Light at the End of the Tunnel (Tag: Wesley)(Complete)

The buzzer on her office phone's intercom buzzed and Eleora leaned over in her chair while mouthing an apology to the patient sitting on the couch across from her. She depressed the button with one finger. "What is it Ms. Keller?" The voice of her receptionist came over the system. "I'm sorry to interrupt Dr. Maddox, we could use your help in the Lobby." Eleora frowned and reached over to the clock next to the phone, pressing the button that would pause the numbers. "Please excuse me a moment, I'm sure this won't take long." Thankfully, her current patient was a regular and one who'd worked hard over the last few years to get past her childhood and find some semblance of normalcy. Locking the tablet screen she'd been taking notes on, she set it down and got up from her chair to move to the door out of her office and down the short hallway to her lobby. The scene she walked into however was less then peaceful. Chaos seemed to have taken over. Her Lobby was the center of the third floor, she could see into the other lobbys of the other doctors who worked this floor through the glass wall that separated them all. The glass wall that lay shattered on the floor. A couple she was seeing for marriage counseling was hunkered down behind the row of chairs trying to protect themselves. Her receptionist was cowering behind her desk and even those in the other offices had looks of horror on their faces.

Their horror was directed at a young woman standing in the middle of her lobby. She had only recently become one of Eleora's patients but they hadn't made much headway. "Ms. Williams? Whatever is going on, I'm sure we can talk it out. Violence is never the answer, tell me what's wrong." She told the woman, pushing calm emotions her way as she held her hands out, palms forward, taking a few steps closer. The woman turned her attention on Eleora. "Don't come near me! I can't control it! Please! I don't want to hurt anyone!" The building itself seemed to rumble and shake, inside her head Eleora could feel Aurora stirring, something was definitely not right. Thankfully, Ele never wore heels so she didn't lose her footing as the building shook and more glass shattered. The lights flickered a bit and Ele motioned to her receptionist to get the other two out of there.

"That's good Jennifer, focus on that. You don't want to hurt anyone and that determination can help you control it. Just breathe, think of something happy, something that made you feel calm and serene." Jennifer closed her eyes, nodding gently as she tried to do what Eleora told her. From one of the other offices, now all open as the glass had shattered completely, came a hate filled voice. "You're one of those freaks! I won't let you hurt anyone here!" Eleora turned sharply to take in the man that had spoken just in time to see him pull a gun out of a hidden holster under his jacket. Throwing herself forward, Eleora tried to put herself between the young woman and the man though she wasn't quite fast enough. The sound of the gun echoed in the air as everything seemed to slow down, the bullet barely grazed her shoulder but at the same time Jennifer began to scream.

The building gave a mighty shudder as cracks began to form, every floor seeming to shake apart as electricity sparked. A blast of telekinetic energy finished the job as it tore the third floor apart. Eleora was thrown back down the hallway she'd come from, hitting the wall at the far end hard enough to knock the air from her lungs. The ceiling fell in towards her and Ele allowed Aurora to take control of her body. A shield of light formed around her to protect her from the falling debris, and darkness enveloped everything. It seemed like forever before the sounds of the building tearing apart died down. Aurora carefully dropped the shield, just in case it was what was holding this part of the building up. Her brilliant wings shone light on the wreckage around her. She was trapped at the end of her hallway. The path back to the lobby had caved in entirely. Eleora's ribs were cracked, making it hard for her human vessel to breathe but she knew she had to try the door on the right though it didn't budge when she tried to open it.

"Dr. Maddox? Eleora? Are you alright?!" Came the voice of her receptionist from the other side of all the debris. It was muffled but it was there. "I'm alright Julie! Go help the others!" Always the selfless humanitarian no matter who was in control of her body. Aurora would remain in control, aiding the healing of Eleora's ribs since she couldn't go anywhere.

Cerebral spinal stabilization in traumatic injuries has never been fully medically tested, relying on outdated practices from the founding of true Emergency Medical Services through the military medical units in wartime.

