Tales from the Firehouse

Fallopian tubing and long stands.

A blue and white name tag swung precariously from the flap of the doctor's white lab coat. It read "J. Kim." As Dr. Kim treated and bandaged her arm, Lisa played a little game with herself trying to determine what the initial stood for. The doctor didn't look like an Jessica or Joan. Julia certainly didn't seem right either. They chatted about inane things, the conversation mostly veering towards the heroic firefighter Snipe the local paper and radio station were trying to find and interview, only managing to proclaim on the radio playing through the department that he was a hero.

When the bandage was neatly finished, Dr. Kim looked at her work and said, "These burns... did you receive them while helping Snipe?"

Lisa smirked. "Actually... I feel kind of bad breaking this to you, but..."

"Snipe doesn't exist?" Kim said. She raised her eyebrows and curled her lips in a knowing smile, the chocolate brown eyes dancing with amusement.

Lisa laughed. "How did you know?"

"I was sent on a snipe hunt once. Med school. They sent me off in search of Fallopian tubing and a long stand"

Lisa laughed out loud and nodded. The brunette grinned and said, "After that, I swore I'd never again fall for a snipe hunt." She glanced conspiratorially over her shoulder and stepped closer to the bed, overwhelming the firefighters senses with her delicate perfume. "So were you the one who saved him?"

"I went in with Jungkook yeah. I saw him get engulfed and just did what I was supposed to. It's my job."

"Modest much?" Jennie asked.

Lisa shrugged. "It's not modesty so much as... I don't want the recognition, I just want to do my job. There was a guy during training who told us that we weren't training to be heroes, we were training to be firefighters. He wanted to make sure we got that through our heads right off. A couple of years ago, Jackson was involved in a rescue. He told a reporter that Snipe had done it. It kind of steam-rolled from there."

"No one's figured out that this guy doesn't exist?"

"As far as they knows, he's just a very secretive guy. His phone number is unlisted; he likes his privacy and his friends respect that. He rotates from station to station and watch to watch too." She grinned. "He sure does get around".

The doctor laughed. "Brilliant strategy. By heaping the glory on the fictional guy, you get privacy for yourselves."

Lisa rocked slightly on the edge of the bed before sliding to the floor. "You know, I really am fine... I shouldn't keep you. There are probably other patients..."

"Yeah, just a few," the petite beauty grinned as she unconsciously ran a hand gently over the bandage on Lisa's arm. "If you're sure you're okay?"

"Well, I'm not exactly thrilled to leave," Lisa smiled. "But I really shouldn't monopolize your time."

"Okay, then." She nodded at the lift. "By the way, if you wanted to go say hi to your friend, I'm sure they wouldn't gripe too much. Just so long as you keep it short."

"Okay, yeah. Thank you."

"No problem, Ms. Manoban."

"Call me Lisa," she said, unsure of what prompted her to say it, but compelled to make the petite woman smile, laugh or talk again.

The doctor nodded. "Okay. Lisa. In that case, I'm Jennie."

'Jennie, so that's what the J stood for.' Lisa thought, watching the other woman walk away. 'I have a new favorite name.'

x-0-x

Jungkook was in the burn unit, his neck and ears wrapped by thick bandages. His eyes cut to the door when she walked in, his lips pulling back in a fierce grimace. He jabbed a finger in her direction and sneered, "You! I've been looking for you!"

"What did I do?" Lisa asked, shocked.

"My boots! My brand-new boots! Ruined!" He slapped the bed. "Ruined, I say!"

Lisa laughed, "Okay, I apologize for not dragging you from the fire feet first. I'll know better next time." She approached the bed and rested her uninjured hand on the railing while keeping the other behind her back. "Beyond that, how are you doing?"

"My ears, neck, bah. Just skin. But those boots. Man, I searched weeks for those boots!" He fake-sobbed, "Those were the perfect boots. And now? Gone. Gone, gone, gone!"

Lisa brought her bandaged hand out from behind her back and placed a teddy bear on the bedside table. The bear's tiny plush paws were wrapped around an ice cream she had smuggled into the ward. Jungkook's eyes widened and he said, "But boots come and go. Friends. Friends are forever." He licked his lips and asked hopefully, "Are you gonna spoon-feed your poor, disabled friend?"

