Eddie had been driving on the freeway for what seemed like forever. Chris had been with Carla because he had wanted to stay the night with her. He had been driving towards where he could get off so he could get something to eat. Exit 43 had been coming up, and he had glanced in front of him and saw that a car was driving the wrong way. He then swerved and then his truck rolled many times, resting on the hood. His world then went black, but he wouldn't be under the darkness for long.
Bobby and the others had been on the accident, for quite some time now. Even Athena was on the scene. Diaz had regained enough consciousness to reach for his phone and call 911. He then pressed the 3 digits, and then called. And then May was the one who answered. "911, are you calling about the accident?" she asked. "I-I t-h-ink I-I was in it." Eddie said. "Sir, you need to speak up. I can't understand you." she said, and then the line went dead. She then waved Sue over. "I just received a call from someone who claims he was in the accident. And then the line went dead." she said. "Dispatch to 118, we just received a call from a gentleman that claims he was in the freeway accident." Sue said. "Dispatch, we evacuated everyone out of their vehicles, is he sure he was in this one?" Bobby asked. "He says he is, but we're going to call back and get some more information." Sue said. "10-4." he said.
"Call back and see if we can get some more information out of him." Sue said. May then typed a few things into the computer that brought up and the phone started to ring through the headset. "This is Eddie Diaz, can't come to the phone right now. Leave a message after the tone." the voicemail said. She then clicked to the radio and said, "Bobby, the call came from Eddie." "What'd the message say?" Buck said, voice almost on the verge of tears. "Said his name and said he couldn't come to the phone right now." she said. "And leave a message after the tone." he said. And that's when they started to run "Eddie!" Buck yelled. And they searched any and every car.
"Dispatch, where did that call come from?" Bobby said. May then pinged the last known location. "Looks like near exit 43." she said. "He wasn't behind the accident, he was in front of it. Let's go!" he yelled. They all then ran to the trucks and then got in, sirens blaring. They then came across exit 43 and then jumped out of the trucks. "EDDIE!" Buck yelled. And then he saw tire tracks. "I got tire tracks going off the road here." he said. Everyone then started running to where Buck was. "That's his truck." Bobby said. Hen grabbed the backboard and then ran down to where they were.
And then Buck crawled through the passenger side window, which was down. "Ok, I'm cutting his belt." he said. He then grabbed his pocket knife out and then cut the belt. "Chim get on the other side." he said. Chim then climbed in with a neck brace and helped Buck pull Eddie out. He put the brace around his and he was placed on the backboard. And Chim and Hen checked his vitals. She put the BP cuff on his left arm and pumped. "BP 90/60 and falling, we need to transport fast." she said. "Let's lift on my count, 1-2-3." she said. They then lifted in sync and walked up the hill and to the stretcher, which was sitting out and waiting for them.
Chim and Hen then hopped in and then Buck closed the doors. Chim intubated, while Hen examined his lower body. She then felt around and then said, "He's bleeding internally. We need to speed it up." And then the alarm went off, "He lost his pulse." Chim said, pumping the ambu bag. "Starting compressions." she said. She then started compressions. Eddie's face had been covered in blood and he had bruises along his chest. He probably had a broken rib but they would leave that to the hospital once they got there. "Come on Eddie, don't do this now." she grunted, while still doing compressions.
She did compressions for another minute, until they got a pulse. "I got a pulse." Chim said, voice cracking. She was out of breath, doing compressions for 2 minutes. They then pulled up to the hospital and then brought Eddie out and went inside. Meanwhile, Buck and Bobby had been on their way to the hospital, after they went to the station and grabbed Chim and Hen's duffel bags and when they changed into their plain clothes. Bobby had decided to let everyone leave early after what happened with Eddie came unexpectedly. They both then arrived at the hospital, in 2 separate vehicles.
They then spotted Hen and Chim in the waiting room, Chim skimming a magazine. "Hey, any news?" Bobby asked. "No, we've been sitting here an hour." she said. "We brought your bags; Bobby let us have the rest of the shift off since everything here came unexpectedly." Buck said, handing Chim his bag. "We lost his pulse in the ambulance on the way here. We almost lost him." Chim said, his voice cracking. "Hen did compressions for 2 minutes, I thought he was gone." he continued, on the verge of tears. "He had significant bruising on his chest, he was probably bleeding internally. I know we all thought he was dead when we found him." she said. "We've been sitting here an hour waiting for some sort of news, but it'll be another hour before we find out something more." Chim said.
