"Let it goooo, let it goooo," Scout and Myles sang in the backseat of Mallie's car.
She was driving them to the hospital daycare before her shift, while trying not to let their singing distract her from the morning traffic.
"Mamí, call mama?" Myles said as the song ended.
"Okay, mijo," Mallie said.
She pressed the phone button on her steering wheel, using the arrow buttons to find Amelia's number and click on it. The sound of the phone ringing came over the bluetooth, the twins bouncing up and down excitedly in their carseats.
"Hey, baby," Amelia's voice came over the phone.
"Mama! Mama!" Scout and Myles shrieked.
"Oh, my tiny babies!" Amelia laughed. "How are you doing? Are you guys excited for daycare?" she asked.
"Good, mama," Myles said.
"Very excited," Scout hummed.
"What did you have for breakfast?" Amelia asked.
"Mamí made pancakes," Myles said.
"Wi' b'ue'bries," Scout said.
"Pancakes with blueberries?" Amelia gasped. "You're so lucky," she said.
"You at work?" Myles asked.
"I am at work. I'm with tía Mer and my friend, Kai. We're all working really hard," Amelia said.
"Miss you, mama," Scout said.
"I miss you all more, babies," Amelia said softly. "How are you, Mal?" she asked.
"I'm good. Taking the boys to daycare and then I've got work. Dean had an interview this morning with Oakland FD and I think he's going to take the job, so he'll be making arrangements to move to California, soon," Mallie said.
"I'm sorry, baby," Amelia said.
"It's okay. It's what he thinks is best for Pru and himself and I'm not standing in the way of that. I'll miss him, but we have phones and we can go and see him and then see Addison and Charlotte and everybody, too," Mallie said.
"Good idea, my love," Amelia said.
"Mi vida, I'm at the hospital, so I'll let you go back to work. I'll call you later," Mallie said.
"Te amo, mi esposa. Te amo, mis hijos," Amelia said.
"Te amo, mama!" the twins grinned widely.
"Adios, mi vida. Te amo," Mallie chuckled, ending the call on her phone as she parked the car. "Okay, let's go to daycare!" Mallie said, turning the engine off.
"Yay!" the twins clapped their hands excitedly.
"Mallie!" Carina beamed as Mallie walked into the beanery after her workout a few hours later.
Travis, Dean, Ben and a few other firefighters were in the kitchen, sat around the table eating their breakfast.
"Hi, Carina," Mallie smiled, accepting the smoothie Carina slid over to her.
"How was your workout?" Carina asked.
"Exhausting, but good. I haven't been able to run in the mornings now Amelia is away, so I've had to make it up on the treadmill. It's exhausting, but it'll all benefit," Mallie said.
"Have you ever tried taking the boys on a run?" Carina asked.
"That is a recipe for disaster," Mallie chuckled. "Scout seems... Vertically challenged. And Myles gets distracted by every single thing. We'd barely make it off the block before it would be time to go home and get ready," Mallie said.
"That's a good point," Carina chuckled. "Well, I'm always up to babysit. You know that," she said.
"I know. The twins adore you, so you can have them whenever you want," Mallie said.
"How are they doing?" Carina asked, sitting at the island. Mallie sat down beside her and sipped her smoothie.
"Really, really good. They're so smart, it's insane. Zola's been reading her surgery books to them and now they're demanding they get their own surgical kits to start practicing so they can be like their mama. And they're so cute together. Myles wanted to stack the blocks himself last night but he couldn't get them to balance and he was getting frustrated, so Scout told him to take a few deep breaths and then try again, and he did it and Scout gave him the biggest hug. They're just amazing," Mallie said.
"You're a good mother, Mallie. Seriously. Those boys are incredibly lucky to have you in their lives," Carina said softly.
"Thank you, Carina," Mallie squeezed her hand.
The floor underneath them shook violently, Mallie quickly jumping to her feet and pulling Carina into an open space away from the falling stools and items on the island.
"What the hell was that?" Carina said.
Vic and Dean ran into the room quickly as the shaking stopped.
"What was that?" Ben asked.
"Uh..." Carina mumbled.
"Or a bomb," Jack said.
The klaxon alarm sounded loudly.
"Engine 19, Ladder 19, Aid Car 19 requested," the voice said.
"And there it is," Ben muttered.
