A/N – Thanks for the comments and glad you enjoyed the earthshaking events. I was going to make the fracking the reason for an earthquake, but there hasn't been a fracking event in real life that has caused the damage I needed. I used my earthquake experience on this one. 16 people died in the apt. complex next to me because it collapsed onto the first floor. Crazy…

Chapter 12

Robin and Noah moved back so they could get access to Sarah.

"Are you in any pain?" Johnny asked.

"A little, but it's not bad. I can wiggle my toes and don't think anything is broken."

He turned to Jason. "How so you want to do this?"

"We'll lift and Robin and Noah can pull."

Noah got on his knees and Robin mimicked him. "We need to keep her neck steady."

"Okay."

Jason counted to three and they hoisted it up as Noah and Robin carefully pulled her away and then pulled the bench, which had collapsed, off her.

Once the locker was placed onto the floor, Johnny rushed to her side.

Seeing the worry in his eyes, she touched his face. "I'm okay."

"We need a gurney to transport her," Jason said. Even though Sarah thinks she's okay, they didn't want to take any chances that there was internal bleeding or nerve and muscle damage.

"I'll stay with her," Noah said. "There are lots of people who need help."

The door swung open. "Everyone okay in here?" Dante asked.

"We need a gurney for Sarah," Johnny said.

Dante wheeled one in and they put her on a back board and then lifted her. Once she was situated, Johnny kissed her and Dante pushed her towards the stairwell where his partner is waiting.

"Let's go get your girl."

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Elizabeth sighed as she drummed her finger tips against the floor. "Piph?"

"Yeah."

"Is the whole hospital ruined?"

"I don't think so. Kelly said the peds wing is good, but has some superficial cracks and needs some cleaning up. This area took the brunt of it. We'll probably have to move towards the heart wing or something. Until they stabilize the floor above us, this wing will be out of commission." Equipment can be replaced, but she just hopes that the loss of life will be low.

Jason and Johnny stopped next to Epiphany. "Francis is on his way with a chainsaw."

"You're going to cut me up?" Liz asked.

Jason grinned. "Only a little bit."

"Will it hurt?"

"Yeah, but Jason will hold your hand."

"Hi, Johnny."

"Your sister is being sent to Mercy for some tests."

Liz frowned. "Are you being cautious or is something seriously wrong?"

"Cautious—Noah didn't want to take any chances."

"Okay."

Francis and Max moved towards them. "Let's do this."

Jason nodded. He can't wait to see her again. Carefully, they started removing debris until they could see the top of desk.

"Almost there, Elizabeth," Francis said.

"Baby, cover your face or turn to your side," Jason said.

"Okay."

Fifteen minutes later, she stands after they had cut a chunk of the counter out.

Jason grinned when their gaze finally locked and then reached over the debris and lifted her. They hugged for a long moment before separating.

"Thank you for coming for me."

"Always…" He perused her arms and face to make sure there are no cuts. "Are you hurt anywhere?"

"I'm sure that I'll be sore later, but I'm fine."

Francis's gaze went to Epiphany who didn't seem quite right. "You okay?"

"I'm a little dizzy."

Johnny knelt next to her. "What aren't you telling us?"

"I have a headache."

"Do you remember hitting your head?"

"I blacked out at one point, so I'm not sure."

Noah moved forward and tested her pupils. "Is everything blurry?"

"From time to time…"

"You probably have a concussion. Let's get her outside to triage."

They helped her stand.

Leo ran towards them. "There are people stuck in the elevator."

"Jason, take Elizabeth and Epiphany outside and Max, Johnny, and I will check things out," Francis said.

"Okay."

He slipped his arm around Piph's waist and they headed to the staircase.

Liz smirked. "You know, if you just wanted Jason's attention, you didn't have to go through all of this trouble."

Piph smiled. "I just can't get nothing by you."

"You try, but I'm always one step ahead of you."

Kelly approached them holding a little girl in a hospital gown. "Are you going downstairs?"

"Yeah. You want me to take her?"

"If you could, her parents are at the information booth."

Liz gathered her in her arms. "You ready for an adventure?"

The little girl smiled and then laid her head on Liz's shoulder and they headed outside.

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When they got there, Audrey caught a glimpse of Liz and breathed a sigh of relief.

"She looks fine," Patrick said.

"Why are you really here?"

"Maybe I just needed to see that she is okay. I've been thinking about her a lot."

Audrey turned to face him. "I think you should go."

His gaze snapped to hers. "Why?"

