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Maya sat across from Chief Ross and watched her flip through the photos. If she was honest, she wasn’t sure how she felt at this moment. Carina would say it was typical Maya, hiding from her emotions. But she really didn’t know how she felt.
Nervous … Ross had destroyed her twice already. Once when she showed up and refused to give her captaincy back. Hell, she didn’t even give her the hearing that was her right. And while Maya bore a lot of the responsibility for the second time, Ross had chosen to leave her to her abuser for months. What was to stop Ross from destroying her again? And she had just started to pick herself back up.
Depressed … That this was what her career had become. She wasn’t this person. The person Dixon, Ross and pretty much everyone at 19 thought she was. She never had been. She lost her way, yes. Lost her way like she had never done before or imagined she would ever do. She had spent so much of her life fearing that she would become her father but had always hoped those fears would never be realized. Well, so much for that.
Terrified … That she had made the wrong call … again. Maya had fought so hard for women’s rights. She knew some of that fight was just pushing back against her father. Then choosing a male-dominated profession and pushing hard against the status quo. It was almost funny when she realized that Chief Ripley had been better for her than the female chief. And she really wasn’t sure she had made the right choice. She had supported the #metoo movement. But she sure the hell didn’t support it so Ross could now do what men were no longer allowed to do. In the past couple months alone, two high-ranking men at CNN and NBC had been fired for inappropriate relationships with a subordinate. Maybe Maya should have just followed protocol and SFD regulations and turned over the photos. Let the pieces fall where they may but without her in the drama for once.
Angry … So fucking angry. An unhealthy amount of anger. This woman had refused to give Maya a hearing. A hearing that is required by SFD regulations. A hearing that was given to every other damn firefighter. She refused to show her the respect of a sit-down meeting in her office. Ross destroyed her while she cleaned the damn engine. She hadn’t allowed Maya to defend herself. This wasn’t the fucking military. She wasn’t required to bow and genuflect while saluting her. Hell, Ripley had enjoyed her challenging him. Not Ross. Why had so many people in her life begun to sound like Lane fucking Bishop? Then in the last few months Ross broke protocol to save a kid. Just as Maya had done. Ross certainly didn’t demote herself. Then she praised Andy’s insubordination. What the fuck! Maya did not put a single firefighter at risk, the scene was contained, the child would have died … and it had been the most respectful act of insubordination ever. With all due respect, sir. Made her want to scream and never stop. There was no proof that Beckett was drunk or that he had made a mistake at the training exercise. So much could have gone wrong in an active fire. But Ross called Andy a true leader. What the fuck! Maya would never understand how one act destroyed a decade of impeccable service to the SFD.
Ross finally looked up at Maya. Maya could see the anger in her expression. It was practically radiating off her. Yep, this was a mistake. Add it to a very long list of mistakes Maya had racked up in the past two years. Surely, she was due a break, right?!
“Why aren’t you demanding your job back? You have all the evidence you need.”
“You do know that if this was really who I was I would have outed you months ago. I am a damn good firefighter, and I was an excellent captain. A man like Dixon destroyed my career because he could, and you helped him. A woman who should have been my champion destroyed me and enjoyed doing it. Do I regret my angry, impulsive threat? Of course, I do. But don't sit there and act as if you are blameless. I was wrong, but so were you. And you left me to be bullied and abused for months by Beckett. You destroyed a female firefighter because you could. Had I followed your precious protocols and regulations I would have turned those in and been done with this mess. And you know that. I will be a captain again one day because I am excellent at my job, not like this.”
Ross watched Maya. Objectively, Maya Bishop was an impressive woman. Her Academy results ... her time as a firefighter and as a lieutenant ... exemplary. Her time as Captain of 19 was rocky at first, but she was feeling her way and then the pandemic and the protests. If Ross was honest with herself, without that run-in with McAllister, she would have seen Maya Bishop as a bright spot in the SFD with an even brighter future. She would have been on the fast track to Battalion Chief, but it was all so messy now. Bishop almost died, and she knew that she would have borne some of the blame if she had.
