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The first time Shannon used a pet name in her life was with her son. It wasn't an entirely uncommon concept in her family, but not an overly used one either. She never thought she would be the kind of mother to call her son baby, but as she thought up a storm trying to come up with her son’s name, this one just fit for now.
On the other hand, Eddie's parents thought it was a little too literal. His abuela and tia Pepa quickly came to his aid and defended Shannon. “You do not get to tell this sweet child's mother what to call her son. ¡Híjole!” And many other curses streamed out of the elder family members as they guided Ramon and Helena out of the room.
After Christopher was deemed a reasonable name, Eddie thought the pet names would cease. He and Shannon never had much of an intimate relationship outside of the bedroom and it certainly didn't warrant pet names between the two. To Eddie, St. Christopher would always guide him through his troubles and let him find his way back. But to Shannon? He was so much more than that.
He was the baby she woke up every morning to feed.
He was the baby she woke up every night to comfort.
He was the baby that she took to surgeries and doctor appointments without her husband.
Christopher was her baby.
Nothing could take him away from her. Except for herself.
2019 - Christmas morning
Chris had no idea what his surprise could be! Knowing his Dad, it was going to be something pretty cool. Secretly, Chris hoped Buck had helped him pick something out though, because his Dad's old age was getting the better of him sometimes.
He had no idea his mother would show herself from behind the (giant) Christmas tree in their front yard.
“Mom!” Christopher's legs took him as fast as they could towards his mother. Nothing could get between them ever again. His arms, albeit a little shaky from the adrenaline, dug like claws into the fabric of her shirt.
“Hi, baby.” She whispered in his ear while stroking his back familiarly. If it was possible, Chris leaned into her touch even more, making her fumble backward slightly. Luckily, Eddie was there to catch her. He vowed to do better, to stand there behind her more. Metaphorically and physically Christopher was getting bigger and bigger at an alarming rate.
“Christopher?” Eddie called, but there was no response. He still had presents lined up for him inside the house too. Also, they looked pretty silly out on their front lawn just hugging like the world was ending tomorrow.
“Christopher, baby, can we go inside now?” Shannon tried, to which Chris immediately perked up. To the nickname or the idea of presents and pancakes, Eddie had no idea, but he was thankful either way.
As the trio made their way inside the house, Shannon noted the abundant presence of food on their table. She watched as Chris dug in willingly to food her husband had seemingly made.
“Am I missing something or did you magically become a master chef while I was away?” She asked meanwhile a small pit formed at the bottom of her stomach. If she knew her husband, no time apart could change his black thumb for cooking.
Eddie scoffed while Chris’ giggles filled the room. She went to wipe at his gooey face filled with syrup, but Eddie was already on it. Another change. “I wish, but no. Buck's pancake recipe, or better yet Cap’s, is the only one Chris will eat now.”
“Y-Yours aren't that g-good anyway, Dad!” Chris exclaimed, once again showing his syrupy smile. Instead of pushing the matter, she let it go. She vowed not to let her baby get too far, but she would never take away someone who loved Chris enough to cook them pancake batter for Christmas morning.
(Fresh pancake batter. Buck snuck in the back in the morning to drop off Chris' present along with the pancake mix. Later, when Eddie asked why he didn't stay longer, he only waved him off and whispered, "A gift from Santa,” and the matter was dropped.)
2019 - hospital
Christopher didn't like being called a baby. It made him feel powerless and worthless and everything he wasn't. His Dad, Buck, Carla, Abuela, everyone told him he wasn't. But for some reason, his mom was different. His Dad called him Mijo and his mom called him baby. Because he was her baby. He knew how babies worked, (he really didn't) and he knew that he was his mom's. It just made sense!
But when his mom died, he wasn't anyone's baby anymore.
Maybe, he thought, just maybe, he could be Buck's? He knew it didn't make sense, but it didn't make sense for his mom to die either. It didn't make sense that Buck got hurt by a ladder truck. And it didn't make sense when he was coughing blood over Athena and Bobby’s porch.
“Bobby- uh. I-I…” Buck's speech slowed and slurred, which was already a major warning sign to the paramedics in the room. His breathing picked up even as fumbled forward and tried his best to keep it managed.
“Buck? Buck, what's going on?” Chris could tell when Bobby was using his captain voice. It almost sounded like it, but it was a little higher than usual. He was worried about Buck like he was his baby.
When Buck spilled blood all over his and Bobby's clothes, Chris regretted thinking about it. Parents and their babies don't hurt each other. So, Chris resigned himself to never being anyone's baby ever again.
“Is he going to be able to drive them home?” Athena knocked her husband's shoulder as she pointed to Eddie and Christopher. Bobby let out a deep sigh, for many reasons, but mostly one.
“I don't think he's going to want to leave Buck's side at all tonight.”
Although that was true, Eddie also knew the importance of getting Chris into his bed. Their nighttime routine was one of the small comforts of their day after losing Shannon and almost losing Buck in the same year.
