The all too familiar cry of the bell echoed through the house while Hen's voice joined in. "Station 118, Station 118. Please dispatch a fire engine and an ambulance to the Meadowbrook School library immediately. Harry Grant didn't do his homework!"
Mariana took that as her cue to slide down the firepole and land neatly on the first floor before she walked over to join her boys.
"Alright, who wants to check out the trucks?" she called.
Voices filled the apparatus bay as the kids clamored out of their seats and choursed their interest. Mariana laughed and gestured her hands away from her sides.
"This side goes with Eddie, this side with Buck. I'll show you guys our equipment and gear!"
Buck excitedly led his group of kids while Mariana and Eddie took a slower approach towards the ladder truck. She was practically beaming as she interacted with the kids, putting her helmet on them and letting them try on her turnout coat. The latina looked over at Eddie and found him laughing as he helped lift a kid into the truck. He looked completely at ease working with the kids and her heart tugged at the image. Shaking her head, she cleared her mind and focused back on the kid standing next to her.
///
"Okay everybody, we are in tactical emergency mode!" Bobby announced as they headed towards the truck. "That means we will not be at the station today. We will be driving all around the district to be ready for anything that might come our way."
"Yes, Bobby. I do believe we have trained for this," Mariana drawled as she scurried by on her way to the driver's seat.
"Cap, you do realize we work here, right? We're trained professionals, not fifth graders," Hen added.
Mariana settled in and pulled her headset on, waiting for the all clear. Buck flashed her a thumbs up and she eased out of the garage, leading the engine and ambulance out onto the streets of LA.
"Cap, you ever see something like this?" Buck asked.
"Once in St. Paul. Blizzard took out the power grid around the call center and backup generator."
"I've been through like three of these," Hen sighed. "I'm surprised they don't happen more often. The way the city funds us, the department is held together by chewing gum and spit."
"Hey, c'mon. I like these old trucks!" Buck argued.
"Uh huh, I like 'em when they run," Eddie said.
Dispatch patched them out to a scene and Mariana started to turn them towards the street when another truck ran a red light. She slammed her foot down on the breaks and her hand down on the horn, a steady stream of curses spilling past her lips.
"¡A la verga, no mames! Te crees muy acá ¿no? Who taught these idiots how to drive?!"
"Mari, let's not start a race in a forty ton fire truck," Bobby warned. The younger woman let out an undignified snort and shook her head.
"I'd still win," she muttered.
"Do you want Buck to drive? Because he can drive."
"I thought you wanted to actually get there?"
"Ok, that was rude," Buck called.
"Can I turn off his mic? Where is that button?"
///
A geriatric pregnancy in the middle of a hotel lobby. This would be fun.
"Hen and Mari, you're up. Eddie, start fluids," Bobby ordered.
YOU ARE READING
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...
