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Bobby was sipping on a virgin Pina Colada in the poolside lounge. His sunglasses were perched on the bridge of his nose, shielding his eyes from the bright sun. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the refreshing tropical flavors. Athena walked back over with a tray of snacks for the two of them to share. Almost all of it was full of pure junk. This last-minute cancellation was the best thing that could have ever happened between the two of them. "Happy last day of our honeymoon, baby." Athena smiled a toothy grin as she put the tray in between them. Bobby looked over at the options and raised an eyebrow.
"Athena… All of this is grease and fried food. Are you trying to kill me?" Bobby teased as he grabbed a French fry. Athena shrugged.
"Why not? That LAFD life insurance policy you've got is, uh, hefty." She teased. Bobby let out a dry, sardonic laugh. "It's our last day of bliss before we go back to reality… surely one day of junk food isn't going to hurt that big, strong fireman body of yours." She said this, raising an eyebrow playfully.
Bobby chuckled. "I guess a little indulgence won't hurt, especially when I've been working so hard." He replied with a smile. Bobby couldn't remember the last time he actually took a vacation and was actually able to enjoy it. This week had been one of the best weeks of his life. It was a shame it was ending soon…
"What's on the itinerary for today?" Athena asked as she grabbed a corndog and a packet of mustard. Bobby watched as she squeezed out the yellow condiment onto the corndog. He never got tired of how gorgeous and effortless she looked. He was in love with her. He couldn't imagine his life without her.
"You know what?" Bobby sighed, looking at her, leaning over her, and taking a bite out of her corndog. "We're on the last day of vacation, baby… more to life than plans and schedules… I say, 'Let's just live in the moment.' And do the first thing that we see."
"Oh, is that so?" Athena smirked mischievously at Bobby. "And what if that's you?" She asked, raising an eyebrow playfully. Bobby threw his head back and laughed, kissing her face.
"Then, I guess, we need…" Bobby paused between words to kiss the skin on the underside of her jaw. He pulled back and locked his gaze to hers, falling in love with her all over again, "to go back to our room so we don't cop an indecency charge."
Athena laughed and said, "I like the way you think." She smiled as she wrapped her arms around Bobby's neck. "Well, big, strong fireman. Aren't you going to carry…" She furrowed her brows and looked behind Bobby. Bobby recognized that look—Athena's trademark glare of suspicion. Bobby turned around to see what had caught Athena's attention.
All of his years of service in the fire department, mostly in Minnesota, made him astute to his surroundings, finding all of the finer details of what could be a dangerous event, up until his injury that dragged him into the spiderweb of addiction, causing him to lose his touch to see the finer details. Then he moved to LA, met his new chosen family, and found reasons to keep on moving forward. Bobby found that touch again, and it only grew stronger with a police sergeant as a wife. Bobby immediately scanned his surroundings to find Athena's attention on two men whispering to one another.
It seemed innocent enough, if it weren't for how they were dressed. "Why would someone dress in all black on a cruise?" Bobby asked softly with a hum under his breath, so quiet that only Athena could hear him.
"The answer is you don't. I think I know what we should do."
"Let me guess… a good old-fashioned Bobby and Athena stakeout?" He sighed out. He was hoping for a vacation where they didn't have to thwart any nefarious criminals and just be a normal married couple on a long-overdue honeymoon. But it seemed like that was never going to happen.
"Aht-aht, Captain Nash and Sergeant Grant Stakeout." She corrected. "I did bring my cuffs." She teased.
Bobby chuckled. "Same difference," he shrugged. He looked up and saw that the suspicious crew in black walked towards the starboard side of the ship, in the opposite direction of where they were currently.
"We better follow them and see what they're up to." Athena said, standing up.
Bobby looked hesitant for a split moment. "And what if they're just normal cruise members with questionable taste in cruise fashion? I mean, we could be jumping the gun here." Athena shrugged.
