"Hey, Lena," Taylor calls to her girlfriend. The blond goes to her.
"What's wrong, Taylor?" The female firefighter asks the redhead.
"What do you think of this?" Taylor asks as she points to the alleyway. Lena looks and is angry.
"We're calling it in. The LAFD has told anyone firefighter who sees any sight of Sophia Diaz to report it. The new Chief is trying to get Eddie out of the habit of helping Sophia. Buckley is pressing charges on her," Lena asks as she goes to the unconscious woman. She looks fine, but Lena knows that might not be the case. Taylor puts a hand on her shoulder.
"9-1-1, what is your emergency?" Someone says, making Taylor blink.
"May Grant?" She asks.
"Yes?" May asks.
"This is Taylor Kelly; I'm with my girlfriend Lena B of station 136. We found Sophia Diaz on S Alamdes St. and Rose St. She's unconscious and might have taken something but might be clean...Bosko says her pulse is strong," Taylor says to May.
"Her pulse is strong," Lena tells her girlfriend. Taylor smiles at her.
In the Dispatch center, May is writing all of this. She flagged Sue, who was listening in, typing something. May knows that the woman is Eddie's sister and has hurt him for a long time. She wants to help her big brother. Eddie and Buck had become her big brother, as they were there for her.
"Okay, the 221 is on its way along with cops. Can you tell me if things changed?" May questions. Taylor smiles, liking May.
"I can. I'll stay on the line with you until they show up," Taylor says. She sees a police car showing up.
"This is 727-L-30 on the scene," Athena's calm voice comes through the radio. Taylor, Lena, and May smiled at the voice.
"Thank you, Taylor. Thank you, 727-L-30," May says to the two as the 221 pulls up.
"This is Captain Okon on the scene," Captain Okon says. Athena smiles at Anwulika. She had been there for Eddie. She also had to fight for Eddie to stay. She's one of the many captains that want Eddie and Buck on her team. She mostly wanted Eddie for his medical training. She knew that Buck would follow Eddie.
"Thank you, Captain Okon," May says.
"She needs to go to the hospital, Captain Okon. She must've taken something and not waking up," Bosko says. Wickham and Cyprus go to her. They go and do their accustomed check-up.
"She's ready for transport, captain," Wickham says to his captain. All of her firefighters wanted Sophia gone. The 221 enjoy having Eddie around, and Wickham and Cyprus know everything from Eddie.
"Let's move her," Okon says.
"I'll follow you," Athena tells Anwulika says. The woman nods in understanding.
"We got the victim dispatch," Okon calls through the radio. May smiles.
"Copy that, Captain 221," May says, making Taylor hang up, and the call disconnected. Taylor and Lena go to Eddie's house. Meanwhile, May sighs in relief. Sue looks at her with a soft smile.
"Are you okay?" She asks the young lady. May looks at her with a sad smile. Sue knows that Eddie, Buck, and May are close and will protect each other.
"I will be," She says. She needs to see Eddie. She heard from the others that he was alive, but she wanted to see him herself. Sue nods and walks away to help another dispatch. May picks up the next call.
When the 221 gets to the hospital and Athena joins Okon, they see a sight they never want to see. The chiefs of the PD, FD, and a Medical Director are all waiting for them. Athena and Anwulika know that Chief Yarbrough and Chief Myers are trying to understand why the LA hospitals would allow some of their doctors not to report this issue.
"Your doctors know the LAFD firefighters. One had an ongoing abuse issue, and no one said anything. Never reported it. Why?" Chief Myers asks. He's known to be protective of his people and wants to ensure they are all safe.
"Some of my doctors tend to try to solve some issues on their own. If one of my own didn't report it, I would deal with them myself. What happened to Mr. Diaz is unfortunate, and I'm sorry. I will talk to my doctor and see what happened," Medicaldirector Ferguson says. Still, Myers, Athena, Anwulika, and Yarbrough all can see that Ferguson does not care about Eddie.
"What's your issue with Mr. Diaz?" Myers says, making the man fluster.
"Nothing!" He exclaims, but Athena and Anwulika glare at him.
"He's better off dead. He's an issue that needs to get rid of!" Ferguson says. Anger through him. He hated Eddie, as he had embarrassed him in front of his directors.
"Is that so, Mr. Ferguson?" A voice is behind them. His face is red with rage.
"He knows nothing! He thinks he knows what he's talking about but doesn't!" He says.
"Mr. Diaz has a degree in Physician and Advanced Practice Nurse and an Associate of Science in Nursing. He's well aware of what he was talking about. He had saved more patients and had called you out in the most respectable way possible. This isn't the first time you and Mr. Diaz had an issue with each other. However, Mr. Diaz is the most respectful one," Medical Director Ro says to Ferguson. Ro has a deep respect for Eddie.
The others are surprised to hear that Eddie is a nurse. Chief Myers smiles. He knew that he had made the right call to transfer him to the hospital for the time being. Eddie is a good doctor. Athena is a proud mom. She's also ashamed that she never knew that.
