So… I updated the wrong one….ummm….this is the correct chapter 3…sorry.

So I think I like the way this story is turning out. I feel like I'm failing at ending it on cliff-hangers, but oh well, I'm gonna keep trying. Thank you all so much for reviewing, it means a lot, I'm going to start like, answering the reviews, so look out for that. If you become a regular reviewer, as in another story I'm doing, I will start to point you out specifically in author's notes, and I even like to contact those people for advice. I may eventually need a beta, but keep reviewing. Thanks a lot.

Pricklyrose24- thank you so much for the review, I appreciate it, and I will do my best not to disappoint

Benjaminek- thank you for reviewing and for the lovely compliments

B.o.B Rules- Thank you, and I do too, she's been sort of a muse of mine, I'm going to incorporate her into more stories.

It died down as he strode to the stove to restart her late, mid-afternoon snack. She felt happy on the outside, she really did… on the outside. But the inside was a different story, she still felt like there was a piece missing, like there was something she couldn't pinpoint. She couldn't push it aside, and she hadn't noticed Shay watching her as she lost her gaze once again.

Lost it… to the knife-block.

Tonight was supposed to be a 24 hour, all night shift. Lots of times, on nights like these, Emily stayed either home, with Antonio, or with a friend she'd managed to make. Tonight, she'd stay at the firehouse due to the day's events. If she was asleep, she would stay asleep hopefully, and not get woken too badly by the alarm, and if she woke up or was awake, she'd have to get her ass moving to hurry up and go with them. In the meanwhile, she typed away on her laptop to finish a report assigned two days ago that was due at the end of the semester, in a month and a half. She was always diligent about on schoolwork, things, everything, came so easily to her, she probably didn't even need to be in school.

Basil was belly-up the floor, tongue lolling out, dreaming peacefully beside the young girl. It was nice to see the sweet side of her, a lot of the time, she was lurking protectively beside her communicative owner, barring her teeth and growling, but never once made a move. What neither Basil, nor Emily knew was that Shay snuck frequent, long-lasting glances at them. Emily wasn't aware that Shay had caught her staring at one of the most dangerous parts of the kitchen.

Just then, a smile spread ear-to-ear across Emily's face, and she clicked a final button and sat back with a sigh. "All done?" a voice asked, startling her. It was Kelly, who'd come up behind her to drape his arms over the back of her chair and rest them on her tummy. She placed her hands on his and before you knew it, he was tickling her and she was squealing in delight, catching everyone's undivided, goofy-grinned attention. Gaby glanced her way smiled, but her eyes gave off a hint of sadness, knowing some of the truth behind the girl's happiness. Shay slopped her hand over the back of the couch and twisted her body to face the more open part of the room behind her.

"You know Em, I was a dancer, what all exactly can you do?" Emily stopped, so did everyone else. Some of the pink in her cheeks drained and she just stared. She pondered her answer in obvious ways.

"Lots" she answered, being vague.

"What style?"

"From lyrical to acro to contemporary to ballet to hip-hop, I do it all. Even aerial sometimes." Shay just stared, damn.

"Whoa, are you good?"

"That's a terrible question to ask."

"No it isn't!"

"Whatever." This wasn't going anywhere, Shay had hoped to get her to open up a little, since the revelation not too long ago, she wanted to make Emily feel like she could talk about it now, like no one was mad at her for not telling or letting on, but she just wasn't.

"On the days you don't go, I could help you stretch; with help you could enhance your flexibility."

"Thanks Shay, but I'm alright, I'm already one of the most flexible, but I do sincerely appreciate the offer" goddamn she was being difficult.

"Look monkey, just trying to make conversation."

"Well, sorry to rain on your parade, but this isn't the conversation I want to be having right now." Whoa.

"Look Em, drop the attitude alright, I'm being friendly, it isn't like I'm ambushing you" Emily deflated and sighed, but didn't apologize, she just… walked away. Tears pooled in her eyes, why was she being this way? When was she ever a bitch to Shay? She felt sorry, but the kids at school said it was an act of weakness and surrender if you apologized, and she already had too much today. Crap, she thought, the laptop… oh well. Wandering aimlessly, she didn't really think about where she was going, and she only realized Basil wasn't by her side when the wolf trotted up beside her and nudged her hand with a wet-nose.

She turned into a doorway and found herself staring at the chief.

"Oh, sorry chief, I wasn't really paying attention, sorry to bother you." She said quickly, turning. Her back was to him, about to leave

"When have you ever been a bother? Come on, siddown, we haven't talked in a long time." He said encouragingly. She could hear the smile in his voice, and she turned and sat on his couch. "How ya' been doin'? Good?"

She nodded, "Yes sir, I mean, school's been a little rough, but I'm managing it." she told him.

"I heard, what's that all about? Hmm? Come on, talk to chief Boden." He said playfully and she smiled and giggled.

