crack_van | Hank's Men, by Sandra McDonald (PG)

Fandom: EMERGENCY!
Author on LJ:

affinity8
Author Website: http://homepage.mac.com/samcdonald/list.htm (fan fiction)
http://homepage.mac.com/samcdonald/ (regular writing)
Why this must be read:

Sandra McDonald has moved on to actual "legit" writing now, but back in the day, she was quite the fan fic writer. "Hank's Men" is a prime example of her style: a litle angst, a little H/C, a little humor -- and a lot of accurate characterization and tiny slice-of-life details that elevate a story above the "hurt Johnny ad nauseum" genre:

The phone rang. Hank's heart jumped. He heard Marco pick up, speak, pause and then answer in Spanish. Not Dispatch, then.
    Mike brought the folded flags inside. The engineer said nothing, but he looked at the clock and Hank read his mind.
    "They're fine," he said.
    He went into the day room and surveyed the table. Chet had only put out four settings.
    "There's six men at this station," Hank said pointedly.
    Chet blinked. "Huh?"
    "Six. Not four."
    "Johnny and Roy aren't here, Cap."
    "I know that, you twit," Hank replied. "But they'll be back soon."
    Chet scratched his chin and looked at Marco. Marco raised his eyebrows and turned back to the stove. Chet tried to share his puzzlement with Mike, but the engineer had taken refuge behind the sports pages.
    "Since when do we put out plates if they're not here?" Chet asked.
    "New rule," Hank said, feeling foolish even as he said it. "Just do it, will you?"
    "Sure, Cap," Chet said, in the exact tone firefighters used when their captains made up crazy new rules.

Hank's Men

Hank's Men, by Sandra McDonald (PG)

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