Buck originally thought that it would just be a few days before everyone knew about Bree, but he was wrong. His first day back at work was a Thursday, with dinner at Hen and Karen's on Friday evening. Bree adores her unofficial aunts, and even though Denny is older, the kids get along well. It makes Buck's chest ache a bit, because he knows it would be the same with Christopher. He works his regular twenty-four hour shift on Saturday and Monday, and they're repeats of the Halloween silent treatment and being left behind.
He's looking forward to a week of taking Bree to school and picking her up when he hits his four days off, since he doesn't expect any other shift captain to want him working anymore than Bobby seems to. To his surprise, the B shift captain snags him on his way out Monday and asks if he can work a Wednesday and Friday shift with her crew. He accepts the Wednesday since it's in the middle of his off days, but hesitates on the Friday.
"I know you're thinking it's forty-eight on with your crew coming back on Saturday, Buckley, and normally, I'd ask if you'd split the shift with someone from A shift," Captain Walsh says. "But we both know you can catch up on your sleep as the man behind, right?"
"I guess you're right, but it wasn't the forty-eight I was worried about." Buck glances at the B shift firefighters already upstairs in the loft, a few bickering companionably as they sort out breakfast. No one is in earshot. "I promised I'd take my daughter to school the rest of this week, and telling her I can miss one day we have planned is one thing, but two in the same week is gonna get me the serious disappointed puppy dog eyes."
"I know those eyes well from my own kids, but I didn't know you had a daughter."
"It's a recent development."
He expects some sort of judgment, but instead, Walsh just laughs. "It sounds like you're off to a good start, even if it's a late one. I'll ask Douglas from A shift to cover the first twelve then, if you can come in at six in the evening. He can't work the full twenty-four."
"I'll take the shift then. Her mom can cover anytime I've got to work, but while things are still so new, I just don't want to disappoint her, you know?"
Captain Walsh pats him on the shoulder. "How about you get home to have breakfast with her before school, then? I'll see you Wednesday."
Buck honestly expects to be the constant man behind with B shift, too, but to his surprise, Walsh has him on every call. There's a thrill to being back on the truck that's amplified by the fact that everyone takes it in stride. He's so jazzed by the shift that he doesn't mind that he gave up multiple off days to help them out. He doesn't hide his bedtime calls with Bree from them, either, so he figures it's a matter of time before his secret is out.
None of his regular crew seem to notice he's seemingly there early when their Saturday shift rolls around, and none of them seem like they've spoken to anyone on B shift, either. The contrast of being part of the action and going back to the cold shoulder shakes his resolve to wait it out enough that he considers telling them over lunch. He cooked, one of the recipes he learned from Bobby, and for once, the call they were on coincides to before the meal instead of interrupting it.
When he takes a seat next to Hen, at least no one objects. Talk turns to a barbecue they'd apparently all been to at Bobby's the night before, and Buck slowly loses his appetite. He still finishes his food, moving quietly to the sink and rinsing his dishes before settling them in the dishwasher. He's halfway to the stairs when Hen calls his name.
"Hey, Buck? Would you mind babysitting Denny next Saturday? Karen got some amazing tickets to see Hamilton."
"Sure. What time do you need me there?"
"It's the afternoon show in San Francisco, so would you mind picking him up by ten?"
All eyes are on their exchange, except Eddie's, who is staring at his plate with the angriest expression Buck has ever seen. This isn't just Buck's mess, their continued estrangement. Buck would watch Christopher in a heartbeat, after all. He squares his shoulders, and for the first time, lets himself be angry at Eddie in return.
"I'd be happy to. I've got that season pass to the zoo, you know. Do you think Denny would enjoy a trip?" He hasn't taken Bree yet, and he figures Bree will enjoy having Denny along.
"Denny will be overjoyed. He was sure happy to see you at dinner last week."
The way Hen stares at certain of their coworkers has the ones not directly involved in the lawsuit grabbing their plates and scattering. Just when Buck thinks he should go ahead and share the news about Bree, Eddie pushes away from the table, leaving his dishes, and shouldering past Buck to the stairs.
