Work Text:
It's the third day of the city's dreaded heat wave; and Eddie is pretty sure he has lost ten pounds only by sweating his pores out.
"I feel myself slowly melting away." Buck groans and rests his head on his palm, sitting next to Eddie on the kitchen table.
They just arrived at the station from another call, and even though it wasn't exactly tiring; working under the incinerating sunlight is never something any of them enjoy.
"The news said the weather should return to normal by noon tomorrow." Hen says and drinks her water. "Did they cancel Chris' school, too? They cancelled Denny's for one week." Hen slumps on the chair across Eddie.
"Yeah, I dropped him off at Tia Pepa's." Eddie rests his back against the chair and stretches his arm to put it on Buck's chair, slowly moving the tip of his fingers on his back. "Wow, you're soaked." Eddie blurts out shockingly when he feels the damp fabric beneath his fingers.
"Thank you." Buck deadpans and side eyes Eddie.
"You're really grumpy when you're not in the mood, aren't you?" Hen gives Buck an amusing look and smirks.
"I just want this shift to end, and lay in my bed all night with the AC blowing on my body." Buck sinks in his chair and drops his head back on the top rail where Eddie's arm rests.
"And wake up with an AC sickness?" Chimney snickers.
And all at once, the TV shuts down, the motor sound of the fridge and the dishwasher stops and fills the kitchen with silence.
Eddie wanders his eyes around and bites his lips with a tsk . "Just what we need."
"Apparently you're not the only one who has plans with the air conditioner." Bobby chimes in as he goes up the stairs. "I talked to Athena, people were overloading on the AC so much that the electrical wires are damaged."
"Isn't that wonderful."
"Car accidents here we come." Hen rolls her eyes.
As if on cue, the bell rings.
Three. Hours.
It takes them three hours to get everything under control, spot the victims and do a check up for each of them, and get a hold of the chaos. Three long and challenging hours under the scalding sun.
All of them look spent when they get in the truck.
"What the hell was that? " Hen says and shakes her head while whistling.
" That , was a sneak peek from hell." Chimney responds.
"I'm putting us offline when we go back. All of you will get some rest." Bobby informs them from the front seat.
"Thanks, Cap." Eddie says and his eyes land on Buck, who is abnormally silent and resting his forehead against the window glass, watching outside.
Eddie nudges Buck's boot with his foot and Buck's eyes turn on him without lifting his head, giving him a questioning look. His eyes look hazy.
"Okay?" Eddie mouths quietly and arches his brow.
Buck gives him a quick nod and fixes his eyes on the road again.
They are all exhausted, so Eddie knows he shouldn't be dwelling on it; but he can't help it. Not when it's Buck. So he brushes aside his worry and lets it die down.
Except, it doesn't die down. Because when they hop off the truck, Buck stands on his feet for a whole second like he is contemplating something, and then rushes to the bathroom at full speed.
Bobby's brows furrow and they meet Eddie's.
"I'll go check." Eddie says and goes after Buck.
"Buck?" When Eddie steps into the bathroom, he hears someone— Buck, retching in one of the cabins.
He pushes the door open to see Buck on his knees, clenching the edge of the toilet seat with shaking arms and throwing up nothing but bile.
Without giving Eddie a chance to crouch down next to him, Buck spits once in the toilet and gets on his feet, pulls a couple of tissues to wipe his mouth and throws them in the toilet before he flushes the toilet.
Buck turns to Eddie and tilts his head. "What?"
"You okay?" Eddie asks gently, moving aside when Buck steps forward and walks towards the sink to wash his hand.
"Carsick." Buck says without looking at him.
"You don't get carsick." Eddie objects and stands next to Buck, resting his hand on his hips.
"Apparently, I do." Buck snarks and looks at Eddie.
The way Buck responds to him sharply— like he isn't talking to him, stings his heart, but he swallows down his pinch of sadness and nods.
Of course, Buck must have noticed this— just like he notices everything about Eddie, he sighs in defeat and closes his eyes. "I'm sorry. Must be from exhaustion."
"It's okay." Eddie gives him a faint smile.
"You don't have to wait for me. I'll come in a second."
"Okay, see you upstairs." Eddie gives a light squeeze on Buck's forearm before he leaves.
"He's acting weird." Eddie says and rubs his chin, sitting on the chair he is sitting in the morning.
"Weird how?" Chimney asks without lifting his head from his sudoku.
"Weird. I don't know. Not like himself."
"That was very explanatory, Eddie." Hen smiles at him.
"It's probably from the heat." Bobby says from the kitchen.
"Maybe." Eddie says to not drag the conversation, but his worry stays the same.
His head turns to the stairs where the sound of slow, slow steps are coming from, and he sees Buck with his shoulders hunched, walking towards them slowly.
He sinks on the chair next to Eddie and buries his face in his hands with a groan. "I just want this shift to end, and lay in my bed all night with the AC blowing on my body." His voice comes out weary.
The frown on both Eddie and Bobby's faces can be read from miles away.
"You already said that." Eddie hesitates. Buck said the exact same thing— word for word, in the morning.
Buck lifts his head and looks at Eddie like he just said one of the most absurd things Buck has ever heard of.
"No, I didn't."
"You did."
Buck keeps staring at Eddie before he rolls his eyes and turns his face away from him with an exasperated sigh. "Whatever." He drops his head between his hands and closes his eyes.
