Reading Time: 99 Minutes

Title: My Way
Author: Duochanfan
Fandom: 9-1-1
Genre: Drama, Family, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Slash
Relationship(s): Evan Buckley/Eddie Diaz
Content Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Hate Crimes/Hate Speech, Violence – Graphic , Dark Themes, Discussions of Rape/Hate Crimes/Homophobia, Homophobia, Past Rape, Canon Typical Situations, Stalking, Home Invasion, Work Place Bullying, Character Bashing,
Author Note: Thank you HarleyJQuin for being my sounding board, cheer squad and keeping me on track on this one.
Beta: Greeneyesblye, HarleyJQuin
Word Count: 96,744
Summary: When Buck couldn’t find Christopher at the VA, he went back out into Santa Monica to continue his search. Hours later Eddie and the rest of the 118 find him and bring him back to where Christopher was waiting for them all ,after making sure they went out to search for ‘His Bucky’. When Christopher’s fear of being separated from Buck makes itself known, Buck goes with the Diaz’s home, instead of going back to his empty loft. The ripples from that day start to spread as Buck and Eddie learn something new about each other, a sweet kiss is shared and a meeting with Bobby starts to put everything into place for the two men, until the past crawls from under a rock and their future is put in jeopardy by someone unknown
Artist: Penumbria

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Chapter One

Night had descended on Los Angeles, and for Buck, he was in the middle of a living nightmare. He couldn’t find Christopher, the water had taken the young boyfred from him a second time. “Christopher!” he called out, hoping to hear the familiar voice calling out for his Bucky. But nothing, there were the cries of those trapped and needing help and Buck heeded their call as he had done all day.

“It’s going to be okay,” Buck told the young man that was trapped. He looked at the two others that were nearby and called to them, “Hey, come over here and help, please!”

The two went over and helped him lift the heavy branch that had been trapping the young man. “Thanks,” he whispered as Buck did what he was trained to do and checked the young man over.

“What’s your name?” he asked.

“Adam,” he answered, “I’m fine, I just… I just couldn’t move, it stopped me from… getting up,” he said, his voice tired and slow as he looked up at his savior.

“They’ve opened up the old hospital near here as a temporary place to take care of people,” one of the men said as he hovered nearby, “They’ve been taking everyone from the Pier there,” he added.

“We’re heading there now, we’ll take you,” the other said, “I’m hoping that some of my family ended up there,” he spoke softly, his words almost a whisper and Buck could empathize with him, as he held that hope that Christopher was with someone, that he was safe and unharmed.

“Thanks,” the man said as he was helped to his feet after Buck gave him the go-ahead. It wasn’t like Buck was going to be able to properly send the man off to the temporary hospital with medical help.

Buck was slow to get up, his head spun a little and he knew he would need to be treated himself soon. But he still wanted to look for Christopher. Walking slowly he followed the three for a while, only stopping when he heard someone else call out for help and headed towards them instead. Helping an older couple get free and climb up from a bit of rubble that had trapped the two of them for hours.

It took him another two hours before he made it to the VA hospital and he headed towards the older woman with a clipboard, knowing that she might just be able to help him the most. “Excuse me,” he called to her as soon as he reached her.

“What’s your name?” She asked, about to write it down.

“I… I’m just looking for someone, a kid, his name is Christopher Diaz, he’s eight years old, he was wearing a yellow shirt. He… he has Cerebral Palsy. I just… need to know if he made it here?” he asked her, ignoring her question. He wasn’t going to be there for long, he would be going back out to search for the kid if he wasn’t there.

She looked up at him, seeing the state the young man was in. She was about to say something but could see the desperation and fear in his eyes. She had seen the same thing in everyone who had asked her to look for a name. Looking at her list, she went through the names that were listed on them. She sighed, “I’m sorry, but he’s not on the list. There are two others that are doing intakes, check with them as well. But… if they don’t have him, you.. you may need to check the tents over there,” she gestured to the closed-off tents.

Buck glanced at it and he knew exactly the tent she was talking about. He shuddered as he thought of going inside and looking through those that had died to see if Christopher was amongst them. Instead, he went to the second person doing intakes to look at their list. Soon enough he had gone through all three lists.

“You okay?” someone asked him, as a hand was placed on his shoulder as Buck now stood outside the tent that he really didn’t want to go inside of.

“No… I…” he shuddered again, swaying a little as he fought the fatigue and dizziness to keep himself going.

“Who are you looking for?” the man asked, he was in scrubs as he walked around and in front of Buck.

“Christopher, he’s eight years old, cerebral palsy, he has brown eyes, curly hair. He… he was wearing a yellow top,” he said as he gave the man the description that he had been giving for the last several hours to everyone he had met.

“I’ll have a look, and if I think there is someone like that in there, then I will call you in to identify,” he told him, “I’m Imran” he added, “just wait here for a few moments.”

Buck nodded as he watched Imran head into the tent. Buck glanced around, he could see that there were so many people hanging around the tent, some were crying, clinging to someone else as they also tried to find their loved ones. He knew that they were those that had found out that a loved one was gone. Buck shuddered again, the air was a little warm, but he felt cold. Wrapping his arms around himself, he turned as he heard someone shouting.

“He’s in there, I know he’s dead, I know he’s in there. I just… I just need to make sure that-“ a man was yelling, as a young girl hung onto his arm, her cries were low.

Buck wanted to go over, wanted to help, but he couldn’t move. He saw another doctor talking to the man, his voice low enough that Buck couldn’t make out what he was saying. A voice called out from the crowd and the two turned. A man around the same age as the other was standing there, a crutch in one hand.

“Lewie?” the man that had been yelling said.

“Theo,” he smiled weakly as he hobbled over to them, taking both the man and the little girl into his arms. His crutch fell to the ground with a clang, not that the little family cared at that moment.

Buck couldn’t help but smile at the happy ending for them. He turned to look at the tent once more, letting the noise of those around him start to fade away. He didn’t know how long he waited for the man to come back but he did. “Is… is he?” his voice trembled.

Imran shook his head, “No, he’s not there, no one matching that description, there are children of course, but none wearing a yellow top of any kind,” he answered him.

“Than… thank you,” he gasped out as he swayed even more.

Imran was quick to grab Buck’s arm, steadying him. “I think we need to get you seen to,” he added, as he started to quickly evaluate the man’s condition.

“You can… can you just patch me up? I need to go and find him, please I have to find him,” Buck begged as he was led toward the triage area.

“I’d rather you stay here, but I can see that you are determined to do so,” he sighed, he had seen many that had done the same.

“Thank you… I’m on blood thinners,” he then added more as an afterthought, but he knew he needed to mention them.

Imran looked at him, now seeing the blood that was slowly flowing down the man’s arm from underneath a crude and dirty dressing. “Right,” he nodded once more as he called over a nurse to help him.

Buck was quiet as his injuries were treated. Medical glue was used on his arm and a clean dressing was put on it.

“I would warn you to try and not get that wet,” Imran said, “But I’ve no doubt it will happen. I’d rather you stay here, especially since you’re on blood thinners, another injury could see you back here but-“

“I know,” Buck told him, stopping the doctor from saying anything more, “I know all that. But he… Christopher, I need to find him,” he said, standing up and doing his best not to sway. He forced himself to start moving, only to stop as he walked out of the triage area. Before him, he could see Eddie.

“You alright?” Imran asked him. Buck had stopped walking and was just standing there and staring out into triage.

Buck just nodded, his eyes were fixed on Eddie. “I’m… I’m fine,” he said, eyes filling with tears. Buck watched as Eddie worked, a smile on his face as he treated people. Talking to them, making them relax. Doing all the things that Buck had seen him do hundreds of times before when they worked together. The man thought that his son was safe, that he was okay at home with Buck. Instead, Christopher was somewhere out there, and really not safe. Shaking his head a little as he began to walk away. Leaving the safety of the VA hospital he walked back out into the chaos.

Buck had no idea how long he had walked as soon as he left the VA. He just knew he was aiming to head back towards where the 136 truck had been, needing to get back there. Maybe he would be able to find which way Christopher had gone by starting from where he had last seen him.

The first call of help that he heard, Buck answered. There were so many that were still trapped. Most of them needed rescue and some medical aid, but none were able to get their phones to work enough to make the call for help. His own phone he knew was working. He had almost thought of calling Maddie, wanting to ask her to keep her ears open in case Christopher called, or even that he was mentioned. But didn’t dare do so, he knew that she would instead worry about him and not Christopher.

“Thank you,” the old woman said as Buck pulled her to her feet. She had been trapped by a load of debris piling on her car, stopping her from getting out without some of it being moved.

“Welcome,” he smiled at her, “I… I don’t suppose that you’ve seen a kid, eight years old, brown eyes, wearing a yellow top. He has cerebral palsy,” he asked her as he had to each of those that he had rescued.

She frowned a little before she answered, as though she was going over her memory of the last several hours. “I’m sorry,” she finally answered, “I haven’t.”

Buck nodded, his smile dropping, “Okay. The old VA hospital that they closed down, it’s been opened up for those that are hurt, head that way to get treated properly. You’ll need to have your injuries treated before they become infected,” he warned her, while she only had a few injuries, they would still need to be cleaned up and maybe even the one on her arm stitched.

“I will,” she told him, “I hope you find your son,” she added, patting his arm before she began the slow walk towards the VA.

Buck slumped against a wall for a moment. He dared not check the time, he didn’t want to know how long he had been going, or how long it had been since he had lost Christopher. Pushing himself off the wall he carried on. Each time he helped someone he would ask them if they had seen Christopher. While he walked, he called out for the little boy, hoping he would answer him, hoping that he would come across him in the devastation. But there was nothing.

Buck was slowly losing hope that he would find Christopher. It was getting colder and the dampness of Buck’s clothing caused him to shiver as he walked. His mind was on one single focus as he carried on searching and helping people.

Chapter Two

Eddie Diaz looked around the triage area that he had been asked to help with. A natural disaster, he shook his head as he heard someone call for help. He ran off, leaving behind the young woman that he had just finished treating. Nothing much wrong with her, a little dehydrated, but then again, that was a problem for all of those that were coming in now.

“Hey,” he said as the kid clung to the older man that he was brought in with. “We’re going to check you both out and get you something to drink and eat, okay,” he said, keeping his voice light as he assessed the two.

They were the first of many that went through the triage area. He saw many come and go, some he could help. Others had to be moved on to ambulances that were taking the most serious to the hospitals. And some were beyond saving. There was nothing to do but make them comfortable and hope that their families would be able to arrive and find them before they passed. That was the worst thing he had to do in triage, with the others. Deciding who they would be able to save.

Eddie sighed as he finally took another break. It wouldn’t be long, but enough for him to drink a little water, and maybe eat a protein bar before he would be back to work. He pulled out his phone. Pulling up Buck’s number and calling it once again, as he had done since he had arrived at the VA and remained there to help. Once again it rang for a while before switching over to Voicemail.

“Hey, this is Buck, leave a message,” came the jovial voice of his best friend.

Eddie sighed, “Hey Buck. It looks like I might end up being here for the long haul. I’m glad you’re not here and you and Chris are somewhere safe. Try and message me at least. I’d like to say goodnight to Christopher before he goes to bed.” He paused for a few moments wanting to say something more before shaking his head, “Take it easy Buck, I’ll be home soon,” he murmured instead as he ended the call.

He drank the bottle of water he had been handed and ate the protein bar. “Still better than rations,” he muttered as he heard someone complain about the bars that were being handed out. He headed back to triage and began again. Only to see two mail trucks pull up. He grinned as he saw the rest of the 118 pile out of them.

“Hey,” he greeted as he headed over to them.

“I would say we brought you something nice,” Chim grinned at him, “But just more for you to sort,” he added, as the vans were beginning to empty.

“Some of them are suffering from Carbon Monoxide poisoning,” Hen said as she began to tell him of those that they had rescued from the apartment building. “The others were those that survived the tsunami and were walking inland looking for help,” she added.

Eddie nodded and then looked up as he saw the last few coming out. His eyes went wide as he recognized the little boy that was being carried by a woman. “Chris…” he whispered.

“What?” Bobby frowned as he and the others all turned as Eddie began to rush over.

“Christopher!” Eddie yelled out.

“Dad… Dad!” the eight-year-old called back, squirming in the woman’s arms as he tried to find his dad.

Eddie rushed over, taking him from the woman as he held him. Checking him over. “What… how?” he shook his head.

“Are you Buck?” the woman asked, hovering nearby, unsure if she should leave the child with this man.

“No… No, I’m Eddie, I’m his dad,” he said, shaking his head, “Christopher,” he murmured as the boy clung to him.

“Daddy,” he said, a small sob on his lips as he held him tightly, “I can’t find Buck,” he cried.

“Buck,” Eddie whispered, it took a moment before he realized what was going on, “Buck,” he said standing up, Christopher gripped tightly in his arms as he walked over to the others.

“Please, you have to find Buck, you have to Daddy,” Christopher begged, tears in his eyes as he moved his head from his father’s shoulder to look at the man.

“What does he mean?” Chim asked, looking at the little boy clinging to his father.

“Was Buck at the Pier?” Hen asked Christopher.

Christopher nodded, “Yeah, we were having fun and then the big wave came and it took us away. But Buck found me, he saved me and we were safe on the firetruck. But then I fell in. But I kept swimming, Buck told me to keep swimming and I did, I did Daddy, but I couldn’t find Buck,” he said, laying his head on his dad’s shoulder once more.

“Okay, we’ll send out word that Buck is out there to the others that are still on scene,” Bobby said as he walked off, his face blank.

“No, you have to go out there, you have to. Please, please you need to find Bucky,” Christopher said as he started to wriggle around Eddie’s arms, to get the man to let him go.

“Chris,” Eddie began, looking at him. His heart was torn, he wanted to remain with his son, but he also wanted to go out there and start looking for Buck.

“Go, I can stay here,” he said as he finally got his dad to let him go and he stood on shaky legs to face him. “You have to find Buck,” he demanded of him, “You have to!”

