Chapter Three
Everyone watched Andy leave before speaking.
"When was the last time she ate with us?" Theo asked and it was silent in the beanery. "Hold on, no one knows when she last ate?" Theo raised his eyebrow.
"Pretty sure she had some breakfast before most of us got here," Vic told him, and they just dropped the topic.
Meanwhile, Andy went down to her office and slumped down in her chair. She didn't know what to do anymore. She didn't want to have to lay anyone off. She didn't want to fire one of her friends.
"You need to learn how to set a boundary for your team, and fast."
Andy remembered Ross saying to her and she sighed. Couldn't I do that without laying someone off? Andy questioned.
Andy sighed again and opened her laptop. She went over the numbers again. Then again and again and she couldn't figure out what they could cut. She needed to fire someone.
Andy looked at her watch and saw that there was an hour until the end of shift. She furrowed her eyebrows, surprised they hadn't received any more calls.
Andy got up, walked to her bunk and was about to get changed when she heard arguring coming from the barn.
"Look, I don't know who stole the spreaders." Andy raised an eyebrow at Robert's words.
"Who stole what?" Andy asked and watched as everyone avoided eye contact. Ben was the only one brave enough to look at her.
"Cap… Look, we, um… We believe that someone may have stolen the hydraulic spreaders, Captain." Ben said, not looking at Andy any longer, not wanting to see how pissed off he knew she was.
"You're kidding?" Andy asked. Andy took a shaky breath. "I am out here, stretching every nickel we have to find a miracle just to keep us together and you lose one of our most expensive tools?" Andy looked at everyone. "I'm trying to save your jobs!" Andy shouted. She took a deep breath, looking away from the team before turning back to them. "Someone better fucking find them," Andy said, shocking everyone. They've never heard Andy swear before. "No one is off shift until we find a station that has a spare pair or we find ours. Go back to our last scene and look everywhere. Sullivan and Ruiz, go to stations and ask. No one come back until we have our jaws of life or another station's." Andy ordered and stormed out of the barn.
It was absolute silence for a moment before they heard Chief Ross.
"You heard your captain. Find the jaws." Natasha said and watched the firefighters scurry off into the trucks and watched them drive out before she turned to go in the conference room. She sighed and decided she needed to go and talk to 19's captain.
Natasha walked down the stairs and knocked on the door and didn't wait for a response before walking in. "Herrera," Natasha started but Andy cut her off.
"I know, Chief," Andy said, defeat clear in her voice. "There's no other way. I know." Andy said, sitting down in her chair.
"Look, I don't like that we have to do this either,"
"But we have to." Andy cut her off again. "I get it." Andy looked at Natasha. "Just, I want to know what the hell happened to the deal Travis made with the Mayor?" Andy asked and Natasha just sighed.
Natasha turned and closed the door so no one would overhear their conversation. "Osman is using my relationship as leverage to make me do whatever he wants." Natasha rushed out and looked at Andy and where she thought she would see anger, Andy's expression remained neutral.
"So, as long as you're with Robert he's essentially forcing you to do his dirty work?" Andy asked, standing up and starting to pace when Natasha nodded her head. "Damn it." Andy huffed. "Is there any way to not lay someone off?" Natasha shook her head.
Andy looked at her briefly and then sat down. It was silent between the two of them for a couple of minutes when there was a knock on the door.
"Come in," Andy called. "Hughes, What is it?"
"I called a few stations. Station 54 has an extra set of Jaws that they said they could lend us. Said they had two extra pairs actually." Vic said and watched Andy furrow her eyebrows. "When 23 closed 54 got theirs," Vic explained, and Andy nodded. "Sullivan and Ruiz are going to get them, and the engine and ladder are at the scene of the last call. Want me to call them back?"
Andy sighed. "I want them to continue to look for our jaws but if they can't find them, yeah, tell them to come back after," Andy ordered and Vic nodded and walked out of the office, closing the door behind her.
"Andy, who," Before Ross could continue Andy, once again, interrupted Natasha.
"I've known Bishop for years. She's my right hand. This house needs her as much as everyone else here but Sullivan and Ruiz…" Andy trailed off.
"It's between them?" Natasha asked and watched Andy nod. Natasha sighed. "Osman told me to promote Farris to Battalion Chief at the pride parade," Natasha told Andy and Andy raised an eyebrow.
"But that would be a promotion and a raise."
Natasha nodded. "That's what I told him." Andy nodded. "Look, Herrera, I get this is hard but between Ruiz and Sullivan," Natasha trailed off.
"Sullivan should stay. He does have seniority." Andy said and Ross just nodded.
"I'll write up the paperwork, Herrera. You just go home, okay?" Natasha watched Andy nod and she left the office.
Once she was sure Natasha had left, Andy got up, locked the door and just broke down into sobs.