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Maddie smiled, watching her family. Everything seemed perfect. Everything felt good? Booby and her fiance, god, her fiance, stood near the grill, waiting for it to be hot enough to cook the chicken Shannon had brought. Shannon was sitting in front of her, talking to Eddie’s aunt. His grandmother was bouncing Maddie’s 3-month-old, Daniella, on her lap, laughing as the curious little girl curled her fingers around Abuela’s necklace. Eddie stood near the tree watching her brother and Albert play with the 118 children in the playground as he spoke to Karen. Hen had a test to give, so she was going to arrive later with Athena, who had a shift. Michele and David had stayed home and have a quiet day. So yeah, everything felt perfect, until it wasn’t.
Shannon’s face scrunched up in anger as her head snapped to Eddie, glaring at him with fire in her eyes. She then turned to look behind Maddie, glaring at whoever was there. Maddie turned her body to see a beautiful woman who must be 5’3, with beautiful wavy locks making her way towards where the fire family sat. The woman wore a white summer dress with big sunflowers that hugged her curves perfectly, a kind, yet nervous smile on her face, which seemed to dim as she noticed the glare of not only Shannon, but Josephina and Isabel directed at her. Maddie watched in confusion as she reached where they sat. Looking around, Maddie noticed that nobody’s attention was at the table where she was sitting.
“Hi, can we help you” Maddie smiled politely at the unknown woman, ignoring Shannon’s scoff.
“Did Eddie invite you” Josephina’s bitter voice cut off whatever the woman was going to say. Did Eddie invite you?
Maddie’s eyes widened as she realised the woman standing in front of her was Ana, Eddie’s girlfriend. Maddie bit her lip, unable to hide the grimace that fell onto her face. This will not end well. She remembered Shannon explaining the disaster dinner they had when Eddie introduced her to Ana.
Eddie, the ever loving man he was, had invited Ana to Abuela’s house during Easter. Since Maddie and Chimney were spending Easter at the Hans, Abuela had demanded that Buck join them for Easter. Turns out Ana didn’t understand why Eddie’s best friend was invited to a family dinner, and the vice-principal had mentioned it in front of Shannon, who did not react well to that. Maddie remembers how Buck mentioned that the dinner turned out to be really awkward and when he tried to leave all the Diaz’s refused to let him leave, that included Eddie.
“She had the nerve to say, isn’t this a family dinner,” Shannon had exclaimed, “as if she was family, she tried to take food out for Christopher, didn’t let him sit next to Buck, Maddie,” she paused “EVERYONE knows Buck and Chris sit together no matter what, she took Buck’s seat and had Chris between her and Eddie….” The woman rambled on.
So, yeah, Ana hadn’t made the best impression on any of them, not by insinuating that buck wasn’t part of their family. Shannon had really been vocal since then about how much she disliked Eddie’s girlfriend and on how Edmundo wasn’t being Eddie, Buck was subtle about it.
“Ese chico tuvo el descaro de llamarte a una excursión familiar. (That boy had the gall to call you on a family outing)” Isabel muttered something in Spanish next to her which caused the small smile to completely fall off Ana’s face. Maddie didn’t know what to say as she watched the scene play out in front of her.
By now Eddie had joined their table, and Maddie had never felt more uncomfortable than she felt at the moment. “abuela no la invité (Abuela, I didn’t invite her) Ana, what are you doing here?” Eddie turned to his girlfriend.
“You said you were going to be here, I thought I could bring some Mac’ and Cheese since I was staying with mom,” Ana smiled at Eddie as she held out an aluminum tray out.
“No one asked you too, besides Buck already made the one that everyone loves” Shannon snarled. Maddie’s wide eyes met Karen’s, who stood next to the table.
“It’s okay, more the merrier” Karen laughed as she grabbed the tray from Ana’s hand and placed it down.
“I’m Karen, Hen, Eddie’s co-worker’s wife” she held out a hand to Ana, easing the tension a little.
Maddie finally found her voice, “and I’m Maddie. Buck’s older sister” she nodded her head where her brother was playing with the children. Eddie smiled at them gratefully as he and Ana sat down on the table, both ignoring the flash of anger that went through Shannon, Josephine and Isabel. Maddie can’t exactly blame them. She, too, was hesitant about the woman who tried to make Buck feel like an outsider in the Diaz family. The soon to be Han also knew Abuela and Pepa were still not over the skateboard incident from when Ana was Chris’s teacher.
