It has been a couple of weeks since the tsunami hit and the team is dealing with the aftermath of an apartment gas leak. Right now I am with Bobby and we are trying to work out where exactly the leak is coming from and how bad it really was. Unfortunately, it was hard to tell when I was tending to the patients. Most of them were incoherent.

"All of the patients say that the gas was leaking from this pipe," I explain to Bobby as we arrive at the pipe.

"But none of them can remember exactly where," Bobby finishes my sentence. Before you can ask I am here because the first patient that I talked to was the one that told us where the leak came from. Well almost. He could tell us where the pipe was. My eyes are drawn to the smallest crack in the pipe.

"Bobby I think I've found what we are looking for and it's not up to code," I say directing him to the spot.

"You've made my job easier Ella," The voice doesn't belong to Bobby. I turn around to find Buck standing behind us. He is rocking the dress whites. It's just a pity that he is stuck behind a desk. The thing is I know for a fact that Buck is able to come back to full duties. I find it odd that he is standing in front of us as a safety inspector. I'll just have to find out from Bobby why he's not back at the 118.

"Call it curiosity. Anyway, you have reports to write," I tease. After ten more minutes of looking Buck and I part ways. For some reason, he felt off. I don't know if it was my teasing or the fact that he is on desk duty. After an awkward ten-minute drive we made it back to the fire house. As soon as I get to the kitchen I get to work on making myself a cup of tea. I don't know why seeing Buck as a safety inspector is bothering me but it is. It makes no sense given the fact that the doctor has given Buck the all-clear to go back to full duties. There must be something going on.

"Is that Lavender that I smell?" Howie remarks as he joins me.

"Yup," I respond.

"You only have Lavender when there is something bothering you. What's wrong?" Howie checks on me. The thing is he is right. There is something bothering me but I can't do much if my hunch is correct.

"Well...I believe that Buck is being held back from full duties because someone in the chain of command is preventing him and the only person with the authority to do that at this point is Bobby," I explain my dilemma. Firefighting means everything to Buck and I can see what the effect of his not being here has on him. He is driving me crazy as Buck is someone that craves action. It is at that moment I decide that I am going to do something stupid for the man I love.

"Chim I'm going to confront Bobby. Wish me luck," I say as I pour myself a cup of tea. With my tea in hand, I head to Bobby's office. I notice that he is not there however the door is open. The temptation to go snooping is real. Even though I want to I can't. The idea was to confront Bobby, not snoop.

"Can I help you, Ella?" Bobby announces his presence.

"I'm going to get straight to the point. Why aren't you letting Buck return to full duties?" I ask as Bobby opens the door for me. I take a seat as Bobby contemplates his answer. I put my cup of tea down before I do any damage.

"I'm going, to be honest with you. I am worried about Buck throwing another clot. That means I can't guarantee his safety," Bobby gives me the political answer. At least I am able to confirm my suspicions.

"The Doctor cleared him a week ago. There is no reason for you to prevent Buck from joining the 118," I make my point clear.

"Besides light duties are a mental nightmare for Buck. He is driving me crazy," I add. I just hope that I can appeal to Bobby's fatherly side. Bobby seems to consider what I am saying.

"Look Ella I'm going to stick with my decision. At least for another week. If that's all please leave," Bobby says dismissing me. I cannot believe I heard those words from his mouth. Oh well, it is just going to have to bother me. I can't fight this after all he is my captain. I storm off with my cup of tea. That is before I can say or do anything stupid. I take my cup of tea to a quiet corner of the firehouse. I need a few minutes to relax. I take a sip of my tea before sitting down. The Lavender flavour seems to calm me down. After ten minutes of relaxing, I am about to head back to the rec area however I am stopped.

"Excuse me are you Ella Calder?" A woman timidly asks. I drop my mug due to the surprise of the woman standing in front of me. The sound of shattering rings through the garage.

"What are you doing here mum?" I try to hold back my anger as I pick up the bits of the mug. Before you can ask she abandoned my Dad, Brother and me when Gavin and I were young.

"I need to apologise for running," She announces. My mum is worried that I'll reject her without even hearing her reasons for leaving. Well, I've got news for her. I am going to listen to her. I want to know why she left us all of those years ago.

"Why here and now?" I demand to know.

"I think you're ready to face the truth about why I ran. It will be hard but you deserve to know the truth," my mum explains.

"Let's go somewhere comfortable. I'll clean the rest up when we're done," I say as I make a beeline for the rec area. Since this news will be life-altering I want the support of the others. After quick introductions, I take a seat at the dining table. My mum takes a deep breath as she sits down.

