Full Summary:
Buck goes for a hike with a new friend & things go bad pretty quick. First, the path they are on gives way, making them fall about sixty feet down. Second, there is no signal to call for help. Will the pair survive? And will their families and friends figure out where they are in time to save them?
The Wrong Day To Go For A Hike:
Buck rolled over in bed, noticing the empty area next to him. He smiled at himself because he knew that he would never be alone again. He and Eddie had been going strong for nearly six months and most of the family was happy that they had finally gotten together. But it wasn't as easy as it should have been. With his last bout of hospitalization left him fighting his own brain every time he went to sleep. Eddie had been there for him, but what helped the most was going on hikes to get his feelings out. He'd formed hiking 'buddies' and if he ever needed to call one to get out of his mind, Eddie understood. Maddie had gone hiking with him a couple times, but she always let him do what he needed to understand the feelings he was having. Frank also thought that through his hikes, he could get more of his feelings out than sitting in his office and talking.
Hiking had helped a great deal and one of the most called 'hiking buddy', Buck called was Dena Allison. She'd been tortured by her father at a young age and had become very good friends with the 118 family as well as Maddie. Dena was around the family as much as Buck allowed her to be. The family had accepted her as Buck's friend. Buck didn't know what she did when she wasn't with him, but he knew she was probably just living her own life. They had talked about their normal lives, but they mostly tried to talk about the past pain they had gone through. Buck always started with the most recent hospitalization. And he always ended with the explosion of the firetruck.
This day, however, Buck had had a nightmare from that time six months before. The beating had taken its toll on Buck's body and it had been nearly three months before he'd been allowed back to the Fire House. They had wanted to make sure that he was 100% ready to come back. Eddie had been very helpful with getting Buck back to work. But Eddie didn't know about this nightmare. He'd gotten up and headed to take Christopher to school and then stop at Abuela's. They both had the day off and Buck sent Eddie a message.
Buck: Hey, Dena is heading over. We're going to go on a hike.
Eddie: Are you okay?
Buck: I will be. We're going to take the Jeep, so her car will be in the driveway when you get home.
Eddie: When do you expect to be home?
Buck: We'll most likely be back after dinner? Did you need me back at an earlier time?
Eddie: Abuela wanted us over for dinner. I'm going to be there most of the day doing repairs and odds and ends.
Buck: We can try to be back before dinner, but I'm not making any promises. We're hiking one of the longer trails today, so I will do my best to get back in time.
Eddie: Just be careful. I don't need you ending up back in the hospital.
Buck: I will do my best not to end up back in the hospital. Nothing bad has happened in a while, and I don't want to jinx myself, so I'm just gonna knock on wood.
Eddie: I'll knock on wood for you as well. And I'll have Abuela knock on some wood for you as well.
Buck: Alright then. I'll see you later tonight. Good day and see you later.
Eddie: Alright, I'll talk with you later. Have a good day.
Buck: I will. Love you.
And with that, Buck put his phone into his pocket. He grabbed his hiking backpack and made sure that the first aid kit was inside before heading out the door to his jeep as Dena pulled up. He no longer left the house without a first aid kit, unless he was headed to work or was with family members. Even Eddie had a fully stocked first aid kit in the bed of the truck just in case anything bad happened. Every time he went somewhere with family members, they always had a first aid kit with them, just in case and just to be on the safe side. It was easier than having to rush to see a doctor if things didn't go as planned.
When Dena got out of her car, she had her hiking backpack as well as a bag of food. The bag off food always went into one of the backpacks so that they had provisions, just in case they couldn't make it back to whichever vehicle they took hiking. Each of them had their own survival gear as well as flares. Their cell phones would stay on them as well. They each had a waterproof case to put their cells in so nothing would happen to it. Buck hugged Dena and then both got into his jeep. They put their bags in the back and Dena pulled out a map to the location of where they were going. They would go through the planned route on the way to the area.
Dena had been smart. She had left a note in the window shield of her car addressed to Eddie to let him know the route they were taking, just in case anything went wrong. Eddie would know where to start looking if they didn't come back on schedule. And they wouldn't be trapped where nobody could find them either. So as Buck maneuvered the jeep through traffic, they talked about the route and the day ahead. Dena knew that Buck had had a nightmare about the ordeals that he'd gone through. She knew all too well that they would not be talking about everyday life this day. They would be talking out the nightmare and what he thought about himself. She understood where he was coming from. Her own trauma had left her doubting herself on many occasions. It's the reason she went hiking. It's the reason she formed the hiking club. It was to get out the aggression in a positive way without hurting the ones they loved around them. It was a healthy way to get all the hurt feelings out without having to burden their loved ones. And Buck took to it like a natural. She concentrated on the map as Buck headed for their favorite hiking spot.
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Abuela had Eddie cleaning the gutters to the best of his abilities without injuring himself. The gutters hadn't been cleaned for some time and the last wind storm had been exceptionally harmful on the gutters. When he was done with the gutters, he sent Buck a picture message of him in hauling old wood from one end of the back yard to the next. Abuela wanted a gazebo built as the wind storm had destroyed the one that had previously been in the back yard. It would help on hot days. While she was inside making enchiladas, she would look up every now and then to check on her nephew. He had stopped and had his phone out. She knew he was checking up on Buck so she didn't say anything. She went back to making the dinner she'd been preparing.
Outside, Eddie had pulled his phone out after hearing the alarm go off. He sent Buck a message.
Eddie: Hey, it's me, just checking in to see how you guys are doing. Send some pictures to let me know that you got the message.
Buck: Hey, it's Dena. Buck forgot something from his Jeep and had to dash back to get it. Well send pictures.
Eddie: He had to dash back to his Jeep? Why'd he give you his phone then? He normally keeps it on him at all times.
Buck: We were taking pictures, and he realized at the same time I was holding his phone that he'd forgotten something. I was about to snap a photo of the two of us and he'd turned to go back to the Jeep to get something.
Eddie: Yeah, that sounds like Evan. Alright, send the picture and I'll make sure to talk to him about it at a later date.
Buck: It's alright, Eddie. I think it was an important item so I'm not gonna fuss. But we will send pictures, that I can promise.
Eddie: Alright. Well, then have a good rest of your hike and I will see you guys when you get back. Buck told you about dinner right?
Buck: Yeah, he told me. And I will try to get him back before dinner time. I did leave a note in my car windshield about where we are today so if we aren't back in time, you can always check the car. The extra key is taped to the wheel well of the right wheel.
