Chapter Text
Chris was excited to go home. He was. After so long, he just wanted to see his friends again, the rest of his family, and his dad happy. They had talked a lot when he came to Texas, they learned how to deal with the past, how to face the future, and how to understand and trust each other again. His dad came out, and if Chris was honest, it wasn’t such a surprise. They talked about Eddie’s past relationships with women and how they all ended badly, about his feelings and his guilt toward his mom, and their grief. They talked about her , and how the distance between them hurt their relationship more than Chris’ anger and Eddie’s guilt. And finally, they talked about Buck.
Buck, the one constant in their life. Buck, who was there for most of Chris’s life. Buck who just naturally became like a second parent for the teenager. No, not like, he was Chris’ dad as much as Eddie. And Chris missed him so much, just like Eddie. So they talked about Buck, his place in their life, and Eddie’s feelings for the other man. There was a lot of crying during those discussions, and Eddie admitted his feelings for Buck to his son. But he also said that he didn’t know if he would do anything about them. He wanted to focus on his relationship with Chris, going back to the 118, and not risking losing Buck. He didn’t want Chris to risk losing Buck if Eddie messes up like he always does. And Chris, well Chris did not know what to think about that. He wanted his dad to be happy. Truly happy, because when he thought about it, he didn’t think he ever saw his dad happy, except when he was with Buck. But he was scared too, because what if, because of his dad, he lost Buck? Would Buck distance himself from Chris because of Eddie? He kind of did when he was in Texas. But wasn’t it Chris's fault too?
So yes, Chris was happy. But he was scared too.
As they were getting closer to L.A., Eddie made one last stop to drink a more energized drink, and Chris went to the back seat so he could be more comfortable. Neither of the Diaz boys has said anything to anyone, they wanted it to be a surprise. Buck always loved surprises.
They were just outside of L.A. when it happened. Eddie yawned. Chris knew that his dad was tired. His job as a driver had exhausted him, and that added something to Chris’s guilt, even if his dad was clear that he did not have to feel guilty. It was his own adult decision.
“Dad? You’re sure you don’t want to stop outside the city? You’re pretty tired.” Especially since they were taking other roads than the major ones which were full.
“No, don’t worry mijo,” Eddie yawned again. “We’re just a few miles away. I just need some music to stay awake.”
Chris took his phone out, Eddie yawned again, and looked at the radio to turn it on. And just like that, everything got bad. They heard a honk, and Chris saw bright lights. He tried to say something, but he froze. He heard his dad swear, and suddenly the car jerked to the right and outside of the road. He’s sure he heard his dad tell him to hold on, and suddenly a tree was just in front of them.
There was a loud bang, and everything went black.
***
Maddie couldn’t wait to go home. Those last few days had been draining. The biochemical threats have caused chaos, and when there’s chaos, there are accidents. They had needed all hands on deck, and now, it was almost over. In an hour, she would be able to pick her daughter up and go home with her husband for a well-deserved rest. One hour. What could happen in an hour? Especially after this shift from hell. Her computer lit up, she took a deep breath for some extra strength.
“9-1-1, what’s your emergency?” she asked, with her best soothing voice.
“ Ma-Maddie ?”
She froze. She knew this voice, but it wasn’t possible; he was in Texas. “Chris?”
“Maddie!” She could hear the tears in the boy’s voice, and she just wanted to hug him. “Maddie. We… Dad and I were in an accident. And he’s hurt. And he’s not waking up.” A sob escaped the teenager. “I tried 911, once, and Buck, and you again. Maddie, this is all my fault.”
“Chris!” The boy stopped suddenly, but didn’t stop crying. “Chris, I need you to take a deep breath and explain to me what happened.”
She heard him breathe a few times. “Sorry. Dad and I were coming to L.A. We wanted it to be a surprise. But dad, dad is tired, and he wanted to listen to some music so he could stay awake. Suddenly, there was a car in front of us. Dad dodged it, but we collided with a tree. And something fell on the front of the car. And dad is not waking up.” And he was sobbing again.
“It’s okay, Chris. It’s going to be okay.” She tried to be the most reassuring possible. “What about you? Are you hurt?”
“I- I don’t think so. I hit my head, it hurts, and I just woke up.”
She tapped on her computer. “Where are you in the car? Can you move?”
“Backseat. I- I can yes.”
“Good. Can you take a look at your dad? I know it’s not easy, but can you?”
There was silence. Too long for her.
“Chris?”
“Yes. Sorry.” She heard some ruffling and then a sob. “Maddie. He’s bleeding. He’s not waking up. I- I don’t want to lose him. It’s all because of me.”
And right now, she was hating her job. She wanted to stay with the boy, hug him, and tell him that everything was going to be okay.
“Chris, don’t say that. I need you to stay focused. Can you do that for me, buddy?” She knew that it would help him to panic less.
“Ye- Yeah.”
“Great. Do you know how to check for a pulse?”
“Dad taught me.”
“Perfect, I need you to do that if you can access your dad without hurting yourself.”
There was a pause. Something in her stirred; she didn’t want Chris to find his dad dead. She didn’t want to tell the rest of the 118, and her brother, that Eddie was dead.
“Mad-” a hiccup. “I can’t. No, wait. I found it.”
“That’s great, Chris. You did great. I have your location. I’m going to send help.”
