Car Wrecks II

Evan and Athena woke up to Bobby quietly moving around the house. Athena had woken up briefly during her nap and went to go and join Evan in the guest bedroom as she was still worried. She had spent five minutes watching him breathe and sleep before sleep reclaimed her. Yesterday was one of the scariest moments of her life seeing him in the hospital bed like that. The coma after the lighting strike traumatized her and it was still fresh. It had been a few months sure, but she didn't want to see it again. Last time Buck had been very stubborn and independent in his recovery but this time he was a lot more cautious and welcoming to the help.

Last time he would have argued he was fine to go to his loft apartment and spend the day there, but his perspectives have changed now, and he was letting himself be selfish or lazy for once and have people take care of him. He knows by now that they aren't going to think of him any differently for allowing himself to be taken care of. He finally has parents who love him anyway and it is a lot to get used to. Athena was awake first, she felt the guest bed dip as Bobby joined them. "Good evening baby," Bobby says. She was initially worried that they had slept so long but it would not have really mattered anyway as they didn't get much sleep during the night, and they had a busy day.

It took them almost two hours for the apple store to get Evan's phone sorted then they were in a long queue to pay at the grocery store. They were both exhausted by the time they actually made it back as they had to stop at Evan's apartment to get him some clothes to last the time Bobby and Athena want him to stay over. They want him to stay at least a few days while they figure everything out. They also want to make sure he won't be harassed whilst he heals by certain people. There hasn't been any word of the Buckley's coming from Hershey to come and visit the siblings, but they weren't denying it as a possibility. Only when Evan goes back to work would be most likely how they knew for sure.

"Good evening to you, how was your shift?" Athena asks. Evan was still asleep but was doing fine as he rolled over not long after Bobby entered the room. Athena wasn't worried about concussions anymore. It must have been weird not having Buck there when he should have been but at least this time they knew where he was. The kid has been through more trauma than they'd like, and trouble seemed to follow him everywhere he went. Bobby had to think about it, they had been kept plenty busy on their twelve hour shift, which was good for him as it took his mind off things. He didn't have time to worry about his adoptive eldest son when he was "running" around saving people.

"It was okay, quite busy which I think the team needed. We didn't spend time in between calls worrying about Buck like we did yesterday. They are going to take some time to relax a little at home and shower up before the dinner," Bobby said. It was about time they had their little family BBQ/dinner anyway and what better reason than to offer support to Maddie and Evan during one of the most emotional painful times of their lives. They've both been kept busy during the day so the dinner would probably be the time where it all comes crashing down around them as they realize what happened yesterday wasn't quite the fever dream they thought it was.

It would probably be a couple of days before it really sunk in for them that they have officially cut contact with their parents for the foreseeable future. It might be a couple of days for Evan because he hasn't really spoken about what happened yesterday other than what he told the cops. He hasn't told anyone how he really feels about it. In a way the events of yesterday overshadowed each other in his brain and he couldn't really focus more on one event over the other. The pain and the confusion took over during the night and Athena didn't want to push the subject with him after he blocked their phone numbers. He had his moment with Bobby last night but that was it.

It was all a blur in his head. Speaking of Evan he started waking up and his head was pounding. Bobby was there being the best father figure he could right now, and hugged Evan whilst Athena said something about making coffees for them both. "How are you doing kid?" Bobby asks. Evan knows he shouldn't shrug around his dad because he has been raised with it being rude. The only problem Evan had was his brain wasn't really sending the words down to his mouth. The pain that he had woken up in had taken over and Bobby was just providing some comfort. "It's gonna be alright kid, Athena is going to bring some pain meds with her," Bobby tells him.

Evan settled himself as much as he could in the sheer amount of pain he was in whilst he was in Bobby's arms. "Dad it hurts," Evan manages to say eventually. It felt weird but natural for him to be calling Bobby dad more, he had been doing it a lot since after the lightning and he had died for 3 minutes. It was like the coma dream had further solidified everything he had ever thought when it came to who his mom and dad were. Margret and Philip were only there because they were in town when it happened and they left as quickly as they could when he was discharged. Bobby cleared some of the stray curls from his forehead and Athena walked in with the mugs of coffee and the strip of his new pain medication.

