Chapter Text
It was dark, like some endless void with no body to control, no instinct. Black seemed to capture the world around Buck as his eyes closed. A wondering feeling of warmth and forgiveness replaced the pain and the cruel cold that had swallowed him whole before. But soon, it was replenished once a blinding white flash was introduced, warm and fuzzy. But it wasn’t like a flash of white but a slowed-down and hazy fade. It felt like he was floating, scared he would fall over into whatever bliss this was if he moved, if he could move that was.
“Am I dead?”
Buck thought to himself. That thought was so loud, it echoed as if he yelled in a cave with many walls and rocks to admire. He opened his eyes, and a wave of familiar nostalgia seemed to flush over his body like freezing waves of air. He wasn’t breathing, but honestly, he didn’t feel an urge to, so he found it confusing as he looked at his chest. His lungs wouldn’t expand, but he wasn’t struggling, didn’t have a desperate search for oxygen. He didn’t feel his heart, and it made him want to panic, but this warm feeling wouldn’t allow him to.
It was strange. This feeling. He knew it, he had known it. He remembered it. The coma dream was that odd feeling. The feeling of running out of time. The feeling of searching the depths of your subconscious. The feeling of hanging on the edge of something so beautiful.
“You’re not supposed to be here, kid.”
Buck knew that voice by heart, not that his heart was beating, but he knew it. How could he forget the voice of someone who played a huge role in his life? He turned around frantically, his eyes searching for the voice he had heard. No one was there, just this white endless void with his body. He turned around again and felt a bit startled to see Bobby in front of him this time. He thought to himself.
“How did he get there?”
“I’m not real. That’s why.”
“Did he read my mind?”
“This is your mind, Buck.”
Bobby was wearing the same clothing he had worn before he died. That stupid, ugly, bloody suit. The blood that seemed to be frozen in time, dripping down his nose, was frozen. The blood splattered on his suit and mouth. Frozen in time and not absorbed or rotten colored. His circled eyes were painted with dark lines of purple and black, no sense of sleep. His eyes seemed dry and lifeless. Buck swallowed with widened eyes as he stared at him. Was this even happening? Was he dead? Bobby walked up to him slowly with those intense eyes that never seemed to blink.
“You’re experiencing the last 7 minutes of your life. Inside your head. Your brain created this in hopes you’ll find a way back home. And you created me, you wanted me here.”
“You think I want you here?”
Buck's eyes hardened as he sniffed a bit. Bobby smirked lightly, chuckling.
“Well, you’re the one who created me in the first place.”
“You’re dead. You left me and everyone behind!”
“You think I wanted to?”
“Maybe- Maybe you did want to die! After everything, you didn’t want to fight! You didn’t! And now you can’t tell me to live because when I told you to live for all of us, you chose not to even try!”
Buck had tears flowing and pouring in his eyes, his eyebrows furrowed, and his lips trembling. Bobby’s eyes were a bit wide as he glanced at Buck. He sighed and glanced down at the floor. This entire place wasn’t a hospital, or a home, or a place Buck was familiar with. Not like what he saw in his coma dream, for the most part. It was like a white void, no ending to anything in sight. Every step that was taken seemed to ripple like water under his feet. But yet, there was no water. Everything seemed hazy, the bright white light that seemed to have no source. It was strange.
“So you want to leave everyone like I did? When I left, what did it do to you? You want to do that to everyone. Christopher? Jee-Yun? Maddie? Eddie? Tommy? You want to add more of that horrible feeling you felt onto them because you were too upset that I died, so you forgot to fight or even try. Is that what you want, Buck?”
Buck was speechless. He swallowed, his mouth opening but hesitating to speak words he couldn’t find. His eyebrows furrowed as he glanced down to the side, his eyes narrowing as he gritted his teeth. Tears, tears filled his eyes again. But this time, they poured over, like a stream of hopelessness falling onto his cold, sticky skin. He grabbed his shoulder with his hands slowly, hiding his face downwards before letting himself slide onto the floor, on his knees. He was exhausted, tired, weak, and sad. He cried silently, holding himself. He was on the floor on his knees, curled up, grabbing himself and keeping his face toward the floor away from Bobby’s sight. He felt pathetic in that moment, but he couldn’t stop the aggression toward the sobs that left him uncontrollably. He didn’t even know how he was talking or crying without breathing. Nothing made sense; it’s like his brain created this to make it seem like he was.
“You don’t understand…”
Buck hiccuped as tears seemed to flow more.
