When you slide down the firepole, you can't hold on to it too tightly, because if you do, you'll be stuck, and you'll just hang there, suspended in mid-air. But, if you don't hold on tight enough, you end up falling instead of sliding down the pole.

From the time I could walk, I knew I wanted to be a firefighter. Being around Station 126, I was always around fire engines, firepoles, and firefighters. My dad was the captain of the 126, and my brother was a firefighter, then a paramedic in the same station.

The members of the 126 are either retired or transferred to another team. Now, a new 126 replaces them.

The old members of the team were my dad, Robert Strand, as captain, Jed Ryder(second in command/lieutenant), Mahasin Marwani, Paul Hemmings, and Mateo Sanchez. My brother was a part of the firefighters, but he switched onto the EMS, and became a paramedic. The paramedic team was Tommy Vega as Captain, TK Strand(my brother), and Nancy Winstow.

The new team consists of Nash Wells as Captain, Liara Gwenyth Strand(me as second in command/lieutenant), Matthew Bishop, Miles Wayland, and Travis Montgomery. The current paramedic team is TK Strand as Captain, Blake Wilson, and Tara Sinaroy.

Station 126 is my second home, with my second family, the family I chose to be a part of.

****

I walk into the firehouse.

"Hey Lia." Tara pops out and greets me.

"T!" I exclaim, hugging her.

Tara is a really good friend of mine. I've known her from when we were probies together, which was about four years ago. I'm 25 and have been in the Austin FD for four years. TK started when he was 21, and so did I. Except, TK started in the NYFD, not the Austin FD.

I was born in New York, but brought up in Austin, so it makes sense that I get a job here as well. Tara and I joined the team, then Matthew joined. Since Matt joined, Tara has had a crush on Matt. But, Matt is currently dating a doctor, Hailey Monroe. After Matt, Miles came onboard. About a year ago, Travis switched over from the 114. I've known Travis from Fire Training, and we were really good friends ever since.

"I missed you so much!" I say to Tara.

"Me too."

Tara had gone to California to visit her sister, brother-in-law, and her new niece. She has two siblings, both older than her. Her sister, Eva, is a biologist, and her brother, Arjay, is a cop in the Austin PD. After getting married, her sister moved to California with her husband.

"So, how's your niece?" I ask.

"She is adorable!" Tara says, pulling out her phone to show me a picture.

"Awww!" I say. The baby is so adorable. I mean, I love babies, so I'm biased. But still, who doesn't like babies?

"Lia looked just like that when she was a baby." a voice says behind me.

I turn around to see TK.

"Hey TK." I greet him.

"Morning." He walks up to me and gives me a side hug.

"Morning Cap." Tara says.

"Tara, how are you?"

"Good Cap."

TK nods before turning to me. "How's Dad?"

"He's fine, still complaining about losing his hair though."

TK laughs. "Of course he is."

"That man loves his hair more than his own children." I joke.

TK laughs. "That he does."

"Hey, who's making breakfast?" Blake walks up to us.

I roll my eyes. This stupid guy. He's the one person I hate. He transferred from the LAFD two years ago, and he managed to get on my nerves the minute he stepped into the Station.

"Make your own breakfast." I say.

"Why don't you." he shoots back.

"What is this, third grade?" I ask.

"I don't know, are you sure you passed second grade?"

"What type of comeback is that?" I ask, crossing my hands across my chest.

"The type your first-grade mind won't understand."

I open my mouth to point out that I can't be in first and second grade at the same time, but Captain Wells walks in.

"You two never stop bickering, do you," Cap says.

"Hey Cap." I say. "Morning."

"Liara." he nods in acknowledgement before he walks into the kitchen.

"Well, I could use some breakfast right about now." Tara says.
"I could use a coffee." I say. "An idiot just ruined my morning before I had my morning coffee." I add, glaring at Blake.

"Alright you two, cut it out." TK says before Blake can say anything. "Blake, I need you to do inventory."

"On it Cap." Blake says before rushing off.

When he leaves, TK turns to me.

"You really need to play nice."

"Tell your guy that." I say. "I play nice."

TK sighs, shaking his head. "You're just like mom," he says. "Stubborn as hell."

I stick my tongue out at him before walking into the kitchen with Tara.

****

As I'm making myself a coffee, the alarm goes off. My head is pounding, but I run out and gear up. I'm the last one onto the truck.

