In Flames // 9-1-1 Fox (seasons 1-4)

thirty-one

"I need you to push a thrombolytic. Sonya, you need to stay alive for your baby, okay?"

Sweat began to gather on her brow as she kept up compressions and Hen called for them to switch. Mariana shook her head, keeping with her rhythms.

"Not letting her down just because of a stupid malfunction!"

The heart monitor jumped to life and Mariana let out a sigh of relief. Just as soon as they got a normal rhythm, it dropped flat again. Mariana cried out in frustration, rubbing her knuckles on Sonya's sternum. Nothing. She continued compressions even as her arms screamed in protest.

"C'mon, c'mon! Please!" Mariana shouted. The ambulance doors flew open and she glanced up at her team and her nursing team. Eyes wild, hair mussed, and cheeks wet with tears.

"What are you doing? Let's get her into the ER!" she roared.

"Mari, she's been down at least fifteen minutes," Bobby said quietly. Mariana slowed in her movements and Hen placed her hands on her shoulders, helping the younger woman off the gurney. The nurses carried Sonya off as Mariana slumped against the wall, her entire body shaking with exertion or emotion, she didn't know. Blood coated her gloves and tears and sweat clung to her cheeks. She let out a gasping sob as Hen rubbed her hands comfortingly up and down her arms.

"How is she?" Sonya's husband asked, rounding the corner of the ambulance.

"Guys." Bobby stopped the nurses.

"Wh-what's wrong?"

"I am so sorry."

Mariana bowed her head and stared at her blood soaked gloves. Was it her fault? What did she do wrong? What could she have done differently? That child lost a mother and he wasn't an hour old.

"You were right. He's perfect. I wish you could see him and I know I was scared and worried that we weren't ready for this. And I am damn sure not ready to do this without you...but I will. I'm gonna figure it out," her husband sobbed. He placed their son on her chest as the steady, unyielding cadence of the heart monitor sang into the air.

Beep. Beep.

Mariana's head shot up as Eddie pressed his hand against Sonya's wrist. "She's got a pulse!"

Relief gripped her heart and she hopped out of the back of the ambulance as the ER nurses started to push her in.

"We pushed Pitocin and Eminase and supplied her with saline. It's uterine atony PPH that shifted into a pulmonary embolism. Get Dr Carter on it ASAP!" she yelled. Leslie flashed her a thumbs up as the gurney disappeared into the hospital.

The husband followed the gurney in but paused at the doorway, turning to face them one last time. "Thank you."

Mariana's knees gave out and she collapsed against the back of the ambulance, sobs wracking her body. Bobby wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into a hug.

"That was...amazing," Eddie breathed.

"That was a miracle," Buck added.

Eddie grinned as Mariana's tears dried and she let out a weak laugh. Hen eased off her bloodied gloves and disposed of them into the biohazard bin before wrapping her arms around Mariana from behind.

"You did so good," Eddie announced. "You acted so quickly. Is that how fast you work in the ER?"

"Usually a doctor's giving the orders, but yeah," she choked out, wiping away the remainder of the tears. He pressed a kiss to her temple and she shut her eyes in response, leaning into his touch.