"Here you go baby, the pain will go away soon and then you can enjoy some relaxing time with us before the rest over our family gets here," Athena says, pushing two pills out of the strip into Evan's outstretched hand. He just about managed to say thank you before taking the pills with the coffee. Athena joined the boys on the bed and put Evan's mug down on the bedside table. She wrapped her arms around Evan and turned the hug into a Buckley-Grant-Nash sandwich. He was safe with them, and he enjoyed the warmth of his mom and dad around him. He was trying to hold back the tears as memories of yesterday flooded through his brain.

The car accident was traumatic itself without dealing with the pain of finally disowning his biological parents. It had all finally caught up with him and he was trying not to spiral into a panic attack in front of his parents. It wouldn't matter if he cried or had a full blown panic attack in front of them. They would love him anyway and they would comfort him during it without judgement. He's been through a lot in the last twenty-four hours and it's only natural that he gets a little bit emotional. Maddie had texted Athena to say she had a good heart to heart chat with Josh over yesterday and she felt better. She was probably going to be one of the first ones there with Chimney and Jee-Yun.

Evan's pain was finally subsiding a little bit as he fully relaxed. Bobby didn't mind having Evan's full weight against him as he knew his son was feeling better. He wasn't going to push any conversational topics if Evan didn't want to talk. Instead he was telling him some of the more hilarious stories of the day. There was an emergency at the pet store and Chim got scared by the lizard that they had to evacuate. Bobby was actually happy to be having Buck back on the team tomorrow providing the pain wasn't too bad. He could manage it though; he knows that Evan would come to him when he was in pain during the shift, and he wouldn't be sent home unless it was necessary.

Athena went to go and use the bathroom and freshen up a little while Bobby and Evan had some father and son time. Bobby had missed him all day and was worried about him, so he was going to use this time to just relax. The day is mostly behind them, and he was going to have Evan's help making dinner soon. He is going to give Evan all those father son memories he never had growing up. He's already been teaching him how to cook at the firehouse and it had been going well. Today would be something light and easy to make so probably chopping the vegetables for the salad as he know Evan will want to help even through he's got broken ribs and is in quite a bit of pain still.

"I best make a start on dinner, you coming kid?" Bobby asks, slowly detaching himself from Evan. Everyone else tends to arrive just before the steaks go on the grill but Bobby has most of their preferences memorized. It was just Maddie, Karen, and the kids he didn't know but the kids tended to eat spoonful after spoon full of his macaroni cheese, so it was alright. He would make plenty of it and never have any leftovers. At least he knows it went down well and it was not going to be a waste. Evan responded by getting up and followed him to the kitchen. He went straight to the vegetables and started washing them under the water to make sure they were clean before he started cutting them up.

Being Bobby's sous chef meant that he had picked up a lot of little tips and tricks along the way. He knows how the rest of the 118 like their salad so he manages to make a perfect mix for everyone's tastes. He knows Jee-Yun isn't too fussy at this point so the salad everyone else is having should be fine for the little one, but he wouldn't put salt on it in the bowl like he normal would. He knows that babies and toddler's shouldn't really have salt, so he was going to let the rest of them add salt to their tastes. He had done a lot of hyper focused research on what babies can and can't eat for each stage of his niece's life so far. It would have been weird if the baby wasn't around.

Well actually for Evan it wouldn't have been that weird. It might have been a hyper focus that came from a call they had been on that day. Nobody really knows for sure what causes the random bouts of research he does and how he finds the time to research so much. Bobby thinks he knows as there have been some days where they have had a long grueling shift and a very short break before the next one and he would come in looking a bit more tired than usual, but still his usual self so it wasn't something he was going to bring up. What his crew does on their off days is nothing to do with him even if they are his own child. "How are the ribs?" he asks.