"Then we don't do anything, and we go back to being honeymooners. I just want to check them out and follow them to make sure they don't have anything suspicious going on." She mused as they quickened their pace. "That's why we stakeout."
Bobby sighed as he watched his wife's back. He looked out to the sea. They were in international waters. "In there…" Athena instructed as she pointed to the doors to the indoors.
"Why are there so many different restaurants and bars here? It makes no sense." A man's voice scoffed as he walked by.
Bobby grabbed Athena and pulled her to him, kissing her deeply to avoid detection. "Because there's 1200 people on the manifest. You can't just have one restaurant and one bar. It goes against fire safety," the other man responded, clearly frustrated with the situation.
"Well, it's re—"
"Aht! Y'can't say that anymore." Other Man interjected, cutting him off. "It's ableist." The first man rolled his eyes.
"I'm telling you, woke culture is going to be the end of our society." He scoffed. Other Man sighed and didn't say anything else until he sighed. "D'you hear anything more about the plan?"
That caught Athena's attention, as she broke the kiss and hugged Bobby tighter. Bobby could see her ears quirking up at the two men in front of them. Bobby was acting like he was reading the menu as they continued talking.
"Nah, the boss said to wait for further instructions." The first man replied, crossing his arms. The other one sighed again.
"I'm telling you, Owen, he's going to double-cross us."
"Would you relax, Ethan? He's going to give us a heads up before it happens anyway." Owen said, reassuring him. "Don't worry, we've got this under control."
"Come on, we're supposed to be on the other side… before Dan kicks our asses for being late." Ethan finished, rolling his eyes.
The two of them quickly made their way towards the exit on the opposite end of the food court. Bobby sighed again, knowing exactly what was playing through Athena's mind. It was still circumstantial at best, but this 'plan' was making them even more suspicious. "We need more information."
Bobby nodded and followed Athena out through the other side, where they found Owen and Ethan meeting up with a third man. "I'm guessing that's Dan." Bobby hummed under his breath.
"It seems like Dan's the one in charge." Athena agreed as they watched Dan, an older man about Bobby's age, nod over to the two younger men. They looked to be around Buck's age. Dan held up a keycard as the three of them walked to the crewmembers-only door.
"That's not suspicious at all." Bobby sighed as he looked out of the corner of his eye as they faced the water. "Should we call it in to let the captain of the ship know that there's suspicious activity?"
"Not just yet. Let's observe them and gather more information first," Athena said as they opened the door. Athena rushed over to the door and grabbed it before it managed to close.
Bobby forgot just how fast she can move, especially when she's determined. She opened the door wide enough for Bobby to slip in before she quietly closed it. They kept a safe distance away as they followed the three men into the restricted area.
They hid behind some crates, careful not to make any noise. From their vantage point, Athena and Bobby could see the three men conversing in hushed tones near a stack of barrels. The men seemed nervous, constantly glancing around as if expecting to be caught. Bobby felt a sense of urgency rising within him, but he trusted Athena's decision to gather more information before alerting the captain. They patiently waited, ready to uncover the truth behind the suspicious activity.
"How far are we from shore?" Ethan asked, looking at Dan.
Dan looked at his GPS device and said, "We're 8 nautical miles out from shore."
"I don't know about this, guys. What if this doesn't work?" Ethan said it softly.
"It will, little brother." Owen said, placing a reassuring hand on Ethan's shoulder. "Is the escape plan solid?" Owen asked.
Dan nodded. "Once it's set up, we'll be good to go. Come on, it's on the bottom level."
They head down the stairs. Bobby and Athena were about to follow when they were stopped by a crew member. "I'm sorry, but there are no passengers allowed in here." She said. "You need to leave."
"My husband and I are just on our honeymoon, you see." Athena fluttered her lashes. We were just hoping for another chance to fool around before we dock…" She smiled.
"I'm afraid that's against the rules, ma'am… Please follow me to the exit, and you're more than free to fool around in your room." The employee said it with a polite tone. Bobby was red in the face.