"No," Lisa said. "And that's non-negotiable."

"I'm injured!" Jungkook whined.

"Which is precisely the reason I asked a registered medical professional to assist you." She stepped to one side and said, "Sarah?"

The paramedic from earlier came into the room and smiled warily down at the injured man. "She swears to me you're a good guy."

Jungkook beamed.

"Get well soon, Kookie"

"Yeah," Jungkook scoffed, eyeing Sarah. "Like I have an incentive to leave this place..."

x-0-x

Jackson had dropped in to see Jungkook as Lisa left, telling her to wait for him for a lift back to work. It was still only 6pm as she stood in the shadow of his truck and watched a group of auxiliaries catching a secret cigarette in a small area next to the building. Her bunkers were folded nearly in the back of the truck, her equipment weighing the clothes down so they wouldn't fly away. Thankfully she was wearing the trousers and t-shirt she'd been wearing when the call went out.

"Hey," someone beside her said. "Manoban"

She straightened up and had turned around before her brain registered the voice. She smiled and said, "Hello, Dr. Kim."

"Jennie," the doctor reminded her with a shy smile.

"Then you have to call me Lisa," she said. She felt something strange talking to this woman. It was... nice, but uncomfortable at the same time.

Jennie nodded. "Okay, Lisa. I was on my way out, saw you standing over here by yourself..." She shrugged and looked across the parking lot. Her hair was getting in her eyes and it took every ounce of restraint in Lisa's body not to reach out and brush it aside. "I don't know, I saw you over here and I was just wondering if you wanted to maybe grab a drink or... or something? There's a pub not far from here or a restaurant..."

Lisa interrupted, "Actually... I'm sorry. I would love to take you up on that, I would, seriously. But I'm... I'm actually still on duty until tomorrow morning."

"Oh," Jennie said. She turned away, touching her forehead absently as she desperately sought something else to look at. "I should have realized, I-I just... I didn't think that..."

"It's okay," Lisa said. "I get off tomorrow morning. Maybe we could meet for... for some lunch, maybe?"

"That would be great," Jennie said, her smile returning. Lisa was grateful; anything to see that smile again. "Um... do you have a mobile phone so I can call you to organize or..."

"Yeah, I'll give it you now." Without thinking, she plucked a pen from the breast pocket of Jennie's blouse. She blushed slightly when she realized what she had done, quickly recovering and taking the small notepad the brunette offered. "This is for my mobile. You can reach me any time, but if it goes to voice mail..."

"Okay, no problem. And I'll call you if anything comes up to keep me from meeting you."

Lisa nodded, unable to think of anything coherent to say.

Jennie took her pen back and glanced at the number before she folded the notebook paper and slipped it into the pocket of her trousers. "So I'll give you a call, let you know where I'll be..." She smiled shyly, "it'll be fun."

"Yeah," Lisa said, still a bit dumbfounded by what was happening. She nervously scratched below the collar of her t-shirt, unsure of a subtle way to ask what she was thinking. Finally, she simply said, "It's... a date, right?"

Jennie laughed lightly, her laughter almost musical to the blondes ears. "Yes, Lisa, it's a date."

"A... date like..."

Jennie stepped forward and stretched up. She put one hand on Lisa's taller shoulder to balance herself as she pressed her lips gently to her cheek, leaving them lingering there for a second. When they parted, Lisa was blushing and Jennie was smiling at the tall woman. "It's a date," Jennie said again.

"'Kay," Lisa said quietly.

"I'll see you tomorrow... Firefighter Snipe."

Jennie turned and walked across the parking are, waving hello to Jackson as their paths crossed. He used a remote on his keychain to unlock his truck, Lisa clambering into the passenger seat whispering a prayer that he hadn't seen the kiss. When he climbed into the vehicle, he motioned at the retreating doctor with his head. "What'd the doc want?"

"Um... she... Talk. She, uh, talk, yeah, she wanted to talk."

Jackson glanced at her and smiled. "Then it's too bad that she couldn't find anyone who spoke fluent English eh Lisa?"

