Later At Around Eleven Forty-Five

Nearing midnight, twenty minutes before clocking out, everything felt pretty relaxed.

Currently at the Squad table, while most of the UNO cards were scrambled around, only two Squad members were there with the Engine Lieutenant.

"How are you feelin', Spin?" Arnold asked after putting his feet down from the table. While Pep was figuring out a crossword puzzle, Spinelli shrugged and looked at her ring. "I'd say better than how I felt most of the day. But overall, I feel fine, just a little bored."

Arnold smiled. He soon leaned over to kiss her cheek. "I love you, sweetie."

"And who said these crossword puzzles were fun?..." Pep tossed it aside and kicked her feet up. "I assume you wasted your relaxing time on a crossword?" Arnold smirked.

"I think you summarized it…" She scoffed. "I don't know why I spent the last forty minutes trying to do that when I could've just kicked my feet up and relaxed." Pep shrugged.

"Pep, you got any plans after shift tomorrow?" Arnold asked. Pep shook her head. "No, why?"

Arnold looked at Spinelli and back at Pep. "Pep, we need a favor. Could you please take care of Andy for the afternoon? Spinelli and I are going to spend the afternoon together. Well, that is if we clock out early enough." Arnold asked.

"Sure!" She smiled.

"There's a reason you're one of the greatest roommates. You're the best, Pep." Arnold smiled. Pep shrugged with a smile. "I try to be. To switch the topic, how's it going with your new helmet?" Pep asked.

Arnold shrugged. "Can't lie, I miss having the old smoke-stained one. Resemble's the kind of Lieutenant I am, you know? I like gettin' my hands dirty instead of just barking orders. But, I'd say within the month it'll be halfway to what it was." Arnold looked over to the polished Squad rig. "But yeah, I know everyone else is salty about it." He chuckled.

Spinelli shrugged. "Well, who am I to lie? I honestly feel a little jealous but eh, I'm still happy for you." She smiled.

At that moment, the station alarm went off. "Engine 55, Truck 55, Rescue Squad 55, Ambulance 55. Deputy 2-2-7. Warehouse fire, 7522 Bland Avenue."

As they got up and headed toward their respective trucks…


It transitioned to the right side of Truck 55 driving down a street while the sirens wailed and its siren lights flashing. Engine 55 was seen ahead while its siren lights flashed.

Tommy honked the horn twice while Michelle adjusted her coat. As the horn blared…


It transitioned quickly to Squad 55's right front door, showing the emblem 'Squad 55'.

As the sirens stopped wailing with the brakes hissing, Arnold hopped out and slammed the truck door shut as he went to the rest of the commanding officers. The three were standing near the Chief's pickup while Truck 55 was parked near another building and behind Ambo 55. Engine 55 was beside Aid.

As Arnold adjusted his SCBA. "This is the old Triskin warehouse." Michelle started. "Looks like the door's been pried open, could be squatters inside." Arnold mentioned as he strapped on his SCBA belt.

"Smoke's already coming out quick, we don't have long on this one." Stella added. Travis and Donovan came over with pike poles. "Alright, Spinelli, you and Engine get a two-and-a-half on the front door to cover the search teams. Truck, open up the back and vent the skylights. Arnold, give me that primary search." Stella handed out assignments while siren lights reflected on them. Radio chatter overlapped in the background.

"Yeah." Arnold walked away to his Squad team.

"Johanssen! Warren! I need a two-and-a-half line, front door! Doss, get a supply line going!" Spinelli shouted toward Engine.

"Alright, Tommy, Gibson, raise the aerial, take out the skylights! Montgomery and Alexander, with me, let's open up the back! Let's go!" Michelle told Truck while radio chatter went on.

Tommy handed her a halligan before getting on Truck's aerial.

"Smoke's getting bad! Get the doors down fast!" Arnold told his crew.


Michelle lined up her halligan. "Strike!" Donovan hit her halligan to wedge it in.