"Go to my office now," Ro says, and Ferguson stomps away.
"I'm sorry about that. Eddie's a great Physician and nurse. We will love to have him back with us. The children love him," Ro says, and Chief Myers nods. He had seen Diaz with children and could see that he being a dad.
"The doctors that ignored protocol?" He asks. Director Ro smiles.
"Have already been dealt with. They were friends of his sister and cousin. They mean well, but they have ignored protocol for a long time. These are all the documents that they have filed on his injuries. They did that protocol correctly," Ro says to the Chief as he hands the file to the LAFD Chief.
"This will be a treacherous investigation, isn't it?" Chief Yarbrough questions the other Chief. Myers nods.
"A treacherous investigation it is," Myers agrees. Okon and Athena sigh. Eddie hid a lot from everyone and never had anyone to lean on. Now that people are finding out, the more they get emotional. Myers has a lot of respect for the man, and he can see that Eddie needs someone to be truthful to him.
"Captain Okon, what are you doing here?" Chief Myers realized that one of his captains was at the hospital.
"Sargent Grant-Nash?" Chief Yarbrough questions. Both ladies laugh. They knew that dealing with hospital employees was challenging.
"We brought someone that you might like to see in," Athena tells the men. Both men follow their leading women to a room. Yarbrough whistles.
"Wasn't expecting this. Who found her?" He questions them.
"Taylor Kelly and Lena Bosko, from the 136," Captain Okon says. They nod.
"Where are they?" Myers asks. Okon looks at him. Myers is happy that people care about Diaz. The man needs people in his corner.
"Diaz's house," She says, making the men smile. On the drive, Lena and Taylor are talking.
"What if Buckley's in charge? Diaz can't hide this anymore. Taylor, you might know Buckley, but I know Diaz. That man will never give up or in, no matter how much hurt he is in. If Buckley is in charge, he can stop Eddie," Lena argued. Taylor sighs.
"Buck will allow Eddie to have the freedom that he needs," Taylor says. Lena gives her a skeptical look.
"We'll see," Lena says. They got to the door, and Taylor knocked on the door. After five minutes of waiting, Buck opens the door. With nothing but a leather thong. Both women look at him, faces a little red.
"Yes," Buck says, amusement in his voice. The women look away.
"You might want to finish, so we can talk," Taylor tells him, making Buck smirk. They can hear Eddie scream, Lena smirks, and Taylor tightens.
"I'm going to ask for tips from Buckley," Lena tells her girlfriend. Taylor gulps at this. Lena and Buck bonded over BDSM. They're both doms, ensuring that Taylor and Eddie go into subspace. Lena is a good dom who provides aftercare to Taylor and Eddie after a scene, and Buck does the same.
A few more minutes later, Buck and Eddie come out. Taylor and Lena see Eddie still not with them. Eddie kneels on his knees and puts his head on Buck's knee. Buck rubs his hand in Eddie's hair. Lena sits next to him and rubs his back, making Buck looks at the ladies. Lena helped during the lawsuit by providing Eddie a safe environment.
"What's up?" Buck asks, and Lena gives Taylor a look. The redhead is a little nervous about this. People think Taylor is the dom in the relationship, but it is Lena. During the lawsuit, and Buck couldn't see Eddie, Lena would scenes with Eddie in a platonic way. When Buck got back, Eddie avoided him for a while. That was until he caught Bosko and Eddie doing a scene together. After that, Buck puts Eddie into subspace with a fight.
"We found Sophia," Taylor says. Taylor acts dominating, but Buck and Lena know how to knock her down a peg or two. Still, outsiders don't know that her confidence is a false allusion, as Lena and Buck force her onto her knees and make her listen to them. After that, Taylor let the two take the lead. However, she takes the lead with Eddie. Sometimes, Taylor and Eddie would play with each other while the doms talked.
"Where is she?" Buck questions as he feels Eddie's hand pawing at his leg. Buck sighs, knowing what Eddie wants, but he won't give in. Lena saw the pawing too. Taylor looks to the doms with concern.
"Eddie," Buck warns his partner. The man lets out a painful whine.
"No," He says, and Eddie starts to sniffle.
"Hospital. Grant-Nash and Okon are there now," Bosko says. She grabs Taylor and heads out.
"Thanks, Bosko. Take care," Buck says. Once the women were gone, Buck looked to Eddie, crying quietly.
"Eds," Buck whispers.
"I don't want you to do this," He hiccups. Buck's heart breaks at the confession.
"I don't want you to get hurt anymore. What Sophia's doing is abuse," Buck says as he gathers Eddie into his arms. The hurting man willingly goes in. He carries Eddie to the bedroom, gently puts Eddie into bed, and the two cuddle.
"What do I do, Buck? Helping Sophia is all I've ever done. What am I supposed to do without helping her?" Eddie questions Buck. The blond looks at him with support, love, and anger. Eddie wonders what he did to warrant Buck's anger. Buck kisses him.
