Chapter Text
It has been done before, many times - probably better, but for some reason I had to write my own version anyway. So here goes the tsunami. Buckle up kids.
The rescue raft was full, had been for awhile now.
Eddie and Chimney were directing it further inland, trying to get everyone to safety, but along the way they kept their eyes peeled for more people. The emergency transportation couldn’t handle so much as one more body without the weight capacity being exceeded, which it probably already was; but they were making note and radioing in the location of those who were still stranded and in need of rescue, as well as bodies that would need to be recovered and identified.
Eddie shifted on the small lifeboat, careful not to upset the precarious weight balance of the fully-loaded vessel, as he stared out into the water that had – just hours ago – been dry land bustling with activity. That was when he spotted the firetruck, his eyes only tracking to it initially because, well, it was a firetruck that was nearly fully submerged in water. All that was visible of the large vehicle was the top of it, the bright red and silver metal glistening beneath the orange glow of the sunset. If Eddie hadn’t been so captivated by the drowned fire engine, he wouldn’t have concentrated on it long enough to spot the figure hidden in the shadowed bed of the truck.
“Chim.” He prompted, nodding towards the vehicle.
The older man indicated his understanding as he directed the raft a little closer to the water-logged fire engine.
Eddie craned his neck, trying to get a clearer image of the figure that appeared to be laying on the top of the vehicle, there didn’t seem to be any movement. He winced as he pulled out his flashlight, almost not wanting to turn it on and illuminate the scene - he had seen enough dead bodies in the past several hours to have him flashing back to his time oversees.
He swallowed, ignoring the sick feeling in his stomach and strengthening his resolve as he flicked on his flashlight and aimed it at the truck. Yes, there was definitely a person huddled into itself in the bed of the red fire engine. From the distance Eddie wasn’t able to see any movement, what he could see, what had his breath catching in his throat, was a pink shirt – a pink shirt that looked an awful lot like the one Buck had been wearing in the picture he had sent of him and Christopher.
But it couldn’t be Buck.
There was no way it could be Buck.
Buck was at the movies with Eddie’s son, well the two probably weren’t there anymore, but they had been. Buck had likely taken Christopher back to his place when the disaster happened, he was probably there now trying to distract the young boy from the panic hitting the city; because that’s what Buck would do, he would protect that child from everything, including the fear of reality. Buck would be trying to keep Christopher’s thoughts free of concern, even as his own mind was probably full of it. Buck would be sitting there with Eddie’s son, checking his phone constantly for updates, worrying about his firehouse family, and hating that he wasn’t with them. But he wouldn’t let Chris in on any of that.
Because that was who Buck was.
So, it couldn’t possibly be him in that truck.
And yet…
“Buck!” Eddie called, his heart beating violently inside of his chest.
Chimney’s head snapped up at the shout, as the raft accelerated towards the truck.
“Buck!” Eddie hollered past the bile that had climbed up his throat as the curled figure became frighteningly more familiar with every second that passed by. He tried to steady his hand to keep the beam of the flashlight from shaking, shifting closer to the edge of the raft and doing all he could to keep from jumping off the damn thing and swimming the remainder of the distance.
“Buck!” He called, louder this time, not caring how desperate his voice had become, or the curious whispers that were floating around between the rescued people occupying the raft.
This time there was movement, a head popping up into view.
A small head of curly hair.
“Christopher!” Eddie cried out.
“Dad?”
The raspy call drifted out across the water, and had Eddie ready to leap from the boat before a firm hand latched onto his arm.
“Just wait a second, we’re nearly there.” Chimney urged.
Eddie’s body thrummed with need, but he gave a curt nod, resisting his brash instincts and opting for the more intelligent course of action. “I’m coming, buddy. Just stay put.” He instructed. He watched his son’s head bob up and down in understanding and tried to stifle his alarm at the fact that Buck still hadn’t moved. “C’mon.” He muttered impatiently, getting one leg underneath him and preparing to step off the boat the moment it arrived near enough to the submerged vehicle.
“Hang on.” Chimney grunted as he guided the raft closer.