“What’s going on?” Athena asked, she was still covered in blood, but she had attempted to clean herself up somewhat.

Hen moved over to her and quickly told her what was going on as Bobby came back. “Anything?” the woman asked her boss.

“Some,” Bobby answered her, “They’ve been hearing about a man going around and helping people out, a man looking for a kid, the description of the man is Buck I think, they mentioned that he as a birthmark around his left eye.”

“So… he’s out there still,” Chim said quietly.

“At the moment, yes,” Bobby nodded, “But… the last report of him was some time ago.”

“He might be hurt, he’s still on blood thinners,” Hen whispered, looking at Eddie who had put his head in his hands as Christopher hugged him.

“You have to find him,” Christopher said, this time, glancing at the others.

“We will,” Bobby promised him, “We will Christopher,” he said, voice a little shaky but getting stronger as he looked around, “All we can do is go out there and join the other teams that are doing search and rescue. The B-Shift is already here for the 118, so,” he paused.

“You’re not asking us to go home, I know that much Cap,” Chim said.

“Exactly,” Hen smiled, “We’re going out there for Buck. We’ll carry on with Search and Rescue just like our boy is,” she added, getting nods from the rest of the 118 A-Shift that was beginning to gather around them.

“Well, then, we’ll head out, I’ll tell the battalion Chief what we’re doing, that we’re going to remain here to help,” Bobby said, a proud smile on his face as Athena walked over to him.

“I’ll stay here with Christopher,” she said as she placed a hand on Bobby’s arm, “You go find our boy.”

“We will,” Bobby said as he leaned down a little and kissed her, “We will,” he promised.

Eddie sighed and knelt down before Christopher, “Are you sure you don’t want me to stay here?” he asked him, he had to ask. He didn’t want Christopher scared.

“No, you have to find Buck,” the eight-year-old demanded, “You have to dad,” he said as he wrapped his arms around the man and held him, “He saved me, we have to save him now.”

Eddie’s eyes closed as he held his son tightly for a moment, “Alright,” he said, “You stay with Athena, you stay by her side and we’ll go and look for our Bucky,” he added.

Christopher nodded, he was let go and he held out a hand for Athena to take, “Hi Miss ‘Thena,” he grinned up at her.

“Hey,” she smiled down at him, “You lot, head out,” she told them, as she went slowly to one of the free beds, “I’ll see if I can get him something to drink and eat, and to rest,” she added as she saw the worried and torn look on Eddie’s face.

“Thank you,” he nodded at her, “Thanks,” he repeated as he watched them go. He almost jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned his head, “Cap?”

“We have work to do and a friend in need out there. From what I can gather, he’s looking for Chris, so we need to tell him Chris is safe,” he said, patting him on the shoulder a few more times before the 118 headed out into the night.

Word was spreading through the other stations of Buck. Each time they heard something about the man that was searching for a child, with a birthmark on his face, the 118 was updated on where that location was. Bobby’s radio blared to life.

“118, Captain Nash,” he said as he waited for what was going to be coming through.

“We need you to head to your vehicles and retrieve them, we’re hearing reports of a number of vehicles that have crashed together from the wave. There are people trapped within them, someone is on-site at the moment and more will be heading over. But most of our first responders are still on foot.” The Battalion Chief’s voice came through.

“We’re on our way,” Bobby replied as he looked at the others, “Looks like we’re heading back to the start,” he told them. They weren’t that far from where they had left the trucks. And as more information came through, it shouldn’t take them long to get to where the accident was as the Chief was telling them which roads to take to get there the fastest and to get as close as possible as heavy rescue equipment would be needed for this rescue.

The group picked up the pace, they were all tired and wanted nothing more than to search only for Buck. But they all knew that if they didn’t stop to help someone on the way to look for him, Buck wouldn’t be happy with them.

“The caller is helping where he can,” the Battalion Chief carried on speaking as they reached their vehicles, “He has said that there are at least four trapped in the vehicles, a number are dead as well,” she told them.

“Right,” Bobby nodded as they upped their pace even more as they saw their trucks in the distance, “We’re almost at our trucks and then we’ll head over,” he told her.

“Good, keep me updated on location,” she told them.

“Right, we have a multi-vehicle pile-up, caused by the wave, we’re heading towards the outskirts of the devastation from the tsunami,” he said as they finally reached the trucks, “We’re heading out there now, we have a civilian on scene who has been talking with the Chief and relaying information. We have at least four victims that are still alive, and some that are beyond saving,” he added, “Unsure of the number of vehicles involved at the moment.”

“Cap,” they nodded as they got into the vehicles and began to head towards the accident site. The path of destruction they could see from the wave on either side of the roads as others had started to make them at least passable. Soon enough each member of the 118 was focusing on the job that was now ahead of them, while in the back of their minds they worried for their friend. Hoping that he was safe while he was out there.

Chapter Three

Buck didn’t know how long he had been walking. He had helped a number of others as he had done so. Heading back to where the 136 firetruck had been last. He almost missed the faint calls for help as he struggled to get through some debris.

“Hello!” Buck called out, his own voice hoarse after calling out for Christopher for practically the entire day.

“Help! Please!” someone called out, their voice stronger than last time, as though hearing Buck’s own answering call gave them the energy to shout.

“I’m coming, just keep yelling so I can find you!” Buck answered back as the person carried on calling out. He followed it, coming across a small pile-up of vehicles. “Hey,” he said as he spotted one person, an arm out of the window waving slowly.

“Oh, thank God,” the man moaned, as his arm went limp, “I… we didn’t think anyone would be able to hear us,” he said as he leaned back against his seat.

“What’s the problem?” Buck asked as he went over, he could hear voices from a couple of the other cars in the mess. There were a few cars piled high on some debris, he began to climb up.

“The wave, it took us and pushed us all together, we’ve been trapped since,” he said.

“Right, what’s your name?” he asked him, glancing him over and beginning to assess why he couldn’t get out of the car.

“David, my leg’s trapped, not… not been able to get it free. I’ve tried. There are others as well, they’re trapped, and some can’t get out. And… others they… they’re gone,” he said, his voice shaking as he closed his eyes.

“Okay,” he nodded, seeing that the dash and the front of the car had trapped his leg, though he could see down, there wasn’t a lot of blood, but that didn’t mean much. “I’m going to check the other vehicles, I’ll be back, so don’t worry, and I’m going to call for help,” he added.

Buck climbed down from where he had gone up to the car that was basically sitting right on top of two other cars. He checked each one of them, five cars in total. A young child in one, still alive and crying for her parents, who were dead in the front seat. The little girl looked to be around two. Another young boy, around Christopher’s age, slumped in the seat next to her, alive but unconscious, with blood on him, but not much.

Buck looked in the last car and saw two teenagers, both conscious in the front, both of them looked terrified, “Hey,” he smiled, “it’s okay, I’m going to be calling for help and we’re going to be getting you out of here,” he told them.

“Please, it hurts,” the one in the passenger seat cried, pleading with him to help.

Buck could see that some wood had gone through the young teen’s side. He nodded, “I know, but it will be alright,” he reassured again as he pulled out his phone. He got through to dispatch and was passed on to the Battalion Chief who was in charge of sending out resources for the tsunami hit area.

“Multiple cars have piled on top of each other,” he said, giving the woman in charge a description of each one he had gone across so far and the injuries that he had been able to see. Not one of them had he been able to get to. The car doors jammed shut in such a way he wasn’t able to force them open. Only the Jaws of Life would be able to do that.

“We have a unit on the way to you now, we will send others as soon as we get them,” the battalion chief told him.

“Thank you,” he said, relieved that someone was on the way to help. He kept talking to the teenagers for a few moments before talking to David again. He went back to the toddler who was still crying and tried to soothe her as best as he could, though he doubted that anything would help her at the moment. He turned as he heard a quick blast of the sirens as trucks began to pull up along with an ambulance. He knew others would be on the way.

Buck paled as he saw exactly who had turned up.

“Buck!” Eddie yelled as soon as he spotted him, running over to the man that looked one step away from passing out. Arms went around the man and held him tightly for a few moments, “You’re okay,” he muttered.

“I… Eddie…” Buck trembled, “Chris,” he said, almost letting loose a sob as he tried to tell him about Christopher.

“Is alright, he’s okay. He’s at the VA, he turned up about three hours ago,” Eddie told him, “We’ve been looking for you,” he added, not letting him go. Needing to reassure himself that Buck was really right in front of him.

“But… he…” Buck shook his head, pushing away, “We have to,” he turned to look at the cars, where Bobby and the others of the 118 were beginning to assess the situation.

“Okay, we’ll help them and then you are coming to the VA. Buck you…” Eddie said as he began to take note of Buck’s condition. He was covered in stains, blood and other things. He was trembling in his arms and he really looked like he was going to pass out, or even get knocked over by just a gentle breeze.

“No,” Buck said, shaking his head, he didn’t believe that Christopher had been found. How could he believe that? He had lost him. He turned and began to walk away, going back to where the two children were. The little girl was still scared out of her mind, crying and screaming, though she was coughing a lot now. “Hey,” he called again, hoping to distract her.

“Buck, if you can keep her calm we’ll see about getting her out as soon as we have the teens out. They need to be removed quickly,” Bobby said as Hen had done a quick assessment of all five victims that were still alive.

“Okay,” he nodded. Hen had been able to get the window open on both sides. Eddie went up to the other side and began to deal with the little boy. “It’s going to be okay sweetheart,” he murmured, reaching out and patting the toddler’s head, “It’s going to be fine, and we’re going to get you and your brother out of there, okay,” he said, knowing that most of what he was saying wasn’t even registering for the little girl at all. She was scared, wet, and most likely thirsty and hungry as well. It had been hours since the tsunami had hit, and from what David had said, they had all been trapped in their cars since the first wave.

Another two crews turned up to help get the victims free and sent off to either the VA or one of the hospitals that were still taking in patients. Buck slumped against a car, shaking as he watched the ambulance taking the two children away, they would both be going to the VA, the ID’s of the parents had been taken. The young boy had woken up just before they got him out, telling them what had happened and how his parents had just stopped answering them after a while. Buck hoped that they had family that would be able to take them in.

“Buck,” Bobby called to him as he and Eddie headed over. Hen and Chim had gone in the ambulance. The others of the 118 were packing things away.

“Bo… Bobby,” he said, voice cracking slightly.

Eddie handed over a small bottle of water. “Drink that,” he ordered.

Buck tried to open it, hissing and almost dropping the bottle, when his wrist pained him. Eddie reached out, taking the bottle away and looked at his wrist, “It’s… it’s fine Eddie,” he muttered, trying to pull away.

“No, it’s not,” Eddie told him, glancing up at him, “Doesn’t look broken, but it does look as though you sprained it. I think you might need to have it looked at, just in case,” he added, as Bobby went to get something to wrap it up with. Eddie started to check him, doing a concussion check as well.

“Eddie,” Buck’s voice was quiet as he looked at him, “Chris… he…”

“Buck,” Eddie said gently, “He’s safe, he really is. He’s back at the VA with Athena, he ordered us to come out and look for you,” he added, “he’s really safe, he told us that you saved him. That you got him to the firetruck, and had him on there until he fell in. And I know you, I know you would have searched for him, though we know that you did as we were getting reports of you from some of those that you helped.”

“I-“ he cut himself off, shaking his head, “No, he-“

“Eddie,” Bobby said as he walked back over, handing over the first aid kit to Eddie, knowing that the man would want to treat Buck himself.

“Thanks,” Eddie murmured as he took it and set Buck on the ground, “Look, He’s safe, really. He’s at the VA. Bobby, do you think you’ll be able to call Athena so he can hear for himself?” he glanced up at his captain.

“Of course,” he nodded, pulling out his phone and dialing the familiar number, “Hey,” he said, a soft smile on his face, “We’ve found Buck,” he told her quickly.

“How is he?” she asked him.

“He’s a little hurt, concussion, something wrong with his wrist as well. But still standing, which I think is a miracle,” he added as he looked down at Buck, “He doesn’t believe that Chris is safe, so do you think you could put him on for a moment so they can talk?” he asked her.

“Of course,” she snorted as there was a quiet murmur before another voice came through the phone.

“Where’s Bucky?” Christopher demanded to know.

Bobby smiled and put the phone on speaker, “Okay buddy, Buck’s here,” he said as he knelt and held the phone out.

“Bucky?” came the question again.

“Chris,” Buck’s voice shook badly as tears began to form in his eyes, “Chris, you… you okay buddy?” he asked him.

“I kept swimming, Bucky. I did, I kept swimming but I couldn’t find you,” he said, “I want to see you Bucky, where are you?” he asked him, “I…” he said as he then broke down into sobs, “Bucky.”

“I-“

“He’s coming back with us mijo,” Eddie sighed, as he finished strapping Buck’s wrist up, “he’s a little hurt, but he’s okay Christopher,” he added as he heard his son’s sobs.

“Re-really?” Christopher asked him.

“Really,” Eddie reassured, “he’s going to be just fine. He just needs to be cleaned up and make sure his cuts are going to be okay, and he’ll be able to go home.”

“Okay,” Christopher said, still crying, but no longer were they the heart wrenching sobs.

“We’ll be there soon buddy,” Buck said, finally finding his voice again. He still didn’t know if he could believe it was really Christopher on the phone.

“Right, let’s finish packing up and head back,” Bobby said as the call ended. He took his phone back and put it away.

Buck tried to get back to his feet only to fall back onto the ground. Eddie was by his side and helping him this time, as Bobby got on the other side.

“You really pushed yourself,” Eddie muttered.

“I had to find Chris,” Buck replied, “I had to try.”

Eddie nodded, “I know, I know you would have walked to the end of the earth for Chris. I know that. But he’s safe and soon you’ll be able to see that for yourself,” he told him softly, as he helped him over to the truck and got him inside. The others of the 118 settled around them.

