A/N: Sorry that it took me awhile to update. This month has been extremely difficult for me. I had lost all motivation of doing anything and I couldn't my muse working. Alas I got the chapter done, it's a lengthy one, but I hope that you guys like. Again to everyone thank you for reading.
Chapter 8
"So, Buckaroo, are you and Ali ready for the fireman's banquet?" Chimney asked.
Buck looked up from his phone and shook his head. "No, Ali's working, and I really don't want to go solo, so I think I'm just gonna stay home."
"Aww come on Buck, we said we would go as a team!" Hen protested.
"I know guys, but I don't have a date."
"Why don't you ask Andy?" Eddie suggested, smirk plastered proudly on his face.
"I don't think that she'd want to go. She's wrapped up in waiting to see if she got accepted into nursing school and finishing up her class. Plus, it's kind of late notice."
It's not like Buck hadn't thought about asking Andy, it's just that he didn't know if they were on okay terms at the moment. It had been several weeks since they almost kissed, twice. Andy had not said a word about it so neither had Buck. He took Andy's silence as she didn't want to talk about, like it never happened. So, Buck had moved on with Ali and had tried to make things work between them.
"I'm sure Andy would want to go if you asked." Hen stated.
"Go where?" Andy asked, as she reached the top of the stairs.
The firefighters all turned their attention to the newcomer. A chorus of 'hellos' rang out throughout the loft, each in turn greeting her with a tight hug. She then turned her full attention to the blonde firefighter and cocked her head in curiosity.
"So, where are you taking me Buckley?"
Buck's eyes got impressively big as a bright red flush covered his cheeks. "Oh no, you don't…. you don't have to…" Buck took a deep breath and collected his thoughts. "The fireman's banquet. I am currently dateless, and Hen thought it would be a good idea to ask if you'd want to go with me."
Andy stood silent and watched Buck fidget for a bit. "I'm sorry, was there a question in there?"
The firefighter huffed out a laugh. "You're not gonna make this easy for me, are you?
"And what would be the fun in that?" Andy asked with a smirk.
Buck smiled wide and bright at his friend. "Andy, would you do me the honor of accompanying me to the fireman's banquet this Saturday?"
Andrea was making a show of considering the offer. The rest of the team watched on in amusement as the two bantered on.
"I don't know. That entails me buying a dress and getting my hair and make up done."
"Do you want me to beg? Because I'll beg if you want me to." Buck said jokingly, as he started to get on one knee.
"No, no. Stop that!" Andrea said with a laugh, as she pulled Buck back up. "Of course, I'll go with you, tonto."
"Again, with the name calling. You know, I think I'd rather go solo since you think I'm a dummy."
"No, I'm sorry. Besides, the banquet will be a perfect excuse to celebrate this." She said as she handed Buck her phone with an email pulled up.
"What's this?" Buck asked.
"Just read it!" Andy said with excitement lacing every word.
Everyone stood silent as Buck began to read the email, anticipation covering the room. A smile began to spread across his face as he read on, pure delight beginning to grace his features.
"Don't leave us hanging Buckaroo! What does it say!?" Hen demanded.
Buck looked up from his phone and his eyes met with Andy's. "You got in!"
Andrea nodded enthusiastically. "I got in!"
The firefighter instantly enveloped her in his arms and picked her up off the ground, spinning her around, both letting out boisterous laughs.
"I'm so proud of you!" Buck said as he placed her back down gently. "I knew you could do it."
"Thank you."
Buck grabbed her hand and turned her to face the rest of the team. "Ladies and gentlemen, meet the newest student to The Los Angeles School of Nursing."
Cheers erupted throughout the loft. Each firefighter took their turn congratulating her.
Chimney was the first to pull her into a hug. "Congratulations hun, your going to be a great nurse."
"Thanks, Chim, that means a lot."
Hen was next.
"Congrats lady! You're going to do great!" Hen said, also pulling her into a hug.
"Thanks Hen. You're going to be one of my study buddies, right?"
"Any time hun."
Next was Eddie. He fixed her with a smirk. "Just let me know what hospital you end up working at, so I don't end up there."
Andrea punched him in the stomach as the rest of the team laughed.
"Menso." She said while Eddie pulled her into a hug.
"You're going to be a great nurse flaca. You deserve this. I'm so happy for you."
"Thanks Eddie."
