Hello! Happy New Year! It's great to be back, and I can't wait to see what this year holds!
This story is a bit more serious than I usually do. It does involve death, so if you don't want to read about that, I completely understand! It's full of all the feels, so grab some tissues and a snack, and enjoy!
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Eddie is sitting on the edge of the bed, nervously picking at the hangnail on his thumb. After another quiet minute, the bathroom door opens and Audrey come out holding a pregnancy test. Eddie anxiously looks at her expressionless face.
"Well?"
She nods, a huge smile coming across her face. Eddie jumps up and pulls her into a hug. They share a kiss.
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Dan comes into the kitchen where Kate and the kids are eating breakfast.
"Good morning."
He kisses Kate, Hattie, then Leila and ruffles Briar's hair.
"Briar," Kate says. "Show dad your cap and gown."
"He doesn't want to see that. It's stupid."
"Show me," Dan says.
Briar rolls his eyes but gets up and leaves the kitchen.
Once he knows Briar is out of earshot, Dan leans over to Kate. "He gets a cap and gown for graduating middle school?"
"It's a big accomplishment."
"He's going from 8th to 9th grade. Every kid does it."
"Well he's embarrassed, so be nice. Tell him he looks handsome."
Briar comes back into the kitchen wearing his cap and gown. Dan's face softens.
"Look at you. You look so grown up." He holds his shoulders and looks him up and down. "I swear you were just a little boy yesterday. I'm really proud of you, bud."
"Thanks dad."
Dan pulls Briar into a hug. He allows it, but only for a second.
"I need to get to work. I'll see you guys tonight. Have a good last day of school."
He kisses each kid on the head, then kisses Kate.
"I love you."
"Love you, too. Be safe."
"Always."
He winks, picks up his bag and heads for the door.
"This summer is going to be so fun! We're going to go camping, maybe go to Disneyland? It's gonna be great!"
Dan waves and heads out the door, leaving his family to start their day.
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Dan is sitting at a stoplight waiting to turn. The light turns green and the cars next to him start to go. Before he can pull out, a car comes flying through the red light and smashes into one of the cars going through the intersection, sending them flying. As the other car lands, it bursts into flames. Dan quickly throws the car in park and gets out of the car.
"Call 9-1-1!" he yells out as he runs to the car of the red light runner.
The driver is laying partially out of the windshield and is clearly deceased. He then runs to the other car where the driver is trapped and is screaming for help. Dan tries to open the door but it's jammed.
"I promise I'll be right back."
He runs back to his car and grabs his window breaker and runs back to the car.
"Turn your face away!"
The driver does as she's told. Dan strikes the window a few times, finally breaking the glass. He reaches in and unlocks the door. He quickly cuts the seatbelt, grabs the girl by the arms, and drags her out of the car to the safety of the sidewalk. He immediately starts looking her over as paramedics and firetrucks start pulling up.
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Everyone is hanging around in the kitchen when Dan comes up the stairs.
"Well look who it is. Mr. Saves the day Alden," Buck says, slapping him on the back.
Dan smiles and shakes his head.
"It sounds like you had an eventful morning," Hen says.
"I just happened to be in the right place at the right time."
"It's a good thing you were there or things would have turned out very different." Bobby says as he puts a couple pancakes on a plate and hands them to Dan.
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The soap factory is bustling as the workers get started with their day. The new employee, Nathan, is being shown around by the plant manager, Mack.
"This is the production floor and this will be your station. Your job is simple. When this bell rings, you hit this button. This sends the lye down these tubes into that big container, and eventually, you get soap."
"That sounds easy enough."
"It is. But, if you ever hear an alarm, hit this button and run," Mack says, pointing to a big red button on the wall.
"What does the alarm mean?"
"Someone made an oopsie and now there's a fire. One thing you need to know, lye is extremely flammable in certain situations. Basically, keep the lye in, and everything else out and you'll be good. Also, whatever you do, don't hit this button unless you're told to." He says, pointing to another button. "Any questions?"
"Uh, no?"
"Good. I'll show you where the break room is."
Nathan follows Mack out of the production floor.
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Athena is sitting at her desk doing paperwork while Harry sits across from her. He sits back with a sigh.
"How much longer until Karen gets here?"
"Any minute." Athena picks up a new file. "I told you to bring something to do."
