In Flames // 9-1-1 Fox (seasons 1-4)

fifty-seven

Mariana felt the weight of the world lift off her shoulders the second Chimney came out of the hole with Hayden in his arms. Joy surged forward and wrapped him in a hug as Hen joined them.

"We need to make sure he's alright. Let's get him back to the house," Mariana called over the roar of the storm. Joy scooped up her son and started to follow them but Mari paused, looking back at Chimney.

"Eddie's fine, he just needs a ride," he assured them. Mariana grinned and resumed walking behind Hen.

And then hell broke loose.

Lightning cleaved the sky in two, arcing down and striking the drill tower. It sparked and erupted into a crackle of electricity and gas, sending people flying and the truck falling to the ground. Mariana ducked in case of debris until the noise settled.

The truck had fallen. Directly onto the drill site.

She bolted towards it, skidding to a stop at the sight of Buck futilely digging in the mud until Bobby pulled him away.

"Eddie!" Buck cried as he tried to dig his friend out. Bobby pulled him back and turned to check on Mariana. He expected her to be shouting orders, searching for a shovel, anything. But Mariana was frozen solid with her eyes transfixed on the earth that just swallowed Eddie.

"Chimney!" Bobby shouted, gesturing towards the brunette. The paramedic gently touched her shoulder, snapping her out of her reverie.

"I need to help him," she murmured before she began to pull herself away from Chimney. "Let me go, I need to help him! I can't...we need him. I need to help him."

"Mari, you need to stay calm."

"I have to help him. You need to let me go!" She fought against his hold.

"Mariana! Forty feet of mud just collapsed on top of him. What he needs right now is you safe and thinking clearly."

The reality of his words sunk in and did the opposite of what he intended. She went limp in his arms and he gently helped her down to the ground as her knees gave out.

And the most dreadful, heartbreaking scream escaped her lips. It rang out over the din of the storm and pierced every person's heart. She keeled over, practically folding in on herself as she pulled his coat tightly around her body in an effort to protect herself.

"Mari, Mari, it'll be okay. He'll be okay," Chimney tried to console her but in that moment, he no longer saw the strong women that he saw everyday.

He saw a terrified young girl gripping the coat of a firefighter as they carried her from the danger that threatened to consume her life, the panic of a young teen holding onto his hand in the ambulance as she bled out from the compound fracture in her leg, and the young adult covered in the blood of her brother in the middle of the ER. He could see the look in her eyes and how she was both here, grieving the possibility of losing the love of her life and there, mourning the loss of her mother and father and brother and sister in law and grandmother. She had seen her fair share of loss. She had lived through enough death to last a lifetime. Grief was a familiar friend so it came as no surprise that she thought of the worst.

And here she was, gripping onto him like he was a lifeline and she was losing the last piece of herself.

"Mari, c'mon, let's get you out of this rain," Buck choked out. He assisted her up easily and helped her walk to the farmhouse until she could barely trudge through the mud and he just picked her up and carried her to the house. He set her in one of the rocking chairs on the porch and crouched down so he could be eye level with her.

"Mariana," he said gently. She stared at him blankly, her eyes unseeing and her face frozen in fear. Buck grabbed her hand and squeezed it.

"We'll get him out. He's fine. He'll be fine."