Last was Bobby. "Congratulations kid." He said and pulled her into a tight hug. "You're going to do great. And I just want to say that in the few months that I've known you, you've become like a daughter to me and I couldn't be prouder of you. We're all proud of you.
Andrea wiped away the tears that had streamed down her face and engulfed the Captain in another hug. "Thank you so much," She said and pulled away from the hug. Andy smiled and looked him in the eyes. "Pops."
Bobby smiled back and then ducked his head, a slight flush covering his cheeks.
"I think of all you as family. That's why the instant that I found out I told my family, and I couldn't wait to come and tell my second family, the one I choose. I love you guys."
They all smiled at her and then a chorus of 'Awwws' echoed through the loft before they all enveloped her in a huge group hug.
"What is this, a party? And I wasn't invited?" A familiar voice asked.
They all pulled apart and turned to their new guest. They all smiled at her and greeted the newcomer.
"Hey honey." Bobby said.
Buck wrapped his arm around Andy's shoulder and pulled her close to his side. "Hey Athena, we're just celebrating."
"Oh yeah, celebrating what?"
"Andy got accepted into nursing school."
"Oh, that's wonderful news baby." Athena responded as she approached Andy to envelope her into a hug. "Congratulations, sweetheart."
"Thanks Athena."
"You're going to do great." Athena said as she cradled the side of her face with her hand, in an endearing manner.
"She's going to be the best nurse in L.A." Buck praised.
Andrea ducked her head shyly and a slight flush graced her cheeks. Athena turned a knowing look towards Bobby. The cop shook her head and let out a chuckle.
"So, what brings you by the station sweetheart?" Bobby asked.
"I just wanted to say hi." She responded. "And to remind you to take your dress blues to the dry cleaners so they're ready for Saturday."
"Yes ma'am."
"Dang cap, she's got you whooped." Buck stated. "Ouch!"
Buck rubbed the back of his head where Athena had smacked him. Andy snickered beside him. Evan shot her a glare and poked her side causing her to giggle more.
"Stop!" Andy exclaimed.
"Alright, enough horsing around you two. Let us get this table ready for lunch." Bobby said.
"Ok, pops." Both Andy and Buck said at the same time at Bobby's retreating back.
Captain Nash stopped dead in his tracks, turned around, and fixed the snickering pair with a non-malicious glare. They both gave him a bright genuine smile and all he could do was smile back and shake his head at them.
Those two were meant to be with each other.
As Andy walked towards the kitchen her phone beeped with in incoming text message. She pulled it out of her back pocket, quickly read the text, and let out a groan of irritation.
"Is everything okay?" Buck asked.
Andy let out a sigh. "Yeah, it's just my sister. She's been trying to set me up with one of her co-workers, and she keeps badgering me about it. She just texted me his number."
Panic quickly began to set in Buck. It killed him to think that Andy could be thinking about going out with another guy. Of course, Evan knew that he was being selfish to try to keep Andy to himself, considering that he himself currently was in a relationship with Ali. But damn it he was selfish.
"So, are you going to call him?"
"No, I don't think I'm ready for that yet."
"That's understandable." Buck responded, hiding the satisfaction he felt.
Andy went to get plates from the kitchen while Buck stayed back putting down place mats.
"I saw that." Hen said right behind him, causing Buck to jump.
"What the hell Hen!?" Buck glared at his friend. "Saw what?"
"You know what." She replied. "The smug satisfied look on your face when she said she wouldn't call."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Mmmhmm" Hen said as she walked away when Andy came back to the table.
Andy gave him a big smile, that he returned in kind. Yup, he was a big selfish jerk, sue him.
"You're not going to be a third wheel, Eds. We're all going as team, as friends." Buck said to Eddie.
They were currently in Buck's Jeep heading towards Andy's apartment to pick her up for the Banquet. Shannon had not felt well and decided to stay home but had insisted that Eddie still go to the banquet. Buck had insisted that they could just carpool, no sense in wasting gas he had said, and Eddie's house was on the way to Andy's anyway.
"You didn't want to go solo the other day." Eddie retorted.
"Yeah and you all were badgering me because of it." Buck quipped and got an eye roll for his efforts.
They finally pulled into the parking lot of the apartment complex and both headed upstairs to Andy's apartment. Buck knocked on the door and they only waited a couple of seconds before Andrea opened the door. Once Buck caught site of Andy, his breath caught in his throat. He had felt like the wind was knocked out of him. In front of him stood Andrea in a red lace mermaid style strapless dress with a sweetheart neckline. Her hear was pulled back in a bun, and soft curls adorned her face. She looked breathtaking.