Jo walks into the office carrying a big stack of files. "Have a baby, they said. It'll be fun, they said."
She drops the files on her desk with a thud. "It's all fun and games until you're put on desk duty and you have to do everyone else's paperwork."
"Is this a bad time to tell you I need the Anderson file by tonight?"
Jo raises her eyebrow at her and sits down at her desk. Just then, Karen and Denny come into the office. Harry practically leaps to his feet.
"I'm so glad you're finally here," Harry says. "I thought I was going to die of boredom."
"It's the first week of summer and you're already bored?" Karen asks.
The women laugh.
"Thank you for rescuing him," Athena says.
"I'm always happy to have him."
Athena pulls money out of her desk drawer and hands it to Harry. "Spend this wisely. And be good."
"I'm always good," Harry says with a smile as he takes the money from Athena.
"Ha."
She gets up and gives Harry a quick hug.
"We'll see you tonight," Karen says.
"Thank you again."
Karen waves at Jo, then she and the boys leave.
Athena stands up. "I'm heading out on patrol. Do you need anything before I go?"
"I don't think so," Jo replies.
"Not even lunch?"
Suddenly Athena has her attention. "What are you offering?"
"Anything you want. Just let me know and I'll bring it."
"Careful what you promise," Jo smiles.
Athena laughs. "Be thinking about it."
"I will."
Athena grabs her bag and heads out of the office. Jo pulls out a stack of menus and starts looking for what sounds the best.
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Nathan is sitting at his station texting. The bell goes off and he presses the button, then goes back to texting. He sits back and puts his feet up. He doesn't notice the back of his chair hits the big red button Mack told him not to hit. Suddenly alarms start going off. Nathan panics. He remembers being told to hit a button, but he can't remember which one. He hits one, but it was the wrong one. Before he can do anything, flames shoot out of the top of the tank of lye. Everyone runs towards the fire exit, but find themselves trapped.
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The 118 and practically every other fire engine in the area arrives on scene. Bobby hops out of the truck and goes to the command center.
"Where do you need us?"
"We still have people trapped inside, so I need your guys in there. The fire started in the lye tank, so gloves and respirators stay on. I also want you taking 30 minute shifts. I don't care if you think you're close to finding someone, you come out. This stuff is incredibly dangerous and I want everyone going home tonight. Understood?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good. I'll call the last unit out then you guys can go in."
Bobby goes back to his crew.
"You heard him. This is some serious stuff, so no playing hero." He looks at Buck.
"Why are you looking at me?"
"Check your oxygen and make sure your masks are on tight. And under no circumstances do you leave your group. Buck, Dan, and Eddie, you three stay together. Myself, Chimney, and Hen will be the other group. If you need to leave, shout it out on the radio so another unit can come in and relieve you."
Everyone checks their gear. "You guys ready?"
They all nod. "Ready, Cap."
"Alright. Let's go in."
The crew gears up and heads inside. The building is filled with smoke and flames. The 118 can hardly see their hand in front of their face. As they slowly go through the building, they call out for trapped employees. If anyone is calling out, they can't hear them over the roar of the fire and ringing of alarms. They come to the large production floor. Bobby, Hen, and Chimney take the right side while Buck, Eddie, and Dan take the left side. They guide themselves along the wall to keep track of the path.
"LAFD!" Dan calls out. "Is anyone in here?"
A small cry calls out through the smoke.
"Keep talking!"
The cries for help continue. The three men make their way to the noise where they find Nathan trapped under a fallen beam.
Eddie gets on the radio. "Cap, we've got a guy on our side trapped under a beam. We need help getting him up."
"We'll head that way. Tell me what you see."
"Smoke." He looks around for something he recognizes. "I see a conveyor belt that runs over your way somewhere. It ends right in front of us. Just follow that and you'll find us."
"Copy that. We're heading your way."
As they wait and comfort Nathan, they hear creaking.
"That doesn't sound good," Buck says, looking around.
Eddie gets back on the radio. "Cap, we need to move fast. This building sounds like it's about to go."
"We're coming as fast as we can," Bobby responds.
After a moment, they see Bobby and his group's flashlights shining through the smoke. Just as they appear in front of them, the creaking gets louder. Before anyone can react, the floor gives out, sending Nathan, Eddie and Dan plummeting down to the floor below them.
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