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Nothing good ever comes from the rain. It gets you buried under thirty feet of mud and dangling lifelessly from a ladder. But it’s an unavoidable villain as a thunderstorm wreaks havoc across L.A. county. The department’s stretched thin at the seams and, for the first time maybe ever, the 118 ends up right on the edge of the Pacific Coast Highway.
In all Buck's years on the job, he’s never faced anything quite like it: A camper van, thrown on its side, crumpled on a tiny ledge jutting out of an otherwise sheer drop-off to the rocky ocean below. A mother and her two girls were traveling up the coast when the storm grew untamable and they swerved off the cliffside. The mom managed to call 911 but she lost consciousness before dispatch could get much out of her, so they’re going in blind. They don’t even have their names.
The rain is pelting, flying at an angle that stings Buck directly in the eyes as he exits the engine. Bobby’s yelling out orders, fighting to be heard over the wind, but Buck knows his role. He suits up in his harness, helmet, and goggles with Eddie on his left and Ravi on his right. The others are busy running around setting up the winch and prepping the ambulance. The ritual of double-checking every strap and buckle meant to keep Eddie safe soothes a piece of Buck’s soul. They lock eyes and tap forearms in their promise to make it home.
“You and me?” Eddie asks like always.
“You and me.”
Rappelling down an easily hundred-foot cliff was certainly not on Buck’s bucket list of fun, at least at this point in his life. Not when the rocky side was slick with mud, and the bottom awaited towering waves thrashing against jagged rocks. Thankfully, the ledge is less than 20 feet down so they make it to the crash site fairly quick.
“I’m retrieving the driver now, over,” Eddie reports as he perches on top of the vehicle to pry open the front door, where the woman lies passed out and bleeding profusely from her head.
There isn’t much room for Buck to stand on the outskirts of the van, but he makes do so he can clamp support cables to the frame while Ravi does the same by the trunk. Over the whistling wind and the clanking rain, a little girl’s cries for help can be heard from deep in the camper. Eddie hollers back reassurances and instructs the kids to stay where they are. They’re running out of time by the second.
Buck tests the hold—as secure as it’s gonna get—he reaches for his radio, “Ready Ravi?”
“Yup, van’s secured Cap! Working on getting the kids now,” Ravi pulls his halligan off his belt and starts in on the slightly crunched back door.
Before Ravi’s finished speaking Buck slips back to his best friend’s side to steady the rescue basket. The C-collar’s already on and Eddie’s in the middle of a sternal rub, which stirs the woman the barest amount. He counts them down for her transfer into the stretcher.
“I have a visual on the kids! One of the girls is trapped under a fridge, but she’s awake and responsive. Her sister’s sat free next to her but she has a broken arm and ankle, I’m gonna need a basket. ”
Buck waits til Eddie has a firm hand on the patient before letting go, “Ride up with her I’ll go assist Ravi.”
Eddie nods short and to the point, “Be right back, okay?” his brown eyes implore with promise as he speaks into the comms, “Driver’s ready for transport—bring us up.”
“Copy,” Bobby’s voice crackles, “get those kids out and we’ll have the basket back to you ASAP.”
Buck watches him ascend for all of a second before testing the side door of the camper. It pops open easily enough, but the inside looks like it’s gone through a hurricane. The shattered remains of furniture and glass make getting to Ravi in the back more of a challenge than Buck appreciates.
A toddler who couldn’t be older than four is strapped to Ravi’s chest, whimpering quietly with her head tucked in. He’s tapping at the trapped girl’s feet and meets Buck’s eyes with a slight shake of his head. Fuck.
Buck talks into his radio as softly as he can manage, “Potential spinal injury, we need that basket back now.”
“Already on my way back to you,” says Eddie.
He squats down to the girl's level. The fridge isn’t even four feet long but only her head and the tips of her feet stick out from under it. Getting the C-collar on her before they lift it is impossible.
“Hi, my name’s Buck. Can I get yours?”
“Jo…Joana,” the weight pressing down crushes her ribs and diaphragm. The whole situation’s eerily similar to how Eddie ended up when the overpass crumbled.