"I'm not angry with you. I'm mad at your family. Take this time to heal yourself. Find yourself. If you need to go to Sophia, you must find me. You can think about her, but you can't go to her. Do you understand?" Buck says. Eddie looks away but nods.
"I need a vocal response," Buck demands. Eddie is looking away from him but nodding.
"Yes," Eddie whispers, making Buck cuddle Eddie further into his arms. He kisses the man and leaves the bedroom. He closes the door as Eddie tries to sleep again. He pulls out his phone, presses a contact, and lets it ring.
"Buckaroo, what's wrong?" Athena's soothing voice comes through after the second ring. Buck relaxes. Bobby, May, Harry, Micheal, and David look at her with concern. Buck calling is never a good sign.
"I was wondering if you could talk to the Diazs. Maybe you could see if they can help us out with Sophia?" Buck questions his mom. Athena blinks at the idea as thoughts swirl around her head.
"That might work. Why?" She asks her second oldest son. She's going to make it up to Eddie, which means getting that man some help. Buck can hear thoughts swirling in her head and smiles.
"I feel like Eddie will go back. I feel he will try to help her further, only to land himself in the hospital with far more injuries. We got lucky that his injuries are the way and not more. I don't want to get a call from the hospital saying he's in there; get there and tell me he's dead. I need him safe, mom. I need him to stop going to Sophia," Buck confesses, making Athena's heart break.
"Buckaroo, how many times have you disobeyed Bobby's orders and ran back into a burning building to get one more person out? How often do we get calls from the hospitals or Eddie saying that you are injured outside work and then find out that you were helping someone, and they attacked you? We try to stop you, but you still go back. We try to tell you to be careful, but you think it's your responsibility. I hear Eddie calling you out all the time. How is this any different now that it's Eddie's turn to think that it's his responsibility to take care of Sophia?" Athena questions Buck, and Buck thinks about what she says. Everyone blinks at her. She can see both sides, making her want to attack their parents.
"Baby, what Eddie's doing is what you are doing, but this time it's for a family member that needs help. He's trying, but it looks like no one is trying to help him. I'll talk to the family. I want to make them understand how badly Eddie's hurt. Because they have caused that boy more harm than good. You need to consider that Eddie's been doing this for a long time. Longer than you two have known each other. This is the only thing that he knows how to help her. Sophia uses that to her advantage. We will help him, Buck. I promise you, but it's not an easy road for him. For any of us. We failed him, and now that we know, he's going to fight. It would be best if you took some time for yourself. Let us help you with that. Okay?" Athena says, and the group is silent.
"Thanks, mom. I'll talk to Eds and get a time to hang out?" Buck asks his mom, making Athena smile. She loves her boys.
"We would love to see all of you. You are my sons, and I want an update soon. Okay, Buckaroo?" Athena tells him, making Buck smile.
"Okay, love you, mom," He says, and Athena smiles.
"Love you too, kid," She says. The men smile at that. Bobby looks at her with interest. May and Harry are about to talk, but Athena holds her hands up.
"Buck wants to know if I could talk to the parents. See if they could help. I will look into it. Like I said to Buck, Eddie's going to fight the help. We got to show him that he matters too. I was thinking next week we can have a BBQ?" She looks at Bobby. The man smiles.
"That's a great idea, Athena. Let me know when you talk to them," Bobby says, making them smile. May gets up to leave, making Athena look at her.
"Where do you think you're going?" Athena asks her daughter. May gives her a look with a raised eyebrow.
"To my brothers' house. I want to see them," May says. Bobby and Micheal laugh as both of them use the same tone. Athena smiles at her daughter.
"I want to come!" Harry demands, making May roll her eyes. The two leave the house, making the adults smile.
"What was all of that?" Micheal asks his ex-wife. The man knows his ex did reverse logic on Buck and wonders why.
"Buck wants to make Eddie stop looking after Sophia. I used reverse logic on him," Athena says.
"It's like an addiction. Once you get a taste, you don't want to stop. Only this addiction is worse. They need to feel like they have to do this; it's the only way to satisfy their need to help," Bobby says.
"The only way to break an addiction is to find another addiction. A healthier addiction," David responds, and the four stand at a standstill.
"What do we do to help?" Micheal asks.
"Be there for them," Athena says. It's all it is for them to do.
"I can run this by Buck, but what if we get them a dog?" Bobby questions. The men and Athena look at him with raised eyebrows. He smiles.
"Eddie is on leave by the Chief's orders, so he's home. He's going to therapy, and that's it. Buck has to work, so we can get Eddie a puppy to train as he recovers, and Chris can help," Bobby explains his idea.
"We are going to run this by Buck, but that could work," Athena says. On the drive over there, Harry and May are quiet. Harry is still young enough that he doesn't understand how bad things are, but May does.
"So, how bad is it?" Harry asks May. The young woman sighs.
"Eddie can't work right now, and the others are trying to keep him away from his sister. Eddie's been abused by his family for so long that he doesn't know the difference between abuse and love. So, our mission is to help Eddie understand the difference," May says, making Harry nod his head.
