It was like a horror movie. One second Eddie is practically being held back by Chimney and Hen as Bobby frantically radioes over and over for Mariana and the next second the train car he was in ten minutes earlier is crashing to the ground.
Eddie should honestly be used to how many times he's watched the love of his life be in life threatening moments, but it never gets easier. In fact, it gets worse. Could he and Buck have secured the car before they left? Could he have checked out the other cars rather than helping with the mobile home? Could he have just called them both in as sick and laid in bed with her and their son all day?
He didn't know when everything became "we", "us", and "ours". Christopher was now their son. They lived in their house. When he thought about their life from things like paying bills to getting groceries, he always referred to it as ours. Being around Mariana was like breathing fresh air and now it felt like he had been sucker punched in the chest.
He didn't even remember moving until Buck and Bobby grabbed him to stop him from running straight into the wreckage. He clutched onto the edge of the ambulance in an attempt to keep himself from falling to his knees. A silent prayer ran through his mind over and over again. Please, please, don't let this be it.
The horrible grating noise of metal crushing metal subsided and the dust began to settle, revealing the back half of the fourth car completely demolished under the weight of the other car. Hen raised her hand to her mouth in muted horror and Chimney sat on the edge of the ambulance stunned.
"Ramirez." Bobby desperately tried the radio. "Ramirez, come in."
Silence. Everyone around them had stopped to watch as the train came down and now it felt like the world was frozen based on how they all just...didn't move. Eddie felt like he was going to be sick.
"Ramirez. Mariana. Please come in."
The other end of the radio crackled with static before shutting off.
"Mariana, I need you to say something."
"...-ez, ca-...-ear me?"
Eddie's head snapped up and he stared at the wreckage as Bobby raised the radio once more.
"Mari, is that you?"
"Affirmative, Cap." Her voice rang out clear over the radio. "Diego and I are safe and unharmed. We're near the front under a support beam. Buck will know what I'm talking about."
"You heard her," Bobby announced to his team.
That was all the confirmation Buck needed to rush to the wreckage with Eddie hot on his heels. Metal sheets from the side of the train covered a majority of the debris and Buck started yanking them off from the pile.
"Mari!" Eddie yelled.
"Over here!" Her voice was muffled but they could hear her to the right. He climbed over the wreckage and pulled the sheet metal off, revealing a metal beam resting over two seats creating an air pocket. The dust shifted and revealed an LAFD jacket as Mariana moved.
"Hi," she said lamely as she turned her head to see him.
"You are the biggest pain in my ass," he announced as she bent down to lift Diego up and pass him to Buck. Eddie threw her rules out of the window and wrapped his girlfriend into a tight hug, ignoring the dust and dirt that clung to her. She grabbed his arms for support and shut her eyes at his familiar touch.
"Never do that again," he ordered. "I can't lose you."
"Yeah, that I can agree with," she breathlessly laughed. "Never thought I'd be grateful for physics."
/
Mariana bit down on her thumb in an attempt to not scream right then and there in the middle of the ICU wing. Eddie pressed a steady hand against the small of her back but Mariana couldn't stop the rush of emotions that punched her in the chest.
"Life support," she stated bluntly. "What does that mean for us?"
"Mrs Holloway will be on life support until we determine if there's hope for recovery. Her injuries sustained in the crash were far more severe than paramedics could determine. She had heavy internal bleeding," Dr Greyson answered.
"Yeah, I was the paramedic that treated her."
"You did what you could in the field," the tall doctor assured her. "It's just a matter of waiting now. You are her next of kin since I understand her husband is not allowed to make the decision. We will keep you updated."
"Thank you," Mariana sighed and shook Dr. Greyson's hand before he left. Mariana leaned back against the wall and ran a hand through her hair, her eyes shutting with concentration.
"Hey, what are you thinking about?" Eddie asked as he moved to stand right next to her. She tilted her head up to look at him.
"Trying to think of what to do next. I figure I'll stay at the house with Diego for a bit until I can figure out a better place and the-"
"Woah, what are you talking about?" Eddie cut her off with a bewildered stare. "Where did moving come into this?"
"What else should I be doing, Eddie? I'm not leaving him again and I don't expect you to drop everything and take in my nephew. I have to check with his schools and I need to call his social worker and...fuck, I don't know what to do."
"Hey, hey." He grabbed her shoulders to stop her from pacing and moved his hands up to cup her cheeks. "I'm in this for the long run if you are. We do this together. We have a guest bedroom, we have the extra cash, we have the ability to care for him, and Chris loves hanging out with Diego. You don't have to do this alone, Mariana."
"This isn't fair to you. You shouldn't have to put up with me and my fucked up family. I can't ask that of you."
"You never asked. I want to do this. I know how much Diego means to you. When I say my family is my number one priority, that includes you and since Diego is a part of you, then I will take care of him too."
He ran his thumb over her cheeks and she blinked up at him with those wide brown eyes. Eddie offered her a small smile and she leaned her head against his shoulder.
"All of this is such a mess," she whispered as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her in closer.
"And you have me to help," he reminded her. "I already called Tyler and let him know about Valentina. The trial is set to continue still because there's no medical timeline for Valentina."
"It's next week," she sighed. "One fucking week."
"And Buck and I will be there. He has no power in this situation. You have all of the power."
Mariana couldn't find the words to respond. She thought about the e-mail on her phone, the letter in her gear bag, and the letter sent to Valentina that she had pulled out of her aunt's jeans and pocketed to read later. It felt like Daniel had a lot of the power just through the fear that gripped her.
"Let's go rescue Diego from Travis and Buck and go home. I think Chris will be very excited to have his buddy around all the time," Eddie murmured, his lips pressed against her temple. Mariana nodded and pulled away from him, looking back at Valentina's hospital room one last time.
Eddie led her to the ICU waiting room where Buck and Travis were seated with Diego in between them. Diego bounded towards his aunt and hugged her legs the second she entered the room, looking up at her with those eyes that reminded her of Luis. She carded her fingers through his messy dark hair and nodded gratefully at her two friends.
"Thank you guys."
"Don't mention it." Travis waved her off. "Little man is like a smaller, more fun and calm version of you. And Buckley here isn't so bad."
The two guys exchanged a grin that had Mariana raising an eyebrow. The last thing she needed was those two ganging up on her. She decided to ignore them for now and looked back down at Diego.
"How do you feel about coming to live with Eddie and I for a bit?"
"Can I play video games with Christopher?"
"Of course," she promised. "Maybe Buck will come by one day and you and Christopher can gang up on him together."
Diego beamed up at her and Mariana had to bite down the urge to scream. She had failed this kid so many times and she was just waiting for the final shoe to drop at this point.