Chapter Six
Some flashbacks are going to be what happened in the show, some may be made up. Prepare for a long chapter. A long and emotional chapter.
Ross and Vic looked at each other and Vic raised her hand when Ross opened her mouth, stopping her from talking. Vic looked at the faces of the people that have become her extended family. "They took her into surgery but it was too late." Vic looked down. "there was nothing anyone could do."
"Say it, Vic. I need to hear you say it." Jack told her, looking down, tears forming in his eyes.
"She died an hour ago," Ross said instead and heard the gasps and cries of the station 19 family.
There was a silence that overcame the station. No one knew what to do. Vic grabbed a chair and sat down beside Ross. She was resting her head in her hands when she heard a loud sob. She looked up and was greeted with Maya Bishop sobbing into her wife's shoulder and shaking. Vic looked at her and felt the tears falling from her eyes. She knew Maya and Andy had been best friends since the academy and that this was probably killing her.
Maya got pulled into Carina's embrace. Carina was trying to stay strong but she had gotten close to Andy too but she knew her wife was struggling right now. She knew that Maya needed her to be the strong one right now. She held her sobbing wife in her arms while Maya was overcome with memories of Andy. She remembered the first day at the academy. The day she met Andy.
Maya had come into the training late when she stood beside Andy.
"I thought there would be more."
"Excuse me?" Andy had asked, looking at Maya.
"Thousands of applicants, 28 recruits, only two women. Seems like they could've done better than that."
Maya looked at Andy and instead of Andy replying to her comment she just said that she should tuck in her shirt. "They're pretty strict about dress code around here. Strict about everything, actually. Not that that's a bad thing. Strict is good. Strict saves lives I guess." Andy told her and looked away but then back to Maya. Andy cleared her throat. "I'm Andy."
"Maya Bishop." Maya said as they shook hands.
"Right, yes. Of course. The Olympian." Andy said in a playful tone, a playful grin on her face too.
"Former," Maya told her, not looking at Andy.
"Hmm. What's the story there?"
"No story," Maya told her, not wanting to talk about her past. "It's who I was. This is who I am now."
"What's your story?" Maya had asked back.
"Same. I don't have one." Andy told her.
Maya looked at her. "But your dad does, right? You're Herrera's kid?"
Maya watched Andy roll her eyes. "If you knew who I was, then why'd you ask?
"I was curious to see how you'd answer. A lot of people would lead with the fact that they're a legacy."
"Well, I don't. Doesn't mean anything."
"No?" Maya looked to the right and then faced forward. "Instructor heading this way."
"Just because we both have Veginas doesn't mean you and I have to be friends." Andy had said and Maya was slightly taken aback.
"Sure thing. Only and, well, I say this from years of training by myself there's safety in numbers. And when it comes to us vs. all the rest of these guys one thing that we should probably consider is sticking together."
Maya knew that although Andy didn't seem interested, they would become good friends by the time they graduated.
Maya and Andy were working on a hose drill when Maya saw Andy struggling.
"It's too much," Andy told Maya.
"Please. Hasn't your dad been running hoses with you since you could walk?" Maya clapped her hands together, surprised that Andy couldn't do this. "Come on. You can't stop now."
"My dad's never run a hose drill with me in my life. He refused to train me until I made it through the academy. He said if I made it through this, then he'd know I was serious." Andy struggled some more. "No, maybe he was right. Maybe this really is too much." Maya and Andy heard a whistle blow.
"Herrera! What's the hold-up?" She hears an instructor ask and then hears laughter come from some of the guys watching.
"Don't give it to him. Prove all these guys wrong." Maya tried to encourage her. "it's like the PASS device. Once you stop moving, you're dead. You can't afford to stop moving right now." Maya told her and Andy started to pull the hose. "Keep going. Show them what you've got." Andy grunted. "Come on. That's right, hand-over-hand, big pulls." Maya continued to cheer her on. "Big pulls." Andy continued to pull the hose, grunting as she did.
Maya was brought back to the present when she felt a hand going through her hair. Carina. Maya pulled back and looked Carina in the eyes. Carina gently cupped her cheeks and wiped her tears but it didn't make a difference because they were still falling.
