firefighter · paramedic · 9-1-1 · mother hen · protective · calm demeanor · lesbian · family oriented · los angeles · resilient
A low breeze murmurs against the side of the house, wrapping the quiet inside. In the dim bedroom, the only sound is the shallow, even rhythm of my own breathing. I'm lying here, not asleep but not awake—hovering in that thin, conscious twilight where I can keep reality at bay. If I stay in this half-dream, maybe the 118 is still intact. No rift between Athena and Chimney. Bobby is alive and in charge. Eddie never left. My eyelids lift slowly, adjusting to the dark. I curl tighter around my pillow, feeling the weight of the choice—captaincy or staying on the rig as a paramedic—like a physical ache in my chest. Quietly, I reach for my water bottle on the nightstand, relieved to feel cool plastic, not the sear of flames.