From Intern to Family | 9-1-1 Fanfic

Chapter 4

Everyone had been busy with calls and it had been two hours before they even stepped foot in the station again. I had gotten some small jobs done, only the ones I could do without any further instruction.

I had left the booklet out on the table, about half of it having been read thoroughly. When the team had arrived, my head was buried deep in a locker as I checked the equipment inside.

"Hey kid." I jumped at the voice, hitting my head on the top of the locker. I groaned in pain, pulling away and holding the sore spot. Chim and Bobby were stood there smiling, obviously holding back their laughter at my expense.

The locker clicked shut and I nodded at them, "Hi." I murmured unsurely.

They visibly softened at my greeting, a certain look in their eyes that I couldn't decipher. "I was just about to get started making us some lunch, do you want to help?" Bobby stated and I instantly agreed. It's not like I could tell my boss no.

"Have you been busy?" Chim asked, walking behind me up the stairs. "I think so. Just been getting my bearings and reading the booklet Cap gave me." I answered, secretly hoping I had impressed them with my minimal work.

Bobby briefly glanced at the booklet I had left on the table and then spotted the radio on the countertop. "You got that thing to work?" Chim laughed in disbelief and I shrugged. "Google helped. But I mostly just pressed buttons and turned dials until something worked." Both men chuckled at my answer.

I listened carefully as Bobby explained what to do and what exactly we were making. It was some form of pasta dish, far too fancy sounding for me to pronounce.

The team were dotted around upstairs, finally taking their time to relax after a long couple of hours. Bobby should be resting too, but he genuinely looked relaxed cooking so I didn't question it. Maybe I could learn how to cook some food. That would be helpful, right?

"Careful." Bobby steered my hand away from where I had been absentmindedly chopping onion. He sent me an amused smile and went back to checking the pasta boiling.

Buck bounded over eagerly, engaging in a conversation with Bobby. I avoided listening in, instead concentrating on the mini tasks I was given. It didn't take long for everyone to stand around the kitchen area, chatting aimlessly between each other.

I blinked as Hen leaned down slightly, obviously trying to catch my eye. "Zoned out for a second there Coop, I think those onions are finely chopped now." She chuckled and I looked down to find she was right. I pulled a face and scooped the onions into a pile, handing the chopping board back to Bobby.

"Reminds me of Buck's ADHD." Chim snorted, causing Buck to elbow him in the ribs. I blinked in surprise and looked to said man, only to find him glaring at me. Like a deer in headlights, I spun on my feet and turned back to Hen who was a lot more friendlier.

So there may be a chance I have ADHD, however it's not been tested so there's no proof (but I'd be lying if I said I didn't find comfort in knowing Buck had it and I wouldn't be alone with the concept).

After everyone had finally got some food into their system, they were straight back out on a call. It was quite surprising how busy there were, even if I knew coming into this that they'd be mega busy.

The day carried on the same way with the team in and out of the firehouse. I spent my time trying to figure out bits and pieces. Part of me started to think that maybe I could get along with this internship thing.

My phone rang loudly in the quiet firehouse, making me rush to shut it up. "Hello?" I answered. "Cooper! It's me Andrea, I'm calling for a little catch-up." The lady replied and I frowned slightly.

Andrea was my social worker and she was always on my case about doing better or taking on all of her ideas. As you can imagine, none of them had really worked out.

"I've got some better news for you than last time. There's a few people who would be interested in having you help them out as some community service deal. Just to prove to the police you're actually trying to keep out of trouble this time." She explained, much to my displeasure.

I scoffed loudly to make sure she heard my distaste. "I already told you about this internship I've got. Besides, I don't need to prove nothing to no one." I couldn't help my rude tone, something about her just rubbed me the wrong way.

The displeasure in her tone was clear when she spoke, "It's that attitude that got you into trouble in the first place Cooper. That internship is some silly way for you to prove you're capable of something, when we both know you could be doing something more worthwhile." Andrea was always one to speak her mind, no matter how hurtful it may seem.

"I don't need your help."

"Don't come complaining to me when you end up in juvy. You'll do the internship for a while and then fall back into your old habits, I know it. I can't help you the next time you decide you want to fight someone."

We argued for another brief moment before I hung up the call. I rubbed a hand over my face, trying to smooth over my frustration. "Trouble at home?" A voice echoed and I let out a shriek. I spun around to see Buck stood there with his arms crossed, staring at me judgmentally.

With a small shrug, I leaned against the counter behind me, "Not quite." I denied quietly. My eyes remained focused on his chest, purposely avoiding the intense look he was giving me. "Just make sure it doesn't interfere with our jobs." The man grumbled and I couldn't help the scoff that left my lips.

"What's your problem?"

"You're my problem." Why did I have a feeling he's said this exact sentence before?

"How am I your problem? This is my first day as an intern and this is the only conversation I've ever had with you. So, I'm sorry if I'm misunderstanding why you're being a jerk." I snapped, my anger quickly becoming apparent.

Buck seemed to share the same emotion as he stepped forward until he was invading my personal space. His finger prodded my chest and I flinched, quickly regretting my heated words.

"We don't need an intern here. All you're going to do is get a nice topic to talk about on your resume for college, then move on with your life because you couldn't care less about what we go through to try and keep this city safe." Buck snarled.

I leaned up towards his face, refusing to back down against the intimidating firefighter. "You don't know anything about me or my life, so stop pretending you do. I'm trying to make something of myself here and I'd appreciate it if you took that stick out of your arse and gave me a chance to prove myself before you judge me." We remained in a standoff, our breathing heavy and our glares sharpened with anger.

Footsteps echoed from the stairs, but Buck didn't turn to look so I didn't either. We were both stubborn and I never was one to lose a staring contest, especially if it was out of spite.

"Everything okay up here?" Eddie questioned, slowly coming to stand beside us. Buck nodded and I hummed in agreement, though neither of us were believable in our actions. Eddie gently rubbed Buck's shoulder, pulling him away from where I was cornered against the counter top.

He began whispering in his ear, the pair far too close to each other for it not to be suspicious. The rest of team soon came upstairs, staring confusedly at the sight before them. I checked my watch, noting how it was almost time for my shift to end. So, I ignored all of the looks and stormed past everyone to run downstairs.

Luckily nobody followed me, otherwise I'd likely snap at them too. It wasn't fair for me to storm out the way I did, but sometimes when I got angry I was just overwhelmed by the emotion. That wasn't even me at my angriest either, it was more frustration than anything really.

For the last part of my shift I spent it alone, doing small tasks to tide me over. Then, I walked out without a single goodbye to any of them. A pretty rubbish end to an otherwise good day, right?