Eddie: Good to know and thank you. I will let you get back to the hike. Tell Buck I will check in later. And I do want some pictures.
And with that, Eddie put his phone away and went into the house to get a drink of water. He was surprised to learn that it was nearing time to go pick up Christopher from school. He drank his tea and then told Abuela he was going to go pick up Christopher but that they would be back as soon as possible. She nodded her head and told him that she would have another chore for him when he got back. He nodded his head and grabbed the keys to his truck. As he left, he looked down at his phone. Eddie got the strangest feeling as a picture popped up in his messages. The picture was of Buck and Dena on the trail, but it wasn't the smile on their faces that gave him his bad feeling. It was the sky behind them that told him he better try and call the pair after getting back to Abuela's to make sure they were alright. It looked like a storm was rolling in and he remembered the last time a storm had rolled in. He, Buck, Chimney and Bobby had been camping. Buck was attacked by a mountain lion and then had to lie in the freezing rain before being found the next morning. He'd had a huge recovery from that attack.
He didn't have time to send Buck a response, but made a mental note to do it at a later time in the day. He drove to Chris' school and waited outside as the kids exited. He got out of the truck and headed around. He opened the door to his truck as Chris strode up to the truck with a smile on his face. Eddie smiled back and said they were going to Abuela's for the evening. His smile got bigger and Eddie lifted him into the truck and buckled him in.
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Dena was ahead of Buck as they moved along the trail. She'd look back every now and then, but he was lost in his own mind at this point. By the time they got to the top of the trail, she'd had enough. So when she turned around and noticed that Buck had also stopped, she couldn't hold her voice in any longer.
"Buck, what's on your mind? Why did you drag me to go hiking if you weren't going to talk?"
"I started remembering more about what happened during the 'torture. I didn't want to say anything to Eddie about it. I'm not sure he would understand."
"So tell me about it. Keeping it inside isn't going to help at all. You and I both need that. So come on, out with it."
"I told Eddie most of it. I allowed him in on my sessions with Frank and we talk mostly when my nightmares wake me up at night. But this, I don't think he could handle this. I don't know if I could handle it."
"Okay, but you need to get it out of your head and off your mind. So tell me what it is that you dreamt about last night."
"When I was in the room that they were electrocuting me in, they didn't just use the car battery. They…did…other things. I closed my eyes because I didn't want to see them doing it. One of the men stayed in the room with me while the others were out with the woman. I don't know what they did while they were with the woman. All I know is that this guy, he…he liked what he was doing to me."
"And you haven't told anyone about this? Not even Frank?"
"No…I just don't know how to tell them."
"But you and Eddie have been dating for six months. How have you been dealing with the 'sex' part?"
"The last couple weeks, I've been avoiding it. But the first couple months I didn't remember what had happened, so I didn't think about avoiding it. And when I was at the hospital, they didn't do an exam because I was unconscious when I was brought in. I don't know who to talk to about it. I know I should talk to Frank, but that might actually get me sidelined from work for a while and I really do need to work."
"Ok, so you asked me out here for a hike to talk about it. I get that. But I really think you should talk to Eddie and maybe Maddie as well. Maddie would understand and Eddie has probably been talking to Maddie about your avoidance the last couple weeks. They probably know that you have started to remember what happened. You should talk to them; if not them, then definitely Sgt. Grant. She'd know how to proceed."
"I'm not talking to her about it. It would be my word against that guy and I already had to face him when he was sentenced for torturing me all those months ago. I don't need the whole world to know what he did to me in that little room."
"Alright, no need to hyperventilate. I'm sorry for bringing Sgt. Grant into this. But you really do need to talk to someone about it, other than me. I never had to deal with that from my father. He wasn't into torturing me like that. He knew he'd get in even more trouble if he ever touched me like that."
"I know I have to talk to someone, but everything that has happened in the last six months has been progress for me. I feel like if I talk about it now, I'll be setting myself back to square one."
"You're not going to be setting yourself back, Buck. You'll be starting that chapter of your recovery. And trust me, you really do need to start that chapter of your recovery or you'll never get anywhere in your relationship with Eddie."
Before Buck could respond, the clap of thunder overhead had them both looking up. But it was Buck who went pale at the sight of the black clouds.
"Buck, what's wrong? What are you remembering?"
"Um…I was attacked by a mountain lion when the guys and I went camping like a year and a half ago. I fell off a cliff and had to lie there all night as it stormed around me. We should probably start heading back now, and stay away from the edge. I don't want to get caught out here if it decides to start storming. I don't need that terror in my life again."
"Alright, then let's get going. There's no need for either of us to get injured for no reason and I promised Eddie I'd bring you back in one piece."
"When did you talk to Eddie?"
"When we were taking a picture and you had to run back to your jeep. He messaged and I told him that you'd be kept in one piece as long as you were with me."
"That was nice of him. Come on, let's go. It looks like it wants to start raining."
And with that, they headed back down the trail. Buck kept an eye on the sky but also on the trail so that they would know if the trail gave out. But as luck would have it, Dena was also doing the same thing. So when the sky darkened even more and the torrential downpour started, they knew that they were going to be in trouble.
"Buck, I'm gonna call my husband and tell him we're going to be late getting home. You should call Eddie and do the same. We need to find a safe spot to hunker down. There was a small cabin about halfway through the trail. If we can get to that, we should be fine."
"Already thinking the same thing. I'm not liking how loud everything is getting. Go ahead and make for the cabin, I'm right behind you."
Dena trudged ahead, pulling her phone out and calling her husband. She looked back once and noticed Buck doing the same thing. The next thing she knew, the trail was giving out. She shoved her phone into her pocket and threw her hands out to stop herself from sliding very far down. Buck put his phone in his pocket without thinking and ran up to Dena. He bent down and grabbed her hand and yanked her back up onto the trail, not realizing that he was about to go over as well. With Dena now safely on the trail, he made to move and his feet slipped. He pulled his hand from Dena's and shoved her as far back as possible, all the while falling backwards into the dark. He barely got out a yelp of surprise before his feet were off the ground. Right as he hit a hard object behind him, everything went dark.
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Eddie was at the dinner table with Christopher and Abuela. Pepa had even come over. He was getting worried because of the rain that had started over an hour ago. He'd gotten a brief call from Buck but then the line had gone dead. And he couldn't reach either Buck or Dena at the moment. He wasn't going to panic. Mr. Allison had called and told him that Dena had managed to get through and tell him that they were going to be late because of the rain and that they were gonna stay in a cabin until the storm passed. So why did he suddenly get the feeling that something bad was going to happen? He couldn't pinpoint it, but he knew something was off.