"But, the good thing is that you got him here; alive." Bobby said, taking a seat. Buck then took a seat next to Chim and then Hen went to get changed, and then Chim did 30 minutes later. Their night had winded down fast, they had been sitting in the waiting room for 3 hours, Buck was getting restless; Hen was now asleep, and Bobby and Chim were skimming through magazines. And 4 hours later, the doctor came out. Buck then shook Hen awake, because she was still asleep. "I'm assuming you all are here for Edmundo Diaz?" the doctor asked. "We call him Eddie, but yes." Bobby said.
"So, when Eddie first arrived; we rushed straight into surgery. And he lost a good amount of blood. His spleen was shredded, one of his ribs is broken." the doctor said. "So, there's no brain damage?" Hen asked, her voice cracking. "No, he never hit head; I did a CT and there was no damage." the doctor said. "His sats are normalized, so he's on the nasal cannula; and we have him lightly sedated so he's not awake right now." the doctor said. "Can we see him?" Buck asked. "You can, follow me." the doctor said.
They then followed the doctor to the ICU, and into the corner of the ICU, where Eddie was. They then walked in and took in everything. He had a neck brace on his neck, nasal cannula in and his face, bruised and now cleaned from the blood. But his face still showed the cuts. Buck knew that he would probably have to be the one to take Eddie to his physical therapy appointments for the next from what the doctor said: 6-12 weeks. Even Carla would have to help out with Chris. And he also knew that Bobby would allow it because he thought of the 118 as his family. Buck would probably also be the one that would stay in the hospital, until Eddie woke up that was.
It was now 8 pm, the last time either one of them looked at the clock, it was 4pm. Visiting hours would be over in 30 minutes, so Bobby, Hen, and Chim wouldn't be there for much longer. Buck knew that he would be the only one staying the night. That 30 minutes then was up and Bobby, Hen, and Chim then left; with Chim and Hen with their duffels. Buck then finally took the chair, after standing for so long. He had let Hen and Bobby sit and left him and Chim standing, he never minded he usually always liked standing.
He then eventually fell asleep after about an hour and then woke up that next morning early. He had been sore from the accident yesterday, but he would power through it. He then looked at his phone and saw he had a message from Bobby. "The chief allowed us to be off for the rest of the week due to what happened last night, figured I would let you know." the message read. Now, he could be at the hospital with Eddie for the whole week, if needed. "H-hurts." Eddie rasped. "Woah, hey Eddie; it's ok you'll be sore for awhile." Buck said. "What the hell happened?" Eddie asked. "Well, you called 911 and then we found you, unconscious Hen mentioned we almost lost you." he said.
Eddie then sat up more in the bed and then noticed the neck brace around his neck. "Why do I have this damn thing around my neck?" he asked. "Because, it's just because the doctor wants to be safe." Buck said. "Why does it have to be me!" he said. "Eddie, we all thought you were dead. Hen did compressions on you for 2 freaking minutes! She also thought she lost you right then and there in the ambulance." Buck said. "I don't know why I am still your friend after the damned lawsuit! I don't need no help!" he yelled. And that's where it went wrong. "I-I, I think it's better for me if I go now." Buck said, standing up and grabbing his coat. And so with that, Buck walked out of the room and shut the door, a tear falling down.
And Eddie just sat there, in the quiet room. With the beeping of the monitor behind him. Buck reached his apartment after driving the 15 minutes from the hospital. He then grabbed his notepad and a pen and wrote a note "Don't come look for me, I'll be fine." the note said. He then cleaned his apartment hoping no one would notice anything. And then he packed a suitcase and a duffel bag and put it in his Jeep. He locked the door, and walked to his Jeep and got in and started it and drove off. He didn't know where he was going, all he knew was that he wanted to leave California; and so he did. He found an air bnb in Portland, Oregon. He drove 14+ hours, stopping for gas along the way.
