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[mollyzhuang]

Truth to be told, Molly was slightly taken aback when Mack took her hand into her own, but considering how overwhelmed she was by her emotions in that moment, she didn’t let it show. Instead, she opted to listen to the Lieutenant’s words, interjecting whenever she deemed necessary. “Back then, everyone around me did,” Molly added, part of not wanting to let Mack down. She knew that sooner or later, she would do something that would show everyone who she really was. “They didn’t care if I was a kid, even after I owned up to it later on.”

Molly almost wanted to scoff at Mack’s words. “The problem is that by the time I did, it was too late.” By this point, she was barely hanging on by a thread. Although she hadn’t gotten to the worst part yet, flashbacks to the last time she saw her parents flashed in her mind. Despite having wanted to get away from them at the time, they had still been her family and she never got to tell them that she loved them. “I know it does, but if I do, people will see me the way I see myself,” Molly explained, gently squeezing Mack’s hand for reassurance. “A monster.”

Despite her hesitance to continue with her story, Molly saw a sparkle of earnestness in Mack’s eyes that made her feel more at ease. Maybe, she wouldn’t judge her if she told her, but was that a risk worth taking? Molly wasn’t sure, but she supposed there was only one way to find out. Taking a shaky breath, she continued where she left off. “I don’t know, Lieutenant. I haven’t met any ex-arsonists whose wound up hurting people the one time they didn’t mean to.” With this, a quiet sob escaped Molly’s lips. “Except in my case, I didn’t just hurt someone. I wound up getting them killed, because I had the stupid idea of lightning a candle while stoned out of my mind.”

Upon finally confessing the truth, Molly couldn’t allow herself to look at Mack in the eye, but nonetheless, it was as if a dam finally broke and she couldn’t keep it in anymore. “I woke up in the hospital and this detective kept asking me so many questions.” Molly tried her best to wipe away the tears that stained her cheeks, but more of them kept coming. “He wouldn’t let me see my family and broke the news to me that when I passed out, I knocked the candle over, which started a fire and that...fire, it killed my entire family.” With this, she looked back at Mack, brown eyes rimmed with tears. “The detective said that it was an accident, but I felt like a killer. I still do.”

Not having grown up with firefighters in her family, she was both the first to join. Being both the first in general, as well as the first female in her family, she put her head down and started to work, avoiding any sort of drama or relationship or even friendships. However as time wore on and she started to make a name for herself, she still kept her head down, but started to realize those friendships made the job. They made the job so much easier, and made it so one wanted to actually come to work each shift. Now after a decade of service, her coworkers were more like family. So when she saw Molly off to the side, she knew she had to offer up some support, whatever that would look like.

Sitting down next to Molly, Mack slowly shook her head, her face softening. "Who wasn't?" She asked rhetorically knowing teenagers were teenagers and could be real pieces of shit to others. "I see," she nodded again slowly, remembering the kids from the call, the circumstances and the unfortunate outcomes. Looking down, Mack could see how emotional Molly was getting. Taking her hands in her own, Mack held on.

"It's okay, no one, and I mean no one here is going to judge you or see you differently." Mack nodded, holding Molly's gaze, and squeezing her hands gently. "Secondly, you were a kid, right? Kids can be dumb and not know better. And I'm sure at the time you probably either didn't, or you did and you still went through it. But that doesn't make you a bad person." She didn't have a tissue around to give Molly, but she wanted to wipe away the others tears. "You're owning up to it now right? You've realized how terrible it can get, I'd say that's pretty damn brave of you."

She wanted to add in something regarding the horrors they all saw on shift, wondering if she should broach that subject yet or not. Deciding to ease into it, she added, "and I'm sure what we saw yesterday probably brought back some shitty memories. But it does help to talk about it and it helps to know that we've all been in your shoes one way or another. And I'm sure more than once too." She was still holding onto her hands, not wanting to let go until Molly was ready. @mollyzhuang

[mollyzhuang]

“Well, that’s good. If I had waited any longer, the kid wouldn’t be alive right now,” Molly added as she felt the weight on her shoulders ease up, even if for a little bit. “It felt like I was there for a long time though. Time goes by much slower when you’re underwater, but even more so when you’re taking someone out.” If it hadn’t been for that, she would have found this discovery to be fascinating, but in this context, it was terrifying.

