Father's like these
TW Implied/referenced homophobia (Happy pride and this is a safe space for you)
Bobby Nash was waiting at LAX for an inbound flight from Philadelphia. He had gotten a phone call from Evan whilst he was waiting for his flight from Harrisburg Pennsylvania that everything had gone wrong with his visit to his parents with Maddie, Chimney and little Jee-Yun and he was coming back alone and a whole week earlier than planned. Bobby, who had basically adopted Evan and Maddie as his own children, said he would pick him up from the airport and let him spend the last week of his holiday at the Grant-Nash household to relax and unwind a little. If he wanted to go back to his loft apartment he was more than welcome to do so, but Bobby's fatherly instincts were telling him otherwise.
Evan hadn't gone into detail about what happened to lead him to coming home so soon, but he was quite upset and distressed on the phone call. He had offered to meet Evan in Philadelphia and continue back to Los Angeles, but the kid had politely declined saying he was going to try and get as much sleep as possible on the planes. He hadn't gotten any sleep on the taxi ride from Hershey to Harrisburg as it seemed he was in a hurry to leave as soon as he possibly could. It must have been bad as last Bobby was aware of they had really tried to fix their relationship with their youngest son. At least, that was the impression he got after the lightning strike.
He had spoken to Athena who was almost finished with her 24 hour shift. She was worried for the boy who she considered to be her son when she heard that his visit to his biological parents hadn't gone as well as they had all hoped. It would have been a nice step towards him finally getting closure on the trauma and neglect/abuse he went through so he could heal and maybe not be as reckless as he was before. They are going to do their best to make sure that he was going to have the love and attention he needed during this rough time that was certain. She normally would go straight to bed when she got off a 24 hour shift but this time she wanted to make sure she was awake for a little bit.
The announcement finally said that the flight from Philadelphia had landed. It is going to be a matter of minutes before Bobby and Evan would be reunited. Bobby knew that Evan had only taken a backpack with some clothes and underwear to last him the trip. Maddie had overpacked slightly making sure her brother's usual shower products and things were there because she knew he would have packed as light as possible so he could just take his back and leave if he felt necessary. She was only staying for Jee-Yun's sake as they seemed to be different people around her which also made her angry for her baby brother. Evan deserved better.
Bobby spotted Evan first, the taller man looked absolutely exhausted and had red puffy eyes as if he had spent some time angrily crying on his flight. Bobby walked over to Evan and when the younger finally spotted him, he made the short jog over and hugged him as tightly as he dared. "I'm so sorry kid, I really thought they had changed for the better this time," Bobby says. If only adult adoption was allowed for 30 year olds who need better parents than the ones they grew up with. Then again Bobby and Athena already tell people who didn't know that they had four kids, two adopted. Recently they had the Buckley's over for a weekly dinner, and it was going well.
"It's not your fault, you're a better father to me than Philip and Athena is a better mom. I am in the right place now," Evan says, so quietly Bobby had only just managed to hear him properly. After the lightning incident they hopped that it had all changed for the better when they had actually spent time by Buck's bedside and had taken care of him when he had gotten discharged. It wobbled when the overpass collapse happened, but they had facetimed and told him how proud they were that he had managed to save so many lives including the entire team. He only spent one day in hospital then so by the time they had got there they wouldn't have been needed anyway.
"Let's go home and get you some rest. Athena has about an hour left of her shift then she will be home too." Bobby says, giving Evan one last squeeze before he pulled away to wipe some tears that had fallen. Evan had let Bobby take his backpack and put his free arm around his shoulders as they walked out of the arrivals gate of the airport and towards Bobby's pick up truck. Bobby's heart was hurting for the kid, who did nothing wrong, just happened to be chosen by the wrong people for most of his life. In the early nineties, medical technology wasn't as advanced as it is today, so it wasn't Evan's fault that the stem cell transplant for his brother failed.
"Hey Maddie, just letting you know Evan is with Athena and I in case he doesn't reply to messages for a while. He's not told me what went down, but he is quite upset so I will let him calm down and see if he wants to tell me," Bobby says into his phone as he sends a voice message to Maddie. She had texted him all frantic saying something had happened and Evan had left. Evan had gone and sat in the passenger seat of the pick up while Bobby sent the quick voice message off to Maddie. He wanted to make sure that she knew that her brother was in safe hands. He also had a missed call from Chimney, but the voicemail he had left basically was him panicking about his future brother in law.