That next morning at the hospital, Bobby and Chim had come to see Eddie. And when they walked in, they didn't see Buck. "Hey Eddie, where's Buck?" Chim asked. "Well, he told me what happened and all and then I told him that I don't know why I am still his friend because of the lawsuit and that I didn't need any help from him and then he left around 5:30 after that." he said. "Eddie, that lawsuit was over and done with. You know that brought pain to Buck because no one wanted to talk to him." Bobby said. "He even almost quit the LAFD because of it. But luckily for me and Hen; we noticed. We noticed everything, that he was sitting in the corner of the kitchen, sinking into the couch chair because he didn't want to cause trouble, he wanted to hide. But we both put a stop to it." Chim said. "And he was always quiet, but we all were dumb enough to not notice. Even you." Bobby said.
"Eddie, you know this is a painful memory for Buck. This is why we don't talk about it today, you need help. You'll need someone to take you to your physical therapy appointments, and that person was supposed to be Buck; but you ran him out." Chim said. And that's when Eddie got quiet. "Did someone grab my phone from the accident?" Eddie choked. "Yeah, Buck did. I guess he left your phone here on the side table." Bobby said, grabbing his phone. Eddie then took his found and found his way to Buck's name. Meanwhile, Buck was drinking his sorrows away at his air bnb. He heard his phone ring and saw that it was Eddie trying to call him.
And he declined automatically. He didn't feel like talking to anyone right now. "Great, now he's not even answering the phone." Eddie said. "Well, let me and Bobby go over there and see if he's home." Chim said. They both then left and Eddie sat there, he knew he screwed up; and now he probably lost his best friend because of it. He probably would get yelled at by Maddie for doing this, he would probably get a lecture from everyone. When Bobby and Chim reached Buck's apartment, Bobby grabbed the spare key that Buck kept under his mat and unlocked the door. When they walked in, they noticed that the apartment was clean, which Buck never did was clean. "Damn, Buck cleaned up nicely." Chim said. "Buck! You here?" Bobby said. And that's when Chim found the note. "He's gone, the note says "Don't come look for me, I'll be fine- Buck." he said reading the note.
"I really never expected him to leave. But where would he go?" Bobby said. "That, I don't know; the lawsuit brings up painful memories for him when we all didn't give him a shoulder to lean on." Chim said. "Now, we have to find a replacement for him until he gets back, that's if he does." Bobby said. "Let's just hope he either comes back or Maddie gets a call from a hospital." Chim said. "Well, let me text Eddie and tell him." Bobby said. He then walked out the front door and clicked on Eddie's name in his messages. "Buck's gone, left a note saying "Don't come look for me, I'll be fine." Bobby typed. "Now I'm probably going to get yelled at by Maddie, it's my fault anyway." the message from Eddie said. "Eddie, you know you are supposed to not think that, you're supposed to remember that the lawsuit brings painful memories to Buck; and the lawsuit was 6 months ago and we treated him like nothing 5 months ago." Bobby typed on his phone.
"I know but I got so damn mad about everything that I took it out on him. It's my fault. I'm just so damn stubborn and he was offering me help. And then I declined it and took my anger out on him, which led me to bringing up the lawsuit." the message from Eddie said. "Eddie, you know Buck wants to help; that's what he's all about. He cares, he cares about helping you. You can't shut him down and get mad; that's not what help is." Bobby replied back. "I know, and I am starting to realize that. I'm starting to realize that I shouldn't have brought up the lawsuit. I'm starting to realize a whole number of things that I shouldn't have done." Eddie replied. "Chim's going to tell Maddie, but I don't know if she wants to file a missing person's report on him or not. I'm going to call Athena and tell her to come over to Buck's." Bobby replied.
"Ok." Eddie replied. Bobby then went back inside and saw Chim leaning against the kitchen island. "Trying to figure out how to tell Maddie?" he asked. "Yeah, she's working right now. You going to call Athena?" Chim asked. "It'd be better that way, you'll probably call Hen." he said. "Yeah, I was going to call her first before I did Maddie; she's on break in about 30 minutes. I'll call her then." Chim said, looking at the time. It was noon, and it seemed like it was night; when it wasn't. Bobby called Athena, who thankfully had time to come over and then Chim called both Hen and Maddie. Athena and Hen then walked in at the same time. "So, since you both called us in an emergency. What's wrong?" Athena asked. "Buck's missing. He left a note and then Eddie tried to call him but he never answered." Chim said. "Now, what does Eddie have to do with this?" Hen questioned. "Because, Eddie got mad and then he took it out on Buck. Which led him to bringing up the lawsuit, and we haven't seen or heard from him since so he tried to call Buck but he either declined the call or never answered." Bobby said.