Eddie tried to balance caution and urgency as he leapt off the inflated transportation and rushed towards his son. He slipped on the water-slick metal, but quickly righted himself as he stepped down into the bed of the truck and squatted next to the huddled forms. He was beyond relieved to see that Buck was shivering, because even though that had him concerned, it was the first sign of life the younger man had displayed.
“Dad!” Christopher called, a smile on the face as he wiggled his hand out from the cocoon Buck had created around the small boy with his body.
Eddie grabbed onto his son’s arm, surprised how warm it was, and reached out to place his hand on those damp curls. “How you doing, kiddo? You alright?” He asked, his eyes raking over the little bit of his son that was visible past his best friend’s body.
“Yeah, m’okay. Buck kept me safe, Daddy.”
“I can see that.” Eddie whispered, emotion clogging his throat as his gaze shifted to the long thin frame curled around his child. “He did really good, didn’t he?”
“Yeah, he was real brave, Dad. Brave like you.” Christopher responded, matching Eddie’s quiet volume, sincerity oozing from the young face as it stared intently up at the older firefighter.
“He was very brave and he kept you safe, and now we have to do the same for him, right? We have to help keep him safe.”
Christopher nodded along with the declaration, his serious expression indicating how firmly he agreed.
“I’ve got to take a look at him, okay? And make sure that he’s doing alright. I need to move you away, just so I can look after him, just like he looked after you.” Eddie explained. He could tell that his son was in a fragile state; could tell by the way that the boy hadn’t even attempted to extract himself from Buck’s hold, that the kid was feeling safe exactly where he was. The last thing Eddie wanted to do was mess with that, but he needed to get both his boys out of there, and he needed to check how his best friend was fairing – Buck had yet to do anything other than shiver.
It took a moment of what appeared to be deep consideration, before Christopher finally gave the okay, nodding his permission.
Eddie smiled reassuringly as he shifted his hand down his son’s arm, managing to find his elbow and using it to tug the small body upwards. He frowned as he was met with resistance. Buck’s arms appeared to have tightened around the slender frame the moment Eddie had tried to pull it away.
“He promised to hold on tight and not let me go.” Christopher rasped out, answering a question that hadn’t yet been posed.
Eddie nodded, blinking the moisture from his eyes, trying to focus instead of allow himself to be distracted by how blatantly protective his best friend was being over his son.
It was fucking heartbreaking, but Eddie didn’t have time to think about that.
Not now.
He used his other hand to get a firm grasp on Buck’s arm, frowning at how cold to the touch the skin was, and gently tug it, trying to get it off of his son so he could disentangle the two. The course of action yielded no results except to cause Buck’s grip on the small boy to intensify.
“No.” The defiant exclamation was mumbled, but Eddie heard it all the same and was relieved as fuck the young firefighter had finally made a sound.
“It’s okay, Buck, everything is alright. You did good, buddy. Let me take it from here.” Eddie negotiated, unsure of how much his friend was actually able to process in his current condition.
“Eddie! We’ve got to get going! What’s going on over there?” Chimney hollered from the life raft.
Eddie stood long enough to catch sight of his co-worker and the boat full of people that still needed to be transported to safety. “Just give me a minute, Chim. Just one minute.”
The elder firefighter nodded, his face creased in concern as he glanced nervously between them and the water.
Eddie squatted back down and tried once more to tug his son free from Buck’s long arms, with absolutely no success. He huffed a frustrated sound and grabbed onto his friend’s wrist, only to release it just as quickly when Buck flinched and whimpered at the contact.
“Shit, I’m sorry, buddy.” Eddie apologized, his heart beating faster as he looked at the hand that he had used to grab Buck and saw it stained in red. He swallowed thickly, it was bad enough Buck was bleeding, but with him on blood thinners it made everything so much more frightening.
Eddie got down close, hovering right over the pair, his fingers brushing comfortingly through Christopher’s curls as he got as close to Buck as he could manage without putting any weight on him – fearful of unintentionally causing harm. He reached down, grasping Buck’s chin, feeling the slight hair growth on the usually clean-shaven face scratch his palm, as he tilted that too-pale face up to meet his own. He tried not to be too alarmed by the deep scratches marring the left side of the pale face, whipping at the blood that was gathering far to close to Buck’s eye.
