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Buck almost gave in as Chimney threatened to never let him see Jee in exchange for the charger, but took a moment and studied the man that was almost his brother-in-law.
He was almost frantic to get his hands on a charger. And there was only a few people outside of the 118 that he would be so worried about contacting. Maddie was at the top of that list.
“Is everything okay, Chim?”
“What? Everything’s fine. I need that charger now, Buck!”
Buck leaned back in his chair. “What’s wrong with my sister?”
Chimney looked briefly panicked before glaring at Buck. He was so distracted that he didn’t notice Ravi walking away. “Nothing is wrong except you won’t give me a charger! Just because someone put a clipboard in your hand doesn’t mean that you can withhold them!”
“It actually does mean that since you haven’t filled out the required form. But I’m not talking about the charger right now. I’m talking about how I haven’t seen Maddie in weeks and have only briefly spoken with her over the last few weeks. And I’m talking about how you are so desperate for a charger for your phone that you are threatening to keep my niece away from me. A niece that I have only seen in person less than a dozen times since she was born.”
Chim started pacing in agitation. “Not everything is your business, Buck! I asked for a charger! Not a damn lecture. And it’s Maddie’s choice whether or not she wants to see you! You don’t get to make everything about you!”
“That’s enough!” Bobby’s voice caught both of their attention.
They turned to see their captain with Ravi standing behind him.
“Thank you!” Chim gestured at Buck. “He’s refusing to give me a charger!”
Bobby walked over to the table. “I was actually talking to you. I want both of you in my office…now!”
He turned to Ravi. “Do you understand the paperwork enough to handle this until Buck gets back?”
“Yes, sir.” He took the clipboard from Buck and sat down as Bobby walked to his office, expecting the two firefighters to follow him.
Once everyone had entered his office, Bobby closed the door and sat down. He waited for the two men to sit down across from him before speaking.
“Chimney, you are the most senior person I have on A shift. That means that I expect more out of you behaviorally than I do anyone else. You know that your actions on the floor were inappropriate.”
He studied Chimney, whose face was a mixture of fury and stubbornness. He didn’t think he was going to get a lot out of him right now so he turned to Buck.
“Buck, tell me your side of what happened just now.”
“Chim asked for a charger so I explained the paperwork and how to get a charge on his device once it dies. He told me that I would gave him a charger or I wouldn’t get to see Jee. The only reason that I can think of that he would be so desperate to get a charger is if something was going on with Maddie or Jee and he needed to check on them. So I asked him what was wrong with my sister. And I told him that I hadn’t seen Maddie or Jee in weeks. I think you walked in on his response.”
“I did.” Bobby looked between the two men for a moment before coming to a decision. “Go back to work, Buck. I will talk to you again shortly.”
Once Buck was gone, the captain turned to Chimney.
“What is going on with you? After you started dating Maddie, we sat in this very office and you told me that you could remain professional with Buck despite dating his sister. What I witnessed and what Ravi reported to me was not professional.”
“Nothing is going on! Buck just got a big head because someone thought it was smart to let him have a clipboard.”
“I made that decision. And Buck was right to not give you a charger if you were refusing to fill out the form. He could get into trouble if a charger is taken but not properly accounted for.” Bobby leaned back in his seat and studied the man that he considered a friend. “I think Buck is right. Something is going on with Maddie. She’s the only one that gets you this irrational.”
“Nothing is going on!”
Chimney and Bobby stared at each in other in silence, stunned that Chimney had actually yelled at his captain.
“This is your final chance. Tell me what is going on that you should get a free pass on department policy or we are going to have a further meeting about you working with Buck…with HR. Because I don’t know that I trust you to work with him right now. And if we go in that direction, it won’t be Buck leaving A shift.”
“That’s bullshit, Cap! Just because I won’t bend over backward and tell him things that aren’t his business doesn’t mean that I should have to be the one to leave!”
Bobby stared at Chimney in silence, letting the other man make a choice.
“You can’t say anything to Buck. Maddie doesn’t want him to know anything.”
Bobby didn’t say anything, knowing that he couldn’t make a promise about a situation without any knowledge.
“She has been struggling with things since having Jee. I think she’s depressed but she’s not been diagnosed with anything. That’s why I need the charger. My phone is dead and I need to call and check on her.”
He stared at his captain as the man stood up and paced around his office for a minute. He didn’t understand why Bobby looked so upset.
Finally, Bobby sat back down. “I cannot begin to tell you how disappointed I am in you right now. If she is struggling that much, she could be dealing with Post Partum Depression. And you should have made sure that her doctors know what is going on! It’s your responsibility as her partner to make sure she is getting the help that she needs. As a paramedic, you know exactly how dangerous PPD can be. And you are telling me you have left a woman alone with a baby for days while potentially suffering from PPD.”
“Maddie would never hurt Jee!”
“I cannot take that risk. As a mandated reporter, I am going to have to have someone go by and physically check on both Maddie and Jee.”
Chimney stood up and moved as if to block the door. “No! I don’t give you or anyone else permission to go to my place! You don’t have the right!”
“Yes, I do. I have knowledge of a child in a dangerous situation. That means I have the legal obligation to make sure that your daughter is safe. And the fact that you are ignoring how dangerous this situation could be means that I have some serious concerns about your mental wellbeing at the moment. So while I go take of having some go over to your apartment, you will sit here. You will not leave this office!”
Chim stared in devastation as his captain walked out of the office. He couldn’t believe that a simple request for a charger meant that he had broken his promise to Maddie.
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Bobby hung up with Athena promising to head to check on Maddie as he called for Hen and Eddie. He wanted to keep this situation as above board as possible so knew that he couldn’t send Buck on this call. He gestured for the two to follow him to an ambulance and made sure that no one was close enough to overhear what he was going to say.
“I’m going to send the two of you on a wellness check. Due to the nature of the call, I am asking you to keep this as private as possible. Do not discuss this with either Chimney or Buck. I’m extremely serious about this right now. If you do, I will write you up.”
Hen shared a look with Eddie. “What is going on?”
“Chimney just told me that Maddie has been struggling a lot since Jee was born. He said he suspects she is depressed. But I’m more concerned with the fact that he left a woman who could potentially have PPD alone with a baby during a blackout. So, I am sending the two of you to meet up with Athena. I want you to check on them and decide with Athena what the appropriate action should be. Once you know something, call me. I will handle letting Chim and Buck know after that.”
“You’ve got it, Cap.” Eddie pushed Hen towards the ambulance when it seemed like she was going to stay and ask questions.
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Bobby ran a hand over his face as he walked towards Buck and Ravi.
“Hey, Buck. I need to talk to you for a minute.”
He pulled Buck to a corner to make sure no one could listen in.
“I sent Eddie, Hen, and Athena to check on Maddie. They’ve taken her to the hospital to be checked out on suspicion of her having PPD. Hen said that the Lees were going to take Jee during the blackout and then they would see how things are after that.”
Buck glanced towards Bobby’s office. “Did Chimney know?”
“I’m not sure. He admitted that he thought that she has depression. But that’s all he has said.”
Bobby laid a hand on Buck’s shoulder to make sure that he had the younger man’s attention. “You are to stay away from Chim for right now. I’m currently talking to my boss about how to have Chim undergo an evaluation himself since we’re all hands on deck right now. Until we get that sorted, he’s staying here. I don’t want him to start any more arguments which is why I am asking you to avoid him.”
Buck sighed. “I’m not thrilled about it but I understand.”
Bobby watched the younger man walk back to Ravi and took a deep breath. Maddie and Jee were currently safe. But that didn’t mean that his work was done yet.