It has been a few days since I helped Pierre and I am actually cooking lunch for the crew. Since dinner was interrupted Bobby suggested that I should try and make lunch. Normally I'd get help at this point in the dish however I am still flying solo as the others are glued to the TV. It is as if they are expecting a piece of news.

"Honourable Judge Moreland was killed in an explosion. At this point, police suspect foul play," The news reporter shares the information that she has. As soon as I finish making the food I dish some up for myself. With a few swift movements, I squeeze myself between Buck and Howie. My actions get a grunt from Howie. What seals the deal for me is the fact that Buck wraps his free arm around me.

"Lunch is ready when you want it," I announce to the group bringing their news trance to an end. As the others get their share of the food I notice that Bobby is acting a little strange. It's as if he has seen something that he was not meant to see.

"Where did you learn to cook like that? The food is good," Eddie sounds like he is in heaven

"My Dad taught me everything I know. Including how to cook," I say.

"Eddie is right you know," Buck adds to the compliments. The thing is I cheated. I used the simplest recipe that my Dad taught me. I didn't want to do anything complicated as I am never sure when the signal bell will ring. After five minutes of eating the signal bell rings. Those that still have food drop their cutlery. We all make a beeline to our respective vehicles. Five minutes later we arrived at the scene. As we approach the house I notice the remnants of a parcel bomb near an injured woman. Hen and I tentatively approach the woman. As we get to work Athena arrives.

"So what have we got?" Athena gets to work on assessing the situation.

"She only has facial lacerations and she is in shock," I say. She is lucky. The bomb could have killed her but for some reason, it didn't.

"Do you mind if I ask her some questions?" Athena asks. Odd. She knows we have to take the patient to the hospital then she can ask all of the questions she likes. She seems desperate to talk to this woman for some reason. I wonder if it is connected to the fact that Bobby is acting strange.

"No, we have to take her to the hospital first," I replied. I honestly want to know what she is thinking. Oh well there is nothing that I can do about it.

"Thank you. Before you can ask I'll tell you later," At least she can tell that I am thinking about her. After fifteen minutes we are finally back at the firehouse. I have decided to ask Bobby what on earth is going on. It is unusual for both him and Athena to be concerned. First I am going to get Buck's opinion just in case I am making things up in my head.

"Hey, Buck did you notice Bobby has been acting concerned for the past two hours?" I brought it up.

"Yeah, I did, why?" He responds.

"I was going to talk to him about it, however, I wasn't sure if I was the only one to notice," I explained. With that, I begin my search for Bobby. After eleven long minutes, I have not found him anywhere. That can't be good. I find myself sitting at the dining room table. The sound of tapping rings through the dining area. The thing is I need to talk to Bobby however he is not here.

"You only tap when you are bothered by something. What's bothering you?" Howie checks on me.

"Ever since that news report about Judge Moreland being killed, Bobby has been acting concerned. I want to confront him about it but he is not here," I complained.

"He's just clearing some things with the higher-up. It might take a while," Howie explains. At least it is nothing sinister. After six hours of waiting there is still no sign of Bobby and my bother about the situation hasn't gotten any better. The signal bell rings. As soon as we get comfortable in our respective vehicles the radio crackles to life.

"118 be advised that the fire on Westmoreland Drive is a four-alarm fire," The dispatcher remarks.

"Copy that," I acknowledge on the crew's behalf. After a few minutes of driving the ground is rocked by an explosion. The truck ahead erupted into flames. The energy of the blast manages to flip the truck. With all of my might I stomp on the brakes. I narrowly avoid hitting the truck and making things worse. The adrenaline kicks in as I leap out of the ambulance. There is a nagging thought in the back of my mind. Is Buck safe? Things come to a grinding halt as I see where Buck is. He is pinned underneath the truck. Before I can even attempt anything someone gets in the way.

"Stand back," He demanded as he showed me a detonator. That can only mean one thing. He is intending to be a suicide bomber.

"See that man underneath that truck? I need to do my job by helping him," I responded.

"Nobody is doing anything. Not till I speak to Bobby Nash," He counters. Dang it. If I don't get to Buck in time he could lose his leg or worse.

"Bobby isn't here now, let me do my work. I know that you are scared but something drove you to this point. I am begging you don't fall any further," I plead with him. It seems futile however I am going to try my best. I need to save Buck. I don't want to lose someone else.

"I'm here. Let Ella do her job," Bobby finally breaks his way through the crowd. With that Howie and I get to work on helping Buck. I double-check his vitals. He is alive. After doing everything that I can, Buck's phone rings. I check the caller ID. It's Buck's sister Maddie. Of course, by now it will be on the news.

"Buck, are you alright?" She asks clearly not realising that it is me who answered.

"Sorry Maddie," I say

"Ella, what's wrong?" Maddie asks. I can hear that she is panicking.

"Buck was in the truck when it flipped. He's pinned, Maddie. I've done everything I can," I responded. I hate the fact that I am the one telling her. Maddie is quick to hang up. I can't blame her as Buck regains consciousness. Well almost.

