"No I have to go back!" He yelled, thrashing in his sister's arms. "Let me go!"
She hoarsely croaked out a "No.", desperately pulling the boy back to safety.
"I have to! I'm supposed to protec-" His sentence was cut short with a loud bang, and the house he used to call home erupted in flames. He was pushed onto the ground by the impact, short breaths escaping his ajar mouth.
The heat was unbearable, he could feel it from where he was on the ground. It was like he was sitting right next to the oven, his face pressing onto the glass, watching those cupcakes rise. Except this time, nothing rose. Everything fell.
His home, his family. All gone. Within half an hour. His brother was dragged away from him, into a car, with some stranger, and gone forever. He was the oldest, he was supposed to protect him. Now his brother has to live with some unknown parent, who knows nothing about him. His sister desperately held onto his own arm, clawing at the skin, blood seeping out through the small cuts. "I love you." She mouthed, as she was brutally taken away by yet another stranger, into some unknown home. She can't hear or speak, the family won't be able to understand her. They don't know sign language. He does, why don't they take him with her. She must be so scared.
He sat on the back of the ambulance, witnessing his only family being driven away. Her hand pressed onto the back window, her eyes longing for him. How he wished he could've saved her.
"Jack? It's time to go," A lady said next to him, holding her hand out for him to grab.
"No." He stubbornly replied. "I don't know you."
"You will very soon buddy, I'm going to bring you home okay? The parents will take good care of you." She insisted, grabbing onto his arm and dragging him onto her car.
He sat in the backseat, and stared out the window. The one place that felt like home, was just ruined by some fire. The red was slowly but aggressively engulfing the building, which was nothing but some broken piles of wood by now. Everything he owned, memories he made, all gone in a spark.
"Gibson. Ey Gibson. Earth to Gibson!" A few slaps on the cheek followed the words. Jack looked around the room. He wasn't in that burning building, not sitting in that lady's car. He was in the beanery, his coworkers all staring at him, concerned laced on their faces
"You good Gibson?" Miller called out, his hand on his shoulder. "You should take this shift off, I mean you worked two double shifts this week and nothing has happened right now. Taking a day off won't hurt anyone. If anything happens, we could just ask one of the B-shifts, I'm sure they would be glad to work with someone as awesome as us." Chuckles were heard from the group.
"Nah guys, I'm fine, just tired really." He stood up, straightening his uniform. "Gonna get some coffee." He walked over to the coffee maker and placed a cup under the opening. The black liquid poured out, splashing a few droplets onto his exposed hand.
"Guys. Duty calls. Gibson and Montgomery, you are on Aid Car today. Herrera and Warren, Engine. Hughes, you follow engine. Miller and I will take the Ladder, Bishop you follow." Sullivan's voice was loud, and it was worsening the headache Jack has already.
"Yes sir," The group all chimed. Robert Sullivan was assigned to Station 19 right after the skyscraper incident, and let's just say he could really be a pain in the ass sometimes.
"Lineups in 10." He announced before leaving the room and groans were the only reply he got. "Montgomery, you're missing the belt." Hughes laughed as Travis stood up, covered his man parts and rushed to the locker room, presumably to find his long lost belt.
Jack leaned on the kitchen counter, sipping on his coffee and just hoping the caffeine will kick in soon. He was exhausted, from the double shifts and the insomnia. He needed to work to get his mind off things, not sit there and be sad and cry about it.
The group ended the conversation and started packing up, placing their dishes in the sink and wiping off the table. "Who's on dishes today?" Bishop asked, really to no one in particular.
There was silence among the group before everyone raced to touch their noses and a chorus of "Not it" was heard. Jack didn't even bother, he let out a sigh and pulled a smile on his face before saying, "Guess I'm the one."
The group laughed and eventually left the beanery, leaving Jack alone with his thoughts. He was in the middle of washing Miller's cup, mentally gagging at how gross it is when he felt a person next to him
"You sure you okay? After the skyscraper and everything, it was pretty intense man." Jack almost flinched at the mention of the skyscraper, he tried so hard to forget it, yet it seems everyone was trying to remind him of him almost dying under that vent.
"I'm fine Montgomery," He snapped, putting Miller's mug on the rack. Travis was still standing there, his brows were furrowed as he stared at him. He sighed, turning off the tap and dried his hands on the towel, "I'm fine really. Flattered you're caring, not flattered you are annoying me," He said, shaking the excessive water out of his hands.
"Okay then I trust you man," He said, raising his hands as if he was surrendering, "Just concerned, that's all." Jack nodded, giving him a small smile and left for the stairs.
Sullivan's eyes were stern and intimidating as his tall figure hovered over them, he nodded at Herrera, then Hughes and then it's him.
Please leave. Jack thought, praying to heaven that Captain wouldn't notice anything unusual.
"You alright there Gibson? You look tired." He said, stopping right in front of Jack and looking him in the eyes.
"Y-yes sir, I am just tired. Long week." He said, keeping his gaze on Sullivan's nose, not daring to look at him directly in his eyes.
