This shift has been mostly EMS. We haven't gone out on a call, and my shift ends in less than 2 hours.

"We haven't gotten one call." I groan.

"Why's that a bad thing?" Trav asks, popping a piece of brownie into his mouth.

"Because, I want to get back out there! The shift ends in two hours, and we haven't gotten a single call all day."

"Well, I think you're the only one complaining." Miles says, walking towards us.

"I want a call." I groan.

"You're the only one." Trav says, sitting down next to me.

"Yeah? Well you try being out for three months with a broken leg."

"Honestly, with-" Trav starts, but the alarm goes off.

"Yes!" I shout as we run towards the truck.

"You're happy that there's an emergency?" Miles asks.

"Yeah, I'm tired of being stuck in the station all day." I reply as I pull myself into the truck.

****

"A cat is stuck in a tree?" I ask. "Come on! Why is no building on fire today?!" I exclaim.

"Careful what you wish for." Cap says from the front.

We arrive on the scene. A woman rushes up to us as we get out of the truck.

"Oh, thank god you're here." she exclaims. "She went up the tree, and won't come down."

"Where is your cat ma'am?" Cap asks her.

"She's here." The woman replies, leading us to the yard. It's empty land with an apple tree in the middle. "Her name's Ellen , and she's a gray tabby."

"I got this Cap." I tell Cap.

"You sure Strand?" He asks.

"I think she might burst if she doesn't." Trav says.

"Shut up, Montgomery." I say to Travis. I turn to Cap. "Cap, I'm the only one here with any form of training with animals." I spent a year working in a vet's clinic in high school for my volunteering credits, which I ended up not needing to become a firefighter.

"Alright Strand, get up there." Cap says.

I nod and smile. Grabbing the first branch, I climb the tree.

"Hey Ellen." I say gently to the gray tabby. She hisses at me as I climb along the branch, slowly inching towards her. I stop a few feet from her, sitting on the branch. "This is a nice view." I say.

I can see the mountains far away. The sun's going to set soon, maybe in an hour or so.

"What's happening up there?" Cap's voice comes through the radio.

"She's very jittery, Cap." I reply.

"Get her down, quick."

"Copy, Cap."

I inch closer, talking softly to her.

"Hey girl. Come on, your owner is very worried." I say. I hear like ten other meows. I look down, and see five other cats. "You've got to be kidding me." I mutter to myself. I turn back to Ellen.

She looks down, then at the house, and hisses.

"Cap, ask the lady how many cats she has." I say through the radio.

A few moments later, Cap replies, "seven, the other one's inside."

"Cap, how many of those cats are females?"

Silence, then, "Just Ellen."

"Are those cats mean?" I ask Ellen. She hisses again, inching back.

That's when I see it. She's trying to protect her abdomen. I'm so stupid!

"Can I check you out?" I ask Ellen.

Look at me, talking to a cat. I inch closer. I think she trusts me now. She's not moving away from me, and she isn't hissing either, which are both good signs. I feel around her belly, and her nipples to find them swollen.

Usually, when a cat is pregnant, she becomes hella lot more territorial.

"Put the owner on the line Cap." I say.

"Okay, hold on, she's coming out with some juice."

"Copy."

I watch as the woman walks out with cups containing what is probably apple juice. She's holding her head. She sets the platter down as Cap hands her his radio.

"Hi." her voice says. "Is Ellen okay?"

"Ma'am, Ellen is perfectly fine. In fact, she's pregnant."

"What! Ellen is pregnant!"

"Yes ma'am." I say. "Congratulations."

"Oh! Ellen, honey, I'm so sorry I didn't take you for your monthly check ups. You must have been feeling terrible!" The woman says.

Ellen walks closer to me when she hears her owner's voice.

"Ma'am, please keep talking to her." I say.

"Ellen, I'll give you the bedroom on the bottom floor, and you can live in peace. I know the boys bother you. I love you Ellen."

Ellen walks up to me. I grab her and make my way down the tree. Yes, down the tree, not the ladder. I can climb a tree with just one hand and two feet. I'm that awesome.

