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For once, the sounds of TK’s hospital room weren’t keeping Carlos from getting some sleep. Instead, it was proof that the younger man was on the mend.
The ice storm had finally broken just the night before, only two days after TK finally woke from his coma and came back to him. The world outside the window was still covered in snow, but already Austin was starting to come back online and heal.
TK, for his part, spent most of his time sleeping and slowly healing. Carlos didn’t mind. Rest was the best thing the man could get at this point. Whenever TK was firmly asleep, Carlos took the time to send updates to their family and friends, all of whom were spending most of their time at work. In any other circumstance, he would be out there with them, but his captain had taken pity on him to let him stay with his partner until he at least could stay conscious longer than a half hour.
During one of his earliest moments awake, TK had asked that Carlos take his phone and text Evan Buckley of the LAFD 118. From what Carlos had gathered from that brief conversation, and from further conversations with the man himself, the two men had started a friendship over the past few months. While TK was trying not to spiral over their breakup (which they still needed to discuss in length, but Carlos was going to forgive him for just about everything at this point), Buck was spiraling due to things happening in Los Angeles.
Carlos had done as requested and passed on the message and ended up having a near hour long conversation with the LA firefighter. He learned that Buck had been keeping up with the news about the ice storm, and had already added his name to the list to drive out if necessary. He actually had been planning on hopping on a plane to assist whether he was asked to or not when Carlos’ call had come in and helped ease his mind.
Talking to Buck had also eased a lot of his own worries. While Buck refused to betray TK’s trust, which Carlos was happy to hear, just knowing that TK had someone there to help him during the past few months had been good to hear.
When Carlos updated the 126 with updates of TK (yes you can visit, do not be loud, don’t even think about it Mateo), he made a point to include Buck in those texts. He knew that TK would appreciate having his friend in the loop.
This evening, Carlos was preparing to send out the evening text, which basically was the same as the noontime text, as requested by Captain Strand before he got dragged into a slew of meetings. TK was on the mend and the doctors were optimistic that he would be able to be released in the next few days. All in all, a good update. He clicked send, copied and pasted the same message onto the thread for Buck, and sent that one too.
He was just closing his phone when he heard the tell-tale ding of a text message arriving, somewhat muffled. Carlos checked his phone, then TK’s, but no dice. He looked up just as a knock came at the door. Checking to make sure TK was still sleeping well, he stood and opened it, only to see someone he didn’t expect to see.
Evan Buckley stood just outside the door, dufflebag still over his shoulder. He looked rough, as though he hadn’t been sleeping all that well. But settled on his face was a small smile, one that felt welcoming.
“Hey Carlos,” he said, holding up his phone. “Thanks for the texts.”
His comment drew him out of his shock. “Buck? What the hell are you doing in Austin? I thought they weren’t calling anyone to assist?”
Buck chuckled. “They didn’t. But I had to get out of LA for a bit and figured I could always offer to help out here.”
Carlos smiled and held out a hand. “Then welcome to Texas, come on in. TK will be waking up in a few minutes most likely.” The two shook before the Texan pulled him into the room and settled him down in the seat across from him with TK in the middle.
Once the man dropped his bag and quietly collapsed in his seat, Carlos gave him another once over. “You okay? You didn’t even hint you were coming this direction.”
Buck nodded tiredly. “Yeah, just a long few days. Months. Whatever. I needed a change of scenery for a few days. Got a hotel room a few blocks away. It was either here or Chicago, and I really didn’t need a Chicago winter right now.”
“So instead you came to Texas? Brave man. You’re lucky the humidity is down because of the snow.”
The other man rolled his eyes. “TK told you about that, did he? I forgot how bad the humidity was when we were out here.” Buck shrugged. “It had been years since I passed through, I’m allowed.”
Carlos chuckled. “When did your flight get in?” he asked, changing the subject. There was something off about Buck’s whole demeanor. He didn’t sound like the man he’d spoken to just a few days ago, nor the man that TK had described during one of his periods of wakefulness.
“I - uh - I didn’t fly. Drove my jeep instead. I asked for two weeks of my ‘use it or lose it’ time. My captain wasn’t happy about it, but he gave it to me.” Buck glanced away and that uncomfortable feeling got worse.
“Well, you can always hang around here if that’ll help. Judd will be busy for the next little while but the others can probably find time to play tour guide.” Carlos felt slightly bad about offering TK’s coworkers up for help, but he figured they wouldn’t mind too much.
Buck nodded. “Thanks man.”
On the bed, TK twitched, slowly waking up. The injured man glanced right immediately, catching sight of Carlos and visibly relaxing before he was fully conscious.
“Evening, babe,” Carlos said, giving him a soft smile and holding his hand.
“I sleep through everything,” TK groaned. “Including dinner?”
His boyfriend shook his head. “You know they’ll feed you. But you woke up right on time.” He caught Buck’s eye and gave him a subtle nod, silently letting him know that he was staying for dinner. “And besides, we have someone joining us for it.” Buck was still sitting still, letting TK get all his barings back.
“We do?” TK asked. “I thought you said your parents were waiting to come back until tomorrow.”
Carlos smirked. “They are. This one is from a little further away.”
TK gave Carlos a rather unimpressed look. “If it’s my dad, I’m going to hit you.” Buck shifted in his seat, alerting TK that the other person was in the room. He turned his head, clearly not expecting it. “Buck! What the hell are you doing here?”
Buck stood and reached out for TK’s hand, waiting for a clear sign that he could touch him. “Came to make sure you weren’t turning into a human popsicle. Plus I had some vacation, so I chose to spend it in sunny Texas. Who left the AC on?”
TK let out a laugh. “It’s good to see you, really. How long are you in town? Maybe when the docs release me, we can go out for dinner or something.”
Buck nodded. “I’m here for a week, so that sounds good. Now, I hear that this hospital has the best food, so I'm gonna let your nurse know you’ve joined us and see if I can get something for all of us.” He tapped his hand on TK’s, then pointed a finger in his face. “No more scaring me when I’m too far away to help. I don’t like hearing that my friends are hurt.”
TK gave him a salute and the firefighter slipped out the door. Once it clicked shut, TK turned to Carlos. “He’s having a bad time of it. I don’t like it.”
Carlos nodded. “I realized that as soon as I saw him, and I’ve only spoken to him twice before today. Let’s focus on getting you out of here, and then we can figure out what’s going on with him.”