Buck Whumps

by BobWhite

Multiple stories centered around Buck getting hurt. Each story may have new characters as it will add to the storyline! Doing my best to update as best I can. New job has me pretty busy!

11. The Gas Station Robbery

Full Summary:

A trip to a gas station on a sleepless night turns dangerous for Buck & Eddie. Both are injured inside the store. What happens when the 118 finds out that the two are in the store? Will they make it out alive?

The Gas Station Robbery:

Buck had just gotten home from work and Christopher was glad that he was home. According to Carla, he'd been in a mood all day. She left the pair together and said that she'd see them in a couple days. Eddie was still at work but he should be home in time for breakfast. Buck was still at Lifeguard Headquarters, for now. Though he liked his job and Kristina was great to work with, he missed his job as a firefighter. He couldn't wait to get back to the job he loved so much. But his doctor hadn't cleared him yet and he was going to do whatever it took to get cleared, even if it meant staying at his desk job. As he moved into the kitchen to make dinner, Chris hobbled over from the living room. He sat at the table and then watched as Buck pulled out food to start cooking. He wanted to talk but he also knew that cooking calmed Buck down after a long day on the job. So instead of starting a conversation, he just simply told the older man that he loved him and that he was going to go back to the living room and continue doing his homework. Buck nodded and said he'd let him know when dinner was done and afterwards they'd call his dad.

It had been six months since the Meningitis incident and he was well on the mend. He didn't have any more seizures anymore and he was even given more responsibility at work with Kristina. She'd spoken with Hobie who had agreed that if he was doing well, he might as well help out with Scar. So, though he had told his Doctor about his new responsibilities, he'd kept it from Eddie so he wouldn't worry. The shark seemed to like him and he remembered him from the Oil Rig disaster so that was a plus. Summer and Hobie had shown him how to feed Scar when he was near the coral reef when he had to make his rounds. They still checked on the coral reef about once a week and if none of the lifeguards could go out and Kristina was busy, Buck would head out. It was easy work and Scar trusted him enough to feed him. He'd talked to Dena about the new responsibility and like always, her advice was to talk to Eddie about it. Relationships are a two way street and if he hid things from Eddie, there were going to be problems down the road. Buck knew that was correct, but he just didn't want to worry Eddie. He'd had enough to worry about in the last year, and Buck didn't want to be one of the reasons anymore. Besides, they had more important things to argue over at the moment.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~911~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~911~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Flashback

Buck had just got to work and was speaking with Kristina about the surprise they had been working on. Buck was looking to propose to Eddie and make it a grand night, but he wasn't the most creative person when it came to things like that. Eddie was more creative in that department, which is why he'd enlisted Kristina's help in preparing for the big proposal. He'd just set down when Kristina walked in. Something about the apprehensive look on her face told him that something was wrong and he didn't know how to ask her about it. So when he finally had, she had told him that her Ranch wasn't doing so well and that she had to take some time off from lifeguarding for a while and wouldn't be in the office as much as he or Eddie wanted her to be. He'd asked if there was anything he or his fire family could do to help her and she had actually said yes.

She needed to go up to her Ranch but didn't want to go alone since the rest of her family would be there and expecting her to sell to them. She wanted to know if the 118 and their family members would go with them. She'd completely house them and allow them to stay as long as they could but that things had to change and it was the only way she could finally stand up to her family. He'd immediately put a call in to Bobby and Bobby had responded with a "get back to you later". Buck could hear the alarms going off so he knew they were going out on a call. So to cheer Kristina up, he suggested that they head out to the coral reef and spend the day with Scar and keep an eye on things out that way. That brought a smile to her face almost immediately and they both headed for the locker rooms to change.

No matter how many times Kristina saw Buck without a shirt; she still couldn't get over how many scars littered his body. She would have started calling him Scar boy, but he didn't like being reminded of the scars at all, that much she did remember from their time dating. Once changed, they headed back up to the office and grabbed all the gear that they would need. They told the Captain what was going on and what they would be doing that day and then they headed down to the beach to locate a scarab that they could take out for the day. They had extra fuel just in case, but they didn't plan on using the boat that much. They planned on anchoring near the coral reef and hanging around the area. They also had some food so they didn't have to go back into Headquarters.

Once at the coral reef, Buck let the anchor down and they set to putting on their wet suits. They always went swimming first with underwater cameras just to make sure everything was in order. Once a week or once every two weeks this had to be done. The way the oil rig went down is the reason they had to keep an eye on it. They'd had a lot of nuisance calls out to the spot as of late because people kept getting stuck in the rig and couldn't get out. Diving tours were also showing up and the creatures of the habitat were starting to go on the defense. A decree had gone out that the Coral Reef was not for Diving Tours or locals to go exploring. The creatures going on defense would attack and nobody would be able to help them if they kept sneaking around.

They both hit the water at the same time. Scar swam up to Kristina and then the two went exploring together. Buck went in the separate direction, towards the entrance of the oil rig. The holes had been enlarged for the larger creatures to get through and each level of the rig had to be checked before they could leave. Whenever either one of them needed to talk about something that they didn't want anyone else to hear, they took Coral Reef Duty. They could talk and not be heard for miles around. Buck knew that Kristina's family was pressuring her hard to sell the property to them and he knew that they were also pressuring her to get married again so that they could manipulate that relationship in their favor. They'd already picked out a guy for her to marry, but Kristina was having none of it.

When they got back to the boat, Kristina sat on the back of the boat and with Buck's help, they fed Scar. The shark could pretty much eat the krill that lived near the coral reef but his fish smoothie is what kept him alive. When they were done feeding Scar, both got into the boat and pulled their wet suits half-way off. They still needed to go back into the water later on so there was no reason to take the suits fully off. They grabbed the food that they had brought with them and started eating. As they ate, they talked.

"So, what's going on with your Ranch? You seemed so exasperated earlier."

"My parents have figured out a way to wrestle control of the ranch away from me. I've had to hire a lawyer. The lawyer is sending a Cease & Desist Order to them as well as an Eviction notice telling them they have to vacate the land with only their belongings and nothing else. They seem to think they can get control of the Ranch since I'm barely there. I wish I could say that I didn't see this coming, but I can't. They've been trying to gain control of the property for a while now. They want to sell it and make a profit off of it, but there is a catch to that plan of theirs. It can't be sold. My late husband had it in his WILL. They don't know about that clause. They also don't know about the clause that states that they aren't even allowed to live on the property or be anywhere near it. I needed my family after he passed away, they knew that. But things are getting out of control."

"So, what exactly do you want the 118's help with?"

"I want you guys to come up to the Ranch with me. I know you could all use some time away from the city. Lord knows you could do without getting hurt for a while. I'm not sure how that would work with the schedules, but the kids and spouses are welcome to come along as well. Like a vacation of sorts. And it would only be for a couple weeks anyways."

"Well, Bobby did say he would get back to me when I called. They were leaving for a call as I called; I could hear the alarms going off in the background."

"Do you think Eddie would want to leave the city? I mean, I know he has Christopher, his Abuela and his Abuelita, but they could come as well. I wouldn't want to remove Christopher from the rest of his family."

"So exactly what do we have to do? I mean other than show up and be friendly and family for you?"

"That's just it. I just need someone there to be my family. When you and I were dating, I had it written into the Ranch deed that if anything should happen to me at all, that you would take over ownership of the Ranch. I probably should have told you that, but I didn't want to give you a chance to turn down the opportunity. Given your potential to get injured, I figured you would want a semi-easier and less injury-prone job as possible. I don't plan on going anywhere any time soon, but with any job there are consequences."

"Yeah, I know all about the consequences of having a job that comes with injury. I do think Eddie likes having me working here, but I don't know how he will react when I tell him what you just told me."

"So, how about I come over for dinner tomorrow when you both are off and explain everything to him then? Or at least that BBQ you guys keep talking about. Despite COVID, I know you still have them. As socially distance goes, that's the best way to get together with family, especially if it's outside."

