A/N: This is my first attempt at writing for 9-1-1. I will be writing a multi-chapter story in this soon.
Buck couldn't stop grinning as he walked into the fire station for his shift. It had been a while since he had felt this happy, with Abby gone, but now he had another reason to enjoy himself. He knew that there was a reason, other than wanting to see him, for Maddie's sudden arrival in LA, however, right then, all Buck cared about was that his sister was finally close again. They were finally talking to each other. The past three years had been some of the longest in his life, especially when things just kept going wrong for him- particularly in his first weeks in the LAFD.
"What are you smiling at, Buck?" asked Hen as Buck went to put his backpack in his locker. "Is Abby back?"
"No." Buck looked over at his friend, deciding if the time was right to let her know about Maddie.
"Did you two break up?" Hen asked worriedly.
"Definitely not. Although, I am told that part of her trip means sleeping with other men. I hope that's not true."
Hen laughed. "Oh, Buck, you can be so naive sometimes."
"You too?" asked Buck incredulously.
"Abby did say you were free to see other women, Buck," said Bobby as he entered the locker room. "How was that not a giveaway?"
"I don't want to see anyone else."
"Yeah, we know," laughed Chimney as he also entered the room.
"Well, if it isn't Abby making you smile like an idiot, who is it?" asked Hen.
Buck looked around at his friends. They had been there for him ever since he had met them. He trusted them with his life, literally, and he always would. He could tell them about Maddie, maybe even confide in Chimney about his suspicions for Maddie's visit later on.
"Well, if you must know..." said Buck, "I got home from work last night to find that I have a visitor. One that I definitely wasn't expecting to have, but that I've been hoping to see again."
"Who is it?" asked Chimney.
"Her name is Madeline- Maddie for short. She's my older sister," smiled Buck.
"You have a sister?!" exclaimed Bobby. "Why haven't we ever met her?"
"She was living in Pennsylvania, and I haven't actually seen or heard from her in three years."
"Three years is a long time," said Chimney.
"Well, I can easily blame her husband- I mean, ex-husband- for that. I never liked the guy, but Maddie did, so I didn't say anything."
"Can we meet her now?" asked Hen eagerly.
"Maybe on the weekend. I don't really think she's up for meeting new people right now. She said she drove all the way here, so she's pretty tired."
"That's fair enough. Just tell us when she's ready. We'd all like to meet your sister," said Bobby.
Buck was still feeling excited when the end of his shift came. He couldn't wait to go home and cook Maddie another delicious meal. He had enjoyed the look of surprise, followed by pure delight, on her face when he handed her a plate of eggs the night before.
"Hey, Buck, are you heading home or are you coming for drinks?" asked Chimney as he finished packing away his uniform.
"No, I'm going to go home and spend some time with Maddie," answered Buck.
"Then why are you dawdling?"
Buck hesitated. He trusted Chimney. They got along really well, and Chimney was great at keeping secrets. He wanted to tell his friend about Maddie, but he just wasn't sure about it.
"Hey, earth to Buck, are you okay?" asked Chimney.
"Sorry," said Buck, "I was just thinking about something... Can I tell you something, Chim? I really need someone to tell me I'm being silly."
"Of course."
"Well, when I saw Maddie yesterday, I was really happy. I've really missed her. But something wasn't right."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, Maddie was always happy. Her eyes were always sparkling. Even the last time I saw her. But, yesterday, there was definitely none of that sparkle. She was pretending to be happy, but she was doing a poor job of it. I saw right through it, and I didn't even have to try."
"Did you ask her what was bothering her?"
"I thought it was because of Doug- that's her ex-husband. But when I tried to get her to tell me why she left him, she changed the subject and went quiet."
"What do you think happened for her to leave him, then?"
"I think..."
"What?"
"I think he's hurt her somehow. He was never that nice to begin with, but sometimes he could be so rude that I wanted to punch him in the face. The way he would talk about Maddie in front of his friends was disgusting, but she never said anything to him. Sometimes, I got the impression that she was scared of him."
Chimney sighed. "Buck, it sounds like he's abusive," he said gently.
"It does, doesn't it? I was hoping that you would tell me to stop worrying, that it was nothing."
"I can't tell you that. I think you are probably right."
"You can't say anything. Maddie hasn't even said anything to me. She just wants me to not tell anyone she's here. She's hiding, and I am one hundred percent sure that she's hiding from Doug."
"All you can do is ask her, Buck. You are her brother, after all. She's going to open up to you eventually, she probably just needs a bit of persuasion." Chimney stood up. "Talk to her tonight. Let me know if you need my help to murder the jerk, as well. I'll be at the bar if you need me to come."
Buck smiled at his friend. "Thanks, Chim."
After watching Chimney leave, Buck stood up and braced himself for what he was sure Maddie was going to tell him. He was going to get to the bottom of this, tonight.