Abby: "911. What's your emergency?"
Man: "I've been shot."
Abby: "Sir? Sir, are you there? Sir, can you hear me? Sir?"
A few minutes later, the fire truck and the ambulance raced to the scene...
They all climbed out, and Ashleigh looked around, frowning slightly.
"We've been here before." Ashleigh said.
"When?" Asked Buck.
"Before you joined us, kid." Bobby says.
Ashleigh stared at the tree.
"It was my second day." Ashleigh says.
*Flashback: Ashleigh's second day on the job...*
"Chimney, you're almost there!" Hen shouted.
Chimney was cutting the tree branch. A guy stood there watching them.
"Why would she do something like this?"
Ashleigh was doing chest compressions on a woman, and Bobby stopped her.
"I'm sorry." Bobby says.
Ashleigh grabbed the woman's wrist, staring at the bruise.
"Whatever it was, we could have talked about it. I could have helped her. I loved her."
"I imagine she wasn't eager to run into your loving arms." Ashleigh said.
"We had our differences."
"Clearly." Said Ashleigh.
"Now, my wife liked to use this tree for her target practice. It's still standing. And she's not."
Bobby, Chimney, Hen, and Ashleigh all stared at the man, watching him walk back to the house.
*End of Flashback...*
*Flashback...*
"I really can't explain it. Fungus took hold and spread like cancer. Was she exposed to any foreign objects?"
They stared at the tree.
"She got sick after being struck by a bullet." He says.
"That's weirdo. Tree this size?"
"Come on, there's nothing you can do?"
"Truth be told, she should have been leveled months ago. It's a damn shame."
"A lot of good memories with this tree." He said.
"Well, I can get you an estimate by the end of the day."
"Don't bother." He tells him.
*End of Flashback...*
It was earlier that day, and the man was duct-taping explosives to the tree...
He loaded the shotgun and fired it at the tree, and it exploded, and the bullet hit him square in the chest.
Ashleigh cuts his top open, putting something over it, trying to stop the bleeding.
Ashleigh placed her hand on it, staring at the knocked-down tree.
"The bullet she fired at him... it must have flew out of the tree when he blew it up. Karma's a bitch." Ashleigh says, staring at Bobby.
The next morning, the firehouse was covered with nurses taking people's blood...
"So I want to thank everyone for donating today. I don't know if you know this or not, but 90% of all the blood given to patients in the Los Angeles area comes from volunteers. I know that we all put our asses on the line in the field every day to save people, but today you're saving people, and all it's taking is a tiny prick of a needle. So simple, even Mr. Buckley can't mess it up." Said Chimney.
Buck smiled, saluting Chimney.
"Still at it, huh?" Ashleigh asked.
"Yeah, incredible. Everyone donated. Some people even came in on their day off." Said Chimney.
"Well, that's great. Let's wrap it up. We got to start our shift." Ashleigh says.
"Uh, hold up. I don't think Ashleigh's donated blood." Buck said.
Chimney checked the clipboard, and Ashleigh glared at Buck.
"You are correct, Buck. I'm two pints shy of my goal for the day." Said Chimney.
"Well, that would give you something to work towards next time." Ashleigh tells him.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Captain did it, Hen did it, and even Buck's doing it. You're the only one who didn't participate." Chimney said.
"Um, I don't like needles, end of story." Ashleigh mumbled, staring at Chimney, walking away from him.
"Oh, come on, Little Gilbert. You got to donate." Buck tells her.
"I don't do needles, okay? That's why I don't donate blood. I don't give blood. When I was a kid, the school nurse tried to take my blood, and I bit the nurse who tried." Ashleigh says.
Buck laughed.
"It's not funny. Then one time someone tried to take my blood as an adult..." Ashleigh murmured, remembering passing out at the doctor's office. "It didn't go so well, okay? And now you're all laughing at me. Great."
Ashleigh huffed, walking away from them.
