Playing with fire (Amelia Shepherd) ABANDONED

Six

"You haven't visited me," Amelia said into the phone.

"Yeah, things have been crazy," Mallie sighed, flipping the pancakes she was making the team for breakfast.

"And you're avoiding me," Amelia said.

"I'm not avoiding you," she said.

"You are. Since that night, you've been avoiding me," she said.

"No, I haven't avoided you. I visited you in the hospital. I slept on a chair at your bedside and I translated all day for you when you decided you were French," Mallie said.

"But you haven't seen me since. I've been discharged and I'm going back to surgery today," Amelia said.

"And you're gonna kick ass. Superhero pose, remember?" Mallie said. She pulled the phone away from her ear. "Breakfast, you fat bastards!" she shouted loudly.

"Rude!" Maya shouted back. Mallie put the phone against her ear again.

"I'll come and see you later, how about that?" Mallie said.

"You will?" Amelia said.

"Yeah. And we can talk, or whatever. I don't know," Mallie sighed.

"We should talk," Amelia said. "I need to tell you something," she added.

"Tell me something? Is it bad? Is it about your tumour?" Mallie asked, putting the pancakes on the plate Dean was holding.

"No, not about my tumour. It's me. Me and Owen, I mean," Amelia said. Mallie frowned and turned the stove off.

"Oh. Okay, well, I've got to get to breakfast but I'll text you when I'm getting off work and then I can come and meet you at the hospital, or I'll meet you back at your place," she said.

"Okay. Thank you, by the way," Amelia said.

"For what?" Mallie asked.

"For being there when I had my tumour removed. I couldn't talk back to you but you just being there, sleeping in that chair for me, it meant a lot. Owen didn't do that," she said.

"Yeah, but his sister just got back from being missing. And he's a man. They're idiots," Mallie said.

"That's not why he didn't do it. Look, I'll explain tonight. Just, be careful today, alright?" Amelia said.

"I always am," Mallie said.

"I know, but please be careful," Amelia said.

"I know, Amelia. I will be. Promise," Mallie said.

"Good. I'll let you go for your breakfast," she said.

"Gracias y adios," Mallie said, ending the call and putting her phone into her pocket.

"What was that about?" Jack said. Mallie shrugged.

"Nothing," she said.

"Is it locked?" Mallie asked the woman who's house fire they were responding to. She, Jack, Maya, Andy, Dean, the woman, Ryan Tanner and his partner were stood inside the garage to get into the main house.

"Oh, yes, but I have the key. It's a biometric lock that unlocks with my thumbprint," the woman said, putting her thumb out. The device buzzed and she frowned. "Huh. That's weird. That never happens," she said.

"Ohh, it looks like you've blistered your fingers. They're not too bad, but the skin's coming off," Andy said, checking her hand.

"I doubt it can read her prints. You got an override code?" Jack said.