Full Summary:
What happens when the guys of 118 go camping? How does one storm have dire consequences for Buck? Will the team be okay? And will Buck survive long enough to make it to the hospital?
Camping Catastrophe:
It was a rarity for the men of the 118 to have a weekend off, but since the firehouse had to be fumigated thanks to some nasty bed bug infestation, it wasn't like anyone had anything else to do. The firehouse had to be empty for 48hrs before anyone was allowed back inside, so the friends and co-workers decided that camping was a good way to bond more. And, nothing could go wrong while camping, at least in their minds. Bobby had informed Athena that he and the guys were going camping and that each would get their own tent; each would also get only one bag to pack and the only electronics that were allowed would be phones and anything to charge them. Luckily, almost the whole team had extra charge packs for their phones and if they kept them on airplane mode while camping (there wouldn't be any service where they were going anyways), the batteries should last a while*.
Bobby and Athena were packing his truck as only two vehicles would be driven. Chimney was riding with Bobby while Buck and Eddie were driving together. Eddie had to drop Christopher off with Eliza anyways. The couple talked as they got ready for the camping trip. Athena made a snarky comment about how Buck better not get hurt and they both laughed because they knew the possibility of that happening weren't very high, especially since they were going to be out of the city.
Meanwhile at Chimney & Maddie's house…Maddie had just bought some food. It was Thai because this would be last night that they would be spending together until after the camping trip. She was also helping Chimney pack, because he had never really gone camping and he wanted to be prepared for anything that happened. He had wanted to bring along a well-packed first aid kit and Maddie was trying to convince him that he didn't need it. Chimney on the other hand made the argument of, "but Buck is going to be with us", and well Maddie finally relented. As much as she loved her brother, she knew what kind of danger he could put himself into, the last year was evidence of that.
She grabbed his sleeping bag and made sure to put his pillow on top of that. His duffel bag was by the door, next to the well-packed first aid kit. If they didn't use anything in the bag, Maddie would be fine with that. But, Maddie also knew that Chimney had put a couple bottles of mosquito spray in the bag and that there was calamine lotion as well, just in case they came across any poison ivy. She and Buck knew what the poison ivy looked like, but Chimney was astonished to learn that a plant could make you very itchy. Maddie laughed and told him, in a semi-serious voice, 'leaves of three, leave them be', and then said if he needed a demonstration, to ask Buck to show him what they looked like. Chimney laughed and nodded his head.
They settled into the couch and watched a movie while eating their dinner. Maddie would have to be content without seeing him for two days, but she was sure that nothing major would happen.
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Eddie had gotten up early the morning of the camping trip, like he would any normal day to get ready for work. But today was different. He was taking Chris over to Eliza and Buck's place so the kid could have a sleepover with his friends. May, Harry and Kaya would all be there and he knew that Chris would have a good time. This camping trip would be the last one that they'd be able to take for a while. He'd packed the night before, and made sure to pack an extra phone charger that could hook into his battery pack. He had a duffel bag as well as the hiking backpack that he always took; no matter the bag limit they'd all been given. His tent, duffel, hiking bag, sleeping bag and pillow were all by the door when Chris walked out with his crutches. He smiled at his dad, who walked back into his son's room and grabbed the backpack that had been packed the night before. They had to get going; Buck would be waiting for them when they got there. Bobby was bringing May & Harry to the Cliff Property and Maddie and Chimney would also meet there. The Cliff Property was close to where they were going, so it was the starting point.
As Eddie got Chris in the back of the truck, he also put the rest of his gear next to him, behind the driver seat. Buck's gear would go where Chris was sitting before they headed out of the city. He smiled at himself as he climbed into the truck. Who knew Buck would ever be married and basically an instant father. Buck had taken to fatherhood very easy and Eliza was expecting twins that would be arriving shortly before Christmas, so getting a small reprieve now would help them in the long run. Eddie started the truck and headed towards the Cliff Property. They called it the Cliff Property still because it was easier than saying Eliza & Buck's place all the time and the kids liked that they had a secure place to go when they wanted a little time to themselves. Besides, May was a frequent flyer at the Cliff Property because she would babysit Kaya when her parents were working. Athena and Bobby allowed it because Buck was family and they knew that the houses on the property were the safest place to be in the event of a natural disaster.
As Eddie turned onto the long driveway heading towards the Cliff Property, he was followed by Maddie & Chimney. A small honk told them they were behind him. He assumed Bobby was bringing the kids later on. It was only because he had Chris that he was coming this early. That and he was pretty sure Buck had procrastinated packing, which was probably why Maddie & Chimney were early as well. When Eddie parked the truck, Buck walked out to help with Chris. They greeted each other and Eddie asked if he was packed. It was a surprise when he said that he was, because Buck likes to procrastinate when it comes to packing.
"Eliza made me pack everything last night. It's been by the door since. Well sort of. Kaya got curious this morning and kind of tried to unpack everything. She got as far as the backpack before we were able to stop her."
"Well, at least she didn't fully unpack you."
"Yeah, hey Maddie, what are you doing here?"
"I have to drive the car back. And I figured you would have put off packing till this morning so I thought we could help."
"See, that's the same thing I thought. Our Buck sure does like to procrastinate when it comes to packing." Eddie said with a laugh in his voice.
"Haha, very funny. Bobby called, he's on the way. Athena had an early shift and is working a double shift, so the kids will all be here for the night. Eliza is excited; she knows May has been wanting to spend the night without actually babysitting. Hen & Karen are bringing Denny up tomorrow and I think they were planning on having some kind of girls day."
"Well, that is the plan for tomorrow anyways. And you guys should be back Sunday evening. Us girls thought we would all get together while the men were out camping and have a play date with the kids. Kaya need to get to know her cousins better. She only regularly sees May." Maddie said.