He was by no means a prude when it came to sex. However, Bobby would very much like to throw himself overboard now…
They were back on the main deck. "So, Dan, Ethan, and Owen are definitely plotting something, but what?" Athena mused.
Bobby sighed, "Baby, we only have a couple of hours left of our honeymoon… Let's not worry about them right now and just enjoy our time together before Buck starts lecturing us about why it wasn't cool to leave without telling anyone where we were going. Just the silence." He exhaled. "No emergencies; ignorance is bliss; just let one little crime go unsolved because we're not on duty."
Athena furrowed her brows. "You know I can't do that, Bobby… I'm an officer of the law. Even off duty…" She sighed, "Tell you what? I'll just tell the captain that there is some suspicious activity and to release security to lock it down, and I'll investigate just a little more. You go and enjoy the rest of our vacation, baby; you've earned it." She smiled at Bobby.
"You got thirty minutes," Bobby said as he was kissing her.
"Thirty minutes…" She agreed.
They separated, and Bobby watched as she walked away, feeling a mix of pride and worry. Bobby went to one of the shops, maybe looking for stuff to soften the lecture that was coming from Buck or May. He sighed. Has it really come to bribery? He wondered. For May, he found a beautiful necklace with a cruise ship pendant. He knew she loved jewelry, and he hoped it would make up for their absence during their vacation.
Bobby went looking for gifts for everyone else so as not to play favorites—even if everyone seemed to know that Buck was his favorite—he wanted to be fair. He spent the next hour looking around and shopping for his crew of firefighters and something for Harry, Denny, and Chris. But he couldn't find anything that felt special enough for Buck. He quickly paid and moved on to another shop. Buck loved to learn. He looked around the bookshop and started finding different potential things for him, but they all went out the window when he found this perfect gift.
It was a book about the history of natural disasters. Buck has been obsessed with natural disasters ever since he ended up in two of them. Bobby chuckled. He wondered if it was too on the nose for him. So he got another book about the history of cruises, wrecks, and the creation of ships. Knowing that Buck loved disasters of any kind. He smiled as he moved to the counter to pay for the two books. He remembered exactly what Buck said about disasters.
"I know it's a bit on the morbid side, but I find them fascinating," Buck had said with a genuine smile on his face. "I mean, Bobby, you really learn a lot about yourself in the time of a disaster, whether it's man-made or natural. Pure primal instinct: fight or flight… It's amazing what your body will decide for you in a disastrous situation."
Bobby pulled out his wallet, "That's going to be a total of 35.12, sir." The clerk said she was ringing Bobby up for the books. Bobby pulled out his debit card and went to swipe when, all of a sudden, the ship rocked unnaturally with a muffled boom. The other patrons in the store gasped and murmured about what it was. But Bobby knew. Explosion. He's felt many of them on dry land. He paled. He looked up at the clock, suddenly remembering that he hadn't seen Athena in an hour and a half. "Athena…" He gasped and ran out of the shop.
"Sir, your books!"
Buck would understand.
Bobby dropped the bags he had and immediately ran to where he felt the explosion. It was on the port side of the ship. The far left side of the hull was sucking in water. Fire was crackling as someone screamed, "We're sinking!"
Another explosion happened, rocking the ship unnaturally. He took a deep breath. Everyone started screaming and running around in panic, desperately trying to find a way to escape the sinking ship; some were throwing themselves overboard to protect themselves; people were getting trampled and bumped harshly into each other in the chaos.
Bobby was trying to look for Athena. "Athena!" He hollered. "Athena!"
Bobby ran the stern of the boat with everyone else, as it was very slowly, ominously getting higher and higher than the nose of the ship. He remembered that she said something about alerting the captain. He ran toward the door. Pulling his phone to call 911.
Then there was another explosion. Bobby grunted loudly in pain as his face smashed against the metal wall at the same force of the explosion. He felt probably every bone in his face breaking from the impact. He saw a quick flash of light and felt himself get crushed under something in the span of a second. Bobby didn't have time to react before everything went black.