“Open your eyes, buddy.” He ordered, his thumb rubbing rhythmically across that strong jawline. “Buck, eyes on me.” He instructed again, louder this time.
The only response he received was a moan and an attempt to pull away, causing his grip to tighten on Buck’s chin.
“Come on, Evan. Please.” He begged softly, hoping his kid didn’t hear the desperation that had seeped into his tone, he didn’t want Christopher ever feeling even half as terrified as he was in that moment. He released a breath he hadn’t known he’d been holding as a pair of eyelids were slowly forced up out of the way.
“There are those famous baby blues.” He greeted, pride fluttering through his chest as he watched Buck’s gaze fight to focus on him.
“Eddie?” He slurred, his eyebrows scrunching together.
“The one and only.”
Buck’s brow only creased further at the comment, so Eddie elected to simplify his response, for the sake of clarity.
“Yeah, buddy. It’s me. It’s Eddie.”
Some of the confusion faded from Buck’s expression, only to be replaced a moment later with a look of absolute terror. “Christopher?” Buck croaked, the urgency in his tone coming across loud and clear despite how wrecked his voice was.
“You got him. He’s right here. You saved him, Buck. You did real good.” Eddie declared, tears clouding his gaze.
Buck visibly calmed at the reassurance, his long frame relaxing as the tension that had kept it so taught appeared to dissolve. Eddie heard Chimney yelling for him, but didn’t allow it to distract him from what he was doing.
“Buck, I need you to let go of Chris, alright?”
The moment the two simple words ‘let’ and ‘go’ left Eddie’s lips, Buck instantly tensed. “Can’t. Promised I’d hold on. Promised I’d keep ‘im safe.” The younger man argued, desperation and exhaustion and pain pouring out of him.
“You did, Buck. You did. You kept him safe. You have to let me take him now, okay? I have to get him further inland.”
Eddie felt his calves and thighs burning due to the uncomfortable position he was working to maintain, but he paid it no mind as he watched his friend visibly mauling over the words that had been spoken.
“Get ‘im further in? ‘way from the water?” Buck inquired through chattering teeth.
“Exactly. Away from the water, where he’ll be safe.”
Buck nodded, Eddie’s hand moving up and down with his head. The long arms relaxed, not pulling away from the small body, but no longer securing it in place. Eddie took that as all the permission he was going to get, and scooted back so he could pull Christopher out of the cocoon that was Evan Buckley. The young boy tensed for a moment at being removed from the grip that had kept him safe for who knows how long, but reached for his dad, allowing himself to be pulled free.
Buck released a broken sound once the child was removed from his grip, and it had Eddie’s heart clenching painfully inside his chest.
“I’ve got him, Buck. I’ve got him.” He promised, reaching down to place his hand against his friend’s cheek, cupping it as he caught the bleary gaze that stared up at him. Buck nodded into his hand once again, before letting his head fall back onto the metal surface.
Eddie watched as the long frame curled into itself, the shivers that had been continually running through it appearing to intensify now that the young man was alone. Eddie swallowed, forcing himself to move away, the need to get his son to safety being the only possible motivation strong enough to rip him from Buck’s side. He stumbled his way up out of the bed of the truck and across the red roof to the rescue boat that was bobbing in the water nearby.
“Is Buck…is he?” Chimney stuttered out as he reached to take Chris.
“He’s alive. I got him responding, sort of, but he’s hurt. He’s bleeding.” The medic relayed, not sounding nearly as clinical as he usually did on a call.
But he supposed there was no chance in detaching himself.
This was Buck, after all.
The boat dipped when Chimney carefully settled Christopher down next to him, wrapping him in a blanket.
The two firefighters looked at each other, both knowing what had to be said, but refusing to be the one to say it. The raft was already too full, weight capacity over maximum, and there wasn’t a chance of getting either Buck or Eddie on that boat, least of all both of them. As desperate as they were to get them all to safety, they couldn’t risk it. It wouldn’t do anyone any good if the damn life raft submerged in the water. Then they would all be at risk, especially the many who were injured like Buck and wouldn’t be capable of swimming to safety.
