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"That's it?" Buck asks Bobby from where he is sitting on the engine with the rest of the 118.
Bobby twists his head to look at him with a frown. "Were you expecting something more?"
Buck shrugs. "I don't know. Maybe."
The thing is, they are dispatched to a high school in need of evacuation to do some search in the classrooms but the call is such a minor one that it sounds like an in and out situation with no need to change into their turnouts. Buck even thinks their assignment to the call isn't that necessary, which is a bummer because he was really hoping for some action to kick off the day.
"You're itching, don't you?" Hen arches her brow at him.
"I'm not itching for anything." Buck protests, shooting a quick glance at Eddie when he hears a snort coming from his side, who is sitting next to him. "I just thought it would be fun to see some action. It's been a while."
"Says the man who was plotting revenge on Chim when he slipped out the Q word." Eddie tells him with a teasing look, although Buck can see the soft playfulness laying underneath.
Buck slightly turns at him with a pointed finger. "Not the same."
"Sure." Eddie fake pouts as he nods.
Buck lightly pokes at Eddie's knee with his own, and gets his knee poked at in return.
They arrive at the school not so long after and hop off the truck, listening to Bobby's instructions carefully.
"Hen, the first floor is yours. Chim, you take the second."
"Yes, Cap."
"Eddie, third floor." Bobby looks at Buck. "Buck, you have the last floor."
Buck nods. "Copy that."
"All we need to do is to evacuate the classrooms, and that's it. Shouldn't take that long."
It's not really a big high school so Bobby is right. Everyone can easily handle a floor and within half an hour, hopefully the call will be over.
"Alright, let's go."
He knocks on the classroom doors one by one and informs the teens as well as the teachers about the evacuation and guides then through the door with their teachers taking the lead— the call isn't really that boring if he is being honest himself because he gets to talk to many teenagers as they go and they sound very fun, which uplifts his mood in return.
Until Buck knocks on the last door.
He lets himself in the classroom and briefly explains the situation, telling the students to go outside and find their meeting point, no one of the kids causes any problem, which comes as ridiculous to Buck because the problem arises from someone that should be the one to make things easier to begin with.
But that someone doesn't make things easier, at all.
The teacher refuses to leave the classroom.
The students go outside one by one, but the teacher doesn't move a finger.
Which makes something snap in Buck and fuels his annoyance.
Buck tries to explain calmly one more time. "Sir—"
"Adam. My name is Adam." Adam looks at him dead in the eyes, a young teacher probably in his thirties.
"Okay." Buck nods, desperately trying to hold back his exasperated groan. "Adam, it would be really better if we leave the class, and I'm sure it won't even take that long."
"You know—" Adam gets up on his feet from his desk and walks to stand in front of Buck. "— I really don't like your attitude." He crossed his arms. "And I don't even think the evacuation was that important to interrupt my class."
Now he really starts to get on Buck's nerves.
"I understand, and I'm sorry your class got interrupted, I really am." Buck lifts his hands in the air to show him he means no harm. "But the faster we leave the faster you can continue your class, right?" Buck asks him gently, going his best to rub him the right way."
But the man doesn't fucking listen.
"No." Adam shakes his head. "This is my classroom and I'm not leaving."
Buck brings his fingers to press his radio, leaning in to speak without taking his eyes off of the man. "Eddie, I need some assis—"
Adam grasps his wrist tight enough to hurt and yanks it away, the impact causing Buck to take a step back. "What do you think you're doing?" He growls and takes a step towards Buck, brows knitted.
"I really don't think you should make this harder for me, Adam. " Buck's face screws with anger as he retorts and gets closer to Adam. He is not going to let this man play the tough guy act on him. "Or for yourself."
Adam shoves Buck with a force and Buck staggers a few steps back. "Fuck you." He spits out.
Buck brings his hand on his radio again, ignoring the way his heart beats against his chest. "Edd—"
He doesn't even finish his words— Adam doesn't let him finish his words and the next thing he knows, there is a hand in his hair, fisting his curls tightly and yanking him back and everything happens too fast, Buck stumbles on his feet as Adam pulls him by the hair and smashes the side of Buck's head against the wall with an ugly slam sound echoing in the empty classroom.
