Chapter Text
9-1-1, what’s your emergency?
Uh, shit- there’s a fire… I think it’s pretty bad?
How bad is pretty bad, sir?
No clue… darnit!
Are you alright?
Yepyep- just uh… got my foot stuck. I’m hgn- I’m good.
Are you a safe distance from the fire, sir?
Uh. I’m right in the middle of it.
- TWO HOURS EARLIER
Fire. It was what made his world turn. Perhaps not always, but since he had moved out to the city and became a paramedic, it certainly kept his lights on.
Vani ran cold water over his hands, splashing his face to hopefully wake him up more than he was now. It was no surprise he felt like he’d been dragged through a bush, he’d be lucky if he got in more than a few hours of sleep these days, perhaps Lily was right, he needed to stop picking up so many shifts at once. He looked at his beaten watch, 5:32 am. He had to be there in an hour and a half. Vani ran a hand over his face, pushing himself off the sink and pulling on his uniform sluggishly.
It took three tries to pour the boiling water into his travel mug, cursing to himself as the water spilled over his hands instead of the coffee grains, he stares accusingly at the kettle as its contents spread over the kitchen counter, as if the object had done it of its own accord. Eventually, he filled the mug, not bothering to put cream or sugar in, the bitterness would hopefully wake him up fully. He ran his kitchen faucet, sticking his burned hand under the lukewarm water and eyes scanned his eyes over his kitchen for clingfilm to wrap his hand in while it healed. After about twenty minutes of staring into space, he switched off the water, digging around in one of the cabinets, pulling out a long-forgotten roll of clingfilm with a triumphant huff, awkwardly wrapping it around his hand while running a mental checklist through his head.
Cleaned?
Yes.
Wrapped?
Yes.
Does it hurt enough to need painkillers?
…He’d be fine.
He twisted the lid onto his drink, gathering all his things, car keys, phone… other crap. He slings his satchel over his shoulder, ramming everything he has balanced in his hands into his bag, pin badges rattling as he rushes out the door, his burnt hand debacle wasting him half an hour, and it took almost an hour to get to work with the traffic, which was always DIABOLICAL at this time of the morning. He practically threw himself into his car, fumbling for his keys, which he’d thrown into his bag for some reason. The ignition started with a judder, he let out a relieved sigh, at least it stared today, the winter air was really messing with the shitbox he drove.
He leaned back with an annoyed huff as he hit the aforementioned traffic, picking at the clingfilm wrapped around his hand with a frown. He could have avoided the traffic if he hadn’t been so clumsy this morning, his fingers drummed on the wheel as he glared ahead of him, it wasn’t exactly anyone’s fault that it was this bad, it was just how it was in the morning, he didn’t know why he was so pissed off. Probably lack of sleep, he supposed.
After about an hour, and several minutes of banging his forehead against the steering wheel as the dreaded traffic moved slower than his brain when he wakes up in the morning, he finally got to work, standing up and several cracks sounding out from his back, causing him to wince slightly, he chugged the rest of his coffee, leaving the empty cup in his car, grabbed his bag and traipsed into work.
“Vani! How are… you have clingfilm wrapped on your hand.” He was greeted by a cheery, loud voice. Holly had come up behind him and slapped him on the back, making him splutter.
“Aha- spilled kettle water on my hand this morning, I’m fine.” He said, giving her a weary thumbs up and a half-grin. Holly just shakes her head with a chuckle.
“Trust you to do something like that. At least you wrapped it.” She said with a shake of her head, Vani just laughed.
“I feel like I’d be doing my occupation an injustice if I didn’t treat it accordingly.” He said, flexing the wrapped hand, making sure it was tight enough to stay on.
“How you gonna work with that?” Holly asked with a small head tilt. Vani frowned to himself, he hadn’t thought of that.
“Medical gloves over the top, I suppose.” He shrugged, making his way up the stairs to the small firehouse kitchen, where he could smell cooking, Cory must have gotten here early. It smelled good.
He trudged up the step, Holly close behind him, and just as he thought; Cory stood in the kitchen the smell of bacon wafting across to them, he heard an appreciative hum from behind him.
“Smells good, cap!” Holly laughed, the dark-haired man looked up at her with a small smile.
“Holly, Vani. Good morning, I’m assuming neither of you have eaten.” Cory said, monotonous voice slightly brightening at the sight of them. Holly shook her head.
“No need to eat at home when you’re always here, hm?” She laughed; Vani just shook his head. Cory slid two plates across the kitchen island to them, placing the pan of bacon next to them, also pulling out a pan of eggs from thin air, apparently.
“Help yourself, leave some for the others.” He said with a small grin. Holly mock-saluted, before taking some and walking off to the table, Vani stared at it for a minute, before taking a little bit. Cory frowned slightly.
“You can eat more than that, Vani. Come on.” He said with a tilt of his head, eyes flicking to the clingfilm wrapped around his hand, if he was going to mention it, he didn’t make it very obvious.
“I’m just not that hungry, cap. I’m fine really.” Vani said, looking at Cory with an almost forced smile. Cory sighed.
“As long as you eat something, Vani. You of all people should know what working on an empty stomach does.” He said, raising an eyebrow. Vani gave a small chuckle, scratching the back of his head before taking a little more egg.
“Yepyep, I know cap.” He said, thanking him before walking off to join Holly at the table. He pushed around the food on his plate with a small frown, Holly nudged him.