"Have you asked around yet?" Athena asked. "No, we never got the chance to; we've been thinking about where he would go." Chim said. "What I need to know, is what time did Eddie see him last?" she said. "Eddie said the last time he saw him was when Buck was at the hospital and Buck left around 5:30. And whenever he got mad." Bobby said. "So he's been gone 19 hours. And no one has heard from him and the only person who has seen him is Eddie?" she asked. "We all saw him at the hospital, which we were there until visiting hours were up at 8:30 that night he was admitted." Hen said. And then Maddie walked in the door, 30 minutes later. It was coming up on 1:30, almost 20 hours since Buck left/went missing. "Why are we all here?" she asked. "Maddie, I hate it to break it to you; but your brother left after he left the hospital when he was staying with Eddie." Chim said. "But why did Buck leave, why someone better tell me something!" she exclaimed.
"Well, Buck was with Eddie at the hospital last night and Buck was telling him what had happened. And then Eddie got mad whenever Buck brought up physical therapy and it led him to bringing up the lawsuit." Hen said. "Here's my question, how long has he been gone?" she asked. "He's been gone almost 20 hours; it's coming up at 1:30 now." Bobby said, showing the time on his phone. "Maddie, before you get mad at Eddie; he knows it's his fault, he knows that he's stubborn, he knows everything. All he did was just take his anger out on Buck and now Buck's gone. We don't know where he would go, there's multiple places that he could go. But none of those might not be where he is." Hen said. "So what are we going to do?" she said, now sitting on the edge of the couch. "That's what we are trying to figure out. Buck was supposed to be taking Eddie to physical therapy for the next 6-12 so he could get strength back on his legs due to how long he was trapped." Athena said.
"All we are trying to do is think of ways for him to come back; I know you want him back Maddie." Chim said. "Have any of you besides Eddie tried to call him?" she asked. "I sent him a message earlier but he never said anything back." Bobby said. "We'll find him. But Maddie, do you want to put in a missing persons report or not?" Athena asked. "No, I don't want to make this on the news; I just want to keep this between all of us in the room. I don't want no one else figuring out exactly what is going on." she said. Meanwhile, Buck had been sitting on the couch; flipping the channels. He hated that Eddie brought up the lawsuit to him, which brought up painful memories. He hadn't had any nightmares so far; but the only thing he had was flashbacks. He had only been gone almost 2 days and everyone was probably wondering where he would go.
He had been out to get groceries at the nearby store once. His mailbox back home had probably been packed full with mail; but Maddie was probably getting it from the mailbox and putting it on the kitchen table. He was debating whether to call Maddie and tell her where he was, and tell her not to tell the others. But he needed someone to talk to. And then so he grabbed his phone off the charger and then dialed Maddie's number. Maddie had still been at Buck's apartment. The others had left to go to the hospital to try to get Eddie calmed down. She then heard her phone ring on the kitchen island. And then she saw who was calling her, Buck. "Buck, where are you?" she asked when she picked up. "Mads, I'm in Portland. I drove here 2 days ago throughout the night to come here; and now I'm in an air bnb that I'm renting for who knows how long." he said. "Buck, are you saying that you want me to come out there?" she asked.
"Mads, I haven't talked to anyone while I have been here. It's just I need a familiar face. Can you come out here, please?" he said, voice cracking. "I'd have to talk to Josh or Sue and see what I can do. Do you want just me?" she asked. "Just you. Don't tell anyone else." he said. "Let me see what I can do. I'll text you when I am coming." she said. "Ok, love you." he said. "Love you too, see you soon." she said. She then hung up the phone and then gathered her thoughts together, her brother in Portland but why would he be there? But she was going to keep his promise and not tell anyone else. She didn't want anyone else going with her. She then talked to Sue and she allowed her a week off, for personal things that she had to do. And then so she found a ticket that flew from LAX to Portland International.