Bobby walked up and crouched down slowly, placing his hand on Buck’s back as he rubbed it softly, his hand moving to the curls in his hair as he ruffled his hand through them. Buck sat back up, still on his knees with his forearm to his face as he wiped his tears, glancing toward Bobby with angry but sad eyes.
“But I do understand, Buck. I have. I’m dead, but that doesn’t mean I want you to follow me. Kid, you have a lot going on for you. You have a future, and I want you to follow in my footsteps, the ones I left behind, the ones I taught you to create. I was always going to go, one way or another. You’re young and you have a future. So go live, not for me. But for yourself.”
Buck took in a shaky breath, looking down. His face seemed to relax into a tired state as he stared at the floor. His eyes seemed to lose everything inside of them. It felt like a wave of depression hit him, pain in his upper eyes like a headache.
“What if I don’t want to, Bobby? What if I want to let go?”
Bobby was silent, his expression never changed from the plain face of exhaustion. He stood up silently, facing down as Buck stayed on his knees.
“That’s up to you to make.”
Buck looked up, his eyebrows raised slightly as he looked up fully, his arms resting on his knee.
“You’re not going to stop me?”
“Why would I? It’s your life you want to stop, not mine. As much as I don’t want you to join me, I can’t force your choices.”
Buck was a bit shocked at that. He swallowed and looked down nervously. Shaky eyes and intense stares of thoughts and decisions. He was confused and felt a heavy decision add weight to his shoulders.
“Before you choose, remember how you felt when you lost me. Then, pick what you want to do.”
Buck glanced up to see Bobby turn around; he was walking away. Buck leaned forward, trying to stand up desperately, but before he could even fully stand up. Bobby was just gone.
“Bobby? Bobby, Bobby!”
Buck glanced around, panicking a little. He swung over, looking for anything in this empty void of some type of afterlife. He walked, ran as fast as he could, but he ended up just tearing up more in stress and confusion.
As he panicked and frantically searched for answers of some sort, he felt a warm feeling reach his back, radiating from something. He turned around as his eyes raised, and he saw something strange. It was light but more yellow. It was warm. So warm, and he seemed to see figures that he couldn’t make out. But he could tell one of them was Bobby. Then there were maybe two kids, a girl and a boy. Then a woman. Although he couldn’t tell who they were, he squinted his eyes and subconsciously walked toward it slowly; that warm feeling seemed to lure him in like light in the dead sea. He wasn’t aware of what it was yet, despite the feeling of knowing, he instead ignored it.
“That’s the way to death, you know?”
That voice…That voice! Buck swung over. His expression turned a bit solemn as he hesitated in words, his mouth stuttering. His eyebrows furrowed softly.
“Daniel…”
Daniel smiled a bit. He was wearing his doctor's coat with his badge that read ‘Daniel Buckley’. He started to walk towards Buck slowly with a cocky but plain expression. His coat swerved with his movements, his eyes a green that seemed to catch Buck’s attention.
“I was mad at you for living, and I didn’t get much of a chance. You killed me because you weren’t born sooner.”
Buck’s eyes furrowed a bit as he glared at Daniel a bit. He felt a bit startled by those sudden words. This felt cruel, like someone trying to knock him down. But he didn’t understand the purpose of him being here. Daniel spoke again with a smile, soft and warm.
“But, I soon realized. You would always regret it anyway. But it’s not like it matters.”
Daniel walked up to Buck and passed up, bumping his shoulder as Buck glanced at him with furrowed eyes that were narrowed a bit. He walked past Buck and He towards the light with a weird cocky smile as he stopped right in front of it.
“Maybe you can join me, Bobby, Doug. It seems you want to die so badly. But you're leaving Maddie like I did? That’s cruel.”
Buck's eyes narrowed more as he swallowed. Maddie. Doug. That name made Buck want to punch something. Daniel turned his head toward Buck a little, glancing at him with that smile. For a moment, he was Daniel, and then he was Buck. Buck was staring at Buck?
“Right, I’m talking to myself.”
Buck muttered. The other Buck turned his head, his back facing Buck.
“Do you understand how hard Eddie is trying to save you right now? How terrified Hen is for your life. How scared is Chimney that any of his friends won’t come out? Eddie is doing CPR on you, even though he’s sure you’re a goner. He was crying, scared, terrified, and planning what words to say to Christopher. To say he lost another important person in his life.”
The other Buck smiled with a glare not like others. He turned around and just started to walk towards that strange portal. Buck’s eyes furrowed as he reached his hand out.