While Squad opened the front with their halligans, Truck opened the rear. Smoke came out from both entrances. Both companies masked up once the doors were open.


"Going left!" Travis shouted.

"Mind your step!" Michelle warned. "FIRE DEPARTMENT!" She shouted.

"FIRE DEPARTMENT! ANYONE IN HERE?" Travis yelled.


Meanwhile, on the outside, other firefighters stood behind Stella as she examined the building. Overlapping chatter was heard in the background.

Above the building, the smoke was slowly turning from gray to black. Stella shook her head lightly. "That smoke's turning ugly." She mentioned as Clyde came over with a pike pole.


"FIRE DEPARTMENT!" Michelle shouted.

"HEY, CAP! WE GOT SOMEONE! IN THE BACK!" Travis shouted.


"GUYS! OVER HERE!" Arnold shouted toward Squad.

Michelle and Travis were searching through debris.

"FIRE DEPARTMENT! ANYBODY HERE? CALL OUT!" Michelle shouted.


"We got you! Hang on!" Suarez told one of the victims.

"Hang on to me! We're gonna get you out!" Arnold told another victim.


Soon, it went back outside where Squad was coming out with the victims.

"We got him!" Murray took the victim from Arnold.


"FIRE DEPARTMENT!" Donovan yelled as they kept rummaging through debris.


On the outside of the building, a big flare-up was seen from one of the windows.

THRASH


THRASH

THUD

WHOOSH

"UNH!"

A flaming piece of wood came crashing down around 20 feet away from Donovan. He flinched as he fell back.

At that instant, Donovan saw an unconscious man up ahead. "All companies. Deputy 2-2-7 to all companies. Evacuate the building now!" Stella radioed in.

"HEY, DON! LET'S GO!" Travis exclaimed.


Outside, the smoke above the building was as dark as the night, signaling a flashover was inbound.

"It's gonna flash…" Stella said while the sirens on her pickup flashed over her shoulder.

Michelle had gotten out of the building and was walking back to the Chief. "Montgomery and Alexander are still inside?" She asked.

"Yep." Stella answered.


Back inside, Donovan was tempted to go after the unconscious victim, but he already heard the Chief call them out.

"This is Deputy 2-2-7, I repeat, evacuate the building immediately!" Stella urged.


Arnold and Squad stared at the building, anxiously and in fear. "Come on now, guys, we gotta get out of there now! Let's go!" Stella radioed again. "Come on, already…" She stared at the front entrance anxiously.

The front entrance had black smoke pouring out. But soon, a flashlight was seen. It was Travis coming out. "Come on, Don!" He already had his airmask off.

Donovan yanked off his airmask and put his helmet back on. "There's a guy still inside, I saw him!" He started while taking deep breaths of fresh air. He went up to Stella. "Chief, give me one more minute to go back in there!" He said while a big crowd of civilians was seen behind.

With Arnold and Squad to the left of her, red siren lights flashed at them as Stella shook her head. "No, it's over. No more minutes." She answered.

"He could be alive! Just give me one more minute, I know I can get to him!" Donovan insisted. "You're not going anywhere! This building's about to flash!" Stella replied while the red siren lights flashed at them.

"CHIEF, I COULD-" Stella cut off Donovan. "Enough!" Stella went back on her radio. "All officers, take count of your firefighters. Nobody goes back in. All members, out of the collapse zone. Everybody, back up." She ordered.

As everyone stepped back a few feet, Donovan stood in despair for a moment. Michelle yanked him back as radio chatter kept going.

"10-4, 2-2-7."

"This is company Truck 16, we're all accounted for. Truck 16 to Ladder 22."

"Roger that, 25." Everyone stared at the building, anxious and serious. Siren lights from Truck 55 and 2-2-7's pickup were flashing at them. "Ladder 47, Truck 34, Engine 10. We're all clear."

"Engine 77 accounted for, Chief."

