From Intern to Family | 9-1-1 Fanfic

Chapter 12

"Willow I have an emergency. A big emergency and I need your wise mind and kindness to save me!"

I entered the cafe shouting, only to be immediately shushed by my favourite couple. "Lower your voice boy, whatever is the matter?" Willow scolded with a smile as Poppy served a customer beside her.

A heavy object was concealed beneath my jacket and I quickly shuffled behind the counter.

I pealed the side of my jacket away, "What in the hell? Is that a dog?" Willow exclaimed and I smiled unconvincingly.

"Technically it's a puppy. I found it whining in a bin and I couldn't leave him there! It would've been cruel and he's so cute. But I've got to be at the firehouse in five minutes and I don't know what to do with him!" I rambled on.

Poppy walked over and spotted the situation, immediately palming her face. The puppy, who I've now named Quincy, is a dalmatian and is the cutest thing I've ever seen.

"Cooper, we can't keep him here. We've got customers and it's not hygienic for an animal to be in here, especially one found in a bin!" She chuckled, gently patting Quincy's head. The dog let his tongue hang out freely and pointed his blue eyes up at me.

I groaned in exasperation, cuddling the puppy close to my chest, "What are the chances I can hide him from the team?" I asked. Neither lady looked convinced, but I didn't have much of a choice. I bid my goodbyes and began a quick run to the firehouse.

Quincy whined from inside my jacket, obviously displeased by the jostling from my movements. I gently hushed him, slowing down momentarily to scratch behind his ears. This dog was going to be the death of me, how could something be so cute?

I was late to the firehouse, surprisingly for the first time since I started the internship. Luckily for me, the team were out on a call so I had the place to myself. The radio was switched on upstairs and I could faintly hear the chatter from where I was.

When the team came back I needed somewhere to hide Quincy. Upstairs was out of the question, since it was all open space and they'd probably make some food when they got back. It was past midday and Bobby normally makes lunch at this time for everyone.

There was a fairly spacious storage cupboard that had cleaning supplies in for the trucks and the firehouse itself. Nobody went in it that much since it was mostly my job to keep the place clean, but the workers on other shifts used it.

So, it looked like the only good option right now.

An old heater was stored in here, having been useless in the wide, open areas of the firehouse. But in a tiny place like this it should work a charm. I switched it on and placed the puppy on the floor to take my jacket off. I bundled it into something similar to a bed and gently placed Quincy on top of it.

Comfort? Check. Warmth? Check. Food? To be continued.

He wagged his tail as he stared up at me and I gently petted him. His fur was soft against my fingertips and I couldn't help but laugh when he tried to lick my face.

Unfortunately, the fun ended when the familiar sound of a fire engine echoed in the building. I jumped to my feet, "Be good." I ordered before softly closing the door. I jogged away from the cupboard and stumbled to a stop in front of the stairs.

"Hi guys- Afternoon, how's it going?" My sentence was anything but smooth and I definitely looked like an idiot. They, thankfully, laughed it off. "Where you been Coop? We were out on call when you started!" Hen greeted, wrapping an arm around me as we decided to go upstairs.

I couldn't hear a sound from Quincy, so I could only assume he was okay. Bobby immediately strolled over to the kitchen, flicking a bunch of things to get the oven and stove heated up.