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Evan Buckley’s arm ached under the weight of the cast as he lay in the hospital bed, the same sterile white lights overhead feeling somehow harsher every time he found himself here. It wasn’t his first broken bone, and it likely wouldn’t be his last. But today, as he stared up at the ceiling, he couldn’t help but let a flicker of disappointment settle in. He hated feeling like this. Incapacitated, slowing down the team.
The door cracked open.
“Couldn’t resist another hospital stay, huh?”
Buck tilted his head with a small grin, finding Tommy leaning against the door frame, arms crossed, the tiniest glimmer of a smile hiding beneath his serious expression.
"Had to keep things interesting,” Buck said with a shrug.
Tommy rolled his eyes and stepped closer, taking the seat beside Buck’s bed with a sigh. “I leave for five minutes, and you decide to go full demolition mode.”
“I like to keep you on your toes,” Buck murmured. But it softened when Tommy reached out, his hand resting carefully on Buck’s uninjured arm. “Guess I didn’t do a great job this time, huh?”
Tommy’s gaze softened as he shook his head. "More like you did too great a job." He let out a sigh, thumb tracing small circles over Buck’s wrist. "But I’m here now, so… I’ll make sure you get some rest for once.”
“Don’t sound too excited,” Buck said with a laugh. Tommy gave him a soft look, his hand staying steady.
"Hey, I’m serious. I’ll take the night off if that’s what it takes to keep you from—” Tommy paused, his voice dropping to a gentler tone. “—from hurting yourself again.”
Buck looked at him, something unspoken passing between them. “Thanks,” he whispered, the playfulness in his eyes softening to something real, vulnerable. “I mean it.”
Tommy squeezed his hand. “You don’t have to say it,” he murmured. "Just try not to break anything else, alright?”
A quiet laugh slipped from Buck’s lips, and he relaxed a bit more into the hospital bed, Tommy’s steady presence next to him grounding him in a way that made all the difference.