"Company 21 to Engine 5."

As radio chatter ended for a moment, a loud whoosh-like noise was heard coming from the building.

WHOOSH

SHATTER

CRASH

KA-BOOM

BOOM

THRASH

A massive explosion went off. A huge fireball formed after the explosion.

"Aye! Everyone good over there?" Overlapping chatter went on in the background. The rear red siren beacons of Truck 55 were briefly shown for a moment.

Donovan shook his head in disappointment. Stella went back on her radio. "Fire up the water cannons." She gave the nod to Spinelli.

As Spinelli walked away toward Engine 55, Squad also walked away to their rig, Cruz, McCaffery, Suarez, Pep, and Arnold.

"10-4." A police officer answered his radio while he patrolled the crowd.

Stella looked back to Donovan. He shook his head at her and walked away as Stella faced back to the building with the red and white siren lights of her pickup truck flashing over her right shoulder.


The Next Morning…

It was around eight-thirty-three in the morning, the morning after the warehouse fire, and one day away from the wedding.

Currently, in the bathroom of a bedroom, giggling was heard.

"Arnold, stop!" Spinelli was giggling while Arnold kissed her neck and rubbed her thigh. "Arnold, c'mon! I'm serious!" Spinelli continued to giggle.

Arnold soon stopped kissing her neck and made her turn around to face him. He smiled and cupped her face. "Never a day goes by where I'm never thankful to have you beside me. You're so beautiful in so many ways. Your eyes sparkle like the stars in the sky. You're unique, you're tough, resilient, fierce, and a courageous female Lieutenant. But most importantly, you're a loving mother and wife, a supportive and caring wife, and someone I can rely on. I love you, Spinelli. From the bottom of my heart." He nuzzled against her nose to end his sentence.

Spinelli touched his hand and smiled. "You really have no idea how much it means to hear that. I love you so much, Arnold, and I'm more than happy and relieved knowing that you're beside me…"

"You were there for me when I needed someone the most, now I'm here for you when you need someone." Arnold smiled. He soon embraced her in a tight hug. "You wanna know something crazy?" Arnold asked as he kissed her head.

Spinelli raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"

"I'm an inch taller." Arnold smirked and kissed her head again. Spinelli smacked his back. "Shut up!" She chuckled after.

Now, why was height brought up? Well, Arnold was 5'11, and Spinelli was 5'10, the same height as Stella. While their height is never mentioned, Arnold likes to tease her about it every once and a while. Out of the four commanding officers, Michelle was the shortest being 5'5, 5'6, and Arnold was the tallest by an inch over Stella and Spinelli.

Arnold smiled and wrapped an arm over her shoulder. "Well? Are you ready for one more shift before tomorrow?" He gave a whole-hearted smile. Spinelli nodded with a smile. Before answering, she looked at her engagement ring. "To one more great shift before our wedding. Watkins is off to retirement, but he should be coming to the wedding either way. So anyhow, one more great shift for him, and one more great shift for us."

They looked at each other and smiled. They kissed passionately for a moment before walking out of their bedroom bathroom.

After walking out, they found Pep sitting on their bed, admiring her hair on her phone camera. Spinelli whistled to catch her attention.

Pep immediately turned her phone off and set it aside. "I was just admiring my hair, for the record!"

Arnold let go of Spinelli. "Don't worry about it. All we know is that you look great this morning, Pep." Arnold kissed Pep's head. All she did was smile warmly at him. "Might I add, beautiful?" Arnold smirked.

After walking out of the bedroom, Arnold wrapped an arm over their shoulders.

"You two want to wait for breakfast at the firehouse or should we get something beforehand? What do you two say?" Arnold asked Spinelli and Pep.

Spinelli shrugged. "I can wait, but I wanna hear Pep out." They both looked at Pep.

Before answering, she thought for a moment. "Uh…" She snapped her fingers. "Hey, how about a Slurpee from 7-Eleven? We haven't gotten slurpees in a while." She suggested.

