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Training had been a breeze. He had aced all of his trials and he could do it again if he were told to; that is what Tommy would tell you if you were to ask about his firefighter training. He may, coincidentally, forget to tell you about walking through a trial fire rescue and falling through the collapsing floor and landing ceremoniously onto another member of his squad, and getting a swift right hook to the eye afterwards. It was pointless anyway, he had complained, since he had already completed half a year of training back in England. Moving to LA, or even America as a whole, was an idea spurred on by Wilbur.
"It's more interesting over here anyway, what are you going to do in England? Help control traffic when a man runs into the road naked?" The other Brit was the one who convinced him that the idea was actually plausible. Though, eventually it warmed to him anyway, since Techno and Phil worked here too.
You see, Wilbur and Tommy went way back, Wil had been the son of his Mother's cousin's husband, so they were basically brothers. Despite the age difference, they were always forced together at family get-togethers and ridiculous family dinners. And then Wilbur had not so willingly introduced Tommy to his online gaming friend, Phil- who was old as fuck, Tommy had described him, which earned him an incredulous look and a flick to the forehead. Phil was from Newcastle originally, moving to the states with aspirations within the ranks of his fire squad to become a captain one day, which he had obviously achieved. Phil's son Techno was the last of the group to be introduced, having not been interested in playing Team Fortress with a Brit and a child with his Dad. Techno was younger than Wil by a few years, only around three years older than Tommy himself, and so naturally Tommy found it suitable to cling to the elder like an annoying parasite.
Phil and Technoblade were firefighters , even though Twchno had only been a probationary firefighter at the time, the youngest found it essential that he follow in their footsteps and entered training basically the moment he left College. Wilbur moving away had been a big hit to Tommy, though he may deny it, and he had held resentment for his pseudo brother for months afterward. That was until he got too bored of holding his grudge and just threw himself more into his training, and then eventually had allowed himself to be convinced into moving to America of all places, his younger self would be so disappointed.
"You only have like, a week left of training mate." Phil patted the blonde on the head in a mocking manner. "Then you can be a real firefighter!" He teased once again, speaking in a high pitched tone. Tommy merely glared in response, the old man clearly did not understand his anguish of being forced to retrieve dummies from metal wreckages, high buildings and fires instead of real people who actually needed help.
"Shut it Philza, I'll have you know I saved a child from a car wreck today!" He tutted.
Techno snorted from the other side of the sofa. "Was this child, perchance, made of plastic and wedged in there intentionally by the instructor?" He raised his eyebrow.
"Well that's neither here nor there- I'm a hero, man. Wilbur, back me up." He slapped the elders arm, who yelped.
"Yes, of course." He nodded, eyes wide.
Phil gestured towards Wil. "He wasn't listening." The 911 Dispatcher, Wilbur, denied this valiantly before chuckling and turning back towards the game he had been playing. Of course the game was Mario Kart, and Techno was winning with barely any effort on his part.
The week went by with much of the same, though Techno and Phil had been caught at a multiple car pile up on Tuesday, whilst Tommy had been sitting yet another exam to confirm his competence. Of course he had passed, however.
The completion of his training had been quite ceremonious, and Phil had even bought him a massive cake to celebrate, which had been almost immediately smashed on his head. He had been elated, and he had written up his request to join the 142 right away, the squad of which Phil was the captain.
Despite his long efforts and training, he had not at all expected the rejection letter which he had received. Something about being overstaffed and your application will be thoroughly considered once space is free within the station.
It was bullshit.
Absolute bullshit.
Tommy had been livid, and the hour he spent ranting and yelling towards his three friends would reinforce his fury. He had not only trained for over a year to join the 142, but had moved all the way to America to be there. He had always known that he wasn't guaranteed a place, but that didn't mean it hurt any less to receive the rejection. His hurt was barely placated by the offer at the 118, he didn't know anybody else who had been transferred there, the classmates he trained with had separated to other parts of the country, not that he was close to them.
"At least you got an offer, right?" Phil assured, surprisingly not teasing the younger for once.
Wilbur nodded. "Yeah, also you might have gotten hazed had you been with Phil as a probie. I know how much Techno complained about the things he went through- Right Techno?"
The man rolled his eyes, reminiscing on the horrors. "Yeah, the floors and truth had never been cleaner than when I was a probie Tommy. Your station might be more lenient since you look three years old."