Bobby felt good about the little family that he had created in the 118 with the different dynamics. Eddie and Buck would totally be a couple if only they had realized it. Hen is like the caring older sister especially to Buck and Chimney was the class clown. Bobby was the one they all came to for help and advice with any problem, and Ravi was still mysterious, especially with his seemingly big housing side hustle as Bobby called it. Athena was the mother of the Buckley siblings, but also a very good friend of Hen's as she had met the paramedic first before the rest of the crew. Speaking of the rest of the 118, Hen was calling as Bobby was driving home.
"Hey Hen, what's up?" Bobby asks, answering with the button on his steering wheel. Evan was looking out of the window and Bobby wasn't pushing any conversation at the minute. He needed a moment to be inside his head in the comfort that he was with the fatherly figure who cared most. He could hear Denny and Karen in the background, and they were talking about some project for school or something. Bobby was glad that he had the day off at least just in case another family member needed him. He knows that Hen would understand that for the moment Evan needs him. However, it wouldn't stop him giving advice if he needed to or letting her come over. Maybe Evan would enjoy the distraction.
"Did you get the same distressed call from Chim that I did?" She asks. Hen and Chimney are the best of friends and partners in crime. It doesn't surprise Bobby in the slightest that he had also called Hen in their panic when Evan suddenly left Hershey. Bobby looked to Evan who was slightly curious about it but didn't say anything. It had taken Evan a long time to come to terms with having a brother in law that cares about him. The fact that they called each other brothers/in law was amazing to Bobby considering the fact that Maddie and Chimney were not actually married yet. He thought it was nice that Hen was caring again for both Evan and Chim.
"Yeah I did, I missed it though. I also had a phone call from Evan who is with me now and everything will be fine. He's not in any danger, just quite rightly in a bit of an emotional state. He's gonna spend some time with Athena and I today," Bobby says, after all that was all Evan had currently agreed to. Bobby didn't want to push or force him to stay for the rest of the week if he didn't want. Evan didn't object to Hen knowing that information either, probably due to him caring more about his friends than he did himself although he was allowing himself to feel emotional for once. He always shuts down when it comes to how he feels about his parents.
"That's good, there is no one else Maddie probably trusts with our Buckaroo than you and 'Thena. It's obviously not good that your upset Buck, but it's going to get better. We are all here for you no matter what," Hen says, and Evan had tears in his eyes. She really was a second big sister to him, and he needed those words. It felt nice in a strange way that there was nobody else Maddie trusts with Evan more than she did Bobby and Athena, even after what happened with the lawsuit. Mistakes were made on both sides, and they had apologized and moved on. Bobby had realized then that he saw Buck as more than just one of his team, he saw him as a son. That had meant that the possibility of him dying on the job had hurt deeply.
"Thanks Hen, I appreciate it." was all Evan could say at that moment. It was all that he needed to say. He was also on the edge of breaking down in tears, but they would let him cry if he needed too. It was important that in a safe space that he release all the emotions he was holding in. Bobby could also call Dr Copeland if he felt that her services were required. For now though all Evan needs is his family. He wasn't sure that Evan was going to tell them what had happened let alone his therapist. Dr Copeland would need to be contacted in due course but for now it could wait. Hen said it was all she needed to know and if there was anything they could do to help to let her know.
Chimney knows by now that Evan is fine, well as fine as someone in his situation could be. Bobby would keep Maddie updated who would let Chim know. He said to Hen they didn't need anything for the moment, but if that changed then he would let her know. For now they were almost home. He had plenty of clothes that could fit Evan if he wanted them, but he also had a bag of his own clothes. Bobby would make sure that they clothes he had worn in that week would be washed and dried. "Anything in particular you want for dinner tonight?" Bobby asks. Part of the plan he had formed with Athena was to make sure Evan had choice of what happened.
Athena was going to the store on the way home to get Evan's favorite dessert to go with what ever he chose for dinner. "Can you make those tacos?" Evan asks. For someone who is usually so chatty it is very out of character for him to be this quiet. The radio was on low so Bobby could hear him when he spoke. Bobby smiled, he had gone out yesterday with the urge to by the ingredients for his famous vegan and non-vegan tacos. He always cooked with extra caution to make sure there was no cross contamination between the meat and vegan options. It was something that Evan always appreciated. It was something that came natural to Bobby.
