Full Summary:
A home invasion leaves Buck and his girlfriend fighting to stay alive. What happens when the team goes to Buck's apartment and finds them barely conscious? Will they be okay?
Home Invasion:
Three months ago, Buck met someone new. They'd been dating and taking it slow and though Buck wanted to tell someone he was seeing someone new, he didn't want to ruin what he had going with her. He still hung out with Eddie and Christopher, but he never brought her up in conversations because she'd asked him not to. She was trying something new as well. She hadn't told her family either, though she didn't really talk much about her family. He hadn't even told Maddie about her. She traveled a lot for work, mostly because she was good at her job, but also because she loved to travel. She'd tried to get him to go with her a few times, but nothing had ever panned out because of conflicting schedules.
So when she said she had a surprise for him when he got off of work that day, he was surprised to see her walking into the firehouse. He wasn't the only one surprised. The rest of his friends were too. None of them knew that he had even been seeing anyone, or so the thought. When Eddie turned to the others a said 'called it' and they all broke out laughing, Buck knew that they had guessed his secret. She was smiling when she walked up to him.
"You were expecting this?"
"Since you started dating me, you haven't been able to stop smiling, so I figured someone was bound to find out sooner or later."
"And has any of your family figured out your dating anyone?"
"Nope, but I wasn't expecting them to. Now that they know, don't you think it'd be a good idea for me to meet your sister?"
"First, what's this surprise you have for me?"
"Ah that, well that can wait for later. I would like to meet Maddie if you don't mind."
"Maddie is at work at the moment, so it will have to be after her shift is over. But everyone is off tomorrow and Bobby was having a get together at his house. She'll be there with Chimney."
"Then I look forward to meeting the rest of your friends and family."
"And when will I get to meet your friends and family?"
"Never; it's hard to meet someone who isn't alive. My family died when I was little."
"Which would be why you don't talk about them. Sorry."
"It's okay. That question was bound to come up sooner or later. We should probably get going. My surprise waits."
"Oh, wait, you never told us your name." Eddie said.
"Sorry, got caught up in talking. My name is Eliza Bowers."
"Well, it is very nice to meet you." Chimney said.
"And you too."
Eddie and Chimney looked at each other as Buck grabbed his gear. He'd ridden in with Eddie that morning because he knew that Eliza had something planned. They got into her truck and then drove off. They would probably hear about the surprise the next day at the Grant-Nash household.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~911~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Eliza pulled up outside of what looked like an abandoned Diner. The Diner looked like it was built back in the 70's and Buck was trying to figure out what they were doing at the possibly abandoned building. He was about to ask when Eliza got out of the truck, shutting the door and grabbing something from the back of her truck. Buck got out and noticed multiple totes in the back of the truck as Eliza walked towards the Diner. He followed her, not really knowing what was going on. Once inside, he got the surprise of his life.
"Uh, Eliza, what exactly is this?"
"It came up for sale about a year ago and I've been slowly restoring it. Today, we are going to have a small reopening, but just the two of us."
"You're going to make food in the kitchen?"
"Not exactly; the kitchen doesn't work just yet, but the few appliances that I bought for it do. Like the milkshake machine and the hotdog maker. I was planning on bringing you out here for a surprise date anyways."
"So, you're planning on opening to the public?"
"No, I'm turning it into a house. I was told that it wouldn't be able to be reopened as a restaurant, so once I'm done restoring it as a house, I'll move it onto the lot I own closer to the ocean."
"And what happens if another tsunami hits? Or an earthquake?"
"I own some property on a cliff. I've made it earthquake proof and as for tsunamis, well the wave would have to be over 100ft high in order for it to even reach my property. Besides, if we do work out, we will be living on the cliff."
"You want me to move in with you?"
"Not right now, don't worry. But, you can help me restore the building. And anyone else that may want to let off some steam while on their days off. Feel free to bring anyone to help if you want."
"Alright then. Shall we go get the rest of the stuff from the back of your truck?"
"Yes, we shall."
They grabbed the rest of the totes from the truck and then got to work. Despite working a 24hr shift, Buck somehow found the energy to help with some of the work. When they were done working, they headed for the counter in the front of the building. Eliza made two milkshakes and a couple hotdogs. They ate their food and drank their milkshakes as they talked.
"So, you know how I told you in front of your friends that my family was dead?"
"Yeah, that was a couple hours ago. Why?"
"Not all of them are dead. It's just easier to tell people my family is dead than to tell the truth."
"And the truth would be what exactly?"
"My father is in Lompoc Federal Prison. He's serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole. I have a brother, somewhere, but he's a criminal like my father. The rest of my family is dead."
"I'm sorry to hear about some of your family. And if you're not in contact with your brother and he's never in your life, I don't have a problem with him. As for your father, can I ask what he did to land in a federal prison?"
"My dad killed a bunch of cops, civilian and military. I was maybe ten when he came home and sent me to a friend's house for the night. I didn't understand why he wanted me to go spend the night at my friend's house until the next day. When I came home, I called out to let them know that I was home. I found my father in the living room with my older brother, but I couldn't find the rest of my family. When I went to my room to put my stuff away, my parent's room door was open a little and I thought I saw my mom in the room. Well, I went to look and found the rest of my family. My father had killed them. Cut their throats and let them bleed to death. My mom must have tried to save her kids, because she was on top of them. They were all on the bed. When I went back out to the living room, my father was gone but my older brother was still there. That's when the cops showed up. We were allowed to pack a couple bags each but I lost track of my brother in the system. I was taken in by a nice family who were nice enough to let me stay until I aged out of the system, but they didn't have the means to adopt me. My father went on to become a serial killer. He didn't like cops and his time in the military gave him the much needed information on how to blend in. He was finally caught when I agreed to contact him for the cops. I was about 22, and married to a military man so I knew that he couldn't pass on the opportunity of coming after us. He showed up on the pretense that he wanted to meet my husband and newborn daughter. But he never got into the house. I had the FBI waiting to take him into custody. I wanted his reign of terror to end and that was the only way I knew it could end."