The blonde rolled her eyes and smiled at the gentle teasing. "Just drive, boss."

x-0-x

Jackson parked and climbed out, grabbing a bag from the back of the truck before heading towards the apparatus bay. "Guv, if you don't mind... could I beg off the cleaning duties? I was kind of hoping to get Han out of the way tonight so tomorrow will be all clear."

"Yeah, no probs," he replied. He turned and started walking backwards so he could be facing her as he continued speaking as he reached into the back of his truck and grabbed the tall blondes bunker gear. "Jisoo and Hoshi. probably took care of all the cleaning by now anyway."

"Because they're so responsible," Lisa nodded.

Jackson laughed his deep booming laugh and waved at her before he disappeared around the brick outcropping. Lisa headed for her Nissan, fishing her mobile phone from her jacket pocket. She dialed Han's number, sadly from memory, as she unlocked the vehicle. She left the door open as she listened to the phone ring in her ear, dangling her long legs out; grumbling about the fact that she had this moron's number memorized as she searched for a pen. She found a napkin on the passenger seat and wrote, "Jennie Kim – Lunch. DATE" Underlining 'date' several times.

She stuck the note into the cars sun visor as the ringing suddenly stopped. A clipped voice announced, "Han So-hee"

"Ms. Han, this is Firefighter Lisa Manoban with Anfield Fire Station. I was wondering if now would be a good time for the inspection you contacted us about." She paused. "I'm sorry it's later than planned."

"Oh! Lisa!"

She cringed at the familiar use of her first name, but decided not to waste her time correcting her. She knew it would do no good. "Yes, Ms. Han. I meant to stop by earlier, but..."

"Don't be silly. I saw on the news. Is everyone all right?"

"Yes, for the most part," she said with a glance at her bandaged wrist. She had a Mersey Fire and Rescue fleece on the backseat she could use to cover the damage and avoid any sympathy from the over familiar woman. "I was thinking I could swing by now if you had the address..."

"Oh, yes, certainly." She pulled the reminder from the sun visor and wrote the address below Jennie Kim's name. "I can meet you there in a half hour, if that's all right."

"Sounds perfect. See you then, Lisa."

She jabbed the 'End call' button visciously and fought the urge to curse. She took a deep breath, started the 4x4 and pulled calmly out of her space.

x-0-x

Han So-hee was the new boss of development at Han & Han Designs, an architectural and redevelopment company that was responsible for helping to redevelop shitty parts of Anfield and other equally shitty and deprived areas of Liverpool for the past decade. So-hee was the daughter of the company's founder and only recently promoted to her current position. Unlike her arsehole father before her, So-hee complied with all the fire safety regulations and welcomed the fire service's routine inspections of the company's newest projects, a one and only singular fact that pleased Lisa.

When her turn had come around to perform a fire check, Lisa had welcomed the break in her day and headed out to give the new building her typical once-over. Unfortunately, Han So-hee appeared to have fallen head-over-heels for her at first sight. Since that first inspection, she had been requesting that "Firefighter Lisa Manoban be the one to inspect the building." Lisa, seeing no way to refuse without drawing undue attention to herself, bit the bullet and went out, although Jisoo and Jungkook ran interference as often as they could.

She parked in front of the newest building, the banner hanging over the front door proclaiming that it was the future of Anfield Community Living. She paused by the door of her Nissan to pull on the fleece and make sure the sleeve extended far enough to cover her wrist bandage. Done, she headed for the door and pushed the temporary buzzer.

A few seconds after she announced her arrival, Han So-hee practically skipped down the stairs into the lobby. She brushed aside a plastic sheet hanging in front of the door and smiled at her like a five-year-old presented with a nice, new, shiny toy. She unlocked the door and pushed it open. "Lisa! Welcome!"

"Thank you, Ms. Han," she said. She hoped by keeping it formal, she would pick up the hint and keep the meeting as strictly business.

Han was a bookish, thin woman, constantly fidgeting and twitching, the collar of her blouse looking a little wide around her neck, she looked like she needed a good meal. Lisa tepidly shook her outstretched hand before scanning the front of the building. She had a checkpoint list to follow. A few high points, bing, bang, boom, she was out of there.

"So, where would you like to begin, Lisa?"

'Same place we always begin, you little worm,' she thought. Out loud, she simply said, "I just need your forms..."

