First Responders
3
"She said she was pushed," Kara said quietly. She'd discarded her heavy coat on a chair in the waiting room, but she was still half-dressed in her turnouts and pacing agitatedly as she waited outside the exam room where Alex was being treated.
Vasquez shook her head. "How is that possible?" she asked. "There was no one there except the guy you pulled out yourself."
The lieutenant nodded. "I know... but what if he was with the person who pushed her? Maybe he got caught in the flames trying to get away and his buddy ran into Alex later."
"But why?" Sue frowned. "Why would someone push a firefighter off a building?" She paused. "Unless she caught him doing something he wasn't supposed to be doing. Fuck... did he try to kill her, Kara?"
"Maybe he shoved her to get away and didn't realize they were so close to the edge of the slab? Visibility was poor."
"Hmmm..." the Latina nodded her agreement. "Could've been an accident."
Just then, the doctor emerged from the exam room, smiling at the two firefighters. "I have good news," she said. "Thankfully, Lieutenant Danvers' injuries are minor. She has a slight concussion and some bruised ribs, but she's going to be fine."
"Thank God," Kara whispered, her heart slowly settling for the first time in what felt like hours. "Is she awake?"
"Awake and coherent. She's in pain though so, go easy on her. We're getting that under control for her now so she might be a bit loopy when you talk to her. She needs to stay quiet and rest for the next few days."
"Understood," the blonde nodded. "Thanks, Doc." She sent a quick message to her team's group chat to let them know Alex's condition and then looked at Vasquez. "You want to go in first?"
But the Latina smiled. "I think she'd rather see you."
For some reason, a hint of a blush colored the lieutenant's cheeks, and she nodded a little. "Thanks."
"Give her my love."
Kara tapped on the door and slipped into the room to find her friend sitting up in bed wearing a hospital gown. "Uh oh," Kara chuckled. "The Evel Knievel stunt didn't work out for you, huh? How embarrassing."
"Get over here," Alex said but her face was easing into a dopey smile and, when the blonde took a seat on the end of her bed, she reached out for her. "Thanks for saving me."
Kara hugged her gently, mindful of her ribs. "You scared me," she whispered. She ran her fingertips over the older woman's face, carefully looking her over. "Are you ok?"
"I can't really move or breathe without it hurting, but coulda been worse." Alex took Kara's hand and laced their fingers together. "You look gorgeous. Are YOU ok?"
The blonde chuckled softly and shook her head. "No... not really. When I saw you lying down there... I still feel like throwing up."
"You know the no throwing up on each other rule, right?" Alex grinned and for the first time since she hadn't responded to her radio call, Kara finally felt like she could breathe again. But her breath came on a hitching sob as her eyes welled with tears. "Hey," the older woman said gently. "It's ok. I'm ok."
Her brown eyes were filled with such emotion that Kara couldn't help herself and she leaned in to kiss her on the cheek, right at the corner of her mouth. Gently. Feather-light in fact. Then she eased back and managed a smile. "Don't get any ideas. I'm still not sleeping with you."
Alex pouted. "But I'm REALLY good at ideas! Don't think for one second, I've forgotten about that conversation you agreed to revisit. I bet you taste amazing." The dreamy look in her eyes coupled with the inhibition-free words made Kara's heart and, honestly, points more southerly, stutter. "Wait, did I just use my outside voice?"
The younger woman ignored the last part. "What conversation?" she deadpanned.
"You know, the one about us sleeping together," Alex explained carefully. "We should definitely do that, Kara. It's logical."
"Logical, huh?" The blonde looked down but squeezed her friend's hand a little. "Once again, we'll have that conversation when both of us are sober. And that's not now, Sweetheart."
"Why... are you drunk right now?" the brunette asked.
"I'm not," Kara smiled. "But you're high as a kite on the pain meds they gave you."
"Oh." Alex's brow furrowed. "Ok, yeah. No sex talk then."
"I really care about you, Alex. Remember that, ok?"
Just then, there was a knock on the door and the rest of the crew piled into the room. "Heeeeyyyyyyy! Whasssssssuuuuuup!" Alex grinned and they all laughed.
