11K words . . . that's more like it!

While everyone starts to go insane in New York, things in Austin become more insane. Judd, Marjan, and Paul rush to save a bonding Paul and Lindsey, the squad team reunites for a call that goes downhill way too fast, Owen's patient doesn't stay put for long, and Matt . . . well, he frees himself eventually.

***

A knock on her door made Olivia Benson look up from her paperwork, and she frowned as she took off her readers. "Come in!"

The door opened, and her loyal 2IC poked his head into her office. "Detective Stabler and ADA Price, Captain," Fin Tutuola reported.

Olivia blinked. "Let 'em in."

Fin nodded and stepped back, holding the door open as he did. Elliot Stabler swept into the room with Nolan Price on his heels, both men with similar worry on their faces. "Anything I can help with?" Fin asked in concern, looking between the two men.

"No, I don't think so, Fin," Elliot shook his head. "Thank you, though."

"No problem," Fin nodded. "We're right outside if you need us."

The door shut behind him, and Olivia looked between the pair. "What's happened?"

"We're in the dark," Nolan shrugged as he sat, unbuttoning his suit jacket as he did. "The last messages I got from Austin were the ones discussing Owen's new motivational quote."

Elliot snorted. "I used that one on Ayanna and Jet earlier."

Olivia smirked. "And how did that go?"

"Jet looked at me like I had a few screws loose. Ayanna rolled her eyes."

Nolan snickered. "Maybe we should save that for when we get hit."

"Probably a good idea," Elliot agreed.

Olivia nodded, sighing heavily and looking at her phone. "So we're out of touch with Austin now?"

"I think so," Nolan nodded. "I've tried getting ahold of Sylvie, just to see how everything's going, and everything says sent, but not read."

"Damn it," Olivia seethed, rubbing her forehead. "We're not gonna know anything until the storm blows over."

"Owen, Tyler, and Sylvie all transferred from cities with lots of snow experience," Elliot reminded her. "And so did Casey and Severide. They'll make it through this just fine."

"It's not them I'm worried about," Olivia shook her head. "The further south the States go, the worse they handle any kind of snowfall."

"And Texas is getting slammed," Nolan agreed. "They're five people out of . . . how many live in Austin?"

"A lot," Olivia deadpanned.

Elliot groaned and leaned his head back, staring at the ceiling. "I hate this."

Nolan snorted. "We're all gonna be splitting a bottle of really good alcohol tonight, aren't we?"

Olivia gave a dry smile as she checked her calendar. "I'm in for that."

"Yeah," Elliot sighed. "Me, too."

"Great," Nolan nodded as he stood. "That's more motivation for me to wrap up this case."

Elliot grinned. "Cosgrove being a pain in the ass?"

Nolan rolled his eyes as he opened the door to Olivia's office. "Who thought partnering him with Bernard was a good idea?" he griped as he left.

Olivia shook her head in amusement. "He kind of has a point."

"Frank's a good cop," Elliot told Olivia with a smile as he, too, stood from his seat. "Stubborn as hell, but a good one. He just needs to get used to the way the 2-7 runs."

"Dixon vouches for him," Olivia nodded. "And she runs the best homicide squad in the city."

"Exactly," Elliot nodded. "She knows what she's doing."

"Yeah," Olivia sighed. "We just need to worry about our EADA wanting to throttle one of his homicide detectives."

Elliot laughed as he walked to the door. "Record that for me if it happens!"

"Like you wouldn't be right there watching it go down!" Olivia retorted.

Elliot's laughter followed him out the door. "You know me so well, Liv!"

***

Buttercup pranced around Owen's feet, whining as he watched Owen lay the victim on the floor of his cabin. "Stay with me, man," Owen said, pulling out his phone to dial. "You just keep breathing." His phone beeped uselessly, and he huffed. "Damn it."

A knock on the door made him turn, and Sadie smiled as she stepped inside the cracked-open door. "I made hot toddies!" she announced, then froze in shock when she saw the victim lying on the blankets hastily laid on the floor. "But I see you already have company."

"Found him in the snow," Owen explained. "He's hypothermic."

Sadie hustled inside and placed her stuff on the table, pausing when she saw the side of his neck. "Owen, are you bleeding?" she asked in horror.

Owen blinked as he removed his coat, then reached up to check his neck. Sure enough, his fingers came away red, and he sighed, shaking his head. "No, that's not my blood," he said, leaning down to check the man.

Sadie cautiously approached, looking the man up and down. "Is he gonna be OK?"

Owen carefully peeled away the bandage he saw on the man's arm, and blood welled immediately from the wound. "The pressure's not working," he shook his head. He cut away the rest of the sleeve, and the blood started to freely gush, staining the blankets under him red. "Oh, boy," he winced. "Alright, it's not a bullet wound, but it looks like he was stabbed, hit a brachial artery." He looked up at a shocked Sadie. "OK, I need you to go over to the dresser and get me a clean pair of socks and a bottle of vodka."

"Yeah, sure," Sadie nodded, running for the dresser.

Owen opened the furnace and grabbed the poker to heat the end. "I'm gonna have to cauterize this wound. Come back and try to get him to open up his mouth, see if he'll bite down on the sock."

Sadie looked at the bottle she held. "Should I try and give him a drink first?"

Owen snorted. "No. The vodka's for us."

Sadie knelt by the man and gently tapped his cheek. "Sir? Sir? Sir?" His eyes opened sluggishly, and Sadie reached to place the sock between his teeth. "I need you to wake up. I need you to open your mouth."

"Que pasando?" the man mumbled.

"Somos amigos," Sadie answered. "Abre la boca. Abre la boca. Vamos a ayudarte."

The man opened his mouth, and just as Sadie put the sock between his teeth, he caught sight of the glowing-ended poker Owen removed from the furnace. "No, no, no, no!" he gasped, shaking his head side to side.

"Sorry, amigo," Owen apologized before placing the white-hot end of the poker against the wound.

Sizzling filled the air, and the man screamed around the sock as his body seized. Owen held him down with the other hand as he guided the poker along the wound to cauterize it. Sadie turned her head to avoid watching as the scent of burning flesh seeped into their nostrils, and Owen only took the poker away when the wound was sealed. "Well," she gulped, sitting back on her heels and opening the vodka. "That was awful."

Owen dropped the poker and looked over the man. "He's stabilized. He's lost a lot of blood. He's gonna need a hospital." He turned to Sadie, watching her take a large gulp of the vodka. "Do you have a landline at your place?"

"No," Sadie shook her head, handing him the bottle so he could drink. "No landline . . . but I do have the next best thing."

***

"Blizzard-like conditions continue to ravage Texas, making roads impassable, knocking out cell service and power across the state. And nowhere is the situation more dire than here at Providence Pasture Church, where I'm told that in addition to a young volunteer stuck inside, a firefighter was trapped during a rescue operation."

"You're going to drive yourself crazy if you keep watching those reels, Nolan."

The soft voice made Nolan tear his eyes away from the news playing on his spare monitor. His partner lingered in the door to his office, her hesitance clear as she made no move to step into his space. "Come on in, Sam," he beckoned her inside. "Might as well not go crazy alone."

Samantha Maroun walked into his office and placed her briefcase on the floor before taking the chair closest to him. "There's nothing any of us can do from way up here," she told him as the reel continued.

"I know," Nolan sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "That doesn't make this any easier."

