𝙞 𝙨𝙖𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮𝙧𝙚 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙜𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙢𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙞 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙡𝙮 𝙖𝙢 𝙢𝙮 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙙.

𝗡𝗔𝗜𝗔𝗥𝗔 𝗛𝗔𝗗 𝗞𝗡𝗢𝗪𝗡 since she was a child that she hated hospitals. There was just something about the overwhelming scent of formaldehyde, the blinding lights that are never turned off, and the mystery meat that you're served when you crave a burger. It threw her off, but more so, it disturbed her. Naiara really hated hospitals.

"Can you slow down?" Theo groaned, stuffing a hoodie into a duffle bag. Naiara struggled to do the same, her dominant hand encased in a dark grey sling, preventing her from doing anything, really.

"Absolutely not. I want out of here yesterday, Theodora. Actually, no, sorry, I wanted out of here a fucking week ago." She ranted, making a poor attempt of packing up the clothes she had been brought two days after her accident.

Theo hadn't bothered with the comment, choosing silence and a shake of his head. "Can you at least leave the packing to me? You're actively useless right now." With an attempt at a protest, Naiara eventually threw the mess of a duffle bag at her younger brother.

"You," She pointed at him with her free hand, "are a dick." Was her final protest before climbing onto the bed and lying back, choosing to let her brother take care of her for once.

The packing went by faster after Theo took over completely, seeing as he had access to both of his arms, and after about fifteen minutes, Naiara was limping to Theo's car.

"I hate your car." She groaned, painstakingly pulling herself into her brothers car. "I hate your stupid car and the lack of ac and the fact that it's so fucking low." She complained, watching her brother climb into the front seat with much more ease than she had.

"Naiara," He turned to face her, "shut up. You're just upset that you don't have a car."

She slumped down in the passenger seat as Theo pulled out of the parking lot, growing a small bit sad at the reminder of her totalled Jeep Wrangler. "I mourn that perfect vehicle every day."

The rest of the drive had been silent, Naiara silently mourning her Jeep and Theo silently praising the fact that Naiara was no longer complaining.

It wasn't until they pulled into the driveway of Naiara's absurdly large house that she fully realized her ailments. She was currently walking with a limp, her arm was trapped in a sling, and she had many other injuries that she couldn't fully care for herself. And she was to live alone in a big empty house, nobody around to help her out, and she isn't one to ask for it.

And of course, she said nothing to her brother as he helped her out of his car and straight to the door. She slowly limped up the front steps and reached for the doorknob. "Let me get that, Nai." Theo said quickly, following her up the steps. She simply shot him a glare and he backed off, not wanting to piss off his heavily injured older sister.

The door opened with a creak, and for a moment, all was calm. It didn't even take a second for Naiara to take in the massive "WELCOME HOME" banner hanging from her ceiling, and when all of her friends and coworkers jumped out from behind the adjacent walls of the foyer shouting the words she had read, she couldn't even feign shock.

There was only one thing Naiara hated more than hospitals; surprises.

Her eyes narrowed and landed directly on the one she knew planned this whole thing. Buck's face dropped from a wide, open-mouthed smile, to sudden fear as his hand rose and he pointed at Ravi, passing on the blame. Naiara knew that Buck was behind it, but she didn't for one second believe that Ravi wasn't involved, he just loved to piss her off. Almost as if feeling the energy from Buck's panicked pointing, Ravi grinned, simply proving her point.

She stood in the doorway, balancing on the frame and blocking Theo from entering, he was also 100% involved and she wasn't going to let him think he got away with it.

Although she would love to, and could stand in that doorway for hours making everyone feel both uncomfortable and uncomfortably guilty, her leg began cramping, forcing her to hobble into the foyer and greet everyone properly, "You all suck, by the way." Was all she said as she captured a few people in a gentle embrace, Maddie being the first.

Then came Naiara's worst fear in her current state, Ravi turned away from the small crowd and made his way to Naiara's speaker system, blasting whatever crappy playlist he had come up with. It wasn't a standard "welcome home for the hospital after you almost got crushed to death" party, it was a party party.

Everyone erupted into shouts of joy as they moved into the kitchen and living room to start partying, Buck wandering to the kitchen counter where many bottles of liquor were sitting. Naiara instinctively checked the watch on her wrist: 10:30 am.

Naiara was used to day drinking, it was kind of a thing at her old station, but this kind of shocked her, since it was not a thing at the 118. Despite this shock, Naiara didn't complain, since she had just spent a week recovering from yet another near death experience, she was well prepared to get absolutely shit-faced.

The party went off without a hitch, and after about five shots, Naiara became couch-ridden, melting into the cushions and observing her friends, all while cradling a bottle of whiskey.