"Yes, we still have the BBQ's and one is scheduled for tomorrow night. I just haven't told Eddie or any of the rest of my family about this part of the job yet. They still think I'm stuck inside in an office."

"So maybe you should tell Eddie before I show up what you have been doing."

"I'm afraid that all he will do is worry and I don't want to be something he worries about anymore."

"You guys are in a relationship. He's going to worry no matter what you are doing. But this way, you're out of harm's way."

"Yes you do have a point. Alright, you can come over to dinner tomorrow. I'm pretty sure there isn't a BBQ scheduled until the weekend anyways."

"Perfect, now let's get back to work. Don't need to be accused of slacking."

"No we don't."

They had let the conversation lapse into quiet as they got ready to go back to Headquarters. Buck made sure they had everything and then went to the engine. He started the boat and they headed back towards shore. Once back at the beach, they grabbed their gear and headed into Headquarters. Athena was waiting for them when they entered the office with a bemused look on her face. Buck looked like he'd been caught in a lie but Athena just brushed off the fact that he'd been out of the office. She got right into her questioning on a different topic.

"Athena, what brings you to Lifeguard Headquarters?" Buck asked.

"Bobby called me while they were heading to an emergency. He said that you'd called to ask a favor and they are still on that call so I thought I'd come over myself to see what your favor might have been. Afterwards, I'm headed to the firehouse for dinner."

"Ah…could you not tell Eddie about what you saw as we came in? He doesn't exactly know about this part of the job just yet."

"I'm sure you'll explain yourself later so no, I won't tell him. But make sure you tell him before anyone else finds out. So, what's this favor the 118 can help with?"

"That is actually my favor that I asked Buck for. I need the 118 and any and all kids and spouses to come up to my Ranch and help me kick my family off of it. They legally aren't allowed to be on the Ranch but after my husband died, I needed them so they stayed. But they have out-stayed their welcome and are now trying to sell my property without my permission. My lawyer has sent a Ceases & Desist Order to them as well as an eviction. But if I show up to the Ranch by myself, they won't take me serious when I tell them that I do have a family."

"Well, I know Bobby wanted to get the family away from the city for a while. I will run it by him and the 118 when I head over for dinner. I do think we need some time away from the city and knowing you two, you have something up your sleeve for certain someone. I'll let you know what Bobby and the others say."

"Athena, how'd you know?"

"Kristina called Maddie to ask some questions and she put things together. This surprise of yours better be worth the wait Buckaroo."

"Oh, it is. I got a good partner in crime to help plan."

"And I was thinking the surprise could take place at the Ranch." She wiggled her eyebrows a little and all three laughed.

Athena left Lifeguard Headquarters, promising an update on the favor. She also promised not to say anything to Eddie, but made Buck promise to tell him himself. Buck said he planned to the next day. With a nod, she left and the two got back to the paperwork that they had put off when they went out to the Coral Reef. Buck and Kristina barely talked the rest of their shift. Buck was more focused on trying to figure out what to tell Eddie about his evolved job and how not to make him worry too much about what was going on while he was working. They both fretted about each other, but Eddie did more so for Buck because of how many times he'd been hurt in the last couple years.

When they left the office that night, Buck promised Kristina that he would talk with Eddie and let him know what was going on. Eddie didn't work a 24hr tonight, so he would be home for dinner, which Buck made sure to stop at the grocery store so that he could pick up some ingredients for the food that he would undoubtedly be making. When he got home from the store, Christopher was waiting for him and had a smile on his face. Buck put the groceries on the counter and then turned to give Chris a hug only to come face to face with Eddie. Eddie's arms were crossed over his chest and his face told Buck everything he needed to know. Buck gulped before pushing himself up from where he'd crouched to give Chris a hug.

"Hey, Eds, how was work?"

"It was interesting to say the least. We just barely made it back to the house when Athena showed up for lunch. She told us about Kristina's offer for some time off at the Ranch. She also mentioned something about catching the two of you coming in from the Coral Reef. That caught us all off guard. Want to tell me why you aren't just in the office like you've been telling the rest of us for weeks now?"

"I…um…let me make dinner and I'll explain everything I promise."

"No need; Bobby and the family are coming over and I've already ordered take-out. They all want to hear what has been going on behind our backs."

"It's nothing to be mad about. I just didn't want you guys to worry about me when nothing bad was happening. I hate feeling like I'm a burden to all of you."

"You are not a burden, Evan. How many times do I, Maddie, or the rest of your family have to tell you? We worry about you because of what has happened in the last couple years. We don't want anything to happen."

"Do they all have to come over tonight? I invited Kristina over to dinner tomorrow to talk about her favor with everyone. I promised her I would talk to you tonight but I really don't need everyone yelling at me for nothing at all. It's a small increase in duties at Headquarters."

"Small increase, huh? You could still have a seizure. What happens if you have a seizure while in the water?"

"We never go in the water on days that I'm feeling off. We only go when we both need some time away from the office. Come on, you know how beautiful that Coral Reef is, even if we almost became a part of it."

"Don't pull that. Just because we got trapped down there doesn't mean anything. This conversation isn't about that and you know it. I don't know what I would do if anything happened to you. You don't remember your time in the hospital this time, but that last night before your body started fighting back, that scared the hell out of me and I don't ever want to feel that way again. You scared me nearly to death. Maddie was asleep in the next room and I started freaking out, calling for the doctor. I don't want to ever see that again."

"I understand, believe me I do. But I need to branch out a little. I'm literally going stir crazy just sitting on desk duty and filling out paperwork. Kristina could see that. I wanted to tell you, didn't want to keep it from you, but in my mind, you were always saying no and that I was only allowed desk duty. I didn't want to disappoint you again."

"You haven't disappointed me, Evan. But being in a relationship means that you communicate what you are feeling. Now, everyone should be here soon and maybe you should call Kristina over for the night as well, that way she can tell us about this favor in person tonight."

"I'll call, but I don't know if she's doing anything tonight."

"Just call her, and I'll let everyone know that we've talked about your small promotion and not to fret too much."

Buck left the kitchen and headed into the bedroom to call Kristina. He could hear Eddie in the kitchen putting away the groceries that he'd bought for dinner that night. He wasn't sure what take-out Eddie had ordered, but he was hoping it was Chinese food cause that was always his favorite kind of take-out. When he got ahold of Kristina and asked if she could come over that night instead of the next, she said that she would be right over. He could tell that she was eager to talk the 118 about the favor. She asked him if he had talked to Eddie and he had told her that he had. Then she asked him if he had told Eddie about what he would inherit if anything was to happen to her. He told her he hadn't, that it was probably best if that bit came from her. She agreed and then they hung up.

That night, everyone learned about what was needed from them and the fact that Kristina had add Buck into the WILL of the Ranch that basically said if anything was to happen to her for any reason, the Ranch would be his to own outright. They also learned that Kristina's family was trying to force her to hand over the Deed to the property so that they could try and sell it at a ridiculous price even though the WILL proclaimed that the land wasn't sellable and that Kristina's family wasn't even allowed to be on the property. They all agreed that they could use some time away from the city and with COVID, there was a need for the much need respite. Bobby said that he would contact Chief Alonso in the morning and get everything squared away with everyone's vacation. The firehouse was due to be shut down for annual cleaning anyways.

A week later saw Kristina at the Diaz household handing out directions to the Ranch just in case they hit traffic and lost track of one another. All members of the 118 were headed to the Ranch for some R&R and to help Kristina shove her family off the property with only what they owned and nothing more. All family members of the 118 were going with. Since Maddie was still at home with Jee-yun, she didn't have to let Sue know what was going on, but May did have to tell Sue that she was going out of town with her mother for a couple weeks to help a friend with some personal things. Sue understood and gave her the time off. Michael and David couldn't go because of work, but both agreed to keep an eye on things while the family was out of town. David even agreed to move into May's apartment on a temporary basis as it was closer to the hospital than his and Michael's place. It also gave May some comfort to know that her belongings were not going to be stolen while she was out of town.