"Mostly okay until I twist a certain way or knock them accidentally," Evan replies. Bobby didn't need to give him the infamous dad stare to know Evan was being truthful. Broken ribs hurt and there's not a whole lot they can do about it whilst they heal other than get their daredevil child to try and calm down a little bit. He seemed to be a lot calmer than usual, but Bobby knew there were a bunch of thoughts going round his head at a million miles an hour. He had to come to terms with the new trauma of being in a car accident and then all the old trauma of his parents being brought up again but with a well-deserved plot twist that had been a long time coming.

Didn't make the pain any easier for them to deal with though. Evan was on edge, anticipating them to find him in work and bombard him with all of the fake love they did with the whole lightning even though that time he swore there was a tiny bit of genuine fear he would have died on the ECMO machine and ventilator. The cruel part of him was saying they were only scared because they'd have no one else to blame for their failure as parents as they had been using Evan and Maddie as scapegoats for as long and he could remember but he always took the brunt of it all. It was they way Buck wanted it to go, Maddie deserved better and as her little brother it was all he could really do.

"If you want to go sit down and do nothing for a while, just go ahead. Nobody will complain, I think Hen would have a heart attack if she saw you helping me," Bobby says. Evan had just mixed the salad and put it in the fridge. Bobby was about to get his help on making his famous macaroni cheese and then there wasn't really much else Evan could do to help. Hen would freak out though as would Chimney and Eddie because the medics of their group know he was in a serious car accident only just over 24 hours ago and it was going to take a lot out of him even if he was being his usual stubborn self and pushing through it. They care and don't want things to be made worse if they can help it. They know the kids will keep him sat down.

Denny and Christopher are old enough to understand what happened, they have known Buck being injured before. Jee-Yun is a bit young to understand words like car accident and broken ribs and head wounds, but she instinctively was gentle with Evan last night at the hospital, so she would be again. Hen, Karen, and Eddie would talk to the boys to make sure they knew to keep Buck sat down for as long as they could. He needs to get as much rest as he can and then Bobby will feel a little bit better about allowing him to come back to work tomorrow. He was still a little hesitant, but he knew that would be what Buck wanted. The kid goes stir crazy quite quickly when he is on bedrest.

It was like if you put a stray wild kitten into a cage and watched them freakout when Buck was placed on bed rest for longer than he felt he needed it. This time he was doing alright, he had napped when he had gotten home, and he was helping Bobby make the cheese sauce for the pasta and then he was going to sit outside on the porch swing until the others came. He was going to do his best to make sure that he kept everyone happy whilst not pushing himself too far. The lightning had changed his perspective on how he should handle his own recovery. He was already being more cautious than he normally would have. He would have insisted on going home himself and would have probably cleaned his whole apartment by now before the pain and regret kicked in.

Then he would call Bobby sheepishly admitting to what he had done, and Bobby would either order him to come down to his house to stay for the next couple of days or he would go over to Buck's house and make him some meals and make sure that he rests a lot more than he had been doing before he had called. It had happened a few times now and he could picture Bobby's face on the other end of the phone each time he sheepishly admitted he had over done it with his own recovery. He remembered the look on his face as he had come to the ward he had been admitted to and how his fatherly love for the kid broke down his walls so easily.

Everything Buck could have helped prep for dinner was done and he was outside on the porch with a fresh cup of coffee in his hands. Athena was in her chair with her true crime novel in her hands as Buck gently swung in the seat, the rocking motion calming him. It felt natural to him, to be at his parents' house and having his dad cooking dinner and his mom reading her book and telling him about his day. He could just about smell Bobby's famous homemade garlic bread from his place in the garden. As he finished his coffee and placed the mug on the floor he closed his eyes and all of sudden everything had come flooding back to him, the fuzzy bits before the collision were clear.