"What the hell, Diaz?" Buck calls after him. It didn't hurt, even though it pushed Buck back into the railing, but the deliberateness of it was almost more hurtful than being called exhausting.
"Let it go, Buck," Bobby says, sounding tired.
Before Buck can protest, the alarm sounds, and he backs away from the stairs as his coworkers abandon what little remains of their food and jog by. He doesn't even make an attempt to follow. If Bobby ever changes his mind, Buck's pretty sure he'll be told.
The fact that he's working other shifts at least becomes common knowledge near shift end Buck is already getting in his civvies while B shift is heading in. Even a last minute call isn't going to have him leaving the firehouse, so he might as well be the first one out the door.
"Good morning, Buckley."
Buck looks up from tying his shoes to see the B shift firefighter he'd partnered with both shifts drop onto the bench next to him. "Hey, Williams. You have a good Saturday with your kid?"
"Yeah, man. Thanks for the tip about the medieval themed restaurant. My daughter now thinks I'm the coolest dad on the planet." The older man watches, eyes narrowing, as Chim and Eddie come in and sidestep over to a different bench. "You know, kid, we've got an opening coming up on B shift. That's why the captain asked you to cover Wednesday and Friday. You might call it an audition."
"Seriously? I thought Ford was just taking some personal time or something."
"He was, but he's also up for promotion. Gonna be captain over at the 110 soon as theirs retires next month. Captain Walsh told me to tell you to get your skinny backside up to the office before you leave so she can make the offer officially for you to take Ford's spot on B shift."
Quite frankly, Buck is stunned, because despite the other offers he'd turned down to come back to the 118, he hadn't really expected a captain would actively try to recruit him away from Bobby's crew once he'd decided. He looks over to where Chim and Eddie are changing when a locker door slams hard. To his surprise, Eddie's ready to leave, and just as he was earlier, he's angry and it's directed at Buck.
"Why don't you take the offer, Buckley?" Eddie growls. "Since you're already one foot out the door anyway even though you put us through the ringer just to get back here."
"Maybe you should realize I'm smart enough to read the writing on the wall and get the hell away from people who don't want me here," Buck says, getting to his feet. He's chest to chest with Eddie before he realizes what he's doing, and it's only Chim's intervention that stops Eddie's punch from connecting. As Chim wrestles Eddie back against the lockers, Buck finds himself similarly manhandled, but right out of the locker room.
"Go report to the captain, Buckley," Williams says, calmly letting Buck go as soon as they're out in the apparatus bay. "Before you and Diaz get your feuding asses suspended."
Buck heads for the office, but he still hears the other firefighter muttering that it's like recess duty at an elementary school around the place these days. Tamping down the embarrassed outrage that causes, he does as he's told and goes to meet with Captain Walsh. He leaves the office with her phone number and instructions to call her once he's discussed the change with his family. None of his coworkers are anywhere to be found as he leaves, all probably eager to get home to spend what time they can of Sunday with their families.
It's nice, going home to a family of his own. When he lets himself inside, he discards his quiet stealth at hearing giggling from the kitchen. Slipping his shoes off, he follows the cheerful sounding conversation and finds Natalie and Bree making breakfast. He makes a beeline for Bree, scooping her off the stool she's standing on to help her mother, and hugging her tightly.
"Weekends are for sleeping in, missy," he tells her, feeling the last of the tension drain away as Bree smacks a kiss on his cheek.
"We can take a nap later," Bree says. "I wanted to have breakfast with you."
"So I see. That French toast smells amazing. How much help were you to your mama?"
"I mixed it all up and dipped it and didn't even make a big mess on the counter."
Buck exchanges an amused glance with Natalie before putting Bree back on her stool to finish helping. "Anything I can do? I hope she didn't wake you up just to help her cook."
"Almost done if you want to get the sausage out of the fridge and cook it," Natalie says, flipping the French toast in her pan. "And no, I was up before her because a friend back east forgot the time difference and called."
"Yikes. That's still early for a Sunday call even forgetting the three hour difference."
