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Walking into the station, Buck could see there was a subtle ruckus upstairs with hushed voices and silenced laughter. There was no one hanging around the locker rooms, as he went in to change. It was too quiet for a shift to be beginning.
There was something going on and Buck felt excluded again. He put his uniform on and closed his locker with an excessive force that made the sound reverberate all over the station. He winced and looked around, searching for someone to give him an explanation, but there was no one.
Buck approached the stairs. Above, the movement suddenly stopped. He could see Bobby’s head and Eddie’s shoulder from a certain angle.
Buck debated with himself if he should go upstairs or just head to the gym and let the team have their moment. The feeling of being left out once more was giving him whiplash. He remembered seeing his name taped over, a teasing B left there just as a cruel reminder of what it used to be. At their own accord, his legs started climbing the stairs. He stopped suddenly after a few steps and turned around. The gym was a better idea anyway. Once he reached yet again the bottom of the stairs he heard a voice call his name.
“Where are you going?” It was Eddie. Eddie was beaming at him, a hopeful look on his face.
“The gym?”
“No, no. Come on up.”
“Okay.” Buck turned on his feet and walked up a few steps again.
Hen peeked her head from behind Eddie. “Come on, Buckaroo, we’re all waiting for you.”
The moment Buck reached the kitchen, everyone cheered.
“Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday, Buckaroo, happy birthday to you.”
“Guys, it’s not my birthday.”
“We know,” Chimney approached him and patted him in the back, “it’s a month from now, so we thought we’d really surprise you this way.”
“Besides, we never did the welcome back party for you, so, here-” Bobby moved away from the kitchen aisle and behind him there was a big cake shaped like a firetruck and on top of it there was a sign: DEATH 0 - BUCK ∞