"Fuck you." He laughed.
Tommy strutted through the large entrance confidently, he hadn't come here to be a shy kid after all, he had put in the work and he would prove himself. " 'Ello?" He said, having not spotted anybody yet, though he heard chatter coming from what looked to be upstairs. He went up the steps, and arrived at the loft, where clearly everybody liked to hang out. They were scattered over in front of the TV on the sofa, to the kitchen and finally the table, where a group of people sat around. Within the group was an older looking man, with a professional aura surrounding him.
Tommy approached them. "Captain Nash?"
The man turned towards him, before looking and pointing at a few others on the table. "Are you…" He pointed at another man with black hair.
Tommy looked down onto the man's shirt, reading the clear NASH on his metallic name tag. "Your name tag says Nash, sir." He deadpanned, not allowing the joke to go any further, he was used to such pranks from the elder three firefighters. "Nice to meet you, I'm Lewis, Thomas Lewis."
"Damn, he got you there, Cap." A kind looking woman with glasses spoke, smiling at Tommy in amusement. "I'm Hen"
Captain Nash snorted, shaking the hand offered to him. "The new Probie, welcome."
"New Probie? This should be interesting." A very tall man spoke, also amused, "I'm Ravi." He said, before walking away.
There were a few others around, however he didn't manage to catch an introduction from them before being pulled away by the Captain to complete his paperwork. It was just menial things, confirming his details and giving his emergency contacts.
"Phil Watson? The name sounds familiar," Captain Nash sat in thoughtful silence.
Tommy nodded, glad that the man had made a name for himself. "Yeah, he's the Captain of the 142, A shift."
"Of course, yes. We've met a few times, he's British too, right? Are you related?" He asked, genuinely curious.
"No, he's a mate of my cousin's. A friend of mine." Tommy almost chuckled at the mention of Wilbur as his cousin, since it wasn't all that untrue, though he had thought the full explanation of 'A mate of the son of my Mum's cousin's husband' may have been a bit convoluted.
"Well that should be alright, nice to meet you Tommy. Do you go by Tommy? Tom? Or is it just Thomas-" The blonde found his manner of speaking quite obscure, and the way he addressed him was quite informal, not that he would complain.
"Just Tommy, thanks." He confirmed. Captain Nash urged him to go meet the others before being assigned any tasks, having only been introduced to Hen and Ravi previously.
He walked through the loft and spotted the group who remained at the table from earlier. He returned to the table, having felt more comfortable near people who had already met him, even if it was only ten minutes prior.
"Ah! He's back, Buck look." A man with black hair and stubble nudged another. "Thomas?" He asked.
"Just Tommy, or Lewis. Whichever you prefer." Tommy wasn't sure how strict these folks were on seniority, and so didn't push his boundaries.
"Lewis is a first name, it's weird to call you that." A blonde haired man with a birthmark over his eye looked at him, confused.
"Tommy is a first name too." The sarcasm seeped through the youngest man's voice, a tone even Techno would be proud of.
Another man chuckled at that, he seemed to be the oldest of them all, bar the captain. "You're funny, kid. Also British, which is great." He attempted to speak in a British accent, which was wholly offensive and terrible.
Tommy winced, "And you're American." He stated plainly.
"Well technically, I'm Korean-"
Hen interrupted, however. "Cut the kid some slack." Slapping him on the shoulder.
"That's Buck, and that's Eddie. You've met Ravi, and this is Chimney." Hen pointed out helpfully.
"Chimney? Wh-"
Eddie held up his hand before he could even ask. "Don't ask."
The day after this was boring, Tommy had not been brought on any calls, and had been doing menial tasks all day. The only small mercy was the fact that the hazing Techno had mentioned had not come into fruition.
'How's Work?' Phil had texted him, to which he replied 'Boring. I've met my coworkers but if I have to roll one more hose I'm going to rip my eyeballs out.' To which he was quite serious.
Wilbur hadn't texted at all, and he wasn't surprised in the slightest. The other preferred to hear things face to face, and Techno would just hear from Phil so he hadn't bothered either. The shift was concluded with little happenings, and he returned home not all too exhausted, unlike Phil and Techno. Will just looked sleepy, he wasn't able to sleep during his shift unlike the others, after all.
