Reading Time: 127 Minutes
Title: The Best Thing
Series: Affirmation
Series Order: 5
Author: Duochanfan
Fandom: 9-1-1
Genre: Angst, Crime Drama, Drama, Family, Hurt/Comfort, Romance
Relationship(s): Eddie Diaz/Evan Buckley
Content Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Hate Crimes, Hate Speech, Violence-Graphic, Violence-Domestic, Violence-Against Children/Child Abuse. Bigotry, Canon Natural Disasters, Canon Typical Violence, Character Bashing, Dark Themes, Death Minor Character, Discussion Death of Children, Gun Violence, Homophobia, Injury, Kidnapping of a Minor, Attempted Murder, Attempted Murder of a Minor, Murder, Stalking.
Author Note: You have no idea how much this part tried to be an epic all on it’s own. And HarleyJQuin, seriously, THANK YOU!
Beta: HarleyJQuin. Thank you so much for the editing you’ve done, and all the damns and capitals you’ve taken, and all the commas you added!
Alpha: HarleyJQuin Once again, thank you for all the help with everything, and to BytheBry for your help with the romance side of things!
Word Count: 63,779
Summary: Evan has been at the 118 for a month, when Eddie finally joins him to be his partner on the truck. The two work together as their family begins to change around them and grow. Happy times lay ahead. But when the past comes knocking, will they be able to face what’s to come?
Artist: Tpena19
Artist Appreciation: Thank you so much for everything. I loved working with you on this, and the artwork is amazing and I love it so much.
Chapter One
Thanksgiving had been a large family affair with the Baxters, Diazes, and Buckley’s all celebrating together at Isabel and Edmundo’s home. Christmas had been just as large, with everyone wanting to be together for the holiday. Charlotte was now a beautiful six month old, enjoying the attention from her family; both blood and chosen. Evan looked at Eddie as they headed to another call, this one sounded strange, extremely strange.
“He heard a baby… in the wall?” Evan asked, needing to be sure that he had heard that right.
“Yeah, a baby,” Bobby said as he looked at the information, before glancing back at his crew.
“Right,” Eddie said, sounding horrified at the thought of a baby trapped in some walls.
They arrived on the scene and headed up the stairs. Arriving at the apartment, they entered and the man insisted that there was a baby in the room. Hen looked at him skeptically.
“I know it looks bad,” he said, gesturing to the drug paraphernalia around him, “But I’m not high at the moment… well not much,” he added, seeing the looks he was getting.
“Where did you hear it?” Bobby asked him.
“In the bathroom,” he answered quickly, “I was in there and just heard some crying; it’s happened a couple of times.”
“Alright,” Bobby said as he went to the bathroom. Hen, Evan, and Eddie followed him. They stood there in silence, listening for a few moments, before they heard it. “Right,” he said as he looked at the wall.
“Here,” Eddie said as he handed over a stethoscope, “Use that to pinpoint where the baby is, and then we can cut around it,” he added as Evan ran to get the saw.
Bobby took it with a smile and began to check the wall, trying to find out where this baby was.
Hen looked horrified, “How could someone…” she trailed off, “The water, the baby must be in the pipes. If anyone flushes or uses water, it could drown the baby,” she said as she ran off. “Do not flush or use the water!” she yelled out as she went up the stairs. “Do not flush or use the water, there is a baby in one of the pipes!” she yelled out over and over as she made her way up the stairs.
Athena walked into the room, following Evan as he brought the saws.
“Cut here, and here,” Bobby said as he penciled in an outline of where the baby was, and where it was safe for Evan to cut.
Evan nodded and powered up the saw, “The baby is going to be so scared with the noise, cap,” he added.
“I know,” he said as Evan made the cuts, it didn’t take long for them to be through the dry wall and into the pipes behind it. Cutting through the pipes Bobby laid it down.
“It’s a newborn,” Eddie said as he glanced into the pipe.
“Then the mother has to be around here,” Athena began.
“I’ll send for a second ambulance,” Evan said as he grabbed his radio.
“Why?” Athena couldn’t help but ask.
“Because the baby is a victim of a crime, we can’t have them both together,” Eddie was the one to answer. “A mother just tried to kill their child, a newborn. Who knows what mental state they are in? Confronted with the baby, it could cause all sorts of reactions in the mother.”
“So, a second ambulance for the mother is going to be called,” Bobby finished, nodding at the two of them.
Athena nodded, “Good reason,” she agreed as she then looked at Evan, “oh, are you coming for dinner tonight, you and the family. Been a while, and the kids would like to see their surrogate big brother.”
“We’ll be there,” Evan said as he handed Bobby some lube, and they got to work extracting the baby from the pipe.
The two worked quickly and efficiently and eventually the baby was free. “Okay, out,” Bobby said, as Evan picked up the baby and wrapped them up.
“I’ll get her down to the ambulance, Hen should already be down there,” he said as he began to head to the door.
“She is, I already radioed her to head down,” Eddie told him.
“The mother has been found,” Kyle said as he headed into the room, “, and the second ambulance has just arrived. Sergeant Grant is heading down with her.”
“Right,” Evan said as he ran downstairs. The lift was being used, and he knew that would be Athena, so he didn’t even bother to press the button.
Evan reached the ground floor and he got in the back of the ambulance with Hen. He saw Athena moving past them after a few more moments. Hen took care of the baby as Kyle got in the driver’s seat, and they headed to the hospital.
XxXxX
Bobby looked up as he heard familiar voices. “Robbie, Brooke?” he asked, as he headed to the railing of the loft.
“Dad!” Robbie grinned and waved at him. “Kelly said it was okay to come and visit you,” he said as he glanced toward the middle-aged woman behind the two children.
“Yeah, of course,” he nodded as he smiled at his children and went down the stairs. “It’s always good to see the two of you,” he said as he hugged them tightly. “Are you alright?” he asked Robbie, seeing that he looked tired.
“I’m okay, Dad,” Robbie said as he leaned against his dad. Today was a bad day, his back hurt, and so did his leg. The tightness in the scarring was the worst for him at that moment. “I’m okay, just…” he trailed off.
“Bad day,” Bobby murmured. Robbie had been so brave during the fire, he had protected his sister, getting her out of the apartment when the floor gave way on their mother. He had got her moving, and then covered her when the building started collapsing in on itself. All three had been rescued, but Marcy hadn’t made it, passing away only a day after the fire. Brooke had been inconsolable. Robbie had been in the hospital himself in critical condition; it had taken another week to know if he would survive the smoke inhalation, let alone the burns that covered most of his back and his left leg.
“Yeah,” he admitted, “Tired and hurting,” he finally said, looking away.
“Hey, no hiding, we speak up when we need help, remember,” Bobby reminded him, gently making his son look at him.
Robbie nodded, “I know, Dad,” he said, “Sorry.”
Bobby hugged him gently, “Come on, need help going up, or are you alright to do it?” he asked, knowing that sometimes Robbie needed a little additional help in getting up and down stairs.
“I…” Robbie paused, “I need help,” he whispered.
“Okay,” Bobby smiled at his son, with an arm around his almost fourteen-year-old son, he began to help him up the stairs to the loft. “You coming, Brooke?” he asked his daughter, glancing over his shoulder to look at her.
“Yeah, Dad,” she nodded and was quick to follow. This wasn’t the first time she had been at the station to see her dad. But they had never really stayed for that long. Kelly watched them for a moment before following. She’d brought them there because she needed to talk with their dad.
“Okay,” Bobby said as they reached the top and he had Robbie settled on the couch, “You okay there?” he asked him.
“Yeah, I’m okay,” he nodded, giving a small smile, “I just need to rest today I think, Dad,” he added.
“Alright, I’ll get you something to drink, have you had lunch?” he asked as he looked at Robbie and then Brooke.
“Not yet,” Brooke answered as she joined her brother on the couch.
“Bobby,” Kelly said, “can I speak with you for a moment,” she said, not looking nervous, but a little worried about something.
“Of course,” he nodded, “What’s going on? You don’t normally bring the kids unless you’ve already cleared it with me,” he asked her.
“Family emergency, my dad has had a fall, a bad one, and he needs some help for a bit. I need to take some time. I’m really sorry Bobby. I’ve sent word to those in the biz, to try and get someone that would be able to help, but at the moment, I just…” she shook her head, “They’re almost thirteen and fourteen, they’re getting to the age when they just need someone there, I know that Robbie has a few medical issues, which is what makes it difficult to find someone that can help.”
Eddie and Evan shared a look, as they overheard what was going on. “We might know someone that would be able to help you find someone,” Evan said, “I can give them a call and ask them if they know of anyone, or can point us in the right direction,” he added as he walked over, “And sorry, didn’t mean to overhear.”
“It’s fine, it’s what I get for talking about it in an open space instead of my office,” Bobby said with a nod, “Thanks for telling me Kelly, and of course, take the time you need. I’m going to… see what I can do for now.”
“Sorry again for this, Bobby, I don’t know how long I’ll be so, fill the position and don’t wait,” she added, looking a little sad at the thought of not working with the family anymore.
“Really, Kelly, I’ll see what I can do, but it’s going to be a big loss not to have you around. Robbie and Brooke adore you,” he added.
“And I love them too,” she smiled a little, “I need to get going, sorry again,” she added as she went over to the kids to say goodbye, hugging them both before leaving.
Bobby sighed, and ran a hand over his face. Wondering just what he was going to do now.
“Bobby?” Evan said, “Would it be alright if I contact my friend. She… looks after our son, he has CP, so she’ll understand the medical concerns that you have,” he said, as he looked at his captain.
“Please, Kelly was a god-sent angel when I first moved to LA. Robbie was mostly done with his recovery, as much as he was going to recover from the fire. He has bad scarring on his back and his left leg, which affects his mobility. Some days he can get away with a cane, others he needs the crutch, and sometimes a wheelchair,” he sighed again, leaning against the counter in the kitchen as Eddie moved to stand beside him.
“It’s hard, knowing that your kid isn’t going to be like others. To have to face things you’ll never be able to understand,” Eddie said, “Evan and I face that daily, so we’re here if you need to talk to someone.”
Bobby gave a tight nod, “It’s my fault,” he whispered.
Evan finished his call with Carla and walked over. “She’s going to stop by, they’re in the area at the moment, and Chris is with her. She’s just going to talk to you, and later, you come to ours where the kids will be waiting. We can have a good talk then, and you can explain why you think it’s your fault,” he said as he looked at Bobby. “I can see you love those kids, and I can’t see you hurting them.”
“Trust me, I hate it, but it is my fault, a lot is my fault,” he murmured but nodded. Bobby called the chief and told him what was going on, and by his grace, they had two hours offline for him to get something sorted. Carla arrived and Christopher was soon with Brooke and Robbie as they played with him on the console in the loft.
“Tell me what you need?” Carla asked Bobby as the two sat down at the table and she made notes.
Evan and Eddie began to prepare a good lunch for everyone, including the kids and Carla. By the time lunch was over, Carla was bundling all three kids up and taking them with her, with a promise to Bobby that she was going to make a few calls to those she knew in the hopes of getting someone who could help with general child care of a first responder, and with a child that had long term injuries.
Chapter Two
It was at the end of their shift the next day that the three arrived at the Buckley-Diaz home. Eddie and Evan had convinced Bobby to go with them. Carla had already taken the kids to school since it was a Monday morning. She’d taken Brooke and Robbie to their home to get some things for a sleepover at Eddie and Evan’s house for the night, and what they’d need for school. She would be heading back to the Buckley-Diaz house after doing a few errands so she could talk to Bobby a little more about what he needed.
“Right,” Eddie said as Evan was cooking them something for breakfast, since they didn’t eat before they had left the station after their shift.
“You want to know why it’s my fault,” he sighed, “I… was an addict,” he confessed, “Drinking, pills, I did both at the time. It was the only way to cope with the pain sometimes. Or that’s what I told myself. I broke my back during a work accident; it healed, but I pushed myself too hard and went back to work too soon. We were in a bad place, financially and more. We were in a building that wasn’t keeping up with the regs, and although I tried to get them corrected, it kept sliding past people. I… took a second apartment there, using it as a place to crash so I didn’t drink or take anything around the kids… But I think they knew something was going on. Marcy, their mom, we were arguing a lot, so I went there to get high. I was fixing the place up for the owner, so I wasn’t paying anything for it,” he sighed, rubbing at his face. “Then near Christmas in 2014, Marcy and I argued. I went to the other apartment, had something to drink, and took a couple of pills. I stayed there, falling asleep, and when I woke I left. Didn’t notice that I’d left a space heater on,” he sighed, taking the mug that Evan offered him.
“Space heater, what model?” Evan frowned, getting the make and model from Bobby, “There was a recall on them, some of them were faulty and they were recalled after a large apartment fir…” he trailed off, eyes going wide as he started to make the connection.
“Yeah, the recall happened after the fire. The one I had caused sparks after being left on for so long, and the apartment went up. Because of the lack of a sprinkler system in the building, it went up. I was on the roof, after another argument with Marcy. I saw flashing lights, looked down and the building was on fire. I went home, got the door opened, saw Marcy and the kids, and the floor gave way on me. I couldn’t get to them. Marcy… She fell through the floor of the apartment. Robbie was able to get himself and Brooke out of the apartment and they headed down, Marcy was stuck, she was… rescued, she was alive, for a bit, but she didn’t make it past a day. Robbie protected his sister from debris, he had 3rd degree burns on his back and leg and smoke inhalation. Brooke, while having some problems with her breathing, recovered. Robbie hasn’t fully recovered, and they don’t think he will either. We stayed in St Paul for around a year. I went back to work, got sober, and stayed sober for them. I’ve not touched a drop of alcohol or pills since the day of the fire. It’s been… hard, but I do it for them.”
“We do anything for our kids,” Evan murmured from where he had finished making the omelets and bringing them over, “here we go, cheese, bacon and mushroom omelet,” he grinned.
“Thanks,” Bobby smiled at him, “Kelly… I found her about two weeks after moving to LA. I was calling around for people who would be able to take care of the kids while I worked. I was about a week away from starting at the 118 at that point. I was getting desperate, but there was Kelly. She took care of my kids, cared for them, loved them, and helped them a lot. Listened to them when they didn’t want to come to me. I’m forever grateful to her.”
“Carla is that for us as well. She’s helped so much with Christopher,” Evan said, sitting down at the table with the two.
“Yeah,” Eddie agreed nodding, before taking a bite and swallowing, “She helped me a lot when I was healing. I was shot down, and healing was taking a while, especially with my shoulder. I needed to be driven everywhere. When she started, she took care of both Chris and me, now she just works with Christopher.”
The three talked a little more, this time about lighter things, before Carla let herself into the home. She made her way to the kitchen, and made herself some coffee, before joining them at the table.
“Bobby,” she said smiling at him, “I have someone that will be able to come and help you in around a week. And if Eddie and Evan don’t mind, I don’t mind watching the two of them, getting them from school and to any appointments for the week, at least until Rita can start,” she said giving the two a look, both of them nodded in agreement so she carried on, “However, I’m concerned about the school that Robbie currently goes to; it’s not suited for his needs at all.”
“No, it isn’t, I’ve been looking at the other school, and I don’t have a clue as to where to begin,” Bobby sighed, “I’ve been looking at several, but I wanted to keep the schools close together. I know that Brooke isn’t going to be happy about not having her brother close by. Kelly has been looking into placements but for high school only. He’s in middle school at the moment, but he’s finishing with that this year.”
“It is a challenge,” Carla told him, “But one I’m up to,” she smiled as she opened her bag and brought out a stack of papers, brochures, and leaflets. “I have six schools that Robbie would be good to go to. A couple will take siblings as well, even if they don’t have the specialized needs of their other students.”
Eddie and Evan smirked at the lost look on Bobby’s face. “Don’t worry we went through this when we were trying to decide on a placement for Christopher. We’re going to leave you both to it, and I’ll make some drinks again in a bit,” Evan said as he got up and began to clean up. Eddie was quick to help and load up the dishwasher.
“Thank you,” Bobby said before he turned his attention to Carla and began to go through his options.
Eddie and Evan left them to it while they got a few chores and errands done.
XxXxX
Hen sat alone, she had already given her evidence of what she had seen the day that Howard Han had tried to murder Evan. It hurt her to see the state her friend was now in. He had ended up with his bail revoked because of the harassment that he’d heaped on her. She had eventually had enough, and had taken Evan’s advice and called it in. Evan was called up next and he was now sitting there, looking calm and professional as the prosecution began their questioning. She listened as he explained what had happened from his point of view. The fear that he might not make it home to his son and partner.
As soon as he was finished, the Defense Attorney stood up and walked over. “Firefighter Buckley, is it true that you were a cop before becoming a firefighter?” he asked.
“Yes,” he nodded once.
“Is it also true that you singled out Mr Han as a suspect for a murder?” he continued.
“He and two others that were working at the 118 came under suspicion at the time. Each of them had lied several times about their whereabouts during the investigation, they’d each claimed not to be near the victims at the times we were asking about,” he answered.
“And why did you continue to suspect him? He was innocent,” he said as he stood before Evan.
“We questioned Mr Han several times over the course of around a month. We knew that the 118 was the focus, we just had to find out why. Instead of answering the questions, he was combative, untruthful, and more. Which was recorded down by the lead detective at the time, along with my partner. We gave Mr Han several chances to tell us the truth, but each time he continued to lie or evade answering, it pulled us more and more off the trail of the real killer and had us focusing on him. So yes, he was a suspect, but there was a reason for our continued suspicion.”
“But you targeted him, targeted him out of the others in the station, you had it out for him when you arrived at the 118,” he began.
