Chapter Five
"Did you lock the door?" Andy asked her visitor.
"Of course."
"Good. Come here." Andy pulls Vic down onto the bed and Vic settles into her arms, each closing their eyes after the long day they've had.
It was around 3 am when the alarms went off and Vic and Andy rushed out of the bunk room and to the barn.
When they got to the scene of the fire they saw that it was a candy factory.
"Wait. Haven't we been here before?" Maya asked.
Andy looked at the building and realization washed over her. "Last year. When I was still at station 23. Like a week before Chief Ross closed the house down."
"There's no way they re-opened the factory that quickly. The damage there was to the fans, the machines and the candy that got all over? Would've taken months to clean the place and then they would have to get approved again. The fire department can take months." Maya replied.
"Well, I remember the layout on there. Bishop?"
"Ya, cap?"
"I need you to stay with me. Help me through the factory."
Maya looked at her captain, wondering why she was asking her and why she was going in, to begin with, but just agreed to come. When they got inside the factory they saw candy was, once again, all over the place on the floor. When they heard from Gibson and Sullivan that the fire was out they looked at each other and did one last check through the rest of the building. When they were satisfied they made their way to the front of the building. Maya looked at Andy again and stopped her when she saw that her friend was looking nervous.
"Alright, stop." Andy stops walking and looks at Maya, confused. "Andy, what's going on? You're being weird and you're never like this on a call."
"I want to ask Vic to marry me." Andy blurts out.
"I thought you already asked each other." Maya was shocked.
"I want to get her a ring, Maya." Andy paused when she heard Maya gasp and felt her grab her arm. "She deserves a ring."
"What brought this on?" Maya asked, a huge smile on her face.
Andy smiled back. "Can we talk at the station? We need to hurry up and wrap up here."
Maya nods and helps Andy and the rest of the team pack up the gear. 15 minutes later they're on their way back to the station. Andy pulls out her phone after finishing the fire report and when she sees that it's 7 am. "Oh shit."
Vic, who was driving, turns to face her girlfriend "What? What's wrong?"
Andy looks at her and sees the concern. "Oh, oh nothing." Vic gives her a look. "No. It's nothing. I just have a meeting scheduled with Ross and Diane and a potential candidate for the house since we have an open position in an hour."
"Don't worry, you'll be on time. Just may not have time to shower." Vic teases and Andy glares at her. Vic laughs and turns back to face the road. Vic looks at Andy a few minutes later and motions for her to take her headset off. "Is everything okay? What's this meeting about?"
"Kat doesn't feel welcome at station 7 anymore. I'm the one who convinced her to stay in the academy. I just want her to love this job and she can't do that if Maddox and Barnes and all the other guys there are making it a frat house." Andy pauses and sighs. "Only problem is that if I take Kat out of that house I'd be leaving Duval as the only woman in the house and I cannot do that to her."
"So what? You gonna lobby for both of them to come here?" Vic asked as they pulled up to the station.
Andy watched as everyone cleared out of the rig while she and Vic stayed where they were.
"If I have to, I will," Andy told her. "I don't want them stuck in a frat house."
Vic nods. "You should go shower, babe. The meeting is in," Vic checks her watch "45 minutes."
Andy looks around the barn and quickly kisses Vic. "I love you," Andy told her and rushed out of the truck, faintly hearing Vic say I love you too.
Andy rushed into the shower and when she was done, walked down to her office, drying her hair as she was she saw Diane walk in and she blushed and motioned for her to go into her office.
"Just give me a minute, Diane. I'll be right out." Andy told her, walking into her bunk room, drying her hair some more, brushing it, putting it up into a ponytail then walking back out and was surprised when she saw Ross too. "I'm sorry about that, just got back from a call less than an hour ago."
"Don't worry about it, Herrera," Diane said. "Can you just tell us what you wanted us here for?"
"Kathleen Noonan and Deja Duval."
"What about them?" Ross asked.
"Since station 23 shut down Maddox, Barnes, Aquino and Duval were all transferred to station 7 at some point."
"I know. I am the one who transferred them. But Noonan, I haven't even met her yet. She was out sick when I was making my rounds through each station when I first started."
"Kat came to visit me yesterday." Andy started. "When I first met her she was walking around the station, told Hughes and me that she wanted to see which station would fit her best. We gave her a proper tour and gave her some pointers. The next time I saw her she was coming to the station during a blackout. Came to me about how her best friend had dropped out of the academy and was feeling down. I brought her along on a call" Andy saw Ross make a face but continued. "We were searching for a child and had her with me. She was loved in the field experience and she went back into the academy with a lot of confidence." Andy took a breath. "Anyways, when she came to me yesterday she told me that she had to get out of the station."
"Why though?" Diane asked. "Did something happen to her?"
"When I was at 23 with Maddox and Barnes it was like a boys club. A frat house. I never felt comfortable there. I hated it and I started to feel depressed that I wasn't working here anymore, I grew up here and I started to hate the job working there." Andy paused and looked down for a few seconds. "I considered going to McCallister, apologize for what happened and asking if I could go back to 19, but I didn't. So instead I had some worse-off thoughts."
Diane and Ross looked shocked. "Andy." Diane breathed out, having known Andy longer than Ross.