"Do you think-" Wilbur started, "Do you think that crocodiles are actual dinosaurs? Like… are they that old?"
Phil frowned in confusion. "Wait, what? Where did that come from Wil?" The man was clearly sleep deprived, and though it may have seemed strange, Tommy was quite jealous of the fact. It wasn't that Tommy wanted to deal with hardships and terrible scenarios, he just wished he was put to use in work.
"At least he had shit to do, I think I cleaned the kitchen three times." He whined, none of his friends showing a drop of sympathy.
"Nobody cares, Tommy. Just do as you're told and you'll be fine." Techno dismissed him. Once it was clear that Tommy wasn't going to get from this conversation, he left to go sleep in his room.
Work the next day was much the same. Monotonous tasks and little to no communication with his peers. He was eight hours into his twelve hour shift when the alarm went off once again, and an electric house fire which had spread over at least two houses was announced.
Cap walked past him and patted his shoulder. "You're up, Tommy." He smirked at the shocked face of the blonde, and he heard what he assumed was Buck muttering to Chimney about giving the newbie a hard time. He rushed to get his gear on and join the others in the large truck, looking awfully frazzled.
"You ready Probie?" Eddie asked, and Tommy wasn't sure if he was asking genuinely or just for his own amusement.
Tommy pulled up his confident front so as to not look unprepared. " 'course I am, trained way too fuckin' long for this."
"How long? Did you fail?" Chimney asked.
Tommy shook his head. "Nah, I started in England, six months." He assured, offended at the assumption that he could have possibly failed; he had passed on his first go. "Had to redo so much of the same shit, though." He complained.
Techno said that Tommy's love language may have been complaining, though he disagreed.
Smoke filled the entire street and his lungs, as he stepped outside. "Masks on, folks!" Captain Nash urged, and they complied. "Tommy, you stay with Buck, he'll tell you what to do. Hen and Chim, you check on the people over there. Eddie, you go check if the 142 needs any assistance." It hadn't even occurred to Tommy that the 142 was the other station on call, and so he continued on as usual.
He handed out instructions one by one, directing Tommy and Buck towards the source fire with CO2, whilst Bobby worked to get the electrics turned off.
"Alright, the front door is inaccessible, we will have to break down the back. Here-" Buck handed him the tool and pointed towards the closed door. "So what you want to do-"
Before he managed to direct him correctly, Tommy had slammed the tool into the right place, and the door swung open quickly. "Nice, c'mon then." Buck ordered whilst Tommy preened at the small praise, and proceeded to extinguish areas of the fire alongside his coworker.
They were almost finished with the main room when they were called out by the Captain. "You need to evacuate, Buck. The ceiling is about to go-" Bobby rushed out, and Buck pulled Tommy towards the door almost immediately. They exited swiftly and with seconds to spare before a loud creak followed by multiple crashing sounds.
"Saved by the bell." Tommy muttered, mostly to himself, but Buck found it hilarious and laughed at the comment. (Perhaps it was the smoke inhalation that got to him, or maybe it was just his lacklustre sense of humour.) They walked briskly towards where the Captain stood, looking concerned despite the successful evacuation.
"What's up, Cap?" Chim asked, removing his blood covered gloves and wiping his sweaty forehead.
Captain Nash shook his head. "They have a man down in the 142."
Tommy felt his heart in his throat. "Wait- did you say 142?" He asked breathily.
Hen frowned, "Yeah, they're the other team on scene?" He could have collapsed right then and there had he been less professional and determined to help.
"Who is it?" He demanded, leaving no room for objections.
They looked hesitant, however Eddie finally caved in, having been the one working with the 142 in the first place "Watson, T. He hasn't confirmed his location and there has been no radio response." Tommy schooled his features into a neutral expression, knowing that if he showed any kind of emotional response then he would be removed from the scene.
"Alright, are we going to help?" He asked.
"Look, just follow me, alright Probie? If you get ahead of yourself… People get hurt." The meaningful expression from Buck told him everything which wasn't said. The kid agreed immediately.
The Captain ushered Buck, Eddie, Hen and Tommy towards the secondary building, where Technoblade had been stationed before losing communication. Eddie took the lead, directing them through the living area and past the kitchen. "Watson?" He yelled, looking around through the remaining flames and smoke.
Hen dragged Tommy towards the steps to the basement and descended carefully. "Watson?" She shouted.
