IN THIS SKIN -- CHICAGO FIRE

28;

  Marley knew that now was the time to be calm and think about all the times she had been told what to do in a time like this, but all those lectures seemed to run away from her and her mind went blank. She hadn't had a panic attack in so long and she was terrified at the one she felt building. Crying out at how long it seemed to be taking the fire department to arrive, she reached for her phone once more and dialed Herrmann's number. Almost immediately he answered the phone.
"Marley!" All Marley could do was sob in response. She was convinced that she was going to die- she had had too many near misses to not die. Herrmann shushed her gently and tried to talk to her.
"Baby, I need you to calm down. We're pulling down the street now sweetie. Where are you? Which room?" He asked hurriedly. She choked on her answer but he understood that she meant her room.

Chief Boden ordered for Herrmann to stay out of the building. The fire raged on, and the smoke was black. The house was creaking omniously, and they all knew they had very little time before the building caved. Kelly had, despite orders, gone in and Matt and Peter had both followed him in. Kelly was seeing red- he was not going to let his daughter get hurt in this fire under any circumstances.

Marley had heard a sickening crack. The roof was beginning to cave, and she couldn't move. She was paralysed with the fear of her death. She was hyperventilating. She knew this wasn't helping her smoke inhalation, but she couldn't calm herself down. Hearing the sirens as they pulled up was relieving to say the least. Faintly, she could hear some yelling and she began to cough and yell back, hoping her noise would hurry them as she knew the building didn't have long left.

Kelly heard her yells and got to her room quicker than he'd ever got to someone ever. The smoke was thick, and it was difficult to see through. The fire raged on, covering the room and ceiling, and eventually he saw Marley. She was huddled low by the window that was opened, trying to breath. He could see her chest rising and falling quickly, and she caught sight of him just before her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she released a heavy breath, then nothing.

Kelly got her out quickly, and Matt and Peter had rushed after him.
"She stopped breathing!" Kelly gasped as Peter kneeled down next to her, desperately trying to find a pulse. Nothing. Gabby began CPR immediately. She tried to calm herself and treat it as if she were any other patient, but she couldn't. She couldn't help but imagine them in the reversed roles, and Marley desperately trying to bring her back. This was the most determined Gabby had ever been to save someone. Marley had saved her- and she was certain she was going to repay her with her life.

Kelly watched them desperately trying to get a pulse and couldn't help but collapsing on the floor sobbing. His daughter hated him- and now she was dying. He prayed, something he'd never done, that Marley could have one more chance. He wanted to make things right with Marley, and he wanted to treat her like the daughter she was, but he knew Marley had already narrowly escaped death on more than one occasion. If she were a cat, she'd have used up all of her nine lives and then some. He wanted nothing more than her back, but he knew it was asking for a miracle.

Herrmann let the tears fall, watching his colleagues work on someone who had become so close to lately. She was like a child to him. However, lately, he knows she had been feeling very low again, and that worried him. There was always rumours that when you were near death you got a choice- whether you stayed or died. It worried him, because he was doubtful that Marley would choose life. He didn't know how much fight she had left inside of her.

And as her skin lost colour, and her body grew colder, both of their worst fears seemed to be confirmed. And as they hooked her onto the machines in the ambulance and they watched her body shake with the electrical pulses they were using to start her heart, any hope that anyone had of her coming back was narrow.

They say a person can usually survive with minimal issues as long as their heart is restarted within four to six minutes. The drive to the hospital took ten, not to mention the three they spent on site. thirteen minutes had passed. thirteen. By now, it was likely that other organs were shutting down, and the risk of brain damage was high. But they carried on, CPR and shocking, determined to bring her back.

But as the machine flatlined once more, they doubted that Marley had any fight left inside of her.