“I’ll stay with Buck, you take everyone back.” Chimney stated.
Eddie shook his head. “No. You’re lighter than me, and you’ve got a better chance of getting that thing to solid land than I do.”
Chimney was the more experienced firefighter and had been handling the boat with ease all afternoon, he was the logical choice.
“But Christopher –
Eddie nodded, he understood the decision he was making, but he saw no other way. He didn’t want to leave his son, but he knew Chimney could get Christopher to safety faster and more efficiently than Eddie would be able to, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to keep the kid behind stranded on a firetruck with him.
He had to go with the decision that was best for his son, even if it meant them being separated.
And wasn’t that just the worst fucking thing on the planet.
“I’ll get him to Hen, she’s over at the field hospital. She’ll keep an eye on him until we can get you two over there. I’ll radio out to send someone over, you won’t have to wait long.” Chim assured as he handed over their last emergency blanket.
Eddie nodded, grateful Chimney was taking control. He leaned closer to the boat, reaching down to brush his hand through those messy curls.
Christopher looked up at him.
“You be good for Chimney, okay? I’ll see you in a bit.”
“You’re not coming?” The boy asked, confusion on his face and something far too close to distress in his voice.
Eddie smiled, hoping to put his kid at ease. “Buddy, Buck isn’t ready to travel just yet.”
“Because he’s tired? He said he was really tired.”
Eddie nodded. “Yeah, he’s real tired. I’m going to stay with him a bit, so he can get some rest, and then Chimney’s going to come back and get us as soon as he takes you to go see Hen. Okay, kiddo?”
Christopher nodded solemnly. “You’ll keep Buck safe, right, Dad? Like he kept me safe?”
Eddie swallowed thickly. “I will. I promise.” He vowed, running his hand through his son’s hair once more, before pulling away.
He and Chimney stared at each other a moment, both making silent promises, before the elder firefighter began to direct the raft away from the truck and down the flooded street. Eddie smiled as he saw Chimney duck down next to his son, overhearing him ask Christopher to be his assistant before placing a flashlight in his hand. The sight of his child’s smile gave Eddie the reassurance he needed to tear his eyes away from the disappearing boat.
He rushed back to Buck, kneeling down next to the shivering form, wishing that he hadn’t run out of supplies hours ago. He placed gentle pressure on the younger man’s shoulder and knee, forcing him to uncurl.
Buck huffed a displeased sound, cracking an eye open as he glared up at Eddie, his shivering increasing now that he couldn’t huddle in on himself.
“Sorry, Buck, I’ve got to get a good look at you.” He apologized as he gripped the arm he had been holding before, gently turning it over in his grasp, trying not to be alarmed by the amount of blood that drenched it. Eddie squinted, pulling the small flashlight back out of his pocket, flicking it on and putting it in his mouth so he could shine light on the limb while using both hands to carefully find the injury. There was a jagged laceration down near Buck’s wrist that appeared to be the source of the alarming amounts of blood. Eddie unbuttoned his top, untucking his undershirt and ripping a strip off it, which he then used as a field bandaged, wrapping it around the wound. Buck’s long body jerked as the fabric was cinched tight around his arm.
“Easy, Ev, take it easy.” Eddie soothed as he placed a stilling hand on Buck’s shoulder.
The tall frame remained tense for another few seconds before slowly beginning to relax.
“Where else, Buck? Huh? Where else are you hurt?” Eddie questioned, hoping for a response but not really expecting one as he ran the beam of the flashlight and his calculating gaze over his friend.
Buck’s face was scratched up pretty good, but there didn’t seem to be any bumps on his head, which was a relief because the lack of response had Eddie worried about a fairly severe concussion. He carefully felt his way down both of those lanky legs, nervous when he neared the bottom of the left one, where Buck’s crush injury had been located. The limb twitched and Buck hissed when Eddie reached his ankle, but one look told him no bones had been re-broken, it was likely just the old wound that had been aggravated by the events of the day.