"Yes, she's in love with May. She calls her Aunty May."
The talking stopped as Bobby pulled up in his truck. He'd put a canopy on the bed of his truck so nothing would get wet just in case the weather turned. Buck also mentioned towards the canopy on the ground near the storage shed.
"Eliza is insisting we put this on the back of your truck, Eddie. She thinks that if it starts raining, we're going to want to sleep somewhere dry. She's also insisting on putting foam mattresses in the beds of the trucks."
"What does she know that we don't?" Bobby asked.
"She's always been good at predicting weather, but I think she's wrong this time. It's California, the weather always turns, but I think it's going to be pretty nice this weekend. I checked the weather channel."
"I'm assuming you guys have the foam mattresses?" Chimney asked.
"There in the tiny house."
"So, just to be on the safe side, let's bring the mattresses and you and Eddie can get the canopy onto his truck."
"Deal." Eddie & Buck said at the same time.
"Does anyone have a camp stove, because I don't think I have one?" Chimney said.
"Michael made us stop by his place and May used her key to get in and grabbed it along with the propane that goes with it."
"That's good. Eliza gave me the tea kettle. She says any decent camper always has a tea kettle with them. She's also insisting that we stop by the grocery store and get food before we go."
"What happened to the fishing we were planning on doing?" Bobby asked right as Eliza walked out with Buck's packed things.
"The fishing isn't good where you are going. The river is fine and all, but I had to be there last month to help a client and the ranger said that fishing the river was probably not a good idea; something to do with a chemical that had been introduced into the local fish population. I guess the local fishery let all their fish go in the last storm and never reopened. All the fish are contaminated with a chemical that isn't good for the human system; some kind of hormone, which is why the fishery never reopened. After the storm, they were fined by Fish & Wildlife."
"Good to know. We'll stop by and get some burgers and hotdogs, plus everything that goes with it."
"Well, if you want to raid the fridge for some things, so you don't have to buy them, that's fine. I have a small tote you can keep the condiments in. And it's not like it really has to be cold. Some ice on the mayo and you'll be fine."
"It's okay Eliza. We can get what we need. And whoever ends up with the rest of the food on the return trip will just add it to their own pantries when they get home."
"Alright Bobby, it was just a suggestion. You guys should get a move on before the sun comes completely out. The kids will be fine and Maddie can stay till she has to go to work. I needed to talk to her anyway."
Maddie & Chimney said goodbye. Bobby told May to help as much as she could and that Athena would be there the next day. Buck said goodbye to Eliza and Eddie said goodbye to Chris and told him to behave. He looked up at his dad and laughed his cute laugh. During the talking, the extra canopy had been put on Eddie's truck and Chimney had gotten the foam mattresses out and put them in the back on Eddie's truck. Buck had also managed to put his things into the back of the truck before grabbing a couple empty coolers that would hold the food. They headed out shortly before 8am. They could get food on the way or once they hit the grocery store.
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Two hours later, they made it into the Pinnacles National Park in record time. They had stopped by the grocery store on the way to the park and the rangers station at the front gate had a small convenience store that they could buy extra ice if need be and anything else they needed. It was still early Friday morning, but they wanted to get their tents set up at the designated camping spot and get some lunch made up as none of them wanted a doughnut from the store, so they were pretty hungry by the time they got to the park.
Once the tents were set up, minus the mattresses of course cause those stayed in the back of the trucks just in case something happened, they started in on the food. Bobby set up the camp stove and started cooking some hotdogs. Buck tied a garbage bag to the picnic table, which they would need to put in the back of a truck at night to keep away the animals, then grabbed a couple citronella candles to keep away the mosquitos that were bound to start coming out. Eddie was busy doing something in his tent. And Chimney was grabbing the paper plates from where they had put them. The coolers would also need to stay in the bed of the trucks so no animals could get to them.
The tents were in a semi-circle around the fire pit and Eddie finally left his tent with his hiking pack, something the others had noticed as well. Bobby wanted to say something about him bringing an extra bag, but then he would also have to scold Chimney for bringing the first aid kit and Buck for bringing his own backpack and also himself for bringing one as well. They all wanted to be able to be prepared just in case anything happened. Once the food was done, they each had a couple hotdogs and then put the trash in the bag before putting away any food still left over. Eddie had grabbed a box of gallon Ziploc bags, so that's what they used to store the cooked food. Once they were done eating, the four friends got ready to go enjoy the river. The sun was already starting to beat down. Buck untied the garbage bag and put it into the bed of Eddie's truck. Once the trucks were locked up, with the keys in the backpacks of the respective owners, they headed for the river.
Buck hit the water first, and a 'holy shit that's cold' flew from his mouth. The others laughed. It was good to see their friend laughing, despite the many scars that littered his body. He'd been through a lot in the last year, not to mention the beating he had received at the hands of Eliza's estranged brother, but he still had a smile on his face. Eddie entered the river next and then Chimney jumped in. Bobby was the only one that hadn't gotten in yet and they were threatening to drag him in when he finally decided it would be better to get in himself rather than be dragged in. The four friends laughed and dared each other to go out further than they probably should have but all four were excellent swimmers so they managed to go to the deep side and back with hardly any problems.
An hour later, they left the river and headed back to the campsite. They warmed up by the fire and then got dressed into some hiking clothes. Bobby and Chimney went in one direction and Eddie and Buck in another direction. All four had their own hiking backpacks with the needed survival gear, just in case something happened. They agreed to meet back at the campsite within two hours, earlier if they wanted to come back sooner.
