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It was a running joke amongst the 118 that Evan Buckley had the busiest schedule of them all.
The man had his life scheduled down to the hour some weeks, spending time with everyone from the team on days off, visiting with his sister at least once a week, training Ravi, and doing a thousand other things. Bobby had once taken a look at Buck’s color-coded calendar and privately wondered how he was able to find time to work.
But the business didn’t bother Buck. He did a lot to help everyone he could, in the hopes to make their lives easier. And today, it was going to pay off.
May 7th dawned a beautiful California day. The temperature was just right with a light breeze filling the air. All of Los Angeles seemed to be embracing the beautiful day.
Buck had woken as soon as the first rays of light peeked through his blinds, catching him in the eyes and dragging him from a very restful and well deserved sleep. He was up and out of bed in less than ten minutes, and twenty minutes after that, he had Audie with him on an early morning run around their neighborhood, taking in just how peaceful everything was. The breeze was just barely on the side of perfect, making it the best way to wake up.
By the time the pair made it back to the loft, with Buck carrying an overly dramatic Audie up the stairs, the lazy dog, the sun was well into the sky and the day had truly begun. And what a truly busy day it was set to be. Of course, only the two of them knew about that. But before anything could happen, Buck had to brave one of the worst things possible - giving Audie a bath. Which was always an adventure, because she either wanted to play in the water and tolerated the shampoo, or she whined the entire time and made him feel guilty… until she had a treat and acted like she had been given the world.
Toddler and teenager in one furry body. Yep, that joke still fits.
Once Buck took his own shower of shame (it was a guilty day, but she only got half of a treat, so they both lost), he checked his calendar and texts. He wanted to make sure that Bobby hadn’t accidentally scheduled him or something, which would have ruined his plans. Instead, the only minor wrench was a text from Carla, but that could be easily worked in.
That done, he grabbed his bag for the day, got Audie in her day collar, and made his way to his jeep. They had a lot to do and only so much sunlight to burn.
For stop number one, he had to arrive early to get around all of the proud families.
Graduation ceremonies were always chaotic, especially when they ended. Some people were rushing to the exits to make reservations all throughout Los Angeles in order to celebrate their graduate’s accomplishments. Others hung out and took photos with friends and family, marking the end of a long chapter in their lives.
As Buck and Audie weaved through the latest proud graduates of University of Southern California, he kept his head on a swivel. He was looking for one specific young woman, someone who wouldn’t be celebrating with anyone but friends today. A grin broke out when he spotted her.
Audie’s sitter Aislinn was graduating with her degree in political science. She’d spent every night with Audie studying away, while dealing with the issues her previous college had left her with. And now she was graduating with honors, with the hopes of possibly continuing her studies at UCLA.
Her family wasn’t able to fly across the country to see her for graduation. Buck had learned only a week prior that her mother had taken a bad fall which made flying out of the question. Aislinn was instead going to fly out the next day to celebrate with them, completely understanding why they weren’t with her on her special day.
What she didn’t know was that Buck had rearranged his day to make it a bit special for her. While he couldn’t bring her family from Virginia to see her, he could at least give her a piece of her Los Angeles family to celebrate with. So, as soon as he was about fifteen feet away from her, he leaned down to Audie and whispered, “Go find Aislinn!”
Audie was off line a shot, covering the distance in no time. She skidded up right next to Aislinn and gave her a loud “Woof!” before jumping up and attempting to lick her face off. It helped that Aislinn was tiny; even in heels, Buck would put money on her barely being five foot.
“Audie!” she exclaimed, ducking down to wrap her arms around the excited dog. Then she caught sight of Buck in the corner of her eye and her smile got impossibly bigger. “Mr. Buckley! What are you two doing here?”
Buck joined her kneeling on the ground, picking Audie’s leash back up before some grouchy university official decided to be annoying about it. “I told you to call me Buck,” he said, laughing when Aislinn’s friends all turned and squealed at the sight of the very happy dog. “And we couldn’t miss this for the world. You deserve to have someone here to congratulate you today in person. And since you wouldn’t let me pay for your brother to fly round trip…”
She shook her head ruefully, almost in awe. “You’re too nice Mr. Buck. You didn’t have to come though. I know you’re busy today, I saw your calendar.”
