Settling in, drinks at a bar, one look dark room meant just for you, hellos and goodbyes, let's do this on purpose sometime, making up the lost time, butterflies with patched up wings
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By her second week at Grey-Sloan, Gracie was well-versed in the art of chaos. Everyone in this hospital had a story to tell, and these stories were intricately woven together in the most unexpected ways.
"Did you know that the hospital was named after Lexie and Mark?"
"No, I didn't! How come?"
"Well they were in this horrible plane crash and there was a massive lawsuit. The doctors involved bought the hospital and named it after them because they were both dead for almost fifteen minutes."
"Oh, how... Interesting."
Gracie wished she was making this interaction up, but that wasn't even the most outlandish thing that had happened at this place. Everyone here was related or connected in some way shape or form. The place has been on fire, lockdown, almost blown up twice, and flooded. She almost wondered if working here was going to bring endless bad luck to her new life. The thought was superstitious and foolish, but that didn't stop it from crossing her mind.
The day was unseasonably warm and dry. Wind whipped her hair around as she walked from her apartment to work, not wanting to take the crowded train. A faint smoky scent hung in the air, and haze blanketed the city. Whispers of the threat of a wildfire swirled around the block as she neared the hospital, and she made a guess of how many patients she'd be treating for complications caused by the smoke in the ER today.
When Gracie walked in, the ER was bustling with people, but the head doctors stood around the tv in the waiting room, transfixed by the news. Both Kepner and Hunt were rooted in place, and Dr.Bailey was on the phone. An intern walked up to Kepner, and she shooed them away. Gracie nervously tapped April on the shoulder.
"What's going on?"
"Wildfires, burning awfully close to the city," Dr.Bailey answered for April, passing the phone off to Hunt. "Seattle should be okay, but those neighborhoods up in the hills have us worried. The mayor's going to be putting out a mandatory-evac notice within the hour."
"I just got off the phone with Chief Ripley," Dr.Hunt said. He wants critical care and ER nurses, doctors, and surgeons teaming up with the firefighters at the base they're setting up about twenty-five miles outside town."
"I'll go!" Gracie said a little too excitedly. "I could use the experience."
"You're trained paramedic and an ER nurse, what more experience could you need? You should stay here, where it's safe," Dr.Bailey said.
"Let her go, Dr.Bailey," said April Kepner. "We could use her experience."
"Great! Just tell me what I need to do and I'll be on my way."
"Let me make some calls first," Hunt said. Gracie pulled her hair into a side braid as Dr.Hunt told all of the on-call nurses to come in. After that, he rounded up a few others, and led them over to a supply closet.
"You'll need masks and glasses, the smoke out there is intense. Fill you bags with extra intubation trays, meds, equipments, IVs, and anything else you might need. Drink lots of fluids, take frequent breaks, and listen to the firefighters— they know what they're doing."
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Jack pov:
He knew a wildfire was approaching before Chief Ripley's briefing this morning. The change in winds had brought the smell of smoke into Seattle, and all of 19 was on edge, waiting to be called to base camp about twenty-five miles outside of the city. Their job was to make sure everyone was safely evacuated and any medical cases were treated. He hadn't been sent out to one of these in almost five years. The last big fire had been in California, and that had been an absolute nightmare. The only reason they'd made it out alive was the direction of Ryan Tanner and a deaf firefighter at the base.
He watched the news, the current segment an interview with the head of the ER, April Kepner, about how Grey Sloan planned to prepare for the influx of patients the wildfire conditions would surely bring in.
"We're going," Maya Bishop said, poking her head around the corner. Jack turned around. "For real this time?"
She nodded. "They're bringing in staff from Grey Sloan to work the triage tent too. There's a lot of people in those neighborhoods up in the hills, and there's going to be burn and smoke inhalation injuries."
Jack followed Maya down the hall to the barn, and she tossed him a duffel filled with medical supplies and extra gear. "You know the drill."
He nodded. "That bruise is looking better, hows your face feeling?"
"I don't feel pain Gibson, remember?" Maya said with a sarcastic smile. He laughed and rolled his eyes. "You're allowed to have weaknesses Maya."
"But then how will I obtain the blood of my enemies?"
"You... don't? I don't know, how am I even supposed to respond to that?"
"Alright everyone!" Captain Herrera said, clapping her hands together. "19 is finally getting called in."
"Finally," Vic muttered under her breath. He saw Travis nudge her in the ribs from the corner of his eye.
"We're going to be working with some staff from Grey Sloan, as well as PD, so I need everyone's team work hats on for this call. No butting heads or arguing over dumb crap. Lives are at stake here. You will work with these doctors and nurses or you won't work at all. Understood?"
"Yes captain!" everyone echoed.
"Great. Warren, Gibson, Hughes, and Montgomery, you're in engine one. Bishop, Ruiz, Dixon, and Miller, you're with me on two."
"Shotgun!" Jack called and jumped in the passenger seat. He reached for the radio and Ben slapped his hand away.
"Hey, what was that for?"
"No weird music time," he said, pulling out of the barn.
"My music isn't weird," he protested.
"You listen to sad gay girl music," Travis said.
"We've seen your playlists," Vic teased. "Boygenius, Phoebe Bridgers, Clairo, Mitski. Are you okay?"
"I don't think I'm qualified to answer that question."
"You can go have your weird music time alone."
"Fine. But you all hate on my music taste because you know it's superior."
Vic snorted. "Jack, no healthy person wants to listen to 'Waiting Room' by Phoebe Bridgers for an hour straight."
"It's a good song."
"Vic played it for me once and I threw up because of how sad it was. If this song existed when I was teenager, I would be dead," Travis said.
"I'm too old to know what you all are talking about, but I hope you're doing better Montgomery," Warren said.
"I'm not dead so I think that has to count for something. But if I have to listen to that song right now I might be."
"Ooh! How about I sing?" Vic suggested. "Anyone like Hamilton?"
"No show-tunes!" Ben, Travis, and Jack all yelled at the same time. Vic crossed her arms and slumped down in her seat. "You guys are losers."
"And this is coming from little miss theater kid," Montgomery said.
"How about I pick the music?" Warren said.
They spent the rest of the ride in silence, with Beethoven's Symphony No.5 in C minor blaring through the truck's speakers.
YOU ARE READING
Burning Red
FanfictionWhen a girl from Jack's past turns up in Seattle unexpectedly, their friendship is rekindled amongst a series of unplanned run-ins. Happy with his job and the family he's found at Station 19, his past is only a distant memory. Gracie Shelty packed u...
