Work Text:
Bobby stared into Buck's room as his doctor explained the surgery that he had just come out of.
Apparently, the poor kid's date had ended disastrously with Buck choking on some bread and his date doing a procedure that she was not qualified to do on the restaurant floor.
"Our biggest concern for Mr. Buckley is an infection as the restaurant is not a sanitary place to perform this kind of procedure. So, we went ahead and started him on a course of antibiotics to try to get ahead of any issues there. The other issue we are going to have watch closely is the damage to his vocal cords. The woman who performed this procedure did not have any medical experience. Even though someone apparently walked her through what to do, she was slightly off and nicked his vocal cords. That's what the surgery we just finished was for. It repaired the damage that was done."
Bobby ran a hand over his head. Only Buck could go on a date and have emergency surgery performed on the restaurant floor. "How severe is the damage?"
"Fortunately, the damage was minor. We were able to go in and repair it with no difficulties. We will be keeping him for a couple of days to monitor the healing process and make sure there are no surprises. But we don't expect him to have any long-term issues."
Bobby let out a nearly silent sigh of relief before turning back to the doctor.
"As you are the only person listed on Mr. Buckley's records, you will be the only person allowed to visit him until he wakes up and we can check him over. We don't want him speaking a lot while his throat heals so do your best to keep him calm if he wakes up while you are with him."
Bobby agreed to let someone know when Buck started showing signs of waking up before going to sit with the young man that he was starting to care a great deal about.
It saddened Bobby to know that whoever Buck's family was, they didn't seem to care about their son at all. That made it even more important for Bobby to act as Buck's voice in this particular medical matter. As long as Buck wasn't able to talk, Bobby would have to step up and make sure Buck's rights and interests were protected.
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Bobby leaned forward when he heard Buck start shifting on the bed. He quickly stood up as he saw Buck's eyes open and placed a hand on Buck's shoulder.
"Hey, Buck. You're in the hospital. But I need you to not say anything right now. You were hurt and I will help explain everything to you."
He quickly pressed the call button for the nurses as he continued to explain what had happened.
"You were on a date with Abby. Do you remember?"
Buck looked over at his captain before slowly nodding.
"Good. You choked on a piece of bread and ended up passing out. Abby called for help but thought that the paramedics were too far away so asked for help to cut into your trachea to allow you to breathe around the bread."
Bobby caught Buck's hand when he automatically reached for his throat. He moved out of the way as a nurse entered the room but tried to stay within Buck's eyesight.
His doctor walked into the room as the nurse was finishing her checks and did his own of the surgical site. As he worked, he explained to Buck what the surgery had been for and what he expected for the firefighter's recovery.
Buck looked past the doctor to Bobby, who nodded in agreement when the doctor told him that he should recover with no issues as long as everything went well.
While it was clear that the young man wasn't thrilled to be told not to talk for the next few days, he nodded in agreement as the doctor went over what to expect. He didn't like the idea of enforced silence but liked the idea of permanent damage even less.
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Buck handed Bobby a card as he listened to his captain explain in more detail what he knew about the restaurant.
"I haven't talked to Abby myself since they would only let those listed in your files be here while you were unconscious. But she performed a very risky procedure on you. So, you will need to figure out how you feel about that before you meet with her."
Buck glanced up at Bobby before holding up three fingers.
"Go fish."
Bobby laughed as Buck made a face at him.
"Are you willing to listen to some advice?"
Buck nodded and grabbed his water.
"I have a lot of reservations about what Abby did. She wasn't trained for any kind of medical procedure, so she was taking a very big risk with your life. But she did end up saving your life. So, you will need to decide how you feel about the risks she took."
There was silence for a few minutes before Buck grabbed a pen and paper. _What did she try to do to save me before she cut into my throat? _
"I only know the basics. I do know a waiter tried to perform the Heimlich on you. But not much else."
Buck decided to put it out of his mind for now. When he could talk again, he would ask Abby what had happened and why the 9-1-1 operator that she had spoken to had suggested such a risky procedure. For now, he would simply enjoy spending time with the only man who had ever given him positive attention without there being a catch involved.