"Baby Gilbert? Ash, hold... hold on, hold on. Listen, I get it. I really do, okay? I really need you to do this for me, all right? I'm alive because that rebar hit my head at just the right angle and because I had my best friend there supporting me and getting me to the hospital. I got ten pints of donated blood, given by the very generous people of this city. Now, I told you, I just... I wanted to do this blood drive 'cause I wanted to give a little something back for what I was given. And expressing my gratitude like this... it balances me out with the universe. Now, you and everybody else here have asked me how they could help with my recovery. Well, this is how." Chimney says.
Hen and Buck walked over, standing beside Chimney and staring at Ashleigh.
"I hate all of you. Every single one of you." Ashleigh tells them.
"Thank you. Thank you." Chimney said.
"You love us." Buck said.
Ashleigh rolled her eyes, and Chimney walked away.
"Here, you're gonna need this. Just squeeze it." Buck says, placing the red ball in her hand.
"All right, let's get her blood before she changes her mind." Chimney tells them.
Ashleigh stood there, putting a hand over her mouth.
At Athena's house, Athena hugged May while watching them get into the car...
She watched the cars go, and she walked back into the house.
"Hey. I am proud of us. What we're trying to do here... I tell you."
"And what exactly are we trying to do? Because I keep forgetting." She said.
"Well, be a family, for better or worse. You know, everyone says that they put their kids first, but we are actually doing it. I want to take the kids out this weekend."
"Please, we've already taken them to your mother's." She says.
"Athena, I've been seeing Glenn now for some time, and I want the kids to meet him. I want you to meet him."
"Absolutely not. They say you should wait a year before you introduce your kids to someone, and that's under the best of circumstances. What, you think they're ready to see you smiling at dinner and holding hands with another man?" She asked.
"Well, they need to see me for who I am."
"Says who? I know you're ready to come out and change your whole world, but the rest of us aren't." She tells him.
"God, it's not like he's moving in. You know, I just thought if we go out for ice cream and maybe have a conversation... "
"Then what? Is he coming over for Sunday dinner? Opening presents under the Christmas tree? He's a stranger to us." She says.
"So I guess you want to have a background check before he's around the kids?"
"Couldn't hurt." She said.
"We both agreed this family would change shape, and we would work together to mold it into something that works for all of us. I'm trying to move forward, Athena. Move with me."
"Then stop moving so fast." She says.
Abby: "911. What's your emergency?"
Woman: "I'm at Metro Fitness on Hollywood. My boss is burning up."
Abby: "You mean he's feverish?"
Woman: "No, that's not what I mean."
Ashleigh and the firefighters arrived on the scene, following a young woman...
"I came in early to turn in my keys and... and pick up my pay check. He actually fired me yesterday. It's a whole story. Anyway, I, um... I smelled something burning."
Bobby and Ashleigh walked into the room, finding him on a sunbed.
Ashleigh shuts the thing off.
"Wow." Ashleigh says.
"We all kept trying to tell him to get it fixed."
Ashleigh grabbed the plug and pulled it out.
"I didn't even think of doing that."
"Uh, how long has he been in there?" Ashleigh asked.
"My guess is, Ash, a while." Hen said.
Hen kneeled down, checking his pulse.
"I don't know. He's the owner, so he comes in before we even open, so two hours, maybe three."
Ashleigh kneeled down beside the guy, checking on him.
"What do you think, Ash? Is he dead?" Asked Bobby.
"Worse. I think he's still alive." Ashleigh tells him.
"Then why didn't he just get out?" Buck asked.
"Could've had a stroke." Said Ashleigh.
"He's 32."
Ashleigh placed some wires on his chest, and she lifted her hands, and Hen shocked him.
"He's in V-tach!" Hen shouted.
"Starting compressions." Ashleigh says, putting her hands against his chest.
Ashleigh pulled her hand off, seeing his skin on the glove.
"No, he's gone." Said Hen.
"Oh, my God."