Buck falters on his feet and he blinks his eyes as he tries to look around but he fails because everything is spinning and there is a thin, screeching sound drilling his ears and he can't even see straight and his head fucking throbs so much that a whimper rips his throat but there is a hand on his hair again and Buck looses his balance again as his head is being pulled backwards but this time the hit comes way, way harsher because Adam slams his head against the wall again but it doesn't end there, Adam doesn't stop, he keeps his fingers buried in Buck's hair and presses Buck's head against the wall— he presses with all the force he has; Buck digs the tip of his fingers into Adam's arms and tries to scratch him, he tries to do anything to stop him but he can't do it because his head is squeezed between a hand and a brick of wall and it hurts , it hurts so bad that Buck chokes out a loud, agonizing scream as he desperately tries to get away, but it's too late. Buck hears a crack sound coming from the side of his head, a sound that stabs his brain and makes him scream in agony again, and suddenly his vision is all blurry, everything hurts— his brain hurts, and his knees buckle as they hit the ground, Buck places his palms on the floor to stop himself from completely falling— the white tiles blinding his eyes, but he feels too weak to hold his body so he falls on the ground and slowly rolls onto his back, his one arm draped over his stomach and his bleary, unfocused eyes staring at the ceiling, his chest rising and falling shallowly as short gasps of air leave his lips.
Buck hears a familiar voice worriedly calling out for his name in the distance but his head hurts too much to focus on anything.
The voice— Eddie, crouches down next to him, resting his hand on Buck's chest as he looks at Buck with those concerned, scared eyes. "Buck!"
"Ed…" Buck tries to say, but the blood in his mouth chokes him, his chest convulsing as his lips part open and all he can manage is a quiet whimper. The taste of iron in his throat makes him nauseous, there are white dots all around his vision and all he can see is a vague silhouette of Eddie and nothing more. He feels blood trickling down the side of his head and his ear, the screeching sound still filling his ears and everything hurts so much Buck wants to cry. Maybe there are tears falling down his face, he doesn't know.
He tries to lift his hand and reach Eddie but it's too much work, Buck doubts he can even move his fingers but Eddie must see it because he wraps his fingers around Buck's hand, the contact somehow managing to give him comfort even if it's not a lot.
"Chimney! Buck is hurt!" Eddie shouts at his radio and fuck it only makes the pressure on his brain worse, the silky voice Buck loves to hear is now making him utter out whimpers of pain.
Buck chokes out a mewl and his face twists in agony, trying to see Eddie with his glassy eyes. "St'p."
"Sorry, I'm sorry." Eddie apologizes in a quiet voice this time, his face in a mix of guilt, worry and fear. He takes out his penlight and flashes it before his eyes, swearing under his breath when Buck's pupils don't react equally. "Fuck."
Buck's eyelids begin to droop ever so slightly, they feel like rocks and he can't hold them open any longer but he opens them when Eddie lightly shakes him by the shoulder.
"No sleeping." Eddie tells him softly.
Buck tries to say something but it comes out as an indistinguishable mumble, followed by a groan.
Eddie slowly rubs his chest. "I know, I know, I'm sorry."
"What the hell happened?!" Chimney asks as he crouches down on the other side of Buck, taking out a C-collar.
Eddie shakes his head. "Someone attacked him. He looks like he has a concussion."
"Eddie, I don't think it's just a concussion." Chimney responds cautiously as he examines Buck's face. "He looks—"
"His cerebrospinal fluid is leaking." Eddie cuts Chim off because there is a clear liquid trailing down Buck's nose.
"He needs a hospital."
Buck feels himself slowly slipping as Chim puts on the C-collar and they move him onto the backboard as carefully as they can but it still hurts; he tries to focus on Eddie's hand on his throughout the ride and the vague, soft assures coming from Hen, he tries to focus on delicate fingers running through his curls and Bobby's distant voice ordering the hospital to get ready.
But the pain in his head takes over and he loses the last pinch of strength he has left as he lets his eyes close.
Four hours.
For four hours, Eddie, Maddie and the rest of the 118 wait in the hospital hallway to hear a single word from someone's mouth that will put their minds at ease.
