Chapter 4 Confrontation
4 weeks after that fateful call between Maddie and her mother passed and Maddie was still avoiding her parents, still trying to process what had happened, and what she had discovered. She has been waffling between denial and anger ever since she read the letter from the DNA center. The only good thing she could see come out of this was getting to know her little sister. And Maddie was grateful that the relationship that had blossomed more than a decade ago was still there and to her delight growing stronger than ever again. And much like today, she and Buck were getting coffee on a pretty regular basis.
"So how are you doing?" Buck asked Maddie as their waiter left with their coffee order.
"I'm doing good, all things considered. And you Buck? How are you doing? You seem different." Maddie said as she looked at her sister, noting that something truly looked different about Buck- she seemed fuller in her face and had a beautiful glow to her that made her eyes shine.
"Something you wanna tell me, Buck?" Maddie asked with a suspicious smirk.
Buck grinned at Maddie, feigning innocence.
"No clue what you're talking about Mads."
"Oh, please! Don't give me that." Maddie laughed.
"Okay…Okay. I'll tell you, but you gotta keep it to yourself. Promise me Mads." Buck said looking at her friend and sister.
"Okay now I am curious, but okay I promise I won't say anything," Maddie said with a smile.
"When I got the tests back from the DNA center, there was an extra piece of paper in the envelope. I'm pregnant, two and a half months, to be precise." Buck told her sister. There was a moment of silence as Maddie stared at her sister in awe, then she let out a little yell of joy and jumped up to run to Buck and hug her tightly.
"Oh Buck, that's awesome. Oh, I'm gonna be an aunt." Maddie stated a little starstruck as she sat down again.
"Technically, you already are an aunt, Mads," Buck replied with a slight laugh.
"Oh god, you are right! Dear God, I'm an aunt!" Maddie gasped.
Buck laughed at Maddie's reaction.
"So how do you feel? How does Eddie and Christopher feel about it?"
"I'm doing good, to be honest. Can't wait for this baby to arrive. Eddie is ecstatic. He can't wait. We always wanted to expand our family, but with my deployments and our lives being as busy as they were, it just wasn't the time. But now that I am home. I really think it's the right time. As for Chris? Well, that boy is his father through and through. He can't wait to see his sibling. He keeps asking when the baby will be here." Buck said with a laugh as she took a sip of her water.
"oh, that's so sweet."
"Yep. So, what's news with you?" Buck asked as she leaned forward and with a smile listened to what her sister had to say. They spent the next hour chatting about a lot of things.
*2 HOURS LATER*
After paying their bill at the café they headed towards the deli close by. Both decide to buy some pastries for their family at 118. Once they bought the pastries, Maddie and Buck got into Buck's Jeep and headed to the station talking.
When they got to the station they smiled as they saw the truck and ambulance in the bay. They got out of the Jeep and headed into the station with their sweet treasures.
Maddie and Buck were just about to go up the stairs of the loft when a yell caught both their attention, as well as the people in the loft.
"Madeline!" a feminine voice called sternly.
Maddie turned around slowly to look at her mother and shared a glance with Buck, noting that there was no recognition in her sister's eyes as to who the people in front of them were, but she saw Buck's whole demeanor changed, gone was the smiling face and lit up eyes of her sister, and in her place was the cold and hardened soldier who saw what no one should and lived through the horrors of not only war but a system that neglected her and left her to the wolves.
When their eyes met, Maddie knew that Buck would stay in the wings and take her cues from Maddie but would intervene to protect Maddie should it get to that.
With a sigh and a nod at Buck, she turned to face her parents.
"Mother, what are you doing here? I told you I don't want to talk or see either of you right now." Maddie told her parents as calmly as possible.
"Well Madeline, if you persist on ignoring us and refuse to talk to us like an adult, we figured we would come to LA and talk about the utter nonsense you told me on the phone."
Maddie spared her sister a glance and saw no emotion in those cold blue eyes. She also saw that Eddie had joined his wife and his face was stony, though his eyes were covered in simmering rage. The 118 wasn't far behind the couple and their dislike of the Buckley parents was easy to spot.
