A/N: Again, I only ran this through Grammarly, I will do a hard edit at a later time. And I might have lied when I posted the prologue... I don't think it will all be up by today. It will be up by the time this event is over on the 31st. I think I can break this into two more chapters plus the epilogue. This is also going to be the last chapter where every day is mentioned; starting in the next chapter, some says will be skipped to help the story move along. As always, Spanish translations will be at the end.
Art is done by, heydumbass-dumbasser on Tumblr. If you want to see it, I will share it on my Tumblr and once everything else is done, I will try to get it on AO3 as well.
November 21
"We should go out and celebrate," Lexi casually mentions to Carlos as they head to their patrol car the next day.
"Celebrate? Celebrate what?"
"You coming back to Austin," she states like it's obvious.
"Lexi, I have a kid now. I can't just go out whenever."
"Come on Reyes," she drags out. "You're around family now. They can babysit and she can get used to being around people other than you."
"I don't want her to feel like I'm abandoning her."
"Come out for two hours, and you can be home in time for her to go to bed."
"I don't know…" he's hesitant.
"Look, think about it. Talk to your mom or your sisters, but I think it would be good for both of you."
"How?" he questions when they get into the patrol car.
"You can get out and have adult time. And Nieves will learn that you will always come back to her.
"Let's just get through today," Carlos shakes his head.
"Well?" Paul raises an eyebrow as they leave the 126 after their shift the next morning.
"We had three calls through the night," TK rolls his eyes.
"All of them were false alarms," Paul reminds him. "So technically, the car accident last night was the craziest call."
"He's got you there," Marjan agrees.
"So, who has bathroom duty then?" Mateo asks, not on the same page.
TK and Paul look at each other before glancing at Marjan, "Oh, no," she shakes her head. "That's between the two of you. You guys figure it out."
"But seriously, what do you guys think? Honky Tonk?"
"Sounds fun," Marjan comments. "They have non-alcoholic drinks?" she questions.
"Yeah," Mateo answers, familiar with the bar.
"I don't know," TK is hesitant.
"Come on, TK," Paul encourages. "You don't have to drink if you don't want, but this could be a good team bonding experience while we're not at the firehouse."
"There's darts," Mateo adds.
"Okay, fine," TK gives in. "Paul," he calls to the Chicagoan, "Darts decides the loser?"
"Oh, you're on Strand," Paul answers, ready for a challenge.
"Thanks, for watching her, Mamá," Carlos thanks Andrea when he goes to pick up Nieves.
"You don't have to thank me for watching my granddaughter," Andrea reminds him.
"I just…"
"I know, mijo."
Seeing that her uncle is here, Nieves goes back to his side, "Hola, cariño. Did you have fun with Abuelita?"
Nieves nods, hiding her face into her bear.
"Do you have any plans for tonight?" Andrea asks her only son.
"No, probably try to get the house back together," Carlos answers, wrapping his arm around Nieves.
"Really?" Andrea raises an eyebrow.
"Lexi wants me to go out to celebrate being back in Austin or something, but…" he looks down to Nieves.
"She can stay with us tonight."
"No, I don't want to leave her with other people, she's my responsibility."
"Carlitos, it's okay to ask for help."
"I just don't want her to think that I'm leaving and not coming back," he whispers, not wanting Nieves to catch on.
"Carlos…"
"Mamá, she is-"
"She is a child. It is normal to go out and leave kids with someone else. Your father and I did it with you, and your sisters do it with your nieces and nephews."
"It's different-"
"No, it isn't. Now, you're going out. And Nieves is staying with me," she tells him before turning to her granddaughter. "Nieves, Tío Carlos is going out and we're going to stay here and make cookies for Thanksgiving."
Nieves looks unsure, so she looks to Carlos. Knowing he won't win against his mother, he nods. "It's okay, I'll be back in a couple of hours," he looks at his mother, letting her know that he means it. "You're going to have fun," he whispers to Nieves before Andrea pushes him back out of the door.
When the door shuts behind him, he pulls out his phone, "Hey, Lexi," he greets her when she picks up the phone. "Looks like I'm coming out after all, my mom kicked me out and is making cookies with Nieves."
"Good for her," Lexi laughs. "We're at the Honky Tonk," she tells him.
"Okay, I'll be there soon."
"Sounds good," they hang up the phone.
Owen and TK enter the Honky Tonk to see that Mateo is already there. "Paul and Marjan on their way?" TK questions.
"Yeah, Paul texted me. They should be here soon."
"I'm going to go get a water," TK tells them. "Marjan doesn't drink, right?"
"I don't think so; she's the one who asked about the non-alcoholic drinks," Mateo comments.
"I'll grab her one too. What about Paul?"
"He's probably gonna get a beer," Mateo answers.
"I'll be back," TK tells Mateo and his dad.
On his way back to the table, TK sees Marjan and Paul walking through the entrance. He looks over to the table to see Mateo waving them over. He gets to the table a few steps before they do. "Here," he hands Marjan a water.
"Thanks, is this-"
"Just mineral water," he answers.
"I'm going to get some pitchers," Owen announces living the team to their own devices.
Mateo pulls out his phone to check on a notification. "Oh, snap, It's already got, like 2 million views," Mateo tells the rest of the crew as they sit around a table at the Honky Tonk. "Check this out. We're trending as hashtag The Dream Team," he shows them his phone.
Marjan sits back, "Okay, look, I've already gone viral twice this month. At some point, I'm gonna need an agent."
"No phones at the table," Owen tells them as he comes back with two pitchers of beer in his hands. "Here's to… the future of the 126, and the memory of the old."
"Cheers," they all clink their glasses together, TK and Marjan with their mineral water and everyone else with their beer.
"How're you doing?" Owen questions TK while the others are distracted.
"I'm okay."
"Really? Do I need to be worried about you?"
"No, I'm drinking mineral water," TK tells him, holding up the glass as proof.
"How'd your AA meeting go yesterday?"
TK looks around before answering, "Apparently, they're way hipper in Austin than in New York, so I actually really liked it," he smiles. "Thanks for bringing us down here. I really like the crew, and I like that I get to start something new with you. I think we're gonna be just okay," TK sips on his water.
Owen looks away before looking back to his son, "Look, TK."
TK looks back to his father, "Dad?"
"I just love you," Owen tells him. TK rests his head on Owens's shoulder for a moment in response.
"All right y'all," the emcee calls over the speaker. "Now who's ready for some goood old Texas line dancing?"
TK watches as his dad follows Tommy to the floor. Marjan sees and looks to the rest of the crew, "Are we gonna?" she doesn't finish her question before all of them, sans TK, are up and making their way to the floor.
He watches as this new crew line dances when he feels the presence of someone standing next to him.
"Hey," the stranger greets.
"Hey," TK echoes, realizing it is the police officer from the previous night, before looking back to the 126 having fun.
"Do you want to dance?"
"Yeah," TK answers, letting Carlos leads them to the floor.
They dance for a while before deciding to that they've had enough leaving the rest of the 126 on the floor. TK follows him to the counter, picking up his glass of mineral water on the way past the 126's table. The police officer orders a beer and then the two find an empty table.
"You're new here, right?" he questions.
"Yeah, I came down with my dad. He was recruited to rebuild the 126 after what happened…" he drifts off.
"Yeah, that happened right before I left Austin."
TK nods, "Actually, I don't think I got your name. I'm TK."
"Carlos," the officer introduces himself.
"So, you left and now you're back? Or are you just visiting?" TK wonders.
"I'm back," Carlos answers. "It wasn't working out, so I thought it would be better to be near family."
"That's understandable. Is it working out better for you?" TK wonders genuinely curious.
"So far, it is."
"So, this is going to sound weird, but I think we ran into each other before," TK tells him. "Not at the accident scene last night," he clarifies.
"Yeah, I remember… the diner?" Carlos thinks back.
"Yeah, um your kid dropped her unicorn."