“Objection, Firefighter Buckley has already told why Mr Han was a suspect and remained one during the course of the investigation, and the defence is putting words into his mouth,” the prosecution said.
“Sustained, Mr Armend,” the judge said in a warning tone, “He has already stated what was going on during the case, and I do not see the relevance about it in this case.”
“It shows motive as to why Mr Han had to defend himself,” Mr Armend said.
“Why would Mr Han need to defend himself against Firefighter Buckley by trying to kill him?” The judge was the one to ask, as he looked at the defense attorney and waited for an answer.
“My client has stated that he felt threatened with Mr Buckley being at the 118. That the man had it out for him while he was a cop. He then started at the 118 and began a campaign to end Mr Han’s employment with the city as a firefighter/paramedic. Which happened. He was in the process of being terminated from the 118,” he said, standing tall as he looked at the Judge.
“Your Honor,” the prosecution stood, “may I address this accusation please?”
The judge looked between the two of them, “I will allow it, but be quick.”
“Mr Han was in the process of being transferred from the 118 due to behavior that had been going on since well before Firefighter Buckley transferred into the 118. Mr Han had shown aggressive and bullying behavior to several firefighters who had worked at the 118 previously. The bullying was so overt and extreme, that the LAFD were on the verge of outright firing him. The reports that had been made about his behavior go back to before Firefighter Buckley even joined the LAFD. Firefighter Buckley joined the 118, and Mr Han began to single him out by bullying and harassing him. This is all documented, Firefighter Buckley made one complaint during the month that he was on shift with Mr Han. There were nine other complaints during that time, and three of them came from another station that Mr Han worked at,” he stated showing the complaints that had been sent in.
“So I am to understand that Mr Han has been having issues before Firefighter Buckley came on scene?” the judge asked.
“Yes, your Honor,” he nodded.
The judge nodded, “Defense, move on from this line of questioning,” she told him.
The defense tried to rally themselves once more. But nothing worked to show why he would try and kill two people.
XxXxX
It was three days later when it came to sentencing, after Howard Han had been found guilty of attempted murder in the second degree. After the judge had a few words to say to Howard Han.
“Mr Howard Han, after attempting to kill two men, because of your own inadequacy and jealousy, I am sentencing you to a maximum of nine years in prison. You will be eligible for parole after a minimum of seven years have been served.”
“No, you can’t do this to me!” Han yelled out.
“I can, and I have, Mr Han,” the judge said with a tone of finality. “Take him down,” she finished, banging her gavel.
Hen slumped as she watched her former friend being taken away. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and saw Eddie and Evan seated behind her.
“Are you okay?” Evan asked her, a worried look on his face.
“Yeah, he’s just no longer the man I once knew, and I wish I knew where that man went,” Hen said as court was dismissed and she stood up.
“Do you want to come back with us, or go home?” Eddie asked her.
“I’m gonna go home, hug my wife as tightly as I can, and play with my kid if he thinks I’m still cool enough for it,” she smiled a little as they walked out.
Eddie and Evan nodded as they let her go, heading home themselves. Glad that this was another thing that was now behind them.
Chapter Three
Evan unwrapped the dead snake from around their caller’s throat, “Seriously, I’m sorry to say but you’re going to have to take a look at the snakes you have, and decide which ones to keep. You can’t keep all these babies here. Most of them need specialized care, and I can see that you’re taking great care of them, but you can’t control them, they’re wild animals. They’re going to need a handler that’s trained to deal with them,” he told her as he moved Spartacus’ body.
“They’re my babies,” she said as she frowned at him.
“I know they are, and no doubt if you contact the zoo, they would be happy to help you find the proper places where you can visit. You need to think about them and how safe you are in this situation. If you hadn’t been able to get a call out to 9-1-1, then you would have died. There is no ‘could have’ in this situation, you would have died. You don’t have the physical strength to have freed your self from his grip around your neck. Not many could, if we’re honest. I know I couldn’t,” he told her.
“Sort it out as soon as you can, Animal Control will be informed of the situation here, I’m sorry,” Bobby told her.
Hen knelt and began to check her over, “You were lucky,” she told her gently.
“Yeah,” she muttered, not looking happy at all with what they’d all said.
“Right, there’s a lot of bruising, I suggest that you get yourself checked out at the very least, if not at the hospital, at least visit your local physician, but you should be fine,” Hen informed her with a smile.
“Have you got anyone you can call to be with you?” Eddie asked her, “I think it would be a good idea to have that,” he added, “to make sure you’re okay.”
“I.. my best friend,” she said, “I’ll call her,” she agreed, reaching for her phone.
They remained with her while she made the call, and waited until the friend arrived. Animal control was informed and the local zoo was also called in to help.
XxXxX
“No rest,” Bobby said as he looked at Hen and Kyle, “minor accident, one truck, and the ambo,” he said, “gear up. Buck, you’re the man behind, sort out the food if you can!” he called out.
“On it, cap!” Evan yelled out as he watched them head out. Evan turned to the kitchen and began to sort out the food, wrapping it up and finishing the prep work, so that they could begin to cook when the rest of the crew returned. Evan began to hum to himself as he worked.
His phone started ringing as he put the last of it away. “Hello!” he called out as he pressed the button, not even paying attention to who it was.
“Buckaroo, I need a miracle and I’ve chosen you to help me with it,” Athena said, “Hen told me you were the man behind,” she said, “I need you to bring the truck and light up the sirens. We have a little girl hiding in a home where a home invasion is happening. Her mother is out of the house, so it’s just the little girl there at the moment, all alone. We don’t have much time, and having me blast my siren is going to alert them to our presence, and probably the little girl.”
“Right, heading to you now,” he said as soon as he got the address of the area that he needed to head toward.
“I’ll see you soon, Buckaroo,” she told him, before hanging up.
Evan sped along using lights and sirens, until he got near the area and turned them off. Not wanting to draw attention to himself before he needed to. Arriving he saw Athena and got out, “Hey,” he said nodding at her, “How we doing this?” he asked.
“You’re going to call dispatch and ask for operator 166, Abigail Clark, she’s on the line with the girl. I need you to listen out when she says that you’ve hit the paydirt. All we have is that there is a pink bike outside the front leaning against the wall. So when you get the word that you’re nearby, look for it,” she told him.
Evan nodded and got into the truck again, calling dispatch, and was quickly put through to the dispatcher. The sirens went on and he began to go through the streets in the area, down one and then another.
“Firefighter Buckley, I hear it, I hear you on the line,” Abby said.
“Copy that,” he stated as he began to look around, “I see the bike,” he said as he radioed Athena and told her where he was, only for Abby to start shouting. “Athena, move it here ASAP, something is going on, and it doesn’t sound good,” he ordered.
“On my way,” Athena radioed back, as she hot-tailed it to Evan’s location. Evan watched her arrive as he saw the mother arriving home at the same time. He got her out of the way and to safety, as they waited for confirmation the daughter was safe. The daughter ran out, and Evan moved her to her mother as the perp came running out, grabbing a motorcycle as Athena went to protect mother and daughter, as the man raised a gun at her. Evan thought quickly, jumping to the water cannon on top of the engine. With careful aim, he shot out a pulse of water, hitting the man full force, and sending him crashing off the bike, as it skidded.
Athena smirked at him and nodded as she quickly went to arrest him. Evan got down and watched as more cops arrived to take the second criminal into custody. Athena walked over to him, “Good work, Buckaroo,” she smiled at him.
“Thanks, not bad yourself, for a cop,” he joked, laughing as they leaned against the engine for a few moments. “I need to get back,” he sighed, “they’re going to be finished and waiting for me by the time I get going,” he said, “Glad you’re okay and we were able to save that little girl.”
“You as well, Buck, I hope you don’t mind if I stop by later, I could do with some company for lunch,” she smiled back at him.
“Sure, we’d be happy to have you,” Evan nodded, knowing that his captain would be fine with a visitor. Athena had stopped by occasionally over the last couple of months.
Evan got back in the engine, seeing that his phone was still connected to the dispatcher, “I’m sorry, things happened quickly. Everyone is safe, and thank you, the idea was great,” he praised.
“Oh my god, how do you cope with all that?” she asked, giving a breathless huffy laugh.
“It’s something that you get used to over time,” he told her, “But thank you, what you did helped save a little girl’s life. Well done you,” he added, “And I need to get back to my station, my cap might not be happy I disappeared with his rig,” he laughed a little.
“Thank you, for the help, Firefighter Buckley,” she said.
“And you,” he added as he ended the call and headed back to the station.
Soon enough he was backing into the bay for the 118 and jumping down, “Hey, cap,” he greeted with a grin.
“Athena doing well?” Bobby asked him, glancing over at him.
“Yeah, she’s good,” he nodded, smiling.
“Good to hear that you’re both safe,” he said, “now, we have lunch to get ready, I heard through the grapevine that Athena is heading this way.”
”Yeah, I hope you don’t mind that I said it was fine,” he asked.
“It is,” Bobby nodded as he led the way to the loft. The two talked about plans for lunch as they headed up.
XxXxX
Christopher giggled as he played with Charlotte, rattling her rattle at her as she reached out to grab it, occasionally he would let her, causing the six month old to babble and giggle.
Eric smiled at the two as he moved around the house, happy to let them play as he put things away. “Hey,” he said as the front door opened and Shannon walked in. “Looking as beautiful as ever,” he smiled at her, kissing her softly on the lips.
“Today I feel it too,” she laughed as she went over to her children, hugging and tickling Christopher before kissing him on the cheek, and then kissing Charlotte on the head, “having fun?”
“Yeah, Mommy, Lottie is laughing a lot more now,” he said, grinning widely as he looked up at her.
“She is, and she loves her big brother so much,” she told him, running a hand over his curls, “Your hair’s getting long again, do you want to cut it, or wait?” she asked.
“I’m going to wait,” Christopher told her, looking up from what he was doing. “When is Dad and Papá getting here?” he asked.
“Soon, they’re just finishing work, and then coming to get you,” Eric told him.
“Okay,” he said and went back to playing with Charlotte.
Shannon went back over to Eric and began to help tidy up. “He’s been looking forward to a beach day with the two of them for the last week,” she said, a soft smile on her face as she bumped her hip against Eric’s.
“Yeah, I wish we could join them, but Mom and Dad want to see us. They wanted to see Evan as well, but he promised to have them over for dinner in a few days instead. But Mom and Dad want to do a big family get-together, so all of us will be going to that next month. It’s before Chris’ birthday,” Eric told her, smiling back as he leaned closer for a soft kiss, “I’m going to be doing a long shift tomorrow, so be warned,” he finished.
“I know,” she smiled, reaching a hand up to cup his face, “You’ve already warned me. Isabel is coming over for a bit and we’re cooking a few things. I know Edmundo is going on a fishing trip with some of his old friends tomorrow.”
“Yeah, he asked my dad to join him, and he’s excited about the trip,” Eric snorted, “my dad has never gone fishing before, so I hope Edmundo has a few cameras he can use to record it all,” he grinned, “I’m hoping Dad falls in the water.”
“You would,” Shannon laughed as someone knocked on the door before entering the home with a key.
“Hey all!” Evan greeted them, a large smile on his face as he walked inside, Eddie following him.
“Daddy, Papá!” Christopher yelled out as he got to his feet, grabbing his crutches and hurrying over for a hug.
“Have fun, mijo?” Eddie asked his son, as he hugged him.
“I did, it’s lots of fun here, and Lottie is laughing so much now. She rolled over last night too, Mommy cried,” he giggled as he went and hugged his Papá as well.
“Oh, cried?” Eddie asked as he looked over at Shannon.
“It was a happy time,” Shannon protested, “I can cry if I want to.”
“You can certainly cry,” Eric said, kissing her cheek, “All you damn well want to.”
“I will, and I was just very happy, Christopher,” she said, knowing that Evan would understand why she had cried.
Evan nodded, Christopher had taken a lot longer to roll over when he was little, an extra couple of months before he had been able to manage it. “It’s good,” he said, happy for her and for Charlotte, knowing that at least Charlotte was hitting her milestones. It was something that Shannon had worried about when bringing Charlotte home last year.
“Yeah,” she smiled, “Right, Christopher, go and get your things, and have fun at the beach,” she told her son.
“I will, Mommy, Papá is gonna teach me how to surf, and it’s gonna be epic,” he called out as he happily went to his room and started grabbing his things. Eddie followed him to help.
“Surfing?” Shannon asked him, shaking her head.
“Yep, and it’s not really me teaching him. I’m going to be in the water with him, but we have an instructor who’ll be able to teach him and be safe about it. His physio pointed us in the right direction. Took a while to get a booking for one-on-one, but it should be really good for him,” Evan smiled, he was pretty excited about it all.
“It’ll be good for him, especially if it’s been recommended,” Eric agreed, “The place you all go to for his therapy is highly recommended,” he added.
“It is,” Evan agrees, “And his physiotherapist is highly regarded in his field as well.”
“Right, we’re ready!” Eddie called out as he and Christopher came out.
“We’ll see you later, and tell me how the dinner goes with Coco and Darren, please do let them know I’m sorry we can’t make it, but we’ll get together soon,” Evan said as the little family left, an excited Christopher talking about what he was going to be learning as soon as they got to the beach.
Chapter Four
The dinner was over, clean up was in progress, and Eddie was in the kitchen with Athena. Christopher and Harry had disappeared into Harry’s bedroom for games, while May had gone out into the garden, and was sitting there staring at her phone. Evan was concerned as he saw her wince as the light from the screen lit up her face. He could see that tears were forming in her eyes as she read whatever it was that was now on her phone screen.
“May,” Evan said as he joined her out on the deck. “You okay?” he asked her as he took a seat on the lounge next to her.
“Yeah,” she said, her voice breaking as she wiped at her eyes, “It’s… nothing, you do-”
“May,” he said, “you’re like my little sister, you mean a lot to me and I know something is going on. I’m right here for you, right here to help and be an ear if that’s what you want.”
May looked at him for a moment, seeing the concern in his eyes and the worry in his voice she broke. She began to cry. “I don’t know what to do, Ev,” she said as he joined her on her lounger and hugged her. “I don’t know what I should do. I don’t want to worry Mom, she’s happy, I know she’s been seeing someone for the last couple of months, since Christmas. Dad’s getting out there again, and I don’t… I don’t want to fuck things up, Evan,” she cried quietly as she felt safe and warm in her surrogate big brother’s arms.
“What’s going on, May?” he asked her, rocking her gently, much as he did for Christopher when he was upset.
She reached for her phone and pulled up the messages she had been getting. “I… there’s this girl at school. She’s been sending me messages over the phone, and on social media. She’s horrible, Evan,” she told him, wiping her eyes as the floodgates opened and she began to tell him everything she could about what Laila had been doing to her over the last six months.
“May, you’re not going to like what I’m going to say,” he told her, as they now sat facing each other. Evan had gone through all the messages, and some of them made him sick to his stomach at what they were telling this beautiful young woman to do.
“I can’t tell them, Evan, I can’t. I don-” she began, stopping when Evan held up a hand.
“I know you don’t; no one wants to tell their parents something like this; but you have to. May, this is serious, what she’s doing to you is a crime, and a serious one as well.It’s violating a law, and your mom needs to know about it. We need to deal with this the right way from the start, because anything can happen. And it needs to be dealt with before she gets worse. She’s been escalating, and she’ll keep doing it as long as she gets away with her behavior. It’s time to make a stand, and do it in a way that’s going to cut her off at the damn knees, because this shit, May Day, you don’t need it in your life. You’re more than what she’ll ever amount to in my eyes. You ‘re smart and compassionate; something this one clearly lacks. Now, how old is she?” he asked her.
“She’s in the grade above me, she’s sixteen,” May answered.
“Then she could be tried in an adult court, especially with what she has been saying and doing online.. So, how about we call your Mom outside, talk to her, and then get the police involved. Your mom can’t be associated with the case, but hell, we know a lot of other officers that would easily be able to take this case and deal with it,” he reminded her.
May gave him a tentative smile as he then hugged her tightly. “Okay,” she murmured.
“Alright, I’ll get your mom, and we’ll do this together. Eddie will make sure that Chris and Harry stay out of this. If you want, you can have your mom tell your dad what is going on,” he added as she began to get up.
“Thanks, for talking to me,” May said quietly before he left to get Athena. Athena was stony-faced for a while, seeing the messages and the disgusting pictures that had been doctored. They made her sick to her stomach. An hour later, Detective Rick Romero was sitting in the room, taking statements and evidence from the phone.
When Rick left, Athena held her daughter tightly, “Oh baby, there are so many things I want to say and do and I know that I can’t. But I’ll do one thing. You are loved so much, what that… bitch is saying isn’t worth the shit she shoveling,” she told her, “You’re a brilliant and amazing girl, and I’m so proud to be your mother. I always have been, and I always will be.”
“Thanks, Mom, thanks, Evan,” she said as she found herself held by her mother with Evan joining in.
“Glad you’re part of the family,” Athena smiled at Evan.
“Always,” he said, “Now, May Day said something earlier, and inquiring minds want to know. Who are you dating?”
“Evan!” May hissed at him, elbowing him in the stomach.
“How…” Athena began as she let them go and looked at them. “I shouldn’t be surprised,” she huffed.
“Like mother, like daughter,” Evan grinned at the two of them, “Now, who are you dating, if you want to tell me. I want to say congrats, I told you, didn’t I?” he smiled, almost bouncing on the balls of his feet in happiness.
“You did, and you know them, though they’ve been having a bit of a time recently,” she began.