He had been driving towards their favorite coffee place when he noticed that his wallet wasn't in the center console like he had expected. He had left it in the loft, and it was his turn to pay. Not wanting to disappoint them or have to owe one of the other members of the 118 he thinks to himself he can just turn his Jeep around and go back to his apartment and get it. He was going to be about half an hour earlier than the others if he kept up his timings. He had barely slept with nightmares haunting him. He had made the U turn as safely as he could and made his way back the way he came. He had gone through the intersection at the green light when all of a sudden he looked to his right and saw the semi-truck speeding towards him. The last thing he remembered was that he realized the truck wasn't breaking and the impact had hit his head and he was out and also the Jeep was rolling.

"Buckaroo? Are you with me?" Athena says as the world suddenly came back into focus. She had moved to him after she had called his name and he didn't answer, and she knew he was in a flashback. He blinked a couple of times as everything had come into focus. He nodded and Athena hugged him gently, so she didn't aggravate his injuries any further. They both knew Bobby was hovering by the door watching them closely whilst keeping an eye on their food. He was happier as Buck moved and hugged Athena back. He can see his son was back in the room and was doing fine so he could go back to cooking before Maddie and Chimney come along with little Jee-Yun.

"Sorry mama, everything suddenly came back fully," Buck says, and then proceeded to tell her the missing piece of their puzzle. The driver was at least three times over the drink drive limit when he was tested in the police station, and he thought he had killed the driver of the Jeep he had hit. Rick had called her whilst the boys were cooking and said they had the charges on the guy, and it was going to the next stage. They had enough of Bucks memory, the drivers confession, and the CCTV to get him locked away for a long time. Athena knew he didn't want the pity look he usually gets from people once they have heard about the trauma he went through, so she settled for being his mother in that moment, caring and loving.

"It's okay Buckaroo, it was bound to happen eventually. You know that you remembered most of it, so it was bound to fully come back. Your injuries are rather minor compared to most people who get into collisions with drunk drivers, so your memory was better," Athena tells him. It is true, he didn't need to do any research to know that he is one of the luckiest people to have ever been involved in a collision with a drunk driver let alone one behind 18 wheels of steel and a ton of weight. He was lucky that it didn't have a trailer full with cargo on the back or he would have been in a coma or worse dead. He didn't want to think about it too much though as it was a little too close to home.

3 minutes and 17 seconds. Those numbers without context seemed insignificant, however they had a deep emotional meaning behind them. There was part of his brain that wanted Eddie to shut up when he spoke those words at the poker night. He had been happy enough with knowing his heart had stopped for three minutes he didn't want to know the time down to the last second. "I know it's just with everything that has happened to me in the last year it feels weird ya know. I keep dancing with death and winning," Evan says. It both hurt and warmed Athena's heart to hear Evan open up like this to her. This conversation had been a long time coming.

"I know and each time you do it gets harder and harder to accept that you survived when so many others didn't right?" Athena asks, getting a nod from her son. He has a heart of gold and all he ever wants to do is fix things and make things better even when he is the one hurt and needing help. He wants to heal their emotional pain although the best thing he can do is look after himself and as he heals their emotional pain heals. She kept hugging him whilst they had the heart to heart and deep conversation. Eventually it calmed down and he was happy things were off his chest. Athena was happy to talk to her son like this and was glad he was happier.

Soon there was a knock at the front door and Athena's ring camera had told her someone was at the door. It was Maddie and Chimney with little Jee-Yun, a little earlier than the agreed time but it was to be expected after yesterday. They had come straight through to the back yard with the toddler running towards Buck for her favorite uncle hug. There was no denying Evan "Buck" Buckley was the favorite adult amongst all of the kids. She was just as gentle with him as she was the night before. Not her usual energetic sometimes forceful self, which often left Evan getting winded. "There's my favorite niece," Evan says, an attempt at making everyone feel calmer.

Athena took Maddie aside to have a conversation to see how she was really doing with everything that happened yesterday between her brother's car accident and them cutting their parents off for the foreseeable future. Chimney was sitting on the swing with his future brother in law and his daughter. Evan and Howard's relationship had been rocky, but they had that familiar bond which was hard to break. "How's my favorite brother in law doing?" Chimney asked. Obviously Evan was his only brother in law, but it did stop that grin appearing on his face. Jee-Yun was a smart toddler, took after her mother and her father in equal parts which is how Evan knew her gentleness was more instinctive than told.