Hen was able to go as well since she was mostly doing her medical school learning online, but she would need to be in LA at least once a week for her lab work. Summer was in full swing so the kids would be able to have some fun for a change while at the Ranch. Christopher had asked if he would be able to learn how to ride a horse, and Eddie had laughed and said that he may just be able to, with supervision from an adult of course. The little boy had beamed at that and gone into his room to start packing for the family vacation. They had all been busy packing and making sure the respective homes were taken care of while they were out of the city for the coming weeks.

When Kristina pulled up to hand out the driving directions, all had been at the Diaz house to receive them when they were asked to be. They all knew what the trip was really about and Kristina was very thankful that they had agreed to go. Christopher was very happy that he was able to go out to a Ranch. So the families hopped into their vehicles and followed Kristina out of the neighborhood. They knew that it was going to take a couple hours to get up to the Ranch, so each family with kids brought games to keep the kids sane, or so to say. As they headed out of the neighborhood, Buck looked back at Christopher, who had plugged in his tablet and had his headphones on to keep him entertained. Buck smiled at that before turning back towards the road and what might actually happen one they all reached the Ranch.

It took them nearly four hours to get out of the city and up to the Ranch. As they were approaching the Ranch, someone was waiting for them at the gate, which was closed. Kristina stopped her car and got out. She walked up to the person by the gate and they started to talk. Buck looked over at Eddie and both seemed to understand that the person near the gate was one of the people they were coming to evict from the property. The man turned around and started walking back up towards the house, without unlocking the gate. Kristina looked back towards Buck and made a scissor motion and then pointed at the gate. Buck got out of the truck and grabbed a pair of bolt cutters from the back of the truck (Kristina had asked him to pack a pair just in case someone tried to stop them from getting onto the property).he walked up to Kristina as she held out the lock on the gate and cut it off. She thanked him as he walked back towards the truck and getting in. She pulled the lock and chain off the gate and pushed it open.

Kristina turned back towards her car and got in. She looked at the man halfway up the road. He'd stopped when he'd heard the lock being cut off. He was glaring at Kristina but he knew that he couldn't do anything to stop her. It was legally her property; they were just guests on it. What he didn't know was that she had picked up her attorney in town before driving up to the Ranch. They wouldn't have long to pack up only their belongings and get off the property before they were arrested for criminal trespassing.

As Kristina drove up the driveway and passed her brother, he could see that she had her lawyer in the passenger seat and that she wasn't alone. The line of vehicles coming up behind her told him that he had better get to the house and warn his family that trouble was coming and quick. But he also knew that her being here with so many people meant that she had finally decided what she was going to do with the property. Hopefully, she was going to hand the property over to them and be done with this chapter of her life. Oh how wrong he was in that thinking.

As the line of vehicles drove up the driveway and passed Kristina's brother, he turned towards the house and started running. He knew that he could get to the house before the vehicles as they had to go slow because the driveway hadn't been maintained. So there were potholes but Kristina was going to rectify that problem with the upgrades she had planned for the Ranch. Her brother got up to the house first and warned his mother about who was coming. They were all waiting on the porch when Kristina and her friends drove up. As they parked in front of the house, Kristina's mother came down off the porch. Kristina got out of her car along with her lawyer. They walked around the car and towards her mother.

"What are you doing here? You never come here, not unless something is wrong."

"This is my property; I can come here if I want to. Besides, as of this moment, you are being evicted. You have two hours to collect everything that you own and get off my property. You are no longer allowed on the property."

"You can't kick your family off. We are your family. And besides, who is going to look after this place when you are gone? We take care of this place. You can't kick us off."

"You're not even allowed to be on the property. The WILL states that even if you were allowed onto the property by me, you are to vacate as soon as I tell you. If you don't believe me, I have my lawyer with me to tell you and show you the paperwork stating that this land cannot be sold and that you are not allowed on the property. Besides, I've already gifted the DEED to someone else in the event that something happens to me. You will have nothing to do with this property. And don't think you'll be able to get over the fences and through the gate. While we are here, I will be upgrading both. You won't be able to get in without me letting you in."

"You can't do this. Where are we to go? When we moved up here after your husband died, we sold our house. What are we supposed to do?"

"If you sold your house, use the money you got from selling your house to either rent or buy a new house. I really don't care. This is my property and I no longer want you on here. This property is not and never will be for sale. Pack your belongings and only your belongings and get the hell off my property. If I see you or any of your friends on or near my property, I will have you arrested. And I am on very good speaking terms with the sheriff down the mountain."

"You can't do this. We will hire a lawyer and sue for ownership of the property. You will not be able to set foot on this property ever again."

"No judge will allow your suit to go forward. Judges can't deny a WILL and the WILL states that you were never to be allowed on the property or to live on it for as long as you have. This property is mine and mine alone. If I wanted your opinion on what to do with it, I would have asked you. However, you seem to think that the property belongs to you so this is what is going to happen. You will gather only your belongings—and I will be checking before you leave to make sure nothing that belongs in the house or on the property is taken—and you will leave within two hours. If you go over those two hours, I will call the sheriff and him and his deputies will come to arrest you and the rest of the family and you will be slapped with a Restraining Order forbidding you on the property. Any of your belongings left on the property—if you are arrested—will immediately be donated to the local shelter to be put to good use. You will lose anything that belonged to you. The only things I won't get rid of will be your financial documents and anything that pertains to your bank. I will let the sheriff take those when he leaves."

"Fine, we will go pack. But you haven't heard the last of us. You will see us once more. Mark my words, this is not the end. We will get this property back into our grasps soon enough."

"Good luck with that."

Kristina's family took their time to collect their belongings. When the two hour mark came and went, Kristina followed through with her threat. They didn't actually believe that she would follow through with calling the cops on them. They were wrong in that retrospect. When they came out of the house with their belongings, they were met by the police and stopped short. Kristina's mother turned towards her.

"We didn't think that you would actually call the cops on us. You can't do this. We are your family."

"You stopped being my family when you disowned me at sixteen for marrying the love of my life. You stopped being my family when you tried to kill me and ended up killing your grandchild instead. You should have stayed in jail for that one, but the judge felt pity on you and let you out early. Now, you will spend some time in jail to reflect on what you have done. And all of your belongings will be donated. The sheriff deputies will escort you to jail and the sheriff will follow with your financial documents and anything that pertains to your bank. I warned you what would happen. You didn't think I would follow through. That's your problem. I'm the only one of your children that moved out and away from you. Every one of my siblings that stayed with you, you have spoiled rotten and they don't think they should get a job to sustain themselves. You will not use my property as your way of not doing what needs to be done for your survival. Get out and never come back!"

With that the sheriff deputies arrested Kristina's family members and the sheriff collected the financial documents and everything that pertained to their bank. As her family was hauled off to jail and the sheriff collected what he needed, Kristina turned towards the vehicles as everyone started to get out. She turned towards Buck and Eddie as they helped Christopher out of the truck and Eddie gave him his crutches. They would have to modify them so that he could get around the Ranch a little easier.

"Thank you for staying in your vehicles as I talked with my family. I know staying in them for two hours and only getting out to stretch was not part of the deal. But I did not want them to know that you all had kids with you. They would have insisted on staying longer. Just the fact that you were here, that made it easier to confront them. And I thank you for that. Now, how about we go inside and see what the damage is. I feel like they will have trashed my house. Luckily, they wouldn't have been able to get into my room since I had it locked with multiple deadbolts as well as an electric lock that would only open with my fingerprints, iris scan and voice. They didn't know that it also worked if the power went out. All of my valuables are inside my room. It's the rest of the house that I am concerned about."

"Do not worry Kristina. I came up once a week with the cleaning service to make sure that it wasn't destroyed. I knew that you would want to know what was going on and to make sure your family didn't turn the cleaning service away. And knowing your family, they would have done exactly that. But since I was here and told them that you had hired the cleaning service to come once a week, they were unable to turn them away. Your house is intact."

