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NOTICE TO VACATE
Buck sighed, pulling the notice from his door as he pushed it open. The door clicking shut behind him echoed through the now barren apartment. He didn’t bother turning on the lights, they’d been shut off for almost two weeks now. Thankfully, he still had running water…it just wasn’t hot.
After a small dinner of canned tuna, bread, and a banana, Buck went through his remaining belongings to see if he had anything left to sell. His heart sank when he realized there was nothing of value left, he’d already sold everything he could.
With a defeated sigh, Buck pulled out his empty duffels and began packing what remained of his clothes and other various belongings. He had a week before he needed to be out of the loft, and he planned on enjoying his last seven days with a roof over his head before he began living in his jeep again. The question now was whether he stayed in LA and got either a second job or an entirely new job all together, or if he found somewhere else to go.
The decision weighed on him as he crawled into bed later that night, his mattress now on the floor after selling the frame. When he eventually managed to drift off, it was with tense shoulders and his stomach beginning to rumble with hunger.
***
The team was out on a call, so Buck took the opportunity to sneak himself an actual meal. Nothing big, nothing noticeable, but just enough to stop his shaking.
By the time the team returned, any trace of his food heist was long gone as he grabs the supply cart to begin restocking the trucks. He was almost done when he feels someone hovering nearby. Bracing himself for another round of violent hazing, he cautiously looked up…only to find Eddie standing there, fidgeting with his watch as he avoided Buck’s eyes. Keeping the cart between them, Buck returned to his restocking when Eddie made no move to yell at him or grab him.
“Buck,” He flinched before freezing, breath quietly hitching as he fought not to shake or cringe. “Can we talk after shift?”
“I-It’s okay, you don’t need to do something you don’t want to…” He jumped, almost dropping the clipboard in his hands as he stepped back when Eddie took a step towards him. Quickly looking away before clearing his throat. “I-I should…finish this b-before you guys get called out again.”
“Buck-” The familiar clack of crutches interrupted whatever Eddie was about to say, leading to both men freezing.
Buck’s eyes went wide before he began looking around for the nearest escape. Not finding one, he jerked open the door to the engine and quickly climbed inside, slamming the door shut as he ducked down. He ignored the call of his name, already thinking about the reaming he was going to get from Bobby as he let his head thunk softly against the door.
He just needed to get through three more days, then he’d hand in his resignation before using his final paycheck to get as far out of town as he could get.
***
A few hours into shift, an all-hands-on-deck call comes in to find a missing little boy. He keeps his head low and his body pressed as tightly against the door as he can get, the tension in the engine overriding any excitement he might have felt at finally being able to go out on a call. Well…the tension and the knowledge of why he was allowed to go.
***
The digging took longer than expected, especially once the storm finally hit. Buck was shivering from the cold and the rain as he helped get things ready for someone, probably Eddie, to go down into the hole when he heard his name called out. Head snapping up, he saw Eddie beckoning him over while Bobby and the others stood next to him looking irritated. He cautiously approached, standing further away than would normally be acceptable but he didn’t want to be within grabbing distance.
“Buck should be the one to go down for the kid.” His eyes widened at Eddie’s words, but he wisely kept his mouth shut.
“Absolutely not,” Bobby terse response wasn’t unexpected, “I’d rather send down someone I trust.” Buck looked away with a small flinch, but stayed where he was.
“I know from experience that Buck would do everything he can to save a kid, therefore he’s the man for the job. Besides, he’s the narrowest of all of us.” Eddie’s voice sounded closer than before, startling him into looking up. He had to look away a moment later when he realized how closely Eddie was watching him, as if he were trying to solve a puzzle.
“I-It’s Captain Nash’s decision.” It was a cop-out answer, but it was the safest one he could come up with in that moment.
There’s a moment of tense silence and then…
“Fine. Suit up, Buckley, you’re going down.” He tried really hard not to practically skip away with how excited he was to be doing the rescue.
***
Bobby was going to kill him.
No.
Bobby was going to fire him and then he was going to kill him.
Buck had cut the line. He hadn’t had a choice. He’d had Hayden, he’d been about to pull the kid up, and then he was suddenly being dragged away and lifted into the air. He didn’t think, he just pulled out the knife, cut the line, and prayed he didn’t re-break his leg on the landing.
He didn’t break his leg again, miraculously, but he did hit his head slightly. It took him a minute to get his bearings again, but then he was back to reaching for Hayden and lifting him out of the well and into the little pocket. He’d just wrapped a thermal blanket around the kid when Eddie suddenly dropped down next to him, jaw clenched.
“I-I’m sorry, but I w-was so c-close.” His teeth were chattering from how cold he was.
“I get it, I would’ve done the same. Another line is going to be sent down for you.”
