25 Days of BeChloe Christmases - 2023
Day 6 - It's My Turn To Help Rescue You!
Summary: A new addition to the Firefighter!Chloe/Producer!Beca AU. Chloe leaves home one morning for work. After several hours and no word from Chloe, Beca becomes worried.
Christmas was just two days away, and Beca sat on her bed with her soon-to-be 2-year-old son, Dylan, watching Chloe dress for work. Dylan was giggling as he pulled on Beca's hair.
"I may be unreachable for most of the day after lunch," Chloe said as she buttoned her shirt. "I'm going to that old building on Prospect that burned a couple of weeks ago. I need to check it out because there's something weird about how we think it started."
"I know you're good at your job, but please be careful," Beca said.
"I always am," Chloe said, leaning on the bed to kiss Beca. "I have way too much to come home to not to be."
"You're such a sweet talker," Beca mumbled against Chloe's lips.
"I'll be home by dinner," Chloe said. "I love you."
"Mama hugs," Dylan said, reaching for her.
Chloe grabbed him up, hugging him to her.
"I love you, my handsome boy," Chloe said, kissing Dylan's cheek.
"Wuv you," Dylan said, planting a slobbery kiss on Chloe's chin.
"Is there anything special you want for dinner tonight?" Beca asked.
"Not really," Chloe said, handing Dylan over to Beca.
"Okay," Beca said. "We'll think of something. Won't we, Dyl?"
"Yes," Dylan said, giggling as Beca tickled his side.
Chloe stood watching and smiling at the two most important people in her life.
"Don't you have to get to work?" Beca asked, smirking up at Chloe.
"I do," Chloe said, leaning down to kiss Beca again and sighing. "I'm glad I have the next week off."
"Lucky for me, I can work from home and be here the whole time with my two favorite people," Beca said.
"I'd better go," Chloe said.
She kissed Dylan's cheek and gave Beca another peck on the lips before leaving the room.
"Have a good day!" Beca called out.
"Love you!" Chloe called back.
~~25 Days of BeChloe Christmases 2023 - Day 6~~
Later that morning, Beca was on the phone.
"This is great news," Beca said. "Chloe will be so excited. Thank you for calling."
Beca ended the call and immediately tried to call Chloe. There was no answer, so Beca left a message for Chloe to call her.
Beca and Dylan spent the rest of the day playing, napping, and taking a walk to the park.
After they returned home from the park, Beca started to worry as she had not heard from Chloe all day. She tried to call her office, but there was no answer. Beca saw the time and mumbled, "I guess George has gone home. Chloe must be on her way."
It was close to seven, and still nothing from Chloe. Dinner had been ready for a while, and Dylan started fussing; Beca picked him up.
"Are you hungry, Dyl?" Beca asked.
Dylan nodded and lay his head on Beca's shoulder.
"Okay," Beca said, walking toward the kitchen. "Let's eat, and we'll save some for Mama, okay?"
Dylan lifted his head, clapped, and giggled. Beca sat him in his high chair so she could fix his plate. She set the plate on the tray table of his chair and sat next to him at the counter. Dylan started eating, and Beca pushed her food around the plate. She wished Chloe would come home or at least call to let her know where she was and when she'd be home.
Beca's head shot up when the doorbell and her phone rang at practically the same time. She picked up her phone and headed toward the front door. She saw Jesse was calling as she pulled open the door to find Stacie, Aubrey, and Emily standing there.
"What's happened to Chloe?" Beca asked as she answered Jesse's call. "Is she-?" Beca couldn't bring herself to say the words that first came to mind.
She looked at her three friends standing at her door and stopped and swallowed loudly. Beca took a deep breath and let it out quickly as she put the phone back to her ear.
"What happened and where is she?"
Having Jesse calling her and Stacie, Aubrey, and Emily standing at her door scared her more than she would care to admit.
"Where's Dylan?" Emily mouthed to Beca.
Beca pointed toward the kitchen.
"I'll get him," Emily said when Stacie made a move toward where Beca pointed.
Beca stepped away from the door as Jesse started speaking again. Aubrey and Stacie followed her inside; Aubrey closed the door behind her.
"There's been an accident," Jesse was saying. "Part of the building Chloe was searching collapsed, trapping Chloe. We think we know where she is, but we haven't been able to get to her yet. We, uh, we don't know what her status is. Aubrey and Stacie should be arriving soon to bring you here."
"They're here," Beca said as tears stung her eyes; the hand holding the phone dropped to her side as she looked helplessly at them.