Buck retrieves the homemade tempeh sausage after setting a pan on the stove to preheat. Natalie made it clear she wasn't going to object if he brought meat, dairy, and eggs into the house for him and Bree if Bree wanted them. But since he's discovered it's far easier to get Natalie to accept financial help with groceries and similar than to accept actual money from him for anything she think is just for her, Buck figures there's no real issue with eating mostly vegan when he's at home.
Natalie shrugs. "The joy of a Sunday is afternoon naps, right? I think she also forgot it was Sunday since she doesn't work a Monday to Friday schedule."
"Speaking of schedules," Buck begins, keeping his eyes on the sausage in the pan. He doesn't think Natalie will be upset or disappointed if his shift changes, as she took the overtime in stride, but this is yet another change and it makes him feel he's bringing chaos into their lives.
"More overtime? Although you seemed happier on that shift than your regular ones."
Startled, Buck looks over to see Natalie smile. "Seriously?"
"Yeah, you've been really quiet at breakfast after your regular shifts, but Thursday, you and Bree were chatterboxes about everything you'd done at work."
"Huh. I guess I was, since it was so nice to be back on the truck." They're both finished at about the same time, and getting food to the table and drinks settled interrupts conversation for a few minutes.
"So, overtime?" Natalie asks again, and Bree frowns.
"Are you gonna miss taking me to school again?"
"I'm going to try not to, sweetheart, but there will always be days where I might be asked to work someone else's shift without a lot of warning if they get sick or their kid gets sick."
He thinks about Eddie's house where Christopher has a detailed calendar of his father's shifts. In Eddie's case, he works a lot of overtime, more than Buck usually does, and not just with the 118, so there's more to juggle with Christopher's doctors and therapy, plus school. But it's a good idea for Bree, especially so she can get used to how Buck fits into her life.
"How about I get a calendar and we'll write down all the days I'm supposed to work? I won't always be able to take you to school as much as this week would have allowed without the extra shift, but at least then you can see, right?"
"Can we use stickers for the days you work? My teacher uses stickers on our calendar at school."
"Sure. Maybe later today we can go shopping and find something nice." Bree is satisfied with the answer, so he turns to Natalie. "Apparently, the overtime shifts were the other captain checking me out to see how I'd fit in with her crew. She took over B shift while I was on medical leave, but feels like my skills are being wasted with my current situation."
"So you'd just be changing what days you work, more or less?" Natalie doesn't look upset, just curious.
"Yeah. I'd start in the middle of what would normally be another four days off, too, on December third. The sucky side of it is that B shift works Christmas Day this year." Captain Walsh had been really clear about emphasizing that. "But I'd be off Christmas Eve and then have four days off after Christmas, which means I could spend a lot more of Bree's winter break at home with her."
"Really?" Bree looks up from her food, syrup spread clear to one eyebrow. "Could we take a trip? Some of the other kids in my class are going on vacation during the break."
"As long as your mama is okay with it. Or wants to go, too."
"A vacation sounds perfect," Natalie says, although she doesn't confirm if it's for two or three. Buck can figure that out later. "It sounds like a better deal for you all around, then. This captain lets you actually do your job, right? She isn't worried about the medication?"
"There are precautions to take, just like any other medication a firefighter might take. Guy I'll be mostly partnered with is aware and cool with it, so good on both fronts."
"It sounds like a good option for you. You fought awfully hard to get back to work, and this captain seems willing to let you actually do that. Besides, we can do Christmas the night before, or let Bree get up when you do. She barely waits until sunrise on Christmas Day, anyway."
With everything decided, Buck calls Captain Walsh after breakfast and confirms he'll take her offer. It feels wrong in some ways, leaving Bobby's crew after he literally sued to get back there, but he'd thought that once it was all settled, he'd at least get to do his job. He can live without a warm welcome, but sitting around the station like an inept rookie when he didn't even do that as a rookie is a waste of his skills.
He stares at his phone for a good ten minutes debating whether or not he calls Bobby at all. He knows he can just let the paperwork go through, but he feels like it makes him the inexperienced kid Bobby implies he still is. So he makes the call, chokes down the heavy disappointment in Bobby's voice, and does his best to absorb the fact that Bobby doesn't argue at all. In fact, he sounds relieved.