Wes Reynolds read to himself from the Journal of Emergency Medical Services, or JEMS, with his feet up on a table as he did what all firefighters did best; he waited. It was a true fact, but they were always waiting for that moment when the training took over, for the moment where there was a call to action. Wes found himself fortunate to be as well-trained and to be in a large station with varied equipment. He loved that he could effectively ride on every truck present in the house depending on the situation. For the day, he was on Engine 3 but he knew that his training as a paramedic could have him switch at anytime.

Like, today, for example. The tones blared throughout the house loud enough to wake anyone up and get them moving. Within moments Wesley was on his feet, magazine tossed to the table, moving towards the firepoles in to the apparatus bay. The radio blared throughout the station:

[Engine 3, Rescue 1, Ladder 2, Command 23, Tac 1 Response: Structural collapse. Starling Regional Medical Offices. 12th and Westbrook. Second Alarm being transmitted. USAR activated]

"You hear that Reynolds!?" The Engine's Lieutenant yelled to him as he was throwing his feet in his fireboots. "You're on Tac because USAR is going active!"

Wes threw up a thumbs up and grabbed his coat and helmet as he jogged to the small SUV that was designated as 'Tactical 1.' It was a specialist's vehicle that house specific tools for USAR, or Urban Search and Rescue, Hazardous Materials, water rescue and confined spaced. Since he had the specialty training, he automatically got it. Tossing the jacket and helmet in the passenger seat, Wes flipped the lightbar on as he grabbed the radio.

"Tactical 1 responding Code 3."

Dispatch responded acknowledgement as the vehicle roared to life and Wes pulled out of the station, letting the sirens scream warning as he sped through traffic. Dodging and weaving through congestion kept his attention as air horns blared at intersections intertwined with sharp blasts of wailing siren and flashing lights. As he approached the scene, Wes could already see the rising cloud of dust, indicating a definitive collapse on some level. Seeing as his company was called as a second alarm didn't bode well.

Just get there safe an do your job.

Turning the corner, Wes finally got a good look of the damage done: nearly half the building was in shambles. It didn't make sense, the building wasn't five years old yet. Stepping from the vehicle Wesley threw on his USAR turnout jacket and helmet before throwing a small backpack with some specific supplies inside designed for finding and treating crush/collapse victims. The word 'PARAMEDIC' flashed reflectively on his jacket from the lights all around him as he moved to the local scene commander.

"I need that ladder in position over there and I need to get on top of that pile!" Wes called to the man as he indicated the location he meant by the third floor. Well, where the third floor used to be.

As other vehicles from his fire company began to make their arrival, Wes was already scaling a long ladder hung over the debris looking for a place to put himself. Taking a ceiling pole, he tapped until he found a solid place to which he promptly vaulted the ladder to land on his boots. Moving slowly, deliberately, Wes found a small open shaft to call down to hopefully alive victims.

"Fire Department! Is anyone down there?!"

Aurora mentally checked her vessel for other wounds, the gun shot to her shoulder thankfully didn't do much damage but there was blood dripping all the way down her arm. With the light of her wings she made stock of her surroundings, which there wasn't much of. Thankfully, with an Anointed riding shotgun, Eleora could last much longer then a normal human in these conditions. Pulling the simple scarf she'd been wearing as an accessory from around her neck, she did her best to tie it around her arm to help stop the bleeding, difficult as it was she had to use her teeth to help. The wound was superficial so it wasn't Aurora's focus. The internal damage was worse and needed mending if she'd have any hope of even crawling out of the rubble.

The noises from beyond her makeshift prison were muffled, but she could still make out the sounds of sirens as rescuers moved in. Both she and her vessel mourned the young woman who hadn't meant for any of this to happen. That much energy was not meant to be used by humans, if the bullet hadn't killed her, her own abilities would have burned out her mind. Emotions were a powerful force, humans especially seemed driven by them more then any other species Aurora had met or befriended. Eleora had a rare gift, one that would have worked perfectly to diffuse the situation if fear had not intervened.

