"Jesse, can i get a little help?" Beca called from the bathroom.
It's been 3 weeks since the roof collapse. Beca's arm was still casted, but she started to slowly stop wearing her sling, even if it was against doctor's orders. Her collarbone break turned out to only be a slight break, but her elbow bruise was actually severe. Her elbow was always swollen and she could barely move it; not even getting close to straightening her arm. So when her arm was out of the sling, it was always tucked into her side.
"For fuck's sake, Beca. Just stopping taking baths." Jesse said as he stepped into the bathroom, grabbing a towel that Beca laid out.
"I can keep my wrist out of water better this way." She shook her plastic-covered cast. "Plus I have a headache." She groaned as Jesse helped her stand, being careful to not touch her elbow.
"You need to talk to your doctor. They're never going to clear you for work at this rate." Jesse handed the naked Beca her towel. At this point in their friendship, her being naked didn't even phase him. Being her roommate exposed him to a nude Beca at random times, so he didn't even care when it came to baths.
"They're not going to clear me now, anyway. I have another 3 weeks, at the least, for my wrist, and i'm still on severe concussion protocol." She wrapped her hair in the towel and shrugged on her robe.
"They might not clear you for firefighter duty, but there's always arson." Jesse suggested as they walked out of the bathroom.
"You mean the place where retired and pregnant firefighters go?" She chuckled, grabbing a pill bottle out of a cabinet. She quickly downed a pill that stops her headaches.
"Remember Amy? She works in arson."
"The one who's married to that Bumper guy? What weirdos name their kid Bumper."
"That's not the point." Jesse groaned as he shook his head. "She couldn't pass the fitness test so she went to arson, and she's one hell of an investigator."
"I'll think about it. You have work in 20 minutes, you should leave soon." Beca sat on the couch, still in her robe.
"I was going to leave when Chloe got here."
"You mean my babysitter?" Jesse sighed at her. "I'll be fine for a few minutes. Come home with a good story."
"How many tattoos do you have?" The girls were laying side by side in Beca's bed. They were originally watching a movie, but decided to play 20 questions instead.
"Honestly, I lost count a while ago." Both girls laughed. Chloe actually talked Beca into wearing her sling and doing exercises to get her closer to straightening her elbow.
"Fair enough. Which one is your favorite?" Chloe pulled the blanket closer to her chest as she felt a cold breeze from the open window.
"This one." She pointed to a Roman numeral tattoo. It was half covered by her cast, but Chloe had seen the whole thing before. "It was the day my mom died. March 28, 2004." Beca traced III XXV with her finger, as III MMIV was covered.
"You have the day your mom died inked onto your body?" The redhead asked in confusion.
Beca chuckled. "I get the same reaction from everyone. When I look at it, I think of all the good times we had. I think of her everyday regardless, but this means more." She shrugged like it was nothing.
"How did, um, she uh…"
"Die?" Beca cocked her eyebrow as Chloe struggled to find her words. "Car accident. Believe it or not, I used to play basketball. She and I were going home from a pretty big tournament when a drunk driver ran a red light. He hit us on my mom's side, she died at the hospital. I was completely fine, other than the fact I was traumatized and had to go to therapy for like a year."
Chloe looked at her with watery eyes. She had no idea her mom had died, let alone in a way like that. "Beca, im so sorry." She put a reassuring hand on the brunette's arm.
"I was like 12, so the accident doesn't affect me much anymore." Beca wiped a small tear that was sliding down Chloe's cheek. "Let's talk about something different."
Chloe chuckled. "Fine, which one was your first tattoo."
"Flower on my shoulder. It means absolutely nothing to me, I just thought it was cool and knew my dad wouldn't approve. I was 17."
"Wow, what a badass." Chloe said sarcastically.
"Hey Swanson, how's Mitchell?" Lieutenant Brooks said as Jesse walked into his office.
"She's alright. Still needs the sling and cast for a few weeks, and she has less and less headaches." The last part was a bit of a lie, but he didn't want Brooks to know she was almost constantly hurting.