The ease and happiness that Maddie was once feeling once had completely vanished.
“Is that your daughter?” Ana smiled at Maddie, nodding to where Isabel held a sleeping Daniella .
“Yeah, that’s my angel, Daniella, completely spoiled by everyone here.” Maddie watched as her daughter’s eyes fluttered.
“She’s adorable.”
“Thank you”
Eddie stood up, “I’m going to go help Bobby with the grill” he then turned to look at where his aunt, grandmother and Shannon sat, “Please be kind, just for this afternoon” With that he walked away towards the grill.
An awkward silence filled the space as Karen tried to make small talk with Ana. Maddie grabbed Shannon’s hand, squeezing it with understanding. Buck was important to both of them, both Shannon and Maddie knew how hard it was for Buck to feel accepted, to feel like he had a family, god knows how difficult their parents had made it for him.
“Buck and I are planning to take Chris to an indoor skydiving place buck found,” Shannon chuckled as she pulled her phone out. “Apparently there was a 5-year-old with CP there and his mother claimed on yelp that her son had a blast.” She turned to show Maddie a video of a little boy having the time of his life.
“This looks fun!” Maddie smiled, “I can’t wait till Ella is old enough to do these crazy things. I don’t know how you and Buck can watch that, I would lose my mind”
Isabel laughed at Maddie’s comment as she handed Daniella over to her. “I think that same thing, hija, I remember when my Evanito and hijastra had taken Chris to the wave pool, I swear Eddie was going to have a heart attack”
Shannon laughed, “It was all Christopher, Abuela. I wasn’t on board with it either, I thought it was too soon.” She smiled as she looked over to where Buck had Christopher over his shoulder, “But that man never lets my son think he can’t do something”
Maddie watched as Christopher drummed Buck’s head as Danny, and Harry danced around them. May held Nia as she clapped her hands excitedly,
“That’s our buckaroo” Karen spoke, her voice fond.
Maddie watched from the corner of her eyes as Ana took in her brother with the kids of 118, especially Christopher on Buck’s shoulder.
“Is it safe for Christopher to be on Buck’s shoulder?” Ana spoke up, “it looks pretty dangerous, i would never allow that with my kids” Maddie turned to look at the woman with wide eyes. This will not end well. Maddie thought as Shannon snapped her head to look at Ana. Her eyes were widened with anger flourishing through them, glaring down at Eddie’s girlfriend. Beside Maddie, Pepa let out a gasp.
“What is that supposed to mean?” Shannon snapped at the woman standing up. Karen and Maddie exchanged looks, trying to figure out what to do, “do you think I don’t care about my child’s safety?” Shannon glared down at the woman.
Ana blinked up at the woman, Maddie watched as annoyance filled the woman’s eyes, “that is exactly what I mean.”
Maddie’s eyes widened more than they had been, and she felt her jaw drop as she stared at the woman, Maddie can hear her brother’s gasp, who had made his way to the table with the kids in tow. She looked up at her brother, Buck was staring back with his own widened eyes.
“I mean, come on, you’re letting you son, who had Cerebral Palsy, sky dive, I am a teacher and I would allow none of my students to something that dangerous, every child should know their limitation,” As Ana spoke, the woman didn’t notice Christopher and the other’s had joined the table.
Maddie’s eyes landed on Christopher, who was latched onto Buck’s side. The young boy had tears in his eyes as he pouted, His little face crumpled in hurt as he buried his face into Bucks stomach.
“You also take said child to a wave pool?!” Ana exclaimed. By now, the boys at the grill had come to the table. Maddie watched as Eddie looked at his girlfriend with confusion and anger, Her fiance was staring at the scene with wide eyes, and Bobby was looking down on the grass, his head shaking in disappointment. “What kind of mother does that when her child has been in a natural disaster” Ana raised her hands, then let out a frustrated chuckle, “you let your son hang out with a man who lost Chris-”
Eddie’s growl cut Ana off. “Enough” the man snapped. Ana’s eyes widened in horror as she looked away from Shannon and turned to look at Eddie. “Edmundo” She gasped. Eddie’s eyes were filled with rage, and if this was a cartoon, Maddie was sure there would be smoke coming out of Eddie’s ears. “Not another word about my family” Eddie’s voice was firm and held zero hesitation.