"Wright Avenue," the voice said.
The firefighters quickly hightailed out of the room, leaving Carina alone with the mess.
"Bye!" Mallie yelled at her, disappearing out of the doors.
"Bye?" Carina mumbled, waving at nobody.
"Holy shit," Mallie mumbled as she jumped out of the ladder in her uniform.
Several houses in a residential close were smoking and/or on fire, with injured people and destroyed furniture everywhere.
"Okay, let's get everyone out! Make it fast, but be thorough. These buildings are already fully involved," Beckett yelled.
"On it," Jack said, running towards one of the houses.
Mallie followed him quickly, shrugging her oxygen tank on her shoulders and pulling her mask over her face.
Jack followed her into a house, the two of them shining their torches around.
"Seattle Fire Department! Anybody in here?" Mallie yelled.
They could hear ragged coughing behind a door and Mallie opened it, seeing an old couple hiding on the floor.
"Here," Mallie said.
She and Jack hurried over.
"Hey, we're with Seattle Fire Department. Come on. Let's get you out of here," Jack said, grabbing the old man.
"C'mon," Mallie held her hand out to the old woman.
She held her to her feet, handing her a cloth out of her pocket to protect her airway. She led the woman out of the house, handing her over to Travis while Ben grabbed the old man off Jack.
"There's one more house to clear," Jack yelled to Beckett.
"Go. Take Cruz," Beckett said.
Mallie and Jack took off towards the other house, pushing the front door open and heading inside the smoky hallways.
Mallie and Maya grabbed the hoses off the ladder, pulling the handles back and aiming the water towards the houses. Vic was up on the ladder with another hose.
The water slowly died off until it was barely a sprinkle.
"Hey!" Vic yelled, motioning to the hose.
"What the hell?" Jack walked away from the ladder to get a better look.
"Supply line's flat!" Maya yelled.
"Pratt, gate down. Close the monitor!" Jack yelled.
"Gibson, what's going on?" Beckett walked over.
"We've got two or three minutes before we go dry," Jack told him.
"The explosion took out our water main. I saw it from up there," Maya said.
"Okay, Springfield's a block south of here. Their hydrants are on a different main," Beckett said.
"You got it," Maya said, hurrying over to the back of the ladder.
"Copy. Bishop!" Jack said, turning around. Maya ran away from the ladder with a hose.
"Way ahead of you!" Maya yelled.
"Cruz, take control of the hoses when they come back on," Beckett said, walking away to greet Station 23 as they arrived.
Mallie grabbed her hose as the water came back on, looking up at Vic as she laughed and sprayed her water around.
"Yeah!" Vic yelled.
There was a crack and Mallie frowned, watching as a powerline snapped and hit Vic across the chest, sending her back as her body hung over the side of the ladder.
"Vic!" Mallie yelled.
She jumped to her feet, Cutler taking over the hose, and ran to the ladder. Dean got there first, starting to climb up as he yelled Vic's name. Mallie stood at the base of the ladder, squinting up as she held the controls steady.
Ruiz jumped up beside her, the two of them watching Dean give Vic mouth to mouth, smacking her face lightly between breaths.
Dean waved his hand, pointing towards the floor.
"Bringing the ladder down," Mallie said, pressing the button on the control.
The ladder slowly descended down, Dean shifting Vic in his arms so Mallie could grab her when she got to the bottom. She quickly grabbed her radio.
"Triage team, we got Hughes on her way to you. She got electrocuted, but Dean got her breathing and awake again," Mallie said.
"Copy that, Cruz," Travis said.
"Cruz, Miller, Gibson, with us!" Maya yelled, running with a hose towards the back of the house with Sullivan behind her.
The three of them ran after them, meeting them near the valve on the pipeline. They got into position, Maya and Mallie holding one hose while Miller and Jack held the other. Sullivan stood in the middle, wrench in his hands.
"Make sure your streams form a solid shield. No gaps," Maya said.
She turned the hose on at the same time Miller did, the water spraying over the fire from the pipeline.
"Slow and steady!" Maya yelled.
They slowly pushed forward, holding their position as they moved.
"Sullivan, get ready," Maya said.
They got as close to the valve as they could, Sullivan putting the wrench on the valve and starting to try and push it closed.
Maya's grip on the hose loosened and Mallie held on tighter.
"Bishop," she said.