Becoming a paramedic turned out to be the few decisions Molly made that ended up being good for her. Even though part of her was sad she never got to take an artistic path like she had once dreamed of, not having a lot of free time available made sure she stayed on the right path. In her experience, being left alone with her own thoughts often led to poor life choices on her part. Sooner or later, Molly would have to find a long-term solution, but for now, her job would do.

“Still though! You’ve adapted quickly to the pace of things,” She noted, feeling proud of him in the way an older sibling would. Molly knew they weren’t that far in age, but that was what it felt like. “For some people, it can take longer. Sometimes, even a while.” Considering she had been pretty lackadaisical person before she turned her life around, the fast-paced nature of the job took her aback at first.

He nodded with a smile. "You were so quick that he's gonna be okay." She was right in and out with him. But he was sure it felt like it was taking forever in her head. There would be some recovery time, but that was what happened with most cases, too. He knew she made it so the boy would be okay; the same goes for the brother. "Right, it had to help." he had no idea what that was like as he never went to a normal school.

River did love being an EMT. It worked well for him and kept him busy. That was something he liked, so he didn't have much downtime to get himself into something he should not do again. This work was every day, there were no holidays and no normal two days off. So he was glad to learn as he went on the job too. Becoming a paramedic was on his list to do over the next few years he hoped.

He nodded, "It is," and it was wild. It was not as bad as last year when there was a fireworks accident, but this year, thankfully, it seemed to be safer. "I am still pretty new, just wait," he chuckled a moment. "And I am used to being on the other side of EMT and stuff, so this is nice," he admitted. @mollyzhuang

[mollyzhuang]

“According to my co-worker, it’s a combination of heroin and crack,” Molly explained, leaning over to place her elbows on her lap and support herself on her palms. “I couldn’t believe it when he told me, but I hope the guy’s doing okay now. Hallucinating that wolves are chasing you sounds terrifying in of itself.” For a brief moment, Molly’s tone became somber. Even though she would never admit it out loud, cases which involved drugs were hard for her to get through. They reminded her too much of the type of person she could have become. “But anyways, there was another time where this dude’s got so low, he got rowdy enough to throw his TV outside a window until I managed to calm him down.”

Quentin was lucky that he was on good terms with all of his exes. Or well, he broke that streak a couple of months ago, but to be able to sit here with Molly and just joke about was important to him. Besides, it also helped that she was able to read him like the back of her hand. Whether that was always a good thing, was something to question. "Okay, I will need the receipts before i can agree." He told her, arms crossed as if pointing out he was actively waiting for her. When however she told him she had to chase a naked man he let out a snort, of course that was just her luck. "Can't say I've heard that one before. What's Flakka?" Guess he still learned every day. @mollyzhuang

[mollyzhuang]

At River’s confirmation, Molly couldn’t help, but let out a sigh in relief. ‟Thank god,” Molly said, reaching for the new towel and using it to dry her hair before wrapping it around her body. ‟I was afraid I took too long to get him out.” She chuckled upon hearing River’s joke, a smile curving across her lips. ‟Looks like being in the swimming team in middle and high school really came in handy, after all.”

For a moment, Molly wondered how observing such a harrowing scene must be for River. Like him, she started out as an EMT before she got her paramedic license, but working with the Fire Department for as long as she has had hardened her to the realities she had to face while on the job.

‟This is your first big holiday since you started, right?” Molly asked him, tilting her head sideways in curiosity. She remembered what her first major holiday as an EMT was like — hectic and scary where the two words that immediately came to her mind. ‟You’re doing way better than I did when I first began working at the Fire Station.”

