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“You handled yourself well out there today.”
TK jumps and swears, the new voice breaking him from his focus on his chores. He turns around, scowling, only for his eyes to blow wide as he spots Captain Vega watching him, her mouth twitching in amusement.
“Captain Vega,” he stammers. “Sorry, I didn’t realise it was you.”
She smiles and waves him off. “No, it was my fault for not giving you any warning. Though, as far as heart attacks go, it’s not a bad place to have one.”
He laughs awkwardly, and they trail off into an uncomfortable silence. TK scuffs the floor with his boot, not wanting to offend her by going back to work, but also not quite sure if the conversation is over. Fortunately, she quickly takes pity on him.
“I just wanted to say, thanks for stepping in earlier,” she says. “You did well.”
TK shrugs, tamping down the pride he feels at her words. “I was just doing my job.”
“I’d say you were doing a fair bit more than ‘just your job’. ” Her eyebrows are raised and she takes a sip of her coffee, looking at him appraisingly. “Look, it’s no secret that I’ve had my...misgivings about Pearce. And after what happened today… Well, let’s just say that young woman is lucky you were there to help.”
“Anyone would have done the same,” TK deflects, though he’s not entirely sure why. “Marjan, or Paul, or…”
He trails off, flushing under her gaze. Captain Vega isn’t particularly intimidating, but there’s a distinct weight to this conversation that extends beyond simple praise. Not that the praise isn’t nice, but TK can tell it’s not what she came here to say, not truly.
He clears his throat. “I’m sure Pearce will get there,” he offers. “But he’s only on trial, right? You’ll be able to find someone good if he, you know. Doesn’t.”
She levels him with a pointed gaze. “I think I already have.”
“Oh.” TK nods slowly. He’s got no idea why she’s telling him any of this; it seems more like a conversation for his dad, or literally anyone else that isn’t him. He tells her as much, surprised when she laughs and shakes her head. “What am I missing?”
She moves closer, TK inexplicably feeling more and more nervous with each passing second.
“ You, TK,” she says, and his eyes widen. “I’m asking if you’d like to take the post.”
“Oh,” he repeats. “I, um. I -”
“You don’t have to give me an answer right away,” she interrupts. “I’d prefer it if you didn’t, actually. Take your time; you know where to find me.”
With a nod and an encouraging smile, Captain Vega turns to walk away. She gets as far as the staircase when TK calls after her, the question burning in his chest.
“Can I ask you something?”
At her nod, TK hesitates a moment, biting his lip. “Why me?”
The question seems to surprise her. “Why not you?”
“I’m not the only one with medic training,” he points out. “And I’m sure you’ve had plenty of other applicants.”
“That’s all true,” Captain Vega accedes, walking back over to him. “But you are the best field medic we’ve got. You’re already integrated with the team; it’ll be a much easier adjustment than bringing someone entirely new in. And…” She hesitates, then places a hand on his arm. “I hope I’m not overstepping the line here, but I have to ask. Being a firefighter - who are you doing it for?”
TK shifts uncomfortably, his eyes flicking up to his dad’s office. It’s not an unfamiliar question - even though he decided to stay after the shooting, it’s been sitting at the back of his mind ever since, constantly niggling at him - but he hadn’t expected it, especially not from Captain Vega. She pats his arm sympathetically, then steps away, smiling gently.
“I’ll leave you to think about it,” she says. “I think you could do some really great work with us, TK, but if you truly don’t want the position, I won’t push. Let me know, okay?”
“I will.”
When she walks away this time, TK lets her go, staring after her retreating back long after she’s out of sight. He replays the conversation in his head, mind reeling at the implications of becoming a paramedic. It’s not an option he’s considered before, always too set on being a firefighter to think about anything else. And yet… Now that Captain Vega’s laid it out for him, it makes a frightening amount of sense. He could do it; he knows he could.
Does he want to, though?
He doesn’t get time to think on it further as, for the second time in fifteen minutes, someone tries to give him a heart attack.
“What did Captain Vega want?” Marjan asks from behind him.
Once he’s got his racing heart back under control, TK turns, shrugging. “Nothing. She was just thanking me for that call earlier.”
“Uh huh,” she says. “And that’s got you looking so constipated?”
