Burning Flames (Chicago Fire Fan-fiction) - Under Editing

Chapter 66: The Ducker

Gabriela Dawson's POV
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I wake up and Matt is gone. I look around the room, and see the door slightly ajar meaning he was down stairs.
I get up and pull on a t-shirt and a pair of shorts. Then, walk down stairs to the kitchen.
"Morning." I say as Matt puts bacon on a plate.
"Morning, beautiful." He says leaning over the island and kissing me.
"We have shift today, don't we?" I ask as he hands me a plate of food.
"Yep, and the Severide's are taking the next three shifts off." He says as we walk in to the dining room.
"Meaning we are the acting lieutenant's." I say then start eating.
"Yep." Matt says then starts eating.

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At the house
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Matt and I walk inside and Herman eyes us with a smirk. I elbow Matt and say, "You told him. Didn't you?"
"Herman and Severide. Though you told Cindy." He says as we sit down at the truck table.
"How do you know?" I ask.
"Violet text me." He says shrugging his shoulders.
"She's a gossip." I say.
He laughs as Herman walks over to where we are sitting.
"So, you two left early, huh?" Herman asks sitting down beside me.
"Yes, Herman. We did leave early." I say.
"Sounds like you two had fun, then." He says.
I roll my eyes and say, "I've got to go talk to Boden. Since I'm lieutenant for Squad for the next three shifts the looming danger of me losing my job hangs just above my head."
"What would you lose your job for?" Matt asks furrowing his brow.
"I've impressed Chief Jones, and he said something about training me as Battalian chief, but if that happens my files from when I worked Ambo would be reviewed." I say.
Matt nods and I walk towards Chief Boden's office. I knock and he calls me in.
"What can I do for you, Dawson?" He asks.
"I was wondering who was going to be acting lieutenant on Squad 3 while Sev- Kelly is out, Chief?" I ask.
"I have been wondering that too. I would prefer it to be you, but that would basically be putting you on a platter for the Chiefs to review you. What would you like to do?" He asks.
"I don't know. I really don't want to risk it." I say.
"Okay, I'll bring in a relieve lieutenant. I don't know how long it will take so you're in charge until the relieve gets here." He tells me.
"Okay, thanks, Chief." I say shaking his hand and then walking out to the Squad table.
"Hey! There's our lieutenant! You have Casey reigned in pretty tight, huh?" Capp asks as I walk out.
"You know it... Boden's bringing in a relieve lieutenant for Kelly, though." I say sitting down in the lieutenant's chair.
"Why? You're here." Kyle says.
"I can't lose my job, and me being Squad lieutenant is showing me off. If they review my files I could lose my job. I would like to keep it." I say taking a cookie from a box labeled Capp.
"Hey! Those are mine!" Capp says.
"They shouldn't be on the table then. Besides I am your lieutenant until the relieve gets here." I say then I take a bite of the cookie.
"Whatever. Have at 'em." Capp says pushing the box to the middle of the table.
A man walks in and over to the Squad table as I grab another cookie and recline my feet back on the table.
"So whose girlfriend?" He asks pointing to me.
"I'm Gabriela Dawson. Second on Squad three. We're waiting on the relieve lieutenant to get here." I say eyeing the guy. I felt like I recognized him from somewhere.
"Great, I get stuck with a woman on my squad... I'm the relive Lieutenant Luis Macintosh." He says.
"Ah fuck..." I mutter under my breath.
"There something you want to tell me, Dawson? Besides the fact that you are about to move out of my seat." He says.
"Yeah, you should've stuck with Truck." I say reclining my feet back again and bitting in to the cookie in my hands.
"Alright you want to be that way go start drilling. Everyone, now." He says pointing to where we have a wall training set up outside the bay doors and to the left of them.
"Macintosh, you've obviously never had a second. With Squad 3 here you have to have second's approval on just about everything." Kelly says as he and Leslie walk in.
"Hey, the Severide's are here! What are you two doing in here?" I ask.
"Came to pick up some stuff. We're going out of town, and are going to be gone for two weeks." Kelly says as he grabs two cookies from the box and Chief Boden walks out.
Squad snaps to attention as he walks over to us.
"Squad 3 has a second lieutenant that has to approve of most everything that the squad lieutenant wants to be done, and she could have easily said I'll be squad lieutenant until Kelly Severide returns but she opted not to. You are lucky to be able to work with Squad three. Oh and trust me, you piss any of them off and your in for the ride of your life. Dawson, he is a truck lieutenant. Make sure he knows what he is allowed to do and what he's not allowed to do, and that he doesn't over step his limits." Boden tells me. He walks inside as I move out of the chair and Kelly and Leslie sit down.
"Take a seat Macintosh." I say waving to the empty seat beside James.
He scoffs at it and says, "I'd prefer the lieutenants seat."
"Sit down, Lieutenant. No relieve lieutenant has ever sat in that seat, and it sure as hell won't be a truck relieve lieutenant. Not as long as I'm here." I say.
"You heard her, Macintosh sit down." Kelly says.
He sits down begrudgingly then the bells go off, "Squad 3, Truck 81, Battalion 25, Ambo 61, building fire at 15984 Kensington Street."
"Load up!" I call as we rush to the rig.
I hop in back and Macintosh in front with Capp. We pull off and head for the scene.
"Macintosh you and I will go in together with Capp. James, Kyle I want you two to go in the back." I say as we pull up.
"I'm lieutenant. I give the orders." Macintosh says as we all jump out.
"Yeah, you are, but you know nothing about Squad." I say as Capp and I mask up.
Macintosh masks up and we rush in for the primary search.
"Casey, we need a vent up on the roof." I say in to my radio as the three of us push forward.
"Cruz and Mouch are going up on aerial now." Casey radios back.
"Okay let's make it quick, I've got a bad feeling about this." I say looking around.
"Spread out, and cover the bedrooms." Macintosh orders.
Capp looks to me and I shake my head, but Macintosh says sharply, "I'm not saying anything again!"
"Go, Capp, start searching." I say.
He nods and we spread out. I kick in a door and call out, "Chicago Fire Department! Call out!"
I hear a kid scream, and see a little boy cowering on top of his bed. I run over to him and he jumps in to my arms. I turn and see the door now blocked by flames and ruble.
"Capp! Macintosh! Im trapped!" I yell through the flames. Nothing.
"Chief, I'm trapped, and getting low on air." I radio as the little boy goes limp in my arms.
'Dammit.'
I pull my mask off and place it over the boys face and let him breathe as I start coughing.
I still haven't gotten a reply from anyone even on my radio. I hold the boy tight to my chest and pull my mask back on. I watch as the boys chest stops moving and I see the red smeared on his face. He had been shot before I had found him. I lay the boy's body down and look around. The door way was my only way out, and it is completely blocked.
"I need help! I'm on the second floor and trapped!" I call in to my radio.
With no response I pick the boys body up and open my jacket, I hold my jacket tightly closed and dive through the only open spot that is not blocked by ruble. I feel the heat from the flames as I jump through. I see Macintosh running out.
"Macintosh! Macintosh! Help!" I call out as my air tank nears empty.
He stops and looks over his shoulder at me with a scared expression on his face. Then, turns and runs out. The building starting to crumble around me as I start to lose consciousness and my pass alarm from my SCBA starting to shrill loudly...