"Got it," He says. They got to the house and went to knock on the door. Eddie opens the door to get a hug from the Grant-Nash children. He smiles at them. He lets them in, and May notices Ana. The woman waves at them while May looks at Eddie. She doesn't know what to do with this fact.
"May and Harry, right? It's nice to meet you," Ana greets them. Eddie sits on the couch, May on his left, and Ana on his right. The older woman touches his head.
"It's nice to meet you too, Ana," Harry says. He doesn't know what's happening with the two, but Ana is a sweetheart. She's always nice to them.
"Is everything okay?" May asks, and Ana chuckles at that. Eddie rolled his eyes.
"Are you two okay?" Eddie asks, making the siblings smile.
"We're good, wanting to see you. Where's Buck?" Harry asks, and May looks at Eddie.
"He left when I got up. Are you two okay?" Eddie repeats his question. The Grant-Nash children smile.
"We wanted to see you. Where's Chris?" May asks, and Eddie smiles. May is a sweet young lady that Eddie loves to have around. She's like her mom but different. May's kinder than Athena; sometimes, Athena needs to learn from May.
"My Abuela kidnapped Christopher for the weekend. I can call her to see if she can take one more for the night?" Eddie offers Harry, who smiles and nods. Ana calls and takes Harry to their abuela's place.
"Ana?" May asks. Eddie smiles.
"She's my cousin. I haven't seen her in years. We also never dated, but we did hang out a lot. She's like another sister to me," Eddie says, and May smiles.
"Did Buck just leave after you woke up?" May asks. Eddie's smile drops, and holds himself tightly. May goes and hugs him.
"I'm sure he has a good reason to leave," May says. The door opens, and Buck comes in. He sees May and Eddie on the couch together, and May raises a single eyebrow, like Athena, at him.
"I went to an appointment with Dr. Copeland and to the gym to cool off. I should've left a note for you. I was about to come home, but Bobby and Athena needed to talk to me about something," Buck says, making Eddie hold onto himself even tighter. May glare at him. Buck rushes to him.
"I needed to get some stuff out that I didn't want you to help me with. I needed professional help with my thoughts. It's not on you," Buck gently tells Eddie as he pulls him into a hug. The blond needed Eddie to understand that it was something Buck had to do alone.
"Was it about me?" He asks quietly. Buck kisses the side of his head, and May stays holding Eddie.
"Yes," Buck says honestly. Eddie leans into him, making May closer to Buck. The taller man holds onto them both. Ana comes in and takes a picture of the three on the couch. Buck blinks at her. She smiles and giggles as Eddie is so soft in the picture.
"Who are you sending it to?" Eddie asks, making Ana smile.
"Tìa Adanna," She says, making Eddie laugh. Buck looks at the two of them with confusion and surprise.
"You're cousins?" He asks, making everyone laugh. May's as confused and surprised as Buck. She didn't know that until now. It makes sense.
"Why do people think we dated?" Eddie asks. Buck looks at him, lips thinly pressed together. Ana laughs while May giggles as Buck looks at him and smiles. That's all he can do, as Eddie has a unique way of viewing the world.
"You had dinner together and went on dates. Hang out a lot," May says. Eddie blinks at her. The three can see how confused he is right now. Ana giggles, knowing what is going on. She knows how Eddie thinks. Buck can see where they didn't make sense to him and smiles.
"Family have dinner together all the time and hang out. She was helping me with math when we were alone," Eddie says, making Buck laugh. This is hilarious to him because whenever someone asks how the sex was, Eddie would scrunch up his nose in disgust. Ana and Eddie being cousins makes sense. Buck kisses him.
"I love you," Buck says. He's laughing because this is funny. The whole Eddie/Ana thing is funny. It's clear as day, and no one thought of it. Buck is laughing while May and Ana are giggling. Eddie is confused by the whole thing and watches the three laugh but smiles at them.
Once they calmed down, Eddie looked at them with amusement. Before anyone can say anything, the door bursts open. Everyone sees the Diaz family coming in. Eddie leans into Buck while Ana stays near May and Eddie. The woman is a sweetheart that wants to help. Helena and Valarie go to hug their children. Ramon and Gordian have looks of worry for them.
"What's going on here?" Buck questions the family while Ramon gives his son a smile. He likes Buck, as he's good to his son and grandson.
"Sargent Grant-Nash has yelled at us about how stupid we are. She's excellent to have. I've failed you as a father for a long time, Eddie. If there is a way to make it up to you, please let us in," Ramon says to his son. Eddie clutches to Buck.
"I think that maybe we should leave," Ana says, leading May and the rest of the family out. Ana takes May somewhere and the rest of the family to their mama's house. The only ones remaining are Ramon, Helena, Buck, and Eddie. Ana forced Adriana out of the room and went to her abuela's house. Helena sees the injuries and goes to her son, thinking that this man in front of Eddie is good. He's good to Eddie and Christopher. The parents are in therapy and can see how harmful they are to their son.