This was his first major holiday since he started as an EMT. He started off very early and calls kept coming. So many people hurting themselves from this and that. A lot of burns and cuts mostly from what he was keeping track of. That people were cooking or BBQing and sometimes would rush. WIth the cooking, smoking and cutting uip food it happened a lot. So he was helping with a lot of cuts and light burns, thankfully nothing that major.

The day was going by rather quickly till the call came out from the local pool. That some kids became trapped under the cover, it was random and scary. River was there for all of it to see the boys taken out of the water after being saved from the cover. SInce he was still new and only EMT River was mostly on the sideline for it. Watching the ones go into the water and pull the boys out and help with treatment.

He did what he could handing out what supplies and meds the paramedics needed to treat the brothers. Once he knew the boys were okay and off to the hospital he went over towards Molly and handed her another towel. "They both will be okay" he smiled at her "Thanks to you and that sweet drive" he teased wanting to make her feel better. @mollyzhuang

[mollyzhuang]

At Makayla’s words, Molly pulled away from her position before looking at her in silence. In her six years of working at the fire station, Molly hadn’t opened up to her co-workers about her past. She had worked so hard to earn her place amongst them that she believed if she let it slip, they would never look at her the same way again. However, she could recognize sincerity in Mack as she spoke.

Back when Molly first joined the Fire Station, she had been one of the first people she met. Even if Mack hadn’t gotten her to open up about her past, her warm, generous disposition helped Molly begin to see her as a friend over the years. If she told her about her life before becoming a paramedic, would she see her differently? Molly supposed there was only one way to find out.

‟I used to be a real piece of shit growing up,” She began, placing her hands on her lap again. ‟I wasn’t all that different from those kids from yesterday. When I was in junior high, I felt like I had lost myself to the demands of my parents, so I befriended the burnouts of my class.” As her legs trembled ever so slightly, Molly’s eyes began to water again.

‟They saw me for who I really was, but they also got me into drugs and alcohol. It all started when I picked smoking. Something about turning on a lighter was really fascinating to me.” Molly stopped again, interlacing the fingers of her hands together. ‟I thought they were gonna be freaked out or maybe, tell me to stop, but they never did. They thought it was hilarious and taught me how to burn and explode things. I was an idiot back then, so I kept doing it.”

Being on the job for over a decade meant that Makayla had seen her fair share of tragedy and devastation. It took a toll on everyone, herself included. However, she felt that as a firehouse, whether that meant the firefighters or the paramedics/EMTs, they were like a family and could lean on one another if need be. She fore sure has done it and was always there for anyone who needed it.

Yesterday's call was especially brutal, and it took Mack a while to bring her emotions down. But she had reached out to her husband via FaceTime to calm down once they got back to the house. She got to see her three kids and wish them all a goodnight. Those little things helped but she knew the others at the firehouse might need a little extra care.

At one point as she was walking through to get to the restroom, she saw Molly who looked quite shaken. For a moment, Mack thought maybe she just needed to take a breath and things would calm down. But after a few beats, she could see that wasn't the case. Placing a hand on Molly's shoulder, she let her know she was there. "Hey no one is gonna judge you if you need to take time to process what happened." She offered, crouching down to get to Molly's level, "we're all here for you if you need to talk. Myself included."

[mollyzhuang]

Molly couldn’t help, but laugh at Quentin’s jokes, dramatically rolling her eyes in response. Having previously dated for two years, she knew him well enough to see that he was in desperate need of a distraction. ‟Ha, I wish! I’ve had some really fucking weird cases going on lately,” Molly replied, rubbing her left temple with her hand as the memories came back to her. ‟The other day, I had to chase a naked guy in his apartment. He thought I was a wolf, of all things.” And that wasn’t even the worst thing she’s ever seen on the job. ‟Turns out he was on Flakka. I didn’t even know that was a thing until my co-worker told me.”