Stacie saw the look on Beca's face and pulled her into a hug.
"I've got you," Stacie whispered as Beca's tears fell.
"Beca!" Jesse's voice could be heard calling through the phone. "Beca! Are you still there?"
Aubrey took the phone from Beca.
"Jesse?" Aubrey said. "Beca's upset and can't talk. We're here and will be leaving as soon as Beca is ready to go. Call Stacie if there's any word on Chloe before we get there, okay?"
"Okay," Jesse replied. "Hurry and be careful."
"We will," Aubrey said and ended the call. She looked at Beca and said, "We should go."
"I don't-" Beca started as she looked at Emily holding Dylan.
"Don't worry about Dylan," Emily said as she carried him over to Beca. "I'll stay here with him. You go make sure Chloe is okay."
"Okay," Beca said, looking frazzled and confused. "I need my purse and my phone. Where the hell are my phone and my purse?"
Aubrey handed Beca her phone, and Stacie grabbed her purse from the table.
"Let's go," Aubrey said. "Emily, we'll call you as soon as we know anything."
"Okay," Emily said.
Beca took Dylan and hugged him tight to her.
"I love you, Dyl. Be a good boy for Aunt Emily," Beca said before handing him back to Emily.
"Beca, don't worry," Emily said. "I'll stay with Dylan no matter how long it takes. I promise. Stacie, make sure one of you keeps me updated."
Beca looked as if she didn't know which way to go, so Stacie took her arm and led her out the front door.
"We'll make sure someone calls you, Emily," Aubrey said and followed Beca and Stacie.
~~25 Days of BeChloe Christmases 2023 - Day 6~~
Once they arrived at the scene, Jesse ran over to Beca.
"Any word?" Beca asked as soon as she saw him.
"Nothing yet," Jesse said.
Cameras started flashing, and a television reporter was shoving a microphone in Beca's face, asking if she thought Chloe was still alive. A police officer came over and pushed everyone away, clearing a path. Jesse thanked him and led Beca, Aubrey, and Stacie to the tent being used as a command post. Once inside, Jesse led Beca to the Chief in charge of the search.
"What do you know, Chief?" Beca asked in a voice that was much calmer than she felt.
"Not much, I'm afraid," the Chief said. "We've started manually removing debris from the area we think she's in. Unfortunately, it's slow going since we're not exactly sure where Chloe is. We have to take our time so we don't cause another collapse. We will not stop until we find her; I promise you that."
"Thank you, Chief," Beca said and went back to where Stacie and Aubrey were standing.
"I want to go in, Chief," Jesse said as Beca walked away. "Another pair of hands couldn't hurt."
"Okay, Swanson," Chief Smith said, pulling over some blueprints. "We believe -"
"Count me in on that, too, Chief," Chicago said, stepping up beside Jesse.
"Us, too," the remaining men and women from Chloe's former Station House said, entering the tent and gathering behind Chicago and Jesse.
The Chief looked at them; he sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He then squared his shoulders and addressed the men and women of Station 27.
"I can't express how much I appreciate you all being here for Captain Beale. We don't need all of you right now, but if you want to hang around in case we need you later, we'd greatly appreciate it."
Everyone nodded and moved to stand near Beca while still allowing room for people to enter and exit the tent. Beca looked at the faces of Chloe's former partners and broke down. They were here for Chloe, and she was overwhelmed with gratitude that they were.
"Thank you all," Beca managed to say before she broke down completely.
"Beca," Chicago said, moving to stand next to her. "Anything you need, just ask. Anything, you understand?"
Beca nodded, and Chicago stepped back.
~~25 Days of BeChloe Christmases 2023 - Day 6~~
It had been hours, and Beca was growing more and more concerned when there was no news. She sipped from the now cold coffee someone had given her an hour before. She grimaced at the cold, acrid beverage and set the cup on a nearby table.
A sudden uproar from somewhere near the building caused Beca to freeze where she stood. Several others ran outside the tent to see what was happening. Stacie and Aubrey remained at Beca's side.
There was yelling, and word got back to the tent that one of the guys digging had collapsed and needed to be carried out.
"What's happening?" Beca asked. "Is he okay?"
"He's fine," Jesse said, coming over to Beca. "He had been digging for quite some time. They're all getting tired and need a break, so the Chief is going to send some of us in to take over."
"Do you know how-?" Beca wiped her eyes and sucked in a breath before continuing. "Do you know if they're close to getting her out?"
"I don't know, Beca," Jesse said, taking her hand and looking her in the eye. "But I promise you, none of us is leaving until we get her out, okay?"
