Contents
Part One: Molly — Chapter 1
Overview
Molly, Rhode Island’s emergency preparedness chief, manages a chaotic airport disaster drill to completion, exposing her exacting standards and deep-seated need for accountability born from losing her mother on 9/11. Personal history, marriage to detective Jesse, and public-health battles frame her world.
After the memorial trip and tension with federal evaluators, a surprise pregnancy forces Molly to confront competing loyalties to career, identity, and family.
Summary
At TF Green Airport, Molly Fitzgerald coordinates response during a fiery Southwest plane “crash,” until a missing passenger triggers a focused search. The last “infant” is found as a training doll, and the exercise ends. In the hot wash, Molly’s competency and vigilance reflect her need to account for every life.
Her backstory surfaces: a prodigy accelerated by the pandemic into leadership, shaped by losing her mother on 9/11 and a father consumed by conspiracies. Molly’s marriage to Detective Sergeant Jesse Fitzgerald offers steadiness; their banter and shared traumas reveal intimacy and resilience. A late-night multi-vehicle crash pulls her back to work.
Molly travels to New York for the 9/11 ceremony with friend Tabs, honors her mother at the memorial, and reflects on preparedness heroes and how drills save lives. Returning home, Jesse comforts her amid news of a real plane crash in Philadelphia, underscoring the fragile line between exercises and disasters.
At work, Molly clashes with CDC evaluator Dr. Louella Griswald, demonstrating how a mandated notification protocol creates chaos. Later, a hospital colleague’s tests—prompted by Molly’s brief faintness—reveal she is 11 weeks pregnant. Molly panics over timing and career stakes; Jesse is elated but supportive, promising partnership as she grapples with what this means.
Who Appears
- Molly FitzgeraldNarrator; Rhode Island emergency preparedness chief; leads airport drill, attends 9/11 memorial, confronts CDC, discovers unexpected 11-week pregnancy.
- Jesse FitzgeraldMolly’s husband; Providence detective and polygraph expert; supportive, shares trauma history, offers steady care during crises.
- Tabs (Tabitha/Tabs Cubero)Molly’s 9/11 friend; lost her father; accompanies Molly at the memorial and offers candid support.
- EvieMolly’s stepmother and late mother’s best friend; lifelong caregiver; shares stories of Eloise and family history.
- Adam FitzgeraldMolly’s father; forensic engineer; struggles with 9/11 conspiracy beliefs, tender with Molly and Evie.
- MiguelExercise coordinator; runs the hot wash after the airport drill and keeps evaluations focused.
- TobyMolly’s deputy; sends hospital alerts, handles notifications, and assists during evaluations.
- SueSouthwest Airlines representative; reconciles the passenger manifest with Molly during the drill.
- Dr. Louella GriswaldCDC evaluator; challenges state protocols; sparrs with Molly over a flawed notification system.
- Alysia ChenHospital liaison physician; orders Molly’s labs and informs the pregnancy indirectly.
- EdEMS official assisting with reconciliation; tracks patients and statuses during the drill.
- PaulDeputy chief of EMS; provides field updates, including decedent identification during the drill.