Eddie shifted, his clinical touch moving up the long body, stalling the moment contact with his hip caused Buck to release a sound that was too close to a whimper for Eddie to be okay with. He carefully lifted the white shirt up and out of the way, frowning down at the dark bruise that was imprinted on the right hip. Eddie gently tugged the waistband of Buck’s jeans down a tad to follow the dark colouring, he frowned at how large and dark the bruise already was. He tried to turn the younger man onto his back, wanting to get a look at his other hip, but the thin frame refused to budge.
“Buck, I need to roll you on your back.” He explained, stretching up closer to his friend’s head as he tried once again to shift him, but Buck tensed, not allowing himself to be moved. Eddie frowned, reaching up and sliding his hand along the stubbled jawline, gently rubbing his thumb across Buck’s cheekbone – patiently waiting until two blue eyes peaked out at him. “What’s going on?”
Buck’s lips moved, but not a sound came out of them. Eddie leaned in closer, their foreheads almost touching.
“One more time, Ev.” He pleaded softly.
Buck’s tongue peaked out and wet his red lips. “It hurts.” He rasped.
Eddie clenched his jaw and swallowed his panic, doing his best to remain calm and steady, because that was what his best friend needed from him. “What hurts?”
Buck sucked in a breath that rattled in his chest – Eddie’s medical mind immediately recognizing by the sound that the firefighter had water in his lungs – before answering. “Back.” He croaked.
“Your back hurts?”
The slight nod sent a strike of fear through Eddie’s chest. He hadn’t checked for a neck injury because of how easily Buck had been able to move his head before, but he should have considered a spinal injury. Buck’s back was lined up with the edge of the bed of the truck, so in order to see it, Eddie had to shift him forward a few inches.
“Okay, I’m just going to slide you over a bit so I can get a look at your back.”
Buck nodded, beginning to wiggle himself forward on his own.
“Take it easy.” Eddie warned as he helped guide his friend over just enough to allow him to climb behind him. It was too dark to see much, the slight orange glow left behind by the sun not casting enough light for Eddie to make out anything other than the fact that Buck’s pink shirt was soaked – but that was to be expected. Eddie flicked the flashlight back on and aimed the beam at his friend’s back, his stomach dropping at what he saw.
Buck’s shirt wasn’t soaked with water, it was drenched in blood.
Eddie swallowed the bile and fear that climbed up his throat at the sight.
“I just – I need to take this shirt off, alright?” Eddie warned, reaching around to slide the pink button-up off Buck’s shoulder.
“M’cold.” The younger man pouted, even as he allowed himself to be maneuvered out of the clothing.
“I know, buddy, we’re going to fix that next, I promise.”
Buck remained silent, but his bottom lip protruded in a pout that would have made Eddie laugh in any other situation.
But not this one.
Eddie took one shirt off, cringing at how stained the t-shirt beneath was as well. He didn’t want to cause Buck any unnecessary pain by having to houdini him out of the top, so he simply rolled it up to his armpits. Buck’s body trembled as a shiver visibly ripped through it, Eddie placing an apologetic touch on a blessedly unmarred section of skin low on his friend’s spine as he surveyed the damage. The pale skin was scraped and scratched all over, but Eddie’s main concern was a long laceration across the width of Buck’s back, just below his shoulder blades. It was too deep and bleeding too much, even without the anticoagulants Buck was taking, the injury would be concerning.
Eddie clenched his jaw, he should have found a way to get Buck on that damn boat, he should have pulled someone off to wait with him and sent the injured man ahead. Eddie shook his head at himself, his frustrations over what he could have done wouldn’t help Buck, not now. He folded the button-up horizontally and wrapped it around the slim frame, knotting it in place over the laceration to keep pressure on it. Buck groaned as the make-shift bandage was secured tightly around him.
“Sorry.” Eddie apologized, his palm resting on the back of Buck’s neck and squeezing comfortingly. He was about to tug the t-shirt back down, when he spotted the dark colouring on his friend’s chest. He tried to ignore how his hand shook when he carefully traced the bones beneath the bruising.
His insides twisting as he felt two ribs give-way beneath his touch.