“Ok Joana, I’m gonna start to lift this off you and it’s really important for you to stay still—as still as possible. My friend Ravi here is going to put a collar around your neck, it might be a little uncomfortable but it’s to keep you safe while we get you out of here. I know it’s gonna hurt but you gotta stay still, okay?
“P—promise,” the poor girl’s a crying mess, snot and tears running freely.
Buck counts them down and it moves quickly after that. Once Joana’s free and the collar is on she’s screaming and sobbing and there’s nothing that can fix it, not while they’re still on this stupid ledge.
“I’m here!” Eddie calls as he sweeps through the open car door, easing the basket over to avoid getting the line caught on debris. They transfer Joana and strap her in tight. Both girls have calmed, their sobs turning into sniffles, but the thunder is relentless as it booms overhead.
“We’re coming up Cap,” Ravi radios as Buck and Eddie carry the basket out of the camper.
The storm has grown in rage in the short time they’ve been sheltered. If anyone was speaking Buck couldn’t hear it. The gales whip their lines in a harsh bow, and Ravi has to take over the basket to keep both girls stable and close to the cliff. They let him gain some healthy distance before Eddie gives the signal to move with a simple tap to Buck’s shoulder.
They barely make it five feet up.
It happens faster than Buck’s brain can process, not hearing the lines snap before the world is torn away from him. The van below greets him with a vengeance, his body exploding into pain, and radio static rattling in his ears, but all that’s racing through his mind is Eddie.
Eddie.
Eddie, Eddie, Eddie,
Where is Eddie?
But then like an angel, he appears, blurring past as he rolls off the edge.
No.
Why is Eddie rolling away?
That’s not how it works, they’re a package deal.
It’s pure animal instinct that has Buck lunging, gripping Eddie’s hand before he registers that they’re dangling. The ocean eighty feet below, a waiting jailor. His other hand grips the camper's frame with the greatest display of strength in his entire life. But he can feel the metal creaking and the earth shifting underneath it. The wind’s ripping right through them, certainly not helping Buck’s fight against gravity, but Eddie’s scream still carries.
“Buck—!”
“Eddie! I got you, I got you—”
“Buck listen—”
“Ravi’s coming back down, I see him!”
“Buck, please—!”
“I think they’re sending more people down! It’s okay just hang on—”
“Evan, look at me!” his helmet and goggles partly obscure his face, but Eddie’s never looked so defeated, “You have to let me go.”
“No, absolutely not—”
“You can’t lift yourself up like this!”
Buck resolves his grip, breaking the bones in Eddie’s hand for all he cares, “I don’t give a fuck Eddie, I’m not letting go.”
“Chris needs one of us to make it out of here!”
“Chris needs you ! He needs me to do everything I can to get you home! How could I ever look at him again knowing I let you die—”
“Buck, I love you, ” Eddie’s voice cracks, vocal cords ripped to shreds.
“No—”
“I love you so much it’s hard to breathe around it.”
“NO. Stop! We’re not doing this here.”
“I wish we weren’t! I wish I told you sooner, I wish we had more time, I wish I did everything differently! But it’s too late, you have to let me go —”
In the end, it doesn’t matter.
The rock was always going to crumble, the rain was always going to pour, and they were always going to run out of time.
The air feels suspended as they hurtle towards certain death. Buck knows the fall won’t last more than a few seconds, so he pulls Eddie into his arms and twists around to act like the shield he was born to be. A last-ditch effort fight against fate, but it’s one Buck would always try. He’d swing at the reaper until his hands were bloody stumps. He’d drag himself to the battle line until his bones crumpled to ash among the dirt. Anything if it got Eddie back home to Christopher.
Eddie holds onto him with equal fervor. It’s the closest they’ve ever been, and they may only get to have it for these few seconds, but it’s worth a thousand lifetimes. Buck squeezes him tighter and tucks his face into Eddie’s hair.
He breathes the only words that could ever be his last,
“I love you too.”
The water hits like cement.
Eddie can’t believe he’s drowning again . He expected to die on impact, not choke on seawater. The waves rattle him around like he’s nothing more than a rock in its shoe. He fights to right himself but his muscles are on fire and his joints threaten to snap.
Buck.
Buck.
Where’s Buck?
He opens his eyes underwater, not giving a fuck about the burn. It’s turbulent and disorienting, but he sees the love of his life’s shadow regardless—sinking slowly into the darkness.
