A/N: Have I mentioned I hate writing without a plan? Because I do. I'm not sure why I did this to myself. As a heads up, I'm not going to spend TOO much time on the touristy side of Abby's trip, just because I'm more of a concise, get-to-the-point kind of writer. Thus, as with my previous multi-chap, a lot will be glossed over. That being said, this particular chapter is basically fluff lol. I'm away most of this weekend with my university equestrian team so I don't have the level of focus I need for anything too significant lol. But I didn't want to leave you hanging for too long. Side note: rating has changed to K+.
Abby blinked against the harsh sunlight already streaming through her hotel window. Was it morning already? The clock on the nightstand read 7:25, so she supposed it was. She must have been really tired, because she didn't even remember coming back to her room last night. That's when she realized she was still wearing her clothes from the night before. Yep, really tired. A shower and a change of clothes were definitely in order before she went downstairs for breakfast. She was just about to get out of bed when she spotted her phone off to one side. Her phone! Shit! She had promised to text Buck when she got settled to let him know she arrived okay, and she couldn't remember if she had. A quick check confirmed that no, she had not. Hopefully he hadn't been too worried… who was she kidding? He was definitely worried. She was actually a little surprised she didn't have a concerned message from him, but then she smiled ruefully, I bet they told him not to panic. The only people who knew Buck better than her were his coworkers.
It was after midnight at home and she didn't want to wake him if he left his phone on, but she also didn't want to risk forgetting again. He would probably prefer being woken up, she decided.
[Text] Hey, sorry it took me so long to msg. Jet lag. Made it in one piece :)
It didn't seem like enough, but she wasn't sure what else to say. She decided to send that for now, and she would call him in a day or two when she had some stories to tell. It was a little strange, after how close they had been since her mom passed, to not see or talk to him for this long. But to find yourself, you have to step out on your own, right?
And that's exactly what she would do today. After breakfast, she was going to grab some brochures from the lobby and start planning the next few days. She wanted to space out the big attractions a little bit to leave herself lots of time to just get lost and really experience the city, not just the sights.
That morning, Buck was beyond relieved to wake up to a text from Abby, even if it was pretty brief. He knew it was silly, but it felt reassuring just to see her name pop up on his phone. God this was going to be a long couple of months. Maybe she would change her mind and come home sooner? He could only hope. Even though this wasn't a break up, it still hurt like hell on his end.
[Text] Glad to hear it. Have fun, keep me posted!
Was a day and a half too soon to say he missed her? It probably was. Bobby said don't go overboard, so he would wait a little longer to say that. This wasn't about him; it was about her. He needed to be strong and supportive while she put herself back together.
Three days passed before he heard from her again, and he was pretty sure the entire firehouse would be relieved that she called. He may or may not have spent the previous day's shift debating if he should call her. Abby sounded great, he hadn't heard her this excited about something in a long time. The first day she had done a walking tour that took her to Trinity College to see the Book of Kells exhibition, Dublin Castle, and St. Patrick's Cathedral. Yesterday she spent the entire day exploring Phoenix Park, including a stop at Farmleigh house, and today she had gone back to check out the zoo.
"I just can't look at tigers the same way anymore, you know?"
"I think hearing a guy get mauled by one would do that to anyone," he said with a chuckle.
"Yeah, I guess you're right," she agreed. "Speaking of crazy calls, anything exciting happen while I've been gone?"
"Well, I had what was described as a 'baby' trapped inside a piano… turns out it was the lady's cat that fell inside her grand piano when it was propped open. She said it was her 'fur baby'. I also had a guy in a koala suit stuck in a tree, but that was about it. Everything else was pretty routine."
"A koala suit?" she asked with a laugh.
"Apparently it was a promotion for something. He wasn't actually supposed to climb the tree; he just thought it would attract more attention. Zipper on the head got stuck and he couldn't get it off to see his way down."
"How did he call 911 with the suit on?"
"He didn't," Buck answered. "His girlfriend got worried when he was late coming home from work and she couldn't get a hold of him. She tracked him down and called it in."
"Good thing she went looking. Are you working today?"
"Nope, I have today off."
"Any plans?"
"Not really. Just heading to the gym, not sure what I'll do later. What about you?"
"It's dinner time here," she said, "so I'm probably just going to grab something and head to bed, I want to get an early start tomorrow."
"What's up tomorrow?"
"National Museum, and then the Guinness Storehouse later on."
"Sounds like fun."
"Hopefully. Those are the last couple things on my sightseeing list, so after that I can just kind of… hang out, and see where the day takes me, I guess."
"You're going to stay in Dublin for a while then?" He had secretly been hoping she would work her way through the country somewhat quicker than expected and be on her way home.
"Yeah I think so… why, you miss me already?"
Busted. "Maybe a little bit," he admitted. "It's just a little weird being here without you."
"You don't have to stay there if you don't want to."
"It's not that… I mean it's weird not seeing you."
"Yeah… it's weird not seeing you too."
"I guess I'll get used to it; it's only been a couple days."
"Don't get too used to it," she teased.
"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that."
Then there was a pause, and neither was sure where to go from there.
Abby was the one to break the silence. "Well, I should probably get going, the pubs will be getting busy now."
"Okay. I'm glad you called."
"I'll try to check in every few days."
"Sounds good."
They said their goodbyes, and Buck reluctantly ended the call. He missed her far more than he was willing to admit. Don't get too used to it – that would get him through the next few days. She still wanted to come back.
A/N: The koala suit thing is based on something I actually saw one time when I was on a sightseeing bus in Australia lol. I actually have a picture of him up there. That guy didn't actually need help getting down, but it was the weirdest thing I could think of to work with... I'm not the most creative idea generator lol.
