From Intern to Family | 9-1-1 Fanfic

Chapter 25

"See you later kid." Arthur, one of B-Shift firefighters, yelled as I left the firehouse.

Since the accident, the Chief had given the team a week off to recuperate from their injuries. They could take extra time if they needed it, but I know they'd want to get back to it as soon as possible.

So, since they weren't around, I had been assigned to my normal shifts but with different firefighters. They had to figure out a routine without their main team here, so a few of the workers offered to change shifts.

The group were pretty nice and I had met a few of them previously. Even though I only interned with the same team regularly, I was still technically the intern of the whole of the 118. Which meant when my usual group were not here, I still had to be.

It was okay though. Strange, but okay.

They all had been texting me now and then. Especially Buck and Eddie, who seemed to go into fatherly mode whenever they were near me now. It was slightly concerning and I did check with Bobby that they hadn't sustained any serious brain injuries.

I had been asked a few times about my foster house, which resulted in me pretending to miss the messages. The house wasn't bad per say, the couple were just strict and had a lot of rules.

Luckily, they weren't physical abusive like my last house. Instead, they just shouted or took things away if I didn't follow the rules.

For example, the night the team were in the hospital I refused to leave so I ended up spending the night with them. I went back to the house the next day and got my bed taken away from me because I was out past curfew and I didn't have a good enough excuse.

So, I had a blanket and a pillow to sleep with the past couple nights. I wasn't going to complain when it could be worse, but I knew the others would freak if I told them. So, I didn't tell them.

Besides, the house wasn't far from the firehouse either. I made it back in twenty minutes, noticing their two cars in the driveway. I still couldn't figure out what they did for work, but I knew they had quite a bit of money. I don't know why they wanted to foster a kid like me if they already had enough money.

Carol was busy cooking in the kitchen when I walked through the front door. I assumed Harry was in the living room, judging from the loud TV echoing through the hall. They had been married for years from what I could see and weren't able to have kids. Why they didn't pick a younger kid is beyond me.

I knocked on the door as I entered the kitchen (Another rule that I agreed was stupid). Carol turned slightly and hummed in greeting. She put some fancy looking food in the oven, before spinning around to look at me.

"What did I tell you about entering our home looking filthy? You're all wet and muddy." She complained, looking me up and down in distaste.

I had to scrub the firetrucks clean today and I forgot a change of clothes, hence why I was so messy.

"Yeah sorry, I was just going to head upstairs and clean up." I answered. The t-shirt was really soggy and the walk back had made my upper body really cold.

Carol, instead of letting me go, tutted and pushed me out the door. She beckoned me into the living room where Harry was sat lazily with a bottle of beer already in hand.

"We're having some friends round tonight, so we need you out the house. No curfew tonight, just make sure you come back in the morning before you head off again." Carol rambled, gesturing to her husband.

The man nodded along, smirking at my annoyed expression. "Where am I supposed to sleep?" I questioned.

Harry scoffed drunkenly, "Not our problem boy. Now get, they're gonna be here soon." He grumbled.

Once again, Carol was shuffling me out the room. "Wait can't I at least grab some stuff? Or get changed?" I questioned. The woman pushed my trainers into my chest and handed me a small plastic bag.

"Harry packed you a drink and a snack. That'll last you." She smiled in a sickly sweet way and I didn't get a chance to argue before I was pushed out the front door.

My foot landed on the hard gravel path and I winced at the stones poking through my socks. I slipped my shoes on quickly and stared at the door in disbelief.

Okay, maybe they were worse than I originally thought. It was already starting to get dark and the wind had picked up, making the wet patches on my shirt icy against my skin.

How did they expect me to stay out all night?

I got in trouble last time I stayed out past my curfew and now they wanted me out for their own benefit. The double standard was infuriating.

Poppy and Willow would be closing up the cafe soon and I was too stubborn to go their house to ask for help. I could call Buck or Eddie, but they were busy with Chris. Same with the others, who all had their own families.

They did say I could call them at anytime, but my pride wouldn't let me press the button. Especially since part of me was still hurt about what Bobby said. Even if I had been worried when he was in the hospital, I couldn't forgot the fact that I felt unneeded.

So, with nowhere left to go, I set out on my familiar path. The firehouse is open 24/7 and I was known around the place, so nobody would question it too much. I could just tell them I forgot something and then hide out somewhere else.

After a long day of work, I was tired. So I don't care if they question me, I'll happily just fall asleep inside. Most of them didn't say much to me anyways. I'm sure it'll be fine.

The building didn't take long to come into view, since I had hurried before my t-shirt gave me hypothermia. I entered through a side door and paused at the sound of sirens.

My head peaked through the door as I watched the truck pull out and rush off to its destination. That meant that one or two people might still be around, which was perfect for hiding somewhere. Looks like my luck was getting better!

I spotted the other firetruck sat inside and I grinned to myself. There was something wrong with it, so they were waiting until tomorrow for a mechanic to come down and fix it. Which meant it was totally out of commission.

Which meant I had the perfect sleeping place.

The sound of voices echoed upstairs and I stayed close to the ground as I shuffled towards the truck. Luckily most of my body was blocked by the large truck, meaning if I opened and closed the door carefully I wouldn't get caught.

Thankfully, their conversation seemed to drown out the click to the door opening. I slipped in carefully and pulled it shut behind me, not fully closing it since it'd make too much of a noise. The doors didn't close properly unless you pulled them with force and that wasn't a risk I could take.

I looked in the bag that I was given by Carol, seeing what my snack and drink was. Clearly, I shouldn't have set my expectations of Harry too high.

A single bottle of beer and a granola bar sat inside the bag. I mentally cursed the man and grabbed the snack, putting the bag on the seat opposite me. I wasn't going to drink the beer, especially not at my workplace.

Instead, I let the small snack soothe a bit of my hunger and I curled up along the backseats. It wasn't the comfiest of surfaces and I was still shivering from the cold, but it was better than the streets.

With a long while of tossing and turning, I allowed the thought of the firetruck to soothe my nerves. I was in the firehouse, which meant nothing could hurt me here.