“Wait- Wait! I don’t know how to leave this place! Hey!”
Buck was silent as he was alone again. Alone. He was always alone. He swallowed again as he looked around, and a sound echoed. The world seemed to be collapsing, and this void turned black as Buck started to panic a bit, turning around and stepping back to see it in the distance. He looked at that white portal, then back in the distance to the black void of some sort that was falling apart and fading into some dark hellhold. It was like everything he knew was coming back all at once, like a train. All memories of some sort were flashing in his head painfully. He turned around towards the black void falling apart and knew which way was home. His eyes hardened as he gritted his teeth and started running toward it, the black void.
Everything was moving way too fast; he didn’t have time to process anything that had happened. He just knew he had to live. He couldn't die. Not yet. He just couldn’t. So he ran. Ran as far and as fast as he could, not knowing where he was headed. Just the opposite way from that door of death. His legs grew tired, his eyes weak, his arms heavy. But he kept going. He then started to feel pain again, the same pain he had when he got injured. The burning, sharp pain in his chest made him gasp, and the pressure in his head made his eyes throb painfully. He stopped running as he felt his breath return, his heart beat again. It hurt so much, but he kept stepping forward, even if it was little by little.
He grunted desperately, falling to the floor with a gasp, and couldn’t seem to reach. He couldn’t breathe, not really, and he wanted to so badly. That gnawing instinctive tugging in his lungs and mouth as he desperately searched for air. He crawled forward, seeing blood on him. He heard words echo in the distance. But, now his body was…different? He wasn’t in control.
“We got him back!”
Chimney? That was him. His voice echoed as his vision went completely dark. His eyes couldn’t open, and his body couldn't move. His throat burned.
“I’ll keep bagging him till we get to the hospital.”
That was Eddie. He could hear him, but he couldn’t see anything. His voice was clearer now. His body hurt more than before, a cold washing feeling rushing through his heart, veins, and lungs. He felt himself lying down strapped, the sound of sirens and confusion everywhere, distant yells, and the colors of sirens through his eyelids. His throat burned, like someone was forcing breathing into him, and it hurt a lot, but at the same time, he felt numb. His body wouldn’t take a breath even if he wanted to; this thing down his throat was doing it for him. He was being put inside an ambulance, he felt himself on that gurney, and up into the ambulance.
“Are you sure you’re okay, Eddie? I’m only letting you help because it’s Buck.”
“Yes, I’m fine, Chim. Just- let’s get him stable.”
“Alright…Keep bagging him-…Crap, he’s bradycardia! His blood pressure’s dropping! Get me th-...”
Chimney's voice faded again. It felt like Buck was stuck in some black void with only his thoughts again. What was happening anyway? Everything was moving too fast. It was quick, like a few blinks, and he heard those voices again. But instead of this dark void, he opened his eyes a bit. Everything was so blurry and bright that it was overwhelming. His eyes stung.
“He’s back! Make sure the wound is secure, we can’t let it bleed again-”
That was Chimeny, and he saw him in the corner of his eye. He was moving around, putting the life pack to the side. Did he die again? Buck honestly didn’t care. He looked to the other side, where he saw Eddie, who had a tube with dried blood in it. He realized the pressure in his lungs was gone, the tube that had been down his throat and burned like hell was not there anymore, and he could barely breathe. Now that Buck thought about it, his mouth tasted like the sweet old metallic blood.
“Alright, let’s intubate him again so we can complete. Wait, He’s awake.”
Eddie spoke, surprised as he looked at Buck with widened eyes of worry, some blood and burns on his body along with splats of grey and black dust. His eyes furrowed.
“He’s awake.”
Chimney glanced forward to see Buck’s open eyes; his eyes were barely open, but were open and responsive.
“Buck, can you hear us? Can you breathe?
Buck gasped a little. He could barely breathe; his lungs wheezed. His right lung felt heavy and didn’t seem to work. He wheezed again, looking up with heavy eyes.
“-...Bm…”
Chimney seemed to sigh a bit stressed and maybe annoyed as he went to reach for something. Eddie spoke softly, rubbing his wrist.
“Here, we have to put you back under so we can intubate you. But, do you know who I am? Do you remember what happened?”
It took Buck a moment to focus, to think. His eyes narrowed a bit, Eddie’s face wasn’t clear, but blurred slightly. He looked up and tried to think, to speak. He could say it all in his head, but he could barely open his mouth.
“..Eddie…”
He whispered. Eddie smiled.
“He knows my name.”
Eddie chucked and leaned back a bit, grabbing some stuff as Chimney took over Buck’s view.