“Fuck.” Buck cursed, hissing a pained sound as his body gave a violent jerk.
“Looks like you’ve got yourself a couple broken ribs there, Buck.” Eddie announced, wishing he sounded as confident as he usually did when he was trying to put civilians at ease.
Buck’s only response was to groan and curl in on himself.
Eddie mentally catalogued each of the younger man’s injuries as he gently tugged his t-shirt back down and spread the emergency blanket over the long limbs – it wouldn’t help much because Buck was soaked, as was the bed of the firetruck, but it was better than nothing. The firefighter stood, glancing around, frowning when there wasn’t a rescue boat in sight.
“Guess it’s just going to be you and me a little longer.” He narrated, stepping over the shivering form.
“Cold.” Buck whispered through clenched teeth, his body trembling harder as if to further prove his point.
“I know.” Eddie muttered sympathetically. He sat himself down next to his friend, leaning against the metal side of the truck bed and stretching his legs out in front of him. “C’mere.” He encouraged as he gently brought Buck closer, situating the long frame between his legs and moving him up to rest against his chest. Buck’s shoulder dug uncomfortably into Eddie’s breastbone, but he paid it no mind, knowing that he couldn’t turn the younger man to lie on his front or his back due to his various injuries.
He brought Buck’s wounded wrist up to rest on his chest, to keep it elevated. He held the younger man closer as he felt him shudder. Buck nuzzled into Eddie as he settled against him, the tension finally dissolving and allowing that long body to go lax – save for the occasional shiver.
Eddie was glad his friend was finally feeling warmer and hopefully in a little less pain, but was worried he would fall asleep. It had taken the firefighter so long to rouse the injured man, the last thing he wanted was for him to fade away again.
“Hey, Buck. Stay awake for me, buddy.” He requested.
The only response he received was a discontent moan that vibrated through his chest.
“What happened to your back, huh? Do you remember?” Eddie prompted.
“Debris.” Buck muttered in response.
“Debris? What kind of debris?”
“Don’t know.” The younger man sighed, sounding as though he was falling asleep.
“Hey, come on. Explain what happened to you – what happened to Christopher?”
The mention of Eddie’s son had Buck instantly becoming more alert.
“Christopher! Where is he?” He asked, squirming against Eddie’s chest, his face screwing up in a look of pain even as he continued to try and push himself up, his head turning rapidly from side to side.
“Hey, easy. He’s safe, Buck. You kept him safe. He’s with Chim, on dry land.” The older man explained, running his hand soothingly up and down Buck’s upper arm, while holding tight to keep him from moving away.
It seemed to take a moment for the words to filter through the fog Eddie was certain was clouding up his friend’s head, but eventually the fight left the wounded body and Buck collapsed back against him.
“Christopher didn’t have a mark on him.” Eddie spoke, he had given his son a brief but thorough look over and other than a few scratches, had seen no damage on the little boy. “How’d you manage that, huh Buck? How’d you get so banged up, but keep Chris so safe?”
“Didn’t. Lost him.” Buck whispered, the words sounding like a dark confession.
“No, bud, you didn’t. He was here with you and now he is with Chimney. You didn’t lose him.” Eddie insisted.
“I did. Underwater. I was with him when the wave hit – but then he was gone.” Buck relayed, his voice cracking in despair was enough to have Eddie’s heart clenching, but the way those giant blue eyes looked up at him glimmering with unshed tears was enough to almost overwhelm the firefighter. “M’so sorry, Ed.” Buck rasped.
“Hey, no. None of that. You kept Christopher safe. You’re his hero, Buck – you’re my hero. Don’t ever apologize for that.” Eddie declared, using his stern dad-voice, because he wouldn’t for a second listen to Buck apologize for anything. His best friend had saved his child, he had nothing to be sorry for.
“But I lost him.” Buck pointed out, looking and sounding almost as young as Christopher as he stared up at Eddie.
“But then you found him.” Eddie stated, sliding his hand up to the back of the blonde’s neck and squeezing it comfortingly, while he used his sleeve to dab away the blood smeared across his best friend’s face.