"Nonsense? Is that what we're calling it now?" Maddie scoffed, her temper slowly reaching a boiling point.
"Yes Madeline, your sister is dead! Why you would bring up such painful memories is beyond our understanding. We saw your sister die!" Margret said in a harsh voice.
"Really? You saw her die? That's funny." Maddie said as she shared a glance at Buck.
"Madeline please let us not do this here. Let's talk in private." Phillip said noting all the attention focused on them, particularly the intense scrutiny from the two dark-haired men and the blond woman who seemed vaguely familiar.
"In private? Then you should have stayed in Hershey dad. I told mom I need time."
"Perhaps it is best you folks leave before I have to call the police to have you removed," Bobby stated, stepping forward, sensing the tension growing between the two parents and Maddie. A quick glance at his own people – Eddie, in particular, showed Bobby that the man was reaching a point that he might not come back from and that Buck seemed even more dangerous than usual.
"Look whoever you are, this is a private matter." Phillip sneered at Bobby.
"And this is a fire station with on-duty firefighters, sir." Bobby calmly responded, raising an eyebrow at the pair.
"Fine. Madeline, we will discuss this matter further when the time is right. And when you are willing to see reason." Margret snarked at Maddie and with a huff pulled her husband out of the station.
"Well, that happened," Chim said with a nervous chuckle as he watched the couple drive away.
"Come on, let's get you upstairs Maddie," Buck said ignoring Chim's comment to grab Maddie's arm and lead her to the loft and to a chair, noting that Maddie seemed pale as a sheet and was trembling slightly.
"Chim get me a glass of water for Maddie, please?" Buck asked in her SEAL voice.
"Of course. Be right back." Chim stuttered, scurrying off to get the requested glass of water.
At the rapid sound of breathing, Buck turned to Maddie and saw her on the verge of a breakdown.
"Hey Maddie,? Listen to me. I need you to breathe." Buck instructed as she squatted down to be at Maddie's level.
"I c-can't breathe." Maddie stuttered, clutching at her chest.
"Yes, you can. You can breathe just fine Mads. I need you to focus on me, Kay?"
"O-kay." Maddie gasped, grabbing Buck's arm.
"Okay, good., Maddie that's really good. Now listen to me. I'm gonna run you through some grounding techniques. All right, you good with that?"
"Yes." Maddie gasped out.
"Good. Now give me five things you see.
"Uh… You, the dining table, a chair, people, and the tv."
"Good, four things you can feel?"
"the sofa, your hand on my arm, my heart pounding, and the coffee table against my foot."
"Great, you're doing so good Mads, now three things you can hear?"
"traffic in the distance, a cell phone, and your voice."
"Good, now two things you can smell?"
"Lavender and stale coffee."
"Okay, last one. Name one thing you can taste?"
"The Iced coffee we had for lunch."
"Awesome. You back with me?" Buck asked as she handed Maddie the glass of water Chim had placed next to her on the table. Letting her sip it slowly.
Once Maddie finished half of the glass she placed it on the table and took note that core 118 had moved closer. Chim was sitting on the armrest of the chair she was sitting on, while Hen, Bobby, and Eddie sat in the available spots.
Maddie took a moment, while Buck moved to sit with Eddie, to gather herself.
Once everyone was settled, Maddie looked at Buck "What are we going to do?"
"That depends on you Mads. Whatever you feel is right for you. That's what you do." Buck replied softly.
"It's just I have no clue what to do. I do know I don't want to see them again. They lied to me for years. I thought you were dead!" Maddie spat out with tears streaming down her face, as Chim moved to pull into his side, kissing the side of her head.
"Then you don't have to see them right now, or ever Mads. This happens at your pace. And it happens how, when, and where you want it to. They held the reigns, now it's your turn."
Maddie listened to what Buck said and nodded before a thought crossed her mind.
"Oh god! They saw you. If they find out who you are and that I already have contact with you, they might try to hurt you or even Eddie and Chris!" Maddie cried out with terror.
"They can try Maddie. They will soon learn no one touches my family." Buck growled, voice low and filled with a suppressed rage, so chilling the 118- barring Eddie had shivers run down their backs.