"Hey." Andy greeted.
"Uh…You…Um…Wow." Buck stuttered.
Both Andy and Eddie looked at their friend with raised eyebrows, and amusement written on their faces.
"I think what my friend Buck here is trying to say is that you look beautiful." Eddie said as he pulled Andy into a hug.
"Yeah, gorgeous." Buck said breathlessly.
"Thanks Buck."
"So, should we get going? Don't want to be late." Eddie stated, ushering Andy towards the door.
Andy grabbed her purse and her cover up before heading out the door past a still awestruck Evan Buckley. Eddie walked over to his friend and stood right beside him; amused grin plastered on his face.
The brunette pointed to the corner of his friend's mouth. "You have a little drool."
Buck smacked the hand away from his face and unconsciously swiped the edge of his mouth with his fingers. Eddie simply snickered and started to walk towards where Andrea was waiting for them by the elevator. The blonde let out a deep breath and turned to follow them. They reached the Jeep and Evan opened the door for Andy while Eddie got into the back seat.
"So, where's Shannon?" Andrea asked Eddie, as Buck was pulling out of the parking lot.
"She wasn't feeling well. I tried staying with her, but she was stern and told me to come, said all she was going to do was sleep, no sense in just sitting around. So now I'm your guy's third wheel."
"Aww, too bad. I hope she feels better. And you're no third wheel, Eddie. We're all friends going together."
"See told you." Buck confirmed.
"Shut up." Eddie answered with a slight smile.
"Besides," Andy adds. "I get to have the two most handsome firefighters of the LAFD as my dates. I'm the luckiest girl in the world." The comment drew a chuckle form both men.
Twenty minutes later the arrived at the venue and parked the car. They headed into the party and within no time they found the rest of the team.
"Wow Andy, you cleanup nice." Chimney said.
"Thanks Chim, you look very handsome yourself."
"Yeah, I bet Buck thinks she looks nice." Hen whispered over to Eddie.
"There was drool." Eddie confirmed, with a faux serious expression.
"Stop! There was no drool!" Buck protested.
Buck left the pair to their musing and walked over to where Andy was having a conversation with Bobby and Athena. "Andy would you like me to get you a drink?"
"Yes please. Some wine would be great."
"Ok, I'll be back in a second."
The party was well on its way and the 118 was having a great time. Everyone was dancing with everyone and they mingled with other fire stations. Andy was amazed to find out that there were also firefighters from all over the country. After a little while Andy finally found her brother and his wife.
"Hey patito." He greeted her.
"Patito? I might have to file that away for later." Eddie said as he came up behind Andy.
Andy turned and glared at him. "Don't you dare. That's for him and him only."
Eddie put his hands up, palms out, in surrender. "Ok, ok, duly noted." He said, as they chuckled.
"Eddie, this is my brother Mateo. He's with the 123. And this is wife, Heidi. Mateo this is Eddie. He's one of my friends from the 118."
Edmundo extended his hand and shook both their hands. "It's nice to meet both of you."
"Likewise. Andy speaks highly of all of you. And we appreciate everything you guys did for her."
"No man, there's no need. We were just doing our jobs."
"Still. Thank you."
"You're welcome." He said with a curt nod. "So why patito?"
"Oh my God, Mateo don't!" Andy groaned. "Please!"
"Andy, you know the pleading won't work." Heidi stated.
Andrea pinched the bridge of her nose as everyone chuckled.
"Ok, so when she was little every time that she asked for something and our parents wouldn't give it to her she would make this huge pouty face and pouted her lips in such an exaggerated way that she looked like a little duck." Mateo said, illustrating how she would have looked. "Hence, the nickname patito."
"Wow, that's great." Eddie said with a laugh. "Although, I think have seen that pout once or twice."
"Oh, I'm pretty sure you have."
"I hate you both." Andy grumbled.
"No you don't." Eddie and Mateo said at the same time. They both chuckled and fist bumped. Andy let out another groan of annoyance as Buck walked up to join them.
"Hey, there you are. I was looking for you." Buck said, as he placed a delicate hand on her back. The slight glare that came from the unknown man towards the action didn't go unnoticed by Buck.
"I've just been here, being picked on by my brother and my pseudo brother."
Brother? Now, Buck was beginning to understand the glare aimed his way.
