One Shots - Capt. Maya Bishop and Dr. Carina DeLuca

Part IV: The Fight

Two days later:

Travis, Vic and Theo make their way to the Station. They aren't surprised that there are no media outside, they are probably waiting at SFD Headquarters waiting for someone to make a statement.

Cutler, Kline and Warren arrive at the Station. They went straight to the locker rooms to change. Cutler and Kline kept exchanging glances hoping Warren would at least give them know what is happening but they never asked and Warren doesn't say anything. Warren is in his uniform and turns to the men "come up to the beanery for breakfast."

By the time Andy arrives at the Station, everyone is already in the beanery and eating the breakfast that Theo and Travis prepared. No one mentions the confrontation at the hospital. They eat in silence. A buzzying sound at the reception area alerts them that someone is waiting to be let in. Kline being the last one to join the team, heads downstairs to see who it is.

"Good morning Ma'am, how can I help you?"

"I'm Battalion Chief Frankel. Where is the rest of A shift?"

"In the beanery. Having breakfast"

"Well let's go. We've got a busy day" she follows him up to the beanery.

Upon entering the beanery, the atmosphere is different. She knows their reputation under Captain Herrera and while she didn't know Bishop that well, she knew Maya was a firefighter that needed to be watched. She has potential, she's driven, she's ambitious but not to the extent where her team or civillians are at risk.

She looks at them "right 19. Line up in the barn. Now." She watches as they rush downstairs, leaving everything. She looks around and breathes. She has been successful, because she is honest and her Captains knew they could trust her. She guides, she advises and she mentors. She fights for her firefighters, she tries to be what she never had, but this is a big one.

She stands on the bridge and looks down at them, she takes a breath and makes her way down. She walks with her head down then halts "I have built my reputation on honesty and hardwork. When I was in the academy, when I was a probie, then firefighter all the way to Battalion Chief, I worked hard to prove myself. I had to find a team that felt like a family first. This job that we do, we lose people, we lose brothers, sisters, daughters, sons, mothers, fathers. We lose people, so it's important that the people in our team is the people we trust. People that would show up for us in our darkest and weakest moments like we would show up for them in their darkest and weakest moments. When we lose people, that loss, it never really leaves you. You don't forget. You remember that day for the rest of your life. The world looks at firefighters like we're heroes, but at our core, who we really are, is just human. We make mistakes, but we should learn from our mistakes. You 19, you failed" she says giving them a minute to process.

"All day yesterday, I spent reviewing Lieutenant Deluca-Bishop's file. Everything. From the time she joined the academy to the demotion. I have read reports from when she became Captain from other Captains and you failed. Challenging her, disrespecting her, not following her orders. Do you think I didn't make mistakes when I became Captain, I did. I learnt and I became better. As Captain, she made a decision to save that boy's life knowing she went against an order from a superior officer, but she made the right choice. While SFD was worried about being sued, a mother was begging for her help and since you have a trained surgeon on your team, she trusted him enough to know that he would do everything he could to save that boy. The method unorthodox, but it worked. That was your second failure. You went on with your lives while SFD failed a member of this team. I visited that family yesterday, that boy is healthy and now he wants to be a firefighter. She was refused an investigation and a hearing, but SFD scrubbed it under the mat because Maya Deluca-Bishop was becoming a problem. Think about everything this Station has been through during the pandemic, every call you attended, every protest you attended, every program you started and fundraiser you held. You kept working to be better while Lieutenant Bishop allowed you all to flourish because that is what a great Captain does. She supports her teams initiatives and she trusts them to make it work. I love being a firefighter, but I have also seen the flaws in our system, in our protocols and Lieutenant Bishop with this house was going to change SFD. Now, this team has been pulled from the rotation for call outs. You will respond to Aid Car, Crisis One and only 5 alarm calls for the next 5 shifts. Every shift will be a clinic day for the next 5 shifts and you will be doing this without Dr. Deluca-Bishop. I will be stationed here until this matter has been resolved. This is not a punishment. Use this time to reflect. Kline, you're at reception. Herrera, bathrooms. Hughes, double check those hoses are in working condition for next shift and then I want that engine looked at. Ruiz, you're in the beanery, I want it spotless then you're on the ladder, make sure everything is as it should be. Montgomery and Cutler, you're on Aid Car today. Make sure you have everything you need in case of a call out. Herrera and Ruiz, you're out for all Crisis One calls. Everyone is on clinic duty if you're not on a call. For every call out, I want the paperwork done by the time you leave for the end of this shift. Warren, you're running the Clinic, let me know what you need and I will see what I can do. That's it 19. Get to it." she makes her way to the Captain's office. She's already exhausted. Now she just needs to watch this team. She knows they can be great, they just need to learn to be a family again.
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"Morning Carina, how are you" Amelia asks