They rushed Buck into the emergency room the second they arrived at the hospital, followed by some necessary screenings and then into the surgery, and ever since then, nothing. Not a single thing. And Eddie is barely keeping himself from barging into the operation room and ask how Buck is doing.
The only good news is that Athena tells them they caught the person who did it after they watched the security cameras, so that's something.
And now here he is, sitting on one of the chairs with his elbows resting on his lap and face turned to those big sliding doors, watching them without blinking in case anyone gets out even for a brief second.
But then a hand holding a cup of coffee appears in his line of vision. "Here."
Eddie lifts his eyes to see Maddie waiting for him to take the cup. He takes the cardboard in his hands and smiles faintly. "Thanks."
"Anything new?" Maddie asks him as she sits next to him.
"Nope." Eddie shakes his head. "Still nothing."
"What took them so long?" Maddie sighs in exasperation, resting her back against the chair. Her eyes reddened and puffy from all the crying.
"I wish I knew." That's the thing that upsets Eddie the most. It's that he knows nothing.
"Maybe they'll—" Maddie doesn't finish her words because everyone's attention fixates on the door sliding open with a man in scrubs walking towards them.
Eddie springs to his feet. "Is he okay?"
"We managed to stop the leak with a small procedure through the nose." He nods, looking at them one by one. "Mr. Buckley has a mild fracture on his skull but it wasn't severe enough to need surgery; he also has a mild concussion, but the good thing is we also stopped the bleeding on the side of his head."
"Will there be any long lasting effects?" Eddie asks him.
The words sound good, yes, but it puts him at ease only a little because what if Buck, Buck , of all people, has to deal with something that may change the trajectory of his life completely? What if something bad happens?
"I expect him to make full recovery but he's going to need plenty of rest in the following weeks."
Oh, thank god.
Thank god, Buck will be okay. He will be fine.
Finally, finally Eddie feels something heavy being lifted on his chest, allowing him to breathe again.
"Oh, thank god." Maddie brings her hands to cover his mouth, her eyes watering again.
"How is he now?" Bobby asks this time.
"They are admitting Mr. Buckley to his room." The surgeon explains. "He is on heavy sedatives so it may take a while for him to wake on his own."
"When can we see him?"
"His body went through a lot of stress, it would be best to let him rest for a few hours."
Eddie nods. "Thank you."
Returning the nod, the surgeon leaves them alone to process the news.
Eddie lets out a deep sigh that he didn't know he was holding, his face suddenly burning up with too much emotion.
Buck will be fine. He just has to wake up.
No matter how hard he insists, Eddie doesn't stay at the hospital that night, Maddie tells him she wants to stay with Buck tonight, and after a point Eddie doesn't push it because, well, she is Buck's sister, so he goes home and manages to sleep only for a few hours, his mind unable to stop thinking about Buck.
The first time he gets inside Buck's room, Eddie doesn't know what to think. His mind that didn't shut up for one second yesterday is now in complete silence, like it's having a blackout.
Eddie arrives at the hospital right after he drops Chris off at his school— his son will be going for a short weekend trip with his classmates after school, and finds the room Buck was staying in pretty quickly, but the moment he sees Buck, everything stops.
In the hospital bed, Buck is lying completely still with his eyes closed and his chest rising and falling evenly, his normally pale face now almost ghost white, his lips and birthmark creating a striking contrast. There is a bandage above his left ear— where his head was bleeding from, and he looks exhausted even in his sleep.
He looks painfully fragile that Eddie has to swallow the lump in his throat.
"Hi." Maddie greets him from where she is sitting next to Buck's bed.
Eddie gets closer and stands at the end of the bed. "Did he wake up?"
Maddie shakes her head. "No, but the nurse says his vitals are good."
"Good, that's good." Eddie nods, hands on his hips as he watches Buck. He looks at Maddie and notices how tired she looks. She probably didn't get too much sleep, either. "How are you?"
"Okay, I guess?" Maddie shrugs, lifting her brows. "How about you?"
Eddie chokes out a half hearted snort. "Okay, I guess. You can go home, Maddie, get some rest."
Maddie lets out a sigh. "Tell me if something happens?"
"Of course."
Eddie sits on the chair Maddie was sitting after she leaves and stares at Buck's still form. Something in his heart breaking in two as he does. "Wake up." He says quietly, and waits.