Arnold kissed Pep's head and let go of them. "Doesn't sound bad, I'm up for it! Spinelli?" He looked at her. Spinelli shrugged. "I'm down."

Soon, the three decided to walk into Andy's room to check on the cute little one.

Andy was just about a year old, and her first birthday was only a week after her parents' wedding (even though Spinelli isn't Andy's birth mother).

Andy was somewhat awake in her crib, holding onto the monkey plush Spinelli gave her. Arnold smiled as he carefully picked her up.

"Hey there, sweetie… Did you miss us?" Arnold talked quietly while smiling. Pep lightly kissed Andy's head and smiled.

"Hey there, sweetheart… How are you?" Spinelli warmly smiled at Andy. Andy yawned. The three smiled at each other. "That's our precious girl, that includes you, Pep. You're family to us too." Spinelli smiled. Pep smiled at her.

Arnold smiled at both of them. "You two have come so far in your friendship, I'm honestly surprised. I'm proud of you both." Arnold gave two long kisses on their heads. "Alright, sweetie, we won't take more of your beauty rest away. Sweet dreams, Andy. We love you so much." Arnold kissed Andy's forehead.

He placed her in her crib delicately and tucked her in with her plushie.

"Shall we get goin', girls?" Arnold partly smirked at the two. Spinelli and Pep smirked at each other.

Before walking out, Spinelli lightly yanked Arnold back by his arm. Both Pep and Spinelli gave a long kiss on his cheeks, making Arnold feel his cheeks red hot whilst feeling the softness of their lips.

After their kiss, all they did was smirk at their charming knight.

"Pep? Care to do the honors?" Spinelli smirked.

Pep purred. "Well? Lead the way… handsome." She couldn't contain her giggle. Both Pep and Spinelli linked their arms with Arnold while he gave a goofy smile.


Later At Firehouse 55

Out front of the Firehouse, Engine 55 was outside getting worked on by Vic since Pep usually did its check-ups and whatnot.

Walking in the hallways, Donovan came up to Michelle. "Yo, Cap. Uh, let me ask something, if I may."

"Uuuh… Sure, what's on your mind?" Michelle replied. Before Donovan asked, Michelle snapped her fingers. "Wait. This isn't about last night, right?" Donovan nodded with a disappointed look. Michelle sighed. "Don, don't beat yourself up for it."

"See, the thing is, I was closest to the victim, I could see him ahead." Donovan tried to explain, but Michelle shook her head. "Look, Don, you know the Chief called us out. When she says now, she means now. Not thirty seconds, not any seconds, not even a second."

"I figured…" Donovan shrugged. Michelle patted his shoulder and walked away to her office.


At the upstairs locker room, Arnold, Spinelli, and Pep were in their uniforms when Cutler came by.

"Morning, Lieutenants."

"Morning." Both Arnold and Spinelli answered. "Cutler, are the SCBA bottles topped off?" Spinelli asked while adjusting her belt.

"Yeah. First thing I got done."


Soon, walking into the common room…

"Turn it to the Christmas movie marathon, channel 11, to get into the mood for next month." Gibson kicked his feet up on the coffee table. Travis and Vic joined him. Vic was mostly smothering Travis teasingly.

"Do you really have to take away my arm space?…" Travis lowered his eyelids. Vic only giggled while Travis rolled his eyes.

Stella flipped through several channels before reaching the news channel.

"My brother died because he was homeless and poor. If he was a firefighter or a banker, in a fancy apartment, they would've found a way to save him. It was recorded on a cellphone!" A man was interviewed over last night's warehouse fire, wanting to go after the HFD. He showed the video on his phone with an evil smirk.

"Chief, give me one more minute!"

"No, it's over, no more minutes."

"He could be alive! Just give me one more minute, I can get to him!"

"You're not going anywhere! This building's about to flash!"