Beca squeezed Jesse's hand. "Thank you for that."
"Swanson! Walp!" the Chief called out. "Get your guys geared up and get in there!"
"Yes, Chief!" Jesse said. "Okay, 27, you heard the chief. Let's gear up and get in there."
Jesse ran to put his gear on; the rest of Station 27 followed and were soon geared up and in line to go inside to help dig Chloe out.
Beca stepped outside the tent and watched as they all filed into the building. She absentmindedly placed a hand over her stomach and gently stroked it. She sent up a silent prayer for them and Chloe.
Beca wiped a tear from her eye before going back into the tent.
"You're pregnant, aren't you?" Stacie asked when Beca reached her. "I saw you caressing your stomach; you did that all the time when you were pregnant with Dylan."
"I am," Beca said, nodding and smiling softly. "I just found out earlier today." Beca wiped another tear before adding, "Chloe doesn't know yet.
Beca put a hand to her mouth to hold in her sobs. "What am I going to do if she-. I can't do this without her, Stacie."
Stacie didn't know what to say, so she just hugged Beca and let her cry.
~~25 Days of BeChloe Christmases 2023 - Day 6~~
Inside the building, Station 27 members had been working nonstop for a few hours. The going was slow, but they were making progress. Jesse was inside a small opening where they had just broken throught the other side. He looked inside and could see his helmet light shining against the opposite wall.
"I'm through," Jesse called back to the group.
A small cheer went up. Chicago was on his radio, letting the Chief know of their progress.
"Jesse?" Chicago called. "Chief wants to know if you see Beale."
Jesse looked around as best he could but didn't see Chloe.
"I don't have a visual," Jesse responded.
He started removing more of the debris to widen the opening. He was passing the chunks back through the chain to clear more space.
"I can get through now," Jesse said. "Walp, you're with me."
"I'm right here," Chicago said as he made his way through the space to Jesse.
Jesse went through the opening and slid down the side of the mountain of debris.
"Swanson, are you okay?" Chicago called down to him.
"I'm good," Jesse said. "Come on down. Just slide like I did."
Chicago went through the opening and slid down to Jesse. They both stood looking around.
"There," Jesse said, pointing to someone's foot in the light's beam.
They slowly moved their lights up, and suddenly they saw Chloe's arm covering her eyes from the light.
"What took you guys so long?" Chloe croaked out.
Jesse and Chicago rushed over to Chloe.
~~25 Days of BeChloe Christmases 2023 - Day 6~~
Outside, Beca was pacing again. Stacie and Aubrey nervously watched her.
"Beca," Aubrey said. "Why don't you sit down and rest? The Chief will let you know as soon as they find her."
Just then, they heard, "We've found her! We found her!"
A collective cheer went up from the crowd still gathered there. News cameras came out, and reporters started posting updates again.
Beca, Stacie, and Aubrey hurried out of the tent to see Benji and several others running toward the fire trucks and start pulling out equipment. CR and Jessica ran past Beca to their ambulance and grabbed what they thought they would need.
Everything was happening at once, and Beca didn't know where to look. She saw Benji at the truck and pushed her way to him.
"Benji?"
Benji stopped and looked at Beca.
"Is she, um."
Beca couldn't finish her thought and just looked at Benji, asking the question without actually asking the question.
"She's alive, Beca," Benji said, smiling. "She's hurt but alive. We need to do a bit more to actually bring her out, but we will bring her out."
"Can I, uh, can I talk to her?" Beca asked, pointing to Benji's communications radio.
Benji grabbed the mic and called for Jesse. He then handed the mic to Beca.
"I'm kind of busy right now, Benj," Jesse responded.
"Jesse, it's Beca," Beca said into the mic. "I just want to talk to Chloe. Please?"
Jesse stopped what he was doing and looked at Chloe. He unhooked his mic from his jacket and handed it to Chloe; Chloe's hands were shaking as she took it.
"I'm here, baby," Chloe's voice came through to Beca. "I'm here."
Beca sobbed and said, "God, it's good to hear your voice."
"It's good to hear yours, too," Chloe said.
Beca heard some rustling through the speaker and a moan from Chloe; then, there was nothing.
"Chloe!? Are you still there?"
Chloe picked up the mic and said, "I'm still here,"
"Are you okay?" Beca asked, tears running down her cheeks.
"Not really," Chloe said quietly. "But my guys are here, and they're working hard to get me out. I love you."
"I love you, too," Beca said. "I have something else to tell you. But that will have to wait until you come out."
