Maddie tried to comfort Buck the best she knew how, telling him over and over again that he wasn't a burden and that the thoughts were just that, thoughts, but Buck still got up several times moving around the apartment like a trapped animal trying to find something he could do to quiet the thoughts down.

"Buck you have to stop, your body needs time to rest and recover" Maddie pleaded

"I can't Maddie, whenever I sit down, whenever I relax or do nothing the thoughts are there and they are with no end to them" Buck said

"Then let me ancher you to what is real, let's play a boardgame, something that you will have to focus on" Maddie begged

"Like what, scrabble?" Buck said scornful but with less malice to it, he wanted to believe her

"Yes let's play scrabble, if that's something that will demand your focus" Maddie said hopeful, disregarding any scornfulness in her brothers remark

"Maddie this is killing me" Buck said

"Running and not eating is killing you more" Maddie said simply

"Fine but not scrabble, chess maybe?" Buck said, giving into Maddie once more

"Fine, but you'll drink the rest of your smoothie while we're playing" Maddie said

"Fine" Buck said giving up

Maddie and Buck played 3 rounds of chess, Maddie winning the 2. Buck finished his smoothie and Maddie decided he needed to rest because he looked exhausted. Buck tried to reason that he wasn't a kid or some old person needing their nap, but Maddie had sent him a look that told him otherwise.

"Do you want a sleeping tablet just to get your mind to ease so you can rest?" Maddie asked. Buck contemplated this

"I don't know Mads, what if the thoughts tell me to down the whole bottle again" Buck asked genuinely concerned

"No problem, I'll just administer them for you, that way you only get what I give you" Maddie had said. Buck had thought about this, then slowly still a little insecure he had nodded and let Maddie find the pills. Now Buck was actually sleeping and Maddie felt the last few days hit her and she sat down and started crying, she should have done more to help him before it came to this, but she had thought that if she just gave him time he would come back to her after he had first started to distance himself from her, no she understood that it was so that she wouldn't see the signs that he must have known was there


Hen and Chimney were still at the station when Chimney received a text from Maddie

One smoothie down and now he is sleeping, progress I hope. See you after work? Love Maddie

Chimney had been so excited to read this and had been quick to reply

Glad to hear. See you after shift. Love Chimney

"She got him to drink a whole smoothie" Chimney exclaimed excitedly to Hen

"Really" Hen had said just as excited and smiled at the good news, maybe there was still hope for their lovely Buckaroo. The rest of the shift went without much happening just one more call on which they had basically just been the clean up crew so nothing to exciting, nobody spoke it had been the most uncomfortable silent shift in a long time