You just wouldn’t get fired for it. Buck wisely kept his thoughts to himself as he nodded to Eddie, helping to get Hayden settled in the harness before he was watching Eddie tug twice on the line. He sat at the bottom, craning his neck up to watch their ascent, body shaking almost violently from the cold and hunger that decided now was a good time to catch up with him. All alone, he didn’t have to work at covering up just how bad everything was hitting him.
He knew when Eddie had cleared the hole since the faint light filtering down suddenly grew brighter and the rain that Eddie’s body had been blocking was now able to reach him. Blinking rapidly against the water splashing onto his face, he stepped off the the side.
Just in time for everything around him to implode.
***
“BUCK!” Eddie sat up from where he’d just tackled Bobby to the ground, narrowly avoiding the falling drill, Buck’s name already bursting past his lips as terror gripped him. For a moment, all he could do was stare in shock at where the hole had been, then his brain caught up to his eyes as he realized the hole was gone.
The hole was gone, which meant Buck was buried alive.
Moving wasn’t a conscious thought, he just knew he needed to get to Buck. One moment he’s on the ground next to Bobby, the next he’s clawing desperately at the mud while someone tries to stop him. He tries to keep digging, even after he realizes that it’s Bobby trying to pull him away, but eventually he collapses back against his captain as a desperate plea leaves him.
***
Buck comes to with a small groan, pain shooting through his whole body as he shifts, hissing through gritted teeth as he blearily blinks his eyes open before trying to reach for his radio…only to find it missing. Looking around hazily, he spots it just a few feet away.
He tries to call up, but the freshly collapsed earth above him and the growing puddle he and the radio are sitting in had practically killed his only means of communication…not that it had done much for him previously given how deep underground he was. It didn’t stop him from desperately calling out and screaming into a mostly dead radio.
“Please! I’m still alive down here!” In a moment of pure terror and frustration, Buck launched the broken radio across the small space, breathing harshly as he balled his hands into fists and curled in on himself a bit more. He was trying to think, but his head felt scrambled as he fought not to just give up.
***
“I’m telling you, Bobby, he’s alive down there! I just know it. We need to dig him out, now.” He’d been arguing with Bobby for far too long at this point, but he was desperate.
“And I’m telling you that we can’t. We can’t get another drill out here in time, and the one that is already here is destroyed from the lightning. It’s also too heavy for us to lift. I’m sorry, Eddie, but we need to accept the fact that Buck is probably dead by this point.” He was fighting hard not to just reach out and throttle Bobby.
“You know what, Bobby? I hope you’re finally fucking happy.” Eddie walked away before Bobby could respond, not trusting himself to keep remaining calm if he had to deal with Bobby dragging his feet any longer.
“Hey, it’s Diaz, right?” He froze, turning to find a man around his height with blue eyes. The 122 printed on his helmet.
“Yes, sir. Can I help you?”
“I’m Sal DeLuca, captain of the 122. I heard that you think you’re guy is still alive down there?”
“You heard right. I know my partner, sir. If anyone can survive the impossible, it’s him. However, my captain disagrees and is refusing to even try.”
“Well, lucky for you, I have a history of ignoring your captains orders. Let’s see what we can do to rescue your boy.”
For the first time since he realized Buck was buried alive, Eddie felt hope.
***
Buck felt hopeless as he surfaced into a quickly shrinking pocket and realized his air tank was empty. Dropping the dead weight and ignoring the tiredness beginning to seep in, he sucked in a few deep breaths before turning back over into the water and swimming on. Eventually, his lungs began to scream and his eyes began to grow heavy, his limbs weighed down by cold and fatigue.
He finally understood what people meant when they said they saw their life flash before their eyes.
He hadn’t experienced it with the bombing, the pain too great to really think through. He hadn’t experienced it with the embolism, caught so off guard that he hadn’t even realized what was happening before he passed out and woke up in the hospital. With the tsunami, keeping Chris safe, and then eventually searching for him as he tried not to think about having to tell Eddie his son was dead, had consumed his every thought and left him with no room to think about his own life as he almost died…again.
He missed Christopher. That kid was the only reason he’d stuck around this long, doing everything in his power to stay. To have even a chance at seeing him again…but he had to give up on that dream. He had to remember that Christopher wasn’t his kid, he never would be. Eddie wasn’t his partner, at least not like that, despite how much Buck had hoped for it.
Eddie.
Eddie had wanted to talk to him after shift…if Buck gave up now? He’d never know what the man had wanted to say to him.
With a renewed sense of energy, Buck pushed on, swimming almost frantically until he felt the space around him open. Angling upwards, Buck swam on and prayed he’d make it out alive.
***
“Listen up! We’re going to fan out and look for Buckley’s heat signature. A couple of choppers are on the way to assist, but it’s going to be a little bit before they arrive so we need to cover as much ground as possible.” Eddie listened intently to Captain DeLuca as he gave orders to the gathered crowd, Bobby and the rest of the 118 were huddled off to the side glaring at the rest of them.