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Bobby and Chimney had chatted most of the time on their hike and talked about what might be happening in the coming months. Chimney told Bobby that he was planning on asking Maddie to marry him and that he hoped she would say yes, because they made such a good couple and because he couldn't see spending any more time together where they weren't married, though he knew what she thought of marriage. Bobby asked if he'd asked Buck about it and Chimney said that he hadn't yet, but that he would ask him during the trip. They slipped into a comfortable silence as they headed up their trail.
Buck and Eddie didn't really talk, but it was evident that Eddie wanted to say something to him. Buck just wanted to listen to the sounds of nature as he hiked the trail and Eddie was content to let him for the time being. They were going steadily uphill so every now and then Buck would stop and pull out his phone and take pictures, which Eddie was also doing as well. A couple of pictures together and then they'd head out again. When they finally stopped, near the top of the hill, the sun was straight overhead. Buck figured he better ask the question first.
"Eddie, what's on your mind?"
"What makes you think anything is on my mind?"
"Because, I know you, I know what your face looks like when you're trying to figure out how to ask me something. So, shoot. Ask away."
"Fine. Does she ever ask about the scars? I mean do you guys ever talk about them?"
"She's asked but I haven't really told her much. I'm afraid that if I tell her about the scars, she'll want to leave. She'll want nothing to do with me anymore."
"She'd never do that Buck. She loves you too much and you've been a great father to Kaya."
"I know that in my heart. My head, on the other hand, says differently. Other than the time we spent together in the hospital, she's never had to worry about me like the rest of you have. She doesn't know that part yet."
"And you think she's going to leave just like that if you get hurt? She's the one with the screwed up childhood and you stayed because you love her. She's not going to leave you, Buck. Maddie would kill her if she did that."
"I know, and she knows too. We've been through so much together; I just don't want her to feel that way again. I don't want her to feel like she's going to loses me."
"Buck, you aren't going anywhere. And the two of you have twins on the way. You're going to be fine. Anyways, we should probably start heading back now. The weather looks like it's trying to turn. Maybe Eliza was right about the weather."
Eddie and Buck headed back down the trail and towards the campsite. They stopped at the park restroom quickly before heading back to the campsite. Once back, they saw Bobby and Chimney getting two mattresses out of Eddie's truck and putting them inside Bobby's truck bed. They must have seen the weather changing too.
"Looks like Eliza was right about the weather, Buck; looks like we will be sleeping in the beds of the truck tonight. Hopefully, we can sleep in our tents tomorrow." Bobby said.
"She's usually right; I was just hoping she was wrong this time."
"How was your guys' hike?" Chimney asked.
"It was fine Chim. What about your hike?" Eddie asked.
"I was actually wondering if maybe Buck and I could go talk, small walk to the convenience store near the Ranger's Station."
"Yeah sure, what are we picking up?"
"Rain ponchos; the one thing none of us decided to pack."
"Yeah, I just brought an actual rain jacket, but you can buy three ponchos if you want."
Buck laughed as he and Chimney headed towards the small store. Eddie looked over at Bobby who just went about what he'd been doing before. Eddie looked back the way Buck and Chimney had headed and then decided to help Bobby. Buck would tell him what the two had talked about when they got back.
Meanwhile…Buck kept looking at Chimney, who was trying to figure out how to ask him something. So he finally asked Chimney what was going on.
"Chimney, dude, what's going on? I've never seen you this nervous before."
"I talked to Bobby on our walk and told him that I wanted to talk to you. But I don't know how to ask."
"Just say it Chim, it's not like it could be anything bad."
"Fine, ok, I was wondering what you would think if I asked Maddie to marry me. She and I have already talked about it and though she didn't believe in marriage after she left Doug, it's been a couple years since that happened. I think she's ready now. I mean hell we are living together. I figured it'd probably be best to make it official. So what do you think?"
"I think you'd make a good addition to the Buckley family. Although, I'm not sure how Maddie will take it. Yes, she said she'd never get married again, but she's happy with you, happier than I've ever seen her. You two already make a good couple. But it's up to Maddie. That's all I can say on the matter. I can't really tell you how she will react. You're just going to have to gauge how things go."
"Bobby said you would see it both ways. Thanks, Buck, for letting me ask."
"You're welcome Chim. Come on, we better hurry, looks like it's going to downpour any moment."
They hurried to the small store and as soon as they got inside, the deluge of rain started. The Ranger looked at them and smirked before asking what they were looking for. They said that they were looking for rain ponchos and he showed them the isle they were in. the Ranger made small talk with them as they paid for their items.
"So, how are you liking the rain?"
"Well, my wife said it was going to storm today, I was just kind of hoping she was wrong," Buck said.
"Your wife is one smart lady. But the weather should be cleared up by tomorrow morning. Hope you guys have better sleeping arrangements than tents. When it rains like this, tents aren't really helpful."
"Are friends are probably taking the tents down now. We'll sleep in the beds of the trucks tonight. Another thing his wife made us pack, foam mattresses." Chimney stated.
"Again, smart lady. But like I said, the rain should be gone by tomorrow. It's supposed to be nice the rest of the weekend. You should have a good time once the rain leaves. Can I ask what you fellows do?"
"We're all firefighters, stationed out of the 118 firehouse in LA."
"Well, then you'll be very prepared for the weather then. Alright, here are the ponchos, and here's a radio. When it storms like this, we tend to hand out radios just in case of emergency. You can return it when you leave the park."
"Thanks man."
Buck took the radio and then put on one of the ponchos as Chimney did the same. He tucked Bobby's poncho under his arm. Buck was wearing Eddie's poncho; he'd put his raincoat on when they got back to the campsite.