"Yeah I can make tacos. I just bought everything for both versions yesterday. It was like something was telling me I had to make them," Bobby said. He could have easily frozen some of the ingredients for when Evan was supposed to have come back originally in 7 days' time, but his fatherly instincts told him otherwise. He got a small smile from Evan and shortly after that they had arrived at home. Athena was there, which was a lot earlier than they were expecting. Bobby smiled; she must have pulled the family emergency card which wouldn't actually be a lie. The people in the LAPD know for a fact that Evan is her son at this point and let her have time off when she needed it.
Athena took Evan into her arms when he walked into the house. Bobby moved past her to sort out the laundry from Evan's backpack. "Aw Buckaroo I'm sorry," She says, and walks over with him to the couch as he finally broke down in tears. Bobby could hear the heartbreaking sobs from the other room and took a moment to take a deep breath himself. It wasn't fair that Margret and Philip were causing him so much pain. Evan still to this day has done nothing wrong to them and they were making it out to be that he was the villain in their story. Bobby was so grateful that they were on the other side of the states at this point because he would happily go to jail for his son.
Bobby put the bag of clothes labeled dirty into the washing machine and joined his wife and adopted son on the couch. They sandwiched the man between them in a gentle yet comforting hug. He clearly needed it as eventually his sobs subsided, and he calmed down. He relaxed in Bobby's arms as Athena ran her fingers through his curls, gently detangling any knots she came across. It was very relaxing, and Bobby can feel him physically relax more as Athena works her magic on his hair. He must have twisted it into knots when he was feeling super anxious on the plane home. Ever since that call they attended with the plane crash some years ago Evan was never fully comfortable going on one.
"What happened Buckaroo?" Athena asks, they had been in a comfortable silence for a few minutes whilst she worked her magic on his hair and Bobby was keeping him relaxed as he could. He could always not answer her question and Athena knows not to push any further. The same was true for Bobby, but Buck knew that he could come to them whenever he needed to. Buck bit his lip, he knew he had to tell his side of the story before Margret and Philip got the unwise dumb idea to spin their own version to get the pity and attention they so desperately wanted. He knew the 118 would take his side, they had seen the true side of the Buckley parents.
"They started asking me when I was going to settle down and get married. Chimney joked about me settling down with a man instead of a girl and adopting and they got mad. I don't blame Chim at all because it made me realize something, but they were getting really homophobic about it and when Maddie and Chim weren't around Philip hit me. I couldn't stay there anymore knowing he could beat me again," Evan says, tears once again building in his eyes. Bobby kept his rage down; Evan didn't need them to get angry even though the anger would never be directed at him. He wasn't even angry at Chimney either as it was a conversation Evan needed the answer for.
He was going to get with Eddie eventually and they both parent Christopher as if they had been a married couple for years. Sometimes Buck would have a day off on the weekend and Eddie would be working so Buck would take Chris to the zoo or the museum or somewhere fun. They knew Margret and Philip were very old school when it came to these types of things but were overwhelmed with the fact that they were actually having a grandchild to be angry at Maddie for not being married to Chimney first. It was hard to know what the parents stood for, but they expected the homophobia by this point. "You don't need their homophobic asses baby, you have us and if you want to date Eddie then date that man," Athena says, restraining herself.
Athena felt that it was important that Evan knew that they would step in and love and support him unconditionally as they always had done up until this point. If he wanted to permanently cut contact with them after this, which would be the smartest thing to do at this point as his life was now at risk. "Athena's right kiddo, you don't have to make any fast choices today. We can stop talking about it, treat any injuries you might have, make your tacos, and just relax. We will be here for you when you are ready to take your next steps," Bobby says, naturally without thinking about it saying it in his gentle fatherly tone only reserved for Harry and May usually, but there was no harm in Evan hearing it.
They had another moment of comforting Evan before Bobby decided it would be a good idea to make dinner for everyone seeing as Athena wasn't going to be in bed any time soon. She probably wasn't feeling tired at that moment in time as she was more concerned about Evan who also wasn't tired. Bobby decided to update Maddie and ask her a few questions whilst he was cooking. Athena had put the TV on and was having some time with Evan sitting next to her with his head on her shoulder for comfort. They had a look and it seemed to just be bruising on his chest and upper arms. It should never have happened in the first place though.
If Evan wanted to she would speak to a colleague about getting in touch with the police department in Hershey to report Philip for assault and potentially see about getting a restraining order on them both as Margret wasn't an innocent bystander in all of this. "Hey Bobby, how's he doing?" Maddie asks when she answers the phone almost immediately. Bobby was working on the taco shells and the lettuce first as he didn't need to wash his hands between them as they were vegan friendly and fine for him and Athena to eat. He didn't know where to start.
