Buck was fine. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and he had his partner by his side. It had been a few weeks since Eddie was back on the job and they hadn't missed a step with each other. Eddie had been a little bit worried that it would take some time to get back into the swing of things, but Buck wasn't. They'd been in sync from the very beginning, unlike anything else Buck had experienced, and he knew it would stay that way because he was fine. He was fine.

Buck was a little jumpy. He flinched when Chimney slammed the doors of the ambulance a few feet away from him. That was understandable, since it was a loud, unexpected noise. Anyone would've been startled by it. He was fine.

Buck possibly had a smidgen of anxiety. Who could blame him, after what he'd witnessed? Seeing your best friend get shot by a sniper right in front of you wasn't something you could easily shake off. And everything that happened afterward with Bobby didn't help either. He'd almost lost two of the most important men in his life in short succession. But he was fine.

Buck had had a few panic attacks. It was only through sheer luck that he'd been able to hide them from everyone, since he spent most of his free time with Eddie. The attacks had always snuck up on him with no warning and hadn't been too extreme, at least from what he could recall. He googled some breathing techniques and even started meditating to try to level himself out. Buck was working on it. He was fine.

Of course, his luck had to run out sometime. He just didn't think it would go down this spectacularly bad.

"Pepa found Christopher this old hand crank ice cream maker and now he's obsessed with the idea of making a ton of flavors. I told him we'd have to take turns churning, but obviously I'm going to be the one doing most of the work," Eddie said as they stood in the street behind the fire truck. "That is, unless you want to help lighten the load a bit and come over. There are multiple bowls of ice cream with your name on them if you agree."

"How could I say no to that? Just name the time and I'll be there," Buck agreed. Even if Eddie asked him to come help him unclog his toilet he'd say yes. This would be much more fun and relieve him from having to find an excuse on his own to come over. The air conditioning going wonky in his apartment could only work so many times.

They were pretty much standing around and doing nothing at this point, waiting for when they would be able to pack up and go back to the station. All of the people involved in the pileup had been seen to and now they were waiting for all the tow trucks to get the cars out of the street, standing by just in case they were needed. Only one person needed to be taken away in an ambulance with minor injuries and Chimney and Hen had seen them off in another house's ambulance.

Their shifts had technically ended about an hour ago, so once this incident was resolved, they were going home. Well, Buck was going to Eddie's for pizza night, but the Diaz house had begun to feel like home ages ago.

"I was thinking this Saturday, since we get off at noon. We can take Chris to lunch and then the grocery store to get all the supplies. Try to convince him to get some fruits to mix in so I don't feel like as bad of a father," Eddie chuckled.

"You're a great father," Buck insisted seriously. He didn't like hearing those types of things from Eddie, even if he was joking. Buck knew what a bad father looked like and Eddie was the furthest thing from that. Eddie's first request after Buck had gotten to the hospital after the shooting had been to call his son. Even half asleep and doped to the gills on pain medication. Eddie was such a good father that he'd even prepared for what would happen to Christopher if his luck finally ran out, as awful of a thought that was.

Buck had to admit that the thought of being the one to get Chris had kept him up a few nights. It wasn't that he wasn't willing to do it. He loved that boy more than he even understood. It was the idea that Eddie would have to be gone for that to happen. And that was just unacceptable.

If Buck lost Eddie, he would break. There was no getting around that. There would be a hole in his heart that would never be filled, no matter how much time passed. And instead of crumbling to dust like every cell in his body would ache to do, he would have to keep going for Christopher. He could barely handle it while Eddie was in surgery. Buck had to do everything he possibly could to keep Eddie safe, for all their sakes.

"I was texting Carla this morning and-"

The bang came out of nowhere. Everything was calm and normal and fine and then the next second it wasn't, just like that day. That day that almost stole Eddie away from him. That day that still made Buck bite into a pillow to try to muffle his screams. It couldn't be happening again. It couldn't. This time, Buck wasn't just going to stand there and do nothing.

On instinct, Buck bent down and barreled into Eddie's chest, forcing him down to the ground. He had to cover him. Had to protect him. Even if that meant putting his own body in the line of fire. Buck would take every bullet if it meant Eddie could go home to Chris.

"I've got you, Eddie. I've got you, I've got you," Buck stuttered, tucking his face to the side of Eddie's so there was as little of his body exposed as possible. He would do better this time. He had to. "I've got you."