There isn't time to dwell on it, because as soon as Bree sees he's off the phone, she's demanding his attention. Letting go of the resentment, he scoops her up and tickles her until she howls with laughter. He promised her a shopping trip, and spending the day with his daughter is the perfect sort of Sunday.
The only person other than Bobby that he tells personally about the transfer is Hen, and she doesn't look surprised at all. She just envelops him in a warm hug and tells him it doesn't get him out of babysitting duties at all. As word trickles out, the rest of the crew seem to be mostly relieved, just like Bobby was. Eddie's angry, but that's his default mode for interaction with Buck these days, so Buck figures it's just par for the course.
So, he keeps his head down and deals with being the man behind, because even another captain wanting Buck isn't enough for Bobby to change that edict. There are only eight shifts between now and his last day with Bobby's crew, and the last thing he wants his new coworkers to think is that he can't be a team player. He makes no more effort to tell anyone about Bree, not even Maddie. They'll figure it out eventually.
He's halfway through his shift the Wednesday before Thanksgiving when Athena shows up at the firehouse while everyone is out on a call and he's upstairs cleaning the loft. As much as he knows he should have reached out to her, and that she'd probably have accepted his apology much like Hen had, he hadn't. To his surprise, he finds himself wrapped in a hug that ends in a stern shake as she holds his shoulders.
"Why have you been back at work for almost an entire month and not once have you come to my house for dinner, Buckaroo?"
"I didn't know I was invited," he admits, feeling a little helpless. Getting Bobby in trouble with Athena wasn't part of his plan to change shifts quietly.
"Since when do you need a specific invitation to something that includes the whole shift? I don't agree with how you went about the lawsuit, Buck, but that's dismissed and you're back at work."
"It won't matter much longer if it's just an invitation for Bobby's shift. After today, I've only got two more shifts working under Bobby."
Buck would have thought surely that Bobby or Hen would have told Athena he was leaving, but her shocked expression tells him Athena had no idea. Her eyes narrow in that way that tells him she's on the trail of something suspicious, and she lets go of his shoulders to look around at the empty apparatus bay. Buck returns to emptying the dishwasher to have something to do with his hands, letting her assess as she needs.
Although he expects some sort of expression of her temper, instead she just nods thoughtfully. "I see. Are you leaving the department entirely or taking one of those other offers Bobby was told you'd been given?"
"Staying at the 118, but working under Captain Walsh on B shift."
"She's a good captain. Husband's a Lieutenant with the LAPD out in North Hollywood."
"So I've heard. She gave me some leads on places out in La Crescenta. I've got an offer on the loft, and if nothing falls through, I'll clear enough I could squeak into something there." As much as he didn't want to change Bree's school, he's done his research, and the public schools there are excellent. Natalie agreed that he's better off to sink his funds into a mortgage payment than school fees as Bree gets older.
"You're moving? And all the way out to the foothills?" Athena arches a brow. "And can afford to buy in La Crescenta?"
The one thing Buck has managed to avoid explaining to anyone, since Maddie doesn't seem to have shared it either, is that he has a trust fund. Maybe Maddie's is nearly gone now, since she's older and he's sure Doug got his greedy paws on the money so she didn't save anything like he did. The building the loft is in is mixed between renters and owners, so no one really batted an eye about it, and he did have a payment to make. He did check with the accounting firm back east to verify the extra money wasn't going to suddenly halt anytime soon, and they'd assured him it would last at least half the life of his new mortgage.
"Nothing crazy, but yeah. I'm making back what I put into the loft plus another seventy-five thousand, Athena. I'll be okay, I promise."
"That is one lucky investment turnaround."
"Luck had to go my way sometime this year, didn't it?"
The joke works, making Athena roll her eyes fondly. She helps herself to a cup of coffee and sipping it slowly and going to the railing to watch as the team returns from their call out. When some of the crew comes jogging up the stairs, Athena greets Bobby with a kiss like usual before turning to Buck.
