Work Text:
In the Quiet
It had truly started to come apart in Buck’s mind the day Gerrard took over, and no one said a word against him. Just as no one said anything against any other leader on shift that did or said things out of line.
Ah, who was he kidding, it had hit bottom when no one forgave him for the lawsuit he had to do to show he was being discriminated against by the leadership of the station’s shift and no one else was stepping up to have his back. Even with all the groveling he had eventually had to do it was still held against him and brought up when someone wanted to make a point against him. If he could do it over, there would have been no groveling to begin with.
He woke up to what he thought was the next morning only to find himself back at his old loft from the rental house he had been in. His leg hurt like a bitchka this morning as he got up and looked in the bathroom mirror to start prepping to shave and found himself looking at the younger him. Memories that had been in the background now came forwards that showed this was the first day he was back after the lawsuit to his surprise and dismay, then evil smile as he finished preparing for what would be everyone else’s surprise day.
He got into the back of his downstairs closet and pulled out the cooler he used on outings and left early to head to his favorite whole foods store where he got pre-made smoothies and food to eat for his shift along with ice for his cooler, which he put in the back of his jeep and locked it down before stopping at the local coffee shop to get his favorite coffee to start the day with. Arriving fifteen minutes early and quickly got changed, the shift captain for B shift handed him his orders that he had been given with a wince but said nothing about Buck having to do the entire shift’s chores. Buck just nodded at him and clocked in officially, then started the stocking of the vehicles while drinking his morning smoothie, and still not having said a word.
This time around, without his guilt getting in the way, he noted the absolute hatred shot at him from the core group and disinterested looks in everyone else. A few of those that had always hated him for one reason, or another tried throughout the day to get him hurt or in trouble, but he had his eyes peeled now and wasn’t up in his head this time, so kept side stepping them, so it looked bad on them instead on the cameras. After they grumbled and griped that he was trouble in action, Buck would just log the time of the problem and send that up the ladder with a copy sent to his own email along with the note to check the camera logs for it.
At mealtimes he would go out to his jeep and cooler to get some food and another smoothie to drink while he worked. During the nighttime he napped on the couch after doing the last of his chores for the night and doing the After-Action Reports on the duties he performed during that day. Signing them after a printout in the side office everyone else used for reports, then faxing them to the head of the department with a copy for Nash and a copy for himself in case they got lost or there were any discrepancies. All this was also in silence as no one noticed he was also not talking to them and getting his mandated orders each shift from the shift before them so that shift couldn’t say they were ignorant as to what was going on under Nash. And all under the unforgiving eyes of the station’s camera recordings which he logged the times of and into the system as to the problems happening. Sending them up the ladder to the various people who should be doing something about the problem at the station’s shift and the station as a whole.
When the hammer fell on the station and shift, it came as a surprise to the team as they had no idea there were any problems being reported as they hadn’t reported anything and their problem child had yet to say anything about the punishment he was under. It came at shift change when the Commander of the Department showed up and had both shifts all come before him in a line up on the ground floor before the trucks.
He had them each stand at attention and just looked at them each in the eyes and asked in a bass growl if there was anything they wanted to report to him as being a problem speak up now or be one with the problem he was there for.
No one said a word as they had no idea what the problem was except Buck and he just stepped forwards and handed off his paper that listed his chores and harsh remarks for the day and shift, to everyone’s squirming. On both shifts. His comment about the country already having fought a civil war against the idea of slavery came out and got a bigger wince. He then ordered everyone to stay at attention where they were, and the captains and lieutenants visited him over by the office doors. Buckley was to head home as he was now off shift until this mess of a station and its leaderships thoughts on slavery were taken care of.
The station was stood down for the entire shift until floaters could come in to cover it as the rest of the teams on ALL the shifts could be dispersed to other stations and new teams brought in. The leadership of all three shifts were put on probation and taken off the promotion list for five years. Everyone one who had been at the bombing site now also had to pass the department therapists to return to full-time work.
Buck was moved to the station he was originally supposed to be at before politics got into it and served the rest of his active service in the department at a SAR station. He never joked or goofed off at work again and took things too seriously at times. Those who knew the old Buck lamented the passing of that part of him.
Fini
2/26/2026