"I'm sorry that happened to you. But you never told me you have a daughter."
"Because I don't, not anymore. My husband had taken her to see his parents and I had to work so I wasn't with them when the car crashed. Unfortunately for me, they weren't missing for 48hrs so the cops couldn't start an investigation into finding them. If they had, my family would still be alive. She was four when she died. Those two days that the police could have been looking for them, ended up being the last two days they were alive. My husband died on impact, my daughter's body was never found. The police think that maybe someone found the crash on the back road and took the girl after seeing that her father was dead."
"So, she could still be alive?"
"Nobody ever came forward with saying that they had seen the crash or had taken a young girl from the crash. She technically could be alive, but I wouldn't know where to look and the police classified her as dead, so there isn't a place to even start looking for her."
"Maybe Athena can help. She's Bobby's wife and she's a Sergeant with the LAPD. She could probably look into it for you if you want."
"She doesn't have to. And I don't want to burden her with anything. That part of my life has closed. Anyways, after my husband died, I got his death benefits. And as much as I knew that I didn't want them, I did know that I couldn't get by on life without the money. I ended up selling the house we'd bought because I couldn't live in that house. I kept all of their belongings in storage and I still have the storage area. I've started going through it and giving some of my husband's stuff away, mostly to his family. But I've kept my daughter's possessions."
"Have I told you that I love you lately?" Buck asked.
"So you're not scared off by my back story."
"We all have a past. That is your past. In my past, my parents weren't the greatest parents and Maddie basically raised me until she went off to college and then Nursing School."
"Well, at least you had her to fall on when things got tough. Me, I visit the graves of my family, do what I need to get the day over with and come out here. Restoring this building is one of my best ideas that I've ever had. It's my 'get away from the city' project. And once it's done and sitting on my property overlooking the beach, I'll be happy to start a new project."
"And what will that project be?"
"Well, I have to get down to the beach somehow. I was thinking about putting in a rock climbing coarse. Maybe add a basket for the kids."
"Sounds like a fun project. But for now, maybe we should pack up and head out. We can always come back tomorrow."
"I like the sound of that."
Eliza and Buck packed everything up and left the Diner House. Eliza locked the door, electronic lock on the inside door and padlock on the outside door. That way if they got through one door, they wouldn't be able to get through the second door. And she had replaced all of the windows with bulletproof and shatterproof glass, so nobody was getting in that way. They got into her truck and drove back to Buck's apartment. They had been spending the night with each other a lot lately. And now that Buck knew about her past, he wasn't about to let her spend another night alone. He'd fallen deeply in love with the woman and anyone who wasn't blind would be able to see that.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~911~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Eliza and Buck arrived at Bobby & Athena's the next night with some potato salad. Eliza had made it that afternoon. They walked in to see barely anyone at the house. Confused look on Buck's face said that maybe they were early. Eliza looked at him right as Athena walked in from the backyard.
"Hey, you realize that you guys are like a half hour early, right?"
"I must have heard the time wrong. Oh well, Athena this is Eliza, my girlfriend and we brought potato salad."
"It's nice to meet you Eliza. I'm Bobby's wife. Bobby is Buck's boss at the fire station."
"It's nice to meet you. I didn't know if we were supposed to bring anything, but I made potato salad. I'm assuming this is going to be like a BBQ."
"Yes, we are having a BBQ. And the potato salad is welcome. Nice and big bowl too. I don't think it will fit in our fridge."
"Uh, yea, different kind of potato salad; no dairy at all. I made a homemade Italian dressing that I out over it. And in the bag are the rest of the ingredients. Got some diced eggs, shredded cheddar cheese and some pine nuts."
"So, you don't like the traditional potato salad then?"
"No, I like it, but I figured the salad bowl was going to be sitting out on a table and I didn't want anyone to get sick, so I went with a slightly different version."
"Well, at least you thought ahead. The others should be here in about twenty minutes. You're welcome to help with the rest of the food."
"Thank you. Where would you like me to put this?"
"Right now, all of the food is going on the dining table. You can go ahead and put it there and you can put your perishable foods in the fridge, though you might want to leave it in the bag, so no one uses it by mistake."
"Good to know, thank you."
Eliza and Athena walked into the kitchen together and Buck went out back where Bobby was manning the grill.
"Hey Buck, how's Athena getting along with your new girlfriend?"
"Ah, they seem to have hit it right off. They are talking about food."
"Yeah, does she cook?"
"Yes, she's actually a really good cook. Better than I will ever be. So, is everyone coming over?"
"Oh yes, everyone wants to meet your new friend. And I think Maddie might have some questions for her."
"Yeah, Maddie already started texting and asking questions about her. Mainly about when she would get to meet her and her family. Maddie can meet Eliza, just no family for her to meet."
"Sorry to hear that, but at least you got an explanation about that subject. I know you were a little worried when we spoke last week. And I know why you wanted to keep it a secret. Until she walked into the firehouse yesterday, I was the only one who really knew what you had been up to."
"So, you did tell someone that we were dating?" Eliza said coming out back with an ice tea in her hand. Athena had a tray of teas in her hand and she set it on the patio table.
