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“Eddie, can you hear me?”
Glancing over his shoulder, Eddie saw Bobby. He was standing incredibly close, too close for the softness of his voice to make sense. “Bobby?”
Relief washed over Bobby’s face. “Finally,” he said. “Finally you’re hearing me.”
Eddie frowned. “How are you here?”
“I never left, Eddie.”
“You did,” Eddie insisted. “You’re gone, Bobby. You … died.”
“I died,” Bobby agreed easily. “But I didn’t leave. I’m here because you still need me.”
“Me?” Confusion danced through Eddie’s mind. “Bobby, there are others who need you more than me.”
“Maybe,” Bobby said. “But you need me too. And I’m not going anywhere. I’m here for you, Eddie. I’ve been trying to make you hear me for weeks.”
“Why?” Eddie asked, swallowing back the words, ‘you should have given up’.
“Because—”
Jolting sharply, Eddie gasped as shock ricocheted through his body and he snapped abruptly from sleep to painful waking. Hands darting across his bed, Eddie took a few moments to orientate to the darkness washing the room, grounding himself against the softness of his sheets. “Bobby?” he whispered.
Silence was his only answer.
Rolling onto his back, Eddie sighed into the night, staring at his ceiling. The dream was bright in his mind, every word a brilliant memory.
It had felt so real . For a few moments, Eddie had really felt as though he was there with Bobby … there—somewhere. He didn’t know where they had been, only that Bobby had been right beside him, his familiar calm curving around Eddie with every shared word.
An ache woke deep in Eddie’s core, carving through his belly and up into his chest as he realised the moment was gone, that Bobby was gone. And Eddie was alone, lying in bed, wide awake and staring into the dark as grief crashed through him anew.
Flipping onto his belly, Eddie buried his face in his pillow to smother his cries as tears sprang to his eyes.
He sobbed himself back to sleep.
<*-*>
“Eddie.”
The voice seemed to come from everywhere. Eddie didn’t know where to look. Instead, he sighed and murmured, “Hi, Bobby. You’re back.”
“I’m still here,” Bobby corrected him. “I never left.”
“Right,” Eddie said, sitting down. He didn’t know what he was sitting on, the space appeared to be empty. But he was sitting nonetheless. “Because I need you.”
“Because you need me,” Bobby agreed.
Looking around, Eddie tried to find him. Unsure which direction was left and which was right, he moved his head until a shape swam into view. “Bobby.”
“Hello, Eddie.” Bobby moved closer, smiling. He sat down next to Eddie, sitting on the invisible nothingness. “How are you?”
“I’ve been better,” Eddie sighed. “Losing you … I don’t know what to do with all that pain.”
“Feel it,” Bobby said.
“I don’t want to,” Eddie replied. “You don’t know how much it hurts.”
“I have some idea,” Bobby murmured. Shuffling closer, he reached forwards. His hand brushed against Eddie’s knee, then slipped right through it. Eddie felt it without feeling it. “I’m worried about you, Eddie.”
“About me?” Eddie was surprised. “Why?”
“You and Buck … you need to grieve together. With each other, not against each other.”
Taken aback, Eddie hesitated, then asked slowly, “How do you … know about that?”
“I’m dead, Eddie. I’m watching over you. I saw the fight. I see the tension. And now Buck’s moving out. This isn’t supposed to happen.”
“Well, he can’t live on the couch forever,” Eddie said. “Now I’m back in LA … I mean, I didn’t plan for this. I thought I’d stay in Texas.”
“No reason you can’t share the house,” Bobby said mildly. “I can see what’s happening, Eddie. You’re turning away from each other but you need to come together.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Eddie grouched.
“Yes,” Bobby said. “You do.”
Bowing his head, Eddie was silent for a moment. Then he murmured, “Buck’s different without you. I don’t know how to reach him through this.”
“You could try kissing him,” Bobby said.
Eddie snapped his head up. “What?”
Eyes twinkling, Bobby just smiled.
And Eddie woke up.
Eyes snapping open as the peal of his alarm broke through the morning, Eddie groaned and rolled towards his nightstand, slapping the alarm off. But he lay in bed for a few moments, replaying the conversation. Like the first dream, it stuck with him as clear as crystal, every word sharp and coloured. It felt real, as though they’d been sitting together over coffee to have one of their deep chats.
Sighing, Eddie roughed a hand across his sleepy face and clambered from the bed.