"Apparently, morphine is our friend!" Mores exclaimed as she high fived the dark-haired lieutenant. But through all the commotion, Alex didn't let go of Kara's hand for one second and the blonde was happy to just sit on the edge of the bed with the woman of her dreams as she made everyone laugh.
Xx
"I see the morphine high has worn off," Kara chuckled as she entered Alex's room, a bouquet of flowers in her hand.
The dark-haired lieutenant was scowling at the doctor who had just told her she had to spend one more night in hospital. "They're keeping me locked up in this place!" she stated indignantly. "I'm a firefighter! I've been through worse than this."
The doctor opened her mouth to speak but Kara just smiled. "I'll take care of this. Thanks." She waited until the woman had cleared the room and then sat down on the edge of the bed. "Hi," she said softly. "These are for you."
"You brought me flowers?" Alex asked.
"Well," the blonde replied. "If you really want to get to the point where we talk about sleeping together, we should at least start dating first, right?"
Kara had given it a lot of thought, lying in her bed alone that night before. Every time she'd relived seeing Alex hurt in her mind, it had made her chest ache and she'd decided right then. It was time to forget Mike and move on, hopefully with someone who wanted to be with her too.
Alex's mouth dropped open ungracefully. Then she licked her lips. "Like... romantic dating... right?"
Twinkling blue eyes met brown. "Yeah, I thought we could go for coffee at a bookstore first... and then go to the library... and then maybe lunch one day and..."
But Alex had different ideas and she slowly leaned forward to fist her hands on the lapels of the blonde's leather jacket and tug her closer. "We've already done a basketball game and several dinners, and I've already slept on your couch a couple of times. I think maybe I should get to kiss you now. After all, I almost died yesterday."
"Mmmm... maybe you're right," Kara smiled as she closed the distance between them but before they could connect, there was a knock at the door and Jonn ducked inside.
"Hey!" Then he came to a complete standstill, holding up his hands. "Oh... God... sorry!"
The blonde eased back and chuckled softly, shoving her hands into her jeans pockets as she got up. "Come on in, Jonn."
Alex closed her eyes and swallowed, then forced a smile onto her face. "Hey, Captain. Thanks for coming."
"My timing clearly sucks," Jonn laughed.
"It's ok," the brunette replied, her smile genuine now. "How's everything?"
"Actually," the big man replied. "I need to talk to you."
Kara cleared her throat. "I need some coffee. I'll leave you to talk." She leaned in and kissed Alex's forehead, favoring her with a parting look full of promise, then headed out to find the cafeteria.
Captain Jones took a seat in a chair beside the bed. "So... I know you've been waiting to hear about the fate of the one-one-six."
Alex nodded. "Yeah, I have."
"Well, it's been decided that that house number will stand down... permanently."
"I see," the brunette breathed. Her chest hurt with grief, but it honestly wasn't shocking to her.
"And while I know it's hard to hear that, I want you to know that, should you want to stay with us at the one-two-eight, it would be our honor to have you."
The decision wasn't difficult. After slightly longer than three months with the team, Alex felt like she fit in. She desperately missed her old teammates, but they weren't coming back, and she wanted to honor their memories by fighting on with her new team.
"I'd like to stay with the one-two-eight, Sir," she replied. "Thank you for the opportunity."
"Since you and Zorel are at the same rank, we'll have to find a way to split the lieutenant's duties. I'm assuming you don't want to move to another shift?" His eyebrows lifted teasingly. "Based on what I saw happening when I got here."
"ALMOST happening," Alex chuckled. "I'd FINALLY persuaded her to kiss me."
But Jonn just laughed. He got up then and squeezed her shoulder gently. "Feel better soon, Alex. Bye."
"Thanks, Captain.
Xx
"And you're SURE you were pushed?" the NCFD investigator, Paul Williams, asked as he jotted notes down in his notebook.
"Why does everyone keep asking me that?" Alex sighed. "Yes, I'm sure I was pushed. I even remember seeing someone looking down on me from above just after I hit the ground. I gave the details to the police."