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Inclement weather forced them to sleep in the trucks that night, but since there was no bathroom near the campsite, they'd had to use the restroom before going to bed. The sleeping men didn't realize just how bad this trip was going to end. Eddie had opted to sleeping in the bed of the truck, but Buck decided to sleep in the cab of the truck, in the back seat. Bobby and Chimney were in the same predicament; Chimney in the bed of the truck with Bobby in the backseat of his truck. All four men were sound asleep when a clap of thunder shook the trucks. Only Buck woke up. It felt like the truck was starting to slip a little, but the trucks were on solid ground. He detangled himself from his sleeping bag, put his boots back on, put his raincoat on and grabbed the flashlight. He stepped out of the truck and went to check on the campsite. Eddie had the radio.
As Buck was making his way around the campsite, thankfully Eddie and Bobby had dismantled the tents before the rain hit, the beam of the flashlight bounced off something moving around the site. He stopped moving and shone the light on the moving object. Before he could even move, the mountain lion stood on the picnic and roared at him. He stood still, he knew better than anyone to not move. He closed his eyes but kept the light on the lion. He was hoping the others had heard the bear, but couldn't be sure. When he didn't hear anything, he cracked his eyes open. Horror filled his eyes as the lion had moved closer to him. Buck's breath hitched a little as the lion circled him. He tried not to move, but his leg was starting to cramp.
Buck swallowed a little, the light still shone on the lion, but he still didn't move. The lion moved off towards the tree line and Buck let out his breath. He laughed a little but the moment the lion stopped and turned back, Buck knew he was in trouble. The lion started to run back towards Buck and knowing that his friends wouldn't be able to hear him, he headed in the opposite direction, looking for anything that would be able to stop the lion. He knew where the small store was, but also knew that it would be closed down for the night, so he'd headed the way he and Eddie had gone hiking. He could still hear the lion behind him and he knew that he had to get away. He tripped a little and it was enough for the bear to catch up to him.
The pain in his leg hit his brain at the same time as a strangled scream escaped his lips. He hit the ground. The lion was ripping into his flank. Buck started to kick at the lion but all that did was piss it off even more. A good kick and Buck was able to dislodge the lion from his leg. He was able to get up and headed up the hill but the lion was faster and tackled him to the ground. This time, Buck was on his back. The lion tried to get at his face, but Buck shoved his arm up and the lions teeth tore at his arm as his claws tore at Buck's chest. His screams were drowned out by the storm that raged overhead. Realizing that he still had the flashlight in his hand, Buck started to hit the lion as hard as he could. He was weakening and he knew that he needed to get away. A good hit to the head had the lion rearing from his attack and Buck was able to get away again. Only this time, not in the correct direction. He managed to fall off a small cliff, thankfully hitting a ledge before plunging into the river. The lion must have realized it couldn't get to its target because it turned towards the woods and disappeared.
Buck lay on the ledge looking up into the rain. He knew that having run as far as he did and going over the cliff would put him in danger of not being found. But he was banking on Eddie and the guys seeing the lion tracks and realizing what happened. The pain coursed through his body as weakness took over and he slipped unconscious, the rain steadily chilling him to the bones.
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Eddie was the first to wake that morning. When he looked through the window into the back seat and noticed Buck was missing, he assumed he'd gone to the restroom. As he moved to get dressed, he heard Chimney and Bobby moving around as well. But before any of them could get out of the truck, one of the Rangers came into the camp. Bobby opened the door to his truck and smiled at the Ranger, but the look on the man's face told him something was wrong.
"Ranger Tom, good morning; hope the storm didn't keep you up."
"It wasn't the storm that had us up. We had a report from another campsite that their tents were ransacked by a mountain lion. I was coming to see if you folks were alright."
"Well, we slept in the trucks last night. And I didn't hear much over the storm."
"Eddie, where's Buck?" Chimney asked as he got out of the back of the truck at the same time that Eddie got out of his truck.
"When I woke up, he wasn't in the cab. I just figured he went to the restroom. What's going on?"
"It appears that a lion was at another campsite. Ranger Tom here was checking up on us."
"Lion? It wouldn't attack would it?" Chimney asked.
"We've had a problem with the mountain lions lately. They have been attacking but we thought we had it under control and we had moved most of the lions farther up the mountain. By the looks of it, a bear was here last night. Footprints show one of you got up in the middle of the night to check on the campsite and the lion may have been curious."
"Maybe we should go see if Buck is in the restroom," Bobby said.
"I need to go check on another campsite to make sure they are alright. Do you still have the radio that was given to you yesterday?"
"Yes, it's in the bed of the truck," Eddie said.
"Good, call if you need anything. And just to let you know, if anything happens, we wouldn't be able to get a chopper or ambulance up here for a couple hours. Being so far up the mountain, we get a lot of fog cover."
"That's good to know."
The Ranger left to go check on another campsite. Eddie crawled into the back of his truck and grabbed his hiking backpack along with the radio. He also grabbed Buck's backpack, just in case. Bobby and Chimney both grabbed their backpacks and the three headed in the direction of the restroom. Unfortunately, they didn't find Buck in the building, so they headed back towards camp. Bobby and Chimney were talking but Eddie's eyes were on the ground. When he abruptly stopped, they looked at where he was pointing. Footprints could be seen running up the hill and right behind them, lion tracks matching stride. They looked at each other before following the tracks up the hill that Eddie and Buck had hiked the previous day. None of them wanted to know what they were going to find.
