A/N: this update in no one reflects or detracts from my involvement with the Black Lives Matter movement. Self care is important in activism and it's necessary that we take breaks to ensure we don't burn out. If you need any resources or book/documentary podcasts to educate yourself, please don't be afraid to reach out. Also, I am still angry at Ryan Guzman, but I'm going to try to distance the character of Eddie from him. Finally, I do feel a bit uneasy about shining a positive light on police so I will be focusing solely on EMT/nurses/firefighters. Thank you for understanding.
The smile on Mariana's face as she approached the table would be one that Bobby Nash described as her "cat ate the canary" look. With a clipboard clutched in her hands and a pen tucked behind her ear, she looked less like a devious mastermind and more like a PTO member.
"Y'know what I love about being the engineer on this shift? I get to choose who cleans the truck and checks it with me. Eddie and Buck, you're the lucky victims- I mean, lucky guys for this shift," she announced. Hen and Chimney shared equal grins but those faded once Mari pointed her finger at them.
"You two are next shift. C'mon boys, let's go!"
"You are the worst. I hate you. I can't believe I let you treat me like this," Buck moaned as they followed her to the apparatus bay.
"Alright, we're starting with inventory of the tools which you two can handle while I check pressure gauges and oxygen. Thank you for being such willing helpers!"
"She's evil," Buck muttered, making Eddie chuckle under his breath. Mariana turned to glare at him and the two men immediately started opening compartments and checking equipment, pretending they didn't see her.
They were just finished with the checklist when the alarm rang out about a woman's head stuck in a tailpipe. Mariana was just as confused driving there as she was once they saw the actual scene. Drunken idiots were all over the place, even though it was three in the afternoon, and they were all surrounding the girl who was kneeled down with her head stuck in a massive tailpipe. Mariana worked with a lot of cars in her life but she had never seen such a massive tailpipe. It was honestly laughably stupid.
"What's her name?" Chimney asked.
"Betty." "Jennifer!" "Sorry, I thought you meant my truck."
Mariana was pretty sure her eyes were looking at her brain from how hard she rolled her eyes. She kneeled down with a ruler, trying to find where to mark for Buck to cut.
"This is your truck?" Bobby asked.
"Yeah, but it's not like I backed into her. She did this out of her own free will."
"You dared her to!" her friend exclaimed.
"We were flirting!"
"Your idea of flirting with a girl is daring her to stick her head in your tailpipe?" Eddie reiterated. Buck chuckled as he slid under the truck on the creeper. Mariana marked the spot where they should cut and passed the tape to Eddie to put back in the kit. She stood up just in time to hear Bobby point out the bruises on Jennifer's arms.
"It wasn't me," the truck owner defended.
"It's from the bull. She rode it like five times," her friend stated.
Mariana looked to the heavens and prayed for a sign of more than a few brain cells existing in this place.
"Get me out of this thing!" Jennifer sang.
"These things are meant to increase the power to the engine," Buck said.
"TSA-23 saw should do the job," Mariana pointed out, crossing her arms over her chest.
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In Flames // 9-1-1 Fox (seasons 1-4)
Fanfiction"Keep your confessions Cause babe I'm no saint We're playing with fire" - In Flames, Digital Daggers Mariana Ramirez doesn't let people into her life. At twenty-six, she has seen her fair share of loss not only in her life but also in her ER. After...
