Disclaimer: I do not now, nor have I ever owned the rights to 911 or its characters. It all belongs to Fox TV and the show's creators like Brad Falchuk, Ryan Murphy and whoever else.
.
Chapter 4
.
" Eddie!" Buck yelled as he rushed forward towards the man currently laying unconscious at his feet.
" Hey Eddie, Eddie can you hear me?" He shouted further as he gently pushed Eddie onto his back and then started looked the other man over for any injuries, like if he hit his head or something.
Buck gently buried his fingers into Eddie's dark hair and felt around for any bumps or cuts, relieved when he found nothing but still concerned and deeply confused as to why the man had passed out at the very sight of him. With countless questions swirling about his brain and his earlier tiredness forgotten, Buck tucked his arms under Eddie's prone form and hoisted the unconscious man over his shoulder with a soft grunt, ironically in a fireman's carry. Buck left his bag and the door open as he hurried off through the living room and down the hallway to Eddie's room.
He lightly kicked the door open and then made his way to Eddie's bed. He lowered Eddie onto the mattress, moderately disconcerted still by how his best friend just flopped around bonelessly. Buck got Eddie laying supine and straight, grabbing the other pillow and tucking it under his legs to elevate them and hopefully help the other man return to consciousness quicker. With a lingering look at Eddie's unconscious form, Buck quickly trotted out of the room and back up the hallway to the front of the house to grab his duffel bag from outside and to shut and lock the door. Once that was done Buck just took a moment and breathed, trying to get his heartbeat to slow down and yet again just ponder the bizarre circumstances he found himself in.
Shaking his head, Buck reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his phone. He tapped the screen and entered his passcode and then swiped until he reached the Do Not Disturb App that was still on. He tapped it with his thumb and then swiped the little sliding feature to finally turn off the app and bring his phone fully back on like.
No sooner did he do this, Buck's eyes grew wide as he phone started to rapidly chime and vibrate so much that it almost vibrated right out of his hand.
" What the hell?" Buck said to himself when he looked to his phone and message apps and saw the number of missed calls and text messages he had waiting. Forty missed calls and twenty three missed texts. A quick check to his voicemail box informed Buck that the thing was completely full too. Calls and text from everyone, no just Maddie or Hen, but from Athena, Chim, Bobby, and Eddie.
Buck stood with his heart pounding once more. Something had happened while he had been gone, something big and they hadn't been able to reach him because of Do Not Disturb. Letting out a shaky breath, Buck pressed his thumb to the message app and pulled up the first text he had gotten, dated the day he had left for Arizona.
He couldn't belief that it was from Eddie, that he had gotten so many calls and texts after three months of next to nothing from anyone besides Maddie and Hen.
A few minutes later back in Eddie's room, the man himself was groaning softly as he slowly returned to consciousness to the feeling of someone urgently shaking him.
" Mmph what?!" Eddie mumbled as he tried to bat away the hands that were shaking him.
" Eddie! Eddie wake up! Eddie wake up right now! Please wake up!" Came a desperate, familiar voice from above him.
Eddie finally forced his heavy eyelids to open and blinked up whoever was hovering above him. When his vision cleared and he saw the face of the one who had haunted him for days, Eddie felt his eyes burn as he let out a broken gasp.
" No, no, no, no this is a dream. You're gone, you can't be here." Eddie all but sobbed before he turned onto his side and tried to curl up into the tightened ball that he could, willing away the specter sent to torment him.
Only problem was the specter was way more solid that he thought specters could be as Buck's spirit held him firm and kept him from turning over as he spoke.
" No, Eddie, Eddie look at me, just look at me. I am not gone, I am right here man." Buck said desperately and he held Eddie by his shoulders.
It absolutely floored him when tears actually leaked out the corners of Eddie's eyes as the Latino man finally stilled and looked at him.
" Buck you died, you were on the Greyhound bus that crashed. We lost you, I lost you." Eddie moaned as he reached out towards Buck and cupped his cheek.