"I know you didn't want me to tell anyone, but…"
"No, it's okay. I don't mind. I was actually gauging how long it took for you to actually tell someone. All three of us were."
"Come again? Wait, you two knew the whole time?"
"I knew Eliza from an old case I worked years ago. When the two of you started dating, she came to me and asked me how good you were. I told her she couldn't do any better than you."
"And Bobby, you knew when I came to you last week?"
"Athena told me about Eliza, but she didn't tell me about what case the two became acquainted on. I just assumed Eliza didn't want anyone to know. I'm assuming she told you, though."
"Yeah, she told me yesterday."
"Good, it's about time she told someone other than me what was going on. It was hard keeping it from you Buck, but we thought we were doing the right thing. Now that you know the truth, what are you going to do about it? Eliza deserves to be happy."
"I'm not going anywhere. It's her past, but she doesn't have to be ruled by it. Did she tell you about her husband and daughter?"
"I thought we agreed that we weren't going to talk about that?"
"You said you wouldn't bring it up. I never promised I wouldn't."
"I know her husband and daughter are dead, they died in a car crash a couple years ago. What's going on that I may need to intervene in, Eliza?"
"It's nothing. Buck just thought you may want to look into the case. I told him that you couldn't really do anything because there wasn't anything that could be done."
"Why don't you let me be the deciding factor on that? Let's go into my room and talk and you tell me whatever it is that Buck thinks I can help with. And then you can yell at him when the two of you get home tonight."
Athena and Eliza walked into the house and out of sight. Bobby gave Buck that knowing look like, 'you just stepped into something'. For now, the two put the meat onto the grill and started cooking it. Athena would tell him later what was going on. Meanwhile, in the bedroom…
"Eliza, what was Buck talking about?"
"There's something I never told you, about the car accident that took my family."
"Okay, well I'm listening now. Don't mind Buck, he probably believed he was doing the right thing by getting me involved."
"Yea I know that, but I just never wanted to bring it back up again."
"Okay, bring what back up again?"
"Rick was found dead in the car, but Kaya's body was never found. They believe that she wandered off and that someone maybe took her in and never reported to authorities what had happened. I want to believe that my daughter died that night, but in my heart, I know that that isn't true. I can feel that she isn't dead, but I don't have the power to go searching for her again. I don't have the strength to go looking; I'm too afraid of what I might find. If I go back to the crash site, I'm too afraid that I will find her bones."
"Why didn't you tell me this sooner? Kaya was at the age where she would know her mother if she'd been found back then. And as it's only been four years since the accident, she could still remember you if she's still alive. Look, I will ask for the case file and see what I can find. I'm not going to promise anything, I won't do that to you. But what I can promise is that if she is alive and if I do find anything, you will be the first to know."
"Thank you Athena. I don't know what I would do without your friendship."
"Probably wouldn't have told Buck about your past at all. I know it's easier to push it down and not talk about it, but the people that are close to Buck will want to know what is going on. If they find out how I know you and which case I met you on, they will have a lot of questions. The main question will probably be if your brother ever reappeared in your life."
"He hasn't made a peep since I moved back to LA. I have no idea where he is."
"Well, now that is something I can do for you. I'll message a friend and see if we can't find out where he has been lurking. For now, I think its best if we get back outside, before everyone starts to arrive. Don't need them thinking Buck's new girlfriend is in trouble, now do we."
"No, we don't; thank you again Athena."
"Don't mention it."
We left the bedroom and went back outside. We were sitting at the patio table when the rest of the guests arrived. I knew what would come. Buck would introduce me to everyone that wasn't at the firehouse and then I would get to meet Maddie. I was kind of hoping that she would like me, but with everything I had learned about Maddie from Buck, I didn't really know how she would react to me. As they all filtered into the back yard, I was apprehensive to say the least. Introductions were made and I finally had to let out the breath that I didn't know it was holding in. When I saw Chimney walk in with a woman, I immediately knew it was Maddie. She looked like Buck but a lot more feminine. She walked right over to me and held out her hand, which I took.
"Hi, I'm Maddie and you must be Eliza. It is nice to finally meet you. Buck hasn't been the same since he met you, a lot more smiles than normal."
"It's very nice to meet you and yes I'm the one that is making him smile. Buck has told me about you but I was apprehensive to meet you, to say the least."
"I get what you mean. I'm normally reserved when meeting my little brother's girlfriends. The relationships don't tend to last very long; he's always screwed up somehow."
"Hey, that's not nice Maddie, even coming from you. Ignore her, Eliza, she's just being mean."
"Isn't that what big sisters are supposed to do? Be mean to their younger siblings?"
"Ooh, I like her already. We can be mean to him together. It's so much fun to pick on him."
"Yes it is."
The rest of the party went on as planned. People laughed at jokes and talked about things that were done while off the clock (days off). Eliza told about her project with the old diner and how she was turning it into a house. She gave an open invitation to anyone that wanted to help in order to blow off some steam. Same thing went for when the house was moved to its permanent spot on the cliff. Same went for when she put in the rock climbing coarse and the basket for the kids and anyone else that didn't want to climb down to the beach. Most everyone decided that they would take her up on her offer. By the end of the night, people were talking about what they could do to help with the move to the cliff. As the night came to a close and she and Buck made their way out to his Jeep, neither had an inkling that anyone was watching them or what was going to happen.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~911~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next day saw Buck at work. He and Eliza planned on meeting after his shift so that they could get take-out for their night of movies. Eliza had movies on her computer so it was easier than renting from a movie store. Since they both had to work that day, they had made plans for after his shift. He was working a 24hr shift and she would be helping at the shelter while he was working. It was a win-win for them both. She mostly worked from home anyways, only going into meetings when she was needed on site. Being that she was a Home-School Teacher, she had the leisure of setting her own schedule. She'd place her lessons online and wait for the students to finish them before grading them. She liked the job because she could do it from pretty much anywhere and it allowed her to travel.