"What is it Cap?" I ask, since you can barely hear anything Dispatch says over the blaring alarms.

"Car accident. There's a driver and two passengers in the back." Cap replies as we pull out of the station.

"That's easy enough." I say.

"For us maybe, but for the driver and passengers, not so much."

****

We arrive on scene. A cab is turned over.

"Captain Wells." Officer Grant, who is also our friend, Athena, walks up to us.

Athena is divorced with a daughter, May Grant.

"Athena." Cap says.

"There's a driver, Jack and two passengers, Anne and Henry."

"Are they conscious?"

"Seems that way."

"Okay. Miles, get the Jaws of Life. Lia, you're going in once we get the windshield off." Cap says.

"Copy Cap." Miles and I say.

Miles runs to the engine to get the Jaws of Life. He comes back, and the boys start taking the windshield off.

"Cap, gasoline is dripping out." I say, pointing to the growing puddle.

"Well, we work faster." Cap says.

I look up to see a power line cut.

"There's also a snapped power line." I say, but he must not have heard me.

"Come on boys, take it away." Cap says. He turns to me as Trav and Miles haul the windshield away. "Lia, you're up." he says.

I nod and get into the car.

"Sir, are you okay?" I ask the driver.

"Yeah, yeah. I can feel something wet on my leg though." he says.

I try unbuckling his seat belt, but it's stuck.

"Okay, the medics will take a look at your leg, but I have to cut you out, okay?" I ask. The man nods. I turn to the passengers as I cut the driver's belt off. "How are you guys? Does anything hurt?" I ask.

"My leg, I think it's broken, and it hurts to breathe," the woman, Anne, answers. The young boy just clutches to her.

"I'll get you two out soon." I say.

I finish cutting the driver out of the belt. I get him out and hand him over to EMS.

I crawl back into the car.

"Ma'am, you need to come out first." I say to Anne.

"My son." she says.

"You need to come out first, you could have broken your ribs. I'll get your son out right after you come out." I say.

"Okay, okay." Anne nods before turning to her son. "Stay strong, Henry. Mommy loves you."

Anne kisses her son's forehead before reaching out to take my hand. I pull her to the front and help her out of the car. TK, Tara, and Blake are ready for her. I'm about to go back in when Cap pulls me back.

"You can't go in." Cap says.

"The kid's still in there, Cap."

"The wire's about to fall any second, and it's live." he points to the live wire that I saw cut.

"I can get him out, Cap."

"Liara, you're staying here, that's an order." he says.

I nod, and he leaves to get the area cleared. The moment he leaves, I dive back into the car.

"Cap, Lia's going back in!" I hear Miles yell. Ugh! Curse him!

"Strand! Get out!" Cap yells.

"I almost got him, Cap." I say, reaching towards Henry. "Henry, come on, we need to get out, now." I say, stretching my hand out. Henry shakes his head and leans further away from me.

"Liara, get out, now!" Cap's yelling.

"Lia, get out!" TK joins him. Shit!

"Cap, put Anne on the radio." I say.

Silence. A few moments later, Anne's voice comes through the radio.

"Henry, Baby, listen to me. The nice woman is trying to help you. Take her hand." Anne says.

"Mommy." Henry says.

"Yes baby, it's Mommy. Take the nice lady's hand. She's trying to help."

"Come on, Henry, come on." I say, leaning closer.

"Lia, get out, the wire's hanging by a thread." Cap says.

I ignore him.

"Henry, you want to see your Mommy, right?" I ask. Henry nods. "Take my hand just like Mommy did." I coax, leaning towards him. He outstretches his hand to me. I grab him and pull him to me. Clutching him tightly to my chest, I roll out of the car.

Just a few moments later, the wire falls right into the puddle of gasoline, and it blows. TK and the team rushes up to us.

I hand Henry over to Tara as TK fusses over me.

****

"I swear to god, you will be the end of me, Liara," Cap says on our way back. "I told you to stay put! That was so reckless! You could have gotten hurt, or even worse, killed."

"I know, but he was a little kid, Cap." I say. "Plus, I'm fine. I just got a couple cuts and bruises."

Cap shakes his head.

"I swear, next time you disobey an order, you're gonna get a lot worse than a few cuts and bruises." he says.

I smile. I get this speech every time.

"Copy that, Cap."

Hey readers! So this is the first chapter of this book. I really hope you guys like it! Please let me know your thoughts in the comments!

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