Buck wakes up a few hours later.
Eddie is close to dozing off when he notices Buck's finger twitching and snaps his eyes open.
He straightens himself up on his chair and leans forward, watching Buck as the younger man's breath hitches and his brows slightly wrinkle. "Come on, you can do it." Eddie encourages him gently.
Buck's eyes slowly open halfway only to close again, the quietest of mewls in his throat, the wrinkles on his brows deepening.
"Try again, come on, Buck." Eddie wraps his fingers around Buck's forearm and gives him a light squeeze.
Buck tries again, his eyelids slowly lifting and showing his baby blues; this time his eyes stay open and he stares at the ceiling for a few seconds, looking disoriented and confused. Eddie immediately presses the button to page a nurse and gives all his attention to Buck afterwards.
Buck moves his head slightly to the side to face Eddie and he stares at him, eyes slowly closing and opening again.
"Hey." Eddie smiles, his eyes shining with happiness. Buck is awake.
Buck swallows and licks his chapped lips, his voice hoarse from underuse. "Wh're 'm I?"
"You're in the hospital." Eddie explains calmly. "You're gonna be fine."
"Wh'— what h'ppen'd?"
Before Eddie can answer, a doctor comes inside. "Welcome back, Mr. Buckley."
The doctor gives Buck a thorough check up— he checks his vitals, his reflexes and pupils, asks him the classic questions; everything looks good and Buck manages to answer his questions even if he is a little bit slow and struggles at first— which is normal; they do some more tests— Eddie helps him to get up and stays with him all the time, and by the time everything is finished, Buck falls asleep again.
Eddie calls Maddie and sends a texts in the 118 group chat to let them know he is awake and everything is looking good; he lets out a deep breath of relief and watches Buck sleep for the second time, this time knowing Buck is actually sleeping rather than being sedated.
The 118 and Maddie come to visit Buck after he wakes up again and Bobby, Hen and Chimney say their goodbyes after a while, leaving Maddie and Eddie alone with Buck; they let Buck discharged close to evening under the condition of someone keeping an eye on him, and of course, both Eddie and Maddie want to take him home.
But this time, Eddie doesn't let Maddie win. No way in hell Eddie let Buck stay with anyone but him.
"He can stay with me." Maddie insists for the second time.
"Maddie—" Eddie runs his hand down his face. "— I know how much you want him near you, but— I'm sorry but do you really think he will get his rest when there is a little kid in the house?" He knows he is guilt tripping, but it's the truth. There is no guarantee that Jee won't cry or scream or— naturally , wants to play and it will only make things worse for Buck.
Maddie stares at him, her face dropping and her soft brown eyes hurt; she opens her mouth to say something but sighs when she can't find an answer.
"Listen," Eddie tells her. "Chris won't be home for two days and Bobby gave me the weekend off, you know it's better for him."
Maddie runs her gaze away for a split second before shaking her head in defeat. "Fine." She hesitates. "Just, take care of him, okay? I mean, I know you will but still—"
"I know." Eddie smiles. "And I will."
"Who won?" Buck asks him as he watches Eddie get in the room, his voice still tired but playful. He is sitting on the bed with a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants— Eddie's own clothes that he brought with him just in case Buck needs them. The bandage above his ear is changed into a smaller one and Eddie can see the small buzzed area under it because of the stitches. Thankfully, the doctor said his hair will grow back, even though it's only a small area.
Eddie smiles in victory and picks up Buck's bag. "Is that even a question? Come on, let's go."
They stay silent through the ride, Buck resting his head against the headrest and closing his eyes, and Eddie shooting occasional glances at him as he drives home.
He stops the engine once he parks his car and gets off the car, walking to Buck's side and opening the door for him, carrying Buck's bag on his shoulder.
Buck slowly steps out of the car and Eddie wraps his arm around Buck's waist in an instant when Buck slightly sways on his feet. Eddie lets Buck lean against his side and Buck throws his arm around Eddie's shoulder to support himself.
"Easy, easy." Eddie tells him quietly as they take short steps towards his house.
Buck chews the inside of his cheeks to muffle the whimper trying to escape his throat and grasps the fabric of Eddie's shirt, blinking hard and furiously for what Eddie assumes to stop the spinning of his head.