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Buck woke slowly, pain coursed through his entire body but he could barely move. The rain had soaked his clothes and he was shivering, despite the fact that he was also running a fever. He opened his eyes as saw the sun above as it climbed higher into the sky. He knew better than anything to move or something might happen, so he stayed still. He didn't want the ledge he was laying on to start to crumble. He closed his eyes again, but a crack from above him made him open them again. The storm must have damaged a tree near the cliff because the next thing Buck saw was this huge sequoia tree falling over. He held his breath and squeezed his eyes shut, but nothing really happened. When he opened his eyes, the tree had stopped, but it was also now completely blocking him from view from anyone looking down. He tried to shift so that someone would be able to see him, but the pain in his chest stopped him. He groaned knowing that nobody would be able to find him.
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Eddie was the first to see the tree fall. They had been walking up the hill that he and Buck had hiked the day before, careful of where they were stepping, just in case the mud slid out from under them. Chimney was the first one to spot what looked like a struggle in the mud and when Eddie had bent down to take a better look, he saw blood. He looked back up at Bobby and swallowed a bit. They needed to find Buck and now. Bobby sent Chimney back to the campsite to get his first aid kit that he'd insisted on bringing, Eddie called for the Rangers to meet them on the trail, and then the two continued towards the tree. If Buck had been able to get away from the lion, he'd have been farther up. They hoped he was okay.
As they neared the fallen tree, Eddie bent down again. The tree was blocking most of the muddy ground, but he could see the traces of blood and see the lion tracks. Bobby hopped over the tree to continue to look around, but saw no other tracks. What he did see, however, was a set of footprints heading towards the cliff. He pointed at the cliff and he and Eddie crept up to it. Unfortunately, the tree branches were completely obstructing anything from view that might have been down below. Eddie pulled his bag off his back and pulled out a rope. Someone needed to go down and he was the best bet.
They were tying the rope to the tree when Chimney came back with the first aid kit, closely followed by the Rangers.
"Mr. Nash, you friend here thinks one of your other friends may have been attacked by the lion. What proof do you have?" Ranger Tom asked.
"We saw signs of a struggle a little ways down the hill and what looked like blood. More blood there," Bobby said pointing at the spot under the tree, "but no other footprints leading up the hill. Eddie's about to go down over the cliff to see if he's down below. We can't see anything with the tree branches obscuring the view."
"Being firefighters, you would know how to do that. But if he is down there, we have no way of getting him back up."
"You don't have a backboard we could haul him up with?"
"We've never had a lion attack a human before, at least not in this park. And with the weather from last night, a mudslide partially took out the road leaving the mountain. And a helicopter can't land up here."
"Well, I'm going down anyway. Give me the first aid kit Chim. I have a hunch I'm going to need it."
"We'll look for something up here to use. Even if we have to take the door off one of the cabins." He directed that last bit at the Rangers who seemed to understand that they were going to help their friend no matter what happened.
Eddie descended the cliff, slowly, not wanting to knock any rocks off the ledge. As he worked, he couldn't help but shake his head. This was supposed to be a fun weekend away and here they go again. Buck hurt and with barely any way of helping him. Also, they didn't have any cell reception where they were. Once he got down the cliff and saw the small ledge, his breath hitched a little. He'd kept the radio to let them know what he'd found and Bobby had made one of the Rangers give him another one so that they could keep in contact. Eddie's heart clenched at seeing his best friend lying on the ledge. He let go of the rope and climbed under the tree to get to him. When he put his fingers to Buck's neck, he was relieved to find a pulse. But Buck had a fever and was cold to the touch. The rain had not helped him at all.
"Bobby, I've got him. He's unconscious but alive. We need to get him out of here."
"Ranger Tom and his fellow Rangers have gone for one of the cabins. They're taking the door off. We'll send it down when we have it. Can I pull the rope back up?"
"Yes, I'm going to see what I can do about his wounds. Looks like he was attacked by the lion for sure. His arm is pretty messed up, looks like he shoved it into the lions mouth so it couldn't get at his face. His leg is bleeding a lot, maybe some torn muscle and his chest is pretty torn."
"Alright, bandage as much as you can. We'll get you guys out of there."
"Bobby, he has a fever and maybe the onset of pneumonia as well. He was out here half the night as the rain was coming down."
"Copy that. Hang in there."
Eddie got to work bandaging Buck's arm, chest and leg the best that he could. Thankfully Chimney had thought to pack a leg splint. Bobby pulled the rope up but Eddie didn't heed him much. As soon as Buck's leg was wrapped, he used the leg splint to keep it in place; he didn't know if anything was broken. He grabbed the sling and put Buck's arm in it to keep it immobilized as well before moving his attention to his chest. He pulled the jacket and shirt away from the wounds and sucked in a breath. The gashes were deep, so deep that Eddie could see Buck's ribs under all the blood. He took a deep breath before he proceeded to wrap Buck's chest in gauze. Right as he was finishing with the gauze, Buck started to come around.
"Buck, can you hear me?"
"Eddie?"
"Yeah, it's me. We've got you. Don't try and move alright, I need you to stay completely still for me."
"Eddie?"
"It's okay Buck, don't try and talk. But I also need you to stay awake. Can you do that for me?"
Eddie looked into Buck's eyes and noticed how glazed over they were, but Buck was able to nod his head slightly to tell him that he understood. Eddie squeezed Buck's good hand and then moved away. Bobby was trying to talk to him.
"Eddie, how's it going down there?"
"Buck woke up, but we need to get him out of here. I don't know how long he can stay awake."
"Alright, well the door and rope are coming back down. And Chimney is coming down too. It's going to take two of you to get him up. The Rangers also brought in some climbing gear. Chimney is bringing you a harness. You guys are going to have to guide the door up as we pull, make sure it doesn't hit anything."
"Copy that, and hurry."
Eddie went back to Buck, but his eyes were closed. When Eddie put his hand on his shoulder, Buck opened his eye.
