AFTER UNSUCCESSFULLY-SUCCESSFULLY borrowing (okay, stealing) JJ's cousin Ricky's ambulance, Karolina sat fidgeting nervously with the EMT uniform JJ also borrowed (stole) for her.

JJ checked the time on his phone from the driver's seat; fourty minutes until 11pm. "Waiting on your call, John B..." he murmured. He noticed Karolina buttoning and unbuttoning the top button of her shirt over and over again, nervous.

JJ took her hand in his, and she relaxed a bit. "Are... are we sure we're going to do this? I mean..." she asked, eyes flitting up to meet his.

He ran his thumb over her knuckles. "We're gonna be fine, Lina. You trust me?"

She nodded, but before she could utter a word, a siren chirped behind them. A police car strolled up to the window, and Karolina swallowed hard.

JJ drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, certain that the officer was there to arrest them for impersonating EMTs (Could you be arrested for that? Probably.)

But the officer just sighed. "I hate when it's slow like this, you know?"

JJ avoided looking at him, afraid the officer might recognize them. He continued to squeeze Karolina's hand under the dashboard. "Tell me about it, man..."

"Hey, what happened to Ricky? He bang out?" the officer asked.

JJ kept his head bent at an awkward angle as he replied, "Somethin' like that..."

Just then, a call came in from dispatch. "One three Eddie. We got an unknown at KC Detention."

Karolina's eyes widened and she looked at the time. 10:22... John B was early.

JJ lifted the com to his mouth. "Uh, yeah... ten-four. I'll be right there, thank you so much... Over."

Karolina tried to smile at the deputy. "Duty calls."

"See you, Officer. Uh, you have a good night, though, okay?" JJ nodded at him, starting the engine.

"Hold up."

Karolina swallowed thickly. She and JJ slowly looked at the officer, who smiled politely. "I got nothing to do. I'll pace you."

With a flick of his wrist, the officer started his siren and lights. Karolina silently thanked God that they hadn't been caught— not yet.

JJ shifted gears and began following the officer. "Holy shit."

"Tell me about it..." Karolina murmured, dragging her hands down her face with a sigh. She checked the time again. "He's early, J. Forty minutes early."

"I know. But we gotta..." JJ shook his head. "We gotta do this, we can't lose him."

Karolina touched his hand again. "We won't. If this doesn't work, we'll... we'll figure something out. But we are not losing him again."

Turning his palm over, JJ squeezed her hand in return.

The prison guard manning the transfer bay let them in without issue, but Karolina made sure to pull her cap low over her face, as JJ did. He carefully (and surprisingly deftly) backed into the space, where a nurse in purple scrubs awaited them.

"All right, load 'em up!" JJ told her, smacking the side of the ambulance from the driver's seat still.

Karolina started to hiss at him. "Are you kidding me—"

"You gonna get your patient here, chief?" the nurse asked, raising an eyebrow.

Karolina poked JJ's leg, and started to get out of the car as he scrambled to cover for his mistake. "Yeah. Right on, I'm gonna get my patient." He cut the engine and followed Karolina, as she turned around the other side of the car to talk to the nurse.

"Sorry, ma'am, he's new," she apologized, smiling politely. "First night jitters, you know. Such a rookie." She looked at JJ from the corner of her eyes, still plastering on a smile.

The nurse ignored her. "Where's Ricky?"

"Ricky?" said JJ, blinking. "Uh, food poisoning. You know, uh... Ming Dynasty off of Highway 29? Them egg rolls, dude, now they'll get ya. They'll get ya good..."

Karolina rolled her eyes slightly as she made her way over to the door alongside the nurse. "So, where's the patient?"

"Patient fell out. No LOC, but he's orthostatic," explained the nurse.

Karolina blinked. "Oh... Yeah?"

The nurse eyed her. "Yeah. Stage four lymphoma. He's been in and out of chemo for the last three months."

JJ stopped in his tracks, as an officer wheeled out the patient in a wheel chair. It was a man in an orange jumpsuit, looking sickly— but definitely not John B.

She met JJ's gaze. Shit.

"Uh..." JJ glanced at the clock. Nearly 11. "Is that the only patient tonight there, ma'am?"

"Why?" laughed the nurse. "You wanna take more than one tonight?"

Karolina felt her heartbeat begin to race, her stomach ulcer flaring up. She thought she was over that.