"Been better, I think my brain is still trying to deal with everything. It has been overwhelming I haven't even come to terms with the crash yesterday let alone the mixed feelings about never seeing Margret and Philip again," Evan says, being genuine with Howard. He knew better than to lie, they all knew him well enough to know when he was lying to them and when he wasn't. Chimney knew how he was feeling to a certain extent. He was in Evan's shoes after the rebar incident and Doug stabbing him and the time Jonah tried killing him. Each trauma that happened after the previous one brought up feelings from the previous ones that he hadn't even tackled before.

He knew the same went for Buck although it went further than any of the injuries and trauma he had been through during his 6 plus years of being with the 118. It went as far back as toddlerhood, and he had been trying his best to address it, but it was hard when it was constantly brought up and had fresh wounds added to it before it was shoved back down. This time they added a whole complicated layer on top. Something about the decision they had made seemed final. "It will probably take some time before it fully sinks in, maybe it never will but we will be here for you," Chimney says, he had given a similar speech to Maddie this morning when she sobbed into his chest about what happened to her brother the night before.

She also sobbed about her parents and how they didn't care about Evan when it was all they should have done. They should have dropped everything and taken the first flight to Los Angeles when they heard the news their youngest child and only surviving son was injured or fighting for his life in hospital, but they had never. They all knew the whole thing with the lightning was a façade as they were in the area at the time, and they couldn't have used any excuse to say why they couldn't come without Maddie or Chimney shouting bullshit and telling them how many times they had sat in the parent's place in the hospital or the two times in his life he had to do CPR on him begging for him to keep fighting.

Oh how Chimney wished he could talk to the Buckleys hiding away in their house in Hershey and tell them how he hated the feeling of Buck's ribs crashing under the pressure of the compressions and how he hated that it was the man he considered to be his brother in law dying in his hands and it was on him to save his life. How much he hated the thought of having to tell his girlfriend how they had failed if it had come to that. "I think Margret and Philip would be very stupid to show their faces here. They have a list of people who would be ready to hunt them down and rip them apart," Evan suddenly says. Jee-Yun had gotten bored and was throwing a ball around.

"Yeah, Bobby and Athena first, then Eddie and I and then Hen and Karen, Albert, Josh, Ravi, May, Michael and Sue," Chimney says, listing the closest people to them. Buck knew he was right, there would be a few people like Rick and other people who knew him that would love to take their anger out on Margret and Philip for ever hurting Maddie and Evan in the first place. Evan chuckled when Chimney had basically said the list in the perfect order. He knew the people he actually saw as his parents would be down for it in a heartbeat as would their lovers. Buck and Eddie were basically dating at this point even though neither one had actually formally asked.

It was like their relationship had seamlessly changed without either saying a word. Bobby and Athena were currently the only ones who had known. As they did file the necessary paperwork through Bobby to go to HR. There was a knowing smile on Bobby's face when he saw the paperwork but there was part of him enjoying Hen and Chimney talking about how Eddie and Buck should get together not knowing the truth. It was funny how he had sworn not to let the 118 become his family and yet here he was getting drinks for his family as the food he cooked for them was being cooked away in the oven. "I think it would be a tie between all of them. There wouldn't be much of them left once you were all done with them," Buck says after a minute.

The next people to come through the door where Eddie and Christopher. Chris ran over to Buck as quickly as he could on crutches and Evan took him into his arms carefully. His pain was becoming more noticeable, but he was pushing it down to not worry Eddie who was hovering. He would have been at the hospital last night, but they had both agreed after the lightning strike to keep Christopher away from hospitals unless he needed to go for himself. "I'm okay buddy, maybe when I'm all better you can come help my chose my new Jeep," Evan says. Eddie wasn't sure who Evan was reassuring, himself or Christopher but the kid seemed to be comfortable with the idea.