Buck chuckled. “We are, but we still made swinging by happen. And if I didn’t, Audie might have pouted for the rest of the day, and we can’t have that!”
Aislinn giggled. She planted a firm kiss on Audie’s furry forehead before deciding to do one more thing. “Mr. Buck, can I take a picture with Audie? To send to my family? I think they’d appreciate knowing that family was well represented and respected today.”
He didn’t bother answering. Instead, he just simply exchanged her phone with Audie’s leash and stepped back, camera app already open. As he held it up, he barely kept from laughing. Aislinn was still kneeling, with Audie settled right next to her, the biggest doggy-grin on her face… and Aislinn’s graduation cap balanced on her head.
That’s one for Audie’s folder , he immediately decided as he clicked the button.
They parted with Aislinn a few moments later, as she had made plans with several of her roommates to go and get dinner before her flight home the next day. She did promise to text her employer when she got back to town, though Buck told her to take her time. With summer ahead, he could always ask one of the 118 family members if they minded having Audie bunk with their kids for a night. It would work as a temporary solution.
Once Audie was situated in the back seat, Buck pulled back onto the road. He’d planned to be early to their stop, but Carla’s message required a detour. Luckily, said detour was on the way. He’d only lose a bit of time… Okay a lot of time.
Kids liked Audie too. Who knew?
He parked near Durard and let Audie out, making short work of the walk to the school. Already parents were milling around, awaiting the early dismissal that had somehow not made it on their calendar. Buck didn’t mind the mix up. Any time with Christopher was a good time.
Not two minutes after he joined the parents, the bell rang and kids started making their way out of the school. Buck kept Audie heeled next to him, knowing very well that kids would try to call for her. It would be good training about distractions. A few parents recognized him and made small talk while they waited for their own kids, waiting for permission before giving Audie a pet as well.
Chris came out a few minutes later, clearly looking for Carla in the crowd. Buck waited an extra moment before heading towards him, watching as surprise and happiness filtered across his face.
“Audie!” He exclaimed, making his way right over to his favorite dog. Audie glanced up at Buck and waited for a nod before leaning forward and giving Chris a very firm lick on the cheek. “What are you doing here? Did Carla bring you?”
Buck rolled his eyes goodnaturedly. “Cute Chris. I guess you don’t want to go on an adventure. I’ll just call Carla…”
“Ah! No! I’m sorry Buck!” He didn’t look very sorry. That million-watt smile couldn’t be hidden. But Buck wasn’t mad. He thought it was hilarious.
After Chris got his temporary fill on giving and getting Audie-loves, Buck ducked down so that Chris could get a piggyback ride. “Sorry Chris, I had to park about three blocks away.”
Christopher clambered on, carefully gripping Buck’s shoulders as he stood up straight. “It’s okay, I’m tall now!” Audie circled around them quickly before leading the way back to the car. Their day wasn’t done yet.
Buck wasn’t surprised by Christopher’s confusion when they pulled into the 9-1-1 call center. “Why are we here? I thought…”
Once they were parked, Buck turned around. “We will be, but we have to quickly stop here first. May made a decision last night about college and wanted to tell me in person. She won’t be able to swing by later, so she asked if I could come today. It’ll only be a few minutes.”
Chris nodded. “Okay, as long as I don’t miss the cake.”
That got another laugh out of Buck. “I would never let that happen! And besides, we have to save a piece for Carla. So no matter what, we will get cake.”
The words had just finished leaving his mouth when he caught sight of May Grant coming out of the 9-1-1 call center and making her way over to them. She looked tired, but good, like she was having a better day than some. In her hands was an envelope clenched tight.
“Hi Chris! Hi Audie!” she said as soon as she was close to the car.
