Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

[Sent 07:47] You good, Bobby?

[Sent 07:49] Yep.

Having a lazy breakfast since Athena had an early start this morning.

How are you feeling about coming back to work tomorrow?

[Sent 07:59] Good!

[Sent 08:08] I feel like there would usually be a quicker response and a lot more words than that after being off work for almost a month…

I was expecting one of those picture things of some bizarre celebration.

[Sent 08:12] [Gif attached: a herd of chimpanzees wearing party hats dancing around a large cake.] 

[Sent 08:13] That’s a good one.

How are you really feeling about it? 

[Sent 08:15] I’m excited.

Mostly. 

I think. 

[Sent 08:17] You know we can still push your return date back if we need to.

[Sent 08:22] Not that I’m trying to hold you back.

Just to be clear, I very much want you back as quickly as possible. 

[Sent 08:24] Lol I know Bobby. 

[Sent 08:31] I am ready to come back. 

I think this one shook me up a bit, you know?

[Sent 08:33] I do know. 

I think it shook up all of us.

I’m not going to lie, I’m feeling a little bit uneasy myself about you coming back.

[Sent 08:34] It’s weird but that actually kind of makes me feel better?

So long as you promise not to treat me differently about it!

[Sent 08:36] I promise to do everything I can not to let it affect me and how I run scenes.

[Sent 08:37] That seemed suspiciously easy…

[Sent 08:37] Well, it helps that I know that Chim and Eddie have been formulating a plan to keep you away from the ladder truck for as long as they can manage.

[Sent 08:38] 😑

[Sent 08:39] Hen has a pot going if you’d like to give me a hint about how long you’ll let them get away with it...

[Sent 08:39] 😑

[Sent 07:03] You good, Bobby?

[Sent 07:03] Doing great.

Good timing, I’m about to leave for the station.

Did you only just wake up?

[Sent 07:05] I may have hit the snooze button a couple times…

And by a couple I might mean 6.

[Sent 07:06] Got used to being able to lounge around in bed in the morning?

[Sent 07:07] Maybe. 

But don’t worry, I should still make it by 8 if I don’t have to worry about having breakfast at home 🥺

[Sent 07:07] Why do you think I’m leaving so early?

[Sent 07:08] You’re the best, Cap! 

See you soon.

[Sent 07:08] Please drive safely.

I’d rather you be a few minutes late than in an accident on your first day back.

[Sent 07:26] 👍

[Sent 09:30] Did your first shift back tire you out that much? Can’t remember the last time my good morning message was this late.

[Sent 09:52] I may have stayed up late looking up maths tricks that I can use to impress Christopher when he comes over today…

[Sent 09:53] I take it that your new ability has not subsided overnight?

[Sent 09:53] Nope! 

Maybe it’ll stick around? I was reading a few testimonials from other people who have been struck by lightning and a lot of people say that they gained a special talent afterwards. Some of them have had them for years! 

Look at this guy!

[Link attached: an article titled “Joshua was walking his dog when he got struck by lightning and then his (and his dog’s) life CHANGED FOREVER!!” from a website called ‘giftsfrombeyond’.]

[Sent 09:56] That doesn’t seem like a very legitimate source, Buck.

[Sent 09:57] Okay yeah the title is clickbait but just because they bait you into reading it doesn’t mean it’s not true!

[Sent 10:03] I think it’s far more likely that Joshua watched the doolittle movie before he got struck by lightning than it is that he was suddenly able to speak with his dog.

[Sent 10:03] What’s a doolittle?

[Sent 10:04] Look up the Dr Doolittle movie when you have a free evening. I think it would be right up your alley.

[Sent 10:05] I’ll see if Chris wants to watch it while Eddie goes to his appointment this afternoon. 

[Sent 17:34] I let you have your fun during the shift today, but can we please make that a one and done on using your math abilities against the crew?

[Sent 17:38] [Gif attached: a cocker spaniel puppy staring up from the screen with extremely guilty eyes] 

Noted, Cap.

Honestly I was surprised you let us get away with it today…

[Sent 17:40] I figured Larson owed you one. He made a killing on that clipboard pot last November.

[Sent 17:41] On the say what now?!?

[Sent 17:41] Ask Chimney.

[Sent 08:04] Morning Bobby.

[Sent 08:05] Morning, kid. 

I picked up some excellent peaches at the farmer’s market. Let me know if you want to come over and help me make something with them.

[Sent 08:22] I have plans with Eddie tonight but yeah I can come over for a few hours around 11?

[Sent 08:22] 👍

📲📲📲

[Sent 21:38] Captain Nash. 

[Sent 21:40] Chief Williams…

I’m not on shift tonight – Captain Robards will be on.

[Sent 21:42] I’m aware. I’m also not working tonight.

[Sent 21:47] What can I help you with, Chief?

[Sent 21:50] You can treat my steaks with the respect they deserve.

[Sent 21:51] I’m afraid I don’t follow.

[Sent 21:52] Also, I had no idea that Buckley was so good at math. 

[Sent 21:52] Side effect of the lightning strike…

When did you see Buck?

[Sent 21:53] I thought so. 

It is good to see him up and about and doing well. You really do have an extraordinary crew, Captain. They’re a credit to you.

[Draft saved 21:53 – message not sent] I am still not following

[Sent 21:55] Thanks, Chief, although I would say that they’re a credit to themselves rather than being any reflection on me.

[Sent 21:56] You would. 

Tell Buckley that he better not do this again.

📲📲📲

[Sent 21:54] Buck, are you okay?

