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Evan Buckley had always loved the water. Growing up in Hershey, Pennsylvania, there hadn’t been much to speak of, but he’d always found himself drawn to it. As a kid, any chance he’d got, he'd sneak away to the pool or the creak. If he were really luck, he’d catch a ride to the nearest lake. When Buck had gotten older, he’d run as far and as fast as he could from home, if it could even be called that, and landed in South America. The beach, or rather the ocean, had embraced him and he’d felt a sort of peace like no other. Later, he’d found his way to the SEALs and, while they were tough on him, his commanding officers had joked about his affinity for the water. Even though he’d left the Navy, the spark hadn’t been dulled. Eventually, Buck had made his way to Los Angeles, a city famous for its sparkling coastlines. Now this was home. When he wasn’t on shift, he stole away every chance he could. Swimming kept him shape, but it also cleared his head, kept him sane.
And then the tsunami happened.
In his time as a firefighter, Buck had seen more of his fair share of horrific death. He’d seen mangled bodies in cars and pale corpses riddled with bullets, but none of those things put him off of driving or leaving his apartment. But something about that day, about the way the wave had come on such a perfect sunny morning and destroyed every good thing in its path, had shook him to his core. He couldn’t look at the ocean without feeling the vicious pull of the current. He couldn’t stand in the surf without the phantom sensation of Christopher being ripped from his arms.
For the most part, he kept these things to himself. He told no one. Right after the tsunami, the lawsuit had happened and he’d had no choice but to suffer alone. Now, with things finally back to some form of normal, he refused to bring it up again. It had been nearly a year since the incident and the team was solid. Relationships had mended. Christopher had recovered. And Buck…well, he was fine.
Buck pushed through, pretending like it didn’t affect him, like walking out on the pier for a med call was no big deal. He still loved the water. But maybe he’d just have to love it from a distance.
“I haven’t seen gusts this strong since the last tornado to hit El Paso!” Eddie shouted as they stepped out of the truck and onto the pier.
“There’s a storm moving in in a few hours, but they’ve already issued a wind advisory.” Bobby called back.
“So, what’s the play here, Cap?” Asked Buck, surveying the wreckage before them. One of the small ferris wheels had come loose and was dangling precariously over the side of the pier. Some of the inner spokes had snapped off, pinning one of the workers that had remained when the park had been closed earlier that day.
“Alright, we’re gonna have to work fast. This wind isn’t our friend. Hen, I want you stay back and be prepared to treat. Chim and I are going to run the hydraulic jacks under both of the spokes pinning our guy. Once they’re off him, I want Buck and Eddie to secure his spine and pull him out. Sound like a plan?” They all confirmed and rushed to grab the necessary equipment.
It was nerve-wracking, maneuvering beneath the twisted remains of the ride. The metal creaked and rumbled as the wind buffeted it, making them all too aware that the rest could go at any second. Buck did his best to ignore the angry seas below, to shove down the anxiety and focus on the job, but it was still there, tickling at the back of his mind.
“Okay, sir!” Eddie had to shout to be heard. “We’re going to start raising these spokes off of you. You’re gonna feel the weight come off, but you need to stay absolutely still. My partner and I will stabilize your spine and transfer you to a backboard. Then we’ll get you get you out.”
“H-hurry.” The man wheezed, his eyes pleading. Buck nodded and flashed him his best reassuring smile.
“Hang in there, man! We’ve got you! In three, two, one…now!” He counted down, then signaled to Bobby and Chim to start the jacks. Gradually, the heavy beams began to rise. The man cried out, but Buck had to give him credit because he kept himself still.
“Doing good, sir. I’m just going to put this collar around your neck. You might feel some pain, but it’s important that you don’t move.” He instructed. With that done, Eddie brought in the backboard and they prepared to transfer.
“Almost done.” Eddie promised. “We’re going to move you onto here so that we can take you over to the ambulance and have our paramedics check you out. Let us do all the work.” With practiced efficiency, they had him on the board and strapped in before the man even knew what was happening.
“Alright guys, get out of there!” Bobby warned, eyeing the ride worriedly.
“Coming out, Cap!” Eddie called back.
As he and Buck stood, both preparing to take an end of the backboard, what was left of the ferris wheel groaned loudly and tilted forward. Suddenly, one of the remaining support rods snapped and the entire structure swung violently to the side.
“Eddie!” Buck didn’t hesitate. Eddie was in the way. It was coming for him. It was going to hit him. Eddie had a kid. Eddie was his best friend. Without a second thought, he shoved Eddie to ground and braced for impact.
Then his world dissolved into pain and water and blackness.
“Eddie!”
Eddie didn’t have time to process what was happening. One second, he was bending over to lift his patient, the next, he was facedown next to him on the rough wooden pier. Everything was loud. The wind still howled. Something crashed and fell around him. He was almost certain something splashed into the water below.