Ross looked up and saw that everyone was either tearing up or full-on sobbing. She looked at Maya and saw that the tears were coming down nonstop. She saw Carina trying to hold her wife together but nothing was working to stop her tears. She met Carina's eyes and gave her a small smile. Carina tried to talk to Maya but Maya didn't want to talk. She just wished that this wasn't happening and got thrown into another memory. The day of the life-saving training between the SFD and SPD years ago.
Maya was getting berated by Sullivan when Andy interrupted.
"We heard you, captain."
"Herrera, this doesn't concern you and…"
"it does, actually. We're teaching the basics on dummies today. This is an exercise. It doesn't count. Not enough to be singling Bishop out all day in front of the chief."
"Herrera…"
"You want to yell at me, go ahead. I deserve it. I'm picking a fight with my commanding officer right now, but don't kick Bishop around, not when she doesn't deserve it, not when she's one of the very best people you've got, and you have no business making It look otherwise."
Maya was extremely grateful for Andy at that moment years ago. They were all still dealing with Sullivan being the new captain and Andy seemed to be the only one brave enough to stand up to him in favour of her teammates. Maya didn't know why Andy would risk her bars like that but she was thankful she did. She already knew Andy had her back but couldn't be more happy that Andy did it. Maya was pulled out of her thoughts once again when Vic cleared her throat.
"Um, so Chief has shut down the house until B shift comes but for now we're welcome to either stay at the house or go home," Vic told everyone and saw shoulders sag, grateful that they wouldn't need to be worried about working. "I do need to talk to some of you though."
"What? Why?" Travis asked, furrowing his eyebrows.
Vic played with her hands and looked at him and then at everyone else one by one.
"As Andy was um…as she was…"
Ross knew Hughes was struggling and spoke up for her. "As Hughes is trying to say, as she was dying" Ross' voice clipped. "She told Hughes to tell some of you some things in her final moments."
"It wasn't just Vic she talked to." A voice came from behind them. When they saw it was Meredith their eyes softened, knowing she was probably there for her final moments too. "She said some things to me too." Meredith looked at Vic, "Is it okay if I talk or are you mad at me?" Meredith asked.
"I'm not mad at you. I know there was only so much you or any of the other doctors could do." Vic reassured her. Vic looked at the firefighters in front of her back to Meredith. "I just want to say what she told me if everyone is okay listening to this." Vic looked at all the faces in front of her. Looking one by one, watching to see if everyone was okay with hearing her final words. When she saw everyone nod she sighed, ran a hand through her knotted hair and looked at her hands for a few moments before looking back up at everyone. "She wasn't very specific, but she wanted me to tell you that she said that she appreciated all of us. That she loved all of us so much." Vic heard multiple cries and sobs being let out and she had to swallow back her own. Thinking back to Andy's final moments with her was killing her.
"She told me to tell you all that she is so sorry for leaving you guys when she was on the OR table," Meredith told them, briefly interrupting Vic. Not knowing if that was the right thing to say when she saw tears flowing faster.
"The last thing she told me to tell you all was that she was sorry for all the mistakes she made." Vic stopped talking, there was nothing she could say when she heard someone push back a chair and it fell over.
"Mistakes?" Jack shouted. "Are you serious? What mistakes did she think she made with us? If anything we've fucking made mistakes with her. Not fighting for her to stay at 19 after she stood up for Bishop being one of the biggest ones." Jack spat out, shaking his head. "This is so fucked up."
Vic nodded. She knew it was. She knew how fucked up losing Andy was. Vic looked at Meredith and saw her looking down. She was about to ask her what was going on when she looked at Maya and then turned to Vic and motioned for Vic to follow her.
When they were out of sight of the other firefighters, "Did Andy say anything about Maya to you?" Meredith asked, avoiding looking Vic in her eyes, focusing on her forehead.
Vic nodded.
"I think we need to talk to Maya and Carina," Meredith told Vic and Vic nodded.
"I agree. Come on. I'm sure Ross is telling everyone to go home and get changed."
Vic and Meredith walked out of the lounge and to the locker room where they found everyone getting changed into their street clothes. Movements slow, tears still running down some faces.
Vic looked around the locker room. "Where's Maya?" Vic asked and Travis was the first to point to a bunk room. Vic nodded her thanks and knocked on the door. Carina answered. "Can Dr. Grey and I talk you two please?"