Buck was stunned, both by Eddie's words and his touch. So many questions filled Buck's mind, about what he had just read on his phone, all the messages he had been able to read and a couple of voicemails he had listened to. All at once realization dawned on Buck as he shook his head and actually took Eddie's face into his own hands as he spoke.
" No Eds, no I wasn't. I was supposed to be but there was a mistake, they overbook that bus and there wasn't a seat for me. I got switched to another bus to Phoenix that was leaving half an hour later. I never set foot on that bus Eddie!" Buck explained, hoping to finally get through to his flabbergasted best friend.
Eddie went still for a moment, his eyes wide and uncomprehending as Buck's words tried to register in his shell-shocked mind. Then with a primal, broken noise Eddie was wrenching himself up off his bed right at Buck. Buck gasped as he was seized by a pair of strong arms and then had the very breath squeeze from his lungs. Buck blinked rapidly and just stood there, not fully comprehending that Eddie was all but crushing him.
Eddie was holding him. Eddie was holding him.
Buck hesitated for a moments before he raised his own arms and wrapped them around Eddie, completely off-kilter and concerned when he felt how deeply Eddie was trembling.
" Buck?" Eddie asked softly against Buck's neck, his entire body feeling like a life current was passing through him at the feel of Buck, solid and breathing against him, in his arms, and Buck's arms around him in turn.
" Y-Yeah Eds, I am here." Buck replied as he unconsciously started to rub his hand along Eddie's bare shoulder in an effort to calm his best friend.
" W-We called you, I called you till your voicemail filled up. I didn't want to believe it, I couldn't believe you were gone, that you were dead and I would never see you again. There were no survivors Buck, not one." Eddie said with a hitched sob.
Buck felt himself begin to shake as these words registered. His stomach lurched as he realized that he had actually missed certain death by just a mistake in booking and a half-hour wait. Just half and hour.
With a shaky gasp, Buck wrenched himself out of Eddie's vice-like embrace and ran, he ran down the hall with Eddie desperate screaming out his name and chasing after him. He found the bathroom door and almost shattered it as he dove through and made it to the toilet just as his stomach expelled the cheep slice of pizza he had had for dinner a few hours ago at the final pit-stop before his bus got back to LA. Buck heaved and heaved until his stomach had nothing left to give. Buck distantly felt comforting hands on his back as flushed the toilet and then straightened up and went to the sink to gargle and rinse out the rancid taste in his mouth, sucking in large lungfuls of air.
Eddie stood riveted to the sight of the blond man before him, still scarcely believing that Buck was real beneath the hands he still had pressed to the hunched over man's back. Buck straightened up and looked at himself in the mirror, eyes his paled face and parted lips. Then Buck was abruptly straightening up and whirling around to look at Eddie.
" Maddie, oh God Maddie. I need to get to Maddie now!" Buck screamed as he tried to run past Eddie only for Eddie to step in his path and hold him in a death grip on his shoulder.
" I know Buck, I know but I am coming with you, please just let me get changed and we'll go to her okay?" Eddie said with a hint of panic in his voice at the thought of Buck going anywhere without him. Buck seemed to calm down a little as he nodded.
" I'll... I'll wait in the living room." Buck said, blinking when Eddie didn't let go of him and looked so painfully reluctant.
" Could you just stay by the door instead please." Eddie asked desperately without shame.
Buck gave Eddie a look but then nodded mutely, understanding that Eddie wanted him in his sights, but still thrown a bit off-kilter since this was the most contact they had had in months.
With a herculean effort Eddie forced his hands to let go of Buck's shoulders. They made their way out of Eddie's bathroom in charged silence, heading back up the hallway to Eddie's bedroom. Buck leaned against the wall next to the door frame, jerking slightly when Eddie reached out and squeezed his wrist as he stepped over the threshold into his bedroom, his dark eyes all but boring holes into him as he passed.