As Buck walked into the firehouse, he knew that his family was going to talk, but at least they knew that he was happy and that he had found someone that made him happy. When Chimney saw him walk into the locker room, he stepped in as well.
"So, Maddie really like Eliza. She's really hoping the two of you stay together."
"Yeah, I could tell that they hit it off. How long did you know before we told you yesterday that I was dating someone?"
"Well, Maddie said she figured it out when you started to cancel on dinner with her. But I think the rest of us knew when you kept having different plans than us. As for Eddie, I think he caught on pretty fast. You were talking about places that you hadn't been to before and he figured it out from there. As for the Captain, I'm not sure when he figured it out."
"Oh, he knew the entire time. I guess Eliza and Athena became acquainted on a case she worked and as soon as we started seeing each other, she went to Athena and asked if I was an okay guy. Athena gave her approval and well we've hit it off pretty well."
"Ah, so Athena and Bobby knew the entire time and you didn't say anything?" Eddie asked as he and Hen walked into the locker room.
"Hey, I just found out yesterday that they knew the whole time and were waiting to see when I would crack and tell someone that I was dating again."
"Well, leave it to Athena and Bobby to not say something. But, Eliza seems like a really nice woman and I hope you don't screw this up Buckaroo." Hen said, scolding a little.
"I don't plan on screwing this up at all. I really like her, way more than I did with Abby or Aly. She gets me and we have fun together."
"Well, I hope the fun doesn't get the two of you into trouble any time soon." Eddie said.
"Yeah, me too. After shift tomorrow we are doing take-out and a movie night so we won't be getting into any trouble."
"You are so lucky you only have to work 24hrs when the rest of us are stuck on a 48hr shift."
"Yeah, well, I can't help it if I have to get my leg checked out. The doctor wants to make sure he did the right thing by taking me off the blood thinners."
"Yes, well it will be good to have you fully back to your normal self."
"Yes it will."
Talking stopped as they headed up the stairs for breakfast. The rest of the shift went like any other shift. A woman stuck in her doggy door because she forgot her keys on the counter and was trying to unlock the door when nobody else was home. A couple kids who's prank on their friend went a little too far. A teenager who thought it would be fun to jump from his roof and into his pool only to realize he had miscalculated and ended up hitting cement instead, instantly shattering both his ankles. A fire at an apartment building but they were able to get everyone out without any major injuries. A meth lab that exploded but nobody was seriously hurt.
The day ended for Buck with everyone racing off towards a call and him heading for his doctor's office to get his leg checked out. He didn't want to stop with the calls, but he knew that Bobby wanted a full check-up done on his leg and a clean bill of health from him when he came in for his next shift in two days.
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Buck had just left the doctor's office when Eliza called to say that she was heading to his apartment. He told her he'd pick up the food and that he'd see her there. She had a key so she could let herself in. He stopped by the local Korean restaurant and grabbed the order Eliza had put in shortly before he left work. The staff was used to the two working in tandem to order and collect the food so it was nothing new. Buck left the tip and then headed for his jeep. He headed for home shortly after making a quick pit-stop at a local grocery store to grab some things he knew that Eliza would want that the Korean place never packed, mainly sauces. And he had to pick up some things that he needed for his own cupboards.
When he got home, he grabbed the food and the groceries and headed into his building and towards his apartment. As if sensing that he was heading up the stairs, Eliza opened the door right as he was turning the corner. They smiled at each other and she grabbed some of the groceries and held the door open as he walked through. They put the groceries away first before grabbing the food and heading to the couch. She'd already plugged her computer into the TV so that they would be able to watch the movie. They settled on Gods of Egypt and settled into eating while watching the movie. They laughed at some parts and cringed at others but it was a pretty good movie, despite the reviews it had gotten.
By the time the movie was over, it was nearly midnight. While Buck put the leftover food in the fridge, Eliza unhooked her computer from the TV and put it back in her laptop bag, TV cord included. She placed the bag behind the couch, where she normally kept it just in case anything happened. She was very security conscious with her electronics. They turned the lights off and headed upstairs to get some sleep. As they cuddled together in the darkened room, drifting more and more to sleep, a man stood from his silent spot near the stairs. It was now or never and he was intent on making them pay.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~911~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Buck woke first. He thought he heard someone downstairs and thought that maybe it was Eliza getting something to drink, that was until he realized that she was still next to him in the bed. He removed his arm from underneath her which in turn woke her up. She was about to ask him what was going on when she also heard the noise. She grabbed her phone as Buck grabbed a bat from next to his bed. Eliza had already dialed 911 but hadn't yet hit the 'send' button. She held her breath as Buck made his way down the stairs. Halfway down the stairs, hands reached through the gaps in the stairs and grabbed Buck's ankles, to which he tumbled the rest of the way down. Eliza screamed as she called 911 and ran to find a hiding spot.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~911~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"911, what's your emergency?"
"There's someone in the apartment. He's hitting my boyfriend. Please help."
"Mam, can you tell me what your address is?" Maddie asked into the phone.
"Um…I can't remember. I can't tell you."
"Alright, I need you to calm down. You said you were at your boyfriend's house. Can you tell me his name?"
