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As soon as Theo got settled in with Buck - which was surprisingly fast, he knew kids were resilient but damn- the teasing started. Buck had been inducted into the club of parenthood with open arms, followed by a plethora of advice, the majority of which was conflicting. The only thing they seemed to agree on is that it was inevitable that Buck would get sick.
“Kid germs are brutal, man,” Chimney had explained. “Jee gave us all hand, foot, and mouth her first week of daycare.”
“Hand, foot, mouth, and booty,” Maddie had corrected with a grin. “You couldn’t sit for a week, Chim.”
“It was the flu for us,” Hen chimed in. “Nia gave it to us about a month before she left. She’s lucky she’s cute.”
Even Bobby had a story to tell. “One of the few times I got sent home during a shift was when Brook gave me lice. Couldn’t stop scratching under my helmet.”
Infuriatingly, Eddie did not. “I don’t know, I guess I’ve always had a good immune system and thankfully Christopher takes after me. We don’t even have a designated puke bowl in our house.”
Buck had begged them to stop. “You’re all going to jinx me. Now that you’ve spoken it into the universe, germs are sure to be running my way.”
“I hate to break it to you, Buckaroo, but nothing we say or do has anything to do with this,” Hen laughed. “You are living with a four-year-old who picks his nose and still needs to be reminded to wash his hands after he shits. It’s not a matter of if he gets you sick, but when.”
Buck couldn’t run forever, and eventually the dreaded kid germs caught him suddenly during a shift. One second he felt perfectly fine, bickering with Chim over the validity of the moon landing, the next he was screaming for Bobby to pull over right now.
“Okay, okay, we can do that. Should I just pull over or do we need to head to the nearest gas station?”
“Huh?” Buck was way too focused on trying his best not to paint the engine to process anything Bobby just said.
“He’s asking if you need to puke or shit,” Chim supplied helpfully and oh god, Buck had no idea.
“I don’t know, uh, gas station, I guess?” Buck thought if he had to take a crap on the side of the road in front of the 118, he would have no choice but to quit.
Bobby all but turned the sirens on and Hen pressed a bundle of blue emesis bags into Buck’s arms as he flew out of the engine and into the station. He nearly ripped the doors off the hinges on his way in and the cashier looked frightened at the sight of a firefighter running in as if there were, well, a fire.
“I am so sorry,” he squeaked, before slamming the door behind him, not even bothering to lock it. He thought that if anyone wanted to come in and bear witness to this, they'd be sorry.
Buck returned to the rig thirty minutes later, sheepish and sweaty and down two emesis bags. Chimney scooted to the other end of the bench when he went to sit next to him, and Bobby and Hen were already wearing masks and Ravi was decked out in full PPE. Eddie was the only one to get close to him, offering him a bottle of water and a clean towel to wipe the sweat from his brow.
“I’m sorry, baby. Norovirus is a brutal start to parenthood.”
“It’s not noro, Eddie, and I’m not sick. Something just didn’t agree with me, your fault for insisting we get In-and-Out. You know their food always makes me shit.”
“You’re sweating.”
“It’s late August in California. Besides, why are you standing so close if you think I’m sick?”
“Pretty sure I’m immune to norovirus. Chris too, neither of us have ever had it and I’ve read that some people are just genetically much less susceptible. Figured that’s probably me if I haven’t gotten it at this point.”
Buck hated him.
“I don’t care if it's bad food or kid germs, your shift is over, Buck.” Bobby’s voice sounded muffled behind his mask as the truck entered the station.
“He just doesn’t want you shitting your turnouts, Buckley,” Chim interrupted.
“Oh, you’d know all about that Chimney. None of us have forgotten the Iced Coffee Incident of 2019.” Hen fired back.
“You swore we’d never speak of it!”
Buck could hear the smile in Ravi’s voice. “Oh, I’ve got to hear about this!”
Their voices faded as Buck made his way to the locker room. Eddie joined him as he packed up his things. He’d just changed from his uniform to his civilian clothes when he felt a warm hand on his shoulder.
“All jokes aside, Buck, let me know if you need a hand with Theo. Chris and I would be glad to have him until you’re feeling better. Parenting when you’re sick isn’t for the weak.”
“Well, good thing I’m neither sick nor weak.” Buck moved to leave but Eddie grabbed him by the wrist. Eddie was a strong man, but his touch was always so gentle.
“Buck, everybody gets sick. Even me, rarely but not never. And parenting is hard, even under the best of circumstances. You’ve done an amazing job so far, but we all need help sometimes.” Eddie finally let him go, but not before brushing his lips against his birthmark. Buck shivered, but he told himself it’s just Eddie’s presence, nothing more.
