Chapter Text
It’s been a busy shift at the 118, but things had calmed down enough that Bobby could finally start prepping dinner – or so he thought. When his phone rang and showed May was calling, he was immediately alarmed, because May was a texter.
Shifting into captain mode, Bobby tried to remain calm when he answered. Listening to his clearly exhausted stepdaughter, he learned that, when she walked home to her apartment after a shift from hell, she heard the distressed calls of an animal. Bobby could tell May was close to tears, not knowing how best to help, but also distraught at the idea of losing anyone else today.
Before the 118 knew what was happening, Bobby had jumped into the captain’s truck, telling his team that he had to take care of a family emergency. After breaking a few traffic laws and praying that he would not have the bad luck of getting caught by his wife or one of her friends, Bobby finally reached May’s apartment and parked in his usual spot.
May was crouched near some bushes, and Bobby could tell that being so focused meant she had not noticed his arrival. Carrying a blanket from the truck, he approached her slowly to avoid startling her. The moment May noticed her stepfather’s presence, she jumped up, hugged him tightly, and apologized for calling him at work. Bobby reassured her that he was happy to help and crouched down to take a look at the furball hidden under the bush nearest to them.
“There you are,” he said in a soft and reassuring tone of voice.
Barely visible in the leaves was a kitten that could not be more than a few weeks old, no longer making the distressed calls that had first drawn May’s attention. Bobby carefully extended one large hand that dwarfed the little thing and scooped it into the blanket he had brought, sighing in relief when the kitten showed signs of resistance and made noises indicating its unhappiness at being disturbed. Until then, he had been worried that this rescue operation might be turning into a recovery one.
“How does it look?” May asked him worriedly, trying to sneak a peek inside the blanket.
Bobby gave the small orange cat a quick once-over, determining that while malnourished and clearly separated from its mother way too early, the kitten seemed uninjured.
He carefully gave the kitten’s belly a little scratch with his index finger to assess temperature and heart rate. “A little roughed up, but nothing a little care shouldn’t be able to fix.”
Mindful of the time and his need to feed a house full of hungry firefighters before the next call came in, Bobby handed the wrapped kitten to May, walked her to his truck, and drove her to the nearest animal hospital. Dropped the two of them off, he told May to keep him posted and headed back to work.
Luckily, no call came in while Bobby was out, and he could get right back to prepping dinner. Since the team was curious about his emergency, he told them about the kitten and shared the pictures May kept sending from the animal hospital. By the time dinner was finished, the entire 118 was emotionally invested in the small orange kitten with white spots, and Buck was googling whether firehouse cats were a thing.
To the relief of everyone, but especially Hen, May texted Bobby towards the end of their shift and told him that the kitten would be fine and that she had decided to keep him. Bobby further relayed to his captive audience that the vet had sent her home with medication and some food to get them started, and she would get supplies in the coming days once her new roommate was settled. For now the little guy seemed to be happy enough curled up in what was now his LAFD blanket.
There were cheers all around the firehouse, and Chimney congratulated his captain on the new grandkitten.
A couple of hours later, Bobby knocked awkwardly on May’s door, his arms full of supplies picked up on the way over. Despite being a big, strong firefighter, he was struggling to hold onto the several bags of food, litter, and – most importantly – toys.
May laughed when she saw him.
“This really wasn't necessary,” she assured her stepfather while looking fondly at him. “They sent me home with some basics, and I was gonna go shopping tomorrow.”
“Well,” Bobby said, smiling sheepishly at the realization that he may have gone a little overboard. “Now you don't have to!”
They settled on the couch where the kitten’s head was poking ou oft his blanket, between the two humans. Big green eyes looked at them suspiciously.
“Has he come out at all?” Bobby asked.
“Not yet.”
When May yawned and stretched, Bobby saw what looked to be deep scratches on her forearm. She clearly noticed her stepfather’s concern and immediately explained that she had accidentally startled the kitten earlier, and he had scratched her.
“It's not as bad as it looks,” May said, clearly trying to reassure him, but Bobby was already on his way to the bathroom to get the first aid kit, ready to clean and bandage the wounds.
Once May was patched up and cradling the kitten - inside his blanket - in her arms on the couch, Bobby dared to lightly scratch the feisty little creature between his tiny white ears.
“Have you picked a name yet?”
“Not yet. Any suggestions?”
“How about ‘Maurice’?” he suggested, thinking fondly of another spirited animal he once wrapped in a blanket and handed off to another Grant woman.
May laughed.
“I know you love telling that story, but Mom is gonna kill us.”