“Is that really a good use of everyone’s time? Buckley’s dead at this point, pretending otherwise is just delaying that inevitable realization.” Bobby’s words had Eddie grinding his teeth.
“Unless we can’t find a heat signature, I plan on treating this as a rescue operation of one of our own, which is more than I can say for you right now, Captain Nash. Thermal is our best chance at finding him at this point.”
“Th-hat’s g-go-oing to b-be h-ha-ard s-sin-nce I-I’m-m pre-etty c-co-old.” Eddie’s head snapped towards the voice, jaw going slack as he saw a shivering Buck stumbling towards them. Buck’s skin was deathly pale, his lips were blue, and he looked like he’d been through hell and back, but he was alive.
Eddie wanted to kiss him.
“Buck…” He was moving before he’d consciously thought about it, making it to Buck just as the man’s legs gave out, his eyes rolling back into his head as he collapsed.
Eddie barely managed to catch him before his head hit the ground, concern gripping him as he felt how light Buck was. He was just about to call for a medic when he glanced up with see the 122’s paramedic team hauling ass towards him already. He helped them get Buck wrapped in a few thermal blankets before getting him loaded on the backboard.
He ignored Bobby calling for him as he climbed into the 122’s ambulance.
***
“Diaz, if you’re going to ride with us then we’re going to put you to work. Reach into that drawer over there and pull me out the shears, then reach into the cabinet above your head and pull out a few towels so we can dry him off before putting the blankets back on him.” Eddie nodded to the medic who’d spoken to him, a quick glance at the name tag revealing the man’s last name to be Owens.
He stood from the bench carefully, making sure he had his balance before reaching into the mentioned drawer and grabbing out the shears. He passed them to Owens before turning to open the cabinet above him while he listened to Buck’s clothes being cut away. He was just about to turn around when the other paramedic began cursing.
“Son of a bitch! What the fuck is happening at that station?” He turned around in confusion, two towels clutched tightly in his hand as he opened his mouth to ask what he meant, only to freeze in shock when he saw Buck’s entire torso littered with bruises.
Clear knuckle prints were visible in various spots, defined hand prints stood out starkly on Buck’s newly revealed arms, a fucking boot print practically acted as a bullseye with the way it sat dead center on his sternum. Then he realized how thin Buck was, his ribs terrifyingly prominent under the bruises.
“What the fuck?”
***
“You're sure?”
“Positive, Sal. You can't fake a reaction like that. Diaz was horrified by what he saw. Whatever is going on at that station, he's not part of it.”
“Okay, write up a thorough report on what you witnessed on the call tonight and Buckley's state in the ambulance with Diaz's reaction. I'm submitting everything to the chief.”
“Copy, Cap.”
Sal sighed as he watched Owens walk away, scrubbing a hand over his face before he shifted his gaze to where Diaz was sitting practically catatonic in the waiting room.
He was in for a long ass night.
***
“Diaz.” Eddie blinked, coming back to himself as he looked up to find Captain DeLuca hovering over him. “Let's go.”
“Go?”
“There's nothing you can do here until they have him stable, so we're going to go be useful and get him some clothes to change into so that he's not stuck wearing that thin and flimsy hospital gown after freezing his ass off for who knows how long.”
Eddie blinked in surprise, Sal's words hitting him slowly, then he was nodding as he carefully got to his feet.
“Yeah, okay. We'll have to swing by the 118 so that I can grab our things and keys.”
“Already planned on it, let's go.”
The drive to the station was silent, neither man feeling the need to speak as the city flew by. When they pulled in, Eddie was quick to hop out and run in with Sal not far behind him.
“Why don't you shower real quick? Get clean and warm so that you don't have to worry about it later.”
“Oh, uh, yeah. That sounds...good.” Eddie hesitated only a moment longer before he was grabbing a change of clothes, a towel, and his toiletries. “Uh, that's Buck's locker. Do you mind…?”
“I'll grab his things.”
Eddie nodded before booking it into the showers. The sooner he was done, the sooner he could get back to Buck.
***
The ride to Buck's loft was just as silent as the ride to the station, this time with a new tension that hadn't been present before.
When he'd returned from the showers, Sal had looked furious before quickly schooling his expression when he realized Eddie was standing there. He'd insisted on driving when Eddie had tried to grab his truck, arguing that it would still be there with Buck's jeep when they were done.
Pulling into the lofts parking lot, Sal cut the engine before following Eddie inside and up to the sixth floor. Eddie shouldered the door open, reaching to turn the lights on…only to pause in confusion when nothing happened. Flicking the switch a few times, he frowned before pulling out his phone and turning on the flashlight…only to go stiff with shock when he saw how barren the place was. A throat clearing behind him had him moving forward on autopilot.