The drive from the station to his house was a short one, but when Buck couldn’t make the trip without stopping at not one, but two gas stations- there are now three he can never return to- he is forced to admit that this may be more than the California sun mixing with too much greasy food. Thankfully, he’d already arranged for Theo to carpool with Jee-Yun and Maddie, and that gives him enough time to try and pull himself together. The first order of business was placing a grocery order consisting of a large case of Gatorade, several cans of soup (Bobby had already sent him a message offering to drop off some soup after his shift, but just in case), a bulk package of Dude Wipes (Maddie had gotten him them once as a gag gift, but he couldn’t think of anything more necessary right now), and enough air fresheners to stick two in every bathroom. He thought that if he could just stay hydrated and give Theo a bit more screen time than he usually allowed, he’d be right as rain by his next shift.
Maddie and the kids, as usual, arrived in a burst of laughter and energy. Theo promptly threw himself into Buck’s arms, but drew back, looking suspicious.
“Buck, you don’t look good!” He declared, looking very serious.
“Yeah, buddy, my tummy does hurt a bit. Do you think we can have a quiet day today? You can watch your videos while I’m stuck in the bathroom.”
Theo nodded earnestly, before running off to chase Jee through the halls. So much for quiet.
Theo and Eddie weren’t the only concerned ones. Maddie had taken Buck’s moment of distraction as an opportunity to step forward and lay the back of her hand on his forehead.
“Oof, that’s a fever alright. I heard you were sick but I didn’t realize you had the plague.”
If he wasn’t so nauseous, he would have rolled his eyes. “You and Eddie need to stop gossiping about me, I’m a grown man. I can speak for myself if needed.”
“I didn’t hear it from Eddie, we kinda all heard it when Bobby had to radio for an additional truck to handle the call,” Maddie looked apologetic.
“Are you saying the entire state of California is aware that I almost shat myself?”
“Just the LAFD and dispatch, but yeah, kinda.”
“Man, I thought it was bad when that B shifter left her radio on while going to the bathroom. I’m pretty sure she ended up quitting.”
“It’s not that bad, Buck. Bobby was very polite about it, he just said one of his firefighters was suddenly sick to his stomach and they were unable to continue to the scene.”
“That I can live with. And I’ll be fine, Maddie. Bobby is bringing me soup tonight and I’ve decided to just let Theo have free reign on the iPad for the time being.” The iPad had been Buck’s first parental conundrum. During many calls he’d seen what too much screen time did to kids, and Theo already had a limited attention span. Besides, he was such an active child, he didn’t want to turn him into a couch potato. But eventually he realized that he couldn’t completely shield Theo from technology, not with the kind of world they were living in, but he always made sure to keep strict limits on it.
“If you say so, Buck, but remember, all of us are just a call away. It really does take a village.”
“Sure, sure. I’ll keep that in mind.” Another cramp shot through him and Maddie and Jee needed to leave now. He doubled over with a hiss.
“Okay, okay, we’ll leave you be,” Maddie scooped up Jee and had her keys in her hand. “Just take care of yourself, Buck.”
Buck barely says goodbye before he’s bolting to the bathroom for what feels like the hundredth time today. Mercifully, Theo sounded as though he was keeping to himself, quiet but for the yammering of whatever crap he’s watching on YouTube Kids. He was almost too quiet, and Buck was just washing his hands when Theo shouted for him.
“Buck! I had an accident!”
Buck sighed audibly. Despite Kameron and Conner claiming him to be fully potty trained, Theo was still prone to wetting himself whenever he was engrossed in something and forgot to take a bathroom break. He’d initially been rather alarmed at this, but Maddie had assured him he’d done the exact same thing at that age. Grabbing the enzymatic cleaner Hen had given him (he’d told her that Theo was perfectly potty trained and she’d just laughed), Buck made his way to the living room and then stopped. That didn’t smell like pee, it almost smelled like...but no, it couldn’t be that. Theo never had that kind of accident, not unless he was…
“Buck, my tummy feels icky!”
Buck froze, trying his best not to make a face or react in any way that would further upset Theo. It wasn’t like it was his first experience with this kind of mess, Jee had had a diabolical blowout one of the first times he’d watched her, and he’d panicked a bit, gagging as he’d called Hen, but he’d figured it out in the end. And besides, being a firefighter was a dirtier job than most people realized and Buck had developed a strong stomach over the years. But right now, his stomach was at its weakest, and it was all he could do not to hold Theo at arms length as he carried him to the bathroom. Buck tossed an old towel over the stained carpet, promising to deal with it later, and placed Theo’s soiled clothing into not one but two plastic grocery bags, tying both tightly and leaving them by the door. As the bathtub filled with warm water, Buck once again told himself this was fine. Sure, this added another level of difficulty to the situation, but at least Theo wouldn’t be running around and causing his usual chaos in this state. Hell, if Buck was lucky he may just nap for most of the day.