"It's Evan Buckley. We were asleep and woke up to someone downstairs. He went to go look and someone grabbed his feet halfway down the stairs."
"Eliza, is that you?" Maddie asked, fear in her voice as she waved Josh over.
"Yes, Maddie? Send someone please, I can hear him coming up the stairs."
"Help is on the way Eliza; I need you to tell me where you are."
"In the closet. Oh god, I think he heard me."
"Eliza…Eliza, can you hear me…Eliza…" Maddie asked over and over again as a scream came through the phone. Nothing for a few minutes before recognition in the young woman's voice told Maddie she knew who was attacking them.
"What are you doing here?"
"Time to pay little sister. You ruined my life!"
The silence on the other end of the phone was deafening but rescue had already been dispatched. Suddenly a struggle could be heard over the phone as someone wrestled with the assailant. A grunt was heard and then nothing. Maddie tried to get Eliza to answer again, but all that was heard over the phone was heavy breathing. The phone must have been lost in the struggle. They were still listening when the front door was kicked open.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~911~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The 118 got the call and as soon as the location was called out, Eddie said it first.
"That's Buck's apartment."
The trucks raced to the scene. They were met by the police. Athena was waiting for them outside. Her face said it all. They needed to prepare themselves for what they were about to see. The team headed up to Buck's apartment and even as they entered the door, they knew it had been a bloody fight. There was blood in the entry way and a discarded bat near the kitchen. Eddie was up the stairs and near the second bedroom before anyone could stop him. The second bedroom was more like a small den than anything else, but it was where Buck and Eliza were.
Eddie bent down next to his friend and was relieved when he found a pulse. Hen was near Eliza. They were both alive, but both had been beaten severely and Eliza looked like she had been stabbed multiple times. The two were stabilized and readied for transport even before the second ambulance arrived. Eddie went with Buck while Hen and Chimney went with Eliza. They were both headed to St. Matthew's Hospital.
When the ambulances arrived at the hospital, both were rushed into the ER and out of the site of their friends. Eddie pulled out his phone and texted Maddie to tell her which hospital they were in. By the time the rest of the team got to the hospital, Maddie was already there and was pacing a hole into the floor. Even Chimney couldn't get her to settle down. Athena showed up soon after, having the need to make sure the scene was kept pristine for the Detectives that would want to see what had happened. When Maddie saw Athena, she stopped her pacing, much to the relief of those around her. What she said next though, sent shivers through everyone.
"Athena, I think I know who did this?"
"How Maddie, you weren't there?"
"I'm the one that took the call when it came in. Before the phone disconnected, I heard Eliza talking to someone that I think she knew. The assailant said something back. But I don't understand because she told Buck that her family is dead."
"What was said back, Maddie?"
"He said it was 'time to pay little sister, that she ruined his life'. But I don't really understand that part. If her family is dead, then she doesn't have any older brothers."
"She has one older brother who isn't dead. Their father left the two of them alive. Eliza went the straight-and-narrow path, her brother Paul on the other hand, followed in his father's footsteps."
"Their father? I don't understand."
"Eliza told Buck her backstory before the BBQ at our house. I've known Eliza for almost twelve years, ever since she testified against her father for what he'd done."
"And what did he do?" Chimney asked, as everyone was now listening in.
"He's a convicted cop killer. He killed both military and civilian police officers. But that's not what she testified against him for. She testified against him after he slaughtered her mother and siblings and left her to pick up the pieces. She was ten when he killed her family. For some reason he thought by keeping two of his kids alive that maybe he could start over. His son turned out like him though, life of crime while Eliza went a different route. She married into the military and when she was 22, she helped us catch her father by saying her could meet his granddaughter. It was a ploy that worked, but Paul always blamed Eliza for their father going to jail."
"Wait, she's married? And has a daughter?" Eddie asked.
"No, she was married but she isn't anymore. And she doesn't have a daughter anymore either. Sgt. Bowers was heading home after visiting with his parents and his daughter was asleep in the back seat when the car hit a patch of black ice and skidded off the road. The police at the time wouldn't launch an investigation into them being missing because it hadn't been 48hrs. When the car was finally found, three days after the accident, Sgt. Bowers was dead, had been dead since the car crashed. And from what Eliza just told me at the BBQ, her daughter's body was never found. Buck had wanted her to talk to me about looking into seeing if her daughter was ever reported as being found or anything like that. It's only been four years since the accident. The young girl would be eight by now, if she is still alive."
"Long story, but I think I get it now. So what do we do now? Other than wait for them to get out of surgery?"
"Well, I have the original case report from the accident. As far as I'm concerned, until we are told otherwise, there is nothing we can do right now. Maybe we can find something in the report."
"Good idea. Maybe we can find something about the little girl, make it something Eliza has to fight for to stay alive."
"Exactly; we find her daughter while she's in here, we put some of her life back together. I've also got records of every four-year-old that entered into the Foster System in the state. Hopefully, we'll find something."
They got to work as they waited on the doctors to come out and tell them the information they needed to hear. They were going to be proactive in this hospital wait because if they weren't, they were going to go mad just waiting and doing nothing.
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Buck woke slowly; the pain was the first thing that told him something was wrong. The beeping next to him told him that he was in the hospital. But he couldn't quite remember what had happened. He remembered falling asleep next to Eliza and then nothing. Had something happened for him to be in the hospital? Was Maddie there with him? Was Eliza waiting for him to wake up? He opened his eyes slowly and noted that it was dark outside the window in his room. Maybe if he slept a little longer he would remember what had happened for him to end up in the hospital. He really needed to remember what had happened. He felt himself slipping back into sleep right as the door opened but he didn't have the energy to stay awake any longer.