"It's just bullies being bullies and going after the obvious prey is all, I can handle it"

"Oh I don't doubt that" he said quickly, "What kind of bullies? What kind of bullying?"

"Well, I mean, the usual stuff, they talk and whisper and sneer and shove me around" she told him in her tiny voice. She watched as he pursed his lips and bowed his head, clearly pained by the truthfulness of her words.

"I see now, how bad are they 'shoving you around'? Is it bad? Are they hurting you? Because you know that's not alright." He told her, trying to control the severity to his voice.

"It isn't too bad, the usual stuff though, pushed into lockers, to the ground. A bruise here and there, but isn't much worse than that." She lied hesitantly. He nodded, looking slightly angry; he'd locked his jaw and was now grinding his teeth.

"Not much worse? What about today? Did you get in an actual fight?"

"No, I hit her, and she started to beat me up, but they said what I did didn't do much. I didn't actually hit her very hard, but I reacted quickly, I established that I wasn't scared anymore to do something to protect me and my family. I just let everyone know what I could and might start to do. I'm tired of running to teachers because its high school and it doesn't work like that, and because I get called a 'snitch' and 'tattle-tale' and no one likes me. But they suspended her for three days because she actually tried to fight. The teacher saw it and let them know that her statement was 'rude and uncalled for and I didn't fight back after that'. She told the office that I 'went limp essentially, and didn't put myself in the position to get into any further trouble'."

This is what he liked about her; once you got her to open up, she told you the truth, and nothing but the truth, and she did so openly, with minimal hesitation. He nodded and smiled, "What?" she asked.

"You're so truthful; it's a very noble quality." He said, "Let me ask you something." She nodded.

"Did you let anyone check you out? Make sure you're okay? Your sister, Shay? Maybe even the nurse?" she froze, she hadn't really thought about it. She didn't answer right away, which answered his question, but he let her think. She didn't, because she didn't want anyone to see the other bruises or the scrapes or the cuts she had from every other silent beating. She shook her head and looked down, tears welling in her eyes once again.

He nodded, head down again, looking like he was trying to figure out his next question. He looked up and smiled, "Well, you can let me know in the future if there's a problem and I can discuss it with your sister and the school. Now skedaddle, go pounce on Mills or something." She smiled and stood to leave. But she turned and ran to him, wrapping her small arms around his neck. He was shocked at first, but he accepted the hug and returned the hug with his arms around her waist squeezing her tightly. She broke the hug and smiled a shy smile before leaving.

In the hallway on her way back, the alarm sounded, "Engine 51, Truck 81, Squad 3, Ambulance 61…" she wasn't interested in the rest of the words, they didn't register with her, she began to walk briskly down the hall and screamed when she was pulled up. In someone's arms, they spun her to hold on better.

"Gotta go monkey" Kelly said, rushing down the hall with her. She wrapped her arms around his thick neck and relaxed slightly. He exited the common room and dropped her in the Squad truck before pulling on his gear. He got in next to her and because she wanted to, she climbed on his lap and curled into him. She saw her sister rush by with a bit of a panicked expression and when she spotted Emily in the truck, the expression didn't change. Something had to be wrong. The ride was loud and it made her anxious, it was one of the things she had trouble handling when she had to go on just about EVERY call they got. She gripped Kelly's shirt. When he knew they'd neared the sight, he held her tighter, he knew she'd see the scene eventually but her reaction was always hard to gauge. They were headed to a crash sight. She wasn't freaking out yet, her breathing was normal enough, but it was always slightly labored day. He didn't know, but he knew that reaction could be bad.

They pulled up. One car was upright, but in bad condition, it might not be hard to deal with that one. The other was hanging upside down, hallway over a bridge that led to a tunnel below. It wasn't rocking or swaying too bad, but if the people were unconscious and woke up soon, he knew it'd be game over. Oh shit, was all he could think about, this was going to be bad. He began to murmur in her ear.

"I need you to stay calm, I know it's hard, I know it always is, but like a lot of them, we need you to stay calm, I would tell you not to look, not to watch, but it wouldn't do anything, so I'm just warning you alright?" he felt her tense, he knew she was frozen, and he knew it would be bad.

"It's a crash…" she trailed, not really asking as much as she was stating the fact. He nodded into her hair and kissed the top of her head. The truck came to a sudden halt and then it was World War III, there was suddenly all this movement and yelling. Kelly deposited her on the seat, and told her to stay put. Basil was already whining, but when she moved to get out of the truck, she whined harder, louder, and even began to growl. The way Emily held her scruff of fur made the both of them feel better. It helped Emily stay calm; it helped to balance her, and it made Basil feel as though she had control.

Please, Emily, stay put!

"I can't" she replied out loud. "I know just as well as you that I should, but we both know I can't!"

Then pick a spot and sit down, you're starting to shake, I can hear your breathing, you're beginning to worry me. Take your medicine now, try to reduce what we both know could happen, please listen to me. None of the fighters can pay attention to you right now, please.