Bobby was slowly coming back. His head throbbed with pain, and his vision was blurred. He could move. Everything in his body was on fire. Screaming at him with pain. One thing is certain: he still had feeling in his legs. And they felt wet. He couldn't move his neck. He was weak and pinned down. The one eye he could open revealed the metal staircase keeping him from escaping. This was it. The end of his life. And he didn't find Athena. God, let her be okay… on a lifeboat. All I ask is, God, don't take her from me too.
Bobby just had to wait until the water filled his lungs and it would all be over. He closed his eyes. He thought about the different things that had happened in his life. His regrets, his accomplishments, his loves and losses, his hopes and dreams. The last sentence: The weight of it all finally lifted off his shoulders. I'm ready to come home, God. If you'll have me… The water was now reaching his chest.
"LAFD, Callout!" Bobby's eye snapped open as he heard Buck's voice. Bobby couldn't open his mouth; it was swollen shut from the impact. It was definitely a broken jaw. He tried to shout for help regardless, but only a faint whimper escaped his lips. He needed to get Buck's attention. If Buck was there, then Eddie would most likely be right beside him. Right?
He checked his hands, then his feet. Feeling for something to use to bang against the stairs.
"LAFD! Callout!" Buck called again. Bobby groaned loudly as he bent his leg—not broken, maybe sprained? He slammed it against one of the steps. But the water muffled it. Bobby was about to give up and meet his maker. Why bother? He can't scream; there was nothing light enough to grab. The water muffled his hearing now. Then he took as deep a breath as he could as he was finally submerged.
You did your best, kid. I don't blame you for not hearing that splash. I love you so much, kid. You have no idea; you saved my life, and you don't even know it. I love—
He felt hands stabilizing his neck and holding him up over the water as much as he could. He gasped for air through his nose. "Eds! Chim! I need some help over here! I got someone!" Buck shouted. Someone?
Buck… it's me… It's Bobby?
Eddie, Chimney, and Ravi rushed over through the water. "He's pinned… Okay, Ravi, Chim, lift, Eds; you pull with me. On three. One… Two… Three!" On cue, Ravi and Chimney lift the stairs with loud grunts. "Shit… This is Captain 118, requiring more hands on the starboard side entrance in the stairwell. I have a John Doe pinned under the stairs! Water is quickly filling the room!" Buck called through his radio. He looked down at Bobby; his caring, emotionally attached-to-every-single-patient, concerned baby blues were looking down at him. "Don't worry, sir, we're going to get you out of here. Mark my words. I'm going to put this C-collar around your neck. It feels broken." Buck did as he said he was going to do.
Why does Buck not recognize me? Eddie, get that light out of my eye. Bobby squinted. "I'm just trying to assess your injuries, sir. Sorry for blinding you." Eddie mused softly and calmly.
"Got your back, Cap!" Hen's voice could be heard.
"I'm on my way!" Lena Bosko's voice was after.
"Hey Donato, get ready for us! John Doe has severe multiple facial fractures, a broken neck, severe swelling, and evidence of a brain bleed. That's just from what I can assess right now.
"Copy that, Diaz! Hovering by the Stern." Lucy's voice could be heard over the radio.
Hen and Lena, along with two other men, Bobby didn't recognize them. They were probably at Bosko's house. They were taller and bigger than Buck. He was probably the biggest guy at their station.
"Hen, Bosko, Schwartz, and Kennedy get on a side and lift. On Three… One… Two… Three!" They all worked together and lifted as the metal groaned over Bobby. Then Eddie and Buck dragged Bobby out of the water. He wanted to scream in pain, but all that came out was a loud whine and a whimper. They pulled Bobby onto the backboard. Bobby was frantically trying to catch Buck's hand. Chimney grabbed it, and Bobby slapped it away. His eye was looking up at Buck. He needed Buck to know… He needed his son to know…
Buck it's me! It's Bobby! Why don't you recognize me?!