Sam watched her coworker and boss as he fiddled with the papers on his desk . . . papers she knew he had already read because those were the same case files they had gone over earlier in the day. She had been promoted to homicide almost on the heels of Nolan's hiring, and privately she had wondered what Jack had been thinking when he paired her with his new EADA. If the time since then had taught her anything, however, it was that they were a good pair together, whether they were bouncing theories off each other for court or she was working to keep his head in the game when a situation like this arose. She knew Nolan had learned he still had a family member in his life, and she knew she had been one of the victims of the Los Angeles sniper. While she hadn't met Sylvie Brett, she knew enough about the paramedic that she knew Nolan would not sleep easy until the cell service was back in Austin and he could hear her reassure him that she, and her family, was safe.

Until then, she could do whatever she could to try and keep Nolan focused on their cases in Manhattan. He needed a friend who wasn't running around the city chasing God only knew who . . . and she didn't pity Peter Stone for having to be the one to keep an eye on Captain Benson. She also pitied whoever it was that would end up having to corral Detective Stabler. "Is there anything I can do?" she asked.

Nolan smiled at her sincerity. "You got time for a food break?"

Sam rolled her eyes. "I'll take a food break whenever I can."

Nolan laughed and shut his folders. "Alright, let's get out of – "

He broke off when he saw the news reel show the numbers painted on the side of the rigs, and Sam frowned. "Everything alright?"

Nolan narrowed his eyes. "I don't know," he answered, taking out his phone and tapping a message.

Counselor: Anyone remember which houses the 126 got spread out to?

Counselor: The paramedics are with Count Dracula

Counselor: Severide TK and Buck got stationed back at the 137

Counselor: But the firefighters?

Captain: I think they all returned to their positions when the dust storm hit

Captain: I remember Chavez was having a hard time at the 129

Captain: That got fixed though

Detective: And Ryder Marwani and Strickland are at the 122

Detective: Why?

Nolan swallowed hard as he returned the messages.

Counselor: The 122 and the 129 are the responders at a church collapse

Counselor: One of the firefighters got trapped during the rescue op

***

"Cap, we gotta get in there before USAR boys put a red tag on the whole building!" Judd barked as they reconvened in one of the tents.

"If they do, there's a good reason for it," Andrews sighed. "There has to be twenty thousand pounds of ice on that structure. Maybe we can get you some ladders and chainsaws, start removing the bigger pieces."

"With all due respect, sir, that would take a couple of days," Marjan fumed.

"That's better than the roof of Damocles crashing down on your heads right now," Tatum countered before turning away to answer his radio when it chirped. "Go for Captain Tatum."

"Marjan, you saw what happened the last time we went in," Andrews sighed. "We don't even know Paul or that girl's status, much less where they are in the pile."

"OK, well, hey, Cap!" Judd jogged after Andrews before pointing to where the Robertsons waited. "Hey, look . . . if we lose their little girl, I wanna be able to look 'em in the eye and say to 'em we did everything we could to save her, and right now, we cannot do that. However, if we go in there and we're quick and we tread lightly, we can take a look around before USAR shuts this whole scene down."

Andrews frowned in consideration, looking from a nodding Mateo to a fidgeting Marjan, and he finally nodded. "OK. But if they make the call, I want your word: you get your butts out of there right away."

"Yes!" Marjan nodded rapidly.

"Deal," Judd agreed, joining Marjan in running for their gear.

"Alright," Andrews sighed, looking like he had just signed their death warrants.

"129 just got another call," Tatum said as he joined Andrews. "Downed lines arcing on a sprinter van. OK if we leave the scene, Captain?"

Andrews nodded in confirmation. "Good luck."

Tatum patted his shoulder in return. "Alright, 129!" he barked, sending his men into motion. "Pack up your crap!" Mateo remained where he was, watching Judd and Marjan prep for their mission. "Chavez," Tatum frowned at him. "You got a wax build-up? Your house is on the move."

Mateo took a deep breath, then he held his head high and looked at Tatum. "129 may be my house . . . but Paul's my family. I have to help rescue him, sir."

Tatum gave him an appraising look. "You're a good kid, Chavez," he decided. "Not a bright kid, but a good one. All right if he joins your command, Captain?"

Andrews nodded. "We'd be glad to have him."

Mateo grinned and ran to join Judd and Marjan. "The 126 boys really are something, aren't they?" Tatum asked in amusement.

"It's not just the boys," Andrew chuckled, watching Marjan finish gearing up first. "Alright, 122, let's get in there!"

***

"9-1-1, what's your emergency?"

"There's a boy . . . there's a boy trapped under the ice!"

Maddie bit her lip and straightened in her seat, starting to type in her report. "OK, please try to stay calm for me, ma'am," she said. "What's your name?"

"It's Carol," the panicked woman answered.

"OK, Carol, my name is Maddie. I see you're at a residence at 226 West Briar, is that correct?"

"No. I mean, yes, I'm here, but only because I needed a landline. I tried to call from my cell, but – "

"Yes, the towers are out across the city," Maddie nodded, hearing the panic worsen as she pulled up maps of the area. "Can you tell me where the boy is?"

"A block away, in the pond off Mill Road."

Maddie typed in the location, and she nodded when she got a hit. "I can see the pond. You said the boy's under the ice? Do you know how long he's been under there?"

"No, my husband saw him open his eyes, but that was at least five minutes ago. We tried to break the ice, but it's too thick. You have to send somebody!"

Maddie quickly switched logs, searching through the available units, and she gulped. "Um . . . unfortunately, because of the weather, there are no available fire trucks within ten miles of that pond."

"Well, then, he's gonna die!" Carol sobbed.

Her monitor beeped at her, and as one of the units appeared on the grid, Maddie grinned in relief. "Well, to quote Game of Thrones . . . not today."

***

"Austin Squad 7. EMS 108. Child trapped, Mill Road."

***

"This is awesome!" Buck cheered from the back.

"There's a kid trapped under the ice!" TK protested from where he navigated their rig through the snow.

"Yeah . . . but Maddie sent Eddie and Sylvie with us!"

"I'll give you that," Kelly allowed as he squinted through the snow. "But let's save the cheery reunion until this boy is safe and sound, alright?"

"Copy," Buck nodded.

"Up ahead," Kelly pointed. "I think that's their car. Park us next to them."

"OK," TK nodded, carefully maneuvering to the side of the road.

Carol and her husband were waiting for them when they jumped from their seats. "He's out there!" the husband pointed to the lake. "I put my hat on the ice over where he is so you could find him."

Kelly used his hand to shield his eyes against the snow, and he nodded when he found where the hat was located. "Alright, until 108 gets here, it's just the three of us," he turned to Buck and TK. "Buck, I'd send you out there, but that kid's likely going to need medical help the moment we get him out. TK, you comfortable going out there?"

"Absolutely, Cap," TK confirmed. "This isn't my first ice rescue."

Kelly nodded in relief. "Then let's get to work."

***

The door to the cabin opened, and Owen hastily ran to help Sadie with the cardboard box she carried. "Here, let me grab that." Sadie gratefully handed the load to him, and Owen carried the box over to the table. "Alright, what you got in here?" Sadie opened the flaps, and he did a double take. "Oh, my God, look at that relic! When was the last time you used it?"

"Me?" Sadie laughed. "Never. No, that belongs to my ex. Some guys collect baseball cards, others build hot rods . . . Clyde was into ham radio. Sorry, I don't have the instructions."

"Oh, I'm sure we can figure it out," Owen shook his head as he lifted the radio out of the box and onto the table. "Assuming that it works."

"No, it does," Sadie assured him. "Or it did. Clyde's finest hour was raising some kook in Galveston on that thing." She peered into the box then pulled out a piece of paper. "Here, emergency frequencies."

Owen examined the list, then clicked the switch that turned the radio on. "Break emergency, break emergency," he said. "This is call sign . . . " He checked the radio, then continued. "5-K-M-C-G. repeat, call sign 5-K-M-C-G. requesting emergency assistance." He paused to listen for a response, then continued. "This is 5-K-M-C-G requesting medical assistance."