"Still upset but he has told us what happened between him and those two," Bobby replies. He was doing well, not getting angry about how both of them have been treated. It seems like they only want to see Maddie because of their granddaughter who doesn't know about the years of neglect and feeling invisible that both Maddie and Evan had suffered through their childhood. No matter how much it might hurt Margret and Philip when the time comes but Jee-Yun is going to know who her uncle Daniel was and how Maddie had raised Evan as best as she could considering she was only 8 years older than he was and wasn't ready to be a mother.
"Yeah, Chim and I haven't been back to the house since we heard Evan had left and then he didn't come back to the hotel just told us he was leaving," Maddie says. That made sense as he knew they wouldn't stand for any homophobia as he was fairly certain they had both entered the bet pool for when Eddie and Evan would actually ask each other out and who would be the first one. Maddie was probably spending some time in Pennsylvania taking Jee-Yun to see other members of the family that they might not have seen in a while. Aunts and Uncles who haven't even seen Maddie since she had left home for the first time when she was dating Doug.
"They really did a number on Evan this time and I am not just talking mentally unfortunately. I am starting to think you two need to go no contact and get restraining orders on those two," Bobby says. He doesn't usually call Buck by his full birth name unless it was for medical or serious reasons. This was a serious reason as their mental health needed to come first and it included Maddie, Chimney, and eventually little Jee-Yun. She is a smart toddler and would see how she is treated is different from how grandma and grampa treat her mom and uncle. She might even have seen it already despite how pleasant Maddie and Evan try and be with their parents.
"I know, I should never have agreed to this in the first place, but I was doing it for Evan and Jee-Yun to see if they really had changed for the better and they weren't just doing it because they happened to be there when Evan was hit by the lightning. Margret called me while I was at my aunt's and was trying to defend Philip for yesterday, but I told her to stick it where the sun doesn't shine," Maddie says. Bobby could tell by her voice that she had fully understood what he meant and was trying to keep her composure. It's hard to hear your father hit your brother for something he had no control over. He couldn't help it if he has fallen in love with Eddie.
"You know Athena and I's door is always open for you and Chim as well as little Jee. We can be your family if you want us to. We checked Evan over and it seems to just be some minor bruising on his ribs and some grab marks on his arms. Athena isn't going to take it to the Hershey police department unless she gets his permission to do so. Like I told him just a short while ago, no fast decisions need to be made today, you just let us know when you are ready and we are here to talk," Bobby says. Again using that comforting fatherly tone, Maddie is destressed too. After all it was her brother that was once again hurt but luckily it was minor.
"Thanks Bobby, you've always been a good father to Buck and I. Chim and I are coming back with Jee tomorrow and I think we are going to look into going no contact and unofficially adopt you and Athena as mom and dad from now on. I am definitely done with Margret and Philip now, every time we try, despite never being at fault something goes wrong, and they always blame us. Chimney's joke wasn't even that bad and I hope Evan doesn't blame him for it. He knows we can't wait for him and Eddie to get together," Maddie says. Bobby smiles at the compliment. It was a little sad that it had to come to this though. They kept saying that they thought things were actually working out between Evan, Maddie, Margret, and Philip but it appears not to be the case.
They kept talking whilst Bobby was cooking, about anything other than the shitty situation they found themselves in. Bobby had called Jee-Yun his granddaughter and was asking how she was liking the trip in terms of the fun things they had managed to do before and after the shit storm happened. Jee-Yun was definitely a smart toddler, she had kept walking up to Maddie and saying, "Uncle Buck sad." Maddie would tell her he was, but Grandad Bobby was going to make him feel all better and they could give him cuddles when they got back to Los Angeles soon. Bobby liked being called Grandad, it was something he thought impossible not even 10 years ago.
Maddie hung up once Bobby was about to serve dinner as it was past due for Jee to go to bed. Los Angeles is three hours behind where Maddie was, so it was closer to 12 o'clock in the morning for her whilst it was around 9 pm for Bobby and dinner was definitely needed for the tired son and wife waiting in the living room for the amazing tacos he makes. He takes the plates through and saw a completely relaxed Evan leaning against Athena who was absently playing with his curls. "Hey, I've got dinner," Bobby says, and Evan sat up straight so he could eat.