Where are you?

[Received 21:58] You have missed a call from Captain Dad Bobby. Dial 611 to hear the voicemail message that was left.

[Sent 22:21] Hey Cap guess what we have for dinner for the station tomorrow 😁😁😁

Oops sorry just saw that you tried to call me. I didn’t hear my phone go off.

Everything okay?

[Sent 22:22] I’m fine, are you okay??

[Sent 22:22] Yeah why wouldn’t I be?

Honestly feeling better than I have in months. 

[Image attached: a picture of Buck and Eddie wearing suits with loose ties taken from a high angle so that you can see wrapped items on the table between them.] 

We must have won like $500 worth of steaks at Chief Williams poker game!

[Sent 22:24] Ah. Things are making sense now. 

[Sent 22:24] ???

[Sent 22:24] Didn’t I say that you should not be using your math skills for gambling?

[Sent 22:25] No you said not to use it against our crew. 

Which okay Rosa was at the game so I guess I broke that a little bit but I promise I let her win a few times!!

[Sent 22:26] I guess it’s my fault for not specifying that you also shouldn’t use them against LAFD chiefs…

[Sent 14:07] You know I think you and Athena need another hobby that doesn’t involve heists to catch criminals. 

[Sent 14:08] It was a coupon forger. Hardly counts as a criminal.

And it wasn’t even a heist for that matter.

[Sent 14:08] Sure sure Bobby. 

I’m still filing this one to use against you next time you try and tell me off 😇

[Sent 19:21] How are you feeling after that riot today?

[Sent 19:23] Come on Cap that barely counted as a riot.

Just some angry fans. And they didn’t even have any shivs. 

[Sent 19:24] Which I will feel very thankful for. 

[Sent 19:31] You’re sure you’re feeling alright?

[Sent 19:33] Yes Bobby I’m sure. 

It feels good to be getting back to normal.

[Sent 15:11] Hey did you know that Ravi was at the academy? Chim’s been working with him during his Yoda mission. 

[Sent 15:15] What in the world is a Yoda mission?

And yes, he’s been working there since recovering from a shoulder injury.

A firefighter taking it easy after an injury is shocking, I know.

[Sent 15:16] You know, you’re our Yoda and you sent Chimney off to finish some mysterious task that only you know the benefits of. Yoda mission. 

And hey I took it pretty easy this time thank you very much!!

[Sent 15:17] You did, that’s true. And I am very grateful for it, which is why I’m going to let this Yoda metaphor go.

[Sent 07:31] Oh man I woke up feeling off today. 

[Sent 07:32] Buck, are you trying to take advantage of my concern for your wellbeing to skip out on your performance review?

[Sent 07:32] …

No…

[Sent 07:33] So you’re saying you’re too sick to work today?

[Sent 07:34] No I guess not 🙁

[Sent 07:34] You’ll be fine, Buck. You don’t have anything to stress about.

[Sent 07:35] You forget that I got to see my shitty PT scores before they got uploaded 😭

[Sent 23:18] Cap I’m sorry did I offend you??

I didn’t mean it, you KNOW I think you’re the best captain ever.

Like the best captain in the history of the LAFD.

[Draft saved 23:19 – message not sent] Buck, everything is

And I appreciate everything you do for me.

Like I cannot even explain how much I appreciate it.

Okay I should probably try because I managed to critique you with the whole going easy on me sometimes and clearly the appreciation is way more important so I should spend more time on that.

[Sent 23:21] Buck

How long have you been spiralling?

[Sent 23:21] I’m not spiralling.

[Sent 23:22] Buck.

[Sent 23:22] How do you manage to capture the captain voice in a text?

[Sent 23:25] Wow and I can even visualise the stare you’d be giving me right now.

Maybe I’m spiralling a little bit but I was thinking about what I said and I realised I was way too harsh and you don’t deserve it because you do so much for me.

[Sent 23:27] Relax, Buck. I appreciated the honest feedback.

And you made some good points. 

I thought being honest about thinking of you as my kid would stop me from making the same mistakes as I did after your crush injury but you’re right that I was still treating you differently at work.

It’s something I need to keep working on. You deserve a captain who will keep pushing you, especially if you still have those leadership ambitions that we spoke about earlier this year.

Actually, that is something we really should have spoken about today.

[Sent 23:30] Nope not necessary. 

And also I do appreciate how you handled this whole thing.

I didn’t feel alone.

Which had very little to do with Maddie and Chim’s spreadsheet and a lot to do with you. 

And the team and Eddie, obviously. 

But seriously, thank you for everything you did.

[Sent 23:32] You don’t need to thank me, kid.

Why don’t we meet early at the station on Wednesday and we can have a chat while we make breakfast for the rest of the crew?

[Sent 23:39] We don’t need to talk about performance review related things.

[Sent 23:41] Now you read minds through texts 😅

And yeah that sounds good. I’ll see you there.

[Sent 13:38] Bobby EMERGENCY I need a good cookie recipe to make with a 2 year old!!

[Sent 13:38] Buck.

You are a firefighter. You should know better than to use the word emergency for something like this!!

I almost had a heart attack when I saw the notification flash up on screen.

[Sent 13:40] To be fair it probably wouldn’t surprise anyone if I was the cause of you getting a heart attack.

Does Hen have a pot on that going? I should look into that.

Later. 

Right now I need something to get this adorable little monster distracted from destuffing my couch. 

[Sent 13:43] I take it you’re looking after Jee-Yun today?