She wasn't sure how much time had lapsed when she heard a voice calling down from above. Leaving the heavenly anecdotes on the wayside, Aurora tilted her face up towards the sound to see a small shaft that led up to what was left of the roof. Wesley could probably see the light of her wings but down that shift and they way they moved he'd probably think it was candle or a fire or something. "I'm here! But I'm alright! No immediate danger! There was a patient in one of the rooms, about thirty feet to your right. You should check and see if she's trapped too. I'm not going anywhere." Aurora called out, the odd echoing of her voice would be masked by the distance as it carried up to Wesley above her.

Moments like these she almost wished she had more offensive abilities like some of her kin, she knew of a few who could have easily just blasted their way out and called it a day. Wesley's talents were better saved for use on those who actually needed it, she was in no danger unless the building shifted.

The outside noise of generators and the fire apparatus made hearing difficult, so Wes shifted carefully to dip his head in the shaft to properly hear anyone trapped or responding. The soft glow down the shaft wasn't a good indicator to him, either. Something like that in a collapsed building usually meant a gas leak with an associated fire and a fire in a confined space like that was never good.

I really hope there isn't anyone... his thoughts were cut off by the faint but audible sound of a voice.

"I'm here! But I'm alright! No immediate danger! There was a patient in one of the rooms, about thirty feet to your right. You should check and see if she's trapped too. I'm not going anywhere."

"Really? I..." stopping his yelling down for a moment, he considered the woman's words. She almost sounded calm. "...never ever heard that one before." Shaking away the bizarre nature of the woman's response, Wes keyed his radio as he waved to catch the attention of the ladder operator.

"Tac 1 to Ladder 5. Found one victim, buried kind of deep. Swing the ladder to my position and bring me a rope pack. Victim relayed other victims in close vicinity, deploy full USAR protocols."

Acknowledgement came across the radio as the ladder swung around, already being ascended by a man with a bundle of rope and a harness. Once the firefighter set up the rope on the end of the ladder, Wes was busy securing himself in the harness. It would be a bit of a tight fit with his overcoat, but he couldn't risk it with the concrete and steel poking about.  

"I know that you told me to move along, but I can't do that. So you're just gonna have to deal with getting rescued. I've got other guys working on other people, ok?"

Tossing a blanket on the edge of a slab of roof to prevent the rope from fraying, Wes leaned back over the opening as he prepared to rappel down. Feeling the harness tighten around him, he took his first step down. Making slow progress to ensure proper footholds and to keep himself from impaling himself on rebar.

"I know its dark, I'm probably blocking the light as I come down for you. Don't be afraid, I will be with you shortly. How close is that fire to you? Can you see flames?"

He hadn't heard from the mysterious woman in a little bit and he was getting concerned. Granted, if she was on fire he would've heard something by this point...unless, of course, the worst had already befallen her.

That thought was not an acceptable option for Wesley.

Aurora's golden eyes widened as Wesley's voice echoed down the shaft again. Of course he had to be one of the good ones, the stubborn type who couldn't just do what he was told! She knew Eleora's body hadn't had enough time to heal properly but it was going to have to do, at least the cracked ribs had begun to knit together enough that they would break much further so long as she was careful. Still, she knew she had to make Eleora take control again or Wesley was about to find something he certainly wasn't expecting buried inside the building. Closing her eyes, Aurora retreated. Her golden wings of pure light shrank down and settled back into Eleora's clothing where they would retake their place along her skin. As they left, the light died out, plunging her in darkness.

Eleora drew in a shuddering breath as she felt the pain of each rib, each bump and bruise. She'd been shielded when Aurora was in control but now she had no choice but to feel everything. Before she could reign it in, her aura let out a blast of the pain she felt, though it wouldn't go far and there wasn't anyone to feel it before she regained control. She was forced to take slow, shallow breaths which made yelling a bit difficult. "I told you, I'm fine. And I'm not sure what fire you're talking about!" She called up to me, in a perfectly calm, if a bit strained voice. She knew she had to look a mess, covered in building debris, blood trailing down her arm...but now was not the time to worry about such things.