Donovan looked down and shook his head in despair.

"CHIEF, I COULD-"

"Enough!

The man stopped the video. "Even her own men wanted to go back in and save my brother's life! But the Chief on the scene, Stella Shortman, said no." The man explained.

"So, the investigation continues as-"

Stella turned off the TV with a stern look. She threw the remote on the coffee table. Everyone stood in silence. Donovan exhaled lightly while Stella stared at the TV, not knowing what was next.


Later…

In the Chief's office, Stella sat in her chair in silence with her radio on her shoulder.

One desk worker came into her office. "Chief. There's another request for an interview, about the fire."

Stella rolled her eyes and shook her head no. "The answer's the same. No comment." She hit her desk.

"Oh, and Donovan Alexander wanted to see you." She told Stella. "Send him in." Stella replied.

Donovan soon walked into her office. "Hey, Alexander. What's up?" Stella asked.

"Chief, I… When I asked to go back in, I apologize if I was out of line." Donovan started. "Shut up. Not another word. That's exactly the attitude I want from my firefighters. Forget the news report. 'Kay?"

Donovan nodded. "Yes, Ma'am. Thank you." He soon walked out of the office.

After a moment… "You're welcome." She sighed.

The same desk worker knocked on her door again. "Chief, this is Sondra Walker." A woman with a briefcase walked in.

"I'm an attorney with the city's office." She shook hands with Stella. "How may I help you?"

Sondra sat down. "I need to ask you some questions about the Triskin warehouse fire."

"Why?" Stella asked as Sondra pulled out a clipboard.

"The city has been contacted by an attorney for Marc Thorne, the victim's brother. There are some concerns on how the fire was handled." Sondra explained.

Stella exhaled through her nose. "My sympathies go out to Mr. Thorne, but if I didn't handle the fire the way that I did, not only would his brother be dead but so would my men." She answered.

"How long ago was it that you called your men out of the structure before the explosion?" Sondra asked.

"I don't know… exactly." Stella replied. "About a minute."'

"And did one of your men tell you there was someone still inside?" Sondra asked another question.

"Yes, he did. He wanted to go back in and get him, I said no, seconds later, there was a flashover." Stella answered with an attitude. Sondra noticed. "I wouldn't ask you these questions unless I had to, Chief. We don't think you did anything wrong, but an M.E's (Medical Examiner) report will be released later, and if it says his brother was alive up until the explosion, Thorne will come after you, your son, the Department, and the city of Hillwood." Stella looked down in disappointment. "The city supports you. You shouldn't feel bad-"

"I don't." Stella sternly answered. "If we're done here, I have some work to do." Stella stood up and sternly told Sondra.

Sondra got up, took her things, and walked out without another word.


Meanwhile…

Squad 55 was out of the firehouse, currently arriving at a house. The smooth purr of the engine was heard as Cruz slowly came to a stop.

Arnold hopped out with Spinelli, both of them in their bunker pants. "Wait here, guys. If anything pops up, radio me. Got it?"

"Got it." Cruz answered.

"Arnold, is this really necessary? We're wasting time!" Spinelli groaned. "Don't worry, we're not just out for this, we also have to stop at a gas station. Cruz says the fuel tank's low." Arnold explained as he knocked on the door.

Flo answered the door. "Arnold! Spinelli! Surprised to see you here! What can I help you two with?" She asked.

"Mrs. Spinelli, Spinelli and I just wanted to know if everything's set for tomorrow?" Arnold asked.

"Well, uh… Everything is set, but we can't find a priest, that's all." Flo replied. "Look you two, as much as I'd love to stay and chat, I have to get going, I'm a little busy." Flo closed the door on them.

Arnold and Spinelli looked at each other in confusion. "I don't think I've seen your mother like that." Arnold mentioned. "Wonder what she can be up to." Spinelli replied.

"Pick a reason." Arnold said as they walked back to the rig.