"Hang on Buck; you're almost out of here."
Buck just nodded before his eyes slipped closed again. Eddie tried to shake him awake, but Buck wouldn't wake up. He checked for a pulse and was thankful to find one.
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Buck woke slowly, he had no idea where he was, but it was warm. He didn't hear any beeping which meant that he wasn't in the hospital. But he didn't understand why he wasn't. A lion attack normally leads to someone going to the hospital. He was on what felt like a bed and when he moved his head a little, he thought he heard someone get up. Someone grabbed his hand and he felt someone touching his forehead, but he couldn't pull himself to open his eyes all the way. The fever running through him was an indication that he must be fighting off an infection. He heard someone start to talk.
"Come on Buck, we need to see those blue eyes of yours. Think you can open your eyes?"
Was that Eddie? Or was it Bobby? He couldn't separate the voices from each other and finally just sunk back unconscious.
"He's out again," Eddie said.
"He'll being doing that for a while. We need to get him to a hospital." Bobby stated.
"With the roads blocked, how are we supposed to do that? I mean, we have Eddie's truck, but even I don't think it'll make it over a mudslide." Chimney stated.
"The Rangers said the slide should be cleaned up enough for us to drive through it sometime tomorrow. For now, we just need to keep him alive. Good thinking on bringing a fully stocked first aid kit Chim. Who knew we would need it so badly?" Bobby said.
"Well I reasoned with Maddie that I was going camping with Buck and she just nodded her head. But even I didn't see this coming."
"Eddie, you sit with him. Let's try and get some sleep. Morning will be here before we know it."
Eddie just nodded and looked over at his best friend. Bobby and Chimney crawled into the bunk beds on the opposite wall and were asleep before their heads hit the pillows.
They had been able to get Buck up the cliff once they strapped him to the door, but just moving him had made his wounds start bleeding profusely. They'd done their best to keep the bleeding under control, even going as far as putting moss in his wounds. One of the Rangers was a Native American woman who told them that moss was used by tribes in the 1800's as a way to staunch blood flow. And it seemed to be working. The Rangers had let them use one of the rental cabins without paying for it. They knew that the injured man needed a warm and dry place to stay until they could make it down the mountain.
Mee Memorial General Hospital was closest to the Park so that's where they would be taking him. The Rangers had already used a landline to call the hospital and alert them to what had happened. They said that they would be ready when the campers got off the mountain the next day. For now, they would just have to keep an eye on their friend throughout the night to keep him alive. Bobby had gone with one of the Rangers to use the landline so that he could call Athena. When he'd called, she asked if everything was alright and he'd had to tell her what happened. Athena said she would let Eliza and Maddie know what had happened but that she wouldn't tell them until the kids went to sleep. They'd hung up then.
Now, as Buck fidgeted in his restless sleep, Eddie couldn't help but worry. The bombing of the firetruck had been one thing, but once he'd gotten a better look at Buck's leg, he'd noticed a lot of muscle had been shredded. He didn't know if Buck was going to be able to keep his leg this time or if they would have to amputate. What he did know was that his friend was hurting and he couldn't do anything to help him. Eddie's eyes started to droop as the night wore on.
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Eddie woke with a start as someone placed a hand on his shoulder. He looked up and saw Bobby looking down at him with a weak smile. Bobby had woken up in the middle of the night to see that Eddie had fallen asleep still clutching Buck's hand. He'd watched over the two as they slept but Buck didn't wake up. He wasn't expecting him to. His body had been through a lot and he still had a fever. They weren't sure if he had pneumonia, but he definitely had a fever. Every now and then a shiver would run through the young man, but he was still alive. Bobby figured it had to do with the constant hold on his hand that kept Buck from completely slipping away from them.
A knock on the door brought Ranger Kathy Barr into the cabin. She smiled a little and had what looked like coffee and some breakfast. She placed it on the kitchen counter.
"Thought you guys could use some food. Ranger Tom wanted me to tell you that they caught the lion early this morning. It'll be taken to the local vet to make sure it wasn't rabid. We don't think it was, but we have to follow protocol. How's your friend doing?"
"He's still alive. I switched out his IV this morning. He still has a fever. We need to get him to a hospital today." Bobby stated.
"Well, after you eat, you may want to get packed up. I'm to escort you down to Mee Memorial General Hospital. Ranger Tom said it was best if I escort you so you don't get stopped."
"Thank you for this Ranger Barr."
"It's the least we could do. That lion will most likely be put down. It can't go back to the wild now that it has the taste of human blood in its mouth and we don't want it hurting any other campers."
"And speaking of which, what did you tell the other campers?" Chimney asked walking up to grab some coffee.
"We refunded their stay and told them that a lion had attacked someone. We knew that they wouldn't want to stay the remainder of their time here after hearing that someone had been attacked by a lion. We'll close the park to visitors until we can determine why the lion attacked in the first place. We don't want a repeat of what happened yesterday."
"No, you certainly don't," Bobby said.
Eddie slipped his hand from Buck's and grabbed a coffee and some toast. Then the three alternately moved their belongings into the back of the trucks. Chimney was going to be driving Bobby's truck and Bobby would drive Eddie's. Eddie would stay in the back seat with Buck, so that he didn't slide off the back seat while the truck was moving. Ranger Barr stayed in the cabin as they packed their trucks so that someone was keeping an eye on Buck. He was pale, too pale for her liking. She'd seen mountain lion attacks before, when she was a child, but she'd never known anyone to survive. All the attacks from when she was a child had culminated in all the victims dying. She prayed that the young man would survive to tell his tale, but knew what the odds were that he wouldn't.
