Burning Love

0.1

Being a southern girl in Chicago, Illinois, was intimidating.

In Saint Augustine, Louisiana, everyone knew everybody. It was a small town where I spent every second from birth to twenty-one, so when I announced to friends and family I was moving after being left at the altar by my ex-fiancé, who skipped out of town and re-enlisted the Army, no one was surprised.

They were surprised to learn that I would move to Chicago, though.

At my going away party, many people tried to talk me out of it, as I was a "beloved" first-grade teacher.

When I got to Chicago, I found a simple studio apartment and started training and studying immediately to be certified as an EMT. It didn't take very long for me to get my certification, and I was sent to different firehouses that weren't very keen on keeping me around and didn't like my Southern hospitality.

So, a few months after I turned twenty-five, I stepped foot into Firehouse 51.

I looked around, seeing people notice me one by one.

"Hey, what can we help you with?" A blonde woman with her hair slicked back into a long ponytail.

I smiled at her, "Hi there! My name is Rose Winslow, and I'm the new EMT that was assigned here." I told her, adjusting the bag on my shoulder.

She noticed the "Chicago Fire Department" logo on my shirt and smiled back, "Oh awesome! My name is Sylvie Brett," she reached out her hand to me, "I'll be your partner."

I shook her hand, "It's nice to meet you."

She nodded, "Here, I'll show you around." I followed her as she showed me around, we approached a table with a few guys sitting around it, "This is our Rescue Squad and their precious table. We've got Severide, Newhouse, Cruz, and Capp."

"Hey, nice to meet you." Cruz stood up and shook my hand.

"Hi! It's nice to meet you too."

The boys looked taken back by my accent, and Severide turned in his seat, "Where are you from?"

"A small town in Louisiana, right near New Orleans, sir."

"It's nice to meet you..." 

"Winslow."

He reached out to shake my hand, and I greeted everyone before Brett continued the tour.

"This is the common area. That's Mouch in his natural habitat, Kidd, Otis, and Herrmann." She pointed to everyone as she said their names, and Herrmann raised his head from the newspaper he was reading.

"Who do we have here?"

"My new partner, Rose Winslow." She introduced me by my full name, and I smiled with a wave.

"Are you the new medic?" A man's voice spoke from the side, and I turned, nodding.

"Yes, sir."

"Why don't you come into my office?" He turned, and I tensed up. Did I mess up already? I followed the man into his office, and he let me walk in first, holding the door open and closed it behind us.

"I'm the Battalion Chief of this house, Wallace Boden." He shook my hand and walked to his seat as I sat down, placing my bag down on the floor.

"Rose Winslow, pleasure to meet you, sir." I smiled lightly, folding my hands together on my lap to keep from nervous fidgeting.

"I called you in here because I wanted to greet you and speak with you about an email from a few of your previous Chief's stating that you are an excellent EMT, very smart and a go-getter on the field, but you are a bit too...friendly in house."