When I touch the ground, I hand the woman her cat.

"Good luck with your pregnancy girl." I say.

The woman moans lightly.

"Are you okay Ma'am?" I ask as the woman holds her head.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine."

But she doesn't look fine.

"Ma'am, can I take a look at you?" I ask.

I have her sit on the ground. I pull out my flashlight from my fire jacket and shine the light in her eyes. She looks fine.

"My head." the woman says. "It's like I'm having a migraine."

"Have you had migraines before ma'am?" I ask.

She shakes her head no.

I look up at Cap who shrugs.

"Just stay seated ma'am, I'm sure it'll pass." I say as I stand up.

That's when she vomits.

"Woah!" Cap exclaims.

"Vomiting, headaches, migraines-" I think aloud. I look up at Cap. "Cap, there's got to be a methane leak in the house." I say.

"What?"

"Methane inhalation causes vomiting and headaches, which may seem like a migraine. She must have inhaled it. Ellen must have sensed the methane, and ran up the tree to keep her babies safe."

"Ma'am, do you have any flammable things turned on?" Cap asks the woman.

"Yes, I left the stove on. I'm boiling water." The woman replies. "Oh my god! Peety, he's in there."

"Shit. Cap, get the hose ready." I say as I run into the house.

I can hear Cap shouting behind me to stop, but a cat's stuck in a house with a methane leak and an open flame!

"Dispatch, I need an RA Unit and a HAZMAT team at 315 Aspen Drive." Cap says into the open radio line. "There's a possible methane leak in the building."

I can practically feel the pressure building up in the house.

"Peety." I shout. My head starts hurting, and I feel a bit nauseated. "Come on Peety." I say, walking around the house.

"Lia, you need to get out. The house can blow at any moment."
"I know Cap, I can't find the damn cat." I say.

"You have less than thirty seconds, and you're coming out." Cap orders.

"Copy." I reply. "Peety, come on Peety, we have to get out."

"He's usually in the pantry, at the back of the house." I hear the owner say through the radio line.

"Lia-"
"Heard her Cap." I say, rushing to the back of the house quickly.

"Liara, you have ten seconds."

I swing a door at the end of the hallway and find a cat curled up at the foot of the closet.

"Got him Cap, I'm coming out back." I say.

"Okay."

Grabbing Peety, I duck out the back door just in time. I manage to get a few feet before the methane ignites behind me and the house blows.

"Hose it down." Cap's yelling.

Water sprays at the house as I walk up front. A paramedic from the 129 runs to the back towards me. Peety jumps out of my arms.

"How are you feeling?" the paramedic asks.

"I'm fine." I reply as we both walk to the front. But the paramedic keeps fussing over me.

"You good Lia?" Cap asks.

"Perfect Cap."

The paramedic opens his mouth to object, but Cap nods for him to leave. The paramedic nods back and walks away.

"You've got to stop running into burning buildings." Cap says.

"It's my job, Cap." I reply with a shrug.

The owner is being loaded onto an ambulance. She had passed out from the methane, but she's stable.

***

"Well, you saved all the cats." Miles says.

"Yeah, we'll call you Cat Saver instead of Phoenix." Trav jokes.

"Haha, very funny." I roll my eyes.

We pull into the station. The ambulance is already there, so TK, Tara, and Blake are back. I haven't seen Blake all day, because EMS was out on calls from the beginning of the shift.

The shift ends in about an hour or so.

"Hey!" TK and Tara greet us.

"Hey! Finally, you're back in the house." I say, rushing over to hug TK.

Everyone's talking when my phone vibrates in my pocket. I pull it out to see a message from Blake.

Hey. Meet me in the sleeping quarters. I need to see my Girlfriend.

I smile as I read it.

"I'm gonna go get a nap in before the shift ends." I say.

"K," TK says.

I just smile and walk towards the sleeping quarters.

"Hey." Blake says as I walk in.

"Hey." I walk up to him, and wrap my arms around his neck. I give him a quick peck on the lips.

"That's all I get for waiting?" He asks.