Diaz residence later that night
Eddie let out a sigh as he pulled into the driveway behind Buck's Jeep, once more feeling the tendrils of anger he always felt when he thought of Buck's parents and what they did to her. The disgust he felt for them was even more intense now.
The flash of light in his rearview mirror caught his attention. Reminding him that Chim had followed him home at the request of Buck.
Eddie got out of his truck and walked up the walkway, pausing midway to let Chim catch up with him. With a nod at the man, Eddie unlocked his front door and was filled with a sense of peace and home as always. Buck's scent was mixed with his and Chris's. The soft sound of music playing deeper in the house. The sight of Buck's sneakers and Chris's shoes lined up on the mat next to the door, and the smell of onions lingering in the air was something Eddie loved to experience and he knew he would never grow tired of it.
"Shoes off, please," Eddie told Chim as he took off his own shoes and followed the sound of his son's giggle and Buck's soft chuckle that led him into the kitchen. As he passed he glanced into the living room and saw Maddie on the couch, a soft throw they always kept on the back of the couch was thrown over her as she slept.
As Eddie reached the kitchen he paused in the doorway and leaned on the doorframe observing the two people who meant the world to him interact. The soft glow of pride on Buck's face as she spoke to Chris about an upcoming family trip to the zoo they had planned and the flush of joy in the young boy's face. The boy was seated at the island with the remnants of what he suspected were oreos and a glass half filled with milk- a favorite of the boy, he knew, while Buck was stirring up something in her favorite crockpot that smelled so good his mouth was already watering.
"Daddy!" Chris yelled out as he saw his father, eyes lighting up even more.
"("Christopher, voz interior, por favor. Tu tía Maddie está descansando, ¿recuerdas?") Buck scolded Chris softly. ("Christopher, inside voice, please. Your Aunt Maddie is resting, remember?")
"Lo siento mamá. No quise gritar," Chris said with a look of guilt on his face. ("I'm sorry, Mom. I didn't mean to yell,")
"Lo sé hijo. Está bien, pero por favor no grites.." Buck said as she looked over at Eddie with a smirk before her eyes flashed over Eddie's shoulder to see Chim standing there looking confused and slightly uncomfortable. ( "I know son. It's okay, just please don't yell.")
"Eds, Chim, how was your shift?" Buck asked as she reached into the fridge to pull out two beers and popped the tops before handing it over to Eddie and Chim who both nodded their thanks.
"Eh, it's been okay, just the normal madness of LA," Eddie stated as he shifted the beer to his other hand, he pulled his wife into his body and gave her a warm and soft kiss, making Chris giggle out a soft "Gross" as Chim blushed a bright red and averted his gaze from the couple and took in the boy smiling at the island and the house that felt like home- filled with love and joy.
"Go shower Eds, you and Chim both. Food's almost done and then we can eat."
"¿Necesitas ayuda aquí, cariño?")Eddie asked as he backed away from her and looked at her in question. ( "Do you need help here, honey? ")
"No. Yo me encargo y Chris puede ayudarme a poner la mesa. Ahora ve a ducharte".("No. I've got this and Chris can help me set the table. Now go shower")
"Vale, ¿te veo en unos 10 minutos?")" Eddie said as he left to head to their bedroom leaving his co-worker at the mercy of his wife. ( Okay, I'll see you in about 10 minutes?")
"Chim you all right there buddy? You seem anxious."
"I'm fine, just…where is Maddie?" Chim blurted out suddenly.
Buck cocked her head to the side, looking just like a confused retriever puppy before she raised her eyebrow and glanced over Chim's shoulder. "She's in the lounge, Chim. She was overwhelmed and exhausted. She fell asleep on the couch. I'll wake her up soon and then you can see she is ok, for the most part." Buck said as she took a better look at Chim, nodding to herself.
"Chim go take a shower in the hallway bathroom, just turn around, down past the dining room, second door on the left. Do you have a go-bag in your car or should I rustle up something for you to wear?"
"What? No, I can't just use your shower. I'm fine." Chim protested.