"Take the week off after this shift, you deserved it." He said, preparing to walk over to Travis.
"Sir, I'm really fi-" He tried to object, he really don't want to be alone right now, he didn't want to relive the skyscraper again, on his own.
"Stay at home Gibson. That's an order." Sullivan said, his face emotionless as he barked the orders in Jack's face.
"Yes sir," He said in defeat, his head hung low as he saw Sullivan's shoes move to his right.
"Montgomery, glad to have you back. How are you feeling?" He said. "Better now, Grant has been taki-" "Keep your personal life personal Montgomery." The captain interrupted and Travis' mouth slammed shut.
"Listen to me carefully crew. You are one of the best stations in SFD, and I plan to continue this legacy until the day I retire alright?" He said after checking out Warren, who was last on the line.
"Yes captain." The group called out. "Dismissed, and someone please clean the ladder, it's filthy." The captain announced.
The group was just about to relax and go do their chores, the announcement rang out, "Station 19, full response needed, structure fire at Delmont Street."
Everyone rushed to their spots, started taking off their shoes and slipping on the boots and their coats and got into the car and slammed the door.
Jack hopped to the passenger side as Travis opened the door to the driver's seat. "Let's go!" Captain's voice rang through their headphones.
"Ready to go save some lives Gibson?" Travis said as he turned on the Aid Car's engine and the engine roared to life.
"As ready as I can be Montgomery, let's go." And Travis stepped on the pedal and the car rushed out the station.
They arrived in downtown in no time and hoped out of the car. The group huddled together and started to talk about their plan. "Gibson what do you see," The captain said, and Jack looked at the building.
"Fire seems to be on the top floors so we need to keep the people above the fire-line if they are still in the building and in the higher floors. Evacuate the people and some needs to go to the active fire to relieve it and get it contained." Jack said, his heart pounding in his chest. He's not ready to run into another building just like the skyscraper.
"Good. Montgomery and Warren, stay in Aid Car to help civilians. Miller, pair up with Hughes and sweep the lower floors to check if any civilians are there. Brief 35 when they arrive and then head up to the upper floors to contain civilians up there. The rest, head to the active fire and start putting it out. Clear?" The captain barked, putting on his helmet and grabbing a fire extinguisher beside him.
"Clear!" "Crystal!" Were heard among the group and soon after that, people went to their respective posts. Travis and Ben ran to the Aid Car to prepare for potential injuries. Jack put on his helmet and looked at Andy, who was doing the same.
"You ready Gibson?" She said, holding out a fist bump. "Hell yeah," He replied and returned the bump.
They ran up to the floor of the active fire, which turns out it was the 18th floor. Andy and the captain was already using their fire extinguisher to put out the fire but Jack couldn't do anything but stand there. Frozen.
"Gibson, head in the game please!" He heard Andy yell over the crackling fire.
Focus Gibson. Focus. It's just a fire, you are a firefighter. You've done this before. He tried to convince himself.
"Gibson! Focus!" He heard the captain.
"Sorry," He yelled back, and started to work on extinguishing the fire.
The fire was almost out when an explosion went off somewhere on the floor. Jack flinched as the explosion went off, the loud bang ringing in his ear.
"The building isn't going to hold for very long, get everyone out now. Gibson, can you close all the exits, make sure the fire doesn't jump floors. And then get the hell out." The captain said, calling out over the fire.
"Yes sir, on it." Jack answered, a smirk on his face. But his heart was doing flips and somersaults, pounding against his ribcage. He didn't want to go. He don't want to die again.
"Can I go with sir?" Jack whipped his head to the owner of the voice. Vic.
"You sure Hughes?" Sullivan asked, putting out one of the smaller fire caused by the explosion.
"Positive," She answered. Jack saw the captain gave the thumbs up and left them.
"Let's go Gibson," Vic said before pulling Jack to close those doors.
"You sure you okay Gibson?" She said as she checked the floor.
"I'm fine. Seriously people need to stop asking me that," Jack snapped, truly annoyed at how everyone is suddenly bombarding him with concerns and questions. Can't a man just save people in peace?
"Okay then, lets split up, you cover the West wing and I'll finish off the East. Meet me by the west wing stairwell, there are more stairwells on the west, it'll take longer for you to cover them all." She said as they reached one of the exits.
"Stay safe Hughes."
"You too Gibson."
Jack went off, closing all possible entrances that connect this floor to the others. It took a while, but he made it to the stairwell Vic mentioned earlier.
"Vic?" He called out. No answer. "You there Hughes?" He yelled again.
This cannot be happening right now.
He grabbed his walkie and called, "Vic you there?" The only sound produced was some static noises. He contemplated and let out a huff of breath, closing the stairwell before bolting to the east wing.
"Vic? Yell out so I can locate you," He called out, pushing debris out of his way as he tried to find his partner. He begged to not hear the deafening noise of the PASS device.
And to his dismay, the beeping got louder as he walked closer.
"Vic? You awake?" Jack picked up his pace as he tried to jump over fallen shelves and toasted chairs to get to his partner. The beeping was getting louder and louder as he walked closer to one of the stairwells.
