Work Text:
Exhausting
“Your Exhausting! We all have our own problems, but you don’t see us whining about it.
“No. Somehow, we just manage to suck it up. Why can’t you?” Diaz yelled out in his tantrum.
Buck tuned out the rest until Eddie told everyone within hearing of his bellowing about what a deadbeat dad he was being to a ‘Not-His-Kid.’
He put his hand up in Diaz’s face forcefully to shut him up and got within his space. His emotions locked down and his face blanked as he had been trained to do so ever since Maddie left him the first time when he was nine. And through most of his life until he got out of the navy at twenty-seven.
Getting a fearful look from his replacement, Bosko, and Diaz.
In a quiet voice that carried far better with its intensity than Diaz’s bellowing had, Evan, not Buck, stood tall, and above the two of them. Now longer bowing his shoulders to hide away.
He held up a finger and in a deadly calm asked; “One, are you blaming me in place of your DEAD wife who was going to DIVORCE you? So, YOU DIVORCED ME?
“The no-contact was for a three-day weekend with the arbitration happening the next Monday. And YOU KNEW IT.
“But the no-contact has been going on since you took Chris home from the VA after you found out we had been on that pier. On a day YOU brought YOUR son over to MY place to babysit and the theater was closed for the day.
“So…. Two, Are you…. Blaming me…. For not automatically being ALL-KNOWING AND GOD-LIKE and knowing there was going to be a NATURAL DISASTER that day on the pier? Are YOU blaming ME for a Natural Disaster along with NOT being Shannon?”
“News alert Diaz *I* got therapy for what *I* went through on that day. Did you, or have you, gotten therapy at all? For YOUR son?
“Or are YOU doing STUPID shit that will lead to YOUR parents gaining custody of YOUR son? You cut off contact with me. And NOT the other way around Diaz. So DON’T GO BLAMING ME BECAUSE YOU CAN’T SUCK… IT… UP.”
“As the one dealing with a home-grown terrorist bomber putting a home-grown IED under our firetruck to blow OUR Captain up and got me instead. Why? Because OUR Captain couldn’t stay in his own lane and had to play at being an unlicensed arson investigator and cop. NOT ME! I…WAS… NOT… TO … BLAME… FOR… THE… BOMBING! Captain Robert Nash and the BOMBER were. So, stop punishing me for it! And quit taking your undeserved anger OUT ON ME!
“You’re not dealing with your wife’s death. You’re not dealing with the natural disaster happening where your son was. Get your head out of your ass and get therapy before you lose YOUR son.”
He backed off and the tension eased just a bit and leveled out. Though Hen looked worried at Eddie as he was pale and shaky looking.
Buck turned to the nervous manager and asked that copies of the store’s recordings be sent to the LAFD Chief Alonzo, the Battalion Chief’s office, and the local Union Representative, Captain Mehta over at station 136.
Bowed his head at the nervous acknowledgement from the manager in thanks and left.
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Captain Nash called that evening “You’re gonna get a call tomorrow from the Chief. Your being reinstated to active duty.”
Evan interrupted Nash’s gritted teeth statement to remind him that everyone at the station now had to go to MANDATORY therapy beyond a priest and AA. One licensed and recognized by the department. Plus, group therapy for all of them so they could work together as a team again or be split off to other stations and a whole new team put together at the station. All to not have any more embarrassing tantrums like his firefighter, Diaz, had in public at the store that ended up on YouTube.
And that as further punishment to ALL of them for the embarrassment, he, Evan, was not only mainly on their shift, but had the OPTION of going to other stations without Nash’s approval to work shifts. So, it would no longer just be HIS word on his readiness in the field anymore. Whether Nash liked it or not. Because it may be that it was “His Rules” but the House belonged to the LA Fire Department and what THEY said goes. And THEY WOULD be watching things at that station very carefully now.
Nash stuttered, as this was not the way things were supposed to go. Not the way he had planned things.
“Furthermore, Nash, whether you knew it or not, those cameras in the station everyone forgets about, record everything. And sends it to another area to be monitored. Not… With… You…. And you have no control over them.
“The Brass you mentioned don’t want any more embarrassing videos showing up on YouTube.”
Nash stuttered even more. And choked.
“I will remind you that ALL certifications MUST now be posted where everyone can see who is qualified for what. So, no more unqualified people doing work they are not supposed to. If they want to do it, they will now HAVE to get certified for it. And that includes letting EVERYONE know who LAPSED on their qualifying certifications is, and by how long.
“And just so you, about our food thieves? Since I’m bulking back up and need extra calories. And it has been proven you won’t punish those who steal in the station. No matter what is stolen. I now have a vehicle plug-in cooler. I will be keeping my own food locked in, along with MY personal belongings. Anything *I* need for shift that needs to go in a locker will go in my new locker on the back wall. Since you and everyone else seem to have given mine away to my replacement.”
More choking.
Then Evan, not Buck, stated he would be on duty in the early morning the next day at the 136, on Mehta’s shift, for a forty-eight-hour shift. And then his shift for them since they had just gotten off a forty-eight-hour shift and had three days off.
All as an apology for their non-actions in the current problem and the past, and to help him get out of the debt he was in for Nash’s actions in getting him effectively fired without cause.
And reminded Nash that he had won his suit against him as well, and so now Nash had to admit his culpability in getting the LAFD sued, and his employee and friend effectively fired and almost made homeless because he felt he knew better than every qualified expert on the subject.
He had to do this publicly. Verbally on each shift at the station. And in writing to go out on the email servers.
And hung up on the loudly choking Nash who was going to be calling his sponsor for help now.
Fini
4/5/25
Edit: 4/6/25