Righto, mild season 3 references, but if you've not seen them, I don't think you'll notice them!
But Who's Going to Save You?
Chapter 4: The Couple in the Quarry (pt 2)
"I know Angry Birds is more fun, but if you don't put that away and finish your report, Vince will have you cleaning ropes with Jordan and Heidi," Chase muttered at Felicity, watching as her fingers flew over the iPhone's display.
Felicity glanced over at Chase and pulled a face. "I don't have Angry Birds on my phone, actually. I'm sending texts to my friends back in England asking for money raising suggestions."
"Aren't they twelve hours behind us, or something?" Chase asked, skeptically.
"Ten," Felicity replied, checking the clock. "Which would explain why no one is replying." She shrugged and continued texting. "Oh well."
"Don't say I didn't warn you," Chase muttered, returning his attention to the computer.
"That's fine, I won't," Felicity agreed.
"Well that's good to hear," Dean told her, his presence causing a shadow to fall over Felicity's phone screen.
Felicity slowly placed the phone on the desk and grinned sheepishly up at Dean. "It was work related," she offered.
"That's good to hear," said Dean. "However, it seems your friends from this morning are back in the quarry. So how about you and Chase head on over there and get them out?"
"Ah, what've I done?" Chase moaned.
Dean shot him a look. "Nothing, but I can swap you with Jordan if you want?"
"The quarry? Sounds like fun?" Chase responded, forcing a smile as he stood.
"Are you not coming?" Felicity asked, making her way to the stairs.
"Oh, I think you two can handle this," Dean told her with a grin, waving her goodbye.
"Where are you two going?" Jordan asked as they hurried past him to the truck.
"To lose another 16 pounds," Felicity informed him, dryly, jumping in the passenger seat.
"That was a bit mean," Lara laughed as Dean sat back down.
Dean grinned, holding his phone up. "I got a heads up from Zoe. They're just messing around in the water and I told her I would send someone."
"Zoe, as in the police officer?" Lara questioned, frowning. "Are you seeing her?"
Dean shrugged. "I'm about to ask her out, so we shall see."
It didn't take them too long to arrive back at the quarry, the gates already open and waiting for them. Chase pulled in, keeping his speed down as they bounced over the large potholes. "I'm sure this is a matter for the police," Felicity grumbled to Chase as she clung onto the handle above the door for support.
"You're probably right," Chase agreed. "Not that I'm complaining. I hate writing the reports. It's almost as bad as washing the trucks."
"I've got to admit, writing the reports is not my favourite part of the job," Felicity nodded, peering down into a lake as they passed. "Never was."
"Do you think we can do it?" Chase asked, glancing over at her. "Raise the money, I mean."
Felicity sat chewing at her lip before shaking her head. "If we had six months, yes. But it's going to take more than a bouncy castle and some cakes to raise four grand. I keep doing the maths in my head. I doubt more than a couple of hundred people will come to this open day and they'd need to spend at least $20 each. For a cake and some paint? I don't think so."
"So it's a lost cause?"
Felicity shook her head, firmly. "Hardly. We need to come up with something better. My mind keeps going to sponsored events, like sponsored walks, but we have to work at the same time – we can hardly be somewhere wandering around in the country when a call comes in. I was thinking-"
Felicity was cut off before she could voice her suggestion when Chase slammed on the brakes, skidding to a halt on the loose gravel. In front of the truck, a look of sheer panic on her face, wearing only a lime green bikini, was Kady. Chase and Felicity leapt out of the truck and ran over. "What happened, Kady?" Chase demanded. "Where's Marcie?"
"In the water," Kady sobbed, pointing over at the nearest lake. "She dove in and never came back up."
Felicity and Chase glanced at each other, and sensing what the other was thinking, nodded. While Chase ran to the back of the van pulling out a snorkel and goggles, Felicity was straight on the radio.
"Rescue Portable 6 to Rescue Base. Vince, you there?"
"Rescue Portable 6 from Rescue Base. I'm here, Flick. What's up?"
"We've got a patient underwater," Felicity explained, watching as Chase darted down the slope, shedding himself of his jacket before wading into the water. "Chase is going in now. I'm going to-"
With a squeal of horror, Kady ran down the slope, skidded on the rocks and tumbled. She rolled over until she hit the bottom where she came to a stop. Felicity let go of her radio and charged to the back of the truck, grabbed her rucksack and ran after Kady.