Buck let out a shaky breath and wrapped his arms around himself in an effort to stay grounded while Eddie hurriedly picked up the shirt, jeans, and underwear he had left discarded on his bed room floor. He shed the sleeping pants he was wearing and quickly donned the clothes he had picked up, his head pivoting constantly to look over his shoulder to make sure Buck was still standing right there. Once he'd pulled his shirt on over his head, Eddie grabbed his wallet, phone, and car keys.
" Ok c'mon let's go, I'll drive you." Eddie said as he hurriedly made his way back to Buck.
" But I brought my Jeep." Buck protested only for Eddie to shake his head.
" I'll drive you." Eddie repeated.
Buck nodded mutely and then together they quickly got down the hall, through the living room and out the front door with Eddie locking it after them. Buck was distantly aware that this would be his first ride in the new black truck Eddie had bought about a month back, just showing up in the new model and not sharing any details with him but smiling at Chim and Hen's comments and compliments. Buck banished the quietly painful memories and focused instead on getting into the front passenger seat quickly, while Eddie got behind the wheel.
He needed to get to Maddie, what mattered the most right now was his beloved sister who was still oblivious to the fact that he was still very much alive.
Within a few minutes Eddie and Buck were getting onto the mostly deserted highway, heading back into the city. All throughout Eddie kept glancing at him constantly, as though afraid that Buck would disappear any moment.
" Maddie, Maddie and all of you thought I was dead for days." Buck said with a pained shake of his head.
" Y-Yeah." Eddie stuttered as he felt his throat close for a moment before he shook his head and sent Buck this shaky smile as he continued.
" But it was a mistake, it was a mistake and you're actually here. We'll get to Maddie and Chim soon." Eddie said with this look of pure relief on his face and a brightness to his eyes that hadn't been there earlier.
From where he sat, Buck swallowed with some difficulty and looked down at his lap where he held his phone in his hands. He had no idea how to process everything that was happening, that Eddie was so happy to see him, Buck was overwhelmed and overloaded already and he felt a cold chasm open up in the bit of his stomach because while he was going to be reunited with his beloved Maddie, he'd also have to face Chim and he honestly had no idea how the older man would react.
Chim's voice messages that he had listened to ranged from casually disbelieving to slowly growing more and more angry and Buck's supposed reticence at not answering his phone, to finally full blown panic, just begging Buck to answer his phone, to call his sister and just give everyone confirmation that he was okay.
Bobby, Hen, Athena, Eddie, Maddie, all of them had left such similar messages and he hadn't been able to read or listen to it all.
He didn't know what to think or how to feel. Then another thought dawned on him and brought on fresh hellish horror.
" Oh my God, Christopher?!" Buck said as he looked up at Eddie with a stricken look.
Buck could only watch as Eddie's face crumbled for a second before he took a deep breath and nodded rapidly.
" Denny invited him to a sleepover, he's at Hen and Karen's. We'll go straight to him after Maddie." Eddie said thickly as he blinked back tears.
" Oh God, oh God he thinks I left him forever!" Buck whispered with a sob, devastation washing over him.
" Oh Buck." Eddie breathed as a couple of tears escaped him, he reached out with one hand as he drove, seeking out Buck's clenched fists.
Buck shut his eyes and leaned back in his seat, letting Eddie's touch ground him as the other man spoke.
" He kept on denying it when I told him, he kept saying it was a mistake, that you weren't gone and he was right. He was right and you'll prove it to him when you see him. Just breathe Buck, we're almost there, we're almost to Maddie." Eddie said as they turned off the highway.
About ten minutes later Eddie pulling into the parking lot of Maddie and Chim's building, taking advantage of the handicap permit that hung from his rear view mirror and parking in one of the blue squares that place provided. Eddie had barely turned off the ignition before he was running after a frantic Evan Buckley as they raced into the apartment building.
Buck didn't even bother with the elevator, literally flying up flight after flight of stairs until he reached the fourth floor, Eddie just a step behind him. When they reached the dark blue apartment door of the Buckley-Han residence Eddie stepped forward, giving a frantic Buck a reassuring gesture before he pressed the doorbell. When that didn't work, seeing as to how it was now one in the morning, Eddie pulled out his phone and quickly called Chim's number.