"Yeah, yeah," Carlos nods, the memory coming back to him. "You saved Berry for Nieves."
TK doesn't want to push the subject, so he changes it, "So, you're from here. Do you know the good spots?"
"What kind of spots?" Carlos questions.
"The hang-out spots and places that have good food," TK decides on.
"Yeah," Carlos nods, "here. Give me your phone," he holds out his hand. TK hands over his cell. Carlos takes the phone and puts in his number. "I know that we both work shift schedules, but I can show you around if we both have the day off, once Nieves goes back to school," Carlos tells him as he gives TK his phone back.
"Sounds good," TK smiles. "Wait, back to school?"
"Yeah, we moved back from Dallas on Thursday. And we got settled on Sunday, I didn't want to send her to a new school for three days before Thanksgiving break. She's going to start on Monday."
"Shy?" TK smiles.
"Something like that," Carlos acknowledges, checking the time. "I really don't want to leave, but I promised Nieves I'd only be a couple of hours," he looks conflicted.
"Go," TK smiles. "Keep your promise. I'll text you?"
"I'd like that," Carlos responds before standing up. "I'll see you around."
TK waves goodbye to Carlos as he leaves before going back to rejoin the 126.
On his way out, Carlos checks his phone wanting to make sure he didn't miss any messages from his mom about Nieves. When he sees that he didn't he sends a quick text to her letting her know he is on his way.
It takes him twenty minutes to get to his parents' home. When he arrives, he knocks on the door before opening it, letting himself in. Entering his parents' home, he sees Nieves who appears to be asleep on the couch. Taking a close look, he sees what appears to be dried tears on her face.
He finds both his parents in the kitchen, "Mamá, que paso?" he questions.
"She was fine until after the cookies were done," Andrea tells him.
"Then what happened?" Carlos asks confused.
"She realized you weren't back," Andrea answers.
"I would have come home if you called me," Carlos reminds her.
"And that is why she didn't, mijo," Gabriel cuts in.
"Why?"
"Son, she needs to learn that you can't be with her twenty-four-seven, but that you'll come back."
"Dad…"
"Carlitos," Gabriel stops him. "What she needs is to see that you did come back," he gives his son a pointed look.
Carlos gives in and goes back to Nieves to wake her. "Nieves," he whispers, kneeling next to the couch, rubbing her back.
Nieves' eyes slowly open and she sees Carlos. Before Carlos can comprehend what is happening, Nieves flies into his arms. "I'm here, cariño. I'm here," he soothes.
Standing up, he scoops her up in his arms, "Are you ready to go home?"
Nieves nods into his neck. "Okay, let's say goodbye to Abuelita and Abuelito first," he carries her into the kitchen. "Mamá, Dad," he gets their attention. "We're going to head out."
"Drive safe, mijo," Andrea hugs the two of them.
Carlos nods, "I'll drop her off before my shift again," he tells her. Nieves grabs him tighter.
"Okay," she agrees. "I'll see you tomorrow, sweetheart," she rubs Nieves' arm.
"Don't forget to take some cookies," she hands Carlos a container.
"I thought these were for Thanksgiving," Carlos points out.
"We made more than enough for Nieves to take some home," Andrea answers.
"Okay," Carlos agrees.
"Be good for your Tío," Gabriel tells Nieves, kissing the top of her head.
"Come on, cariño," Carlos whispers, ready to take her home.
November 22
The next day, the 126 crew arrives to take inventory when they see Judd walk into the firehouse and go straight to Owen's office.
"What's he doing here?" Marjan asks TK.
"Don't know. Dad just mentioned that Judd might stop by," TK answers.
"Might?"
"I don't know. He didn't say much, but apparently, Judd's wife talked to my dad about Judd," he answers while watching Judd and his dad make their way to the kitchen area.
"Good talk or bad talk?" Mateo wonders.
"I guess we'll know if we hear yelling," Paul answers
The four of them work on making sure everything is accounted for and where it should be, while also keeping an ear out in case there is another explosion from Judd.
"Do you think he's going to come back?"
"At some point, yes," TK answers. "I just don't know when."
Paul gives them both a look to stop talking and seconds later Judd comes back through the apparatus floor. TK looks down at the clipboard in his hands and Marjan finds something to do with the equipment in the truck compartment.
Judd brushes past them looking around at all that has changed. He pauses when he looks up and sees the memorial for his crew. "Aw, man!" he cries, sliding down the side of the truck he was leaning against. He starts sobbing, "Oh, no!"
TK and Marjan look over at him. Owen appears next to them, Chavez, Strickland," he calls to the two men who appeared on the other side of the truck by the bay door to see what was happening. "Why don't you get dinner started?" he phrases as a question, but they all know is an order to leave the apparatus floor to allow Judd a moment to compose himself. Mateo and Paul walk past Judd, and TK and Marjan also take that as their cue to leave. "Nothing that comes out of a box!" Owen calls after them as they make their way to the kitchen.
"Did you guys…" Paul looks to the others.
"Maybe he's not so bad after all," TK offers.
Paul, Mateo, and Marjan nod in agreement.
"Does this mean he's coming back now?" Mateo questions.
"I have no idea what my dad's gonna do, but it's a start," TK figures.
The four of them stay in the kitchen, wanting to give Judd and Owen space. Paul and Mateo start on dinner and by the time it is ready to be served, Owen comes into the kitchen with Judd close behind him.
"Guys," Owen calls their attention. "This is Judd Ryder. He was part of the original 126 and starting next shift, he's going to be back with us."
"Nice to meet you," Paul is the first one to react, extending his hand to shake Judd's.
"Likewise," Judd nods.
"Paul Strickland," he introduces himself.
"Marjan Marwani," Marjan is next.
"TK Strand."
"Mateo Chavez."
"Judd why don't you stay for dinner, and get to know the team," Owen suggests.
"I, uh, I should check with my wife first. Just make sure she didn't have plans for us," he tells him.
"She's welcomed too," Owen offers.
"Vamos," Carlos instructs Nieves, as he helps her get her jacket on.
With both of them now dressed for the slightly chilly weather, they head out the door so Carlos can finish the paperwork to enroll her in Bear Creek.
The drive takes a little longer than it normally would because Carlos wants to have Nieves continue in a dual language program and the school in the district that is assigned to Carlos' area does not have that program.
Pulling into the parking lot of the school, he grabs the folder where he placed all the documents that he needs to enroll Nieves in school before getting out and pushing his seat forward so she can get out.
Nieves takes Carlos' free hand when she gets out of the car. Walking up to the entrance, Carlos hits the buzzer, waiting to be let in. "Can I help you?" a voice asks.
"Hi, my name is Carlos Reyes. I have an appointment to enroll my niece," he answers.
"One second," she tells him. Carlos doesn't have to wait long before the door makes a buzzing sound and he reaches for it to open.
Leading Nieves into the building, Carlos sits Nieves on the bench before going to the receptionist. "Hi, I have the documents that I was told to bring to register her."
"Okay," she looks at them. "Are these all copies?"
"These ones are," Carlos hands her the papers from the left side of the folder that are paper clipped together: birth certificate, transcripts, immunization record, proof of residency, and a copy of his court order, showing that he has guardianship.
"Okay, everything here looks to be in order," she announces as she glances at the paperwork, "I just need ID from you and for you to fill out the enrollment packet."
"Of course," Carlos nods, handing over his driver's license.
"I'm going to make a copy of this, but you can start on this," she hands him the enrollment packet before going to the back of the office.
Carlos takes the packet and pen offered and takes a seat next to Nieves. He fills out the information that he knows off of the top of his head first before going back to what he needs to check on. Seeing that he needs three emergency contacts, he texts both his sisters to check about putting them down after his mom.
Before they are able to get back to him, the receptionist returns with the principal. "Mr. Reyes," the principal calls.
"Yes?" he looks up from the forms.
"I'm Principal Valdez," she introduces herself.
"Carlos Reyes," he introduces himself, standing up to shake her hand.