Eddie was standing in the middle of the street with Buck, until he wasn't. The parallels of this situation and the day he got shot were obvious, but instead of getting hit with a bullet, he got hit by a Buck. His head cracked against the ground and the air was forced out of his lungs by the considerable bulk that was now resting on top of him. Eddie had to admit, this wasn't how he pictured this scenario playing out.

Buck had been amazing in the aftermath of the shooting. He was there for whatever he and Chris needed, even doing things that Eddie never thought of. The long handled scrub brush for the shower had been genius. And the little loop thing for buttoning his shirts. Buck was more supportive than anyone Eddie knew.

But that didn't mean he didn't notice Buck struggling. There were so many times that he almost pulled Buck to the side and demanded that he let out everything he was holding in. But he hadn't. There was always a reason why it wasn't the right time, or Eddie told himself that he wouldn't appreciate being challenged if it were the other way around. So he did the next best thing in his eyes, which was constantly thanking Buck for everything he did. And putting on the strongest front he could. Maybe if Buck saw that Eddie was okay, he would be okay too.

And perhaps it was naivety or ignorance, but Eddie had started to believe that Buck was doing better. Once the sling was gone and Eddie was able to really get into physical therapy, Buck's shoulders seemed to get a bit less tense. And his smiles came easier and were less strained around the edges. And once Eddie was finally back to work, Buck seemed to be back in full form.

Although there were still some moments where he got kind of quiet. Or would startle when he heard a loud noise. Eddie couldn't blame him, since he was going through something similar. It wasn't easy to brush off a trauma like that, but he thought they were past the hardest part. Evidently, he was wrong.

"I've got you, Eddie. I've got you, I've got you. I've got you."

"Buck," Eddie croaked, trying to wiggle out from where he was pinned to the ground. Buck's face was pressed against his and Eddie could hear and feel his panicked assurances puffing into his ear. He'd heard the car backfire and before he could even think about it he was on the ground.

"You're gonna be okay. You're gonna be okay," Buck panted. Eddie could feel him trembling against his body so much that it was like Buck was vibrating.

"Buck, look at me," Eddie wheezed, trying to pull his arms up from where they were trapped against his sides. Buck was obviously tall and broad, but he felt like a mass of pure muscle at the moment. Eddie wasn't getting up until Buck was ready to let him up.

"What the hell is going on?" Chimney exclaimed, rushing to their sides as soon as he noticed what was going on. Hen was right behind him. "Are you hurt?" Buck jerked his head up, staring down just above Eddie's face. But he was pretty sure Buck was seeing something that had already passed.

"No Eddie, I'm good," Buck rasped and Eddie felt sick to his stomach. He only remembered bits and pieces from that day, but he had a vague recollection of Buck saying that same thing to him in the back of the fire truck while he tried to keep some of the blood inside his body. He could practically smell the iron right now.

"Buck, I'm okay," Eddie insisted, taking a few deep breaths while he had the chance. "No one's trying to hurt me." Buck's eyes were darting around wildly, not even noticing their friends standing around them. He was searching for threats.

"I have to protect you. I have to keep you safe," Buck said, breathing heavily as if he'd just run a marathon. If he kept that up, he ran the risk of hyperventilation.

"Buck, nothing's happening," Chimney said, setting a hand on Buck's shoulder to try to pull him away. That was the wrong move. Buck let out an anguished roar, shoving Chimney back with all his strength. It was only Hen's quick reaction that kept Chimney from falling on his ass.

"Don't touch him!" Buck snarled, crouching protectively over Eddie again.

"Stay back," Bobby directed, finally approaching from wherever he'd been before. There were a few more people standing around, watching what was going on. Probably leftover bystanders from the accident. Eddie never understood what people gained by standing back and watching people suffer. There was no fire truck to lift off of anyone this time.

"It's okay, Eddie. I've got you," Buck muttered, pressing down on Eddie's recently healed shoulder. Eddie bit back a wince, not wanting Buck to see the discomfort he was in. If anything broke through the haze of Buck's flashback, he didn't want it to be that. He saw Bobby notice in his periphery, but Eddie shook his head slightly to tell him to hold back. Eddie was going to have to be the one to pull Buck out of this.

"Buck, listen to me. It's not real," Eddie said soothingly, keeping his voice as even as he could. The pressure on his body was kind of making Eddie's head spin, and not in the way he'd imagined occasionally during those nights Buck was sleeping on his couch just a hallway away. But now wasn't the time to think about that.