"Good, can't wait for her to come back." Brooks sat in his office chair.
"About that.." Brooks gave Jesse a worried look. "It's nothing bad, I was just wondering if you could get her a connection to arson? It will give her something to do during the day, and it will get her back to work sooner."
There was a pause between the men. "I don't know Jesse…"
"I'm not asking for an answer right now. Just think about it, Lieutenant." Jesse smirked as he walked out of his office.
"Ouch, Chloe, that hurts." Beca winced as Chloe touched her bruised elbow.
"Sorry...your kitchen is kind of small." Chloe walked around Beca, this time without running into her. "Have you and Jesse ever thought about moving into a bigger place, or even separate ones?"
"Um, no. I already need a babysitter, so how would I survive on my own?" Beca stuck out her tongue at Chloe, who was giving her a dirty look. "But seriously, we haven't really thought about it. Neither of us have significant others, kids, or hobbies that one of us dislikes. We evenly split rent and bills, food and personal necessities are as we go. It works for us." She looked up at Chloe, her dark blue eyes instantly striking her.
"That does sound like a good situation, my bad Becs." Chloe put the raw hamburger meat in a pan so it could start cooking. They planned on having tacos if Beca's pain pills didn't make her sick to her stomach later on.
"You're not upset, are you? I've lived on my own before and I hated it. If Jesse ever so happens to get a stable girlfriend and moves out, I'll still have someone living with me. It's just who I am." She shrugged as Chloe began to smirk.
"I'm not upset, it's your living situation. I just never expected the great, badass Beca Mitchell to require a roommate."
"Okay I need you to get out of my apartment." She started to lightly push the red head towards the door. "I'm serious. Like, now."
Chloe started to laugh. "I'm sorry Beca. Let me stay."
Beca stopped pushing her. "Fine, but only because you're making food." Both girls chuckled as Beca's phone began to ring.
"My babysitter is here and I feel fine, master."
"Okay, don't call me that." Jesse sighed through the phone. "Wasn't even calling about that. I think I got you an in for arson."
Beca almost dropped her phone, which was being balanced between her shoulder and ear. "Jesse, we didn't even talk about this."
"I know, Becs, but arson is a really good step while you're recovering. No physical labor, mainly a desk job, you still get to come to the scene; after the fact, of course."
"What happens when I want to leave arson and go back to firefighting? Will that be easy, because I'm not staying in arson." Beca was walking into the living room so Chloe wouldn't have to hear her basically yelling into the phone.
"I'm not sure. I'm sorry I asked without your permission, but I think it's a really good idea. Arson isn't bad, Beca."
"You're right, but when you get hurt like me and go to arson, they want to keep you. They'll want to keep you even more if you're good at it." Beca could hear Jesse sigh so heavily that she swore she felt it. "Thanks, I guess, for asking. I'll do my research."
"Thank you so much, Beca!"
"Whatever, fuck head." With that, Beca ended the call and walked back into the kitchen.
"What was that all about?" Chloe asked as she poured the taco seasoning onto the hamburger meat.
"Jesse just being Jesse." Beca shrugged as she wanted to avoid talking about her future career plans.
Chloe smiled at her. "Okay, dinner will be ready soon."
"Thank God I'm starving."
House fire on 116 Newell Avenue, Truck 17, Squad 1, Ambulance 35 requested.
Jesse groaned as he rolled out of bed. He quickly slipped his fire protection gear up his body, immediately feeling the heaviness on him. The first call that day was for a kid stuck in a tree, which was simple as they did it pretty often, surprisingly.
"Come on, Swanson!" A fellow firefighter shouted as he was about to shut the cabin doors. Jesse jumped in just in time for the truck to start moving.
"You know that fancy brick mansion? That's what it is. Said there are flames shootin' from the top." The same firefighter said.
"They're keeping us busy, then." Jesse said.
A mile from the house, the firefighters could see the flames from the 2 story house. When they got there, they seemed bigger than ever. Most of them were coming from the top, so hopefully the team could clear the building easily.