"I'm sorry, Eddie. We love you, and we want you to have a wonderful life. We see how much we failed you when you needed us. We want you to get better. We'll take care of Sophia. Take care of yourself," Helena says to her son. Eddie's crying. This is too much, and he wants to disappear. Buck takes him to the bedroom, as the bedroom is off-limits now. That's Eddie's hiding place.
Eddie's the only one letting Buck know who can come in and out of the bedroom. Christopher can always go into the bedroom. Buck will not let people into the bedroom without permission. Carla finds it funny that the bedroom makes Eddie feel safe, and Buck agrees. However, once Eddie says that the bedroom feels like Buck, both get it. Buck had made the bedroom home. Buck looks at Eddie's parents.
"What do you really want?" Buck asks them. Ramon smiles sadly at this.
"We are in therapy and realized how much we failed our children. A homework assignment is to reconnect with them and, if they are willing, talk about our failures and what they need from us. We want to start with Eddie," Ramon tells him. Buck's torn between agreeing and yelling at the man.
While Ramon, Buck, and Helena are talking, May looks at Ana in awe. She's boxing with her wife at a gym. After the family dispersed, Ana took May to a gym, where the younger woman met Shannon, Chris's mother, Eddie's ex. May's in awe of how strong these women are and mad at Eddie for not letting May meet them. Shannon flips Ana to the ground, trapping her.
"Do you submit?" Shannon questions. Ana gives her three taps, making the blue eyes woman let go. She looks to May.
"Do you want to learn?" Shannon asks May.
"Do you mind?" May asks, making Shannon and Ana smile.
"We love to train women," She says. The doors to the gym open, and May sees Hen, Karen, Athena, and Maddie there. May sighs at them.
"Can we help you?" Ana asks the women. She's a little tense, as they all accused Eddie of cheating on Buck with her. They haven't apologized to Eddie about it. The only one that's okay for Ana is Karen. She was the only one that had the guts to talk to her about Eddie.
"I knew that you were teaching self-defense. I wanted to learn. Could you teach me? Hen and the others wanted to come," Karen says, and Ana snorts.
"Eddie is right about you, Karen," Ana says, making Karen look at her with confusion.
"You're cute. Eddie loves talking to you," She says, making Karen blush. May giggle at that. Hen stands taller about this. Athena puts a hand on her.
"Eddie loves talking about you. You pushed him into a mud puddle and won the fight? He said how good of an aim you are. Can you also shoot with a rifle? I can't do that," Karen says. She also asked a lot of questions, which made Ana brighten. Shannon laughs, making May look at her. The other ladies are surprised to hear this.
"I'm sorry, Ana. We should've been more open with you, and we weren't. Thank you for being a friend to Eddie when he needed a friend. I want to get to know you," Athena says to the young woman. Ana blinks and smiles softly at her.
"Thank you, Athena. Eddie's awesome to be around and helpful. He never felt like he could've invited me to the 118. He used to like to shoot guns, but since the Army, not so much. Which I get, but he also got me into MMA. I do it for self-defense; Shannon here competes. Oh, I absolutely pushed Eddie into a mud puddle," Ana says to both Athena and Karen. May looks amused at hearing that.
"What was he like as a kid?" Buck asks. The women turn to see him coming to them. Ana and Shannon look at Buck. Buck knows that Ana seems like a good person to hear about Eddie.
"Eddie's with his parents. They're talking about Sophia. I thought it was best to let them talk it out without me being there. Eddie will let me know when his parents leave the house," Buck says. Ana smiles slightly at that, and Shannon puts a hand on her arm.
"Eddie's a big boy, Ana. He can do things by himself, and this is one of them. They need to hear this, An. Eddie will be okay," Shannon tells her girlfriend. Ana leans into her.
"I know, but it's frustrating now that they're getting involved. My dad should've acted on it earlier, but he waited until now," She says. Buck knows that feeling.
"At least they're doing it now," Shannon says, while Buck nods.
"I agree to that," Buck says. Shannon smiles.
"Shannon. It's nice to meet you, Buck," The woman says. Buck's eyes widen.
"You have no idea how much I want to meet you, Shannon. I know now the face of the name. You have given him hell for all the right reasons. Thank you for that. I might have stolen your number from his phone. Would that be okay?" Buck asks her. She coos at the blond.
"Damn, Eddie. He knows how to pick them," Ana says, smiling. Shannon smiles at her, and Buck blushes. May and Karen giggle at this. Hen, Athena, and Maddie feel left out.
"That he does," A woman's voice calls out. Ana and Shannon brighten when they see two women.
"Oneida! Vellamo! How are you?" Ana calls out. She runs to greet her cousins. Buck's eyes widen at the names.
"You alright, Buckaroo?" Athena questions her son.
"Eddie's biological sisters and Eddie were never close, or they treated Eddie terribly. Oneida, Vellamo, and Ana are older than Eddie and became his older sisters. Oneida and Vellamo are always calling him. They help him out with Sophia. They showed him how to survive the family, while Shannon was Eddie's ex and Christopher's mother. She's willing to give Chris a little sibling. Seeing faces to names is really cool to know," Buck says. Athena's eyes grew big.