Eddie then grabbed Bobby's hand. "Sir, I need you to calm down for me. Okay, I know you're in pain, but don't you worry… We're going to give you some morphine… and you'll be in less pain." Eddie promised.
No, no, no. No morphine! I do not consent! I do not consent! Buck please! It's Me! Stop him! Bobby mustered all of his strength and grabbed Buck's hand. He tried writing with his finger desperately. Buck was immediately confused. "Sir, I need you to calm down. I know you're scared, and I am too. it's okay… The morphine will help you."
No! Damn it! No! Aren't you grasping the letters?! Buck Dammit No. I'm sober! Please… not this again…
Bobby had a random memory pop into his head. "Chris is learning Morse code. And I got to thinking about how useful it would be to know it on the off chance I'm in a position where I can't communicate with anyone, so now Chris and I are learning Morse Code together. And it's so much fun because we can have conversations with just the taps of our fingers. Eddie's a fantastic teacher!" Buck said, bouncing on his heels.
Morse Code. Bobby learned it years ago as a Wilderness Scout as a child. It was like riding a bike. Bobby started tapping out his identity into Buck's hand.
.--. --- .--. … (P-O-P-S)
Buck didn't react. "If you're scared of needles, just keep looking at me."
.--. --- .--. … Buck, come on! Please! I'm begging you! Morse Code! P-O-P-S Pops! I'm Pops!
Bobby whimpered again, repeating the sequence of taps. A few tears slipped down his temples. Buck looked down at his hand, watching Bobby tap away. "I tap too when I get nervous—hey, don't cry… You'll feel better with a mom…" Buck trailed. Furrowing his brows. Bobby was tapping again and again.
.--. -- .--. …
.--. -- .--. …
.--. -- .--. …
.--. -- .--. …
.--. -- .--. …
"Morse code?" Buck asked. Bobby slowed down his tapping. "P…" Buck said out loud. "…O." Bobby's pulse was heard on the monitor. It was hammering fast. "P. Pop?" he quickly guessed. "S? P-O-P-S Pops?" Buck looked confused. "Pops?" he asked Eddie. Then Chimney. "Pops? I-I'm sorry I-I don't—oh! Oh!" Buck immediately freaked out, panicking as he slapped Eddie's hand away! "No! No! He's an addict!" Buck was immediately emotional.
"Buck? What?" Hen asked, confused.
"No fucking drugs!" Buck barked. "Let's pull him on the gurney."
"Y'all heard the captain on three… One… Two… Three!" Eddie led the count as Hen, Chimney, Ravi and Buck lifted Bobby onto the gurney. They carefully secured him and began wheeling Bobby to the medivac.
"Captain 133, Mehta! My team and I are leaving with the patient."
Buck looked at Bobby, then up at Captain Mehta. "Fine with me, Buckley. We're all done here; the ship is ready to go under!"
Bobby closed his eyes.
Finally…
Buck got on the medivac with Eddie and Chimney. "Buck, what are you doing?"
"Dispatch this is interim captain, 118. I have Captain Nash with me. Can you alert Sergeant Grant that her husband has been found?"
Bobby's eye snapped open. "Athena's safe, she got out on the second wave of evacuations, I convinced her to leave and that I-I would find you."
Bobby's eye close one final time.
Thank you, God. Thank you for saving my…
Buck exhaled before the EKG started letting out a long, continuous tone. "Asystole!" Chimney called out as Buck froze. He got out of the way as Eddie started performing chest compressions. "Come on, Bobby, come on!" Chimney cried. Buck was starting at Bobby's face. He was silently praying to a God he didn't know existed. Eddie and Chimney switched over. Lucy was looking behind her every few seconds.
"Bobby, please! Fight! Come on! Athena's waiting for you on the mainland, okay? You just gotta hang on!" Chimney grunted. Buck was silent. "Captain 118…" Buck heard Maddie's voice. "Captain 118, do you read me?"
