Work Text:
It was supposed to be a normal day. Well, as normal as it could be for Buck, who had his leg crushed under a ladder truck 6 months ago, and after exhausting amounts of PT, had a pulmonary embolism in front of the only father figure he cared about in his life.
"Buck, come on. Get up." Eddie was not playing games this morning. However, Buck is actually 5 years old. So, really, what did he expect other than Buck to cover himself back up with the duvet.
"Come on, there's more to life than laying in bed because you aren't a firefighter right now," Eddie sighed, throwing the duvet back off of Buck. Buck jumped up, angry at the fact that his moping period was rudely interrupted.
"Actually, there isn't. And you're one to talk, since you're still a firefighter," Buck glared, making his way down the stairs. Great, now the hunger's hitting him.
"I'm just saying, Buck! Like, come on. You've got- what.. some more PT and I'm sure you'll be as good as new! Plus, I'm sure the blood thinners are just a precaution. You're not gonna get any better laying in bed though, so..." Eddie trailed off, and finally Buck turned around.
"Hey Buck!" Christopher called from the couch, waving.
"H-hey Chris! What are you doing here?" Buck asked, obviously confused at why the kid was in his loft.
"He's spending the day with his Buck!" Eddie sing-songed, picking Chris up, hugging him, and setting him steadily on the floor.
"Uhh, no offense, but why?" Buck asked, his brain still trying to get rid of the morning bleariness and the shock of having to put on the persona for Chris.
"Not gonna lie, you being hurt is working wonders for me. You're no Carla and barely half of Abuela, but I guess you'll do. Now, I have to run to work. Go do something! And remember to stretch that leg!"
So, Buck didn't stretch his leg. And 2 hours into this whole tsunami deal... yeah it's not one of his best decisions.
"I spy with my little eye something... blue!" Buck smiled, watching as Chris whipped his head around to try and find what Buck was seeing.
"Is it the water? Because you should know the water isn't technically blue. Plus, this water looks brown more than anything," Chris explained matter-of-factly.
"Nope, not the water bud!" Buck laughed, watching as the other people on top of the firetruck looked at them with joy. It's so simple, the mind of a child not affected by a worldly terror like a tsunami.
"Oh! It's the road sign!" Chris pointed out, the blue sign clearly marking out the road the firetruck was abandoned on.
"You got it! Now it's your turn," Buck replied.
"I spy... a shopping cart!" Chris laughed, pointing it out.
"That looks like the buggy from the grocery store down the street!" Buck laughed and then stilled. He thought about just how many businesses were around the pier, and how many of them were going to have to close because of the flood damage.
"Buggy?" Chris asked.
"Yeah! The thing you put your groceries in?" Buck explained.
"A... shopping cart."
"I grew up calling it a buggy, Chris."
"Well people in Pennsylvania are wrong."
"I take offense! Most people in PA are doing just fine!"
Right as Buck said that, the firetruck started to shift. The water was receding back out to sea.
"HELP! HELP PLEASE!" Buck's ears trained on the pleas for help. His instincts kicked in, climbing over the truck to put out his hand for the people trapped in the wave. Safely pulling them up onto the truck, Buck felt a gush of wind on his back and a splash.
He whipped around and Chris was gone.
Chris was gone.
"Chris? CHRIS!" Buck called, frantically jumping back into the water, in hopes of finding the boy.
Oh God, what would Eddie say?
Buck quickly shoved the thought to the back of his mind. No. He would find Chris, and everything would be fine.
Buck made his way inland, hoping that Chris didn't get swept into the receding wave.
"Please, has anyone seen a boy? Brown hair, he's got CP? Cerebral Palsy?" Buck called to every person he saw, but they all had the same sad shake of the head.
"Someone help! There's a kid under here!" Someone yelled. Buck ran over, seeing the brown pants, the ones so similar to what Chris was wearing.
"Come on! BIG GUY! Me and you!" Buck yelled, the other man quickly coming over to help move the debris. They were met with a girl, no older than 13, crying. That's when Buck noticed the glasses on the debris next to her.
Now, they could've been any glasses, but Buck knew they were Christopher's because of the special engraving, 'CD', just in case Chris ever lost them.
Buck felt his blood run cold. Grabbing the glasses with shaking fingers, he put them over his head so they could rest on his neck. They were the only thing keeping him sane right now.
