Jonah had insisted that AnnaBeth stay with him for a while. He told her she would never find a place to stay in a day, at least not somewhere good. She had tried to tell him that she would be fine, but he had threatened to call Lemon and the last thing she needed was a showdown with her best friend.
She decided to look on the bright side. Gabby was viewing apartments with her. Some of the guys at work had side businesses and let her store her furniture in their garages and storage lockers. They really were their own little community. She would be on shift for 24 hours at a time and Jonah worked long hours so for a short-term solution it would be perfect.
She had spent her free time stress baking pecan pie and caramel cake. She knew her waistline would hate her but baking always helped when she was feeling anxious and she could take it into work with her.
She got to work early next shift and put her pre-prepped sausage and hash brown casserole into the oven. It wasn't much but it was a small way of thanking Gabby for being there for her and saved her a job in the morning.
"You are looking lovely today" She told Connie as she walked through the common room "I love your hair like that"
"Good morning AnnaBeth" Connie said touching her hair "Thank you, Is that pecan pie?"
"Yes" She nodded "Please help yourself"
"Just a small slice" Connie said biting her lip "I'm on a diet"
"That is exactly why I wish baking weren't my way to destress" She sighed pouring a cup of coffee "That and eating crullers"
"I heard about your apartment" Connie told her "Have you found a place to stay?"
"I've got a few places to see after shift tomorrow" She said "But I'm staying with a friend for now"
"My cousin is a realtor; I'll give you her number" Connie said as she plated a piece of pie to take to her desk.
"That would be amazing thank you so much" She said throwing her arms around the older woman.
Connie smiled and patted her arm as she walked through to her desk. AnnaBeth walked through to the locker room to put her bag away. She took out a hair tie to tie her hair back and checked her phone.
There was a text from Zoe Hart 'Just a reminder that you're strong and you're amazing, moving to a new town takes guts I know – Z x'
She smiled as she text back a quick thank you and let her know that she missed her. Meeting someone like Zoe had been so good for her. She loved Lemon but It was nice to meet another woman who she could be open and just herself with. Zoe had helped her build her confidence and it had improved all her other relationships. She wasn't the person to start a confrontation, but she could stand up for herself. She could step out of her comfort zone and start a whole new career. Zoe was a true friend and if she could make it in Bluebell with what a culture shock it had been, she could make it in Chicago.
"Who's got you smiling at your phone?" Gabby asked as she walked in with Matt.
"Just my friend Zoe" She replied putting her phone away "Telling me some words I needed to hear"
AnnaBeth went back into the kitchen and took the casserole out of the oven and set it down with a serving spoon.
"You didn't have to do that" Gabby told her
"It's just a small thank you" She shrugged "I know you wanted to do more training with Herrmann now you'll hopefully have a bit more time"
"Be careful they don't get too used to that" Kelly warned her "They'll have you cooking all the time"
"I like it but let's not get crazy" She said shaking her head.
"What kind of cake is that?" Mouch asked peering over her shoulder.
"Caramel cake and Pecan pie" She replied, "How was your weekend with your lovely lady?"
AnnaBeth hadn't met Trudy yet but Mouch lit up whenever he spoke about her and it was beautiful to see.
"I love spending time with her" He said "But she wanted to go to this dance class, and it was exhausting"
"So just tell her" She suggested "She'll just love you for you because you're a nice guy, you can find things you both like to do"
"Stressed out last night?" Peter asked looking at the counter.
AnnaBeth raised an eyebrow as he helped himself to breakfast. It was scary how well he knew her already. She had lucked out having such a good partner.
"I need something to keep busy" She replied.
"You should come to Molly's" Herrmann told her.
She just smiled. She liked going to Molly's every once in a while, but she didn't want to be there every night. She missed dinner parties and town events. She was going to make it her next mission to find another new hobby.
Kelly was trying to explain the rules of the craps table to Capp for his spontaneous Vegas trip. It was originally supposed to be a squad trip but had quickly whittled down to just him and Capp. From the sounds of how the talk was going it was questionable if Capp should be allowed in Vegas, he could lose everything.
AnnaBeth decided to go and check the inventory on the ambulance. Peter came out to help her after he'd finished a conversation with Newhouse in the hallway.
"What was that all about?" She asked raising an eyebrow.
"Just a side job" He replied "I don't know much about it"
"Sounds suspicious" She said marking off the inventory list.
"But apparently it pays big" He shrugged.
"Well that's just fine then" She laughed shaking her head.
"What about you?" He asked "I heard about your apartment"
"I'm ok" she replied "They got away with mostly just things like the TV but there was some jewelry that belong to my grandmother, but I'm ok so I guess that's what counts"
"You know I'm always there if you need me" He said squeezing her shoulders "I've got your back"
"You too partner" She smiled patting his hand.
She jumped into the passenger side of the ambulance as the bells went while Peter shut the back and walked round to the driver's side. She still hated driving in Chicago. She knew other people fought over the chance to drive; it was a privilege she was happy to give up.
AnnaBeth felt like her heart was in her throat when they arrived on the scene. A mother was trying to hold her son and a balcony railing that had was broken and about to fall with the child's head stuck through the bars. She had seen plenty of children get themselves into bad situations with snake bites and scuba diving accidents but that was terrifying.