The radio crackled, then a response came. "Copy, 5-K-M-C-G. Contacting 9-1-1 via autopatch. Please remain on frequency."

Owen waited patiently, then heard another voice. "5-K-M-C-G, you've reached Kerrville 9-1-1 dispatch. State the nature of your emergency."

"This is Captain Owen Strand, AFD," Owen answered. "I am at 16 Polk Road on Mt. Tivy. I have an adult male suffering from hypothermia and a severe brachial puncture injury."

"Serious or critical?"

Owen frowned, looking over at the man. "I cauterized the wound. He's stable for now, but he needs medical assistance."

"Emergency response is jammed with the storm, Captain. We'll get someone up there as soon as we can."

Owen gave Sadie a shrug. "That's code for 'don't hold your breath.'" Sadie giggled, and Owen returned the call. "Roger that. I'll keep the channel open."

***

Judd nervously waited for any sign of shifting or crumbling as they opened their only available passage into the wreckage of the church. When everything held, he turned to the waiting firefighters. "Alright, we're gonna slide in. Everybody be smooth, everybody be very safe, and do not compromise this structure. Let's go!"

Marjan, who had been bouncing anxiously as they opened their path, was the first to scramble forward, dive in, and start crawling. "Paul!" she shouted when she emerged in the center of the wreckage, now back out in the open snow. "Paul!"

"Paul!" Mateo joined her in shouting as he swept his thermal camera around, hoping for any sign of their friend. "Paul!"

"Anyone see him?" Judd asked, raising his voice to be heard over the roar of the wind.

"Nah, man," Mateo shook his head. "It's just ice."

"Damn it," Judd huffed in annoyance. "I would have thought that we would have got a thermal signature of either him or the kid by now!"

"Are we even searching in the right direction?" Marjan threw her hands up in annoyance. "They could be anywhere in this mess by now!"

"Good point," Judd nodded. "You know what? I know somebody who's gonna give us a helping hand."

"Good," Marjan growled. "'Cause this is a mess!"

Mateo winced when Marjan kicked a slab of ice off a hunk of wood nearby. "Did that help?"

"Yes," she ground out.

" . . . did that hurt?"

"Also yes."

***

Further into the wreckage, debris from the roof shifted, and Paul panted for breath as he sat up. He looked around at the mass of metal and pipes around him, and he fumbled for his radio. "Strickland to IC, I'm in a void space," he reported. "Anybody copy?" No one answered, and Paul gulped. "Hello?"

Static was all he received, and Paul sighed, shoving the rest of the debris off his legs. He shifted onto his knees and turned on his flashlight. Either he was going to find a way out of this mess, or he was going to find Lindsey. He wouldn't object if he accomplished both, too.

He ignored metal creaking and groaning as his light bounced off the remains of the church, but a glimpse of snow-covered denim definitely didn't belong. "Lindsey?" Paul asked hopefully, carefully working through the debris to where the girl was lying under a wooden slab. "Oh, my God! Lindsey?" He pushed the slab off her, and the red-haired girl blinked her eyes open as he gently shook her. "Hey, hey," he smiled. "Lindsey."

Lindsey looked around, eyes suddenly wide. "What happened?" she whimpered.

"The roof collapsed," Paul answered. "Again. How you feeling? Does anything hurt?"

Lindsey licked her lips, appearing to give the question some thought. "I . . . I don't think so."

"OK, good," Paul nodded, noting the blood from scrapes on her face. "I'm Paul, I'm a firefighter." He clicked on his flashlight again and held up his hand. "Try to follow my finger with your eyes." Lindsey tracked his motion expertly, and Paul nodded. "Good, good . . . do you know where you are?"

"Providence," Lindsey answered, then continued. "Tuesday. Joe Biden."

Paul blinked, then chuckled. "You played this game before, huh?"

Lindsey gave a small smile and nodded. "Hey, how did you know my name? You called me Lindsey."

"Yeah, lady of the hour," Paul confirmed. "The reason me and my team came in."

"Really?" Lindsey did a double take. "I can't believe it."

Paul looked at her in disbelief. "Come on, a sixteen-year-old volunteering in a shelter? The world can't afford to lose kids like you."

"No, I . . . " Lindsey ducked her head bashfully. "I mean . . . I cant believe anyone noticed I was missing."

"Oh, yeah," Paul assured her. "We noticed. Now we just need my team to come get us out." He clicked on his radio. "122, Strickland here. I got Lindsey. Anybody copy?" No one answered again, and Paul sighed. "I think my radio got busted in the collapse. Cover your ears." Lindsey held her hands over her ears, and Paul cupped his hands around his mouth. "Mateo!" he bellowed. "Judd! Marjan! Can anybody hear me?"

Silence answered him, and Paul dropped his head in defeat. "Can I see it?" Lindsey asked hesitantly. "Your radio?"

Paul blinked, then looked down at his device. "Sure," he shrugged and slung it off his body, handing it over to Lindsey. "Pretty sure it's a brick, though."

He watched in surprise as Lindsey opened his radio with dexterous hands, her eyes intelligently scanning each part. "No," she shook her head. "I can fix this."

***

"So out of curiosity!" Buck shouted as he peered past Kelly, he and the squad captain holding onto TK's line as the dark-haired firefighter army crawled across the ice. "How many of these rescues have you done?"

"I did a bunch of these back in the day in Central Park!" TK shouted in reply. "This is no different!"

"How solid was the ice in Central Park?" Kelly called. "Is that different?"

TK looked over his shoulder. "We don't even know how solid this ice is, Cap!"

Kelly grimaced. "Valid point!"

"Hey, at least we beat the paramedics!" Buck looked over his shoulder to squint through the blowing snow. "They'd be using bedsheets and a laryngoscope for this!"

Kelly scowled at him. "And since there's two of them, they'd send the lightest person out there on the ice . . . also known as my girlfriend!"

"The other option is my boyfriend!" Buck countered.

"I see the kid!" TK's triumphant shout brought them back to the rescue, and Kelly turned to see TK carefully adjust to sit on his knees. "There's no hole. I'm gonna have to break through the ice!"

"Be careful, TK!" Kelly warned, adjusting his grip on the line. "How thick is the ice?"

"Thick enough to rest on!"

Kelly sighed, knowing several rescues in Chicago when they had thought the same thing. "You're on the clock!"

"Got it!" TK brought the ice pick up and down on the ice, chipping away at the block hovering above the boy's face. Once a small hole had formed, he hammered away at the ice surrounding it until it cracked open. "I'm through!" he called.

"Oh, thank God," Buck sighed in relief.

"It's not over yet," Kelly shook his head. "Hold tight."

TK ducked his head into the water to wrap the other life ring around the boy as he hefted him out of the water. "I've got him!"

An ominous crack covered TK's words, and Kelly balked. "Hang on!" he bellowed.

As the ice shattered underneath TK, plunging him and the kid back into the freezing water, Buck dug his heels into the earth and pulled with all his might, keeping Kelly from slipping. "TK!" he shouted.

"Kelly!" a faint voice called.

"Buck!" a second followed.

"TK's under the water!" Kelly yelled over his shoulder. "Grab on, pull him up!"

Sylvie darted between Kelly and Buck, grabbing the line available. Eddie grabbed the line behind Buck, and the extra pairs of hands allowed the squad firefighters to use all their strength without straining. TK's head appeared above the water first, followed by the kid's. "TK!" Buck called in relief.

"Stay there!" TK called hoarsely. "Pull us towards you!"