Evan frowned, “Someone… I know,” he said as he began to think, “Not my dad, I know that, he’s out and about all the time at the moment, business has picked up, and he and my Uncle have opened another place in Atlanta. He’s also going to and from Hershey a lot for my sister.”
“No, it’s not Phillip, though he’s a good friend,” Athena smiled, “It’s Bobby,” she finally said, “We started dating a month and a bit ago. We aren’t ready for the kids to really know,” she said, tapping her daughter on the nose. “But I forgot just who was able to guess everyone’s presents before she was in middle school,” she said, giving her daughter a look of exasperation and pride.
“Sorry, Mom,” May said, “but don’t hide this from us,” she told her, “We’re happy that you’ve found someone.”
“I have, but it’s difficult for him as well, he has two children, they are both younger than you, but older than Harry. They went through something traumatic a few years ago, and lost their mother. Bobby is slowly working his way up to telling them that he’s seeing someone,” Athena said, “So we’re going slow. When it’s right, he’ll be telling his kids, but before then, we’re having the odd date here and there, finding some time to squeeze a quick hello.”
“That does make sense on why you were coming to the station a lot more recently,” Evan smiled, “Congrats to you and to Bobby as well. I’ll make sure not to mention anything to anyone else, except maybe Eddie,” he said.
“That’s okay, and I’ll be telling Bobby that the both of you know,” she said.
“His kids are strong and resilient. The eldest Robbie, he’s a trooper, he was hurt in the fire, quite badly, but he does what he can to keep going,” he told her, “Brooke is quiet, but that’s more trauma speaking I think. From what Bobby said, she was always up to something, and now she’s rather quiet,” he added.
“Hmm, Bobby said much the same. I look forward to the day when I actually meet them. I just hope that I’m good enough for their dad in their eyes,” Athena said softly, a small smile gracing her face.
“I think you will be,” Evan said confidently. He had talked and spent some time with them when Bobby would get them after shift. They would often stay for breakfast before heading to work. Christopher loved talking to them, and talking about Lego with Robbie, who was happy to play with the almost seven year old.
“I look forward to meeting them when they’re ready,” Athena said as she went toward the kitchen. “Hot chocolate, I think,” she added.
“That sounds like a great idea,” Evan said as he went to help her. May was smiling as she sat down on the couch. Eddie walked out of the bedroom and squeezed her shoulder as he went past, having been let in on what was happening, making sure he kept the boys distracted from what was going on in the living room.
XxXxX
Evan looked out the window of the ladder, they were approaching a fairground. He could see a coaster that was stuck upside down and someone dangling from it, “Damn,” he said, “He’s held on for a long time, cap, I don’t think he’s going to keep being able to do that,” he added as they got out.
“They ain’t,” Bobby agreed with a nod as he said, “Suit up and get up there, we’re at the wrong angle to get the ladder up to them. Hen, you and Kyle take care of the other vic,” he added as he gestured to the man lying prone on the ground with someone performing CPR on him.
“Cap,” they said as one and got moving. Eddie made sure Evan was strapped into his harness correctly before sending him up. The ladder left the grounds and reentered from another point. Evan started up the coaster, using the ladders and steps that led to the loop.
“Hey!” Evan called out as he concentrated on the young man who was hanging from the bars of the coster. “What’s your name?” he called out.
“Devon, I’m Devon, is my friend okay? Please, he has to be okay?” he begged.
“My friends are working on him now, okay,” Evan said, not knowing for sure, and not checking, he didn’t want Devon to overhear anything that could compromise his mental state. “Now, I need you to reach up, to grab my hand, okay? I need to get you into this harness so I can get you to safety,” he told Devon as he clipped himself onto the structure of the roller coaster. “I need you to help me on this, Devon,” he said as he began to reach down, moving as closely as he could.
“No, I can’t,” he said, shaking his head and looking down as his friend was being set on a gurney, “I can’t,” he added, seeing the flashes of phones and knowing that everything was being filmed and photographed. “I can’t.”
“You can, you can do this, I’m right here, you just have to reach out,” he said, stretching even more to get as close as he could, “Come on, Devon, you can do this!” he called out.
The other passengers called out to him, encouraging him. Devon looked at Evan, “I can’t,” he said one final time before he let go.
Evan closed his eyes for a moment, centering himself before he called down to Bobby, telling him what had happened and that he would work on freeing the other passengers. Two hours after arriving, Evan was back on solid ground, and Eddie had an arm wrapped around him.
“He didn’t… he didn’t reach out,” Evan sighed, “I hate it, I hate it when… he gave up.”
“I know, his friend didn’t make it either,” Eddie said, offering his boyfriend some comfort. “I wish there was something more we could have done for him.”
Evan murmured an agreement as they finished the scene and headed back to the station, the mood somber as they got in and began to restock and recharge after what they had just seen.
Chapter Five
The night had been grueling and hard. One of the hardest that Evan and Eddie had faced since both became firefighters. The plane had crashed, and so many had died. They had been pulling bodies out of the water, as well as the odd survivor. Then there were the ones that were trapped on the plane itself. Bobby had almost gone down with the plane as it sunk, and would have, if Eddie and Evan hadn’t ignored orders to evacuate, and helped him get the leverage he needed to get the woman he was trying to rescue, out of her seat, and subsequently the water.
Everyone was quiet as they headed back to the station. They had been released from the scene. Evan has spent some time on the phone with someone from dispatch, who had wanted to find out if a passenger had survived or not. He hadn’t, and Evan had felt bad for the person who was about to hear the last message a loved one had sent them. Bobby got out first as soon as they arrived back at the station, morning light was starting to peek over the horizon as the trucks parked in the bay.
“That was hell,” Eddie muttered tiredly as he got out, helping Evan get out as well.
“Yeah,” Evan said, as he and the rest of the crew got out and began to move around the bay area as they started to wind down from the call out.
“I’ve ordered food,” Bobby said, too tired to try and cook. “It should be about an hour or so away, so you have time to shower and change into something more comfortable. We’re not going to be called out again tonight unless there is another large emergency, but even then, the 118 and any other house that attended the plane crash will be a last resort. So comfy clothes, we’re offline for the rest of the night.”
“Right,” most of the crew were able to muster up the strength to answer him while others grunted instead.
Everyone was quick to hit the showers and change. Trudging up the stairs to the loft and finding places to lounge around until food arrived. Evan and Hen began to get some drinks ready for everyone, hot and cold teas, Hen even started to warm a large pot of milk on the stovetop, getting it ready for when they were done eating so they could have some hot chocolate. They still had six more hours of their shift left, and they planned to try and get some sleep until C-Shift arrived, who had been called to get in earlier than normal.
“Food’s here,” Eddie said, as he and Bobby went down to get it all. The smell of hot food filled the air as it was laid out buffet style. Plates were handed out and everyone dived in to get a little of everything. Piling plates high with food before sitting down at the tables, chatting quietly as they ate. Drinks were handed out and everyone finished settling down.
“Tonight was a hard one, we don’t often get big disasters or mass casualty events like this. The most common are the multi-vehicle pile-ups that we have attended or large-scale fires. In my time here in LA, I’ve only attended two five-alarm fires. This is the first large mass casualty event like this I’ve attended in LA, but not the first I’ve attended during my thirty years of service within the fire departments of St Paul and LA. This is a hard thing to go through, as are any that we attend that push us mentally and physically like tonight has done,” Bobby said as he looked at his crew. “Tonight you all performed with distinction, and I’m proud of the firefighters and paramedics that you all are. Take the rest of the night, or rather, early morning, to recover and take some time to mentally recover from tonight. We saw things and had to do things that pushed us all to our limits and no doubt, beyond them.”
“Thanks, cap,” Hen said, “We should look out for each other,” she added.
“Ask for help if you need it, don’t be ashamed of needing someone to talk to, and if you need it, there are department therapists that you can go to,” Bobby added, “They’re there for a reason after all.”
“We will,” Kyle said with a firm nod.
They finished eating and settled down to get some sleep as a couple of the firefighters cleaned up, put away the leftovers, and locked up the station. Sleep was a blessing, and most of them managed to sleep until the hustle of C-Shift arriving woke them up. They were still tired as they moved around and began to get ready to go home.
Evan walked over to Bobby as the man packed up his bag, “Hey, so, Athena tell you we know?”
“She did,” Bobby nodded, looking up, “I haven’t told the kids yet, it’s… delicate.”
“Of course it is,” Evan nodded, “it’ll always be hard for you and them. They lost their mother and you lost your wife. You might be ready to move forward, but it’s unknown about them. But I have an idea to help a little, to ease things. Eddie and I are willing to babysit Brooke and Robbie, and have Harry and May over. I know May’s a teenager and capable of looking after Harry, but,” he said, “We thought it would be a good way for the kids to meet and get that awkwardness out of the way. Instead of seeing it as their parents dating, seeing it instead as new friends?” he suggested, “I think it might be good for them to do it this way. Get used to the kids, meet the Mom when she comes to pick them up on the night like you’ll be doing.”
“My kids are smart enough that they’re going to figure out that I’m dating Athena,” Bobby pointed out.
“Maybe they will, but you can always tell them afterward, say that you hoped they made friends. In the end, it’s up to you, but I know you’re worried about them, and so is Athena. Take it slow, or give them a heads up,” he said, “Just know that Eddie and I would be happy to have them, even overnight, if you two want to have fun of a different kind,” he winked as he walked off.
Bobby huffed and shook his head, but he was seriously thinking about taking Evan up on his offer.
XxXxX
Evan woke to his phone ringing, groaning; he reached over and grabbed it. He couldn’t feel Eddie beside him and wondered when his boyfriend was. He answered the call, “Hello?” he blinked as he got rid of the sleep in his eyes.
“Evan, I can call you, Evan, can’t I,” came the voice of Abigail Clark.
“No, Miss Clark, you can’t call me Evan, I don’t know you,” he said as he sat up in the bed, glancing around for any clue as to where Eddie had gone.
“I don’t know why you’re being so distant and cold to me. Evan, we made a connection during that call, and I was just wondering how you were doing. I saw the interview that happened after the roller coaster rescue, you looked a little lost. I thought you could do with a friend,” she said, trying to sound coy and charming.
“Miss Clark, I’ve told you not to call me, and I know that this is a new number for you since I blocked your old one. Please, get the hint that I don’t want to talk to you at all. I told you that the last time you called me; so please stop,” he said as he went to hang up.
“Please, I’m just trying to make a friend. I could do with them, at the moment I’m having a little trouble, and I ju-” she began, now pleading with him to listen to her.
“Miss Clark, don’t try and guilt me into listening to you. Your problems are yours, I have my own, and they are not up for discussion, so don’t even think about asking about them to try and start a rapport between us,” he added as he then hung up and blocked the new number.
Evan huffed as he got up, yawning and stretching as he went in search of Eddie. It didn’t take him long to find him in the kitchen, the smell of bacon being cooked drawing him like a moth to a flame, “Smells good,” he murmured.
Eddie turned and smiled, “I was hoping to get this done before you woke up. Since you had that extra shift yesterday at the 86,” he said.
“Breakfast in bed does sound nice, as long as you were going to join me for that,” he smiled, as he walked over and wrapped his arms around Eddie’s waist, resting his head on his shoulder. “Clark called me again. Wanting to get to know me, called me Evan, made my stomach turn on its head,” he murmured, “Woke me up.”
“We’re going to have to do something if she carries on. Did you block her again?” Eddie asked as he flipped the bacon and tried to move to grab the eggs that he had scrambled up with a bit of cheese, ready to make some omelets.
“Yep, going to write the number down so I know which ones she’s used so far,” he sighed, “This is number two, I really hope she got the damn message that I don’t want to talk to her. I really don’t, Eds,” he muttered into his ear.
Eddie gave a little shudder. “I know you don’t, Evan,” he said, reaching down to pat one of the hands on his stomach, “Come on, go and sit and I’ll finish up breakfast for us both. Shannon said she has Christopher until later. Eric’s got a rare day off so they’re going to take him to the aquarium for the day. We have the day for just us.”
“We could always go on that hike we were talking about? Or a day at the beach, or anything really,” Evan suggested, thinking of all the things they could do with their day off, and a Christopher-free day.
Eddie moved the pan off the heat and turned around, “Or it could be a day in, doing nothing but having some alone time,” he smiled, as he pulled Evan in for a kiss.
Evan kissed him back, “I like that idea, breakfast will be needed for that one,” he added, murmuring against Eddie’s lips.
Eddie grinned, “Then I best get back to cooking,” he said, “Now, go and get some juice and coffee going,” he added.
“Yeah,” Evan huffed as he reluctantly let Eddie go, and began to get drinks ready, while Eddie finished off the cooking.
“Don’t you get huffy, or you get nothing,” Eddie said, raising an eyebrow as he glanced at him.
“Eddie,” he whined a little, a small smirk playing on his lips as he brushed past Eddie, trailing a hand across his lower back as he went to the fridge.
“Behave, breakfast first, then fun times,” he said, with a little laugh and a shake of his head.
Evan smirked at him, “Fine,” he said. The thought of spending all day in bed was a nice one, but it never worked like that.
“Spoiled, you’re spoiled,” Eddie told him.
“Only by you,” Evan grinned as he moved past him again, kissing him on the cheek, Eddie smiled and reached over to pinch his butt, causing Evan to laugh.
Eddie smiled, and watched him for a moment more, before flipping over the omelet he was making, and putting the bacon he had finished cooking on the hot plate, so they would stay nice and warm as he finished off the omelets. Evan smiled back as they worked around each other, sharing the odd kiss, before they settled down to eat breakfast, talking about their plans for the next several hours, which didn’t consist of just being in the bedroom, but actually doing errands and visiting Isabel and Edmundo, before going on a hike.
Chapter Six
Bobby and Athena ended up taking Eddie and Evan up on their offer to babysit and watch the kids for the night, letting them all have a sleepover. Christopher was so happy about it, it was all he talked about for the next two days. Now, Christopher was almost bouncing on the couch as there was a knock at the door.
Evan went to answer it, smiling as he saw May and Harry, Athena a step behind them, looking stunning in a red dress. “And don’t you look beautiful,” he said as he looked at his former co-worker.
“Well, May insisted that I get something new to show off a little,” she snorted, feeling a little ridiculous all dressed up as she was.
“Mom,” May rolled her eyes, “You’ve got it, flaunt it,” she told her, like she had said it a million times before.
Athena gave a little huffy snort as they walked inside.
“Harry!” Christopher yelled from the couch.
Harry grinned and hurried over and joined him. May laughed and looked at Evan, “Well, at least I know one of us is going to have a lot of fun,” she said.
“And how do you know you won’t?” he asked her, “you have no idea what I’ve got planned for us,” he smirked.
“No getting arrested, I’m not bailing anyone out of jail tonight,” Athena said, shaking her head as she looked fondly at her daughter and Evan.
“Not that much fun,” Evan huffed as he was about to close the door when he saw Bobby, Brooke, and Robbie heading toward the house. “Looks like the others have arrived,” he added.
“Right,” she said, as she peeked out of the doorway and saw them. Bobby looked good in a suit, “That reminds me, I told Harry, about this being a date, and that his kids are going to be here as well. Harry doesn’t really care. May is… curious about them.”
“Okay, I’ll keep that in mind. I don’t know what Bobby has done,” Evan said as he looked at the three approaching his front door.
“He did the same, he messaged me that he was going to today, spend the day with them, talking about it,” she added, feeling nervous.
“Go inside, and I’ll bring them in,” Evan said as he left the door open and Athena followed her daughter to the living room. Eddie was sat on a chair, book in hand, as Christopher and Harry talked excitedly about what films they could watch later.
“Evan,” Bobby said as he walked over, Brooke standing next to him, not looking too happy. Robbie’s face was blank. “I… told them what tonight was,” he said, “it’s not gone over too well.”
“I don’t see why you need to date anyone, Dad,” Brooke said, biting her lip.
“Give things a chance, Brookie,” Robbie was the one to answer.
“Fine,” she huffed, moving closer to her dad.
“Brooke, I know this is different, it’s strange, and know that I’ll always love your mother, she… she was someone very special to me. From the moment I met, until the moment I said goodbye to her, I love her and always will,” Bobby told her.
“Then why can’t you-” Brooke began.
“Brooke,” Robbie said, getting a little angry, “I get it, you don’t want Dad dating anyone, but are you really going to ask him to always be alone?” he asked her, “Are you wanting him to be sad all the time, to just think of Mom all the time?” he told her, “Stop being selfish,” he finished.
“Robbie, Brooke, no more,” Bobby said, closing his eyes for a moment, before taking a breath, and opening them again.
“Sorry, Dad,” Robbie said, “And sorry for getting mad Brookie, but… you have to stop this. We all love Mom, and as Dad said, we always will. But, that doesn’t mean we have to keep living in the past all the time,” he sighed as Brooke just gave a little nod, and Evan brought them into the house.
Brooke remained near Bobby as they walked inside. She was glancing at the other kids in the room, noting that it was two boys, that was until she saw May. May walked over to her, “Hi, it’s good to have another girl around here, this wouldn’t be fun if it was just me,” she said as she smiled at Brooke.
“Yeah,” Brooke said as May guided her to another of the couches in the room.
“Robbie!” Christopher called out, “Come and join me and Harry, we have Lego and we’re going to make a city, but we’re going to need help planning. You’re older so you’ll be able to help better,” he grinned at him as he waved him over.
“Well,” Bobby said as he watched the two join the other children. “I hope this turns out okay,” he said as he looked at Evan.
“Don’t worry, they’ll be best friends by the end of it, or else,” Evan grinned as he escorted the two adults out of his home, “have fun on your date, and don’t be cinderellas,” he added, getting a confused look from them both. “I’ll explain another time,” he grinned.