"Thank you Robert, for keeping my home intact. I only wish I could have gotten them out earlier than today."

"There is no need. And I didn't charge you extra for that service. Don't worry; you are still my most achieved client."

With that, everyone piled out of their vehicles, acknowledging the fact that Kristina didn't want her family to see the kids just to keep the kids safe. They grabbed their bags and headed into the house to get settled. As Kristina walked into her house for the first time in months, she looked around. They would need to air the house out and keep the windows open for a while, maybe even redecorate the entire house to get the smell of her family out for good, but she was sure that the 118 and their families wouldn't mind helping with the upgrades to the Ranch. After all, it would be Buck's one day anyways.

During the time that they were on the Ranch, new fences were built to keep out anyone that might want to cause harm. The fences were electric and large enough to discourage anyone from trying to climb over them. There was a computer brain hooked up to the fence and the faces of Kristina's family were put into the system that basically said they were forbidden from entering the property. To make sure the system was working at all times, an underground generator was built just in case the power went out during the summer and winter storms. To make sure no one was able to get into the property, a second fence was built behind the electric fence, one that was 20ft. tall and was concrete infused with rebar. There were two entrances to the property; one at the front and one at the back and both entrances had two gates. One gate was hooked into the electric fence and the second gate was attached to the concrete fence. The one attached to the concrete fence was not see-through. The one attached to the electric fence was, only because there were only so many gates you could hook up to an electric fence without also hurting those allowed onto the property.

Once the double fences were complete, they started in on the bunk houses as well as the barns and sheds. The sheds and bunk houses were in the most disrepair because Kristina's family hadn't let any Ranch Hands work on the property, despite a contract with the locals. Kristina liked hiring people who were out of work, and she would frequently hire homeless persons to help on the Ranch because it gave them a steady job while they looked for housing. Since they were working on the Ranch, the bunk houses were needed. The barn didn't need that much repair, but it still needed to be upgraded. Since the horses had been left out in the pasture nearly the entire time, Kristina wanted them to start using the barn and that needed to have some heating. The stalls also needed to be repaired and she needed to get some hay from down the road. Since Kristina was always away from the Ranch and her family wouldn't hire any help with the fields or do the work themselves, she had called the Farm down the road and asked if they had any hay that they would be willing to sell. She was in luck because the farmer told Kristina that her family had allowed him to hay the fields while she was away and said that he could keep the hay. But knowing Kristina had horses, they hadn't used any of the hay and had put it into an unused barn that had just been built just in case she needed her hay. Kristina thanked him and said that she would pay him for the work that he'd done, because she knew that her family wouldn't have done it. He tried to say he didn't need the money, that he'd done it because the fields were getting to tall, but she would have none of it.

So the farmer let Kristina pay for the gas that the tractors used. The locals knew about what Kristina did for the local homeless community. Most of the farmers and ranchers in the area did the same thing, but some of the homeless had a background that was not conducive to a farming life. Since all the farms had bunk houses, most of the owners had different set-ups for all the bunks. Kristina's bunk houses had a small-sized kitchen within each bunk house, minus a few things. There was no stove, oven or toaster. There was a microwave, fridge w/freezer, cupboards, a small counter space, a garbage can, and a coffee maker. The dishes that were used in each of the bunks were paper and plastic. There were rules to living in the bunk houses. There were ten bunk houses in total. They were centered in a circle out near the barn. In the middle of the circle of bunk houses, a medium-sized kitchen had been built. The kitchen building was always kept locked so that nobody could get in and steal anything and it was only used when a large party was being thrown.

When the visit "vacation" came to an end, the 118 left the Ranch feeling accomplished. The kids got to ride horses, the adults got to relax to a point. Though it was a working "vacation" they had fun and they got a lot done. Buck and Eddie were the last to leave with Christopher. Kristina had told them multiple times that this opportunity for Buck wasn't a bribe. She truly believed that Buck would thrive while living at the Ranch. Before they left, she handed Buck a key ring with four keys on it. All the keys belonged to the property. He hugged her and thanked her for the keys. Then they packed their stuff into the truck and left the property. As they left, Buck looked back once and knew that this opportunity might be a god thing later on down the road, if he continued to get injured on the job and off of it. His eyes reverted back to the road and he looked into the rearview mirror at Christopher, who was snuggled up with the new puppy that he'd gotten while at the Ranch. The Ranch dog had given birth to puppies and Christopher had begged to have one. Eddie and Buck agreed, only if Christopher took care of it himself, though they knew that they would be helping because the dog was so darn cute.

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As he came back to reality, Buck looked for Chris in the backyard. He was playing with his puppy, which he'd named Bug because of the dogs large eyes. Bug was growing fast and Chris loved it. The young boy and his dog were able to play more and whenever he wasn't at school, he and Carla would take Bug on a walk. But that wasn't what Eddie and Buck were arguing about. No, they were arguing about where they were going to have their wedding. Buck had proposed while they were on the Ranch and Eddie had accepted. Now they were just trying to figure out where to have it. Buck wanted it at the Ranch but Eddie wanted it on the beach. So they were still trying to figure everything out.

Buck stood from the couch and headed into the kitchen to start making dinner. Christopher wanted macaroni and cheese with chili in it and buck didn't mind making it for him. Instead of using boxed macaroni, he poured some noodles into the water once it started boiling and then pulled the cheese and heavy cream out of the fridge. He also grabbed the can of chili that he always kept in the pantry on the off chance that he was alone and didn't want to make any dinner. Since working at Lifeguard Headquarters, he was home more and more at night. Chris only went to Abuela's or Abuelita's when he wanted to see them. Chris was having fun hanging out with Buck when he got home from work. Carla was also only watching Chris when he got out of school and up until Buck got home from work, then she would head home to her husband.

They had a routine now, though every now and then, Buck had to have Carla stay a little longer if he was running late or has to stop by Maddie's house for some reason. For now, he focused back on the food and drained the noodles in the sink, then used the same pan to make the cheese sauce and then dumped the cooked noodles into the sauce. Once the noodles are slathered in cheese sauce, he dumped the can of chili into the pot and cooked it some more so that the chili was nice and warm as well. Once the chili mac was done being made, he grabbed some green beans from the cupboard as well as a can of corn. Both went into containers with some butter and then into the microwave to warm them up. He grabbed a loaf of bread and pulled out a couple of pieces and then two plates with some butter. Once the bread was buttered and on the separate plates, Buck spooned on the chili mac along with some green beans and corn. He put them on the table with extra bread and butter along with the extra chili mac (on pot holders so the table didn't get heated & discolored). Then he went to get Chris in from outside. Once boy and dog were inside, Chris went to clean his hands and Buck grabbed the dog food to feed Bug. Bug bounded after Chris at first but then heard his food and ran for that instead.

Chris came out of the bathroom and walked over to the table. When he sat down and saw his favorite, he looked up at Buck and smiled. He grabbed his fork and dug into his food. Chris didn't really eat the buttered bread but when Buck put it in front of him; he tended to eat the food because he knew that Buck was a good cook, at least better than his dad, since he got cooking lessons from Capt. Nash. They chit-chatted about the day each had had. Chris wasn't able to go to the firehouse a whole lot to visit his dad but he was able to go to the Beach and visit his Buck any time he asked Carla to take him. In fact with summer coming up, Buck was thinking about taking Chris in to work with him and maybe get him into the Camp that the lifeguards put on every summer. He needed to talk to Eddie first though as Kristina had brought it up to him earlier that day. Eddie was on a 24hr. shift and Buck had the next couple days off so they had plenty of time to talk about the Camp. Buck's mind drifted back to dinner and focused on what Chris was saying. He had a lot on his mind but he did need to focus.