"Whoa, whoa, easy." Buck tells her.
"It's just too freaky, I mean after what happened to Mindy. I told him, "Barry, what goes around comes around."
"Who's Mindy?" Ashleigh asked, frowning softly at her.
"Barry's dog. He left him in the car."
Buck and Ashleigh wheeled out Barry's body in a black bag.
"Yep. Karma's a bi..." Ashleigh says, watching the guys take the bed from her.
"Please, don't." Chimney tells her.
Ashleigh's phone rang, and she walked away.
Ashleigh: "This is Ashleigh. I... I don't understand why you can't just tell..."
Chimney, Bobby, Hen, and Buck walked over, frowning softly and staring at Ashleigh.
Ashleigh: "Okay, thanks."
"What was that, kid?" Bobby asked.
"That was Cedars." Ashleigh said.
"Is someone sick?" Buck asked.
"The blood I donated... they sent it to a lab and had it tested, so..." Ashleigh tells them.
"Ashleigh, that's totally normal. It's the first time you've donated; they have to do that before they release it to the blood supply. Don't worry." Said Chimney.
"They found something in it." Ashleigh says.
"What... what do you mean, "found something?" Asked Hen.
"Anything serious, kid?" Asked Bobby.
"They wouldn't tell me over the phone. They said they'd rather do it in person." Ashleigh muttered, staring at Hen and Buck.
Buck walked over to her, wrapping his arm around her and pulling her closer. Buck stared at Chimney, Bobby, and Hen.
"It doesn't mean it's something bad, right? Right? I mean, maybe your iron's low or something." Buck tells her.
"Buck, they would've said that over the phone." Bobby whispered.
"It's okay. I'm fine. Come on, let's get back to work." Ashleigh says, walking over to the ambulance and getting into the passenger side.
She stared out of the window, waiting for Hen to get in and drive.
Later, Bobby was sitting in the church with the usual priest...
"I need to show you something, Father. I haven't shared this with anyone else." Bobby said.
"Your prayer book?"
"I guess it is my prayer book in a way. A list of names. 62 so far. 62 of 148. The number of people who died because of me." Bobby tells him.
"These 62 names, these are people whose lives you've saved."
"This job, it's the only way I know how to balance the ledger. Not that I can ever really do that. 148 lives, I owe at least that much. Then I can go." Bobby says.
"Bobby, you're aware of the Church's position on suicide."
"You're against it." Bobby says.
"It would cost you your eternal soul."
"Do you believe in Karma?" Asked Bobby.
"I believe in God's justice. Why?"
"A coworker of mine, she's... she's only young. She donated blood for the first time, and something's come back in her blood. Must be something unusual because they wouldn't tell her what over the phone. They want to break it to her in person." Bobby tells him.
"I'm sorry."
"We don't know what yet... I'm going to pray for her. She doesn't get to die before me." Said Bobby.
A woman walked up to a house, seeing a parcel...
She picked them up, running away with them, and she went to countless houses, taking other people's parcels.
She had just grabbed another box and ran back to her car, but fell over.
"Ow!"
Abby: "911. What's your emergency?"
Woman: "You got to help me. I can't move. I fell. I think I broke my hip."
Abby: "What's your location, ma'am?"
Woman: "Hancock Park, 2312 Woodlyn. It hurts so bad."
Later, Chimney and Hen were checking her over...
"I hope nothing was breakable in your package." He said.
"I don't know. I'm sure it's fine."
"Not that you couldn't return it, but the hassle, you know." He said.
"Just get me to the hospital. Why aren't we leaving?"
"We're not sure if you've got a spinal cord injury, so we're trying to stabilise you." Hen said.
"I told you I could feel my legs."
Athena arrived on the scene.
"You guys find I.D. on her?" Athena asked.
"Uh... this must have fallen out of her pocket. Who called you?" Hen asked.
"One of the neighbours. You're the porch pirate." Athena said.