Buck had spent the night at Maddie’s, so the house was eerie and still as Eddie padded through to the kitchen to start the coffee maker; Christopher wouldn’t be up for another hour.
Mind spinning as he brewed a mug and sat at the kitchen table to caffeinate, Eddie thought about what dream Bobby had told him … to kiss Buck.
“What the actual fuck,” he whispered. “Why would I dream that?”
There was no answer, the house silent and cool around him. Finally, Eddie sighed and decided to brush it off. He’d had weird dreams before. He always ignored them, and he knew from experience that by the end of the day, he’d have all but forgotten it.
He wouldn’t forget Bobby, but he’d forget the dream.
Sipping his coffee, Eddie hummed and sighed and put it from his mind.
<*-*>
Getting Christopher ready for the day, Eddie had a run on the treadmill before heading in to start his shift.
The day was long and busy, filled with call outs and maintenance work around the station. The work kept them busy long into the night, and it was after four in the morning before Eddie finally hit his bunk and shut exhausted eyes.
He was asleep before he could even pull his blanket up.
“There you are,” a warm voice caught Eddie’s attention. He turned sharply, discovering a familiar figure standing beside him. Lowering himself onto the dock beside Eddie, Bobby looked across the wide expanse of the lake and murmured, “This is a nice spot.”
Blinking, Eddie followed his gaze. “Yeah,” he said softly. “It’s the lake near my parent’s place, in Texas.”
“It’s beautiful,” Bobby said.
“It’s not real,” Eddie replied. “This is a dream.”
“It can be both,” Bobby said cryptically.
Sighing, Eddie looked across the water and leaned back into his palms. He couldn’t feel the wood supporting him, but he knew he was sitting on it all the same. “I’m so sorry, Bobby,” he murmured.
Glancing over at him, Bobby watched him quietly. “You don’t need to be,” he said after a moment. “You were repairing your family.”
“You …” Eddie choked then forced the words out. “You’re part of my family.”
“Eddie,” Bobby said. “Our children are one of the greatest gifts we are ever given. Not always easy, but always a blessing. You had to be where Christopher was. But don’t ever think I didn’t know you wanted to be with the one-eighteen.”
“If I’d been there…”
“It wouldn’t have made any difference, Eddie.”
“Maybe I could have done something!” Eddie cried. The lake trembled beneath his feet. “I could have—”
“There was nothing anyone could do, Eddie. I made a choice.”
Throwing him a disgusted look, Eddie said, “You don’t know that.”
“I do,” Bobby said.
Scowling, Eddie turned away again. Above them, the sky was not blue, but black, though it wasn’t dark. The water waved and rippled, lapping against his bare feet. “I didn’t get to say goodbye,” he mumbled, voice thick.
“Neither did I,” Bobby said. “And I’m sorry for that. If I’d had more time, I would have called you, Eddie.”
Silence draped between them, then Eddie whispered, “Getting that phone call was one of the worst things that’s ever happened in my life.”
Bobby was silent.
Eddie sighed. “I’ve never heard Buck like that before. He was so …”
“I know,” Bobby said. He tipped his head slightly, considering Eddie. “Why didn’t you tell Buck what it was like to get that call?”
“I did,” Eddie said, squirming as he remembered the fight they’d had in the kitchen.
“At the time,” Bobby amended. “Why didn’t you tell him at the time?”
Lowering his voice, Eddie bowed his head away from Bobby’s stare. “He was too upset. It had to be about him, what he needed, comforting him. He was closer to you than I was.”
“Not closer,” Bobby said softly. “But close in different ways.”
Eddie glanced at him. “Maybe,” he allowed.
“Don’t doubt how much I care about you, Eddie.”
“Cared,” Eddie mumbled. “You’re dead.”
“I can be dead and still care about you,” Bobby said. “I’m still here, aren’t I?”
Snorting, Eddie raised one hand and roughed it through his hair. “In a dream, sure.”
Laughing softly, Bobby smiled at him. “It’s only in a dream because you won’t hear me when you’re awake.”
“How could I hear you?” Eddie rolled his eyes. “You’re not real.”
“I should have known you wouldn’t be easy.”
Raising one eyebrow, Eddie eyed him. “And what do you mean by that?”
“Your skepticism endures,” Bobby said. “Against all evidence.”
Snorting, Eddie broke into a slight laugh. “Me dreaming of a dead man is hardly evidence of … what? Ghosts?”
“Disembodied spirit,” Bobby said, but Eddie knew he was teasing.