Athena and Bobby left as Evan closed the door behind them. He went back into the living room and clapped his hands, getting the attention of everyone in the room, “Right, time for some fun, tonight, on the menu, is homemade pizza, I’ve got the dough all ready, and you guys are making your own. I’m on drinks, and we’re having mocktails,” he said, “films are up in the air, but I’m willing to listen to suggestions,” he said, as he looked at them all, “I hope tonight entertainment, is up to scratch, and if it isn’t, complain to Eddie,” he grinned.
“I will send the complaints back to the idiot that had the idea,” Eddie snorted as he got up, “Right, I’m on pizza watching duty, and Mr mixologist over there, and yes he did work in a bar for a while at some point. He enjoyed learning,” he winked at them all, “is on bar duty, so make sure to put your orders in.”
“Do we have a menu?” May joked.
“That we do,” Evan grinned as he went and grabbed the printouts that he had made for tonight.
May laughed as she went and joined the others so they could read through it and make their orders. “Okay, these all sound so damn good,” she said as she looked at the others, “Come on, let’s all decide, maybe we can get through them all and taste them all and find out which one is best.”
“Which is where I come in,” Eddie smirked as he got up and grabbed something, “I made these!” he waved some papers in the air and put them down on the coffee table, “This is so you can rate each of the drinks,” he grinned.
“Eddie,” Evan huffed, but smiled, “That’s a brilliant idea,” he added as he went over to see the little print outs that Eddie had made for them all.
“I didn’t know you worked in a bar?” May then asked, as she looked at him, “I thought you went to uni and then applied for the police,” she added. That was what she had heard from her mother at least.
“When I was at uni I took a course in mixology at the local bar, I was underage at the time, but you can serve in the bars from the age of eighteen for the most part, and it’s a good skill to have since a lot of bars are always desperate for staff. So, when you get to that age, learn it. Might not be a good skill to tell your mother about, but it’s good to have, especially if you’re going to travel. As it means you’ll have skills that can be used anywhere in the US and even overseas,” Evan told her.
May nodded, “Yeah,” she said slowly, “Think I will, even if I never have to use it, it would still be fun,” she nodded, “being able to mix my own drinks, and know exactly what’s in them.”
Eddie snorted, “It’s a good skill to have, I don’t, but it’s something that could be fun to learn,” he gave a little shrug, “So, drinks first and then pizza making time,” he said with a clap of his hands.
Evan pulled out a little pad from his pocket and said, “What are your drink orders?” he asked them.
Christopher giggled as he said, “The mijo one!”
“One mojito for the mijo,” Evan nodded wisely as he began to write down what they wanted.
Eddie smiled as his boyfriend headed into the kitchen, the children getting up to follow him. Evan was putting on a show as he made the drinks standing at the head of the table. One by one they had them in front of them at the table, and they put pens and their review charts down.
“Right, have a drink and then pizza making,” Eddie said as he gestured to the island counter where he had set everything up ready.
Evan went over to Eddie and leaned against him as the kids began to go over the drinks, tasting each other and making notes, taking it all too seriously, but it was clear they were enjoying themselves. “They’re talking,” Evan said as he looked at Brooke who was more animated than he had ever seen her. A smile on her face and laughed a little while she and May teamed up. Robbie was smiling and helping Christopher and Harry, being a big brother to the two boys, while holding his own against his sister and May.
“Yeah, which is what we wanted,” Eddie reminded him as they finished with the reviews, “Right pizza time!” he yelled out, “We have mini pizza bases all ready to be used, so let’s get to it,” he said as he gestured to the island, there were stools there that they could use, or they could stand. He knew that Christopher would need to sit, and Robbie might need to as well.
As soon as they were gathered around the island the two men put down the partially precooked bases in front of each of them, “Right, we have the sauces,” Evan said as he gestured to the four bowls with the base sauces.
“We have tomatoes, the classic, pesto, our something different,” Eddie grinned as he gestured to each bowl, “Then we have something fun, BBQ, this is Bobby’s BBQ sauce recipe, took Evan a while to get him to give it up.”
“Really, he got Dad’s recipe!?” Brooke said as she looked in awe at Evan.
“It took me four months of bribing him with my own recipes to get this and his mac’n’cheese one,” Evan said, looking proud, as being able to get some of Bobby’s recipes was like trying to get blood from a stone.
“Next is my own specialty,” Eddie grinned, “A spicy base, with a hint of smoky BBQ,” he added.
“Awesome. Can we have two sauces on our bases?” Christopher yelled out, pumping his fist in the air, “I can do one-half Bobby’s BBQ and the other daddy’s,” he said with a nod.
“Oh, that’s a good idea,” Robbie grinned at him as they all began to talk about which ones they wanted to use. It wasn’t long before each of the bases had more than one sauce on it. Toppings came next, almost falling off in most cases, as they went into the oven to cook, and a second round of drinks were ordered.
Eddie and Evan were seated on the couch a few hours after they had seen the kids to bed. Evan was going through the reel of pictures on his phone of the night for their parents to have a look through. May and Brooke had taken a room together, and while Robbie had been offered the other guest room for himself, he’d ended up on an air mattress in Christopher’s room with the two boys. Last he heard, he was telling them mildly spooky stories, while the girls were talking about the latest makeup trends, and about a boy band that was super popular at the moment.
“It was a good night,” Eddie said as he rested his head on Evan’s shoulder, the TV was on low as they watched, or pretended to watch a film.
“Yeah, they’re getting along well. Athena and Bobby are at her place at the moment, so they’re okay. We should get to bed, no doubt they’re going to be up early in the morning,” Evan said a happy smile on his face
“Yeah, they will be,” Eddie snorted, not moving.
“Come on,” he said, “let’s lock up for the night and get moving, or we’ll fall asleep here and that’s not a good idea,” he murmured with a yawn.
The two got to their feet, making sure the house was locked up, and checking on the kids, finding them all asleep, as they went to bed themselves.
Chapter Seven
Evan frowned as he looked at his phone. They had just finished a call that had made his blood boil, he frowned as he saw a familiar number. He wanted to ignore it, but it felt wrong to do so. “Hello,” he said, nodding at Eddie.
“Firefighter Buckley,” came the familiar voice of Abigail Clark. She had been calling on and off since the moment they had talked during the case with the little girl.
“Miss Clark,” Evan said, keeping it distant and polite, he wasn’t sure he liked the woman calling him. He didn’t know her at all.
“Please, call me Abby, it’s a lot better, may I call you Buck, I heard on the radios a few times that you are called that,” she suggested.
“I don’t think that is appropriate, Miss Clark,” he said, “and I’m sorry but I really need to go, can you please stop calling,” he asked her, hoping she would listen. He had asked before, but she had ignored him.
“I just want to get to know you, you seem like a really nice guy and I could use that in my life,” she told him.
“I’m sorry but I have to go, work to do,” he said as he hung up and pocketed his phone. He looked at Eddie as they began to clear up, the people they had rescued being detained, with a few of the more seriously dehydrated heading to the hospital.
“I hate this, it feels wrong,” Eddie said as he walked over.
“I know, it fucking sucks. They come here hoping for a better life than the one they left, and most of the time they end up being found and deported again,” Evan said, shaking his head, “And this death trap is what waits for them most of the time, trying to get into this country.”
“It does,” Eddie nodded as they watched Hen talk with one of the cops. She had singled out the driver of the truck, and had tackled him only moments before, and handed him off to the responding officers.
The last ambulance had their doors slammed shut, the last of those that were able to leave, were now loaded up in vans that would take them to a detention center waiting to be taken back over the border. Hen walked back to the truck, and they headed back to the station, a little subdued as they arrived.
“I hate this,” Hen muttered darkly, getting out and almost slamming the door to the engine closed.
“I know, we all do,” Bobby said, putting a calming hand on her shoulder, “go clean up, I’ll get some food started.”
Hen nodded, grabbing her phone and pulling up Karen’s contact, she needed that little reassurance from her wife, some comfort after a trying call.
Evan and Eddie headed to the loft, “Who was the caller?” Eddie asked, curious as to who had called his partner.
“That dispatcher again, she’s called me a few times now, as you know, always trying to talk, get to know me. I’ve told her to stop, and I’m thinking maybe I’ll have to report her,” Evan frowned, as he looked over at Eddie as they moved toward the couch
“It might be time to see if anyone else has anything to say about this dispatcher,” Eddie said, sitting down and letting Evan sit beside him and curl against him. Wrapping an arm around him Evan settled down for a bit.
Bobby walked over, “Right, lasagnas are in and they should be done in about half hour,” he said as he sat down on the chair.
“How are things going with Athena?” Evan asked him quietly.
“Going well, Brooke is still… a little hesitant, but she’s enjoyed spending a spa day with Athena and May. They have them often and have invited her to go along when they go. Harry and Micheal decided that they were going to take Robbie with them when they go to plant a tree in a couple of weeks. They know of his disabilities and are prepared for that, they also invited me to go along with them; to plant a tree for Marcy with Robbie. I think… I think it would be good for us. I do a lot with Brooke to help her remember her mother, we do little things together. But this, Robbie has… basically hidden himself away after his mom died. He just… wanted to fade into the background. I know he feels like he should have done more, but he did so damn well, he was only ten, ten years old, and he protected Brooke with his own body. I know adults who don’t have that type of courage, most would have run and hid from the first spark of danger that happened. He didn’t, he took care of his sister and did his best to get her out,” he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose for a second before letting go.
“Has he been avoiding things?” Eddie asked him, frowning a little.
Bobby nodded, “PTSD,” he said, “We’re coping as best as we can. We’re in therapy, all of us. We go at least once a week, and a group one. Brooke… talks a lot, in and out. And I love that she feels safe to do that, I just wish Robbie did as well. He never wants to speak about what happened, he’s closed himself off. He likes that I’m dating, but doesn’t want to talk about anything else.”
“He’s been traumatized, he’s dealing with it the only way he can, or the way that works best for him. Give him time, he’ll open up about it,” Evan said, “There are… things that happened to me that are traumatic as hell, and I don’t talk about them a lot of the time. I don’t want to, it hurts a lot. Robbie just needs time to let himself process everything that happened. He honors his mom in other ways. But finding something that’s just for the two of you, might just be a good way to go,” he added.
Eddie nodded, “Yeah, it could help a lot more, and get you two talking again about things.”
Bobby nodded, “It’s why I agreed to go with them. Micheal did this with his father when he was young and started to do it with Harry as soon as he felt he was old enough.”
The three talked a little more before others began to join them. Hen looked calmer now that she had talked to Karen.
XxXxX
Evan laughed as Tommy regaled him with some of the antics that his fellow co-workers at the 217 got up to. “Seriously, how do they get away with it?”
“It’s a station challenge,” Tommy explained, “We have a chart,” he began, “Each of us has a list of things that we’re given at the start of the month, to ‘get away with it’. Just stupid random things, like adding a bit of salt to someone’s drink, making a piece of food with something really nasty tasting in it. Though we watch for allergies and intolerances on that one. Even slipping in and saying something stupid. When we get away with something, we have to put it on the board. If we don’t get away with it, we’re given another task to complete to replace it. It’s fun, the one with the highest getaways wins the month and for that month we get our pick of chores for it,” he said, “it’s a good way to keep the station light hearted and morale high,” he added.
“We have Hen’s weekly bets,” Evan snorted, “But you already know that. Oh, that reminds me, Eddie broke your record,” he grinned.
“Record?” Shannon asked him, “What type of records do you keep at the station?” she continued, curious as to what type of mischief the firefighters got up to behind closed shutters.
“Highest number of phone numbers gotten during a week,” he answered her.
“You broke that, Eddie?” Tommy asked him, sounding impressed.
Eddie snorted, “Strip club, me and Evan both broke that record, I just had one more number than Evan, so technically I won the bet that week,” he said.
Tommy laughed, shaking his head as he leaned against Lou, who was snorting at the two, “Some calls are just… made for picking people up,” Tommy told the two.
“Now if we could get rid of a certain caller, that would be great,” Eddie added, as he heard Evan’s phone ring. He could see the number flashing up. It was a new number, they had blocked four previous ones, but she still didn’t get the hint and kept calling.
“What caller?” Lou asked, looking concerned at the two.
“This dispatcher, she’s been calling me on and off. I’ve blocked her four times, and I think this is the fifth number. I’ve done my best to try and stop her, but she just isn’t listening,” Evan said as he answered the call. Hoping it was someone else on the other end of the line.
“Hi, Evan,” Abby Clark purred down the line, “I keep missing you.”
“Miss Clark, I’ve asked that you not call me, please just stop,” Evan said firmly as he ended the call and blocked the number. “Number five.”
“Abby Clark?” Tommy asked him, getting a nod, “Yeah, she’s a dispatcher with a tendency to fixate on firefighters. She’s been doing it for years. She tried it with me about four years ago. I even dated her for a bit, but after Sal died, I ended things with her. She wasn’t happy about it, but after a while, she finally backed off. But that was more because she was already moving on to a new target, a firefighter at a different station. She has been reprimanded for it in the past, but something is going on that makes them sympathetic to her. I don’t know what it is, but they circle the wagons around her,” he said with a look of annoyance on his face.
“You didn’t learn anything while dating?” Eddie asked, somewhat curious.
“Nope,” Tommy said, shaking his head, “We dated for about six months,” he edited, “Not that long, all I knew was that her mother lived in LA, and her brother was married and over in Nevada I think,” he shrugged.
“I don’t even know how she got my number,” Evan frowned, “I never gave it to her.”
“She could have got it from a report, if you had to use your personal phone,” Lou informed him.
“But isn’t that illegal to use the information like that?” Eric asked, “I know we can’t do anything like that with the numbers we get for patients’ family members. If we use them for personal use, we’d be fired and blacklisted for sure,” he added, as he looked at Lou to see what he knew of this.
“Yeah, that would be the case,” Lou nodded in agreement, “it all comes under the data protection laws,” he stated.
Tommy frowned, “It’s how she got my number, and Evan’s too by the sound of it. I wonder if the other guy had his number grabbed in the same way?” he queried, knowing he wouldn’t get an answer.
“Put in a complaint for misuse of data. If she contacts you again, warn the dispatch manager that you are going to escalate it to the police, as it is now coming close to stalking,” Lou pointed out, “While we really can’t do anything, they understand how serious it is if they don’t do something. A complaint to the police may not seem like much, but it also brings in a review team to audit the dispatch center. To make sure rules are being followed, and that things are safe for those calling in,” he gave a little shrug.
“Like the internal affairs we had as cops,” Evan asked.
“Something like that, audits happen with most places, dispatch is the same. Response times dropped calls and even how dispatchers treat the callers, this is especially important when complaints are made against dispatchers. It can become serious in certain aspects,” he said, “I know one that got caught that was dropping calls because they didn’t want to deal with certain types of calls.”
“I’ll report it when I can,” Evan agreed, “now,” he said, “Christopher’s seventh birthday is coming up, and so is Abuela’s birthday at the end of the month,” he added, “What are we doing for them?”
“Well,” Shannon said, smiling as she already had a few ideas and began to list out her plans, she had been working with Edmundo for Isabel’s party, while working with them both for Christopher’s.
Chapter Eight
February had arrived, and hearts and roses and everything that could be associated with the upcoming Valentine’s Day were out in force. Evan rolled his eyes, but he’d already secured the day off, along with Eddie. Last Valentine’s Day they’d been busy, so they hadn’t celebrated. This time, they wanted to actually celebrate the day, and they had managed to both get the day off. Eddie had planned something for the two of them this time, and Evan was looking forward to it, but before all that they had Christopher’s birthday and a shift to deal with first.
Evan had made a complaint to those at LAPD Dispatch about Abigail Clark. He had no idea how that was going at all, but he hadn’t been contacted since then. He just hoped it worked. He trudged up the stairs of the loft, they had a lot of small calls going on. Those that they were traveling for more than they were working on the calls. The type that would often leave them endlessly frustrated and bored, but happy that people weren’t in too much trouble for once in the City of Los Angeles.
“Athena,” came the voice of Bobby. It was light and happy as he looked up from what he was doing and smiled as the police sergeant walked into the loft area.
“Bobby,” she said, as the man kissed her cheek. Since the day that the kids had their sleepover at Evan and Eddie’s place, the two had started to be a little more open with their relationship, not afraid to show that they were in love.
Athena smiled at Evan, “May and Harry are still going on about your sleepover,” she told him, as Eddie jogged up the stairs. “Eddie,” she smiled at the man.
“Hey, Athena,” he nodded, “Hen’s still out with Kyle, dropping off a patient,” he said, as he could see her looking around for her friend.
“Right,” she smiled, “Hope you don’t mind me stopping by for lunch, I’m in a good mood,” she added, a little smirk on her face.
“Oh, and what’s causing this good mood?” Evan asked as Bobby rejoined him in the prep work for lunch. Eddie doing the same.
“You remember the girl that was harassing May?” she asked Evan, getting a nod. “Well, she got nothing but a slap on the wrist and was forced to move schools. They thought that would be the end of it, even though I wanted more done,” she huffed. “She was told not to contact May again in any way. A restraining order was given as well. Miss Laila decided to violate it. She’s been harassing and bullying May again. May came to me two weeks ago about it and showed me everything that she had sent to her. I took it to Rick, and he was able to push for a harsher punishment. Laila has been arrested again, and she is now out on bail awaiting a trial. She’s going to be tried as an adult, which is what I wanted right from the start. May will have to testify,” she added, “Which I don’t like, but she’s adamant about doing it. Laila faces a year in jail, and a fine.”
