Buck appreciated his sense of humor and TK was already plotting on how to drag him kicking and screaming into their friends circle, and trying to think of who he'd be a good match for, since he was bemoaning his single status. Mateo was a blank slate as far as TK was concerned and when he floated the idea to Buck later, he couldn't help but go on about how cute the two would be if Mateo did like guys, because they were both so very sweet.
Later on, when Josh mentioned his date, and the interesting location of said date, TK arranged a date night for the four of them, with Chris spending the night at Athena's to hang out with Harry and Denny.
TK, hadn't needed to mention his interest in Josh having a good, and safe, time on his meet-up. He was clearly bouncing with energy and hope for his new found friend, and made sure they had good line of sight on the pair, without being obvious about it.
"Look, TK, I doubt Josh will be happy with the four of us spying on him all night." Eddie tried to reason with him.
"Look, it's not spying I just... it's hard to find someone, I cannot fathom what a saint I must have been in a past life to earn even a few moments with the three of you, but it's also scary. People can be really wonderful or they can be sneaky creepy assholes."
Before TK could explain more, Carlos's eyes narrowed and then he was up and running, followed quickly, if instinctively, by Eddie. Carlos was diving around tombstones and then slamming into Josh's date, while Eddie cornered the second guy, who quickly pulled a gun.
Buck and TK caught up just as Eddie was grappling with the second guy. TK dropped down to check Josh.
Buck slammed the guys hand against a tombstone until he dropped the gun, then Eddie got him spun around and on the ground in an arm lock. Meanwhile Carlos was struggling against Josh's date turned attacker. Buck rushed over slamming his fist into his gut, knocking the air out of him and giving Carlos a chance to get him pinned, while TK was calling 911 and holding Josh, who was shaking, to his side and glaring at the man Carlos had pinned.
The two men, Greg and Foster, were both career criminals, but the gay bashing seemed a little out of their normal criminal careers, not that they weren't capable, obviously, but it seemed a little to far from their normal wheelhouse. Carlos was convinced there was more to it, but neither man was talking, and both managed to make bail as soon as the opportunity arose.
Maddie supported Josh, but he also found himself folded into the 118 family, since TK had all but adopted him. When Maddie tried to give them all the shovel talk on his behalf she was laughed out of the room half dragged by a blushing Josh.
"My God Maddie it's not like that, TK is trying to set me up with someone. They're my friends."
She was super confused when Buck told her she was spending too much time with Chim, because one of them was giving the other bad ideas.
Buck made a point of scheduling some time to hang out with Maddie for lunch a couple days after the incident in question. She was already on her guard, from the start of the meal, but Buck pretended not to notice and kept the conversation light and away from his love life, to start with at any rate. Once they'd superficially caught up, he got them settled in the living room with coffee and some brownies to nibble on.
Finally he broached the subject of his current romantic situation. Maddie was embarrassed at first. "My God, Evan, I don't want to hear about your sexcapades. Walking in on it was more than scarring enough."
"First, just because you have a key, it would be polite to knock first, barring an emergency. I'm a grown ass man and even if I wasn't with anyone, I could have still been naked or in some other situation I wouldn't want you walking in on."
Blushing she nodded as he continued.
"And second, I'm not trying to talk about sex, I'm trying to talk to my sister about the men I'm in love with."
Maddie's expression turned from embarrassed to sad as if she felt sorry for him, and after the days of bending himself in knots over Chim's bullshit, he was officially done.
"Are you under the impression I'm stupid, Maddie, or still the naive 19 year old idiot you sent away with the keys to your Jeep and a patronizing pat on the head?" He asked, calmly waiting for the expected sputtered denial.
Which came right on cue, "Evan! Of course not, its just..."
"It's just that despite barely spending any time with us, you've decided Maddie knows best about my love life, and that poor little Evan is lost in his feels while being used for sex, is that pretty close? Because I couldn't possibly be in a loving relationship with three other men, right? We are dating, yes its unusual but it works for us and we all love each other."
"People don't just-" Maddie started before he cut her off.
