"Whoa, whoa, whoa. He's fine Mr. Diaz. We took the scans and the swelling has completely gone down. The seizures must have been caused by the experience and the moderate injuries Mr. Buckley's body sustained. He should stay here for one more night of observation, we'll put him on antibiotics for his injuries and tomorrow he'll be free to go home." relive flooded Eddie's and he thanked the doc after shaking his hand.
He turned to go back to Buck's when the Doctor spoke again. "Oh and by the way, he probably shouldn't be alone in the off chance his body decided to seize but it is mostly 1 in a million chances. So, if someone could stay with him just for a day or 2 I think that would be best." Eddie nodded with a quick smile.
"Don't worry He's got me and my little boy to look after him." The doctor smiled and said quickly before turning and walking back down the hall.
"Well, he sure is a lucky boy to have a best friend like you." Walking back to Buck's room, he shook his head in disagreement with the doc. 'No Buck isn't the lucky one, I'm the lucky one to have a friend like Buck'. Feeling almost giddy about the good news he could tell Buck he opened the hospital door without knocking and the sight he saw stopped him flat.
"Hey Buck, guess wha..." Standing in the middle of the room was their fire station crew. Bobby, Hen, Chimney, Albert and some various other people that Buck had made friends with over the years.
"Hey Eddie. We called you but it went to voicemail so we all decided to come on over and check on our favorite superstar before heading into work." Eddie finished walking into the room and the utter joy he had on his face was unmistakable.
"No worries Cap. He just got the all clear to head home tomorrow as long as he has someone with him for a day or two." Concern crossed Bobby's face and the fatherly glance he gave to the sleeping Buck wasn't missed by anyone. He looked like he was going to ask another question when a groan softly came from the bed. All heads snapped towards the occupant who did not cease moaning but in fact started to whimper as well.
"Ah heck, he must be having a nightmare." 7 pairs of eyes trained themselves on Eddie and he suddenly felt himself withering under their gazes. "He has them occasionally. Mostly about the... You know the 'water thing' and the whole leg injury." He ran his hand through his hair as he sat beside the bed and started gently shaking Evan's arm to wake him up. Bobby noticed how lightly Eddie had referenced Buck's injuries and he made a note to talk to Buck if even mentioning the incidents could make him worse. It made his heart ache in a way it hadn't since his family had died the way his 'son' was hurting.
They might not be related by blood but in Bobby's book Buck became his son the moment that he had opened up to him and showed him the real Buck hidden deep beneath the playboy that they all saw. Oh, were they blind back then. Everybody, including Bobby himself, thought that Buck was just another vain, shallow, playboy, who didn't like hard work and only cared about Numero Uno. But the second that Buck let his inner walls crack just a bit, the amount of light that shone out shocked Bobby.
All of those things that they thought Buck was, it was all just a façade. A cover because Evan couldn't bear to be hurt again. Not like the way his parents had hurt him. Striding up and stopping by the bed's head. Bobby reached his hand out as Eddie's ministrations to get him to wake up were failing miserably, he glided his hand through Evan's hair and repeated the motion letting his nails drag a bit against his scalp.
Buck slowly slipped out of the nightmare and turning his head to where Bobby and his hand were, he fell back into a peaceful sleep. Seeing that Bobby and Buck were having a special moment Eddie showed everybody out of the room and nodded at Bobby's thankful smile as he silently closed the door.
"Now then who wants lunch from the cafeteria?" The rest of the team trouped down to get coffee while Bobby sat in Eddie's vacated chair and continued rubbing Buck's head.
"You know something Bucky?" Bobby asked the sleeping man quietly and with a voice full of warm fatherly love. "You're one of a kind kid. And nothing could have made me happier than you being my son." Buck's lip twitched almost as if he had heard Bobby's words and he was smiling in response.
Notes: What do you think? End it here or 1 or 2 more chapters?
THX FOR READING!3