"How are you doing with the paperwork?"
"Okay," he answers. "Just waiting for my sisters to get back about emergency contacts. I didn't realize I needed three of them."
"Okay, while you're waiting for them to get back, do you want to step into my office with me? There are some concerns that I want to address."
"Of course," he nods. Turning to Nieves, he whispers, "I'll be right back."
Carlos follows the Principal into her office, "What are you concerned about?" he questions as soon as the door is shut.
"I see that you chose this school instead of your neighborhood one because of the dual language program," she starts.
"Yes," Carlos confirms.
"From what I understand of what you explained, she still hasn't spoken since she lost her mother. I am concerned if she's going to be able to keep up in a dual language program."
"What are you saying?" Carlos questions, "I brought her back to Austin because the school in Dallas wanted to put her back a year."
"We don't want to do that. There are just concerns if she will keep up with both languages, as I'm sure you know, learning a language it is just as important to speak it- to converse- as it is to read and write. As well as, we normally don't place a child in the program if more than twenty days of first grade have passed."
"I know," Carlos agrees. "But she was in a dual language program in Dallas and I know my sister was speaking Spanish to her since she was born. Her whole family speaks both Spanish and English with all of the kids."
Principal Valdez thinks about it for a moment, "Okay, we can start her in the dual language program, but if she can't keep up with the Spanish portion, we'll have no choice but to pull her out of the dual language program."
"I understand," Carlos nods. "What would that mean as far as what school she's in?"
"That would be up to you. She can finish the year here and you can transfer her to your neighborhood school for the next school year, or you can transfer her if it comes to her being pulled from the program."
"Okay," Carlos nods while processing that information.
"Mr. Reyes, I can see that it's important for you, and your family, that she's in the dual language program. My suggestion would be to use more Spanish around the home to make sure she's getting it in her everyday life. Living in the United States, everything is automatically going to be in English. Or if there's someone who has an equal amount of time with her, you go the one person speaks English, one person speaks Spanish route."
Carlos nods, "Okay," he agrees.
"Okay, everything is in order then. She's going to be in classroom 6 starting on Monday. Mrs. Scott is going to be her teacher in English and Señorita Nunez will be teaching in Spanish. Three subjects each day in Spanish and three subjects each day in English. On 'A' weeks, Spanish will be in the morning and then they will switch to English after lunch. It will be the opposite on 'B' weeks, so English in the morning and Spanish after lunch. When Nieves starts on Monday, it will be a 'B' week,'" she informs him, handing him flyers. "Here's a list of supplies that she will need, but it is pretty universal, so she should have what she needs from Dallas."
"Okay," Carlos nods.
Principal Valdez hands him a packet, "This is classwork from November, in both Spanish and English, to help her get caught up with the class."
"Okay," Carlos nods slowly while flipping through the packet, trying to how much he needs to do a day with Nieves.
"She doesn't have to complete all of it before she gets here, just try to get what you can done. Her teachers want everything before Christmas break."
Carlos nods, "Understood."
"That's everything unless you have any questions," she looks at Carlos.
"Um, do I need to give her teacher a note that she can be released to her grandmother at the end of the day, or is her grandmother being an emergency contact enough?" Carlos asks. "I'm a police officer and when I have second shift, I won't be able to pick her up," he explains.
"Just email both of her teachers and send in a note for formality and so we have it on record," Principal Valdez answers.
Carlos nods in understanding.
"If there aren't any more questions, you just need to turn in the enrollment packet to Alice, and Nieves will be all set to start on Monday."
"Thank you," he shakes her hand again before leaving her office. Carlos leaves going back to Nieves where he left the packet. He pulls his phone out of his pocket to see that both his sisters agreed to being an emergency contact. Filling in the rest of that information, he hands over the packet to the receptionist.
"She will be all set on Monday," she tells Carlos.
"Thank you," he smiles. He looks to Nieves, "Lista para ir?"
Nieves nods and grabs Carlos' hand.
November 23
TK steps out of his Uber and enters the 126 to find that he is the last one other than his father to arrive. He quickly goes into the locker room and changes into his uniform before joining the rest of the crew on the truck to clean up before they get any calls. TK is standing on the truck when his dad arrives.
Martinez is closest to the bay door and is the first to greet Owen, "Hey, what's up, Cap?"
"Little spring in your step there, Cap," TK comments. "Did you get laid or something?" he teases.
"Eh, I'm just feeling a little more at home in Austin," Owen answers. "Found an organic food market. I found a vitamin shop that sells my fish oil supplements I like," he looks up to TK who is still on the truck. "A CorePower Yoga studio within walking distance. I mean, this place is like New York with just a lot less trash on the street," Owen flicks his car keys to Mateo.
"Here you go, Cap," Mateo hands him a cup of coffee.
"Mm. Mmm," he nods at Mateo after taking a sip of the coffee.
"Hey, you cut yourself, Cap?" Paul asks when Owen takes off his sunglasses, pointing to his own forehead.
"Oh, that's the other thing. I found a dermatologist that follows the same hair protocols as my guy in New York City."
"You have hair protocols?" Judd asks from his position on the truck. He raises his hand, "I'm putting in for a transfer," he announces.
"Hey, go ahead and laugh, but I'm convinced it's the only reason I haven't lost my hair."
"Well…" Paul starts, "Hey, I'm not trying to hate on anyone for taking advantage of science to level up," Paul states, fist bumping Owen.
"So, every six weeks, I get my scalp injected with a drug called finasteride," he explains. "It promotes hair growth. I think it's that combination of treatment and trauma that really makes your hair grow. I also use finasteride drops twice a day and then once at night orally. Also, it's been great for my prostate health."
They all stare at him.
"Look, all I'm saying is at a certain point a guy needs to have a signature look, something to define him. I'm the guy with the hair. I mean, every time I get one of those caricatures from a guy on the street, my hair is, like, enormous."
"Every time?" Tommy questions. "How often do you sit for one of those?" she wonders making the rest of the 126 who are standing around listening laugh.
"I think you have an irrational fear of losing your hair, Cap," TK teases his dad.
Before the banter can continue, the bells go off letting them know that they have a call.
Arriving at the scene, Owen leads the way with the rest of the crew following closely behind him.
"Hey, this don't make no sense, because that glass should be tempered for hurricanes," Judd states while looking up to the glass window where their victim fell from.
"Oh, I've seen this back in the city. When people are committed, they'll find a way," Owen tells him.
"Judging by that forehead, she was very committed," TK deadpans, looking at the body as Tommy examines her.
"Or should have been," Marjan adds.
"She's gone," Tommy declares looking to the fire team.
Inside, Carlos is with the other police units that were called to the scene along with the paramedics that Tommy sent inside.
Going over to a man being checked over by a paramedic, Carlos introduces himself to the clearly shaken man. "Hi, I'm Officer Reyes. I know this is a lot right now, but I need to get your statement on what happened. Any little detail, even if it seems like nothing could be something," he explains.
The man nods.
"Okay, can you tell me your name?"
"JT," the man answers.
"Okay, JT. What can you tell me about the woman who jumped."
"Her name was Liza. I—I could tell that Liza was nervous about the pitch tomorrow, but one minute she was fine. The next she was like somebody from Bird Box."
"Bird Box?" Carlos questions, not catching the reference.
"Netflix?" the paramedic, Rosewater, prompts to see if that rings a bell for the officer.
"Sandra Bullock?" the other paramedic, Gillian, adds.
Carlos looks between the two paramedics, still confused. He kneels down to be on the same level as JT, "JT, to your knowledge, was Liza on any substances?"
"No," he answers, "she was two years sober. She knew better than that." Carlos nods and mentally crosses out that possibility.
"Uh, Officer…" Rosewater tries to get Carlos' attention.
Carlos ignores the paramedic who is now looking at an employee who seems to be stabbing himself in the stomach, "Stressed-out people sometimes do irrational things," Carlos tells JT. "If you can think of—" he is cut off.