With a sigh, Eddie splashed his feet through the lake water. “So, what?” he asked. “Am I your unfinished business, then?”
“In a matter of speaking,” Bobby said. Eddie waited, but it was a while before Bobby continued, his tone careful as he admitted, “I made a mistake.”
“A mistake?”
“Mhm.”
“That … impacts me?”
“Exactly,” Bobby said. He sighed. “I thought I was doing the right thing, waiting for you to come to a realisation in your own time. I thought we had all the time in the world to get there. But now I’m dead and I never got to celebrate with the two of you. I’ll never get to share your joy, or dance at your wedding or referee for your adoption applications—”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Eddie interrupted, baffled. “I’m not going to adopt.”
Bobby gave him an arch look. “Eddie, come on.”
“ You come on,” Eddie muttered. “This is the weirdest dream I’ve ever had.”
“I’m not just a dream, Eddie,” Bobby said patiently. “And you need a little nudge or I’m worried you’ll die without ever getting there. Tomorrow isn’t promised to any of us.”
“Where am I supposed to be getting?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Bobby asked. “With—”
The peal of the siren shattered through Eddie’s brain, cracking the dream in half. It snapped away from him in an instant as his eyes flew open and he was out of his bunk in half a second, snatching for his boots as he shoved hair away from his eyes.
The dream stayed with him, bright and clear as ever, but Eddie shoved it from his mind as he raced to answer the call. Brushing past Buck, he asked, “How long was I out?”
“About five minutes,” Buck said. “I hadn’t even made it to my bunk yet.”
Doing a double take, Eddie glanced at him. “Only five minutes?”
“Mhm.”
“Felt like …” He’d been talking to Bobby longer than five minutes.
“What?” Buck asked, but they were both distracted and Eddie was excused from answering as they rushed after the bell.
<*-*>
Dead on his feet by the time they made it back to the station, Eddie stumbled into the locker room to pack up. The shift was over, he was exhausted, and all he wanted was to get home and sleep.
Not that sleep was being particularly restful with the vivid dreams he was having.
Buck was already in the locker room, muttering under his breath. He glanced up sharply as Eddie shoved the door open, flapping one hand as though he were trying to shoo someone away.
“You okay?” Eddie asked, blinking.
“Fine,” Buck said, looking away.
Bobby’s words were sharp in Eddie’s mind—that they needed to come together, not push away from each other. Moving closer, Eddie slid one hand around Buck’s shoulder. “You coming home with me?” he asked, too tired to phrase it more appropriately.
Buck raised his eyebrows. He sighed, and nodded. “Yeah, of course.”
“Great,” Eddie said. A tension he hadn’t realised was gripping him loosened, his chest easing. A wide yawn pulled from him as he turned towards his locker to get changed.
Buck’s eyes followed him. “Are you safe to drive?”
“I’ve had more sleep than you,” Eddie said.
“Sometimes having a little is worse than having none,” Buck said.
“I’ll be fine,” Eddie assured him, tugging his work shirt off and pulling a henley on. He snuggled into its softness.
They followed each other home, Christopher already awake and organised for school. Giving Eddie another glance as they entered the house, Buck offered to drop him off and for once, Eddie was too tired to argue.
Instead, he showered, made coffee and was just settling on the couch when Buck returned.
“Oh,” Eddie said, glancing up as the front door opened and Buck entered the room. “Sorry, you probably want to sleep. I’ll go to my room.”
With a frustrated sigh, Buck dropped onto the couch beside him. “I need to find a new place.”
“I really don’t mind having you here, Buck,” Eddie said.
“Yeah, but … you shouldn’t have to clear out of a room because of me. And—” Buck cut himself off, but Eddie knew what he was thinking: things were still fractious between them, a strange lack of equilibrium in their relationship since Eddie had returned, since Bobby had died.
“You’re welcome here, Buck,” Eddie said softly. “Always.”
“Yeah, but this isn’t sustainable,” Buck muttered. “Anyway, I don’t really wanna talk about this right now. I just wanna zone out. TV okay?”
“TV’s great,” Eddie said.
But he didn’t pay attention as Buck flipped through channels trying to find something to watch. He even forgot about his coffee, sinking back against the couch and letting his eyes drift shut …
<*-*>
It was warm. Eddie wriggled, enjoying it. He was comfortable, safe and content.
And then a voice broke through it. “Hello again.”
Groaning, Eddie lifted his head. “Are you going to turn up every time I fall asleep?”
“Mhm,” Bobby hummed. “At least until you and Buck sort yourselves out.”