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Eddie walked into his house after a long 24hr. shift. Carla and Chris were at the house, but Buck was not. Eddie got a confused look on his face and look to Carla for clarification. He knew that Buck was supposed to have the next couple of days off so he was confused to see Carla there and not Buck. He walked into the bedroom and put his bag down but before he could walk back out to talk to Carla, she walked into the room and shut the door. Eddie got worried.

"What happened? Why isn't Buck here?"

"Buck got a call from work. Kristina picked him up and they headed into work. Apparently there is something going on and the two of them were needed immediately. He said he would call you before you got home. I'm assuming that he didn't call you."

"No, I never got a call or a text from him. If you could watch Chris a little longer, I think I'll take a drive down to the beach and see what's going on."

"That's no problem. Let me know what is going on and I'll let you know how long I can stay once I hear from you."

"You're the best Carla. What would we do without you?"

"Wither and perish. I'm just kidding. Go on, I've got Chris."

With that, Eddie changed into something more comfortable and headed once again back out to the truck. He got in and headed for the beach. His mind was spinning around what might have happened for Buck to have to go in to work on a day off. His schedule had been four days a week with three off ever since he'd gotten the job, to make sure he wouldn't push himself too much. He didn't want to worry, but with the suddenness of Buck going into work on a day off (it'd never happened before) was actually making him worry. He knew better than to call in the rest of the family because they would just worry as well. His mind went back to the road and he was glad to see Lifeguard Headquarters coming into view. But then his heart started racing again as he saw the lights and sirens surrounding the beach.

Eddie pulled into the parking lot and got out. He was surprised to see Athena's vehicle in the parking lot. She was one of the responders. And she was coming out of Headquarters as Eddie was getting out of his truck. When their eyes met, Athena held up her hand and strode over to him. Before he could speak, Athena spoke up.

"Before you go thinking something has happened to Buck, don't. He's fine Eddie. All Lifeguards were pulled in from their scheduled days off. A couple kids went missing from the beach and everyone was called in. Buck didn't even explain it to Carla, but knew that Carla would talk to you when you got home."

"Have the kids been found?"

"No, they are still missing. But the last time they were seen was in the water, near one of the floating docks. Someone said that they thought they were saw a shark in the water, but with Scar being a regular near the beach, most beachgoers kind of put that out of mind. Scar can't hurt anyone, so they didn't give him a second thought. Besides, that shark seems to be very protective of this beach, so if anyone disappeared for long, that shark would know something was wrong."

"So you're thinking they left the water and probably went to the pier? Have they looked there yet?"

"Yes, they actually have, but there are places on this beach that people can hide in and not be found even with people looking for them. The homeless have been known to make elaborate shelters under the boardwalk and pier so everyone is just being tedious."

"Is Buck inside with Kristina?"

"Yes he is. Which is why I am out here. Buck got a text from Carla telling him you were on the way here. I was sent out to escort you in. Come on, you can help as much as possible."

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Eddie & Buck walked into the house after a restless day & night of trying to find the kids. They managed to find the kids, but only after going under the boardwalk. The kids had seen an older man taking a young girl and had followed thinking that they could save her. The man had managed to keep them all quiet by gagging them with some cloth he had in his possession. When they were found, the man was arrested and all the kids were taken to the hospital to make sure nothing harmful had happened to them. Then they were returned to their parents and taken home soon after.

Carla welcome the two back and told them that Chris had fallen asleep and that she would be back in the morning to get him for school. Eddie let her know that that wasn't necessary as he and Buck both had the next couple days off. Carla nodded and gave each of them a hug before grabbing her bag and heading for her car and heading home. Eddie waved at her from the door before closing it and turning to look at Buck, but he had disappeared from the room. Eddie went looking and found him in their room. He was sitting on the bed looking at his hands. Eddie walked over to him and sat down on the bed.

"Evan, this isn't your fault, what happened. You know that right?"

"I just feel so bad for those kids. They are gonna have to deal with what they went through for basically the rest of their lives."

"Their parents are going to get them through this ordeal. You can't blame yourself for everything that happens outside. It wasn't your fault."

"I know that, it doesn't help that that is how I feel."

"I get that, but you have to remember the good thing about tonight. We found those kids alive and the man that took them isn't going to be freed anytime soon. That's the most important part of all of this. The kids will be able to have a normal life at some point in their future. This is a win for us. Now, we should probably get some rest. Chris said something about going to the zoo tomorrow."

"Yeah, and I promised Maddie that we would take Jee-Yun with us. I think it would be good for her to get out with her uncles."

"Good idea. But we need to get some sleep. Just by looking at you, I can see that you're already starting to fall asleep. Come on; let's get into some sweats and sleep this night away."

Buck didn't need to be told twice. He was pretty tired and he knew that he needed to get some sleep. As soon as his head hit the pillow, Buck immediately fell asleep. He was so tired that he didn't even realize the Eddie had cuddled up next to him and promptly fallen asleep as well.

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Buck walked through the door with Jee-Yun in his arms. The plan had been to go to the zoo with the kids, but the weather had changed all that. Eddie had also called the zoo to see if they could come when the weather was better, but they had told him that they had had to shut down because someone who had visited the zoo ended up testing positive for COVID, and they had shut down sue to precautions. So now they were stuck at home for the day. Eddie had called Hen to see if they wanted to come over and have a kid day. So when Buck walked through the door with his niece, Eddie was able to tell him that Hen & Karen were coming over with Denny. He also let him know that Michael was bringing Harry over as well. The kids didn't really get to hang out much anymore.

Buck nodded and set Jee-Yun down on her stomach on the floor as he moved to set up the baby pin that Maddie had sent with him. Eddie helped him set it up and once it was set up correctly, Eddie bent down and picked Jee-Yun up. Before setting her in the play pen, he did a couple funny faces at her, to which Jee-Yun started laughing. He placed Jee-Yun into the play pen and then set about preparing the food that would be the day's snacks. Buck placed some of Jee's toys in the play pen with her so that she wouldn't be bored and then headed into the kitchen as well. Buck was a better cook than Eddie was, but he didn't brag about it.

They were still in the kitchen when the door opened with a slight knock. Hen pushed the door opened and all those invited walked in. May was even there as well. Apparently she had the day off and had wanted to come. Bobby had picked up a shift at the firehouse because the Captain on duty had called in sick. Athena and David were both at work which was why Michael had come over with only Harry. They all smiled and Chris came out of his room with his puppy. They all headed into the back yard to play. Hen & Karen had another foster daughter who was too young to play with the older kids. So Karen picked her up and placed her in the play pen with Jee-Yun so the baby had someone to play with.

As the children played and the adults chattered, laughter rang throughout the house and backyard. The giggling babies were mixed into everything as well. Buck had put a call into Maddie to let her know that the day at the zoo was cancelled and if she would like to join them at the house, they were having an indoor family get together. Maddie had texted and said she'd be over soon, dragging Chimney and Albert as well. So the family was talking about the upcoming shift when Maddie, Chimney and Albert walked into the house. Buck got up and hugged his sister as the three family members joined everyone else in the living room. Jee-Yun had tired herself out and was sleeping in the play pen, but the toddler was removed and out on the floor so that she didn't disturb Jee from her sleep. The laughter lasted throughout the entire day until it was time for everyone to head home. They all promised to see each other the next day for work and then collected their respective children before heading home for the night.

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As Christopher was getting ready for bed, he questioned his dad and Buck.

"Can I go spend the night with Denny?"

"Why didn't you say anything when everyone was already here?" Eddie asked.

"I didn't think about it until now. But I really want to spend the night with Denny."

"I will call Hen and ask if they want to have a sleepover," Buck said as he walked out of the room, giving Eddie the look.

"We are gonna have to talk about this buddy. If you want to stay the night at someone's house, you need to talk with us earlier so that we can talk with the other family. You know this Christopher. Why didn't you say anything about it earlier?"

"Denny just messaged me and said that Harry was staying over at his house and asked if I could too. I don't know if he talked to his moms about it, but I really want to go."