"I can save you. I can, I can."

"You did save me, Buck. You saved my life."

"Gotta get you back to Christopher."

"You did. You did so good."

"I can't lose you," Buck whimpered, and the sound cut right into Eddie's soul.

"You won't," Eddie promised, hoping desperately he'd be able to keep his word on that. Just like he did everything in his power to get home to Christopher, getting back to Buck was just as important.

"Eddie."

"Buck. Buck," Eddie repeated, trying to reach him. He finally got one of his hands free, setting it on the side of Buck's face. "Evan."

"Eddie?" Buck whispered, blinking rapidly in response to hearing his first name. He still wasn't all the way back, but Eddie could see some recognition creeping in slowly.

"Yeah Ev, it's just me and you here. We're safe," Eddie murmured, using the voice he used with Christopher whenever he'd wake up from a nightmare.

"Eddie?"

"That's right," Eddie confirmed, using his free hand to gently shift Buck's hand that was still pressing on his shoulder. He pulled down the collar of his shirt, showing him a wound that had long since closed up. Buck ghosted his fingers along the scar, letting out a shuddering breath.

"Eddie? What- what happened?" Buck mumbled, finally making eye contact with him. What did he say? Did he tell Buck that he had a flashback and risk upsetting him? Eddie had seen people in the service do the same thing and everyone reacted differently. Some people broke down, some shut down, and others lashed out. All Eddie wanted was to be able to get Buck somewhere private so they could deal with this alone.

"You just got a little confused, but it's okay," Eddie replied, rubbing his thumb rhythmically against Buck's cheek. He leaned into the touch, taking a few even breaths as his eyes finally finished clearing.

"Oh Eds, I'm sorry. I don't- I don't know what I was doing," Buck stammered, pulling away and resting on his heels, still over Eddie's legs. The others took the chance to move in closer, with Bobby putting a supportive hand on Buck's shoulder. Eddie started to sit up, before a shout from Hen stopped him in his tracks.

"Wait!" Hen yelled, rushing over and crouching at Eddie's side. He looked at her in confusion until she placed her hand on the back of his head, igniting a pain that flashed through his skull. "Lay back down."

"What's going on?" Chimney asked, crouching down on his other side. That was a good question, since Eddie wanted to know as well. A few seconds ago he was fine, now it felt like his brain was trying to rattle out of his skull. Hen held up her fingers, trying to keep the sight from Buck. But they all saw. That was blood.

"Eddie!" Buck shrieked, lunging for him again. With a quickness and strength that surprised him, Bobby wrapped Buck up from behind and pulled him away, dragging him back a few feet as he kept shouting Eddie's name.

"Eddie, did you hit your head?" Hen asked, accepting a stack of gauze from Chimney and tucking it under Eddie's head. He hissed when the material made contact with his scalp and now that he wasn't distracted by Buck, he could feel the wetness clotting up his hair.

"I don't know," Eddie admitted. His landing had been a little rough, but he didn't think it was that big of a deal. His focus had been Buck, not the possibility of a few scrapes.

"Buck did kind of tackle him like a linebacker," Chimney muttered, grimacing when Buck let out a wail in response to that statement.

"I hurt him! I hurt him, oh God," Buck gasped, falling back into Bobby's arms. "What have I done?"

"Let me up. I have to help him," Eddie demanded, pushing Hen's hands away to try to sit up. He only got halfway up before his vision swam and he started listing to the side. Chimney caught him, easing him back to the ground.

"You need to get checked out," Hen insisted. Eddie wanted to protest, but the pressure building behind his eyes had stolen his words.

"What have I done? What have I done?" Buck repeated in despair, shaking in Bobby's arms.

"He's going to be okay. It wasn't your fault," Bobby said soothingly. Buck wrenched himself away, fisting his hands in his hair as he backed away from everyone.

"I did that! I hurt him!" Buck choked out, staring down at him with a haunted expression. Eddie needed to do something before this went off the rails any further, but he couldn't. His body wouldn't cooperate when all he wanted to do was scoop up Buck and insist he was okay.

"Buck, please."

"I'm sorry," Buck sobbed, before turning and running off. Eddie used the last bit of his waning energy to try to get up and follow, but that was the last straw for his body. The last thing he remembered was tipping forward into Hen's arms, then nothing.