“We’ll be fine, Bobby,” Eddie said. “We always come back together.”
“Together,” Bobby said. “That’s exactly what I want to talk to you about. You and Buck together.”
Shuffling upright—he appeared to be in the bunk room at the station, dreaming of being in bed—Eddie raised an eyebrow. “What?”
“You and Buck,” Bobby said simply, “should be together.”
“Well, we are,” Eddie said, nonplussed. “Except for when he crashes at Chim and Maddie’s place.”
“No, Eddie.” Bobby sank down on the edge of Eddie’s bunk, sitting beside his feet as Eddie drew his knees into his chest. “You and Buck … should be a couple.”
Eddie just stared at him, too stunned and too utterly disbelieving to say a word.
Bobby gazed at him mildly, a smile softening his face, until eventually the silence became painful and Eddie said blankly, “These dreams suck.”
“I’ll try not to take that personally,” Bobby said. “Eddie, I waited patiently for years for you to realise on your own that Buck is your person. I waited for him to realise it about you. And now I’m dead and you two still haven’t got your shit together. I want so much happiness for you, Eddie. You’ll find it with Buck.”
“Of course Buck makes me happy,” Eddie said. “We’re best friends.”
“You could be together, and be even happier.”
Blinking, Eddie said flatly, “Except I’m straight, Bobby.”
“What if you weren’t?”
Indulgently, Eddie smiled. “Except I am .”
Matching his smile, Bobby pressed his hands together and folded them in his lap. “Humour me, Eddie,” he murmured. “What if you weren’t?”
Frustrated, Eddie huffed a sigh.
He wasn’t going to think about it. It was too ridiculous.
But then … he thought about it, his mind tripping around the concept. Him and Buck, together. It was actually impossible to stop the thought from overpowering his mind. And with it came a slew of images … Buck’s smile, his glittering eyes, his hands, the flex of his shoulder blades, the swell of his pecs …
Breath snagging in his throat, Eddie curled his arms around his knees. A frown crumpled his brow as the images turned into memories, flashes of moments he and Buck had shared. And with each memory came a wave of emotion—the strongest of which came from a comment he had made, an attempt to be reassuring that even as he had said it, had felt like closing a door on something he hadn’t realised was an option … when he had told Buck that nothing would change between them.
Belly twisting, Eddie let his focus drift. There had been a few idle daydreams over the years, nothing too explicit. But he thought of Buck’s smile pressed to his neck, and Buck’s fingers skimming down his waist, and Buck’s body warm against his own as they held each other.
They never touched enough, Eddie knew that. He often wished they could touch more, more than the idle touches he gave. He wanted long and hard and lingering. He wanted …
He wanted Buck.
Gulping, a wave of panic raced through him, and Eddie glanced up at Bobby.
“What if you weren’t straight, Eddie?” Bobby asked again very softly.
Chin trembling, Eddie tripped over the words. He breathed, “Then I’d be in love with Buck.”
Reaching for him, Bobby’s hand touched Eddie’s knee, then passed through it again. “Tell him,” he said. “He’s waiting for you.”
Gasping, Eddie flashed awake, jolting violently.
An arm tightened around his shoulders, and Eddie realised he was leaning against something firm and yielding and warm. “You awake?” a soft voice murmured.
It was Buck. Blinking his eyes open, Eddie wriggled and realised he had fallen asleep on the couch. He must have slipped sideways and landed against Buck … who, being Buck, had simply let him.
Anxiety woke in Eddie’s chest and he muttered, “Yeah … sorry. You should have pushed me away.”
“Yeah, that was never gonna happen,” Buck said. “You needed rest. It’s fine if you use me as a pillow.”
“Right,” Eddie mumbled, reluctantly pushing himself upright. He had to push one hand against Buck’s belly for leverage, and the flex of soft muscles beneath his palm made him tremble.
“Were you dreaming?” Buck asked as Eddie drew away from him.
“Huh?”
“You were sort of, like … muttering. And twitching. Like a dog when it dreams. Were you dreaming?”
“Oh… yeah,” Eddie said. “I was.”
Buck’s tongue swept across his lips. “About Bobby?”
Eddie blinked. “Why would you guess that?”
Buck shrugged awkwardly. “Sounded kinda like you said his name … and maybe …”
“Maybe?” Eddie prompted when Buck trailed into silence. Dread threaded through his belly.
“You’ll say I’m nuts,” Buck mumbled.