He stood from the table and walked to the guest room. He called Buck again, but just got the busy signal. He called Maddie and asked if she had heard from Buck at all and she told him that he had called that morning to let her know that he and Dena were going hiking. When she asked why he wanted to know, he just said that he was worried because of the rain. She said she understood and that she would let him know if Buck called. They hung up right as Aunt Pepa entered the room. She looked at her nephew but before he could say anything, she started to speak.
"I've seen this worry in your eyes before, Edmundo. You're worried about Buck. I get it. But didn't his friends' husband call and say that they were going to hunker down in a cabin on the trail?"
"He did, but I still should be able to get through to Buck's phone and not get a busy signal."
"Have you tried calling his friend?"
"I was about to when you walked in. I called Maddie. She hasn't heard from him since this morning when he called to let her know that she was going hiking. I think, if I can't get ahold of him in the next fifteen minutes, I'll head home. Dena said she left a map of the area they were going to be hiking in her windshield. Her car key is taped to the wheel well."
"How about you call Dena instead, too see if they are alright? You know he would call if he had service."
"I know, and I'm pretty sure the storm would have knocked down some wires and that may be why I can't get through. I'll call Dena's husband first and see if he's heard anything and then call Dena and see what's going on."
"Alright; we are right in the dining room if you need us. And Christopher can stay here if you need to leave."
"Thank you Pepa. I'll be out soon."
Aunt Pepa left the guest room and went back out to the dining room to continue playing the game that had been interrupted, Go Fish. Eddie dialed Mr. Allison's number and waited for him to pick up. When he did, Eddie asked if he'd heard anything more from Dena. Mr. Allison said that he had but that it was garbled. He could barely hear anything. Eddie said that he would try Dena himself and they hung up. He dialed Dena's number and waited. When he thought she had picked up, what he heard made his heart thud. He rushed out of the house so quick, and headed straight for his house. He found the spare key and grabbed the map of the trail they were headed to. He called Maddie and told her what he'd heard and to meet him at the trail head.
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Buck woke slowly. He was on his back but he couldn't feel anything. He felt the rain that was pouring down on him, but everything else was numb. He thought he heard someone yelling his name and he tried to figure out where it was coming from. He could barely open his eyes without his head hurting. He slowly started remembering what had transpired and that made his head hurt even more. He knew better not to move his head, but he needed to know if Dena was near him. He slightly lifted his head and was relieved to see that she wasn't but as he set his head back down on the ledge he was laying on, he also felt a little of it give way, probably due to all the rain. He held his breath a little and waited for the movement to stop. When it did, he took in what little environment he could see and knew that he was in a predicament, that was for sure. He knew he shouldn't fall asleep, but the darkness was calling him and he knew that he didn't have the strength to stay awake. As he drifted unconscious again, he could have sworn he heard someone calling his name.
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Dena's phone was ringing but she had ignored it because she was trying to get Buck to answer her calls. When she finally answered the phone, it was with low reception. But she'd looked at the caller ID and noticed that it was Eddie calling so she knew that she had to pick up.
"Eddie!"
"Dena? Are you two okay? You guys aren't stuck in the rain are you?"
"Eddie, there was an accident. The trail gave out and I Buck saved me. But in doing so, he fell off the cliff. I'm not sure how far down he fell, but I can't see him. If you can hear me, get help. I don't want to leave him, not now. But I can't climb down without putting myself in danger. Please get help!"
That was all she was able to get out before the line went dead. She knew that she had put the fear into Eddie's heart. Buck was his sole; he'd do anything for him, especially if it meant getting him out of harm's way. She stayed near the trail, out of danger of falling. She knew that Eddie had heard her message; she just hoped that they got to the area in time.
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"Maddie, meet me at the trail head. And bring Chimney. I'm gonna call Athena and Bobby. Get ahold of Hen will you?"
"Eddie, what's going on? What happened?"
"I got through to Dena. The trail they were on washed out under their feet."
"Are they okay Eddie? Is Buck okay?"
"He fell; Dena can't see him and she doesn't know how far down he fell."
"We're on our way. We'll get Hen. The 136 is the closest to the area. We'll get them to head over as well."
"Thanks Maddie."
"Yeah, that's what big sisters are for."
Eddie hung up the phone as he safely sped towards the trail head. When he got there, he saw Buck's jeep and parked next to it. He could barely breathe but he was able to calm down enough to call his Aunt Pepa and explain the situation to her. She said that she would take Chris to her house and that everything would be fine on their end. She also said she would send prayers to the search team and keep Buck in her prayers as well. They both knew what the outcome could be but neither said anything. They weren't going to jinx anything. As he got off the phone with Aunt Pepa, a car pulled in next to his truck. He looked over and saw Maddie in the driver's seat. Before either could roll down their window, the 136 showed up with Athena, Bobby and Hen right behind them. All had brought heavy weather gear with them.
Eddie got out of the truck and tried to call Dena again. But this time, he wasn't able to get through. He looked over at Bobby and Athena and noticed the couple was talking with Capt. Cooper, probably about the plan. He walked over with Maddie and Chimney, with Maddie slipping her hand into Eddie's as they walked over. It was a support hand, nothing more, nothing less. And Eddie was grateful for the hand because he felt like he was going to pass out from the fear at any moment.
"Bobby, what's the plan?" Chimney asked before Eddie could utter a word.
"The rain is supposed to lessen over the next half hour. And until that happens, no major rescue can happen. We can however, walk the trail and look for signs of where they went over."
"Dena should still be on the trail. When I got through to her earlier, Buck pushed her out of the way as the trail gave way under his feet. But I couldn't get more out of her before her phone went dead. I'm assuming the storm has something to do with the lack of reception out here."
"And you would be right. Alright, everyone grab a flashlight. Do we know how far up the trail they got?" Bosko asked.
"They were heading back towards a cabin that's supposed to be the halfway point on the trail. So they got pretty far. Shoot, I forgot to call Dena's husband to let him know we were headed out here."
"Don't worry Eddie; I called after you called me and as we were driving out here. He can't come because he has to watch their daughter but he wants updates." Maddie said.
"Did any of us know that she had a husband and kid? Other than Buck, I mean?" Hen asked.
