Work Text:
Y/n was having a shitty day.
She couldn't find anything she needed that morning and arrived at work with messy hair and an uncoordinated outfit, for which she received some dirty looks. Her colleagues that she would be relying on were off sick, leaving everything on her shoulders. And then, come afternoon, her boss had berated her in front of the rest of the office.
Y/n had relayed her shitty day into the group chat she shared with Buck and Eddie.
Y/n: Great. Now I'm hiding in the bathroom because I don't want to cry in front of everyone and I want to be sick.
Buck: It's okay to cry in front of other people. Plus, you've only got fifteen minutes left of work and then you can get out of there.
Eddie: Come to the station. Hen, Chim and Bobby are out on a medical call so it's only us.
Buck: Good idea, Eds. There's Bobby's leftover mac and cheese?
Y/n: If you're sure that's okay? I'm just going to pack up then I'll leave.
Eddie: Drive safe.
Half an hour later, y/n entered the firehouse, looking around anxiously. Sure, she had been here plenty of times before, but she still felt pathetic, fighting back her tears and looking for the people who could make her feel even slightly better.
She didn't have to wait long as she heard her name being called, and saw the forms of Buck and Eddie descending the stairs to meet her by the station gym.
"Hey, y/n, come here!" Buck exclaimed with his arms opened wide.
As those solid arms held her close, that was all she needed to feel safe enough to let go. Before she even realised, she was sobbing into a sturdy chest and someone was shushing her, hands stroking her back.
"Ah, crap, I'm sorry y/n, I didn't mean to make it worse." Buck looked guiltily towards Eddie over her head.
"You-you d-didnt. Just h-had it bottled u-up."
Eddie stepped in, guiding her to sit on the gym bench in between the two comforting figures, "You're okay now, y/n. Just breathe." Eddie added as he realised her sobbing was becoming frantic.
"I…I-I can-nt."
Buck looked worriedly to his partner whilst Eddie stayed calm and professional.
"Yes you can. You can breathe, you just need to slow it down. Copy me," Eddie instructed whilst deliberately breathing evenly.
Buck caught Eddie's attention and mouthed the question of "asthma?"
Eddie just shook his head and mouthed, "not yet" right back.
Both first responders continued to speak soothingly to y/n, reminding her it would pass and she would be just fine.
However, Eddie started to worry when the sobbing began transforming into wheezes and y/n's head was dropping slightly onto her chest.
"Hey, hey, hey, y/n. Where's your inhaler? I think you could do with a few rounds." Eddie asked. He also silently instructed Buck to bring a med kit over which Buck did diligently.
Y/n pointed to her backpack abandoned on the floor, and tried to explain, "m-mi- middle" She managed to get out as Eddie rummaged through the middle pocket.
Buck returned seconds later with the med kit, and started unpacking the essentials.
"Let's get her on the floor but sat up against the wall," Eddie directed to Buck as they both took an arm and sat her down, "I need you to stay upright for me okay, sweetheart? That will help keep your airways open. Let's have a go at your inhaler, alright?"
Eddie helped her hold the inhaler to her lips as her hands shook too much. She was unable to hold much of the medicine in her lungs for long as her frantic breaths continued.
"I'm just going to listen to your chest okay, y/n?" Eddie asked permission, slotting the stethoscope earpieces in and moving the bell to her chest as she nodded consent.
Buck was multitasking, repeating soothing words whilst clipping a pulse oximeter to her shaking finger.
Pulling the stethoscope from his ears and hanging it loosely around his neck, Eddie explained his diagnosis, "okay, sweetheart, I think you've triggered an asthma attack with your panic attack. Which is fine, we just need to get it under control, okay?"
She was shaking her head, becoming more frantic and causing a vicious cycle, "n-no h-hos-pital." She was beginning to want to close her eyes and for this horrible day to end.
Buck noticed her drooping head, "hey, woah woah, no napping allowed. We'll do our best here, and then we'll cross whatever bridge we need to cross, okay?"
She could feel them both moving around her and her shoulders occasionally being pushed back against the wall, straightening her body. She could feel an uncomfortable squeezing around her arm as she suspected Buck was taking her blood pressure. By the tone the voices were using, she didn't think the results were desired.
"Alright, here's the plan, y/n, we're going to try a treatment of nebulising right here, and if that doesn't cut it, we'll try a shot of hydrocortisone as a last resort before calling another ambulance to transport you to hospital."
Inside, she wanted to vomit at the thought of needles being anywhere near her, but she nodded regardless, hopeful that the nebuliser was all she would need to be righted.
Eddie placed the plastic mask over her mouth and nose, "breathe as deeply as you can…that's it. Good job, it should be opening up your airways now. You're doing great."
Meanwhile Buck was taking another BP reading, whilst Eddie had his fingers firmly placed to her delicate wrist, eyes to his watch.
Ten minutes went by, and whilst the hyperventilating receded for y/n Eddie and Buck were still unsatisfied with the sound of her breathing and the struggle they could detect through their stethoscopes.
"How're you feeling, y/n?" Eddie asked, still holding her wrist.
"Be-better, thanks."
"Feeling dizzy or nauseous?"
"D-dizzy."
"Okay, that's normal. I'd still like to administer a shot of hydrocortisone." Eddie stated as he started rifling through the med bag.
Buck immediately noticed the change in her demeanor, not to mention the spike in her pulse that he was still monitoring. "He-Hey, what's wrong?" He asked, trying to meet her panicked eyes.
She just shook her head and tried to move herself further away from Eddie. Eddie finally noticed, turning around with what he needed and looking to Buck for explanation who could only shrug.
"I fe-feel better. Th-thanks."
"Would you rather wait and get it done at the hospital?" Eddie offered kindly.
Y/n wheezed out her question, voice low and embarrassed, "wi-will they…still do it at-at the ho-hospital?"
"Almost definitely, sweetheart, sorry."
She wiped a distressed tear from her eye which nearly broke the grown men's hearts, "want you to…to do it th-then."
Buck and Eddie nodded, another silent conversation passing between them. Buck pulled her to face him, both her hands cradled in his larger, calloused ones and he began chattering away about something Jee did at the weekend.
Eddie prepared the needle and medication and wiped the site clean on her arm, trying to ignore the way she flinched away from him and to not take it personally.
"Sharp scratch." He warned before administering the shot. Buck felt her hands tense and her eyes squeezed shut, but other than that, she reacted well.
Eddie was rubbing his thumb over the site, thoughtfully and commending her, "you did great. You should be feeling better soon."
Buck and Eddie continued to monitor her vitals closely for the next few minutes until the familiar sound of the ambulance could be heard pulling into the apparatus floor.
"What's going on here?" Bobby moved quickly to the trio, closely followed by a concerned Hen and Chim.
It was obvious to everyone how uncomfortable y/n was feeling under the attention.
Eddie went about explaining, "asthma attack. I think we've got it under control, but mind if we borrow the Ambo?"
Y/n startled at this and Buck was quick to explain whilst Chim helped Eddie bring around the stretcher, "hey, it's just a precaution. Everything looks to be settling but we need a doctor to confirm you're okay." He tried to provide some comfort by again squeezing her hand gently.
"You'll both stay?" She asked once Eddie had returned.
"Yeah, of course, y/n. We'll both stay with you at the hospital, and then we'll take you home and get you settled on the couch with a pint of that disgusting ice cream you like."
"Yep. No moving from the couch the entire weekend."
That was exactly the kind of weekend y/n needed to make up for her epically shitty day.