"Headache?" Hen asks him.
Buck gives Hen a tiny nod.
Eddie keeps his silence and takes a look at Buck. Buck's breaths seem shallow, and his normally pale skin looks red, flushed.
"Are you sure you're ok—"
"I'm gonna hit the bunks." Buck cuts him off and stands on his feet, but when he gets up, his body sways unsteadily and he stumbles back a few steps, his eyes blinking sluggishly.
"Buck, is everything alright?" Bobby asks and straightens himself up on his chair.
"Yeah… I'm— I'm…" Buck staggers on his feet and brings his hand to his head.
He looks like he's gonna pass out.
"You look like you're gonna p—"
"Woah, woah!"
Buck's eyes flutter and his knees buckle as the hand on his head goes limp and falls; but before Buck's weak body can collapse on the ground, Eddie springs to his feet and rushes towards Buck to catch him.
He holds Buck's deadweight in his arms and lowers both of them on the ground. Eddie gets behind Buck's back and settles him between his thighs, resting his lolling head on his hips.
He places his fingers on Buck's neck and checks for a pulse. "His pulse is rapid." He places his palm on Buck's cheek. "His skin is dry and hot." Buck is burning up.
"He's having a heat stroke." Hen crouches next to them and checks Buck's pupils with a penlight. "We need to cool him." Hen unbuttons half of Buck's shirt and exposes his flushed chest.
"He needs a hospital." Chim says.
"He won't make it. The roads are blocked." Bobby quickly gathers every piece of cloth and sponge he can find in the kitchen and puts them under the sink to soak them with cool water.
"Chim."
"Got it." Chim picks up the magazine on the coffee table and kneels next to Hen. He starts waving it in the air and fans Buck's face.
Bobby crouches down on the other side and gives the wet clothes to Hen, and presses the wet sponge on Buck's forehead.
Eddie brushes Buck's damp curls away from his forehead while Bobby keeps applying the sponge on his closed eyes, his ears, down to his throat. He puts his other hand on Buck's shoulder and massages lightly for… he doesn't even know for what. To give comfort to Buck. Or to himself.
"C'mon, Buckaroo." Hen rubs the cloth on his chest and down his arms— pressing them against his wrists to cool him.
When Hen lifts Buck's arm and places the towel under his armpit, Buck moves his head to his side— away from the coolness ever so slightly and a quiet whimper leaves his lips.
"He's coming around." Chim announces.
Eddie rests his palm on Buck's cheek and softly strokes his cheekbone with his thumb. "Open your eyes, Buck."
Buck's eyes slit open slowly— his half lidded eyes out of focus, and close again.
"Come on, try again." Eddie encourages gently and runs his fingers through Buck's curls. "You can do it."
Buck opens his eyes weakly, closes them, and opens them again. His glassy eyes wander around the room slowly.
"There we go. Keep them open." Eddie says.
"Wh…" Buck blinks his eyes and swallows. "Wha' h'ppened?" He slurs, leaning his face into Eddie's stomach.
Bobby wipes the nape of Buck's neck. "You passed out. Can you tell me your name?"
"Ev'n Buckley." Buck breathes out weakly.
"Do you know where you are?"
"Station."
Bobby squeezes Buck's arm. "Good. That's good."
"You can move to the couch when you're feeling a little better, okay?" Hen places her fingers on Buck's throat. "Your pulse is better."
Buck's chest steadily rises and falls with each breath, but he doesn't answer. Eddie tilts his head to the side to see Buck's eyes closed.
"Hey." Eddie lightly taps his cheek. "Open your eyes."
Buck cracks his eyes open and looks at Eddie. The haziness of his eyes looks like it's fading slowly.
"Don't close them, okay?"
Buck gives Eddie a tiny nod and barely lifts his arm— trying to reach Eddie.
Eddie holds Buck's hand and lowers it on Buck's stomach, stroking small circles with his thumb. "Okay."
After a while— when Buck becomes more alert and can move even if it's with help, they help him get up and lay on the couch, and Hen starts him an IV with electrolytes and necessary fluids.
"How are you feeling?" Eddie is sitting on the coffee table, watching Buck up close.
"Better." Buck answers. His voice does sound better. Stronger. "I don't know why it happened." He turns his head and looks at Eddie with soft, vulnerable eyes.
"We spent too much time under the sun, and you were probably dehydrated." Eddie lets out a sigh and drops his head. "I should've noticed."
He should have noticed. He should've noticed and acted on it. It's Buck.
"Hey, no." Buck pokes Eddie's knee. "You couldn't have known."
"I should've known. I should know." Eddie snaps his head up and locks his eyes with Buck's. He doesn't need to say anything more, he knows Buck understands, because he himself would understand, if the roles were reversed.
"It's okay." Buck says, reassuring.
Eddie turns his gaze away and nods. "I'm gonna buy you a hat for your birthday." He teases with a light smile. "And you're not allowed to take it off."
Buck chuckles softly. "I'd like that."
"Well, you should get some rest." Eddie puts his hands on his thighs and gets up, but Buck wraps his fingers around Eddie's wrist when he attempts to take a step.
"Stay."
Eddie takes in a deep breath— maybe for the first time since Buck's incident, and sits back down. "Okay. I'll stay." As long as Buck wants him to, he will.
Buck rests his arm above his head and closes his eyes. "You can always stay, Eds."