JJ was rambling again, looking down the hall in hopes to see John B. "I mean, I would if I had to. That's what I'm trying to say. Uh..."

"We were called in for a patient with apendicitis, actually," Karolina spoke up, once she finally recovered her wit. She turned to look at the nurse. "We were just wondering if that had been resolved, or..."

The nurse gave them a skeptical look. "This is our only patient... Where did you say you work?"

JJ turned around with a large smile. "Dare County, ma'am."

Karolina caught on. Okay, so... Take this dude to Dare County and get back before JB gets apendicitis. Easy.

The nurse wasn't giving them an easy time, though. "I worked over there... Never seen you two."

Karolina tried to stay calm. She shrugged. "Well, like I said— he's a rookie. I transfered from Chapel Hill not to long ago, but I've just moved up the ranks so quickly that..." She glanced at the real patient. "Look, ma'am, you seem absolutely lovely, but we gotta get going." She tugged on JJ's sleeve.

He spun the keys around his finger. "Right. Love to stay and chat, but... Gotta get our guy to the hospital—"

And then the worse thing happened. "JJ... Is that you?" asked the inmate; he recognised him.

JJ froze. Karolina cursed under her breath, but he recovered quickly, continuing to unlock the back of the ambulance. "He's delusional as shit."

The shake of JJ's hands as he tried every key on the ring and none had fit yet was obvious, and Karolina caught the look that the nurse sent the officer behind the patient's wheel chair. She nudged JJ with her elbow. "C'mon, rookie..." She gave a sheepish look to the others.

Finally, JJ found the right one. "There it is, ah... There you go."

The phone tacked to the wall started to ring. Karolina jumped. Her eyes flicked to the clock above the phone. 11:04.

"You gonna let your rookie drive all alone?" the nurse asked, with a raised eyebrow.

Karolina looked at her blankly. "Uh... Yeah, yeah, he's capable. New guy, but he can... He can drive."

The phone continued to ring. Karolina wished someone would answer it.

She looked at the officer, and in a panic, said, "Or you could drive."

The officer shook his head. "No, he's an inmate. I gotta be in the back."

Karolina looked helplessly at JJ, all out of lies.

But JJ (and thank God for him) had it covered. "Wait, hold on, officer. You're saying that you're gonna be responsible for us not taking care of our patient? You're gonna rob— and yeah, I say rob— me of this EMT learning experience with my mentor?" He jabbed a finger at Karolina. "Is that what you're telling me?" JJ climbed into the back of the rig and tossed the keys at the officer, then offering a hand to Karolina. "'Cause look at him. He's all weak and feeble and pale and shit."

God, she loved him.

Karolina blinked at the thought. Loved him? Of course she did, but this was a new realization for her— after the fight they had and all they've been through since getting together, how could she not—

This was not the time to think about it, of course, so she shook the thought from her mind and took his hand. He pulled her up into the back of the ambulance next to him, and looked down at the officer. "We gotta do medical stuff on him, or else, we're gonna lose him, okay? You don't want that on your hands, do you?"

The officer sighed and looked at the nurse. "This didn't happen," he said, before making his way to the driver's seat. JJ closed the doors, and they watched through the windows as the nurse finally went to answer the phone.

They couldn't hear or see her response, for the ambulance jerked and they were set into motion. Karolina's heart pounded in her chest and she collapsed onto the bench, looking between JJ and the man before them rapidly.

"What the hell..." she muttered, low enough that not even JJ could hear it, slowly descending into a mad, Pope-level panic. They were screwed, they were screwed, they were so screwed and— John B. He was going to get caught faking it and sent to the electric chair instantly or something—

JJ sat down next to her when the ambulance wobbled. He looked intently at their driver, taking his cap off and wringing it in his hands.

The police dispatcher's voice filled the cab, and wafted through to the back of the ambulance. "Be advised, a 10-63 in progress, I repeat, a 10-63 in progress, do you copy?"

The officer lowered his head to speak into his radio. "Copy."

"Continue with the patient on to the hospital, we have backup on the way, do you copy?"

"I read. Ten-four."

JJ cleared his throat and tucked his hat on. "Officer, everything good up there?" he asked, but even he knew. They were caught.

The officer didn't respond, sliding the window separating them shut.

Karolina's heart sunk into her stomach. They were so screwed.

"JJ... JJ, he knows. He knows," she whispered, panicking and starting to fidget with her hair.