"I ran because I was scared. Gavin was a product of rape. Every time I tended to Gavin he reminded me of the guy. As you'd expect I got overwhelmed and made the decision to run. Before you can say anything I realise it is no excuse. I should've come back sooner," My mum explains the situation. I find myself pitying her but there is just one problem.

"Does Gavin know?" I ask. My mum shakes her head.

"I don't know how to tell him. I thought maybe you could help," She tentatively suggests. There are so many thoughts going through my mind right now.

"No, you need to tell him yourself. Without my help," I say. That is my way of punishing her. It has been a few hours since then and I am back home with Buck. I find myself staring at the bowl of food longingly. The revelation that my brother was a product of rape is bothering me to no end. There is one question on my mind. Did my dad know? I will never find out unless I ask my mum. A sigh falls from my mouth.

"What's wrong Ella?" Buck asks. He can tell that something is wrong.

"Well, I found out something that will ruin my brother's life if he finds out. It's hard enough for him already but...," The words catch in my throat. There is a chance that Buck will tell Gavin what my mum told me. The thing is I don't want to ruin their friendship.

"But you need to promise me that you won't tell Gavin," I insist.

"Whatever it is it's for you and Gavin to deal with," Buck confirms. I am about to tell him when my phone rings. It's my mum.

"Ella I need your help, please. It's Gavin. I told him what I told you and he is having a meltdown. We are at his house," She is picnicking.

"That had better not be 911," Gavin threatens. It's bad. Really bad.

"Ok, mum. I'll be over as soon as I can," I responded. I just hope that Gavin doesn't touch her. Even though she ran away from us when we needed her, it's not fair to be against her. She had her reasons.

"Sorry, Buck. I need to go. I've got a family emergency brewing," I excuse myself. I grab a few things and then make a beeline for my car. After a tense nine minutes, I finally made it to Gavin's place. Luckily for me, the door is unlocked. I can hear yelling from the kitchen.

"Gavin, please. You need to understand. It's not your fault," my mum is pleading with Gavin. I sprint to the kitchen to find Gavin threatening her with a knife.

"Then why did you run?" He looks like he is about to stab her. Without thinking I get in the way. It may prove to be the worst thing I do. Gavin's eyes are filled with rage. Maybe I should have helped Mum.

"Ella move," He demands.

"No, Gavin," I stood my ground. I take a deep breath as I prepare for impact.

"I'm sorry Ella," Gavin remarks as he brings the butt of the knife down. The next thing I see is black as a surge of pain rocks my body. My skull feels like it is being split open. I fell to the ground. The next thing I know is the sound of sirens blaring in the distance. Someone must have called 911. It doesn't take long for the police and the EMS crews to arrive. The next thing I see is the light shining in my eyes.

"Ella, can you hear me?" It's Eddie. A groan falls from my mouth as I become more alert.

"Gavin," I mumble.

"Don't worry about him. He is with Athena and Hen. I'll fill you in when we are on our way to the hospital," Eddie explains as he gently helps me up and onto the stretcher. As soon as I am taken outside I am approached by my brother. He is utterly panic-stricken. My mum is trying to reason with Athena as to why he shouldn't be arrested. I will have to add to her testimony later. Athena is quick to give Hen the go-ahead to join us. I find myself groaning in pain. The blow must have fractured something. I can feel myself drifting close to unconsciousness.

"Come on, Ella. You need to stay with me," Eddie gets to work on keeping me alert. After a few up-and-down minutes we made it to the hospital. The doctors are quick to get to work. After thirty minutes of various tests relaxing. Well, I say relaxing but my mind is going a million miles. I need to find out what is going on with Gavin. Normally he cools down by now but things were complicated by the fact that he struck me.

"Excuse me, Ella. Do you have a chance to talk?" I am pulled out of my thoughts by Athena.

"So long as you don't mind me complaining about a massive headache. The painkillers can only do so much," I responded. Athena flashes me an understanding smile.

"Look I came to ask if you are going to press charges. I'm giving you the option as your mother explained that he has autism and that's why she's not pressing charges," Athena gets to work.

"I'm not going to press charges either. Gavin has enough to deal with already and jail will only make things worse," I say. At least I don't have to worry any more than I already do. The thing is I will always worry about Gavin. He is more than a brother to me. Ever since mum left I was the only one who knew how to look after him. I find myself tearing up at the thought that I could have lost Gavin today. If I hadn't intervened he would have gone to jail for murder for sure.