[Sent 13:43] Yeah and apparently even she doesn’t like my stupid couch 😑

Maybe I should send a video of this to my mom. She can’t be mad if the terrible review comes from her granddaughter…

[Sent 13:44] You could also tell your mother yourself that you don’t like the couch she bought.

[Sent 13:44] I can’t do that. It’s terrible but she did put the effort in. 

Maybe I’ll bribe Eddie to do it… he has Opinions about the couch. 

[Sent 13:45] I’ll do it without any bribery.

[Sent 13:45] Wait really?

[Sent 13:46] Yeah, I’ll tell them that it’s murder on my back when I stay the night to make sure you’re okay after an injury. 

Including after the lightning strike, since they might not be aware that your recovery kept going for several weeks after they left.

[Sent 13:47] Bobby, that is surprisingly petty of you and also hilarious. 

[Sent 14:14] Wait shit Bobby you never sent me the cookie recipes help 😭

[Sent 14:15] You sure you don’t want to let Jee-Yun finish off your couch?

[Sent 14:15] She’s moved on to using my spice jars as makeshift glitter…

[Sent 14:16] [Image attached: a two-page spread with a recipe for ‘cute critter cookies’. The second page has a picture of a cookie decorated with a caterpillar made out of smarties.]

[Sent 14:16] 🙏

[Sent 02:58] Hey Bobby, how is your heart doing? Have you had it checked out recently? You know at your age you should be getting it looked at regularly. 

[Sent 03:01] Where the hell did that come from Buck?

Is this about our joke from the other day?

[Sent 03:01] You’re awake?? Wait is insomnia a sign of heart trouble??

[Sent 03:03] I’m awake because I did a custom ringtone thing during your recovery from the lightning strike so that notifications from you come in at maximum volume.

Although I may need to work out how to change it back if you're going to start texting me at 3am with irrelevant health questions.

[Sent 03:04] Wait you did that for me??

[Sent 03:05] Yes, Buck, you told me it made things easier when you could get in touch with me. Did you really think I wasn’t going to try and make it easier for you to do that?

[Sent 03:07] 🥹🥹🥹

Have I told you recently that you’re the best?

[Sent 03:08] You can thank me by shutting down that web md page you have open and GOING BACK TO SLEEP.

[Sent 03:08] 🫡

[Sent 15:53] Do you think asking a woman out on a date counts as making a major life decision? 

My doctor said I shouldn’t make any major life decisions for at least 6 months and I can’t tell if this qualifies.

[Sent 15:56] I suppose it depends on the situation and the woman…

I would definitely consider asking Athena out on our first date to be a major decision that impacted my life.

[Sent 15:58] Not sure if that helps me much. 

[Sent 16:01] Well, who are you thinking of asking and why? That might help you decide if it counts as a major decision or a small one on the road to recovery.

[Sent 16:03] Natalia. And I don’t know, I guess I just felt a really strong connection with her at the scene yesterday.

[Sent 16:05] Wait, is this the death dealer woman?

[Sent 16:05] Death DOULA Bobby. I’ve been reading up about it, it’s actually a really interesting concept!

[Sent 16:06] Right.

[Sent 16:06] And because she has that experience and a totally different attitude about death, It felt nice to talk to her about things. 

[Sent 16:08] You know you can talk to me, or your sister or Eddie or Hen or Chimney, right, kid?

[Sent 16:08] Yeah I know. But it’s different with her. It’s nice to talk about it with someone who wasn’t there, you know?

[Sent 16:09] Sounds like you’ve made your decision then.

[Sent 16:10] Yeah, I guess I have.

Thanks Bobby!

[Draft saved 16:10 – message not sent] Please don’t thank me for convincing you to pursue a death dealer or whatever it is

[Sent 07:02] Hey Bobby, you okay?

[Sent 07:02] Yep, all good.

Are you alright? It’s been a minute since I’ve woken up to a check-in.

[Sent 07:05] Yeah fine, sorry. Had a weird night’s sleep.

[Sent 07:06] No need to be sorry. 

Could anything from yesterday have triggered that weird night’s sleep?

[Draft saved 07:06 – message not sent] Like the death woman for instance.

[Sent 07:08] Probably just something in the air. I’m going to go for a run. 

[Sent 07:08] Be safe.

[Sent 12:11] Once Chimney finally proposes, can you let your sister know that I found our old wedding planning stuff? 

I got the impression that Chimney wasn’t so keen to pass on the message 🙁

[Sent 12:12] Organised material to make planning the wedding of the century easier? Hell yes I will 😁

Can’t wait until he finally asks her and we can start planning it properly!!

[Sent 18:16] You think that Chim and Maddie are perfect for each other, right???

[Sent 18:19] I think they are very good together, yes…

Does this random question have anything to do with why Daniels and Robinson came down earlier and told everyone to avoid you and Hen for a bit because “there’s a different kind of fire brewing there”?

[Sent 18:21] Man Robinson makes the worst damn puns 😑

[Sent 18:22] That was not the point of my question, Buck.

[Sent 18:25] Hen was saying some stupid stuff.

It doesn’t matter. Maddie is perfect for Chimney and Chim is perfect for Maddie. 

[Sent 18:26] If you want to talk, I was just thinking that it’s the perfect night for a cup of tea on the rooftop…

[Sent 18:29] Thanks Cap but I’m fine.

📲📲📲

[Sent 00:07] Bobby Nash, I swear your crew will be the death of me. 

[Received 00:08] You have missed a call from Bobby [ICE1]. Dial 218 to hear the voicemail message that was left. 