"That could have been Lieutenant Zorel," the man pointed out, tone slightly condescending as he glanced at the door, outside which Kara was waiting.
Dark eyebrows shot up. "I'm pretty sure Lieutenant Zorel wasn't wearing jeans and a hoodie."
"You were twenty feet away with a concussion. How can you be sure?"
Alex barely resisted gritting her teeth. "Let me rephrase. The person who pushed me wasn't dressed in turnouts."
Williams nodded. "Ok, I'll buy that." The lieutenant suddenly wanted to punch him, but she took a deep breath and waited for him to go on. "Let's go back to before you were allegedly pushed."
"Alleg... you know what? I think I want my union rep here before we go any further with this questioning."
The investigator looked surprised. "Your rep, why?"
Alex's face was stony. "Because this feels suspiciously like the NCFD trying to weasel out of paying any workman's comp claim I might want to file."
Williams swallowed. "And do you? Want to file a claim?"
Alex's face remained stony. "UNION. REP. PLEASE. Before I say another word."
Just then, her phone dinged, and she picked it up to find a message from Kara waiting.
SunnyZ: Sorry, I have to get going. I promised to meet a friend for a drink tonight. Text you later. Sleep well.
The dark-haired lieutenant sighed and shook her head as she sent back a thumbs up and kissing emoji. "I swear I'm never going to get to kiss her," she muttered under her breath.
"What was that?" Williams asked.
"UNION. REP."
A sigh. "Fine."
Xx
"I just can't believe he did that," Mike's sister, Ella, said for the umpteenth time as she sipped from her fourth glass of wine. "I'm going to fucking kill him."
Kara looked down and smiled. "You always did look out for me." She and Ella had become close over her two years dating the older woman's brother and she didn't want to lose that friendship.
"And how are you doing?" Ella asked gently.
"I'm ok..." the blonde smiled. "I'm trying to move on. I... met someone."
The woman looked like she might levitate off her seat with excitement. "Tell me everything!" she exclaimed, and Kara laughed a little at her exuberance.
"She's... amazing. Strong, smart, brave and totally gorgeous. Her name's Alex and she's a firefighter like I am."
Kara must have had a dreamy look on her face because Ella poked her in the stomach. "Dude, are you in love?"
"What? No!" The blonde shook her head. "We only met, like, three months ago. The night before I broke up with Michael actually... and we're not even dating yet. I mean... not officially." She threw up her hands and then let them drop. "We haven't even kissed for God's sake."
"Sounds like a very boring relationship," Ella teased. "No dating, no kissing. Wow, Kara, you certainly know how to woo a girl."
"Shut up," the lieutenant pouted. She took a swallow from her beer bottle. "I'm gonna do it. The timing has just been off... and now she's in hospital. She got hurt at a scene yesterday. Then this morning we were about to kiss, and we were interrupted."
"I'm sorry she got hurt," the older woman said, putting a hand on Kara's thigh and patting it gently.
The blonde's eyes were far away. "I stood on the edge of that half-constructed building and saw her lying twenty feet below me. My heart just stopped for a second. I thought she was dead." She shook herself then and looked back at her friend. "She was lucky. Bruised ribs and a minor concussion."
"Jesus," Ella sighed. "Well, I'm glad she's ok."
"Me too," Kara replied. Then she looked at her watch. "Ugh, I've gotta go. Early start tomorrow. I'm sorry."
"My fault for being so late tonight," the older woman said contritely. "Getting out the door and leaving the kids just seems to get harder and harder."
"I hope I get to have that problem someday," Kara grinned. She got up and they hugged tightly. "I'll see you soon, ok?"
Xx
Alex was waiting for her discharge paperwork. She was sick of the hospital and wanted out, so she was dressed and pacing slowly back and forth across her room.
"Honey, relax," her mother, Eliza, said with a little laugh. "It'll be here soon."
Alex glared at her. "I'm grumpy. I haven't slept in like three days. It's so noisy around here."