"Alright Squad 1, I need you in there. Clear that fucker fast and get out, it doesn't look good." The Lieutenant said. Everyone nodded their heads before heading for the house.
Inside the house, flames had not gone through the ceiling yet, but they knew it was coming fast. It was already hot and there was creaking from above.
"Swanson and I have upstairs." Firefighter Murphy said as the men started walking up the stairs.
They did so in a careful manner, as none of the stairs came tumbling from under them. Jesse took the first room, not finding anyone or anything suspicious. There was only 3 rooms upstairs, so Murphy took the second, not finding anything, and both of them searching the third.
"Hey, what's that?" Jesse said, pointing at the ceiling.
"Looks like stairs to the attic." Murphy shook the ladder, which resulted in pieces of ceiling coming down around them.
"Hey I wouldn't go up there." Jesse said, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"Just watch out for me." The firefighter said. Every step resulted in little pieces falling. He flashed his flashlight around him, but only seeing flames. "Is anyone here?"
"Murph, we have to go."
"I don't see anyth-" he stopped himself short, as he saw something in the corner. "I think i found something."
"Fuck sake." Jesse mumbled as him and Murphy switched places. He also saw the something, a lighter that was placed by a frayed wire. Soon, he felt creaking from the attic floor. He quickly went down the ladder. "We gotta go. Now."
"We didn't find anything up here." Murphy said into his radio as they quickly walked out of the room. It wasnt quick enough, as they felt the floor below they start to dip.
"Run." Jesse said. They quickened their pace, but when they got to the stairs, everything below collapsed. It was only a couple feet drop, but the men were still in for a shock.
"Murphy? Swanson? Report!" was heard from each of their radios.
"We're good chief." Jesse said as he started to stand up, already knowing he'll have bruises and cuts within an hour. Murphy also began to stand.
"Well get the hell out."
By the time they got out, the fire was burning hotter than before, and everyone was thankful they got out in time. Soon, a hose was connected from the top of a ladder truck and from the ground to get water into the place. Unfortunately, that wasn't enough, as they had to get a bulldozer to push in the house, making it a complete loss, if it wasn't before.
House fire on 27 West Oregon Street. Truck 17, Squad 1, and ambulance 35 requested.
"We're not even done here!" A female firefighter said after she poured a bottle of water on her head.
"The trucks from Stations 4 and 7 are staying here. Since there was no one in there, ambulance isn't needed here. I know its a lot, but let's go!" The fire Chief said. Everyone piled into their respective vehicles and raced to the next fire.
"Fuck, that was a bad idea." Beca said as she hovered over the toilet, right after throwing up her dinner.
"I'm so sorry, Beca." Chloe said as she held Beca's hair back.
"It's not your fault, it's the fucking pain pills." She pulled her head away from the toilet and took the wet washcloth that her friend offered.
"Do you have any ginger ale or gatorade? Seven-up?"
"I hate gatorade, so no on that. We might have a can of Seven-Up." Beca crawled until she found the counter of the sink, pulling herself up to her feet. She flushed the toilet and walked into the living room.
"How often does this happen?" Chloe asked as she poured the Seven-Up into a cup of ice.
"Just depends." She slowly lowered herself onto the couch. "I've been trying to take less medicine. Even with the pills, I can eat most food. Obviously I can't eat tacos." She shivered at the thought, causing Chloe to giggle.
"Dont worry, i wont fix them ever again." She sat on the couch next to Beca, who was sipping on her soda.
"I feel hungover, but I haven't touched alcohol in weeks." Beca pouted.
"I'm sorry, babe." Chloe said teasingly. "Lay down." The redhead patted her legs.
Without asking twice, Beca sat her cup on the coffee table and rested her head on Chloe's lap. Before too long, they were both covered in blankets and asleep.
"Are we gonna say anything about what we saw?" Jesse asked his partner-of-the-day.
"Not now. We have this fire to worry about."
Luckily, the fire was on a much smaller scale than the last one. It looked like there was flames from one side of the house, the kitchen, and there was only one person living there.
"Fire department, call out!" Swanson said as he walked into the house.