"People don't love like that? People don't what Maddie? We may not be the picture perfect quote unfucking quote normal relationship, but we both know that is complete bullshit. I love each of them, and they love me. We're trying to find a house together. Chris knows his dad is dating all of us, and the only question he had was how much time he'd get to hang out with Buttercup. A kid understands we can all love one another, and somehow you and Chim are both so stuck on the unconventional nature of our relationship that neither of you treat it like it's real."
"Chris is just a kid he doesn't understand what a real relationship is." Maddie argued.
"And I suppose your the expert? I'm not going to be the asshole to throw Doug in your face, but not counting him you've had one long term relationship, and that's with Chim, how does that make you an expert on anything? Is it the Poly thing that makes it not real to you? Or is it that it's guys? What makes you and Chim's relationship any more real than ours, and why do you both seem to think we're looking for more people? We are in a committed polygamist relationship. Each one of us loves and cares for the other three people we're with."
"I just don't get why you're not just with Eddie, or any one of them in a real relationship."
"TK and Carlos were together, but struggling, Eddie and me weren't together yet, but we were working towards it. Eddie and Carlos found each other, and I found myself with TK, and when we all spent time together we started building something wonderful. I am so happy and so in love and for the first time I finally feel like I'm loved back. Do you know how much it hurts when my family keeps acting like it's some sex thing or not real?" Buck was pacing the room, agitated.
"I saw you, Evan, it is a sex thing." She hissed red faced.
"I'm sorry when did you and Chim become celibate?" He asked turning to glare at her.
"Evan!" She screeched furiously.
"What? You see us having sex, albeit kinky sex, and decide that is our whole relationship? Like we don't go on dates, cook dinner together, help Chris with his homework? We've had family dinners with the Reyes, Diaz, and Strand families. Athena and Bobby even came to a couple."
"Right, you guys have had family dinners, and yet somehow your sister wasn't invited?" She scoffed.
"You were, you were too busy the three times I asked. One time you were working, one time you had a date night with Chim planned, and even when I said bring him along you begged off, and the last time, I believe your words were, 'Some other time, Evan, I have a date with Ben and Jerry tonight'."
"You should have told me how important it was. I would have been there if I'd have known." She said, wide wet eyes staring at him.
"Maddie, I'm not about to guilt trip you into coming to dinner. We're adults with very busy lives, you have a full time job and are building a relationship with Chim, who works practically the same grueling schedule that I do, so I get that you can't always drop things, I do, but you don't get to turn around and act like I was keeping it a secret. I told you I wanted to have a family dinner. You literally cringed the time I asked you in person. This isn't Hershey and I'm not Mom or Dad demanding your presence. You didn't want to be there, I'm never going to be the one to push you to come."
"So this is... you're in a relationship with, and planning on moving in with three other men. This is really something you're doing? I mean like this is how you see your future? Growing old with them? Never being able to get married?"
"Yes, if I'm extremely lucky, then yes, that would be a future I would fight to have. And if being married became a goal, we could always do two and two or handle the situation like gay people did for years. Why would I let some arbitrary piece of paper define who I'm allowed to love?"
"You shouldn't, I just... I worry and I didn't realize this was a serious thing. I'll try not to be so..." She trailed off.
"Dismissive? Judgemental? Cruel?" She gasped at that and he felt awful, but also needed her to get how hers, and Chim's to a point, dismissal of his feelings and his relationship was hurting him, and potentially his partners. "I just need you to stop acting like the best relationship I've ever been a part of... the family I'm making with them, is just some impromptu sex club always open for new members. It's insulting and hurtful and I'm entirely over the Buckley Judgement face. If I wanted to feel like a stupid kid I'd call up Mom and Dad."
"Buck!" She yelled.
"There it is. Do I need to take a picture so you realize what I'm seeing here?" He asked snidely.
"You just compared me to our parents." Maddie said hissing like an furious goose.
"You don't like the comparison, then stop treating me like they do." He hissed right back.
"I'm not..."
"Yes, you are. Your entire attitude is that you need to clean up after your naive little idiot of a brother, and if that's how you feel, great you do you, but I'm not going to sit around and put up with it. You can go. I love you, but you need to learn to respect me, my boundaries and my choices, including who I love."
"I do, Evan." She said crying again.