“Alright, Buck, you’ll wake up at the hospital. It’s good tha-...”
His voice faded as his vision did. That black void took over again, and it was silent. Just silence.
Hen opened her eyes. She was in a hospital? She looked around, her eyes tired. She had been trying to help Buck. The injury had been bad, and Hen remembered what it looked like. The large, bloody gash and lung tissues were exposed with a pool of clots and blood. Then a bomb went off. It had been a large orange hot flash; it felt like extremely hot steam hit her body before the pressure in her head made her fall unconscious.
It took her a moment to think, to process what had happened. The past. Now, she was starting to worry about the present and future.
Athana had been near the middle, trying to prevent the fire from getting to the front doors. Was she okay? Had the explosion reached her and killed her too? Eddie, Buck. They had been there with Hen. Buck had to be dead; no way he lived. Eddie, he could be alive, but was he? He could be in critical condition. How long had Hen been out? Hopefully not years.
These questions rushed through her head, and her heart rate became elevated. He looked around, thinking of the worst things that could have happened. Then, Athena walked in. Not in a police officer suit, but a hospital gown, and an IV. She smiled as she walked in, dragging the IV with a dramatic bodily tone.
“Well, look who's awake. Good to see you awake, Henrettia.
Hen’s eyes widened a bit as she smiled with relief, letting out the air she had been holding in subconsciously.
“Athena…”
Athena walked up to Hen, Hen sitting herself up and leaning forward to hug her. Both with smiles and sighs. Athena stood back up and sat down. Hen couldn’t help but feel a bit worried for her, as she was in a gown and wore a medical wrap around her arms and patches on her face.
“A-...Are you okay?”
“Oh, I’m fine. Just some burns and scrapes. Took a bust when the last bomb went off.”
“It was the last?” Hen asked, tilting her head a little, with a relieved but worried expression still resting on her face.
“Thank God it was. The last bomb allowed people to enter the building more freely, and they got everyone out. Even the people who didn’t make it.”
Hen sighed. That was good news. But that relief soon turned into anxiety as she looked down, swallowing before glancing toward Athena again.
“What about Eddie? Or Buck. Are they okay?”
“Eddie’s fine, if anything, he was still doing his job. He had minor scrapes and a concussion.”
Hen smiled and sighed. “That’s good. But, what about Buck? Is he even alive?”
Athena sighed, her smile fading a bit. “He’s alive. But he's not in good shape. His right lung was torn, and he couldn’t breathe on his own without it when it was torn, along with his concussion. He suffered from neuropraxia, which caused further complications during his surgery. After surgery, his body went into hypovolemic shock from the blood loss. Luckily, he started to breathe on his own again, and he got blood, but he’s gonna need help because I was told the recovery might be tough on the kid. But it's Buck. I’m sure he’ll be fine.”
“No, It’s BUCK. I’m not sure if he will be.” Hen argued sarcastically with a chuckle. Athena couldn’t help but chuckle with her.
“Maybe. Although, honestly, I'm not sure how he’ll recover. He’s different, I mean, he was different after Bobby died. I can’t blame him. He was the kid’s father. But, I also wish Buck could hopefully keep it down a bit. I don’t want him to destroy himself over it.”
Athena and Hen leaned back into their seats. Hen sighed.
“I can agree with you on that. But, I also feel like maybe we’ve been ignoring him. Calling him dramatic, throwing himself for his desperate attempt to be heard or seen. I don’t think he wants to be rude, but maybe it’s a way he’s asking for help.”
“I think so too. He’s complicated, and I don’t understand him. But I do know, he was raised to try to find attention, he’d have to earn it, find it, try to get it. It wasn’t given to him, so I think that’s why he is the way he is now. I want to comfort him, I do, I want to grieve with him, but it’s hard when he doesn’t talk to anyone or acts rudely toward others. He breaks easily and’s mad when he breaks.”
Hen looked down with another sigh.
“Yeah, he does. I’m sure. I just can’t help but feel bad. I think he thinks he’s alone with his grieving feelings. It’s like he doesn’t want to ask for help directly, so he avoids it, but so desperately wants it.”
“Well, I’m sure we’ll get to him. He does break easily, I think we’ll help him and each other while we’re with him. Might need to teach the kids to lift each other."
Hen chuckled a bit. “Yeah. What about Karen and the kids? Are they alright?”
“Terrified for you and Buck’s life right now. Mara is sad and scared for you, Jee doesn’t understand, nor do the younger ones. Denny cried in my arms, asking what had happened to you.”