"Oh, sweet lord" she muttered as Kelly just got up the ladder in time to grab the railing as the mother couldn't hold on any longer.
Herrmann appeared on the balcony beside her after breaking in the door and Matt was up there as well. They were going to have to cut the bar to free him but there was a risk of causing damage to his neck depending on how the railing was held.
It felt like a lifetime but within a few minutes the boy was safely down and being placed on the stretcher.
"Hey Archie" She said, "Can you turn your head this way for me sweetie?"
Everything seemed to be ok, but it was still best for a doctor to check him out thoroughly. His Mother tried to insist he was fine, but she couldn't in good conscious allow a minor who had suffered a neck injury not get checked out just to be sure.
"You're welcome to ride with us" She told her before turning back to Archie "And I don't know much about snakes, but I can tell you all about my friend Wanda's pet goat and their bees"
"A pet goat?" He asked
"That's right a baby one" She replied "And her husband has alpaca's and a hamster, it's like a zoo"
She was doing paperwork at the hospital while Peter picked up some supplies when Jonah came over to her.
"AnnaBeth" He said "Always a pleasure to see you"
"Aren't you a surgeon?" She asked, "Why am I always bumping into you here?"
"Trauma surgeon" He pointed out "So I wanted to check you're not back til tomorrow right?"
"I finish at 8am why?" She asked "I'm imposing aren't I, I can find somewhere"
"No, I just have a date tonight" He replied
"Well I won't be around" She said rolling her eyes.
The doctor who had been checking Archie came over to her.
"Was there any signs of abuse that you noticed?" He asked
"No not at all" She replied furrowing her brow "Why?"
"His file is flagged" The doctor replied.
AnnaBeth looked over as an officer came in to restrain the Mother as Archie was taken away by child protective services. He was crying for his mother it was unbearable to watch.
"Hey, we should head back" Peter said putting a hand on her shoulder.
"Right" She nodded slowly "I'll see you later Jonah"
She was quiet on the way back to the firehouse just thinking about that poor family torn apart. She knew she couldn't know the full story but there was no signs of abuse just a Mother concerned about her child.
Connie was waiting for her when she got back to the station.
"I spoke to my cousin" Connie told her "She's got a 2-bed apartment, close to work, safe building and in your budget, it's available from this weekend you just need first and last and it's yours"
"Oh, my goodness" She said throwing her arms around the older woman "You are an Angel you know that, thank you so much"
"You find her an apartment, but I can't get my mail here" Mouch muttered.
"Come on I'll show you the pictures" Connie told her while glaring at Mouch.
AnnaBeth looked through the pictures. It was all just too good to be true. It wasn't a luxury apartment, but it was perfect and being in a building with a secure code access door made her feel a lot safer. It was a great location for work and had everything she needed plus a spare room.
"Please tell your cousin I'll take it" She said excitedly.
"I'll have her fax the paperwork over" Connie said.
"I owe you" She said "Next round at Molly's is on me"
She went to find Gabby to give her the good news. She was out front running drills with Herrmann. They were hitting a tire with a sledgehammer, so she decided not to interrupt them. She was proud of Gabby for going out there and doing it, she knew she couldn't cut it as a firefighter.
"Didn't want to interrupt the drill sergeant?" Kelly asked spinning round on his chair.
"I'd be scared he'd hand me a hammer" She replied "I'll stick with Pilates"
"It's not the best for weight loss though" Capp said
AnnaBeth raised an eyebrow with a hand on her hip.
"Not that you need to" Capp added quickly.
"Smooth recovery" Kelly said shaking his head.
"Well seeing as I have been sufficiently insulted" She joked "I am moving into a new apartment this weekend if anyone is free to help?"
"You should come to Vegas" Kelly suggested "I'll help you move in when we get back"
"I would love to" She replied "But Jonah is already checking my shifts so he can bring women home, the sooner I'm out of his hair the better"
"Why would he care if you're there?" Capp asked.
"Well I'd imagine if he's bringing a woman home after a date his female roommate might kill the mood somewhat" She replied
"I can help" Newhouse offered "But could you maybe watch Naomi for an hour tomorrow night, I've got a job"
"I'd love to I was going to give her a copy of the wizard of oz anyway" She replied "Just let me know where and when"
Kelly walked with her through into the corridor as she left the table. She raised an eyebrow and stopped on her way to the washroom.
"I just wanted to check in after the other night" He said with a half-smile running a hand through his hair.
"You're all so sweet checking in" She replied "I'm honestly fine now, sorry I was such a mess the other night"
"I'm always here if you need me" He said "I mean we are"
"Thank you" She said putting a hand on his arm "I honestly don't know what I'd do without you all"
"AB" Peter called, and Kelly stepped back "I heard about the new place, congratulations"
"Peter Mills what are you doing on Saturday?" She asked with a sweet smile
"Helping you move furniture?" He asked slowly.
"Good answer" She told her before turning back to Kelly "You're lucky you're in Vegas or you'd be roped in as well"
"If you change your mind about coming a long" He said "I will gladly help when we get back"
AnnaBeth was already developing a bit of a crush on Kelly, seeing him outside of work more than just with everyone at Molly's probably wasn't the best idea for getting over it.
"Let me know next time you plan a crazy trip" She told him.
"Deal" He agreed.