He scrambled to his knees and gaped. The ferris wheel was gone, sinking down into the ocean below. Remarkably, both he and the injured workmen had been unharmed by the collapse. Eddie glanced over at Buck in disbelief…only Buck wasn’t there.
Eddie shot to his feet, eyes casting around wildly for his friend, but he was nowhere to be seen. That meant…there was nowhere else he could be…he had to…no…
“BUCK! BUCK!” He ran to the edge of the pier, to the where the railing had been torn away, already stripping off his gear.
“Diaz, don’t!” Bobby warned, the anguish clear in his voice.
“He’s down there!” Eddie didn’t even bother looking back.
“You’ll get yourself killed going in after him.” Shouted Chim, running over on his other side.
“He’ll die if I don’t!”
“Eddie, wait for-“
He ignored the rest, plunging head first into the choppy water below.
The current was strong, stronger than he’d anticipated, and the moment he broke the surface, he felt himself being pulled away. Eddie fought it, forcing his eyes open as he dove deeper, scanning the murky water. His lungs burned and his muscles ached, but he refused to give up. Buck wouldn’t give up. Hell, he hadn’t given up when it had been his own son. Just a little longer…
Suddenly he spotted a wisp of blond hair floating in the distance. Eddie’s chest was straining for air, but he gave one last push. Buck was drifting eerily through the water, skin ice-pale, eyes closed, mouth slightly agape. His arms were spread wide, almost as if in welcome. Even in the dim light, Eddie could make out the faint red tendrils of blood clouding the water around his head. With time running short and Buck clearly unconscious, he wrapped an arm around Buck’s chest and kicked his way to the surface.
The second his head was above water, instinct took over and he began heaving in desperate lungfuls of air. When he could think again, he turned his attention to the man in his arms.
“Buck?” Eddie’s voice shook as he fumbled for a pulse. His heart froze in his chest as he felt nothing but stillness beneath his fingers. “No. Nonononononono….come on, Buck. Come on!” He gave Buck a rough shake, but his head just lolled onto Eddie’s shoulder. Knowing that time was against him, Eddie readjusted his grip and began swimming to shore.
“Stay with me. You are not dying today, you hear?” Eddie panted, coughing a little as the rough waves splashed water into his mouth.
By the time they reached the wet sand beneath the pier, Eddie was so exhausted that all he wanted to do was collapse onto his back. But Buck wasn’t breathing.
“Okay, buddy. Come on.” He muttered, shifting Buck onto his back. With practiced efficiency, he delivered two breaths and started in on compressions.
Two breaths. Thirty compressions. Two breaths. Thirty compressions. Two breaths. Thirty compressions…
“Don’t you dare die on me, Buckley. Don’t you make me tell my son you died!” Eddie shouted breathlessly, sweat and seawater dripping off of him. Beneath his hands, he felt a sickening crack as a rib gave way. Buck merely jerked in time with his compressions, grey and cold and utterly lifeless.
“Oh my God…” Someone breathed from behind him.
“I’ll get the defib!” Another voice announced tersely. Eddie tuned them out, his attention solely focused on Buck’s pale, lax face.
“You don’t get to leave us. We’re a family! You don’t leave your family, you selfish bastard! Breathe!” As if commanded by some divine force, Buck’s chest suddenly hitched and a torrent of water bubble up from his lips.
“Get him on his side!” Eddie wasn’t sure when Bobby had arrived, but he quickly rolled Buck off his back, propping him up as he coughed and gagged up what seemed like half of the Pacific Ocean. “That’s it, kid. There we go. Get it all out.” Bobby soothed, his voice thick with emotion.
“O2 sats are low, but coming up.” Hen announced. Chim nodded as he bent and shone a light in Buck’s eyes.
“Pupils are reactive. That’s a good sign.” He muttered. Eddie listened to all of this, wanting to contribute, to help in some way, but he couldn’t bring himself to move. He was so exhausted from fighting the waves, from the grueling CPR, from the stress of watching his best friend almost die again that he didn’t have the strength to do anything but stare at Buck as he dragged in each ragged breath. He was still so pale, his lips still blue, that if it weren’t for the fact that he was moving, breathing, he could have been a corpse. And if that image didn’t give Eddie nightmares…
“Buck, can you hear me?” Bobby asked, rubbing his hands along his back in attempt to coax some warmth back into the skin. Buck didn’t answer, simply lying there shaking with eyes cracked partway.
“He’s freezing and probably in shock. We need to get him to the ambulance.” Chim said worriedly. Something in that comment roused Eddie a bit.
“Wait…” He rasped. “What about the other guy?”
“We called a backup unit the moment Buck went over.” Hen explained. “The 113 was two minutes out and they took care of him. We’re clear to transport Buck…and you.” She added, eyeing him critically.
“M’fine.” Eddie mumbled dismissively.
“A doctor will decide that.” Bobby said firmly. “Let’s get moving.”