Eleora didn't move as he found his way into her protected little bubble, a bubble that may have perhaps been a touch too unnaturally round as it had pressed up against Aurora's light shield when it fell but there was nothing she could do about that. "You didn't need to come down here, I'm sure there were others in far more desperate need of your help." She scolded him softly, though she couldn't help but smile up at the man who was risking his life to save hers. She was properly dressed, professional without being too stiff. Pale colors that complimented her tanned southern skin and her golden curls. Or at least they would have if they hadn't been covered in a layer of plaster dust. She wore sensible shoes, flats instead of heels. No jewelry to be seen, just a simple pair of diamond studs in her earlobes. There was an air of confidence about her that couldn't be ignored however, she knew who she was and wasn't going to let someone stop her.

"I told you, I'm fine. And I'm not sure what fire you're talking about!"

Wes found himself fighting the urge to roll his eyes despite knowing she would never see it. The comment about the fire made him stop in the middle of his descent and spin so he could look down. the shaft. That faint orange-yellow glow was gone.

"I swore I saw a glowing, flickering light. I was really concerned about your safety, ma'am." My mistake... he thought to himself as he swung back to a position to descend.

As he finally made it in to the area where the woman was located, Wes turned on his flashlight on his jacket and took a look around. Surprisingly the woman had found herself some sort of hollow that probably saved her life.

"You didn't need to come down here, I'm sure there were others in far more desperate need of your help." Despite the scolding tone, she did manage to smile up at Wes.

Considering the situation Wesley wasn't about to put on any sort of charm as it would be really unprofessional. however he had to admit that this particular woman was very attractive and her smile really set off her face. The dust and situation only seemed to make it cuter, almost as if she had just been in a food fight. He unhooked the harness from the rope, letting it hang as he keyed his radio.

"Tac 1 - Command. Patient found, assessing now. Ladder 5, standby for extraction."

[Confirmed Tac 1. You said there were more potential victims thirty feet or so to your south?]

Wes keyed his microphone button twice to affirm the question as he knelt in front of Eleora. He pulled a small water bottle from his pack and handed it to her, letting the moment take some time so he could get a small idea of what was going on with her.

She's breathing kinda shallow, probably from pain or something else. Some sort of wound on her shoulder or arm, too dark to really see how bad it is, but she seemed to have bandaged it up decently. Maybe she's in medicine?

The thought made him smile back at her as he retrieved another pelvic harness from the small pack.

"Do you normally reject firemen when they try to rescue you from peril? It sounds like you've done this before. Besides, I would be pretty bad at my job if I just left you here. I'm Wes, by the way, can you tell me what hurts? Do you think we can get this harness on you?"

Eleora reached out to take the water bottle he offered to her, using her good arm to lift it to her lips so she could take a long drink from it. She'd probably be starving here very shortly, allowing Aurora to help her heal always left her famished due to the use of resources. She tilted her head a bit as he spoke about rejecting him, though she managed to keep from laughing because she knew how much that would hurt. "I was not rejecting you, I was merely telling you that I was comfy and you could come back for me later. I'm Eleora, it's nice to meet you Wes though I suppose the circumstances could be better. I'm just not used to being the victim is all, making sure everyone else is alright first is sort of ingrained in my DNA." She admitted with a soft smile.

At the question of what hurt she gave a soft, and very short, sigh. "I was thrown against the wall before the building came down but I don't think anything is necessarily broken. It hurts when I breathe but it feels more bruised. I took a bullet to the arm but it seems to be just a graze, looks worse then it is. Other then that just bumped and bruised all over as you can well imagine. Eleora eyed the harness for a moment.

"If I don't move around too much in the process I think we could make it work. I'm going to need your help though, I only have one good arm and no core strength at the moment." She reached up with her good arm so he could hand her the harness, or help her up whichever he thought would be better.

"I was not rejecting you, I was merely telling you that I was comfy and you could come back for me later. I'm Eleora, it's nice to meet you Wes though I suppose the circumstances could be better. I'm just not used to being the victim is all, making sure everyone else is alright first is sort of ingrained in my DNA."

Wes matched the soft smile he gave her as he pulled some medical equipment from his bag. Placing a small sensor on her pointer finger as he shifted to get better access to her back, he couldn't help himself.

"Don't worry about being a first time victim. This is my first week. Crazy meeting up like this..."

He let it hang in the air for a moment before laughing out loud. "I'm kidding!"