When Eddie and Bobby came back in, Eddie's truck was pulled as close to the cabin as possible. They silently thanked God that Buck was unconscious, because he wasn't going to like being picked up and moved to the truck. Eddie undid the IV from top of the bed and placed it in Buck's lap before grabbing his good arm and putting it over his head. He put one arm around Buck's back and one under his legs, and lifted him like a child. Bobby stayed behind Eddie so that he wouldn't fall over and then they moved to the truck. Chimney was in the back to help pull him onto the back seat. Once Buck was lying on the back seat, Chimney got out; replaced by Eddie, who put Buck's head in his lap. Once they were ready to leave, Chimney got into Bobby's truck and Bobby got into Eddie's. Ranger Barr gave them the first aid kit, which Bobby put in the passenger's seat. Ranger Barr got into her truck and the small caravan of vehicles made their way out of the park.
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Buck woke to the incessant beeping of a machine to his right. Great, he was back in the hospital, again. His mouth was dry, his arm and leg were killing him and his chest was surprisingly slightly numb. He remembered camping with the guys, the lion attack, and then falling off a cliff. But anything after that, and it was all a blur. He could hear people talking in the room but couldn't understand what they were saying. He figured it was his family or it could very well be doctors and nurses. His eyes were too heavy and he was slipping fast back into the darkness and he didn't have the energy to stop himself from slipping into the darkness.
When he woke the second time, the dull ache in his chest, arm and leg told him that he was alive, but that was all it told him. He still felt like he had a fever and maybe that was the reason he couldn't fully wake up. He knew that Maddie would probably be by his bed and most likely Eliza, but no kids would be able to visit, that much he knew from previous hospital visits. He could hear whispers on either side of his bed but he was still very weak and waking completely up at that moment wasn't happening, so he drifted back into the comfortable darkness and his body relaxed again.
On the third time, he was able to crack his eyes open and noticed it was dark out, most likely sometime in the middle of the night. He moved his head and let his eyes drift around the room. Maddie & Chimney were asleep in two chairs next to his bed, Hen & Karen were at the foot of the bed, Bobby & Athena were asleep on the couch pushed up against the window near the door, Eliza was asleep in the bed next to his (which made sense since she was six months pregnant), and Eddie was asleep in the chair next to his bed. He watched his family sleep, not realizing that he was also being watched by a nurse outside the window. He licked his lips before his eyes settled on Eliza once more. He watched as his wife slept and lulled by all the breathing in the room, drifted back asleep as well. There was no point in waking them all up in the middle of the night.
The fourth time he woke and opened his eyes, he was alone in the room, save for the nurse that had just walked in. He watched as the nurse walked up to him and smiled before moving to the table at the end of his bed and grabbed something. The nurse brought back a cup which he found held water and helped him drink some to soothe his raw throat. When he was done drinking, he looked at her. She smiled at him but before he could ask anything, she started to talk.
"Welcome back Mr. Buckley. You had your family worried."
"How long have I been out of it?"
"You've been unconscious for the better part of two weeks. You were completely out of it when you were taken to Mee Memorial, but had to be airlifted to a hospital in LA for further surgery. Mee Memorial was able to stabilize you, but you needed a specialist that they didn't have and that this hospital did. You'll be here for another week before we release you. Then you'll have physical therapy on your leg, which thankfully wasn't as bad as what was thought. You'll walk again, as well as work, but not for a couple of months."
"And my family?"
"They've been here every day that they don't have to work. Your wife comes by after taking your daughter to a friend's house. But, we have allowed them to stay with you overnight because the doctor believes that having someone in the room at all times would help you wake up faster. We will keep the extended hours for now, while you are here. But I really do hope this is the last time that you are in the hospital. Your family has told the staff about the last couple times that you were in a hospital, some before you were even in a relationship I guess, because even your wife was surprised at the extent of your hospital stays. You will have to get used to people hovering for a while."
"Yea, they do tend to hover and be over-protective. I'm used to it by now."
"That's something nobody should ever be used to. Get some rest; I will let the doctor know that you have woken up. It's good that you awoke on your own. That fever that took ahold of you was wreaking havoc on your system. It finally went away a couple days ago. Sleep, I will be by later."
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A month later saw Buck at Physical Therapy. He went every day to get the strength back in his leg. Muscle had been torn and he needed to be fully healed and back to his regular strength before he could get back to work. September had come and gone and now it was halfway through October. He wasn't set to return to work for at least another month and only then would it be light duty. Eliza had insisted that he stay with Eddie while he went to Physical Therapy as Eddie would be able to quell the ideas of getting better faster a lot easier than Eliza could. He'd seen the pain in her eyes when he'd woken up in the hospital with her sitting next to him. Eddie and Maddie had also been in the room and all three had been told that he'd woken long enough for a nurse to talk to him.
He was seeing Frank again as well. As much as he'd seen Frank lately, he was surprised that Frank was never in the hospital when he woke up, which made him laugh. Eddie and he went up to the Cliff Property daily to see the family and Kaya got to play with Chris for a little while and see her father. Kaya didn't seem to understand why her father wasn't home now that he was out of the hospital. But they'd explained the living situation with her and she seemed to understand a little, but every time they came to see the small family, she'd ask when her daddy was coming home. And every time, Buck sat with his daughter and had to explain that him staying with Eddie was only temporary while he went to Physical Therapy for his leg and that he would be home soon. She'd cuddle with her father every time she got with him because she missed having him so close. But she understood that her father needed to get better before he could come home. But it didn't stop her from asking every time she saw him. In her mind, she was just reminding him that he needed to be home with his family.