“Good, pity that they let her off with just a damn warning last time. But this time, the parents can’t protest the adult trial?” Eddie asked her.
“No, they can’t,” Athena replied, “They were able to get it down to the Minor courts and not the adult last time, citing that it was just a silly little girl thing that got slightly out of hand. Well, if she had stopped and not done it again, it would have been the end of it” she said, “They were saying that their daughter made a mistake, but they were wrong. She’s a bully, and now, she’s going to face the consequences of her actions.”
“Good,” Evan added, giving a firm nod.
They heard the ambulance arriving back and waited for Hen and Kyle to make it upstairs. Kyle always had a drink of something when he arrived back at the station.
Kyle was the first to reach the top, “Hey,” he grinned as he walked over and grabbed a drink, “Hen’s just restocking, she wanted to do it alone,” he added, before they could ask why he wasn’t doing it with her.
“Something’s up,” Evan said, having gotten a good read on Hen. When she was troubled over something, she would often restock the ambulance alone, needing that time away from everyone, doing something to let herself focus and work on whatever was bothering her.
“Yeah,” Athena said, “She’s been annoyed about something when we went out for drinks the other night,” she added.
Bobby nodded, “We’re just about to start cooking, so give her some time and then you can go and get her Buck,” he said as he looked at the young man.
“Will do,” Evan nodded in agreement.
It was half an hour later when Evan left them and headed down to the ambulance. Hen was sitting in the open doors. “You okay?” he asked her, as she stared at her phone.
“Hmm,” she frowned as she looked up, “oh, yeah, I’m fine,” she said, waving a hand as though she was brushing aside his concern.
“If you need to talk, we’re here for you. Athena is also upstairs, so you have her if you want to confide in her,” he added, “Anyway, cap sent me down to get you for lunch, it’s burritos,” he grinned.
Hen snorted a laugh, “Right, let’s go before the others overhear,” she added as she and Evan headed for the stairs before Evan called everyone for lunch.
Evan laughed as Hen gave him a look, but hurried up the stairs, her demeanor changing from the puzzled contemplation, to her more fun-loving side.
It wasn’t until lunch was over and mostly cleared away that Hen looked at the ones still upstairs at the kitchen table that she spoke about what was bothering her. “It’s Eva,” she finally said, getting puzzled looks from Bobby, Evan, and Eddie.
“I thought she was still in prison,” Athena said with a distasteful look on her face.
“She is, she’s wanting me to come and testify for her parole hearing. I haven’t replied to her. I don’t-” Hen began,
“Hen, I’ve told you plenty of times that you need to fully cut contact with that woman. She is bad news,” Athena interrupted her.
“Athena,” Hen began.
“Who’s Eva?” Evan asked, “Tell me about her?”
“Eva… was my first love,” Hen said, her voice soft and a small smile on her face. “She meant a lot to me at the time. We were dating when I decided that I was going to become a firefighter. She fell into drugs before we broke up, well before. She even got pregnant to try and win me back. Instead, I was done with her. I couldn’t deal with the drugs or anything else. In the end, she signed away her rights to her son, and I adopted him fully. Karen adopted him when he was eight months old, after the two of us decided that we were really going to stay together. Before Denny, we were… having a little trouble. We don’t know who the father is, Eva has never said at all. And she is still-”
“That woman is obsessed with you, Hen, she keeps trying to get you to go back to her, even though you’re happily married. She messages you, writes to you, everything. You keep letting her get a foot in the door each time she calls. Think about Karen, and how she feels, knowing that this great first love of yours is always going to get in the way of your relationship,” Athena said, a little blunt, but she had been listening to Hen go on about Eva for years.
“You have this woman contacting you, wanting your help all the time, she is also Denny’s birth mother, but signed away her rights? Are you mad?” Eddie asked her, “I… this woman has shown what she cares about, and you let her in all the time?”
“I don’t let her in, she just contacts me every now and then,” Hen began to defend herself.
“Hen, put yourself in Karen’s shoes. There is this woman that is constantly messaging and texting your wife. A woman who by all rights is an ex and Denny’s biological mother, who gave up all rights to him. She could easily be a threat to your adoption if you continue to have her in your life. Don’t you think Karen feels bad having her around all the time like a bad egg? Your first great love?” Evan asked her, “If that was the case, then why are you with Karen if you can’t let Eva go?” he finished with a bit of a low blow.
“Hey,” Hen said as she frowned looking at Evan, “I love Karen, I really do, and I want nothing more than to be happy and spend my life with her.”
“Then why is Eva still able to contact you?” he asked her again, “Why?”
“She…” Hen paused.
“You’re letting her think she still has a chance with you? What would happen should she waltz up to your front door? Are you going to let her in, arms wide open and welcoming her?” Evan pushed a little more, frowning at the woman, he knew how much she loved Karen, and he didn’t understand why she would do this to her.
“You’re throwing your great love into Karen’s face each time you let her contact you. I told you years ago you should cut her loose, instead you constantly let her keep coming in. Soon enough your marriage is going to be over, all because you let this woman into your home and head all the time,” Athena added, shaking her head, “I’ve been telling you for years that you need to block her, and you haven’t listened. Maybe you’ll listen when Karen finally has enough and serves you divorce papers.”
Hen reared back at that, “She… I… she wouldn’t do that.”
“When someone hits their breaking point, they will,” Athena said, “Now, block the bitch, she doesn’t deserve your attention or your time. Karen is the one who deserves all that. You’re letting this woman in your head, and it’s going to do nothing but cause you trouble if you continue to let her in.”
Hen hung her head, “I’ve really been messing up, haven’t I?” she murmured.
“You have, but you can correct it, you just have to be willing to listen to what others are saying. I’ve been telling you for years to yeet her out of your life,” Athena finished “Now you have some making up to do with Karen, and make sure that little miss Eva stays out of your life for the rest of it. She isn’t your problem; hasn’t been in a long time.”
“I always thought I could fix her, get her back on the straight and narrow, so to speak,” she said with a humourless chuckle, “Instead I was putting everything at risk for a woman that I don’t know.”
“A woman that would happily see your marriage end, and you free for her to be with again. The thing is Hen, she wouldn’t want Denny, she has never once asked you about him in all the years she has been calling you,” Athena reminds her.
“No,” she sighed as the alarm above them began to ring.
Bobby grabbed his tablet and began to read through, “House fire, all but two unaccounted for, gear up and let’s go,” he called out as they all ran for the lockers to gear up, and then darted toward the trucks. Hen and Kyle remained behind, they would follow moments later with the ambulance after they closed up the 118, since it was all hands on deck for this call. House fires could easily get worse as they progressed.
Chapter Nine
Eddie looked over at Evan as they got ready for their date. Christopher was staying with Phillip for the night, the two were going to be watching movies for most of it, or at least until they both fell asleep. Evan loved that his dad was more involved with his life. Eddie could remember that first letter, telling him that Evan had moved out on his own, that he and his parents didn’t get along. Now Evan’s dad was there for Eddie’s son, just as much as his own son. It was nice to see that reconciliation had happened. For a time, it had given him hope he would have the same with his own parents. But that had gone up in flames last year.
“Ready?” Eddie asked Evan as soon as the man stopped fidgeting with his tie.
“Yeah,” he said as he smiled over at him, “Happy Valentine’s Day,” he grinned as the two shared a kiss, “Are you sure you want to go out?” he asked, a playful smirk dancing across his lips.
“I’m sure, I put a lot into this night out, something nice, just for us. No Shannon, Eric, Tommy, or Lou, just me and you. Chris is with Phillip, and enjoying himself from the slew of messages we’ve received so far,” Eddie said as he reached out to him.
“Yeah, they do sound like they’re having a lot of fun,” Evan said as he took the hand. He was pulled closer and kissed, “See, home fun.”
“Home fun later, for now, we have a booking at this really nice place I found,” he said as he pulled Evan from their bedroom and through the house. Eddie took the keys to the truck they had recently gotten and got in the drivers side.
“So, where are we going, all dressed up like this? I know you don’t really like the monkey suits,” Evan asked him, curious as to where they were going to eat. Their dates were usually low key, family friendly places for the most part, or even staying home and enjoying their own company.
“You’ll see,” Eddie smirked at him,” he said as he turned off their road. Evan messed around with the music before finding a playlist that they both enjoyed. The two bopped along a little bit, but within the hour Eddie was parking up and getting out. Evan looked around, it was a nice area that they were in.
“Oh,” Evan said, “I heard about this place, they do the best steaks going and the rack of ribs are some of the best,” he said. “They also do a fantastic chicken dinner,” he grinned as he looked at the place they were now walking toward.
Eddie smirked, “I know, I remember you talking about it,” he said, “come on,” he said as they walked inside, “Table for two under Diaz,” he said to the person at the front.
“Ah, yes, this way please,” he smiled as he picked up the menus and led them to a table. The place was decorated for the night. “Here we are gentlemen,” he said as he gestured to the table.
Eddie and Evan sat down, “Thank you,” they said as they took the menus and began to look over them and the drinks menu as well.
“I’ll have the waiter come over for your drink order in a moment,” he said, then left the two.
“Nothing with alcohol,” Evan said, neither of them drank much, only the occasional beer when they were home. They had stopped drinking while they were out for the most part, unless they were in a group, and even then it was only one.
They ordered their drinks and food as soon as the waiter came. “Christopher really enjoyed his birthday,” Evan said as they began to talk about their adorable son and his seventh birthday. Shannon had done all the organizing, with a little help from Carla.
“He really did,” Eddie smiled, “I still sometimes can’t believe we’re together,” he finally said, “I never really gave it much thought when I first started writing to you.”
“Same here. I thought, great I have a new friend that I could vent to,” Evan grinned, “But there was always that worry as well when we first started writing that one day the letters would stop because something had happened to you. That I would never be able to find out if something had or hadn’t.”
“I actually thought about that after the seventh letter we sent to each other. That if something happened to me, you wouldn’t know. I asked Abuela that should the worst happen to contact you, to tell you what’d happened. I’d hoped it would never be needed. Then when we started dating, I changed it so that you’d be the one informed should anything happen to me. Before that, it was Abuela. It was hard to think of at times, that I might not make it home. I wrote letters, for everyone, should the worst happen. When Christopher was born, I made a video and even recorded messages for him for when he grew up, just in case I wasn’t there for him,” he told him, it was the first time he was voicing them out loud.
“There were letters?” Evan asked, frowning slightly.
“Yeah, telling you all how much I loved you, cared about you, and wished I was there with you all,” Eddie said, shrugging. “It was just something that I did, to make sure you all knew how much I loved you all.”
“Love you as well,” Evan smiled at him, “I’m glad you got home okay, but I know that you loved the work you were doing out there.”
“I do miss it occasionally, but I’m happy that I’m here as well. I get to see Christopher grow, watch Shannon and Eric fall in love. Fall more and more in love with you, spending each moment beside you, at work and in life,” he smiled as he reached over the table and took hold of Evan’s hand and curled their fingers together.
“I missed you so much when you were deployed, and now that you’re here, it sometimes feels like a dream. When I wake up and you’re not in bed with me, I sometimes think that it isn’t real. That you’re still out there, just for a few seconds, but it’s there,” he said as he smiled at Eddie as their waiter came over with the drinks, and it didn’t take long for their food to arrive as well.
The two changed topics and began to talk about work, silly things that they were planning on doing on their days off. Their plan was to take Christopher to a water park since his swimming and surfing lessons had been going really well; a little treat for the half-term holidays. They tried each other’s meal. The meal came to an end and Eddie was quick to pay.
“How about a walk?” Eddie asked him, as they left the restaurant, it was still early, the sun was already setting and the two had taken off their jackets. It wasn’t exactly that warm, but it wasn’t the usual cold you had during the night.
“I’d like that,” Evan said, “do you have anywhere in mind?” he asked as they walked toward the parking lot.
“There’s a place that we go, you know the small hike to the overlook?” he asked.
“Yeah, I know the one, the one we found when we decided to explore,” Evan nodded, smiling as they got in the truck and headed to where the overlook was. The two got out of the truck as soon as they arrived.
Eddie reached out for Evan, the younger man taking his hand as they walked towards the place where they could see the ocean. The soft waves crashed along the shore below them. The vista was beautiful, the stars shone a little brighter in this area than in the rest of the city.
“It’s always so beautiful here,” Evan said as he sat down on the rock that looked more like a rough bench.
“It really is,” Eddie said as he settled beside him. Evan leaned against him, “I love you so much, you know that,” he said as he turned his head to look at Evan.
Evan moved back and looked at him, “Yeah, I know. I love you as well. Sometimes, it really does feel like I’m dreaming of my best life. I have a son, a job that I love, and someone beside me that I love and adore with all my heart.”
Eddie got up and turned to face him, the ocean behind him, “I love you, more than I think you realize at times. Because I go to bed knowing you have my back, I wake up knowing that you’re going to be there. I live my life to its fullest because I know that you’re beside me every step of the way. I can think of no one else I would rather spend a lifetime with than you.”
Evan smiled and nodded, “You mean just as much to me. I was sixteen and alone, the only people I knew I could rely on were Eric and his parents. Now, I have you, your family, and everyone we’ve gathered along the way. I have a son, and a partner I know I would salt and burn the earth for. I have so much more than what I ever thought I would have.”
Eddie smiled as he got down on one knee, “Once upon a time, I never thought I would want this. That I would want to ask this question. You made me a better person, someone who trusted himself, instead of letting others dictate what I should do with my life. So, Evan Buckley, would you do me the honor of marrying me?” he asked as he opened up the little box that he had pulled from his pocket and let Evan see what was in there.
Evan’s eyes wide as he saw the ring that was in the box. It was a black ring, but in the middle of the band, it looked like there was a galaxy. “Wow,” he said, “I…. YES!” he laughed, feeling full of joy as Eddie stood up and took the ring, putting it on his finger.
“I know we can’t wear them at work, but I have a chain for you,” Eddie said, “it’s back at the house.”
Evan pulled out a little box, “I was planning on doing this as well,” he said, as he opened it. “Marry me?” he asked, a little smirk playing on his lips.
“Always,” Eddie laughed as Evan put the ring on his finger, it was the same dark metal as the one Eddie got, but instead of an inlay of a galaxy, it was almost like fire, going around the middle of the band.
The two moved closer, sharing a kiss under the stars that were peeking through the clear night sky. They sat back down, hands joined as they leaned against each other, just listening to the waves for a while. Evan smiled as he lifted his hand with the ring to the sky, letting it shimmer a little in the dim light that was around them. Eddie’s own hand with his ring joined him.
Evan laughed as they linked hands together, so their rings were on show. Evan pulled out his phone, brought up the camera, and took a picture. “Should we announce it like this?” he asked.
“I think that would be a wonderful idea,” Eddie nodded, as he leaned against him. Once more listening to the waves.
“And sent to them all,” Evan smirked, as he muted his phone, knowing they were going to be getting a number of messages from everyone, asking them what had happened and for details. But the two just wanted some more time to themselves, before their families descended on them with too many questions and wanting to see their rings.
Chapter Ten
Evan was cleaning up, since Eddie had taken Christopher to one of his appointments. They had one more day before they were heading back to work. Evan loved their four days off most of the time, it helped them to catch up on things, gave them some time with Christopher, and with the rest of the family, even helping Isabel and Edmundo out when they could. The two were starting to get on in years and were finding it harder and harder to keep up with the repairs that occasionally needed to be done on their house. Evan and Eddie did what they could, when they could.
Evan looked up as someone knocked on his door. He put down the rag he was using to clean some of the windows in the kitchen and headed to the front door. Checking he saw his dad on the other side, “Dad,” he frowned as he opened the door and let him inside.
“Evan,” he smiled, as they shared a hug. It had been a week since Evan and Eddie had gotten engaged.
“You okay? You looked worried?” he asked as he let his dad into his home.
Phillip sighed, “I am,” he admitted as the door closed and they made their way into the living room. “I’m worried about Maddie. Jessica sent word that Maddie wants to leave Doug. But she’s finding it hard. Maddie has no idea that I live in LA. I could bring her here, get her somewhere safe. I’m going to see if she could start the divorce proceedings over there since it would be better and easier for her to hide than coming here and doing it. Since her address would have to be on file.”
Evan nodded, “Then do it, I know it might take a while with you being out there, but I can get your home ready for her to arrive as well. Make one of the guest rooms into a room for her.”
Phillip shook his head, “No I have an apartment in a secured complex. I got it for Maddie, I guess I was hopeful she would realize what she was knee-deep in and come to us. It took longer than I thought it would, but she’s going to be coming here. I’m planning on warning her that I won’t tolerate her belief that you’re to blame for the wrong in her life. I will be making her a deal that if she attends therapy, she won’t have to worry about rent or bills for a while as she recovers,” he told him, as they sat down, “but she has to attend and make progress.”
Evan watched as his dad sat on the edge of his seat, elbows on his knees as he had his head in his hands for a moment, rubbing at his face, “Dad, do what’s needed to get her to safety first. We’ll work on other things later,” he said, “Dad I know that this is going to stress you out. Maddie is finally making a move that we’ve wanted her to do for about a decade. Let’s get her here. Get her safe, make sure that Doug won’t be able to do anything, and then we’ll go from there. if she is still being a brat toward me, then I’ll cut contact with her, her alone, not with you. So don’t even think that. She will need to sort out her life, I have too much going on for her to try and fuck things over with her view on my inability to adult,” he rolled his eyes.
Phillip snorted, “She has always been of that opinion, and I know that’s not true at all,” he sighed, “I’ll be leaving for Hershey tomorrow afternoon. I’ve got the address of the apartment that I got for her to stay in. I won’t have her in my home, as it’s somewhere you come as well, a place for you to be at ease and free in, just like your home is. The place I got her is secured and has a doorman, I’ll be making sure they have a picture of Doug, I’m taking no chances.”