No.
He finds it in him to kick, pouncing through the water.
He won’t let Buck's dead weight be too heavy this time.
He locks an arm around Buck’s waist and tears to the surface. He breaks through with a gasp, panting and pushing Buck up as high as he can. He wishes he could call Buck’s name, get his attention, check in with him, but it’s far too much exertion to talk.
The rain sprays them in the face and the waves pull them forward. They’re headed to a tiny patch of shore, so Eddie accepts the current and kicks along. He’s losing energy fast but he can hold on a little longer.
He doesn’t have much of a choice.
Meeting solid ground again has him crying out in relief, but he still has to push through and get Buck farther from the water. Eddie’s ankle is definitely sprained, and he’s faintly aware of the pain radiating in his torso, but adrenaline is a hell of a drug. They get just out of reach from the waves’ warpath and Eddie lets them drop in a heap.
He checks his pulse, and oh—
Oh no.
Not again, this can’t be happening again.
Buck’s ribs already feel broken but he has no choice as he starts throwing his weight into chest compressions. He stops to breathe life into Buck’s body with the only thing he has: his mouth, his lungs, his air.
This shouldn’t be the first meeting of their lips, with Buck on the brink of death and unknowing. His taste shouldn’t be masked by salt and misery. Their first kiss was supposed to be happy.
He can’t even track how long his heart has been stopped. Has it been longer than three minutes and seventeen seconds? Shorter? The not knowing has Eddie spiraling.
After another round of rescue breaths, he has just enough of a warning to get Buck on his side before he’s coughing up water.
“Buck, baby, I’m here, it’s okay, we’re okay,” he’s still hacking but at least now it’s only on air, Eddie cups his face between his hands and tries to shield Buck from the rain, “You with me sweetheart? Let me check you over.”
Buck groans in acquiescence, his eyes bleary, yet tunnel-visioned on Eddie’s face. It’s a weak effort, but he raises his left hand to wipe under Eddie’s nose and his fingers come away red. He hadn’t noticed he was bleeding—though now that he’s aware of it, his nose throbs with a severity that lets Eddie know it’s broken. But truly that’s the least of their worries.
He takes Buck’s hand and gently lowers it, “I’m fine, let me focus on you okay?”
An initial once-over reveals the true beating Buck’s body has taken. His right scapula and clavicle are shattered, his left knee and right hip both dislocated, and Buck’s breathing is so stunted and shallow that Eddie can only hope his broken ribs didn’t puncture a lung.
Eddie wouldn’t be surprised if Buck has a concussion the way he’s being so still and quiet, but how does he test for that? Wait, he should remember the protocol. Why doesn’t he remember the protocol? Oh god, does he have a concussion?
“So…” Buck slurs, “how d’ya think… they’re gonna… get down ‘ere? …place ya’ bets.”
“They’re probably gonna call the Coast Guard in, or the 217.”
“God…please don’... let it be Tommy, I…I can’t… ‘andle seeing his face righ’ now.”
That has them breaking out in delirious giggles that quickly turn into cringes of pain. Yeah, Eddie’s ribs are definitely broken too. Great.
Buck turns a new shade of pale and his eyes flutter dangerously. The rain batters Eddie’s bruised back but he stretches over as much of Buck’s body as he can and slaps his cheek with just enough power to get his attention, “Buck stay with me, you gotta stay with me til help arrives.”
“Mmh, I’m sorry… I’m ‘wake promise…,” his eyes glaze over, “Did I tell you I love you?”
Eddie can’t help but sob, “Yes, yes, you did. I love you too, so much,” he clings onto Buck’s face tighter, brushing over his birthmark in a soothing rhythm, “Just stay awake baby, they’re almost here, we’re almost out. It’ll all be over soon”
He presses his lips to Buck’s forehead before leaning his head down to connect them. It’s agonizing. His body’s protesting, burning alive at the hunch, but it’s a small feat if it means touching Buck.
“I never knew love could feel like this, you changed my life, Buck.”
“Eds,” Buck’s voice grates like something’s bubbling in his throat, his hand coming up to Eddie’s cheek again, guiding him up far enough to make eye contact, “I woulda married you.”