"She's in a good place right now and I don't want to see you ruin her progress."

"I love her."

"You have a funny way of showing it. Go home, Patrick and let her be. It's a disaster around here and she needs to focus."

He sighed heavily. "I don't want to hurt her."

"She made her choice and you need to respect it. Can you give her a little more time? Please."

"I'll leave for now, but I'll be back soon. How will you get back home?"

"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

After he turned to walk away, she breathed a sigh of relief and then made her way to her granddaughter.

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For the next three hours the firemen worked to free anyone who is trapped and the doctors and nurses worked tirelessly to stabilize and treat as many of the injured as they could. Audrey helped out with putting together a roster so they could track everyone since the electricity is out and they are using generators.

Jason took a swig of water as he rested on the grass. "This could have been a lot worse." Only three people had died and they had been through the whole building.

"Yeah. Dante was just here and said he saw Sarah. She's going to bruise pretty badly, but nothing is broken," Johnny said.

"That's great. Are you going to take care of her?"

"If she'll let me..."

Sonny rounded them up. "We have a search and rescue at an apartment building where people are trapped."

They rolled out and an exhausted Elizabeth sat on a blanket with her grandmother and Monica who had gotten to the scene as soon as she could.

"How did the mansion hold up?"

"It's fine. We lost some dishes, wine, and things fell over, but everyone except Cook is safe and accounted for, what about you?" He had the day off and the cell towers were spotty.

Audrey shrugged. "I lost all my favorite china and my kitchen is a wreck, but other than that, I'm just thankful it's still standing."

"I checked and my car is fine, so we can probably pick up Sarah soon," Liz said.

"I have a confession," Audrey said.

Liz's brow rose. "Why do I have a feeling that I'm not going to like what you say next?"

Her Gram's face scrunched up.

"Patrick was here."

"What?"

"He initially said that he wanted to see Noah, but I think that was a lie because he had showed up at the house. That's how I got here."

Liz averted her gaze. "You said he was here, so what did you say to him?"

"I asked him to leave and that you had made your choice and he left."

"I'm not mad. It's just thinking about him makes me sad."

"I get it. Hopefully, he'll stay away."

They are interrupted by a nurse who needs Monica's assistance.

"When is your shift over?"

Liz gazed at her watch. "I guess I have an hour. Who do I clock out with?"

"Dr. Ford is in a booth and has a clipboard. Just tell him your hours and he'll make note of it."

"Okay."

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The men are stunned when they pull up to the apartment building. It's amazing how one structure is fine and the one next to it is completely thrashed. Both look like they have parking ports under them, but the other one looks fine aside from a few cracks in the façade.

"There used to be a first floor. Basically, it collapsed and most got out who were on the second and third floors, but the first floor occupants weren't so lucky," Mac said.

"Have you made contact?" Jason asked.

"Yes. There are two men pinned inside. They are pretty traumatized, but fighting to stay with us."

"What do you need us to do?"

"We're trying to shore up the building as much as possible so we can shift things and cut them out. They are hurt pretty badly, so it's going to be challenging."

They scanned the area and Jason noted the angle of the building. "Can we get in around back?"

"Yes. If you go around the corner, part of the wall collapsed, so you can go behind it. All the utilities are shut off."

"I'll come with you," Ronnie said, curious as to what Jason noticed that he didn't.

"Alright, Johnny, you come along too. Francis, I may need your chainsaw."

"I'll go get it."

"Let's go."

They hurried around the corner, walking past dazed people who still can't fathom the devastation. The apartments that ran down the alley had partially collapsed on top of their carports and first responders were working on getting people out that are trapped because their doors are jammed. Earthquakes are not a normal occurrence, especially of this size, but with their close proximity to Canada, who have a history of bigger earthquakes, it was overdue.

There are two police officers and an EMT trying to talk to the man through a crack.

"Can I get in there?" Jason asked.

"Sure."

He maneuvered in front of them and spoke into the crevice. "My name is Jason and I'm a fireman. I need to ask you a few questions."

"Okay." The man's voice is strained and Jason can tell that he's struggling by the small whimpers he hears. "I'm Zander."

"Are you facing away from my voice or towards it?"

"Towards you."

"Tell me what you see."

"There is a small pocket because the ceiling was caught by a tall dresser."

Jason waited while he caught his breath.

"It's hard to see beyond that."

"What was there before?"

"The kitchen…" He and his roommates had turned the living room into a bedroom so they had cheaper rent. It's partially what saved his life.

