In Flames // 9-1-1 Fox (seasons 1-4)

thirty

Mariana took another bite of her burrito, feet propped up on the dash of the ambulance as Malcolm drummed his hands on top of the wheel. They stopped for a quick dinner run and were currently jamming out to classic rock.

"So...are you currently seeing anyone?" Malcolm asked.

"Nice try. No, I don't date," she drawled.

"Huh, could've fooled me. You and Diaz seem to be pretty close. What about Buckley?"

"And my foot seems to be getting pretty close to your face."

"You're kinda aggressive."

"What's new?"

The radio crackled to life and Mariana straightened up in her seat, buckling quickly as Malcolm turned the key and the engine roared to life.

"RA 118, come in," dispatch said.

"RA 118 responding," Mariana answered. "What do you have for us?"

"Report of a man stabbed at 1832 Bryson Avenue."

Mariana felt her jaw slacken at the words. "Dispatch, can you repeat that address?"

"1832 Bryson Avenue."

"RA 118 responding. Drive, Malcolm. Drive!"

That's Maddie's address.

She gripped the handle of the door tightly, her eyes hard and cold as Malcolm slowly weaved through traffic. "For fuck's sake, hit the horn and threaten to hit them!"

"What's got your ass on fire?"

"That's my friends apartment," she spat out. Malcolm screeched to a stop outside of the apartment and Mariana barely gave him a chance to stop before she was out the door and running towards the man kneeling over a body.

"Buck?" she cried out once she saw who it was. Her heart stopped for just a hint of a second. Was he injured?

"Mari! It's Chim. You gotta help him," Buck begged. "I can't find Maddie."

"I've got this. Go!"

Mariana kneeled down by Chimney, grabbing gauze patches out of her pack. She started to tape them down to staunch the bleeding but it was just coming out too fast.

"Get the fucking gurney," she barked at Malcolm. "Then call General and tell them we need packs of O neg and AB pos ready. I'm going to stabilize him and then I want his ass in the ambo."

Everything moved in a blur. The only way to keep adding pressure was for Mariana to manually apply it. Once they got the gurney into the ambulance, Mariana hopped onto the gurney and straddled his waist, holding down on the gauze packs.

"Stay with me, Chim. You haven't paid up your debt yet so you can't die on me," she begged. "Damnit, Howie. I can't lose you so I refuse to let you die!" Blood soaked her gloves and spilled all over the gurney and her uniform but she paid it no mind.

The ambulance doors flew open and Mariana glanced back at the trauma team who were all staring at her in various stages of shock. "I can't get off him without letting a bleeder gush out so you better fucking work around me!"

Multiple people reached out and the gurney was lowered to the ground before they rushed them into the ER. Mariana kept her eyes on Chimney's face, checking to see if he had any reactivity.

"C'mon, Chim. For Maddie. Do it for Maddie," she whispered as they raced them into the ER bay. Leslie stepped up next to the gurney, her eyes darting towards the bay then back to the young brunette.