"Hey Eddie, what's got you so jumpy?" Bobby asked, watching as Eddie fiddled with his phone for the umpteenth time while they drove to the first-responder hub.
"Buck's not answering my calls. And yeah, he's probably in the movie theatre right now with Chris, but usually he'd shoot me a text or something. Who knows? I'm just glad that they are nowhere near this mess," Eddie sighed, finally putting his phone in a protective case and into his pocket.
"True! Plus, they probably got so engrossed in whatever movie they're watching. Knowing Buck and Chris, I bet you it's that new Sonic movie," Hen assured. Eddie groaned. It was like parenting two kids when they talked about the new Sonic movie that had recently come out.
"You're right. That's all they've talked about for weeks," Eddie explained, just as they drove up on what they thought was the worst of the damage.
Buck had lost track of the time. He knew it was getting darker, but he had to find Chris. He wasn't going to tell Eddie how he lost him. He couldn't.
He limped through the soggy streets, occasionally tripping over debris. His throat felt like nails every time he tried to talk, but that didn't stop him from calling out to Chris periodically.
His vision was starting to get blurry. Looking down, his arm was covered in red.
'Damn blood thinners' was the last thing Buck thought of before he passed out.
"9-1-1. What's your emergency?" Maddie answered the call, sighing. Today was full of enough heartbreak to last her the rest of the year. Thank god her little brother was mourning at home, as sad as it was.
"I've got this dude here, and he's like... bleeding out? Also, he's out cold. A group of us were walking back and found him laying in the middle of the street." The caller explained. Maddie had gotten a lot of calls like these, and she almost immediately knew what was going to happen.
"Alright, can you tell me if he has a pulse, sir? You just need to-"
"I was a lifeguard. I... yeah. Yeah, he's got a pulse!" The caller exclaimed.
"Okay!" Maddie sat up. She could do something about this. "Can you tell me where you are, sir?"
"I think we're on what used to be 6th and Hope Street? It's the place with the cupcakery," The called explained, and Maddie cracked a smile. She had been planning to stop there to get Buck some cupcakes to try and cheer him up.
"I know exactly where you are. Firstly, we want to wrap where he's bleeding. If you have any type of cloth, the cleanest would be preferable. You're going to tie that cloth over the main place of injury, and tie it tight. We want to try and stop the bleeding," Maddie explained.
"Done!" The caller announced after about 30 seconds of silence.
"Okay, so the nearest open hospital to you would be the VA hospital. It's only about 4 blocks away, if you think you can carry him? Hopefully the lifeguard duties can help us here," Maddie joked, trying to make light of the situation.
"Oh, that definitely shouldn't be hard. I knew that working out would help me one day. Thank you!" The caller said before hanging up. Maddie sighed. She was glad she could at least help one person.
———
"Damn dude, you are heavy. Is this all muscle? What the hell do you do in your free time?" Grant Carter called, the injured man he found in the street limp on his back. The other people around him chuckled as they made their way to the VA hospital.
"Who knows, you could be carrying an Olympic athlete!" Jamie called, cradling her side. Carter knew she most likely had at least a bruised rib.
See, while he was a lifeguard, he was also just coming back from active duty from the army. He had gotten leave and decided to go to California, because at least it would be better than the deserts of Afghanistan, right?
Here they are.
While this trip would be a bust, he's just glad he can help whoever needs it, like this annoyingly heavy man on his back currently.
They could see the lights from the VA hospital, and Grant has literally never been happier to see something military related on his leave. With new-found energy, he and the group made it to where they can take new patients.
"Hey, uhh... I kinda need help?" He called out. A nurse flocked to him, directing him to an empty cot where he unceremoniously flopped the unconscious man onto it.
"What happened?" The nurse asked, seemingly doing vital checks and such with ease.
"We found him passed out in the road. Called 9-1-1, they said to bring him here. I promise he's alive," Grant replied, watching as the guy was poked and prodded.
"He's bleeding a lot after you stuck him. I wonder why?" Grant thought aloud, watching a drop of blood trickle down the man's arm.
"That'd be the lovely blood thinners," the man groaned, shielding his eyes from the bright light above him.
"Well then! Hello to the man of the hour. You're going to stay here, and we'll have a doctor to see you soon," the nurse explained, and Buck nodded.