“Did he just move in?” Sal’s voice, pitched low, echoed in the mostly empty space.
“N-no. He moved in almost a year ago. There used to be so much here…”
“Maybe this will fill in some blanks,” Eddie turned to find Sal looking intently at a piece of paper, “It’s an eviction notice. Looks like he’d got two more days before he needs to be out.”
“Fuck! I knew his hours had been cut, but not this bad…” Eddie chewed his lip, staring wide eyed around the empty space before moving towards the kitchen and opening cabinets. “Everything's gone…even the cups and plates. He probably sold everything he could to keep up on his bills...” Opening a few more cabinets, he finally got his answer for why Buck was so thin. “Dios, this is all he’s been eating…” He felt Sal at his back and shuffled to the side so the man could see.
“My guess is the apples, bread, and peanut butter make up breakfast…the nuts, oranges, crackers, and peanut butter make up lunch…and the bananas, tuna cans, and bread make up dinner.” Everything was grouped together, two stale loaves of bread and two small jars of peanut butter sitting with their respective food clusters. “What do you want to do, Diaz?”
“I want…” Eddie paused, looking around the space as his jaw set with determination, “I want to move him into my spare room. I want to make sure he knows he’s wanted there. I want to make sure he’s eating, that he’s warm and safe…and I want to get him the hell away from the 118.”
“Well, let’s take care of his things first. The rain has stopped and my truck bed is covered so it’ll be dry, won’t have to worry about anything getting wet or ruined. I’ve got a couple of empty boxes in the truck, we can pack up the last of his things if you want to see what’s left upstairs.” Sal was already heading to the door as he finished speaking, leaving Eddie to nod silently at his back before moving towards the stairs.
What he saw after he crested the stairs made him want to cry.
Buck’s mattress was on the floor, bare except for a duffel bag tucked under a hoodie obviously acting as a pillow while a small throw blanket lay folded on top. A closer look revealed that it was the one he and Christopher had given him after the bombing. He spotted another duffel sitting open outside of the bathroom. Opening the closet, he noted that it was empty besides the hangers, so he carefully shut it and moved into the bathroom. Shining his phone light around the space, he noticed that Buck’s usual mountain of care products had been replaced with a simple bar of soap and a 2 in 1 shampoo.
Swallowing around the lump in his throat, he grabbed the open duffel before moving to the sink to pack everything he could see, then he crouched down to pack up the drawers and cabinet. He ignored the tight feeling in his chest when he stood and realized the bag still wasn’t very full. He left behind the shampoo and bar of soap.
Dropping the duffel on the bed, he returned to the bathroom to grab the dirty clothes hamper he’d spotted, dropping it on the bed next to bag. Kneeling, he folded up the hoodie and grabbed the blanket, carefully setting both of them into the bag. He heard the door open and shut downstairs, signaling Sal’s return.
“I don’t think those boxes will be necessary,” He spoke up when he heard Sal start climbing the stairs, looking up with a solemn expression. “This is pretty much all there is.”
“Jesus, kid. Okay, let’s get it loaded.” They took the bags and the hamper first, tucking them away in the backseat before heading back up to grab the mattress, loading that into the covered bed. They did one last walk through the space to make sure nothing had been missed, silently deciding to leave the food and remaining shower items when they realized that that was all that remained. “Let’s get this stuff to your place, then head back to the hospital. I’ve still got paperwork to do and it’s nearly dawn.”
***
Unloading everything at the house went fast. Eddie was grateful he’d taken the time to clean out the guest room recently as they got Buck’s things moved in. He directed Sal to the linen closet while he took the hamper to the laundry closet and got the washer going. He returned to the room just as Sal was getting a comforter settled, so he helped out by shoving the pillows into various cases and tossing them back onto the bed. Sal got them arranged before picking up the duffels and beginning to unload them.
They worked in silence as they got things organized, Eddie mentally making a note of what all he needed and wanted to get for Buck as they worked. When they were done, he spared only a moment to be grateful Chris was at his Abuela’s for the night before he was moving the laundry into the dryer and then following Sal back out to his truck.
***
Sal didn’t join him at the hospital, simply dropped him off after they exchanged numbers and headed off towards his station so that he could do his paperwork. After getting directions to Buck’s room, he walked in and was surprised to see Athena dozing in the chair next to Buck’s bed, hand wrapped tightly around the man’s lax one.
He was happy to note that Buck’s pallor had improved now that he was warmed up, though he frowned when he saw the NG tube.
“He was showing signs of malnutrition.” He startled at Athena’s tired voice. “He hasn’t woken at all. Nurse came by to check his IV about an hour ago, gave me the rundown while she was here. He was hypothermic and mildly concussed, but otherwise okay from the well incident. There’s no signs of any broken bones or internal injuries from the obvious beatings he’s-”
“-I’m sorry, beatings? Plural?” He couldn’t stop himself from interrupting Athena.