“So, what do you want out of this?”
Ross could feel Maya studying her, trying to get a read on her. But then she just stopped. Maya knew that Ross was not what mattered. Maya's choices were the only thing that did.
“Nothing. I want nothing. I hope that you have had time to reevaluate some of your decisions as I have done for some of mine. You have broken protocol to save a teen, you have broken SFD rules and regulations, you apparently have no issue with Andy's much more egregious act of insubordination. And yet, you ended my career. I have no doubt that you will fight Dixon and fight to keep your job. I would expect nothing less. And I'm not saying SFD would be better off without you, but I hope you can see the hypocrisy in your actions and when the next young woman runs into trouble with the old boys’ club, you will be more supportive.”
Ross really didn't know what to make of Maya Bishop. Nothing she had said was wrong. And once again, objectively, Maya Bishop was impressive. She would have enjoyed watching Bishop go head-to-head with Dixon. And had she handled things differently a year ago, Bishop would be an ally instead of whatever she was now.
“Lieutenant Bishop, you have dealt with Dixon. What would you do?” Ross knew it was a stupid question and probably unfair given their relationship, but this woman sitting across from her was something else entirely.
“Michael Dixon has no morals. The ends, no matter how awful they are, always justify whatever he must do to get there. He expects weakness in others. So, you must take the fight to him.”
Maya couldn’t think of a reason to prolong this meeting or the awkwardness.
“Chief, if we are done, I have taken a personal day.”
“Of course. Bishop, I should have thanked you for breaking protocol and bringing these to me. Thank you.”
Maya wasn't sure if Ross was being genuine. But things were already so bad between the two of them, she couldn't think of any reason to stress over it now. So, she nodded and moved towards the door. But as she moved to open the door, she hesitated. She turned back to Ross, and even Ross could see she was conflicted. She had to admit that she wanted to hear what Maya had to say and was relieved when it became clear that Maya had decided to chance saying whatever was still weighing on her.
"Chief, there is something I would like to ask of you. Your answer doesn't affect my decision today. I entered the Fire Academy almost 10 years ago. It was the best decision I ever made, and I loved being a firefighter. But it hasn't felt that way for so long that I've forgotten what it was like to look forward to a shift. To get my career back on track, I know I will have to leave SFD. But until then, I’m just asking that you let me enjoy my job again.”
And with that, Maya simply nodded her head at Ross and walked out the door not waiting for an answer … not sure that she wanted to hear what Ross' answer might have been.
Ross watched her leave. She really needed to reevaluate her first assessment of Maya Bishop. Maybe it was time to throw out Dixon’s and McAllister’s assessment of Bishop … and Sullivan’s naked ambition … and give Bishop the chance to prove herself again. Because something told Ross that if she could forgive Bishop’s angry, impulsive threat, it would not take Bishop long to prove herself to be an invaluable asset to SFD and a constant thorn in the side of the old boys’ club and their precious status quo … and get those double bars back. But first, she had to take the fight to Dixon. And if she survived that, then she would deal with Bishop. Maybe it wasn’t too late to make an ally of Maya Bishop.
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More than a year later, she had finally had her meeting with Ross. She had finally said what she needed to say. Maybe Maya was finally ready and able to move past the injustice and move on with her life. Diane had told her that finally making her case and putting it into words would help her accept that while none of it was right, she might be able to release the anger and learn to live with it. Heal from it.
And as with so many things Diane had told her over the past couple of months, she might just be right... again. Because damn if Maya didn't feel lighter. Now she just needed her date with Carina to go well.
Deep breath, Bishop.
Second first date. No pressure.
She knew she should be nervous. But the thought of spending time with Carina because Carina wanted to ... Maya couldn't fight the smile that was trying to break through all her attempts to not jinx this ... so she decided this once to just give in.