When he woke again, it was daylight. He opened his eyes to see Maddie in a chair next to his bed, her hand grasping his and tears streaking out of her eyes. He grasped her hand, which drew her attention from the window. When she saw him awake, a watery smile formed on her lips and she stood from her seat to sit on the bed. She kept his hand in hers, to give him something to hold onto. Her eyes glistened with tears as she started to speak.
"Hey, welcome back sleepy head."
"How long have I been here?"
"Only a couple days. Your doctor was pretty sure you would wake up sooner than later. We've been sitting with you, all of us. The team is on shift right now, but they stop in every time they drop a patient off."
"Eliza?"
"She's here, in the bed next to you. You guys were pretty beat up when the paramedics got to you. Do you remember what happened?"
"We went to sleep and I woke in the middle of the night to some noise downstairs. When I moved to get the baseball bat, Eliza woke up. She was going to ask what happened when she heard the noise too. I went downstairs and she grabbed her phone and went into the den to call 911. I told her to hide, but I don't really remember anything that happened after I headed downstairs. Is Eliza okay?"
"She will be. But the two of you are going to need time to recuperate; time to heal. And you can't do it at your apartment. It's a crime scene now."
"Do they know who did it? Who assaulted us?"
"The police have a theory and are working hard on finding the man that assaulted the two of you. They'll find him, so all you need to do is worry about getting better."
"How bad are our injuries?"
"You had a ruptured spleen and they removed it, but you don't medically need it to live. You also had five cracked ribs and three broken ones and a mild concussion."
"And Eliza? How is she?"
"She was beaten as well, but her injuries were more severe than yours. She was stabbed multiple times. She hasn't woken up yet but the doctor is optimistic that she will. Her body just needs more time to heal."
"I want to see her."
"Hang on; let me move the curtain back a little. You're both going to be sharing the same room for a while. It was safer to keep you together. And you have your very own security detail outside the door. You're as safe as you'll ever be for the time being."
Maddie got up from Buck's bed and stepped up to the curtain. She pulled it back to reveal Eliza, who was propped up against her pillows. A small quilt had been laid over her legs to give her a little more warmth. Seeing her lying in that bed brought anger to Buck but also relief that she was alive and more or less in one piece. Maddie left the curtain open before moving back to the chair she had been sitting in. She held his hand as he slipped back into sleep. She'd be here when he woke again.
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Eliza woke to the beeping of a machine next to her. The pain that radiated up and down her body was dulled by the medicine that was coursing through her veins. She knew that she was in the hospital but she didn't have the strength to fully wake up. She could hear people talking in the room and the soft sound of Buck's voice filled her with relief but she was still too weak to fully wake up. She slipped back into the dark, waiting to fully wake up at a later date. She knew that she had some explaining to do.
When she woke again, there were only a couple voices talking from what sounded like the bed next to hers. Buck's voice was one of the voices she heard. And she still heard the beeping which meant that her heart was still beating but she couldn't bring herself to fully wake. The pain in her head was lulling her back to sleep way too fast for her liking. She was trying to open her eyes but to no avail.
She woke for a third time to absolute quiet. This time, however, she was able to open her eyes. The room was dark, save for a small lamp in the corner of the room. She looked to the side and noticed Buck asleep in the bed next to hers, a curtain halfway closed between the two, yet not fully closed. She watched him sleep; trying to figure out why there was a light on if he was sleeping. She didn't see anyone else in the room so she figured he must have fallen asleep with the light on. She slipped back into the dark, hoping that the next time she woke, it would be daylight and Buck would be awake.
She woke that morning aware that someone was watching her. She got the feeling that somehow, whoever was watching her, knew that she was awake. She opened her eyes just a sliver to find Christopher sitting in a chair next to her bed but no other adults in site. She glanced over at Buck but he was still asleep so she opened her eyes a little more. She smiled at Christopher and the little boy smiled back. He kept his eyes on her, though she got the feeling that his father didn't know where he was at the moment because Eddie wasn't in the room. When she looked towards the door, she saw Eddie leaning up against the door frame with a semi smile on his face. When he saw her looking at him, he walked in and closed the curtain, letting Buck sleep a little longer.
"Hi, glad to see you awake. You've had us quite worried, especially Buck."
"How long was I unconscious?"
"About a week. Buck woke up three days after you guys were hospitalized. He's been pretty worried, though the doctor said it would take longer for you to wake up. Your wounds were worse than Buck's."
"I remember, sort of. It's all a little fuzzy."
"That's okay. You have time to remember. How are you feeling?"
"Like an idiot. I knew he was out there somewhere. Guess I got too comfortable in the life I built to realize that I was being watched."
"You're not an idiot. Yes, you got comfortable in the life you were building with Buck, but why shouldn't you be comfortable? You deserve to have a happy life."
"You sound like my therapist."
"So you are seeing someone? Buck has a department counselor but we weren't sure if you were seeing anyone. Athena told us about your background."
"Sorry to put Buck through that. I told him before the BBQ at Athena's but I didn't exactly know how to tell the rest of you as I had literally just met you. I think Buck was going to let me go at my own pace on how I told you guys. But now that my past is out in the open, I wouldn't blame any of you if you didn't want me to keep dating Buck."
"Hey, this isn't your fault. Yes, you probably should have warned us that you have a crazy criminal brother that you never see, but none of us saw this coming, not even Buck. And Maddie doesn't blame you either. You're one of the better things that has happened to Buck in the past year and we want him to stay happy. We don't blame you at all. And Buck definitely doesn't blame you. If was an accident, albeit a home invasion accident but you never meant to hurt him or get him hurt."