Han opened the briefcase she was carrying, balancing it against her thigh as she searched through the pockets. Handing Lisa the building permit and council inspection documents, all of which were required to be turned in, she stood back and watched as the blonde stuck them onto her clipboard without checking them; she knew Han and knew that everything was in order.

She was just thankful she didn't have the task of doing all of her inspections for all of her buildings. The foundation, plumbing and electrical, floor system, preliminary framing and electrical systems all required their own inspections at various stages of the construction. Han wasn't present for them, so she didn't request her presence. All she had to do was tour the building, make sure the fire exits were clearly marked, sprinklers and smoke detectors were present and working and walk the perimeter of the roof. Easy as pie. Thank fuck.

If only Han So-hee wasn't dogging her every step, she might actually find the process relaxing.

x-0-x

Thirty minutes later they finished their tour where they had started, at the front of the building, and Lisa signed the certificate that gave Han an inspection pass. Placing it in her file and thanking her for her time, Lisa backed away from the architect invading her personal space and assured her it was no trouble before making a bee-line for the door. Unfortunately, Han was quicker than she looked and kept up with her easily. "I was wondering, if you have a few moments free, if you'd like to grab a coffee or..."

"I'm sorry Ms Han. I'm due back at the station."

"Oh. Well, I was just thinking that since you finished the inspection so quickly, you might have a little leeway on when you-"

"I really should get going."

Han followed her onto the sidewalk. "Perhaps after your shift, then."

"I'm sorry, Ms. Han, but I'm afraid I have to decline." Lisa sharpened her voice, hoping this time the message would get through.

So-hee's smile seemed to collapse under its own weight and she nodded. "Okay. Well... yes, of course. I'm sorry to have imposed, Lisa."

She forced a smile as she climbed into her Nissan. "Have a good evening, Ms Han."

"And you."

Watching the moussey haired woman head back inside as she started the engine, Lisa rested back on the head rest and breathed a sigh of relief. She'd been wondering when Han So-hee would make the jump and broach the topic of actually going out on a date, despite Lisa's obvious disinterest. Now that it was out there, there was a good chance she would back off. It was a small chance, and she wasn't confident, but it was still there.

As she pulled away from the curb, she realized she had just been asked out twice in one shift. It was a new personal record and, she would have to check with Jisoo, but it may also be a departmental record. Smiling, she drove back to the firehouse to brag about her double-proposal.

x-0-x

By the time she got back to the firehouse, the combined pump and ladder truck was absent, most likely responding to a call. Her engine, affectionately called Polly, stood in the center of the garage, looking lonely and abandoned. Lisa walked past it, giving it a gentle pat before heading for the back of the apparatus area. Three rooms were tucked against the back wall; the game room, with a pool table, Playstation 3 and a dart board was the center of them. To her right was the 'den,' where they gathered to watch TV and generally relax inbetween 'shouts'.

To her left was the sleep area and bathroom, both of which were dark at the moment. The bosses office was separate from the other rooms, on the side of the bay opposite the locker area. She could see Jackson through the glass, speaking to someone on the phone. She headed over, knocking on the door frame and mimicking writing a signature. He held up the clipboard to let her know he'd signed her in. She nodded and waved before turning to head back to the den. She could hear Jisoo inside cursing out her favorite team's manager. She paused in the doorway and watched Hoshi laugh as yet another player missed an open goal.

"Keep laughing, Probie," Jisoo grumbled. "I'll get you back at the end of the season."

"You have a serious gambling problem, Kim," Hoshi said with a shake of his head. "But as long as I'm reaping the benefits, I say live how you wanna live." He had looked back at Jisoo to deliver this pearl of wisdom and spotted Lisa in the doorway. "Hey, Lisa. How's Kookie doing?"

Jisoo craned her neck over backwards over the back of the sofa to look at her. "Hey, Monkey. You're upside down again."

Laughing, she put her hand over her face as she walked past and took her regular seat in the recliner. "Don't worry about Jungkook," she said. "Worry about the poor nurses assigned to his wing."

Jisoo shook her head, eyes glued to the TV. "Nah. Nothing to worry about."

Lisa arched an eyebrow. "You have met Jungkook, right?"