After several rings, a groggy voice finally answered.
" 'lo" Chim said eloquently as he sat up in bed with a grown, Maddie still asleep beside him, more out of her body being exhausted than actual peace.
" Chim, it's me Eddie." Came the reply.
Chim instantly grew more alert as he caught the urgency in the other man's voice.
" Eddie what is it? Did something happen to Christoper?" Chim asked quietly in concern as he glanced at his sleeping girlfriend.
" Chim, I'm right outside your door, please just come quick!" Eddie urged.
" What? Why?" Chimney asked in confusion.
" Please just come open the door man!" Eddie said and if Chimney didn't know better there was a lightness to his voice that was so very out of place given the week they'd all collectively had.
" Alright, alright I am coming." Chim said as he ended the call and then pulled back the covers.
He climbed out of bed, dressed in a baggy gray t-shirt and gray sweatpants and with another lingering look at Maddie who was still wearing Buck's hoodie, Chim shuffled out of the bedroom and down the hallway. He padded barefoot through the dimmed apartment, switching on the living room lights and groaning when his still sleepy eyes protested before he finally reached the front door. Feeling mildly annoyed but mostly concerned as to why Eddie Diaz was outside his apartment at this time of night, Chimney undid the locks and pulled the door open.
Chim's eyes fell on Eddie first, the taller man looking frazzled but excited despite his slightly reddened eyes, but when Chim's dark eyes shifted to the other figure standing next to him, dressed in a white long sleeve shirt and jeans, the world came to a grinding halt.
In the kitchen a single drop of water pooled at the end of the faucet, slowly gathering and growing in side before it finally dripped off and splashed onto the stainless steel sink.
There was this moment of silence that seemed to go on for infinity before Chim blinked, and then blinked again as he let out a shaky breath and spoke.
" B-Buck?" Chim whispered shakily.
" H-Hey Chim." Buck replied as he took a tentative step forward, stopping when the Korean man gasped softly and looked to Eddie in askance.
" Eddie wha?" Chim asked eloquently as he looked back and forth between Eddie and the ghost he had brought with him.
" It's him Chim, it's really him." Eddie said with a shaky smile as he too looked to Buck.
Buck stepped forward now and then slowly, carefully reached out and laid his hand on Chimney's shoulder.
" Oh my God." Chimney whispered as Buck's hand registered as solid and warm... alive.
Buck wanted nothing more than to pull Chimney to him, to reassure the man further that yes, yes he was real and alive, that it had all been one giant error, but Buck held back because not only did he have his own complicated emotions towards the Korean man and the way Chim himself had behaved towards him for the past three months, but because there was someone else who needed to see him alive more.
" Chim where is she?" Buck asked softly, desperately.
Chimney reached up and gripped Buck's wrist, the younger man feeling how badly he had started to tremble as Chim spoke.
" Sh-She's sleeping... She's barely gotten out of bed these last few days. She hasn't stopped crying... I haven't." Chim choked out as his face crumbled.
Buck squeezed Chimney's shoulder tightly but he hardened his resolve. Chim would have to come later, right now he had to go, he had to get to his poor big sister. Buck withdrew his hand, Chim already feeling bereft of it and stepped past him while Eddie followed after him into the apartment. He sent Chim an apologetic look and then turned to head down the hallway.
Instead, Buck stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the petite, blue hoodie clad figure standing barefoot at the start of the hallway.
Maddie Buckley stood pale and silent, her brown hair hanging limply about her head while her eyes were sunken in and her lips colorless. Her arms hung listlessly at her side. Her eyes though, her warm honey brown eyes were dull and lifeless as they gazed emptily back at Buck.
There was another moment of absolute stillness, and then with an animal-like yell Buck rushed forward as fast as his long legs could take him. This time there was no snow, now blood and bullet wounds, no Doug, just a not very dead brother running to the stunned big sister who though him lost to her forever.
" MADDIE!" He screamed as he barreled into his beloved sister, wrapping her in his arms and lifting her clean off her feet.