"You heard him!" Kelly gritted his teeth. "Hard as you can! C'mon!"

The four first responders steadily pulled TK and the boy back to the snowy ground, and as soon as TK scrambled onto the grass, Eddie dropped the line to lift the boy. "On the gurney!" Sylvie pointed.

Buck quickly pulled it over, and as Kelly helped lift the boy onto the stretcher, Eddie climbed on as well. "No pulse, no respiration!" he reported. "Starting compressions!"

"Does that mean he's dead?" Carol asked nervously.

"No, ma'am," Sylvie shook her head as she helped push the gurney. "He's not warm, so he's not dead. Alright, we'll rapid rewarm, and hopefully we'll get him back. Let's load him into the . . . "

She trailed off when they reached the top of the hill, and Kelly winced, seeing that while the squad rig had remained where TK had parked, the ambulance had slid down right into one of the trees. "Damn."

"That's typical," Eddie huffed, not stopping compressions.

"OK," Sylvie thought quickly. "Can you three stick around a little longer?"

"Whatever you need," Kelly nodded.

"Great, because I need help with Plan B. TK, radio dispatch, tell them we need a back-up rig and a tow truck."

"Copy," TK nodded, looking around for his radio.

"Eddie, get in there and get the portable ECMO machine," Sylvie pointed to the ambulance.

"Copy that!" Eddie nodded, carefully hopping off the gurney.

Sylvie took over compressions and looked at Carol. "And ma'am . . . please tell me your heater works!"

***

"Grace, we're trying to get to where we last saw Paul at the south wall, but we're slammed up against a bunch of debris about thirty yards from the alpha entrance," Judd said into his radio.

"OK, I'm looking at the building schematics now," Grace said. "I'm guessing you're somewhere on the basketball court?"

Marjan pulled away a tarp of some sort, and Judd brightened when he saw what was underneath. "Yeah! I see a hoop!"

"Damn," Mateo whistled. "Your lady's good."

"Why do you think I called her?" Judd smirked. "Alright, Gracie, how do you reckon we proceed to find Paul?"

"Uh, let's see . . . looks like your best bet is to double back through the alpha bravo wall. There's a lot of load-bearing beams. There's a good chance of air pockets for your team to make it through."

Judd nodded, beckoning for Mateo and Marjan to double around. "Good, good, good. Thank you, Dispatch!"

Before Grace could answer, static came over their radios. "Strickland to IC, anybody copy?"

"Paul!" Judd whooped.

"Paul, brother, is that you?" Mateo demanded.

"Yeah!" Paul answered, and Marjan laughed in delight. "Yeah, can you guys hear me?"

"Yeah, you idiot!" Marjan barked. "We read you!"

"Babe, you hear that?" Judd asked.

"I do hear that," Grace giggled.

"Paul, where are you?" Marjan looked around.

"Some sort of locker room," Paul answered.

Before Judd could ask, Grace was already answering. "Judd, the locker room, looks like it's twenty-five yards to your northeast, so at the junction of the bravo charlie wall."

"Thank you, Dispatch," Judd smiled. "Appreciate the assist."

"Any time, Firefighter Ryder," Grace answered warmly.

***

"Hang in there, bro. we're coming for ya."

Paul smiled at Mateo's words. "Hey, you do you. We'll be right here." He turned to Lindsey with a laugh of relief. "Lindsey, you saved the day!"

"What are you talking about?" she blinked.

"You fixed the radio!" Paul grinned. "That was clutch!"

Lindsey's cheeks flushed red, and Paul knew it wasn't from the cold. "I just fixed a loose ribbon cable. Nothing clutch about it."

"No, no," Paul shook his head. "Because of you, we – "

"Because of me, we're trapped here," Lindsey interrupted. "I should have gotten out with everyone else, but when the roof started coming down . . . I froze. It's all my fault."

Paul sighed and sat down next to Lindsey, putting his arm around her shoulders. "I think you're being a little hard on yourself."

"No," Lindsey shook her head, tears brimming in her eyes. "I always choke up under pressure. That's why I had to quit dressage and cello. I froze because it's what I do. And now because of me, we could literally freeze to death."

"Lindsey, they're on their way," Paul told her. "OK? Hey, hey, we're gonna be fine."

Metallic thuds echoed overhead, and Lindsey gulped, looking up above them. "What was that?"

Paul moved to grip her arm. "Stay close."

Lindsey shuffled to his side, then holes started bursting in the pipes above them. Sprays of water rained down on them, and Lindsey screamed in shock as the water hit them. "122!" Paul shouted into his radio. "122, the water pipes burst! We're getting soaked in here!"

"Cap, somebody needs to shut the water off now!" Judd barked.

"What the hell happened?" Marjan demanded.

"An ice storm hit Texas, and this place ain't ever been weatherproofed!"

"Olsen! Ricardo!" Andrews shouted. "Heck, somebody find that water main and get it clamped!"

"Hang in there, Lindsey," Paul panted, tucking Lindsey under his turnout as best he could. "Hang in there!" The deluge abruptly ended, and Paul sighed in relief. "I think . . . I think it stopped. I think it stopped."

Lindsey whimpered, her teeth chattering as she tried to huddle in a ball. "I'm so cold . . . I'm so cold!"

"Hey, we're gonna be OK," Paul rubbed his hands up and down her arms, ignoring how he, too, shivered in the wet cold as he turned on his radio. "Hey, hey, it stopped!"

"Hey, alright, Paul," Judd confirmed. "Hey, y'all think warm thoughts, and we're gonna be there soon."

***

Sadie's footsteps entered the small dining room, and Owen looked up from where he set mugs on the table. "How's he doing?"

"Well, still not bleeding," Sadie answered. "You branded him pretty good."

Owen smirked. "And you were doubting my cowboy cred."

Sadie chuckled as she picked up her warm drink. "Hey, I wonder who put that hole in him."

"Yeah," Owen nodded in agreement. "I've been wondering the same thing."

"Did he say anything to you when you found him?"

"No," Owen shook his head. "He was speaking Spanish, and he seemed pretty agitated."

Sadie hummed thoughtfully. "Guessing he's probably here illegally. Coyotes use these backcountry roads for smuggling routes."

"Smuggling routes?" Owen repeated in surprise. "We're a long way from the border."

Sadie shrugged. "Well, it seems to be quite the thing around here in the past few years. Folks pay the cartels to get them as far away from the Rio Grande as possible. Then when they have them, they jack up the price, and if they can't pay . . . "

Owen sighed. "You end up bleeding in the snow." Sadie nodded, and Owen shook his head as he took a sip of his drink. Buttercup's bark carried into the room, and Owen frowned, wondering what got his dog's attention. Then the creak of the door opening caught his attention, and Owen bolted to his feet and headed into the foyer. Sure enough, the door remained open, and their victim was nowhere to be seen. "You have to be kidding me," Owen breathed, running out onto the porch. "Amigo!" he yelled, looking through the snow. "Can you hear me?"

He didn't see the man, and with a muttered curse, he walked back inside to find his jacket. "How'd he even manage to get up?" Sadie demanded.

"I don't know," Owen shook his head. "Fear? Adrenaline, maybe?" He shrugged his jacket on and put on his hat, looking at Sadie. "If I'm not by 6:00, will you feed my dog?"

Sadie blinked. "Where are you going?"

"I'm gonna go find him."

Sadie balked. "Owen!"

"He couldn't have gone far," Owen told her. "We can't leave him out there. If the coyotes don't kill him, the cold will."

"Well, it'll kill you, too," Sadie pointed out. "You can't track somebody in a damn white-out."

Owen sighed, looking out at the snowstorm. "I've gotta try."

