Taylor sped towards Mercy Hospital. She wasn't supposed to be driving yet, but she was in no mood to wait for a cab to show up. Her heart raced as she approached the ER entrance and she saw all of the FDNY vehicles parked there.

"Oh my God." She thought to herself.

She had been through this before, many times, though never as a civilian. There were news cameras set up in the parking lot and she could see reporters milling around. She parked her Mustang in a corner of the lot and slowly searched for a familiar face. She made her way across the lot, noticing that all of the reporters had their eyes trained on her- wondering who she was and how she belonged in their report.

Taylor was clearly uncomfortable making the walk in. She heard Kim's voice.

"Alex!" Kim said

Of course this caused all of the reporters and cameras to zoom in on their location. But Kim quickly escorted Taylor into the ER. Once the doors shut, Taylor broke her silence.

"What's going on?" She asked in fear.

"Billy was hurt, pretty badly." Kim admitted

"Is he?" Taylor couldn't bear to finish the question.

"He's hanging in there." Kim admitted

Carlos and Grace walked over. Carlos slowly extended his hand with the ring between his thumb and index finger.

"This fell out of his pocket in the bus." He handed the engagement ring to Alex who began crying.

"Where is he?" She sobbed

"They already took him to surgery." Kim said as they tried to escort Taylor to the family room.

However, Taylor pulled away from them.

"This isn't happening!" She cried out as she clutched the ring.

Kim, Carlos, and Grace watched Taylor- unsure of what to say or what they should do.

"He wouldn't be in here if we didn't have that stupid fight!" Taylor continued as she made her way towards the chairs in the hallway.

By this time she had attracted the attention of almost everyone in the ER.

"Whoa! Taylor, this isn't your fault." Grace said as she moved towards her

Taylor was now sobbing uncontrollably as she sat in one of the chairs. Her head began to hurt from crying, it seemed like she had done it too much today.

Carlos stood in front of her, he felt horrible that he couldn't help her at all. Grace and Kim sat beside her, putting their arms around her in an attempt to comfort her.

"This isn't your fault." Grace repeated. "There's nothing that you could have said that could have caused that building to explode. In fact the last words that he said before we had to tube him was 'Tell Alex that I love her.' He wasn't mad at you."

Taylor shivered as the thought of losing him came to her mind. She was still sobbing, and leaning on Kim.

"It's okay Alex; everything is going to work out." Kim tried to reassure Taylor.

It obviously wasn't working though.

"How… how bad?" Taylor asked

"He's got some very severe burns." Carlos knelt down and took Taylor's hands in his own. "I know that I can't tell you anything to make this easier, so I am going to tell you the truth." He paused and looked into Taylor's eyes. "His mask was shattered in the explosion. He had burns all to his face, and his respiratory tract."

He stopped, knowing that he didn't have to go any further.

Taylor sobbed.

"He's going to die." Taylor let out a sob. "You don't survive respiratory burns."

Suddenly she realized that she didn't see any of the members of the Squad.

"Is everyone else OK?" She asked

No one wanted to tell her the truth.

"They were all together when the building exploded." Grace said

"Oh no." Taylor felt even worse. "Who?"

"Shane and Lombardo are gone." Grace said

Taylor's heart sank. She hadn't really gotten to know Shane, but Billy was fond of him. And of course Lombardo was a good friend of hers and Billy's.

"What about DK, Jimmy, and Lieu?" Taylor asked

She needed to know the truth.

"DK and Jimmy were far enough away that they escaped serious injury. Just some bumps and bruises." Carlos explained

"Lieu's in bad shape too. He was beside Billy." Carlos said.

Taylor's face sank. She felt sick. She quickly got up and rushed to the trash can. After a few moments Taylor stood up straight again and wiped her face. Then she started to walk towards the elevator.

The medics followed her to the surgical waiting room where Jimmy and DK were already sitting.

Jimmy stood up when he saw her walk in. He quickly made his way over and embraced her.

"I'm so sorry." He said to her

"It's not your fault Jimmy." Taylor replied

DK stood with his hands in his pockets. He was uncomfortable being in this situation.

"It seems like we spend too much time here." He said as Taylor reached for him.

"That we do." She replied. "Did anyone call Billy's brother and sister?"

"They're on their way." Jimmy said

They watched anxiously as nurses moved in and out of the doors to the OR. Each passing minute they knew meant that Walsh was fighting to stay alive. It was well after midnight when a surgeon dressed in blue scrubs walked through the door.

They all stood up anxiously as he walked towards them.

Walsh's brother Tommy and sister Allison stood amid the remaining members of the Squad.

"How's my brother?" Tommy asked

"We did everything we could…" The surgeon said

The words just faded out in Taylor's head. The next few minutes seemed like a blur to her as she collapsed into the chair behind her. She sobbed as Jimmy and DK tried to console her.

Tommy and Allison both sat beside Taylor. They didn't want to accept the reality that they had just experienced.

The following few days were filled with the funerals for Taylor's friends and coworkers. Shane was the first laid to rest. Lombardo followed with an emotional fair well as Little Joe carried his father's helmet to the front of the church. Lt. Johnson too succumbed to his burns.

It was Walsh's funeral that hit the breaking point for Taylor. She still wore the engagement ring on her finger. She broke down when they lowered his casket into the ground. It was unreal to her.

"It doesn't feel real." She said while on the phone with her mother later that afternoon. "It seems like he's still here beside me." She listened to her mom speak and finally she answered. "It feels like ever since the day I went through that floor that my life has gone in a downward spiral. But I'll get through this one day at a time." Another pause resulted in her replying, "I love you too mom."

For the next three months Taylor was in and out of the gym trying to regain the strength that she needed to pass the department physical. Finally, 21 months after the fall, Taylor stood outside the firehouse at the corner of King and Arthur with her bag in hand.

"You admiring the view?" Davis called across the street.

Taylor smiled, "No, just thanking God that I'm back."

"Welcome back." Davis replied

Taylor nodded as she walked in through the open bay door. She paused and looked at the memorial wall with the added photos.

"Can I help you?" A young firefighter on watch asked

"Nope." Taylor said as she walked up the stairs.

"You can't go up there." The firefighter said.

"I work here." Taylor said as she turned back up the stairs.

At the top of the stairs Grace, Carlos, DK, and Holly Levine were sitting in the kitchen.

"Look who's back!" DK grinned as he saw Taylor

Lt. Doherty appeared from his office.

"You ready for some action?" He asked

"I was born ready." Taylor laughed.

"That's my girl." DK replied

It wasn't long before the Claxton sounded.

"Squad 5-5 respond for alarm bells 109 Riverside."

"Welcome home." Jimmy said as they headed for the truck.

The smile didn't leave Taylor's face as she watched the three new members shift restlessly in their seats.

"Stu Lotta Zs." One of them introduced himself

"Alex Taylor." She did likewise

"I know." Stu smiled

"Lotta Zs?" Taylor asked

"It's easier than trying to pronounce my last name." Stu laughed

Taylor nodded as she looked out the window while DK steered the truck towards their destination.

THE END

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