She had been with the 118 for a little over a year now, so she knew a lot about them, but she has never observed them in this way before; drunk, that is. She slowly began to piece together small stereotypes about most of them, specifically about the types of drunks they are.

Chimney is a crying drunk, currently on the verge of tears because he's so in love with Maddie.

Maddie is a happy drunk, like really happy. So happy that she comes over to you every five minutes and tells you she's really happy.

Hen is a sassy drunk, constantly correcting you about absolutely nothing and overall just being a diva.

Eddie is a diva. He's normally sassy when he's sober, but when he's drunk it's a whole other story.

Ravi is an affectionate drunk, hugging every person he sees and actively curled up beside Naiara ranting about absolute nothings while she observes.

Karen is a 'white-girl wasted' drunk, the type of girl that would tell you to not call your ex when you're asking for club bathroom advice.

Bobby isn't drunk, for obvious reasons, actively trying to calm Chimney down, making sure he doesn't start sobbing.

Athena is a crazy drunk, all Naiara can think about is how it's a really good thing that she's not armed right now.

Naiara was already aware of the types of drunks that her old friend group was, Theo the same type of drunk as Eddie and Hen, Dustin the same as Karen, Tess the same as Chimney. Will, however, was a blackout kinda guy, Naiara knew for a fact that there was no way he was going to remember anything past the party starting. And Nora. Nora was a vulgar drunk, a horny drunk, a crazed sex addict drunk. There was one time Naiara can recall of their whole group getting wasted at the now-wasted dorm, where the two of them had a steamy five minute make-out sesh.

Then there was Buck and Naiara. Naiara was a quiet drunk, the type to stand in a corner getting drunker and drunker until she turns into a loud drunk, a 'white-girl wasted' drunk. And Buck. Buck was an 'all of the above' drunk, he cycled through them with every shot. One moment he was a happy drunk, the next he's on the verge of tears cause he never got a goldfish as a kid. You never knew what you were getting with drunk Buck.

But Naiara could no longer worry about the drunken stereotypes of her friends as Ravi began to worm his way onto Naiara's lap. "Hey, Nai." His voice was drawn, exaggerating both words.

Naiara looked down at him and tilted her head, "Dude, you're on me." She pointed out, as if it weren't painfully obvious. He smiled sweetly and nodded.

"Wanna know a secret?" He asked. Naiara shrugged and leaned her head down a small bit to hear him. "I'm really drunk." He whispered, reaching his hand up to promptly boop Naiara with his palm.

She smiled and nodded, leaning back onto the couch and wrapping her arms around the bottle of whiskey again, holding it as if someone where going to take it from her.

She brought the bottle to her lips, still cradling it, and now wishing she had a straw, before finally taking hold of it properly and taking another swig. "Do you wanna know a secret, Ravi?" She asked, not looking down at him. She felt his head rapidly nod on her lap.

"I'm drunk too."

𝗡𝗔𝗜𝗔𝗥𝗔 𝗧𝗢𝗢𝗞 𝗛𝗘𝗥 foot off the break pedal with a pained exhale. It was a slow process, adjusting back to life as it once was, but the world doesn't slow down for everyone, not even a troubled firefighter. Things were normal. Different, but normal. She wasn't back at work, but Naiara was making the steps, or hobbled steps towards it. She was now in physiotherapy, having completely displaced her hip, shattered one of her kneecaps, and fractured an ankle in her accident.

The PT was hard, and painful, but Naiara wasn't one to dwell. She pushed through, she endured, but she would never dwell on her pain. Her physiotherapist had given her a new task for the month: start driving again. She didn't want to. At least not in a stupid rental, or a stupid new cheap boring car. Naiara wanted her car. Her beautiful, gorgeous, stunning dark green Jeep wrangler. When it comes to that Jeep, Naiara is a dweller.

Somehow, the constant pressure Naiara's foot had to face for the drive didn't hurt as much as getting out of the shitty rental car had. While no longer having to use a sling, her mobility was still limited, hence the PT. She closed the door of the car with a grunt and a groan for extra measures. Despite not dwelling, Naiara was fed up with her injuries.

She took a deep breath and began hobbling her way into the fire station, the only place that she believed could fully bring her comfort. Her eyes scanned the interior as she walked through the open garage doors. She heard her friends before she saw them, Buck's loud laugh echoing from upstairs. Upstairs. Naiara internally groaned and hobbled to the bottom of the stairs before painstakingly dragging her self up each step.

Her pain paid off as she gripped the top of the railing and dragged herself up into the barn. She grunted again, her voice lower than before, trying to make her pain non-noticeable to the rest of her team.