"Hughes? Goddamnit, I should've let you go with Sullivan and Andy," He mumbled to himself as he saw a fallen shelf and a figure underneath.
"Oh my god Hughes, okay girl, stay with me," He said, rushing over to the shelf and yanked the metal shelf away.
Victoria was lying there, conscious but barely awake. "Hey answer me Vic," He said, patting her shoulder.
"Hey Gibson," She weakly croaked out. "Get us out of here will you?"
Jack furiously nodded and picked up Victoria, thank god she was light and ran down the stairs.
"Gibson, status now." Captain's voice rung and echoed in the stairwell.
"Oh Captain, I've never been so glad to hear your voice," Jack let out a sigh and glanced at the number on the wall. "Exits has been secured but Hughes was injured during the process, I am now in the east main stairwell, 7th floor, coming down. Have an aid car prepped and ready to check Hughes for any potential injuries." He said into the walkie talkie and quickly jogged down the stairs.
"Good work Gibson, get here safe, from the floor, building isn't holding much longer." Jack replied with a firm yes and ran down the stairs.
He was about half a flight down when he tripped over something, Victoria tumbling out of his arms. "Guys! Help!" He called out as he felt a sharp pain in his ankle.
Andy and Ben's head poked through the stairwell and their eyes widened almost in sync, Jack would have chuckled if he wasn't in so much pain.
"Two gurneys over here now!" Herrera yelled as Warren picked up Victoria and presumably to get to one of the coming gurneys.
Jack looked back at what he tripped over, and realized he tripped over an unconscious person. He hopped onto his one good feet and knelt in front of him, placed two fingers under his jaw
No pulse.
"Gibson get on that gurney now. The building is about to goddamn collapse." Andy said in a rushed voice.
"No, we got a victim over here." He said, "No pulse, possibly head trauma, need to get to the Aid Car asap." He barked the orders, helping Andy lift the unconscious man over and onto the gurney.
"Another injured. No pulse, give me a LIFEPAK now!" Andy yelled out. "Now let's get you out big guy." She said, slipping an arm under Jack and lifted him up.
"I can walk Andy get off of me," Jack said, in a rather rude tone, pushing Herrera off of him and tried to stand back on his one good leg.
"Stop trying to be a macho man and let me help you you big idiot. Your ankle could be broken and you don't want to be stuck in reception for the rest of your life do you?" She yelled back, lifting Jack rather forcefully up. "Clear up one of the Aid Cars, injured firemen,
He couldn't help but lean onto Herrera, limping as they made their way to one of the empty Aid Cars and sat on the back of the truck. "Fix me up and let me go, I'll be fine." He grumbled, taking off his helmet and tossing it onto the floor as he took the oxygen mask from one of the doctors.
"I need to get you to a hospital to get you checked for your ankle." Jack shook his head, still breathing heavily into the mask.
"At least take off your boot and let me check your ankle." The doctor said, basically grabbing Jack's boot and yanking it off from Jack's leg.
He tenderly touched two fingers onto the swollen joint, causing Jack to yelp in pain.
"Thankfully it's just a sprain, I'll get you in a compress bandage and ice it when you get back to the station. And for the love of god, stay off your feet for at least a week. Come back and check in on us next week, until the doctors give you an all clear, you are not allowed to run, or do any stupid things you firefighters tend to get yourselves into." The doctor groaned, and left to tend another patient.
Jack sat on the back, and saw Hughes being lifted into an ambulance. He got up, probably shouldn't have as he felt a sharp pain spread through his entire leg as his knee gave out and collapsed on the floor.
"Jesus Christ, what is it with firefighters and their reckless behavior." The same doctor, who probably heard the painful scream Jack let out when he collapsed came over. At the same time, Andy, who was only in her crew shirt and suspenders rushed over to Jack.
"I-Is Hughes alright?" Jack said, panting and wincing at the same time, his hands rubbing his ankle as if it would soothe the pain.
"She probably has a broken rib from the fallen shelf but nothing she can't take care of. It's Victoria, she's tough," Andy said, her hand on Jack's shoulder as a comforting gesture. "How are you, how's the ankle doing." She asked, her eyes laced with concern.
Jack hated that look. Pity and concern and sympathy. He has been getting that look from everyone ever since he told Miller that he used to be a foster kid and lived in a group home. He's an adult now, he can take care of himself. He doesn't need anyone to pity or baby him. He knows Andy is just caring for him but he can't help but feel that way.
"Seen better days." He said, looking up to her with a small smirk on his face. Andy replied with a chuckle and a smile.
"Your sprain is bad okay, you should be thankful it's not broken. Now please stop walking and just rest." The doctor stood back up after examining his ankle.
"I'll help you back to the engine." Andy said, offering him a hand.
Jack smiled, and stood up, holding onto Andy for balance as he threw his arm over her shoulder and felt her arm around his waist.
"Now let's get you home big guy," She stated as the two started walking, more like limping, back to the truck and back to the station.