“Yeah, I found him.” Buck sighed, as he rested his cheek back down on Eddie’s chest, his head moving up and down against the button-up shirt in a nod.
“Then what happened?” Eddie encouraged, both out of curiosity and a need to keep the injured man conscious. Buck inhaled a deep breath, the sound laboured and rattling – making Eddie’s heart beat faster as fear trickled through his veins. “Come on, Buck. What happened after you found him?”
Buck took a moment longer than Eddie was comfortable with to respond, but eventually he managed to croak out a reply. “Just swam. Held on and swam. Shit, Eddie, felt like we swam forever.”
Eddie could tell that his friend’s energy was completely depleted and was beginning to think that the shivers racing through that slim frame might not be just from the chill in the water and night air but muscles quivering with exhaustion.
“Saw the truck, was the only thing out of the water, but it was up stream. It was so hard to get to. By the time we did, I didn’t have enough time.” Buck explained, a wet cough racking his thin form.
“Have enough time for what?” Eddie asked, his hand hovering over his friend’s body, trying to figure out where he could touch without causing additional pain.
“To get Chris up. Couldn’t get him up on the truck before the debris was going to hit – I wanted to get him up and safe before it hit us, but I didn’t have time and I couldn’t dive under because he was still trying to catch his breath.” Buck sucked in one of his own shaky inhales before he continued. “So I just had to keep him between me and the truck.”
Eddie swallowed, emotion clogging his throat. “That’s how you got hurt? The debris hit you while you were protecting Christopher?” He asked, his hand shaking as he smoothed back the wet curls matted to Buck’s forehead.
The younger man nodded against his chest. “Yeah. Almost let go though. There was so much of it and it hit me so hard. It hurt so bad…I was so scared I was going to let go and lose him again.” Buck revealed, his tone haunted as he shivered, worming impossibly closer to Eddie.
The firefighter blinked the tears from his eyes, the image of his best friend sacrificing his body to protect his kid almost too much for him to handle in the moment.
“You didn’t lose him. You saved him, Buck. You saved him.” He whispered, placing a chaste kiss on Buck’s brow, not missing the soft smile that pulled at those full lips in response.
Eddie glanced out at the water, frowning at the absence of any approaching rescue raft. He hadn’t thought they would have to wait so long for aid and with Buck in need of medical care, Eddie didn’t want to wait a moment longer.
But he had no choice. He wasn’t going to risk dragging his injured friend into that cold filthy water.
He frowned down at Buck who had gone far too still against him, his chest was still expanding, but his breaths sounded wet and shallow and his eyes were closed.
“Hey, come on, wake up!” He instructed, lightly jostling the body in his arms.
Buck groaned a miserable sound, his eyes remaining closed as he pressed his face into Eddie’s chest, as though he was trying to escape the outside world by burrowing into the other man.
“Stay awake, Buck.” Eddie demanded, his tone harsh as fear crawled up his throat.
“Why?” The blonde boy mumbled against his chest.
“Because you’ve lost a lot of blood and I can’t have you going into shock.”
“Why?”
Eddie frowned at the question. “Umm, because shock is bad and it could kill you.” He pointed out bluntly.
“Doesn’t matter.” Buck slurred.
Eddie flinched at the comment, the dismissive words striking terror through his heart. “What the hell are you talking about? Of course it matters!”
“Doesn’t.”
“It does! You need to stay alive. People need you!” Eddie declared, his mind reeling at the fact that this conversation was even happening.
“Nobody needs me.” Buck whispered the words barely loud enough for the older man to hear.
“Just because you’re not a firefighter right now does not mean that nobody needs you.” Eddie explained with a sigh, knowing that his best friend had the majority of his self-worth tied up in his chosen career, and was feeling particularly lost without it. “Lots of people still need you. How about your family? Your parents?”
The moment that last word left Eddie’s lips he felt Buck flinch against him and he knew he had fucked up. He tightened his hold on the younger man as he began to pull away. He didn’t know what the deal was with Evan’s parents – he had been wanting to understand but hadn’t figured out how or who to ask about something personal like that – but he knew enough to know that they were alive and something had to be seriously wrong with them. Maddie had been abducted and beaten by her piece of shit ex and Buck had been crushed and nearly killed under a firetruck, Eddie had stayed close during both traumas and throughout the aftermath - and not once had there been a single sighting or mention of their parents.