"The hell? Are you trying to suggest that I'm..."
"There are days when I'd actually enjoy whatever tall tale you're on the cusp of spitting my way. Where I'd be entertained letting you think that you're smarter than me, even if for a moment, but today is nowhere close to being one of them." Athena tells her.
"I'm the victim here. I have to get to the hospital."
"Oh, you'll get there. They'll fix your busted hip." Athena says.
"Femur, actually." He says.
"Then you'll be charged with grand theft. Trespassing, too. Your car is still running. Your driver's license says you live in Van Nuys." Athena said.
"I don't keep anything. I just like taking 'em."
Hen closed the doors to the ambulance.
"Let me guess if that bee in your bonnet had a name; it'd be Michael." Hen said.
"The guy, he's seeing wants to start bringing him around to get to know the kids, and I guess me."
"Well, it might be worth giving him a chance. It might take away a little of the pressure. Athena, look, I'm just saying this. Maybe this guy is not all bad. I get it, Michael. Being with somebody else is a hard thing." Hen said.
"What's hard is that somehow we've decided that what's best for the kids is that we stay together and try to play happy, modern family. All that means to me is that Michael gets to keep having the cake of living in my house and eating it, too, coming and going as he pleases. As far as I can see, the only one doing any heavy emotional things here to me. I'm the one who has to keep pushing my feelings to the side every day."
"You got bigger problems than Glenn, Athena. Kids love their daddies, but they follow their mother's lead. No matter how good Michael is with those kids, if you hate him... they're gonna hate their daddy. I know relationship problems is going around, trust me." Hen tells her.
Athena gave her a look.
"You don't even want to know." Hen muttered.
"Guys, do you think we can hit the road, please? She's second-guessing everything I'm doing in here. I'm not a paramedic." Chimney says, opening the ambulance door and staring at Athena and Hen.
Chimney closed the door, leaving the two alone.
"I'll call you later."
"Okay." Hen said.
The next morning, Ashleigh and Chimney were in a doctor's room alone, and Chimney paced...
"You don't have to be here with me, you know. I can handle this on my own."
"Yeah, well, this is all only happening because I'm the one who made you get your blood drawn. I feel obligated. Listen, I'm here for you, Ash, no matter what that doctor says. We all will be." He tells her.
There was a soft knock on the door, and she stood up, seeing the doctor walking in.
"Ms. Gilbert."
"Yeah." She said.
"Thank you for coming in so quickly."
"Well, you didn't give me much choice; you wouldn't tell me over the phone." She said.
"There are some findings in your blood work that are time-sensitive."
The doctor looked at Chimney, then back at her.
"He's good. You can speak freely and directly. No need to sugarcoat, so just tell me." She says.
"Please."
The doctor motioned for them to take a seat. They pulled a chair over to the table, sitting down.
Chimney had his arm resting on his leg, staring at the doctor.
"Have you ever heard of rhesus disease?"
"Uh, for a paramedic, that's probably bad not to know, but no, I haven't. How bad is it?" She asked.
"It's terrible. Fatal in most cases."
Chimney looked down, putting his head in his hand.
"I'm... I'm sorry, I don't understand what you're saying." She tells him.
"Well, you don't have it. There are 4,000 cases of rhesus in newborns each year. You are almost an identical match to a man in Australia named James Harrison. For decades, his donated blood saved the lives of more than two million children. They call him the man with the golden arm. Now, it seems you have one, too."
Chimney looked over, smiling widely at her. She was so confused.
"If you would fill this out, we would love to get you into our rare donor's program as soon as possible. We could set up regular donations. There are babies at this very moment who need you."
"Uh, t... thank you." She said, staring at the wall.
"Congratulations."
"Yeah, I'm glad I'm not dying after all." She mumbled, watching the doctor leave the room.
"Well, Baby Gilbert, I guess you're gonna have to get over your fear of needles, huh?" He asked, laughing loudly.
She just stood there, freaking out inside.