Ignoring her husband's comment, Athena made her way across the waiting room and gently poked Christopher's leg. She crouched down so they were almost eye-level and looked between the two boys. “Hey baby, how you feelin’?” Athena said, laying her hand atop his knee. She felt it quickly jerk from underneath him and then suddenly still.
“I a-am not-... a ba-baby!” Christopher threw himself off of the chair and stormed off toward the exit as best he could. She took a moment to gather herself, but an angry child wasn't anything she wasn't used to.
“I'm sorry, Athena, it's been a long day and-” Eddie tried to reason but his captain’s wife knew not to make the same mistake twice.
“And it's a story for another time. Go look after your boy, we'll look after this one.”
He sent her a small smile of thanks and ran to catch up with Chris. Truthfully, he hadn't made much of a trip across the waiting room, but Eddie was getting more and more impressed with his son’s agility.
(He thought back to the day he and Shannon sat together and went through all of Chris' clothes and shoes together to see what he didn't fit anymore. It was surprisingly a lot. The next day, Buck showed up with a box full of new clothes that were the perfect size. “I know kids hate clothes shopping and my parents had these lying around anyway. It's no big deal, I swear!” Buck's parents lived in Pennsylvania and Buck barely had any contact with them, Eddie knew that for sure. His theory was only cemented when he caught a price tag on one of the clothes. The next morning, he shoved $200 into Buck's hands and Buck just shrugged innocently. Later that day, while Eddie was in the shower, Buck slipped $250 into Eddie's wallet.)
Two people he didn't want to be thinking about on his ride home, and he couldn't stop his brain from remembering every detail he could about them. Three people in the world he loved more than love itself and one was dead, one was basically on his deathbed, and the last one had a front-row seat.
2019 - Late summer on the Santa Monica Pier
Buck had no special affinity for using pet names with people, yet they littered his vocabulary when it came to the people he loved. There was no real reason for it, they just came out.
(“Hey, babe!” Buck jogged lightly into the firehouse and simultaneously clapped Hen on her shoulder. She looked between herself and Bobby, the only two people in the loft at the time. No matter how much Buck loved Bobby on a personal level, ‘babe’ was never in the cards for them. So, Hen continued as normal. “Hey, Buckaroo. What's got you so chirpy this morning?”)
For some reason, he loved kids with an unhealthy amount of love. Everything he could give would be given to a random kid on the street if he could. But a kid like Chris, one so special to his heart, of course it would come out.
“Your Dad is never going to let me out with you again, baby.” Buck attempted a joke and prayed to God that Chris couldn't feel his heart hammering out of his chest. With the way Buck had an iron grip on him though, he wouldn't be surprised.
Chris, on the other hand, was having a bit of a hard time grasping the name. His ideology had always been (always meaning a few months) that a parent and their baby couldn't hurt each other. So, since Buck saved him, he could be Buck's baby. In the more metaphorical sense, but Chris wasn't going to go that in-depth seeing as a tsunami just hit them.
Drawing all the strength he could, he ungracefully tapped at Buck's cheek, his stubble tickling his palm a little. “You saved me.” I love you too, Bucky.
The next hours went by like a whirlwind. Buck had saved him, then he'd fallen into the water and another lady saved him. She called her son mijo too, so he took comfort in the familiarity and let himself be carried without squirming. Yes, she was nice, and she carried him for a long time so he couldn't complain but she didn't carry him like his parents did. Even his mom carried him a little wonky because of her inexperience, but Dad and Buck knew exactly how to carry him. Buck would carry him to bed and whisper, “Goodnight, baby. Sweet dreams.” before his Dad returned and did the same thing. He loved being someone's baby again.
It made him wonder, as Buck collapsed into Bobby's arms for the second time in only a week, is Buck someone's baby? The way that Bobby and the rest of the 118 rushed to Buck like a moth to a flame made him realize that: of course he is. He was Bobby and Athena's baby, he was Hen's baby, he was Maddie and Chimney's baby brother, and Dad liked to call him a big baby when Buck cried sometimes, so that counted.
Eddie wouldn't let Chris go even as he demanded to go see Buck in the makeshift hospital. As Eddie sat in the chair next to Bobby, Chris was still in his lap, and holding onto the edge of Buck's bed with as much desperation as Bobby was holding onto his cross.
“What have my babies gotten into now?” Athena whispered under her breath, careful not to let Christopher hear, but he heard anyway. But that's okay because she was right. Buck was her baby, and he was Buck's. In the back of his mind, he hoped his mom wouldn't be mad from where she was watching all of this.
“He should wake up soon-” Right before Eddie could finish his sentence, the bed shifted suddenly alerting the 118 crew. Buck bolted upright and looked around erratically.
“B-Bobby I have to find-!” Buck tried to get out of the bed, but Eddie planted a firm hand on his leg and motioned for Chris to join Buck on the bed. Buck's movements immediately halted and he opened his arms quick enough to catch Chris' flying limbs. “Hi, baby,” Buck said. He didn't notice the eyes darting quickly around him as he was too busy breathing in the scent of the boy’s curls.
