Work Text:
Since (Y/N) had joined the 118, Hen had been worried. Worried that there would come a day where (Y/N) would be in danger and that she couldn’t be reached - or, God forbid, saved. Of course, Hen knew all too well that being a first responder came with risks that not many other professions would have to deal with. Every firefighter and first responder knew that, and yet they still put their lives on the line daily to help others.
Hen knew the risks that (Y/N) faced, she faced them with her too. Bobby had been reluctant to allow (Y/N) to join the 118 due to her engagement with Hen. He couldn’t allow his team to grow distracted. Hen always thought that he was being a little ridiculous, they were both professional and focused at all times.
Now she understood better.
Her heart stopped when she didn’t hear (Y/N) respond to the callout on the radio. Suddenly every thought of saving the civilians had flown out of her mind. All she could think about was (Y/N).
They had been on a call to an apartment complex which had been affected by the most recent of earthquakes in Los Angeles. The complex hadn't been all too stable to begin with and the quake had caused what little structural integrity it had left to be destroyed. It was quite literally hanging on by a thread.
Suddenly the world was swarming around her. Hen visualised everything that could have gone wrong and why (Y/N) had not responded. Maybe it was as simple as her radio died, or it had broken. Maybe she was trapped under a beam. Or injured. Maybe she had passed out. She could have not been in reach of the radio. Or she could be-
Hen could hear multiple voices at once: some were giving commands, others were screams, of both pain and joy, but the ones she could hear most clearly were the ones saying her fiance's name.
When the world snapped back into place, Hen knew that she had to get back into the building to find (Y/N). It was only a matter of time before the aftershock set in.
Amongst the chaos, Hen heard her name. Her eyes snapped to the right where she saw Chimney looking at her, a clouded expression in his eyes. He said her name again before continuing, “You need to stay here. Captains orders.”
Chimney put a hand on her arm, pulling her to a stop. It was only then had she realised that she was moving to re-enter the building.
“I have to get in there. She needs me.”
“Yeah she does. She needs you alive. And you’re too distracted to be in there.”
Hen tried to push forward again. “Get out of my way, Chim.”
But he stood his ground. Hen had rarely seen him like this. The juxtaposition to their usual lighthearted banter gave her pause. Just enough for her to reconsider her actions.
“Fine, but the first sign of trouble…”
“I’ll be right behind you.”
They ended up behind the ambulances. They both gave first aid to any civilians that needed help; Chim ran triage whilst Hen took smaller injuries. It was just enough to keep her mind occupied and away from the dark spiralling thoughts that she had before.
Eventually, the patients dwindled down. Firefighters began to go home. All but the 118 had left. Her house stayed to shift through the rubble. They would stay here until (Y/N) was found, and so would she.