“Good, I’ll talk with Athena, make sure that she is aware of what’s going on. Maybe Lou too. The more people that know this guy, the better chance of spotting something if he does anything,” Evan said with a firm nod.
Phillip smiled, “You remind me a lot of your grandfather,” he said, “He would have loved you so much.”
“Yeah,” Evan smiled.
Phillip nodded, “I still need to pack, but I thought I would tell you what was going on. I don’t want you blindsided should she just appear in front of you. I don’t… she doesn’t really talk about you much at the moment, but that might be because of what is going on with Doug.”
“She can think and believe what she wants of me, Dad, I don’t care. I still love her, she’s my sister after all,” Evan said, “I want her to be safe, here or anywhere in the world, that’s for her to decide.”
“I know,” he smiled at his son, “I need to get going, I’ve got a bit of work to do before I can pack. Hopefully, I’ll be back in a few weeks, but it might be a month of two. I’m going to make a list of things that still need to be done at the apartment for Maddie, can I ask if you’d be able to oversee it?” he said as he got up.
“Sure, just drop me a note and I’ll get it done,” Evan told him as he got up to show his dad out, “Dad, don’t worry, alright. We’ll figure all this out,” he said as he hugged him before he let him out of the house.
Phillip nodded, holding his son tightly for a few moments before letting him go, “I’ll talk to you tomorrow before I leave. Enjoy the rest of your day off,” he told him before heading out to his car.
Evan watched him leave before closing the front door, going back to the housework that needed to be done.
XxXxX
The moon was full and high in the sky. Phillip had been gone for almost two weeks now. He’d sent word that he and Maddie had talked a little, but she was being stubborn about the divorce, not wanting to go through with it, and she still blamed her brother for the left turn her life had taken, even though it had already taken that turn long before Doug had decided to attack Evan. Meanwhile at home, Isabel had a wonderful cookout with family for her birthday.
“Full moons are… amazing,” Evan said, a smirk playing on his lips as he looked at his fiance.
“Oh?” Eddie asked, “And why would that be? It’s just another normal day, Evan,” he said, raising an eyebrow in challenge.
“Wait until you’ve worked a full shift during a full moon and then you can tell me it’s just another normal day as a firefighter,” he said as he headed to the arcade.
“I really don’t see what could be different,” Eddie snorted.
“The first full moon I worked, we were dealing with those that thought they could fly. We rescued four that were trying to fly using homemade wings that they’d put together. We had to help several people who thought werewolves were trying to get into their homes. And vampires,” he said, shaking his head, “Then there are the other weird calls, how about a fort that was made up of marshmallows that someone had raided sixteen shops for.”
“Was that as a cop or firefighter?” Eddie asked for the last one.
“That was my first full moon shift as a cop,” he answered grinning, “but it still counts; all the crazies like to come out when the moon is full.”
Eddie shook his head as they dealt with a little girl in a claw machine, it was the ninth one that night. Evan had told him to be prepared for more. They got back to the station and Bobby met them.
“We have a situation at a yoga studio, a pregnant yoga class. No labor yet, only someone stuck in a pose and needs a bit of help getting out of it. Or support until paramedics can arrive, unfortunately, everyone else is busy, so it’s us,” Bobby said as gestured to the command vehicle that was sitting to one side just outside the station. It wasn’t often used, since most of the time they used the trucks. But this time, it was better to use that than the triple or ladder. “Get in, the med packs are already inside,” he ordered as he headed over, there were still firefighters around, but both ambulances had gone out.
Eddie and Evan shared a look and headed with their captain to the yoga studio. They were quickly shown to the woman that was stuck in a pose. Gently they were able to help her out of it when someone called out that their water had broken.
“Full moon,” Evan whispered as Bobby went to deal with it.
“Don’t believe you,” Eddie rolled his eyes as a second woman called out for help.
Evan grinned, “Yeah, for now, but you will,” he sang as he headed over to help. This wasn’t his first delivery, thankfully, and he had no doubt it wouldn’t be his last.
Eddie shook his head, “Idiot,” he said fondly as he went to follow when a third cry went up, “This isn’t…” he sighed and shook his head as he went over.
By the time a team of paramedics had come by, seven of the women had gone into labor, five babies delivered, with one of them being delivered by the mother, without help. Evan and Eddie shared a look as Bobby handed off the last of the mother and baby to a paramedic team.
“That was…” Eddie said, in awe of what had just happened.
“Crazy,” Evan finished for him, nodding, “Yep, and the night is still young,” he grinned as he went over to Bobby.
“It’s always magical,” Bobby said as he looked at Evan, as Eddie walked over to join them. The class now breaking up behind them.
“Yeah,” Eddie nodded, “I was there when Chris was born, it was something alright,” he added.
Bobby nodded as they walked outside, “I delivered Robbie myself. He was determined to come before help arrived, and he did. By the time the paramedics had arrived, he was curled up on Marcy’s chest, quite happy with himself. I swear he was smirking from the moment he was born,” he snorted.
“Chris just had a set of lungs on him,” Eddie grinned, “I swear Shannon and I were partially deaf after he was born. Even when we took him home, he was the same, always yelling about something; usually cuddles and food.”
“I swear I could hear him where I was waiting with the others. He was all about the cuddles when he was a baby, and loved to be in someone’s arms,” Evan added, feeling a little left out. He hadn’t been in the room for Christopher, which was to be expected and he knew that he wouldn’t ever have that chance now. Part of him was at peace with that, but another part really wanted another child, one that would be calling him Papá from the beginning.
“Come on, we’re back on duty,” Bobby said as he headed to the command truck. Getting in they went back to the station, not even there for five minutes before they were called out again, this time to a young man with stomach pains and a tapeworm who wanted out. Much to Eddie and Bobby’s disgust.
Eddie looked at Evan, “You might find it fascinating, but that was disgusting,” he said.
“Chris is gonna love it,” Evan grinned at him, “I gotta tell him when we go home tomorrow.”
Eddie groaned, “Why is our kid too much like you,” he muttered, though he was happy about that fact as he followed Evan back to the waiting ambulance to head back to the station.
Chapter Eleven
Evan blinked as his cheek stung. “What the hell?” he exclaimed, as he looked at the strange woman in front of him.
“You are the worst!” the woman yelled at him, “you led me on, then fucking ghost me. You fucking piece of shit!” she continued as she raised her hand to slap him again.
A hand grasped her wrist, “I’m not going to let you hit my fiance again, I suggest that you take a step back. The police are also on the way.”
Bobby went over, “Hen, check Buck out,” he told her as he added, “I’ve contacted dispatch and they are sending someone to come and see to her,” he said to Evan.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” she said struggling in Eddie’s grip, “He’s the one that was a fucking bastard and led me on.”
“Didn’t you hear the part where he is engaged to me?” Eddie said, moving her around and getting her to sit on one of the chairs, “And you’re to remain here, the police are on the way. Unless you want your mugshot on every news station in LA,” he warned her, “you just assaulted a first responder after all.”
“I assaulted a fucking bastard, and no doubt he’s leading you on as well,” she stated, huffing and folding her arms in front of you.
Hen checked him over, “You’re okay, Buck,” she smiled at him, “go and sit down, we’ll deal with this. And miss, that man has only dated men, never a woman. He’s also been in a committed relationship for the last two-plus years, and recently got engaged. So I doubt he’s doing anything with you.”
“So he isn’t Evan Buckley, a firefighter at the 118, who did a daring rescue on a rollercoaster,” she said, “Yeah, right,” she rolled her eyes.
“That might be true of him, but it also isn’t who he is. He’s a family man and has a son and a fiance. Extended family as well,” Eddie said, “He’s my fiance, and his son is our son,” he clarified, “And that rollercoaster rescue isn’t one he would ever brag about. Now the pregnant ladies that all gave birth in one hour, would be something he’d brag about. Or the kids he rescues from claw machines. Those would also be something he’d talk about.”
“Tapeworm,” Bobby shuddered, “That too,” he said, “he told Robbie that one, who found it awesome,” he snorted.
“Can’t forget that, Chris loves to hear that story,” Eddie snorted, “So no, you know of a very public rescue he did, which ended up with him not being able to refuse an interview that he hated and complained about for days afterward.”
“You’re all lying for him, trying to protect the bastard. Just wait until the news finds out that he’s a fucking leach,” she ranted, glaring at them all.
“Do it and I’ll be suing you for defamation of character,” Evan said as he looked at the woman, “I don’t know you at all. I don’t talk to anyone outside of my own friends. Here is something that anyone who spent five minutes with me should know, what was my job before becoming a firefighter?”
“You moved around a lot and didn’t have a job,” she answered, smirking.
Hen burst out laughing, “Oh, oh, that’s good, Evan Buckley, the traveller,” she laughed loudly.
Even Eddie and Bobby were giving a small smile and a laugh at that, as were most of the others in the loft.
“I know this!” Kyle said as he was just around like a school kid waving his arm, “Pick me!” he yelled out.
“Kyle, what was my job before becoming a firefighter?” Evan asked him, rolling his eyes.
“You were a cop, worked for the LAFD, and you were shot in the line of duty and decided that being a firefighter was better than being a cop,” he grinned.
“Now that last bit is a lie,” someone said as they walked up the stairs.
“Hey Athena,” Evan smiled, “We have a bit of a situation on our hands. This woman is saying that I ghosted her and led her on,” he said gesturing to the sullen woman sitting at the table, Eddie hovering nearby to make sure she didn’t run.
“Right,” Athena said as she went over, “And I take it by the red mark on your cheek she assaulted you?” she asked.
Evan nodded “Yep,” he said with a little sigh, “Do what you need to, Athena.”
“I will,” she said as she walked over to the woman, “Right, I think you’ll be coming with me downtown. Now, you can refuse and I’ll just arrest you, or you can cooperate and I won’t put you in cuffs, the choice is yours.”
“I ain’t going anywhere, he is the one that is causing trouble,” she said as she got up to move away from the advancing Athena.
Eddie got in the way and Athena brought out the cuffs. Athena was quick as she cuffed the woman and read her, her rights, “Now, let’s go and have a talk downtown, Buckaroo, I’ll send someone to get the tapes and statements,” she told him.
“Okay.”
“I’ll have everything ready,” Bobby added.
Athena smiled, “Let’s go.”
“I can’t believe you’ve arrested me for a fucking slap,” the woman hissed as she was led to the stairs.
“A slap of a first responder is still assault and it can carry a year sentence and a $2000 fine. Maybe look up the law before you break it,” she said as he marched her down the stairs and to her squad car.
Evan huffed as he watched them leave, “I can’t believe that.”
“Neither can I, you’re not the type to do shit like that,” Hen said as she looked him over again, “You really are okay,” she said, “But I don’t like that you got hurt.”
Evan smiled at her, “Well, I’m fine,” he reassured her, “Now w-” he began only for the alarm to sound.
“We need to get going,” Bobby said, “Multi-car pile-up,” he added as he nodded to everyone with a yell, “gear up!”
Soon enough they were on their way to their next call out.
XxXxX
Evan sighed as he walked into the dispatch center. He had made an appointment to talk with Sue Blevins after Abigail Clark had contacted him again using a new number. He had blocked it immediately, hanging up as soon as he heard her voice. This time he wanted to talk to her direct supervisor. Since he wasn’t really getting anywhere putting in a formal complaint. He was going to talk to Sue and see what she could do. The next step was to escalate even more and make a formal complaint about her to the LAPD, which he didn’t want to do.
“Evan Buckley to see Sue Blevins,” he said as he got to the desk.
“Oh, you’re Buck,” the man said, “Abby talks about you a lot, finally nice to put a face to the name,” he smiled.
Evan frowned, “You do know that I don’t actually know Abby,” he pointed out.
“But she said that you two were dating,” he frowned.
Evan shook his head, “This is why I need to speak with Mrs Blevins,” he sighed, “I’m engaged to a man and have been for a bit, we’ve been together a while. I would never cheat on my partner, and to be honest, I’ve only ever dated men. So no, I wouldn’t be dating Miss Clark at all. I’ve blocked six numbers from her so far and told her to leave me alone. She hasn’t, so now I’m talking to her supervisor, in the hopes that something can be done to stop her stalking behaviour.”
“I see,” he said, “I’ll have someone take you up to meet Sue,” he said as he called for someone to come and get Evan.
“Thank you,” Evan said as he stood to one side and waited. Soon enough a young man walked over.
“Hello, you must be Mr Buckley, Sue said you were expected,” he said, “I’m Josh, come on, I’ll show you where she is. She isn’t on the main floor, as she didn’t think you would want to accidentally bump into someone,” he added.
Evan stood, “Thank you, and you’re right I don’t want to bump into her. I’ve been doing my best to avoid this woman since she started contacting me. Please though, call me Buck,” he said, not wanting to let the man use his given name just yet.
“Alright, Buck,” he smiled, “come on,” he said as he led the way.
It didn’t take long for Evan to find himself in an isolated room. Away from the main floor. “Mr Buckley,” Sue said as she stood up and held out her hand.
“Mrs Blevins,” he smiled, shaking the offered hand.
“Josh, I’d like you to remain, you might be able to help us come up with a solution to this,” Sue said as she gestured for Evan to sit down.
“Thank you for seeing me, Mrs Blevins,” Evan said as he sat down, Josh sat in another chair around the table.
“Please, it’s Sue,” she smiled, “I often end up looking for my mother-in-law when someone calls me Mrs Blevins,” she smiled, “And while she was a wonderful woman, I would rather not see her ghost,” she joked lightly. “Now, this is concerning dispatcher Clark?” she asked.
“Yes, over the last two, almost three months since a case of a little girl in a burglar situation came up. She has been calling me and messaging me. I have asked her to stop on several occasions and blocked her number, only for her to call or message with a new number. I’ve tried being nice about this, but when I arrived here, the man at the desk knew me as Abigail Clark’s boyfriend. Now, this is definitely not the case. I’m happily engaged to a fellow firefighter, and a man to boot. This could easily cause me problems if this carries on. I’ve tried to make complaints and they’ve done nothing to deter her at all. I don’t know what else to try,” he said, shaking his head.
“I think one of the reasons why they haven’t done much is that Miss Clark is looking after her elderly and sick mother,” Sue told him, “She’s been taking care of her a while, and I know they’ve given her a little leeway.”
“That might be nice for her, but what about me and the harassment that is now going on? She called me in the middle of the night. She’s done so when I’m working. I have my phone on me because I have a son and his school might be trying to contact me or my fiance. I also have two elderly grandparents, and my father lives nearby, and one of them could be facing an emergency and instead, I get calls from a woman that has fixated on me.”
“I see,” Sue nodded, “And you’re right, she shouldn’t be doing this. Do you give her your number?”
“No, I didn’t. The only time she would have come across it would have been in the report during that one call. And that’s because I had to contact dispatch to be in touch with Dispatcher Clark while we listened for the sound of the siren to pinpoint where the girl was. She wouldn’t have had it otherwise,” he answered her.
“Sue,” Josh said, “This will call for a black mark on her record. One more and she’s gone. It doesn’t matter that her mother is dying. She’s the one that is causing these problems because she believes she can get away with it by playing the dying mother card,” he pointed out.
“True,” Sue said, taking a breath and sighing, “I’ll be speaking with her, and warning her that there is to be no more contact with you. Any more and she will be fired. Not only that, but I will also have her black listed from every single dispatch around the country.”
“Good,” Evan said, “I’m really sorry for coming here like this, but I needed to get this sorted before it became any more of a problem than it is.”
“It’s fine, and I can understand your frustration,” Sue said, “I’ll be talking with Abby as soon as you’ve gone. I’d rather not let you get caught in the crossfire.”
“Thank you,” Evan said as he got up, “Both of you, for your time, and I hope that this is the end of it,” he smiled a little before Josh got up and escorted him out. He sighed as he got to his car, hoping that this would be the last he would hear of Abigail Clark.
Chapter Twelve
Eddie grabbed the first aid kit from the waiter, “Evan,” he said, keeping his voice soft, “I’ve got you alright. I know it’s hot, I know, but I’m going to help, alright,” he said as he went through the kit, finding what he needed to flush the skin around the face. The hot tea that had been thrown into it, causing all the skin around the face to turn red as the scalding liquid had done its damage.
“Hey, fucking let me go, that bastard deserved it!” the woman that had done it yelled out as she struggled against the grip of a woman that was now pinning her to the ground.
“And you just attacked someone in front of a fucking cop you stupid bitch,” the woman said, “Someone call 9-1-1 and ask for a squad car here,” she demanded as she glanced around.
“Already on the line to them,” a man said as he walked over, “I told them that there was an off-duty cop here. They want to talk to you.”
Eddie spared them a glance as he asked, “Get an ambulance here, scald to the face. Hot tea, I’m flushing around the skin of the face and trying my best to combat the scald, but he needs proper treatment,” he said.
“Got it,” the woman said as she relayed what Eddie had told her and then added, “I’m Officer Sarah Jonas,” she told dispatch, “The victim is Evan Buckley, former cop, now a firefighter. Perp is restrained but fighting, she threw boiling hot tea into his face. Took off the lid of the takeaway cut and threw it at him. She knew it was hot, and that it would hurt him; she did this on purpose,” she added.
“Sending someone to you right now, an ambulance is also on the way,” the dispatcher said.
Eddie continued to treat Evan as best as he could with the limited supplies that he had in the first aid kit he had been given. He could hear sirens and sighed when paramedics took over. He kept hold of Evan’s hand when he reached out for him blindly. “I’m right here,” he said as the cops arrived and took over the arrest. Statements were given by those in the cafe along with security footage.