"Officer!" an employee yells from across the room, grabbing Carlos' attention.
Carlos looks over to see what is happenings, "Sir?" he yells across the room.
"They're inside of me!" The man who is stabbing himself yells while standing up. "Make them stop!"
"Sir, you're okay!" Carlos tries to tell him. "Just put your—sir, put your weapon down!" Carlos orders. "Put the weapon down right now!"
The man keeps repeating, "Make it stop."
Carlos tries again, "Put the weapon down! Put the—" he stops mid-sentence when the man drops what he is using to stab himself with and he is close enough to the man to take him down. Carlos gets his arms behind his back subduing the man. "Stop! Stop! Get down! Get down!" Carlos orders, forcing the man to the ground on his stomach. "Get down! Hands back."
While Carlos is trying to get this man under control, he hears a commotion and sees a woman walking into the glass pane repeatedly. Another officer on the scene takes control, trying to stop the woman. "Ma'am. ma'am, away from the window!"
Carlos spots another man walking towards the windows, "No! Someone, stop him right now!" Carlos orders hoping someone who is free is able to stop the man. "Someone, grab him!"
Seeing that the situation is no longer under their control, he pulls out his radio, "Dispatch, we're a Code Six at 383 Highway. Send everyone," he orders as yet another man runs towards the windows. He tries to grab the man who goes past him, "Stop, stop, stop," to no avail. Grabbing his radio again, "Send everyone you got," he orders as the man goes through the window.
Carlos can see some of the firefighters that he had worked the car accident scene the other night walking into the room a few minutes after the man went through the window. "No carbon monoxide. No sulfides," declares the man he danced with at the Honky Tonk, TK, who is holding a monitor in his hand.
"If this was airborne, there'd be forty people down, not nine," the woman with him comments, following him.
"Looks like you could use some help, Officer," Caption Strand greets Carlos.
"We got three jumpers, several victims suffering seizures, two people stabbed themselves," he lists. "All symptoms came without warning. APD Special Response is on its way. In the meantime, we rounded up everybody who's still standing," Carlos informs the fire captain, showing him where they had corralled them.
"Keep your head still. Sir!" they hear Marjan as they get closer. Tommy arrives to the scene, having finished with the jumpers outside, and assess the situation. "We need to get these people transported," she announces.
"We're not going anywhere till we know what we're dealing with," Captain Strand declares, overriding her. "Let's close this building down."
"Help!" JT, the man Carlos was interviewing before calls out, "Holly, she's turning!" The medics rush to Holly.
Listening carefully, Carlos can hear Tommy thinking out loud about light aversions, convulsions, paresthesia, and mania. Louder, she announces, "I think this might be a severe case of erethism." Seeing the look of confusion on almost everyone in the room, she clarifies, "ad Hatter's disease. Nineteenth-century hat-makers really used to go insane because they handled small doses of mercury. Handle a large dose and—"
"People go straight Bird Box," Marjan finishes the thought.
"Sandra Bullock," Carlos adds what he was told earlier at Tommy's confused look to the movie reference.
"So why are some people down and not others?" TK questions.
"That's the million-dollar question, isn't it?" Tommy responds. She then turns to Rosewater and TK, "Listen, you need to contact North Austin Regional, Mercy, and University Medical and tell them that they need to get their trauma teams ready," she orders them as Carlos notices Strickland waking around.
"Right," Rosewater nods.
"You got her?" TK checks with Rosewater.
"Yeah," he answers and TK leaves to start notifying the hospitals.
"Let me get this arm," Tommy tells the woman she is working on.
"If you are feeling sick, speak up!" Captain Strand calls out loudly so everyone can hear him. "No one leaves until Special Response clears you to go,"
"Whose quinoa is this?" Strickland questions the employees from where he stopped walking around.
A blonde woman in a black suit raises her hand.
"Why do I feel like he's doing a thing?" Carlos wonders out loud as Paul starts looking around.
"He's totally doing a thing," TK answers from next to him, also watching Paul.
"Hey," Judd grabs Owen's attention when he walks into the room. "The guy who landed on the coffee cart, he's gonna survive, so thank God for overpriced pastries," he comments before noticing Paul. "Is he doing a thing?" he points to the native Chicagoan.
"Uh-huh," Owen hums.
"Whose juice is this?" Paul holds up a bottle.
"I'm on a cleanse. Why?" a man in a brown suit speaks up.
Paul walks over to the man, "Let me see your hands." He shines a flashlight in the eyes of a man wearing a light blue dress shirt, "What did you have for lunch?" he questions.
"Skipped it—big breakfast," he answers.
Owen looks back to Judd, "Wait for it."
"I know who did this," Paul announces, jerking his head towards Carlos for the officer to follow him. Paul walks over to the tray of sandwiches and takes one; he takes off the top piece of bread and sitting on the inside is a silver liquid, "Mercury," he shares a look with Carlos.
"Where did you order from?" Carlos asks the employees standing around.
"Morelli's," the man in the brown suit answers.
"Do you want to call in an order and catch them in the act?" Carlos offers to Paul.
"My pleasure," he pulls out his cell phone to make the call.
After making the call Carlos, Paul and Marjan go outside to meet with the delivery man; Carlos keeps his distance, so he isn't seen. A two-door car pulls up and a man in a green polo shirt carrying bags gets out, "I'm looking for, uh, Ladder 126," he announces to the two firefighters that he sees. "Somebody ordered delivery."
"That'd be us, boss," Paul responds. "Heard you have the best cookies in town."
"Yeah, that's right."
"Other than the ones you laced with mercury?" Marjan questions casually. The delivery man bolts in the opposite direction as soon as he hears the question.
"Put your hands up right now!" Carlos demands as he comes from Marjan and Paul's side while two other cops block the delivery man from the other way. "On your knees," he orders, pointing his gun at him. He gets on his knees and one of the other cops cuffs him.
Carlos opens the car door and finds a bottle of mercury. He walks up to the man, holding the bottle in his hand with a latex glove, "Why?" he asks.
"They never tip. Years, treat me like I'm invisible like I'm a nonperson. Well, they'll remember me now," he tells Carlos as the other two officers walk him away.
While Paul and Marjan went outside to help Carlos with the delivery man, TK stayed inside to help EMS along with AFD and APD to clear the scene. Being dual certified from New York, he was tasked with helping EMS get vitals on everyone before they were released from the scene.
When Paul, Marjan, and Carlos come back to help the others clear the scene faster, Carlos goes over to Judd to give him a hand while both Paul and Marjan look to Owen for instructions.
TK watches as Carlos and Judd seem to be having a conversation while working on their area. He turns his attention back to whose vitals he's supposed to be taking.
It takes another twenty minutes to clear the scene, but once they do TK spends the ride back to the 126 trying to figure out Judd. It's been almost a week since Judd's outburst and we are the world comment. Since his breakdown yesterday, Judd seems to be a different person than the one who was pissed off about the new crew, but TK and the others are all still being cautious, not wanting to be on the receiving end of Judd's outburst if it were to happen again.
TK is surprised at the interaction between Carlos and Judd; it was civil and even friendly on both ends. Carlos is Hispanic and if TK is right that Carlos was flirting with him, gay. Defiantly what he would call as falling into Judd's we are the world criteria. He decides when they make it back to the station he's going to try to dig deeper.
Arriving back to the 126, Owen looks to Judd, "Why don't you start on dinner?"
Judd nods before heading in the direction of the kitchen.
"I'll help," TK offers before following Judd into the kitchen. He hears his dad say something behind his back about not giving the rest of them food poisoning but ignores him.
"You sure about helping?" Judd asks TK when he enters the kitchen. "I heard what your daddy said, I don't know if the rest of the crew will be happy about you giving them food poisoning," he raises an eyebrow at the younger man.
"I'm not that bad," TK defends himself.
"Mm-hmm," Judd hums. "No one likes kitchen duty," he comments off-handedly.
"Your point?" TK questions, trying to keep his voice innocent.