Oneida and Vellamo are the Chief of police and the police commissioner, one in the SPD and the other in the DPD. They had come to LA for conferences, and Athena would love to work for them. She also knows she must stop going out of line to get things done. She did not want to get the wrath of the two women and stayed within her area of expertise.
"We are good. We heard that Sophia was caught, and Eddie was hurt. We thought we could help with them. The Police commissioner was retiring, and the spot was opening, so I applied and got it. I'm staying as long as I stay commissioner," Vellamo tells her. Ana squeals and hugs her cousin. Athena twitches a little. Buck looks at his mom with concern.
"You okay, Athena?" Hen asks her friend. She smiles as she watches Vellamo and Ana talk.
"I will be," She says. Vellamo is a tough person, and she doesn't like Athena a lot. Why? Athena doesn't know. She doesn't want to cause a scene with them. Athena makes sure to keep within the lines of the job.
"Oneida?" Shannon asks the other woman. She begins to show May basic moves. The youngest woman is taking this all in, making Buck smile. Eddie had wanted to introduce May to some of his cousins, and now she is.
"Cheif Yarbrough called in some backup for this investigation, and I volunteered to help. I think he wants to keep me in LA," Orana says. Shannon laughs. Sophia and Adriana didn't like her and were jealous of her. Ana and the others love having Shannon around. Eddie beamed with happiness that Shannon was accepted into the Diaz family.
"How long can this investigation be?" May asks. The two women look at her with curiosity, and Ana smiles.
"That's May Grant, and she adopted Eddie as her big brother. Shannon and I are going to show her MMA," Ana says. Oneida and Vellamo smile at her.
"Do you want some help?" Oneida asks Ana. May beam at the other woman. She's happy to see Eddie's family and hear stories about him. She knows that it's hard for Eddie to open up.
As the women learn self-defense, Buck leaves the ladies to return to Eddie, the LAFD chiefs sit in an office talking.
"I get that, Diaz needs help, and we are providing this now, but this can't happen again. He hid this for so long and has been injured on shift, which could've cost us, men and women. Is he not going to get punished for the lying?" One Chief question. Chief Myers can see where they are coming from and agrees.
"I agree that him not saying anything would've cost us, men and women. What type of punishment would we be talking about here?" Chief Myers questions them.
"He's transferring to the hospital and the 221, away from Nash. I don't trust him to be honest with me about his injuries. I don't want him on the field right now," They say.
"I agree with Winterbottom. What happened with Diaz is horrible. No one should go through what he went through. However, Diaz came on scenes with bruises that almost affected the other houses. I questioned him if he had a broken rib, and he said that he did, in fact, have a broken one. He offered to be a medic, which I put him on. However, Captain Nash did not know of the broken rib. That's not okay," Chief Zagorski says to the Chief.
Chief Myers keeps quiet as he listens to the rest of the chiefs. He doesn't know this group, but they look and sound like good chiefs. It's a lot of intriguing information coming to the table.
"I don't want him on the field. Have him as a paramedic or transfer him to the hospital for good. I won't risk others for someone who won't tell anyone they are injured," Winterbottom says.
"I agree that he should've said something. However, we have yet to be the most approachable Chiefs to Diaz. I know he tried to talk to us, but no one was willing to listen. I get why he had to hide his injuries. Diaz doesn't trust us. I don't blame him," Chief Watson points out. Winterbottom and Zagorski nod in agreement, reluctantly. They can see Watson's point.
"Also, we had taken Nash's side when it came to Buckley and Diaz. The two tried to get us to hear that Nash was letting personal feelings get in the way of judgment, and we never listened. We never looked into their side of Nash's reports," Hasegawa says. Myers sighed at this. They're good but made terrible mistakes.
"What are we going to do?" Myers questions his staff. It's all conflicting counterpoints that make him want to scream. Bad judgment all around.
"Let Diaz be at the hospital and see what his therapist thinks. If the therapist thinks he's ready, let him on the field. I would rather have him as a medic than search and rescue. If or when he does come back, let's monitor him for six months to see how that goes. This is no longer a should've, could've, would've thing. There are no what-ifs. Diaz kept dangerous information from us, but we aren't any better. We should've shown Diaz that he could've come to us. No one is to be blamed. We have to do better for other firefighters. Does that seem reasonable?" Chief Castellano says. Everyone agrees with this. Myers sees that everyone is listening to Castellano.
"Dismissed. Castellano, a moment," Myers says. When everyone left, Castellano looked at him.
"What do you know about Diaz?" Myers questions. Both men know that they are protecting Diaz from the others. Neither men are stupid and respect the other, to be honest.
"I've seen him around the dangerous parts. He was helping others; some would be aggressive, some would let him near them, and others would tell him no. I reached out to other chiefs, and they all said that was what he would do to search for Sophia. I've also seen how the other chiefs are with him. The street fighting didn't help, but most didn't like him. Diaz would stand up for the weak ones, which makes people, like Winterbottom and Zagorski, not like him. They feel insecure about their jobs and take it out on Diaz. Diaz wants to help people, and we're taking that away from him," Castellano takes a breath.
