Save Me (An Eddie Diaz 911 Fanfiction)

Trapped

After a morning spent pulling an older man from the back of a garbage truck, Jane already felt disgusting, and she still had hours left on her shift. She swore that she could feel the unknown sludge all over her face and hands. While she'd been helping everyone clear the garbage from on top of the man, one of the black trash bags opened on her and she'd been promptly covered in questionable sludge. The sludge itself was green and black with tints of yellow. The stench was unrecognizable, but it was potent and awful enough to make the woman's eyes water and cough in order to clear her lungs as the stench permeated her senses.

It had been absolutely disgusting.

Buck had nearly died laughing at her, but she just gave him the stink eye, literally, before getting back to work. The poor man had been crushed in the compactor and wasn't able to feel his legs when they sent him off in the ambulance. Jane really hoped he was alright, but she didn't have time to dwell on it when the doors closed because they were back at it. Fortunately, they all had the opportunity to take a shower before they needed to go on the next call. Jane took three.

A few hours and two more calls later, Hen went out for lunch instead of sticking around for Bobby's cooking. She was apparently meeting up with Athena. Jane hoped that, if Hen didn't feel comfortable talking to Jane about what had been bothering her, she'd talk to Athena about it. At first, the thought that Hen wouldn't trust her had hurt, but then it occurred to Jane that Hen was likely having issues with Karen. Given how close Jane was with the other woman, it was no wonder Hen wouldn't want Jane in the middle.

That's why, when Hen headed out of the locker rooms to get lunch, Jane sent her off with a smile and a wave before going back to searching her bag for her phone. She was kneeling in front of the lockers, digging through the bag past her laundry and laptop and the latest crime novel she'd begun. After a few minutes she held up the small rectangle to the heavens in victory! She'd found it!

Jane stood up and brushed her knees off, after being on the concrete floor so long they had begun to ache. She lightly stretched her legs to make sure it wasn't anything she did on the job, and then she turned to go. Her plan had been to join the rest of the crew upstairs in the kitchen for Bobby's lunch when her cell began ringing. A look at the screen meant that the number was local but not in her contacts.

She answered, cautiously. "Hello?"

"Hello. Is this Firefighter Jane Thomas?" An overly perky voice asked.

"This is she," Jane answered. "Who is this?"

"Miss Thomas, I am Bella Logan from Chief Alanzo's office. I'm calling to inform you at the Chief's request, that Former Fire Captain John Willis will have a hearing regarding his pension this upcoming Friday. The meeting is scheduled for 3pm."

Jane felt as if air had been knocked down from her lungs. "Oh."

"Chief Alanzo also wanted me to mention that you can write a letter to be read by the Review Board, but it is not recommended that you attend the hearing."

"Of course not," Jane's voice was soft, and almost came out as a whimper. It was Wednesday, very short notice even if she had wanted to attend. However, she would rather be getting a root canal than attend the hearing and be within a hundred yards of that man. "Thank you for informing me."

"You are welcome, Miss Thomas. Have a nice day."

"Yeah," she gasped. "You too."

When Jane didn't come upstairs for lunch fifteen minutes later, Bobby came down. She was on the floor leaning against her locker, exactly where she'd collapsed right after the phone call. Her knees were to her chest, her arms around them, trying to make her physical form as small as possible, and her forehead was resting on her knees. Her hair was down, which it never was during work hours, acting as a curtain to completely close her off. She was a tight little circle around herself, shielding herself from the outside world as if expecting it to hit her at any moment.