Buck didn't move. "Buck. Dispatch is talking to you." Lucy said, clearing her throat.
That long, continuous tone continued.
Chimney stopped slowly, and Eddie lowered his head.
Buck blinked. "Don't stop compressions!" He ordered. Eddie and Chimney had solemn frowns. Tears glistened their water Y,lines.
"Captain 118—"
"Dispatch, Captain 118 is busy. I'll see you on the mainland. Over." He threw the radio off his hip. He moved Chimney out of his way and continued with chest compressions; he was stronger and fitter than the other two, so he could easily bring Bobby back. "You don't get to die on us! You hear me?! You don't quit on me! Like hell, I quit on you! Bag him!" He ordered Eddie.
"Evan…"
"Firefighter Diaz, I gave you an order!" Buck's tears streamed as he continued compression. Eddie slowly listened. "Don't you give up on me now, Bobby, please! Charge to 360!" He looked at Chimney.
"Buck… It's not safe." Chimney tried.
"No, that's not true. There have been studies done in South Korea where AEDs are fully functional in Medivac helicopters, so for the last time, charge to 360!" Chimney hesitated, then reluctantly obeyed and charged the AED to 360.
Chimney held the paddles and said, "Clear!" Buck and Eddie pulled away. Bobby's chest jerked under the paddles.
"Asystole…" Eddie read.
"Again!" Buck ordered, and Chimney reluctantly prepared to deliver another shock. "Clear!" Bobby's body jolted once more in response. Buck was staring at the monitor. "Buck… he's…"
There was a sudden beep. "Sinus Rhythm!" Chimney exclaimed, relieved and stunned. It was weak. but it was still there. "Keep bagging him." Buck sat down. And he broke down, sobbing. "Ig-ignore me… Just keep him alive." Buck sobbed uncontrollably, overwhelmed with fear and emotion, into his hands.
Bobby was thinking about all of the regrets in his life and all of the accomplishments in his life. One of his regrets? Not being there for Buck when he needed him the most—that lawsuit was the only time he was in need of someone. Anyone. Bobby had nightmares for years to come after Buck nearly choked to death on his own blood, not even a foot away from Bobby.
He should have trusted Buck to know his own body. He went through a tsunami, and Bobby made it to where Buck felt like he didn't have a choice in the matter but to sue because Bobby was overprotective. He went through the trauma of a tsunami all alone. Buck needed him. That's his regret.
His accomplishment? Seeing Buck become trustworthy enough to be the interim captain. Buck ended up proving Bobby wrong at the end of the year, when the overpass fell and nearly wiped out the entire 118. Buck's determination and bravery saved them all. He took control after Hen's concussion made her unable to command. Buck pulled everyone out alive. He didn't get to see it in person, but Captain Mehta and Cooper? They said nothing but praise for that boy. Buck was meant for a captain's chair. Bobby eventually saw all the news footage of Buck being Buck.
Bobby was so proud of Buck. He wished his self-esteem was better than it was, because Buck was truly deserving of all the admiration and recognition he received. I love you, kid.
Bobby knew that his time on this earth was officially up, his body was too far gone to continue fighting. But he found solace in knowing that Buck would carry on his legacy.
So much… I love you so much…
Bobby Jr? Brooke? I'm coming home… Daddy's coming…
Buck's head snapped up again, and Bobby's heart stopped again. "No, no, no!"
"Evan, Evan!" Eddie stopped Buck, grabbing him. "No! Fucking let me go!" Buck fought against Eddie.
"Evan, he's gone!" Eddie raised his voice, cradling Buck's face. "His body couldn't sustain the injuries he had… It was a miracle that you started his heart again. Baby, I know, I know… there was nothing we could have done," Eddie said as Chimney slowly covered Bobby's body with the white sheet. And turned off the machine. Buck was staring at Eddie. "I know, I know." Eddie immediately hugged Buck as he caught him as they fell against the bench. Buck was sobbing against Eddie's shoulder.