***

Kelly had seen several things in his time as a firefighting officer. Still, he was surprised to see the equipment Eddie was prepping while Buck did CPR on the kid . . . and were those – ? "Are those turtles?" he asked as he peered at the plastic tub between Carol and her husband, Joe.

"They're in shock from the cold," Carol nodded. "We were taking them to the aquatic warming center. Poor things are practically frozen solid."

TK snorted from where he huddled on the floor of the van, water dripping down from his soaked clothes. "Yeah, I can relate."

"Cap," Eddie handed over a scalpel.

Kelly leaned over Sylvie's shoulder, watching her expertly cut into the boy's leg. "Needle," she held out her hand expectantly, and Eddie handed it over. As Sylvie leaned in to see closer, Kelly shifted his position in the doorway, blocking as much snow from getting inside as he could. Sylvie gave him a grateful smile, then she looked at Eddie. "Guidewire?" Eddie passed it to her, and Sylvie carefully threaded the guidewire through the needle. "OK . . . and cannulating."

TK shivered as he watched the paramedics work. "Beginning to wish we had those in New York."

"Yeah, we could have used them in Chicago, too," Sylvie nodded as she used forceps to clamp the cannulation into place. "Fire it up, Eddie."

Eddie nodded, flipping switches on the ECMO. "Here we go."

"Buck, stop compressions."

Buck leaned back on his heels, eyeing the set-up with interest. "What exactly is this again?"

"It's called an ECMO machine," Sylvie explained. "Basically, it's a portable set of heart and lungs. It's doing the work for the boy. As it oxygenates the blood, it also warms him up from the inside out. Eddie? Good news would be appreciated."

"Nothing yet, Cap," Eddie shook his head.

Sylvie sighed, putting the chest-piece of her stethoscope over the boy's heart. "Come on, kid," she crossed her other pair of fingers. "Come on!"

"He's so young," Carol whimpered, and Joe reached over to squeeze her hand. "He's too young!"

"Come on," TK seethed, eyes darting wildly from the ECMO to the boy.

The flatline was interrupted by the sound of beeping, and Eddie whooped. "That's a pulse! And another one!"

"That's it!" Sylvie grinned, gently tapping the boy's face as TK collapsed against the back seats in relief. "Come on, buddy, come on!"

"Come on," Eddie reached over to rub the boy's leg. "Come on, now."

The boy's eyes flew open as he coughed up water, and Buck hastily reached over to tilt his head so he didn't choke. "It's alright," Sylvie grinned widely as Eddie cheered. "You're OK. You're gonna be OK."

"Oh, my God," Joe sighed happily.

"Where can I get me one of those ECMOs for my turtles?" Carol peered at the device.

"Oh, online," Eddie snorted. "They retail for about 100K."

Carol laughed, and Kelly kissed the top of Sylvie's head. "Way to go, sweetheart."

Sylvie beamed up at him. "This makes the job worth it."

"Hey!" Buck bounded out of the van. "We got reinforcements!"

He waved for the other ambulance's attention, then popped the back trunk. The head paramedic that arrived climbed into the back. "We're right behind you guys."

"Thanks for coming," Sylvie smiled. "He's severely hypothermic. He was cyanotic, but he's returning to normal sinus. We weren't able to determine a TBI on him, though."

"We'll take care of it," the paramedic told them, eyeing the ECMO with a bit of jealousy in his eyes. "Wow . . . you guys have your own ECMO! I've never seen one in the field!"

Eddie rolled his eyes. "I guess that's a score for the private sector."

Sylvie giggled as they helped the boy onto the other paramedics' gurney. "Mom," he whispered. "I – I need to call my mom."

"Hey, buddy," Sylvie squeezed his hand as Kelly and Buck closed the doors. "You're gonna be OK. We'll call your mom when you get to the hospital. Right now, just keep taking deep breaths."

The lead paramedic on the other team pointed out their ambulance in the tree. "You want us to radio a tow truck for you?"

Sylvie shook her head. "Already on its way."

The paramedic nodded and loaded the boy. "Well, that could have ended so much worse," Eddie sighed.

"Yeah," Sylvie nodded. "Thank God, it didn't."

"Hey, guys?" Buck jogged up to them, a worried look on his face. "Did you see TK get out of the van?"

"What?" Sylvie turned to him in surprise.

Buck swallowed. "TK's not in the van."

Kelly looked around worriedly. "I didn't see him get out, either."

Sylvie's eyes widened as she recoiled from the cold winds blowing in her face. "Oh, no."

***

Paul's teeth chattered as he hastily moved around the locker room, throwing anything useless out of his way. When he finally looked past some fallen insulation, he laughed in relief. "Hey, all right!"

"What is it?" Lindsey blinked from where she crouched against the wall. "What'd you find?"

"A potential life saver!" Paul grinned, bringing his find back to her.

Lindsey stared in shock. "That's a trash can."

"To the untrained eye, maybe," Paul nodded, emptying the bags. "OK, this is gonna sound all kinds of awkward . . . but you need to strip down."

Lindsey blanched. "You want me to get naked?" she sputtered. "Are you crazy? I'm freezing!"

"And wet clothes drop your body temperature even faster," Paul told her. "OK? Sorry. Look, anything that's not dry comes off. And don't worry, you're not gonna be naked, OK? Just think of it as a . . . as a wardrobe change."

Lindsey swallowed. "You want me to put a nasty trash bag on my head?"

"It'll keep your body heat in your body," Paul nodded. "OK? It'll keep you alive." Lindsey eyed the trash bag in a mixture of disgust and trepidation before she finally nodded. "OK, good girl," Paul patted her shoulder. "Go on. Just, uh . . . " He thought rapidly as Lindsey took the trash bag and moved past him. "Think of it as the world's stinkiest wet suit."

"Not helping," Lindsey grumbled.

Paul chuckled as he pulled off his turnout coat. The humor was nice to have in such a harsh situation. After a minute or two, Lindsey returned to his line of view, her clothes abandoned and the black trash bag now covering her. "Hey, looks good on you," Paul smiled, putting his turnout coat over her shoulders.

Lindsey looked him over in concern. "What about you?"

"I'm from Chicago," Paul smirked. "We like it frosty."

***

Andrews was reviewing a layout of the building when Judd, Marjan, and Mateo returned to the command tent. "We could try to redirect the RIC team to the delta wall, buttonhook there back around to the locker room," he suggested.

"That'll never work," Judd shook his head instantly, "'cause that whole delta wall's like a hedge maze from hell."

Andrews did a double take. "What are you guys doin' out here?"

"We couldn't get to it from the inside," Marjan shrugged. "So we're gonna get in from the outside."

"We grab a couple of pneumatic jackhammers off of that truck, we could punch a hole right through that cinderblock wall, and we'll be in the locker room," Judd explained.

"Maybe so," Andrews frowned. "But the vibrations alone could pancake the building."

"It's a risk," Judd agreed.

"But either way, Paul and Lindsey won't make it out if we don't," Mateo pointed out.

Andrews looked from determined firefighter to determined firefighter with a sigh. "Why do I get the feeling that even if I say no, you three are gonna grab those jackhammers anyway?"

"Because you're an excellent observer of your fellow man, sir," Judd nodded. "That's how come."

Andrews rolled his eyes, but the expression was fond as he turned on his radio. "IC to USAR."

"Go for USAR."

"I need you to bring all of your sledges, jumbo bars, and jackhammers to the delta wall."

"Alright, we're on it, Captain."

Marjan ferally grinned as she ran out of the tent, and Andrews nodded to Judd as the rest of them followed her. "Let's make some noise."