"So, what happens now? I mean, I'm assuming Buck isn't going to be able to go back to his apartment while he recuperates."
"Well, Buck's apartment is still technically a crime scene. And his landlord has been by to let him know that he's willing to let Buck out of his lease without any repercussions. After he gets out of the hospital, he's going to stay in the guest room at my house until he can go back to work. As for you, I'm assuming you have a house on that cliff property that you can live in."
"I have a tiny house. But I don't think Buck will want me where he can't see me, especially with my brother still out and about. And I'm pretty sure Athena will want to keep me within her sight as well."
"Then it's up to Athena where you go. I'd offer the guest room with Buck, but I think Chris would be a little nervous around you seeing as he's barely met you."
"It's okay; I've got the money to stay in a hotel."
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Two weeks later and both Buck and Eliza were leaving the hospital. Maddie had offered Eliza her second bedroom while Buck stayed with Eddie. The two could still see each other, but would mostly be recuperating from the traumatic events that occurred a month ago. And both would be seeing their separate therapists, though Eliza more so than Buck. Eliza had more stuff to work out than Buck did, though she refused to tell Maddie most of it. She knew from Eddie and their conversation that the rest of Buck's team knew about her past and she didn't know how Maddie would take it when they were alone together. She felt like she betrayed everyone because she hadn't told them everything that had happened when she was growing up. And she knew from Athena that Buck's family knew about her first family. She didn't know how to talk about that.
When Maddie pulled up to her apartment, Eliza felt apprehension again. Being alone with Maddie right now probably wasn't the best thing. But it was what Maddie grabbed from the back of her car that surprised Eliza. Maddie didn't just grab the groceries; she'd also grabbed a laptop bag that looked eerily similar to her own. When Maddie saw Eliza looking at the bag, she smiled and told her that yes the bag was hers. Athena had found it tucked behind Buck's sofa and brought it to Maddie so that Eliza would feel a little like she had some control. Eliza smiled at Maddie as she grabbed her bags from the back of the car. They headed into the apartment shortly after opening the security gate. Maddie really liked her security.
Once in the apartment, Maddie set the groceries on the counter and then headed upstairs. Eliza followed, hoping the second bedroom at least had a bed. She was grateful when Maddie opened the second bedroom and she saw a bed. Maddie smiled and put the bags on the bed and then told her to make herself comfortable, that she would be downstairs making lunch. Eliza smiled and thanked her. She understood the implications of the lunch. It meant that they were going to talk, whether Eliza wanted to or not.
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A month had passed since the hospital stay. Buck had been able to get out of his lease and even got the security deposit back. His landlord had been very understanding, knowing that he may not want to live where he'd nearly been killed. His belongings were in a storage shed on the cliff property where Eliza was living. After a month with Maddie, Eliza had moved back into the tiny house she'd been living in on her cliff property. The property was very well guarded, high security and all, and Eliza felt more comfortable in her own home, though her brother was still out there somewhere. Buck on the other hand, was still living with Eddie, as it was easier to get to and from work if he stayed with Eddie than it would have been if he was staying with Eliza.
In the month, the two had fully healed, though Eliza would always have the scars of what her brother did to her as a constant reminder. Thankfully all of Buck's wounds were on the inside of his body and all the bruises had all but healed. If Buck and her weren't going out on public dates, Eliza was over at Athena's. Athena had been looking into the car accident that killed her husband and made her daughter disappear. She was working with the Foster System to track down every child that had entered the system four years ago that may have resembled Eliza. After coming through the reports, it had been determined that instead of dying, her daughter had indeed wandered away from the crash that killed her father and been picked up by a bystander, who then in turn dropped her off at a hospital under the 'Safe Haven Law'. Now, it was just a matter of finding the young girl and hoping that she hadn't been adopted. If she had been adopted, things would get a little sticky as the parents would have to be notified that the girl had been adopted without the consent of the mother. If the girl remembered her family from before the crash, she could very well have told the family that she was living with that her mother was still alive somewhere waiting for her to return home. But that was assuming a lot, though it was what everyone was hoping for.
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Buck and Eliza were at the Diner house, putting on the finishing touches before it was moved to the Cliff property when Athena pulled up with Harry & May. May had been helping with the decorating and painting and Harry had been helping move furniture around. The flatbed truck was due to arrive in the next few days and the house needed to be ready for transport before then. As the three moved into the house, they could tell that there had been an important decision made but Athena didn't want to say anything to them just yet. She did, however, have good news for Eliza. They moved into the kitchen and Eliza looked up at them with a smile.
"Hey Athena, I see you brought the kids."
"Yup, they wanted to come. Harry, May, stay here with Buck. I need to talk with Eliza. We'll be out by the car."
"Okay mom. Show us what you are doing Buck." May said.
Athena and Eliza walked out front and sat on the bench next to the car.
"What's going on Athena?"
"I have some news for you and I thought you might like to hear it in private."
"Okay, is it good news or bad news?"
"Good news, on both fronts. Okay, first off, we found Paul. He's now in custody and will be sentenced later this month. You and Buck can make victim impact statements if you would like."
"Jeez, I feel like I should feel awful that my brother was arrested but after what he put Buck and I through, I could care less. And what's the second bit of information?"
"We found Kaya. She's been living with a family in Sacramento. They've been trying to adopt her for the better part of a year, but every time they went in front of the judge, Kaya would ask if anyone had found her mom yet. I guess the judge learned that we were looking for a little girl around Kaya's age down her in La because he sent us her file and even had a DNA swab done to make sure she really is yours. The DNA matches. Her social worker will pick her up from her foster family tomorrow to make the trip down here to see you."