"Buck told me shortly after a BBQ one day. I insisted on meeting him, just in case anything happened on one of their hikes. Guess it was a good thing because he insisted that we exchange numbers. Glad I had his number. He was okay with me sharing the number with Maddie, but not really comfortable with me sharing his number with anyone else."
"Yeah, he was frantic by the time I called but was keeping his cool in front of their daughter. He didn't need her panicking knowing that her mother could be in danger. I told him that we would update him as much as possible, but the fact that we barely have any service means he'll have to wait for a later update than he wants."
"At least we'll be able to give him an update."
"Alright, we are taking as much of our rescue gear with us. We'll get to the cabin and wait out the storm. That's all we can do for now. We can go further up and find Dena and mark the spot she's at, but I think she's going to be cold from the rain. We'll need to get her warm and dry as soon as possible." Captain Cooper said.
"Now that we can do; come on gang, let's go." Bobby said as he handed out the flashlights. All had worried looks on their faces.
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Dena was sitting on a rock not really knowing what to do. She kept her eyes on the cliff where Buck had gone over. She didn't even want to think about what he was going through at the moment. She was hoping he was unconscious so that he wouldn't have to remember this fall like he remembered his last fall. The rain had gotten worse and she wasn't expecting anyone to be coming to rescue them any time soon, not with how hard the rain was coming down. She hadn't dressed for inclement weather. Yes, she had a poncho in her hiking backpack and she had put it on, but she was wearing shorts and she was shivering. She'd put the poncho on over her hiking backpack to that it wouldn't get wet as she had also put her cell phone in there as well. After her call with Eddie, she had tried to call her husband but hadn't been able to get through. So she'd put her cell away so that she didn't lose it. She had a watch on her wrist and would periodically glance at it, but knew better than anything not to look at it after a certain time. She knew how long she'd been sitting on the side of the trail and she knew how long Buck had been alone down below. She prayed he wasn't awake for any of it.
When a light fell across her face, she turned her head to see Eddie cautiously approaching. He wasn't alone. He walked up to her and bent down. Her poncho was completely drenched and he could see that she was shivering from the cold. Someone behind him moved around the both of them and bent down next to her. It was Chimney. She blinked at the men as Chimney evaluated if she was injured at all. When he asked if she could stand and walk she nodded. Eddie understood her want to stay near the trail that took Buck from her, but he also understood that she needed to get warm before hypothermia set in. So, at Chimney's direction, they helped her to her feet. Bobby was behind the pair as they headed down the trail towards the cabin, but didn't immediately follow. He placed the bright orange placard into the trail and hammered it in so that it wouldn't wash out. And then he headed down the trail after the trio. It was going to be a long night.
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The cabin was filled with firefighters and Buck's family when they walked back in. Maddie turned towards the door as it opened and noticed that Eddie had a figure in his arms. Halfway to the cabin, the cold had gotten to Dena and her legs had collapsed under her. Eddie had picked her up and was now being carried into the cabin. A fire was roaring in the fireplace and a couple beds had been made up. Maddie had brought a sweat suit with her just in case Dena needed it. Eddie hadn't thought to get Buck anything because he was too worried about how they were going to get to him. Thankfully, Bobby had thought to bring a sweat suit for Buck just to be on the safe side.
The cabin was a two room cabin, with the bedroom separated from the main room. Eddie set Dena on the bed in the bedroom and Hen, Maddie and Bosko helped her remove her wet clothing and dry off before getting into some warm clothing. She left her underwear on, but her bra had broken when she herself had fallen before being rescued by Buck. Maddie examined her wounds and told her that she'd be fine but that she did need to get warmed up. Hen and Bosko wrapped up her arms and she would need to be looked at by a doctor, but for the time being, they moved into the main room and Dena sat in the chair that was in front of the fireplace to get warmed up. A blanket was wrapped around her shoulders so that she would warm up faster.
Karen had made Hen take some food with because she knew it was going to be a long night, so Hen actually had some soup in a thermos that Dena could sip on as she warmed up by the fire. The others ate the spaghetti and meatballs that had been brought. Maddie had had the smarts to stop by a local convenient store to grab thermoses of hot coffee. The cashier thought it weird until Maddie told him that her brother was stuck in the storm somewhere and they were the rescue party. As worried for Buck as she was, she was still thinking about those that would be searching for him. The cashier had given her a discount for all the coffee and Maddie had thanked him.
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Eddie was the first to wake in the morning. It was still raining, but it wasn't raining badly enough to where they wouldn't be able to get to Buck and get him to safety. He shook Maddie and they stood and looked out the window. Dena, who had fallen asleep next to the fireplace, was putting on her socks and shoes now that they were dry enough to wear. Maddie looked at her and smiled before moving to her.
"Where do you think you are going, Dena?"
"It's morning. I'm headed back out to Buck. Who knows what he went through last night, if he was even awake. I want to be by his side when we find him. You can't stop me from helping. I have to help."
"And you can. We just need to make sure the ground is stable enough for a rescue first. Captain Cooper and the 136 will go first. If they deem it safe enough to go over and down the cliff, then we will. If they don't deem it safe enough, we are going to have to call in the coast guard to help with this rescue. You should call your husband. With the storm letting up, we should have service by now."
"Yeah, I guess you're right. I'm going to go into the bedroom and make that call. Did anyone sleep in there last night?"
"No, everyone was out here all night. We were keeping an eye on you." Eddie said.
"And yet, you all fell asleep watching me. Nice job."
"Hey, it was getting late and we all knew we weren't going anywhere. Besides, the Park Rangers knew we were up here. They closed down the park with the gate barriers so that nobody could get in and steal anything from the vehicles." Chimney said, standing up. The rest of the room was slowly waking up too.
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Buck could feel his body as it convulsed from the cold. He couldn't get himself to wake up which meant he was still stuck on the ledge. He could tell by the light on the other side of his eyelids that morning had come. He shivered at the realization that he'd spent the whole night on the ledge. And he still had no idea where Dena was at. He was just glad that she wasn't on the ledge with him. But as he listened to the world around him, he thought he heard movement from above him. He so desperately wanted to open his eyes, but even moving at this point hurt. His head hurt the most and he assessed his body mentally for injuries. The numbness was still there, but he could feel the rest of his body better now. He could feel his legs, arms and his back. He didn't move around that much but he knew it was a good sign that he could feel all of his extremities and that he could hear movement from above. He took as deep a breath as he could muster and let it out. He let himself fall into the black once more. He couldn't stop himself and he knew he should but the black was more comfortable than his current predicament and he let himself fall.