At first, Eddie wasn’t sure what woke him. Granted, sleeping crunched up in a too-small and horrendously uncomfortable hospital chair wasn’t exactly conducive to sleep, but the exhaustion had been enough that he hadn’t really noticed. At some point, a blanket had been tucked around him. He suspected Athena was responsible. Now, though, as he glanced blearily around the room, it was just him and Buck, who was still out cold. Eddie was just about to nod off again when heard it, a soft moan from the bed.
“No…” Instantly, Eddie was wide-awake as he shot upright in his chair.
“Buck? Hey, you awake?”
“Christopher…where?” Eddie frowned.
“He’s not here, buddy. He’s at home, with Carla.” Buck had yet to open his eyes.
“Gotta find…so much water…can’t breathe…Christopher!” Shit. All at once, Eddie realized what was happening. Of course this would trigger a flashback to the tsunami. He took Buck’s hand in one of his own and used his other to stroke his cheek.
“Hey hey hey! Buck, listen to me. You gotta wake up now. Everything’s okay. You’re safe. Christopher is safe. You both made it out.”
“N-no…” Buck whispered brokenly. “I lost him.”
“You didn’t, buddy. He’s okay. He’s-here.” Eddie paused for a second and pulled out his phone. “Hey, Carla? Chris still up?....Perfect….Yeah, just put him on for a few minutes.” He thumbed the call onto speaker.
“Dad?”
“Hey, Superman! Uncle Buck is having a pretty hard night. He’s not feeling too good and he could really use some cheering up.”
“Uh oh…Buck? Are you there?”
“He’s here, Chris. He’s not up to talking, right now, but he’d love to hear from you. Why don’t you tell him about your day?”
“Okay! Ummm, I got try a new experiment in science today and…” For the next ten minutes, Christopher rambled on about school projects, friends, and Carla’s new haircut. Gradually, Buck’s breathing started to slow. “…and that’s how I lost another tooth.”
“Sounds like you had a full day, kiddo. Make sure you have Carla help you put that under your pillow. Now, say goodnight to Buck before you get ready for bed.”
“Night, Buck. I hope you feel better soon.” Christopher paused as if considering something, then he giggled. “You’re gonna be okay, kid.” Eddie said a quick goodbye to his son and hung up the phone. Glancing down, he saw that Buck’s eyes were open now, and filled with unshed tears.
“Buck?” He asked gently.
“I don’t…what happened?” Buck looked so lost that Eddie’s heart nearly broke.
“We were on a call at the pier and there was some bad weather. Do you remember any of that?”
“Maybe? S-some…s’all so jumbled.”
“That’s okay. You got knocked into the water because uh…” Eddie had to stop for a second, swallowing around the lump in his throat. “Because you pushed me out of the way of some falling debris. You hit your head and you nearly drowned.” Buck paled even further.
“I…I went in?”
“Yeah, Buck. I, um, I pulled you out and you weren’t breathing, so I had to do CPR. Sorry about the ribs, by the way. Damnit. We almost lost you.” Eddie could feel himself breaking down as the stress of the day finally registered.
“I’m…sorry.” Buck said quietly.
“No. Buck, no. You have nothing to apologize for. Absolutely nothing. I was just, we all were, so scared. I really thought this was it.” Eddie admitted, scrubbing a hand over his face. “I can’t lose you, man.”
“I can’t lose you either. That’s why I did it. Why I pushed you.” He replied, gripping Eddie’s hand weakly. Eddie snorted.
“Maybe we can stop with the self-sacrificing stuff for a while? I think we’ve both had enough near-death experiences.”
“Deal.”
“And listen, Buck, about the other thing…I’m sorry I didn’t see how much you were struggling after the tsunami. I was so focused on Christopher and then after the lawsuit, I had my head so far up my own ass that I didn’t take time to see how much you were hurting and I’ll never forgive myself for that.”
“Eddie-“
“No, just let me say this. I can see now how much you’re still affected. And I know that this is only going to make it worse. So, I want you to know that I’m here for you, whatever you need. You wanna talk? I’ll listen. You wanna go to therapy? I’ll drive you to the appointment. Can’t sleep? My door is always open. I messed up before and I’m not gonna let you suffer in silence again.”
“Eddie, I…Thank you.” Buck said quietly.
“Always, Buck. I mean that.” Buck smiled faintly, then winced.
“Mmmmmm….” He groaned.
“What’s wrong?” Eddie frowned. “Pain getting bad?”
“Feel like crap.”
“Yeah, well concussion, broken ribs, not to mention that whole resuscitation thing. Plus, you’ve got some fluid in your lungs that they’re keeping an eye on.”
“So I’m staying for a while?” Buck mumbled sleepily. Eddie chuckled fondly as he smoothed Buck’s hair back from his forehead.
“Yeah, buddy, you gotta stay for bit. But we’ll be here with you.”
“Mmmmkay…”
“Get some rest, Buck. I’ll be right here if you need me.”
“You’re always here.” Buck muttered as he drifted off.
“Always.”