***

The valley echoed with the four first responders' shouts of TK's name, Buck and Eddie sweeping one side as Kelly and Sylvie searched the other. "Why the hell would he run off like that?" Buck demanded.

"The cold does crazy things to your head!" Kelly answered.

"Hey!" Sylvie pointed. "Over here!"

Buck and Eddie jogged to join them, and Eddie blinked when he saw TK's clothes in a pile of snow. "Even his drawers?" he asked in disbelief. "What the hell?"

Sylvie sighed, shielding her eyes against the snow. "If he's getting rid of his clothes, we need to hurry."

Buck shimmied through the trees, then perked up when he heard chatters and mumbling. "I think I found him!"

"You think?" Kelly frowned as he moved to join Buck.

Buck pushed aside branches, then nodded. "I found him!"

Kelly held the branches back so Sylvie and Eddie could carefully slide down the slope to where a stripped-down TK curled in a shivering ball on the ground, snow dusting his naked skin. "TK!" Sylvie ran over to him.

"Hey, Sylv," TK blinked at her. "Eds."

"Has he ever used those nicknames before?" Kelly looked at Buck in surprise.

"Not in my earshot," Buck shook his head.

"Hey, bud," Sylvie smiled. "We got some blankets for you."

"I'm good, thanks," TK shook his head.

"Dude, you're getting frostbite on your ass," Eddie shook his head. "You're getting blankets."

"No!" TK abruptly lurched to a sitting position, and Eddie ducked the stick that was swung at his head. "I said get away! I said get away!"

"Hey, TK!" Sylvie grabbed TK's wrist before he could hurt them, and Kelly and Buck carefully made their way down to join them. "It's OK!"

"Stop, stop, stop!" TK shook his head. "I was burning up, and this feels better!"

"Damn it," Sylvie closed her eyes. "Combativeness, a symptom of severe hypothermia."

"Yeah," Eddie sighed. "I was just putting that together."

Buck tilted his head, listening as TK mumbled. "I know we keep joking this is the apocalypse . . . but is he speaking in tongues now?"

Eddie frowned as he listened. "I'm pretty sure that's Hebrew."

"TK, all your blood has left your extremities," Sylvie explained. "It's around your core now, that's why you feel so hot. It's called paradoxical undressing. It means you're near fatal."

"And I'm not letting you freeze to death on my watch," Kelly added. "So get up and walk, or Buck and I will drag you out."

Buck nodded in agreement, and TK nodded shakily as Eddie tucked blankets around him. "OK. OK."

"Alright, now we're in business," Sylvie nodded, and Kelly and Buck helped get TK to his feet. "Come on, let's get you warmed up."

"So," Buck patted TK's shoulder, hoping to keep him talking. Talking meant TK was awake. "You speak Hebrew?"

"No," TK shook his head. "Not since I was ten, in Hebrew school."

"Well, I hate to break it to you, man," Eddie grinned, "but some of it stuck."

TK nodded dazedly, then he suddenly crumbled like a bag of potatoes. "Whoa!" Buck stumbled under all of TK's weight. "Hey, TK!"

"TK!" Kelly helped lay TK back on the ground.

Eddie pressed his fingers to the side of TK's neck, and his eyes widened. "No pulse, Cap!"

Sylvie put the chest-piece of her stethoscope over TK's chest, and her face drained of color. "No heartbeat, either." She shoved Buck to the side, and Buck scrambled to sit by TK's head as the paramedic went to work on compressions. "Come on, TK!"

Eddie checked their defibrillator, then stuck the leads onto TK's skin. "Come on, come on," he muttered.

Sylvie checked the monitor as the eerie flatline sang its one-note song. "V-tach." She nodded to her hands as she looked at Eddie. "We gotta shock."

Eddie took over CPR, and Kelly swallowed as he looked down at TK. Why hadn't he or Buck kept an eye on TK when they were getting the boy out of the van? "Come on, TK," he ground out. "You can get out of this!"

"Charging," Sylvie said as she rubbed the defibrillator paddles together. "And . . . clear!"

Eddie held up his hands, and Sylvie placed the paddles on TK's chest to deliver the shock. The one-note song continued, and Buck looked nervously from Sylvie to Eddie.

***

Lindsey's head listed to the side, and Paul, who had barely been keeping his own eyes open, lightly shoved her shoulder, jolting her awake. "Nuh-uh," he shook his head. "No, no, no, no, no. no sleeping. You fall asleep, you die, remember?"

"My eyes are so heavy," Lindsey mumbled.

"So are mine, alright?" Paul told her. "We gotta fight, right? Hey?" Lindsey's eyes threatened to close again, so as he lightly shook her, he started talking. "You know, I once dated this doctor, a resident, and when she worked 30-hour shifts, she used to put pebbles in her shoes."

That got Lindsey's attention. "Pebbles?" she repeated. "Why?"

"'Cause it pissed her off," Paul answered. "Kind of hard to be sleeping when you're pissed off, right? So tell me, Lindsey . . . what pisses you off?"

"I . . . " Lindsey shook her head. "I don't know."

"Oh, yeah, sure you do," Paul huffed. "You know, uh . . . the sound an air blower makes, or when somebody puts aioli in your sandwich without asking you first."

"No, I'm just not an angry person," Lindsey insisted.

"So what, you think that makes you sound nice?" Paul scoffed. "Well, it makes you sound pathetic. So why don't you get real?" Lindsey glared at him, and Paul shook her harder that time. "Get real, Lindsey! Get real!"

"Fine!" she snapped, and Paul nodded in satisfaction at the fire in her voice. "You know what pisses me off?"

"No," Paul smirked. "What pisses you off?"

"When people make me feel invisible," Lindsey ranted. "Kids at school. Volunteers at church, my dad when he has a deadline. I hate it!"

Paul grinned happily. "There she is! There's my fireball!"

"Fireball?" Lindsey glowered. "That's not a ginger joke, is it?" Paul snickered as he hugged her. Now they were cooking!

"Strickland, you copy?"

Paul reached for his radio, hearing Judd over the comms. "Yeah," he answered. "Yeah, we're here."

"Hey, we're about to put some jackhammers on the delta wall, so it might get a little bumpy in there."

"Sounds good, J," Paul smiled at Lindsey, who looked relieved at the thought of a rescue. "We could use the excitement."

Lindsey shuffled closer to Paul, bracing for the jolts. Barely a second later, the thuds from the rescue equipment made the building shake, and Lindsey smiled and settled in to wait. It would be just a little bit longer.

A sudden weight on her shoulder made her turn, and she balked when she realized Paul had landed on her left side, his eyes shut. "Paul?" she gulped, carefully nudging him. "Hey, Paul?" When he didn't wake, she snatched his radio and fumbled to turn it on. "Hello?" she called. "Is anybody out there?"

"Hey, Lindsey," the voice of the man Paul called Judd answered. "We hear you. What's going on?"

"It – it's Paul," she gasped, snapping her fingers under his nose to try and wake him. "I think he's fading! You guys have to hurry up!"

"Listen, Lindsey, you gotta keep him alive because we're in the homestretch."

"I'm trying! I don't know how to!"

"He's depending on you, you hear me?" Judd told her. "And so are we. You keep him alive, and we'll be there soon."

Lindsey bit her lip, thinking rapidly. How to keep Paul awake . . .

"Kind of hard to be sleeping when you're pissed off, right?"

Paul's reasoning echoed in her head, and Lindsey shook Paul with more determination, watching him force his eyes open. "Paul, hey, stay awake," she told him. "It's your turn. Tell me what pisses you off." Paul didn't answer, and Lindsey narrowed her eyes before punching him in the shoulder. "Paul!"

Paul yelped in surprise, eyes flying open. "What the hell?" he sputtered.