“What about Maddie? She needs you.” Eddie added, diverting from his previous comment, relieved when Buck stopped trying to pull away and settled back against his chest.
“She has Chim.”
“So? That doesn’t mean she doesn’t still need her brother.”
“I didn’t keep her safe.”
Eddie clenched his jaw at the broken confession. “I thought we already talked about this. What happened to Maddie was not your fault.”
“Didn’t keep her safe. Chim will. He’ll do better.” Buck slurred.
Eddie wanted to continue with his argument – to make his friend see that he had done nothing wrong, but he could tell all of that would fall on deaf ears, so he made a mental note to tackle that discussion at a later date.
“What about Bobby? I don’t know if you’ve noticed, buddy, but you’re pretty important to him.” Eddie had sensed the connection between the two as soon as he’d arrived. Bobby was like a father to Buck, and the one Eddie had thought of asking to explain his best friend’s parental situation – because he felt like the older man would know, and that way he wouldn’t have to cause Buck any distress with triggering inquiries.
“He’s got a new family.”
Eddie shook his head. “That doesn’t mean anything will change.”
“He doesn’t need me anymore.”
Eddie nearly growled, because fucking hell that was so far off base, but his barely-conscious friend didn’t seem to have any interest in the facts. “What about Christopher? He adores you. He talks about ‘his Buck’ all the time. He needs you.” Either the point he was trying to make or the passion in his voice, possibly both, finally got a semi-alert reaction from the injured boy, who finally looked up and cracked those gorgeous blue eyes open.
“He has you.” Buck stated softly.
“Of course he does, but he needs more than me. What’s that stupid phrase? It takes a village?”
“I’m part of your village?” Buck questioned, sounding almost shocked.
“Of course! Buck, you are the fucking village – you’re the reason there is a village. You have not only found us the help we need, Carla for example, but you are always there when Christopher needs you. Without fail. There is nobody on this planet that I trust with my son more than you, Ev.” Eddie proclaimed honestly, cursing himself for not saying as much earlier, obviously Buck didn’t have any idea how important he was to the Diaz family.
The younger man was still looking up at him, his eyes were glassy and slightly unfocussed – likely due to blood loss– but Eddie could still read the shock and wonder glowing in the wide gaze.
“And what about me? Huh? I need you. Buck, you’re my best friend. You’re the only one I’ve been able to depend. You’ve gotten me through so much. You mean the world to me.” Eddie admitted, his heart pouring out his mouth as he stared down at the wonderful man in his arms.
The brave, selfless, energetic, kind, soul that Eddie couldn’t imagine living without.
“I don’t know what I would do without you.” He confessed, feeling so raw and exposed but needing to get the words out so that hopefully Buck would truly understand how truly needed he was. “And don’t you dare make me find out.” He begged, his hand cupping the pale cheek and swiping away a tear that was sliding down it.
“I won’t.” Buck rasped, his fingers bunching up Eddie’s shirt as he held on, the grasp weak but the strongest display of fight that the wounded man had shown.
“Promise?” Eddie whispered, ducking down closer, their foreheads touching.
“Promise.” Buck replied, his voice husky, but his expression set in a look of confidence that Eddie had seen on it a dozen times in the past – usually right before the brave boy would march into danger to perform a rescue.
“Good.” Eddie settled with a nod, holding Buck close and praying that they would be saved soon.
He wouldn’t let Buck down, he refused.
Not after everything that amazing man had done for him, and sure as fuck not after everything he had done for Christopher.
Eddie’s child would be devastated if he lost ‘his Buck’, his hero.
Eddie would be too.
Because Buck had become the third member of their small family
“You promised to hold on tight to Christopher.”
Buck nodded against his chest.
“And I promise to hold on tight to you.” Eddie vowed.
“Don’t let go.” Buck whispered.
“I wont. Not ever.”