Hen tilted her head with a frown and a look of guilt. “He cried? Oh, I need to see Denny now. I feel bad for making him worry. And Karen.”
“Yeah. Christopher never wanted to leave Buck’s side. He’s scared to leave, thinking it’ll be the last time. Eddie’s been trying to help him, but Eddie also can’t help feeling the same way.”
“What about Maddie? I can’t imagine how terrified she must be.”
“Maddie and her parents came over. They’re practically living in that waiting room, waiting for any news to pop up. I’m not sure if they are expecting bad news or good news.”
Hen leaned back further onto her hospital bed. Her IV stung a little, her nasal cannula made oxygen smell colder than normal. Her body was exhausted, and the burns on her legs stung despite the coursing pain medication flooding through her bloodstream. She stared at the ceiling for a moment, lost in her thoughts, but it was soon disrupted by the sound of a familiar voice.
“Mama!”
“Mom!”
Denny rushed up and hugged Hen before she could even fully see him. Hen grunted but smiled, laughing a bit, hugging Deeny tightly as Mara snuggled in. Karen rushed into her room, panting a bit and seemingly worn out.
“Be careful! She’s still hurt.”
Deeny and Mara backed up, feeling a bit guilty.
“Sorry, Mama. Are you okay? We were aware, we saw you on the news and everything!”
Karen walked up with a relieved sigh as she patted Denny’s head, Mara holding onto her blanket tightly as it touched her chin.
Hen smiled. “I’m okay now. How are you guys?”
“We’re good, just worried, was all,” Karen spoke with a smile of relief. Hen smiled back, rolling her head back with a sigh.
The kids started to talk and play with each other, and they sat nearby against the glass windows. Deny was playing with Mara, making her laugh. It was uncertain what they were playing that made giggles fill the sounds of the room.
Athena was chatting with Karen and Hen, mostly about what had happened.
“We’re trying to locate him, though. Soeil already went to prison, but the other one, Eathen, is still missing.” Athena spoke, sipping the cup of water Karen had brought her.
Karen's eyes furrowed in confusion. “Are they sure he’s even alive? He could have died in the hospital.”
Athena put her drink down by the hospital bedside table, swallowing the water with a small cough as she placed it, looking back up and leaning back with her legs crossed.
“They have already finished the search for bodies. They haven’t found him, not even a trace of his blood or DNA within the crime scene.”
Hen leaned forward with a raised eyebrow, her hands pressing each other's tips. “How do you know this? I’m sure you shouldn’t be working, considering you’re in a hospital.”
Athena's eyes faced to the right-hand corner. “I have my ways.” She said with a chuckle as she grabbed her water and sipped. Karen chuckled.
“Okay, but where could Eathen go? He has been wanted since he escaped. I’m sure he couldn’t have gone too far, considering how all forms of transportation out of this country won’t work.”
“That’s the good news, but he could disguise himself and take a car, or someone could pick him up. When I get back, I’m going to find him. I will find him.” Athena put down her drink with hardened eyes that glared at the wall.
“Well, the wall didn’t do anything to you, and you might want to leave it up to the other police officers. I’m sure they’ll find him.” Hen spoke with a smile, trying to be playful to cheer up the now dark atmosphere.
Athena’s expression didn’t budge. “That’s the problem. They don’t try enough, and he’ll kill more people if we’re not fast enough.”
Karen shifted uncomfortably next to Hen as she glanced around a bit nervously. Hen was silent as she glanced away from any eye contact.
“So, how’s everyone else?” Karen asked, trying to start a new topic.
“Everyone else is okay, Buck is injured badly, but I think he’ll live,” Athena said, glancing up at Karen with a tired sigh.
Hen rolled her head back onto the soft cushion of the pillow. She started to think, remembering everything that had happened in that hospital. The shooters, the bombs, the blood. She remembered seeing Buck’s face in that moment before the third bomb went off. His look of…regret, maybe. But it made her wonder.
“Is Buck in this hospital?” Hen asked, glancing at Athena. Athena raised an eyebrow.
“Yes, he is.”
“And what room is he in?”
Athena was silent, a bit concerned. And Karen’s face hardened. She knew what Hen wanted to do.
“You can’t go visit him Hen, you’re in bed too. Does the nurse even know you’re awake?”
Karen scolded, her hand placed onto her hip. Hen let out a grumpy sigh.
“Karen, please. Just let me see him this once.”
Karen took in a big breath of air and let out a very long and heavy sigh.