Buck leaned against Eddie, tired and worn. His body was shivering slightly from the cold he was now really feeling. He grumbled as Eddie moved around, but sighed when he felt the weight of one of the blankets from the cab settle around him.

Chapter Four

Buck was leaning against Eddie as the man helped him from the truck. Buck looked around, absently noting that he was back at the VA, a place he had left only hours before to search for Christopher. “Why…” he began only to cut himself off and blink a few times as his vision went spotty for a moment.

“Come on,” Eddie said, still guiding him around the beds and the people that were now more milling about than doing anything. While people were still coming in, the number was beginning to dwindle. Most knew that those still out there were mostly the dead. Search and rescue would be going on for a long time as well as the recovery effort for the area surrounding the pier.

“Athena is still with him,” Bobby said, “She was able to get him something to eat and drink. He refused to sleep without his Bucky,” he added with a soft smile on his face.

“That’s good,” Eddie smiled in relief, knowing that his son was well taken care of.

Buck just followed him and didn’t have the energy to even speak. All he wanted was to see Christopher, to know that he really was alright.

“Buck!” came the yell of a child excited, but still upset.

“Chri… Christopher,” he gasped, eyes going wide as he took note of the child that was now getting up from where he had been sitting on a bed. Buck moved away from Eddie and hurried over to Christopher, falling to his knees as soon as he reached him. Taking the eight-year-old into his arms he held him tightly. “You’re okay, you’re really okay,” he mumbled, trembling as the adrenaline was starting to leave him. The fear that had kept him going for so long was now gone.

“I kept swimming Bucky,” he told him, holding him just as tightly, “I did, and I knew you would find me,” he added.

“Of course, I would, I wouldn’t stop looking for you until I found you,” he told him.

“Come on, let’s get you checked out properly Buck,” Bobby said as he went over and placed a hand on the young man’s shoulder.

“I… I don’t wanna leave Buck!” Christopher protested, scared that he wouldn’t see Buck again.

“You’ll be able to see him mijo,” Eddie said, kneeling beside the two, “Come on, Buck needs to be seen to just like you were, to make sure he’s alright.”

Christopher nodded slowly and let Buck go. “You’re going to be okay kid,” he said as he looked at Buck.

Buck couldn’t help but smile weakly at him, the same words that Christopher had spoken before the tsunami had hit, “We’re both going to be okay,” he replied as he was helped to his feet.

Christopher nodded as he took his dad’s hand only for him to yell out, “Buck!” when he saw Buck’s eyes roll back in his head and his body began to crumble and fall.

“Buck!” Eddie yelled the same as he reached out and took his friend into his arms, stopping him from falling to the ground. He laid him down fully as Bobby called out for a doctor. Eddie himself began to check him over.

A doctor heard the call and rushed over and began to help. He worked silently for a moment and then said, “Exhaustion, dehydration, I’m a little concerned for his left leg, it’s slightly swollen, but doesn’t feel like it’s broken at all.”

“He had a crush injury several months ago,” Bobby told him, “It was his left leg,” he added quietly.

“If he’s still recovering from that, it would explain the swelling, he’ll need to keep his weight off it for a few days, maybe a week to let it rest. His wrist, which I can see is already bandaged up, is sprained, but take him in for an x-ray just in case. A lot of injuries are going to need second looks. Most of us are tired and we may make mistakes,” he warned them.

“We’ll make sure to do that,” Bobby said with a frown. He could understand why they were saying such things, everyone was tired, and most had been there helping since the VA was set up. And it’s been almost ten hours since then.

“Most of us that came to help had just come off shift, some of us have been up for more than twenty hours,” the doctor said as he stood, “it’s been…” he trailed off with a sigh.

“I understand, thank you,” Bobby said again.

“Get him on one of the beds and let him come around by himself. He should be able to go home after replacing some of his fluids. We’ll set an IV for him,” the man said with a nod as he went to do so.

Eddie picked him up and gently placed him on the bed that Christopher had been sitting on. He moved out of the way when the doctor came back to set up the IV. Christopher went around the other side and crawled onto the bed, clinging to Buck.

“He’s going to be just fine, mijo,” Eddie reassured Christopher as he sat near his son.

“We should call Maddie, she’ll need to know what’s going on with Buck,” Athena said as she pulled out her phone and began to dial the dispatcher’s number.

Eddie didn’t spare her a glance as he watched the slow rise and fall of Buck’s chest. Christopher’s hand clutched the stained t-shirt the man was wearing. They were quiet. Even when Chim and Hen found them, they only broke the silence when telling them about Buck’s injuries. It wasn’t until Maddie came that the group began to talk more.

“I didn’t know he was on the Pier,” Maddie said as she went over to the bed and knelt beside it, taking her brother’s hand in hers, careful of the IV that was in it.

“I thought he was taking Chris to the movie theater, that they were going to be watching a movie,” Eddie snorted. “I even called, telling Buck that I was happy that he wasn’t anywhere near it, that he and Chris were safe. I could have lost them both and I wouldn’t have known until I got home.”

“We all thought that Eddie,” Bobby told him, the others nodding along with him.

“At least he’s safe, we found them both,” Hen murmured, “I… couldn’t imagine if it was Karen and Denny out here,” she added quietly.

“I think most of us feel the same,” Athena said as she leaned against Bobby, she was tired, and all of them were. Her shift had ended a few hours ago, but she still felt like she should be out there helping in some way.

“Hmm,” Eddie nodded, a hand running over Christopher’s head, “At least they’re safe now. I just wish we knew at the start, then…”

“You wouldn’t have been able to do anything but keep an eye out for them,” Chim told him, “There was so much going on, we wouldn’t have known where to start looking.”

“Maybe, but we could have still been looking,” Eddie grumbled quietly.

“As soon as he wakes, I’ll take him home, make sure he rests,” Maddie said after a few moments of silence.

“No,” Christopher was the one to speak, almost glaring at Maddie.

“He needs to go home and rest up in bed Chris,” she told him, a gentle and understanding smile on her face.

“No,” he shook his head, gripping Buck’s t-shirt even tighter, “I… he can’t go, he can’t leave me. I just found him. He needs to stay with me, with us,” he said, almost begging as he turned to look at his dad.

“Mijo,” Eddie coaxed as he got the eight-year-old to turn around a little, “Buck has-“

“No,” he repeated for the third time, “Daddy, please, he has to come with us, please. He…”

“Christopher, Buck needs to go home,” Maddie said yet again, shaking her head, “I kn-“

“You don’t know, I want Buck, I want to stay with Buck, please Daddy, I can’t leave Bucky, I can’t,” he said as he began to cry.

“Ch-Chris,” Buck blinked awake as he began to hear Christopher cry, “Whe… what?” he mumbled as he tried to make his body move, but was only able to move his arm to curl around Christopher before he fell back asleep, his body unable to make him stay awake.

“Bucky,” Christopher mumbled as he turned around again and curled against Buck.

Eddie looked at his son, “Let’s talk about this away from them. I’d rather the two of them rest a little more.”

Maddie nodded, as she reluctantly let her brother’s hand go and stood up. She followed Eddie out of the small room and watched as the man began to pace. “Eddie,” she began.

“I know you want to take Buck home, and he needs proper rest and a bed. But… I’m asking for you to please let them be together. You… you didn’t see how despondent Buck was. I know Chris was yelling at me to find Buck. So… I’m just asking. Let Buck come with us tonight,” he asked her. He had heard the desperation and the fear in his son’s voice as he begged for Buck to go home with them.

“He needs to sleep in a bed, be able to clean up,” she sighed, “I know that he would want to make sure that you’re both fine. But he needs to rest and recover himself.”

“And he will, I’ll sleep on the sofa and he can have my bed. He’ll be fine there and I can be there for the both of them should nightmares happen. And I have no doubt something is going to happen like that,” he muttered, running a hand through his short hair.

“I,” she sighed, shaking her head. She closed her eyes for a moment and thought of her brother. “Okay he can go with you, but you need to make sure to keep an eye on him. Has he been checked for a concussion at all?”

“Yes, I did so before we got him here. He does have a concussion, and yes I will keep an eye on him through the night. I promise that,” Eddie reassured her.

Maddie nodded, “Fine, take him home with you.”

“Thank you, and I promise, I’ll take good care of him. I… I think that at the moment they might just need each other after what has happened,” he sighed slumping slightly as he rested against the wall.

“As long as you do,” Maddie told him, going back into the room.

Eddie watched her go. He stayed outside for a few moments giving his mind a little time to go through what had happened. As soon as he saw his son in a stranger’s arms, he wanted to rage. And then when he realized that Buck wasn’t there, that his son was alone. His heart had gone into his throat and remained there. Only a few snippets they were getting kept his hope that Buck was alive.

“You alright?” Bobby asked as he walked through the door and out into the hallway.

“I… don’t know,” he said after a few moments of silence, “I actually don’t know.”

“Take your time with this. You… you found out that two people that you care deeply about were in danger,” Bobby began.

Eddie nodded, “And I wasn’t there to help them, protect them. I… I feel like I failed, not just as a friend to Buck, but as a father. I keep failing him all the time.”

“You haven’t failed him at all,” Bobby reassured him, “You’re doing what you can now to make sure that both Chris and Buck will be okay. I know Maddie wanted to take Buck with her. But even we all know that he’ll be waking during the night to make sure Chris is okay. He’ll be better with you and Chris will be better for it as well. You are doing your best,” he finished quietly.

Eddie nodded, “yeah,” he said, still not fully convinced. He pushed himself away from the wall and walked back inside. Bobby followed behind him.

Chapter Five

Buck jolted back to consciousness as he shouted, “Christopher!” his eyes went wide as he began to panic, looking around for the eight-year-old.

“I’m here Buck!” Christopher yelled, as he sat up himself and clung to Buck.

“You…” Buck said, starting to shake again, “You’re safe? Okay?” he asked as he started to try and check the child over, just to make sure.

“I am, you saved me, Buck,” he told him, his voice quiet as Buck stopped and just held him. He sighed in contentment and closed his eyes. He wanted to go back to sleep.

“Buck,” Eddie said after a few moments, “We’ll be going home soon,” he began, only to stop when he saw Buck freeze and grip Christopher a little tighter.

“Y… yeah,” he whispered, nodding a few times, only to wince when his head hurt him.

“Our shift is now over, has been for a while. We’ve done what we can and the 118’s B-shift have already taken over duties here,” Bobby said from behind Buck, as the man had turned to face Eddie.

“Bob-Bobby?” he blinked as he turned his head a little and saw the rest of the others standing there. His sister was being held by Chim as they watched him wake up fully.

“We’re all here,” Hen smiled at him, “Though you’re a little banged up, but going to be just fine.”

“You’ll need to rest up, and no putting weight on your leg for a bit,” Chim added.

“Need to go for an X-ray to make sure everything is alright there, but other than that, you got out of this pretty well,” Hen finished gently.

“Okay,” Buck nodded, glancing at them all, “So why… why aren’t you all going home. I-“

“You’re not fine,” Eddie told him, “And you’re coming home with Chris and me,” he smiled, reaching out to him, and placed a hand on his leg, making sure it wasn’t his bad one. “We’ll swing by your place and grab your crutches,” he then said, “You’ll need them for a few days, and to make sure the swelling goes down. Though with your wrist that’s going to be difficult,” he winced as he looked at the bandaged wrist. There was a cut further up, not that deep in the end, but it had needed resealing after a while because Buck had used his arm when he helped people and had torn it open again.

“You… you don’t have to. I’ll be fine on my own,” he said, though he was still holding Christopher tightly in his arms, he really didn’t want to let the little boy go. He was still afraid that this was all a dream and that he was still somewhere out there, collapsed and unconscious. Having not found Christopher, having failed his best friend and the little boy he loved like his own.

“I know,” Eddie said, “But I don’t think either you or Chris will do well without each other. Today has been… well I can’t imagine what it’s been like for the two of you, to even comprehend what you have both been through. I know that Christopher was scared and adamant about me going out there to look for you. And I know you… you wouldn’t have let yourself rest if you thought Christopher was in danger,” he added quietly, “So you’re coming back with the two of us, we’re going to have something simple to eat and then go to bed,” he finished as he looked at Buck and waited for his answer.

Buck nodded slowly, “If you’re really sure.”

“I am,” he smiled, “Now, let’s get rid of that since it looks like the IV is finished.”

“I’ll do that,” Hen said as she got up and moved closer, carefully unhooking him, “You’ll need to have a really good clean. They are giving out a course of antibiotics to most people that have been hurt. Just in case they caught something from the water.”

“I’ll get that for the both of you and drop them off,” Chim told them, as he glanced at Eddie.

“Thanks,” he smiled at him, “Now, let’s get you both home,” he said, looking between Christopher and Buck. Not sure which one he should help.

Bobby went over to the bed and plucked Christopher from it and gave Eddie a knowing smile, “Come on, we have some vehicles here to take us back to the station so we can change and go home.”

Eddie smiled back at his captain and helped Buck from the bed, letting the man lean on him as he started to limp a little as they walked. “Just keep leaning on me,” he whispered when he felt Buck trying to shift his weight from him.

“Bu-“

“Buck, you’re hurt and you need to take it easy, leaning on me for a bit isn’t going to hurt anyone,” he told him, his words simple and with an added eye roll.

Buck went quiet as Christopher looked over Bobby’s shoulder and watched them, “Can we be in dad’s bed?” he asked, wanting to be with the two of them when he went to sleep.

“We shall see Mijo,” Eddie smiled at him, knowing that in the end he would have his way and the three of them would be pilled in Eddie’s bed for the night. There was no way he was going to let Buck sleep on the couch, it wasn’t exactly comfortable.

“Okay,” Christopher said, a little smile on his face as he rested his head on Bobby’s shoulder.

“Hopefully the traffic is beginning to ease. We’ve got a service going on for those that are here to get away,” Athena said quietly, “A shuttle service to different parts of the city. It’s working at the moment, though for us, we have cars available and smaller buses to get us to the stations.”