Back at Firehouse 55

Stella was out of her office and at the front desk near the engine bay.

Soon, Sondra Walker came back. "I have a suggestion. If you do a sit-down with Marc Thorne, that could help minimize the damage." Sondra suggested.

"A sit-down?…" Stella asked while lowering her eyelids.

"Yeah. A 'beer in the rose garden' kind of thing. You, Thorne, attorneys for both sides." Sondra added. "Whose idea was this?" Stella asked.

"The sit-down was his idea, beer was mine." Stella nodded. "Sometimes, a simple conversation can avert a major lawsuit. Maybe all he wants is a simple apology." Sondra gave an encouraging smile.

"I doubt that." Stella quickly answered.

"Chief, I don't think you understand. If we can't make this go away before the M.E's report comes in, your job and livelihood are at risk!" Sondra explained. "I'm not gonna apologize. I didn't do anything wrong neither did any of my men!" Stella replied.

"Look, the city supports you-"

"You keep saying that but in the same breath, you say my job is at risk and that Thorne will come after me and my son!" Stella snapped. Sondra was about to speak, but Stella put up a finger to stop her. She chuckled as she picked up a file. "Now, I really have work to do. And I'm gonna go do it." Stella smiled as she walked away.

"Oops! Almost forgot my pen!" Stella briefly came back to grab her pen and left again.

Sondra scoffed and walked away.

The station alarm soon went off. "Ambulance 55. Hand laceration. 310 West Seattle Street." The dispatcher was cut off as it transitioned to the place the call came from.


Radio chatter went on as Murray and Watkins came up the stairs.

Most of the place was quiet. The two paramedics walked into the kitchen.

"Yikes, you got a nice bleed goin' there. What happened?" Watkins asked the man. "I was chopping onions and suddenly there was screaming, I took my eyes off the onions, next thing I know my hand's gushing blood." The man explained.

"Screaming?" Murray asked.

"A reaction to a two-tier baby carriage and matching car seat." The man rolled his eyes as Watkins treated his hand. "Wiggle your fingers for me."

The man wiggled his fingers with no difficulty. "Alright, not bad but you'll need stitches." Watkins said.

"The mom-to-be had a dizzy spell when she saw the blood. Can one of you guys check on her?" A woman asked.

"Sure." Murray answered. He walked to the next room to find the mother-to-be.

Seconds later, Murray quickly walked out and looked at Watkins.

"Buddy, do I have something for you or what?…" Murray gave an unsure look.

"What?" Watkins asked as he finished treating the laceration.

Walking into the next room, Murray and Watkins found a pregnant woman in her mid-30s, in a black outfit with her husband. The woman's smile dropped when she saw the two.

"Sydney." Watkins said.

"Oh my God…" Sydney said. "Honey, uh… This is Mike Watkins, the high school boyfriend I told you about…" She gulped.

"Hey." Watkins looked at Murray. "I hate you." Watkins whispered.

"It ain't my fault she's here!" He whispered.


Soon…

Soon, outside the house, another ambulance arrived to take the second patient.

As radio chatter went on… "There are two patients, we'll take the hand lac-" Murray got cut off by Watkins. "Actually, Sydney is in our rig. So…"

"So? I said we were gonna take him." Murray replied.

"Doesn't matter to me." The man answered in a deep tone. The paramedics soon took him.

Watkins dropped the keys in Murray's hand. "Here you go." Murray only rolled his eyes.


Back At 55

Truck 55 was backed up in the engine bay since some of the guys were playing basketball. Engine 55 was right beside so they had to be careful about that.

"Give me the ball!"

"Oh!"

"Oh!"

The ball made a toilet bowl roll around the rim and soon dropped.

"Nah, that's pure luck!"

Two people soon came up, one with a camera. "My name is Marc Thorne. I'm here to talk with Stella Shortman and her son. They here?" Stella and Arnold walked out with their radios on their shoulders.