They landed slowly on the helipad. The doors slid open. The doctors were waiting for Bobby. "DOA." Chimney announced
"Dispatch. This-This is Firefighter Diaz, speaking for Captain 118. House 118 is offline for further notice."
Buck sobbed harder as Chimney moved Bobby's gurney on to the rooftop for the doctors to take them.
Eddie and Chimney helped Buck out of the medivac. Chimney hugged Buck and Eddie and said, "He's not hurting anymore." Chimney hiccuped through a sob as they made their way down the lobby.
Buck was forcing himself to stop crying. He's the captain until they find a replacement. He needs to be together for his team. He was sniffling as he made his way out of the elevator. He saw May, Harry, Athena, Michael and David waiting for news.
"Buck!" Harry excitedly crushed him.
"H-hey, buddy." He hugged him back. He looked at Athena. She had a cut on her cheek and her arm in a cast. He looked behind Michael and saw the rest of the 118 standing there.
He swallowed, "Buck, baby, what is it?" She asked. She grabbed May's hand.
"We found Bobby…" Athena nodded. "But despite…"
"Uh-uh…"
"All of our…"
"No."
"Efforts…"
"No!"
"Bobby passed."
"No-No-No! No!" Buck immediately grabbed Athena into a hug before she could collapse. She was wailing loudly into Buck's arms. May and Harry were sobbing into Michael's arms as Michael cried. Hen sobbed loudly into her hands before Chimney crushed her in a hug. The rest of the 118 cried and hugged one another. But the powerful sobs of a grieving firefighter's wife were heard above all the rest.
"Bobby!" She sobbed loudly. Buck hugged her tightly. "I know… I'm so sorry. 'Thena, I'm so sorry! I tried, I-I-I really tried." Buck was apologizing as he cried with her. Athena clutched Buck's face, "Shh, I know you did baby, I know…" She soothed as she slowly calmed down a little.
"Please… please don't hate me…" Buck sobbed more.
Athena comforted Buck, "I could never hate you… Neither could Bobby. You were basically his son, Evan. And therefore, you are my son too. Oh, baby, you did everything right by him. He loved you so, so, much. there was nothing that could have been done, baby. God called him home. It was his time. You did everything right." Buck bawled against her. "I know, baby, I know. Thank you for finding him." Athena kissed Buck's face as they cried and grieved together.
Five years later
It was time for breakfast. The captain was fixing himself a plate of food. With all the others smiling and laughing, they slowly stopped when they saw a young man no older than 20 years old. "I'm John Grestin; I just graduated from the academy… They told me to report here at the 118. I-I looking for Captain… Bu-Buckley?" Buck smiled as he saw how nervous this kid was. "You know a Captain Buckley?" He pointed at Ravi. "You?" He pointed to Eddie, his husband, played along, and shrugged.
John immediately looked spooked. He pushed the chair next to him out. "I'm Captain Buckley. Call me Buck. Take a seat, John; welcome to the family. Get a plate, eat!"
"Oh wow, is it always like this?" John asked looking at Hen. "When he's in the Captain's seat, always." Hen smiled.
"You know, kid, you remind me of a certain young firefighter." Chimney said. "I hope you learn from his mistakes during his probie year."
"Keep it up, Chim, and you're banned from seeing your eldest nephew, niece, and especially your newest nephew." Buck threatened playfully.
"What?! You would intentionally withhold Bobby from his Uncle Chim?" He gasped.
Buck snorted when Eddie shrugged after Chimney looked at him. "Don't look at me; I'm not the captain."
"Man, this sucks." Chimney clicked his tongue. Everyone chuckled as they continued eating their meal and learning more about the new probie. Buck remembered when he talked to Bobby about why he picked him. He'd said, 'You reminded me of me.'
Buck looked at John and saw all the makings of another great firefighter. And Buck sure hoped he was right.