“Shut up.” He scowls; Marjan grins. “Haven’t you got chores to do?”
“Haven’t you?” But she’s moving past him, playfully punching his shoulder as she goes. “Let us know if you ever feel like talking about what’s really eating you.”
“Yeah.”
TK chews on his nail, his other hand tapping an erratic rhythm on Carlos’s counter. He hasn’t been able to stop thinking about Captain Vega’s proposal, and the more he does so, the more he wonders about actually taking her up on it.
From the sink, Carlos clears his throat. TK looks up, confused by the pointed look on his face.
“What?”
Carlos huffs a laugh. “First the pacing, now this. What’s going on?”
“It’s nothing,” he says on reflex. Then, at Carlos’s raised eyebrows, “Okay, it’s something.”
Carlos abandons the cooking, coming over to lean on the counter opposite TK. “Wanna talk about it?”
“We had a call today,” he starts. “There was a pretty serious medical situation, and the new paramedic we’ve got on trial - Pearce - was supposed to be helping Captain Vega. He choked. I had to step in and get the patient stabilised so she could be transported to hospital.”
“Good job you were there, then,” Carlos puts in, a small smile on his face.
TK returns it. “That’s what Captain Vega said,” he continues. “She came up to me near the end of shift, thanked me, and… She offered me the position, Carlos.”
“As paramedic?”
At TK’s nod, Carlos’s face breaks out into a huge grin. “That’s amazing!” His smile falters when TK meets his eyes, doubt written all over his face. “Unless… You don’t want it?”
TK shrugs hopelessly. “I have no idea. I think maybe I do? I just… Being a firefighter is all I’ve ever known. It’s not that taking this would mean I couldn’t do it anymore, I’m pretty sure I could work both sides, and I’d still be with the same team. Pretty much nothing would change, but right now, it feels like everything would. Do you know what I mean?”
He looks at Carlos desperately, grateful for the understanding he sees in his face. Carlos reaches across the counter and takes his hands.
“I do,” he says quietly. “But it also sounds like you have your answer.”
TK hesitates, then nods slowly, a small smile on his lips. Carlos is right - he knows exactly what he wants.
A few days later, he’s standing outside his dad’s office, nerves roiling in his stomach. His dad looks up before he can knock, looking startled at the sight of TK at the door.
“TK?”
He smiles awkwardly. “You got a minute, Cap?”
His dad looks up sharply, clearly noting the use of his title, but nods, gesturing to the seat opposite. “What’s up?” he asks when TK’s seated.
He purses his lips, twisting his hands in his lap. “Captain Vega spoke to me the other day,” he says. “I don’t know if she mentioned anything to you?”
His dad shakes his head, and TK nods. He focuses his gaze on the desk, not quite able to meet his dad’s eyes. “It was about the paramedic position.”
A silence falls between them, dragging out long enough for TK to dare to look up. He’s just in time to see the understanding dawn on his dad’s face.
“I see,” he says, voice carefully measured. “And what did you tell her?”
“Nothing yet,” TK replies. “But…”
“You want to say yes.”
“It’s not that I don’t love being a firefighter,” he says hurriedly. “I just. I think this could be good for me, you know? And I wouldn’t be going anywhere, and -”
“TK,” his dad cuts in. TK flushes and clears his throat, swallowing reflexively. His dad smiles encouragingly. “I told you before - whatever you choose, I’ll stand by you. Is this what you want?”
He nods. “Yeah.”
His dad sits back in his chair, holding his hands up. “Then what are you still doing talking to me?”
TK’s mouth drops open in surprise - he’s not sure why, but he’d expected more of a fight. A relieved laugh bubbles up in his chest, but he pushes it down as both he and his dad rise from their seats. They hug, TK briefly closing his eyes.
“Thanks, Dad,” he murmurs. His dad claps him on the back, eyes shining with pride when they separate.
“Go on,” he says. “Tommy’s in her office.”
TK spares one glance backward as he leaves, feeling a hundred pounds lighter. He can hear the rest of the team chatting and laughing in the kitchen, and there’s a slight pang in his chest at the thought of breaking the news to them.
But, as Captain Vega welcomes him into her office with a smile, TK knows that he’s making the right decision.