Carina nodded and opened the door for them to step through. When Vic stepped through and saw Maya, sitting on the bed, in a bra and her work pants, tears running down her face still her heart broke and knew she was about to make it worse.
"What do you guys need?" Carina asked after she closed the door and sat down next to her wife. "We really just want to get changed and get home.
Meredith was the one to speak. "I know you do. I want to get home as well after this night but we need to talk first." Carina looked at her, eyebrows furrowed. "Before surgery Andy woke up." Maya's head snapped up.
"Did she say anything? What were her last words? Is it anything about me? Is that why you're here?" Maya asked, firing off the questions but looking straight at Meredith now.
Vic put a hand on Meredith's arm. "She said things about the two of you to both of us." Maya's face crumpled and one of Carina's hands went up and down Maya's back, trying to comfort her.
"What did she say?" Carina asked, tears still clear in her eyes but not willing to let them fall since her wife needed her more than ever right now. She watched Vic and Meredith look at each other again. "Enough of the suspense. Just tell us."
Meredith looked at Carina and then Maya. Vic doing the same. Meredith motioned for Vic to go first.
"When we were putting the heart monitor on her when she started to talk." Vic swallowed. "She was barely awake when she said that she needed to tell me something."
"What did she tell you?" Maya asked, voice breaking, looking up at Vic and Meredith.
Vic looked at Maya and went to reach for one of Maya's hands but looked at Carina first, asking if she could since right now Carina was holding her hands. Carina let go of Maya's hand and Vic's hand replaced it. Maya looked at Vic.
"Amdy told me to tell you that she's sorry for how she treated you when you first became captain." Maya let out a sob.
"I got over that a lo-long time ago." Maya said, voice breaking. "she spent her last moments apologizing?" Maya let her tears fall, not caring about trying to hold back anymore.
"When she was in the OR she woke up and talked to me too," Meredith told them and Carina and Maya both looked at her. "I know you're already hurting, so I am so sorry that this may add to that grief."
"What did she say?" Maya asked, tears still falling heavily.
"She told me that she- that you'll be great parents" Maya let out a sob and Carina couldn't hold it together anymore and let her tears fall.
"Oh, God." Carina let out and pulled Maya into her arms after Vic let go of Maya's hand and the two women just sat there, hugging each other.
Meredith turned to Vic and reached for her hand when she stood up off the bed. "Vic, Andy asked me to tell you that she was sorry." Vic tried to stop Meredith from speaking but she continued. "She said that she realizes you keep losing people and that she's sorry you have to add her to the list of people you've lost," Meredith concluded and gripped her hand when she watched tears well up. "I know we're not close do you mind if I pull you into a hug?" Meredith asked, not wanting to overstep.
Vic nodded and Meredith pulled her into a hug, Vic breaking down in sobs. Meredith not fairing much better with tears falling down her cheeks. The four women were wrapped in their grief when there was a knock on the door.
Meredith, still holding a sobbing Vic looked at the door and called for whoever it was to come in. Ben walked in and then closed the door, figuring that they still wanted privacy even though everyone was a mess right now. Meredith looked at him questioningly.
Ben sighed. "Has anyone told my wife what happened?" Meredith shook her head. "Shit. Alright, I'm going to head out before word spreads and talk to Miranda." Ben looks at the other women in the room and Meredith notices. "Let them know that I'm here if they want to talk."
Meredith nodded. Ben could tell Meredith had a question and he motioned for her to ask. "I- Um. Is Chief Ross still here?"
"She might still be in the beanery, Why?"
"Andy, She…um…she asked me to tell Ross something. I'd like to do that before I leave." Meredith told him. "If she's still here."
"I'll be right back, Mer," Ben told her and rushed out of the room. Meredith just stood there, holding onto Vic, sobs of Maya still heard clearly.
A couple of minutes later Ross comes to the room, stopping at the door, not sure if she should go in or not. Meredith motioned for her to come in and to close the door.
"What did you need me for Dr. Grey?" Ross asked as she closed the door. Meredith let go of Vic and sat her down on the bed. She knew this was going to be hard to hear, but she knew she had to honour the last of Andy's words.