"Okay," Chloe said, her voice sounding weaker. "I'll see you soon."
"See you soon," Beca said and handed the mic to Benji. "Thanks, Benji."
"No problem," Benji said, hooking the mic back to his shoulder and picking up his equipment. "I gotta get back in there."
Beca nodded and stepped aside as Benji rushed toward the building. Stacie and Aubrey joined Beca, each putting an arm around her shoulder. Beca grabbed their hands and held onto them as they stood watching the building's entrance, waiting for Chloe to come out.
The sun was just breaking over the horizon when Chloe was brought out. The crowd cheered her and the firefighters. New reporters were calling it a "Christmas Miracle."
~~25 Days of BeChloe Christmases 2023 - Day 6~~
Chloe lay on the hospital bed, listening to the doctor discuss what she could or could not do once she went home. Beca sat in the chair next to her bed, holding her hand; her thumb caressing the back of Chloe's hand.
"Considering you had a building fall on you, you're doing very well," Dr. Allen said. "Your ankle should heal just fine. Elevate it, ice it, and try to stay off of it as much as possible for the next couple of days. The concussion is mild, and you may have a headache for a day or two. Taking a pain reliever will help with that. If the headache lasts a while or becomes severe, come back, and we'll take another look. If there are no questions, you're free to go home whenever you're ready."
"I'm ready now," Chloe said.
"Fine," Dr. Allen said. "I'll have the nurse bring your discharge papers."
"Thank you, doctor," Beca said.
Dr. Allen nodded and left the room. Stacie entered the room after the doctor left. Chloe turned to Beca.
"I love you," Chloe said, smiling at Beca.
"I love you, too," Beca said.
"Can we go home now?" Chloe asked. "I want to see Dylan."
"We can leave whenever you're ready," Stacie said. "Brey went to get Emma from her mom's and will meet us at your house."
"Oh, okay," Beca said. "We can't leave until the nurse comes with discharge papers."
As if on cue, the nurse walked in and handed Chloe some papers.
"Mrs. Beale," the nurse said. "I just need your signature on the first page and you're all set."
Chloe signed the page, and the nurse took it.
"Thank you," Chloe said.
"You're welcome," the nurse said. "You take care."
"Thank you," Chloe said as the nurse left the room.
Chloe got off the bed and started for the door.
"Let's go," Chloe said to Beca and Stacie. "I want to get home to see Dylan."
"You haven't told her yet, have you?" Stacie asked once Chloe was out of sight.
"Not yet," Beca said. "I'm waiting until tomorrow. I'm going to use the coffee cup like I did when I told her I was pregnant with Dylan."
"Sounds like a solid plan," Stacie said, smiling as they followed after Chloe.
~~25 Days of BeChloe Christmases 2023 - Day 6~~
The next morning, Beca handed Dylan his sippy cup and Chloe her coffee. She sat next to Dylan and snuggled him to her. She then sat and waited for Chloe to finish her coffee to see the announcement at the bottom of the cup.
"Thanks, babe," Chloe said, taking a sip of her coffee.
"Mama," Dylan said, reaching for Chloe's coffee.
"No, Dylan," Chloe said, moving it out of his reach. "This is hot."
"Hot?" Dylan asked.
"Yeah, baby," Chloe said, setting her cup on the table next to the sofa. "Hot. Ouch!"
Beca huffed when Chloe set her cup down. Chloe looked at her and smiled.
"Something wrong?" Chloe asked. "Or are you mad because I didn't drink all my coffee to see that we're going to become parents again?"
"How did-"
"I recognize the cup," Chloe said. "Plus, I kind of figured it out when you said you had to tell me something while I was trapped."
"What!?" Beca screeched, scaring Dylan.
"Too loud, mommy," Dylan said, covering his ears.
"I'm sorry, Dyl," Beca said. "Mommy's just excited."
"Cited?" Dylan questioned.
"EX-cited," Beca corrected.
"Why?"
"Because mommy's going to have a baby," Chloe said, smiling.
"Baby?"
"Yeah, Dyl," Beca said, smiling at Chloe. "You're going to be a big brother."
"Me, brudder! Yay," Dylan yelled, clapping and giggling.
"I feel the same way," Chloe said, leaning across Dylan to kiss Beca. "I'm so happy."
"I love you, too," Beca said, pecking Chloe's lips.
"Me, kisses," Dylan said, reaching up to touch their faces.
Beca and Chloe smiled and kissed Dylan's cheek. Dylan giggled, and Beca said, "Merry Christmas, my loves."