"Diaz felt he couldn't come to us for the right reasons. Winterbottom and Zagorski would fire him in a heartbeat, and that's on us. We have to be better for other firefighters," Castellanotells him. Myers smiles at him.
"I agree," He says. Both men shake hands. As the two chiefs walk out, the Diaz family is in chaos at Isabel's house.
"Mama? Are you okay?" Pepa questions her mother. They're Pepa's place that's big enough for the whole siblings.
"I'm angry at everyone. At all my children for not doing something about it. Eddie should've said something to us, and Ramon and Helena should've done something about it. Eddie's been alone in this fight, and no one has ever helped him. It's not right," She says. Pepa nods in understanding.
"We are here now, and we will help," Miguel says. He steps next to his sister and smiles. Pepa smiles slightly. She knows that Miguel is trying, but she feels like it's too late with Eddie. Most of his tiòs are too late to make it up to Eddie. However, that's not for Pepa to decide. It's Eddie's. Maybe they can finally be a family that can rely on each other.
"What's wrong, Pepa?" Cecilia asks her sister. They aren't close, but they still help each other out.
"Just thinking about some things," She says. Isabel smiles at her daughters. Everyone was weary of Pepa, but Isabel knew she was only protecting her family.
"Who was the person that was with Eddie?" Silas asks his mami and Pepa. Pepa smiles a warm smile.
"That's Evan Buckley, but he goes by Buck," Isabel says. Most smile at that. Someone snorts. Pepa glares at them.
"What?" She snaps at him.
"Only Eddie would defy the family history to be with a man," They say. People look at them with anger.
"What family history?" Miguel questions.
"The not dating within our culture," They answer.
"Not never everyone wants to be in a relationship with Latinos. Eddie isn't that special to date a white person. Miguel married me," Hadiza says harshly. The person is annoyed. Everyone loves Eddie.
"Eddie's the only one that makes us think about family. Whenever we have issues, Eddie helps us when we never help him. We know you targeted Eddie when he was younger, and we don't want you around. Leave if you want," Another says.
"ENOUGH!" Pepa yells. Everyone stops in shock. Never once had Pepa ever yelled like that before. She would walk away from them. Now times have changed.
"This is why mama, Eddie, and I don't come to Texas. We aren't a real family anymore. This is why we don't tell each other things because all we do is fight. Eddie never said anything because he knew that everyone would take sides. We all argue about it, but we never fix the problem. If you're not interested in fixing the problem, go back to Taxes," Pepa finishes, making Isabel smile and pat her daughter's arm. Miguel smiles at his sister.
"What do we do?" Cecilia questions.
"Helena and I will take care of Sophia. We will imprison her, as Buck will press charges against her for attacking Eddie. We'll find the children's fathers to see if they want them. If they do, we are asking if they can see us. If not, then we will take them. Eddie doesn't need to worry about the kids," Ramon tells his siblings. Most nod in understanding. Most were wondering when they came to the house. Ramon rolled his eyes at his siblings.
"That's one way of solving a problem. That way, we can solve our own problems with each other. We need to talk about us and our issues. We've got to start somewhere with our issues. We need to do better," Sebastian says to the group. Everyone nods in agreement.
"Who wants to start?" Someone asks. Meanwhile, that chaos is happening; Sophia's in a holding cell. Her knees are to her chest, rocking back and forth. The cell door opens, and the woman looks up to see Buck. The blond sees how awful she looks.
"How are you holding up?" He asks. This man is protecting Eddie as no one has ever done. He's still kind to everyone but will guard dog people he loves. He cares, and she loves that about him. Sophia can see the man her little brother fell for, making her smile.
"Not okay. I know this isn't my place, but how is Eddie?" She asks. Buck tenses. Sophia knows that what she did wasn't okay. Eddie was trying to help, and she attacked him.
"I understand why you are asking, as you almost killed him. He'll get better. Right now, he's not in a good place. He wants you better. You are going to prison because I'm done with what you've done with Eddie. You will not see him for a long time. I will make sure of that," Buck says. Sophia starts to shake. Sniffling. Buck's nodding.
"I hope prison will help you, Sophia, because I won't let you see Eddie. I will check up on you, but not Eddie. I will protect him from you, for he is my submissive. I'm his dom, and I will ensure he's protected. Get better," Buck says and leaves. Sophia breaks. When Buck left, hearing her cry, he saw Maddie and Chimney outside. He raises an eyebrow at them. Jee is with them and wants her Buck, so he takes her into his arms.
"Yes," Buck questions them. Maddie bites her lip.
"How's Eddie?" Chimney asks. He wonders why Buck won't talk to them about Eddie anymore. Buck holds a growl back. Maddie frowns at the look that Buck is sending Chimney.
"Evan," She cuts in, making Buck look at her.