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The 136 was on top of the cliff where the orange placard had been placed. They had deemed it safe enough to go over the cliff and to the fallen victim. They all wanted Buck to be okay because they knew that if he wasn't, Eddie might just fall apart, Maddie too. Bosko remembered what it was like when Buck had seen her name over his and she knew that he and Eddie were extremely close, even for boyfriends. They'd been through so much already that it felt like the 118 was just waiting for another disaster to happen. And this wouldn't be the disaster where they lost the youngest member of their fire family. He'd survived so much already, he didn't deserve to go out this way.
Captain Cooper had told Eddie that he would not be allowed to help with the rescue, so he was stuck up top with the rest of his fire family. Maddie was holding his hand again, but Chimney wasn't jealous. Bosko and Chimney were going over the side so that Buck would have a familiar voice to lean on. Both were trained paramedics so both could assess their fallen friend. Chimney had a medical bag on his back as they descended over the cliff. Capt. Cooper had thought to at least bring enough rope.
By the time they made it down to Buck, the rescue rope was almost out of length. It was nearly 60ft. down. Chimney got to the ledge first and as soon he stepped onto the ledge, he could feel it starting to give way. He told Bosko to be careful and then radioed up for the rescue basket to be lowered immediately. The ledge wasn't safe for anyone to be on and they all needed to be careful. Chimney and Bosko worked quickly to secure Buck, with Chimney placing the C-Collar on his friend. Once he was as mobile as possible, Bosko grabbed the rescue basket and they carefully loaded him onto first the backboard and then into the basket. Bosko radioed that they could start pulling the basket up as well as them because the ledge was going to give way any minute.
So as the rescue basket was winched up, Bosko and Chimney started the solo climb up as well, just so they weren't on the ledge when it decided to give way. Once the rescue basket was all the way up, they were clipped back onto the winch and both were pulled up as well. Once everyone was on solid ground, Bobby grabbed a second orange placard and hammered it into the ground near the cliff. A rope was attached to both placards and a barrier was raised for the time being. Eddie, Chimney, Bosko, Bobby and Capt. Cooper all grabbed a side of the rescue basket and headed carefully down the trail. They needed to get Buck to the hospital and quickly. But they also had to be very careful on how fast they walked down the trail.
They stopped at the cabin and collected Dena, Hen and Athena along with all the gear that was left so there wasn't any unnecessary gear on the cliff with them. When Dena saw Buck, she paled at how white he looked, how hurt he looked. She'd never seen him so hurt. She gulped before grabbing her hiking back pack and her dry clothing. They headed down the trail after the rescue team and Buck in the rescue basket. She hadn't been able to get ahold of her husband, but she would try again at the hospital.
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Buck woke slowly. The low beeping next to his head told him that he was in the hospital. He'd been in the hospital so many times over the couple years that it was almost ironic. The doctors pretty much put him in the same room every time, unless he was in the ICU. He could tell by the hushed noise that he was in the ICU. He didn't feel anyone's hand on his which meant they were keeping visitors away for now, but he knew that they were near. He let the heart machine lull him back to the darkness. The world hurt too much right now to be awake.
The next time he woke, he thought he heard people talking. But it could have just been the doctors checking in on him. He knew they liked to do that. He felt someone grab his eyelid and raise it as they shone a light into his eye. He should have reacted to the light like any other patient, but he didn't. He didn't see the light. And that's what scared him. He should have been able to see the light that was being shone into his eye, but he didn't. When he woke up on the ledge after falling off the cliff, he'd been able to sense the light on the other side of his eyelids. Now, however, he wasn't able to sense any light. He drifted asleep once more.
When he woke for the third time, he was able to open his eyes a little. He expected to see his family or at least Maddie sitting next to his bed, but he couldn't see anything. Everything was black in the room. He could hear someone next to him get up and grab his hand, but he couldn't see them. He didn't want to panic anyone so he just closed his eyes once again. He didn't know who was in the room with him so he didn't want to panic them. He was panicked himself because he couldn't see, but he didn't want them to know that he was panicked. He let sleep drag him back again.
The fourth time he woke up, the hand holding his felt familiar, but it wasn't masculine like Eddie's would be. He deduced that Maddie was in the room with him. He didn't open his eyes; he just listened to those around him. The person holding his hand was talking and he could tell that it was Maddie by her voice. She was urging him to open his eyes because she knew that he was awake and they really wanted to see his blue eyes. He wanted to open his eyes, but every time he opened them before, all he saw was black and he didn't want to see the black again. He wanted to be able to see the color of the world and not be stuck in his dark mind.
"Come on Evan, I know you're awake. Can you please open your eyes for me? We need to see those baby blues."
So Buck did as he was asked and opened his eyes. He blinked a few times before figuring out that he still couldn't see. He hesitantly tried to speak.
"Maddie…is that you?"
"Yeah Buck, I'm right in front of you. Athena is here as well. We are right here."
"I…I can't see you…I can't see anything."
"It's okay, the doctor said this might happen. You hit your head pretty hard when you fell. It is temporary Evan, trust me okay. You will see again."
"Dena? Is Dena okay?"
"She's fine and back with her family. She was really worried about you. She told us what you did for her. She said that if you hadn't pushed her away from the edge of the trail, she would have been stuck down on that ledge with you. You're her hero, Buckaroo." Athena said.
"Some hero, I couldn't even save myself."
"Hey now, none of that. Chimney said that when he and Bosko got to the ledge you were on, it was pretty unstable. You did the right thing in not moving at all. Do you remember anything about that night?" Maddie said.
"Just waking up the first time after I fell and hearing someone calling my name. I woke up again in the morning. My head hurt and I was cold and numb but I knew I hadn't hurt anything else in the fall. I could feel all my extremities."
"Well that's good. How about you get some more rest. We'll be here when you wake up again, I promise." Athena said.
"Maddie?"
"Yes Evan."
"Where's Eddie?"
"I figured you would ask sooner or later. He is with Chris at Abuela's house. Chris has been very worried about you and it's stressing him out. He said he'd be by later tonight. We've been taking shifts, watching for when you were ready to come back to us."
"How long have I been in the hospital?"
There was a pause before Athena answered the question, "You've been here since you were rescued, two weeks ago. You're body went through something traumatic and it needed to heal. Rest, we'll still be here, I promise."