All it took was Theo vomiting into the already disgusting bathwater to send Buck lunging for the sink. From then on, the remainder of the day is a miserable blur. The two went through the entire case of Gatorade, but none of it remained in their system for long. Buck quickly discovered that Theo had zero ability to aim when being sick, and soon the carpet was strewn with old towels covering stains. Surely the carpet will have to be replaced. He was at least glad they had more than one bathroom, as he was not about to fight a literal child for a toilet, but the two bathrooms are on opposite sides of the house and Buck didn’t feel right with leaving Theo alone in the bathroom in this state. The pile of garbage-bag-wrapped clothing grew by the door, a pair of Buck’s sweatpants joining the mix. By the time he finally got Theo down for the night, Buck is so exhausted he nearly squeezed in next to him, but instead found himself once again, in the bathroom. The diarrhea had stopped hours ago, his colon seemingly empty for the time being, but the nausea was relentless. The cold tile floor was agony to his knees as he knelt in front of the toilet, retching convulsively. Everything hurt and now that Theo was asleep, he finally felt able to cry, but he had no tears in him. His mouth was paper dry and he’d scarcely peed in hours and he begrudgingly accepted that now was the time to call for help. Eddie picked up on the first ring and Buck was immediately rambling.
“Eddie, I can’t do this alone. Theo got it too and it’s been hell. There’s puke and shit everywhere, mostly his, and he keeps crying for his parents and I don’t know what to do. I’m so, so tired and I just want to sleep. I can't stop puking, I can’t keep anything down and Theo will be up soon anyway and I don’t know what to do! I’m not cut out for this. I love him so much but I’m not his father, I can’t take that place!”
“Buck, sit tight. We’ll be there soon and we’ll get you sorted.”
“We?” Buck heard faint sirens. “Wait, you’re all coming? And taking the rig?”
“Of course, we’re still on shift and it sounds like you could use some fluids. Hen is your best bet, she could stick a squirming infant in the dark and I just know your veins are absolutely shriveled.”
Buck doesn’t have it in him to argue, and by the time they arrive, he’s half-asleep, resting his cheek on the toilet seat. If he were a bit more lucid, he’d be disgusted, but the cold feels incredible on his overheated skin.
Hen and Chimney were at his side, both prodding his arms with gloved fingers. Eddie volunteered to start cleaning and Bobby offered to check on Theo. Ravi was still in his PPE, standing on his porch, “supporting him from a distance” as he gave Maddie a call.
“I don’t want you to wake him, but next time he’s up I’d like him to have some fluids too, although he’s better off than me. He managed to keep down one juice box before he fell asleep. Man, this is really kicking my ass.”
Buck felt a slight pinch, some tape, and then Hen stood, holding up a bright yellow bag of fluids. She gave his sweaty hair a fond ruffle.
“Buckaroo, we all get sick. Kids are just ridiculously resilient about it. Mara once puked in a bouncy house and still wanted cake after, meanwhile the last time I got COVID I sneezed so hard I bruised a rib.”
That at least had Buck laughing, but he grimaced when he was offered a dose of dissolvable Zofran.
“Those taste disgusting and I’m already seconds away from puking up an organ.”
“Baby, it’s either this or the hospital, and I know you hate hospitals.” Eddie, from years of practice, had made quick work of cleaning Buck’s home and was now seated next to him, fingers threaded through his. “You just gotta breathe through it, cariño, I’ve got you.”
Buck scrunched up his face at the taste of artificial strawberry mixed with chemical bitterness, but he did his best to focus on Eddie’s voice. As soon as it was dissolved, he swished his mouth with the bottle of water offered by Bobby, spitting into the toilet.
“Maddie says she can stay here until my shift is over, the Lees have Jee and Nash for the night anyway.” Eddie read from his phone.
“But won’t she be late for her own shift? And besides, you’ve got Christopher to look out for.”
“Maddie called out already. Trust me, with you as her brother, dispatch is used to it. And Christopher is well old enough to stay home by himself. He sent me a text saying that he loves you and Theo but will be putting at least a yard of distance between him and y’all until y’all are over your “grossness,” his words, not mine.”
The meds must be kicking in, because Buck was finally able to laugh without gagging a bit and for the first time in hours, he felt comfortable leaving the bathroom. Eddie and Bobby were on either side, helping him make the walk to his bedroom. He was still a bit woozy, but the fluids were helping, and Hen hung the bag on a curtain rod before giving him a kiss on the forehead. She and Bobby left to give him privacy as Eddie helped him change into a pair of clean pajama pants.
“I just remembered, I shit my favorite sweatpants,” Buck lamented. They were grey and perfectly soft, comfortable but also hugged his assets just right, so they were Eddie’s favorite too.
“Not those ones!” Eddie laughed. “Normally I’d say burn ‘em, but I’ll see what I can do. Besides, there were a lot of bags of soiled clothes you had bagged by the door. You shouldn’t have to throw all that out, it’s nothing detergent and hot water can’t fix.”
“Edmundo Diaz, you are a trooper,” Buck pulled him close and planted a sloppy kiss on his cheek. “I can’t thank you enough for, well, everything.”
“Buck, you’ve thanked me more than enough, all I want you to do is close those pretty eyes and get some rest. I’ll be here when you wake up.”
Buck was out before he reached the door.