"I know we weren't the kindest to Eddie when he struggled. We can't take any of that back, but you must know that Eddie matters to us. Like he matters to you. We want to help, and we can't do that if you don't tell us how to help," Maddie tells him. Buck frowns at her.
"Why do I have to tell you how to help? Aren't you all adults? Can't you figure out how to talk to Eddie?" Buck questions them, making the two stop and look at him.
"Buck. Eddie won't talk to us. How are we supposed to talk to him if he doesn't talk to us?" Chimney reminds him. Buck looks at them with a raised eyebrow.
"If you don't know how to talk to someone, that's not my issue. I always try to work it out before getting other people involved," Buck says before leaving the station. When he gets in the car to drive, the phone rings.
"Buckley," Buck greets.
"Evan Buckley?" A woman's voice asks, making Buck blink.
"Who's asking?" Buck asks.
"Vivien Diaz," Vivien answers, making Buck blink.
"Can I help you?" Buck asks. Vivien smiles.
"Meet me at the Copenhagen Pastry Bakery," Vivien says and hangs up. Buck blinks at his phone. He doesn't know this person, but Vivien seems to be on a mission. He goes to the bakery. He sees a woman with red hair and brown eyes.
"Vivien?" Buck questions the redhead. The woman looks at him with a critical look, making Buck tense. She stares at him for the longest time, making Buck nervous.
"What's your intention with Eddie?" She flat-out questions him. Buck has to stop the anger from getting to him.
"Vivien," A man's voice warns her. Buck sees an older man with dark skin, high cheekbones, black hair, and hazel eyes. The man reminds Buck of Eddie. The man smiles at him. Buck blinks at him.
"Hector Diaz. Eddie's cousin, but he's more like a little brother to me," Hector says, making Buck smile. Hector is like Eddie. Both men care too much and gain so little with the family, but the only difference is that Hector has Vivien to protect him. Buck can see that she tries to protect Eddie, but people don't take her seriously enough. These two people are the people that Eddie talks to the most.
However, Buck thinks that he's wrong in his thoughts. Buck can see that his family does care but doesn't know how to show it. Eddie does talk with many people within his family, but no one seems to try to protect him. People try to protect Eddie but don't know how to protect him. Buck has to rethink of ways to help protect Eddie.
The Diaz family, as Buck can see, can't show emotions. However, they find people that can help with that, and that makes Buck smile. Buck is known to show his feelings and can read Eddie's emotions. Vivien is a human shield for these Diaz men. Eddie has many cousins who love him but can't show their love for him. Buck laughs.
"What?" Vivien questions as she and Hector look at him. Buck smiles at her.
"I realized your family doesn't know how to protect Eddie or show him that he is loved. It's hard for him to understand that you do love him. You Diazs just don't know how to communicate with each other. How to freely speak with one another or show your emotions. You're all incompetent with your emotions. It makes sense now that I can see you all together to see that Eddie gets that honesty from his family," Buck says, and Vivien loses her composer. She laughs so hard that people look their way. Hector stares at him.
"I like you," A woman's voice comes from behind. Buck turns to see a dark skin woman and a man that Eddie gets his look from. Buck tries to recall the names.
"Tia Hadiza and tio Miguel?" Buck questions and Hadiza brightens. Hector and Vivien look surprised. Miguel looks at him with a neutral expression. Eddie had never said anything about having a partner.
"It's nice to finally meet the man that stole my youngest heart," Hadiza says, and Buck can hear an accent. He smiles shyly at her. She's more intimidating than Athena. Eddie always talks about the tia; that's more of a mom. Eddie always made African food and knew Kinyarwanda.
"You're from Rwanda?" Buck asks, making Hadiza laugh.
"You are a good one for my son. I'm glad that you two were able to work on whatever issue you two had and got together," Hadiza says and pulls him into a hug. Buck smiles. No matter what, he can rely on the Diazs to be openly affectionate. Eddie would always hug or kiss people on the cheek. Eddie will show the people that he cares about with hugs or kisses. Buck melts under those hugs and kisses. He's melting down with the hug. She laughs.
"You are touch-starved. Eddie's right; you need to be reminded that you have people that love you," She says. Miguel smiles at his wife. Buck seems to be a good man.
"Hun, can you let him go?" Miguel asks his wife. This man is open with his emotions, and that makes Miguel smiles. This is a theme in his family. As the four get to know Buck, Eddie's with Shannon and Ana.
"How did it go?" Ana asks her brother. Eddie's sandwich between the two women, and Shannon plays with his hair.
"It went as well as I expected. Papi surprised me," Eddie says, making the women look at him.
"What do you mean?" Ana asks as she runs her hand over his wrapped hands. She loves Eddie and is upset that Sophia did this to him. Eddie takes his time to talk. The whole thing with Sophia is still an open wound to Eddie, and now that people know the truth, it makes things hard for Eddie.
"Papi stopped mom from going too far. He protected him. Actually listened to me and told mom off," Eddie says so softly that both women have to lean in to hear him. Shannon and Ana hold him tighter. The door opens, and Buck comes in.