And with that, Buck fell into a fitful sleep. Maddie and Athena shared a look that said they both knew he wasn't out of the woods just yet. Buck had a long way to go. Maddie's white lie about his vision had been just that. Yes, he woke up blind, but they were optimistic that he wouldn't be blind forever. They didn't know how he would react if he ended up being blind for the foreseeable future, so the white lie was to ease his panic at not being able to see. He had a long recovery ahead of him.
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Two months later saw Buck being released from the hospital. Everything he had talked to Dena about while they were on their hike, was still in his mind. He hadn't told anyone else during his hospital stay because he didn't want to have to stay in the hospital any longer than needed. He'd had setbacks, multiple. When he'd first started to get his sights back, the pain in his head had been severe. He'd yelled at his friends and family, yelled at the doctors who told his family that this was to be expected, yelled at anyone that came through the doors. So, the doctors had had to sedate him just to calm him down a little. In the entire time, Chris had not been able to visit. They didn't want Buck to yell at the kid just because he was in pain. But Eddie told him every time he visited how Chris was doing.
Dena had been discharged after only a few days in the hospital as her injuries weren't as severe as Bucks, but she did come by to see him while he was in the hospital. Frank had also been by to see him. They'd had a long talk about what to expect when returning to work. Buck knew that he still had a long way to go, but at least he would be going back to work. And when he was alone with his thoughts and nobody was in the room with him, he had time to think. He didn't like what was in head, but he understood what Dena had meant when they were hiking. He did need to tell someone what had happened in that small room all those months ago.
But he didn't want to do it while still in the hospital. Besides, there wasn't any evidence from back then, at least none that he knew of. And though he wanted to talk to Athena about it, he knew that he had to talk to Eddie first, or maybe Maddie. Talking to Athena about wouldn't do any good, at least in his mind. So as Maddie wheeled the wheel chair into his room, he couldn't help but feel a little nervous. He hadn't seen anything beside his room for the last month because they had wanted to keep an eye on him. Maddie smiled at him as she helped him in to the wheel chair and out of the room. He closed his eyes just to see if he could still use his hearing to hear what was going on around him.
He'd gotten very good at using his ears to listen to what was going on around him. Within the first month, he'd been able to distinguish between mostly everyone that came into the room. He wanted to be able to keep that superpower, even if he had his eyesight back. He let Maddie talk as she walked out of the hospital. He didn't want to be rude; he just didn't want to talk at the moment. Maddie let him listen for now. But he knew that he would have to talk eventually, he just wasn't sure which person he would be talking to first.
When they got outside, Maddie's vehicles was sitting in the Patient Loading Zone. He hadn't even thought to ask where his Jeep ended up. The last time he'd seen it was the day that he and Dena had gone hiking. He presumed that the jeep had been driven back to the house, but he couldn't really tell where it was. Maddie helped him into the passenger seat in front and a nurse took the wheel chair away. She put his bags in the back seat and then climbed into the driver seat. She looked over at him and noticed his eyes were shut. But she presumed it was because of how bright it was outside. They didn't say anything on the way to the house. She knew he was thinking. She just didn't know what he was thinking. She kept glancing at him, but knew better than to ask if he was okay. He would have just said that he was fine; that's what he always said.
When they pulled up outside Eddie's house, Chris could be seen in the window looking out towards the street. Eddie was at the door, trying not to look anxious. Two months was a long time to be in the hospital, especially with a head wound. Maddie had wanted him to stay with her and Chimney, but he had outright refused. He didn't want to be a burden on the little family. Besides, he was okay with going home. She got out and grabbed the bags as Eddie walked up to the car. She gave a weak smile and said she'd put the bags in the house. Eddie told her that there was soup on the stove and asked her to keep an eye on it as well as Chris. He said they might be outside for a while. She nodded her head and told him to take his time. There was no need to rush Buck when he was still obviously weak.
As Maddie walked into the house with Buck's bags, Eddie opened the car door and placed his hand on Buck's arm. He seemed to be sleeping, but Eddie could tell when he was sleeping and this wasn't one of those times. He was listening; something he had gotten very used to while in the hospital and unable to see.
"Hey, Evan, you're home. Why don't you come on inside. I've got Maddie keeping an eye on the soup that Abuela brought over. And Chris really wants to see you. He hasn't seen you in a while."
"Yeah, I guess. I need to talk to you and Maddie, but I don't want Christopher around."
"If it's something serious, I can take him to Abuela's tomorrow. Tonight, it's just going to be the three of us. Is that okay?"
"Plus Maddie for dinner."
"Plus Maddie for dinner, yes. Unless you want her to go home, but I think she'd rather stay. She is your overprotective older sister."
"And to answer you're other question, I think Christopher should go to Abuela's tomorrow. He shouldn't hear what I have to say. As for tonight, would you hate me if I said I wanted to sleep in the guest room?"
"I wouldn't hate you, but I would want to know why you want to isolate yourself from us."
"It has to do with why I want to talk to you and Maddie alone. I promise, I will explain everything tomorrow, I just need this night alone to figure out how to tell you."
"Are you breaking up with me, Evan?"
"No, Edmundo, I am not. It's just…"
"Has to do with the reason you were pulling away before the hiking trip from hell."
"Unfortunately, yes. I'm sorry, but this is the only way you will understand. I just need this night and then you will understand what is going on tomorrow."
"Do I need to have Athena at the house to be in on the conversation?"
"She can come later. I don't want the whole family to know what is going on until I've made up my mind on how to proceed."
"Alright, I will let you have this night by yourself in the guest room. Come on, let's go in. Maddie is looking out the window with Chris and it looks like she is getting anxious."
"Alright, but you are going to have to help me in. Only an hour out of the hospital and I'm already exhausted."
"It's okay, just lean on me and I'll lead you into the house."
And with Eddie's help, they walked into the house and into the living room. Eddie helped Buck to the couch and he sat down a little in pain. He was exhausted and he didn't exactly know how he was going to make it into the guest room later on. Eddie went into the kitchen where Maddie was watching out the corner of her eye. He told her that she needed to be at the house tomorrow because Buck wanted to talk to the two of them alone. He'd be taking Chris to Abuela's.
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Maddie showed up at the Diaz house the next day around noon. She brought some food that Bobby had made at the firehouse and made her stop by and get before heading to the Diaz house. Buck had slept in the guest room and they would probably have the talk in that room because moving around just was just exhausting for him. He'd been able to take a shower, barely. Eddie had found a metal chair in the garage and cleaned it off for him and he'd sat on that while he showered. Eddie had wanted to help, but he gave Buck his space. He told Evan that he was taking Chris over to Abuela's and that he'd be back before Maddie got to the house.