He stood up and pulled her to her feet, and towards the door. "You don't, but hopefully you can do better. I will always love you Maddie, but right now I think we both need some time." He handed her her stuff and saw her out the door.
Buck tried to put the hurt out of his mind, and instead concentrate on the future. They'd found a home, reasonably close to both Chris's school, both the still damaged 126, and the 118. It wasn't too far of a slog for Carlos either, and was in decent shape, while still leaving a few projects that could really make it their home. Once the four of them confirmed it was a place they could grow to love, Chris was given a walk through, framing it as Carlos and TK's new place.
His lack of enthusiasm was disheartening, until they realized his dislike stood from the idea of the men moving out of their house, instead of from the home itself. When the men came clean about the intention to move into the house together along with both Buck and the Diaz boys, his demeanor was much more impressed. Particularly about the pool and the available yard that would be good for the possible inclusion of one large fluffy dog.
After they announced their intent to make an offer on the house, pending an inspection, they were all congratulated, but Buck could tell something was off with Chim and braced himself for another round.
Instead, the next time the opportunity presented itself, Chim settled in next to Buck and started talking, without looking at Buck. "If someone accused me of trying to add another person to my relationship with Maddie, everytime I talked with another girl, I'd be insanely furious by this point. It's insulting to our relationship and if by some fluke we did meet and decide to become a poly relationship with someone else it wouldn't be anyone else's business, and certainly no one's punchline. I've been kind of a shitty friend for way too long. You've been there for me for years and I owe you way more respect than I've ever given you. I let jealousy, at first, and then Maddie's little brother goggles color how I saw and treated you instead of seeing the good person you are. I'm planning on being with Maddie for the long haul, and even if, God forbid, that fell through, you are my brother as much as Albert and Kevin. I'm going to try to be better at treating you that way."
Things were looking up. After the inspection they put in a respectable and fair offer on the house and everyone was hopeful it would be accepted. Buck and Chim were rebuilding their friendship better and stronger than before. Naturally this was when fate decided to drop a dust storm of massive proportions and a random mid-air collision right down in the heart of the City.
Christopher had plans with Denny, including a sleepover, and since they were still preparing to move, all Buck's toys were still at the loft, so when a rare day with all four men being off, it was a no brainer to head to Buck's place to play.
Buck was settled on the balcony in a chair, with Carlos riding him, hands bound behind his back and a gag he was hiding from anyone who might be stealing a peek out the windows in the building across the way. The high concrete wall around the balcony kept him from indecent exposure, but the gag had him blushing since anyone looking would know.
TK was ready to start cooing at the shyness, as he snuggled naked, against Eddie's chest, and watched the two beautiful men getting off in front of them. They were all sated and happy, having spent the last couple hours fucking each other in all sorts of ways. More than one load of cum was being pressed back into TK's ass absently by Eddie's fingers, as they shared the incredible show of muscles and beauty Buck and Carlos were gracing them with.
So it was a shock when Carlos began frantically snapping his fingers to signify red. Buck had stopped, in immediate concern that he was somehow hurting Carlos, when all three men realized he was signalling for them to look out at the city. There was a vast wall of clouds rushing towards them, winds that had been pleasant were picking up speed and pulling the storm into the city. Eddie shared a glance with TK before picking Carlos up off of Buck's lap, and heading into the apartment. TK helped Buck to his feet and the four men turned to watch the oncoming storm behind the safety of glass.
"It's a sandstorm, Eddie said, not taking his eyes from the storm's hypnotizing approach. Buck, who was already tucking himself away, already softening from worry and fear the moment he realized Carlos was safewording, grabbed his phone and dialed the direct line for the station, giving them a quick order to close the station doors.
Despite their current time out situation, his next call was to Maddie, while Carlos called Athena, and Eddie tried for Hen. Maddie had been at work, and quickly thanked him and began talking to someone he thought might be Josh, before hanging up. Athena was home off duty, but the pair planned on going out to help the moment the storm passed enough to allow it. She got off the phone to warn other people in the family.
