about her, Lieu was compassionate and thoughtful towards her.
"I'm all right. I still have nightmares, but not as often. The psychologist is helping a little."
"Department Psych can be helpful, but I think the best therapy for you is to get back to work. We all missed you, you know. You're 55's baby." Mercedes smiled as she stood up.
"You don't know how long I have wanted to come back. I was not meant to be a housewife." Lieu smiled and went for the door as the alarm went off.
"Welcome back." He let her out and they both went down the stairs, getting their gear on to get back to work.
The fire was at an abandoned warehouse. Looking up and down the building, it was hard to tell where the fire had started. Lieu started making teams, pairing Mercedes with Walsh instead of Doherty. Carlos watched his wife enter the smoky doorway and disappear. He closed his eyes and prayed.
Mercedes followed Walsh into the stairwell. The radio came on to confirm the possibility of homeless people in the building. Moving down the hallway on the 2nd floor, Mercedes couldn't see 6 inches in front of her. Using the wall for support, she hit on a doorframe. Feeling the door, she felt the heat of a possible fire behind it. She called Walsh to come back, and he responded.
"Boscorelli to 55. Permission to open second floor door. Confirmed heat and smoke behind door."
"Denied! Do not open the Door! Keep going." Lieu radioed back to her.
As she prepared to follow orders she heard crying on the other side of the door.
"Boscorelli to 55. Permission to open door. Possible civilian trapped."
"A hose team is on its way up. Stay where you are and open once the team arrives." As he finished talking, DK and Doherty were running up the stairs towards her. Holding the hose, they nodded for her to bust it open. Rearing the axe back she slammed the door open, feeling heat forced out. Doherty and DK walked in, hosing down the fire. Mercedes moved down the hall to find Walsh. Calling him, she didn't get a response. Screaming back to Doherty, she got on her hands and knees, crawling, feeling the floor for any sign of him. After a minute of crawling she felt a doorway and crawled into the room. She called for Walsh again, who didn't answer her.
Carlos heard Doherty's voice come over the radio about a missing firefighter. He got a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. Moving with Doc, they prepared to handle a potentially deadly situation. Lieu called Mercedes to confirm who was missing, not getting an answer. Carlos looked at Lieu who started to get an upset look on his face.
Bosco pulled up on the scene with Faith to help keep the crowd back. Moving towards Lieu to get an idea of where he was needed, he overheard the call and no response about Mercedes. He got worried and looked towards the building. Lieu moved towards the building prepared to send another team in as Jimmy came out yelling for the medics. Jimmy ran an unconscious woman to Carlos and Doc as DK came out carrying Walsh with Mercedes. Coughing, they laid Walsh down and Mercedes sat on the bumper. She had given her mask to Walsh who had lost his and inhaled too much smoke. Doc assisted to Walsh as Carlos checked out Mercedes.
"I'm fine." She coughed and spit out some black gunk. Bosco smiled, seeing she wasn't the one that was missing.
"You're going to get checked out, and I don't want to hear that you argued with the medics." Lieu pointed at her as Carlos helped her into the bus. She looked to Walsh, who had suffered severe Smoke inhalation and a minor burn to his face. He mouthed 'Thank You' and coughed. Doc got in the driver's seat as Carlos passed Mercedes an oxygen mask.
"Breathe slowly and deeply. Mo said he would meet us at the hospital in a little while."
Mercedes nodded and leaned back. Her brother always worried when think like this happened. She knew it was no big deal, but in actuality it was. She was used to it, so she just blew it off as another day at work.