Eliza smiled good-naturedly. "Well, they say don't come to a hospital if you need rest," she chuckled.
"Ain't THAT the truth," the brunette snorted. She checked her phone as it chimed, and a huge smile spread across her face as she saw the text from Lucy. "Awww."
Eliza almost got whiplash from her daughter's sudden change in mood. "What is it?" she asked.
Alex handed her phone over to show her mother a picture. It was Kara in full turnouts, sitting in the driver's seat of the engine with a little boy in her lap. He was wearing her helmet (which was ten sizes too big for him) and they were both sporting cheeky grins.
"Wow," Eliza laughed. "That's too adorable for words. Who's the firefighter?"
"That's Kara," the brunette replied. "My friend." But the word didn't sit quite right with her. "She's... more than a friend actually but it's very new so..."
"Got it," Eliza nodded. "I'll try not to embarrass you when I meet her."
But then a new voice came from across the room. "Oh no, don't hold back. I love nothing more than seeing Alex's cheeks rosy with embarrassment."
The two Danvers women looked toward the door to find Kara leaning against the jamb in a navy t-shirt, her turnout pants, braces and boots. She looked a little sweaty and disheveled, and she had a smudge of soot across her nose, but she was most definitely the sexiest vision Alex had ever seen. Her long, blonde hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail and Alex just wanted to run her fingers through it. And kiss her. God, she wanted to kiss her.
"Hi," the brunette said, crossing the room and then stopping awkwardly to look into Kara's eyes.
"Hi," the blonde smiled. "I can't stay long. The team's waiting outside with the engine... but I just wanted to see you." She leaned a little closer to whisper in her ear. "I was hoping for that kiss you owe me but probably not a great idea to have our first kiss in front of who I assume is your mom?"
"Oh! Right." Alex shook her head. "Sorry." She turned to look at her mother. "Mom, this is Kara Zorel. Kara, my mother, Eliza Danvers."
Kara eased around her friend and offered her hand to the older blonde. "Hi, nice to meet you, Mrs. Danvers."
"Oh, I'm a hugger," Eliza laughed, as she wrapped her arms around Kara's shoulders and squeezed.
"Me too," the blonde lieutenant said as she squeezed back.
"And please, call me Eliza. Mrs. Danvers was my old witch of a mother-in-law."
"Mom!" Alex exclaimed indignantly.
Eliza blinked innocently. "What? She was!"
With an eye-roll, the brunette shook her head as Kara came back to her. "Will you be home tomorrow night?" the younger woman asked.
"Yeah," Alex replied. "Come over for dinner with us? Mom's staying a few days until I get fully back on my feet."
"I'd love to," Kara beamed. Then she sighed softly. "Unfortunately, I've gotta go. I'll text you later." She brushed her lips against Alex's forehead and then smiled at Eliza. "See you tomorrow."
"Bye, Kara. It was lovely meeting you."
The firefighter lingered a moment more, looking at Alex with twinkling blue eyes, then ambled out the door, thumbs caught in her braces. Alex sighed dreamily.
Eliza chuckled. "Much better than the picture, huh?"
"Yeah," Alex agreed. "So much better."
Xx
Alex was blushing. AGAIN. Kara was laughing hysterically. "She did not!"
"She did," Eliza confirmed. "She was always bringing home things she'd rescued when she was a kid. The rat was just the straw that broke this camel's back. I had to put my foot down. She pouted for days."
"Did not," Alex muttered, rubbing at her rosy cheek.
"Did too!" Eliza exclaimed.
Kara smiled affectionately at her friend. "Now it's clear why you became a fire fighter," she said softly. "Always wanting to save things. You're amazing."
Alex swallowed. God she REALLY wanted to kiss Kara. Instead, she cleared her throat and looked down. "Well, I guess I'm consistent."
"What do you do, Eliza?" Kara asked.
"I'm the Chief Medical Officer at a large human sciences company," the older woman replied.
Kara pursed her lips, impressed. "That's awesome!"
"I like it," Eliza shrugged. "Keeps me busy."