TK began calling his dad. They still weren't on the best of terms, but he needed warned, and since he was working for the department at the moment, he'd be able to get word out quicker to the stations in theory. He, surprisingly to TK, quickly picked up, and then jumped off the phone to start alerting people. He tried Judd, next and when he didn't answer, Grace. She was at the call center, and had already heard the warning Josh and Maddie had put out.
Hen and Karen were both home and had told Eddie they'd be closing up the house and taking shelter, promising to keep him in the loop if anything went wrong. The cloud was bearing down on them, now winds picking up the closer and closer it came, until fine grains of sand were blasting and scratching up the windows, and a howling wind buffeted their building, slowly easing after the initial onslaught.
The men were quickly dressing, and Buck was producing scarfs and a few other things to act as masks when an explosion shook their building. there was a bright flash in the grim dark sand, and most of the windows of Buck's apartment shattered with the power of the explosion.
Eddie had dove at TK, who grunted and went down under him, hitting the floor with a thud and a groan, before he began feeling the grit of the sand and something wet. In the dim room he pulled a hand up and saw blood. He began calling for the others, and feeling along Eddie's side, until he found a shard of glass sticking out of Eddie's side. Eddie for his part was grunting lightly and trying to move off the smaller man.
TK grabbed ahold of Eddie, to stop him from moving, as he called out for Carlos and Buck. Buck moved in quickly, offering up the scarfs first, as he tried to assess Eddie in the dim dusty, and slightly orangish twilight. TK tied a scarf around Eddie's face first, catching his head and telling him not to move yet, then tried to give himself some protection.
Carlos came running up, having already gotten a scarf from Buck seconds before the explosion, and passed off Buck's very robust first-aid kit.
Using his phone for more light, Buck examined the shard, and realized it hadn't gone in very deep, but that the dust filled room was hardly an ideal place to clean and bandage it.
"Hey, Carlos, help me get him up off of TK and then we're all going to move him to the bathroom, before we get him cleaned up, okay?"
Carlos nodded and moved to the other side of Eddie. They pulled him up and to his feet from either side, and with Carlos supporting Eddie, Buck did a quick run down on TK before pulling the smaller man up too. They quickly moved into the bathroom and shut the door, Buck turned on his exhaust fan, hoping to suck away any dust particles before ripping open the shirt Eddie was wearing and studying the shard of glass. It appeared to taper.
Finally remembering TK was the actual paramedic in the room, he stepped back, and let an anxious TK step forward.
He pulled out the supplies he needed and then carefully removed the shard of glass. He was sure based on the location, and what they could assume by the wound and the rest of the shard, that the piece wasn't hitting anything vital. He examined and then disinfected and bandaged the area, securely. Considering the environment they were about to rush into, he wanted a very secure dressing over the area.
TK had to fight the urge to smack the shit out of Eddie, and then cuddle him close and coo in his direction for a few weeks. He knew by the location the shard hit, and by the fact that he'd been tackled out of the way, that that shard had been heading right towards his chest, possibly his heart.
Once TK had carefully hugged the stuffing out of Eddie, and both Buck and Carlos kissed him in thanks, the four of them began making their way out of the building. TK called Grace to let her know about the explosion and that the four of them were heading out to see if they could help anyone. He made sure she had all their cell numbers, incase dispatch needed them someplace particular.
There were wrecked cars and even a bus, but the chunk of fuselage and massive tire had Buck breathing heavy as he realized they were dealing with a plane wreck. The one in the ocean had been horrific enough, but he didn't expect to find survivors here, and he forced himself to take a breath, albeit a poorly filtered one, and then push down his feelings and get to work.
When he turned to take in more of the scene, he realized there was some semblance of order, and of triage zones being formed and people organized. The four shared a surprised look and rushed forward to help. They looked up to see Mateo, of all people, come jogging out of the clouds of dust, and handling the scene.
"Mateo, hey were do you need us. TK has full on EMT training, Eddie is a medic, my skills are pretty basic and Carlos has had first-aid classes." Buck quickly ran down their skill set, for the man as he took a quick look around and started pointing TK towards a man with a belt wrapped around his leg. He sent Eddie in another direction and then turned to Buck, bewildered.
"Why aren't you guys taking over the scene?"