"Techno!" Tommy yelled, giving in to his urges to shout for his friend.
Hen’s head snapped towards the kid. “Techno?” She spoke in a questioning tone.
“He’s a friend.” Tommy yelled back, the pain evident in his voice,
“Fall back, Lewis. You’re too close, especially for your first job.” The woman urged whilst still walking down into the basement. He didn’t listen to her order and followed as she shone her torch around the room, a section of the roof had collapsed down near some cabinets. As they approached, Hen gasped as she spotted a boot amongst the rubble. She began digging through the rubble which was piled on top of it, and Tommy immediately joined her.
“Firefighter Watson has been located, we are down in the basement! Tommy radioed as an afterthought, attempting to lift a larger piece of wood from the structure which had fallen on Techno’s legs. Only a minute later, the pair were joined by multiple other people alongside a backboard to transport the fallen man. Hen examined him the best she could of the parts she could see, removing the boot off his foot to feel for a pulse.
“I have a pulse, he’s alive.” She muttered, sounding relieved. Chimney joined her in the medical examination as the others managed to free the majority of his body, revealing not only Technoblade but what looked like a child just underneath him, as if being shielded from the rubble. Shallow breathing could be heard from the other person, and Tommy reached underneath Technoblade to unpin the kid from his larger friend.
“Come on,” He whispered. “He’s heavy, isn’t he?” Unbothered as to whether the girl was conscious or not, though it seemed she was semi-conscious after a once over. He picked her up into his arms gently, after being cleared from Chimney, meaning there were no spinal injuries. He placed her onto the backboard and gave Technoblade one last look before following the crew who were attending to the child. He would never be forgiven by the elder if he saved Techno instead of the girl, especially after the lengths he had gone to protect her from the fallout.
Once she was safely outside and escorted into the ambulance, he stormed over to where the 142 crew stood, trying to locate their Captain. The short man stood with a gloomy look on his face, radio clutched in his hand so tightly that his fingers were white.
“Phil!” Tommy exclaimed. The other’s eyes widened significantly upon seeing his youngest friend.
“What are you doing here, Tommy?” He asked.
“Look, that’s not important. Techno is alive, well- He was when I left him. He’s just trapped under some rubble.” He assured the concerned captain, who visibly relaxed upon hearing it.
“Why are you up here then?” Phil didn’t sound accusatory, only curious.
Tommy pointed towards the other ambulance. “There was a girl, a kid.” Phil understood his implications without having to complete the sentence. A few feet away, somebody yelled for Captain Watson, and Phil apologised, having to end the conversation early. Having nothing else to do, and no authority to enter the building again, he returned to his team.
Captain Nash looked nonchalant, speaking with a paramedic who was about to escort somebody to the hospital, until he spotted Tommy and waved him over. “This should be over pretty soon, they’re just pulling out that firefighter now. He has some superficial injuries and was knocked out, but nothing too serious.” His face gave away his suspicion, though, even as he assured the younger.
“He’s a friend, the son of Captain Watson of the 142.” Tommy blurted honestly. There was no use keeping secrets when it would all be revealed anyway.
Captain Nash nodded slowly, “Okay.” He said, “Next time, make sure to declare personal relationships when we go on scene, to be safe, alright?” That was it, no real reprimand or even slap on the wrist, just declare his relationships. Which was simple enough, he guessed. Tommy anticipated a bigger reprimand, however, when Hen told the captain that he had disobeyed direct orders from her to fall back.
He was pulled from his internal monologue when he spotted a backboard being carried out from the now flameless building, and onto a gurney. He breathed a sigh of relief.
Hen pushed him into the truck after he had tried to ride with his friend, stating that only one person could go with him, and he was not authorised for early leave. Buck had pointed out how antsy he was on the ride back. “Chim hates it when I do it, he almost punched me on the way back from a water rescue because I couldn’t stop tapping on the arm rest.” He chuckled, as if that were a happy memory.
“Yeah, well Techno is my mate, so I’m just worried.” Tommy ran his hands through his- now matted- hair.
Buck nodded in understanding. “I get you, man. I lost it when Bobby was on the other side of the emergency, I'm surprised you kept it together.” He looked impressed, not expecting such mature behaviour from a probie on the younger side.