Emily nodded and sat next to her sister's ambulance. She drew a needle from the bag she carried and a wrapped alcohol swatch and pulled up the hem of her shirt. She wiped a place on her hip and caught her sister's glance just before she stuck herself. She paused, Gaby nodded and Emily looked down to continue. The needle pierced her skin painlessly, she'd had almost eight years to get used to it. She recapped the syringe and placed it in a special Biohazard Bag inside her own; she placed the alcohol swatch in it too.

She drew her knees to her chest and placed her head on their tops, Basil stood in front of her, her size would block the girl's view if she were to look up.

Deep breaths Emily. She told her owner, but she got nothing. Emily? Emily? Emily, NO! No! Emily, listen to me, come back Emily!

"I don't want to be in this stupid chair anymore! I want to move myself around!" she yelled, angry tears spilling over her scraped cheeks. "NO! I want to do it! I don't need your help! STOP! I can do it!" she continued to scream at her sister, then her brother, who couldn't get it through their heads that Emily wanted to roll herself and not be pushed around like she was still in a crib. Tears poured down her face in buckets, tears also rained down Gaby's cheeks and she pulled away, backing up.

Antonio followed her, not to get away from his baby sister, but to pull his other one into his arms to comfort her. She wasn't supposed to be the strong one, he was. He was not only the brother, but the oldest. It was his job now to take care of them, but he knew that wouldn't come without a fight.

"Shhh m'hija, it's ok, she's just mad and angry and she's always been independent, it's okay m'hija. Estas bien, chica." He cooed to his sister, Gabriela. He ducked back down in front of Emily, the water cascading like waterfalls from her eyes still.

"Hola mona. Calmarse, calm down, Mona. We are only trying to help."

"I don't want your help, I want to do it myself!" she whimpered, her voice high and cracked from the tears lodged in her throat.

"Escuchar, listen to me, if you don't let us help, you won't get better so quickly, you'll be here for a longer time, and you won't get out so soon. Mona please, calma" her tears slowed, her breathing evened, and her whimpers softened. She nodded and leaned forward with great effort, finally wrapping her arms around her big brother's neck. "Todo va estar bien. Everything's going to be alright." His Spanish always soothed her. He pulled out of the hug and smiled, flashing his teeth, brilliantly white. He leaned forward and placed a sweet kiss on her forehead. He stood and motioned for their sister to come over and join in.

Her shoes clicked as she made her way slowly over to them. Antonio stepped back, allowing her the space to access their baby sister. She knelt down in front of the tiny child, looked her in the eyes and smiled. The smile was genuine, warm, and inviting. She leaned forward and drew the girl into her arms, the strong arms she vowed she'd do nothing but protect with those arms. Emily breathed deeply, taking in her sister's scent, promising herself she'd never forget it.

That was the day that Gabriela Dawson decided definitely that she'd become a Paramedic.

EMILY! Come back! It was faint in her head, the voice, she didn't know where she was, but she could smell the burnt rubber, and the hot metal. She was at the crash site they'd left for. She was being laid down from her previous upright position. Then she was being turned on the ground…no, flipped, someone was flipping her over.

"Emily! Emily! Open your eyes hon, come on, open your eyes!" two fingers pressed to her neck alerted her that someone was checking for a pulse. Then there was a weight on her chest, checking for a heartbeat. She desperately wanted to open her eyes, and she tried desperately. Then, miraculously, they opened, slowly, only cracked open, but open nonetheless.

Peter's face was blurry, but his relief was apparent, "Oh thank god" he said, pushing his hands under her knees and shoulder blades. He pulled her up and then twisted her so she clasped her arms behind his neck and crossed her ankles behind his back. He held onto her tightly and carried her to the truck. Basil barked madly behind him and jumped immediately right up next to her in the truck. Shay appeared out of nowhere.

"Look, I know you're certified, but let me take care of her, can you go help Dawson?" he nodded and left them. Shay didn't say anything, just grabbed the stethoscope out of her bag and placed it in her ears and the scope on Emily's chest. She didn't need to listen to know that she wasn't doing well. She hastily unzipped the girl's jacket and pressed the scope once again to her chest-it sputtered, didn't sound completely normal, but that was the normal for Emily.

"You alright?" she asked, shining her pen-light in Emily's eyes.

Emily managed to shake her head before everything went dark.

So, I hope this was alright. Let me know what you think. Let me know what you might want to happen. Review, alert, favorite, follow. Press those buttons. Be on the lookout for the next update!

Thanks a bunch! Love you all!

Translations:

M'hija- my girl

Esta bien- it's okay

Hola mona, Calmarse-Hi monkey, calm down

Everything else isn't necessarily self-explanatory, but when a lot of Latino/as talk like that, they repeat what they say in in Spanish, in English. I'm either going to do that, or give you the translations, so when I don't give you the translation, then it's been repeated in the dialogue.