"You up to something?" Judd wonders as he pulls out some bags of food to start cooking.
"No," TK answers. "I don't think so," he adds after thinking for a second.
"Then what's up?"
"At the call today, I saw you talking to Carlos," TK comments.
Judd looks to TK surprised, "Yeah, he's a good guy," Judd tells him.
"So, you know him," TK probes.
"Yeah," Judd answers. "He was one of the first to respond after the explosion," he tells TK quietly. "And after he helped out Gracie a lot while I was in the hospital. I didn't know you knew him," Judd raises an eyebrow.
"I ran into him and his daughter at a diner when my dad and I first came here, and we talked a little at the Honky Tonk. I know he just moved back," TK agrees.
"About six years old, curly hair?" Judd questions. When TK nods to confirm that's who he's talking about, he continues, "That's not his daughter, it's his niece. He dropped everything when his sister died to take care of her. He didn't want to uproot her," Judd informs him.
This news shocks TK, "He came back," TK thinks. "Did something happen?"
"Umm, let's just say, he thought Austin would be better for them. They have family here," he tells TK. TK nods in understanding. "You know he has a boyfriend?" Judd asks, then adds, "I think you guys bat for the same team," he gives TK a look.
"What?" TK is shocked by what Judd just told him.
"Isn't that why you were asking?" Judd questions. "It sure looked like you two had a thing going on at the call today," he shrugs.
"So, you're okay with it?" TK checks.
"Okay with what? You and Carlos? Or that you're gay?" Judd asks back, voice changing on the word gay, indicating he is unsure if that is how TK identifies.
"That I'm gay," TK answers, "or both… I don't know. Carlos gave me his number when we were at the Honky Tonk, but I haven't texted him," he tells him. "And he has a boyfriend, so that's off limits," TK adds. "I don't do cheating."
"No one likes his boyfriend, he's a dick. Maybe if being around you Carlos will figure that out."
"But won't that hurt his niece?"
"Honestly, I've seen the two of them together; she doesn't seem too fond of him, and he kind of ignored her when they were in the same room."
"What does Carlos think of that?"
"Honestly, I don't think he noticed yet. He's trying his best, but the first couple of months he was overwhelmed; it's settled down some since he came back to Austin and the boyfriend is still in Dallas."
TK nods in understanding. He then thinks back to part of his original point, "But you're okay with me being gay?"
"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" Judd is genuinely confused.
TK makes a non-committal noise and a vague hand gesture in Judd's direction.
"What? Just because I'm a man of God, doesn't mean I believe that being gay is a sin," Judd responds, looking offended to be put in the same group as some less tolerable folks.
"No, well I wasn't thinking about it before," TK admits.
"Then what makes you think I wouldn't be okay with you?" Judd asks genuinely concerned.
"When you came in for that meeting with Cap, the first time," TK clarifies. "We heard you… how you called this a 'we are the world' thing. The four of us—Paul, Mateo, Marjan, and me… we're not part of what anyone would consider the good old boys club," TK comments.
Judd sighs, "I did say that." He rubs a hand over his face, "I was angry; I know it's not an excuse, but I was angry at everything. I didn't want the change and I said something stupid and it hurt y'all… hell, it probably scared y'all."
"We were worried about who we'd be working with," TK admits.
"So, you've been walking on eggshells when I'm around," he realizes. "I'll talk with the others after dinner," he tells TK. TK nods and the two of them go back to fixing something to eat, hoping that the bells don't go off again until after everyone eats.
Between the two of them, they manage to make something that is halal, gluten-free, and nitrate-free to suit the dietary restrictions that the crew has. They are all surprised when they are able to get through their meal without the bells going off.
Because Judd and TK cooked, Mateo and Marjan are put on clean-up duty. TK looks over to Judd, giving him a questioning look; Judd nods letting TK know he will talk with the others when Paul and Marjan are done cleaning up.
TK takes this as an opportunity to sneak up to his dad's office to snag some gum. Not seeing anything in plain sight, TK starts going through the desk draws, knowing his dad always keeps gum in his office and has no problem when he takes some.
Not finding anything in the first drawl, TK moves to the next one, pausing when he sees a pill bottle. Grabbing it he looks at the label, Granisetron 81 MG, anti-nausea; it has his dad's name on it and their address, along with a DEA number. He pulls out his phone to take a picture so he can look them up later. Putting the bottle back where he found it, he goes to the third drawl and finally finds the gum he is looking for. He pops a piece into his mouth, before leaving his dad's office and joining Judd and Paul who are sitting on the couch waiting for Mateo and Marjan to join them. Judd is staring into space while Paul is deep into his book.
Marjan and Mateo join them a few minutes after TK came down from Owen's office. He hears Judd clear his throat to gather their attention, TK looks up and sees that the others do the same. "I want to apologize," Judd looks each one of them in the eye as he says this.
Hearing this, all but TK looks at him questioningly. Knowing what Judd is about to say, TK can't help but think about why his dad has that medication. Could it have to do with the cough he had in New York, the one that he said he was going to get antibiotics for? His mind is spinning at a hundred miles an hour.
He is brought back to the present when he hears Mateo yelling about a group hug, and Marjan calling over for him to join them. "So, we're all good?" TK wonders, having been in his own little world.
"Yeah," Paul laughs at his confusion, before asking, "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, fine. I was thinking, sorry," he apologizes.
"Hey, it's good… but if you need something…" Paul trails off.
"No, no. I'm good," TK assures him while sneaking a look into his dad's office window, where his father now is.
After a few minutes, everyone is back to doing their own thing, Paul is back to his book, Judd is texting someone, and Mateo and Marjan are playing some game. While everyone is distracted, TK takes this opportunity to look up the medication that he found. Typing Granisetron into Google, he looks at the first thing that comes up: Antiemetic. It can prevent nausea and vomiting caused by cancer treatments such as radiation and chemotherapy, including cisplatin. It can also treat and prevent nausea and vomiting after surgery. He scrolls down some and clicks on a link to MedlinePlus.
Reading the information on the site, TK is becoming more and more convinced that it wasn't just a viral thing that he couldn't kick, and it was likely cancer, more specifically lung cancer. TK isn't naïve, he knows the statistics of people who were at Ground Zero dying from factors of that day. He just hopes he's wrong and his dad doesn't have cancer.
They manage to relax for another hour before the bells go off. The EMS crew is already out and will meet them at the call. The call is a simple grease fire in a kitchen, so Owen sends Marjan, Judd, and Paul in with Class K fire extinguishers to take care of the fire while TK checks out the occupants until EMS gets there.
Marjan comes out of the house and walks over to Owen and TK, "Fire's out, Cap," she informs him, with Paul following closely behind her.
"Judd should be out soon, he was turning off the stove when he kicked us out," Paul adds. Just as he finishes his sentence, Judd appears as well.
"Fire's out. Everything is off," Judd offers, putting his fire extinguisher back into the truck.
"Medical is still a bit out," Owen comments. "What do you think TK?" he questions his son.
"Looks like a few first-degree burns and light smoke inhalation," he answers. "Medical should clear them," he adds.
"Okay, let's pack up, and hopefully by the time we're done, medical is here," Owen orders them.
"What about medical?" Owen hears Tommy question as she and her crew walk up to them.
"They're all yours, Captain," he nods his head towards the people who were in the home. "TK says light smoke inhalation and first-degree burns."
"Thank you, Captain," she nods, going over to the family, relieving TK of that duty.
"Load up, everyone," Owen orders getting into the passenger seat of the truck.
The fire crew all climbs into the truck so they can all go back to the 126. Arriving back to the 126, they all get out of the truck, putting their turnout gear back where they belong to be ready for the next call.
Before they can go their separate ways, Judd grabs their attention, "I, um, I was talking with Gracie, earlier. If you don't have plans for Thanksgiving tomorrow, you're welcomed to join us. Tommy, her husband, and their girls are going to be there too," he adds.