"Buck, this is my brother Mateo and his wife. This is Buck."
The firefighter courteously shook both hands
"So, you're the infamous Buck."
"Big brother, can you stop embarrassing me!?" Andy said, with a pleading look.
"What!?" Mateo questioned, a mask of fake innocence covering his face. "It's just so nice to put a face to a name. I mean you talk about him all the time so," He finished with a shrug
"I do not talk about him all the time!"
"I'm sorry Andy, but I have to agree with your brother on this." Heidi adds.
Andrea glared at the blonde. "You know, you used to be my favorite in-law. But now, I think Eric has taken your place."
"Please, I'm way better than Eric, and you know it." She said with a proud smirk, only getting another glare in return.
"Andy, it's ok. I'm flattered that you talk to your family about me." He said with a smirk, then added. "All the time."
Andrea turned to look at the blonde, fixing him with an unamused look. "You know, if you'll excuse me. I'm going to head to the ladies' room. I'll come back when you guys are done being jerks." With that she turned around and walked off in the direction of the restrooms. Buck extended his hand and opened his mouth to stop her, but her brother stopped her with a hand on his arm, and a shake of his head.
"She's fine." He said. "She's not being serious. But this gives me a chance to talk with you a bit."
Bucks eyebrows quickly shot up to his hairline. He quickly turned to look over to Eddie and found that he had the same expression. He shot his best friend a pleading look of support, for him not to leave him.
"Well, it was so nice to meet both of you." Eddie started, as he shook Mateo and Heidi's hands again. "I have to call my son to say goodnight."
Traitor was the first thing that came into Buck's head. So much for being his so-called best friend.
"Christopher, right?" Mateo's wife asked.
"Yeah."
"Andy says that he's one adorable kid."
"He's the best." Eddie responds. "But I'm just biased."
"Oh, I doubt it. You have any pictures?"
"Of course! Tons."
"Come, show me your adorable kid and I'll show you mine. Let's leave these two to talk."
Eddie turned and gave his best friend a sympathetic smile. "Buck, I'll catch you later."
Buck gave him a fake smile in return. "Tell Superman I said good night too."
"Will do." And with that Eddie left Buck alone with Andy's brother, an awkward silence falling between them. The silence seemed to stretch on for what seemed like forever to Buck that he started fidgeting with the buttons of his jacket.
"Buck, I just wanted to thank you for taking care of my sister when she needed you the most, when she lost Charlie a few weeks ago." Buck was about to interrupt but Mateo held up a hand stalling his protest. "It broke my heart when we found out what happened, and I was angry with myself that I couldn't be there for her. Charlie was her everything. He'd been her companion for so many years."
"She loved that dog like crazy." Buck re-affirmed.
Mateo nodded his head in agreement. "I suppose she told you what happened to her before she moved out here?"
Buck nodded and Mateo continued. "The day that she told us that she had tried to commit suicide was on of the scariest days of my life. From that day I vowed that I would do everything in my power to not leave her alone. That I would be there when ever she needed me, and the one day that she did, I wasn't there. So you see, you being there for her, meant the world to me and my family."
"You don't have to thank me. I'd do anything for Andy."
Mateo fixed Buck with a calculating look. "You care about my sister a lot, don't you?"
Buck furrowed his eyebrows at Mateo. What kind of question was that? He thought to himself.
"Of course. She's one of my best friends."
"Buck, Andy has been so happy these past few months. Since she met you. The last time I've seen her this happy was when she was dating that scum bag Nick."
"I…I'm not…" Buck stuttered.
"And from the way you looked at her just now, and from the smile you gave her. I'd say you're pretty happy too."
Buck smiled. "So Happy." But then he shook his head, and his eyes saddened a bit. "But I…"
"All that I ask is that you don't break her heart. That you will always take care of her and protect her."
"With my last dying breath." Buck answered, without hesitation and with conviction.
"Thank you."
At that moment Heidi returned to her husband's side. "So, did you gentlemen have a good talk?"
"Yes, my love." Mateo answered, as he placed a delicate kiss on her temple.
Buck smiled at the couple. "If you'll excuse me. I'm going to go find Andy."
The married couple watched as Buck walked away. "He's in love with her." Heidi said. It was statement, not question, because anyone with eyes could see it.
"And Andy's in love with him."