“Athena, watch the kids.”
Karen rolled Hen inside the room, where Eddie and Christopher were. Hen’s eyes softened a bit as she stood up carefully, Karen moving the IV with her.
Christopher glanced at Hen. He looked sad, solemn, and worried as he sat by Buck’s bed. He had a coloring book in his hand. Now that he was older, he understood death and the whole concept of it better. Eddie leaned back against the wall, on his phone, as he glanced up at Karen and Hen. He stood and pushed his phone into his pocket, and walked toward the two.
“Good to see you awake, Hen.”
“How is he?”
Eddie ran his hand through his hair, letting out a blow of air. He rubbed his eyes.
“I don’t know.”
There was a moment of silence that filled the air. Christopher only looked down. Hen glanced at Buck as he slept, a tube down his throat and wires connecting to him. All types of medicine flow through his bloodstream and try to heal him.
Hen pushed her lips together as her eyes furrowed. He glanced at Eddie, his eyes heavy with bags as he looked at Hen.
“How are you?” Hen asked with sad eyes that were half-closed.
Eddie let out a sigh.
“I don’t know. I was there with him…he just-...he told me to let him go, that he would die anyway. I didn’t know what to say, but it’s like he wanted to leave, didn’t even want to try. Then, after a moment, I really thought he was gone…until he wasn’t. I just-...”
Eddie pulled the skin under his eyes from stress, his head twitching a bit as he avoided eye contact, glancing at Buck a few times.
“I don’t know Hen. I don’t know what he thinks and…how he really feels. It’s… honestly a headache.”
Eddie ran his hand through his hair again, his hair messy and frizzy as it moved with the waves of his skin. Hen glanced at Buck as she gripped the railing at the end of the hospital bed. She walked up slowly, crouched and unsteady, but she moved. Karen followed her and placed a hand on her shoulder to help keep her balance, moving the IV with her.
Hen walked up and touched Buck’s upper forearm, lightly rubbing it back and forward on his dried-out skin. She tilted her head slightly with a sigh, her face a solemn expression. Her glance turned back to Eddie.
“I’m sure he’ll live, but it’s more of a matter of how he’ll live. I think he just want to feel seen, or maybe feel cared about, because I’m sure he doesn’t even though it’s so obvious we care.” Hen chuckled with a soft smile.
Eddie could help to rub his eyes again with a small chuckle.
“Yeah. It’s Buck. It’s always been Buck. I just wish he could realize some things, he’s basically still a kid inside. I already deal with one.”
Eddie glanced at Christopher with a smile, but Christopher didn’t budge. He was just staring blankless at his arm, like he was depressed. Eddie frowned a bit as he let out a sigh, crouching to his level.
Chris, no, no. Look at me.”
Chris tried to avoid Eddie’s eye contact, but Eddie followed him until he looked into his eyes. Eddie wasn’t mad, he didn’t look mad, but worried and understanding as his eyes softened a bit.
“He’ll be okay, like he always is. Here, about you go play with Denny and Mara, and we can all go get ice cream, alright buddy?”
Eddie, Karen and Hen were smiling softly, all looking at Christopher as he glanced up at the staring eyes that landed on him. Christopher didn’t move, he only glanced back at Buck. He hesitated to speak.
“He told me, he’s always afraid to be alone. And the reason I might not be able to see him much is because he was having troubles with the fears and that you were mad at him because he was being rude about his fears. I tried to ask him why he was scared but he just hung up…I was kinda sad because he hung up, but I didn't want to ask or say anything. I would just ask him next time I see him.”
Eddie’s eyes hardened a bit as he looked at Buck. Still, his chest rising slowly, the tube down his throat, the bandages around his arms and head. He bites the flesh inside his mouth.
“Buck…can act out, like when you get mad so you act out. Like that. And when he’s upset, he feels sad, and that sadness turns into anger and he doesn’t know how to…fix that sadness because he can’t fix everything. But, I’m sure you’ll ask him all about it.”
It was a moment of silence as Eddie glanced at hen and Karen with hard eyes.
Karen rolled Hen back inside her room, with Eddie and Christopher. But she stopped as she entered to only see Denny and Mara playing.
“Where’s Athena?” Karen asked, her eyes furrowed and raised.
“Athena was here?” Eddie asked, a bit confused.
Mara walked up to Hen, helping her stand.
“She went to go find someone.” Mara giggled as Denny chased her.
Karen’s and Hen’s eyes widened in shock as they held their breath, looking at each other with a nervous smile.
“Eathen.”