She messaged Buck and told him that she was coming, and that she was coming on Sunday; and would be staying until Friday. She had lied to Chim and the others that she was going to Pennsylvania, to see her mom and dad; which she really wasn't. She then packed her suitcase that would last her a week. Her flight then took off Sunday morning and landed that night. She had called Buck and told him that she landed, so it would make it easier for him to find her. And she walked out the double sliding doors and then she saw Buck, standing there and waiting for her. She then ran up to him, and hugged him. "Never ever freaking run again." she said, releasing herself from him. "I won't. But I have given it some thought, when you leave Saturday; I will as well. So, you basically don't have to buy another airplane ticket. Because you can ride with me." he said, taking her suitcase. "So, this will be our little secret from the others." she said, opening the passenger door. "Pretty much yeah." he said, closing the tailgate of his Jeep.
They both then got in and then he drove to his air bnb, which was 30 minutes away. Once he parked in the driveway of his air bnb, they got out and he grabbed her suitcase, and then wheeled it to the front door and then unlocked the door and then let her walk in first. "You cleaned this place pretty good." she said. "Well, I had to since you were coming you don't want to know what this was like before I cleaned it." he said, walking into the spare bedroom and then put her suitcase on the bed. They then went out the rest of that week and then Saturday morning had come, both their alarms went off at 3:30 am; they wouldn't get back home until 5:30-6:00 that night.
Buck then stopped at the gas station so they could fill up on gas and then get snacks and coffee for along the way. Maddie knew that Chim would be at their apartment sleeping, or either making breakfast; so she would probably stay at Buck's at least til Monday morning because she would be going to work that day and she had only put in for a half day because she was going with Buck to the station so she could surprise them, except for Eddie. Buck had finally put all his things back in the dresser once they reached his place and where they would usually go and then he went through his pile of mail that had been sitting on the kitchen counter, from when Maddie went and got the mail.
The one thing that had been a plus was that Maddie actually did leave her car at Buck's so she wouldn't have to drive back from the airport. They both had taken a nap, because they both needed it. Maddie then went to work on Monday morning and then she would get off at 12:00. Buck didn't want to go out yet because no one else knew that he was back except for Maddie. He then decided to do his laundry, which had been piling up and it needed to be done. Maddie was home by 12:30, the others would still be at the station. They both were in the kitchen getting ready to leave. "Are you ready to do this?" she asked, grabbing her keys. "I guess, I don't know what led me to driving 14 hours to Portland; I needed somewhere to clear my head and I guess Portland was the pick to do so." he said.
"Well, I think we should get going." she said. They both then walked out the front door, Buck locking the door on his way out. She decided to drive her car, so no one else could suspect anything out of the others when they see a familiar Jeep in the parking lot. When she pulled up, she saw the fire trucks in the bay so they probably were all upstairs in the beanery. "Stay here, When I say surprise you come up," she whispered, starting to walk up the stairs. "Alright." he whispered.
She then walked up the stairs and saw Bobby starting on lunch and then Hen setting the table and Chim talking. "It's just, I never expected him to leave all of a sudden; We all have heard nothing out of him. Except for the night that Eddie was admitted." she heard Chim say. "Chim, he'll come back. Give him time; we'll give him some space." Hen said. "You know, he'll come back eventually. Like Hen said we have to give him some time for him to get himself under control." she said. "Maddie, what brings you here?" Bobby asked, putting lasagna in the oven. "Well, I have brought over a special surprise." she said. Buck then started walking up the stairs. Chim and Hen then stared, and then they saw the familiar face.
"Buck!" Hen said. "So, Chim you remember how I said I was going to Pennsylvania to see my parents?" she said. "Well, that was a lie because I flew to Portland where Buck was. He had wanted me to come out there, and so I did," she continued. "So, you lied and went to see Buck?" he questioned. "Well, he called me on Thursday saying he hadn't talked to no one since he arrived in Portland on Tuesday. And so, I purchased a flight there. And then he told me that he wanted to come back home. So, here is your surprise." she said. "Look, before you all say anything; I didn't mean to run off with just a simple note. I got angry and I needed a place to run, and I didn't know where to go; so I drove to Portland throughout the night on Monday evening into Tuesday morning." he said. "Buck, it doesn't matter anymore; at least you are back where you belong." Bobby said, hugging him.