Bobby sat on the other side of Evan. He wanted him to have as much security as a 30 year old with the mother of messed up childhoods could have. They also don't want to baby him too much either. He is an adult at the end of the day, and it is up to him what he does for the most part. They will always be there for him though no matter what happens. "Thanks dad," Evan says. Bobby smiles and Athena grins, they must have been having a heart to heart whist he was cooking. Athena was good at talking to Evan in times like this and offering her support. They were also glad that he was back where he belonged and under their roof instead of in the hellhole his "parents" had made.
Margret and Philip are definitely those types of parents who are probably sitting at home right at this moment wondering why their children didn't want to talk to them anymore. They couldn't possibly have done anything wrong. It was Maddie and Evan that were the problem, they didn't appreciate everything the poor grieving parents have done for them over the years. Everyone knew that was complete and utter bullshit. They abandoned their one year old and nine year old in their time of need to be absent parents. Sure they cooked sometimes and made sure the house was clean, but Maddie did all the childcare in between educating herself at school and at home.
Once dinner was over Evan insisted on doing the dishes as he felt like he needed to repay them for how they had stepped up in his time of need. He didn't tell them that, as something told him his emotional journey wasn't over. He will most likely go through the five stages of grief and right now he is certainly in a bit of denial over the whole thing. He couldn't believe his parents would do something over what was currently a hypothetical situation. He wasn't ready for the relationship to become official with Eddie. He wasn't sure the older man liked him back. That was something he was going to have to deal with another time. Right now he was focusing his attention on the plates.
Bobby and Athena know he is in the denial stage as the finality of his decision to cut all contact with his parents hasn't hit yet. They will be there through it even when it turns into anger, bargaining, depression, and finally acceptance. Maddie will be going through a similar thing, but it seemed like she was further along than Evan was currently. They suppose being older and more aware of the whole situation she was in the anger stage, for both herself, Evan and Jee-Yun who are all going to be affected by this. Chimney was not as affected as he knew what shitty parents they were from the beginning but wanted to support Maddie as they both know they deserved a chance to know their grandparents on both sides.
"Hey Evan, I washed your clothes and put them in the spare bedroom for you. Take all the time you need, go shower do what you need to do," Bobby says, walking into the kitchen whilst Evan was drying the dishes and putting them away. This was the part where they were starting to give him some space, let him do his nighttime routine or whatever to take his mind off what happened. Evan finished what he was doing and walked over to where Bobby was standing in the kitchen and hugged him. Bobby returned the hug as if it was second nature feeling his curls brush his chin. It felt a little weird as Buck is typically slightly taller than Bobby, but he wasn't going to complain.
"Thanks dad, I forgot about my backpack completely," Evan says. Bobby says something to the affect of he is always welcome and then lets him go off to the spare bedroom. He would check on him in a little while to see if he needed anything, but he could hear that he had made beeline for the shower, so it was probably for the best not to disturb him at this point. Instead he went to go and join his wife in the living room for an episode or two of the show they had been watching together before he was going to encourage her to go to bed. She had a long and busy 23 hour shift, only finishing earlier because her eldest son needed her desperately.
"Elaine just asked me how Buckaroo was doing. I gave her the shortened version of what happened, and she says we have her full support to take care of him if he needs it. I still can't understand after they chose to have him because there was a possibility that he could save his brother that they treat him like dog shit because of things outside of his control. So what if our son likes men, I approve of Eddie one hundred percent and they will be a cute couple," Athena says, with Bobby rubbing her shoulders as he could sense her blood was boiling. She had every right to be angry, they did chose to have him, and Evan didn't ask to be born or for anything else.
"It is good Elaine is on our side. I think Eddie will know Buck is back by tomorrow morning if he doesn't know already. I will try and make sure Eddie can have a day off either during the rest of the week or the weekend so maybe they can do something together," Bobby says. He wants Eddie and Buck to get together. He could see the love struck looks they give each other and how Buck's behavior on day one could easily be chalked up to him challenging his own feelings for Eddie. Buck might not want to see Eddie right now though; it depends on his mood. Bobby wouldn't blame him and would talk to Eddie to make him aware of the situation as it wouldn't be with malicious intent that Buck would ignore him.
A quick phone call with Eddie made it so that all of the core members of A-shift were now aware of Buck's fragile mental state and were on board for whatever it takes to make him happier again. Eddie confirmed that he did have romantic feelings for Evan and would take it at the younger's pace when it came to dating and things like that. Bobby also went to the spare room to check on Evan and found him fast asleep under the covers. "Our son is out for the count," Bobby tells Athena, who was close to falling asleep in bed herself. It has been a long day. Everything would be alright in the end though; he could feel it as he got under the covers.
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