"You're expected to be at my dinner table for the Thanksgiving meal, Buck. All the other usual suspects will be there, and since one of them is your sister, I don't want to hear any silliness about you having other plans."
Buck hesitates, because he does have plans with Bree and Natalie. Before he can figure out how to refuse gracefully, Hen intervenes, smiling brightly.
"Our Buckaroo has special someone he was spending Thanksgiving with. I'm sure there's room at the table for her, too, isn't there, Athena?"
Athena nods. "Bring all the guests you like. Just be there by two, or I'll come fetch you myself."
There is no way it's fair to Bree to have her introduced to the entire group when he can't guarantee how everyone will react. He's waited too long, and at this stage, there are going to be hurt feelings all around. He knows Eddie won't be at Athena's house because Abuela always has a big celebration. The only person he needs to tell that isn't here is Maddie.
"It'll be two guests, Athena. My daughter and her mother."
"Your daughter?" Athena sounds it out slowly, looking a bit stunned. "When did this happen?"
"I thought you and Ali broke up. And why haven't you told your sister?" Chimney frowns, shaking his head in confusion. "Wait? Does Maddie know and she just hasn't told me?"
"Ali isn't her mother, and no, Maddie isn't speaking to me, so she doesn't know."
Buck fumbles for his phone, bringing up his photos and passing it to Athena the same way he did Hen. She holds the phone so that Bobby and Chimney can see as she starts thumbing through the album. Eddie doesn't approach, but for once he doesn't look angry. He just looks hurt in a way Buck never expected.
"She's beautiful, Buck. What's her name?" Athena smiles brightly when she looks up, and Buck smiles, too, at the echo of his and Hen's first words about Bree.
"Briana. She's six. I had no idea about her until right before I came back to work."
"Now I understand why you sold your loft and were talking about getting a house," Athena says. "What about her mother? Your daughter is six and she's just now telling you?"
"That would be fault that lays as much on me and my family than Natalie. She had no idea where I was after I left Virginia, and my parents…" Buck sighs and runs a hand along the back of his neck. "Let's just say they refused to tell her where I was. The video of the truck bomb went viral, and after she saw it, she came to LA and eventually tracked me down."
"You texted me about her, didn't you?" Eddie says, drawing everyone's attention. "You sent me a text the night you dropped the lawsuit. It was about your daughter, wasn't it?"
The hurt in Eddie's eyes is something Buck can define now. He looks betrayed - and guilty. It makes sense, because this is a secret Buck could have shared weeks ago, one he had shared with Hen. But stubbornness on both their parts is why his best friend is just now finding out that Buck is a father. Instead of saying anything, Buck nods.
"Why keep quiet about her once you were back? It's been over a month. You were just going to leave without saying a damn thing!" Eddie is shaking with emotion, and although he sounds angrier than Buck's ever heard him, including in the grocery store, Buck is shocked to see there are tears in Eddie's eyes.
"I did try to tell you, Eddie. But it's really damn hard to tell anyone anything here when everyone except Hen either pretends I'm part of the furniture or tells me I don't belong here. At least B shift lets me do the job I fought to get back and doesn't act like I've got a disease they'll catch if they say a kind word to me. Hell, you haven't even let me talk to Christopher even once, after you said he needed me."
The accusation hits home for more than Eddie, since Bobby and Chimney look guilty, and Bobby looks apprehensive as Athena turns to him with one of those looks that always makes Buck want to run for the nearest rock to crawl under. He didn't mean to start trouble between them, but he figures they'll work it out. They're good at that sort of thing.
But Eddie? If Buck thought Eddie looked hurt and angry in the grocery store or in the locker room when Williams told him about the transfer offer, it's absolutely nothing on what he looks like now. He feels a rush of guilt when he realizes he brought Christopher into it, because doing right by Christopher has always been a sore point for Eddie.
"Well, I guess you have a replacement for him now, so you don't need to worry about Christopher. I'll take care of my son, and you can take care of your daughter, and to hell with really being family, yeah?"