"So, tell me about life on the outside. Been saving kitties? Kissing babes?" Quentin joked, knowing fully well paramedics were in a different line of work compared to their firefighter compatriots. He was dying for distraction, anything to not make him think about the pain he felt ebbing and flowing in his leg. At least he was in good spirits from the painkillers, and proud of himself he hadn't had a single moment where he'd been tempted to get another one until Julieta would give him one. "I feel like I am missing everything in this town these days." @mollyzhuang

[mollyzhuang]

Location: Ocaquatics Community Pool Featuring: Molly Zhuang and River Jackson ( @riverxjackson )

If you were to ask Molly, today was perhaps the busiest July 4th the Kismet Harbor Fire Station had in years. Accidents during a national holiday were to be expected, but this was the sixth incident taking place during the day. This time, they were called in to save a pair of brothers from drowning after being trapped inside a fiberglass cover of the pool when they snuck in after closing the night before. The night janitor hadn’t noticed they were there beneath the glass, nor heard either of the young men when they screamed for help until she heard a punching sound almost twelve hours later. Unfortunately, the glass was stuck in place, keeping the boys locked in for longer.

After being left with no choice, but to break the fiberglass, one of the brothers was brought out without much trouble, but the other had being unable to hold his breath once the five minute mark passed, which pushed Molly dive into the deep part of the pool to bring him out just in the nick of time for other paramedics and EMTs to pull the two of them out. Once the pair were brought towels to dry themselves up, Molly was ordered to step aside to recover, so her co-workers could treat and revive the boy she saved. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, the shivers were beginning to set in.

Truth to be told, the water in the pool was much colder than Molly expected it to be, but in that moment, she couldn’t afford to wait until she got used to the temperature. As she loudly sneezed, however, she realized she might be in the process of catching a cold before she saw River approaching her. ‟Hey, how’s the kid doing? Is he okay?” She asked her friend.

[mollyzhuang]

Location: Kismet Harbor Fire Station Featuring: Molly Zhuang and Makayla Hoffmann ( @makaylahoffmann )

To say that Molly had gotten little to no sleep the night before would be a vast understatement. Yesterday, the paramedics and firefighters worked together to rescue and treat the victims of a fire that broke out in an apartment complex Downtown. Having been a paramedic for six years now, she had grown desensitized to the amount of fires taking place in Kismet Harbor. Thankfully, they hadn’t been too bad, but this time, it had gotten out of hand. As if seeing burn victims coming in nonstop wasn’t shocking enough to Molly, finding out that the fire was caused by a group of teenagers stopped her in her tracks.

She kept her emotions under wraps for as long as she could, but once she got home, Molly broke down in tears as the surge of memories taking over her mind. If she hadn’t gotten help, she could’ve turned into one of those kids, but if she stopped a long time ago, why did she still feel like a monster? Molly wasn’t entirely sure, but all she knew is that when she went to sleep, nightmares of her family calling her that very thing kept her from resting for the night. In fact, last night haunted her while she was awake at the Fire Station as she leaned over to hide her face in her hands, using her elbows to support herself as she sat down.

She was so overwhelmed that she didn’t notice her shoulder being gently shaken. ‟I’m fine, Lieutenant. I just...I need a minute,” She mumbled softly, but loud enough for both women to hear before looking up and seeing Makayla. Molly wasn’t one to be shaken so easily, but what happened the day before shook her to her very core.

[mollyzhuang]

[Jessica Henwick, XXIX, She/Her] Introducing MOLLY ZHUANG. A Kismet Harbor resident since SEPTEMBER 2012, she lives in a two bedroom apartment in CRESTHILL MEADOWS. She is a paramedic for the KISMET HARBOR FIRE DEPARTMENT, but also is part of the NA, LGBTQIA+, ELEVATED ESCAPADES and WATCHFUL EYES clubs. She is currently SINGLE, but is the mother of Eevee, a British Shorthair cat. She is known for being ARTISTIC, FEARLESS AND CHARITABLE, but she is unfortunately also EMOTIONAL, IMPULSIVE AND REBELLIOUS. Written by Sofi.

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