Addicted

Chapter Fourteen: One Step Forward, Another Step Back

It was a wet and miserable day in Austin, Texas. It had been raining on and off - but mostly on - for the last three days. It was mid-afternoon and everyone in the station was busy with a task. Owen was up in his office completing some paperwork. The medical team had been out on calls for the last few hours and everyone else was busy cleaning the trucks. Avery, who was still on 24-hour watch, was spending the day at the station as Carlos had to work a shift. She was sitting reading a book near where the guys were cleaning when the alarm sounded.

Units from the 126, building fire at 238 Pershing Drive.
Multiple residencies involved. Other units responding.

"Isn't that-?" Avery started to ask as she also jumped up.
"Megan's address." TK finished with an alarmed look on his face.
"Dad! That's where Megan lives!" TK shouted as Owen came running over to the trucks as they all geared up.
"Dad, let me come." Avery said as everyone climbed into the trucks.
"Please, it's Megan." Avery begged, knowing it wasn't normally allowed, but after everything, she knew her dad would make an exception.
"You stay in the truck." Owen told her sternly.
"Yes sir." Avery nodded her head and jumped in the back of the first truck where TK was. As they pulled out of the station lights and sirens blaring, TK pulled out his phone from his pocket and called Megan. At the same time, Avery messaged Megan. TK sighed and shook his head.
"She's not answering."
"I'm sure she's fine." Owen tried to reassure his kids. Avery kept texting Megan all the way there, but they still didn't have a response. When they arrived on the scene, they were the first unit there. Avery hopped out of the truck with the others, but like she had agreed with her dad, she climbed into the front so she could still see what was going on. TK and the others didn't hesitate and pulled on their BA's. They waited for instructions from Owen before they all headed inside the building. TK was paired with his dad, searching on Megan's floor as other units arrived on the scene.

"Fire department, call out!" TK shouted as he walked down the corridor of the third floor with the team right behind him. Marteo and Judd went to one apartment as Marjan and Paul went to another, leaving TK and Owen to search Megan's apartment.
"Megan?!" TK shouted, having kicked in the door.
"Fire department, call out!" Owen shouted as they started moving through the apartment.
"I'm-I'm over here." They heard a faint voice call out followed by coughing.
"Megan!" TK said loudly, finding the teen slumped in the hallway near her room. He didn't hesitate to pull off his mask and put it over the teens face.
"Just breathe." He said, holding the mask in place.
"We have to go." Owen said, placing his hand on TK's shoulder as the flames in the apartment started getting worse. The others had already radioed in saying they had evacuated the other apartments.
"Time to go." TK said standing up with Megan. He pulled his mask back on before he took the teens hand.
"Everything's going to be okay." He told her as they headed out of the apartment. He kept the teen close as they headed down the corridor.
"That's going to be a problem." Owen mumbled as they came to the stairs which were fully engulfed in flames.
"Guys, we're stuck by fire. Stairs are gone. We're going to find another way out." Owen said over the radio.
"Copy that Cap."
"There's a fire escape down the other end of the corridor." Megan coughed out. Owen nodded and started leading them down the corridor. When they got to the other end of the corridor, they found the window that led them to the fire escape.
"Ahh, it's jammed." TK muttered as he tried to open the window.
"Stand back." Owen ordered as he grabbed his axe. He used it to smash the window before he cleared away the glass. He then climbed out of it.
"Let's go." He said, holding his hand out to help Megan through. She carefully climbed through before TK did the same. The three of them started climbing down the fire escape. As they got near the bottom, Owen pushed the ladder down before he climbed down it. Megan and TK did the same. Once they were on the ground, TK and Owen pulled off their masks.
"Guys we're out. Hit it with water." Owen ordered over the radio.
"Copy that Cap." Judd responded.
"Come on. Let's get the medics to check you out." Owen said to Megan as they started walking round to the front of the building where the EMS units were.
"I'm fine." Megan stated.
"You inhaled a lot of smoke. Just let them give you some oxygen and check you over." TK told the teen, giving her a look that suggested she didn't really have a choice. She nodded and let TK lead her over to the ambulance as Owen joined the rest of the team. TK took off his tank as the paramedic sat Megan down on the step at the back of the ambulance and started checking her over. Tim gave her an oxygen mask and told her to take some deep breaths through it as she had taken in a lot of smoke. TK went to help the others as they assisted the other units in getting the fire under control as Avery went and sat with Megan.

A short while later, the fire was out. TK walked back over to the ambulance with Owen.
"You okay?" He asked the teen. She had been looking sadly at the building.
"Yeah." Megan said, flashing him a small smile.
"I don't know where I'm going to go." She said sadly, looking away from the building. TK looked at his dad before he glanced at Avery. Avery could tell why he was looking at her and nodded her head as she held back a smile.
"Well, we spoke about it and until the scheme re-houses you, you're coming to stay with us." TK told the teen. Megan looked up at TK and Owen.
"Really?" She asked, surprised.
"Yeah. Whilst you're with us we have rules, but you can stay until they rehome you." Owen told the teen.
"Thank you." Megan said, smiling.
"She's cleared to go. Her observations are good, and she'll be with you guys so I'm happy to release her." Michelle informed them all.
"Thank you." Megan told her as she stood up.
"Go sit in the truck with Avery until we're done here." Owen told the teen. Megan nodded and walked away with Avery.
"Thank you dad". TK said quietly to his dad.
"You're doing a good thing with Megan. I'm proud of you." Owen told his son happily. TK smiled as Owen patted his son on the back before they got back to the job at hand.

On the way back from the fire, the team dropped Megan and Avery off at home. Considering she was going to be with Megan, TK and his dad decided it was safe to leave Avery with her as Carlos was still on shift for a couple more hours.
"You can borrow whatever clothes you want. All my shower stuff is on the second shelf, use whatever you want. I'll grab you some towels to use." Avery explained as she showed Megan to the bathroom so she could take a shower.
"Just call out if you need anything, I'm going to make a spare bed in my room." Avery told her friend.
"You don't-"
"It's fine. We have an air mattress which is actually really comfy to sleep on, trust me." Avery told her friend as she headed back to her bedroom so Megan could shower in peace. As Megan showered, Avery tidied her room a little and made a bed for Megan down on the floor.

A little while later, Megan walked back into Avery's room feeling refreshed. She smiled as she saw what Avery had done. She had set up the air mattress across from her bed, so it wasn't in the way. She had put a sheet on it along with a duvet, a blanket, and some pillows. She had also put a stuffed monkey on there.
"A monkey, really?" Megan laughed as she sat down on the bed.
"In case you get lonely." Avery laughed, making Megan smile.
"Thank you."
"Carlos messaged me and said he'll be here in about an hour. He's staying the night until my dad and TK finish work in the morning." Avery told Megan.
"Okay." Megan nodded.
"My dad sent me some money and told us to get something for dinner." Avery added.
"Of course he did." Megan laughed.

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A/N - Another day, another chapter. Megan just can't catch a break can she? What are your thoughts on the story so far? What do you think is going to happen next?