Maddie said and did nothing, she just hung limp in Buck's arms for several agonizingly long seconds. Then she slowly blinked and inhaled before a confused frown came across her face. She slowly looked down and then froze when her dark, honey brown eyes met those of desperate, tearful blue.
" Buck?" Maddie whispered.
" Maddie." Buck sobbed in reply as he crushed Maddie impossibly closer.
" Buck?" She said again, louder this time with her eyes steadily widening.
" Yeah, yeah Maddie!" Buck cried.
" BUCK?!" Maddie yelled as she wriggled her arms free and reached for Buck's face, taking it into her hands as Chim and Eddie watched on in tears themselves.
" Yeah." Buck breathed as he closed his eyes and reveled in Maddie's warm hands on his face.
" OH MY GOD BUCK! BUCK! EVAN! EVAAAAN!" Maddie screamed loudly and unashamedly and she wrapped her arms around her little brother's neck.
The Buckley sibling clung to each other with bone-crushing force as Buck carried Maddie into the living room, setting her down on the sofa and kneeling before her, all without ever letting her go. Chim quickly shut and locked the door before he and Eddie quickly made there way into the living room, Chim sitting down and wrapping an arm around Maddie and Buck, while Eddie knelt beside Buck and did the same, tears streaming down their own faces.
It was a very long time before anyone was able to say anything.
" You switched buses and they forgot to take your name off the passenger list, and you kept your phone on Do Not Disturb the entire time?" Maddie asked shakily once she had finally gotten a hold of herself. The four of them were together, Maddie and Chim on the sofa while Buck and Eddie sat on the floor, Buck's hands tightly clasping Maddie's still trembling ones over her knees.
" I am so sorry Mads. They said they had overbooked the bus I was on and then they switched me over to another one that was leaving half an hour later. I kept my phone off because I just wanted to disconnect and get away from everything and I... I didn't think I was going to get many calls anyway." Buck said as his tearful eyes shifted between Eddie and Chim, who both averted their gazes as they remember the many months they had kept Buck at arm's length and worse.
" I thought I lost you Evan." Maddie breathed as a fresh wave of tears spilled down her cheeks.
" I know and I am so sorry Maddie, God I am so sorry." Buck choked out as he leaned forward and rested his forehead over their joined hands.
He felt a larger, calloused hand come to rest over the back of his head, another large hand stroked his back. Chimney and Eddie.
When Buck finally straightened up and sniffled, Chim spoke.
" You said you disconnected completely, so no new feeds or TV or anything?" He asked curiously.
" No, none of it." Buck said quietly.
" You didn't turn your phone on at all?" Eddie asked quietly, a hardness seeping into his eyes.
" No Eddie, not even once. I just wanted to shut off everything that was going on here, every reminder of this place and the lawsuit, and how you guys just kept staying mad even after all these months. Peace, I just wanted some peace and maybe a chance to put this back together as much as I could." Buck said as his own eyes and tone hardened and he pointed to his chest, indicating his heart.
From where she sat, Maddie watched as looks of deep shame came across both her boyfriend and her brother's best friend's faces. Before she could say anything, Chim spoke.
" Buck I... What happens now?" He asked quietly.
" I don't know." Buck replied honestly, not really meeting Chim's gaze before he turned to Eddie.
" I wanna see Christopher so much, but it's late and he should sleep." Buck said softly.
Eddie felt his heart lurch at this, Buck still being so considerate of his son even after how horrible Eddie had been to him.
" Buck it's Saturday and these are the strangest circumstances. Let's all go to Hen's, my little boy needs to see his Buck." Eddie croaked out. Buck barely kept his face from crumbling again at that.
About twenty minutes later found Eddie and Buck back in Eddie's truck while Chim and Maddie followed after them in Chim's dark blue Nissan Sentra as they drove into a different part of the LA suburbs with the Wilson residence as their intended destination.