[Sent 00:08] What do you mean? What happened?

[Sent 00:09] Athena?

[Received 00:22] You have missed a call from Bobby [ICE1]. Dial 218 to hear the voicemail message that was left. 

[Sent 00:34] Hen and Chimney decided to break into the trash dump. No idea what they were thinking but they are extremely lucky that I was the one called to deal with them!

[Sent 00:35] Hen and Chimney went back to that dump? After midnight?! Why?

[Sent 00:36] Give me 5 to find a place with decent coffee and I’ll call you.

But you are going to owe me for this one, Captain. 

[Sent 00:38] I’m sure I’ll think of something 😘

📲📲📲

[Sent 00:10] Buck, what in the world are you doing?!

[Sent 00:11] ??

I’m sitting at home watching a documentary about those Australian bushfires a few years ago…?

[Sent 00:12] Oh

Sorry, kid. 

[Sent 00:16] Sorry about what? Are you going to tell me what happened?? Should I be worried about something??

[Sent 00:17] No, you’re fine. Everything is fine. Enjoy your documentary.

[Sent 00:18] Bobby, you texted me at midnight panicking. That is not fine. What the hell is going on? Should I call Athena?

[Sent 00:20] She’s on duty tonight. And I’m not panicking. Honestly, Buck, don’t worry about it. I’m sorry for interrupting your night.

[Sent 00:21] I’m not sleeping until you tell me what happened. 

[Sent 00:26] Athena sent me something and I misunderstood. That’s it. You can go back to your documentary now.

[Sent 00:28] But everything is alright with her?

[Sent 00:29] Yes, she is fine. I told you it was nothing to worry about.

[Sent 00:41] No wait hang on a second.

Athena sent you a message and your first reaction was to assume that I got in trouble?!

I feel insulted. 

[Sent 00:42] I’m sorry, Buck. You were right, I panicked and wasn’t thinking straight.

Turns out it was Hen and Chimney that she had to bail out.

[Sent 00:43] Wow but your first thought was to blame me.

[Sent 00:43] I wasn’t blaming you! I was worried about you.

[Sent 00:45] I think you owe me some triple chocolate muffins at the next shift. 

The kind with m&ms in them. 

[Sent 00:47] Fine, fair enough. I will make you the muffins.

I’m not sure how I ended up with so many debts to pay when Hen and Chimney were the ones who broke the law…

[Sent 10:02] Hey Cap, we should bake something at the shift tomorrow. Chim is going to have something to celebrate!! 🥳🥳

Assuming my sister doesn’t chicken out… I’ll double check with her before our shift.

[Sent 10:05] It’s nice to hear that things are working out for them.

I have those triple chocolate muffins in the oven, those could work well for a celebratory treat…

[Sent 10:06] Um no I am not giving up my apology muffins. 

I say we do cake. 

[Sent 10:07] Why don’t you call Hen and organise something from her cake guy?

[Sent 10:10] Is this you trying to get Hen and I to make up from our fight?

 [Sent 10:11] It’s me using my Captain hat to put the two people who love cake the most on cake duty.

[Sent 10:12] And any other potential motive is a coincidence?

[Sent 10:12] My Captain hat can have multiple motives.

[Sent 10:14] [Gif attached: a middle-aged blond woman looking quite unimpressed.]

[Sent 13:17] Oh my god Bobby these muffins are even better heated up the next day 😍😍😍

You have to teach me the recipe. 

[Sent 13:21] I don’t know, it seems like a good one for me to keep up my sleeve.

[Sent 13:22] BOBBY 🥺

[Sent 13:22] I’ll teach it to you one day, kid.

[Sent 13:23] I’m holding you to that Bobby!

[Sent 13:24] By the way, you and Hen made an excellent choice on that cake today. The roadsign to happiness was an inspired choice.

[Sent 13:25] Thanks Bobby. You would not believe the amount of terrible engagement cake designs Hen and I had to sift through to find a good idea.

There were so many jokes about the man getting dragged kicking and screaming into a marriage. 

[Sent 13:26] There are a lot of idiots out there who don’t understand what a privilege it is to get to spend the rest of your life with your person.

[Sent 13:27] See that’s what I want! What you and Hen and Chimney have! 

Why is it so difficult to get 🙁

[Sent 13:28] It’ll come, Buck. I have absolutely no doubt about that.

[Draft saved 13:29 – message not sent] Hopefully not with the death dealer though.

[Sent 10:08] So how did the date last night go?

[Sent 10:11] I don’t want to talk about it.

[Sent 10:11] Should we get lunch? Or breakfast before our Tuesday shift?

[Sent 21:17] Breakfast. So long as you promise not to bring up a single romantic relationship  that I have ever had. Ever.

[Sent 21:18] Noted…

📲📲📲

[Sent 20:47] Okay I have a new favourite part 🤣🤣

[Image attached (A picture of a page from a book. A red box draws attention to an excerpt:

Firefighters can make mistakes and look silly, and being able to understand that and look past the strength and the heroics and the posturing about their role was an essential part of developing my relationship with Becks during those early days. 

My profession definitely made that part easier – I doubt he ever would have told me about the time they arrived at a call and he flipped upside down from the fire truck because his foot got caught in the seatbelt if I hadn’t already been there to report on the scene they were responding to!]

[Sent 20:49] Shouldn’t you be putting my niece to sleep instead of bombarding the group chat with shitty screenshots, Chimney?