"That's very kind of you guys, but don't you want to spend time with your families?" Owen responds.
"Tommy and Charles don't have no family in Texas; and because of the job, we started celebrating with our families on the weekend, no matter the work schedule," Judd answers.
Owen looks around at his crew to see them thinking before Mateo, Marjan, and Paul nods. TK looks over to Owen to see what his dad thinks.
"Let us know what to bring," Paul tells Judd.
"I'll ask Gracie and make sure y'all know before we leave in the morning," Judd confirms before looking back to his phone to text Grace, letting her know that the 126 will be there.
The alarm goes off again, listening to the call everyone who is on fire and rescue loads up into the truck.
"Where are we heading?" TK questions as Mateo pulls the truck out of the station.
"4663 Tucker Street," Owen answers. "Neighbor is reporting a lot of smoke."
Arriving at the address, they exit the truck to be created by a middle-aged woman running up to them, "Oh, bless your hearts for getting here so quick," she runs up to Judd to shake his hand. "I'm Ellen. Oh, bless your hearts," she goes to TK also shaking his hand. Running up to Marjan next, she goes to sake her hand before pulling hers back, "And, uh—," she goes to Owen next.
"Okay, then," Marjan comments as Ellen goes past her.
Ellen holds on to Owen's hand for longer than necessary, "Oh, well, the good Lord sure took his sweet time with you, didn't he?" She smiles at him.
"You called in a fire, ma'am?" He asks trying to get back to business.
"It's right over here," she leads him to where she came from. "Oh, you know these people do not respect our country's laws," she tells Owen as they walk. "I guess we can't expect 'em to respect our city's either. It's right back here."
"'These people'?" Marjan looks at Paul in disbelief.
"There, see? I told you," she points to the ground that has smoke coming out of it. "They're putting the whole darn community at risk."
"What is that, septic?" TK asks, walking up to the smoking ground.
"Hell, septic never smelled so good," Judd comments. "That's barbacoa," he tells the rest of the crew as he stops over the low-wired fence.
"What the hell's barbacoa?" Owen questions
"It's a steak that you cook underground," Judd answers, kicking you the dirt. "Oof."
"Ooh. You cook meat in the dirt here? That's a thing?" Owen questions.
"Yeah," Judd answers, not phased. "That's a thing Mr. Open-Minded."
"Aw, hell no, Ellen," they hear a man yelling, "Who'd you call this time, you crazy lady?" He asks getting closer to them.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Judd holds the man back.
"Ooh, you better call the police," she tells Owen. "That man is unstable," she points to him.
"I'm unstable? You're unstable," he throws back at her.
"Whoa, whoa, I think we have a misunderstanding here," Owen tries to defuse the two neighbors.
"No, I don't misunderstand anything," he responds. "She may look like a sweet old lady, but she's an evil racist," he accuses.
"Who you calling old?" She yells back defensively.
"Really? That's the part that upset you?" He questions, looking at Judd after.
"I am not racist. My gardener is Spanish," she turns to Owen, trying to defend herself.
"She called the cops on us last week at my daughter's tenth birthday," he tells the crew.
"They were waving around a bat," she throws her arms up in the air.
"At a piñata, you twisted vieja," he adds.
"Yes, I called the police, and I'm gonna keep calling till somebody does something."
"You know what?" Owen puts his hand on her shoulder. "You don't have to call the police anymore 'cause I'm making a citizen's arrest."
"Oh, good," she smiles.
"Put your hands behind your back."
"What? Me?"
He looks to his son, "TK gets the cuffs."
"We don't have any cuffs, Cap," TK responds confused.
Marjan walks around Ellen, "Oh, I'm sure we could, uh, find some zip ties," she suggests.
"Oh, that'll work just fine," he approves.
"Probie?" Marjan calls.
"On it," Mateo goes back to the truck to grab the requested item.
"Wait, now, hold on. I'm an American citizen," she tells them.
"Which is why you should know that making a nuisance 9-1-1 call is against the law," he reminds her. "Paul, call APD. Tell 'em we're on our way down."
"Yep."
Ellen's mouth keeps moving but no sound comes out.
"Boom," the man exclaims, taking a sip of his beer.
"I- I-" she stutters.
"Ma'am?" TK questions.
"Uh-oh," Owen breathes.
"My heart."
TK moves forward to check on her, "Ma'am, are you all right?"
"Dear Jesus."
"Cap, we can't take her to jail if she's having a heart attack," TK states.
"I know. Marjan, take her BP," Owen orders.
"On it, Cap."
"Maybe give her some mouth-to-mouth."
Ellen gasps, "No! Not her."
"So maybe you're not having a heart attack," Marjan suggests.
"I am. I definitely am," she argues, looking up at Owen. "Can't you do it?"
"Not certified," he answers shaking his head.
"Oh. How about him?". She points to TK.
"Sure, ma'am," TK tips his helmet, "but just so you know, I am a homosexual," he informs her.
"Oh," she points to Judd.
"No," Judd shakes his head, not even bothering to give a reason.
"He can do it!" She points to Paul. Ellen turns back to the neighbor, "I told you I am not a racist!"
Paul hands his shovel over to Judd and kneels in front of Ellen. "You're not a homosexual, are you?" She asks him.
'Oh, no, ma'am," Paul denies while taking her pulse through the vein in her neck. "But I am trans, though," he adds causing everyone to laugh.
Ellen turns back to Owen, crossing her wrists in front of her, "Take me to jail."
Owen turns to Mateo who has the zip ties, he happily hands them over to his Capitan. "Paul, what did APD say?" He questions as he's zip-tying Ellen's hands together.
"There's a unit nearby. They're gonna pick her up here for us," Paul answers.
"3-6-3-H-20?" Carlos' radio crackles.
"3-6-3-H-20," Carlos responds.
"Austin Fire and Rescue made a citizens arrest. Are you available to pick it up?"
"I am. Where s this?"
"4663 Tucker Street. Austin Fire and Rescue has them in zip ties."
Lexi looks over to Carlos, "What's the chance that it's the new Capitan?"
"Pretty good," Carlos answers. "He can't seem to stay out of the action," Carlos gives a dry laugh.
"Why does that address sound familiar?" Lexi questions.
Carlos quickly glances at the monitor while at a stop sign, "Because," he answers as he pulls away, "that's Ellen's address. We keep getting nuisance calls about the neighbor from her."
"What kind of nuisance calls?"
"You'll see. If the 126 is there, she'll probably have something to say. Even if they aren't, she'll probably have something to say about me," he answers.
"Oh, those kind of calls," she puts together.
"Mm-hmm," Carlos hums as they pull up behind the firetruck.
"Look who it is," Lexi shakes her head
"Of course, it is," Carlos sighs as he sees the station number on the truck.
"Ready?"
"Yeah," Carlos agrees wanting to get this over with. The two of them get out of the car and walk around to the back where they see the 126, Ellen, and the neighbor who she keeps calling about.
"Hi, Hector," Carlos greets the man.
"Officer Reyes," he nods back.
"Ellen," Carlos greets, attempting to help her to her feet.
"No! Not you," she flinches back from her touch.
Carlos looks to Lexi, "Okay, let's get you up," she reaches out to help her.
Ellen looks hesitant, "You're not a homosexual, are you?"
Lexi tries to hide her shock, "No, ma'am. I am not."
"And you're not trans?" She asks still eyeing her.
"No, ma'am," Lexi answers, slightly less patient.
"Okay, then," she lets Lexi help her up.
Carlos and Lexi share a look. "Are you good?" He asks.
"I've got it," she answers.
Carlos looks to the 126, "What was that about?" He laughs.
"That would be TK," Judd shakes his head. At Carlos' confused look, Judd elaborates on what happened before he and his partner showed up.
"I had to," TK grins.
"You're something else," Carlos shakes his head in amusement.
"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" TK questions.
"Good. Defiantly good," Carlos answers, looking back to where Lexi took Ellen, "I should…" he trails off.