A few minutes later at the residence of Henrietta and Karen Wilson, Denny and Chris were naturally fast asleep since it was now around two in the morning. Then both boys were jolting awake by the unexpected sound of a shrill scream coming from downstairs.
" Oh!" Denny cried as he sat up startled, Christopher pushing himself up too and looking around in confusion.
" Denny... What's going on?" Chris asked as he reached for his glasses on the bedside table and put them on, the sounds of sobbing coming from downstairs.
" I don't know Chris, but that sounds like my mom, she's crying." Denny said fearfully and he and Chris looked to the closed door of his bedroom.
The sound of feet rapidly coming up the stairs had both boys tensing as the door to Denny's room slowly opened. Christopher and Denny both blinked when the door opened to reveal non-other than Christopher's dad.
" Daddy?" Chris asked, utterly confused as Eddie smiled tearfully and strode into the room.
" Hey mijo, I am so sorry we woke you." Eddie said gently as he took his son into his arms and also smiled warmly at Denny Wilson.
" Hey Denny." Eddie said as he patted the boy's arm.
" Hi Eddie, what happened? Why'd my mom scream?" Denny asked in concern.
" She just got surprised that's all, someone unexpected showed up tonight. Why don't we all head down and see who it is okay?" Eddie said warmly before he promptly scooped both boys up into his arms.
Eddie felt his own heart pounding inside his chest as he slowly made his way down the stairs to the first floor with Chris and Denny, trying not to tremble himself as the sobbing echoing through the whole house grew louder.
" It's okay guys, just look, look who it is." Eddie said as he reached the bottom of the stairs.
Chris and Denny looked into the living room and gasped at what they saw.
There was Denny's moms Hen and Karen, both crying and being hugged tightly by a tall man with blond hair and blue eyes, and a pink mark over his brow.
Buck looked up from where he was hugging Hen and Karen and let out a shaky breath when he finally caught sight of Christopher and Denny in Eddie's arms. Buck unwound his arms from the two ladies and slowly stepped forward not wanting to frighten the two confused kids, Eddie mirroring him and coming down the rest of the way while a tearful Maddie and Chimney watched on.
Eddie and Buck came to stand at arms length, Buck's focus solely on Christopher and Denny as he wiped at his face and forced his voice to work.
" H-Hey Chris, hey Denny." Buck began, receiving only stunned silence as both boys gawked at him.
Then Christopher's face was crumbling all at once, Denny's doing the same as both boys let out twin wails and turned away, burying their faces into Eddie's neck and sobbing.
" Oh no, oh guys no, no come here, come here it's okay." Buck said with his own tears falling.
" Guys hey, hey it's okay, it's really him, it's really Buck. You were right Chris, there was a mistake, they made a mistake and your Buck wasn't even on the bus that crashed. Mijo come on, don't cry. Denny it's okay, please don't cry." Eddie soothed tearfully.
After a few more moments of sobbing, both Chris and Denny finally unlatched themselves from Eddie's neck and took a good look at the man standing before them.
" I-I am here Chris, Denny. It's really me, I never got on that bus, I was on a different one." Buck croaked out.
There was another moment of silence and then all at once.
" Bucky!" Chris screamed.
" Buck!" Denny screamed too.
Then as one both boys were launching themselves at Buck, who easily caught them and held them to his chest, sinking to his knees just to be safer.
" Bucky I knew you weren't gone! I knew you wouldn't leave me and Daddy like that!" Chris wailed, causing Eddie to full on sob without shame as he ran a shaky hand through his hair.
"My mommies cried so much and I wanted to be brave, but I missed you so much Buck!" Denny added with his own wail, sending Hen and Karen into fresh hysterics.
" I know, I know and I am so sorry. I am so sorry you guys. I didn't know, I didn't know! I love you, I love you so much I am so sorry!" Buck cried without shame as the three of them clung to each other.
While this sweet reunion was unfolding, Chimney stepped aside and wiped at his face before he pulled out his phone and quickly pulled up a number to make an urgent call.