"You're doing everything one of us would do, there's absolutely no reason for one of us to take the scene off your hands, plus it would confuse everyone who already knows your the one running things. Does the 129 know where you're at?"
Buck watched Mateo frown at some food on the ground not far away. "Yeah, lunch duty."
"I'm gonna get dispatch to relay your location, so they can get an accurate count, but until someone above our paygrade shows up, it's your scene, commander."
Buck quickly jogged in the direction Mateo pointed him, while calling their location and the fact that it was a plane crash, mid air collision based on the small plane burning not far away. He asked them to relay Mateo's status to the 129, and found out their engine was missing, and their ladder was out looking for them, instead of out helping people.
He requested the 118 be sent to their location, just as a man came through the street calling for firefighters. He caught Mateo's eyes and the pair of them went running up to the man, who informed them about people possibly being trapped in an elevator. The two men looked up at the building in question, taking in the flames and the wing hanging over the edge of the building. As one they turned and ran towards the building, Buck relaying the information to dispatch as they went, and began the long climb to the right floor.
They confirmed the people trapped in the elevator, and then Buck pulled Mateo back, trying to stay calm.
"We need to find something that won't throw sparks to pry with, I think that liquid they're talking about, is jet fuel. I've smelled it before."
They did a quick search of the floor, calling down to let the others know. Apparently the 122 and Captain Strand were both on scene and heading in their direction. Yet another elevator tried to do Buck in as he tried to pull the last man up to safety. He made the leap just before the whole elevator dropped and exploded up the shaft.
It took every bit of self-control to not knock Captain Tatum out when the 129 finally rolled onto the scene and he began to lay into Mateo. He nearly danced a jig when Mateo pointed out that dispatch had been notified of his location, and had been unable to notify his commanding officer, because he'd been missing. By the end of the man's tirade and Buck was certain he'd be having a word with Bobby about adding another probie to their roster, at least until the 126 was active again.
Owen wasn't the only one ready to step up, but before they got very far Captain Tatum was on the ground having aspirated sand. Tommy and Nancy showed up in their borrowed ambulance and took over his care, thankfully, because no one else wanted to stop caring for their patients to deal with the crotchety old bastard. Especially not after the frankly unprofessional, and demeaning, way he'd spoken to Mateo. It screamed HR nightmare.
Buck could only guess that that man was one of the reasons they searched out Owen to rebuild the 126, because say what you will about his fuck ups as a dad, and his ability to cram his foot in his mouth, Owen was about as open to diversity as they come. He'd been going over the top to support their poly relationship, to the best of his ability, since he'd been allowed back into TK's life. He was still good for dismissing things with TK that he had no right dismissing, but his lifestyle and romantic choices had never really been an issue, once he got past the asinine thought that TK was using drugs.
Buck took stock of where his men were, and their status, stopping to spend a little extra time watching Eddie and his movements, the scare from earlier on his mind. That's why he noticed the slow jerky movements the man was making, and hurried in his direction. Knowing how much smoother things would be if he waited a moment and let Eddie finish with his current patient, he stood aside and offered assistance until the woman was bandaged up and told to get checked out by the er as soon as she could get taken in. Eddie stood up with a grimace and Buck was immediately pulling him away and over to Tommy and Nancy, who'd finished and shipped Captain Tatum off with his own crew.
"Hey, can you take a look at Eds here for me?" He asked and Tommy turned and nodded. "He took a shard of glass to the side, during the explosion from the crash. He was assessed and the glass removed and his side packed and bandaged, however since then he's been handling patients, lifting, bending and twisting his side. I don't know if he's simply bled through or if he'd done more damage to his side."
Eddie had been trying to cut him off, but he was waving his now blood red hand in the man's face every time he opened his mouth to speak, until they got him settled and began removing his shirt. The bandage was soaked through and they pulled him into the ambulance before peeling it off and examining the wound.
Buck took a look and was nodding. "It's definitely been torn worse. The damage is now like twice the size it was and the whole area is much more irritated than it was initially. It's also possible we missed glass or anything being in the wound because we had to deal with it fast and more than a little loose considering the storm and the crash."
"Yeah, I'm going to temporarily pack the area, to slow bleeding, but this needs flushed, examined more carefully, and then stitched up most likely. Which of you boys wants to ride with him?" Tommy asked.