The group was gathered at the dining table, as they usually were, laughing and eating what looked to be Bobby's homemade lasagna (one of Naiara's personal favourites). They didn't notice Naiara limping up towards them, at least not until her leg cramped and sent her reaching for the railing, groaning in pain.

Each of their heads shot towards her and as if on command, her hand shot up as if telling them she's okay. "Nai-" Eddie began, but Naiara quickly shot him down, waving her hand, signaling again that she was, in fact, okay.

"I'm good, just a cramp." She sighed, pushing herself off the railing. "Just a cramp." She whispered to herself, limping her way over to the table and taking a spot at the head.

Eddie sent a questioning glance her way, asking her why she was there with just his eyes. Buck sent the same glance her way, everyone else just looked happy to see her and see that she was doing okay. Bobby, however, looked disappointed.

"Nai? You should be at home, resting." He gave her the trademark 'disappointed dad' glance, one that she knew all too well, this one, however, was a bit softer.

She shrugged, "I am too restless for resting, Cap, this should not come as a surprise to you." She took a glance at all of her friends, each of their expressions showing how not shocked all of them were.

"Genuinely, Naiara, go-" Bobby began, attempting to lecture her before being rudely interrupted by yelling from down below them.

"I couldn't give half of a fuck, Leon. I want her out of that house." A slightly accented female voice rang out the garage doors, the shouting sending a cold chill down Naiara's spine.

"Calm down, cariño. We'll talk to her, she will listen." A more accented male voice sounded, causing Naiara to drop her head down onto the table sighing a quiet 'fuck' to herself.

"That little bitch never listens, not once and that will not change today." The female voice lowered before raising at least twenty decibels, "Naiara Eleanor Dominic Gallagher, get down here!"

All eyes shot to Naiara, face down on the table repeating 'fuck' over and over and over again.

"Your middle names are Eleanor and Dominic?" Ravi asked, a shit eating grin on his face. Her head lifted, her hair falling into her face, barely concealing her glare.

"It was almost Mario." She groaned, pushing herself up from the table and trying to make it downstairs as fast as she could before Ravi made more jokes or her mother started screaming again.

Kateri Gallagher is a beautiful woman; tan skin, long, black hair, dressed in clothes that you would see the average middle aged woman in, but accessorized with handmade, traditional jewelry made by women from the reservation she grew up on. Similar jewelry hung from Naiara's wrists, neck, and earlobes.

The two women were similar in many ways; they both had the same hair, the younger woman's being significantly shorter, but it was the same in any other way. They had the same eyes, the emotions hidden behind them different from each other: anger behind the elder, pain behind the younger. Their similarities stretched further, but neither wanted to admit it.

Kateri carried a heavy amount of resentment for her daughter, she saw herself in her, and Kateri hated Naiara for it. She never wanted a daughter and it doesn't take a detective to see that fact. That was the reason Theo was the favourite child, at least that's what Naiara believed.

Naiara limped over towards her angered, duffle-bag weilding parents. The second she was in view, Kateri made a show of throwing each of the four duffle-bags onto the ground, snatching two from Leon, who closed his eyes and sighed.

Leon Gallagher is a sympathetic man; he always wished to see the best in people, even going as far as to turn a blind eye to the neglect of his daughter, claiming his wife just meant the best for Naiara.

He was quite similar to his daughter, their eyes carried the same resentment for Kateri, the only difference being that Naiara left when she could, Leon got himself stuck. He never wanted Naiara to leave, only wanted what was best, but with his wife in his way, and his tendency to play devils advocate, she never got what was best.

"You've been staying in our house? Our fucking house, Naiara?" Kateri shouted. "You come back to L.A, don't say a fucking to your parents and the you stay in our house?"

Naiara bit her tongue, pulling herself back from stating that the house wasn't theirs, it was her brothers, and she owed them nothing.

"You're out. The locks are being changed. If you step foot in that house again, I swear to God, girl, you're dead." Kateri pointed an angry finger at her.

Naiara continued her silence, trying her hardest not to front the pain that had been gradually building in her hip and knee, and before she knew it, her mother was storming out of the firehouse, dragging her father with her as he attempted an apology.

Once they were out of sight, she released a breath. She knew for a fact her team was watching her, all of them prompting leaning on the balcony, calculating exactly how they should help her in this new predicament. However, she refused to let them ask the dreaded question. For the rest of the day, Naiara was avoiding all 'are you okay?'s, and nobody would break her front.

She leaned over with a groan and awkwardly grabbed all of the duffle bags, then limped out to the awful rental car, pressing the button on the trunk and throwing the bags inside. She didn't even think about her next decision, just limped to the front and got in the drivers seat, dropping her head onto the wheel and once again, groaning.