“You alright?” She said with small tilt of her head.
“Oh- Yea. Don’t worry about-“ He’s cut off by a yelp from downstairs. Holly and Vani look at each other, before looking over the railing to the ground floor, where a spilled bucket and a very furious looking Goldie, glaring at it. She whips her head up to look at the two of them, face red.
“WHO left this bucket here? She yells up to them, stomping a foot. Holly laughs, waving down to her.
“I believe you put that there yesterday after cleaning the rig, Goldie.” Vani said, leaning on the railing.
“You spill it, you clean it!” Cory yelled from the kitchen, Goldie let out a squawk.
“It’s everywhere!” She yelped, shuffling away from the day-old soapy water that spread out over the floor.
“That’s kind of what water does, Goldie.” An airy voice came up from behind her, Lily. Goldie immediately turned a ridiculous shade of red, straightening up immediately.
“Hopeless.” Holly whispered to Vani, who just giggled. They watched as Goldie spluttered as Lily placed a hand on her arm, asking if she alright. She nodded before shooting off for a mop.
“Maybe we should just get Lily to ask her to do everything, she’d actually do it then.” Vani said with a small giggle, earlier weariness forgotten.
Eventually the two made it upstairs, eying up the food that sat steaming on the table, Holly and Vani had long finished, slipping their plates into the dishwasher, watching them talk with amused expressions. It wasn’t long before the firehouse was filled with the ever so familiar siren, voice ringing out over it, rattling off the details of the emergency, house fire, one trapped person.
Holly was always the best driver out of the five of them, so she sat up front, Cory sat beside her, directing her on which ways to go while Vani, Lily and Goldie at in the back, subjecting Vani to Goldie’s not-so-subtle advances. Well, not-so-subtle to everyone but Lily, who was seemingly clueless. Vani just rolled his eyes, playing with the charm on his necklace, he wasn’t supposed to wear jewellery, but he refused to take it off. The small blue club-shaped pendant twirling between his fingers.
It didn’t take long to get to the fire, it seemed pretty bad from what he could scope, smoke rising high. Cory jumped out beginning to bark orders to all of them. The ambulance pulled up not too long after they did. Vani and Lily jumped out, standing back until they were needed, watching as the others geared up and Holly eventually walked out, carrying someone in her arms, Vani ran forward to help her.
“No clue how long he’s been in there, Vani. Ankle’s broken from being trapped under some fallen structure, he’s breathing and has a pulse, but he’s out cold.” She said laying him down on the gurney him and Lily had set out, blue hair spilling over the side. Vani immediately begins working.
“Lily, get him on oxygen. I’ll look at his ankle.” He says, removing the man’s shoe carefully.
“Mm. Avulsion fracture and some soft tissue damage.”
“Hey, Vani? Can you get the blood kit?” Lily says, shining a light into the unconscious patient’s eyes, Vani looks up.
“Yea, why do you need it?”
“Hypotension, and dilated pupils.” She says, not taking her eyes ofF him.
“Cyanide poisoning?”
“Common in house fires, I suppose.” She shrugs, Vani nods, running to the ambulance to get the blood kit, handing her the needle and inserting a blood strip into the monitor and holding it up to the finger that Lily pricked, the reading came back.
“11.6.” Vani shows her, Lily nods, turning to one of the paramedics from the ambulance.
“Get me Hydroxocobalamin. We might need to intubate too with the amount of smoke he inhaled.” They nod, running off to get the things she asked for. A shrill beeping has them turning to him.
“No pulse, starting compressions.” Vani says, clambering on top of him to get a better angle, clasping his hands over each other and beginning CPR.
“Start bagging.” He grunts to Lily, who brings a bag valve mask to his mouth, removing the oxygen mask. The paramedic from earlier runs over with the Hydroxocobalamin, immediately injecting it into his arm.
It was only during Vani doing CPR that something fell out of the patient’s shirt. A necklace with a small, blue club-shaped pendant, a slit down the centre, a flipped version of the one that sat under his uniform. Vani stares at it, never for a moment stopping in his motions.
“You alright to continue to compressions on the ride to the hospital?” Lily’s voice breaks him out of his thoughts.
“Yep.” He says, shaking his head slightly at the ache beginning to bloom in his arms. A hand on his back steadies him as the gurney is pulled into the ambulance. Lily shoots a thumbs up to Cory who just looks at Vani, then her, then nods, turning back to the now dying out fire.
“Come on...” He mutters more to himself than anything. He sits up, bringing to fingers to his neck, after feeling nothing he lets out an annoyed huff and continues in his ministrations.
After about a minute, Lily taps his arm.
“Pulse is back, 48 and rising.” She says, he sits back on his heels, a breathless sigh of relief escaping him. He slips off, Lily continues to bag the patient while Vani checks his ankle again, that was a problem for the doctors, there wasn’t much he could really do there. He mainly tried to busy himself from thinking about the necklace.
The doors of the ambulance open behind him, he moves out of the way as they pull him out, Lily informing them of his situation.
And with that, he was gone.
Vani just stared at the closed doors for a minute before a hand came down on his shoulder.
“You okay, Vani?” Lily asks, frowning slightly. He waves her off.
“Yea. Let’s get back.”
Lily nods, heading back to the ambulance.
Vani gives one look back at the hospital doors before shaking his head and walking away.