[Sent 20:50] Your niece is already asleep, which means I am free to get some reading in 😁

[Sent 20:51] I’m glad you’re focusing on that part, Chim. Probably a good reminder of lessons learnt from Tatiana.

[Sent 20:52] Wow Bobby I know I’m roasting your favourite but that was brutal 😭

[Sent 20:52] I’m not his favourite!!

[Sent 20:52] I don’t have favourites, Chim.

[Sent 20:55] Even Taylor Kelly knows that’s bullshit, Cap. 

[Image attached: (A picture of a page from a book. A blue arrow points to a short paragraph: 

I knew that I was lucky in many ways. Being a reporter meant I got a closer insight to what his calls were like, for one, but also Becks was basically Captain Grind’s extra child and the favouritism made it a lot easier to drop by the station to see him during long shifts (and maybe get up to some other things, if you get my drift).]  

[Sent 20:57] Hen, you’re reading it too now?! 😭😭😭

[Sent 20:57] What, we’re trusting Taylor Kelly’s words on things now?!

[Sent 20:58] Sorry, Buck, but Karen was reading it and said it made me look badass so I had to see it for myself 🤷🏽‍♀️

[Sent 20:59] Wait, what does she mean by ‘getting up to other things’? 

Buck, what does she mean by other things?

[Sent 21:00] You just said we shouldn’t trust her words!!

[Sent 21:02] This is my favourite excerpt so far; love hearing about my ultra competent wife 😍:

[Image attached: (A picture of a page from a book. A green arrow points to the bottom two paragraphs on the page: 

Honestly, Squidward was pretty useless (as you’ve probably guessed from the stories so far, this is pretty par for the course for Squidward) and Bowie and Becks were preoccupied with trying to save the guy still hanging from the raised forklift but thankfully Birdie was able to save the day by doing burr holes to relieve the pressure on the woman’s brain. 

Some people may not realise how impressive that is, but it is essentially brain surgery that Birdie managed to do in the field, surrounded by the noise of the construction company still arguing with Captain Grind about not being able to stop. It’s examples like that which remind you of how essential firefighters still are to our community. They’ll always do whatever it takes to save the people in front of them.] 

[Sent 21:03] To be fair, that was a pretty epic save. I hope she talked about the one Buck and I did some more, because that was a good one too and I will definitely be showing it to Maddie. 

[Sent 21:20] Hang on, we’re in this stupid book as well? Am I meant to be Squidward?! 

[Sent 21:24] Yeah it has all of us. 

Definitely getting the vibe that she was venting out some frustrations about you Eddie 🤣

[Sent 21:25] Sorry Eddie 😭

[Sent 21:27] What the hell. Can’t we get it taken off the shelves if it’s got us in it?

[Sent 21:30] As far as I’m aware, LAFD lawyers have looked into it and determined that she anonymised everything well enough that there wouldn’t be a case for libel or a cease and desist.

I think she even changed the location of the station and most of the calls, which makes it look like our response area is over half the county.

[Sent 21:31] Wow…

How the hell did she even come up with Squidward anyway?! I swear that’s some cartoon character that Chris used to watch. 

At least Becks, Bowie, and Birdie makes some sort of sense. No idea where the hell Grind would come from either. 

[Sent 21:33] I think yours was Eddie > Edward which is too close to your real name > Squidward.

Nash > Gnash > Grind maybe for Bobby’s?? Not sure on that one. 

[Sent 21:34] I’m so jealous of how smart you are, Hen. 

[Sent 21:35] Or maybe we should be concerned about how well she can get into the mind of an evil reporter. 

📲📲📲

[Sent 21:29] Hey, are you doing alright with this whole book situation?

[Sent 21:39] Not like it matters. Like you told Eddie, there’s nothing we can do about it anyway. 

[Sent 21:40] A significant public retelling of your personal life is a bit bigger than some immature nickname.

If it’s impacting you badly, then it might warrant seeing if the lawyers can do some deeper digging into options. 

[Sent 21:43] Thanks Bobby. I appreciate it but it’s fine, I’ll manage.

I feel more bad about the impact it might have on the LAFD 😭

[Sent 21:35] Don’t worry about that, they’ve done their damage control and they’ve got a whole communications action plan to try and capitalise on the interest.

[Sent 21:35] Seriously?

[Sent 21:36] Yeah, you should have seen the memo I got about it a few months back. Made me realise that you should always make sure the comms teams are on your side.

[Sent 21:39] Wait. Months?

You knew about this months ago?

Why didn’t you tell me?!

[Sent 21:44] There was a lot going on at the time and I didn’t want to stress you out.

[Sent 21:52] Buck?

[Received 21:58] You have missed a call from Captain Dad Bobby. Dial 611 to hear the voicemail message that was left.

[Received 22:05] You have missed a call from Captain Dad Bobby. Dial 611 to hear the voicemail message that was left.

[Sent 22:13] I’m fine. 

But I’m not talking to you. 

[Sent 22:15] I’m sorry, kid, I was just trying to make things easier on you.

[Sent 22:16] [Gif attached: a cartoon elephant sitting with their back to the camera with the flashing caption ‘still not talking’.]

[Sent 08:39] I made too many blueberry waffles this morning by accident if you want to come help us out with getting rid of them…

[Sent 08:51] Too many huh? 

[Draft saved 08:53 – message not sent] I just wish you’d stop 

[Sent 08:58] I really don’t like it when you hide stuff that impacts me. 

I’m not some immature or helpless kid, Bobby. I would have handled it. 

[Sent 09:00] I’m sorry, Buck. This one is on me for making a decision for you again. 