"I'm not saying he won't flirt," Jisoo started before pausing to consider her words. "Just that it's not going anywhere. These nurses are dressing his wounds, dealing with his burns, peeling off skin if the burns're bad enough." She shuddered and shook her head again. "Trust me. The second someone does something like that to your body? They're never anything more than a lab jacket to you."

Lisa absently touched her bandage through her fleece sleeve, thinking back to Jennie Kim's invitation. Jisoo spewed another curse at the TV and said, "Pricks. Everyone of them. Long-haired, pony-tailed useless wanker."

"How much?" Lisa whispered to Hoshi.

"Only twenty this time" Hoshi smirked.

Jisoo slapped the arm of her chair and shot to her feet, making both Lisa and Hoshi jump back. She stared at the TV for a few seconds, nostrils flaring, before she turned and stormed out of the den.

"Well she's steamed," Hoshi said unnecessarily.

Lisa grinned and said, "What about you? You think what Jisoo said is true?"

"About what? Andy Carroll being a prick?"

"No, doctors. Do you think you could date a doctor or nurse who treated you?"

Hoshi shrugged, before running a hand through his unruly hair in thought. "Depends on what they treated me for. Broken arm, some heroic derring-do, yeah, I think I could date someone who put me back together. STI (Sexually Transmitted Infection), though. I'd most likely steer clear of the doc who helped me out there."

Naomi raised an eyebrow and Hoshi's eyes widened.

He shifted uncomfortably and hastened to add, "I mean, I would if it ever came up. Hypothetically, right? The whole thing was..." He cleared his throat and said, "Hey, I, uh... you know, never had..."

"Okay, Hoshi, I know you're pure." Lisa said. She stood and headed for the door. She patted him on the head. "You have to have sex before you can get an STI, Hoshi"

"Aw, geez," Hoshi muttered. He stood and followed her from the den. "I'm not a virgin, you know."

"I'll put it in the newsletter," Sub-officer Dan Fleming said, overhearing the last bit as he crossed the bay to his locker, obviously waiting for his team to return with the combined pump and ladder engine.

"Sub, I... Aw, damn it, Manoban!"

Lisa laughed as she went into the kitchen. Jisoo was banging the cabinet doors open and shut without really bothering to search inside. She put one hand on her shoulder and said, "Kim. Sit. Take a deep breath. I'll cook you something. What're you in the mood for?"

"Beef stew?" Jackson said from the door, looking past her at Jisoo's petite figure. "What's with the banging around, fun sponge?" His office shared a wall with the kitchen, meaning Jisoo's tantrum may have interrupted his phone call.

"Sorry, boss. Bad bet."

Jackson winced and shook his head. He moved towards the other end of the table. "I told you not to go with your gut. What's your gut ever gotten you, other than an ulcer? Your lot are rebuilding, they lose games they should be winning" He patted Jisoo on the shoulder and took a seat.

Lisa went to the cupboard and searched for the cans of ready made beef stew. She had found a few cans and had just removed them when Hoshi walked in. Seeing the can in her hand, he snatched it away without saying anything. Lisa arched an eyebrow at him, "Whoa, Probie. Know your boundaries there."

"Sorry," he smiled. "But I..I thought I'd cook tonight. After all, it's my fault Jisoo's trying to punch through the walls, right?"

"You're damn right," Jisoo said over her shoulder. She was still pouting, but seemed to have brightened a bit at the knowledge the probie would be cooking, the sparkle back in those kind brown eyes.

Lisa stepped back, eager to hand off the cooking duties, and took a seat next to the pouting driver, punching her shoulder affectionately. "Where'd the ladder get off to?"

Jackson waved dismissively at the doors. "Some late night demonstration at the town hall. They're having pyrotechnics, wanted some firefighters on hand just in case. If we get a call, the guys at Toxteth will back us up" He looked around and said, "Where's Wonho?"

With Jungkook out of commission, a leading fire fighter, Wonho had been pulled in from another station; Lisa hadn't paid much attention to those details, she just wanted her mate back.

Jisoo answered, "He's upstairs pumping iron. Said he wanted to check out our set-up."

"Where's the can opener?" Hoshi interrupted.

"Butterfly opener in the drawer by the fridge," Jackson said, returning to the Wonho topic. "Set-up? What, like becoming a firefighter is really just an excuse to bulk up while at work?"