“I-” the boy choked on tears, and Maddie was crying too. “I want Buck. I need Buck. Please, Maddie.”
“I know. I’m sending them to you. Don’t worry. Can you tell me if you smell gas or smoke?”
“No. But I can see a part of the tree on the car.”
Maddie tensed when she heard the slur in his voice.
“Chris! I need you to stay awake for me. Okay? They’re coming.”
“I’m not sleeping.”
“Great. So you planned a surprise for Buck?” She needed him to talk, and as he started to explain it, a smile in his voice, she connected her call to the 118. “Dispatch for Captain 118.”
“Captain 118 for Dispatch.” She heard the tiredness in Bobby’s voice, and she knew she wasn’t supposed to send them, but she also knew they needed to be on the scene.
“I’m sending you to a car accident. Collision with a tree. Two passengers. One in the backseat, a teenager, probable concussion. The driver is unconscious, the car crashed into the tree, and some of the tree fell on the car. The driver is still alive, he has a pulse.”
“Maddie, can-” Bobby started. She knew he wanted to take the 118n off for the last hours of their shift.
“Bobby, it’s Eddie and Chris in the car.”
“Copy dispatch. We’re on our way.”
And with that, she returned to her call with Chris.
“Chris? You’re still here?”
“Yes. Sorry, I’m tired.”
“I know, buddy. But you need to stay awake. Tell me, what’s the last movie you saw?”
And they kept chatting, she tried to keep his mind occupied so he wouldn't panic too much. But at some point, he stopped talking. She called him multiple times. Her voice breaking, tears streaming down her face. She took a shaky breath.
“Dispatch for 118.” Her voice broke. “The ca- Chris just lost consciousness. Are you close?”
“We’re here, dispatch.” And she knew Bobby well enough to hear the tremor in his voice.
***
Bobby wanted to curse God. Yes, it was this bad. His team had suffered enough lately, and now they needed to save their own family from a collision. They were all exhausted, but at least, they were glad that it was them on the call. He’d rather be with them to take care of Eddie and Chris. He looked toward the crib. Buck was pale and jittery. He could already see the tears rolling from his eyes. Hen and Chim were sleep-deprived, stressed, but Hen was wearing her professional mask, her hand on Buck’s leg, trying to sooth him. Ravi looked lost and empty. He knew two ambulances were following the engine, one for each Diaz, and the thought of it twisted something in his stomach.
They arrived at the scene in record time. Buck jumped out of the truck even before it was fully stopped. He swore, yes, his team would work on the scene, but he needed Buck to stay back. So he jumped out and intercepted the young man.
“Buck, no.”
“Bobby, please!” his voice broke, and he knew the younger man could not put out a fight.
“Buck. You can’t. Look at you, your whole body is shaking. You're in no shape.”
“Cap, I-” but he choked on his tears.
“Buck.” He grabbed the young firefighter by his shoulders and forced him to make eye contact. “Let us take care of them, okay? You’ll ride with them. Trust us.”
He saw the mental war and turmoil behind the other man's eyes, but he nodded, so Bibby let go to take care of the scene. His team had already started without him, he was so proud of them for that. They were capable, smart, and adaptable. Chris was the first one out of the car and on a gurney, Hen and Chim exchanged a glance, nodded, and Chim left with Chris. They would not let either of the two go without someone they knew. Bobby followed Chim back to the ambulance, where Buck was pacing, biting his lips. He stopped as soon as he saw Chris, who was starting to regain consciousness.
“Buck?” Chris’s voice was small, like the one he had when he was still a kid.
Buck rushed to his side, immediately started to pass a hand through his hair.
“I’m here, Chris. I’m here.”
“I’m sorry.” And Chris started to cry, Bobby’s heart broke.
“It’s okay, Superman. I got you.”
Bobby stepped in and used his captain’s voice.
“Buck, you ride with him and Chim.”
“But cap!”
He knew that Buck wanted to stay with Eddie. But he also knew he didn’t want to leave Chris alone. So someone needed to make the choice for him.
“The kid needs you, Buck. It’s okay, we’ll take care of Eddie.”
Buck nodded, crying, his shoulder seeming a bit less tense. “Thanks, cap.”
And with one last look at Eddie’s truck, Buck jumped in the ambulance. Bobby caught Chim’s eyes, who nodded before he closed the doors. Bobby sighed; he needed to call his wife. Buck wasn’t alone right now, but he knew that someone else would be good for Buck, and him.
***
A surprise. It was all a surprise. They got into this accident because they wanted to surprise him. And now, he had to wait for Chris to get checked by the doctors, and for Eddie to arrive. A cup of coffee materialized in front of him, and when he looked up, he saw Athena. Athena, who was here as soon as they got to the hospital. Who hugged him and Chim, with so much strength and love that he felt a little bit better.
“Come on, honey, you both need something.”
The door opened again, and the rest of his team, his family, and Eddie. Eddie who was unconscious, bloodied, and had pieces of glass and wood in him. He almost threw up when he heard that Eddie was in the ambulance. All he wanted was to lie down and cry, but no, because they needed him. So he watched the doctors take his best friend away from him, and did his best not to break. But as soon as Bobby spotted him, the older man made a beeline and hugged him. Buck couldn’t breathe, but it was good, and maybe just for a few seconds, in his captain’s arms, he could break and let himself go.