"So, what we're you doing out in the road with a wound like that, especially on blood thinners?" Grant asked, and Buck sat up sharply.
"Chris."
"Hey hey hey man, I'm sure the kid's fine. He's probably already made it to the kid area at one of the hospitals," Grant tried to soothe the man, who looked about ready to start ripping the IV out of his arm.
"No, you don't understand. Chris isn't my kid. His dad was having me watch him because he had to go to work and I'm recovering from my injury and I had him! I swear! And then I turned around to pull more people onto the truck and he was gone." Buck sobbed, leaning into Grant.
"Hey dude, I promise you I'll start to look at the nurse's charts. You'll be the first to know if he's okay, okay? I just need you to stay here and not bleed out on us," Grant joked.
"Okay. Chris, he's seven.. eight? He's got CP. Last time I saw him he had a yellow striped shirt on. Oh, also my name's Buck. Evan, but I go by Buck," he explained.
"Cool, I'm Grant. I'll be back in like, an hour, tops. Don't die on me while I'm gone!"
———
Grant, frankly, knew the nurses were stretched thin. However, they could try to be a little nicer? He just had a third nurse tell him he needed to check the black tent.
Now how could he check the black tent if he didn't know what Chris looked like exactly? Grant started his truck back inside until he was completely blindsided.
"Diaz!" He called out to the man he hadn't seen in ages.
"Who... Carter! Damn man, you couldn't even tell me you were on leave?" Eddie laughed, coming over to hug Grant.
"I didn't think I'd bump into you here! Last I heard you were in El Paso with the kid and the missus," Grant wiggled his eyebrows.
"Yeah uhm.. Shannon died, a few months ago? She was uh.. hit by a car." Well now Grant felt like an asshole. Jesus, what is it with people making him feel bad today?
"I'm sorry dude, but hey. It gets better, I promise. I'm here if you ever need to talk. Well, not in 2 weeks but you get what I mean," Grant explained, and Eddie laughed.
"Buck!" Grant heard a kid-like voice call. Now, Grant knows the whole bomb-enemy territory-shooting thing can mess with your hearing, but he's pretty sure he heard that clearly.
He turned back to Eddie to see him paler than a ghost.
"Hey man, you good?" Grant asked, grabbing Eddie in an attempt to snap him out of whatever he was in.
"Christopher?" Eddie called, brushing off Grant's hands. And then, everything clicked. Chris, the CP, Eddie being here, all of it. Although he didn't know exactly how Buck fit into the story, he was going to take a good guess Buck and Eddie weren't strangers.
"Dad!" Chris called, and the woman who was carrying him set him down.
"Are you Buck?" She asked, watching as Chris gripped onto his father.
"No, I'm his father, Eddie," he explained. Eddie didn't want to think about the fact that Chris was looking for Buck. He had his son, safe in his arms.
"Hey dude! They found him!" Grant called out to Buck, to see the man unmoving.
"Buck!" Grant called, checking his pulse. Sick! Buck did the one thing Grant told him not to do.
Eddie wasn't going to think about how he left Chris with Buck. And now he has Chris in his arms, after a natural disaster, and no Buck.
He brought Chris into the space in the VA hospital, just as he saw Carter moving a man to the ground and starting CPR.
"Come on you fucker, your kid is alive!" Eddie heard Carter swear, and that's when he saw him. The same curls he saw almost every day for work, the same birthmark on his eyebrow that haunted Eddie's dreams.
"Sit here, Chris. And please, for the love of God, don't move." Eddie said, setting Chris down on the bed. Running over to Carter, he saw the man furiously doing CPR on Buck.
"Come on, come on, come on!" Carter called, stopping to check for a pulse. Swearing, he went back to his compressions.
"Come on, Evan. Not now, not after everything we've been through. Come on, I haven't even said I love you." Now that came as a surprise to Eddie, even as it left his mouth. He shocked himself, watching as Carter checked for a pulse again.
"DOCTOR! I NEED A DOCTOR!" He yelled, sitting back. Eddie clambered over him and felt for Buck's carotid, where he could feel a faint pulse, but it was there.
Nurses rushed over with a gurney, and Grant and Eddie both lifted Buck onto it. Watching as he was wheeled away, Eddie felt his knees grow weak beneath him. Before he hit the floor, Grant caught him.