I would like to apologise in person and talk it through with you if you’re willing to come over. 

[Sent 09:02] Yeah okay. You know I can’t say no to blueberry waffles.

I’ll see you soon. 

[Sent 19:24] Bobby 911 emergency need help

[Received 19:24] You have missed a call from Captain Dad Bobby. Dial 611 to hear the voicemail message that was left.

[Received 19:25] You have missed a call from Captain Dad Bobby. Dial 611 to hear the voicemail message that was left.

[Sent 19:26] Buck, I hope you’re not answering because you are on the phone with actual 911.

If a first responder is reading these messages, please use dispatch to contact Captain Bobby Nash, Firehouse 118.

[Sent 19:31] ??

No I need help Bobby

Kameron had a fight with Connor and now she’s here.

[Sent 19:31] Buck

[Sent 19:31] What the hell am I supposed to do with a fuming lady who isn’t pregnant with my child but also kind of is even though not actually but she tells me she’s moving into my house??

And she’s eating so many pickles…

Is it possible for the baby to come out green? I need to ask Hen.

[Sent 19:33] Do you have any idea what I just went through in the last 10 minutes?!

[Sent 19:33] It’s an emergency! 

[Sent 19:34] An emergency is if she tripped down the stairs or started giving birth at your door! 

This is an ‘urgent advice needed’ type of situation, NOT A 911 EMERGENCY

[Sent 19:35] Fine. Bobby, I need urgent advice please.

I’m going to tell Kameron I’m going out to buy more pickles and then I’m going to call you.

Talk in like 2min. 

[Sent 19:36] I’ll use that time to make myself a cup of tea to calm my racing heart.

[Sent 10:08] Buck, stop looking at your phone. I’m sure Kameron will manage fine while you’re working and it’s dangerous for you to be so distracted.

[Sent 10:09] Technically I’m only looking at my phone because you texted me…

[Sent 10:09] That’s because I couldn’t get your attention any other way, which is exactly the problem.

Although it does seem to be going around today. Must be something in the wind.

[Sent 18:54] Are you still waiting to be cleared? Or are they admitting you?

[Sent 18:55] Just waiting on CT results to confirm no concussion. 

Otherwise I’ve been cleared. Should be able to get out of here in the next 10 to 20 minutes. 

I was thinking that I should probably go home and check on Kameron. Unless you need anything? How is your head feeling?

[Sent 18:56] Better than my back.

But I’m fine. Athena’s made sure I’m going to be stuck here for a couple of days so you’ll know where to find me.

[Sent 19:02] Stuck here for a couple of days does not make it sound like you’re fine?

That’s almost as long as what Chimney got told, and he was stabbed. 

Does it still count as stabbing if no one did the stabbing?

[Sent 19:02] I would call that an impalement, not a stabbing.

And it’s the joys of being a middle-aged firefighter, kid. Doctors start getting very antsy about all of those prior injuries. 

[Sent 19:07] CT confirmed that all is good. 

[Sent 19:07] Good to hear. I’m amazed that you managed to escape this as the only one completely unscathed. I’m fairly certain this is the worst casualty rate our station has ever had for a single shift.

[Sent 19:10] Believe me, so am I. 

Maybe the universe decided it was finally time to cut me a break.

[Sent 19:11] Whatever it is, I’m grateful for it.

Please still go home and rest up even with that clean bill of health.

Today was difficult.

[Sent 19:12] Yeah I will. Maybe I’ll look up some recipes that I can make tomorrow to bring to the hospital for all of you guys. 

It’ll have to be something that makes a pretty large batch…

[Sent 19:12] You’re going to be milking this one for a while, aren’t you?

[Sent 00:26] Does it still count as an emergency if Kameron gave birth on my couch and not in my doorway? 

[Image attached: A tiny baby in a blue onesie lying in a hospital cot.]

[Sent 00:29] She had the baby?

And yes, I would say so, especially having it happen after the day we’ve had!

It’s good to know you will actually call 911 when it’s a proper emergency.

[Sent 00:30] Not that it helped much, the baby was in my arms by the time the paramedics arrived.

[Sent 00:30] In that case, well done on what appears to be a very successful delivery.

Although I don’t know if I like what that means for the response times to your building… 

[Sent 00:31] To be fair, it all happened very quickly. 

I think Connor is going to be kicking himself about missing the birth for a while, but at least he made it to the hospital and it looks like him and Kameron have made up.

[Sent 00:32] That’s nice to hear.

Not least because your loft isn’t exactly set up for a newborn.

[Sent 00:33] My life isn’t exactly set up for a newborn. 

[Sent 00:35] Are you at the same hospital as me? I’m sure we could sweet-talk the nurses into letting you stay if you wanted to come up and talk.

[Sent 00:35] You’re meant to be resting, Bobby. 

Besides, Natalia followed us in her car and offered me a ride home. We’re heading out in a minute. 

[Sent 00:36] Natalia??

Did you forget to tell me something or is my concussion worse than I thought?

I swear you said things didn’t work out.

[Sent 00:37] I did, so don’t worry about your memory or the concussion. 

She dropped by but had the misfortune of walking into Kameron’s labour. 

She was great about it though and I think we might be trying again?

I don’t know. We’ll talk about it in the morning. 

[Draft saved 00:38 – message not sent] [Gif attached: a church choir singing with the caption ‘HALLELUJAH’]

[Sent 00:40] It’s very good to hear you’re planning on communicating with her.