Eddie went to defend Chris and to check if he was uncomfortable. He knew of the connection between Shannon and that word, and he knew that Chris would be devastated to suddenly become uncomfortable around his best friend.
“Hi, Bucky.”
Amongst the whispers of the 118 and the blaring sirens outside, Athena couldn't help but lean down and breathe in the smell of Buck's curls as well.
2 am - the tsunami cont’d
“It's not up for discussion, Buckley.” Eddie sighed, almost dramatically, and closed the door to his truck a little loudly. When Buck flinched, Eddie knew he'd gone too far. So, he backtracked. “Chris won't let me go home if you don't come with us. And I won't even be able to sleep if I think about you going home to your dreary loft alone. For us, please come home.”
“Maddie's gonna check on me in the morning,” Buck defended pathetically. Judging by Eddie's eye roll, it was a lost cause from the start. He opened the passenger door to his truck, but Buck was already on his way to the other side to sit next to Christopher.
If Eddie thought separating them before was difficult, he had no idea what was coming during bathtime. Chris had downright refused to go near the water, even with the idea that Buck would hold his hand. After much negotiation and a lot of compromise, Buck ran the water to an acceptable temperature and stripped down to his boxers.
“Give me a minute before he comes in,” Buck asked weakly, and Eddie felt his heart break into a million more pieces. Buck had put one foot in the water and he was already shivering. Eddie had made sure to check the temperature for Chris and he could attest that it was nowhere near freezing.
“Buck, I appreciate this more than you know but-”
“We can't expect him to do something that I won't even do, Eddie.” We . Eddie clung to that word like it was his lifeline. He’s co-parenting now. After that, Eddie decided not to push the subject. There was some truth to what Buck said, but honestly, he wouldn't have made either of them shower if they didn't want to. “Okay, baby, you can come in now!” Buck shouted, just loud enough for Chris to hear from the hallway. He too was only in his underwear.
Slowly, as if trying to delay the inevitable, Chris set his glasses on the sink and extended a hand to Buck. He, who was already sitting (semi) comfortably in the bath, made quick work of getting Chris in. They took their time, even though they wanted it to be over as soon as possible. Buck made sure to wash Chris all over, and Eddie ran a soapy hand through Buck's unruly curls.
Chris didn't stay in the bath a moment longer than he had to. If there was enough space in the bathroom to move, Buck would've gotten out too. But there wasn't, and he wasn't about to ask the already very tired boys to hurry up.
Just as quick as he did with Chris, Eddie extended a hand to Buck but was surprised to see that it wasn't immediately taken. He turned his focus from Chris who was unhappily walking to his room without his Buck and focused it back to the man in the tub.
“I'm s-so sorry Eddie.” He croaked weakly. Eddie had a bad feeling Buck's throat was raw from screaming for Christopher. All of the unknowns of today's events made his stomach churn harder than ever before. “I can't- I lost him!” Buck curled in on himself when Eddie moved farther away from him. He only looked back up when he heard the familiar click of the bathroom door closing.
“He already told you, Buck. You saved him.” Eddie made no attempt to stop when Buck tried to interrupt, most likely with a rebuttal. “D’you know that Shannon called him that name.” Buck looked up to meet Eddie's gaze and suddenly he felt very exposed even though he'd spent the last half an hour in his underwear. “Baby. That's what she called him. She loved knowing that he was her baby. But then she left, Buck. She came back, and then she left him again. He's never let anyone call him that, me included. It was so strongly connected to Shannon, that he couldn't imagine another person loving him that way. And then you came along, and forced him to love you- in the best way possible.” He quickly corrected. “You brought him clothes and good food, you brought Carla and a whole new family. I can never thank you enough for everything you've done for him. He loves you so much, Buck. You're family, our family.”
Eddie knew enough about Buck to tell when he was about to cry or burst out laughing. Neither of those seemed to be the right fit for this moment. As Buck's eyes fluttered closed, he knew how comfortable Buck had finally been after a night of terror. No, months of it.
And Eddie Diaz would be damned if this wasn't the best sleep Buck was about to get. He easily took Buck in his arms and dried him off with his free hand. Deciding it was futile to try and get some clothes on him, he settled on carrying his partner to his bed and checking in on where Christopher had gotten to. Coincidentally, his son had the same idea as him and was cuddled up in the dead centre of his bed. A small laugh left his lips, big enough to jostle both boys, which only made him laugh more.
Buck was placed on the right side, Christopher in the middle, and Eddie on the left. He couldn't have asked for a better family if he tried.
“Sweet dreams, Bucky,” Chris whispered, curling himself deeper into Buck's chest. His breath automatically synched up to Buck's and Eddie couldn't help the need to feel the same comfort as his son. He grabbed Buck’s wrist and held the pulse point with as much grip as possible without waking him up. Ultimately, it proved futile.
“Goodnight, baby.”