"I told you I hate when people ignore me," Lindsey reminded him. "So look at me and tell me what pisses you off!"

Paul scowled. "Well, besides somebody yelling in my ear?"

"Yes," Lindsey held her chin high. "Besides that, what else?"

"What pisses me off?" Paul repeated, narrowing his eyes. "What pisses me off? You wanna know what pisses me off?" Lindsey nodded, and Paul's harsh laughter echoed off the cinderblocks. "Them delaying work on my firehouse, the 126, over some BS!"

"What BS?" Lindsey asked.

"Budget cuts," Paul seethed. "Alright? We good?"

"No," Lindsey shook her head. "We are not good. Paul, why do you love it so much, the 126?" Paul started to fall forward again, and Lindsey pushed on his shoulder, keeping him upright. "Come on, why do you love it?"

"The people," Paul answered instantly.

"The people?" Lindsey repeated. "Do the people have names?" Paul sagged against the wall, and Lindsey shifted to crouch in front of him. "Paul, tell me about the people," she insisted.

"Marjan," Paul began. "Marjan . . . she's my ride or die. Judd . . . he's a . . . he's a big ol' redneck, but he's all heart. Mateo, he . . . you know Mateo."

"What about your captain?" Lindsey leaned forward. "Paul, who's your captain?"

"Not m' captain anymore," Paul slurred. "Dep'ty Chief soon. Chief Strand . . . he's the reason I came down here. M' captain is Casey now. Wish he was here . . . miss those dudes."

His eyes fell shut again, and Lindsey sobbed as she caught him when he fell. "Paul!" she cried. "Please, wake up, Paul! Wake up! Please wake up!"

A crash from the other side of the locker room made her flinch, then a different flashlight beam hit the wall next to her. Lindsey turned around and watched a young man in black turnout gear poke his head through the makeshift hole. "Paul? Lindsey?" That had to be who Paul called Mateo. "You in here?"

"Over here!" Lindsey called. "We're over here!"

Mateo grinned widely. "You're safe now," he told her as he climbed inside. "We're gonna get you some help."

Two additional flashlight beams entered the room as Judd and Marjan joined them, and Lindsey almost collapsed when Paul's eyes opened. "What took y'all so long?" he grumbled.

"You bastard," Marjan glared at him with no heat in her tear-filled eyes.

"Everyone's a damn critic," Judd scoffed.

Lindsey struggled to lift Paul, but Marjan ran to her side to wrap Paul's arm around her shoulders. "I got ya, buddy," she whispered.

"See, Lindsey?" Paul smiled dopily. "My ride or die."

Marjan blushed. "Shut up."

Judd chuckled as he joined Lindsey. "Come on, Lindsey. We have some folks outside who will be real happy to see you."

Lindsey gladly leaned on Judd as he helped her over to the hole, and Mateo carefully backed out so his feet were on the ground. Judd guided her to Mateo, and she shivered when she was out in the freezing cold. Multiple firefighters swarmed and lifted her onto the gurney, and joyful cries made her turn her head. Her parents almost crashed into the gurney with how fast they ran, and Lindsey burst into tears as they hugged her and peppered her face with kisses. She snuggled into Paul's turnout as her gurney was pushed towards the ambulance, her parents with her every step of the way.

Another gurney took her place, and Judd and Marjan laid Paul on this one. "Dude," Marjan gave him an iron look as she shrugged off her turnout and draped it over Paul. "You're really underdressed for this weather."

"Even if you are from Chicago!" Mateo grinned from where he crouched in the hole.

"I'm really starting to hate the cold," Paul admitted, pulling Marjan's turnout around him.

"Hey," Judd grinned as he opened his turnout for Marjan, and the woman gratefully took the warmth. "Me, too!"

***

"Mmmhmm, good. Now give it another touch of starter fluid . . . mmmhmm, and then pull like hell, ma'am." Maddie looked up from her monitor curiously and watched Grace grin as she listened to her caller. "Tell me that lovely sound I hear is the generator running? Candace, good work. Gold star."

"I didn't realize we gave out gold stars now," Maddie grinned.

"Well, an 86-year-old woman just jump-started a frozen generator, so if that doesn't earn a gold star, I don't know what does," Grace smirked.

Maddie nodded in agreement, then caught sight of the burly firefighter attempting to get through their desks, and she giggled and pointed. "Maybe that?"

Grace spun around, and her eyes widened as Judd grinned at her. "What are – ?" Judd swooped down and kissed her, which Grace dazedly returned before blinking rapidly at her husband, who dropped a brown paper bag on her desk. "Judd, what are you doing here?"

"Well, me and the crew was gonna go by the hospital and see Paul, and I told 'em to swing the truck by, stop, so I could thank you in person for helping us save him," Judd answered as if he was merely discussing the weather.

Grace stared at him. "You swung by in a fire truck?"

"Yeah, but after we swung by the only open grocery store so I could get you some provisions for the rest of your shift," Judd gestured to the bag.

Maddie giggled and stood from her desk, peering at the bag. "Judd, you are really something."

"I do my best, Maddie," Judd grinned.

"I don't," Grace began, only to blink when she saw Judd's boots. "OK, you are making a puddle. Somebody's gonna slip. Let me get – "

"No, no, no, no, no!" Judd held out his hands, stopping Grace from getting to her feet. "Hang on, hang on."

He bolted to the breakroom, and Grace buried her blushing face into her hands. "Oh, my God."

Maddie's shoulders shook with laughter. "How many gold stars is that worth?"

"So many," Grace sighed.

"Hey," Judd returned with a towel he dropped on the floor to mop up the melting snow. "I see you're saving lives without even picking up the phone."

"Judd, please be careful," Grace sighed before turning to her bag. "Well, what did you bring me, at least, besides snow?"

Judd clicked his tongue and plucked the bag from where it sat before she could look inside. "You gotta come find out."

Grace shook her head in amusement. "You gonna make me get up?"

"Yeah," Judd grinned and held out his hand. "Come on, come on. You, too, Mads, couldn't forget about you."

"Me?" Maddie pointed at herself in surprise.

"Yeah, you," Judd nodded. "Come on."

Maddie quickly rounded the desk to help Grace walk to the breakroom. "Listen, you didn't leave the whole crew sitting out there, really, did you?" Grace asked in concern.

"I mean, not the whole crew," Judd shrugged. "Plus, they got the heat on. I just, I couldn't bear the thought of you sitting here drinking those sad chamomile teas, so . . . " He reached inside the bag and pulled out a box triumphantly. "Boom!"

Grace did a double take. "Judd . . . you drove the fire truck across town to bring me English breakfast tea?"

"Yeah," Judd nodded, pulling out the rest of what was in the bag. "And I got you them ginger chews you like when your little tummy gets upset, and I got you some cough drops just in case, just in case – "

"Sweetheart," Grace sighed, unable to keep from smiling. "I told you on the phone that I was OK."

"I know," Judd nodded. "I just wanted to come by and check on my girls, that's all."

"OK," Grace blushed and patted his hand. "Well, your girls are fine, and they appreciate you . . . but if you leave your crew outside any longer, they are the ones that are gonna need the medicinals. Go get them out of the cold."

Judd nodded. "Oh!" He dug into the bag and pulled out a plastic container. "A certain paramedic radioed me and said she would pay me back if I got this delivered to 'her brown-eyed girl.' Her words, not mine."

Nancy's eyes widened in delight as she took the container of chocolate-covered cashews Judd handed her. "You're kidding!"

"Nope," Judd shook his head. "You got a good one, Mads."

Maddie smiled happily as she opened the lid and popped a cashew into her mouth. "I know."