"Help!" was heard faintly. Despite said quietly, both men still heard it.
Fire engulfed the kitchen and was slowly spreading to other rooms in the tiny property. Jesse kicked in the closest door.
"Help!" an older lady called out. She had a stack of shelves laying on her and smoke was filtering throughout the room. Jesse and Murphy quickly jumped into action, lifting the shelves and checking the lady for any injuries. When there were none, Jesse gave her his oxygen mask and lifted her, carrying her bridal style.
"We need paramedics to be ready." Murphy said into his radio.
"10-4."
As soon as they got out, hoses started to spray water into the house. Jesse gently laid the lady on the gurnee and took back his oxygen mask, as the ambulance's mask replaced his.
"I'd check out her lower body. She had a shelving unit on her. There was also a ton of smoke in there." Jesse told the paramedic.
"No problem." They began to roll her towards the ambulance. "Honey, what happened?" The paramedic asked nicely.
"I was trying to reach for something on the shelf, and then they just fell on me! I couldn't move and i wasn't near my phone. I was cooking some meat for tacos, which of course caught on fire because i couldn't get up. I'm sorry you guys." She grabbed Jesse's hand and squeezed it.
"Ma'am, it's our jobs. Don't worry about it." He gently squeezed her hand back, before she was rolled into the ambulance.
"Do we get to go back to the station yet?" Murphy asked the lieutenant.
"Sure do, Murph."
"You guys are so cute."
Beca and Chloe quickly woke up and slightly jumped, not expecting anyone to be with them yet.
"What the fuck, Jess! When did you get home?" Beca rubbed sleep out of her eyes.
"A couple minutes ago. I thought you heard me." He still had soot all over his face from when he lent his mask to the old lady.
"If we heard you, would we have jumped like that?" Beca growled.
Chloe started to laugh. "How was work?"
"You seriously didn't hear? There's been house fires happening all day." He turned on the tv, trying to find the local news. "Station 3 had two back-to-back, Station 4 assisted us. Station 7 assisted until they had one, then Station 2 had one."
Both women were in shock. They almost didn't believe him until the news lady started reporting.
"We are here on Newell, in front of a house fire that unfortunately turned this house into complete loss. Atlanta Fire Department Station 3 responded first, but quickly needed assistance from 4 and 7. The brick house needed bulldozed in order to reach all the flames, which are still smoldering at this point. This fire was just one of 4 house fires that broke out around the city."
"Holy shit dude. Are you okay? You didn't get hurt?" Beca said in concern.
"I fell through the floor in that fire." The man pointed at the tv where they showed pictures of the house during the early stages of the fire. "I only have some scratches and bruises."
Soon, the news was showing pictures and videos from all the fires, even showing a clip of Jesse carrying the older lady out of the house.
"What a lifesaver." Chloe commented, smiling to her friend.
"She had some shelves fall on her while making tacos, lit the whole kitchen up." Jesse explained. Beca groaned at the word taco, earning a laugh from Chloe and a confused face from Jesse.
"What? What did I say?" Jesse said as Beca got up to get a glass of water.
"We're not really talking about it, but it was pretty gross." Chloe said.
Jesse still had a confused look but just nodded along.
Later that night, it was just Beca and Jesse after Chloe had left. They were in the living room, both of them half asleep while watching one of the American Pie movies.
"Hey Jess, so I thought about the arson thing." Beca said, her legs resting in his lap as she laid on the couch.
"Oh yeah?"
"I think I wanna do it. I mean, I have to go to the doctor to get cleared, even for a desk job. But I think you should tell Brooks I'll do it."
"That's great Becs. I'll tell him after I've had at least 12 hours of sleep." Jesse chuckled as he settled further into the couch.
"Thanks Jess. Your annoying persistence finally wore me down."
"I knew it would one day."
Holy crap you guys, I am sooooo sorry it took so long. I ended up having a tough semester and bad writers block. Unfortunately in my town there actually was 4 fires in 24 hours, which sucks because THAT'S what gave me motivation.
annyywwaayy, I hope you guys enjoy! Leave comments!