As they make it halfway through the road, Buck fails at hiding his whimpers any longer, the grasp of his hand on Eddie's shirt getting tighter, his breathings getting shallow and his movements getting slower; Buck stops on his feet when there are only a few steps left for the door and chokes out a pained, thin mewl.
"Stop." Buck's voice trembles as he clenches his eyes shut.
Eddie stops dead on his feet and looks at Buck with his knitted brows, his worry rising by second. "What's wrong?"
"It— everything's spinning." Buck breathes out, his eyes still closed as he tries to regulate his breath.
Eddie tightens his hold around Buck. "Do you want me to carry yo—"
"No." Buck blurts out in his firm voice, the sharpest Eddie has ever heard in the past two days. "Just— just give me a minute."
Eddie doesn't insist, he knows Buck well enough to see his frustration, he just nods and brushes his thumb up and down over Buck's waist. "Take your time."
Buck drops his head and digs his teeth into his bottom lip and stays like that for a while, his face twisting in discomfort as he groans, until he leans forward and rests his forehead on Eddie's shoulder, his curls tickling the crook of Eddie's neck. "Just a minute." He manages to say.
"It's okay." Eddie whispers. "We are in no hurry."
It takes more than a minute, but in the end Buck manages to walk even if it's slow and careful; they make it through the door and by the time Eddie guides Buck into his bedroom, Buck looks wasted.
"Come on, let's get you in bed." Eddie tells him as they take tiny steps towards the window side of the bed. He is supporting pretty much all of Buck's weight right now— Buck is leaning heavily against him as he is visibly trying to keep himself from doubling over.
Eddie drops Buck's bag on the floor and pushes the blankets aside as Buck sits on the mattress.
"Wait, you need to take your meds." Eddie stops him from sliding into the bed and unzips the bag to take out a bottle of antibiotics and a bottle of water inside, handing them to Buck.
Buck takes one pill and drinks half of the bottle, his face twisting as he winces because of the sudden movement of his head. "Thanks." He croaks out and puts the bottles on the nightstand.
Slowly climbing into bed and sliding down, Buck groans as he closes his eyes and his head hits the pillow, curling onto his right side and burying himself deeper into the mattress.
Eddie pulls the blankets up to Buck's shoulder and sits on the mattress next to Buck, slightly hovering over him. "How are you feeling?"
It's a stupid question, Eddie knows this. With his disheveled hair and pale, sunken face, Buck looks like a train ran him over. And he isn't expecting an answer, he just asks anyway.
Buck brings his hand to rest over his eyes and a muffled, tired whine vibrates his throat as he presses his face deeper into the pillow. "I just want to sleep."
"Okay." Eddie places his hand on Buck's bicep and squeezes lightly. "Get some rest."
Before he can get up, Buck sticks his hand out of the covers and holds Eddie's hand with all the strength he has left— which isn't a lot, and stops him. "Eddie."
"Yeah?" Eddie sits back on the bed, his curious and worried eyes on Buck.
"Thank you."
Eddie lightly squeezes the hand holding his, a bittersweet feeling clenching his heart. "Always, Buck."
Eddie leaves the door ajar and goes to the kitchen to eat some leftovers from yesterday and has a phone call with Chris, giving him updates on Buck and then listening to him talk about his day. It's been close to two hours since they got home and Buck is still sleeping— Eddie doesn't have the heart to wake him up even if it's to eat something, so he settles on his couch and opens up one of the books placed on the coffee table, until his phone chimes with a text.
How is he?
The text is of course, from Maddie.
Still sleeping.
Eddie stares at the moving dots on his screen until another text shows up.
Did he eat anything?
Eddie sighs before he thinks for a reply. He knows he should wake Buck up to eat but he looked so tired and fragile the last time Eddie checked up on him, he couldn't bring himself to shake Buck awake.
I'm going to wake him up soon.
👍🏼
Eddie throws his phone on the couch and makes his way to the bedroom.
He sits next to Buck's sleeping form and places his hand on Buck's shoulder. Buck is still curled onto his side, his face lax and lips slightly parted, sound asleep.
"Buck." Eddie whispers, gently shaking him.