"Alright, well at least it wasn't your idea first. We'll see what Buck says when he comes back." Eddie ended the conversation as Buck walked back into the room.

"Hen says it's alright. We can take him over as soon as he is ready. I guess the boys had been talking to Christopher on their messaging app and Hen had read over Denny's shoulder. Harry is going to be talking to his parents in the morning as well. This can't happen again. If you all want to get together for a sleepover, you are going to have to talk about it sooner rather than later. Denny is getting a talking to at the moment away from Harry so that he knows that plans need to be hashed out beforehand."

"Okay, I'll go get ready. Be ready in a couple minutes."

As Chris walked off to his room to get packed, Eddie looked at Buck who just smiled and shrugged his shoulders.

"So what are we going to do for the rest of the night?"

"Well, we do need to go grocery shopping and the truck could use some gas. The jeep could as well, but we'll be taking the truck to go shopping."

"Grocery shopping it is then."

Eddie laughed a small laugh as Christopher came out in his pajamas and his backpack on. He was smiling and said that he had everything he needed. Eddie checked the bag and noticed he'd forgotten his toothbrush. Eddie also removed the tablet that Chris had snuck in.

"Come on dad, the others have their tablets."

"This is a sleepover. You kids need to get off of your electronics for one night. I will let Hen know as well."

"You kids could have talked to us earlier and then this wouldn't have been necessary. Come on, we should get going before it gets too late."

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With Christopher at Hen's house for the night, Eddie and Buck headed to the local grocery store. As they got out, Buck grabbed all of the reusable bags that he always made sure to have in either of their vehicles, just in case they stopped at a grocery store. They each grabbed a grocery cart and promised to meet up in the wine section (they were getting wine for Hen & Karen for taking on all three kids at the last minute). Buck knew what he wanted to get. Maddie had shown him some recipes that dealt with Puff Pastry and he wanted to get enough so that he could experiment with the results. He knew what brand he wanted, which also meant that he would need to get the ingredients for them as well. Well, he wasn't good at making certain deserts, so he picked up the canned apples, canned pumpkin, a small jar of chocolate spread, sliced cheese & sliced ham, spinach & cream cheese. As he made his way to the produce section, he noticed that Eddie was also in the same area. They met up near the lettuce and when Eddie looked down, he gave Buck a confused look.

"What do you need all of that canned desert for?"

"Maddie got me hooked on Puff Pastry deserts and I figured I'm going to have to do a couple trail runs before I get one that is even remotely good. I got prepared. Besides, with Thanksgiving coming up, I figured whatever one we all like, I would already have all the needed ingredients."

"Alright, that makes sense I guess. All of your ingredients go up on the top shelf then so Christopher doesn't get it in his head to eat it plain."

"I was planning on it. We'll just meet up in the wine isle like planned. I've got more stuff to grab."

And away they went, to collect more groceries. Eddie grabbed what he knew Chris would like along with himself. Buck grabbed more of what he wanted for himself as well as what he knew Chris would like. When they met back up at the wine section, they had to go through their carts and see if they got any duplicates. To Eddie's surprise, the only duplicates they had gotten happened to be chips and the snacks that Chris really liked. They decided that by buying the duplicates, they wouldn't have to go back to the store anytime soon. Eddie grabbed the wine he knew that Hen & Karen liked and then they headed for checkout.

After checkout, they headed for the truck and put their stash in the back seat. Because the gas station was closer to the house than the grocery store was, they first headed home and put away all the groceries. Buck put most of his groceries into the freezer so nothing would go bad. All produce went into the drawers in the fridge. The wine went into the fridge as well, but they didn't open it (it was for Hen & Karen anyways). After putting all the groceries away, Buck stashed the reusable bags back into the backseat of the truck and then both got into the vehicle to go get gas. Buck had said that he was more than willing to go by himself to get the gas, but Eddie said to consider this a 'Date' night. Buck to just shook his head & rolled his eyes as he got into the passenger side and Eddie started the truck.

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Eddie was getting the gas as Buck went in to the store to pay for it. He had just paid when he noticed someone in the back of the store acting funny. Hanging around Athena almost every day when not on shift had its advantages. This was definitely a disadvantage. He was about to walk out of the store when Eddie walked in.

"Hey, you ready to go?"

That was the last thing he was able to get out. The guy in the back of the store made his move and grabbed Buck by his arm, pointing a gun at his head. Everything went in slow motion as the man demanded that everyone not move and that he was here for the cash. Eddie's eyes went hard but knowing that Buck could get hurt, he didn't do anything when the guy told him to move away from the door. He did as he was told, keeping his eyes on the guy as well as Buck. Buck, for his part, didn't react much. He wasn't looking to get hurt and he knew that Eddie wasn't looking to get hurt either.

Buck was manhandled into a sitting position on his knees in front of the guy, who now had the gun pointed at the top of his head. Eddie, who was crouching next to the chip aisle, was trying to figure out how to get to his phone so that he can get help. The guy still had the gun to Buck, but he was also looking around. Eddie looked down at the floor, but could still see what was going on through his eyelashes. The guy looked away long enough for Eddie to move his phone from his pocket to his boots. He normally kept his phone on vibrate anyways.

As the cashier started grabbing the money, he was able to press the silent alarm next to the cash register. The guy looked over at Eddie and motioned for him to get up. Eddie carefully pushed himself up and looked at the guy. He pointed at the door. Eddie wanted to ask what he wanted, but the sound of sirens could be heard and he closed his eyes. The guy grew angry, but instead of shooting Buck, he just slammed the gun into the side of his head. Buck crumbled and Eddie got angry. The guy brought the gun up and aimed it at Eddie, who he then instructed on locking the door so no one could get inside. He ordered the cashier out from behind the counter, but the guy wouldn't budge. The door locked and the glass was bullet proof so he was as safe as he could possibly get.

Once the door was locked, Eddie walked slowly towards where Buck was laying on the ground. But the guy wouldn't let him help him. He motioned for him to sit next to the counter and away from Buck. He was looking around, trying to figure out how he was going to get out of the store. He looked over at Eddie once more and opened his mouth to speak.

"You must have a vehicle out there. Which one is it?"

"Sorry, but it's completely out of gas. You wouldn't get far on an empty tank."

"This guy must have paid for the gas before you came in here. You came in asking if he was ready to leave. Don't you dare lie to me!"

"He ain't lying sir. The young man on the ground was buying that bottle of water before paying for the gas. You showed up at the wrong time. He was about to pay for the gas; he hadn't yet."

"Don't lie to me old man. I saw him pay. And that man asked if he was ready to go. So," he bent down next to Buck and grabbed his head, holding the gun to his temple, "this time you will tell me the truth. Which vehicle is yours? Or your boy here will die."

"Fine, just don't hurt him any more than you already have. He can't take another hit to the head."

"Your boy is that vulnerable huh?"

"We are both firefighters. And he took a hit to the head a couple months ago. Now he gets seizures. You don't want to hurt him any more than you already have."

"Firefighters, huh? I might just have to take the two of you with me. You're the best "get out of jail free" card I've ever had. You there, old man, give me the money. We are getting out of here."

"You can have the money. You can even have his vehicle, but the two of them are staying here."

"And what are you going to do about it old man? Huh? There's nothing you can do that I already haven't done."

"The cops aren't here yet. There's no need for this to get any worse than it already is."

"Piss off old man."

The guy brought the gun up to aim at the old man. Eddie hadn't realized that Buck had come around. As the gun was pulled away from his head, Buck made his move and slammed his body into the guy. They both hit the floor and the gun went sprawling. The man was able to get away from Buck and get his gun back but then Eddie slammed his body into him but the guy had been able to aim and a shot had gone off. Buck froze. He was trying to figure out who'd been shot. The cashier had a gun out as well. The guy got up and shoved Eddie away. Eddie had a blood spot spreading on the shoulder of his shirt. The guy pointed the gun at Buck but a shout by the cashier had him turning his head.

