The Nature of the Emergency (Evan 'Buck' Buckley X OC)

Some good news

It is the day after and I am surprised. I thought today was going to be a nightmare however it turns out it is the 118's turn for the community outreach at the LA cultural show. It is proving to be interesting as there are a lot of people showing interest in the LAFD. I find it a little odd that a majority of those people are kids. Not that it matters as it is common for them to want to be firefighters. I find it a little odd that I discovered my calling as a paramedic later on in life. Right now Howie and I are getting ready for the first aid demonstration. It is proving to be a little challenging as I am not used to putting on a microphone.

"Are you ready Ella?" Howie asks. I will never know how he managed to get his microphone comfortable before me.

"Almost," I say as I make the final adjustments. After a second of fiddling I manage to get the microphone comfortable.

"Now I'm ready," I add as I grab the first aid bag. After a couple of seconds of waiting we are summoned to the stage.

"Ladies and gentlemen for our first aid demonstration please welcome LAFD paramedics, Ella and Howard," The MC announces as we take our places on the stage. The size of the audience is impressive. To be fair they might be here for the next event. I will never know if that is the case. Anyway, we have a job to do.

"Thank you for having us," Howie addresses the MC.

"Howie, I think we are going to need a volunteer from the audience," As soon as those words come out of my mouth most of the kids in the audience launch their hands in the air. A particularly enthusiastic kid catches our attention.

"How about the kid in the black Nike shirt?" Howie singles him out. After a few seconds of waiting he joined us on the stage. He looks like he is at least twelve. At least he is at the age where he will listen to instructions from anyone who isn't named Mum or Dad.

"What's your name?" I ask.

"Callum," He responds enthusiastically.

"Ok Callum I'm going to need you to lie down so we can start with one of the most important things to know in first aid," I give him the instructions. He tentatively lies down on his side. It may be odd but that is exactly what we needed.

"Does anyone know the recovery position?" After a quiet response from the audience Callum speaks up.

"I do. The person should be on their back," Callum says as he rolls over onto his back. I am impressed by the fact that he knows it as the recovery position. I guess his family must have taught him the basics. After thirty minutes of showing off various aspects of first aid, the presentation has come to an end. I am back in the ambulance. I am getting ready to make sure we still have all of the supplies that we came with. Call me paranoid but we do have some high-value stuff that could go missing if we are not careful.

"So Ella, how did the demonstration go?" Buck asks as he approaches the ambulance.

"It went better than expected. Anyway, can you help me do the inventory?" I decided to rope Buck into it so we can have some alone time.

"Sure but why don't you get Chimney or Hen to do it?" He is a little confused about my request for help.

"Because I don't want to ruin their fun and besides it will give us some alone time," I responded. Before we have a chance to do anything a scream rings out.

"Somebody help. My son," A woman cries out in hysterics. As if summoned Buck and I follow the woman to the offending ride. A boy is dangling by the leg from a ride. I get to work on assessing the boy's injuries. The best-case scenario is minor bruising. The worst case? Well, we could be dealing with a major head injury or death. After a beat, we are joined by the others.

"Bobby, is there any way we could get the truck underneath? I would also avoid using the bags. I don't want to risk any form of head injuries," I give my rundown of the situation. In case you are wondering if the kid lands the wrong way on the bags the force will injure him. Obviously, we don't want to add to his injuries. With that Buck and Bobby make a beeline for the truck. After two tense minutes, the truck is finally in position.

"I'll go," I volunteer as I get the mandatory harness on. It may end up being a bad idea but something tells me that the kid may need help getting down from the ladder. As I climb the ladder I notice the crowd of onlookers. This will be the ultimate demonstration of our skills if I can pull it off.

"Buck can you pass me the bolt cutters," I ask having got the harness on. Without missing a beat Buck does what I ask. After what could be considered the most tense ladder climb I reached the kid. Luckily for me, the only injuries he sustained are to his ankle.

"Ok, kid I'm going to need to see if you can reach the ladder," I say. What I am going to do is risky however there is not much else that I can do. Luckily for me, he is able to reach me. As soon as the kid latches on I cut him free. With a few swift movements, I have him on the ladder. Relief washes over the crowd. I double-checked the kid's ankle. I need to help him down. After a minute we are back on the ground. With some help from Howie and Hen, the kid is ready to be transported to the hospital.

"Hey thank you," The kid's mum remarks as she joins us in the ambulance.

"We were just doing our job," I responded. I've always hated it when people thank us. Don't get me wrong it is good that they do however it is just us doing our jobs. Nothing fancy. After five minutes we are finally at the hospital.

"We have a boy with a possible broken ankle," I blurted out the patient handover. After a minute of filling out the required paperwork I am about to leave however, I am stopped by a familiar voice.

"Ella, can I talk to you for a minute?" It's the doctor that attended to my fractured arm.

"Yes, what can I do for you Doc?" I ask.

"I looked at your X-rays and I think your arm has healed enough for me to give you the go-ahead to remove your brace. I'll give you more information tomorrow," She explains. To be honest I forgot about that appointment. At least I don't have a shift then.

"Thank you, Doc," I say as I leave. At least one aspect of my life is getting better. The thought puts a slight smile on my face. Ten minutes later I am back at the firehouse. It is at that moment I notice that Buck is dying to ask me something.

"Hey Ella, do you have plans for tomorrow?" He asks.

"Yes I have an appointment for my arm, why?" I answer with a question. Something tells me that he is going to want to go out with me at some point tomorrow.

"I wanted to ask you on a date," he replies but he is a little saddened because I am busy.

"You know my appointment won't take the whole day. I'll text you when I am done ok," I say brightening Buck's mood. I am a little relieved. At least I have something to look forward to tomorrow. The thought puts me in a good mood. The only thing that can ruin it is a stupid idiot. For all I know my good mood may only last a minute. We will find out.