Before Buck can respond, Eddie flees down the stairs, and when Buck tries to follow, Chimney blocks his way just long enough that when Buck gets to the stairs, Eddie is disappearing through the front doors without a backward look. Buck follows anyway, because there's a lot of accusations he'll accept about his behavior, but replacing Christopher just isn't one of them.
He catches up with Eddie in the parking lot, mainly because Eddie isn't trying to leave. Instead, he's sitting on the ground next to his new truck, head down between his knees like he's staving off a panic attack. When Buck crouches in front of him and rests his hands on Eddie's forearms, he realizes his best friend isn't hyperventilating. Eddie is crying - big, body-wracking sobs that are all the more awful to witness because they're almost completely silent.
Buck can't think of anything to say, all his anger depleted instantly in light of Eddie's distress. Even though he expects to be rejected, he drags Eddie into a hug, and for the first time since the lawsuit, Eddie doesn't push him away. Instead, he clings to Buck like Buck is his only lifeline. It feels like hours pass, but it's probably only minutes before Eddie calms. Out of the corner of his eye, Buck can see they've been followed, but Athena is ushering everyone back inside.
"I'm sorry," Eddie mumbles, the apology muffled because he's still got his face buried in Buck's shoulder. "I know you love Christopher."
"I'm sorry, too, Eds. I don't know what all's going on right now, but please, you gotta let me help with whatever it is. Especially if it's about Christopher. Is he okay? Is he sick? Did something happen at school?"
Times like this, Buck curses his imagination, because it's in full panic mode now, running through all the scenarios that could get Eddie this worked up that involve Christopher. Buck hasn't been there, and maybe if he'd just blasted through all the silent treatment, he could have been.
Eddie leans back finally, and Buck lets him go reluctantly. "He's having nightmares, almost every night. He keeps drawing pictures about the tsunami at therapy, but there's this woman drowning in all of them. The therapist isn't sure if she's someone he encountered that day, or if she symbolizes something else. He just keeps telling me to be patient and to keep loving him."
Since Eddie is a fixer by nature, more than Buck ever imagines to be, Buck can't imagine any advice less helpful to Eddie's own mental health.
"Can I talk to him? See if maybe he'll tell me?" Buck tried to shield Christopher that day, but they were separated for a long time. Christopher never mentioned anything to him when Buck babysat him after the tsunami, but Buck never pressed the issue once Eddie said he was taking Christopher to therapy.
"I'm not going to keep you from him anymore, Buck. You can see him anytime." Eddie scrubs at his face tiredly. "I'd invite you to Abuela's for Thanksgiving, but Athena seems pretty set on you going there instead."
"If the choice is between spending the holiday with Christopher or not, Eddie, Athena can just invite me to dinner another time." Buck thinks about why he finally told everyone about Bree and sighs. "But maybe I could bring Bree by your place beforehand? Let the kids be introduced before they're in the middle of a big family gathering."
Although changing Thanksgiving plans gets a little complicated when he thinks about Natalie. Bobby and Athena's gathering is a hodgepodge of folks without extended families for the holiday more often than not. But Abuela's is more traditionally family-oriented, and Natalie might not be comfortable with that. He resolves to figure it out after he's had a chance to talk to Natalie, because he isn't going to assume whether she'd want to go or not. Abuela isn't going to turn Natalie away anymore than Athena would.
Eddie nods, and when Buck gets to his feet and offers a hand, Eddie takes it and lets Buck haul him up. "Christopher will probably still be asleep when I get home. Would breakfast be too early? I know he misses your pancakes."
"I could be persuaded to cook breakfast, and Bree won't mind getting up early. She's a morning person, through and through. Gets up every single day to eat breakfast with me even when she's out of school." Buck is pretty sure the two kids will hit it off. There might be growing pains, just like when he and Eddie first met, but he can't imagine that Christopher and Bree won't end up best of friends in the end.
Before they can plan any further, the alarm blares again, probably yet another day before Thanksgiving kitchen disaster, and Eddie groans and sets off at a jog. Buck watches him go, his spirit feeling much lighter than it has in weeks. He's on the way to having all his family back, and that's as perfect as life can get for him.