Fifteen minutes later there was an urgent knocking at the door to the Wilson house, everyone looking up from where they had all gathered around Buck, who was sitting on the sofa with Chris and Denny pressed to his sides. A still slightly stunned Hen got up to answer the door, a fresh sob and a smile coming to her face when she saw who had arrived.
Buck felt everything else fade away as Athena Grant rushed into the house, followed closely by Bobby Nash. Buck felt his heart stutter at the sight of both the police sergeant and fire Captain, both of whom appear to literally still be in their pajamas, Athena with a long coat thrown over what she had on while Bobby was in a t-shirt and sweatpants. The realization that Athena and Bobby had gotten the call and come running without even changing made Buck's heart do this strange little flip flop. Without saying a word, Eddie and Karen each took their respective son from Buck, both boys protesting but quickly understanding as Buck got up to properly greet the newest arrivals. Athena's eyes were bright, but her face was held neutral, while Bobby's expression was pensive, overwhelmed even.
Buck genuinely wonders if he's about to get yelled at when Athena strode forward and seized him in a breath stealing hug as she let out an unashamed sob.
" Baby. Baby thank you God!" Athena shouted as she stroked her hand over the back of his head, into his hair and down his back.
Buck could only let out a shaky breath as he hugged Athena back.
" Hey Athena." He said quietly while Athena started murmuring " Thank you" over and over again. They stayed like that for several long minutes before movement caught Buck's eye and he looked up to see Bobby step forward.
Seeming to sense her husband's presence, Athena looked over her shoulder with tears streaming from her eyes before she smiled shakily and nodded. She turned back to Buck and took his face into her hands, just staring up at him for a moment, drinking him in before she pulled his head down and placed a sweet kiss to his forehead. Buck felt his eyes tear up again at the loving, motherly gesture. Then Athena was stepping away leaving Buck and Bobby fully facing each other at last.
The two men, both tall and built, regarded each other silently. Buck was sure he looked a mess from all the crying and emotional upheaval, while Bobby was sure he looked no better, having rushed out of bed after being woken from a restless sleep and told by his flabbergasted wife that the one they had been mourning for five days now was suddenly very much alive and back among them. His hair was in disarray and he had several days of stubble gracing his cheeks because he hadn't even bothered to shave in his grief.
The silence reigned for what seemed like forever before Bobby finally spoke.
" Y-Your name was on the passenger list... Chief Alonzo mailed some of your things to the police in Colorado so that they could have DNA to identify you. We've been waiting all these days." The fire captain said, almost sounding dazed as he took a tiny step closer.
Part of Buck wanted to step back, remembering the last time he had seen this man a week ago, the callousness with which he had been dismissed mid-shift, another part of him wanted to just fall right into Bobby's arms and weep, to apologize for the chaos he had caused by not turning on his phone. Instead Buck made no move either way, standing right were he was as he spoke.
" Greyhound overbooked me, there wasn't a seat on that bus so they switched me over to another bus that took off half an hour later on a different route. I went full radio silence, kept my phone off, didn't check Facebook or Instagram. I didn't even watch the news." Buck explained shakily.
" I thought I'd lost you." Bobby croaked out brokenly.
" I was on vacation." Buck replied without missing a beat, feeling strangely calm and disconnected now, almost numb.
Then next thing Buck knew he was being tackled into yet another bone-bending hug.
" Oh my God, oh my God Hi, Hi Buck." Bobby sobbed as he held Buck, reassuring himself that this was real through touch, feeling Buck's solid presence in his arms, catching the faint scent of shampoo and sweat, hearing the younger man breath against him.
" Hey Bobby." Buck breathed as he hesitated for a moment before he raised his own arms and hugged Bobby back.
There was a violent maelstrom of emotions swirling about inside Buck as he stood there wrapped in Bobby's arms. Joy warred with low, seething anger, dejection with fledgling hope. He was in the arms of his father after so long, but this was the very same man who had been all to happy to send him away. He was surrounded by the family he had pined away for for three months, but just a week before most of them had still been treating him like the lowest pariah.
What was he supposed to do?