“Yes, the various healing stages of the bruises suggests this has been ongoing for…weeks. Probably since his first shift back. An investigation has been opened into the 118, and your chief will be reaching out later today or potentially tomorrow. Tech’s are reviewing footage from the station, so it just depends on when they finish combing through it all.
“Dios,” He sat down heavily in the other chair, “And I thought what Captain DeLuca and I found tonight was bad.” He looked up to find Athena staring at him with an expectant look on her face. “Buck’s being evicted, he’s been living off of the bare minimum as far as food goes for who knows how long, his power’s out, and he’s sold practically everything he owns other than a small handful of items that obviously mattered to him. He’s got two days left before he’s gotta be out…so DeLuca and I just moved what he had left into my spare room. I plan on braving a few different stores later today to get some things for Buck.”
“Well…I think I’m now feeling rather inspired to go shopping myself. Send me the list, we’ll divide and conquer.” He knew better than to argue with Athena, so he just nodded. “As I was saying earlier, he doesn’t have any broken bones or internal injuries. It’s obvious that his attackers were being careful to make sure the marks stayed where his clothing would cover and not hit hard enough to cause permanent injury. The food situation explains the malnutrition from the home front, but not from the work front.”
“Bobby’s banned him from joining for meals, so I started purposefully overloading my plate so that I’d have leftovers. I’d leave them for him either in the fridge or in his locker…I thought he was eating when we were out on calls but…” He trailed off, remembering Sal’s furious expression when he’d returned from the showers. “You need to talk to DeLuca. I had him grab Buck’s things from his locker while I showered when we got back to the station, he looked furious by the time I returned.”
“I’ll have someone reach out to him, though I’d bet he’s working on his own report as we speak.”
***
Sal was indeed working on his own report, though it was nearly done since he’d had his guys write up what they’d seen on the scene last night. He made two reports, one for on the job and one for what he’d witnessed while with Diaz. Gathering up all of the forms into a folder, he picked up his third mug of coffee and made his way back to his truck before heading towards headquarters.
“Captain DeLuca, this is a surprise.” He’d just walked into headquarters, intent on grabbing another cup of coffee, when Chief Williams called out to him.
“Chief Williams, just the person I was looking for.” He shook her hand, giving her a tight smile when she arched a brow at him, then followed her into her office.
“What can I do for you?”
“I’d like to request a formal investigation be launched into the members of the 118 for abuse and harassment against fellow firefighter Evan Buckley,” He dropped his file on her desk, “I’d also like to request that Firefighters Diaz and Buckley be transferred to my house, effective immediately.”
“This is a serious accusation.” She was flipping through the file, skimming the reports as she went.
“I believe this is a rather serious matter.” He leaned back in his chair, watching intently as she continued reading.
“Well, you’ll be happy to hear that an investigation is already underway, courtesy on the LAPD. Your reports will be submitted as additional evidence. As for your request…it is approved. Firefighter Diaz will be notified and can start as soon as our investigation clears him, but Firefighter Buckley will need to obtain medical and psychiatric clearance due to his injuries and the abuse he’s been subjected to. Once he’s obtained the proper clearances, he’s welcome to start with you at any time. You’re aware that he’s on blood thinners?”
“I am now, but it’s not a problem for me. Diaz and my paramedics can keep surgical glue on them until he’s able to stop taking the medication.” He stood when Chief Williams nodded in approval.
“One more thing, in one of your reports you mentioned Buckley’s living arrangement. I’d like you to expand on that to the best of your knowledge.” He sat back down under her watchful gaze.
“I accompanied Diaz to Buckley’s place since I thought the man was in no condition to drive himself safely. When we arrived, Diaz tried to turn on the lights but the power had been shut off at some point. Buckley’s apartment was bare beyond a mattress and some personal items. Diaz informed me that the place used to be…fuller. There was an eviction notice on the counter that reflected he had two days left until he needed to have vacated the space. An inspection of his cabinets revealed that he has been living off of apples, oranges, bananas, nuts, bread that had clearly gone stale but wasn’t yet moldy, peanut butter, and cans of tuna. Diaz mentioned knowing Buckley’s hours had been cut, but not that severely. I assisted Diaz in helping to move what remained of Buckley’s personal belongings to his house since he has a spare room.”
Chief Williams was silent, her lips pressed together in a firm line before she leaned forward to search something on her computer.
“Thank you for bringing all of these matters to my attention. You will likely be interviewed by both the LAPD and the committee in order to expand on the information you’ve provided. Until then, you’re dismissed. Thank you, Captain DeLuca.”
Sal nodded before leaving, his bed calling his name for a few hours of shut eye.