Sitting there, listening to her describe her injuries, the majority of them didn't make sense. Thrown through the air and shot!? What in the hell was happening at the Medical Center before their arrival. In either case, she was sugar-coating her injuries and Wes could tell just by looking at her that things were worse than what the pretty blond was letting on.

"Well, you're breathing kinda shallow, but you aren't struggling to take in air. That tells me you really bruised or broke some ribs and are trying to hide it from me to get out of here. The gunshot would...I am not even gonna make a comment on because I have no idea what was going on in the Medical Center, and its not my place to ask."

With that said he threw the stethescope on and placed the listening end in his hand and leaned in to her, stopping once he saw her tense up and back away for just a moment.

"I am not gonna hurt you, I just wanna listen. Take slow breaths and nothing deep enough to really hurt, ok""

Once she relaxed, he softly moved in close to her and placed the listening end on the sides of her chest cavity and her back, listening for breath sounds and other telltale sounds of specific interest. After a few breaths, he heard what he was looking for and removed the scope from her chest.

"Ok, so I am hearing grating sounds in your chest which means you have at least one broken rib. That's why it hurts as much as it does. I actually think, based on what I heard, you're sporting two or three. So we need to be careful when we move, I cannot guarantee it will be pleasant beyond my company."

Assisting her to stand was simple enough, and he had her step in to the harness as he pulled it up her legs and began tightening the straps to get her secure. Once he had her secure in the harness Wes replaced the backpack on his back and hooked Eleora to the rope hitch. Securing himself in the last one a foot or two behind her, he softly spoke to her.

"You ready?

Eleora eyed him, arching a bow as she quite visibly didn't believe him. The when he announced that he was joking her lips curled into smile though she managed to keep from laughing because she knew how much it would hurt if she did. "Busted. Wes, I'll be fine. I know what I can survive." She reaching out to rest a hand on his arm. With the sleeve of his uniform in the way she wouldn't be able to feel his emotions but that didn't stop her from pushing a calming wave out towards him. It would help him believe her and keep him from getting angry with her.

The reason she tensed when he moved towards her with the stethoscope was because she was afraid he'd have to pull down her shirt to listen to her lungs, most doctors didn't like trying to listen with material in the way because it caused extra noise. She nodded as he reassured her and focused on doing what he asked. She drew in a slow breath until it started to hurt and then slowly let it back out again. He was sweet to humor her modesty, she knew that's what he had to be thinking. She kept the tattoos that marked Aurora's presence a secret because it wasn't her secret to tell. Aurora trusted her and while being inside a Vessel made her stronger, it also gave her weaknesses that could be used against her.

She was protecting an Angel.

" Feels more like three." She smiled at him though, not keeping anything from him now, he was too smart for that.

She allowed him to help her up, moving slowly though she still winced and made small gasps in pain, but she kept moving. Once standing, she focused on breathing, keeping herself calm while he helped her into the harness.

"Wes...I think I'm going into shock." She swallowed hard and looked down at her hands, shaking uncontrollably. Ice was creeping in starting at fingertips. Her gaze turned up to him, a thin layer of calm hiding the panic she was beginning to feel. "Get me out of here. Please." She pleaded with him. Without Aurora in control her frail human body was giving in to the trauma.

Once she was secure in her harness, Eleora was quick to spin on him and grab his arm, a touch of panic in her voice.

"Wes...I think I'm going into shock." Her hands shook as she stared up in to his own eyes, "Get me out of here. Please."

Pulling off his gloves, he immediately slid them on Eleora's slender fingers before tossing his backpack to the ground as he skid off his turnout coat. It would provide her a lot of warmth as they ascended. Before coating her, he softly placed his hand to her cheek and stared her directly in her eyes.

"Eleora, listen to me. We are going to be fine. I am getting you out of here in one piece. Do you understand?"

The confidence in Wes' voice was as solid as the look in his eyes as he carefully places the turnout coat on her shoulders. He keyed his radio softly, not losing eye contact with her.

"Tac 1 to Ladder 3. Ready for lift with victim. Direct to ground."

[Copy Tac 1. Lift incoming.]