"Dude, how come I do all the hard work saving his life and you're the one that collapses. I literally carried him through the city too!" Carter says, cradling Eddie on the floor.
"You.. what?" Eddie asked in a daze.
"Eddie... what?" Both of them looked over to see Chim standing right inside of the doors.
"He... I... I have to call Maddie," Eddie broke, scrambling for his phone. He quickly found the contact, and waited for it to ring.
"Eddie? Why are you calling me?" Maddie asked. By now, the entire team was with Chim.
"Hey Maddie. I... uh.. I gave Chris to Buck to watch for the day, let them go do something. Well... you know Buck! Can't stay away from the action! ...Maddie, they were here. I.. my friend literally just did CPR on him. The doctors wheeled him off.." Eddie trailed off, trying to hold it together. He had no right to break down in front of Buck's sister.
"Eddie, I'll be right down, okay? Give the phone to your friend," Maddie instructed.
"Hello?" Grant answered.
"You don't know me, but I'm Maddie, Buck-"
"9-1-1 Lady!" Grant called, and he watched as the firefighter's heads all popped up.
"I... oh my god! Lifeguard!" Maddie called, a relieved sob falling from her lips.
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure I'm a little overqualified for your everyday lifeguard. I guess that comes with being in the army," Grant joked.
"So that means... the guy you found..." She trailed off.
"Yep! Also, really? Blood thinners? God, what did he do?" Grant asked.
"Got his leg crushed by a firetruck about 6 months ago, had a pulmonary embolism like 3 weeks ago in my captain's backyard," Eddie supplied the answer, still in the middle of the floor.
"Damn, that boy really is a danger magnet," Grant laughed.
"You have... no idea," Eddie replied, and the rest of the group seemed to be in agreement.
"You know, I was wondering why he was literally so jacked. Now, it kinda makes sense! Firefighter, duh." Of course, Grant would've picked more of an army vibe off of the guy at first, but maybe that's just the army in him talking.
"Alright well, I'll be down in just a few. Please don't let my baby brother die while I'm on my way?" Maddie asked.
"The last time I told him not to die he didn't listen to me so, let's not," Grant said, a nervous chuckle leaving his mouth.
Maddie hung up.
Yeah, that checks.
Buck woke up to a bright light.
"Hello?" He called, groggy.
"Evan Buckley."
"Am I in heaven?" He asked.
"No, but you're going to wish you were by the time I'm done with you," Grant explained. Eddie had stepped out to get them coffee 5 minutes ago, and of course Buck would wake up then.
"Grant?" Buck asked, the bleariness of his eyes being blinked away.
"Morning sleeping beauty!" Eddie called, walking into the room.
"Eddie! Hey... about Chris, I am... so sorry. I-"
"Buck. Christopher is fine. Scrapes and bruises, and a weird affinity for the word 'buggy,' but he's completely fine." Eddie explained, handing Grant the coffee.
"Aw fuck, you're army aren't you," Buck rolled his head over to Grant, who stared at him with wide eyes.
"What gave it away?" He asked.
"Other than the fact that you have an army tattoo on the arm you just used to grab the coffee and your dog tags? The way you all carry yourself," Buck scoffed, trying to sit up but immediately feeling the sharp pain in his chest.
"Oh. Someone got a little aggressive with the CPR," Buck mumbled as Grant was left to ponder how he 'carries himself.'
"Please, Carter, don't overthink it. That's just the frogman in Buck coming out. You want to go swim with the fishies again with Commander McGarret?" Eddie joked, handing a glass of water to Buck.
"Oh ha ha. You know, I died. Your bedside manner could be better," Buck joked, gratefully taking the water.
"Frogman? You were Navy?" Grant asks.
"Yep! Navy SEALS to be exact, and that's about all I can tell you. Except the fact that I worked with Commander Steve McGarret, as Eddie has already let slip," Buck squinted over to Eddie, who had a shameful face.
By that, the man of the conversation bust into the room.
"Evan Buckley! I leave you alone for THREE SECONDS and you go and DIE? And what's this about fire trucks and bombs in a guys leg and pulmonary embolisms?"
"Man, I am literally so confused."
"When you're friends with Buck, it's a state of continuous being."