“That… that’s good,” Buck murmured, wondering how the logistics were working on so many people being stranded. It wasn’t only people on the pier that had been affected by the tsunami, it was homes and businesses as well. People were left with nowhere to go. He wondered how the city was doing as a whole.

Maddie slowed down so she could walk beside her brother, “Are you sure you don’t mind going to Eddie’s?” she asked him, “You know I don’t mind you coming to stay with me, or we could both go to your loft?”

Buck looked at her, seeing the worry and even some fear in her eyes as she looked at him. He wanted to say yes to her like he normally would. Though he knew that she would help him, take care of him. He really needed to be around Christopher. He just wanted to make sure that the eight-year-old really was alright. “I’m good to go with Eddie. Thanks, Maddie,” he smiled at her as they reached the car park. One of the small buses was waiting for them. Getting inside and sitting down was nice.

Buck was silent as they drove towards the 118. The streets were at first covered in debris that had been shuffled to the side of the roads to make them passable. But as they got further and further away from the devastation the city started to look normal. As though nothing had happened at all. It was odd to see after all that had happened. It was like the whole city should have been affected by the tsunami, that water should still be around and debris on each street.

“You okay?” Eddie asked quietly, not wanting to draw the attention of the others.

“Yeah, it feels a little surreal seeing clean streets after everything,” he murmured.

Eddie nodded, “Yeah.”

The two were quiet, only hearing the soft little snores from Christopher as he fell asleep in his seat next to Bobby. Buck slipped a little in his seat, his head ended up on Eddie’s shoulder. He was about to apologize and sit up, when an arm went around him, keeping him there. He relaxed a little, letting his eyes close as he felt safe for the first time since he had spotted the wave heading towards them.

XxXxX

Buck was helped from the bus and over to Eddie’s truck. Christopher was quickly buckled into the back and Buck helped into the passenger seat. “Well,” he said as he looked around. Eddie’s old truck was a reliable thing at least. And he wondered if he would be able to find his jeep when things began to calm. He knew that he had parked it out of the area of devastation. They had been going to the movie theater, but had found it closed. So they had decided to head to the pier at Christopher’s suggestion. They had used some public transport to get to the pier, it was easier than trying to find a parking space most of the time.

“Let’s get you both home and cleaned up. I’ve got some of your things at mine Buck, so you have something to change into,” Eddie told him, “Though if you want something softer, we can grab them when we grab your crutches,” he added as they headed to Buck’s loft first.

“There’s a few things I would like,” Buck said after a few moments of silence. “Just…”

“Hey, Buck,” Eddie called to him, “It’s fine, we can get what you want from there. Just tell me, I know where most of your things are,” he added.

“Hmm, just that sweatshirt I like to wear and my sleep clothes,” he gave a small shrug.

“Okay,” he nodded and carried on driving. It took a little longer than normal to get to Buck’s loft, but as expected, a lot of people were still driving to pick some up from the stops around the city.

Eddie turned to Buck, “I’m going to head in, you two stay here,” he said, grabbing his key for Buck’s place and heading inside.

Buck grumbled about being left behind, but he was actually glad for it, he was bone tired and wanted nothing more than to get clean and to sleep for a good few days. It felt like it had been days since he had been woken up by Eddie. He turned to look behind him, Christopher was half asleep in the back. “Hey,” he called to him, smiling a little as Christopher smiled back.

“Buck,” he grinned, “We’re going to have a sleepover,” he said, his words slightly slurred with sleep.

“I know, you sure that’s okay?” he asked him.

“Yeah, you have to come home with us Buck, I only just found you,” he said, pouting a little.

“Right,” Eddie said as he got back, shoving the crutches and the bag into the back with Christopher, “Let’s get you both home,” he told the two of them as he climbed back into his truck and started it up.

“Thanks,” Buck said, “For making me go with you, both of you,” he said, glancing back at Christopher again, who gave him a thumbs-up, now too tired to even speak.

“Of course,” Eddie said, “Look, I… I know that tonight is going to be tough, and so are the next few days. I want you to stay at mine. I don’t mind if we share the bed or I sleep on the couch, as long as you are there.”

“I can’t take your bed, I’m fine on the couch,” Buck protested quietly as he heard a soft snore from the back.

Eddie spared him a glance as they pulled up at a red light, “Not happening. Either choose to share or not.”

“Fine… share,” he grumbled, folding his arms across his chest in a childish gesture of annoyance. Though he winced in pain as he banged his wrist against his other arm.

“Careful,” Eddie admonished, seeing the wince. “We’ll take you down to the hospital tomorrow to get a full check-up, along with Chris,” he told him.

“You don’t have to-“

“I’m doing it,” Eddie cut him off, glaring before he then looked back to the road and carried on driving home.

Buck sighed but nodded. He would have a better chance after some sleep. He closed his eyes and relaxed as they drove the rest of the way in silence.

Chapter Six

Eddie glanced at Buck as he pulled up to his house. The man was dozing lightly, his son doing the same in the back of the vehicle. “Buck,” Eddie murmured, reaching out to his shoulder and clutching at it lightly. Not wanting to scare him as he gently woke him up.

Buck startled, he couldn’t help it as he glanced around, “Chris?!” he called out, waking the child in the back.

“Buck!” Christopher called back, eyes going wide as he looked for him.

Eddie bit back a curse, but sighed and looked at the two of them, “It’s okay, we’re home now. I just want to get you both inside, get you all clean and into something soft and warm,” he said as he got out the car, waiting for Buck to do the same before he went to get Christopher. He held the child in his arms and locked the car behind them as they walked to the house. Opening the door, he let Buck enter first and said softly, “I’m going to get this one cleaned up. I want you to rest until I’m done and then I’ll help you. Just go to the couch and stay there,” he told his friend, worried about the almost blank look that was in his eyes.

Buck just nodded and shuffled over to the couch and sat down, curling up on himself.

Eddie looked down at Christopher, “How about a small wash down and then bed for you?” he asked, since the child had been cleaned up a little. He wasn’t up to getting him into the shower with how tired he was. He walked into the bathroom that was set up for Christopher and sat him down on the stool.

“Tired daddy,” he murmured, yawning.

“I know mijo,” he said softly, “Stay there I’m just going to get you something clean to wear for bed and then I’ll set you up in my room,” he said, giving him a quick hug before getting up and grabbing them and a towel.

Eddie walked back in, finding Christopher half asleep on the stool. He started up the water, letting it run and heard a whimper from behind him. “It’s okay Chris,” he said as he turned and knelt, “I just need to get you cleaned up.”

“It’s scary daddy,” he said, trembling as he stared at the tap that was running.

“I know, I know it is mijo, but I need to get you clean, I’m sorry buddy,” he said, “It’s only going to be a cloth, no shower or bath for now.”

Christopher nodded. He watched Eddie carefully as he picked up a washcloth and wet it. Using a little soap, he helped Christopher have a wash down. Getting rid of all the much he could. He wanted to wash the kids’ hair as well, but he didn’t think that would go down well at the moment. He didn’t want to traumatize his son any more than he already was. Getting him clean was only half the battle. When he was trying to get him to brush his teeth, that first bit went fine, it was trying to get him to swill his mouth out that was a problem.

“Chris, please, just quick, that’s all you have to do,” he begged him, “you won’t be swallowing, okay,” he tried to calm him down as tears ran down his red face.

“Don’t, please, don’t,” Christopher begged, eyes going red as he wiped a few tears away.

Eddie sighed and pulled him into his arms, “It’s okay, you don’t have to then,” he said. He had tried to get him to do so, but after the second time, he didn’t have the heart to try again. He picked him up, “Come on, bedtime,” he said, taking him to his room. “Buck and I will be in soon as well, okay champ,” he said as he tucked him into the middle of the bed

Christopher looked up at him, eyes full of fear but slowly drooping as he nodded, “Okay, don’t be long,” he told him.

“I’ll do my best,” he said, grabbing something for himself and Buck to change into. He was still in his uniform, not having bothered to change when they got to the station. He had wanted to get both Buck and Christopher home quickly. “Buck,” he called as he went over to the couch. The man was staring at nothing as he sat on the couch.

“Buck,” he called again as he reached him and knelt in front of him, “Come back to me Buck,” he called to him, not touching him. He continued to call him, gentle reassurance that he was safe, that Christopher was safe and that they were home now.

Buck blinked, looking down at Eddie, “You… finished with Christopher?” he asked him.

“Yeah, have been for a while, come on,” he said standing and holding out a hand for him to take, “Let’s get you washed, dried and into something comfy so we can sleep. I would prefer to get you both to have something to eat, but I think sleep wins out at the moment.”

“Hmm,” Buck hummed as he took the hand, letting it ground him and remind him that he was safe now. He was led to the bathroom that was near Eddie’s room. It was slightly larger than the one that had been fitted and set up for Christopher, a shower and a separate bath took up most of the room.

“Buck, do you think you’ll be able to shower, you’re covered in muck,” he said softly as he led him to the shower, “Do you think you’ll be able to do it yourself?” he asked him, looking at the younger man worriedly.

“I’ll be fine,” Buck said, as he began to undress, the bruising was hidden by dirt for the most part. But Eddie could see that there were quite a few.

Eddie left the room, standing outside it to give him some privacy. He heard a thump from inside and called out, “Buck, you okay?” Pressing his ear against the door he could hear the sound of the shower going and a faint whimper. “Damn it,” he cursed as he opened the door and went in, seeing Buck at the bottom of the shower stall, shaking as the water poured over him.

Eddie went over, opening the stall door and stepping inside, it didn’t matter that his clothes were getting wet, he was worried about Buck, “Come on Buck,” he said as he shut the water off. The man was soaked already, He helped him to his feet and set him on the edge of the bath, grabbing a towel, “Can you dry yourself. We’ll see about getting you bathed properly tomorrow,” he said, though he wasn’t sure if he would be able to get them into the shower at all. He doubted they would even be able to get them to have a bath either. Sitting in the water, having it flowing over them. He sighed as he looked Buck over. Some of the dirt had washed away, but a lot of it remained.

“Buck, I need to get you cleaned up and to check on your wounds a little,” Eddie told him, as he went and started to do the same as he had done with Christopher.

“Sorry Eddie,” Buck murmured, his voice hoarse, “I…”

“It’s fine, I understand,” he said, though he didn’t truly understand and he doubted he would ever be able to. But he would do his best to be there for the two of them.

Buck looked up at him, “I… I can do it,” he stumbled over the words as he took the wet cloth from his best friend, and began to scrub himself, not caring that Eddie was still in the room. Eddie shook his head, but stood up straight and moved to the side of the room, letting Buck take care of himself. Eddie watched him carefully, the man’s movements were somewhat stiff.

“Okay Buck, you’ve cleaned up enough. You can wash up properly tomorrow, we’ll get through it together, you and Chris,” he told him, taking the cloth from him and getting him to dry himself.

“Yeah, sorry I’m just…” Buck sighed, “I’m so tired,” he murmured.

“I know you are, come on, let’s get you changed and into bed. We’re all staying in mine before you even think about going to the couch,” Eddie added, “Not only that but you have concussion checks through the night.”

Buck gave a grunt as he was helped into his clothing. Swaying slightly as he put weight on his bad leg. And wincing when he had to use his arm. His wrist throbbed in pain a little. Eddie guided him from the bathroom and into the bedroom, taking some of his weight. Christopher was fast asleep in the middle of the bed, but now splayed out like a starfish, with the cover kicked off.

“Get in,” Eddie ordered, as soon as he gently settled Christopher into the middle of the bed. When Buck was in bed he covered the two up. He turned the light off as he left the room, “I’ll be back soon, just going to change,” he said, though he went back to the bathroom, and cleaned up a little before having a quick shower. Stopping at the kitchen for some bottled water.

When he walked back into the bedroom, the two were fast asleep. Christopher had sought out Buck and the two were cuddled against each other, holding on tightly. Eddie gave a sad smile as he climbed into bed with them, and made sure the both of them were covered. He left a small lamp on, casting the room in a warm glow, just in case either of them woke up, he wanted them to be able to see that they were home and safe.

Eddie lay there for a while. His mind was too active for him to fall asleep. He had hoped he would be able to fall asleep easily. It had been an exhausting day after all, and he knew everyone involved in the incident had to be feeling the same exhaustion as him. But his mind was on the two people in the bed with him. Christopher had been through so much in the last few months. Losing his mother, almost losing Buck as well. And now this to add on top of it.

Then there was Buck, he had almost died three times. Three times in the last five, six months. Eddie feared that this would just make things worse. That there was something else that would stop him from coming back to work and enjoying his life. It had been a hard battle that morning in just getting him up, and he only kept him out of the bed because he had gotten him to look after Christopher.

“Eddie,” came a soft call.

Eddie turned on his side again and looked at Buck, the man was barely awake. “Go to sleep Buck,” he told him, reaching out and placing an arm over the two.

Buck gripped his arm and nodded, “You too, we’re safe,” he said, though his voice told Eddie that he didn’t really believe the words he was saying.

“We are, we’re going to be okay. We’re all safe,” Eddie repeated, shuddering as he began to realize exactly what could have happened that day. He could have lost the two of them and he wouldn’t have even known about it until that night. When Eddie would have tried to get them. He wouldn’t have known, that thought scared him. There would have been nothing to tell him that Buck and Christopher had been on the Pier, nothing. As there had been no message from Buck to tell them where they had gone except that they wanted to go and see a film.

“Yeah,” Buck nodded slightly as broke through Eddie’s spiraling thoughts.

“Yeah,” he repeated as he gave him a small smile.

Buck stared at him for a moment before closing his eyes. Though Eddie could tell that he wasn’t actually sleeping. He closed his own eyes, hoping that sleep would claim him soon. He didn’t know how long he had been lying there when he heard the soft snuffling snores from Buck. Sighing in relief that the man was asleep again, he felt himself relaxing and finally drifting off to sleep himself.