***
Buck woke slowly, feeling warm and more rested than he had in ages. The smell of antiseptic alerted him to the fact that he was in the hospital, although he was confused when he felt the pull of tape on the side of his face. With a frown, he blinked his eyes open to find the harsh overhead lights off and sunlight filtering into the room through a window off to his left. A hand tightening around his drew his attention.
He looked over, freezing when he saw Eddie curled up uncomfortably in the chair next to him, passed out and snoring softly. A soft clearing of a throat drew his attention to the end of the bed where he spotted a nurse smiling at him.
“Good afternoon, Mister Buckley, it’s good to finally see you awake.”
“H-how long was I out?”
“You were brought in unconscious last night. No broken bones or internal injuries. Just a mild concussion, some hypothermia, and the beginning stages of malnutrition. We put fresh warm blankets on you maybe thirty minutes ago, your IV bag was changed out around the same time, and I just hooked you up to your second NG bag. The first was given after we got you stabilized last night. As long as your scans look good, the doctor should release you to go home tomorrow morning.”
“Oh, thank you.” The nurse smiled again before leaving the room.
The hand holding his tightened again before Eddie inhaled sharply, eyes blinking open with a yawn before Eddie stretched. His hand never once released Buck’s, though he did freeze momentarily when he saw that Buck was awake and watching him wearily.
“Buck…you’re awake!” Eddie stood up from the chair, his knees popping, before shuffling closer. “How long have you been up?”
“Maybe five minutes? A nurse was in here and brought me up to speed.” He watched Eddie nod slowly before continuing. “She mentioned I should be able to go home tomorrow,” He purposefully left out the part where he wouldn’t have a home to return to by then, “So you don’t need to stay. I’m sure C-Chris is wondering where you are.” He tried to pull his hand away, only for Eddie to tighten his hold with a frown.
“I spoke to Christopher this morning, he knows where I am and has made it quite clear that I’m expected to stay with you until you’re cleared to come home.”
“O-oh…well, you still don’t need to stay. I-I’m sure H-Hen or whoever has him would cover for you if you wanted to go home and sleep.”
“I’m not lying to my kid, Buck. I’m staying with you until you’re released.” Eddie’s tone was firm, but Buck pushed back anyway.
“You don’t have to, promise. I’ll Uber back to the station in the morning to grab my stuff and the jeep, then head to the loft.” He carefully avoided Eddie’s gaze as he lied through his teeth.
“Not that I was going to leave anyway, but now I really can’t go anywhere since you’re set on lying to me.” Buck froze, his heart climbing into his throat. “I went by the loft last night to grab you a bag,” No. Horror swept through him, “So I already know that you don’t have anywhere to return to. So…I’ve moved the rest of your stuff into my spare room. You’re living with me now.” His head snapped up so fast, the room spun for a moment.
“What? No, Eddie, I can’t live with you! I don’t want to put you out, and I know you’re still mad about the lawsuit…a-and what about Chris-” A hand was suddenly covering his mouth, causing him to stare in shock at Eddie.
“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about after shift before everything went…anyway, I’m not mad at you. Honestly, I don’t think I ever was…which makes everything I’ve said to you so much worse, plus ignoring you when you first came back. Fuck…I’ve been trying for weeks to get up the courage to talk to you, but I thought I’d ruined us for good. Then to find that you’ve been drowning in silence…Dios, I’m so sorry, Evan.” Eddie finally pulled his hand from Buck’s mouth as he felt the man’s tears land on it.
“I was going to resign at the end of my shift today. I was going to come in like normal and leave my resignation on Bobby’s desk when I left. I was going to use my last paycheck to get as far from LA as I possibly could before the money ran out. I thought no one would care that I was gone, thought you’d all prefer it honestly…” Buck was staring down at their hands.
“I would’ve come after you. The second Bobby said you’d resigned, I would’ve left my shift to reach you before you could leave. And if I was too late to do that? I would’ve told Chris that I needed to leave him with his Abuela or Pepa and Carla so that I could bring our Buck back home, and then I would’ve had Athena help me track you all over the country if needed. I wouldn’t have let you disappear, Buck. I’m not going to let you disappear. You’re stuck with Christopher and I until we’re old and grey, and even then you’ll be stuck with us until we’re both dead. Understood?” When Buck didn’t answer right away, too shocked for words, Eddie used his free hand to lift Buck’s face until their eyes met. “Understood?”
“Y-yeah. I understand.”
“Good. Since I promised Chris I would stay with you, Athena is doing some shopping for me that I was going to do for you.” Buck opened his mouth to protest, but a sharp look from Eddie had him closing his mouth with a click. “In the meantime, I wanted to talk to you about a few things.”
“O-okay.” He watched as Eddie carefully sat on the edge of the bed.