Shannon, who had tears gathered in her eyes, moved from where she was standing, she grabbed her son and clutched Buck’s wrist, “I am so sorry Maddie and Chimney, this was supposed to be your day, we were supposed to celebrate your daughter” Shannon sniffed as Buck wrapped his arms around the woman, his own face crumbled in pain as the memory of the tsunami was brought up. “but we have to leave, I am not leaving Buck here”
Maddie bit her lip as her heart ached for her closest friend and her brother. She herself began to tear up as the memory and the anguish the tsunami had brought up. Maddie can still hear her brother’s terror filled voice when he had called her. She remembers how utterly her brother looked laying on the hospital bed. How all of their world had seemed to collapse around them when they all had realized the entire they did not know what their boys were going through.
Maddie remembers the countless moments with everyone in the 118, including their families, most of all, Eddie and Shannon tried to convince Buck that it wasn’t his fault, that whatever happened in the tsunami wasn’t Evan Buckley’s fault. This Ana, someone who only knew about their family for merely 4 months, someone who was clearly jealous of her brother’s relationship with Eddie’s family. For this woman to bring up one of the most traumatic things their family had gone through in the first few moments of knowing them was infuriating.
“No.” Eddie’s firm voice brought Maddie out of her thoughts about the aftermath of the tsunami, “you two aren’t going anywhere.” He looked at Shannon and Buck with a pointed glare. Shannon sighed as she sat down and Buck stood behind her, Eddie’s voice had made it clear there would be no argument made on this matter.
Maddie watched as Karen took Harry, Danny and Christopher away from the table. Karen had placed a comforting hand on Chris’s shoulder. Then pulling the little Diaz into a sweet hug.
Eddie turned to look at his girlfriend, “So you think you’re better at the whole parenting thing or something?” his voice filled with venom as he speaks to her, “huh? How dare you speak to the mother of my child that way” Eddie’s eyes were wide in anger as he spoke to Ana, Chimney’s hand holding his shoulder, stopping him from stepping forward to the woman.
Ana now had tears in her eyes. Everyone in their family who was at the BBQ was looking at her in disappointment. Abuela was straight up, glaring at the woman, her lips in a thin line.
“I’m just saying- I care- I’m not his mo-”
“Exactly, you’re not!” Eddie snaps, Maddie holds Ella close to her as she stirs, she did not know how her daughter had slept through this.
“You’re not his mother, so keep your so-called opinions to yourself. We know how to take care of our son. We know who to trust our son with, and there is no one we both trust in this world than Buck” By now, Eddie’s face was red, Maddie was so thankful that the team had picked a completely secluded spot in the park.
“How dare you speak about Buck, my best friend, Christopher’s other father, that way? How dare you!?” By now, Eddie’s eyes were burning with angry tears. Maddie could tell Eddie was trying hard to keep it together and not start completely yelling.
“The man you think is dangerous for my son, this man you think me and Eddie shouldn’t trust with our son, who you wouldn’t trust with your child, will walk through hell for my son, for any child of the 118, hell buck has walked through hell to keep my son alive, to bring Christopher back to us.” Shannon spoke up from where she sat, Maddie watched as the woman wiped her tears as she cuddled closer to Buck.
“This will not work out, Ana, I tried I really did,” Eddie sighed as he started at the woman with tired eyes, “I tried making this work, for us to work somehow, but I can’t,” Ana stared at Eddie with tearful eyes, “I can’t be with someone who doesn’t understand the importance of Evan Buckley in our lives. I think it’s the best if you leave.”
Without giving Ana another glance, Eddie went to Buck and grabbed his wrist, pulling him away from the table and dragging the man to where Christopher was, Shannon, Abuela and Pepa followed the pair. The Diazs’ pulled Buck and Christopher into a tight hug. Maddie was sure they were reassuring the pair and removing any doubts from their minds.
Ana watched Eddie walk away as tears poured down her cheeks, Maddie watched as the woman gathered her things, including her Mac n’ Cheese, and hurried away from their table.
Maddie turned to stare at Chimney and Bobby with wide eyes as they tried to come to terms with what happened.
Maddie knew this huge hiccup in their BBQ was going to stay there for a while, but as soon as they would burn a bonfire, and their chosen family would gather around the fire, roasting their marshmallows that Maddie knew May had hidden from the boys, Everything would feel better.
And if a few months later Buck was getting ready for a special date as Maddie and Shannon teased him, it was no one- well; it was everyone’s business.