So by the time Maddie got to the house, he was dressed and sitting on the bed reading a book. Eddie answered the door and Maddie walked in, looking into the living room expecting Buck to be sitting on the couch. Her confused look told Eddie she wanted to know where her brother was. He pointed towards the guest bedroom which drew an even more confused look to her face.
"He slept in the guest bedroom last night? Why? I thought he would want to spend his first night home with you and Chris in the same bed, surrounded by those who love him." Maddie whispered.
"He said he needed time to think about what he wanted to talk to us about. Besides, he was way too exhausted last night and this morning for any cuddling to be had. As soon as you were gone, he got up and went into the guest bedroom and fell asleep. I told Chris that Buck just needed a night to re-acclimate into living with us, that he'd been away for a long time and he needed some time. I didn't know what else to tell him. He seemed to understand."
"So what do we do now? Is he still asleep?"
"No, he was in the shower when I took Chris to Abuela's. I think he wants to have the conversation in the bedroom, like it's a safe bubble for him. I think we should just go with the flow, for now."
"Lead the way, Edmundo."
That remark had him giving her a look that told her she wasn't allowed to call him that. All she did was smirk; she knew he didn't like being called that. His name was Eddie to everyone around him and he liked it better than Edmundo any day. She smirked and pushed him towards the guest room after depositing the food on the kitchen counter. They could eat it later. It was a good thing Sue had given her the day off when she called and told her about the 'talk day' that Buck wanted to have. She'd called Dena and asked if she knew what Buck wanted to talk to her and Eddie about and all Dena said that it was about time that conversation was had.
They walked into the bedroom to see Buck sitting against the pillows reading a book that had been in the room. All his books were still on the bookshelf when he had moved in over six months prior and it was technically his room still, but only because all of his belongings were in the room. Maddie sat on the bed near Evan's legs and put a hand on one of them. When he flinched, she knew it was something bad.
"Evan, you wanted to talk to us." Maddie started.
"Eddie already kind of figured out last night why I wanted to talk to you guys. Dena told me that I should tell one of you, but I thought it would be better if you both would be here."
"And what did you want to tell me…us?" Eddie asked.
"It has to do with the bank."
"What? What happened at the bank that you didn't tell us about?"
"I didn't remember until recently. That was the reason for the hike to begin with. I was starting to remember. I don't really remember the trip to the hospital and I don't know if they examined me for anything other than my injuries. But, there was one guy that…did things."
"What kind of things, Evan?" Maddie asked quietly.
"The others were in the other room with the woman. He stayed behind. He did to me, what they did to her."
"You were assaulted?" Eddie whispered.
"Y…Yes. But I didn't start remembering until a few weeks before the 'hike from hell' as Eddie calls it."
"Well, it was the hike from hell. If you hadn't pushed Dena out of the way, you both would have been on that ledge and we wouldn't have found you before it gave way. Chimney said that when they got down to the ledge, it was about to give way. They basically had to scoop and run as he puts it."
"I know, Mads. I just didn't know how any of you would take it."
"Well, we can always ask Athena if anything else was done at the hospital. She can be discreet about it."
"I didn't know if anything was ever done about it when I got to the hospital all those months ago. What if nothing can be done?"
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Right now, I think Athena should do some investigating. I think you need to talk to Frank. Get this out of your head. Talking to Frank may help you get past it. I'm not saying move past it immediately, I'm just saying it will help. You always told me that seeing a counselor would help me get past Doug, and you were right. It did help me get past Doug."
"I know, you're right, even Dena said that I need to talk to Frank about it. But I thought…I needed you guys to know first. Eddie, you haven't said anything. Are you okay?"
"I thought you were going to break up with me. If I'd know that this was what you had to say, I would have been more understanding. Why didn't you tell me before? I could have helped you through your pain."
"I didn't know what you would think. I didn't want you to feel responsible for me. I know, that's what it means to be in a relationship, but I didn't want you to feel like you had to treat me like a china doll."
"You're not a china doll. You just need a little help sometimes."
"Yeah, I get it. And I will see Frank, it's…I just needed to get it out."
"And we get that, Evan. But starting tomorrow, you will be seeing Frank. Bobby won't let you back to work until he clears you and until your neurologist clears you to go back to work and I don't blame him. You've been in the hospital too much over the last couple years. None of us want a repeat of what happened on the hike from hell or the bank torture. But for now, Maddie will talk with Athena and see if she can pull some information out of the Bank Robbery/Torture case and you and I will have Abuela drop Chris off and we'll eat the food that Bobby made Maddie pick up from the firehouse before she came over."
"Hey, I want some of that food too. I got the whole day off just to have this talk with Evan. I'm eating some of the baked macaroni and cheese that Bobby sent over with me. That stuff smelled really good in the passenger seat of my car."
"Alright, but you still need to have that conversation with Athena. You can use Chris' room."
"Thank you Eddie. I'll be back, Evan."
Buck just nodded and as Maddie walked out of the room, turned to Eddie. He knew that Eddie was having emotions that he probably didn't think he would be having. How was he supposed to react? He'd just found out that his boyfriend had basically been raped over six months prior while being tortured after being shot and kidnapped during a bank heist. Everything was supposed to be fine. But he should have known something was wrong when Buck started pulling away from him. They looked at each other and Eddie realized that Buck thought he was freaking out and may even leave him. Eddie grabbed Buck's hand and shook his head no. He would not leave him in his time of need. They were in this together no matter what.
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Sgt. Athena Grant was sitting at her desk looking over Buck's hospital files that had been added to the case files for the bank robbery. She was going over them as a favor for Maddie. After Buck's revelation, they needed to know if the hospital had done any sort of examination. When she found the sheet she was looking for, she looked it over. And there, right in black and white, was the thing that Buck hadn't known they had performed. The Bank Teller must have told them that a man had stayed in the room with Buck as the others came out to hurt her more. The doctors had done the necessary tests and exams. All the evidence was in the Evidence Lock Up. If Buck wanted to pursue 'rape' charges again the man, he very well could, now that he was remembering what had happened to him.
