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To say it was raining would be an understatement.
It was a downpour when the 118 arrived on the scene.
Eddie was impressed, and a little worried, at how the flames persisted despite the steady, constant flood of water coming down over them.
He was soaked to the bone, standing at the base of the ladder as Buck climbed up to reach the hose to the flames.
Through the rain shower, it was difficult to see as Buck passed the halfway point. Eddie had to squint just to catch a glimpse of the blonde's turnouts.
Thunder roared loudly, deafening any orders Bobby yelled out for the team to hear.
A moment later, a bright flash erupted across Eddie's vision and a hot jolt sent him stumbling back.
When he regained his vision and the ability to stand, his eyes darted up toward the ladder. Toward Buck.
"BUCK!" He shouted, no longer seeing the man standing at the top. "BUCK?!"
Eddie was racing up the ladder before Bobby yelled for help getting Buck down, his arms gripping the rope that propelled Buck's body mid air when Bobby got under them on the ground.
The blonde was limp and still, hanging like a ragdoll as Eddie tried to pull him up.
"BUCK!" He screamed, hoping maybe Buck was just unconscious.
No response.
Eddie pulled harder, but he still couldn't get Buck back on the ladder no matter how hard he tried.
Deadweight was a real thing, Eddie learned.
Hen had started compressions when Eddie lowered Buck's body to the ground, he switched over the moment he got off the ladder.
No pulse, lips turning blue, skin icy cold.
Buck was dead. Actually dead.
Not on the brink of death, not unconscious but alive, not dying- dead.
But Eddie didn't give up.
Not because he was a paramedic and that was his job, not because he didn't trust anyone else to do the same thing, but because this was Buck.
He was supposed to have Buck's back, he needed to have Buck's back.
A dry crack echoed beneath Eddie's fist as he tried to restart Buck's heart, he ignored the crack of Buck's rib breaking because his heart still wasn't beating.
Eddie hated that the first time his lips touched Buck's was on the way into the ambulance, trying to breathe life back into his lungs.
If Buck were alive and responsive, Eddie had no doubt that Buck would claim it didn't count.
'This doesn't count, Eds. It's not a kiss.'
Eddie could almost picture that stubborn little pout on his face.
It had been three minutes, still no response from Buck.
One, two, three, four-
"Don't do this to me, Buck." Eddie pleaded, quietly.
Five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten-
"Please." Eddie choked, unaware if his face was wet with tears or rain.
Eleven, twelve, thirteen-
Eddie couldn't do it. He couldn't keep going without Buck.
What was he going to tell Christopher? Chris couldn't lose another parent.
Fourteen, fifteen, sixteen-
"Three minutes and seventeen seconds!" Buck's heart rate picked up on the monitor, he was alive.
Vaguely, Eddie remembered Hen and Chim taking over the care of Buck as Bobby shuffled him toward the driver's seat of the ambulance.
His hands were trembling as he flipped on the siren, they didn't stop as he wrapped his fingers around the wheel.
The drive to the hospital was a blur, he was sure he broke several traffic laws and probably caused a mild crash between two cars but Eddie wasn't really paying attention.
As Buck was transferred to the doctors and nurses outside of the hospital, Bobby's voice faded in and out of Eddie's daze.
"Firefighter Evan Buckley... heart stopped three minutes and seventeen seconds..." Bobby's voice softened, his hand stopping Eddie from following after Buck. "They're doing all they can."
"DO MORE!" Eddie shouted. Frustrated, angry, scared.
The hospital waiting room was bright, the sterile smell of antiseptic clung to Eddie's skin like a suffocating weight.
Rain water dripped from Eddie onto the floor, creating a puddle beneath him.
The plasticy fabric of the uncomfortable, hospital chair was probably ruined underneath Eddie's soaked uniform but he didn't care.
Bobby took the 118 offline, their shift was close to over anyway.
Chim's voice was nothing more than a faint buzz in Eddie's ear as he called Maddie, letting her know what had happened.
Hen sat down next to Eddie, placing a gentle hand on his knee and squeezing. "Chris is staying with Karen and Denny."
Eddie knew he should thank her, but his voice didn't seem to cooperate. He gave an affirming grunt instead.
"You should go home." Hen suggested. "Get some rest, they'll call you if anything changes."
He shook his head. He wasn't leaving yet, not until he knew Buck was okay.
Eddie faded in and out of consciousness over the next few hours, never more than half asleep in the waiting room's uncomfortable seats, always listening for someone to give an update on Buck.
None came, not until morning.
A doctor cleared her throat, looking down at a clipboard in her hands. "Edmundo Diaz?" She asked.
Eddie shot up, his eyes blinking several times as his vision started to clear. "Yeah, th- that's me." He said, trying to keep his voice steady.
The doctor waved him over, away from the lingering members of the 118.
"Is Buck- Evan okay? What's going on?"
"Given you're his POA, you need to know that we've placed him into a medically induced coma. He's hooked up to the machines, but for now he's stable. These next few weeks will be critical. It's a matter of life and death."
That gave Eddie no relief at all, it really only served to worry him further. "How long do you think he'll be on the machines?"
"We'll take him off once his body has recovered more, we're mostly worried about his lungs and heart right now. When we're confident those parts are strong enough, we'll take him off."
"And then..."
Then it'll be up to Buck.
It'll be up to him to keep fighting to stay alive.