Jason turned to look at the guys. "That's open space. Whatever we cut through, we need to make sure that we somehow don't destabilize the area."

There's a reporter lurking nearby watching everything and recording it.

"What's underneath him?"

"It's an underground garage," the officer said.

"It failed a bit at the corners, but it seems like it held up where he is," the other man said.

"Zander, we're going to cut through some dry wall. Hold on."

"Hurry. I can't take much more."

"Where are you hurt?"

"Everywhere… I'm crushed between a cabinet and the ceiling and I'm on my stomach."

Jason swallowed hard. "Let's do this."

They cleared some bricks and then Francis did his thing for a half hour, leaving a large enough hole for one of them to crawl through.

"I think you should go," Francis said. This rescue is Jason's brainchild and they need whomever thinks the best under pressure.

"Fine, but Johnny, I need you be in this opening just in case. Ronnie!"

"I'm here," he said moving around the EMT.

"Go to the front. If I see an opening that will fit him, I'll radio to you to get a ladder so we don't have to put any pressure on the building. We'll have to work together."

"I'm on it." He raced to the front.

Jason adjusted his helmet. "I'm going in."

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At the mansion, Edward, Lila, Alice, and Tracy are huddled together watching the tv in the kitchen after spending the last hour trying to get some semblance of order in there. Cook hadn't called or come in and they are all worried. They watched as the reporting zoomed in on Jason's face and then whispered.

"This man is incredibly brave. The first responders here have been a God-send. There is a man named Zander trapped inside and this fireman is going to go in and get him. Let's pray they make it out."

Lila brushed a tear away when the camera zoomed in on Jason. "I can't believe he's not scared to death."

"He lives for this stuff, all of them do," Tracy said.

"Let's just hope that he is as good as we know he is," Edward said.

"Do we know who built that complex?" Alan asked. It's relatively new.

Edward scratched his head. "I think it was Zacchara."

Monica gasped. "He built the emergency room too."

Alan closed his eyes for a minute. Anthony Zacchara is known for being a little crazy and taking risks. A lot of the houses and buildings held up in the city, but considering two of his had not, there will be inquiries for sure.

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Jason crawled forward and could hear the man softly crying. There isn't much room at all and after slowly moving ahead for what seemed like at least twenty minutes because he had to push things out of the way, he hits a barrier. "There's some kind of shelving in front of me." The light from his helmet blared in the room. Without it, it would have probably been pitch black even though it is daytime.

"You need the chain saw?"

"Yeah."

Francis grabbed it and pushed it in front of him and crawled up behind him. It took him a while, but he finally made it. "You want me to do it?"

"There's no room to maneuver, so I will."

"Zander, I'm turning on a chainsaw."

"Okay."

Francis revved it up and Jason moved to the side to grab it and then did the best he could to carve out a hole. After fifteen minutes, he turned it off and handed it back.

"It's clear. Push a backboard through."

Francis moved backwards and then is pulled out by his feet and he swaps the chainsaw for a board and shoves it forward and then grabs the chainsaw, puts it on top of the board, and then climbs back in. "Can you see him?"

"Yeah. It doesn't look good. I'll know more when I get up front."

Jason did an army crawl forward and then there was enough room in the pocket for him to get on his hands and knees.

Zander starts to cry at the sight of him.

"It's okay. I'm going to get you out of here." He just has no idea how because the man is wedged in and they had already lost so much time. "Is there anyone else in here with you?"

"My roommates were, but I haven't heard them in hours."

Jason lets out a deep breath, wondering how Zander isn't a complete basket case after listening to his friends die. He looks back at Francis. "I might need to cut a hole in the ceiling to see what I'm dealing with above."

When he hears a familiar noise outside which sounds like the ladder, he quickly makes contact. "Ronnie?"

"I'm in a basket near the balcony above you."

"What do you see?"

"There's a lot of stuff strewn around inside, but if you can get him up there, you should be able to get to me. Things have shifted towards my left, just hard to say where it is in reference to you."

"Okay."

Jason sighed, feeling helpless and then he felt it, a shift. "Shit." He perched himself under the ceiling and held his hands against it as Francis scrambled towards them.

Johnny, unbelievably, dove into the opening and crawled forward, just making it to the larger space before the building groaned and Ronnie yelled for the other company to pull the basket back. Johnny had moved so fast in his life.

The people outside are stunned as the building shifts and seems to crack down the middle and split apart. The noise is deafening and everyone held their breath and prayed that the men are alright.