“What happened to all of the food I was leaving for you?” Buck’s face twisted in confusion, immediately setting off alarm bells in the back of Eddie’s mind. “Buck…I was purposefully grabbing too much food in order to have leftovers. I’d put the food in your locker or in the fridge with your name on it.”
“O-oh…uh,” Buck looked away again, chewing his lip. “It’s probably best if you don’t know what was happening with the food.”
“Evan.” Buck sighed, already a goner for Eddie saying his real name.
“I never knew that you were leaving me the food to eat. Whether you left it in the fridge or in my locker, I just knew that someone from the station was taking some of the food Bobby had made and…used it to ruin my uniforms…”
“I’m sorry, what?”
“Someone was taking the food and dumping it on my uniforms and smearing it all over the inside of my locker. B-but hey, they never put it in my duffel at least…” He tried to smile, tried to let Eddie know he was choosing to see the silver lining, but one glance up at Eddie’s murderous expression had the forced smile sliding away.
“That’s why you were constantly doing laundry and why your locker always smelled like the cleaner…” He watching Eddie close his eyes before taking a deep breath, making an obvious effort to calm himself. “I was originally going to insist on just you transferring stations, but now I’m going to insist that we both do so. Wherever you go, I go. I should’ve had your back from the beginning and I’m not going to make the same mistake twice. So, when you’re medically cleared, we’ll both put in for a transfer.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” They both startled, Eddie springing to his feet, but still not letting go of Buck’s hand. “Sorry to startle you two, but I couldn’t not say something after that.” Buck eyed the newcomer curiously, trying to figure out why he looked so familiar, while Eddie’s face twisted into mock irritation.
“Seriously, DeLuca? You creeping on me now?”
“It’s my job to creep on you now, you mook. You two are looking at your new captain.” Both of their faces went slack with shock, much to Sal’s amusement. “I spoke with Chief Williams this morning, once Buckley has been cleared by a therapist and a doctor, he can start at the 122. You’re welcome to start as soon as the investigation into the 118 has cleared you.”
“I-Investigation?” Buck looked over at a sheepish Eddie, then looked back at his new captain. “I’m sorry, sir, but who are you?”
“Ah, where are my manners? I’m Sal DeLuca, captain of the 122.”
“Uh, nice to meet you?” He didn’t mean to phrase it as a question, but oh well. “What’s this about an investigation?”
“Buck…” Eddie looked uncomfortable, “We saw the bruises.” Buck went still, his face going carefully blank. “That alone would’ve sparked an investigation, but coupled with what Bobby pulled on the call last night? Both the LAPD and the LAFD are investigating the 118.”
“Oh…” Buck’s head was reeling with all of the information being dumped on him so suddenly. “What did Bobby do?” He wasn’t sure he wanted to know, but he definitely needed to know.
“Nash tried to leave you for dead. He dragged his ass on rescue efforts until I took over, then he tried to convince everyone you were already dead and that we were just wasting our time.”
“Oh.” Any lingering loyalty towards Bobby was snuffed out with that knowledge. He’d known the man was still angry at him for the lawsuit, but he hadn’t realized he was angry enough to leave Buck for dead. “Athena?”
“Angry enough to have entered mama bear mode. From my understanding, Bobby is sleeping on Chimney’s couch while Karen has taken Denny to her mom’s place.”
“And…Maddie?” He was almost afraid to know.
“She hasn’t called or come by…” Buck didn’t say anything for a moment, just sat there quietly processing before giving a curt nod.
“Okay.”
“Okay, then…I’m gonna go. Just wanted to let you two know the good news before it went out over the wire. Now, I’m going to grab myself a burger and then pass the hell out until next shift. You two mooks have a good rest of your day, I’ll be reaching out soon.” Sal turned to leave, then spun back around with a mischievous grin on his face. “Oh, when I send over the official transfer paperwork, I’ll be sure to include the relationship disclosure forms.” Buck’s jaw dropped as Sal turned back around and walked out the door, cackling loudly.
“Well, there went that plan.” Eddie almost sounded bitter.
“What plan?” Buck wasn’t sure his head could take much more information.
“Well…I was going to let you heal and get settled before bringing this up, but DeLuca’s apparently forcing my hand on the matter.” Buck listened carefully, relaxing slightly now that he could hear the reluctant amusement in Eddie’s voice. “I’m in love with you, Buck. I have been for quite some time, but I’ve been too much of a coward to say it because I was terrified that you didn’t feel the same. I was terrified that if I told you, I’d lose you.” Buck stared at Eddie for a long moment, then burst out laughing.
“God, we’re fucking idiots. I didn’t tell you that I’m in love with you because I was terrified I’d lose you if you didn’t feel the same way, then because I thought you hated me after the lawsuit.”
“Man, aren’t we a pair?”
***
When Eddie was finally able to take Buck home, it was with the dizzying knowledge that it would be permanent. Yes, Buck would be staying in the guest room for a bit while he went through his own round of therapy and healed, but they’d be together.