"Eliza Danvers, the humble," Alex chuckled. "What my mother doesn't tell you is that she's implemented processes and procedures at her company that have become industry standards."
The older Danvers shrugged. "Not just me. I have a team of amazing people who support me."
"Just like Alex and I do," Kara pointed out with a smile, the brunette nodding with her.
Eliza sobered a little then as she looked at her daughter. "Alex, what happened at the construction site?"
Kara tilted her head a little. In all the commotion of the previous day or two, she hadn't heard the full story either.
Alex frowned and laced her fingers together. "Kara and I had found an unconscious man and she carried him out while I went to find the source of what we thought was a gas leak." Kara nodded. "I was searching through the area when I came around a corner and saw a man crouching with his hand pressed into the breeze block. I thought he was trapped or lost or something but when I approached him, I realized he was messing with a valve. I think it was a gas main valve. I called him on it, but he jumped up and tried to run. I got in front of him, but he shoved me so hard, I stumbled back and tripped over a small stack of piping. Took me straight down and over the edge of the slab. Bam. Twenty feet down. Next thing I know, Kara was there and getting me out."
The younger blonde took Alex's hand and squeezed it, then smiled as the brunette brought their joined hands to her lips to kiss Kara's knuckles. "You're not allowed to get hurt anymore, that's an order."
Eliza smiled and looked down as Alex's face totally gave away her feelings. "Yes, Ma'am."
Xx
It was getting late when their movie ended, and Eliza stifled a yawn behind her hand. "I'm going to go to bed," she said, getting up and stretching. "Night, you two."
"Night, Mom," Alex said, poking her snoozing friend.
"Night, Eliza," Kara said sleepily, rubbing her eyes as she straightened in her seat.
The older woman headed down the hallway to the spare room and Alex got up to carry the wine glasses to the kitchen. She rinsed them out in the sink and set them on the drainer to dry. "Hey, Kara, do you want…" But as she spoke, warm hands settled on her hips, and she smiled a little.
"Yes, I want…" Kara said softly, her tone sending a shiver through the brunette lieutenant's body as she pushed into her.
Alex closed her eyes and exhaled before turning slowly and lifting a hand to caress Kara's cheek. "I want too," she murmured, lost in those shimmering blue eyes.
"Neither of us is drunk, right?" the blonde asked, her hands moving from Alex's hips to the edge of the island behind her as she leaned closer.
"No," Alex responded, her hands moving to Kara's hips instead and squeezing gently. "And neither of us is high." She tilted her head up a little, feeling the ghost of her friend's breath against her lips.
"That's good," Kara whispered. "I figured you were holding back on the wine, just like I was."
"Kara…" Alex whispered in reply and her eyes fluttered close as Kara closed the distance between them and they kissed hungrily, whimpers and moans of urgency disturbing the stillness of the room as lips nipped and teased and sucked. Then the blonde was lifting her friend up to sit on the island and going for the buttons of her shirt…
"Wait…" Alex groaned, catching Kara's hands and holding them.
"Sorry… I'm sorry…" the blonde gasped, drawing back with herculean effort. "I know we said we'd talk before…"
But Alex just laughed softly. "Don't you dare apologize," she said. "You have no idea how much I want this… I just don't want my mom getting thirsty and coming out here to get some water, only to find us fucking on this countertop."
"You're right," Kara replied with a little grin. "Bedroom?" But she slowed down as she sensed her friend's reluctance. "Hey, it's ok," she added. "We don't have to do anything you're not ready for."
"It's not that," Alex explained. "It's just… my mom's in the spare room and I… um… I'm not sure I could relax."
The blonde chuckled softly and then leaned in to kiss her gently. "Totally get it." She grinned then. "Can we just agree that we're dating now?"
"Exclusively," Alex replied with a firm nod.
"Exclusively," Kara agreed with a matching nod. "Is it ok if I take your couch for tonight?"
"How about we just go to bed to sleep?" the brunette suggested.
"Can we make out some more?" Kara countered with a grin.
Alex kissed her again. "Yes, Gorgeous, I'm pretty sure that can be arranged."