"It is for me," Jisoo said. She rolled up the sleeve of her t-shirt and flexed her almost non-existent bicep, Lisa and Jackson laughing.

"Butterfly can opener?" Hoshi whined when he found the old-fashioned utensil "What is this, the Dark Ages?"

Jisoo raised an eyebrow. "I have a penknife on my keychain you could use if you prefer."

Hoshi grumbled and turned the item over in his hands, trying to figure out how it worked.

Lisa slapped her thighs and stood. "Okay, since I was saved from cooking duties, you guys want something to drink? I can run across the street."

"Something orange-flavored," Jackson said. "Don't care about brand, so long as it's full of sugar and orange."

Jisoo asked for 7-Up with Hoshi adding he'd have the same. As she passed the probationer, she saw him try and fail to hook the opener to the can. She took both can and tool from him, setting the can on the counter and effortlessly attached the opener to the side. With a few quick, strong twists, the top came loose. It was tilted up at a slight angle, allowing her to get her trimmed thumbnail under the edge and lift it up. She handed the can back to Hoshi and smirked, "Learn to use it. Your life in the kitchen will be so much easier Probie."

"All I'm saying is an electric can opener is, like, a tenner? Who needs this hassle?"

Jisoo shook her head laughing. "If you'd been born thirty years ago lad, wolves would have eaten your arse when you were a baby."

She left them behind and headed to her locker. Grabbing her wallet from her coat , she headed out. The Co-op store was literally straight across the street from the station. She trotted up the hill a little and looked both ways before she jogged across the street. She walked into the store, greeted the night clerk that she knew by name, and headed for the fridges at the back.

By the time she grabbed all the drinks, going back when she remembered Jackson had wanted something orange and not purple, two kids had entered. They were both carrying a skateboard under their arms and laughing about the wounds on the taller lad's knees. A girl trailed behind them, obviously bored out of her skull by what the boys were talking about. Lisa grabbed a Pepsi for herself and headed for the counter to pay.

"You a firefighter?"

She turned at the voice and saw the teen girl standing behind her, staring. The skater boys were at the fridges at the back, unaware their female hanger-on had detoured. Lisa was wearing her department t-shirt, so it wasn't a surprise she'd been spotted. "Yeah, I am" she nodded

"Cool," the girl said. "So they, like, let women actually hang off the truck and stuff?"

"Well, we stopped hanging off the truck a good while back," Lisa said. "The boys have started letting us sit up front with them now."

The girl nodded absently. "So, you like... sleep with all the guys?" she blushed, realizing how that must have sounded to the tall blonde. "That's what I heard, I mean, that you guys all sleep together in the station."

"Well..." Lisa said smiling. "We do have separate sleeping arrangements."

"So there's no sex?"

"I can't speak for anyone else," Lisa had started grinning now. "But nah, nothing happens."

The girl made a half-hearted shrug and said, "That's cool, though. Being a firefighter."

"I think so. What's your name?"

"Ella."

"Nice to meet you, Ella."

From the crisp aisle, one of the boys finally realized his girlfriend had wandered. He joined in the conversation, nodding at Lisa. "So do you guys have, like, a dog?"

She turned and looked at him. He looked half-baked and was smiling like a moron. He repeated his question and Lisa said, "Yeah. We call him Kookie."

"Huh," the kid said, stuttering a laugh. "Cool. Kookie."

Lisa paid for her drinks and took her bag. "Nice meeting you, Ella." The girl half-heartedly waved after her as the blonde headed back across the street, careful not to jostle the bag too much. Once, she'd gotten Jisoo's 7-Up shaken too much and it had sprayed all over everything when she opened it. The resulting spray war had become nearly legendary and, while fun, she didn't want a repeat of it. Or the cleaning up.

She carried the bag into the firehouse, the smells of stew rising from the kitchen area, making her mouth water as she sniffed the air in appreciation. She was halfway across the bay when she realized there was another woman's voice among all the chatter. She slowed her progress, confused, and craned her neck to see into the room around the door frame.

Sitting at the head of the table in the seat previously occupied by Jisoo, with her back to the door, was the unmistakable figure of Dr. Jennie Kim.

Naomi fought the sudden urge to run to her locker and change into something nicer.

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