"Go, we're good here," Judd waves him off.
Carlos jogs off back to the cruiser, "We good?" Lexi asks when he makes it back to them.
"Yeah," Carlos answers getting into the driver's seat.
"How do people like you end up enforcing our laws? People like you don't respect our laws," Ellen says from the back of the cruiser.
"People like me?" Carlos asks calmly.
"Illegals," she answers like it's obvious.
"Ma'am, you have to be a citizen to be a police officer," Carlos informs her.
"That was some call," Judd shakes his head as they get to the 126.
"Are a lot of people like that here?" TK asks Judd.
"I mean, I've never seen someone fake a heart attack like that before," he laughs. "But, uh, it's not that bad. It's not usually obvious like she was."
TK stares at him.
"Austin is one of the more open-minded areas… she's just…"
"A bigot?" Marjan fills in.
"Yes."
"Glad we had our talk already, or this could have been awkward," Paul comments.
"Sorry, it took so long," Judd apologizes.
"Water under the bridge," Marjan tells him.
"How were you so calm?" Lexi questions when they get back in their patrol car.
Carlos thinks for a minute before answering. "That's actually not the worst I've heard directed at me. I guess, you just learn to keep your head."
"You would think that it would be better now," Lexi comments.
"If it wasn't because I'm Hispanic, it would be because I'm gay," Carlos tells her.
Lexi doesn't have a response for that.
"I just want it to be a better world for Nieves," Carlos shakes his head.
"You're a good dad," she tells him.
"Thanks," Carlos accepts softly, secretly happy that someone called him Nieves' dad.
November 24
"It's going to be fun," Carlos tells Nieves as he leads her into his parent's home for Thanksgiving dinner, sweet potatoes in his arms.
"Mijo," Andrea greets him when they enter the home.
"Hola, Mamá," he kisses her cheek in greeting. "Where are Luna and Marisol? I saw their cars out front," Carlos comments as his mother hugs her granddaughter.
"In the kitchen," she answers. "The boys are out back with the kids," she adds when Carlos looks around at the lack of noise. "Nieves can go play with them if you want her to," Andrea offers.
"If she wants to, but she's fine staying with me too," Carlos answers his mother before looking to Nieves. "Nieves, ¿quieres jugar con tus primos o quedarte conmigo?" Carlos asks.
Nieves answers by getting as close to Carlos as she can.
"I think she wants to stay," Carlos looks at his mother.
"Okay," she nods shortly, taking the pan of sweet potatoes out of his arms so he can help Nieves with her jacket.
Carlos helps Nieves with her jacket before placing both of their jackets with his sisters'. "Vamos," he ushers her into the kitchen.
"This is different than New York," TK comments as he gets into his dad's car so they can go to the Ryder household.
"What do you mean?" Owen looks at him in the passing seat.
"Like, we would spend Thanksgiving with the crew, if we had a shift then… but here," he makes a motion with his hand, as if that explains his train of thought. "And we've been here for a week and been a team for like five days."
"Yeah, it's a good thing though, don't ya think?"
"Yeah, Texas isn't that bad after all," TK agrees.
"And it has nothing to do with a certain police officer?"
"No," TK answers. "Even if it was, he has a boyfriend."
"How do you know that?" Owen is now very interested.
"Judd knows him," TK answers, trying to act nonchalant about it. "He doesn't think Carlos' niece likes his boyfriend… or that the boyfriend likes her."
"Carlos? Huh," he pries. "What does he think about this?"
"Judd doesn't think Carlos has realized yet."
"As a parent, or in his case a guardian, he needs to put the child first," Owen muses. "You know after your mother and I split, we always thought about you before a new relationship."
"I know you did," TK acknowledges as they pull up to the Ryder home. "Looks like we're the last to get here," he notes seeing all the other cars parked around the home.
They get out of the car, grabbing the food they'd promised to bring, and walk up to the door. Knocking at the door they are greeted by a teenage boy. "Is this the Ryder house?" Owen asks.
"Yeah, come in. You're my dad's captain?" He questions.
"Your dad?" Owen raises an eyebrow.
"Yeah, Judd's my dad," the boy answers as he leads them into the kitchen.
It takes a little time, but the three Reyes women and Carlos get the food ready. "I thought you two were a disaster in the kitchen," Carlos tease his sister as they are bringing the food to the table.
"Mijo, be nice to your sister," Andrea chastises lightly,
"Sí, Carlitos," Marisol agrees.
"Be nice to your sisters," Luna finishes Marisol's sentence.
"Mijas," Andrea warns her daughters.
"I'm going to get the others," Carlos offers. Nieves starts following him, "Come on, cariño, before your tías set the kitchen on fire," he whispers the last part so they don't hear him.
When the two of them are out of earshot, Luna looks to her mother and sister, "He's in over his head. He can't handle her needs."
"Just give him a chance," Andrea tells Luna.
"Mami, he has no idea how to raise a little girl, let alone a traumatized one," Marisol adds.
"She would have been better off with one of us," Luna tells them.
"Would she?" Andrea questions. "She knows Carlitos the best."
"Does that matter with his schedule? Can he give her the attention that she needs?" Marisol hush-whispers.
"Can either of you?" Andrea claps back. "You both have little ones who need a lot of attention."
"We could make it work."
"Carlos seems to be doing the best he can."
"Is the best he can good enough? She's a little girl; what happens when she needs something that he can't do."
Before Andrea can answer, they stop their conversation when they hear the back door opening with the guys and children filing inside.
Once everyone gets settled, Grace orders Judd and Wyatt to help her bring the food out to the table. Tommy and her husband also help, leaving the rest of them trying to stay out of their way.
With everyone seated, Grace addresses the table, "I know we all come from different backgrounds, but I'd like to say a prayer if that's alright with y'all." She looks around to see that everyone either giving a verbal agreement or a physical nod. "Spirit of life, love, and all that is holy thank you for the abundance that blesses our lives. Share our bounty with those in need as the one human family we are. Amen," she finishes.
A chorus of amens can be heard from everyone around the table. "Well start serving yourselves," Judd tells them.
Everyone dishes themself some food and breaks off into different conversations. His dad, the Ryders and Vegas in one conversation, Nancy and Tim in another, Paul, Mateo, and Marjan are all talking in their own group, and the Vega twins keeping Judd's son busy, leaving TK listening to bits and pieces of what's going on around him.
"We give You thanks most of all for the gift of Your Son, Jesus. Please bless the food we eat, all who are gathered today to share it, and all our loved ones who can't be with us today. We ask this as we ask all things, through Christ, our Lord. Amen," Gabriel gives grace as the patriarch of the family.
Between all of the adults, they manage to make sure all of the kids have food on their plates and that the older kids are actually eating.
Conversations flip between Spanish and English, the kids using a mix between the two when they can't think of the word in the other language. Throughout all of this, Nieves remains quiet, watching everyone around her as she slowly eats the food that Carlos put on her plate.
When finished with dinner, everyone who didn't help with bringing the food insists on cleaning up. Used to working as a team on the job, the clean up is swift, only stopping to ask either Judd or Grace where something belongs. When they are finished they gather around the TV to watch the football game. All the Texans are rooting for the Cowboys, the Strands rooting for the Giants, and everyone else is deciding on which team to root for by what would be best for their team.
After the game, they start to go on their way. Saying their goodbyes, Grace makes sure to send everyone home with leftovers.
The boys clean up, while the women keep an eye on the children who are in various states of a food coma. Clean-up is fast as they listen to the game in the background.
As he cleans, Carlos can see Nieves curled up in a chair looking between the game and her cousins.
Finished in the kitchen, Carlos goes to where Nieves is and she moves over so he can sit with her. Nieves cuddles into his side as they all watch the game, rooting for the Cowboys.
Happy with a Dallas win, Carlos and his sister pack up their families to head home. Andrea sends them home with enough leftovers to take them into next week.
