No Ordinary Love

I'm Not Ready To Say Goodbye...

Hey...so here is a pre - Nemesis chapter that was requested to see what road our imagination takes us down........it may be nowhere near what airs but it was fun writing it.... !

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CFD Leadership conference huh! Stella had her own ideas of what happened at these events which were little more than patriarchy. As much as women were beginning to break down the doors in traditionally male dominated arenas like the fire service there was still a huge old boys network with cronyism as the order of the day. And this conference was one of those events no doubt!

As Kelly kissed her goodbye and got in his car she stepped back and raised two fingers to her mouth and imitated puffing on a cigar. He shook his head laughing at her.

"I'll call you when I'm on my way back." He called from the open window.

"Yes, Lieutenant!" She blew him a kiss as he put the car into gear and drove off.

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Truck 81 and Ambo pulled into what looked like a scene from a SWAT movie. There were several police vehicles parked at angles, officers either crouched behind the cars or on radios, and the familiar military camouflaged uniforms of the SWAT team all around the perimeter of the imposing red bricked house.

Stella surveyed the scene with a critical eye, taking in the iron fencing and broken windows of the house. Something big was clearly going on, the familiar fingers of apprehension before adrenalin kicked in travelled up her spine.

"Medics over here! "

A SWAT officer ran down the front steps of the house towards her.

"Whats going on?"

"A grenade. Its still in his leg. It didnt detonate. We cant move him, it could set off the grenade." He was sharp and short with his response.

"Shit." Stella's mind darting into sizing up mode. What the fuck?! Grenade? In someone's leg?!

"We need two of you in there."

Stella nodded without blinking, registering the inport of what he had just said. Behind her Carver, moved to her shoulder.

"I'll go in, Lieutenant."

"I'll decide who goes in, Carver." Stella responded without looking at him, her mind racing to work out who she needed to remain outside.
It went without saying that she would go in but she wasn't going to send in either Brett or Violet. As much as they were the paramedics, they may be of better use outside if this went wrong and besides she was a trained medic herself.

Aware that the SWAT officer was awaiting her response, she turned back towards her truck and ambo 61.

" Give me a minute."

Pulling her radio to her mouth, she called into dispatch and relayed the situation and her plan.

Stella walked the few paces back to where they were waiting, tense, serious faces staring back at her. They had heard what had gone down.

"I'm going in."

"Lieutenant, I can go in with you." Gallo's young face was earnest.

"Thank you, Gallo. I need you and Mouch out here to coordinate things in case...... anything goes wrong in there. Carver will go in with me."
She saw his hesitation and met his disappointed brown eyes, silently telling him now would not be the time to remonstrate. "I'm relying on you. You get me?"

Gallo nodded reluctantly but also knowing that if this went South, he would scale that building without any aid to rescue Kidd. He would walk to the ends of the earth for his Lieutenant and seeing her go into this without them all behind her went against all his natural instincts.