sinners and saints → 9-1-1 ¹

[ 003 ] thank you.

— CHAPTER THREE,
thank you.

GROWING UP IN FLORIA MEANT LOTS OF TRIPS TO DISNEY WORLD, WHICH ALSO MEANT ZERO FEAR OF ROLLER COASTERS OR HEIGHTS. The heights part comes in handy now but Ivy never anticipated having to bring in the no fear for roller coasters into her job. But she has now.

She stands on top of the ladder truck, eyes squinting as she looks up at the poor guy that literally hangs on for dear life.

"Hey, Cap, I think we came in at the wrong angle." Ivy starts.

"We did." He tells her. He swiftly calls Buck down. Buck is fast to rejoin them. "We came in at the wrong angle. I'm gonna have you climb up there, harness him in, and hang tight while we move the truck. You think you can handle that?"

Buck grins. "Hell, yeah! This daredevil hero stuff is what I signed up for, Bobby."

"Good." Bobby nods.

Buck starts to climb back up the ladder. "Buck!" He freezes at the sound of his voice falling from Ivy's lips. He looks back at her. "Be careful."

This time he nods, completely serious.

Bobby and Ivy both watch from the ladder truck as Buck finishes the ladder climb. He then maneuvers himself onto the coaster.

"Come on, Buck." She whispers to herself. Bobby glances over at her, eyebrows furrowing at her concern for the rookie.

They can faintly hear Buck telling them to hang on and to stay still. But then his voice comes in over their radios. "Ives, Bobby, he's asking about his friend."

The two share a knowing look. They both know that there is no way the boys friend survived the fall he took. Still, though, Bobby grabs hold of his radio. "Chimney, it's Bobby, you copy?"

"Copy, Captain. What do you need?"

"How's the kid on the ground?" Bobby questions.

"We lost him." Chim responds. Despite knowing of his imminent death, Ivy closes her eyes, heaving a deep breath.

"Alright, I don't need the people up there seeing that. So, do me a favor. . . he survived, right? Get him on a gurney. You know the drill." Bobby instructs.

"Copy that." Chim replies.

Ivy brings her hand to her mouth, she begins to bite the skin around her finger nails and her nails themselves. Her heart pounds wildly in her chest as she watches Buck hold his arm out for the boy to take. Anxiety twists her stomach.

And when the boy lets go, Ivy lets out an uncontrollable gasp. Bobby is there within seconds, shielding Ivy from the horror despite the fact she's seen so much worse.

Ivy is definitely scared of roller coasters now.

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The morning after the tragedy, Ivy sits at the table. Her brown eyes look over her phone at Buck. He sits across from her, a stonic expression on his face. He stares at his empty cup that was full of coffee earlier. He's only snapped from his thoughts when Chim places his plate of food in front of him.

"I'm not hungry." He says.

"This is America, Buck-a-Roo. Eating's got nothing to do with being hungry." Chim says as he walks back to the kitchen to rejoin Bobby.