"Are you sure you want to get behind the wheel again? It was only yesterday," Christopher asks. God their kid was smart, Eddie and Evan couldn't' deny it. It was clearly a question Chimney wanted to ask too. Evan really hadn't had much time to think about it. He felt fine getting into Athena's car for her to bring him home. He had gotten in and out of it multiple times today alone. Then again he had felt fine before his Jeep was totaled. His brain clearly still hadn't fully processed it. He knew it was something Bobby, Athena, and Maddie would want to know as well. His adoptive mother was checking on him whilst he was in her car to make sure he was okay.

"I think so, it's like how we made it back to the ocean together after the tsunami even though we were both terrified. It might take me a couple of weeks to actually buy a new Jeep, but I think once I get a new one things will be okay," Evan says, after a minute or two of consideration. He was careful with his wording, but he knows that Christopher would understand. It took them a long time to go back to the pier once it was rebuilt and then to the ocean. Eddie went with them and promised to not let either of their hand's go whilst they took slow steps into the water. Eddie doesn't really like driving, but he made a silent vow to himself that he would be there when Buck got himself back behind the wheel.

If he wasn't available on the day Buck decided to start driving again he would make sure that he didn't do it until either him or Bobby were available. Or even Athena would be a good support for Evan behind the wheel. When she talks them through things she has this natural calmness to her. It was like all of their fears melted away when she spoke in those times so he could always have her on the phone if she couldn't be there in person and he felt like she could really help him. "Whenever you are ready for that we will be here. Even if you want to go and see your Jeep before you buy a new one. Whatever you need," Eddie tells him. That was another unanswered and unasked question.

Athena had seen the aftermath of the accident for herself as she went to the police lot to collect what personal belongings she could salvage from the wrecked Jeep. She didn't take any photos of it because she didn't know if he wanted to see it for himself so soon. She knew Rick had photos for evidence so if he wanted to see it but can't bring himself to go and visit in person then she could get Rick to send the photos over. It wasn't something she was going to push today though. He needs to rest and recover a little bit from yesterday. It was not something that he had really had much time to process. Hen, Denny, and Karen walk in and Denny joins Christopher and Jee-Yun in sitting with Evan on the porch swing.

Hen came over with the supplies she would need to change the dressing on Evan's head. "Hey Buckaroo, mind if I take a look at that head wound of yours?" Hen asks. Evan agreed. He knows that each member of the 118 had their own way of coping when it came to him being injured or hurt, so it was better to let them get on with it. That way it helps them feel better and it was nice to have his new family care for him for once. He never had that outside of Maddie raising him and tending to his wounds after most of his accidents during his chaotic childhood. Hen was very gentle with it all, from removing the dressing to cleaning the wound before putting a new dressing on.

She was even answering Christopher and Denny's curious questions about how he got it and what it was going to look like once it healed. He had some stitches in it as it was a cut from the glass from his windshield. "My Jeep rolled over twice too, which is one of the reasons why it is completely destroyed I can't drive it ever again," Evan adds, it was something either the nurses or the police had told him yesterday. His leg had been acting up again, so he was taking it slow when it came to walking around. He hadn't mentioned it though, but he knew Athena was aware of it. He remembered seeing her arm hover around his leg before she settled on rubbing his arm.

Denny had asked if he could see the remains of the Jeep and Hen almost told him off. "Not yet buddy, when I get to see it I'll take pictures and send them to your mom," Evan replies. He knew Hen and Karen would appreciate it being this way around. That way they could look at the photos first and then show them to Denny if they think it is appropriate for him to see. He didn't even know how bad it was, but it must have been really bad with how the doctors, nurses and police officers all talked about how lucky he was to have only gotten away with a large gash to the head and three broken ribs. It was the ribs that were giving him the most trouble along with his leg flaring up.

