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Things were supposed to get better. Sadly, it just seemed to go downhill after the embolism, no one came to the visit after he left the hospital, no calls, no texts. Maddie was at the hospital but she disappeared after taking him home. Then a couple of weeks later after his fight with Bobby, Eddie showed up with Christopher, says a few words before leaving.
More bad luck followed.
He was going stir crazy. So he took up the fire marshal job. Turns out it lead him to seeing the team for the first time in weeks since his party. They barely even acknowledged him, much less say more than two words. Chimney as usual had an insult ready. Despite all that Buck fixed the paperwork on their response time.
He wasn't prepared. That is the first thing that came to mind. Wasn't prepared seeing Eddie laughing with Buck's replacement. Wasn't prepared to feel invisible as he walked through the station. Most of all he wasn't prepared seeing some other name taped over his. It felt like a sucker punch.
Yet white hot anger filled him. It all added up. The isolation he felt and now this. The anger held when Bobby finally noticed him.
"Buck, what are you doing here?"
He saw everyone stop to look at him. Only Eddie and Hen looked guilty. Chimney had immediately pulled out his phone. Buck knew exactly what he was doing.
"I came to give you the report. Tell me, Bobby, do you even want me back?" Buck spoke through clenched teeth.
"Buck..." Bobby tried to placate. "Why are you asking?"
Buck let out a hollow laugh. "Oh I don't know. How about six months of isolation? No calls, no texts, no visits. Or maybe it was the insult Chimney flung my way while the rest of you barely acknowledged me. Or it could be today, where I just walked in and no one looked at me. Maybe it's the fact that you have her name taped over mine when I know for a fact there are five empty spaces."
Eddie moved forward to calm Buck down. He cradled his face in his hands, his face close enough for their noses to touch.
"You need to take a deep breath, carino. You are close to having a panic attack." Eddie whispered lowly.
It almost worked if Chimney had just kept his mouth shut.
"Cap, Maddie says she is on her way to him home."
Buck jerked away from Eddie. He glared at the older man. "Fuck you, Han!" He looked at everyone else, but Eddie, who was pressed against his back. "I hope you all have a nice QUIET day!" He turned to kiss the corner of Eddie's mouth as an apology before storming out of the station.
"Buckley, you asshole!" Chimney yelled behind him as the alarm went off.
Buck was thankful that his day was over when he took the report in. He went straight to the loft, to pack up some clothes and leave his phone and jeep behind after ordering an Uber. Thankfully he changed the locks. He told the building manager to not let anyone in and to call the cops if anyone tries to break in.
He decided Eddie's house as the best place to hide. No one would want upset Eddie or Chris.
Eddie's POV--After Buck Left
While the others were angry, Eddie and Hen looked guilty. They felt like horrible friends. Buck had done nothing to deserve being ignored by them. Eddie felt like shit for ignoring his best friend, soon to be boyfriend, and for turning him into a last minute babysitter.
Eddie made a mental note to apologize to Buck. And to make it up to him. The only way to do that is to throw Maddie under the bus. Where she deserve to be an in his opinion. The woman told them all to give Buck space to heal.
Even though she knew her brother had abandonment issues.
Bobby jumped on that quickly. Chimney would do whatever Maddie wanted. Eddie doesn't know Hen's reasons. But his own is grief, guilt, and anger. Buck's bad luck happened shortly after Shannon died. Eddie just couldn't find a way to cope.
He still can't.
Eddie was brought out of his thoughts by Chimney's rants. The man hasn't shut up since the alarm went off. He kept going on about the shift from hell. How to get rid of jinks. How to get even with Buck for saying the q-word.
"You go near him and I'll make you regret it." Eddie growled at the older man. "If jinks are real, then we deserve this. We abandoned him when he needed us. Maddie can go to hell for all I care. I'm telling Buck what she said. Telling him her lapdog followed orders without hesitation. His pseudo father was also quick to jump on that wagon. Let's see how pissed he'll be then." Eddie threatened.
"Everyone needs to calm down. Let's just get through this shift." Bobby tried to keep control.
The Texan wasn't going to admit it out loud, but it was indeed a shift from hell. Forty back to back calls. The majority of them were dumb calls. Some were just medical and the rest were car accidents. The dumb calls were the ones that got to them. Chimney twisted his ankle on call five, jammed his finger on call twelve, and hit his head on called twenty-five. Bobby broke left ring finger on call three, twisted his knee on call fifteen, nearly dislocated his shoulder on call twenty, and call thirty-two broke his wrist. Eddie and Hen got away with stitches and bruises. Lena got a serious case of bad luck until called thirty when she dislocated her shoulder. Bobby sent her home.
Where the others saw it as a curse, Eddie saw it as a punishment and one that they deserve.
Once the shift was over Eddie went straight home.
"What happened?" Buck asked after Eddie sat down close to him in the couch. Eddie could see the concern in his eyes. Buck reached over to carefully stroke his thumb over the small row of stitches along the top of Eddie's left brow.
"Some teenager thought it would be fun to play with birdshots. When I got out first he decided to shoot at the stop sign close to me. One of the pellets to ricocheted and I moved, thankfully in the right way, or I would have lost my eye."
"Oh Eddie, I'm sorry. No one should have gotten hurt. A jinked shift is only supposed to be dumb calls."
"It was actually a punishment shift. Bobby and Chim got the worst of it. Hen and I only survived with stitches and bruises. Lena dislocated her shoulder towards the end of the shift."
"Punishment for what, baby?" Buck asked softly.
And Eddie began telling Buck everything. From Maddie being the reason no one visited the loft to Bobby mentioning finding a permanent replacement after Lena leaves.
"My sister wanted me isolated just so I would quit. Bobby was never going to take me back." Buck looked dejected.
"It seems that way on Bobby's end. Definitely from Maddie. Evan, listen, I didn't visit because of your sister. I stayed away because I have been trying to find a way to cope. I just feel mad and guilty all the time. I didn't visit because I didn't know want to take it out on you by accident. Lena once took me to a junkyard fight. I let it all out on this guy. In the end I can't go back, because it made me more angry than I actually was."
"I'll find you a way. Even if that means we leave LA." Buck promised as he caressed Eddie's cheek.
"We?" Eddie asked shyly.
"Yes, we. You, me, and Chris. Maybe a fresh start will do us some good."
"Maybe. We should talk to Christopher before making any decisions. Where do you want to go?"
"I don't care as long as I am with you and Christopher." Buck leaned forward to lightly kiss Eddie's lips.
They will definitely be leaving LA as a couple.
"I have the next three days off. The three of us will work everything out. In the mean time I want you to move in and I want us to explore this, make it stronger." He kissed Buck back.
"I'm looking forward to it." Buck replied as he shifted their bodies, using his own to cover Eddie's.
Christopher picked Chicago as soon as they mentioned the idea of a fresh start. The preteen wanted to be far from LA and Texas. Buck and Eddie had agreed, and asked Alonzo to help with the transfer after clearing up Bobby's lies about Buck's condition.
Before moving a month later they got married, Buck mailed the adoption paperwork to Cook County Family Court, and Buck baked Lena an apology cake. The day they were leaving, Eddie walked into Station One Eighteen, A-shift was working.
"Have a nice quiet day. Buck and I are leaving LA." Eddie called out to the team. He laughed as he left, the alarm going off behind him.
~Fin~