Two guns went off at the same time. Buck hit the ground but the guy continued to stay standing. Buck looked over at Eddie who had a pained look in his eyes but also fear for Buck. Buck hadn't even registered that he'd been shot. But Eddie obviously had. Ignoring his own wound, Eddie managed to pull himself up and over to Buck. He held him down as he looked at the wound in his boyfriend's torso. Buck was suddenly having issues breathing and he couldn't understand why. He hadn't even looked down at his own body. He was too afraid to look because he didn't want to end up back in the hospital. The cashier was coming around the counter. And the guy, their hostage taker, he was still standing where he had been. Only he wasn't moving. The cashier had hit him dead in the face; but most of his face was missing. The cashier had had a shot gun.

"What do you need young man?"

"I need a paramedic in here, right now. Go unlock the door and get them in here. He's been hit in the chest. Not to mention the head wound."

"When was the last time he had a seizure?"

"It's been a month maybe a little more. Are you a medic?"

"I was when I was in the marines. I started up this store when I got back."

"Alright, then get whatever first aid kits you have. We're going to need them all. Once the paramedics get here, they're going to need to know what is going on."

"Of course; everything happened so fast. I didn't even realize that he wasn't aiming the gun at me. That might have been better. The glass is bullet proof."

"It's not your fault. The only person at fault here is that guy over there. Luckily he didn't get away with what he wanted."

"He wouldn't have gotten away with much. Here, your bandages. I don't really sell First-Aid kits, at least not the small ones that are normally sold."

"It's alright. Thanks for the help. Can you please go unlock the door?"

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Sgt. Athena Grant pulled up to the gas station first. It had taken the team longer to get to the scene because of an accident on the freeway. Everyone had had to go around. She noticed that she was the first one there and got out of her vehicle, gun drawn. She walked slowly up to the door and looked inside. Two men were on the ground and one was moving around the store. It looked like he was collecting materials for someone. There was another man farther off on the ground, but he wasn't moving and there was a large pool of blood next to him. She couldn't see anything else from her position, so she gently reached out and tried the door. It was locked, but that small jiggle of the door got the attention of the man walking around. He came up to the door and unlocked the door. He looked around her as if he was expecting more than her.

"Do you have a problem sir?"

"I was expecting and ambulance. Two patrons inside have been shot and one of them is pretty bad."

"And you would be?"

"I'm the owner of the store. Please come in."

"Anyone else here?" Eddie had finally heard the woman talking to the owner and slightly turned his head. When he saw Athena, he said her name.

"Athena?"
"Eddie, what are you doing here?"

"We stopped by to get gas. We were about ready to leave when that guy over there," Eddie pointed to the guy next to the blood pool to him "grabbed Buck by his arm and held a gun to him. He told me to lock the door and then demanded money. The owner shot the man."

"And Buck is where?"

"Right here; we need an ambulance Athena, and we need one now."

"It's on the way. Tell me what you need and I may be able to get it for you."

"There is a medic kit in the back of my truck. Like the ones we carry in the field. Gas station materials can only do so much, no offense."

"I'll get it. I'll bring the medics in when they get here."

"No offense taken young man. He's special to you, isn't he?"

"He's my fiancé. This was supposed to be date night. This wasn't supposed to happen."

"I'm sorry, I really am. I really did think the gun was aimed at me."

"Alright, Eddie, I'm back. Ambulance should be here soon. They got stuck in the traffic jam on the freeway. Stupid people don't know how to drive. I relayed the information to the paramedics about what was going on."

"Have you called Bobby yet?"

"No, I figured that conversation was better coming from the hospital than from a crime scene."

"Yeah, let's get him safe before we call anyone in. They don't need to be showing up here. And I'll make sure to call Hen. The kids should be asleep so there is no need to wake them up."

"Christopher is at Hen's too huh?"

"Yes, guess he was playing his game and Denny messaged him asking if he wanted to stay the night. Supposedly Harry was already there."

"Yeah, they asked as we were getting into the vehicles. At least they will have some fun."

"Yeah…I'm thankful that Chris won't see either of his fathers injured for a while. Hen and Karen will keep him until either of us is out of the hospital."

"Oh Eddie, I didn't even realize that you'd been hit."

"Buck played hero first. I got one in the shoulder but it's a through-in-through. Buck got hit in the chest."

The talking stopped as they desperately tried to keep Buck alive until the paramedics showed up. They talked little other than Eddie asking for something from the medical kit. When the ambulance got to the store, the medics took over on helping Buck. Athena helped Eddie up but both went in the ambulance. Buck seemed to sense that Eddie was near him and that was keeping his heart beating. When they got to the hospital, Buck was rushed into surgery but Eddie was kept in the ER to deal with his shoulder. Athena had stayed next to Eddie at first, and then had said she was going to the waiting room to make a few calls. Eddie had nodded; he knew who she was calling.

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Buck woke slowly. The beeping in his ear told him he was once again back in the hospital. He felt like he was swimming through a thick layer of fog. But he knew that he could wake himself up this time. Unlike the last time he was in the hospital, the head wound hadn't had any effect on his healing process. As he opened his eyes, he looked around. Eddie was asleep in the chair next to him, his arm in a sling and a bandage protruding from underneath his shirt. He shifted his eyes to the other side and saw his sister. He wondered how long he had been unconscious for. He didn't have an answer to that one. A noise near the door drew his attention. He looked over and saw Athena entering the room.

When Athena noticed him looking at her, she put her finger to her lips and gestured for him to get some rest. He knew that there would be time later to talk. He had just drifted off to sleep when he heard Athena talking to Eddie. She was probably trying to get him to go home for a little while. Buck knew Eddie wouldn't leave. He'd want to stay. But his tired mind let him drift to sleep. As he slept, Athena slid into the chair that Eddie had vacated not too long ago. She successfully gotten him up and Bobby was taking him back to the Grant-Nash household. She reached out and grabbed his hand, giving it a squeeze so he knew that he wasn't alone for the night.

The doctors had given them all high hopes that he would pull through. The gun to his head hadn't done much damage, just enough to make him bleed. He hadn't had any seizures at all, not even while they were in surgery. His neurologist had been pulled into the O.R. just to be on the safe side. But Buck hadn't had a seizure for months. They were cautiously optimistic that he would wake up and not have to stay in the hospital for a long period of time.

When he woke in the morning, Maddie was awake but Athena was asleep. He looked over at Maddie and when she realized that he was looking at her, she moved away from the window and sat on the bed, grabbing his hand as she sat. He smiled a weak smile at her and she smiled a teary smile at him. He wanted to pull her into him so that she could lay down next to him, but he knew that would just agitate his would and probably make it bleed. So they just stayed like that for a couple minutes before Maddie began to talk.

"You scared me Evan. You've scared me every time you've been in here. I hate seeing you in the hospital. I hate seeing you injured. I know I can't make you promise to never get hurt and never end up in the hospital. But this has to stop. I'm about ready to wrap you in bubble wrap and never let you outside the house again."

"Maddie, we weren't planning on getting hurt. We went to buy gas, that's it. I wanted to go by myself, but Eddie insisted that since it was date night, that he had to come as well. It shouldn't have happened, I'll give you that, but it's not like we planned to get shot."

"I know that Evan. This was a complete fluke, like most of your accidents are. But there are going to be some changes. I worried about you enough when you were a firefighter. I worry a little less now that you're a lifeguard. But I still worry nonetheless."

"We all worry about you, Buckaroo. We can't keep doing this. If I hadn't been able to get Eddie to go home with Bobby, he probably would have stayed here the entire time." Athena said, piping into the conversation from where she sat in her chair. She'd woken up to the soft talking of the siblings.

"Good morning, Athena. Saw you last night didn't I?"

"You woke up last night?"

"More like early morning, around like 2am."

"Ah, no wonder you didn't wake me up."

"How long do I have to stay in the hospital this time?"