"Hey," Judd pointed at Grace. "Holler at me on the radio if you need anything."

"OK, I will," Grace nodded. "I promise."

"Anything," Judd emphasized before turning to leave.

"Oh, hey!" Maddie called. "Have you heard from Casey? Did he make it up to Owen?"

"No, not a peep," Judd admitted. "But I mean, knowing him, he's probably frolicking about to get him home, talking about blizzard be damned!"

Those last words were shouted to the dispatchers on the floor, and Grace blushed harder. "Oh, my God."

"It's gonna be a tough one, everybody! Let's get it!" Judd continued to shout as Maddie dissolved into laughter. "Take care of her!"

Grace looked down at her baby bump and pointed after Judd. "That is your father. Your father."

***

Pain exploded behind his closed eyes, and Matt came to with a groan. When he managed to open his eyes, his vision was obscured by white. He carefully sat up, only to hiss when his head protested the action. He slowed his actions further until he was back against the headrest, and he sighed when he saw the airbag had gone off. That explained the massive headache. "Great," he closed his eyes and used his scarf to wipe the blood dripping from his nose. "Second head injury in less than a year." He pulled out his phone and checked for service, rolling his eyes when he found he had no signal. "My partners are gonna kill me."

Snow covered the windshield and the windows, and Matt put his hand on the handle. He braced himself, then shoved against the door with all his might. The door opened with a groan, and Matt shuffled out to check his surroundings.

***

"Hello?" Owen shouted as he shuffled through the snow, shoulders hunched in an attempt to ward off the cold. "Can you hear me? Hello?" The snow essentially formed a wall in front of him, and Owen sighed, debating turning around to head back to the cabin. Maybe a few more minutes of searching? "Hello!" he shouted, turning around to see if anything moved behind him.

His foot tripped over a stick, and with a shout, Owen tumbled down the sudden drop behind him, and he landed with a hard thud, the hit knocking him unconscious immediately.

***

Buck sat outside the doors of the ICU with his hands clasped and pressed to his lips, one knee bouncing up and down repeatedly. A hand gently pressed down on his knee, stopping the movement, and Buck looked down blankly. He hadn't even realized he'd been doing the motion. "Easy, mi amor," Eddie murmured, taking Buck's hands in his.

"I'm not used to being on this side of the doors," Buck whispered. "It's usually me."

"And I'm glad it's not you now," Eddie squeezed his hands. "But we gotta keep our heads in the game, alright?"

"Yeah," Buck took a deep breath. "Yeah, I know."

Eddie kissed his knuckles, then they looked up when they heard approaching footsteps. "Hey, guys," Carlos gave them a tight smile.

"Hey, Carlos," Buck jumped to his feet and hugged Carlos tightly. "Thanks for coming by, especially while you're still on shift." Carlos hummed in acknowledgement as they entered the ICU. "I know he will, too."

"Yeah?" Carlos snorted as he signed into the visitor's log. "Typical TK. First time that he wants to talk to me in months and, of course, it's because he's in the ICU."

Eddie paused in his tracks then sighed. "Evan . . . "

Buck squirmed where he stood, and Carlos frowned. "What?"

"TK didn't ask me to radio you today," Buck admitted.

"What?" Carlos repeated and folded his arms. "You said that he wanted me here!"

Buck smiled nervously. "I did kinda say that, didn't it?"

"Yeah," Carlos narrowed his eyes.

"Well . . . " Buck scratched the back of his head. "That . . . that was a lie."

Carlos scowled. "Why would you lie about – ?"

"Excuse me?" A dark-haired woman approached them, eyes wide. "I'm sorry to interrupt . . . are you the first responders that rescued the boy in the ice?"

Eddie cleared his throat. "Yes, ma'am. We're two of the firefighters and paramedics that responded."

She smiled happily. "You're a hero."

"No," Buck shook his head. "The hero is our friend, TK, who went into the drink to save your son. How's he doing, by the way?"

"The doctors say Abe is gonna make a full recovery," the woman answered. "I just want you to know how grateful we are . . . and that we are all praying for your friend."

Carlos's eyes widened in alarm at the words, and Buck gulped. "Thank you."

Abe's mother returned to her son's room, and Carlos took a deep breath. "How serious is it, guys?" she asked.

Eddie sighed, putting a hand on Buck's arm. "It's not good," he admitted. "The captains are finding out the latest now."

Carlos nodded dazedly, then automatically turned when two sets of footsteps exited one of the rooms. "Guys?" Buck asked nervously. "What did they say?"

Sylvie shook her head, face marred by tear tracks as her teeth sank into her lip. It was a pale-faced Kelly who took a deep breath and answered. "We need to find his father."

***

Owen's vision was blurry when he finally opened his eyes again. He didn't recognize the building he was inside, and when he saw the shadowy figure above him, he frowned. "Casey?" he asked hopefully.

The figure leaned into view, and he realized it was a woman in denim and a ball cap. "How's your head?" she asked.

"It hurts," Owen winced as he sat up and looked around. "Where are we?"

"A barn," she answered. "More than that, I cannot say. We found you in the storm, brought you in here."

"Who's we?" Owen asked as he slowly got to his feet. The woman gestured behind her, and Owen swallowed, seeing the ragtag group of people milling around the barn, all in various types of ragged clothing. Smuggled people, he realized with a sinking feeling, and he looked at the woman in concern. "What happened?" he asked.

Before she could answer, one of the men started to yell angrily in Spanish. Even though Owen didn't recognize the words, he got the gist. "He thinks I'm police?" he guessed. "I'm not." The woman frowned as the man continued to spit Spanish, and Owen shook his head. "I don't care where you're from," he said firmly. "I'm just glad you came." He turned back to the woman and extended his hand. "Thank you for saving me," he told her sincerely. "My name's Owen."

She considered his hand, then nodded and firmly shook it. "Elena."

Owen nodded and walked around the barn, scoping out the injuries he could see. He lifted one boy's head to examine a bump on his forehead, and he sighed when he saw another man cradling a frostbitten foot in his hands. "Elena, you helped me, let me help you. You can't stay in this barn. It's too cold." He eyed one of the fire pits with concern. "Trust me when I tell you that that's a fire hazard. Some of your people look hurt. Tell me what happened."

Elena glanced around at the other occupants, and one of the men nodded in encouragement. Elena nodded in return and looked back at Owen. "We were being transported from McAllen when the coyotes tried to take everything from us," she explained.

"You fought back," Owen guessed with a small smile.

Elena nodded in confirmation. "There was a crash, then we took back what was ours. The ones that could, ran. Not everyone got away."

"Yeah," Owen nodded. "I think I met one of them. He was injured. In fact, I was looking for him when the storm hit." The barn doors creaked open, and Owen brightened when he saw the blanket-covered man who hobbled inside. "That's him," he pointed. "That's the guy."

The man started yelling in Spanish, and the barn occupants scrambled away, hands flying into the air to signal they were unarmed. The man brought a gun out from under the blankets, and Owen winced. "The guy you've been running from," he realized. Elena nodded and placed herself in front of one of the kids, and Owen sighed, staring at the man he saved.

Why did he always get into the most trouble when Liv and Elliot were nowhere near him to help him?

***

Forget wrapping Sylvie and Eddie in bubble wrap. Methinks Owen may need it more.

Next chapter should be a whirlwind! We get the fire captains teaming up, Squad worrying for TK's life, and TK will be getting a visitor who is not his mother. If anyone's paid attention to the Law & Order universe lately, you may have an idea of who will be visiting him.

"Shock and Thaw" is coming next! And because I think I can hear people asking . . . the real Law & Order fun will start after the ice storm and when we get more into the Chicago action. ;)

graphic by marvelity