There’s blood on his teeth.
“No, no, no, no you will marry me. You hear me? We’re getting out of here and we’re getting married. In a courthouse or on a beach or whatever you want.”
“A beach… doesn’ sound… too great righ’ now”
Even at a time like this, one of the worst moments of their lives, Buck can never fail to make him laugh. His side throbs in vengeance, “Yeah that’s true. Maybe let’s worry about moving in together first.”
“Kay, but…. jus’ in case…. kiss me?”
His hand has fallen back down to the sand, his breaths growing slower apart, and there is absolutely nothing Eddie can do. Their lips meet for a proper kiss filled with desperation and the tang of iron. It’s everything he’s ever needed, everything he may never have.
He can feel Buck fading below him, his soul ripping in two.
Then, he hears it. The very sound that’s haunted his nightmares for the better part of a decade. The chop of the helicopter’s wings—the miracle they’ve been waiting for. Eddie pulls away and turns to look over his shoulder the best his body will allow. Two 217 paramedics descend on a swaying ladder.
Tears free-flow down Eddie’s face, lost in the blend of rain and the mixture of their blood. He turns back to Buck and in the few seconds Eddie’s eyes were off him, he’s lost consciousness.
“No, no, Buck, wake up! They’re here, we made it! You have to wake up, please you have to,”
The shaking is useless and the stinging in his chest swells, radiating out down the lines of his veins in a fury. The paramedics reach the ground and he doesn’t even register what he’s screaming, only that he is. It all plays out to Eddie like a movie, like he’s viewing himself from outside his body.
“Please! You have to help him, he just passed out! He’s bleeding internally, his—his ribs are crushed, it may have punctured a lung—and his shoulder and clavicle are broken, and, and his legs, they’re—they’re dislocated—”
One of them touches his shoulder, “It’s okay, you’re in good hands. We got it from here."
It all comes crashing down on him, the adrenaline seeping out, taken by the tide. There’s nothing left to do but collapse as Eddie’s vision turns to black.
Eddie hates waking up in the hospital. It always comes back to him in the same way. The beeping of the monitors lures him out of the darkness, the stench of disinfectant assaults his nose, and the fluorescent lights jab daggers in his eyes, closed or not. An involuntary groan croaks out of him as the ache engulfing his body sets in.
“Dad?”
That gets Eddie to open his eyes, “Chris?”
“Dad .”
There he is. His son, the light of his life, his true north. Sitting by his bedside with red-rimmed eyes and a death grip on his hand. Eddie thought he’d never see him again.
He doesn’t notice Tia Pepa’s in the room until she’s sticking a straw into his mouth. That’s really nice actually, Eddie hadn’t registered how dry his throat was.
“You gave us quite the scare, Eddie.”
“Bu—uck, is he? Did he?”
“Oh, yes, he’s ok Eddie. He had to go through several surgeries, and he’s still asleep but the doctors are confident he’ll be just fine in time. His sister and your captain are with him.”
That eases the tension he was carrying, he lets his eyes slip closed in relief, “How long have I been out?”
“Almost two days,” Chris says.
“You didn’t exactly get off easy kid. Your spleen ruptured . Your ribs were almost shattered beyond repair. You and your boy are very lucky to be alive.”
“Guess I’m joining Karen in the no-spleen club—”
Chris lets out a wet laugh, “ Dad, really?”
“—Edmundo—”
“I know, I’m sorry. No more cliffs for us, though I doubt Bobby’s gonna let us do rope rescues anytime soon.”
“Like you’re going to be back at work anytime soon,” Tia Pepa grumbles as she presses the nurse call button.
A heavy weight falls back over Christopher’s eyes, God, the things he’s put his kid through. He gives his hand a light squeeze, “Have you gotten to see Buck?”
“He’s still in the ICU, but Hen helped distract the nurses so Bobby could sneak me in,” his voice drops to almost a whisper, “I was scared you were both gonna die.”
“I’m sorry mijo,” Eddie tugs until Chris gently lays his head against his shoulder. He leans against the top of his hair, closes his eyes, and breathes him in. Chris is growing up faster than he can handle, but he’ll always be his baby, “We’ll always fight to come back. Nothing in this world could stop my love for you.”