Chapter Seven

Eddie had been awake with the sun. Then again, he had barely any sleep. Not that he expected much. Buck and Christopher had woken several times during the night. Calling out for each other. The man was glad that he had been able to get Buck to stay with them, he dreaded to think what it would have been like if they had gone their separate ways. He looked at the two, they were sleeping again. This time Christopher was curled against him and Buck behind him making sure all three of them were close.

Silently Eddie slowly pulled himself away from the two. Heading into the kitchen, phone in hand he stared at it. He should call Abuela and Pepa, and tell them what had happened. They had wanted Buck and Christopher to stop by today while Eddie went to work. Though he had gotten a message telling him he was on 24-hour downtime before he went back tomorrow morning. He was glad of having the time off, hoping he would be able to spend it with the two and try and get them through the day. He wanted them both to bathe and eat. Though he had a feeling he was going to have an uphill battle when it came to getting them bathed. Their aversion to the water last night was enough to show him that it was going to be hard.

“Ed… Eddie,” came a rasping voice.

Eddie looked from where he had been making himself a coffee and saw Buck, with Christopher latched onto his hand. The two looked barely rested. “Hey,” he said as he walked over, taking Christopher into his arms, and letting Buck lean against him a little as he led them over to the dining table and got them to sit down. “I’m going to make you both something to eat and drink,” he told them, running a hand over Christopher’s head, and quickly squeezing Buck’s shoulder.

“Thanks,” Buck nodded as he watched Christopher rest his head on his arms.

Eddie just smiled as he went into the kitchen and began to make them both something to eat. He looked at the pitcher of water he would normally have on the table and sighed. Instead, he swapped it out for some juice and took everything out when he was done. “Right, pancakes with some fruit and everything,” he joked lightly, hoping to lighten the mood a little.

“Thank you, daddy,” Christopher said, as he looked up, a small smile on his face as he then yawned.

“Both of you eat up, and then I want you both to have a proper bath, so I can clean up your cuts and make sure that none of them are infected,” he told them.

Christopher and Buck both froze. “Daddy,” he called out, voice sounding small and timid. Fear was easily heard within it.

“I know mijo,” Eddie said softly as he sat next to his son, “I know. But you both need to wash up properly. I know it might be scary, but it needs to be done.”

Buck nodded, “You… you’re right,” he agreed, picking up his fork and taking a small bite of his breakfast, “We’ll have a good shower, get rid of all the muck. I’ll… I should go back-“

“No!” Christopher yelled out, “No, you don’t leave, you can’t leave.”

“You’re not going anywhere Buck, you’re staying here,” Eddie added his voice to the protest of Buck even thinking about going home.

Buck looked between the two of them and then nodded slowly, “Okay,” he agreed. He didn’t want to go back to his loft. It was empty and he would be alone with his thoughts again.

“Not only that, I need to get your crutches from the car and then get Chris’ spares out of the closet,” Eddie said as he finished the last of his pancakes, “Eat up you two,” he added, as he saw that the two of them were slow to eat.

Eddie stood, watching them for a few seconds before he headed to his vehicle. Grabbing Buck’s crutches first. He rushed back inside before his next-door neighbor could call out to him. The woman was a bit of a gossip and she knew he was a firefighter and would no doubt have questions about the tsunami. The neighbors on the other side were much more pleasant. He shuddered as the woman called again and wondered if he would be able to keep Buck and Christopher out of her way for a bit. He soon made it back to the dining room. The two inside had eaten at least half of their breakfast.

“Hey,” Buck said as he noted the two pairs of crutches in his best friend’s hands.

“Here,” Eddie said handing out one pair to the man.

“Thanks,” he said, though pulled a face as he looked at them.

Eddie shook his head, “I know, but just for a few days. Don’t forget that you need to make an appointment with your doctor. You should get yourself fully checked out. I’m going to be doing the same with Christopher as well,” he told him, glancing over at Christopher who was pouting at the thought of seeing his doctor again.

“Yeah,” Buck agreed, “I’m going… to shower,” he said as he was about to walk away, when he heard Eddie give a fake cough. With a muttered curse he used one of his crutches to head to the bathroom.

“Right, bud,” Eddie knelt before his son, “Time for you to get all cleaned up.”

Christopher didn’t look happy, but he nodded, and followed his dad to his own bathroom. “Dad,” he said hesitantly, “Do I really have to.”

Eddie turned to face him and knelt down in front of him. Placing his hands on his son’s shoulders he said softly, “I know you don’t want to. I know you’re scared of it. But you need to shower.”

Christopher looked at him, and then looked behind him to where his shower was, “I… keep swimming.”

“That’s right, we’ll keep swimming to make it. Together. You and me,” Eddie told him, giving him a reassuring smile.

“And Buck,” Christopher added with a nod.

“Yes, and Buck, because we’re all together and we’ll get through this,” he smiled, slowly turning the shower on. He felt Christopher jump and grab onto him. “It’s okay Chris, nothing is going to happen here,” he promised him, turning to face him. He quickly wondered how Buck was doing. And for the first time in a while, he helped his son bathe.

XxXxX

Eddie left Christopher in the living room, letting him choose something to watch as he went in search of Buck. He couldn’t hear the shower going so he called out, “Buck?”

“I… Yeah, I’m fine,” Buck called out, his voice sounding strange.

“You need any help?” he asked him, worried about the man.

“No… no, I’m… I’m fine,” he said as there were a few clatters and the door unlocked. Buck stood there, clean and dried, but shaking badly. Much as Christopher had done when he was finally finished with the shower.

“You’re not, but you will be,” Eddie sighed softly, “Let’s take a look at you, make sure things are healing up right. I’ve already done Chris before you even think of protesting.”

“Really Eddie, there’s no need t-“

Eddie stared at him, “Buck… you were in a tsunami, in water that was polluted with who knows what. You were out there for hours without treatment. Now, get yourself an appointment with your doctor. It was recommended that you have your wrist x-rayed as well. Though I don’t think it’s broken, you’ve been using it too much,” he muttered as he watched him grab them and follow him out the room. “I’m going to be making an appointment for Chris for tomorrow I think,” he said.

Buck followed Eddie to his bedroom, the bed still a mess from when they got up. “Eds,” he began.

“Sit down,” Eddie ordered, giving the man a look until he complied and then began to check him over as soon as he got Buck’s hoodie off him. “Small bleed, but looks like it’s already stopped,” he murmured as he got up, grabbing the first aid kit he kept well stocked in his bathroom. “Let’s sort you out and then you can sit down with Chris and watch some TV,” he told him.

“Thanks, Eddie,” Buck said, giving him a small smile, “I… Just thanks.”

Eddie glanced up from what he was doing, “Welcome Buck, always you know that. You have my back and I have yours,” he reminded him.

“Yeah,” he nodded, smiling a little more before he hissed as Eddie put some antiseptic cream on a couple of his cuts before covering them up.

“Sorry,” he winced slightly.

“It’s… fine,” Buck sighed heavily, “I should leave soon. Need to go back home and…” he trailed off, looking away from the man.

“No, you’re staying here. We’ll go to the loft and get a few more things for you. But you’re going to be staying with me and Chris for a while. You won’t be going back to the loft for a bit. I… I need to make sure you’re okay, not just Chris,” he told him. His thoughts from last night spiraling in his mind.

Buck was silent for a while, he was still shaken up, “I lost him, Eddie,” he muttered, “I lost him, I searched for so long and I still didn’t find him.”

“But you saved him,” Eddie countered, “Look, you saved him, without you he would have died when the wave first hit. There is no one in this world that will fight for him as much as you do. As you have done. You mean the world to him, to both of us. And I know you love and adore him just as much.”

“How… How could I not Eds, he’s amazing. He… really doesn’t let anything get him down for long. He just kept going no matter what was thrown at him. He amazes me every single day, and me… I… I feel like a failure because I’m not back at work yet,” he shook his head closing his eyes for a moment.

“You were injured so badly, Buck. We… almost lost you, first to the truck and then to an embolism. Buck, we almost lost you again yesterday. Give yourself time to heal. To really heal, not pushing yourself to come back, because we’ll be here for you. I’m not going anywhere, and neither is Chris. We’re both here for you. The others are the same. We love you and we’re… scared for you at the moment,” he told him honestly.

“I don’t… I don’t mean to worry you, I just want to be back with my family. I… feeling like I’m being left behind all the time,” he said, bowing his head for a moment before shivering. He reached out and grabbed his hoodie, putting it back on now that Eddie was finished looking him over.

“I know, we all do. And you will be back with us. We… were worried you were pushing it too fast. At the moment, recover from this, and let’s see how things go,” he said, standing up.

Buck nodded, “Yeah.” Though he still felt like he was losing something, not being there with them all. Like he was being left behind.

Eddie closed his eyes for a moment, hearing the dejected tone in his best friend’s voice. He didn’t know what else to tell him that he wasn’t being left behind. That they were waiting for him to recover well enough to come back. “Come on, Chris is no doubt wondering where we are.” He held out a hand waiting for the younger man to take it. Eddie smiled when he did and helped him to his feet, then quickly handed him his crutches and led the way into the living room. Where Christopher was waiting for the two of them. Making them both sit on either side of him as they ended up watching Tarzan.

Chapter Eight

It was just before dinner when Eddie felt he could relax again. The afternoon had been busy. He’d been able to get Christopher an appointment with his doctor and was quickly reassured after a check-up that he was doing just fine. Antibiotics were given out to make sure that he wouldn’t catch anything. Then Buck had been able to get an appointment, or rather two. One for a check-up on his leg and the other a general check-up, which ended up with him being X-rayed for his wrist and leg, and checked once more for any more blood clots. Both had been given a mostly clean bill of health. They confirmed that Buck had to use his crutches for a good week, and then rechecked to make sure there was no lasting damage after the strain it had been through.

“Right,” Eddie said, starting to think about dinner. He was about to get up when he heard someone knocking on the front door. He bit back a curse, just wanting them all to be left alone. He opened the door, blinking a little in surprise as he saw his Abuela and Pepa both standing there, holding dishes full of food. The smell made his mouth water as he was hungry. They hadn’t even been able to stop for lunch with the appointment and going from one place to another. And also a quick stop at Buck’s loft to get a few more of his things.

“Eddito,” Isabel said as she saw her grandson, “How are they both?” she asked, not even making a move to enter the home.

“They are… doing okay,” he said, they had a few problems when it came to drinking a little water, but that could be worked around for the most part.

“I won’t come in,” she said softly, “We bought a few things to get you through the next day or so.”

“You can come in and see them for yourself,” Eddie said, stepping aside, “I know Christopher would love to see you both,” he coaxed. He loved his aunt and grandmother a lot, the two of them had helped him more than anyone else in his family had.

“We don’t want to intrude, Eddie,” Pepa said, a soft smile on her face.

“You’re not,” he replied, ushering them both inside, “Chris, Buck!” he called out, “Abuela and Pepa are here,” he smiled as he heard a happy cheer from Christopher and the clacking of his crutches as he got up to greet them.

Eddie left Christopher to talk to the two of them as he took the food from the two women and put it away. Buck joined him in the kitchen and helped.

“You can go sit down,” Eddie told him.

“Nah, let Chris enjoy the attention,” Buck smiled at him. He had felt calmer and better after seeing his doctors, knowing that he hadn’t done any permanent damage to himself.

“Okay,” he shook his head, “Though they were asking ab-“ he began only for his Abuela to walk into the room.

“There you are,” she said as she went over to Buck, taking his head into her hands, “Thank you, for keeping him safe. And I’m so happy that you are okay as well,” she said, kissing him on the cheek.

“Of course, you know I’d do anything for that kid. I just wish I hadn’t lost him. I… shouldn’t have taken him to the Pier,” he sighed softly, tears in his eyes as he thought about how he had lost Christopher.

“You kept going. I know you, Evan, you would search for him until the end of the earth. You’d bring him home,” she told him gently, hugging him tightly, “Thank you, now you go and sit down, rest, you should be resting,” she admonished him. Sending him to the living room where Pepa and Christopher were.

Eddie watched him go, “Thank you Abuela,” he told her, “I’ve been trying to get through to him that he did all he could. But… he blames himself,” he sighed softly.

“I could see. I’ll remind him as much as you Eddito,” she smiled, “Now, I’ll leave you both alone. You have food, so you don’t have to cook, and if you need anything, don’t forget that you only need to call me,” she added as she then headed back into the living room.

Eddie shook his head but smiled as he put the last of the dishes away and followed her. He came into a surprising sight as Pepa had tucked the two onto the sofa and gotten them both to sleep in the last few minutes.

“Hush,” Pepa said as she saw him enter the room, “I just got them to sleep. They both look so tired, as do you,” she added, standing and heading over to him, “Now, don’t forget, we are a phone call away if you need something. So get in touch if you need something,” she told him, waiting for a promise.

“I will Pepa, Abuela,” he promised the two of them.

“Good,” they said together, as they then headed out.

“I can’t believe they got them to sleep,” Eddie said as he walked back into the living room after seeing the two women off. The two were still asleep almost an hour later when he heard another knock on the door. He got up and went to answer it. Smiling somewhat as he saw Bobby and Athena both standing there.

“Hey,” Bobby smiled at him, “I brought something over for you three. For dinner, Thought it would make things a little easier on you.”

“Thanks, Cap, though you really didn’t have to. Abuela did the same, a drive-by dinner,” he laughed lightly, “Oh, be quiet, they both are asleep again on the couch,” he added as he stepped out of the way and let his captain and his wife through.

The two couldn’t help but go into the living room and check on Buck and Chris before going into the kitchen.

“How are they both?” Athena asked him as Bobby began to put things away and write down a few instructions for Eddie to take.

“Nightmares, they didn’t want to shower at all. Both jump each time I turn the tap on and they are in the room,” he sighed, running a hand through his hair, “I… I don’t know what I should do about that. No doubt I’ll be getting someone that Christopher could see. But I’m worried about Buck as well. He is… missing being at work. I know that. He feels like we’re leaving him behind,” he told the two, “And with the tsunami, that feeling is going going to get worse when he realizes that he needs to take a little more time off before he can come back.”