"When Andy was on the OR table, as you know she woke up and she asked me to talk to a few people." Ross nodded, signalling that she was following along. "Natasha, I know that we don't really know each other but Andy asked me to tell you, and I know I have absolutely no say in this but I just want to respect her last words, she asked me to tell you that you should let Maya be captain of 19 again. That she never deserved to be demoted just for saving a kid." Meredith said and a loud sob from Maya was heard.
Even in her last moments, Andy was thinking of others instead of herself. Maya would never stop being in awe of her best friend. She remembered the call with the little boy and how much they all wanted to save him. She knew she would be taking a risk taking him to the hospital in a truck but she never thought a demotion would be a punishment. Maya remembered that day in McCallister's office after she got married. Before the meeting in McCallister's office, she remembered how Andy had convinced her to go and see her parents, to go and tell them that she was getting married and Maya remembered how amazing it felt when her mom had shown up.
Maya, Carina and Andy had burst into McCallister's office after receiving the email.
"With all due respect, chief, my father Pruitt Herrera was written up for insubordination on several occasions, but he was never relieved of his duty," Maya remembered Andy saying and when McCallister tried to speak Andy continued. "I am speaking. I could list off a dozen male fire captains I know personally who stepped out of line and stepped on toes every day of their career and they never even got written up.
Maya was about to open her mouth to reply to what McCallister said but Andy beat her to it. "Yes, sir, but the alternative was to let an injured child die on the street."
Andy had followed her and Carina to McCallister's office and spoke up for her with passion and anger clear but she still stood up for her. When McCallister told her that Andy would be transferred out of station 19 and to station 23 she didn't even put up a fight for Andy to stay she was just worried about her own career. She didn't realize until that moment that she should've fought as hard for Andy as Andy was willing to for her. Maya looked up at Chief Ross to try to see how she was reacting but Ross' face was blank, no emotion showing.
"Ross.." Maya said after her tears had slowed. Ross raised a hand, a thoughtful look on her face. There was silence in the room between the five women for several minutes now.
"Bishop." Ross finally said after a few more minutes. "Beckett has been struggling for a while now. Unnoticed by most but I'm not easily fooled." Maya looked up at Ross again, wondering where she was going with this. "I was going to promote Herrera…but you were my next option."
Maya looked down, knowing, once again, her best friend wasn't able to get her dream job. "So what are you saying?"
"I'm saying that we need a new captain for 19." Ross smiled. If there's one good thing that can come from this, from Herrera dying, it'd be giving Bishop her job back after I was bullheaded and didn't give her it back. Maya did blackmail me but that was shortsighted. It wasn't a huge factor in the big picture. Especially now.
"Give me a day to get the paperwork in order, you can come by and sign but for the next week, possibly two, 'A' shift is off the clock," Ross told her.
Maya, too emotional to speak more about not working for so long, just nodded.
"I have to go now but I'll be in contact, Maya," Ross told her and walked out of the room.
Maya watched her leave. She looked at Carina and couldn't help her surprised expression. Carina pulled Maya into a hug and kissed her forehead.
Maya closed her eyes and leaned against Carina. Andy. Her first friend since high school. Had died. God, it was so fucking painful. It was like she could physically feel her heart breaking. She didn't care about being captain if her best friend wasn't there to celebrate her being reinstated. Maya let the tears fall again, silently rolling down her cheeks. Maya didn't want to be at the station anymore. It was beginning to suffocate her.
She lifted her head off of Carina, wiped her tears and looked at Vic and Meredith who were still in the room.
"You guys can go," Maya told them, not in a rude way but just to let them know that they didn't need to stay. "I think we're going to head out now."
Vic and Meredith nodded and left the small bunk room while Maya stood up and closed the door.
"Bambina…" Carina started.
"Car, not now. Please, not now." Maya pleaded, tiredly. "I just want to get home." Carina nodded and helped pull a shirt over Maya's head and helped her put it on, Maya was still not fully able to focus right now. Maya and Carina walked down the stairs and to the parking lot and got home as fast as they could. When they did, Carina guided Maya to their bedroom and helped her under the covers before getting changed herself. She looked at the clock and when she saw that it was 3 am she sighed. She was exhausted herself but she knew this was hard for everyone. Everyone at the station is affected by this and she didn't know how they were going to get through this. Carina sighed and got into bed and pulled Maya into her arms. When she heard Maya sniffle and then let out a sob she felt her eyes fill up with tears too.