Life Goes On | 911 Lonestar

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Mindy stood outside the 126 fire station, the last time she was here, her father was alive. Now at eighteen years old, top of her class, she would follow his footsteps. Her mind wonder to the argument that she had with her mother the night before.

"You cannot stop me!" Mindy exclaimed as she slammed the door. Mindy packed the rest of her stuff after Carlos helped get her place downtown. "Sweetheart, you are making a mistake." She heard her mother. "What mistake, I am following Dad's footsteps, he cannot have died for nothing Mom!" Mindy snapped. 

"I don't want to bury my daughter."  She said as she stroked her face. Mindy flinched away, "This isn't going to stop me from accomplishing my dream, I just graduated at the top of my class and you cannot stop me, if I die on the field, then it's with honor, just like dad did, do I wish he didn't , I wish he was still here, But if I give up this dream, I'm failing him."  Mindy said as she grabbed her stuff and left her room. 

Mindy looked at her ten and six year old brothers, "Where you going Sissy?" Alex asked her. "I'm going to be like dad." Mindy said to the ten year old. "Cool." Brandon replied. She smiled at them and kissed the top of their heads. "Look out for mom."  Mindy said to them, they nodded. 

She took a deep breath before heading into the station. "Mindy?" She looked up to see Judd Ryder who worked with her dad. "Judd? What are you doing here?" Mindy asked. "I should be asking you that." Judd replied.

"Well I graduated, top of my class, I wish dad got to see it. Now I'm here to follow in his footsteps." Mindy said. Judd couldn't help but smile at the eighteen year old, "He would be proud of you." Judd said. "By the way, good luck with Captain Strand." Judd added, patting the eighteen year old then leaving. She was getting stared down by the firefighters, "You must be Danny Peterson's daughter Mindy?" She looked up to see the captain Judd was talking about. 

"I am, I take it Your Captain Strand?" Mindy asked. "Indeed I am, Please come up." Owen said to the redhead. 

...........

She sat in front of the captain, nerves were struck high. "I am sorry for your lost, I take it you just graduated not to long ago?" Owen asked. "Thank you... and yeah, I was planning to come here, regardless of where I go, I'm following my father's footsteps." Mindy said. Owen couldn't believe he had top of the class in front of him, Mindy was talk of town, Many stations wanted her but she wanted to work at 126, like her father.

"I respect that, I take it your mother didn't take this too well?" Owen asked. Mindy rose her brow, "What gave that away?" Mindy asked. "Your nerves, you have nothing worry about, you are qualified not to mention many stations would like to have you, but I hope you can accept joining the 126?" Owen asked. Mindy smiled, "I would be happy too." Mindy replied. "Welcome aboard Peterson." Owen said as he shook her hand.

"Get to know everyone, also go put on the uniform" Owen said, She nodded.

..............

She walked out and froze when she saw a photo of her father on the wall. She sighed. "Well dad, I am apart of the 126." Mindy said. "I'm sorry for your lost." She looked over to see the firefighters that were staring her down earlier. "Thank you." Mindy said. "Welcome aboard, I'm Tk, here we have Paul, Mateo, Marjan, Nancy..." Tk said. "I'm Mindy, Danny Peterson was my father."  Mindy said. "Thank you for honoring them." Mindy added. "Of course." Tk said.

"I wish Judd would come back.." Mindy said. "You know him?" Paul asked. "He and my father were best friends... he has been looking out for my family and I since loosing my father."  Mindy responded. "My mother and I aren't on the best of terms, she tried to stop me, I didn't allow her, I know she's scare but I'll be fine." Mindy added.

"You know that fear is going to be on your mom because of what happen with your dad." Nancy said to her. "She tried her hardest to stop me, you all should've seen the look on my dad's face when I told him that I was following in his footsteps. He taught me no matter what, I don't give up on your dream, that's my mother wanted me to do, hard to tell what she tried to do to stop me." Mindy said as she scuffed the ground.

"Yeah and you are going to prove anyone else wrong too." Marjan said and Mindy rose a brow. "We are happy to have you, welcome to the 126." Marjan added which Mindy then smiled. Then group huddled.

...............

"You will not believe who I saw today." Judd said as he sat in the living room. Grace looked at him. "Mindy." 

"Danny and Susan's daughter?" Grace asked in surprise. "Yeah, I hope Captain Strand allowed her to join." Judd answered. "Oh She had the highest score of her class, from what I heard, many stations would love to have her, Captain Strand would be crazy to pass her up." Grace said. "Let's just hope, I know that would thrill Susan." Judd added. Grace looked at him confused.

"She called me and ask me to help sabotage Mindy's chance, I refuse. Grace, I remember the look on Danny's face in fact his smile when he told me that his only daughter wanted to follow in his footsteps, I couldn't do that to him, I couldn't do that to Mindy." Judd explained. Grace sighed. 

"You did the right thing and Mindy would be thankful for that, she's worked so hard." Grace said. "She's going to make Danny proud." Judd said. Then him and Grace saw the photo of Judd, Danny and Mindy when she was about six years old.

"To think she was always around..." Judd said. "That red hair stuck." Grace said. "Yeah, it sure did." Judd said. "I know she would love to have you with her at 126, piece of her father around, you two were close,  now you would create memories with his daughter and guide her." Grace said, Judd nodded.

...........

Author's Note

Sorry for such a short chapter, but I promise as we get more into this book, the chapters will get longer.