When Buck doesn't stir, he tries again. "Buck, wake up."
Buck slowly cracks his eyes open and rolls onto his back, his face disoriented as he blinks and tries to focus on Eddie, his forehead wrinkles and he mumbles the tiniest whine as he comes to it.
"You need to eat something." Eddie says, his voice filled with guilt.
Buck's lips twist down, his eyes closing, and for a moment Eddie thinks Buck went back to sleep again.
He runs his fingers through Buck's curls and brushes them back. "Just a few bites."
Buck's chest rises and falls evenly, still no sign of waking up, but he tilts his head to the side to lean into Eddie's touch just an inch, barely visible.
Eddie lowers his hand on Buck's shoulder and lightly rubs the tense muscles. "You'll sleep afterwards, okay?"
" 'kay." Buck mumbles, slowly opening his eyes again.
Buck straightens himself up on his elbows and Eddie helps him get out of the bed, staying close to him as they walk just in case.
They sit in the kitchen without any lights on, mainly because the lights hurt Buck's eyes but also the street lights create a cozy atmosphere that they both enjoy; they eat, talk, and talk some more until they get sleepy and get in the bed, Eddie on his back and Buck on his side, facing Eddie.
"Good night." Buck says quietly.
Eddie closes his eyes. "Good night, Buck."
In the break of day, Eddie feels something— some one moving next to him, getting closer. He keeps his eyes closed in the hopes of falling back to sleep, but the shuffling doesn't stop, and that someone gets close enough to touch Eddie's body.
The contact feels cold.
Eddie opens his eyes to see Buck trying to squeeze himself into Eddie without making it obvious or waking him up, but of course he fails because Eddie is awake now.
"Buck?" Eddie whispers as he looks at Buck, voice sleepy and brows knitted in confusion.
Buck stops moving and lifts his eyes to stare at him and fuck, he is looking at Eddie with those damn puppy eyes, his curls sticking out everywhere and face still sleepy, he looks so young and damn vulnerable that Eddie is pretty sure his insides will combust. But then Eddie remembers how cold Buck's skin felt to the touch.
"Are you cold?" He asks.
Buck bites down his lip, hesitant. "A little."
Eddie lets out a long breath through his nose as he stares at Buck, he wraps his fingers around Buck's arm and gently tugs at him to scoot closer. "Come here."
Buck slumps himself into Eddie's arms, his forehead touching Eddie's neck, his one hand loosely gripping Eddie's side; Eddie drapes his arm over Buck to get the blankets and he tucks them around Buck to keep him warm, and rests his hand on Buck's back, holding him.
"My head hurts." Buck says in such a low whisper that Eddie doesn't understand it.
He frowns faintly. "What?"
Buck closes his eyes and gulps, voice a little more audible but still in a tired mumble. "My head."
"Hurts?"
Buck manages a quiet mhm , his face screwing in pain as he winces.
Eddie lifts his hand to bury his fingers into Buck's hair and starts lightly massaging Buck's scalp, carefully avoiding the stitch on the side.
"Does it hurt a lot?" Eddie asks quietly, fingers massaging the skin around his wound. There is a little patch of dried blood painting Buck's curls and it manages to sit on Eddie's throat like a huge lump, a cruel reminder of what happened.
Buck utters out a barely audible sound, a low, restrained mewl that is meant to be a 'yes'.
Eddie only nods, his fingers still in Buck's curls. "You're gonna be fine."
Buck almost whimpers when Eddie's fingers scratch his head even if the contact is feather light, but then he slowly sags into Eddie more and more, his body relaxing and getting completely pliant under Eddie's touch. Eddie keeps massaging Buck until he feels Buck's steady breaths brushing against his neck, and falls asleep with his hand resting on the back of the younger man's head.
They wake up in the same position they slept in and none of them says anything.
"How are you?" Eddie asks him, Buck still in his arms. He feels warmer.
Buck takes a deep breath. "Better." His lashes tickle Eddie's skin. "Eddie."
"Yeah?"
"Thank you." Buck's hand on his shirt tightens, almost touching his skin underneath the fabric.
Eddie draws himself closer to Buck, pressing himself against him as he holds Buck close. "Always, Buck."