thirty
"l.a. fire and rescue!"

—

—

"WATCH YOUR STEP, GUYS."

LYNN swallowed a deep breath as her eyes landed on a pair of red high heels, only they were hooked on a woman's feet who was buried heavily under the debris that had fallen down in the hotel. Bobby checked the pulse right below the ankle, and shook his head softly after a second.

The rest of the team, excluding Buck and Eddie who were trying to save the man pressed against the glass on the eleventh floor, were all climbing their ways through the main floor of the hotel. It seemed as if most people who were stuck inside the hotel originally had been pulled out, so that meant each of the teams had to go deeper, which meant it would only be harder to get to a safe spot if there was an aftershock.

"L.A. Fire and Rescue!" Lynn hollered, using her spare hand that wasn't holding a medics bag to cup her mouth, making her voice travel further. "Anybody down here?"

"L.A. Fire and Rescue!" Bobby copied Lynn, mostly just like everyone else trying to gain the attention of any potential survivors. And that was when a voice called out through the silence, and everyone called to their captain for the next instructions. "Alright, we got a voice over there, guys. Let's go."

As the crew followed Bobby leading through them the darkness, they ended up running into another firefighter. He had a young woman with him, leaning on his tall body for support. On his other side, was an older looking man struggling to keep up. Instantly, Lynn wrapped an arm under his armpit for support.

"Thanks," the firefighter breathed out, feeling some sort of relief knowing he wouldn't have to carry practically two unconscious bodies.

"Of course," Lynn nodded towards the firefighter, sending him a polite smile as the older man started to lean more dependably on her shoulder. "Cap, I'll meet up with you guys after dropping him off at the safety zone, okay?"

"Alright, be safe, Kennedy," Bobby responded towards his youngest crew member. He then turned towards the young firefighter, and continued. "Anybody else back there?"

"There's a kid maybe fifty feet back, needs EMT's bad."

"Is it a little girl?" Hen questioned, taking a few steps forward so the man would be able to see who was now speaking.

"No, a young African-American kid," the man replied, flashing a sympathetic half-smile. Then, he turned over towards Lynn, who was still steadily holding up the older man. "You ready?"

"Definitely," Lynn nodded authoritatively, determination clear in her voice.

"Alright, lets go."

•••

After being able to drag both of the victims alongside the male firefighter, who Lynn learned went by Cruz, she had shuffled her way back through the rubble and dirt to catch back up with her team.

She had heard that they had saved the young African-Americans life, and leg on that matter. They were now scanning the entirety of the back corner of thr building, near the parking garage and such, for any left over victims along with Kat; the little girl from the family they all heard crying for their little girl.

"Cap!"

Lynn adjusted the light in her helmet a bit, pointing it more straightforward than before, and she easily identified Bobby's face in the middle of a clearing. She also spotted Chimney, and Hen, along with some other firefighters spread out.

"Lynn, perfect timing," Bobby stated, and in his hand, he rose up a small, pinkish gym shoe up in the air. "This is Kat's shoe. Parents said she was on her way to the restroom when the quake hit."

"Restrooms are cleared, Cap," Chimney explained, shrugging his shoulders slightly.

"Oh, my God. She could be anywhere," Hen slightly gasped, and Lynn felt even worse for her, knowing that this child was hitting especially close to Hen's heart. "She could be wandering about, trapped under this debris."

"Let's get USAR back in here with thermal cams," Bobby replied, reaching for his radio probably to call in the new information.

But before anyone could mutter another single word, the world beneath seemingly started to shake violently and make them all spin on her heels.

"Aftershock!"

Lynn tried her best to grip onto a metal pole sitting beside her, gripping most of her weight on there and less on the rumble. She glanced up to the rest of her team, and anxiety set in her eyes when she saw Hen practically balancing on a cement block.

"Get back! Get back! Fall back!" Bobby commanded, waving his arms back to signal towards any officers to get away from the unstable grounds. "Hen, get clear!"

Just as Lynn reached one foot forward to get off her crumbled area and to more secure ground with the rest of her team, it was as if every piece of debris under her body gave way.

"Evelynn!"

•••

"Ladder 118, respond. This is Captain Nash, I need a head count."

Evan Buckley and Eddie Diaz we're currently trying their best to climb through the tilted hallway; with a young woman trailing behind them that they had rescued along the way. Buck glanced up towards Eddie, and the two made eye contact as Eddie rose his hand, pressing the button on his radio.

"Ladder 118 responding. Diaz, Buckley, we're good, Cap," Eddie explained, coming to a stop. Either, just to take a second for everyone to catch their breath or to wait for the rest of the responses.

"Castillo and Jackson responding."

"Paulson, Marcus, and Riley responding."

"Chimney responding."

The two seemingly froze in their movements, and narrowed their eyes towards each other. Where was Lynn's call? And Hen's? Without even noticing, a feeling of worry grew in the back of Buck's throat and he felt as if his breathing was increasing tenfolds.

"Lynn, do you copy?" Bobby's voice echoed over the radio again, and Buck was so focused on the radio he hadn't even noticed how he was clenching his fists together. "Hen, do you? Hen? Lynn? This is Captain Nash for Evelynn Kennedy and Henrietta Wilson, do you copy?"

"Buck—"

"—We have to get down there, now," Buck cut Eddie off before he had any chance to mutter another word, and anyone could easily see the way Buck's chest was heaving with anxiety and stress.

"Are those friends of yours?" The woman, Ali, has spoken up. And she rose an eyebrow towards Eddie, who swiftly swallowed some spit in the back of his throat.

"I can't...Eddie, I didn't tell her," Buck choked out, and he rose a hand to messily run it through his short hair.

"Buck, the faster we get out of here, the faster we can get down there and help her," Eddie explained, and he placed a supportive hand on Buck's shoulder with a reassuring squeeze. "You'll see her again, and then you'll be able to tell her how much you care for her."

Buck glanced up from staring at the ground, quickly blinking away any chance of emotion swelling in his eyes. He then tilted his head to the side a bit, with curiosity towards Eddie.

"You know?"

"Buck, someone would have to be blind to not see the connection between you and Lynn," Eddie flashed a sympathetic smile towards the man. "You two are meant to be, okay? You'll get your chance."

After letting Buck collect himself for a second, the team then deemed they were ready to start rolling out again.

"Let's keep moving."

a/n: my favorite chapter up to date!! <3