Eddie could tell there was something up with his partner, but he didn't want to worry the children, so he kept quiet. He would make sure that Evan's pain was managed during the dinner. Once Athena and Bobby are happy then he would go back to the loft or back to staying at Eddies. He knows if they let Athena know they are dating that she would use her magic police powers to get Buck out of the lease earlier, so that he could move in with Eddie like they all knew they wanted. They knew outsiders would think it was too soon, but they have been a family unit for 5 years now. In their opinion it had been a long time coming and he was excited for the future.

Both the boys were telling Evan all about their day in school and he was doing his best to listen. The pain was coming in waves, each one getting more intense than the last. Buck could have sworn that he should have felt this yesterday, but it seems his body was having a delayed reaction to it all. Maybe he should tell Athena that, he thinks to himself. He wasn't really paying much attention to what was going on yesterday if he was being one hundred percent honest with himself. It was a bit of a blur once he got into the hospital which involved loud scary machines and a few naps. Now his head felt like he had been hit by a truck and his ribs ached along side his leg as it flared up the old injury.

"Hey kids, why don't you go inside and play Mario Kart for a bit. We'll look after Buck," Athena says, as if she had sensed her son's growing distress he was desperately trying to hide. Denny mentioned something about teaching Jee-Yun Mario Kart for the first time. Christopher seemed up for the idea, but he could sense something was wrong with his Buck. Evan gave his hair a ruffle and said things would be fine. That and Chimney asking him to make his daughter the best at the game was what convinced him to leave. Once the boys had left Evan felt no reason to hide the bubbling emotions as Eddie sat on the porch swing and they repositioned him.

"It's okay to cry if you need to sweetheart. It has been quite rough for you and it's okay if all the pain hits you at once because we're all here," Athena tells him. It was enough to break down the walls and he cried into Eddie's arms. He was mourning in a way, it felt final his decision to cut those people off. Athena was rubbing his arm whilst the others had gone inside to make sure the children stayed inside for the moment. It took a few minutes but eventually Evan had calmed down and Eddie was telling him soothing things in Spanish. Athena was watching the interaction with a knowing look in her eyes but knew it was not the time or place.

She would have a word with Eddie later. Bobby would probably make him swear to keep looking after their son. Right now Evan was their main focus and Bobby was getting dinner served. It would be better for Evan to take his pain medication with some food in his stomach. Maddie came over and hugged Evan as Eddie went with Athena to go and help serve the food. Well, get the food for Maddie and Evan so they can have their moment together. "How are you doing Maddie?" Evan asks, wiping the last of the tears from his eyes. Maddie wants to laugh, not even five minutes ago he was sobbing his heart out in Eddie's arms and now he is asking how Maddie is.

"About the same as you minus the pain honestly. I got into work today, told Josh what was going on and broke down in tears in his arms," Maddie replies. At least he knew that he could count on Josh to help Maddie during work. He also knew Chimney would be messaging her throughout the day making sure she was okay. Once he had gotten his new phone he had messaged Eddie a couple of times before the nap and after he woke up he kept himself busy before Eddie brought Chris over. He didn't want to bother Eddie with his problems, he feels like he is enough of a burden to him even though Eddie will always tell him that he has his back.

"Yeah I think it only just hit me now really. It was like my brain blocked it all out until now when I am with the family who has really cared about and for me all these years," Evan replies. It made complete sense. He had his small family with Eddie and Chris and his large family with Maddie, Bobby, Athena, and the rest of the 118 and their friends. It made sense with his past trauma that his mind wouldn't process it at the hospital but when he was at home surrounded by his family. Athena came out not long after Evan was fully relaxed in Maddie's arms with two plates of food and Eddie was behind her with glasses of water and Buck's latest prescription of pain medication.

The children were eating with Karen's supervision in the dining room while the rest of the adults were outside. Chimney was great for providing distractions for the siblings by telling them about some of his more embarrassing moments. Mainly it was the times he had passed Bobby's cooking off as his own to impress his dates. They were stories Evan had heard before, but it made him smile, so Chim counted it as a win. Even Bobby had some stories to share ones no one of the 118 have heard before. Athena had and smiled as she saw her sons reaction. Anything to get his mind off what his troubling him for a little while at least. They could deal with the trauma properly head on another time.