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By November, he was back in his own house and back to work. He'd work four days a week and then be home the rest of the time. Kaya cuddled with her father before bed as he read her a story. And when Kaya was asleep, he'd tuck the blanket around her before shutting her door and heading to his own room. Buck would slip into his bed and Eliza would cuddle up to him. They were getting ready for the twins to be born next month, so they'd had time while he was on light duty. They were also hosting Thanksgiving this year as they had the room to do so. During his time off and after he'd come home permanently, they'd had a large structure built near the cement wall. The structure was a gathering for family that wanted to visit as much as it was a storage area. The tiny house fit in one end of the large structure with its own garage door.
The structure, which Kaya had dubbed as the Party Barn, had enough room to hold friends and family and anyone else they wanted to bring with them. The 118 team actually had the holiday off this year and Maddie had been able to get the day off as well as Josh, who needed to get out of his house. So the small family was getting ready for hosting the holiday. Eddie showed up with Chris to help decorate the Barn as well as the rest of the property. Eliza wanted all the Christmas decorations up before she gave birth so no last-minute shopping or decorating. It was something that needed to get done.
Buck and Eddie laughed as Chris and Kaya came out to the Barn and said that they wanted to help, but they were just told that there wasn't anything for them to do as all the heavy decorations had already been put out. They were told to go back to the house and help Eliza with decorating the rooms and the small decorations that needed to go up. They had reluctantly gone back, but they perked up when Eliza said that she was going to start making cookies and that they could help.
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Thanksgiving came and went. The 118 family had a blast and all the kids loved helping out. It was December 18th when Eliza went into labor. Buck had been back at work full time and was in the middle of working a call when his phone rang. He'd pulled it out and stepped away from the crew to take the call. When Maddie's voice came over the phone and said that Eliza was in labor he couldn't help but smile. Maddie told him that they were going to LA General Hospital and that he should probably meet them there. He said he'd be there as soon as he could. He got off the phone and went to go find Bobby. When he told Bobby what was going on, Bobby sent Buck with Hen and Chimney when they took the victim to the hospital, since they were going to LA General anyways.
Buck got to the hospital in record time and went looking for Maddie. He found her in the waiting room with a smile on her face.
"Eliza sent me out to wait for you. Also I think they were giving her an epidural. Come on, I'll take you in."
"Hey Buckaroo, we'll be waiting out here," Chimney said.
"Thanks guys."
Maddie and he disappeared through the double doors and down the hall towards Eliza's room. When they entered, Eliza turned towards her husband and smiled. He went to her and kissed her. Maddie was about to leave when Eliza turned towards her.
"You can stay Maddie."
"I was under the impression you only wanted Buck in the room."
"The twins are going to need to know there godmother and aunt. We'd like you to stay."
"Godmother? Really?"
"You basically raised me. I'd have no one else as the Godmother." Buck said.
"Thank you. I can text Chimney the genders when they come. I know you guys wanted to be surprised."
"Yes, we thought it would be the best surprise."
Two hours later and the twins were born. There had been a slight complication with Twin B and they'd had to take Eliza to have a C-Section, in which Maddie had to go out to the waiting room. They'd been confused until Maddie told them what was going on. They were worried at first before Maddie told her the birth of twins was difficult. It wasn't uncommon for one twin to be born normal and then the other to be born via C-Section. They'd relaxed a bit after that. When they were allowed back into Eliza's room, they got a picture that they never thought they would see. Buck was holding his daughter and Eliza was holding their son. Buck looked up when everyone walked in.
"Hey, Buck, how are you guys doing?"
"We are fine, Hen. Eliza is doing just fine."
"Got names for them yet?" Maddie asked.
"Well, we settled on boy name, we just haven't settled on a girl name."
"Let's hear the boy name," Bobby said.
"We are naming him Evan Matthew Jr. But a girl name eludes us right now; still arguing about it."
"Not arguing, you just haven't given into the girl name just yet, but I'm wearing you down." Eliza teased.
"So there is finally going to be an Evan Jr. wandering the streets in a couple years. Oh boy, let's hope he doesn't inherit his father's habit of being annoying." Chimney said and everyone laughed at that.
"Ok, so what do you want to call your daughter, Eliza?" Athena asked.
"I want her to be named Natia Joan. Evan agrees on the middle name but he won't agree on her first name."
"Natia, huh? I kind of like that name."
"Thank you, Maddie. Smack some sense into your brother please."
"With pleasure," Maddie said as she walked towards Buck who pressed further into the bed trying to get away.
The family laughed. Maddie didn't hit Buck but she did pick her niece up. She held her and looked over at her brother, then in the motherly voice and looking straight at Buck, said:
"Welcome to the world Natia Joan Buckley. Your father will get used to your name; he doesn't have much of a choice!"
Buck groaned and the room erupted in laughter. Everyone was smiling as they left. Maddie gave Natia back to Buck, kissed her brother on the temple, kissed Eliza on her temple, and then walked out to a waiting Chimney. The small family had a lot to be thankful for. Maddie and Chimney would stay in the house and keep an eye on Kaya for a couple of days until Eliza could leave the hospital and bring the twins home. For now, the small family had all the love in the world for their two new arrivals.
*AN-I've kept my phone on airplane mode while working because I didn't want anyone to call me while I was working. I would have a full battery at the beginning of the day and would still have about 50% when I got off work. So it does keep battery better when you don't have service.*
!AN: This is the last chapter that Buck will be married in. I married him off in Chapter 3, so that the kids could stay with Buck's wife while the guys went camping (kids: Christopher, May & Harry. Athena would be working a double shift and Michael was out of town). This family will be in a story called 'The Buckley Family' as soon as I can start writing it!
^AN-This was originally going to be a BEAR attack story, but after some research, and finding that there are no bears in Pinnacle State Park, I had to move it into a mountain lion attack.^