[Sent 16:03] By the way, I finally got the lowdown from Athena about what happened while I was trapped. It sounds like you did an excellent job leading everyone through an incredibly difficult situation.

Well done, Buck. I hope you’re proud of yourself. I know I am.

[Sent 16:16] Thanks Bobby but it was all Hen really. She deserves your praise a lot more than I do. 

[Sent 16:18] Don’t worry, praise is not in short supply.

I’m going to be spending most of my recovery trying to write a speech for my first day back about how proud I am of every one of you.

[Sent 07:38] Hey Bobby, you good?

[Sent 07:39] Feeling very ready to get out of this hospital bed, but yes I’m fine.

[Sent 07:39] You’re getting discharged tomorrow right?

[Sent 07:40] Yes, and it cannot come quickly enough. 

[Sent 11:14] Hey, if you’re free at some point today I made some cookies that you could bring in for the shift tomorrow.

[Sent 11:38] Aren’t you meant to be resting? 

[Sent 11:39] It’s baking cookies, not climbing a ladder.

[Sent 11:40] Pretty sure you’d be telling me off if I did that.

[Sent 11:40] Occasional hypocrisy is a Captain’s privilege. 

[Sent 06:34] Hey Bobby, you’re okay?

[Sent 06:37] A little grumpy at my physiotherapist, but yes doing fine.

[Sent 06:37] What happened with your PT?? You sure you’re okay? 

[Sent 06:38] Yes, I’m sure. I’m just feeling the lingering aftereffects of the many rounds of abuse my back has suffered over the decades.

[Draft saved 06:39 – message not sent] Finding it a bit harder to bounce back this time. 

[Sent 06:40] But you’re still coming back, right??

[Sent 06:42] Yes, Buck. I told you I was. What, you think I’d lie to you?

[Sent 06:42] No of course not, I know you would never. 

Just worried I guess. 

And I miss having you as captain.

[Sent 06:44] I thought you liked Captain Starrer?

You’re still meant to be on shift right now, aren’t you?

[Sent 06:44] Yeah, we came back from a raccoon invasion around 4 and haven’t been called out again. 

[Sent 06:44] I can’t say I’m sorry to have missed that call.

So what’s going on? Everything going alright with Starrer?

[Sent 06:45] Nothing. She’s fine, I just miss it being you. 

[Sent 06:46] Alright, fair enough. Remember I’m here if you want to talk about it.

[Sent 14:57] Do you think lobster risotto is too fancy for a random date night? Should I go for the mushroom ragu instead? 

[Sent 15:04] This is for Natalia, I assume? Does she have a preference for seafood or vegetarian? That can help you decide.

Also depends on how precise the timing needs to be, because you’ll need to concentrate on that risotto. It’s very easy to overcook.

[Sent 15:05] Guess the mushroom ragu wins then. 

[Sent 15:05] That doesn’t mean you can’t do the lobster risotto!

[Sent 15:06] Nah, it’s okay I don’t want to deal with the stress of trying a finicky new recipe for a date. Stressing about it doesn’t exactly scream romance.

[Sent 15:06] If you work on it together, it can be quite romantic but sometimes you need time to build up to something like that.

[Draft saved 15:08 – message not sent] Just got to wait huh? Story of my life.

[Sent 09:37] [Image attached: a picture of a perfectly plated bowl with pasta and mushroom ragu.]

The ragu turned out pretty well! Natalia didn’t have any complaints, anyway. 

Or maybe she was too busy talking about other stuff. But I thought it turned out okay.

[Sent 09:40] It looks great! I’d be keen to try it if you ever want to try making it for the station.

[Draft saved 09:41 – message not sent] For our station?! 

[Sent 09:45] I don’t think it’s ready for the station…

Maybe I’ll make it as a second option next time we do dinner at your place. 

[Sent 22:01] Starrer made me lead half a scene. 

We had a pile-up before the raccoon call and she put me in charge of the first set of cars with Ravi and Henderson for support.

It felt weird.

They listened to me like I was giving them orders.

[Sent 22:04] It’s normal to feel weird the first few times you have to give out orders. You’ll get used to it.

[Sent 22:07] I thought you were coming back soon? 

[Sent 22:08] I am, but what does that have to do with you leaning on your experience and seniority a bit more?

[Draft saved 22:10 – message not sent] A lot!!

[Sent 22:29] Oh shit I just remembered I promised to make some muffins for Elias’s birthday tomorrow. Can you help me do a triple batch so we have enough for the whole station?

[Sent 22:30] Sure, Buck. 

It’s a midday start this week, isn’t it? Come over at 8, I’ll make breakfast.

[Sent 13:07] I think Captain Starrer was weirded out by the squashed cake we got for Eddie’s first day back 🤣

[Sent 13:08] The 118’s penchant for grandiose and eerily fitting cakes for every occasion does take some getting used to.

But I am curious about how a squashed cake would work? 

[Sent 13:08] Mostly with a lot of frosting. 

Tasted a bit like cake pops.

I’ll bring you some leftovers tomorrow. 

[Sent 08:56] Hey Bobby, doing okay this morning?

[Sent 09:01] Fine. I’ve been trying out yoga for the last few mornings.

[Sent 09:01] Well that image broke my brain. 

Are you enjoying it?

[Sent 09:02] I can’t say it’s my favourite. 

I am enjoying the meditative aspects though. I might try and keep that up.

Have you ever tried it? I think it could be good for you too.

[Sent 09:02] I dated a few yoga instructors back in the day…

[Sent 09:03] Kid, you’re barely 30. I don’t think you qualify for the use of “back in the day”.