Eddie traveled with Evan in the ambulance, keeping a hold of his hand as best as he could with the paramedic in the back working on making sure that the liquid hadn’t done any more damage than the scalding irritation to the skin.
XxXxX
Three hours later they were finally back at home. Eric had brought them home since they had ended up at Cedars. Tommy had been the one to pick up the truck and bring it home for them. He’d also made dinner for them both. Shannon had taken Christopher for the night, so that Evan could have a night to recover from his attack.
“Hey,” Eddie said as he touched the edge of Evan’s face, where the hot tea hadn’t hit, “You okay now?” he asked, “I know you’re still in some pain, and the doc did say it could blister as well. So we’re to keep treating it with the salve,” he reminded him.
Evan gave a nod, “I hate this, why the fuck is this happening,” he muttered.
“Tommy said that someone is investigating, since it’s now a felony attack on a first responder. This time that woman can face up to seven years in jail for what she’s done,” Eddie said as he paused before sitting down, “Want anything to drink or eat?” he asked.
“No, not at the moment,” Evan said as he waited for Eddie to sit beside him before tucking himself into his side.
“Tommy made that lasagna you like,” he said, putting an arm around Evan and letting him get as close as he could. “We can put it in the oven to cook later, so don’t worry about cooking and all that,” he added.
“Hmm,” Evan mumbled as he closed his eyes, he was feeling drained after what had happened.
Eddie let him rest, almost falling asleep against him. It was almost two hours after they had gotten home that there was a firm knock at the door. Eddie knew that it was the cop that was going to be in charge of investigating what was going on with these women. This wasn’t the second, or even the third that had come at Evan. She was the fourth, and all of them had been arrested and charged with assault. So far only one had fought the charges, the others taking the slaps that they were given. Eddie wondered what this latest one was going to do. Since this time the charge would be more serious because of the injuries given.
“Evan, someone’s at the door,” he murmured, slowly waking Evan up.
Evan blinked, wincing at the pull everything made on his face. The skin felt so tight and wrong at that moment in time.
“I’ll put some ointment on after whoever it is is gone,” he promised as he got up.
“Okay,” Evan sighed as he sat up straight.
Eddie smiled at him as he went to answer the door. He opened it and found Detective Rick Romero standing there. “Detective Romero, they sent you?” he asked.
“Yeah, I was voluntold to do so,” he smirked, “I heard from Athena what was going on. I talked to each of the women involved so far, including the one that’s now in lock up. She made a bit of a fool of herself. And then started cussing, the judge presiding over her bail hearing, well, it’s too much for her to post,” he snorted.
“Come on in,” he said, “Evan’s a little tired,” he added.
“I can imagine, I’ll be as quick as I can. I just need to talk to him about some of the things that have been going on,” he said as he followed Eddie into the house and to the living room.
“Hi, Rick,” Evan said, giving him a tired smile. He had recognised the voice.
“Evan, I wish I could say it’s good to see you, and while it is, I wish it was under better circumstances,” Rick said as he sat down, “I’ve come to ask you some questions about what has been happening,” he added as he pulled out a recorder, “I’m just going to record, you know the drill,” he said.
“I do,” Evan nodded, holding back a yawn. “Let’s get this done,” he said.
Rick nodded, setting up the record and giving his name and who was around. “Right, can you tell me the first time you were confronted by one of the women that are claiming that you know them and are in contact with them?” he asked.
“I was at the firehouse. We were on some downtime, spending it having a bit of fun before we had to rush out again for a call. We tend to sit around, reading, learning more things, and playing games. At the time I was standing up, having been helping Bobby, Captain Nash, in the kitchen with some meal prep,” he replied, pausing for a moment, before carrying on. I was standing there, talking with Eddie about what we wanted to do for our wedding. Out of nowhere, this woman storms up and slaps me, calling me names, saying that I was leading her on and all that, which I never did; I’m gay, I have a male fiance, and I’m happy with my love life.”
Rick listened as Evan talked about the other two that had come up at him, one when he was out on a call. The other had attacked the station before throwing stones and bricks at Evan. She had also been charged with a felony and property damage as well, as she’d also done some damage to the station. The last one, the one that had attacked him with hot tea in his face, was also facing felony charges instead of the misdemeanor ones that the other two had faced.
“Right,” he said, “Thank you for all that, and sorry to disturb you.”
“Can you at least tell us what’s going on?” Evan asked, “Why are they coming after me?” he carried on looking at him, with a slight frown on his face.
“From what we’ve been able to tell, these women are talking to someone online pretending to be you. They are listening to him, talking with him, and sharing their details with him. Private and intimate details. At the moment we’re trying to get a location on him, since the site in question isn’t doing anything to shut this person down. We’ve got cyber on the case as well, tracking him down and we should find them soon enough. We’ll keep you updated on that, and if any more come after you, we’ll be taking them in as well,” he said getting up.
“Thanks,” Evan said, “Please do keep me in the loop,” he said, not getting up, but Eddie did.
“Of course, I’ll do my best on that,” he said as Eddie escorted him out.
“Thanks for coming out,” Eddie said as he opened the front door.
Rick stepped out, “That’s fine, I just wish I was doing more. I just got handed this,” he said, “Before that, one of the beat cops was dealing with it, but it’s getting out of hand now,” he added.
“I know, with the station being attacked, and then this,” Eddie sighed, “We’ve also got word that his sister, who blames him for her life blowing up, is going to be heading into town soon. She’s in the process of finally divorcing her abusive husband,” he huffed, “I’ll be doing my best to keep the two of them apart.”
“From what he’s mentioned over the years to Athena and others, the little bits we get, I would as well. He keeps a lot to his chest, but when you get to know him, truly know him, he does open up,” he nodded, “I’ll keep you all updated, take care of him, though I know you will, and I’ll see you around. Be warned Athena might be stopping by later to check on him.”
“Yeah, my abuelos are heading over soon to do the same, no doubt with food,” Eddie smiled as he nodded his goodbye to the detective. He closed the door and headed back to the living room.
“You want to get some sleep?” Eddie asked, “Abuela and Abuelo are going to stop by after dinner; she’s bringing cake,” he warned him as he looked at the sleepy Evan.
“I think I w-” he began, only for his phone to ring. He sighed as he picked it up and answered it on speaker.
“You bastard, all I wanted was someone to talk to. To go on a few dates with you, and you couldn’t even give me that. Now my mother is dead, and I’ve been fired and blacklisted! I hate you, you bastar-” Abigail Clark began to yell down the line.
“Shut up, Clark,” Evan snapped, “I’m not having the best of days myself. So shut up. You’re the one that was stalking me, harassing me, you fucked up on your own life. I told you to leave me alone, and you never once listened to what I wanted. You’re a selfish woman who had no concern about those around you as long as you got what you wanted. Well, this firefighter is happily engaged and would never go near you. Now leave me alone and maybe expect a call from the cops,” he said as he hung up, “Stupid woman-”
“Hey, hey, it’s okay. I’ll contact the cop in charge of this one and tell them that she contacted you again and have someone sent around,” he said as he grabbed his own phone, “Put yours on silent, and let’s get you to lay down and rest, and I’ll put some of that cream on you,” he added as he got Evan up from the couch and to their bedroom. He put the cream on and left him to take his nap as he called in Clark’s continued harassment.
Chapter Thirteen
Evan returned home from work, Eddie trudged in after him. They had gotten word that the catfisher had been found. He’d passed away, which is why he was ghosting the women he’d been talking to. Evan didn’t really care that much when he heard, although he felt somewhat sorry for the man. But the man had also used his identity to lead women on and was able to get personal details and pictures from them for over almost three months. When it came to Abigail Clark, her brother had swooped in and taken her off to somewhere in Nevada. Evan hoped that would be the last he would hear from her.
“Today can fuck off,” Evan muttered as he headed for the laundry room. They had uniforms to wash and get ready for their next shift in four days.
Eddie nodded, cutting off a yawn as he said, “Yeah it really can, all busy work, going from one to another.”
“There are some shifts that make you question if this is the right job, but then you get to the end of it, and you realize that you helped a lot of people on the worst day of their lives. A shift where there are no fatalities, and few injuries are the best ones,” he murmured tiredly.
Eddie smiled as he moved behind Evan and wrapped his arms around him, “That they are,” he said kissing his neck. “Let’s dump this in the washer, get it started, and go to bed?” he suggested, sounding hopeful on being able to sleep.
“Sounds like a plan, Carla will be picking Chris up from school in about five hours, she’s going to be taking him to his appointment before bringing him home. So we have some time for sleep and then we have dinner with Shannon, Eric, and Lottie,” he yawned.
“Ah, yeah, Shannon wants to do something special for Lottie’s first birthday. That’s coming up in a few months,” Eddie nodded, “She’s crawling really well, and they think she might be trying to stand now.”
“Oh,” Evan said as he turned around in Eddie’s arms, “that reminds me, Bobby wants to talk with you next shift about your shield ceremony. It’s April now, next month is when he’s thinking of having it, just need to choose a date for it and he’ll organise it for you,” he said, “You’ve passed your probation,” he grinned, kissing him, “You did good, Eddie.”
“Then June is Lottie’s birthday, along with Abuelo’s,” he said, “Which is another big party, since he’s eighty this year, Abuela is going to be eighty next year.”
“They don’t look a day over sixty,” Evan laughed lightly.
“Abuela will be happy that you think so,” he smiled, “Come on bed,” he said as Evan yawned again.
“Yeah,” he murmured as they headed to their bedroom, showering first before getting changed. They had just crawled into bed when someone rang the doorbell.
“Who the hell is that?” Evan complained as he got up, huffing as he headed to the front door and opened it. “Dad?” he questioned, as he saw the man standing there.
“Sorry, I just thought I would come and tell you that I’m home now. I settled Maddie at the apartment, she is… upset about things still. She doesn’t like that her marriage is over and she’s now divorced. She’s… being a drama queen at the moment. She also doesn’t like the fact that she isn’t living with me.”
“Right, do you want to co-” Evan offered, stepping aside, inviting his dad inside.
“No, no, I’ll come by tomorrow and go over what’s going on with your sister then. She doesn’t know that you’re in LA, she just thinks I moved out here because of business. It’s up to you if she finds out, she may do with the rescues you go on, but that’s a future problem,” he told him, running a hand over his face, “I’ll leave you to your sleep, I forgot that you were working last night,” he added, giving his son a tight hug.
“Alright, Dad, we’ll talk tomorrow. Get some rest, and make sure Maddie keeps out of trouble. I’m going to want details of what Doug has been up to since his release. I don’t… trust him to stay in his lane,” Evan said cautiously.
Phillip nodded, “I’ll tell you everything I can,” he promised as he headed off.
Evan closed the door as soon as his dad’s car pulled off the drive. He went back to the bedroom, finding Eddie still awake and waiting for him. He quickly told him who it was, then settled beside his fiance as sleep was quick to claim the two of them.
XxXxX
Phillip settled into his usual chair at the Buckley-Diaz home. “Thanks,” he said, as Eddie brought in some coffee for the three of them.
Evan looked at his dad, he looked annoyed and tired. “You okay?” he asked as soon as Eddie had sat down.
“Your sister has a list of demands now that she is out here, and I don’t know where to start when it comes to her. She was in a bad place, but since they were living with his parents, he never really got the chance to hurt her. Which sounds bad to my own ears,” he huffed as he paused and took a sip of his coffee, “Perfect,” he mumbled.
“Demands, who does she think she is?” Evan snorted, “She-”
“I know, calm yourself, Evan,” Phillip said, “I’m not giving into her at all. I’ve told her what she has to do if she wants to remain rent free for the next six months. She can concentrate on healing, and if she needs more time, then I can give it to her. But if she doesn’t, then she has three months to find work,” he stated.
“You’re not going to enable her?” Evan asked him, frowning, their mother had done so as much as possible, she more often than not let her daughter bury her head in the sand, no matter what was going on around her.
“No, Margaret always did that, and I don’t want Maddie doing the same until she has no idea what is up or down. I’m not going to coddle her, and say that she can ignore everything that happened to her. That… sounds like the wrong thing to allow to happen. She needs therapy, and she needs it badly. I’ve seen someone myself, you do, most of those that I know see someone at least once a month if not more,” he snorted, “I should have made Margaret do the same thing back then, and I didn’t. I let her bury herself, and I started to let Maddie do the same,” he finished quietly.
“Don’t let her, and I don’t mind her knowing that I’m around. But I’d rather not see her. I don’t… trust her,” Evan said slowly, “I really don’t. Not after what happened back then. It’s going to take a while before I trust her to be in my life, and the life of my family.”
“I would never ask that of you, or Eddie, or even Christopher. She has… a lot of work to do before I would even think about asking for you to meet her,” Phillip reassured him, “Maddie’s in a bad place, and I don’t know if she even cares that she is.”
“Yeah,” he nodded, “What about Doug?” he asked, “What has he… been doing?”
“He worked for his father’s accounting firm after getting out, starting at the bottom. They lost the house and they moved into his parents home. His father stopped a lot of the abuse, and made sure that Maddie was safe. They had gone on holiday when Doug attacked her. She went to Jessica, who called me. His parents returned and found out what had happened. Maddie didn’t press charges, so he isn’t going to face anything. Their divorce is over, and she’s back to Buckley. Doug isn’t happy, and his parents had him on a short leash when I left,” he explained, “He’s been keeping to himself, and done nothing but yell and shout abuse at Maddie, but no doubt as soon as their backs were turned he attacked her. Even if she’s denying it.”
“What about Margaret? Did you hear from her at all while you were there? I know Maddie loves her a lot,” Evan asked, a little curious about the woman who had given birth to him.
“Margaret is still somewhere out there. Jessica hasn’t talked to her in around a year,” he sighed. She’d left for Europe a while ago, and no word had been sent home since. “Jessica is of course worried about her sister, but since she left and is just not talking to anyone, there isn’t much she can do.”
“So she’s on social media?” Evan continued to question, needing to know if there was anything he had to look out for.
“She’s still posting, which is the only reason that Jessica hasn’t gone hunting for her. Jessica knows where she is, and what she’s doing. They just aren’t talking at the moment. Maddie hasn’t spoken about her at all. So I don’t know if they’re talking or not,” Phillip sighed, “she’s a grown woman, she can do as she wants. Jessica is the elder of the two and will always worry about her sister.”
“Yeah,” Evan nodded as he leaned into Eddie’s side.
“So, how are the wedding plans coming along?” he asked the two.
“We’ve chosen a date,” Eddie was the one that answered, “It took us a while, we were going to see about having the wedding this year, but we want Lottie to be a flower girl, so we’re going to wait until she’s two, and walking, so that’s next year.”
“We both wanted a fall wedding, so we were talking about September and October. In the end, we went for October,” Evan finished, smiling, “October 15th,” he added quietly.
“Wonderful.”
“Yeah,” Eddie grinned, “we’re going to be sending out Save the Date cards soon to those we want to invite to the wedding. We’ll be sending out formal invitations when we get everything else sorted. First thing is the venue, we’ve found six that are free on that date, we’re going to be looking at them over the next couple of weeks, to find out which one we like the best.”
“Well, anything I can help with, you just have to ask, I can’t wait to see what you are both going to do. Oh, and I heard that you were attacked by a strange woman, twice at least.”
“I was,” Evan said, pulling a face. “Four in total. Two have been charged and given a slap on the wrist for what they’ve done, another is facing a couple of felony charges and the other is facing just one felony charge. The two charged with felonies have both denied what’s going on. A fifth one approached me, but she asked me if I was the one talking to her. She was suspicious of the man she was talking to. The police investigation found it was a catfisher who’d died, leading these women to think they’d been ghosted. Everything has since been taken down, and those he was talking to have been contacted. So I’m hoping that is all over with,” he answered him, shaking his head. “So in a month I’ve got two trials to attend and testify in,” he rolled his eyes, feeling like he had done nothing but attend trials over the last few months.
“They should be over quickly, they have them scheduled back to back with the same judge since they’re related to the same case in a way,” Eddie reminded him, reaching for a hand and squeezing it.
“Sounds like the month and a bit, that I was away were busy,” Phillip said, “I’m still upset that I missed birthdays and everything,” he sighed, shaking his head, “I had hoped that things would be smooth sailing, but of course, it wasn’t,” he said, rolling his eyes as he drank the last of his coffee. “So, tell me everything,” he prompted as he looked at his son and future son-in-law.
Evan and Eddie laughed as they began to fill him in on some of the things that had happened while he was away, including their full moon escapades and what had happened with Abigail Clark.
Chapter Fourteen
Maddie glared at her father as he sat in front of her. “How dare you tell me what I should be doing. You should be bending over backward helping me, I was the victim of abuse.”
“That doesn’t mean you can get away with everything, Maddie,” he told her, “and I’m not going to let you get away with abusing your own brother. So no, I won’t be telling you where he is. No doubt in time, you’ll bump into him. But for now, you’ll stay away from him. He doesn’t need your brand of manipulation, you’re to leave him alone. It will be up to Evan if he wants to ever talk to you again. Considering what you were like when he was attacked by Margaret and then by Doug.”
“He’s the one that wouldn’t do what he was told,” she growled as she got up and began to pace in her living room.
“And I have told you a thousand times, he doesn’t have to do what we say at all. He’s a young man who knows his own mind. You do not get a say or to try and dictate what he’s doing. He’s engaged to be married and has a son to worry about. A job that he has worked hard for as well,” Phillip said, staring right back at his daughter. It had been three weeks since they had arrived in LA. She had done nothing but try to get in touch with Evan since then. Trying to get Phillip to give her his address, phone number, and anything that would mean that she would be able to contact him. He wasn’t on any social media that she could find either.