9-1-1-9-1-1-9-1-1-9-1-1-9-1-1
Meanwhile Andy was heading back from the bathroom. Why is it that there was always a line? It had taken forever. Her phone beeped indicating that she had a message. When she looked, she noticed it was from her brother.
"Sorry if I embarrassed you, patito. I didn't mean to, please forgive me️. Your friends from the 118 seem nice. I approve , lol. It was nice to finally get to meet Buck. I see why you talk about him so much, besides the obvious reason . Him and I had a nice chat. I'll see you later, love you ."
Andrea let out a groan. What did they talk about!? She was going to kill her brother, a very slow and painful death. She was to distracted to notice the man that was directly in front of her, running right into him and dropping her phone in the process.
"I'm so sorry." They both said at the same time. Before Andy could bend down to grab her phone the man swooped down and grabbed it.
"Here you…. Andy!?" The man said, completely startled.
Andy grabbed on to her phone and looked up at the mention of her name. She immediately felt her blood run cold when she saw who was standing in front her. She quickly snatched her phone back and took a step back.
"So, this is where you ran off to."
"What are you doing here, Nick?"
"I'm here with my Captain and another Lieutenant."
A beat or two went by before Nick reached out to touch Andy, but she took another step back causing the man to frown.
"You look good Andy. L.A. has done you good."
"Yeah, Chicago was getting kind of suffocating. You know, with all the douche bags running around and all that." Andy responded with a fake smile.
Nick let out a humorless chuckle and chose to ignore the comment. "Who are you here with? Your brother? Is Mateo here?"
"It's none of your business."
Nick once again reached a hand towards her, but Andrea stepped back further.
"I've been thinking about you a lot lately. I've missed you."
Andy narrowed her eyes at Nick and gave an incredulous look. "How can you," She couldn't finish her sentence because at that moment Buck walked up beside her, wrapping his arm around her shoulder, clearly sensing her distress.
"Hey, everything ok?"
Andrea wrapped her arm around his waist and pulled herself in tight to his side, feeling protected in his arms. "Everything's fine." She said as she gave him a tight smile.
Buck looked over at the man standing across from them. There was something about him that made Buck instantly dislike him. The stranger extended his arm towards him in greeting.
"Hi, I'm Nick, an old friend of Andy's."
Buck immediately tensed when the man said his name. Now he understood why Andrea seemed so upset when he saw her talking with him. He gave Nick a hard stern look instead of shaking his hand.
"I know who you are."
Nick smirked and lowered his hand. Buck turned and placed a kiss on Andy's temple, not missing the glare directed at him from the other man.
"We should get going." Buck said.
Andy nodded in agreement. Both Buck and Andy were about to leave when a woman came up to Nick's side.
"There you are, Babe."
Andy felt like the wind had been knocked out of her. It was bad enough to run into Nick, but to see that he was still with her just made her stomach turn. Andrea looked down and took in her very obvious pregnant belly. She sucked in a deep breath causing her to let out a whimper and Buck to tighten his hold on her when he heard it.
"Andy?" The woman said, surprise coating her words, but worry was evident in her eyes.
"Amy."
"It's been awhile."
"Yeah, it has." She looked over at Buck, trying to find a way out of this. "Buck we should go find the others."
"Yeah of course." Buck said, then turned towards Nick and Amy. "I wish I could say it was a pleasure, but it wasn't. Excuse us." And with that he guided Andy as far away from them as he could.
Andy held on tight to Buck's hand and pulled him towards the doors. "I need some air." As soon as they were outside she let out a long breath into the cool night air and sucked in a another breath just as quickly, feeling it burn her lungs.
Buck quickly cradled her head in between his hands and forced her to stand still and look at him. "Breathe baby breathe." Andy wrapped her hands around his wrists and focused her attention on Buck, trying to sync her breathing to his.
"That's it." He said encouragingly.
"Why is he here?" She whimpered.
"It's a country wide event. Firefighters from different cities fly in. I'm sorry, I forgot there was a possibility that he could be here. If I would have known,"
"Buck," Andy interrupted. "This was out of your control. There was no way of knowing that they would be here. What are the possibilities that I would run into him amongst all these people? This isn't your fault." She finished and wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a tight hug.
"She's pregnant." Andy said so softly after a moment of silence. "She's having his baby. The baby that I couldn't give him. Maybe that's why he didn't want me."