Their meaningful conversation was interrupted by the shrill sound of his phone ringing, and since they were no longer on scene, Tommy thought it would be fine for him to answer. The screen read Wilbur Soot, an ironic name since it was Tommy who was covered in soot at the moment. He answered the phone and was almost immediately assaulted by the loud and high pitched sound of his friend’s concerned voice.
“Tommy?” He said, urgently. “Have you heard from Techno? I had this call, and there was a fire- Something about a- I don't know…”
He didn’t allow the nervous rambling to go on for long, “He’s fine, Wil. Stop fucking stressing, he’s with Phil. He got caught in a ceiling collapse, but he is alive.” Trying to cover all bases for concern in one statement.
“Okay. Ok, so- Wait, why do you know? How do you know that?” His voice picked up once more.
“Wilbur, you work at Dispatch, you know we were there. We were sent to look for him when they lost comms.” It was funny, actually, how much it calmed Tommy to bring Wilbur down from his worrying state. “And I’m fine, hey, I got to go on call! That’s a win, right?” He joked, earning a laugh in response, though it also earned him a wide eyed look from the others in the 118, who had been responsible for his boredom the past few days. “I guess this is what I get for saying I wanted something to do.”
“That’s true, you never say the Q word around here either, else you’ll be in for a hell of a shift.” Chimney’s eyes conveyed the horrors of his past, which was ever so amusing on his end.
“I’ll keep that in mind for the next time you piss me off.” Tommy joked, confident in his teasing unlike he had been doing recently, for the safety of his job. His uncaring attitude had blossomed from the stress of the previous emergency, and the others loved it, especially Eddie.
The man could barely contain his laughter, “He’s right, I should do that when I’m annoyed at you Chim.”
“And you’ll find yourself on the other end of my fist, I’ll tell you that, huh?” Chimney looked deadly serious as he spoke whereas Eddie looked as though he couldn’t care less, the smug smirk remained on his face.
Buck, however, looked horrified. “Please don’t get me caught in the crossfire, man. At least warn me first so I can apply for personal leave-”
"I don't think so Buck, you're in it with us." Captain said.
Hen turned towards Tommy. "So," She started, "Tell us about your friends then." He proceeded to tell them about his flatmates, including how he had met them and moved across the globe to be here.
They got back to the station, and Tommy wasted no time in getting out of his gear and transferring over to B shift, who were already lurking in the loft.
"Good job today," The Captain spoke, "Maybe you can come on call more often, huh?" He offered, and the blonde nodded quickly, saying his goodbyes to the team before leaving in the Uber which he had called.
The Uber took him straight to the hospital which Techno had been taken to, he could deal with his sleep deprivation later on but he had to see the other now. The lady at the front desk directed him towards Techno's room, though it had taken some lying on Tommy's part about being a family member. "Room 301B, on the third floor." She pointed towards the lift and he thanked her profusely.
When he got there, he spotted three other figures already inside. Phil, Wilbur and Kristin, Phil's Fiance, stood beside the bedside.
He let himself in after a brief knock. " 'Ello folks, did you miss me?" Kristin greeted him with a warm smile, she was a wonderful lady, a Doctor actually. Kristin had been wonderful when Tommy had given himself concussion in training and refused to go to the hospital because he thought he was fine.
Techno was seated in the hospital bed, the bed was tilted upwards and he was clearly awake. "Ayy! Big man, you're conscious!" Tommy exclaimed, holding himself back from hitting the elder in the arm in a friendly manner.
"Hey Tommy, I heard you're my superhero." Techno joked, still carrying his attitude whilst injured.
"Yep, the one and only. And that kid is fine too, all thanks to me. " His faux narcissism made the others chuckle, though it did feel good to be acknowledged even if it was in a joking manner, he couldn't manage heartfelt conversations.
Phil patted him on the back. "Firefighter Lewis, huh? Got his first big boy call." Tommy rolled his eyes.
It had been going smoothly for a while after this, Techno had fully recovered within a week and was back to work. Tommy was gaining more trust from his squad due to his maturity on scene, though he was still just a Probie in their eyes.
The big day had been particularly quiet, though nobody had said so outwardly, for obvious reasons. "You're shit at this, Chim." Tommy exclaimed, hitting the ball onto the other side of the Ping Pong table.