“Dad, you have to let me talk to him. He has to take responsibility for what he has done. If it wasn’t for him then I would be happily married still,” she began to yell at him.
“Don’t give me that rubbish. Sarah and Leon both talked to me about how Doug was acting before he was arrested for attacking Evan. He was also starting to abuse you, I saw the bruises and I heard what he was like toward you each time you stopped by the house back then,” Phillip shot back, “Stop burying your head in the sand like your mother,” he finished, staring at her until she sat back down.
“I am not, I know what is going on, and he’s the cause of it all. You and Mom breaking up, the divorce, then my own. He-” Maddie began once more to sing the same tune she had for years.
“Hasn’t done a single thing,” Phillip stopped her from carrying on, “Now are you going to grow up and admit that Evan did nothing to you at all?” he asked her.
“He did,” she said as she folded her arms across her chest and glared at her dad.
“No, he didn’t. And have you given what I’ve told you some thought?” Phillip asked her, changing the topic as he didn’t want to keep going around in circles when it came to Evan and what Maddie believed his role in her life was.
“I’m not doing it, I don’t need help like that. I’m not weak,” she sneered at him, “Mom would be so disappointed in you.”
“What? For admitting that I needed help in grieving my son, to remember the good times we had with Daniel before he died?” he asked her, “For realizing that I was being a horrible father not only to you, but to Evan as well. When you were born I said I was going to be a dad just like my own. Love my children will all my heart and never let them feel alone or unloved. I did just that with Evan, and I was starting to do it with you. It was the worst thing I have done. I let Margaret hide Daniel when we should be celebrating him, remembering him, and continuing to love him. She was suffering from postpartum after Evan was born, and then there was the fact that her stupid plan didn’t work, Daniel died, and I should have made her get help, she needed it. Instead, I let it fester and now she’s off traveling the world, ignoring those who love her, pretending none of us exist. Pretending that Daniel had never been born, nor you, or Evan. She even tried to kill Evan, and you think she has the right idea of ignoring her mental health?” he huffed and shook his head at her behavior.
“You abandoned her!” she yelled at him.
“I chose to be there for you and Evan, instead of being with a woman who was constantly burying herself in her grief, and never once cared about anything more. Do you really think she loved anyone after Daniel died? She didn’t even love me, she manipulated me constantly, making me feel like it was my fault that Daniel had died because her little experiment hadn’t worked. She blamed me, Evan, and even you at times. She blamed everyone for Daniel dying, and it was no one’s fault. No one was to blame for Danny dying. I miss him, I miss him every day, every single day. I wake up sometimes and wonder just what he would be like now, all grown up. Would he have a wife, a husband, and children, what type of job would he have? I wonder about those what-ifs sometimes, and I need therapy to work through them, because I can’t get stuck on them. I have you and Evan to think of, and Margaret forgot all that. She wanted to live in Lala land, but I stopped doing that a long time ago, and she hated the fact that she couldn’t control me anymore. That was when I divorced her, when she tried to manipulate things again,” he told her, leaning back.
“You left her when she needed help,” Maddie countered.
“No, I left her when she refused help for the one-hundredth time. She is suffering from untreated depression, PPD, and more, but she won’t get help because she firmly believes that she doesn’t need it. This is why I told you, you either get help, attend therapy, and I will keep the bills and everything on this apartment paid for, until you are ready to carry on with your life, happy and healthy, mentally and physically.”
“Dad, I’m not going to-” she began to protest his ultimatum.
“Do not parrot your mother in front of me,” Phillip cut her off, “You want to bury your head in the sand over everything that has happened in the last what, ten years, then do so. But you do it on your own dime. You have two more months before you need to make that choice on if you want to do therapy. But know, when those two months are up, you’re going to be responsible for all the bills on this place. I told you, the moment you decided that you wanted to come with me to LA, that this is what was going to happen. So don’t pretend it’s a shock to you Maddie. You were in one hell of a rough spot, I get that, but that is why you need help. For what was done to you as a child, for the parentification that we did when we got you to raise Evan. Then Margaret gets us all to forget about Daniel, not allowed to grieve for him, and even his funeral was something she didn’t want to happen. I was the only one there for that. To say goodbye to him, when we all should have been there. You’ve been through it Maddie, and I want you to be able to live a happy and full life. You need to work at it, Maddie. Evan has worked hard at making sure he’s happy, I’ve been doing the same as well. I’ve never been happier; I’m called Grandpa, and I didn’t know if that would ever happen,” he smiled, “I have family, larger than you think. I’m talking to my brother and his family again, spending time with them. They even visit here occasionally. I have friends that I talk to, and go fishing with occasionally,” he added, “Don’t you want that? Don’t you want to be able to smile and it be genuine and true? That you can find yourself, and finally say goodbye to Daniel, like you were denied, like we were all denied. To remember him with smiles and not tears. To look at Evan and see how much he’s grown and changed. To look at yourself in the mirror and know you’re worth a lot more than what Doug ever thought.”
“I don’t… I don’t want to,” she said, looking toward the window.
“That’s up to you,” Phillip said as he got up, “I’ve left you a list of therapists in the area. They’ve all got really good reputations,” he told her, as he gestured to the list he had given her a month ago, it was still there on an end table, having not been touched. “I’ll come and visit again next week. If you’re not going to do that, then I’d start looking for work, if I were you. I mean it, about not paying your way anymore.”
“I want to see Evan,” she demanded.
Phillip laughed, “Not going to happen. Chances are it will never happen. You hurt him a lot. You were someone he loved and trusted, and to find out you’re as bigoted and nasty as your mother hurt him. For you to try and ruin his life with your selfish demands was a betrayal for him. Then you turn around and victim blame. It would be like me blaming you for everything that Doug has done to you when you did nothing, nothing at all to warrant his abuse. I think… part of the reason you say that to Evan, is it’s the only way to cope with what Doug did to you. Therapy will help you release that you did nothing, and that you are a wonderful woman who had too much put on you from the time you were ten. I know I’m to blame for some of the things that have happened in your life, and I will forever regret not being the father you needed. But I plan to be that now, even telling you that you’re being an idiot, not taking the chance you’re being offered. Maybe one day, Evan will want to talk to you again, but for now, that isn’t going to happen. He’s happy how he is, without you in his life.”
Maddie looked down, “I’m his sister, I knew what was best for him. He has ADHD, and no doubt that’s causing him problems all the time.”
Shaking his head as he laughed, “No, it hasn’t caused him any problems. Not once has it been a problem for him. He knows how to deal with and cope with his ADHD. Knows how to use it to his advantage in his work. He’s a good man, and brilliant at his job, which he’s worked hard at. You would do nothing but try and ruin it, trying to make something bigger than it is. You will be leaving Evan alone. He’s not afraid to make the law work to his advantage, and he will use it to the fullest extent, should you try anything toward him. Just warning you,” he told her as he began to head for the door. “Think long and hard about what I’ve said, Maddie, you‘ve got a chance of a new start; no Doug, no Margaret, nothing to stop you from finally grieving your brother, and admitting you miss him as much as what I do. No more hiding parts of yourself away in fear.”
Maddie just watched him as he left, not knowing what she was going to do next with her life. She felt like a failure, her marriage, the one she thought she would be spending her life with was abusive. Part of her didn’t want to admit that abuse was the cause of her marriage ending, part of her still blamed Evan. She hung her head and cried, letting herself feel for the first time in a long time.
Chapter Fifteen
June was a fun month with two massive birthdays within the Diaz, Buckley, and Baxter families. Charlotte turned one, and Edmundo reached the magnificent age of eighty, though he still didn’t look a day over sixty. His health was still a mild concern, but the doctors had said that the change in his lifestyle over the last seven, or eight years, had helped him become a very spry eighty-year-old, who was dancing with his wife through most of his birthday night. Much to Isabel’s delight.
July came with Eddie’s birthday. And a small gathering for Phillip’s own birthday in August saw his brother and his family come to the city to celebrate. Maddie had been kept at an arm’s distance from it, only Phillip had been the one in the family to spend time with her when her own birthday happened at the end of August. Evan’s birthday had been a large gathering of friends and family. Those from the 118 who had joined for Eddie’s had come again for Evan’s, along with those from the 107 who had come to celebrate. Evan had taken a few extra shifts at their station over the last several months.
Evan glanced around as he looked back at the feet that were hanging out from under the truck. “Let’s get this done, Bobby is planning on making lasagna for a late lunch,” he grinned.
“Well, be quiet so I can finish going through the check,” Eddie said, “Mitch wants it done asap. He said he had a bad feeling about something.”
“Again,” Evan snorted, “he’s been having a bad feeling all the time.”
“He said it was worse this morning, and Hen mentioned that we should listen to him. Hen’s even overstuffed the ambulance, and we’ve also rechecked the triple and ladder to make sure more than normal is on it. Hen is… paranoid about making sure we’re prepared for the worst,” Eddie said, and Evan could easily hear the roll of Eddie’s eyes in his words.
“Yeah, well, some people just believe in that stuff. I know you don’t, but others do. If it isn’t hurting anyone, let them carry on,” Evan said, smiling. Though it dropped when the ground below them began to shake. He leaned down, grabbing Eddie’s legs and yanking him from underneath the truck.
“Everyone out!” Bobby yelled out as everyone rushed out of the station. They could hear as things fell inside, the telltale sound of extinguishers going off.
They had to wait a few moments before the ground stopped shaking. Bobby looked at them all, checking to make sure everyone made it out safely. Seconds after the shaking stopped they headed back inside, trying to put things to rights before the alarms sounded, and they headed off.
Arriving on scene they saw a building that was more like the Leaning Tower of Pisa, instead of the hotel it had been.
“Damn,” Evan said as he looked at it.
“I’ll say,” Eddie agreed with a nod.
“Right,” Bobby said, getting the 118’s attention, “This is how you get through the day,” he began, much like he did during the plane crash. “You do what you can, you save who you can. There will be times when you have to make that hard decision. Know that I’ll be standing behind you through it all. Do what you can, do not put yourself in unnecessary danger. I will also not be telling anyone to step foot in that building. You will either volunteer, or you won’t go. At this moment in time, the building could come down at any point. You will be at risk of death should you go in there,” he warned them all, making sure that they all understood what he was telling them.
“I’m in,” Eddie said, Evan nodding alongside him.
“Same,” Hen said as nearly all but one said the same thing.
“I would, but I don’t think my knee is going to be up to the climbs that are going to be needed,” one said, shaking his head, “I’ll work out here as best as I can and help with organization.”
“Okay, let’s go and get our assignments-” he began as an officer rushed over to them, wanting to show them something.
Before long, the ladder was up and Eddie and Evan climbed into the building.
XxXxX
After rescuing Hen after she had fallen into the basement area of the hotel, and recovering the body of Russell Byrd, of the 221. The 118 was released from the scene. “That was horrible,” Evan said as they got into the trucks and were finally able to go back to the station.
“Yeah,” Eddie nodded.
“You all did some great work today,” Bobby said as he looked to the back of the cab, “aach of you showed courage and determination, and we were able to save so many because of your actions. Be proud of yourselves.”
Arriving back at the station, they jumped out.
“Dad was able to get Chris from school, Eric has been busy at the hospital, as has Coco. So Shannon is with Darren at theirs with Lottie,” Evan said as he looked at his phone.
“Abuela and Abuelo need someone to help them, a few things have fallen, and the back porch needs to be repaired again. So we’ll do that on the weekend when we have a free day,” Eddie said as he looked at his phone.
“Carla got hung up with another client. They were in danger, and she’s been at the hospital with them to make sure that they’re getting the help they need,” Evan added as he’d thought that Carla would’ve been able to get Christopher from school.
“Explains why Phillip went to get him instead,” he said as they went to shower.
Showered and dressed, they said goodbye to the others as they headed home after a very long day. Glad that they were all being let go early since they had worked a disaster.
XxXxX
Evan and Eddie reached their home, Phillip’s car was in the driveway. Evan parked the truck beside it and got out. Looking around as they walked into the house, he could see a few minor things that they would have to fix up over the coming days, but nothing major. Entering the home they could hear giggling coming from the kitchen. Walking in, they saw Phillip in the kitchen. Christopher was up on a special stool that Carla had helped them find, so he could help cook. The two were making something together, flour was all over the place, and it wasn’t the first time that it had happened.
“Grandpa, we need more chocolate chips,” Christopher giggled as he snuck something into his mouth.
Phillip looked at him, “And how many have you eaten?” he asked, a little smile on his face as he pretended to be serious.
“None, Grandpa,” he giggled as he did it again, this time not even hiding what he was doing.
“Hmmm,” he said with a nod, “Of course not,” he laughed, “No more though, Christopher. You can’t spoil the dinner we made together,” he warned him.
“Okay, Grandpa,” he grinned as they finished mixing the dough and made the cookies on the baking sheet.
Eddie and Evan leaned against each other as they watched, not wanting to spoil the moment between the two. It was only when Phillip went to put the batch into the oven that he saw them.
“Oh, you’re both back,” he smiled, “Christopher and I have made a really late dinner, it just needs to go in the oven. He’s had a little something to eat, but wanted to wait for you both to come home first.”
“That’s alright,” Eddie said as Christopher scrambled down from the little stool and headed toward them, his crutches clacking as he walked.
“Hey, superman,” Evan smiled as he gave him a quick hug before letting Eddie sweep him into his arms.
“Missed you so much today, mijo,” Eddie said, holding him tightly.
“It was so cool today, Dad, there was an earthquake, but I wasn’t scared. I knew if I got stuck, you and Papá would come and get me,” he said as he curled his arms around his dad’s neck, his crutches clattering to the floor.
“Yeah,” Eddie said, though he had been worried about his son, he knew that there were so many that would be looking out for him.
“Grandpa came and got me, we made so many cookies, he’s going to take some with him,” he added as they could now see three tubs on the island counter.
“That’s nice,” Evan said as he watched his dad put the cookies in the oven to cook. “Thanks, Dad,” he said as the man set a timer,
“Welcome, son,” Phillip smiled, “I’m going to see her, make sure she’s okay.”
“Okay, I know you said that she started therapy, but…” he paused.
“She has. I’ve not told her that you’re in LA, but you were on TV today, so she might have seen you,” he warned, “I’m heading to see her, and I’ll find out and let you know,” he added, hugging his son before picking up his things and saying goodbye to Christopher and Eddie, as he left their house with two tubs of cookies, leaving one behind.
It didn’t take that long for Phillip to arrive at the complex that Maddie lived in. He used his code to enter the complex, and then knocked on her front door. Moments later the door opened and an angry looking Maddie stood there, letting him inside.
“How dare you keep the fact that he’s here away from me?!” she yelled at him as soon as the door closed behind the two of them.
“I kept him away from you at his request, you’re in no fit state to be in his life at all,” he warned her, “And I mean that. You’ve only just started therapy, and you’ve had what, two, maybe three sessions so far since you don’t schedule them often enough.
“He’s a damn firefighter, one of the most dangerous jobs out there and you’re just letting him do that!” she ranted as she stood there, glaring at her dad.
“Before that, he was a cop. Being shot at in the street, being run down by perps. He changed his career to one that is a lot safer than being a cop in my eyes,” he said, knowing that being a cop wasn’t as dangerous as he was making out. “Maddie, what Evan does with his life, isn’t any of your business, it hasn’t been since he was a child and you left for college.”
“I took care of him, he’s mine!” she yelled out. “He has to stop, I can’t… I can’t lose another brother.”
“You lost him the day that you decided that you didn’t want to speak to him after you left for college, and before you even met Doug, so don’t even try and blame him. Even when you were a teenager you were beginning to distance yourself from Evan. We both understand why, but that doesn’t stop the hurt that he felt at you abandoning him. Because in his eyes, that was what you were doing. Leaving him with a mother who wanted him dead and a father who didn’t care for anything but the manipulations of his wife and keeping her happy. It took time for me to earn his forgiveness, but I did. I earned it, and took the time to get to know the young man that he is. You can do the same if you put in the work. And to be honest, he isn’t yours, he is his own person.”
“He should listen to me, he should have done back then, he was a child-” she started to repeat herself.
“He stopped being a child a long time ago, Maddie, he had to raise himself for the most part. You helped when he was tiny, but when he was seven you stopped doing a lot for him since you were off with friends and dating, then that fully stopped when you went off to college. He knows his own mind, loves his fiance with all his heart, and adores his son so much that I know he would go to the ends of the earth for him,” Phillip said. “Now, I came to check on you and drop off these,” he said as he put the tub of cookies down on the end table near him, “They were made by myself and my grandson, we made them for you. Although he doesn’t know you exist. He doesn’t know he has an aunt because Evan doesn’t want his son to feel the same disappointment that he felt because of your actions. Get better Maddie, and stop thinking that Evan is someone you can control. It isn’t going to happen,” he told her as he went to the door, “I’ll have someone come around to inspect the property to make sure that it’s not been damaged during the quake,” he finished as he went to the door once more, “Goodbye, Maddie, and go to therapy more than once every couple of weeks. You need it more than that,” he stated before leaving her alone once more.
Great job
Great story, although I was confused when I started it, nothing about the way the story was written was confusing, it was just the reference to baby Charlotte because I’m also reading another story where Buck ends up fostering with the intent to adopt (at the request of the mother) the baby in the pipe who he named Charlotte, so to have a reference to a baby named Charlotte, but in the next paragraph have the call where they rescue the baby in the pipe made me stop and check what story I was reading.