Buck rolled his eyes. “No respect from my dog, from my best friend, in my own car…”
May laughed, a confident smile filling her face. Her time at the call center had done a world of good for her self esteem. “Hi Buck, thanks for swinging by. I know you’re busy as ever.”
“And what can I do for you, Ms. Grant?”
She handed him the envelope, which he noticed was already opened. “I’m sending this to USC. It’s an amended personal statement. If I’m going to college now, I’m going for the right reasons.”
Buck waited until she nodded before he pulled it out and started skimming. It was much different from her previous essay regarding living with her mother. Instead, she focused on her experiences working for the call center, both good and bad. Once he finished, he carefully slid it away. “If I was in the admission office, I’d pick this one, hands down.”
“It’s not too much?”
Buck shook his head. “May, you’ve spent two years working a high stress job, in the middle of a pandemic, no less. That changes a person. And your experiences have made you who you are right now, for better or worse. I think this is a great personal statement, and USC would be fools to not readmit you.”
The last tiny bits of worry melted away from May’s face. “Oh, thank you.” She sealed the envelope and slid it into a pocket. “Now get going, you’re going to be late for cake! They’ll never forgive you, even if you have two amazing tagalongs with you.”
Chris’ giggles carried them out of the parking lot.
They pulled into the 118 with about ten minutes to spare.
Eddie met them at Buck’s usual parking spot, already changed into his dress uniform, looking very happy to see his friend and furry companion. Since Buck had been driving with the windows down, he started talking before Buck even had shifted into park. “Ravi’s inside, nervous as hell. He’s afraid that he’s going to trip, or that Bobby’s going to send him to another Station, or any number of things. Can you talk to him?”
Buck nodded. “Sure, as soon as I get changed and you say hello to your son,” he snarked, jumping out and laughing and Christopher’s put-upon look.
Eddie blinked. “Wait. Chris? What are you-”
“Early dismissal!” Christopher said, laughing at the gobsmacked look on his father’s face. “Carla called Buck, so Audie got to pick me up! And then we saw May, and now we’re here!”
Audie hopped out of the now open door and sat on Eddie’s foot, demanding acknowledgement. Eddie obliged.
“Okay, fine, you’ll be the perfect Ravi distractor. You and Audie both.” He opened Chris’ door so his son could carefully hop out, completely used to the height of Buck’s Jeep. “Your uniform is hanging in the locker room, Buck. You can thank Carla for that.”
Buck nodded. He was just finishing putting one of Audie’s nicer harnesses on. She was still technically “off duty,” but she deserved to look her best for Ravi’s shield ceremony. After all, she liked the soon-to-be former Probie. “See you inside!” He ran ahead, ducking into the locker room and changing into his crisp uniform. One quick “Thank you!” text later, he was ready to join the rest of A-shift with welcoming Ravi to their ranks officially.
The ceremony went off without a hitch. Ravi’s family sat proud while Bobby gave his speech, and were the first to join in cheers when the badge was firmly in place. There had been a quick bit of discussion as to who should give Ravi his helmet, which had ended with a furry thief stealing it with the help of a certain Diaz.
Ravi had been very impressed with the stunt.
After all the pomp and circumstance, cake was passed out and the mingling started. Conversations ebbed and flowed around the station, offline for another hour. Seasoned members of the 118 spoke with many members of Ravi’s family, giving the young man nothing but compliments.
It was Bobby who noticed that there were a few people missing from the crowd. He had just figured that they had stepped outside, until he stepped into the loft to get a jumpstart on dinner and found them curled up and asleep on the couch. Buck was crashed out on the couch, dead to the world, with a napping Christopher making a home on top of him. Audie was curled up right in front of them, protecting them for anyone who might want to wake them.
“So this is where they went.” Bobby turned to find Athena behind him, already taking a sneaky photo. “He’s been all around town. He needs a nap.”
Bobby nodded. “Yes. Yes he does.” He quietly picked up a soft throw blanket and tossed it over the sleeping duo. As the fabric settled, Audie gave a little huff. “You too Audie. Sleep well.”
The sleep woof said it all. It was the end of a good day.