Chapter Text
Buck thought going back to the 118 after the lawsuit was going to feel the same as before. It felt different when he first walked in, most of the 118 members walked away immediately. Eddie turned his back to him when he came to the changing room and Bobby didn’t even say hello to him.
Buck’s first shift back was lonely, no one spoke to him, unless to give orders what to do at a call. Back at the station, it was quieter than ever, no one roaring with laughter or that warm feeling of what the 118 was supposed to be. Only a cloud of loneliness around Buck. It wasn’t weird that no one noticed, they didn’t care for him anyway, Buck thought.
Shift ended, Buck said his goodbyes, it was no surprise that no one said goodbye back, since they had been ignoring him the past 24 hours. Buck has never felt so sad, not even during the lawsuit. It wasn’t like there were people speaking against him during that time but now, after, it should go back to normal, Buck seeing Christopher again, dinner with his two non-biological parents, Bobby and Athena and most importantly his best friend Eddie back.
The next five shift, nothing changed. Everyone ignored him, the usual by now.
A few days later Buck was on call again, they got called to an apartment fire. Buck’s task: searching for survivors. Person after person was found but the fire kept spreading. Buck knew he was supposed to go outside by know but he just couldn’t let someone behind. He heard screaming from upstairs so he ran the stairs up. It was the voice of an elderly woman. When he saw her he immediately grabbed her, she was weak, because of all the smoke inhalation. Buck gave her his gas masker so she could breath. Fire was catching all around them and there was not much room to go now. He ran with the woman in his arms toward the door of her apartment, and down the stairs. When they where almost at the end he heard something falling. He threw the lady safely away and the ceiling came down on him. He couldn’t move and all the smoke inhalation wasn’t helping with his power to move the pieces off of him. On his radio he heard commands of his captain to go back outside but he couldn’t reach his radio. Buck tried with al his power to get the pieces of him, he hadn’t much help since the lady ran outside after probably thinking he was dead. When Buck finally got out he felt his ribs hurting, he knew there were some broken. He only could not tell anyone because than he’s back to being benched and hearing the same stuff all over again, ‘’typical Buck’’, ‘’you’re always so reckless and impulsive’’ ‘’you’re exhausting’’, ‘’you’re exhausting’’ and ‘’you’re exhausting’’.
When he comes back outside, he sees that no one actually cared about his return. He could have laid there dead and nobody would have noticed. In that moment he hears Bobby calling his name, ‘’Nobody inside anymore’’, ‘’No, not that I know’’ Buck answers. ‘’Lets extinguish this fire’’ Bobby screams. Everyone is now busy grabbing the fire hoses. Buck is on the top of the fire hose and when he pulls the handle to let the water get through, he feels an enormous force slam into his rib where it already hurt. For a moment Buck can’t stand right on his feet, but before anyone noticed he is standing straight again.
When they came back to the firehouse it was already very late, a few people went to get some sleep and others watched some tv or were eating. Buck was curling up in a ball in his bed. He was crumbling of all that pain he endured when he was breathing or something even slightly touched his ribs. He could go home and say that he may caught a fever he thinks. No one will notice anyway. But he can’t, he’s just back from sitting at home for a few months and when he finally has his job back he can’t go home now. So he stays, on the next hours on shift it was quiet only one call came in where a cat needed rescuing from a tree. Buck decided to shower at home since otherwise he would reveal the big bruise on his ribs.
Buck arrived home and immediately took of his shirt. He looked in the mirror and saw that the bruise was turning darker than before. He knew that he needed to see a doctor, but that would bench him, so he decided to put some bandage around it and take some painkillers and go to sleep.