Eyes narrowing, Eddie shuffled around on the couch so he could face Buck better. His knee bumped Buck’s. “Tell me what maybe means.”
Taking a slow breath, Buck pressed his lips together, then muttered, “Bobby told me he’s been talking to you. In your dreams.”
“What?”
“Bobby … he’s been talking to me too. His … like, his ghost, I guess. Has been speaking to me.”
A wave of ice swept through Eddie’s veins. “You mean you’ve been dreaming of Bobby too?”
Shaking his head, Buck’s voice was quiet. “He talks to me when I’m awake, Eddie.”
There was no doubting Buck’s seriousness. Eddie wasn’t sure what it meant—maybe Buck was creating daydreams to work through his grief—but he believed Buck believed it.
Knocking his knee deliberately against Buck’s leg, he said generously, “I don’t think you’re nuts, Buck.”
Snorting, Buck shrank away from him. “Sure you don’t.”
A tremor of discomfort wriggled through Eddie’s muscles. “What does he say to you?” he asked softly.
“That’s kinda personal, don’t you think?” Buck said sharply.
“Oh,” Eddie murmured. “I guess it is.”
“What does he say to you ?” Buck asked abruptly.
“He … talks to me about you,” Eddie whispered. “About us.”
That took Buck aback. He recoiled in his seat, stunned. “Oh. I didn’t expect you to say that.”
“Mm.”
“What … what about us?”
Eddie shrugged, scooting back on the couch to put some extra space between them. Buck leaned forwards to close the gap, but Eddie didn’t think he was even aware of moving. “He said we were grieving apart instead of together … and he said …”
“What?”
“He said …” Eddie chewed on his bottom lip. “He said you were waiting for me.”
“Waiting for you,” Buck breathed. “Waiting for what?”
“Well—according to Bobby—you’re waiting for me to kiss you.”
The air in Buck’s chest audibly strangled. Mouth moving, he swallowed hard, then rasped, “Do you … wanna kiss me?”
Staring at him, Eddie didn’t know how to answer.
“Eddie?”
“I … I …” Eddie stammered, then words burst from his lips. “Bobby was talking to me—in my dream.”
Eyes flickering, Buck nodded slowly. “Okay…”
“And he said … and I realised…”
Swallowing again, Buck asked softly, “What?”
“If … if I wasn’t straight, I’d be … in love. With. You.”
Buck froze. “But—but you are straight. Right?”
Anguish gripped Eddie’s tone. “I don’t know! I woke up before Bobby could tell me!”
Studying him carefully, breath shallow, Buck licked his lips and asked again, “Do you wanna kiss me, Eddie?”
The dream memories came back to him … the idea of touching, the want for touching … and Eddie nodded before he even knew he was moving.
“We can make that happen,” Buck whispered.
Eyes wide, Eddie stared at him. “We can?” He gulped. “You mean … you wanna kiss me too?”
Sinking his teeth into his bottom lip, Buck nodded.
“Oh,” Eddie breathed.
“Are you … okay with that?” Buck whispered slowly.
“Let’s try it and find out together,” Eddie said, the words scraping from his throat.
For a moment he thought Buck was going to ask if he was sure—then he smiled and wriggled closer, curving one hand against Eddie’s jaw.
Moving slowly closer, Buck gave him plenty of time to freak out or pull back or stop him. But Eddie found himself gravitating forwards, his lips softening as he waited for Buck’s touch. Inching towards him, Buck hovered near without closing the final space, and Eddie absorbed the warmth of his closeness, breathed in his breath, and waited.
And then … Buck’s lips settled on his, hot and gentle as he held Eddie steady and kissed him—careful at first, then more intently as Eddie sank against him, as Eddie kissed him back.
It was unbelievable. Buck overwhelmed his senses, Eddie’s body coming to life.
Kissing Buck felt … natural. It felt right .
A tiny sound, almost a whimper, echoed low in Eddie’s throat and he reached for Buck and pulled him closer.
Willingly, Buck shifted against him, wrapping one arm around Eddie’s back and pinning their chests together, his hand still full and warm against Eddie’s face. Thumb sweeping idly against Eddie’s cheek, Buck tipped his head slightly and cautiously deepened the kiss, his tongue tracing against Eddie’s lower lip.
Gasping, Eddie’s lips parted and his tongue swept out to greet Buck’s.
And Buck’s reserve snapped. Lunging close, he crushed their bodies together and pinned Eddie against the couch. The kiss plunged from sweet to spicy as his hand shifted to Eddie’s hair and tangled through it.