"Hold the line steady, or we're barbecue!" Maya said.
Mallie nodded, taking Maya's place on the hose as she moved to help Sullivan. After a few pushes, they got the valve closed.
"Back the way we came, 19! Slow and steady!" Maya yelled, taking the hose again.
The five of them backed away slowly, watching as the fire slowly started dying down now the pipeline was closed.
"Nice of him to finally show up," Maya muttered as she, Sullivan and Mallie met Beckett and Chief McAllister.
"We're not in the clear yet, sir," Sullivan said.
"The pipeline showed corrosion. With these embers and the wind picking up-" Maya said.
"If it ruptures, it could ignite every house in the neighborhood," McAllister said.
"Yes, that was the end of my sentence, sir," Maya said.
"Bishop, Sullivan, we gotta evac. Grab Gibson, do the odd addresses. Cruz, we'll grab Miller, do the evens," Beckett said.
Mallie nodded, moving aside for Maya and Sullivan to walk away while she waited for Beckett.
"No, Beckett, you are incident commander," McAllister said.
"Respectfully, sir, now you are. I am boots on the ground. Come on. Everyone out! The whole block! Let's go!" Beckett yelled, walking off with Mallie following.
"Aquino, you go with Beckett," McAllister said after him.
"Cruz, with Miller! I've got Beckett," Aquino yelled.
"Copy that!" Mallie yelled, walking over to Miller.
"Let's go," Dean said, the two of them hurrying over to an even address.
They walked around the side, banging on the windows.
"Seattle Fire Department!" Mallie yelled.
Dean stopped as he stepped into a puddle of dirty water. He pulled his radio to his mouth.
"Captain, I think the blast knocked this house off its foundation. There are busted water pipes. If there are others cracked, there could be gas building up inside," Dean said.
There was a moment of silence. Mallie turned to look at Dean, walking towards him.
"Aquino, stop!" Beckett yelled.
Mallie turned, face draining of colour as she saw fire starting to move throughout the house.
"Mallie!" Dean yelled.
He grabbed her wrist, pulling her into his chest and turning his back to the house, the two of them starting to move. The glass shattered behind them with the gas and fire, their bodies being launched across the grass from the blast.
Mallie's body hit the floor with a dull thud, falling unconscious within seconds. She didn't see where Dean landed, but all she knew was that she could feel incredible pain ricocheting around her entire body and being unconscious was a sweet release from that.
"Cruz! Miller!" Sullivan yelled from somewhere in the distant.
Mallie winced, eyes too heavy to open. She could feel a sharp pain in her back from her landing, possibly broken ribs, along with a loud ringing in her head that was clearly a concussion. Something wet was coating her face and she tried to move her arm up to feel what it was, but it hurt too much to even do that.
"Miller!" Jack's voice came from not far from her.
"Mallie!" Maya's voice joined it, hands cupping Mallie's face as they moved her to find her neck. "She's got a pulse," she said.
"He doesn't. I need a gurney and evac!" Jack yelled into his radio, starting to take Dean's gear off to give him CPR.
Mallie forced her eyes open, groaning from the harsh sunlight above her. She blinked a few times, seeing Maya was above her with tears on her cheeks.
"Hey, hey, you're okay. You're okay," Maya said calmly.
"Dean. Help Dean. He's got... Pru," Mallie mumbled, head reeling as she tried to sit up.
"Hey, hey, he's getting help. Travis and Ben are with him. You need to stay still until we can get you to the hospital," Maya said.
"He's not breathing," Mallie whispered, tears stinging her eyes.
"I know. They've got him," Maya whispered.
Two gurneys were wheeled over and Maya and Andy quickly got Mallie onto one, the boys getting Dean onto his.
"Meet at Grey Sloan," Travis told Maya, hurrying off with Dean as Jack intubated him.
Maya and Andy pushed Mallie's gurney to a second aid car where Carina was standing, a shocked look on her face.
"Mallie? Mallie?" Carina said.
"She's okay. Possible concussion, possible internal bleeding. We'll give her a quick exam on the way. Call ahead, tell Bailey," Maya said, looking at Carina.
"I'll call Amelia, too," Carina said, pulling out her phone as she quickly climbed into the aidcar with Maya.
Andy closed the doors, hurrying around to the front.