“I know Dad, I love you too.”
Tears slowly trail down his cheeks and Eddie never wants to let go.
It takes Buck three days to wake up. Too familiar with the feel of a hospital bed at this point, it doesn’t come as a surprise anymore. He distantly knows his body is one big bruise and splintered lines of bones—casts cover his shoulder, knee, and hip, he can already tell recovery is going to be a bitch—but at least they got him on the good drugs.
It takes a second to focus his eyes on the blurry world taking shape around him. Maddie comes into view, reading a book as she warms the seat by his bedside.
His throat feels like sandpaper but he has to try, “Mads…”
“Oh my god Evan!” She instantly springs into action reading his vitals and giving him her water. The nurse training never truly leaves her, especially when it comes to taking care of him, “Drink slowly, you’ve been out for three days. Eddie’s okay, he’s been up since yesterday, and you’re both expected to make a full recovery. He’s been asking to see you.”
“I need to see him, Maddie,” Buck says when he finds the strength to talk again.
She brushes her fingers through his hair, uncaring about the grease, “Now that you’re awake there may be a better chance, but you both have major abdominal trauma, Buck, they don’t want you moving around yet.”
“But—”
“I know, I know, Bobby and Hen are working on it. Let me go tell them you’re awake.”
She presses a kiss to his birthmark before she gets up and stops right before the door, looking back at him with a watery smile, “I love you.”
“I love you too. Thank you .”
As soon as the door cracks he hears Bobby, “Respectfully I don’t care what the protocol is. They fell off a cliff, let them see each other.”
“It’s not safe to transfer either one of them into a wheelchair yet—”
“Eddie’s in stable condition and far better off,” Hen’s voice cuts through, “Can’t we wheel his bed into Buck’s room?”
The doctor stammers, “I—but—he’s not awake yet—”
“Actually, he just woke up,” Maddie says, “and he’s asking to see Eddie.”
Buck can vividly imagine the stare-down the three of them are committing against his poor doctor. But if it brings him Eddie, he’ll feel no remorse.
Twenty minutes later Bobby is holding the door open for the nurses, and nothing else could ever matter when he catches sight of Eddie propped up at an angle with Chris trailing behind him. They wheel the bed over so they are side by side with barely a gap between them. No pain medication could bring Buck this type of relief.
Chris wraps his arms gently around Buck's neck, “I love you, Buck, you did it. You brought Dad back to me, thank you.”
Buck cradles him with his good arm, “Always. I love you too, more than you’ll ever know.”
They pull apart and Chris is wiping at his eyes and scrunching his mouth in a way that’s all Eddie. Bobby comes over to ruffle Buck’s hair which never fails to make him smile.
“I thought you’d like to know, all three patients from the call made it through. I’m proud of you boys, though I hope we never end up in a situation like this again,” he sighs and places a hand on Chris’s shoulder, “We’ll give you two some time. Everyone can’t wait to see you.”
They’re alone at last, and locking eyes, and there’s nothing more that Buck wants than to crawl out of this damn bed and under Eddie’s skin. He’ll settle for meeting Eddie’s hand in the middle for now.
“I’d do it all again in a heartbeat.”
“I know you would,” Eddie shifts closer despite the grimace overtaking his face at the movement, “You died on me again Buck. Your heart wasn’t beating when I dragged you out, I had to—I don’t even know how long—”
“Oh, Eddie…” Buck cracks a wisp of a smile, “I’m here, we made it. You brought me back to life. You always do.”
Eddie shifts over the bars between them in a move that would have every medical professional screaming, but who is Buck to refuse the closeness as his jaw is cupped between delicate hands.
“I’ll always save you, as long as I’m breathing, I’m fighting for you.”
Buck can’t help but kiss him. His body is angry at the movement, so he can’t imagine what it must feel like for Eddie, yet nothing could pull them away from each other. It’s seven years in the making and the intensity reflects that, the staleness in their mouths be damned. It’s encapsulating and world rebuilding and just the start of the rest of their lives. When the pain gets to be too much Eddie leaves him with one last peck and a vow.
“It’s you and me.”
Tracing over the bow of Eddie’s lips it’s the easiest oath he’ll ever sign,
“It’s always you and me.”