"I didn't do anything you may be thinking about," Andy told her. "But I did have those thoughts. If I can take someone away from a situation like that, I have to do everything in my power and I know I'm making more work for you Chief Ross, but I want to make sure she's safe, and the same for Duval." Andy was about to continue when there was a knock on the door. "Come in, Kat."
"Not Kat." the person who walked in said.
"Duval? What are you doing here?" Andy asked.
"Kat told me that she was meeting with you and Chief Ross today and I wanted to be present because I do not want to be the only woman at station 7 if she leaves," Duval tells her, looking scared.
Andy looks at Chief Ross and was about to say something when there's another knock on the door. Andy looks down at her watch and she sees that it's 8:30 she calls out. "Come in. Kat." when the door opens she sees Maya, VIc and surprisingly Kate. "Can I help you all with something? Kind of in the middle of a meeting right now."
"We know, but we wanted to lobby for Kat and Deja," Maya told her.
"Lieutenant. This is a private matter right now. You all have to go."
"Captain Herrera." Vic tried.
"Look, I know you all have good intentions, but this is already starting to be a crowded meeting when it was only meant to be the three of us plus Kat," Andy told them, trying to get them out.
"Cap-"
"I said no!" Andy told them and was about to continue when she heard another voice. "Kat," Andy called. " come on in."
Kat walks in, passing Kate, Maya and Vic. "What's going on?"
"Nothing. They were just leaving." Andy told her, glaring at the three undressed, off-shift firefighters.
"No, we weren't." Kate told her.
"Kate, you need to tread carefully here." Andy walked closer to her.
"Alright, that's enough. Everyone gets in. The whole house doesn't need to hear this conversation." Ross told the group, ushering them in.
Andy went behind her desk and opened her laptop, seeing an email from 7 saying that if she wanted Duval and Noonan that she'd need to transfer someone from her house to make up for the loss. Andy looked at an email from station 88 quickly, saying they have a spot for a female and they have someone who can transfer to station 7. She drafted an email to both houses and decided she would figure out if she should send them when the meeting is finished.
"Captain Herrera? Are you with us?" Diane asked, getting up.
Andy looked up and was embarrassed. "Sorry, was just looking at a couple of emails. I know it was bad timing."
"Powell, Bishop, Hughes, You will stand over there" Chief Ross points to where Herrera's bunk and bathroom were. "Noonan and Duval please sit down." Chief Ross said and then moved to in front of the window where Diane was also standing. "Duval, Noonan. Captain Herrera texted us last night asking us to come to talk to Noonan but I suppose now we can include you in this Duval." Ross looks at Andy. "So what's your plan here, Captain Herrera?"
"When I zoned out just now I was reading a couple of emails. One from station 7 and the other from station 88." Andy looks at Kate. "Kate? I think you knew your position at this house was always temporary, correct?"
"Yes, Captain." Kate replied.
"88 is willing to take you on, transfer one of their men to station 7 and then station 19 would gain Duval and Noonan."
"How does that make sense tho?" Vic asked. "We gain two firefighters while 88 stays with the same amount, and station 7 loses one."
"Okay, now I get it." Chief Ross said aloud. "Station 7 was overemployeed since station 23 got closed. If Duval and Noonan leave and they gain one, they have the right amount. 88 would stay with the right amount. Meanwhile, this house would end up being over and have 5 female firefighters."
"Is that really such a problem?" Maya asked.
"No, it's just we'd prefer to spread them out," Ross told them.
"Oh, my god." Andy let out. "McCallister had an agenda."
"What do you mean by that?" Diane asked.
"He said he transferred me because I kept invoking my father's name but I never have to him," Andy told the group.
"Oh, my god. He transferred you because he knew that if I got demoted you would be the next up and since he didn't want me as captain he definitely wouldn't want you as captain since he didn't even want me to be captain." Maya shakes her head. "That racist, sexist asshole," Maya said, louder than she planned.
"Powell?" Ross caught her attention "I know you've been at this house a few months now, but-"
"I understand Chief Ross. I promise." Kate told her. "I'll go clear out my locker. Just call me when you schedule me to start at 88?"
"I will. I'll check the schedule when I wrap up here." Ross told her, going to shake her hand before she left.
"Okay." Chief Ross starts. "I don't know what the hell has been going on at station 7, but I do see two female firefighters that are scared. The request to be transferred was approved. As long as you both attend a couple of mandatory therapy sessions with Diane. Agreed?"
"Agreed"
"Sounds good."
"Great. I'll start the paperwork. Herrera don't worry about the transfer forms. I'll handle it. I need to know who can transfer from station 88 to station 7 though." Herrera nods.
"One minute. I have a few names." Andy looks down at her laptop "There's James. He can be transferred." Andy looks back up.
"I approve. I met him after the training incident. I'll go talk to station 88's captain and then station 7."
Andy nods and smiles. Herrera walks over to where Chief Ross is and shakes her hand. Kat and Deja also shake their hands before she walks out, Diane leaves soon after giving the two women her card and toll them to call her within the next couple of days. They both nod in understanding, promising to call.
"Bishop and Hughes, welcome your new teammates."
"You're going to have so much fun with us," Maya told her.
"Ya, we're awesome," Vic said.
Both Kat and Deja nod and laugh, waving bye as they left the office before turning back to face their new captain.
"Welcome to station 19"
I know. I know. More Vandy next chapter. Promise.