“He will be coming back. I just don’t want him to push himself so much he’s going to end up hurting himself even more,” Bobby said slowly.

Athena nodded, “He’s been through a lot. Both of them have. Let them have some time,” she agreed, patting Eddie on the arm. “Now. How are you?” she asked him.

“I’m…” he sighed, leaning against a counter as he tried to form words. He wasn’t expecting the question at all. “I’m doing what I can. I just need to keep going,” he told her.

“Well, no doubt that those two will keep you on your toes for a bit, just make sure you take care of yourself as well,” she told him.

Eddie smiled at the words, they reminded him a lot of what Carla would have told him if she had been there. The woman had been on the phone with him a few times during the day to make sure that he was alright and that Buck and Christopher were doing well. She was even beginning to look into someone that Christopher could talk to. It was best to be proactive according to her. “Yeah, so I’ve been told,” he said.

Bobby nodded, “Good,” he said, “Right, I’ve put down the instructions for everything. Should be easy to follow.”

“Thanks, Cap,” he told him, “I think we’ll be good. I know I’m back in tomorrow.”

“I’ve talked to the Chief, about what happened. You’ve been given a couple more days off to be with them.” Bobby told him, “So don’t worry.”

“Thanks again,” Eddie snorted, “I think I’ll be saying that a lot,” he told him.

“Maybe, but we have a lot to be thankful for,” Athena smiled, “They are both safe, and relatively healthy after all that has happened,” she pointed out.

“I know,” he nodded only to dart away when he heard a cry from Chris coming from the living room.

The husband and wife looked at each when another cry echoed in the house. This one was the voice of an adult and not the child from before. They followed Eddie into the living room. Seeing the man kneeling by the sofa, Both Christopher and Buck clung on to each other and Eddie had his arms around both of them.

“It’s okay,” Eddie murmured as the two of them were scared, clinging on to each other as though they were scared that the other was gone.

“I… we’re okay,” Buck said as he began to calm down. He was shaking slightly, but not as much as Christopher was.

“I lost you Bucky,” Christopher said as he began to sob.

Buck wrapped his arms around him, pulling him into his lap as they curled up on the couch. Eddie kneeling beside it, watching, eyes full of worry for the two of them. “You found me again Superman. You found me. We found each other because we kept swimming, like you said,” he murmured, trying to reassure Christopher that they were fine.

Christopher nodded a few times as his sobs slowed down and then stopped, “We did,” he said, hiccuping a little.

“You both did,” Eddie said, placing a hand on Christopher’s back, and then slowly doing the same to Buck, “You are both safe. Buck saved you and you pushed me to look for him so we could save him,” he added.

Christopher nodded, “Yeah,” he said, leaning against Buck and yawning again, “Daddy, I’m hungry,” he added as his stomach grumbled.

“I think that is our cue to leave,” Bobby said, as he took Athena’s hand, “We’ll see you in a few days Buck, Chris. Glad you’re both safe.”

“Thanks, Bobby,” Buck said as he looked at him for a moment.

The two left the house. Closing the door quietly behind them as Eddie stood up. “I’m going to put on what Bobby has brought for us,” he said, knowing that the lasagna would be a hit with the three of them. Bobby’s cooking was the best out there after all.

“Thanks,” Buck nodded, as he began to stand, “I ca-“

“I just need to shove it in the oven for half an hour and it’ll be done. Why don’t you two find us something to watch on the TV until then,” Eddie said, planting a kiss on Christopher’s curly hair and then unconsciously doing the same to Buck.

“Okay,” Buck said, blinking a few times as he then watched Eddie leave the room.

Christopher was giggling at what had happened, “Dad likes you, but he’s scared,” he told Buck, hugging him tightly. “I told him he didn’t need to be scared cus you like him too.”

Buck froze and then nodded, “Yeah, I do bud,” he sighed, “Wonder what we should watch?”

“Hmmm,” Christopher hummed as he then said, “How about Boss Baby.”

Buck nodded, “Okay, Boss Baby it is,” he laughed lightly as he found it and pressed play, letting the first season start up.

Eddie soon came back into the living room, joining them on the couch as their food started to warm up. Their stomachs growling loudly by the time it was done.

Chapter Nine

Christopher was finally asleep in his own bed. It had taken both Buck and Eddie a good hour to get him to go to sleep. He demanded story after story and the little whine he had when they were leaving the room, meant that the two of them had settled on either side of it and stayed there until he was sleeping. Now with Eddie closing the door quietly behind them, they headed back to the living room.

“So,” Buck said, sounding a little unsure, “Are… shouldn’t I just… go back to my own place?” he asked finally as they reached the living room.

Eddie glanced over at him as he headed towards the kitchen, “Nope, you’re staying here. Don’t know for how long, but you are,” he added entering the kitchen and then coming back with two beers. “Here,” he said handing one over, “Look, I know that… I know that you have your own place, and while it would be fine for you to head back there. I’d rather you be here so I can keep an eye on you. And don’t think I haven’t noticed that you keep leaving your crutches in the kitchen.”

“Out of sight and out of mind,” Buck pulls a face as he thought about them, “I don’t like using them. It’s only around the house.”

“Yes, and while it might only just be around the house, you’re still putting extra pressure on your leg when they told you to rest it as much as you can for the week. You need to be careful that what has happened hasn’t set your healing back a bit,” he sighed, walking around the couch and sitting down next to Buck.

Buck was silent as he swigged at the beer letting the familiar bitter taste settle on his tongue. “I know,” he finally said, “I know,” he repeated as he looked over at Eddie, “It just… it’s constantly feeling like I’m taking a step towards recovery and then ten steps back. Each time I think I’m getting closer to getting back to everyone, getting closer to going… back to what I do best. Something comes up and it feels like everything is being ripped away from me,” he sighed, “How… I’m scared of the fucking water Eddie. I had a shower this morning and it felt like I couldn’t breathe! How can I be a firefighter when I’m scared of the water?”

Eddie moved closer and reached out a hand and took hold of Buck’s free one. “Buck, you went through something that no one should have had to go through. Both of you are going to have to take some time to recover from that,” he sighed, “It’s hard for Chris as well, he’s scared too,” he murmured, “I wish… I wish there was a magic wand that I could use to make everything better, for you both,” he said quietly as he moved that little bit closer to Buck.

“I… I know,” he murmured, as he settled back on the couch, pulling Eddie to join him.

Eddie and Buck were silent for a little while before they heard a ping coming from Eddie’s phone. “Ugh, wonder who it is this time,” he muttered as he reached for it and picked it up.

“Well? Who is it?” Buck said as he watched a frown appear on Eddie’s face.

Instead of answering, he reached for the remote and turned on the TV. “Hen just messaged me, the others are all doing the same. But there is a news segment about the Tsunami,” he told him softly, “I… people have gotten footage from it. They are piecing it together at the moment,” he added, as he glanced over at Buck.

“What… What do you mean?” Buck said as he looked at the TV. And there on the screen was the devastation of the Tsunami. It was bright, showing that it had been filmed that day. “Why…” he shook his head. It was always the same when a disaster hit, footage of it would flood the airwaves. Videos would pop up everywhere. From those that survived it, to those that watched from the sidelines.

“Drone footage,” Eddie sighed as he saw the smooth video that then came up. It showed the water and some people struggling to keep afloat. The two had to wonder how many of them hadn’t made it to safety.

“So many,” Buck whispered, they had the sound turned down. Not wanting to risk the chance of Christopher waking up and hearing people talk about it. Even Buck wasn’t sure he wanted to even see it. He froze when he saw the familiar roof of a fire truck coming into view. It wasn’t hard to spot himself and Christopher.

“You… and Chris. We… could have found you had we gone a slightly different way,” Eddie said. The street that the fire truck was on was one street away from the one that they went down and found the boat.

“Eds, don’t do that. Don’t. I’ve been second guessing everything I did that day. Everything. Wondering what I could change to make sure that Christopher would have been safe.” He remembered the drones being around, there had been so many of them flying around that day. Every person was eager to capture something that might just give them their fifteen minutes of fame. “I just want to put as much of it behind me as I can,” he murmured, as he moved to tuck himself into Eddie’s side.

Eddie glanced at him, seeing the pained look in his eyes, he placed an arm around him, and let the younger man hide away from it a little. He looked back at the TV as a number flashed on the screen. Wincing, he knew it was the death toll. So many were gone and for a second he remembered that Buck and Christopher could have easily been part of that as well.

“So many,” Buck whispered. The number left the screen finally and it went back to footage of the devastation. And then to clips of the VA. “Oh, look, it’s you,” Buck muttered. He reached for the remote and turned it up slightly, so they could just about hear the reporter.

“The VA Hospital which had been closed, was reopened to help deal with the aftermath of the tsunami. Off duty doctors and nurses from all over came to help out. Along with many first responders that had any medical training at all to help in assessing those that survived the tsunami. It was mostly heartbreaking sights seen throughout the day, but one stood out. That was when a first responder, name unknown at this time, went running to one of the victims that were brought in. A child.”

On-screen was a shot of Eddie as he noticed Christopher and ran over to him. There was no voice as the child clung to him.

“So… he found you,” Buck said softly.

“Yeah,” he nodded.

The footage then changed and the announcer for the news said that the child seemed to be the same as the one seen on a fire truck with someone else earlier that day. That someone else was diving in when the child fell from the truck. Buck shuddered at the words, “I lost him, Eds.”

“And you then searched the rest of the day for him. Buck, you went beyond human endurance looking for him. I’m surprised that you haven’t gone back to sleep already,” Eddie told him, and he was, he knew that he had napped a little during the day. But it was Christopher that had slept on and off during the day the most out of the two of them.

“Afraid,” Buck murmured, “I…”

“That you think this is a dream and that Chris is gone?” Eddie asked, as he knew that his dreams had been filled with such things.

Buck gave a sharp nod, “I lost him, and I… I didn’t think I would be able to find him. I went to the VA you know. I went there, hoping he was there. But he wasn’t listed. I… had to go to the Black Tent, but this doctor, he stopped me, he went in for me. And…”

Eddie’s eyes widened in horror at the thought of Buck having to go to that particular tent, “Oh Buck,” he murmured, pulling the man into his arms and holding him tightly, “I wish I could have been there for you. If I had known I would have searched for you both.”

“I’m glad you weren’t,” Buck told him.

Eddie just left it as he looked at the footage that was being replayed, a close up of Christopher and Buck on the fire truck and then himself with Christopher in his arms. “Looks like they are focusing on people reuniting,” he said as he saw another couple that were reunited, their daughter standing nearby. In the background, he could see Buck and the black tent as well.

“I remember that, it was nice that they had found each other,” Buck said, a small smile on his face as he looked and saw a few more heartwarming reunions.

“Yeah,” Eddie nodded, agreeing with him as he clutched Buck closer. Seeing more night time footage now from rescues that were still going on. Even seeing Buck as he helped an older lady get free from her car and send her on her way with a couple of others that he had helped. “You helped save so many that day,” he murmured.

“But not the one that I really wanted to save,” Buck muttered, hiding away again.

“Come on, I think it’s an early night,” he said as he finished off his beer, taking the half-drunk one from Buck that was now just hanging limply in his hand.

“Yeah, sorry, I wasn’t really in the mood,” he said as he looked at the half-drunk beer.

Eddie looked at him as he stood up, “Look, Buck, I… I know you saved him, and you searched, there is proof right there of that,” he said, gesturing to the TV before he then turned it off as they began to go over the death toll again.

“I-“ he cut himself off as Eddie reached out for him. Looking at his hand he took it and was pulled to his feet. Stumbling slightly as his leg ached even more.

Eddie shifted and helped to take the weight off his leg, careful of the healing cuts and his sprained wrist, “Let’s get you to bed as well. I know it’s really early, but I think we could all do with as much sleep as possible.”

“Yeah,” Buck yawned, “I should sleep on the couch-“

“No, bed,” Eddie said, guiding him towards his bedroom. “Change and I’ll make sure everything is locked up,” he told him, as he then left the man be.

Buck turned and stared at the retreating back for a moment before looking at the bed. It was more comfortable than the sofa. With a sigh, he began to change. He sat on the edge of the bed for a moment and looked at his leg. There was slight swelling around it, but he could already see that it was beginning to go down. It wasn’t as bad as it looked that morning. He finished changing and settled onto the right side of the bed. Eddie always liked the side nearest to the door in case Christopher needed him during the night.

Eddie walked back into the room, bringing with him Buck’s crutches and leaving them to the side of the room before changing, “Now you have no excuse not to use them in the morning,” he told him, giving him a look.

Buck huffed and rolled to face the other side, “I-“ he stopped when he felt a hand on his back.

“I just want you to really take it easy. We could have lost you and Chris, Buck. I don’t think you understand how scared I was when I saw Chris and you weren’t with him. I… could have lost you,” he said quietly, almost clutching at the t-shirt that Buck was wearing for bed.

Buck rolled back over and faced him, “I’m sorry,” he murmured.

“Just take it easy, rest and heal. I want that for both of you,” he said as he shuffled closer. Buck couldn’t help but gravitate towards him as he felt an arm rest around his waist. Buck felt small as he was held carefully in Eddie’s arms. But he also felt safe, a small tiny smile appearing on his face as he drifted off into an easy sleep. Eddie soon followed.

Chapter Ten

Buck made it four days before he was able to convince Eddie and Christopher that he would need to return to his home. He had enjoyed every moment he had spent with them, but Eddie would be going back to work soon, he had extended his leave by a couple more days to make sure that Christopher was alright enough without him. The eight-year-old had clung to his dad the first time Eddie had made a mention of going back to work.