"Well, you've only been here for two days. And yes, Eddie was here those entire two days. I made him go with Bobby to get some normal sleep instead of sleeping in a chair. And we've been playing babysitting duties while the two of you were here. Hen & Karen had Christopher for an extended time. He was taken over to my house this morning around 8am since Hen had to go into work. We'll have him tonight and Harry will be there so he won't be so lonely. He is starting to ask questions. I'm hoping his father will tell him what is going on. He knows when he has unauthorized sleepovers with his friends that something is going on." Athena said.

"We can't keep having the same conversations over and over again. I know, the incidents haven't been your fault. But, you could at least try not to be a hero sometimes. Try just to be a normal civilian in dangerous times. It would make us worry less." Maddie said.

"I get that. But how am I supposed to stand by when someone else is getting…or could be getting hurt in front of me. I can't stand by when that happens."

"You don't have to stand by, but please, for all of our sakes, please don't get yourself hurt trying to help everyone you see. It's getting harder and harder to see you in here."

"I will try. And I do have Athena on speed dial."

They stopped talking as Buck settled back onto the bed and got some sleep. He'd been tiring as they talked so he needed to rest. Maddie and Athena stepped out of the room and went to get something to eat. While they were in the cafeteria, Athena put a call into Bobby and let him know what was going on. He promised to bring Eddie by the hospital when he'd rested longer. Athena told Bobby that she loved him and hung up the phone. She went back to the table where Maddie was sitting with their food and drinks.

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One week later…Buck was out of the hospital and headed home. Eddie was also on the mend. They were headed back to the Buckley-Diaz house. They had agreed on a set time and date for the wedding while Buck was in the hospital. They had also agreed to not change their last names. They would just hyphenate around other people. As Buck sat in Maddie's car, he knew that they had a lot to talk about between now and the wedding. With the wedding a month away, Maddie would have to help out as much as possible. They talked little as she drove to the house. She kept looking over at her brother, but he had his head against the window and his eyes closed. He would be off work for a while, that was for sure. Maddie had stopped by Lifeguard Headquarters and explained what had happened. They understood his need for some time off. It was also explained that he could work remotely, regarding paperwork, if need be.

Kristina had agreed to fax over the paperwork. So Bobby and Eddie had picked up a printer that was capable of faxes and set it up in the spare bedroom. The spare bedroom would become Buck's office for now, though he did need his rest. There wasn't really a desk, so they had also bought a rolling desk that could go over the bed and Buck could sit on the bed and work that way. Everything had been explained to Christopher and he had agreed to be as gentle as possible. This first day out of the hospital was also a family gathering. They wouldn't be able to have one for a while, so coming now was a good way to make sure the two men were as comfortable as possible and not overworking themselves at the same time.

Eddie had been home for over a week, and thankfully had been able to use all of the fresh produce that had been bought that night. The wine was still in the fridge because there hadn't been a time to give it to Hen or Karen in the last week. As they pulled up to the house, a honk from behind them signaled the arrival of Hen, Karen, Mrs. Wilson, and Denny. As Hen's mom lived with her, she was now included in the family get-togethers. Maddie pulled into the driveway next to Eddie's truck, which had been driven over by Bobby after it was released from the crime scene. The owner had been kind enough to move the vehicle into the back of the property so nobody would steal it. He'd also recognized Athena as she got out of the vehicle with her husband. They'd been able to get the vehicle without any problems.

As the siblings got out of Maddie's vehicle, Hen walked up next to the passenger side door. She helped Buck as much as he would allow her. She gave him a small smile before Maddie walked around the front of the vehicle and took her brother's arm and led him inside. He was tired out already, but he would get back to his old self in no time, especially since they had a little more planning to do in regards of the wedding. Everyone was giddy about the wedding. It was a long time coming. The two lovers had been together for a while now and it was about time they finally got married, make it official and all. As they walked into the house, they all knew that the next couple months were going to be busy. But all were excited for it.

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The day of the wedding was finally there. They were at the Ranch. Kristina had gotten the time off to go up to the Ranch early and set up. Buck had also headed up early to make sure everything was in working order. They had been discussing a private area that Eddie and Buck could go to after the wedding and both had ridden to a private cabin on the property and fixed up so that they had a place to themselves because neither of them could afford to go on a honeymoon at the moment. Kristina was his best man. Maddie was his sister but she had agreed to let Kristina be the best man. Eddie had Chimney to be his best man.

As Buck was getting ready in his room, a knock came at the door. Kristina stood up and went to answer. She opened the door and let Maddie in. She was smiling as she came towards her brother.

"So, what do you think? Did you ever think you would see me getting married?"

"I knew that you find your someone someday. You look handsome, Evan. And Eddie is going to think the same thing."

"I've been thinking about what you said while I was still in the hospital."

"And, what have you come up with?"

"I think I'm gonna give being a lifeguard for at least another year before trying to get back into the fire department. I've talked with Kristina about it and she agrees with the plan."

"And if you can't get back into the fire department?"

"Well, I haven't talked to Eddie about it yet, but I think I'm gonna come up here and do my best not to get hurt. If Eddie agrees, he could work at the fire house in town and Chris could go to school here. The schools are really nice and could be good for him."

"You need to talk to Eddie about this. You would be taking Chris away from everything he has ever known. He loves his school. His aunt and grandmother live in LA. I know you don't want to be a lifeguard forever, but it's a good job for you."

"Yeah, I know. I was planning on talking to Eddie about it, but we would need to discuss it at length."

"Alright, let's put that on the backburner for now. We have a wedding to attend. I brought you something old & blue. Mom sent them to me. They were dad's cuff links from his wedding."

"And what about the blue? Because these don't look blue."

"Well, they may look a little tacky, but these are the earrings I wore on my wedding day. They are small enough that nobody would really know you were wearing them unless they were standing right next to you."

"My ears aren't pierced. How am I supposed to wear them?"

"Well, luckily they are just clip-on ones. So please, just indulge me on this little bit. The blue earrings were moms on her wedding. I talked to her and she says you should wear them. And I should take pictures."

"Good to know. Alright, let's get this dress-up over."

Kristina and Maddie laughed as they put the earrings and cuff links on him. They were all smiling as they made their way out of the room and to the barn, which had been converted into a wedding alter the day before. The Buckley Matriarchs weren't able to make it to the wedding but they made sure that Evan knew that this marriage was okay in their eyes. Maddie would be walking him down the aisle as she was his only actual family in the state.

As they made their way down the aisle, Buck looked at Eddie who was smiling at him. Chimney was next to him and watching them walk, though he was mostly smiling at Maddie. Once up at the altar, Maddie took her leave to sit in the front row with the rest of the immediate family. As the Officiant began the ceremony, Buck blanked out a little but made sure to say his 'I Do' at the appropriate time. They did the kiss, to which everyone cheered, and then headed back down the aisle and to the house. The Reception would be in the house instead of outside because it was supposed to storm later on in the evening. All guests were staying the night and everything was in place for them to do so. Eddie and Buck would stay in the house that night as well, but would go up to the private cabin the next day. They would have to say goodbye to all of their guests.

As the party winded down for the night, the couple got ready to say goodnight. Family & friends that were driving into town for the night left so that they wouldn't get stuck on the mountain in mud. Chris was already asleep when Eddie picked him up and took him to his room. Kristina and Maddie were cleaning up with the help of everyone else. Buck tried to help but got told it wasn't his job. He was shooed into his room so that he could have some alone time with Eddie. When Eddie walked into the room, he gave him the look that told him all he needed to know. But Eddie still voiced what he was hinting at.

"You belong to me now. We will have our honeymoon when we can afford it. But for now, I want to fall asleep cuddled up next to my husband."

The rest of the night was a blur as they settled into a comfortable sleep and dreamt of better days to come…

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So there is chapter 11. Sorry it took me so long to get out. I was in the hospital with COVID and then I had a hard time remembering what I was writing about. Hope you like the ending.