"Yeah, at least I didn't lose eight times in Mario Kart." The elder snarled, bitter at his tragic losses in the game. Captain stood in the kitchen making dinner with his Sous Chef Buck. Eddie and Hen were elsewhere, and there were some people sitting at the sofas watching a baseball match.
The alarm caught them off guard, having not had a call in over two hours, and they sprung up to prepare for the call. There had been an explosion of sorts, and the police were already on scene with two other fire crews, the 142 and the 131.
They piled into the truck unceremoniously and sped through the streets with their lights and sirens blaring. "Your other Cap is there, Tommy, right? Don't abandon us there, huh?" Eddie knocked into his shoulder jokingly. He simply shook his head.
The scene was a mess, there was debris everywhere and the tall building was burning furiously. Around twenty people had been gathered around by medics, with varying degrees of injury. "Well shit." Tommy whispered.
"Yeah, shit." Hen repeated.
They geared up for a big job, wearing their masks just in case. The Captain gave out orders and only then had Tommy noticed the uniforms the victims were wearing. They were awfully similar to the ones Wilbur came home wearing, no. They were identical .
"What did you say this building was for?" He asked Chimney, who was standing nearby, treating a woman who had sustained injuries to her eyebrow and head.
He continued working as he answered the question. "The dispatch centre. They had to set up a temporary office in the garage."
Tommy closed his eyes, composing himself. Of course it was here, why wouldn't it be? He was certain the universe had cursed him. Techno had only just recovered, and now Wil was in danger too. He was rushed into the building with the hose and Eddie, alongside Chim, who was there for the victims. There were around ten people unaccounted for, and the 142 including the captain had already rushed inside minutes ago.
They stepped over the fallen wood and concrete as Tommy held his hose in a tight grip, wishing that he could just sprint forwards and search the place thoroughly.
"Tom, Kristin is here!" A voice yelled from behind, emerging from an office which had been destroyed. He turned, handing the hose over to somebody who was standing beside him. The tall man was covered in soot and was coughing through the thick smoke, but looked fairly uninjured. Tommy placed a mask over his face, handed over by Chimney, who ensured Wil was okay.
"You need to get out of here." Tommy demanded.
"No, look, she was bringing my lunch… I- I forgot it this morning and she wasn't on shift…" He stuttered, hands flailing in panic.
Tommy gripped his shoulders painfully. "You need to get out, Wilbur. Me, Phil and Techno will find her, you'll be of no use if you're dead under a fallen piece of metal." Though he was much younger, his authority was clear and he left no room for question. "I'll escort you out. C'mon." He dragged the man out, holding his wrist and not letting him out of his sight. He walked him all the way to where Hen stood, and handed him over. "This is Wilbur, don't let him follow me, he's a slippery one." He rushed out, before running back into the building.
He wasn't even surprised that Kristin had been caught in this too, knowing his luck. He owed it to both Phil and Kristin herself to ensure her safety, and this is what gave him the motivation to rejoin his team and put out the remaining fire, with the help of the other squads.
"All but one have been accounted for, fire is out, let's spread out and get searching." Cap said. Tommy, Eddie and somebody named Val from the 131 were appointed to the upper floors.
"Hello?" A faint voice could be heard from the stairs, and the trio practically ran towards the source, finding a woman with her leg trapped beneath what had been a support beam.
"Kristin, hello again." Tommy spoke lightheartedly, not wanting to concern the woman. He crouched near her head as Val pulled out her med kit and called for backup.
Eddie inspected the injury. "I think it hit the artery,"
"So we can't lift it yet." Kristin finished his thought. As a Doctor, she was well aware of what her chances were, and they would be greatly increased if they were to handle this correctly. "Is there any way you can get underneath? Inspect the damage?" She asked, breathlessly.
"I don't think so, how are you feeling, anyway?" He asked, taking her vitals. Tommy held her hand in comfort, not being medically trained for this scenario.
She looked at herself up and down, "other than the leg? Slight headache and smoke inhalation. Might need some oxygen." She pointed at the spare mask which lay beside them. Tommy put it on her face swiftly, and waited for further instructions.
Bounding footsteps approached quickly, and three people walked into the room. First was Phil, who looked as if he was a deer caught in headlights. He collapsed beside his Fiance and comforted her, whilst simultaneously observing the scene professionally. Secondly was Hen, the medic with the highest training on scene, with surgical experience and would be great for critical thinking if anything were to take a turn for the worse. Finally, Techno stumbled through the door holding a backboard, almost tripping his own feet as he stepped through the door. Despite his put together persona, Technoblade was actually quite clumsy and in his own head most of the time, it was quite endearing.