Athena picked up the phone and called Maddie. They talked about Buck's options and Maddie said that she would bring it up to him at the family get together that weekend. There was no point in bringing it up now. He was with Frank so she didn't want to mess with that recovery. He was seeing Frank every other day and his neurosurgeon wanted to see him once a week to make sure he was still healing the way he needed to be healing. Bobby was sending Eddie home with food for the family every shift. Carla was now keeping an eye on Buck as well as Chris. While Chris was at school, Buck and Carla would stay at the house. Buck couldn't really travel very much at the moment, and he was still getting re-acclimated to his surroundings.
They were having a get together at the Diaz household so that Buck didn't have to travel far and get worn out faster. He still became exhausted very easily so it was best to stay close to home. Maddie called Eddie and told her what Athena had found out and Eddie said that he would speak with Buck when he got home. Because Buck wasn't working, Eddie was taking as many double shifts as he was allowed as it had become a one-income household again for the foreseeable future. Buck would eventually go back to work, but that was only after Frank had cleared him 'Fit for Duty' and Bobby allowed him back to work full time. Like any other time Buck had been injured, he had a waiting period and a period of half shifts till he was up to 100% working capability. This time was no different.
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The BBQ went off without a hitch. Maddie, Eddie and Athena talked with Buck regarding his options and though he didn't want to pursue charges against the man, he was told that a judge had lengthened the man's sentence over the new evidence that had come to light. The guy was already serving 25-years to life, now his sentence was a life sentence and no possibility of parole. While in therapy with Frank talking about the new information that Buck had told his family, Buck had been sleeping in the guest room until he was comfortable enough to sleep in the same bed as Eddie again. Chris would venture to his room in the middle of the night, but Eddie kept the distance until Buck was ready for him. Buck didn't seem to mind sleeping with Chris in the bed, the kid seemed to calm Buck down when he had a nightmare, something they had both started getting after the tsunami.
Now, it was three months since the BBQ and since he was discharged from the hospital. Buck had been released to part-time duty thanks to Frank and the Diaz household was back up to a two-income household. Carla was still around, but not as much. Buck finally figured out what happened to his jeep when Dena and her husband pulled up outside the house one day. Dena was driving the jeep while her husband was driving her car. Mr. Allison had gone to the trail head and picked up the jeep by Maddie's request the day after the two had been rescued. But they had been busy between that time and now, so the jeep was just now being dropped off at the Diaz household.
Buck stepped out of the house as Dena walked up to him and enveloped him in a hug. They stayed like that for quite some time. Eddie stood at the door and Mr. Allison stood near the family car. His reunion was a long time coming. Neither had really seen each other since the hospital and Dena had been busy with her work. But she had good news to tell Buck and she wanted him to know before anyone else. Eddie invited the couple into the house and they walked in and sat in the living room. Christopher was Aunt Pepa's for the day because he hadn't seen his Aunt Pepa since Buck was released from the hospital. Abuela had been over with food a couple of times since Buck was released to see how he was doing.
"So, I now know who had my jeep. Wish Maddie had told me. I was asking where it was."
"I know, we meant to stop by earlier, but we got busy with work and the daily life of living with a toddler."
"Well, at least I got it back in one piece. And I see that you managed to pick your car up."
"Yes, Eddie was nice enough to bring me home from the hospital so that I could pick it up, he even gave back my key."
"What else was I supposed to do with it? It was to be used as an emergency, a just in case anything went bad. And guess what, it came in very handy." Eddie said.
"I know, light joke."
"So, other than bringing the jeep back, why did you stop by? That hug kind of went on for a while."
"Jeez Buck, thanks for the 'nice to see you too' attitude. But no, you're right; we had another reason for coming over. We wanted to ask you something and my husband was nice enough to approve of my choice."
"Choice of what exactly? I feel like I'm about to be placed into the middle of something."
"Well, I am actually pregnant with my second child. I...we wanted to know if you would like to be this baby's godfather."
"Really, me?"
"Yes, you. You practically know all my secrets anyways. Why wouldn't it be you?"
"I just never thought I'd be anybody's godfather unless it was for my sister."
"So, what do you have to say about being the baby's godfather?"
"I say…yes, I would love to be this baby's godfather."
"Good, because we don't really have anyone else that we had in mind. My sister-in-law is the godmother. So the two of you are going to have to get together at some point. We will be christening our daughter and the godparents are always involved. So when the time comes, the two of you will need to meet and help us discuss the christening ceremony."
"I think that can be arranged."
"Good, then we will get out of your hair and let you enjoy your day off. I'll call later with more details."
Dena and her husband stood up and Dena hugged Buck once more before they left the house. Eddie walked them out as Buck stayed on the couch, too dumbfounded to really do or say anything. Eddie got the key to Buck's jeep from Dena and then the pair headed to their car and left the house. Eddie went back inside and over to where Buck was still sitting on the couch.
"So, what's going through your mind at the moment?"
"When Maddie give's birth to her daughter, am I allowed to be a godfather to more than one baby?"
"I don't see why not. In fact, I'm pretty sure she wouldn't have anyone else be the godfather of that baby. Not me, not Albert. You are her brother and she'll want you in the baby's life as much as possible, you know that."
"I know, but it's just weird. I knew Dena and I were really good hiking friends. But this…I wasn't expecting this to ever happen."
"You've made an indent in her life and she's not letting you go any time soon. Just maybe, next time, go hiking where there are no cliffs to fall off of. I don't need to see you in the hospital any time soon. Promise me, no more hospital stays any time soon."
"You're just like Maddie. I can't promise. But I will try my best not to go into the hospital any time soon. Think Bobby will let me stay part time for the foreseeable future?"
"I think he could arrange that. You're being cautious. No need to jinx yourself."
Buck laughed at that last part. He got up and headed for the bedroom, but Eddie noticed it wasn't the guest room. Buck stopped and looked back at Eddie with a mischievous grin. He held out his hand and Eddie stood up and grabbed it, all the while Buck was pulling him towards the bedroom. When they got to the bedroom, Buck crawled onto the bed, bringing Eddie with him. And that's how Aunt Pepa found the pair when she came to drop off Chris later that night. Buck sleeping in Eddie's arms for the first time in over five months. She smiled at the pair and told Chris to get ready for bed. He nodded and went into his own room. She helped Chris into his bed after he changed into some pajamas. She kissed his head and then walked out of the house. She used her key to lock the door as she went.
She had a smile on her face as she walked to her car, got in and drove off. Buck was finally ready for his family to be fully around him again. The family was whole again.
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AN: This was a little longer than I anticipated it to be, however, I think it turned out pretty well.