"You take what your girlfriend gives you." I say, smiling.

"Oh? You're my girlfriend now?"

"I'm not?" I ask him. "Then what am I doing here?"

"Will you be my girlfriend?" He asks.

I smile. "Only if you'll be my boyfriend?"

"Yes."

"Then definitely."

"Good, cause I can't wait," he says.

He kisses me. My heart is hammering in my chest, and my face is burning hot. I push him against the wall, trying to get closer to him. His hand is in my hair, holding me still, as the other unbuttons my uniform. I unbutton his shirt too. I would love to rip it open, but it's his Paramedic Uniform, so I don't think that's going to work out well without buttons(unless I want every patient he saves to stare at him). I'm on the third or fourth button when TK walks in behind us.

"Hey, Li, can I borrow-" he starts.

By the time his voice registers in my head, it's a bit too late. I scramble away from Blake, turning around.
"TK-" I say, scrambling to button the buttons that Blake had undid on my uniform.

"What the hell." TK says, walking towards us.

Shit. He looks pissed.

"Cap-" Blake starts.

TK turns to him, glaring.

Oh, come on! He had to talk?

"What was going on here?" TK asks.

"TK-"

But I don't get to finish. TK takes a step closer and punches Blake in the face.

"TK!" I shout. TK starts punching Blake, and I try to stop him, only to fail.

"You son of a bitch!" TK is shouting. "I bring you onto my team, and you hook up with my sister."

"TK, stop it!" I shout, trying to pull him off of Blake.

Everyone else rushes into the sleeping quarters due to the commotion. I manage to wedge myself in between TK and Blake(luckily I'm tiny). Putting my hands on TK's chest, I shove hard. He staggers backwards.

"What the hell TK!" I shout, rushing over to Blake and kneeling in front of him. His lip is split, and his face bruised. He winces and hisses as I touch his cheek.

"He was kissing you." TK says.

I whip around.

"I was kissing him too, dumbass!" I shout. "Plus, why the heck do you care?"

"You're my sister, and he was kissing you!" he exclaims.

"I'm not your sister." I say.

"What?" He's confused. Good, because I was confused when I found out too.

"I'm not your sister, and you know it!" I shout.

"Lia, what are you talki-"

"Don't give me that crap!" I shout. "We may be born from the same mother TK, but we have different fathers. Being born from the same mother means nothing."

"Lia, you're my sis-"

I walk up to him, putting a finger on his chest.

"I'm not your sister, and I never will be." I say.

He looks so hurt, like I slapped, or stabbed him. But I'm angry. I'm pissed. He deserves to feel the same pain I feel.

With that, I walk out, pushing past the rest of the team who was watching us as if we were some form of entertainment.

Grabbing my bag and keys from the locker room, I walk out of the firehouse and into the night. It's 9:43. My shift ends at 10, but honestly, I don't give a crap about my shift anymore. They can deal with one less firefighter for the next seventeen minutes.

I walk to my car. Putting my bag in the passenger seat, and get in. Taking a deep breath, I calm myself before turning my car on and driving to the one and only place I can think alone.

****

Parking my car at the edge of the highway. I leave everything in my car except for my car keys. I walk through the woods, taking the detour off the trail at the tree with the green cloth I had tied. It takes me less than five minutes. I reach the clearing, then I'm met with the lake. I sit down at the edge of the water. Pulling my knees to my chest, I stare out into the water.

I close my eyes as a cool breeze passes through. The wind on my face makes me forget everything, and I sit like that, eyes closed, face up towards the dark, twinkling sky.

I'm calmer now. It feels good to have gotten that off my chest, for the truth to be out there, in the open. But the weight of my words hits me now. I hurt him. I hurt TK, when all he's shown me was love, since the day I was born.

So, thoughts? Let me know! What do you think will happen next? Lia finally told TK that she knows, but what will happen now?

I'M SO HAPYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

okay, I'm good(not).

Anywhooooooooooooo, 10 more reads for the next extra chapter! So, if you want more frequent updates, share the book with people my dear readers!!!!! Love you all so much!