JJ took her hands and lowered them into his lap, holding them firmly there. He didn't take his eyes off the driver. "Officer?"

There was no response. JJ squeezed Karolina's hands and shifted towards the back doors, tugging on the handle. It wouldn't budge, and even if it did... More cops swerved behind the ambulance, close.

The sirens seemed to get louder and louder as the ambulance went further. JJ slumped into the seat next to Karolina again, pulling out his phone with shaky hands. She watched him. "What are you... Who are you texting?"

"Kie. You get Pope, tell him to meet us at 4th and Seneca," he told her, rapidly typing on the phone. "C'mon, Kie... We need a miracle..."

Karolina did as she was told, sending an urgent message to Pope, reading: SOS, P! 4th and Seneca, ASAP.

As the ambulance raced along, the hope in Karolina drained even faster when they received no response from either of their friends. She felt her chest get heavy, her breath heavier. It was all for nothing. They'd get thrown in alongside JB and not even get to see him alive one last time.

JJ beat the ambulance door. "Shit!" he yelled, and Karolina's fear settled deep in her stomach.

He sunk to the floor, his back against the door. Karolina fell to her knees beside him, and reached for his hand the same time he reached for hers.

They were swiftly approaching 4th and Seneca, and no sign from Pope or Kie. It was over.

JJ pressed the back of Karolina's hand to his lips, closing his eyes, when suddenly—

The officer slammed on the brakes, sending both JJ and Karolina flying into the wall opposite them. Her neck cracked and her head spun when it hit the metal bench, and she could barely make out what the officer screamed, and who replied.

"Get outta the way!"

"Sorry, so sorry!" It was Kie. Karolina fought against the nausea that swept over her from the concussion she likely obtained and reached for JJ.

He was already there, pulling her by the arm and practically throwing her out off the back door. The officer continued to yell, and Pope's voice came next.

"Get out of the way! Move your car!"

"Sorry, she just got her license..."

Karolina finally recovered enough to know what to do when JJ gripped her hand.

Run.

Her feet hit the pavement with thuds loud enough to wake the whole neighborhood. She had never run before the way she did then, with her head spinning, stomach thumping with pain, and her legs moving like lightning to get her to the edge of the trees on the other side of the road.

JJ's legs were much longer, so she stumbled as he pulled her along. They raced through the strip of trees to the road adjacent to the ones the cops were on— and there were Pope and Kie, awaiting them.

"Come on!" Pope threw open the door and JJ shoved Karolina inside, a hand on her lower back to help her inside. She flopped into the seat face first, tucking her legs in so JJ could follow.

He slammed the door in one slick movement. "Go! Go! Go!"

Kiara slammed on the gas and off they went. Karolina struggled to catch her breath, twisting around to sit upright in the seat. JJ peered intently at her. "You okay?"

She shook her head, leaning against the seat in front of her. "Gonna... puke..." Karolina wretched and slapped a hand over her mouth, trying to fight against the nausea.

JJ rubbed her back with one hand, slumping in the seat next to her.

"I'm seriously not even gonna ask," Kie exclaimed, shaking her head rapidly.

JJ shrugged. "Look... we busted the wrong guy out of jail. Sue me!"

Kiara and Pope spun around to look at them wildly. "What?"

Karolina swallowed her vomit and sat back. "Plan... went awry..." She hadn't completely recovered her breath just yet.

"At least we were trying," spat JJ.

Kie scoffed. "Why are you always doing such stupid shit, JJ?"

"Well I'm gonna end up in jail anyway, so, why does it matter?" JJ snapped, throwing his hands up.

Karolina rounded on him instantly, shoving his hand off of her shoulder. "Stop saying that shit!" she cried, catching them all of guard. "If you feed into Plumb's bullshit, you'll only enable her..." The blonde crossed her arms and scooted to the other side of the seat. "And you're not going to jail, not on my watch."

She wouldn't look at him, but he watched her anyway. She wasn't mad at him, he knew that. She was only upset that he believed what asshats like Plumb say about him.

It was nice to have someone in his corner.

Pope turned to look at them, changing the subject now that they seemed to have recollected themselves. "You guys okay?"

Karolina didn't answer, looking out the window. She hated failing, and especially hated failing at something so important.

JJ sighed and sunk back into his seat.

"Yeah... Just a doozy of a day."

a/n:

kind of a boring chap lol