"Dean? What about Dean?" Mallie whispered, pushing away the oxygen mask Carina was trying to put over her face.
"He's with Jack and Ben right now. Travis is driving. They'll get there when we do and we'll see what's happening," Carina said soothingly. "Mallie, please let me put this mask on you," she added.
Mallie lowered her arm and let Carina put the mask over her face.
"Dean," Mallie whispered.
Carina nodded, tears streaming down her cheeks as she took Mallie's hand and squeezed gently.
"I know, bella. I know," she whispered.
"We need to-" Meredith cut herself off as she looked across the lab at where Amelia was staring at her phone. Kai looked up from their work.
"Shepherd, you okay?" Kai asked.
"There's a pipeline explosion in Seattle. I can't get through to Mallie, which means she's been called in there. And our sons are in the hospital daycare, but they're fine. Bit worried for their mom. I don't know how, but they know that things like this mean their mom is in danger at work," Amelia muttered.
"I'm sure she'll be okay, Amelia. It's Mallie. She's strong," Meredith said calmly.
"I thought that about the skyscraper fire, and then the storage unit fire. And Captain Herrera died in that one. There's reports from the scene saying that some firefighters are injured. It just doesn't say who," Amelia chewed her lip.
"Amelia, she'll be okay. Remember Joe's Bar crash? When she had a brain bleed and internal bleeding, and she was absolutely fine once Avery got to her?" Meredith said.
"You are not helping me," Amelia snapped.
Meredith held her hands up.
"Okay. Why don't you try phoning Carina? She was at the Station today. She probably went to assist with triage," Meredith said.
Amelia's phone beeped and she stood up.
"Speak of the devil," she said.
She quickly answered her phone, putting it to her ear.
"Carina? Is Mallie okay? Is everyone else okay?" Amelia asked.
"Vic got electrocuted, but she's at Grey Sloan, now. Dean and Mallie... There was an explosion. Mallie's awake, suspected concussion, possible internal bleeding. Dean... It's not looking so good for him," Carina said, throat thick with tears.
Amelia's entire body froze, even as Koracick and Hamilton walked into the lab.
"Shit," Meredith muttered, quickly grabbing her phone and booking a flight back to Seattle.
"What? What's going on?" Tom asked.
"I'm on my way. Tell her I'm coming soon," Amelia said, ending the call. "Mallie, and Dean... There was an explosion... I need to go," she said.
"I've sent you the ticket for your flight," Meredith said.
"Thank you," Amelia said, grabbing her bag and leaving the lab.
"Who's Mallie?" Hamilton asked.
"Her wife. She's a firefighter. She got hurt on a call. They have two kids in Seattle, so she needs to go," Kai said.
"Oh," Hamilton said, a small frown on his face. "Should you go with her, Grey?" he asked.
"She'll call me if she needs me. Besides, one of us should stay here and help you with this," Meredith said.
"Thank you," Hamilton said.
"Of course," Meredith said.
"Mallie!" Bailey gasped as Maya and Andy helped Mallie's gurney out of the aid car at Grey Sloan.
"Bailey. Dean? Where's Dean?" Mallie asked, pulling her oxygen mask off.
She looked at Bailey, seeing the tears in her eyes. Ben and Jack were stood beside her, the same expression on their faces.
Mallie felt a sharp pain in her chest, not needing an answer to know where Dean was.
"Oh. Oh," Mallie whispered, tears burning in her eyes. "Dean," she whispered.
Maya, Andy and Carina dropped their gazes to the floor. Bailey squeezed Mallie's hand.
"Let's get you inside. Amelia called to tell me she's on the way," Bailey said softly.
"Suspected concussion, possible internal bleeding but could also just be swelling or a broken rib. She's taken morphine, but she's got steady BP and heart rate. She's conscious and can follow instructions well, but her pupils are lazy," Maya told Bailey.
"Let's get her straight up for a CT, see what the damage is," Bailey said, wheeling the gurney into the hospital.
"Amelia's on her way," Carina whispered.
"What about Pru?" Maya whispered.
"Mallie and Amelia agreed to take her. If anything happened. Miller told me," Ben spoke up. "He put it in his will. They all signed the papers to consent to it," he said.
"Fuck," Maya muttered, running her hands through her hair. "Bet they never thought it would actually come to it," she said.
"No, they did not," Ben sighed heavily.