Buck pulled away and placed a gentle hand on her cheek. "No, he didn't deserve you. That idiot didn't know how to take care of you. What happened with your baby was not your fault. You're gonna find someone that's going to value you for who you are and you're going to build a family with him. And he'll love you unconditionally."
"I think I may have already found him." Andrea whispered, looking at Buck straight in the eyes.
Buck swallowed heavily and was about to respond when his phone began to ring. He cursed under under his breath as he fished his phone out of his pocket, reading Eddie's on the screen.
"What's up Eds?"
"Hey, where are you guys? Cap wants to buy us a round of drinks."
"We're outside, Andy needed some air. We'll be right there."
"Okay."
Buck hung up and turned his attention back to his friend, reluctantly asking. "Cap wants to buy us drinks. You ready to go back in?"
Andy let's out a deep breath. "Ready as I'll ever be."
Her friend gave her a smile as he reached his hand out to her. She took it, easily intertwining her fingers with his. "I'll be right by your side."
Hand in hand they made their way back in, weaving themselves easily through the crowd of people to make it the bar.
"There you guys are." Bobby said upon seeing them. He gave Andy a brief one armed side hug. "Everything ok? Eddie said that you guys were outside because you needed some air."
"I'm okay pops, I promise." Andy smiled.
"Okay, alright let's get these drinks ordered."
As they were ordering the drinks Eddie grabbed Buck and pulled him to the side. "Is she really okay?"
"Yeah she is. We just had an unpleasant encounter with her ex and his girlfriend."
"Do we have to beat someone up?"
Buck let out a snort. "As much as I'd like to, I don't think that Andy would be to happy with us or that Cap would take to kindly to that."
"You're right. But I'm ready if need be."
Buck smiled at his best friend and gave him a fist bump. They continued on with their night and enjoyed themselves without anymore interruptions. It was getting pretty late and Andy was beginning to get tired.
"Do you think we can start heading home?" Andrea asked.
"Yeah, of course. Let me just find Eddie."
"I'll wait for you outside."
"Okay, we won't be long."
Andy nodded and headed towards the exit. The cool air that touched her bare shoulders was welcomed, a slight contrast to the warm temperature inside the building. After a couple of minutes Andy felt a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"That was quick," Andy started to say as she turned around, only it wasn't Buck that was there to greet her. She quickly stumbled backwards to get out of reach from Nick. "What are you doing?"
"You seemed lonely out here." He slurred slightly.
"I'm fine, I don't need your company."
"You look so beautiful tonight. You've always been beautiful." Nick said taking two steps towards her.
"Nick, don't! Just leave me alone and go!"
"I never stopped loving you."
"Really? Did you love me when you were rolling around in bed with my best friend? Or when I lost our baby? Did you still love me then?"
Nick stumbled a bit. "I'm sorry. Andy, please."
"No, you should be with Amy and your un-born child. Not here with me, telling more lies."
Nick snorted. "I don't even know if the baby's mine. She's cheated me before, and she's probably cheating on me now."
"I'm sorry Nick, I really am, but that's not my problem."
Andy turned and began to walk away when Nick grabbed her and spun her around, pulling her flush to his chest. "Stop, you're hurting me!"
"Please, Andy." Nick pleaded, as he tried to kiss her.
"No, get off me!"
She continued to struggle in his grip, desperately trying to break free. At that moment she faintly heard yelling in the distance and then Nick was being forcibly pulled away from her.
"Get your hands off her." Buck yelled. Within seconds Andy found herself blocked off and protected by both Buck and Eddie.
"Oh look you have two knights in shining armor. Firefighters, you do have a type. What, you couldn't have me so you had to go offer yourself to another one? One wasn't enough?"
Buck saw red and grabbed Nick by his coat and pulled him in close. "Listen you son of a bitch, you shut your mouth. You don't know anything about her. You're just a low life sleaze that took advantage of an innocent girl. You're not a man. She's to much of a woman for you. You have nothing to offer her."
In that moment Amy came out and called Nick's name. Andy placed a hand on Buck's shoulder and tried to pull him back gently. "Buck, let go, he's not worth it."
"You just couldn't stay away could you?" Amy glared at Andy.
Andy gave her an incredulous look. "I couldn't stay away!? He came and bothered me. And in case you forgot, I was the one that moved over 2,000 miles to get away from you two. Why don't you get him out of here before they call the cops."
"They're already here." Athena announced as they walked up to the group. "Is everything okay?"
Amy's eyes grew wide in panic. "No everything is fine, officer."