The team constructed a plan to remove the beam from Kristin safely, Tommy had little input since this wasn't his area of expertise, but he thought the moral support may have been even more valuable. Eventually, it was time to pull Kristin from underneath.
"Are you ready? On three, one… two-"
"Three." Eddie finished the count for her, and Phil and Tommy dragged the woman underneath her arms. The moments after were a complete blur, he could hardly remember leaving the building. Despite remaining composed for so long, the emotional turmoil and relief of his friend being brought to safety had taken away his ability for conscious thought.
He replayed the moment in his head over and over, seeing the panic in her eyes when they entered the room. The panic Wilbur felt, knowing that he was the reason Kristin was in the building, and knowing that she was nowhere to be found. Phil's face as he comforted his wife, and unshed tears whilst he stroked her matted hair with his shaking hands. It felt almost impossible to draw in a breath.
The lights felt as if they were burning his eyes, and it was too loud. He hardly noticed the figure who walked in front of him. "Hey? Tommy?" He recognised Buck's voice, though was unable to respond coherently. "Cap- I don't know, somethings up with…"
Captain Nash put his hand on Tommy's shoulder, attempting to bring him back to the land of the living. Whatever he was saying was not processing in his mind, only the overwhelming panic.
A different person appeared in front of his face, though this one seemed more familiar to him, and this fact brought him more awareness, enough that he was able to reach out to the other. "Mate, you good? Wil, grab some water." That was definitely Phil, Tommy thought. Beside him, a soot-covered Wilbur rushed to find a water bottle like an obedient puppy. Soot. Wilbur Soot. He let out a huff of laughter, followed by a more uncontrollable laughter.
"What's up with him?" Somebody nearby questioned.
The laughter quickly turned into hysteria, and tears dripped from Tommy's face. "He's just overwhelmed, that's all." He wasn't sure whether that was his Captain or Phil who confirmed this. The water Wilbur had fetched was brought up to his lips and he drank it willingly.
Darkness filled his vision, and the quick breaths turned slow as he lost consciousness. He knew that it was probably not a good idea to succumb to the darkness, but it felt more comforting than the outside world.
Blinding lights.
Beeping. Rhythmic beeping.
Ugh, of course he was at the hospital. He opened his heavy eyelids, squinting at the lights, couldn't they close the curtains?
"Well look who it is." A curly haired man scoffed from beside him. Wil was definitely more composed than he had been the last he had seen him, and he had clearly showered.
Tommy smiled. "Yep, I'm alive and well." He confirmed. "Where's Kristin?"
"She's over in her room, surgery went well and she's conscious. You can visit her when you've got your bearings." He nodded in agreement.
They hung out for a while, discussing what happened after Tommy had passed out, and where Tommy and Phil were. Apparently they had been flicking between hospital rooms all day, and had even run into a few people from the 118 who had visited. "They're great, it was fun to tell some embarrassing stories about you to your colleagues." He teased.
"Just you wait until I meet your coworkers, Wilbur." He scowled. "Can we go visit Kriston now? Before you embarrass me any further."
It wasn't that far from his own room, the ward was near the general ward, where Tommy had been. "Philza! Techno, nice to see you." Neither man gave him a strange look, or questioned him, which he was awfully thankful for. Phil brought him into a brief side hug, however, before flicking him on the forehead and berating him for being out of bed.
"Kristin, my man!" He brought his arms out wide, and she accepted the hug gratefully, careful of her injured leg.
"Thank you, Tommy, for everything. You've worked so hard recently, and I don't think you've got the props you deserve. You're so wonderful." Her genuine smile and soft spoken voice made him hold onto the hug even tighter, whispering a quiet thanks. Though it was difficult for him to express his true emotions sometimes, he loved receiving comfort from the ever positive woman. The pats on the shoulder and slight nods from his friends reinforced this feeling, and for the first time in a long while, he allowed himself to be vulnerable and accept the comfort he needed and deserved.
Though he loved his job, and his role within his friend groups, it was exhausting to maintain the mask he placed over himself sometimes. He was thankful for the family he had created out here, and the people he had met.
Even if those people happened to reside in America.