Cash Stone

Yeah. I just mean the negative attention directed at us is all. I’m glad that you’re not going to let it get to you. And you shouldn’t. It’s a big moment.

Sorry it had to happen during... all of this. But congrats, Pres. 

All things he did off the clock in his personal life. Yes, there were things he did and said that were concerning, but nobody, including you, could’ve predicted that those things would leap over the line into assault. Those things on their own, even if we were monitoring and controlling every little conversation he had, aren’t grounds for expulsion. But what we’re not going to do is make our guys feel like they’re being punished for this more than they already are. We get them back into training for the focus, the team building, and the strength, not to call them shit and jokes and failures. That’s where people will get hurt. You love this place and what this job means, and it’s suffering. That’s why you’re angry. But that anger isn’t going to help them by directing it at them. You bring a good dynamic to the team by being a little more hardcore and you are a great lieutenant as well as a firefighter. But you have got to get used to the fact that these guys are with us. They’re here. They’re ours to prepare for what’s out there and to take care of. Like it or not. 

You think everyone who’s capable of assault already have records? You think they wear it on their foreheads in paint? We failed to notice the signs that no one else in this city caught either. It was an oversight. And yes, I do consider it a failure. But intentional? As if we turned to look the other way? Fine, you want something or someone to be mad at, and to feel big because you have an idea in your head that you could’ve magically done better. Great. But that’s not how it happened. And the papers will bring up dark pasts to cause the most uproar. That’s not new. Go make scary faces at Baleman through the bars if you want to confront the person responsible for tarnishing the station’s image that we can and will rebuild. Or is all that you said about the actions of one not reflecting that of the firehouse suddenly bull when it’s convenient for you? 

Hey. This isn’t the time for that. Everyone’s already frustrated enough without the lieutenants being at each others’ throats. If there’s something you want to discuss, we’ll take it somewhere private. 

I told them we should’ve gotten you a podium for Christmas but they still don’t believe me.

We can always do our jobs. That will never and has never stopped. 

They’re not doing it so that we do better. They’re doing it to cover their asses. It’s standard procedure and detached and it’s doing more harm than good right now for the house. The others are taking it like a punishment, and that’s not what we need. No one here deserves that. It’s going to take some time to be able to go back to dealing with things the way we need to deal with them at this station without the public or the department standing in the way. But we’ll get there. There are good people at this station, despite what anyone says. That’s what’s going to get us out the other side.

No ma’am. No we can’t. 

Yeah. I do feel like it is. It’s not, but it hurts like it is. I get it. We all do. Absolving ourselves today has felt right in the head but not in the stomach. We’re family. We say it again and again. And we didn’t see it in time. I don’t know how to make this better for us. I just know that these feelings can’t stay in, and that we are family, Nora. And we’re in for some hurt for a while. I’m sorry I didn’t recognize the signs either. I’m sorry that it came to this when it never should have. And god, I’m sorry for the seminar and the pamphlet I’m going to hand to you after this. It’s not your fault. You know it but you need to hear it. It’s not your fault.

Nothing if you’d rather not, ma’am. You just seemed really sad right then. And I just got this vending machine coffee from Donny’s... but I’m not really feeling it at the moment. You’re welcome to it if you’d like. I just... got this coffee. 

Would you like to sit down with me for a bit?

Yeah... yeah, I hope that starts to become more obvious as things settle. Thank you, Doctor Reznick. At the moment, it’s just good knowing we’ve got friends out there who know better. 

Hey, let’s sit down for a second, okay? We’re going to get through this like we always do. But before we get to that, if you’re up for it, tell me everything you’re feeling. No limits. No judgement. We’re safe here right now. Promise. This has always been our home and it will continue to be that way.

...Miss Brady. Hi. I don’t think we’ve ever met officially before. Cash Stone. 

Yeah, the title should’ve been everyone’s first clue. ‘Firehouse 13 Under Fire’. Wankers. We’re okay. I think everyone’s just frustrated and angry. It was one thing to hear what Baleman did and then to wake up to that article... it’s rough. But we’ll pull through like always. 

We’re going to be under a lot of scrutiny. From the public and from the higher ups. This is a standard response to this kind of incident. They want to feel like they’re doing what they can to fix things up and prevent this from happening again and we’re going to go along with it.