As they say their goodbyes, Nieves stays close to his side, only letting Andrea and Gabriel hug her. Making sure she is secure in her seat, Carlos pulls away from the family ranch and heads to his own home.
TK puts the leftovers in the refrigerator while his dad turns on the Minnesota-Patriots game, hoping for a Minnesota win, based on his hatred for New England. "Who knew Judd had a son?"
"Apparently it's still kind of new to Judd too. I guess he found out about him a few months ago?" TK answers heading for the steps.
"Where are you going?" Owen asks when he sees TK going out of his sight.
"My room. I want to call mom before it gets too late," he responds.
"Tell her I say hi," Owen waves off.
"Sure," TK responds, pulling up her contact info as he walks to his room.
He dials the number, flopping on his bed as he waits for her to pick up.
"TK?" She picks up on the second ring.
"Hi, Mom. Happy Thanksgiving."
"Happy Thanksgiving, baby," she returns. "How was your day?"
"It was alright, Dad and I went over to a firefighter's house. I guess they started celebrating on the weekend because of the schedule. The rest of the crew and some of their families were there too. What did you do?"
"Enzo and I got Chinese," she answers. "How are you liking Texas?"
"It's not that bad. So far I haven't had a problem, the team is great."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah, Paul and Marjan relocated, but Mateo and Judd are from here." He fills her in on some of the calmer calls.
Getting home, Carlos puts on the TV for Nieves while he puts away the food. Seeing that she is soaked up in some show, he uses this time to check his emails and sort through what seems to be the never-ending paperwork that he's been getting since he became Nieves' guardian.
At seven-thirty, he looks up to see her resting her head on the arm of the couch. "Hey," he sits next to her. "Time for a bath, then bed."
He lets her play in the tub for a little while before making her clean off and helping her with her hair.
After getting her out, dried off, and dressed, they go into her room. She climbs into her bed, which is still in the center of the room, Berry in her arms. Carlos covers her with the blankets, "I know, we'll get your bed back where it belongs soon," he promises.
He settles in next to her, grabbing the book off of the nightstand, also not in the right place, "Ready for your story?" He questions.
Nieves answers by snuggling into his side.
November 25
Carlos opens the door, leaving Nieves to eat breakfast in the kitchen. "Chad? What are you doing here?" he is shocked.
"I wanted to surprise you," Chad smiles. "I think it worked."
"Yeah, it did," Carlos kisses him back.
"How was Thanksgiving?" Chad wonders as Carlos lets him in.
"It was okay," Carlos sighs. "Everything ran smoothly, but…" he glances over to the kitchen where Nieves is.
"Is she okay?" Chad asks confused.
"They, my parents and sisters, didn't understand why she wouldn't go off with the other kids… or why she's still not talking," Carlos sighs.
"Have you thought about having her go to therapy?"
"I just don't want to take her and they end up putting her on something. She's not sick, she's just… traumatized," Carlos slowly explains.
"Shouldn't she be talking now?" Chad challenges.
"She will… any day now. I know it," Carlos quickly responds.
"Babe, it's been over three months."
"She just needs support… she's traumatized," Carlos repeats.
"Okay, okay," Chad gives in, not wanting to start a fight during his visit.
"I'm sorry. I just want to do what's best for her. Esmeralda trusted me to take care of her."
Chad doesn't respond and instead asks, "How's she doing in school?"
"She doesn't start until Monday."
"Oh… well, how's work going?"
"Okay… somehow Lexi and I are partners again."
"Is that a bad thing? I thought you two got along?"
"We do, I guess I just don't like leaving Nieves."
"She's fine with your mom though, isn't she?"
"Yeah, I just worry that she's going to push Nieves too far. I know she will talk on her own, but if we push too much she might retreat more."
"It's going to be fine," he tells Carlos before turning his head, "Hi, Nieves!" he greets the child who is now walking into the living room with her bear.
Nieves ignores him in favor of going straight to her uncle. "Hi, cariño. Did you finish your breakfast?" Nieves nods.
"Is she eating again?"
"Not a lot, but it isn't a battle anymore. And she will eat what's on her plate," he answers before looking back to Nieves, "Did you put your plate in the sink?" Nieves nods. "Buen."
"So," Chad looks over Nieves' head, "Ricky and Dylan are in town visiting family for the holiday. When I mentioned coming up to surprise you, they asked if we wanted to go out before I had to go back to Dallas and they have to go back to Huston. I said I would ask you about it… so what do you think?"
"I don't know."
"If you're worried about Nieves… I'm sure she'd be fine with your mom or one of your sisters," Brad leads.
"Let me talk to my mom… my sisters have had enough with their kids," Carlos decides.
"Ricky and Dylan were thinking around six-thirty, seven," Chad continues.
"I'll talk to my mom later, but until then… I was going to take Nieves to the park. Want to come with us?"
"Why the park? She doesn't really leave your side."
"The air will be good for her, and soon it might be too cold to actually be outside," Carlos tells him.
TK sits on the arm of the couch waiting for his dad to get home, he's not waiting anymore; he needs to know the truth. Possibilities run through his head as he waits for his dad to get home from the 126—the downside of his dad rebuilding the firehouse is being there even when it isn't their shift.
Owen opens the door and is surprised to see TK waiting up for him. "Hey. Thought you'd be asleep," he comments as he shuts the door behind him and heads into the kitchen.
"Not tired," TK answers robotically.
He turns around to face his son, "Is something wrong?"
"When I was in your office the other day," TK starts, still looking straight in front of him and not towards his dad. "I was looking for some gum, and found a pill bottle instead." Owen realizes what TK is getting at. TK turns to look at his dad, "Granisetron. At least I think that's how you pronounce it." Seeing that his dad isn't reacting, TK continues, "I looked it up. And it's anti-nausea meds for chemo patients. The cough… it's lung cancer, right?"
Owen sighs while looking down, "I was going to tell you," he tells TK, not meeting his eyes.
"Sure you were," TK scoffs. "How long have you known?" he questions, voice threatening to break.
"Since before we left New York," Owen answers, looking down.
"Wow. Wow, you must think I'm so weak," TK scoffs.
"No," Owen denies.
"Admit it," TK shakes his head, not believing his dad. "You didn't think that I could handle it," TK stands up.
"No, it's not that at all," Owen denies.
"You thought that fragile TK would spin out and OD again?" TK tries to bait his dad, standing face to face. "That's what you thought, right?"
"It's not like that at all."
"Then why would you lie to me every single minute of every single day?"
"The reason I didn't tell you about my diagnosis is not because I think you're weak. It's because I am," Owen admits.
TK stares at him trying to process this.
"I knew that if I told you and looked into your eyes and saw grief or fear…" he pauses, looking down before looking back to TK, "It would make it real," he lets out a breath.
"Dad, look at me," he waits for Owen to listen to him. "Do you see fear and grief? Because you are gonna kick the crap out of this cancer," he jabs his pointer finger into Owen's chest before moving his hand to rest on his father's shoulder, "especially because from now on, I've got your back," he whispers. "Okay, I've got your back, Dad."
They pull each other in for a hug, "Thanks, son," Owen whispers into TK's ear.
"When are you going to tell the rest of the crew?"
"Soon," Owen answers. "I just don't want them to worry that they aren't safe for a job."
"Dad?" TK is confused.
"Look at the crew and this state. I mean that call the other day. If the wrong person…"
"If the wrong person takes over the 126, the only safe one is Judd," TK finishes Owen's sentence.
"Exactly," Owen answers. "Three of you relocated."
"Dad, we're going to be fine," TK rests his head back on Owen's shoulder.
"Love you, son."
"Love you too, Dad."
Translations:
Que paso = What happened?
Vamos = Come on
Lista para ir? = ready to go?
Vieja= old woman
Nieves, ¿quieres jugar con tus primos o quedarte conmigo= Nieves, do you want to play with your cousins or stay with me?
Buen = Good
A/N: The prayer Grace says, is one that I found when looking up what can be said for a prayer during an interfaith Thanksgiving gathering.