Hey Everyone! So here I go with another story where I mess things up with the happy family…I mean what did you really expect from me :) But seriously I had a dream that I was Rusty in this situation, and let's just say I woke up sweating and freaking out...And of course I thought man that would be a good fanfic haha. So I hope you enjoy!
Also, thanks to anon on Tumblr for the help with the title!
Oh yeah and all the standard stuff about me not owning these characters and what not.
The fire was getting close. Help wasn't going to make it. 911 told him to stay put, and he didn't really have much of a choice. The fact that his leg was pinned by the dash of his car, made moving impossible. The wildfire was almost to the top of the hill, and once that happened it wouldn't be long until it reached him.
The blood was pooling and he knew there was a possibility of passing out soon. The call with the emergency operator had ended two minutes ago, and now he was about to make the most desperate call of his life.
Major Crimes had spent the day splitting their time between negotiating with their suspect, finishing reports, and watching the coverage of the wildfire that was creeping closer to the city. It had been years since a fire of that magnitude had threatened the city, and it was as if everyone was entranced by the footage.
Sharon was about to walk into the interview room to finalize their plea deal when her phone rang. Andrea gave her an impatient look, but Sharon held up a finger because it was Rusty. The fact that it was an unusual time of the day for him to be calling gave her a bad feeling.
She answered quickly, "Rusty, I'll be headed home soon, but can I call you back I'm about to go in with Andrea to finalize a plea?"
There was sniffling and silence.
"Rusty, what's wrong? Are you ok?"
"Mom I'm sorry. I had an accident, I'm trapped and the fire…the fire is close."
Andrea was looking concerned and Sharon realized that she was reaching out toward the wall for support.
"You—you're trapped? Did you—are you hurt?" She was doing her best to remain calm, but all the training in the world couldn't have prepared her for this.
"My leg is pinned it's bleeding—I can't—I can't get it free. Mom—I'm scared." She could hear the panic of his words in her own chest; with each word he spoke it intensified. "The 911 operator said they would get to me when they could, but with the fire—"
"Where are you?" Sharon headed off to her office on wobbly legs to get her keys forgetting about Andrea and the case. Everything else could wait. This could not. She closed the door behind her just trying to focus on his words.
"Up in the hills I don't know I went off the road, Mom help me. Please—"
"I am coming for you just stay with me. Calm down and breathe, ok? Can you do that?" Every time she heard him say mom it was like a stab in her chest. He was pleading with her, and yet she was so far away, she needed to hold it together for a few more minutes.
"Yeah," he replied, and she heard him taking a deep breath.
"Good, just like that. Hold on Rusty, just hold on one second." She opened the door to a barrage of questions from her team about why they hadn't gone in to talk to the suspect yet, to which she said, "Just listen! Mike I need to find Rusty, ping his phone or whatever, just do it now!"
Tao sprang into action while the rest of the team stared on in silence.
"Mom—Mom I'm seeing dots. I think I'm losing a lot of blood."
"Ok honey, hold on. Just stay with me keep talking. Just keep talking to me ok? Can you do that?"
She waved Julio over and covered the phone. "Rusty called 911 they said to stay put. Find out if they had and location and if help is on the way."
"Mom—The fire—It's close!"
"Captain, I've got the location," Tao said.
"We are on our way Rusty. The whole team is coming," she said waving her hand around for everyone to go. "Just keep talking to me Rusty."
"I'm cold Sharon."
They were thirty minutes away from him on a good day, and she knew there would be madness as they got closer because of the fire, but running lights and sirens she prayed that she would get to him in time.
"I know honey, and I love you so much but you've got to keep talking to me. Is there any way for you to stop the bleeding Rusty? Is there something you can use to put pressure on it?"
Sharon was coming to him, and that made him feel immensely better. But what if she didn't make it in time? What if he never got to see her again? What if—he didn't get a chance to finish that thought because she was talking into his ear again, telling him that she loved him and asking him something. Her voice sounded so distant though, and he couldn't understand her.
"I love you too Sharon. I'm so sorry for everything that I put you through…I'm so sorry…"
He couldn't stop the tears, and he couldn't catch his breath. He was going to die. He just knew he was going to die, and he was never going to get the chance to tell Sharon all of the things she needed to know. He was never going to feel her arms around him again. He was never—
"Shhh," her voice came across quiet and calm, but he could hear the emotion behind it, "Honey, don't apologize, and you don't get to say goodbye yet. We have too many years ahead of us for all of that to be said right now. Do you hear me?"