Athena raised her eyebrow at her then turned and looked at Andy for confirmation. "It's fine Athena. He just had a little to much to drink, but Amy's getting him back to their hotel and we're going home."
"Okay." Athena said, not really believing it.
They all began to walk away, but Nick couldn't keep his mouth shut. "You said that I wasn't man. And what, you think that you're the man for her?"
"Please Nick, stop!" Amy pleaded.
"No! He needs to know what kind of girl Andy is!"
Buck took a step towards Nick, but Andy got in front of him, placing a hand on his chest to stall his movements.
"Son, just go." Bobby ordered.
"She's just using you." Nick continued, ignoring Bobby. "She just wants to have a baby to replace the one she lost. She can't get over losing her mistake."
No one from the team had time to react, next thing they knew a fist was connecting with Nick's face. It took Buck a split second to realize that it was Andy who had thrown the punch and was still throwing punches.
"You son of a bitch!...my baby was not a mistake!...how can you say something like that!"
It took both Buck and Eddie to pry her away from Nick. Evan instantly wrapped her up in his arms and held her tight as she wept. "My baby was not a mistake." She repeated.
"Shh…no, no your baby wasn't a mistake."
Buck peered over his shoulder and smirked in satisfaction at seeing Nick doubled over in pain.
"I think she broke my nose!" He said as he examined the blood on his hands.
"Here, I'm a paramedic let me look at it." Hen said.
She put her fingers on the bridge of his nose and pinched it a tad to tightly, causing the man to Yelp in pain.
"Yup, it's broken." The paramedic stated with a malicious grin and to the side of her Eddie let out a snort.
Chimney turned to look at Amy who seemed frozen in place and said. "You might want to take him to hospital to get checked out."
"I think I need to go to the hospital. My water just broke."
Everyone quickly turned their attention to the young woman as she clutched her belly and grimaced in pain as another contraction hit. They all instantly went into first responder mode and tended to her, one calling 9-1-1 while the others helped her take a seat. Andy peeled herself away from Buck and sat herself beside Amy and gingerly took her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.
"It's going to be ok. Just breathe in through your nose, out through your mouth."
Instant tears began to stream down Amy's face as she tried to breathe like Andy instructed. "I'm so sorry Andy, I never meant for this to happen. I never meant to hurt you."
"No, none of that. It's in the past. Right now you have to focus on your baby. Okay?"
Amy nodded. "So do you know if it's a boy or a girl?"
"A girl."
"How exciting. I always pictured you with a daughter. A little mini sassy Amy."
"You did?"
Andy nodded her head. At that moment Amy squeezed her hand tightly as another contraction coursed through her.
"Her contractions are 5 mins apart." Hen stated.
"Bus is 3 minutes out." Chim responded
"I always imagined that you'd have a girl too and that they'd grow up to be best friends like us."
Andy smiled at her and said. "Maybe someday they still can."
Amy let out a sob and wrapped her arms around her once best friend. As she let go she could hear the sirens in the distance.
"You want to know the baby's name?"
"Yes."
"Andrea."
Andy felt the tears start to well up in her eyes again. She felt the anger slowly start to slip away the longer she sat there holding Amy's hand. They were both victims of the same man and five years was long enough to harbor hate for someone.
"Andrea is a great name." She said with a smile.
"It is, isn't it?" They both laughed.
Andy looked over at Nick who was trying his best to stave off his bleeding nose, thinking how she once loved him so much it hurt.
"You know, just because he's the father of your baby, doesn't mean you have to be with him."
"I'm beginning to realize that." Amy responded as the ambulance pulled up.
"Good. You can count on me for whatever you need."
"Thank you."
The paramedics walked over to them, Chimney in tow as he relayed the situation. Andy and Buck helped Amy stand to get her on the gurney. In that moment she felt a hand on her, gently turning her towards them.
"Andy?"
Buck eyed the firefighter that was heading towards them.
"Tony!"
"Are you okay?" The firefighter asked as he pulled her into a hug.
"I'm fine." She said pulling away and he grasped her hand, causing her to hiss in pain. He lifted her hand to examine it, noting the bruising and the blood. Buck was instantly by her side.
"I thought you said you were fine?"
"I didn't even feel anything until you touched it."
"What happened?"
"Her fist had a little run in with that jerks nose." Buck responded as he pointed to Nick, who was currently being loaded into the ambulance.