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Macintosh's POV
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I look over my shoulder and see Dawson on the ground trying to pull herself up. I look around, and then run out.
"Where's Dawson? Capp said she was with you." Christopher Herman says looking at the building as we hear ruble falling.
"I didn't see her." I lie.
I was a pathetic ducker, and soon they'd probably find out. That's why I was floating, because Brewer had called me out and without any concrete evidence Chief Jones had just put me so I was floating.
"Dawson. Dawson, do you copy?" Capp asks in to his radio.
Nothing.
"She's been in there too long. She has to be out of air by now. This is all your fault Macintosh. If you had listened to us she would be out here by now." Capp says switching out to a new air tank and masking up with Herman and Casey.
"Truck splits up all the time." I say.
"Truck, not Squad. We. Never. Split. Up." Capp says and then the three of them rush inside...

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Christopher Herman's POV
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We work our way slowly through the ruble as we call out, "Dawson! Dawson, call out!"
"Quiet, listen." Capp calls out.
We hear her pass alarm blaring through the roar of falling ruble and flames.
"Over there! Come on!" Casey says pointing in the direction the alarm is coming from.
We work our way over to her, and find her surrounded by ruble with her jacked held tight around her. A beam laying on her right leg. I kneel down and see Dawson has a small boy wrapped in her jacket. Dried blood on the side of his face, and a bullet wound in his cheek.
"The kids dead. Come on, let's get the beam off her leg." I say standing up.
The three of us lift the beam off her leg, and Capp takes the boy's body while Casey and I pick up Gabby I carry her arms and Casey her feet. We get out, and Mills and the relieve paramedic take over. The pull her helmet and mask off and start working as Casey walks over to Macintosh.
"When was the last time you saw her in there?" He asks Macintosh.
"I don't know. When we split up." Macintosh says as I kneel down next to where Dawson is laying in the grass.
Her eyes open to small slits and she says, "Adrenaline junkie... Herman... be... fine... promise."
"Stop talking, Gabby." Mills says as he takes her pulse.
"Don't worry, kid. Everything's gonna be fine. Casey, get over here." I call over my shoulder.
Casey stops questioning Macintosh and rushes over.
"Macintosh............ he...... d...du..." Dawson passes out after the second try on forming a sentence about Macintosh.
"Let's load her up. Lift on three. One... two... three... lift." Mills says.
We lift her on to the gurney, and Mills and the relieve load her in to the Ambo.
"I'm coming!" Casey calls after them jogging over to the Ambo and getting in back with Mills.
"Let's put this out, and get going!" I order as Cruz and Mouch set a hose to the building.
"Otis, let's get another attack line on." I say.
Otis hooks up another attack line, and we get to work putting the fire out...

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At the hospital an hour later.
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We pull in to Chicago Med and run inside. Antonio, Severide, Casey, Shay, Mills, and the relieve are all waiting in the OR waiting room. I walk over to my lieutenant and ask, "Any word?"
"She's in surgery. That's all we know." He says.
I nod and sit down...