"Eddie is on at least a week's rest at home. " Chim said. "Well, since now we have everyone back; care to join us for lunch?" Bobby asked. "I'd be happy to," he said, taking a chair and then Maddie sitting next to him, Chim next to her. The lasagna was then done after 35 minutes; they all then started to eat and then once they finished eating, they started to talk about everything Buck had missed. "Well, it's good to have you back Buck." Hen said, patting his shoulder. "It's good to be back, I missed you guys." he said. "We missed you too," Chim said. They then talked for another 30 minutes before they got a call. "Catch you later Buck." he heard Hen yell. He then waved and then him and Maddie then left so they could get over to Eddie's and surprise him.
When they came up on Eddie's place, he spotted Carla's car in the driveway and so that meant she could help him out with surprising Eddie. "You ready?" she asked, putting the car in park. "I am, Eddie was probably the worst off since I ran off." he said. "He was, he was blaming himself for everything. Bobby then eventually made him realize that it wasn't his fault. He also mentioned that Eddie was starting to realize a bunch of things that he shouldn't have had said." she said.
They then got out of the car and walked to the front door. She then knocked on the door and then Carla was the one that opened the door. "Don't tell Eddie who's at the door." she whispered. Carla then looked who was standing next to her. "I won't, come on in." she said. "Where is Eddie anyway?" Maddie asked. "Upstairs, last thing I knew he was sleeping; if he's not, he's in Christopher's room playing with him." she said. "How's he doing by the way?" Maddie questioned. "Recovery's been tough; he's been hurting on some days and then fine some other days. It's been a rollercoaster, but he should be back to work on Monday." she said, grabbing a cup. "At least you've had a little helper." Buck said. They then went outside and then Carla followed them.
"So, Buck; when'd you get back in town?" she asked, taking a patio chair. "Yesterday evening, with Maddie." he said. "With Maddie?" she questioned. "Well, long story short; he called me on Thursday last week saying that he was in Portland, he hadn't talked to anyone since he arrived there and he wanted me to come out there." Maddie said. "And then I purchased a ticket and flew out there Sunday. And then he told me that he was coming back when I left." she continued. "And, so we left Portland at 3:30 am yesterday. And we got back at 5:30-6:00pm." he said. "Bobby and the others already know, we just have to surprise Eddie that he is here because I told Buck that he still felt guilty about everything that went down." Maddie said.
"Eddie still thinks about it some and how he misses you and screwed up and wants to apologize." Carla said. They all then heard laughing coming from inside. "Well, I guess he's in Chris's room," he said. "So, Buck; are you going to go up there?" she asked. "I guess, I have to soon rather than later." he said, standing up out of his chair. He then opened the sliding door and shut it and then started to walk towards the stairs. He then found Chris's door, shut and then giggling from the inside. He was thinking about either knocking or just walking in.
And so then he lightly tapped his knuckle on the door. "Come in." he heard Eddie yell. And then he opened the door. Eddie then looked up and then saw who was standing there. "Buck!." Chris said. "Hey buddy," he said. "Buck, when did you come back into town?" Eddie asked, standing up from where he was sitting on the floor. "Yesterday, with Maddie." he said. "With Maddie?" Eddie said. "Yeah, I called her Thursday last week telling her where I was. And that I hadn't talked to anyone since I arrived." he said. "Where were you?" Eddie questioned. "Portland, Oregon. I didn't know where to go so I just picked a place and then stuck with it and that place was Portland. Maddie flew out on Sunday and then I told her that I wanted to come back home. And then we left Portland at 3:30 am and got back yesterday evening." he said. "Buck, look. I'm sorry that I shouldn't have brought up the lawsuit; I got so mad and angry that I took it out on you. And I shouldn't have done that. I screwed up, which made me realize a whole bunch of things that I've done to screw everything up." Eddie said.
"Eddie, it doesn't matter, I am back home now and I am not running away. Again." he said. They then both hugged and they both sat on the floor and started to play with Chris. Buck was glad to be back home and where he belonged and he promised everyone that he wouldn't run off, ever again. Eddie then was back to work that next week and Buck was already back at work, the day after he surprised everyone. Nothing would ever stop Buck from splitting up from the team ever again and he wouldn't make it happen, ever.