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Eddie is frantic as he looks out at the water surrounding them. Knowing that Christopher and Buck could be out there in this has fear gripping at his chest. It’s like a race against the clock trying to find them. Knowing what too long in the water could mean for either of them.
They have to be okay. They are okay. Eddie can't accept anything otherwise.
He knows Buck. He knows he'll do anything to keep Christopher safe. It's one of the reasons he trusts Buck with him so much.
He sees a flash of pink in the water and feels his breath catch as he points towards it. “There! I see Buck! And Christopher! Christopher! Buck!”
“Eddie!” Buck calls back. “Oh thank God!”
“We’re coming!” Chimney tells them. “Just hold on!”
It seems like it takes far too long to reach them, when Eddie knows it can’t have taken more than a minute. But in these circumstances even a minute can be too long.
“Here,” Buck says, hefting Christopher up onto the truck.
“Dad!” Christopher cries as soon as he sees Eddie.
Eddie feels a rush of relief when he has Christopher in his arms. He holds him tightly, feeling tears spilling down his cheeks. He's alright.
The moment is broken by a panicked cry from Hen. "Buck!"
Eddie pulls back and looks towards them. "What's going on?"
It's Chim that speaks, "We almost had him when a rush of water came through. It… he got swept away in it."
Eddie stops breathing for a moment, imagining Buck out there in the water alone. He'd already looked like he was in pain from swimming as much as he had to get Christopher to them.
"I see him!" Hen shouts. "He's holding onto some netting."
Eddie looks down at Christopher, "Buddy…"
Christopher just smiles, "I know. You have to save him, Dad."
Eddie kisses the top of his head, "I'll be back. We both will. I love you."
"I love you more."
Eddie makes his way over to Chim and Hen. "I'm going after him."
They both share a look as Eddie starts hooking himself up to the rope. It's Hen that speaks. "Eddie, are you sure? One of us can…?"
Eddie shakes his head, "No. It has to be me. I have to save him."
Neither one argue as he finishes securing himself. He turns back to them. "Look after Christopher."
Then he's jumping in, the icy water sending a shock through him. It takes a moment for him to spot Buck, but once he does he pushes himself forward, fighting against the current.
"Buck!" he shouts, hoping his words reach him. "Buck! I'm coming! Hold on!"
"Eddie!" The fear in Buck's voice makes his chest ache.
Eddie's so close now. Just another few feet and he'll be there. Eddie can see how Buck is struggling to hold onto the net, his hands slipping against the slick material.
"I'm almost there," Eddie tells him. "Just…"
"Eddie," Buck says, voice frantic. "I…"
The net Buck's holding breaks and Buck slips below the surface, disappearing from view. He doesn’t come back up. Eddie feels fear gripping at his chest, making it hard for him to breathe.
“Buck!”
Eddie doesn't think before diving under, looking for any sign of Buck. He has to find him and get him out of this damn water and back to safety.
He sees Buck's hand first and reaches for it, relieved when he's able to get a grip on it. He starts swimming to the surface, until they're both crashing above the water, gasping for air.
Eddie uses his grip on Buck's arm to pull him closer and in for a hug, while his legs keep kicking, keeping them afloat.
"I was so worried," Eddie whispers.
"I'm okay. You saved me." Buck pulls back to look at him. Despite the circumstances Eddie is hit with how beautiful he looks. Wet, sure. But his face is flushed with life, and filled with relief and something else Eddie has only caught glimpses of before.
"Evan," Eddie sighs, brushing the wet hair back from his face. "Saving you is what I do."
Buck smiles "Sometimes I save you too."
"More than you know," Eddie tells him.
"Christopher…" Buck says suddenly, his eyes wide and looking back towards the truck.
"He's alright," Eddie says. "He's with Hen, Chim, and Bobby. He's alive because of you."
"I couldn't let anything happen to him," Buck says. He frowns at him. "Shouldn't you be with him?"
"I was," Eddie says. "And I will be soon. But I couldn't let anything happen to you. You're… you're too important."
"I don't know about that."
"You are," Eddie presses. "To the team. To Christopher. To me. God Buck you have no idea how important you are to me."
"I think I'm starting to see it," Buck says.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah."
Eddie's not sure who moves first. One moment he's looking into Buck's eyes, and the next they're kissing. Their lips moving softly against each other. Eddie feels a tug from the rope but doesn't pull away.
Not until he hears Hen's voice above him. "Alright you two lovebirds, get up here. We gave you all the time we could. Now we have lives to save."
Eddie nods. He helps Buck up onto the truck, before crawling on after him.
“We’re getting Christopher back to dry land first,” Buck tells Hen.
“We’re getting you all back there,” Bobby calls up to him. He peeks his head out and narrows his eyes at Eddie. “All of you. No arguments.”
“You got it Cap,” Buck says. “I think I’ve seen enough water for my lifetime.”
“That’s going to make bathing interesting,” Chimney says. “I feel sorry for Eddie.”
Buck rolls his eyes. “Oh shut up. You know what I mean.”
“Dad would like him even if he is stinky,” Christopher says.
“Is that right?” Buck asks.
Christopher nods, “Yeah because he gets stinky too.”
Buck laughs, and Eddie pulls Christopher to him, tickling his sides. It’s worth it to see the way Christopher laughs.
“Careful,” Chimney says. “The last thing we need is for any of you to fall back into that.”
“Dad would save us,” Christopher says.
“It’s what he does,” Buck adds, smiling softly over at Eddie. “And we’ll save him right back.”
Once they’re on dry land they’re all given blankets and left to themselves once it’s realized they don’t need any further medical assistance. Not like some others do. Eddie pulls both Christopher and Buck close to him, trying to get them both warm.
It’s also an added comfort to feel them safe in his arms, knowing they’re both alive and well. That soon he’ll be able to take them both home. He’s grateful he has tomorrow off, because he doesn’t think he’ll be able to leave either of them anytime soon.