he shouted out, "okay, easy, easy! you're okay," station one eighteen lieutenant commented, "take it slow, take—" the man gasped deeply, "we got you, we got you,"

buck handed his lieutenant the backboard who helped his captain and chimney put the man onto the backboard strapping him onto it, where they got him onto the upper ground, "on my count, one, two, three," the firefighters lifted him up and onto a gurney with dean's count.

station one eighteen got a call about someone being on the san ramon trail at vista point, abalone cove where dean rode behind his captain with his uniform on.

the matthews male gets out of the firetruck coming after his captain, "the old trail should be right up there, park warden said they closed it down a few years back, guess every once in a while, they still get a thrill-seeker who ignored the signs,"

eddie comes to them, "they haven't been able to ping the phone?" captain shook his head, "yea, no contact since the call was dropped," the six firefighters walked on the trail.

dean behind his captain where he then sees something, "cap," dean went in that direction as they all followed, "all right, everybody gear up," dean, eddie and buck did as told, "hen, chimney, get the winch and the guidelines, prep a basket just in case,"

captain looked at his firefighters, "i'm gonna radio aerial recon, have 'em on standby," the two paramedics nod their heads, "copy that," dean got into his gear, "this is captain bobby nash, t-118, aerial recon to abalone cove in palos verdes," their captain said as the three boys were getting ready.

dean went down before eddie and buck with the harness strapped around him, walking down the rocks, where he stops on a cliff part, "buck, eddie, lieutenant, do you see anything down there?"

lieutenant matthews touched his radio, "no, just a million dollar view," eddie then touched his radio, "cap, found something," dean turned around, "is it our hiker?"

all it was a corpose, "a hiker," lieutenant said into his radio, "don't think it's the one we came looking for, it's human remains, cap, skeletal remains, cap," lieutenant matthews said over his radio, "all right, we'll flag it but don't disturb it,"

"unless—" buck held a phone in his hand, "what—" dean and eddie chuckled, "you think a ghost called 911?" buck looked at them, "i'm just saying,"

"help!"

lieutenant stands up, "okay, so no ghost," he walked on the rocks towards the shouting, "what's going on down there, guys?" captain said over the radio, lieutenant dean called it, "i think we heard someone, cap,"

eddie comes down first, "easy, buddy, we're here," buck called it into his radio as eddie and dean looked at the bleeding man with a bone sticking out of his leg, "can you tell me your name?" the man grunts, "ian,"

dean nods, "ian, okay, we're gonna get you out of here, okay?" the man grunts as dean unclicked his bag from his back, "my le-my leg is broken," dean nods his head, "all right, guys, we're gonna send a basket down to you,"

"how'd you find me?"

the station one eighteen lieutenant looked at the injured guy, "it wasn't easy, you weren't on the phone long enough for them to ping your phone," ian didn't look at them, "on with who?"

evan looked at his two fellow firefighters, "with, uh, with 911," ian shook his head, "i dropped my phone when i went over," he shook his head, "i didn't call 911," the three firefighters looked at each other.

dean sat in his apartment with his niece and nephew decorating their pumpkins they are making to scare buck, "you guys are still decorating those pumpkins, how many are you making?"

dean smirked at his sister, "they're for buck, me and bobby are gonna put them around the firehouse," he told his sister, "uncle dean said he thinks a ghost called 9-1-1,"

"mm,"

charlie looked at his aunt, "that'd be so cool if it did," dean chuckled, "well, buck certainly thinks so," rikki looked at her uncle, "but ghosts aren't real, aren't they?" dean nods his head, "exactly," he said pointing his paintbrush at his niece who giggled, "why don't you two go and get your stuff ready, your parents are gonna come and pick you guys up soon,"

"i'll help," quinn answered following after her niece and nephew into their rooms they had at their uncle's apartment.

dean ran a hand through his hair walking along with his captain and hen, "do we know if anybody was bitten?" the worker looked at the firefighters, "you mean in like a nosferatu, count whatever kind of way?"

"listen—" hen looked at the employee, "something like ten percent of bats are rabies carriers, if i got guys in there foaming at the mouth, i need to know," dean nods his head at that, "i don't think, i mean, most of the injuries happened in the stampede out,"

hen walked past, "anybody left inside?" lieutenant dean asked the employee, "a few strangles, maybe, but we got cast in there still trapped in their rigs," dean nods his head getting into action, "buck, eddie, head around back with dean, see if you guys can figure out the power situation,"

"we can't save what we can't see," buck handed his lieutenant a torch to what dean used leading his two firefighters around the back.

station one-eighteen got called to the immediate assistance from the officer call, where dean ran to where he sees the police officer stroking the horse's head, "easy, city,"

"he never gets spooked," the officer said to them, "it was too many things at once," buck looked at them, "i don't know if the air splint will fit his leg, i- you know, may-maybe i can try and rig something,"

dean didn't say anything as a flashback played out in front of him, as the same thing had happened to him expect with his family's first dog, "i just don't want him to suffer anymore,"

hen nods her head as dean cleared his throat going and getting the medical bag, he wiped at the tears falling when he reached the ambulance getting hen's medical bag before returning, "administrating sedative,"

hen said as the officer rubbed the horse's head speaking to the horse, "when you wake up, you're gonna be in a field of safe, and you can just run forever, but you don't have to stay and watch anymore,"

dean closed his eyes, "you don't have to be strong or calm or brave, you can just be free," the horse groans, "just be a horse again," buck handed hen the morphine, as dean kept his eyes closed.

"bobby,"

dean opened his eyes seeing hen sitting there with the morphine syringe in her hand, "you want me to do it, hen?" she shook her head, "no, i got it,"

buck shook his head at his lieutenant and captain as bobby looked at his lieutenant seeing dean's eyes start to get teary of the scene in front of him, "hen," his hand come onto his firefighter's shoulder, she swapped places, as bobby did it for her.

the firefighters and police officers who responded all linked their arms together as dean couldn't help but lean down to touch the horse's fur.

where a little girl comes through the firefighters where she comes to the police officer, her hand coming to his shoulder looking down at the dead horse, "he's my friend, he's my friend," dean wiped away his tear from his face.

charlie and rikki came to their uncle's apartment, after sam had heard about what had happened at the fair with one of his friend's horse dying which must've trigger his brother to think about their family dog that died the same way.

"hey—" his hand comes onto his brother's shoulder, "you know i'm here, if you wanna talk, right?" dean nods his head at what his brother said looking to where his niece and nephew were playing, "i know but i'll be okay, just being there.. just wasn't good for me," he told his brother, "i haven't cried like that since papi died, and that was ten years ago,"

sam nods his head, "i know, but as long as we have each other, everything will be okay," dean nods his head at his brother's words, "yea,"

ALL TOO WELL, maddie buckley Where stories live. Discover now