[Sent 09:04] Feels like a lifetime ago though. 

My mom also made me try meditation when I was studying for exams in high school. She got me those instruction tapes that sound like droning. I kept falling asleep. 

[Sent 09:06] Well, maybe I can do a better job than tapes.

[Sent 09:06] I think I’ll leave you to it…

[Sent 09:07] I’ve been thinking about introducing it at the station once I’m back, actually.

[Sent 09:07] Is this your way of trying to make me less excited about you coming back?

[Sent 09:07] No, but good to know how much work I’ll have ahead of me to convince you of the merits of meditation.

[Sent 10:17] Starrer said she thinks she’ll be wrapping up with our shift soon. You got something to share, Cap? 👀👀

[Sent 10:39] She might have jumped the gun a little bit.

The physiotherapist was happy, but I have to get final clearance from the rehab specialist tomorrow.

[Sent 10:40] [Gif attached: a horde of cartoon elephants with large grins jumping for joy] 

[Sent 10:41] I like the elephants and thank you for the enthusiasm, but once again nothing is final yet.

[Sent 10:41] Nah if the PT is happy then it’s totally a done deal. 

Or at least enough of one that Hen and I can start planning out the cake 😀

[Sent 10:42] Is there any point in trying to convince you that I don’t need a cake?

[Sent 11:12] Hey maybe an elephant would work? The metaphor kind of works, they represent nobility and wisdom and your memory is great and you’d never leave us.

[Sent 11:15] Stick with your couch metaphor, Buck.

[Sent 11:16] I gave up on that one, it was getting too complicated.

[Sent 11:17] I’m afraid to ask what finally led you to that conclusion.

[Sent 11:17] It was probably mostly done for a while before, but getting stained with Kameron’s amniotic fluid finished it off.

I did have to get new cushions for it though and they are a lot more comfortable, so there is a win in there.

[Sent 11:18] I suppose everything has a silver lining.

[Sent 05:55] Hey, Cap, where are you? I’ve gone through the whole station. You didn’t sneak off to the hospital without telling us did you? That would suck for your first 24 back. 

[Sent 05:59] No, Buck, I did not sneak off to the hospital.

I’m on the roof, getting in some meditation practice.

It’s shaping up to be a stunning sunrise up here if you’d like to join me?

[Sent 06:00] You really were serious about bringing that to the station?

I’ll come up so long as you don’t judge me if I fail at the meditation. 

Do you mind if I bring Eddie and Ravi up with me? They’re looking stressed.

[Sent 06:02] Of course not. 

We can try it out as a team activity.

[Sent 15:44] You know Bobby this whole talking with girlfriends thing is kind of overrated.

[Sent 15:53] Are you planning to elaborate, or is this all I’m getting?

[Sent 15:55] I don’t know, it’s just starting to get frustrating listening to Natalia talk about death all the time and ask about my death constantly.

Usually I’d feel energised hanging out with her but instead I feel drained all the time from all her death-talk 🙁

[Sent 15:57] Buck.

You do realise that communication is a TWO-WAY process, right?

Have you told her that you don’t want to keep focusing on the “death-talk”?

[Sent 15:58] I don’t want to undermine her passions though!

[Draft saved 16:00 – message not sent] [Gif attached: a cartoon baby crying rivers of tears out of both eyes.]

[Sent 16:05] Expressing your needs in a relationship is healthy, Buck. It’s not undermining anything. 

[Sent 16:07] Ugh why can’t relationships just be easy 😭

[Sent 12:22] Hey Cap, are we allowed to have a cake of stabbing implements?

[Sent 12:25] You know, sometimes I get so tempted to post in the LAFD leadership group chat to see if other captains have to deal with questions like this…

Can I get some context please?

[Sent 12:26] Chimney’s welcome back cake. Hen thought of a cool idea where we get a cake version of all the things that have tried and failed to stab him.

[Sent 12:27] That’s not my favourite idea.

[Sent 12:29] Does that mean we aren’t allowed? 🥺

[Sent 12:29] It means I’d appreciate it if you did some more brainstorming before committing to stabbing cakes. 

[Sent 12:30] The cakes wouldn’t be stabbing, Bobby.

Although…

[Sent 12:30] No.

[Sent 12:30] It’s still just cake!

[Sent 12:30] And it’s still no.

[Sent 19:34] Hey Buck, I wanted to give you a heads up that I’m going to have patchy reception over the next couple of weeks so I might not be as responsive as usual.

[Sent 19:36] Wait what about work?? Are you leaving? Are you okay?

[Sent 19:37] Only for two weeks, and never better actually. 

Athena and I realised that our voucher from the cruise we had to miss last year would be expiring soon and when we found out there was one leaving tomorrow we decided why not go for it.

[Sent 19:37] Oh wow congrats!! You and Athena definitely deserve a nice relaxing vacation/belated honeymoon. 

[Sent 19:38] We were going to try and keep it quiet, but I don’t want you to worry if it takes me a while to reply to one of your check-in messages.

[Sent 19:38] Got it. Thanks for the heads-up Bobby. I appreciate it.

[Sent 19:39] Of course, kid. 

[Sent 19:44] Hey does this mean Captain Starrer is coming back to fill in?

[Sent 19:45] No, Hen has agreed to act as captain again.

[Sent 19:45] Awesome! Hen will do great 😁

I really hope you and Athena have a great time, Bobby. 

[Sent 19:46] Thanks, kid. 

We’ll see you in two weeks.