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buck saw the lights coming straight at him and felt the crash before even registering what had happened.
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buck groaned as he tried to pry open his eyes. his head felt heavy and it took all his force to keep the open.
it was dark outside, and it definitely wasn’t when buck had first left the house. it only took a second for it all came crashing back. the headlights coming straight at him, his jeep rolling off the side of the road.
he tried not to panic, but the pain coursing through his body was enough to raise some alarm. he tried to feel for his phone in his pocket but the car was still slightly tipped and the seatbelt was constructing his movements.
slowly he pulled it out of his pocket and dialed.
“9-1-1 what is your emergency?”
“i need- i need to talk to maddie buckley.”
the other on the end of the line paused. buck could slightly hear chairs rolling around in the background.
“may i ask who this is?”
buck winced in pain, he knew one of his ribs was broke, he could feel it.
“it’s buck, evan buckley-diaz.”
the other on the end of the line let out a quick breath before saying, “oh my.. yes hold on i’ll transfer you to her.”
buck waited, his gaze landing on the silver band around his ring finger.
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maddie was tired. it had been a long day and she wanted nothing more to go home and fall into chim’s arms.
her shift was almost over when she heard linda call for her.
she turned her head to look at the other dispatcher. worry was etched on her face and suddenly maddie felt her stomach crawl.
“what is it linda?”
she just shook her head and said, “i’m going to transfer a call to you.”
maddie opened her mouth to question the other but was cut off by the click of the call through.
she adjusted her earpiece before taking a deep breath.
“9-1-1 what’s your emergency?”
“maddie.”
suddenly maddie couldn’t breathe.
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buck heard the click as his call was transferred between people.
he heard the familiar voice of his older sister say, “9-1-1 what’s your emergency?”
buck let out a sigh of relief. “maddie.”
buck heard her take in a breath. “oh my god- evan why are you calling 9-1-1?”
he let out a humorless laugh. quickly it turned into a cough. shakily, he tried to steady his breathing.
“i uh... i think i was run off the road. my cars flipped somewhere, i’m not sure. i don’t know how long i’ve been here. it’s probably been a while considering it wasn’t dark when i left.”
buck could hear maddie sniffling on the other end of the line.
“what’s the last thing you remember doing?”
buck tried to remember why he was even out of the house. it was his day off, he usually didn’t leave unless he was going to see eddie.
and that’s exactly what he was going to do. he had told eddie he’d stop by the firehouse during lunch to bring the lunch he forgot.
“i was,” buck struggled to talk, the pain making everything worse. “going to the firehouse. eddie forgot his lunch.”
buck shuddered at the thought of eddie at the firehouse wondering where buck was. terrified because he never showed up to bring his lunch and say hi.
buck was shook from his thoughts when he heard maddie speak. “evan, i’ve dispatched the 118 to your location, i was able to trace your phone. i need you to stay awake for me.”
buck shook his head.
“i- maddie i need you to patch me through to eddie. please.”
“of course.”
buck tried to steady his breathing for the time being.
“118, 118, this is maddie buckley from dispatch, i have evan buckley on the line. he needs to speak to eddie diaz.”
everyone in the truck turned to face eddie. they knew buck was supposed to be there earlier today and never showed up. and the fact that maddie was patch him through from the call center was unnerving.
bobby spoke through the mic from the front seat. “eddie, do you want to take it?”
eddie nodded before realizing bobby was the only one who couldn’t see him.
“yeah cap, i need to take it.”
bobby spoke again. “alright dispatch, patch him in.”
the line made a familiar clicking noise as labored breathing was found on the other line.
“buck?” eddie questioned.
buck wanted to cry at the sound of eddie’s voice.
“eddie.”
hen and chim exchanged a glance, both silently agreeing to what they feared. they were on their way to save buck.
eddie had his hands on his knees, his face plastered with worry.
“buck, what’s going on? why are you being patched through dispatch?”
buck looked around his car. the car itself was on its side, bucks door being trapped by the ground. he could try to climb out the other side, but he couldn’t feel one of his arms and his head felt weighted.
“well i was coming to bring you your lunch but,” he sucked in a quick breathe. his rib had definitely punctured his lung. “there was a bit of an accident.”
eddie was twisting his wedding band nervously.
“sweetheart, i need you to keep talking okay? what happened?”
“i was driving and i saw headlights. i couldn’t tell they were coming straight at me until it was too late. i felt the crash and the car rolling, i must have passed out. i woke up and the cars on it’s side. i can’t move my arm so i can’t crawl out the other side.”
eddie was trying his hardest not to cry. but he couldn’t help the tears brimming in his eyes.
“it’s going to be okay buck, we’re almost there.”
buck grew tired. he knew he needed to stay awake, but he couldn’t help wanted to escape the pain.
“it hurts babe. it hurts.”
eddie help back a choked sob at how broken buck sounded.
“i know cariño, i know. you have to stay awake though. tell me about anything.”
so buck began to talk about what he had planned on making for dinner that night. it was chrsiptophers favorite. he smiled at the thought of the little boy.
it wasn’t long before buck heard the sirens just above him. he heard leaves crunch as someone raced down next to the car.
eddie was looking at him through the shattered windshield. he tried to smile at his husband but he didn’t know if it reached his eyes.
his head was growing heavier and it’s taking everything in him to not sleep. he heard the jaws of life trying to open his other door but he was just focused on eddie, who was still looking at him.
the second he heard his door break open his eyes felt shut. he tried to open them again but it was too hard. the last thing he heard before complete darkness was eddie screaming.
“buck, please!”
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buck heard voices around him.
“i just, i don’t know what i would’ve done if he wasn’t okay bobby. what would i have told chris? he’s already lost shannon, i don’t think he’d been able to handle it if we lost buck. frankly, i know i wouldn’t.”
“but that’s the thing, you’re not going to lose him eddie, he’s going to okay.”
neither said anything else but he heard the door close. there was shuffling and he felt a calloused hand grab his own.
slowly he peeled his eyes open. he shut them right away as the light made his head hurt. he opened them again and tried to adjust them to the light above.
“buck?”
buck slowly turned his head to the side. eddie was sitting in one of those uncomfortable plastic chairs. there were dark bags under his eyes and his stubble was grown out more than he normally liked. his clothes were wrinkled and his eyes were red rimmed.
buck gave a weak smile before looking over himself. his arm was in a cast and he could feel the bandaged wrapped around his middle.
eddie rubbed his thumb over the back of his hand and spoke.
“hey, it’s not that bad. you’ve got a broken arm as well as two broken ribs. they had punctured your lungs but everything’s okay now. you also have a mild concussion but you should be fine. you’re going to be fine.”
buck nodded before squeezing eddies hand. “i’m sorry.”
eddies eyes widened. “why are you sorry?”
“i know i worried you, i never meant to. i just couldn’t stay awake any longer.”
eddie was crying. buck reached up to wipe away the tear that fell before placing his hand back in eddies.
“i know. it’s not your fault, i understand.”
buck twisted eddies wedding finger, all focus on his hand.
“you know i’d never leave you right?”
eddie nodded.
buck pulled on eddies arm. eddie raised an eyebrow in question. “c’mon, that chair can’t be comfortable.”
eddie rolled his eyes but didn’t fight it when buck once again pulled his arm to bring him into the hospital bed with him.
careful to not pull any cords or IVs that we’re hooked up to buck, eddie crawled in next to him and rested his head on his chest.
buck placed a chaste kiss on the others head before closing his eyes and once again falling asleep.
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when maddie and chim walked into the hospital room an hour later with coffee in hand they couldn’t help but smile at the two tangled up in each other.