Buck had gone back to his loft and had revealed in the silence for all of a minute before he started missing Christopher and Eddie. The two had kept him from overthinking things. Already his mind was spiraling on what he should have done differently in his search for Christopher. Going to bed after barely eating anything for dinner was a chore he didn’t enjoy. Showering quickly, even with the warm water was hard. He knew that Chris was having it just as hard. The last time he showered, he had cried and clung to Eddie, who ended up under the water himself to get Christopher to calm down enough to shower and get dressed for bed last night.

“Hope you’re doing better buddy,” he muttered to himself as he climbed into his bed, it was a little softer than Eddie’s, but he already missed the older man’s bed. The comforting presence of Eddie next to him helped him to quiet his mind enough to get to sleep. Even if he never stayed that way, he would wake to find Eddie there, his presence soothing him, and helping him to go and see Christopher and seeing that he was just fine. Sleeping well himself.

Closing his eyes, he pulled the blankets up and over his head, wanting to block out the world. His mind drifted a little before he fell to sleep.

XxXxX

Breath catching in his throat as he opened his eyes. They were wide with panic as he couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t even yell out for Christopher, the name on his lips but fear keeping it in his chest. “Chris,” he gasped out finally, the shout breaking into a weaker call as his body shook. He breathed in deeply, his breath catching a few times as he tried to calm his racing heart. His blankets were now on the floor. He stared at the ceiling, not really paying attention to it at all. All he could think about was Christopher and the feeling of failure he felt as he thought about losing him.

His thoughts were broken some minutes later when his phone began to ring. He grabbed out for it, taking a few tries before he was able to pick it up. “He…” he began only for his voice to crack, “hello,” he said the second time.

“Bucky!” came Christopher’s sobbing call.

“Chris?!” Buck said, eyes going wide once more as he sat up on the bed, “Buddy, hey, superman, what’s wrong?” he called out wondering where Eddie was.

“Hey Buck,” came Eddie’s voice, “We just had a bad night tonight. Chris needed to know that you were safe,” he said softly over Christopher’s sobs.

“Okay,” he said softly, “Hey buddy, I’m right here. Okay,” he said as he continued offering up a litany of words hoping that something would help to calm the eight-year-old down.

“Bu… Bucky,” Christopher hiccuped after he had calmed a little more, “Please come home. I miss you Bucky,” he begged him.

Buck bit his lip. He didn’t know if he should, he didn’t want to overstay his welcome at all. “Listen, buddy,” he began.

“Chris is right, come home,” Eddie added, “come back, we both miss you. It’s not the same without you here. So please Buck, pack a few things and come home.”

Buck’s heart jumped into his throat when he heard the word ‘Home’. He didn’t understand why they were calling it that for him. It wasn’t his home, it was their home. “Eds-“

“Buck, you belong here at the moment. Please, come back,” Eddie told him, his voice firm.

Buck nodded, “Okay, okay. I’ll pack a few things and head over in the mor-“

“Now please Bucky, please,” Christopher begged him. His voice sounded desperate to Buck.

“Okay,” Buck agreed, “I’ll pack and head over,” he said as he began to move, staying on the phone for a little bit longer. Christopher wanted to make sure he was going to come over. As soon as he started up his car, they ended the call. Almost twenty minutes later he pulled up at Eddie’s and got out. The front door opened before he could even take a step away from his car. Christopher stood there in his pajamas and robe, making his way towards him, as Eddie stood in the doorway.

Buck rushed over, picking him up and holding him in his arms. His wrist gave a little throb of pain, but it was easy to ignore. He had already been given the go ahead to leave his crutches behind again after seeing his doctor the day before. Though his wrist would take another couple of weeks to heal from what his doctor had said after examining it again.

“Bucky!” Christopher shouted. He didn’t care that it was four in the morning. He was just happy to see Buck.

“Hey,” he greeted back as he struggled slightly with getting his bag from the car. Though it was quickly taken from him when Eddie reached them. “Oh, thanks,” he said, smiling at the man.

“It’s fine,” Eddie greeted him back, “I’m the one that’s sorry for calling you while you were sleeping. But…” he sighed as he looked at Christopher who was already half asleep in Buck’s arms.

“Yeah, I get it, he…” he shrugged as he walked inside.

“I’m going to finish making the hot chocolate,” Eddie said as he put Buck’s bag to one side and locked up the front door behind them.

Buck nodded absently as Christopher perked up, “Like bisabuela’s?” he asked him, waking up at the thought of having some hot chocolate.

“Yes,” Eddie smiled at him, reaching out and running a hand down his son’s back, “Now you go into the living room with Buck, okay Mijo?” he told him.

“Hmm,” he yawned, resting his head on Buck’s shoulder again.

“I’ll be there in a bit,” Eddie said again, looking at Buck and reaching out to squeeze his arm and then disappearing into the kitchen.

Buck smiled slightly as he walked into the living room and settled on the couch. Christopher wouldn’t budge from his lap, so he left him there as he curled up slightly on the couch. “So, want to talk to me about the nightmare at all?” he asked him.

Christopher shook his head for a moment before then saying, “You were lost.”

Buck hugged him tightly, “But we found each other. You even made your dad come and look for me, ‘cus you knew that I would be looking for you,” he said quietly.

Christopher sighed and yawned as he snuggled close, “Yeah, I knew,” he murmured, “I knew you would come for me, Buck.”

Buck closed his eyes and just held him. Keeping them closed even when he heard Eddie coming into the room.

“You two sleeping?” came the soft inquiry, just in case they actually were.

“No,” Christopher mumbled, “I want my hot chocolate,” he grumbled as he pulled away from Buck slightly, though keeping one hand clenched into his shirt as he turned around.

Buck opened his eyes and gave a sleepy smile, “Yeah, how could we sleep at the thought of hot chocolate,” he joked lightly, getting agreement from Christopher.

“Okay,” Eddie laughed as he got the two of them to separate a little and handed the two mugs over.

“Thank you, daddy,” Christopher mumbled as he took the mug with both hands and held it.

“Thanks, Eds,” Buck said, taking his own. He blew on the hot liquid and took a sip. It was hot but it wasn’t that burn your mouth hot, thankfully.

Eddie went back to the kitchen to get his own and then soon joined the others on the couch. They drank in silence, though Christopher asked the two a few things. He was just too sleepy to say much as he curled up between Buck and his dad.

“Why don’t you put him to bed,” Eddie suggested, knowing that his son really wanted Buck near him at the moment.

Buck looked at him, “You sure?” he asked.

“Of course, at the moment he wants his Buck, and I’d rather he have you,” he smiled at him, reaching out and pulling Christopher close for a second so he could place a kiss on his forehead, “Sleep well, Mijo, you know where I am if you want me,” he told his son.

“Night daddy,” Christopher mumbled sleepily as he then clung to Buck. His mug now in his father’s hands.

Buck nodded and stood up, picking up Christopher and taking him to his bedroom, “Here you go superman,” he said softly as he lay him on the bed and tucked him in.

“Buck,” Christopher said as he looked at the man, “you’ll be here in the morning won’t you?”

“Yeah, I will,” he smiled at him, kissing him on the forehead as well, “Sleep well my little buddy,” he told him, staying on the edge of Christopher’s bed until gentle snores were coming from the eight-year-old.

Buck stood up and turned, only to find Eddie standing in the doorway, “Oh, erm, sorry,” he said, sounding unsure. He felt like he was on the wrong footing since the tsunami, waiting for Eddie to shout at him for losing Christopher. But the man hadn’t, he had done anything but that.

“Come on,” Eddie said, reaching out to him, taking his hand and gently pulling him towards the living room, to pick up the man’s bag, “You’re staying in my room again,” he added.

“I don’t have to, really. I’m fine on the-“

“No,” Eddie turned to face him, his face screwing up a little, “I…” he began only to stop and sigh deeply, “You never know what is going to happen. That sometimes something will happen and it’s like…”

“The universe is screaming at you?” Buck finished for him.

Eddie snorted, “Not quite, it’s like you’re being reminded that life is precious, that sometimes it’s short. I… Buck…”

“What is it?” he frowned as he looked at Eddie, head tilting slightly as he waited for the others to speak.

“I really like you, Buck, like… not as just a friend. But as something more. I was… starting to feel that before Shannon came back into our lives. I pushed it aside, and then the bombing and I almost said something then, but you were with Ali. Then you split and I thought I would wait. Wait until you were healed and I almost lost you again.” Eddie held his hands tightly.

“The universe is screaming at you Eddie,” Buck joked, not sure if he wanted to believe what he was saying.

“Maybe,” Eddie pulled a slight face, “But something is,” he added softly, “Each time I decide to wait to tell you, you get hurt and I’m reminded again that something could happen to you. That Chris and I could lose you and I don’t want that. I would like to take you out on a date,” he said, his words almost rushing out.

Buck smiled, “I… like you as well. Just never thought I would have a chance. You never said that you would like dating a man.”

“Being Bi, well my parents don’t know that part about me. They say they accept it, I just don’t think they would accept it in the family, or rather from me,” he sighed, “But I don’t care anymore. They… they want something that I can’t be anymore. I don’t want to be anymore. I want to be happy and I can’t think of anyone else that I would rather be happy with than you.”

Buck smiled and nodded, “I’d like that date,” he said.

Eddie smiled back and pulled him close, going slow as he sneaked a hand up Buck’s arm and to the back of his head and pulled him into a tender kiss. “I’ll organize it soon, for now, bed.” He stopped for a moment when he saw Buck grinning, “For sleeping, not that I don’t want to do that with you. But that can wait.”

“Okay,” Buck laughed lightly as he followed him to Eddie’s bedroom and Buck got ready for bed again and the two settled down to sleep.

Chapter Eleven

Buck looked at Christopher. Eddie on the couch with him. There had been no indication that Christopher was awake and coming to them, until he appeared in the living room and squealed. The two had jumped apart and stared at him.

“Chris,” Eddie said, laughing a little nervously as they shared a quick glance before turning their attention back onto Christopher.

“Does kissing mean you are together?!” he asked, all excited. Whatever had pulled him from his sleep and sent him towards them had vanished at his excitement.

“Well,” Eddie said, getting a little nod from Buck that it was fine to tell him. Though the two had been planning on waiting a little while before they talked to him about it. But obviously Christopher now knew something was up. “We are,” he finally said, “We just started dating and I still need to take Buck on a date first.”

“Okay,” Christopher nodded, rushing over to them and wrapping his arms around them both, pulling them closer together, “I’m so happy. I knew Buck would make you happy dad, and you said that you liked him a lot,” he murmured as he pulled back to look at his dad.

“Yeah,” Eddie snorted, “You told me that a few times. That I had to at least try and ask him one day.”

“Glad you’re okay with it buddy,” Buck murmured from where he was sat, Christopher’s arm still around his neck and keeping him close.

“Of course, I wish for it a lot,” Christopher said as he finally let them go, “I had a bad dream, but this makes it all better,” he told them.

“Okay, want me to tuck you back in?” Eddie asked, getting ready to get up.

Christopher looked at him and then shook his head, “No, I want you both to do it,” he grinned.

Buck laughed and nodded, “Alright,” he said as he stood up, taking Christopher into his arms. As he and Eddie took Christopher back to bed.

Christopher looked happy and content as he was tucked in. Good night kisses on his forehead once more as he then said, before they left the room, “If you want to go on a date, I don’t mind going to Bisabuela’s or someone for a bit. But you have to come and get me so you can tell me everything about it.”

Buck and Eddie shared a look, “Well, we’re not planning on doing anything too soon,” Eddie began.

Christopher sat up in bed, “You have to go on a date tomorrow!” he told them, “It will be a nice day out and I’ll be good!”

“Looks like the boss has spoken,” Eddie said with a laugh.

“I have and you are going on a date!” Christopher called to them as they said goodnight to him again.

“That kid,” Buck said, getting a knowing nod from Eddie in agreement, “he really is something else, isn’t he,” he sighed as they walked back to the living room. The house was already locked up, they had been watching a film, but that had turned into something else after it got boring.

“He really is,” Eddie agreed easily, he loved his son so much. He couldn’t ask for a better kid. “He’s right, I should take you out somewhere. Our first date. I’ll see if Abuela or Pepa would be able to take him.”

“Yeah,” Buck grinned, “Come on, it’s getting late and that kid is going to be up with the sun. You know he is going to bug you about taking me out until you do.”

“I know,” he laughed, doing one last check around the house before joining Buck in bed, curled around each other as they fell to sleep.

XxXxX

Buck was dressed up, he had even gone back to the loft to get ready for his big date with Eddie. The man would be heading back to work the next day. Christopher hadn’t been happy to hear, but knowing that Buck was going to be staying with him reassured him that everything would be fine. Eddie was beside him, and the two were nervous.

“We really shouldn’t be nervous,” Eddie muttered, “We know each other, we’re already great friends, and now-“

“It feels odd, awkward. But I think we just need to get through it to be on a level footing again,” Buck said, understanding where Eddie was coming from. It was different to know that instead of two friends out for a meal, it was the prospect of having a boyfriend, a life partner and seeing if they would be able to fit in that sense.

“I’m glad that Hen and Karen were able to take Chris,” Eddie said, sighing softly, “Pepa had work and I didn’t want to ask Abuela.”

“Yeah, Hen was quick to volunteer and I have a sneaky feeling that there is a bet going on,” Buck said, rolling his eyes.

“Well, they do have bets on everything. At least it’s not done in too much of a bad way. Though we do have a bet that includes the next time Chim ends up in hospital. Even Chim is in on that one,” Eddie snorted.

“How many times you’re hit on during the week?” Buck asked him.

“Before the tsunami Bobby was winning that one,” Eddie snorted again as he looked over the menu. Both of them went for the steak.

“My favorite one is how many random facts will Buck say,” he grinned, “I have to keep learning new ones just to annoy them with,” he added.

“Well, it’s a good idea to wiggle the bet. I hate losing, it always means I’m washing the truck,” Eddie muttered, it was one chore no one in the station enjoyed, and it was done each day. Had to keep all that red sparkling after all.