He realized that he was nodding his head instead of voicing that yes he heard her and quickly said, "Yes." But he couldn't help, but think that if he didn't get to say good bye then she would never know everything that he wanted so badly to say, he just hadn't had the words for before this.
"Good. Now, breathe, and tell me is there something you can use to put pressure on your leg to stop the bleeding?"
He could hear the sirens of her car in the phone, but he couldn't hear any nearby. How far away was she?
"Rusty? Did you hear me?"
He looked around the car to see if there was anything. His jacket was in the floor of the passenger seat. "My jacket. I don't know if I can reach—Mom are you close?"
"I'm getting closer," she said. Her voice was even and calm, he couldn't help but draw some strength from that. Sharon was his rock, his strength when he didn't have any. He needed her. "Try to reach your jacket honey. Just try."
"Ok, but I'm—I'm going to set down the phone so I don't drop it. Don't hang up, promise?"
He was so cold, and he was shivering. The tears were still running down his face, and he wiped at them trying to focus on what Sharon was asking of him. She always had a plan.
"I promise, Rusty, I'll still be here. Now, try to reach it ok?"
He couldn't say anything; the words were stuck behind the lump in his throat. He set the phone down and reached out for his jacket, but the pain was too much and he let out a scream. He tried again with the same result. As he sat back in his seat he felt even more lightheaded and weak than before. It was almost all he could do to pick up the phone again. "I can't—too far." He managed to whisper, the defeat in his voice evident.
"Ok, shhhh, it's ok honey." Rusty could tell that Sharon was doing everything in her power to keep her emotions at bay. He knew her too well. Things that others might not even notice, he picked up on, and his heart sank. She cleared her throat, "Can you see anything around you?"
He had almost forgotten about the fire until she said that. The second he looked up the flames were all he could focus on. "Fire." He managed that one word before things started to fade in and out. "Mom—I love you." Those were his last words before everything faded to black.
"I love you too. Rusty, is there anything else? Anything else that you can see?" Sharon was doing her absolute best to hold it together as they raced toward her son. She could tell that he was getting weaker by the minute. "Rusty? Honey? Talk to me!"
There was nothing though.
No words. No sniffles. No noises.
"Rusty! Please stay with me! We are so close! Rusty!"
Still nothing. She couldn't hang up though; she had promised him that she wouldn't hang up.
"How much further Julio?"
"Two miles ma'am."
Oh God. Please Rusty hold on. That's all she could think.
The fire was extremely close and it was making its way over a hillside not far from where they were. She had no idea what she was going to do if she got to him too late. She couldn't even fathom her life without Rusty in it anymore. That ship had sailed a long time ago. He was hers; he was her son. Going on without him was unimaginable, so he just had to be alive. He was a fighter. He had always been a fighter. He was going to be fine. He had to be fine. There were no other options.
The Captain was out of the car before it even came to a stop. She ran to the edge of the road looking down the small embankment. The car was right side up, and she thanked God for that. Before anyone could stop her she took off down the embankment to the car.
As she pulled the door open, there he was passed out in the seat. He was so pale, and judging by the blood on the floor, he had lost a lot of blood. She put her hand on his face, and then moved it to his neck. She needed to know, she had to find his pulse.
It was there. It was weak, but it was there.
Her team was pushing her out of the way, and Mike was using some balloon looking thing to lift the dash. Then, there were firemen. She had no idea where they had come from, but they were there helping.
All she could do was stand there and watch. She didn't say anything. She didn't move. She just stood there watching, waiting for it to be over.
Then, Lt. Provenza was pulling her along, and she couldn't even ask where they were going, she just followed him numbly. The numbness lasted until she realized they were in a clearing and a helicopter was landing. That is when she sprang back into action. After they loaded him on the helicopter, she ran and jumped in with him. No one tried to stop her, and no one questioned her.
As they took off she could see the flames engulfing Rusty's car, and the reality of how close she had really come to losing him hit her. She choked back her tears and swallowed her emotions though because now was not the time for that. She stayed out of the way while they worked on him with the exception of holding his hand and whispering to him that everything was going to be all right. She just hoped that she wasn't lying to him as she said it though.
So there it is, but not to worry there are two more chapters. Who would I be to just leave it there? Anyway next chapter is written just need to edit, and then it is all yours.