"Rescue Portable 6 – Flick – Sit-rep."
"Vince, Kady took off after Chase and fell," Felicity told him, trying to keep her balance as she hurried down. She gave the water a quick glance. "Chase is still in the water looking for Marcie." Finally making it to Kady, she turned her over, thankful to see she was still breathing. "Kady is breathing but unconscious."
"Flick, I've got Dean and Lara on the way. They're about fifteen minutes out. Ambos should be there with you about then too."
Flick nodded, more to herself, as she checked Kady over. Short of a few cuts and bruises, the girl looked like she would be fine. She pulled a blanket out from the backpack and wrapped it around her patient. Yes, she had some lacerations that needed dressing, but she was stable. Felicity turned her attention to the water. For a few moments, there was nothing, then Chase broke the surface, Marcie in his arms.
Felicity hurried in to meet him, helping him carry her to the ground. "She's not breathing," Chase told her.
Felicity nodded, pushing five breaths in before starting the chest compressions. "Dean and Lara here soon with ambulance," she grunted.
"Flick – sit-rep," Vince's voice broke through the radio.
While Felicity continued with the CPR, Chase pulled the radio from her. "Rescue Portable 4, to Rescue Base. We've got Marcie out of the water. Felicity is doing CPR now. I'm gonna grab the AED now."
He reached over for the automated external defibrillator – he had brought down there with him and began drying off Marcie as best he could before attaching the pads to Marcie's chest, working around Felicity. "She's in VF," he told Felicity.
Felicity nodded, allowing him to shock the patient then leant over and continued with the compressions when the shock had no effect.
"Clear," Chase barked.
Another shock ran through Marcie. This time, she coughed, spluttering up water. "Thank god," Felicity managed through her panting. She waited for Chase to pull the pads from the machine and together they rolled Marcie over to help clear her throat.
While Chase updated Vince, Felicity grabbed the blanket Chase had been using to dry Marcie off and wrapped it around her. She slumped down and allowed herself a moment to take a breath, pushing her fringe from her eyes. "Chase, where's Kady?" she asked, suddenly realising the woman wasn't where she left her. She spun around, looking for Kady, spotting her near the top of the slope, staggering too close to a thirty foot drop for Felicity's liking.
Leaving Chase with Marcie, Felicity charged up the slope, ignoring the burn in her thighs as her legs protested about her running uphill with wet trousers. Thankfully, as she reached the top, Lara and Dean had already arrived – Lara leading Kady over to her truck.
"You missed the party," Felicity told them, breathing heavily. "No fair taking the credit."
Dean shook his head, a small smile threatening to appear. "Lara, you stay with this patient. I'll give Flick and Chase a hand carrying the other up." He grabbed the stretcher and headed back down to Chase with Felicity.
In the end, Felicity had to rain check on the trip to the pub, opting instead to take a longer shower. Finally, she was waiting outside for Cole, her legs aching – grateful that there would be no heels involved on her date.
"You know, I don't think you're wearing the right outfit to be working a corner," Chase pointed out as he sat on the wall behind her, munching on a portion of fish and chips.
"We're going to the fair," Felicity told him, rolling her eyes. She sighed and sat down on the wall next to him, grabbing a handful of chips. "Cole's just running late – his practice ran over."
Chase watched as Felicity took a few more chips. "I asked if you wanted a portion. I even offered to pay."
Felicity grinned. "But they taste so much better when they're not your own."
Chase sighed and placed the chips on the wall between them. "Help yourself." He frowned. "The fair? Mr Superstar could take you anywhere and he's taking you to the fair?"
"I wish you wouldn't call him that," Felicity told him. "And for the record, I want to go to the fair. The fancy restaurants and the clubs – they're nice, but they're not really me. Tonight was my choice."
"But the fair?" Chase repeated, pulling a face.
Felicity shrugged. "I want to stuff my face with cotton candy while carrying around a giant tacky teddy bear I've won from knocking all the coconuts over, then enjoy twenty minutes on a Ferris Wheel where no one can disturb us." She grabbed another chip. "And most importantly, I want to be able to wander around wearing shorts and flip flops, my hair tied back, and without a layer of makeup on."