The firefighter gave Buck a side glance. "Tony, this is my friend Buck, he works with the 118. Buck this is Tony, he works with the 123 with my brother."
"Hey." Tony greeted.
"Hey."
"Do you want a ride to the hospital?"
"I think you're already full."
"You can ride along beside me on the engine." He said with a smile as he rubbed her arm.
Buck narrowed his eyes at the other firefighter. "That's okay, I can take her. I'll take care of her."
"Will you?"
"I will." Buck responded as he grabbed on to Andy's hand.
Andrea looked between the two firefighters and rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Alright you two, put it back in your pants. Tony I appreciate the offer, but I'm going to go with Buck. He'll take care of me."
He was about to respond when one of his fellow firefighters called out. "Johnson let's go!"
"You sure?"
"Yes, go."
"Fine, text me when your home."
"I will."
"Okay." He placed a kiss on her cheek all the while looking at Bucks reaction. He gave him a quick smirk as he turned and walked away.
They watched as the engine drove off and Chimney walked up to them. "Let me look at your hand." Andy lifted it up to him and he examined it. "It doesn't appear broken, but it'll be sore for awhile. That was one great punch, by the way."
Andy smiled. "I've been wanting to do that for awhile."
Bobby walked over and placed a hand on Evan's shoulder. "Buck, take her to get her hand checked out. I'll take Eddie home."
"Thanks Cap."
Buck grabbed her bag and cover up and guided her to his car. He helped buckle her in before they headed to the hospital.
"So, Tony seemed nice."
Andy let out a snort.
"What? He's not nice?"
"No I think he's nice, but you don't."
Buck opened and closed his mouth, not being able to form a response. He looked like a fish out of water, Andrea found it quite comical. "That's not true!" He protested, after finally finding his words. "I just met the guy."
"That didn't stop you from having a measuring contest."
"I was not…okay, it just pissed me off that he made it seem like I couldn't take care of you."
Andy narrowed her eyes at him. "Okay, A: I can take care of my self."
"That's n…"
"And B: He did not do that. He's my friend, he just wanted to make sure I was okay."
"Friend?" Evan snorted. "I think he wants to be more than friends."
Andy gave him an incredulous look. "And so what if he does?"
"No, nothing. I'm just telling you what I observed."
"Well don't observe." Andy said and Buck held up a hand in surrender.
"Besides," Andy continued. "I have a rule now, that I don't date my brother's co-workers. Because we all know how well that turned out last time."
"That's a good rule."
Andy glared at him, trying to hide her smile, and Buck smiled back. "Shut up." She said, as she flexed her injured hand and let out a hiss in pain.
"Quit moving your hand."
"Sorry, it's just now that the adrenaline wore off it aches real bad.
"Well Chimney said it wasn't broken, so it might just be a bad sprain. They'll probably get some X-rays just to be sure."
Andy examined her hand for a second more. "I can't believe I broke is nose."
Buck let out a chuckle. "I do. You had over five years of pent-up anger in you. And if it wasn't you that broke his nose, it would have been me, along with some broken ribs."
"I can't even recall thinking about doing it, I just did it."
"And I'm proud of you." He said glancing over to her with a smile.
She smiled back. "Thank you. I am too."
"And that was really nice what you did with Amy. How you helped her through the contractions, advised her, and forgave her. It takes a lot to forgive someone who did what she did, not a lot of people would do the same thing."
"She just looked so scared. It reminded me of how much fear I felt when I had my miscarriage."
Buck placed a hand on her arm and squeezed, a small token of support. Andy gave him a small smile and placed her hand over his.
"It was then that I realized that she's just another one of Nick's victims. And I'm not saying that she didn't have fault in all this, but it was time for me to let it go and forgive her."
"I agree."
Buck gave her arm one more squeeze before pulling into the parking lot and finding a spot to park. He unbuckled his seat belt and was about to get out of the car when Andy caught his attention.
"Buck, you do take care of me."
Evan huffed out a breath and smiled. He leaned over towards Andy and placed a soft kiss on her forehead.
"Always."
Andrea smiled warmly and leaned into his touch. After a beat Buck pulled away and hopped out of Jeep.
"Come on Muhammad Ali. Let's get that hand checked out."
Andy let out a snort. She followed Buck's lead and got out of the car. After everything that had happened that night she couldn't stop from smiling. And it was all because of that beautiful man walking in front of her. He was the best thing that ever happened to her.