"Technically we're all off duty, but Carlos is probably the one most out of his depth, since it's all mostly medical at this point." Eddie said.
Buck smiled and gave him a kiss on the cheek, before hurrying off to find Carlos, knowing it wasn't his lack of medical skills that had Eddie requesting the larger teddy bear of a man.
He tracked him down easily in the clearer air and much less frantic nature of the scene. "Hey, babe, Eddie's side tore open a bit from the strain and Tommy is gonna transport him to get checked out and stitches. Can you go with him?"
Carlos nodded and reeled him in for a quick peck on the forehead, then turned and rushed towards the awaiting ambulance, with a wave to TK.
The very next day, Buck scheduled a meeting with Bobby, which basically meant he invited himself over for lunch.
Bobby met him at the door with a careful smile. "Come on in, Buck. Everything okay?"
Buck smiled at him and followed him down into the living room, noting the cleared out backyard. "Just a few things I wanted to talk with you about. Looks like you guys had a busy morning clearing things up."
"I had the time off." Bobby said, finishing off the food for lunch. "So what's up?"
"First, you're probably going to be getting some paperwork for Eddie. He's gonna need a couple shifts of light duty." Buck started.
"Did he get hurt? I know you guys were helping out at the crash site." Bobby asked, pausing his work to focus on Buck.
"He did, but it was before we went out to help people. We were all at my loft when the storm hit, and we managed to get inside quickly enough, but when the planes collided, or maybe when it hit the building near mine, the windows of my apartment blew. Somehow, Eddie saw a shard that would have most likely hit TK in the chest and dove at him. He took the shard to his side. Now it wasn't too bad, and we got him all cleaned up and bandaged, but when we were out helping people he strained himself and tore the wound open wider. He's good, but they don't want him over doing it for a couple days."
Bobby nodded, relieved. "I'm glad its not worse, but I'm sure Eddie will have let someone know at the station, right?"
"Yeah, he has already, I think, and honestly its not the reason I wanted to talk to you, but I figured you'd rather hear it now instead of a surprise when you get in." Bobby nodded and went back to plating their lunch.
"The main reason I wanted to talk with you in person is I think there's an issue with another house. I honestly don't know if its going to be an ongoing issue, since the problem in question was rushed to the hospital but, Captain Tatum of the 129, if he stays on after his health issues, is both a PR and HR nightmare waiting to happen."
Bobby sat a plate of food down and then settled down to his own plate before focusing on what Buck was telling him.
"The man's certainly a piece of work, but PR and HR nightmare?" Bobby asked, carefully.
"Mateo Chavez, he's the 126 probie, under Strand once they reopen that is, was temporarily assigned to the 129. He's being referred to as 'grunt', and was sent off to do the food order yesterday right before the dust storm hit."
"I don't like the use of grunt, but we've all sent a probie to pick up the food before." Bobby said.
"Yeah I know just setting the scene, you know? We got there with in minutes of the crash and by that time Mateo had already began proper triage protocols dividing up patients and clearing people from wrecks. Right as we got there he followed protocol and reported his location to dispatch. Tatum and the 129 Engine were lost in the storm, meaning he couldn't possibly report his location any further than dispatch and whoever was man behind at the 129, which dispatch would have done." Bobby nodded for him to continue.
"He did his job, Bobby and he did it well. Mateo had people praising his handling of the scene, and all four of us heard nothing but good things about how he'd helped people and saved lives. Tatum is on the scene less than two minutes before he was publicly tearing into him, throwing around the term grunt ordering him to 'clean the truck' and how he'd better have it shining in a dust storm. The number of civilians he pissed off with his treatment of Mateo for no reason? He was punishing the man for supposedly not doing his job, and when he was corrected, he was punishing him for actually doing his job."
"And he was doing this all in front of a crowd?" Bobby asked, not touching his food as he took in what he was being told.
"The number of people who told me they feel they owe their lives to Mateo, I have to think there's going to be complaints made, and honestly, I'd be one of them. I left a probie in charge of the scene, Cap. That alone should tell you how good of a job he was doing."