"And what will happen with the foster family? Will they sue for custody?"
"Since the adoption kept being denied, they don't have the standing to sue for custody. Kaya was a ward of the state who kept telling anyone that would listen that her mother wasn't dead and that she wanted to go home to her mother. The family that wanted to adopt her kept telling her that once the adoption went through, they were going to be moving far away from California, so even if what Kaya said was true, you'd never be able to find her. When Kaya told the judge what they had told her, he knew he couldn't let them adopt her. She's coming home Eliza."
"Good, I want my baby back in my arms. Just don't know if Buck is ready to be an instant dad."
"He's very good with kids, even better with Christopher than even Eddie thought he'd be, but he will treat her kindly. Your daughter wants to come home. Buck will see that she is your daughter and will do whatever it takes to keep her safe, just like he did with you during the Home Invasion. You probably don't remember, but he managed to get back up the stairs and beat up on Paul before Paul thought it was probably best to get out of the apartment. When the cops got to the apartment, Buck was holding your hand, trying to get you to stay awake."
"No, I don't remember that. After the last knife wound, I blacked out."
"At least you remember what happened and are working through your feelings with your therapist. So, let's talk about the house here. How many bedrooms is it?"
"It's three bedrooms. I wanted a work room. And I knew that the possibility of having kids with Buck would be high since he wants them."
"So, the two of you are planning on getting married then?"
"He asked me last night and I said yes. I just haven't told anyone yet, except now you."
"Well congratulations are in order. Now all we have to do is get the rest of the family in on the party."
"Yes, yes we do."
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As the Diner House was placed at the Cliff property, the tiny house was moved a little off to the side, but still accessible. The Cliff property back up against a hill that could be deadly if a mud slide hit, so a cement wall was being erected to keep the hill where it needed to be. The storage shed on the property had been converted into a nice sized garage, with cement floor. It was made of brick with a wood and metal roof. For now, there was a fence around the whole property so that nobody wandered off the edge of the cliff and died.
The whole team was at the Cliff property when the social worker showed up with Eliza's daughter. Eliza walked out of the house and over to the car as the social worker got out. Kaya stayed in the car for now as the social worker needed to talk to Eliza before allowing her daughter to stay with her. So, while Athena and Bobby got Kaya out of the car to play on the swing set, Eliza went inside with the social worker. Buck stayed near Eliza just in case she needed him, but the rest of the family went outside so that they had some privacy.
"Mrs. Bowers, my name is Jessica Chilton. I am Kaya's social worker."
"It's nice to meet you. I'm so glad that Kaya was found, you have no idea how long I have waited for this moment."
"None the less, I can't leave Kaya in your care until I have some questions answered."
"I understand. Ask away."
"My main question is why would you give your daughter up in the first place if you were just going to cause her harm later on down the road?"
"I never gave my daughter up. She and her father were coming home from visiting his family in northern California when they hit a patch of black ice and the car skidded off the road. Her father was killed on impact and it was learned a few months ago that Kaya had wandered away from the crash. Sgt. Grant later learned that she had been picked up by someone who saw her wandering the back roads and that person dropped her off at a hospital under the 'Safe Haven Law'. I thought my daughter died that night. I didn't know she was still alive."
"Under the circumstances, the judge thought it best that you be given full custody of her and I do tend to agree. However, she had a nice family in Sacramento that really wanted to adopt her and they have asked for visitation rights."
"Why would I give them visitation rights when they told my daughter that if the adoption went through, they would move far away so I'd never be able to find her?"
"How do you know about that?"
"Kaya told the judge and the judge told Sgt. Grant. That's why I'm getting full custody of my daughter. You being here is just a formality. The judge already signed the papers saying that I get full custody. You will tell the foster family that they are not allowed visitation at all. I do not want them in her life. She is back with her family where she belongs."
"We will be keeping an eye on her and you from now on."
"No, Ms. Chilton, you will not. She is my daughter. She is my responsibility. If I find that you have come to my property without my permission, I will press charges. Now, if you'll excuse me, I really want to see my daughter."
With that, they walked outside. Ms. Chilton went to her car where she removed Kaya's belongings and gave them to Buck. She then got into her car and drove back to the city. Kaya looked up from what she was doing and over to Eliza. Eliza was halfway to Kaya when Kaya took off running, straight to her mother. Eliza swooped down and caught her daughter mid-stride and pulled her into the biggest hug that she could muster. Kaya was home for good.
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The wedding was beautiful. They had a backyard DIY wedding and everyone pitched in. In the two months that Kaya had been home, she got to know Buck like he really was her father. And she couldn't be more happy. She was finally home and she had her Aunt Athena to thank for that. Athena had been a part of her life even before the crash that had killed her father and left her lost to her mother. And she had a new Aunt to keep her busy. Aunt Maddie was kind to her and kept her smiling.
They each wore something different. It was a very colorful wedding that made everyone feel special in their own way. And the reception was food from a BBQ. The Buckley family grew by two that day and would forever grow into a beautiful scene no matter how big the family got. Buck was still a firefighter, but now Eliza no didn't work. She was content with being a wife and mother, for now. Besides, it hadn't been Eliza's wish to quit her job. The Home-School she worked for had merged with another Home-School and her job had been one of the classes that had been cut. She didn't much mind, it meant more time with her family.
*AN-Ended a little more sappy then I intended it to, but I wanted Buck to be married before I continued with the rest of the chapter.*