Stella offered a handshake despite having a stern look. "I'm very sorry for your loss, Mr. Thorne." She soon walked away.

"Chief Shortman!" Thorne shouted. "You knew my brother was in that warehouse!"

Travis scoffed. "Did you? The guy was homeless, keeping warm in that warehouse on a November night!"

"Montgomery, stay out of this." Arnold suggested. Travis shook his head at him. "Nah, I'm sorry, Lieutenant, but I'm not keeping quiet." He looked back at Marc. "If you knew where your brother was, then where have you been? Huh? You find it so easy to blame someone for this, but when our job is to SAVE people if we can. It's what we do every day. It's what we tried to do for your brother. Chief Shortman made the call she had to make." Travis walked up to Marc's face. "Be glad you don't have to do that. I'd like to see you try…" Travis quietly said in a stern tone.

Marc stood there, completely humbled as Travis walked away with a disgusted look. Arnold patted his shoulder as he walked off.


Later….

Later in the common room, half of Squad and Truck were there as Aid finally came back.

"Yo, Montgomery. Heard you represented our Chief. That's how we do things." Murray fist-bumped him. "Oh! Spinelli! You are so lucky you didn't have to see what we saw." He started.

"What? Why?" Spinelli asked as she was currently on the couch with Arnold while Gibson was watching the TV.

"Well, uh… All I can say is be grateful. Because holy hell it was extremely girly, I guess it was a baby shower or something?" Murray shrugged. "Anyhow, I bet if you were to be there… well, it wouldn't end well for you…"

"PFFT!" Spinelli spat out her popcorn. "EW! Ok, yeah… Thanks for scarring me with that… Yeah, that actually traumatizes me… Ew…" Her inner tomboy kicked in as she shivered in Arnold's arms. Arnold only rubbed her shoulder while smiling and rolling his eyes.

As Watkins dug through the fridge, Murray tapped Scott's shoulder. "Pay up."

"Man… You guys found Watkins' old ex?" Scott looked back. Murray nodded. "Yep. Sydney's married to a dude instead of a girl, and seven months pregnant."

"For the record," Watkins started. "When was there a bet about that?"

"Uh…" Murray scratched his head. Travis snapped his fingers. "Pay up." He started to chuckle.

"Dammit…"


Meanwhile, outside, Stella punched the hood of her pickup truck as a man with his two kids walked up to her.

"Excuse me? Chief… Shortman, right?" The man spoke. Stella looked back. "What can I help you with, Sir?" She pretended to dust off the hood after punching it.

"I uh… I saw the news online, both you and your son, read what happened. Keep your chin up, you did the right thing. This city stands behind you." The man encouraged. Stella gave a small smile and nodded. "Thanks…"

"Of course. Take care, Chief." The man soon walked off with his kids. Stella only looked at her pickup, wondering what to do next.


Later That Night…

While everyone had already clocked out for Watkins' farewell party, Stella was just barely clocking out after finishing up a file.

Stella was in street clothes with a simple black hoodie and blue jeans as she had her radio unit in hand. Sondra came back to the station.

"Chief." Sondra started. "Wanted to let you know the M.E's report came in… Johnathan Thorne died from injuries sustained during the explosion… The Department is currently putting together a committee now."

Stella sighed deeply. "This doesn't change a thing." She went back to her office to leave her radio unit.

A minute later, outside, Stella got inside her Chevy pickup and slammed the door shut. Hitting the steering wheel once, she took a deep breath to calm down.

All Stella did was sigh. She soon grabbed the keys and cranked the engine on.


Soon At Silver Tiger's…

All of 55 was at Silver Tiger's Bar, the place was packed as everyone was chatting away.

Finishing her second glass of beer, Spinelli turned to Arnold. "Well? What are you staring at? Are you going to kiss me or what?" She smirked.

Arnold rolled his eyes with a smile. "This is why I never bring booze to our place…" He chuckled. All Arnold did was kiss her forehead. "Buzzkill…" Spinelli lowered her eyelids.