"Ella...," He mumbles as he fades away.

"Come on Buck you need to stay with me," I am almost on the verge of tears. It is at that moment that I notice that Bobby has managed to talk down the teenager. He is now gathering a crowd of bystanders to help get the fire truck off Buck's leg. Bobby turns his attention to me. I give him the thumbs up. As soon as the order is given a collective groan flows through the crowd. As soon as there is enough space I pull Buck free. It doesn't take long for us to get Buck loaded onto the ambulance. After the most tense three minutes, we made it to the nearest hospital.

"What have we got?" The triage nurse asks as we come bursting in.

"Major crush injuries to the left leg," I responded. It doesn't take long for the ED doctors to get Buck onto the hospital bed. Now that he is in good hands I rejoin Howie in the ambulance. It has been ten minutes since then and the adrenaline has finally worn off. The reality of the situation hits me like a ton of bricks.

"Ella, you should take the rest of the shift off. Buck needs you," Bobby suggests. I know he suggested it but it feels more like a command rather than a suggestion.

"Are you sure?" I ask. I know for a fact he would want me doing my job.

"Yes. I know that look. It's the look of someone who has been hit by reality," Bobby remarks. He sends me off with a hug. It has been a few hours since then and I am barely awake, however, I seem to have enough energy to keep me pacing.

"You know I don't like it when you pace around like that," Gavin pulls me out of my thoughts.

"Sorry, Gavin. It's the only thing stopping me from bursting into hysterics," I counter. Buck could have died and my mind has latched on to the idea of what would have happened if the scenario played out differently. What if the boy had stopped me from helping Buck?

"I brought you something from Bobby," Gavin says as he offers me a paper bag. I check what's inside it. It is some leftovers from dinner. There is just one problem. I feel too anxious to even think about eating. I need to find out how Buck is doing. After a few minutes of waiting I am approached by the doctor.

"Excuse me, are you Ella Calder by any chance?" The doctor asks.

"Yes. How did you know to look for me?" I responded. The thing is I may have been the paramedic who delivered Buck to the ED but I am no longer in my uniform. I also let my hair down.

"Well then. I've got some good news for you. We were able to save Evan's leg however there is a slim chance that he may throw a clot. As for how I knew to look for you as he was drifting in and out of consciousness he was asking for Ella Calder," The doctor explains.

"Can I see him?" I tentatively ask.

"Yes but he is resting," The doctor responds. A flood of relief comes crashing down. Before I leave Gavin excuses himself. He is going to tell Bobby the good news. After a couple of minutes, I found the right room. As I enter I am struck by how peaceful Buck looks when he is asleep. Speaking of sleep, I need some. I have been awake for ages. Before I have the chance to sleep Buck jolts awake. His breathing is rapid and his skin is glistening with sweat. That can only mean one thing.

"It's alright Buck. I've got you," I get to work on comforting him. I pull him into a hug as he latches onto me. It is the morning after and I am gently awoken by a hand running down my back. I open my eyes to find that it is Buck. He is clearly trying to keep himself occupied.

"Morning Buck," I say as I stretch.

"I'm sorry about the nightmares last night," Buck remarks.

"Don't be. It's not your fault. You've been through something traumatic. Besides I needed an excuse to give you a hug," I reassured him. Buck glances down at his leg and sighs. He knows that he is going to go through a long rehab process. The good thing for Buck is that I will help him through it. After a few minutes of chatting, we are interrupted by the scuffling of shoes. It's Bobby, Athena, Howie, Eddie and Maddie. Like me, Maddie is overcome with relief. Howie didn't come empty-handed either.

"How are you feeling Buck?" Bobby gets to work on finding out how Buck is doing for himself.

"Honestly I've been better," He says as I take the flowers from Howie. After a few seconds of looking, I have found something to use as a vase. Howie is quick to pass the get-well card to Buck. With a few swift movements, he rips the envelope open. As soon as he is done reading the card a slight smile crosses his face. It has been a couple of days since then and Buck has been discharged and an important thing has happened. I decided that it would be better for me to move in with Buck. For two reasons. The first is due to the fact that Buck will need extra help until the cast comes off. The second, well through all of this my feelings for Buck have only grown. Right now I am helping him settle in after a few hours of him babysitting Christopher. It was my idea since I know helping Christopher seems to cheer him up a little.

"Why don't we have a house-bound date tonight?" I suggest as I transfer him from his wheelchair to the couch.

"Well, are you a romantic person or an action person?" Buck gets to work on picking the movie. I am a little concerned as he is not as good as Howie when it comes to picking movies.

"I'm more of a sci-fi person," I am not making that mistake again. With a few swift movements, I ordered some takeout. After fifteen minutes the food is here. I quickly set up a couple of food trays so we can enjoy the movie with food. I also make sure I put the right meals on the tables. It is at that moment I notice the movie that Buck has picked. He has chosen Star Wars: A new hope. As the movie goes on I find myself carefully leaning on Buck's shoulder. It feels good to have him back. I just hope he can recover quickly.