Title: Lost and Found (working title)
Author: fbi_woman
Rating: K (subject to change)
Type: 9-1-1, Abby/Buck
Spoilers: Picks up after 1x10
Disclaimer: I don't own 9-1-1 or any of its characters or anything associated with it, not affiliated with Fox, yadda yadda yadda. I'm a nobody with nothing.
Summary: What will Abby discover in Ireland? Lame description, I know, but I'm not sure where it's going yet. Picks up after 1x10. Abby/Buck. WIP
A/N: So, I'm pretty depressed about her leaving lol. Hoping I'm not the only one. I'm not really one for writing big story arcs, so this will probably move quite quickly and not end up being super long, but tbh, I'm kind of flying by the seat of my pants here. I don't have this one all planned out and pre-written like the last one. As a result, there may be some chapter revisions along the way, but if I do need to upload a revision, I'll mention it in the A/N of the newest chapter. Additional disclaimer: I have never been to Ireland so my info is largely based on google and what I remember from travel school almost 10 years ago lol.
The first 24 hours were a whirlwind for Abby. The flight alone was over 10 hours, and by the time she was checked in and unpacked at her hotel in Dublin, afternoon was turning to evening and she was exhausted. She hadn't been able to get much sleep on the plane. The biggest drawback of a last minute ticket, aside from the price, was limited seat selection; it was almost impossible to fall asleep in the middle seat. The big comfy bed was calling her name, but in the interest of combatting jet lag, she instead grabbed her coat and headed out for a walk. Hopefully she would find a nice little place to get dinner, and then she would head to bed early. She could have asked the front desk for suggestions but she was here to explore, after all, so no time like the present to begin.
It was a beautiful city. It still had the bustle of metropolitan centre, but it had that unique combination of old and new that you often only find in Europe. It was really exciting to be in a new city again, it had been so long since she had been anywhere. There's just a rejuvenating energy about seeing a place for the first time, like stepping out into another world where everyone is a stranger and anything is possible. No one here knew her; there was no pre-existing notion of who or what she should be, and that meant she could be anyone or anything she wanted to be. Yes, she thought, this is exactly what I need.
There were an abundance of pubs and cafes within a short walk of the hotel, most of which were filling up already. The air was filled with the sounds of laughter and chatter, clinking glasses, and some music filtering through from a nearby busker and his guitar. She managed to find a seat in the back corner of one of the pubs and settled in for some people watching while she waited for her food. The time change was starting to hit her hard though, and soon she was struggling just to stay awake while she ate. Thankfully she found her way back to the hotel fairly easily; she wasn't sure she would have been able to follow directions at this point. She had every intention of texting Buck before she turned in for the night, but she fell asleep almost immediately upon reaching the bed… still in her clothes, and her phone in her hand.
The first 24 hours were torture for Buck. It was like his whole world had been turned upside down in the blink of an eye. It felt like one minute they were talking about him moving in, and the next she was gone. He was actually staying at her place while she was gone. She couldn't get out of her lease on short notice, and half his things were already there, so it seemed to make sense at the time. Now he wasn't so sure. He couldn't really picture going back to his old place; the rowdy game days and all-night parties just didn't feel like him anymore. But being here without her was hard. Just getting out of bed in the morning had been hard when the sheets and pillows smelled like her. He couldn't blame it all on the apartment though; he thought about her all the time, no matter where he was. It just didn't feel real. She couldn't really be gone, with no return date to speak of. How was he supposed to just continue on like nothing had changed, when he didn't know when, or if, he would ever see her again? She said she would be back, but what if she loved Ireland so much that she changed her mind? He wished he had told her he loved her before she left. He could say it now, but it wasn't the same over the phone.
"Do you think I should call her?"
Hen, Chimney, and Bobby all rolled their eyes.
"What?"
Chim sighed. "Buck, you've already asked us that 10 times today, and we've given you the same answer every single time. Do you really think it's going to be different this time?"
"No… I just hate feeling like there's nothing I can do."
"We get it, but there really isn't anything you can do about this", Hen said gently.
"You're sure I shouldn't at least text her?"
She put a hand on his shoulder. "Buck, if getting on a plane isn't a sure fire sign that a woman needs some space, I don't know what is."
She had him there.
"It hasn't even been a full day yet," Bobby added, "give it a little longer. She's probably just getting settled in. If you still haven't heard from her in a couple days, then check in with her. Don't go overboard though; just a short message to make sure she's okay. She'll come to you when she's ready."
He knew they were right, but that didn't make it any easier to wait. Whether it was true or not, with every hour he didn't hear from her, it felt like she was slipping a little further away.
By the end of his shift, he was contemplating leaving his phone in his locker overnight so he couldn't call her. But then what if she called him and he didn't answer? He couldn't take that chance. Maybe there was an app he could download that would shut down his phone if he tried to call or text a certain number. This whole thing was a novel experience for him: he was usually the one who never called, not the one anxiously waiting for the phone to ring. But he had also never been in love before. He hadn't gone this long without seeing or talking to Abby in weeks, and he hadn't realized just how integral she had become to his everyday life. This trip was important to her, and he knew he needed to respect that, but he had definitely underestimated how empty his days would feel without her. And it was only the end of Day 1.