"Thank me later." Arnold chuckled as he raised a glass with Pep. "Fuck you! Uh… Actually… Nevermind." Spinelli soon noticed Stella arriving. "Still love you, sweetie…" Arnold gave several kisses on her head.

Stella approached them. "I'm not late, am I?"

Arnold turned around. "Actually, Watkins is yet to show." Stella gave a relieved sigh. "In that case, I'll just have a beer."

The door opened again to reveal Watkins finally arriving.

"He's here!" A man shouted.

Everyone erupted in cheering and applause.

"WOOOO!"

"AYYYEEEEE!"

"YEEEAHH!"

"THERE HE IS!"

"WOO!"

Watkins took in the moment with a big smile as he walked to the center of the bar with the applause slowing.

"Speech! Speech! Speech!" Cruz insisted.

"C'mon, man! Do it!" Dean encouraged.

Watkins chuckled. "Aw man, I suck at this kind of thing. Um…" He exhaled. "I just wanna say thank you. I know I haven't been at 55 as long as many of you, but working side-by-side with all of you… it's truly been an honor. Working with the best firefighters in the city. These past couple of months have been special, amazing, and overall a life-changing experience… I learned more than just doing the job. I know what it's like to be a brother, being there for each other, and doing everything you can to be there for one another… Crazy thing I've had on my mind is that I'm leaving this family for another…" Watkins chuckled. "But… these past two or three months… they've been special, the best time of my life. And I mean it. Throughout my entire career, these past few months were extremely special…" Watkins started to tear up along with the others. "Every second I spent at 55, I was blessed to be there… This has been the best time of my life. I was so lucky to be assigned to this station…"

"We're the lucky ones." Pep started. "Having someone as experienced as you, for as long as we did, and when we did, truly helped us all. Thank you." She started to clap her hands. "We definitely were. Thank you." Cruz added as he started clapping.

Watkins smiled as everyone clapped for a moment.

Arnold was the first to approach him and hug him.

"You probably think I'm crazy retiring from 55 this early, huh?" Watkins chuckled. "Not at all, Watt. You figure out what you want in life, we all support you. We're all proud of you. We'll miss you…" Arnold smiled.

Michelle chuckled as she tapped Arnold's shoulder. "Quit hogging him, Arnold." Arnold chuckled as he stepped back. Michelle shook his hand and hugged him. "You'll always have a home at 55 if you ever change your mind. Okay?"

Watkins warmly smiled. "Coming from the best Captain I've worked with… Thanks. It really means a lot to me." Michelle soon stepped aside.

Watkins soon noticed Vic. They smiled at one another.

"Hey. Um… I got something for a fellow paramedic, coming from a former paramedic…" Vic chuckled and showed Watkins her wrapped gift. She handed it over. Watkins opened his arms for a hug once he noticed her fighting back tears. "Come on, Doss… C'mon, don't this." He smiled.

And just like that, after hugging Vic first, who started crying, the family of 55 started to form a group hug around Watkins. Beginning with Travis, toward Stella finishing it off.

Watkins soaked in the moment as he sniffled twice. He clutched Vic's clothing as the group hug felt like it was lasting forever. Watkins sniffled again as he fought back tears of sadness and joy, knowing that despite his short stint at 55, he had a family and a home in them…


That'll wrap up another amazing and entertaining chapter! Now, one thing I'll mention is Stella's height. I tried finding out her real height but I couldn't find anything. So, I decided to go 5'10. Anyhow, we are oh-so-close to the wedding, and I hope you stick around long enough to see what and how it all unfolds! One thing to keep in mind, I may write Arnold and Spinelli out for a couple of chapters or so for their honeymoon, BUT, they'll still have a bit of dialogue here and there. Now, who will be filling in their boots as Acting Lieutenants? That you will also have to stick around for to find out... I'll catch you in the next chapter!