Eddie opened to him, fire sparking inside him. Scorched from the inside out, Eddie clung to Buck and kissed him back desperately.
Moaning softly, Buck devoured him and Eddie let himself be feasted on. He consumed in return, hands sprawling across Buck’s back, finding his hips. Fingers skating along the edge of Buck’s belt, a desire to dive beneath his waistband and feel Buck’s bare skin against his palms woke inside him—and Eddie’s higher brain functions abruptly kicked back into gear.
Freezing, his muscles stiffened and Eddie pulled his head back. Immediately, Buck eased away as well. Blinking cloudy eyes, he swallowed and a flash of panic danced across his face. “Shit,” he whispered, untucking their bodies and sitting up again. “Sorry, I got … carried away.”
“Yeah,” Eddie huffed breathlessly. “Yeah … me too.”
“No, Eddie,” Buck started, but Eddie cut him off.
“I wanted to put my hands under your shirt,” he blurted.
Slightly startled, the surprise melted off Buck’s face as a wide, flirty grin overtook his expression. “You wanna touch me?”
“Seems like I do,” Eddie muttered.
Immediately, Buck reined in his jubilance. “Are you okay?” he asked softly. “Is it too much?”
Shaking his head, Eddie was amazed by the raw truth in the words that left his lips. “It felt right. It felt … natural. Like I was …”
“Was what?” Buck whispered when Eddie fell silent.
Sweeping a hand across his face to camouflage the blood burning his cheeks, Eddie mumbled, “Like I was … made for you.”
Buck smiled softly. “Maybe you were,” he said simply.
Echoing his grin, Eddie smiled too. “Maybe I was,” he agreed.
Pulling himself properly upright, Buck reached to tug Eddie up as well. Shuffling back into a sit, Eddie leaned against the backrest of the couch and watched Buck, a tiny sliver of apprehension gripping his spine.
“So,” Buck said, a little awkwardly. “Now we’ve kissed … where do we land on you being straight?”
“I dunno,” Eddie whispered. “Does it really matter?”
“A little bit,” Buck said. “Since you said … if you weren’t, then …”
“I’d be in love with you,” Eddie breathed.
“Mm.” A desperate glow brightened Buck’s eyes and Eddie realised he needed to know. He needed to know that—
“I’m pretty sure I am definitely in love with you,” Eddie muttered, avoiding Buck’s gaze as the words spilled from him. “I haven’t felt like this since … maybe ever, actually.”
“Wow.” Reaching for him, Buck’s hand curved around Eddie’s face again, fingers dusting across his brow, his cheek, his nose, his lips. “We’re in love.”
A shiver raced through Eddie’s core. “We?”
Buck only nodded.
Reaching out, Eddie tangled his fingers in the collar of Buck’s shirt and dragged him close. “Kiss me again.”
<*-*>
“Well done,” a soft voice murmured and Eddie looked up. Beside him, Bobby dropped to a sit.
Legs dangling over the edge of the roof, Eddie kicked his feet slightly. “That might be the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life,” he said. “And I’m still fucking confused.”
“Buck will help you,” Bobby said. “You’ve turned towards each other again. Instead of away from each other. It’s where you’re supposed to be.”
“We would’ve come back together without the kissing,” Eddie muttered.
Bobby’s mouth twitched into a soft smirk. “Without a doubt,” he agreed. “But doesn’t this feel better?”
Taking a slow breath, a smile tickled Eddie’s lips. “Yeah,” he said. “It really does.”
Silence stretched between them, and then Bobby said softly, “I don’t think I’ve ever told you this, but I’m so proud of you Eddie.”
The words flushed him with joy, but a wave of sadness came with it as the quiet finality of them was obvious. Looking at him, Eddie said heavily, “I’m not going to see you again, am I?”
“You will if you need me,” Bobby promised.
Eddie wasn’t sure what to make of that. Instead, he replied, “Buck said you talk to him when he’s awake.”
Bobby nodded slowly. “I tried to talk to you when you were awake too, but you wouldn’t hear me.”
Eyeing him, Eddie tipped his head quizzically. “Bobby … I don’t believe in ghosts.”
“I know.”
After that, there were no words, just two men sitting on the roof of a firehouse, dreaming a silent dream.
And in the waking world, a sleeping Eddie curled a little closer to the large, warm body beside him, snuggled against the chest beneath his cheek. His arm tightened around Buck, squeezing him through his slumber. Content, comfortable … he slept on.