The ladder began lifting the rope up, and Wes carefully picked up Eleora in his arms as he sat against the tension of the rope, allowing it to slowly pull them from the pit. Trying to watch all the pieces of shifting concrete and steel wire, Wesley did his best to keep Eleora calm during their ascent.

"Ok, so you got to tell me who I am calling when we get out of here: husband, boyfriend, girlfriend...parents? Oh, and I need to know your favorite kind of flower and place to eat in the city."

When he got the awkward questioning look he had been anticipating, he smiled at her, "Its to keep your mind off all the bad stuff, humor me, Eleora. Also, if you are scared of heights I would close my eyes if I were you."

Emerging from the hole, the wind brushed their faces as Wes looked down at dozens of emergency vehicles and hundreds of flashing lights. The ladder softly brought them around to the soft grassy area adjacent to the former medical center, taking its time to place them down so they could stand and Wes could unhitch themselves from one another as people came jogging up to them.

"Nice Job, Rey-" his lieutenant started to say before a loud snapping noise sounded and the building began a secondary collapse. Everyone hunkered down as a wave of dust flew up and passed them. Once it had dissipated after a moment, the building looked in far worse shape than before.

"Looks like we decided to leave just in time."

Eleora knew what Wes was doing, he was trying to keep her warm, to ward off the shock that was setting in and help her through it. He would have no idea that the greatest help he could have given her came in the gentle touch of his hand on her face. Without his gloves, his touch allowed her empathic abilities to access his emotions. His strength, his calm, was exactly what she needed. She stared into his eyes as he spoke but she barely heard a word he was saying. What she felt from him she'd only felt a few times. It took her a moment to snap out of it but he'd likely just chalk it up to the shock.

Finally, she nodded to his words. Taking in a slow, yet still shallow breath as she used the calm he'd unknowingly given her to regain control. She couldn't help the small smile that graced her lips as Wes picked her up. She tightened her core muscles to keep from moving too much in his arms. He didn't need to do that, the rope would have held her just fine but that wasn't who he was.

"You won't need to call anyone. My brother is probably outside already helping to control the flow of traffic." When Wes eyed her she smiled again. "He's a detective, recently assigned to the new Supernatural Task Force. He's doing his job, though I'm sure the second he sees us his job will go right out the window. The Maddox family is very protective of each other." She explained.

"Which brings me to Dad, who is probably already at the Hospital pissing off, or hitting on, every nurse in the ER till I either call him, or show up there. He is nothing if not predictable in his old age. Also, don't tell him I called him old." She confided in Wes. She knew exactly what he was doing, keeping her talking so she couldn't focus on the situation and she saw no reason to fight him on it.

"I love sunflowers, you'll find that amusing later I'm sure. I keep one in my apartment, have since College. Takes up a whole corner of the front room now. It gets perfect sunlight through the east facing window all morning long. Let's see, my favorite place to eat in this city has to be Debbie's Diner, downtown on Atlantic. I suppose the best description would be Greasy Spoon but the food is wonderful and they make the best apple pie, short of the pie I make." She told him.

Ele wasn't afraid of heights, hell, she actually knew what it was to fly, so she didn't need to close her eyes against the view. She did inhale sharply at the sight of the building, so much damage. "This could have been prevented. Yet another perfect example of how violence solves nothing." She muttered. Once they were lowered to the grass, Eleora allowed Wes to unhook her and support her weight, though she saw a familiar face amongst the rescuers running over.

The joy of seeing her brother was eclipsed by the all too familiar and terrifying sound of the building collapsing in on itself. Her breath caught in her throat as the realization hit her. If Wes had done as she asked and left her there to rescue someone else, not even Aurora could have saved her from being crushed to death. It was a humbling feeling and she was still staring in shock as Nik's hands touched her face. "I'll be alright Nik. Tell Dad I'm on the way to the Hospital, and to stop hitting on the nurses before they sedate him." The man she addressed just rolled his eyes and moved to help escort her to the waiting ambulance, though not before mouthing a thank you to Wes over his shoulder.

Wesley didn't know it, and neither did Eleora, but their lives were irrevocably changed that day.

[end thread]