Athena, apparently with May’s help, had cleared out Eddie’s locker for him and moved Buck’s jeep from the 118’s parking lot to Eddie’s house before returning to the 118 to bring Eddie his truck at the hospital. Then, they’d enlisted Michael’s help to get a lot of things for Buck.
Things like a new bedroom set and a better mattress, really nice bedding and pillows, a brand new wardrobe, a new laptop, and a good chunk of the cookware they could remember Buck having. Up to that point, Athena and Michael had refused to use any of Eddie’s money, but Eddie had insisted he wanted to be responsible for having purchased something for Buck, so they caved and used some of his money to replace a couple of Buck’s consoles and games he’d liked to play, plus all of his skin and hair care products. They’d wanted to replace his books as well, but there currently wasn’t enough space.
Eddie was debating whether or not moving them into a bigger house would be considered too much too soon for Buck. He was leaning towards it being too much for the man for the time being, knowing Buck wanted to have his feet under him before they took anymore big steps in their budding relationship. He figured a bigger house was on the ‘big step’ end of things.
He was glad he’d thought to have everyone give them a few hours on their own before coming over, since Buck had a full blown panic attack the moment he walked into the guest room and saw everything he, Athena, and Michael had bought for him. It took a while for Eddie to calm the man down.
Buck then spent half the party insisting he be allowed to pay them back, but all three of them had refused to let him.
***
It took a week for the investigation to clear Eddie and then only another day before he could be added to the 122’s roster.
It took two weeks before most of A shift was fired or arrested. Bobby, Chimney, and Hen were among those who were fired and would never be employable as firefighters or paramedics again.
Maddie was fired not long after from dispatch for stalking a woman she’d taken a call from. The last Buck had heard, she’d moved back to Hershey and had returned to being a nurse. Chimney had apparently gone with her.
Karen divorced Hen and got sole custody of Denny and the house. Karen was over often for play dates between the boys, plus she and Buck were able to grow their friendship without Hen around to make Karen believe Buck was still the immature probie she’d first met. Eddie and Athena often found themselves accidentally excluded from conversations because he and Karen would start discussing Karen’s research or Buck’s most recent rabbit hole search.
Bobby and Athena barely managed to stay together in the aftermath of everything. It took a lot of couples counseling, plus Bobby attending his own therapy, before the two of them got back to somewhat solid ground. They were still in therapy, but the couples sessions had been reduced while Bobby’s personal sessions had increased. Buck still refused to see the man.
It took just over two months before Buck was cleared to return to work. Between having to put a healthy amount of weight back on, more rehab for his leg after the rod and screws were removed, and getting cleared by a department approved remote therapist…it was safe to say that Buck was itching to finally return to doing the job he loved. When the investigation had wrapped up, Buck was issued a formal apology by the department, plus a check for back pay that he wasn’t aware he was owed.
Working under Sal was like a breath of fresh air for both Eddie and Buck in different ways.
Buck was allowed to do crazy rescues without being told he was being reckless or rushing in without thinking, but Sal always made a point to sit down with him afterwards so that they could discuss whether things could have been done another way. He never made Buck feel like he’d made the wrong choice, but he helped Buck understand that sometimes the “bulldozer” approach wasn’t the only way to do things. With his guidance, Buck felt like he was able to grow into his own more and became more confident in his decisions.
For Eddie, Sal taught him how to loosen up and recognize when to push boundaries and when to follow the rules. Sal helped Eddie realize that sometimes the only way to safely get the job done was to color outside the lines.
Sal made sure that what he was teaching them helped them grow as both a team and as individuals. Sal also heard out Buck’s crazy ideas instead of immediately dismissing them as Buck wanting to be the hero or him being reckless. More often than not, Buck’s crazy ideas were the best ones for the job.
After six months, Buck moved out of the guest room and into Eddie’s bedroom. They donated Eddie’s mismatched bedroom set, replacing it with the one Athena and Michael had gotten for Buck. Eddie was over the moon when Buck asked him to help him put together the bookshelves that he and Athena had spent two months convincing him it was okay to buy. The only person more excited to help Buck than Eddie, was Christopher.
About a month after the bookshelves had been built and set up in the now empty spare bedroom, Buck had hesitantly asked Christopher to go book shopping with him. They didn’t go crazy, but they did make a decent start on filling the shelves.
Buck still occasionally stressed over money and food, but Eddie was always there to remind him that he wouldn’t ever have to go through that again. He had a support network now, one that would never let him starve or drown in silence.
It was that knowledge that made Buck feel safe enough to buy an engagement ring eight months into their relationship. He wasn’t planning on proposing just yet, but it was definitely something he was planning to do in the very near future.
Getting buried alive ended up being the thing to save him in the end.