"More than the crowd, he was berating the man in front of at least firefighters from three other houses, and no one from the 129 batted an eye, which tells me this was standard operating procedure as far as Tatum was concerned."
Bobby thought about it and nodded.
"I'd like your advice on what to do here, politically speaking. I know Strand saw the showdown and he's the entire reason Mateo didn't flunk out on his last try for the written exams. You know I can say a lot of things about Owen Strand that would be about as uncomplimentary as they come, but he did right by Chavez and I can't imagine he isn't speaking in all the right ears about Tatum's behavior as we speak. Personal differences aside, I'd like to back him up in supporting Mateo, and I'd like your opinion on how to go about doing that, and I'd like to ask you to put in a transfer request to bring Mateo into the 118, until the 126 is ready for business."
"I can certainly put in the request for Chavez to be switched out the 118. We could use the help and I trust your judgement on his skills and character. As to the rest, I'll put some feelers out, find out if Strand is putting his weight behind Chavez, and if he's going against Tatum, as well as see about any civilian complaints that come in. If they're made, I can, if you want, let it be known you're willing to corroborate statements."
Buck had agreed and thanked Bobby for his help, and now three days later, it was about to be Mateo's first shift at the 118. Between Owen and Bobby, as well as fifteen complaints to the department about Captain Tatum's conduct, and three from additional firefighters, none of which were from the 126, the transfer request was quickly processed.
Eddie had needed stitches and he was technically on light duty, but his injury was well on the way to healing, and honestly it could have been so much worse. If he'd have been almost any other firefighter he'd have been on kitchen duty, but Buck and Bobby both knew better, and instead Eddie got to be on clipboard duty while Buck and TK ran and checked various compartments on the Ladder and Engine, confirming stock and inspection dates on equipment. They'd found some things the last team must have let slide, based on the inspection dates, and quickly corrected the issues.
When Mateo stepped into the station it was to a round of whistles and clapping. TK grabbed a quick back slapping hug, and Mateo went shy and blushed from the attention. Buck led him up to Bobby's office to report in and left him with a pat on the back, to step into Bobby's office.
"Firefighter Chavez, I probably missed being first, but I'd like to welcome you to the 118. You come highly recommended and I'm glad to have you as part of the team, even if it is only til you're back at the 126." Bobby said standing up to shake his hand.
"Thank you, sir. I've heard nothing but good things about the 118." Mateo said, grinning.
"I was just about to start work on lunch if you want to hit your locker and then join me in the kitchen?"
Mateo jogged down and was pointed towards the lockers, an empty one had his name taped on it, but thankfully not over anyone else's name. He quickly stashed his gear and with a wide grin at TK and the rest of them, he rushed back up to the kitchen, eager to prove himself to Captain Nash.
Carlos swung in around lunchtime with a warm grin for Mateo, and an empty stomach for lunch.
At first, when Captain Nash had sent him to the kitchen, he was worried his time here would be the same as the 129, then both Buck and Captain Nash had joined him in the kitchen and started showing him the ropes.
Instead of so called grunt work, he was taught knife technique and listened as Buck reminisced about his own early cooking lessons as a probie, including a few self deprecating stories of kitchen disasters and food destroyed merely by poorly timed calls.
The feel of the 118, wasn't the same as the 126, just because only a part of his family was there, in TK and Buck, but it was miles and miles ahead of the toxicity that had been the 129. There was an appreciation for Mateo as a person and as a firefighter that had been lacking, to an alarming degree, at the 129.
They finished lunch and he found himself learning, and eager to share his new knowledge with Paul once they were all back together again at the 126. Maybe he could help out in the kitchen more, because this had been surprisingly fun, and he couldn't wait to help with dinner, apparently Bobby was going to make his 'famous' mac and cheese. The appreciative moans at that, had Mateo sure he would love the dish, and eager to learn more about it.
It turned out he did, in fact, love the mac and cheese and fought playfully, but intensely, with TK for the last serving; only ending in a tie when Eddie cut the portion down the middle for them. When Captain Nash clapped him on the back at the end of shift, Mateo felt a warmth he'd been missing, pleased at finding a home even if it was only a temporary one.