It would be sooner rather than later, but he was happy with the distractions in the meantime. Josh was working late picking up a double so Maddie could take time off to be with her family. He knows she would and has done the same for him. He called her just after they had finished dinner and Bobby had a fresh apple pie cooking for dessert. "Hey Josh, what is it?" Maddie asks, immediately worried for her best friend. She listens to him talk for a minute whilst the others watch her face to see what the reaction is to Josh's words. Evan had a sneaking feeling he knew, and he didn't like it. They knew it was coming, but they weren't expecting to deal with it so soon.

"Well, it's official, they are in town looking for us. Security wouldn't give them details, and neither would Josh," Maddie says. At least they weren't worried about them suddenly turning up at Bobby and Athena's ready with some bullshit sob story that isn't going to work now. Buck sighed and looked down. It took all of Eddie's will power to not out them right then and there. Bobby had taken the space where Maddie was next to Evan only moments before. He was doing his fatherly thing, having his hands on Buck's shoulders, and rubbing circles to help keep him calm. He ha breakdown not even two hours ago but they needed to know this news.

118 doesn't exactly have its own form of security like the dispatch center, it is easy to walk in. "Well Eddie, I guess you're on guard dog duty tomorrow," Bobby tells him. Evan looked at Bobby a little shocked. He knew he was treated a little differently because of how Bobby saw him like a son, so he was fully expecting Bobby to think it over and to tell him that he needed a couple more days off especially with the pain he had been going through today. Eddie nods, he was going to make sure Margret and Philip wouldn't get to go anywhere near Buck should they try and show their face at the firehouse in the morning or at any point during their twelve hour shift.

Bobby looked at Buck with a smile. "Do you think you'll be okay on shift tomorrow kid? I'll set reminders to make sure you take your meds on time. We won't let you do anything to make those ribs worse," Bobby asks and Evan nods. At least the choice is his to make this time. It made everything feel better in his head. He knows nobody would think of him differently if he woke up the next morning and stayed at home. This time around it doesn't feel like a bad thing if he was man behind for a little bit because the pain became too much, or he needed to rest. Bobby would make sure he was okay and have Eddie with him so that Philip and Margret don't try and show up.

Bobby gave Evan a little bit extra ice cream with his apple pie and Chimney and Eddie put themselves on dishes duty once the meal was done. It was better for Buck to keep resting now that the pain medication was doing its job. The more rest he can get before their shift tomorrow the better. Hen had given Evan another quick once over just to satisfy her anxieties a little. He was getting better at allowing them to give him once overs without complaining he didn't need them. It was their own coping mechanism. Something told him that Hen was with Athena when they went to go and see his Jeep to get his belongings they could recover from it.

It was either that or he had missed something during his period of unconsciousness between the impact and the first roll and waking up in the emergency room. He knew the A-shift were on duty that morning but as far as he knew they hadn't gotten there yet. Then again they were the closest firehouse to the location of his accident. Christopher and Denny brought Jee-Yun with them for one last hug before their parents would have to take them home so they could go to bed. They all have long and busy days tomorrow, so its better if they had a bit of an early night. Christopher didn't want to leave his Buck. "Hey, Athena and I are going to look after Buck and then he'll come for a sleep over once his ribs have healed a bit," Bobby says to Chris.

It was enough to satisfy the youngster. Eddie had a moment with Buck where they hugged a little longer than normal. It was just his way after yet another traumatic event where they needed to comfort each other. They'll have a conversation soon about the next steps and what they look like but for now Evan needs his rest and Eddie needs to take Chris to school in the morning. There's not enough room for all of the 118 to stay in Bobby and Athena's house even though they probably wanted them too. Buck went to bed first, it wasn't long before Bobby and Athena went to bed too, keeping an eye on their son.

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