Chase stuffed his own handful of chips in his mouth and watched her as she stared at her bare toes. He swallowed quickly, nearly choking. "I'll take you," he told her. "As mates, of course," he added quickly as she turned to stare at him. For a moment, his heart soared as she started to nod. And then it sank just as quickly when she stood up, Cole's matching red Audi pulling up in front of them.
"Sorry I'm late, babe," Cole apologised, dashing over to kiss her. He stepped back and eyed his girlfriend from head to toe. "You're not wearing that, are you?"
Seeing the redness flood Felicity's cheeks as she glanced down at herself, Chase stood up. "Cole," he greeted him, coolly.
"Chase," Cole returned, frowning at him.
"I didn't think we needed to get dressed up for the fair," Felicity told him, apologetically.
"Fair? What fair?" Cole asked, surprised. "I'm on about Gary's 30th. We're off for sushi then on to Tiger Bar."
Confused, Felicity took a step back. "We're going to the fair tonight, remember?" she asked him.
"I don't think so," Cole corrected her, glancing at his watch. He let out a frustrated breath. "I thought you would have at least cleaned yourself up and had your hair ready. Now we're going to be late while we wait for you to sort yourself out."
Felicity blinked, wracking her brain to remember what had been said about a birthday party. Admittedly, at this point, all the players seemed to blur into one player – there was always something going on each night – but no, she was certain that she wouldn't have gotten this excited about going to the fair otherwise. "Are you sure we weren't supposed to go to the fair tonight?"
Cole shook his head impatiently. "I do worry about your memory these days," he told her. "Maybe we should get you an appointment with a doctor."
"Maybe you did say something. I'm sorry – I must have gotten my days confused," Felicity muttered.
"You been going on about it all day," Chase jumped in. "I don't think you have."
Cole turned to Chase, his eyes narrowed. "Well thank you for keeping an eye on my fiancé's diary, but maybe date night this week was a night at an exclusive sushi bar then a night out in a VIP club."
"I'm sorry," Felicity quickly interjected. "Chase, my memory's awful. I must have gotten it wrong. Come on, Cole. I can do my makeup and put my hair up in the car. We'll only be a few minutes late."
Cole turned back to Felicity. "We'll be later than a few minutes. You're not doing your hair in the car – I don't spend a fortune on it every month for you to just tie it back."
"I can be quick," Felicity promised. "I'll see you tomorrow, Chase," she added, trying to pull Cole to the car.
Cole threw one last evil glare at Chase and then followed after her. "What was all that about?" Cole demanded as soon as the doors on the car closed.
Felicity shook her head. "Sorry," she apologised. "I've been away with the faeries. It looks like Rescue needs to raise four grand by the end of the month or we lose two helicopters."
"Have a raffle," Cole shrugged.
"We have three weeks – it's not nearly enough time to rustle up some decent prizes," Felicity sighed.
"So raffle me off," Cole suggested.
Felicity shot him a sideways glance and then burst out laughing. When he didn't join her, she stopped, frowning. "You?"
Cole nodded. "Win a date with Cole Turner. That ought to raise heaps."
"You'd do that?" Felicity asked him, surprised at his generosity.
"I'll even get Lucinda to help," he nodded. "You wouldn't mind, would you?"
Felicity quickly shook her head. "Cole that would be brilliant. Who's Lucinda?"
"You've met her before," Cole frowned. "She's my PR agent. This will be up her street."
Felicity nodded, her attention momentarily distracted by her phone beeping. As she began reading the messages from her friends back home, she suddenly found herself grinning at two little words. Raising the money had the potential to become fun.
Well, after a truely pants week at work (work decided they could only afford to give me three quarters of my wage - the joy!) I decided that I was only going to do three quarters of the work. So y'all get an extra chapter.
Oh - and a question. What on earth is Lachie short for? (I realise that's a bit random, and will only make sense if you've seen this week's Rescue, but I've not come across that name before!)
In A Rush - Thank you! I'm hoping so - what would you do to raise some money?
Asha331 - I'm glad you said. I knew something was missing, but I couldn't put my finger on it, so I shall work on that!
Miss Deeds - Some of them are easier (Vince) than others (Chase), so thank you. And I had a gander at your favourite stories... I will share this - there are a few which feature on the same board as what I normally wrote on, so it is possible you've read something I've written in the past.
retardedgazelle - Aw, thank you! I'm glad I haven't put you off yet!