“Winner picks the chores they do for the next week,” he laughed lightly, “Yeah, they’ll have a bet, don’t know if they will have bet money. But it’s never that much. Like Hen, myself and Chim getting in a bet about Bobby and Athena. Hen brought them a nice bottle of wine with those winnings.”

The bets were a staple at the firehouse. And the 118 had a ton of them. Most of them were benign bets, about getting hit on, number of cats that needed to be rescued, and how many people had decided to stick things where they shouldn’t be sticking them. The more personal ones, just had rules to them. Like the one going on with Maddie and Chim and their “are they or aren’t they.” Athena had won that one and ended up sending the two of them on a nice date all paid for by her and some of her winnings.

“Yeah,” Eddie nodded, smiling, “Let them,” he muttered, “Now,” he said as the waiter came over with their meals. They were set down in front of them, drinks brought over as well.

Buck grinned as they began to eat, “It’s nice to do something like this. I… didn’t really get much of a chance to with Ali, she was always busy. Abby liked to stay home most of the time. And when we did try, something happened and we had to cancel,” he said softly.

Eddie nodded, “I’m glad I can make you smile with just going out for a simple meal,” he told him, feeling a little jealous at the mention of Ali and Abby.

“Yeah,” he smiled at him, “What do you think Chris is going to ask as soon as we pick him up?” he asked him.

“Hmm,” Eddie hummed a moment and quickly ate a bite of his steak. “Knowing Chris, he’ll be asking when you’re going to move in. As to him, that would be the next step in our relationship.”

Buck froze for a moment, before shaking himself a little and then saying, “Yeah I could see that. But that’s for later.”

“Later,” Eddie agreed, “Though maybe not that much later. I like having you with us, at home.”

“You… called it home a few times for me. I-“

“Because it is as far as I’m concerned, and so is Chris. We both think of you being with us as you being home. I know your loft is your home,” Eddie began.

“But it doesn’t feel like it. I still feel like I’m a stranger in that place. I’ve lived there for months. But… your home is more mine,” Buck was hesitant as he spoke, almost afraid of saying the words.

“Good, as long as you do feel at home with us, then that’s good,” Eddie told him.

They were part way through their meal when someone walked over to them. The two paused and looked up, stopping their conversation.

“Can we help you?” Buck asked, frowning at the woman, even slightly worried at her sudden appearance next to them.

“I’m sorry, but I just. I really wanted to know if you found the kid that you were looking for?” she asked, “You were looking for one.”

“I…” Buck stopped, eyes going wide. He wondered if the woman had been one of the hundreds he felt as though he had asked about Christopher.

“He did, and we were all reunited,” Eddie said as he looked at her.

The woman looked from Buck and then towards Eddie, “Oh, the child is yours!” she exclaimed, “I’m so happy,” she smiled, “It’s great that you were able to find the one that had helped him and was looking for him,” she said and then walked away.

Buck felt odd as he put down his knife and fork, “Sorry Eddie,” he said, feeling very uncomfortable as he could now feel the eyes of those in the restaurant now staring at him. Whispers began to get louder.

“Hey, it’s fine,” Eddie reached out, taking hold of his hand, “We’re almost finished with our meal, do you want to leave now or do you think you can finish?” he asked him, his voice gentle.

“I… think I can,” he said, shifting around in his chair, “I just…”

“I know, look, I don’t mind if we end things early, I want tonight to be fun and relaxing for the two of us. If it stops being that, then this isn’t a date, this is just… torture,” he said, wincing at the word.

Buck looked at him, twisting his hand so they were clasped together, “I know. I want this to be fun and you’re right. At the moment I’m reminded of what happened, that I lost him…”

“You saved him, you saved our son,” Eddie said.

“Our?” Buck blinked, staring, eyes going wide.

Eddie sighed, “From the moment I met you and you learned about Christopher, you’ve done all you can to help me, and him. You’ve been like a parent to him for a long time. I know that if something happened to you he would be devastated, just like I would be. You mean a lot to us both,” he said softly, “Last fathers day he made two cards, one for me and another for you. But he was scared to give it to you.”

“Oh,” Buck was quiet, “I didn’t, I don’t…”

“Don’t even think that you’re overstepping anything,” Eddie told him, “You love him just as much as I do. I can see that. You wouldn’t have searched for him as hard as you did if you didn’t.”

“Okay,” he nodded, giving him a soft smile. With that the conversation turned a little and the two of them carried on their date. Though Buck was still a little wary about those around them.

The night ended when they picked up Christopher from Hen and Karen’s later on that evening. The first question he asked was when Buck was going to move in. The two had laughed at that as Hen said that the bet had been won by Bobby, about the two of them getting together. Buck shook his head, as did Eddie, but they knew that something would be heading their way from the man when he found out. The little family of three left to return home, with Christopher excitedly asking questions about what they did.

Chapter Twelve

Waking up the next morning for the two was a fun one. Christopher had been up with the sun and had made his way to their bedroom. Before the alarm had even gone off for when Eddie needed to get up to go to work they had been pounced on by a giggling eight year old. Eddie had groaned while Buck was laughing at him. There had only been another half hour before the alarm would have gone off, but Eddie would have loved to have had that extra half hour.

“He really isn’t mine,” Eddie groaned, “No kid of mine should love getting up before they need to,” he muttered, looking at the happy faces of Buck and Christopher as they were laughing.

“Breakfast Daddy,” Christopher grinned at him.

Eddie flopped back on his pillow and pulled the blanket over himself. Buck and Christopher shared a look as Buck got up. With a giggling Christopher now standing next to him, he ripped the covers from the man, causing him to curse a few times.

“That’s naughty Daddy, Bisabuela wouldn’t be happy to learn you said those words,” Christopher grinned at him.

Eddie growled, “Really, really!” he said as he sat up, staring at the two of them, they were laughing at the look that was on Eddie’s face, a disgruntled grumpy look.

“Yes, get up, shower and I’ll make blueberry pancakes for breakfast, and coffee,” Buck grinned at him as he stood up, leaving the quilt on the end of the bed.

“Best be the bestest tasting food ever Buckley,” he muttered as he got up, grabbing Christopher and swinging him up into his arms, “As for this little monster, hmm, early bed tonight? No dessert maybe? What should I do to make sure that you never dive bomb me again?” he asked the giggle and squealing eight year old in his arms.

“I will never give up daddy!” he yelled out, laughing brightly as he was carried out of the bedroom and dumped gently onto the couch.

Eddie looked down at his smiling son, “Well Mijo, I’ll do something. Oh I know, no more Legos!” he called out as he headed back to his room to get some fresh clothing.

“You can’t take our legos!” Buck called out, “What will we build with?” he complained from the kitchen, having heard the two.

“We’ll build things with mud instead, Bucky,” Christopher grinned, knowing that his dad wouldn’t like it.

“Fine, keep your legos,” Eddie grumbled good naturedly as he went to his bedroom.

“Yay!” Christopher yelled out as he got up off the couch and headed to the kitchen, where Buck was making the pancake mix.

XxXxX

Eddie was ready to head to work, but he could see the concerned look from Buck, as though being left alone with Christopher was the worst thing Eddie could do. It would be another week or so before Carla would return to her usual schedule. “Hey, Buck,” he said, reaching out and pulling him close, “You don’t have anything to worry about, okay.”

“I lost him, what… what if I lose him again,” Buck said, Christopher was already in front of the TV loading up a game for the two of them to play.

Eddie shook his head, “Buck, there is no one in this world that I trust more with Christopher than you. I know that you will do anything to fight for him, to keep him safe and will walk to the ends of the earth for him. Just as I would. Everything will be fine. I only have a 10 hour shift today. So I’ll be back tonight, in time for a late dinner. If you guys would like to wait for me,” he added.

“Of course,” he nodded, giving him a shaking smile, “Okay, I’m sorry for being an idiot about this.”

“I understand Buck, you… you went through something traumatic, and not for the first time. But this time Chris was with you through it. You’re scared that something can happen to him. I felt a little like that when we had that earthquake. That I wasn’t there for him, to keep him safe, that I failed him for not being there. But… I know he was in a safe place, and I knew that because you kept reassuring me about it all.”

“Yeah,” Buck nodded, sighing softly, “he was safe, in the safest place of all,” he smiled, “Right, you get to work before you end up being late. You know what traffic is like, and with all that’s happened, some roads still aren’t fully clear,” he warned him, smiling when Eddie cursed a little.

“Forgot about that,” he muttered, pulling buck in close, “See you later,” he said, kissing him deeply.

Buck grinned when they broke apart and he watched as Eddie drove away. He closed the door and turned into the living room, “Right,” he said, only to pause when he saw Christopher looking at him.

“That’s gross, but I suppose that’s what adults do when they are boyfriends,” he said as he went back to the couch.

Buck laughed as he followed.

XxXxX

Buck was messing around on his phone, he had just sent a few pictures of himself and Chris to Eddie. He was still getting used to his new phone. While his sim card had survived the tsunami for the most part, he still had to get a new phone, and now with the number fully transferred to the new phone he was able to use it more. He jumped as his phone began to ring. Frowning when he saw a name he hadn’t thought of in a while pop up.

“Hello,” Buck said quietly, not wanting to disturb Christopher as he watched his cartoon.

“Hey, Buck,” Taylor said, her voice sounded worried and harried.

“What’s going on?” he murmured, glancing at Christopher, who was now looking at him.

“There is a news story coming up, not one by me. I learned my lesson, but someone else is running it. It’s going to be on the one o’clock. It’s about you, Eddie and Christopher,” she told him. “Sorry, I was hoping that they would listen to me about not showing it at all. But… they are all for it,” she huffed.

“What… what story Taylor?” he asked her, a cold icy feeling coming over him as he wondered what they could end up showing. “You know what… I’ll watch it instead,” he said about to hang up.

“Okay, but, it’s not all good,” she warned him.

“Alright,” he said as he said, “Thanks for the warning,” he added, “Bye.”

“Bye Buck, and take care of yourself.” With that she ended the call.

Buck looked at his phone and then at the TV, not sure if he wanted to watch it now, “Hey Chris, I need to watch the news, but I need you out of the room buddy,” he told him.

“No,” Christopher said, “I’ll close my eyes, but not leaving you Bucky,” he told him.

He quickly messaged Eddie hoping that he wouldn’t be out on a call. He wasn’t as he messaged back and then his phone started ringing a second time, “Hey Eds,” he greeted a soft smile on his face as he heard his partner’s voice.

“Everything okay?” Eddie asked, worriedly.

“Yeah, maybe. Taylor just called me, warning me that there is a news story out there about me, you and Chris. It’s on the one o’clock for her station,” he answered him quietly, “I… don’t know if I want to watch it or not. But-“

“You think you should. It’s better to be informed than not about this,” Eddie sighed down the line, “Yeah, watch it, we’ll see about doing the same here as well. It should be on soon,” he murmured. Buck could hear him talking to someone in the background for a moment.

“Exactly, we already know that they’ve showed us before. But I don’t know if they made any connection at all between us,” he muttered.

“It’s one, so they shouldn’t show anything too upsetting. Just keep an eye on Chris for me while you watch?” Eddie said cautiously, normally he would try and protect his son from everything. But if he was going to be on screen at all, he would rather his kid know about it than to be blindsided if someone asks about him while they are out having fun.

“Okay, I’ll keep an eye on him,” Buck promised him.

“Right, we’ll talk again afterwards,” he promised him.

Buck smiled, “Sure, love you Eds.”

Eddie paused before saying, “Love you too Buck, give Chris a hug from me,” he added.

“Will do,” he replied, smiling as he hugged Christopher, who protested a little but still hugged Buck back. Buck ended the call and turned Chris towards him, “Hey buddy, don’t forget you’ll be closing your eyes.”

Christopher pouted a little, “Okay” he sighed, “but as long as we can watch more cartoons afterwards,” he asked.

“Yeah, more afterwards, and maybe if you like we can go to the park for a bit before dinner?” he suggested, “We could even have lunch out?”

“Yeah, burgers please!” Christopher yelled out, a wide grin on his face as he looked at Buck.

“Okay, burgers it is,” Buck grinned as he let the cartoon finish before turning over to the news channel and waited for the news to start. It didn’t take long for it to appear on screen and Christopher, as promised, closed his eyes. It looked like it was one of the top stories.

On screen were the same videos that had been seen over the last several days. The only difference was that people were being named. Some had passed. And then he heard his own name.

‘Off duty firefighter Evan Buckley was on the pier with his co-workers son, when the wave hit. After saving the eight year old and finding refuge on the top of a firetruck, Firefighter Buckley was able to help save a dozen other people until the worst happened and the young child fell back into the water. Without hesitation Buckley followed him into the water. The firefighter may appear familiar to you, as several months ago we saw a different scene when it came to this fire fighter.

On screen was now a night scene. Showing above as there was a fire truck, Buck immediately recognized himself on the ground as people were beginning to rush towards the fire truck that had been on his leg.

Buck’s breathing became shaky as Chris called out to him. “Buddy,” Buck said, voice sounding distant even to his own ears. He felt the eight year old cling onto him.

“Bucky,” Christopher said, his voice sounding a little panicked as he felt his Buck begin to shake. He opened his eyes and looked from Buck towards the screen. It wasn’t until there was a closer look at who was on the ground that he began to cry and cling to Buck even more.

The rest of the report went over their head as the two just held onto each other. Neither paid attention to the phone that was ringing next to them. Buck was trying to push back the feelings he had at seeing himself under the truck. He could only remember flashes and Eddie beside him. The screen changed to one of Christopher and Eddie reuniting and then two department photos flashing up on screen with their names underneath them.

The screen was blinked off some time later, as arms went around them and the familiar murmurer of Eddie’s voice washed over the two very upset people. “It’s okay,” Eddie said, “You’re both safe, Buck’s safe and so is Christopher,” he murmured, feeling a little helpless. He had seen the report, rushing off as soon as he saw the truck bombing flashing up on screen, knowing that it would upset the two. He had already received a message from Bobby telling him to remain home, not that he would have left them anyway.

 

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