"Chim? You need to relax. I don't bite and you had a long day so either get your bag or I'll get you some clothes. You are gonna shower and then we all are gonna sit down and have a meal-all of us and that's final." Buck said as looked at Chim with what Chim would call her soldier look.
"Okay fine, you win. I'll grab my bag from my car." Chim held up his arms in surrender, turning around to head back in the direction of the door to grab his go-bag and took a chance to glance at the home Eddie and Buck made and felt a jolt of envy. Hoping that one day soon he would have the same joy and love-filled home with Maddie.
Once the men were showered they got to the kitchen to see Chris and Buck had already set the table and set the food on the table. Eddie noted that Chris was seated at the table already and that he could hear Buck in the lounge waking up Maddie from the sounds of it.
When the women grew closer Eddie turned to see Buck enter with Maddie at her side and saw Maddie seemed a little out of it and knew that her emotions were still crashing around in her head like a storm.
"Evening Maddie,"
"Oh, I'm sorry Eddie I didn't know you were back from your shift," Maddie said with a glazed look in her eyes.
"No problem. I brought you a friend." Eddie said nodding in Chim's direction, the man in question seemed to come back online and headed for Maddie, pulling her into his arms.
"Hey, Mads, it's okay I got you," Chim murmured as he held onto her as tightly as she herself held Chim.
"Let's sit down and eat before the food gets cold," Buck said as she headed to her usual seat next to Chris and across from Eddie. Eddie pulled out Buck's chair for her and once she was seated, he waited for Maddie and Chim to sit down and took his own seat.
"This looks lovely," Maddie said as she took in the spread of freshly baked bread and thick beef stew. And what looked like grilled veggies and a salad with corn in it. It truly did look amazing and made Maddie realize that she was famished and hadn't eaten anything since that morning with Buck at the café.
"WOW! This looks absolutely delicious." Maddie exclaimed and Buck and Eddie only smiled as they saw Chim and Maddie take in the spread that was a normal fair to them.
"well let's eat then," Eddie said and with that, everyone started to dish up their plates. Buck and Eddie passed Chris's plate back and forth as they filled the boy's plate with his desired food. Maddie looked at her sister and brother-in-law and took a quick glance at Chim and saw the same yearning she felt flash in his eyes.
After they had eaten their food and cleaned up the dishes, Eddie got Chris to bed only appearing to call Buck for Chris who wanted to say goodnight to his mom.
Once Buck reappeared from down the hall, she took a seat next to Eddie and looked at Maddie and Chim seated on the other sofa.
"Mads how are you feeling?" Buck asked as she took in her sister's pale face and drawn expression.
"Honestly? Angry, hurt, confused, and scared." Maddie stated as she wrung her hands together and felt Chim pull her closer to him, she snuggled deeper into Chim, seeking comfort from him.
"That's to be expected. And I would have been surprised had you not felt like that. Maddie, I hate to say this but I think you should stay at Chim's for a few days. If your parents were bold enough to approach you at the station- a public place, there is no telling what they would do if they got you alone at your apartment. "
"But they don't know where I live" Maddie protested with a quiver in her voice.
"Maddie, they already know where you live. They also know where you work. That's how they knew to get to the station. An intern at dispatch told them you were out and most likely were visiting your boyfriend at the station. The idiot gave them the address because they said they were your parents and showed their identities and a picture of you to him." Buck said with clear disapproval in her voice.
"How do you know that?" Maddie stuttered out in disbelief.
"I made some calls Maddie, while you slept I called in some favors and I called Mrs. Sue Blevins at dispatch-your boss I believe. I explained the situation to her and she found the intern who spoke to them. I believe there might be some trouble in the future for the idiot. He poses a security risk to the center as a whole, dispatch personnel are supposed to be safe in there, which won't happen if some numbskull goes about telling people with no authorization where they can find dispatchers. I also asked a friend to check your parents out. They hired a PI about 3 and a half weeks ago and he found you for them. I also happen to know the name of the PI, as he was in the military. Which means he's thorough. I'm sure he has photos of you and Chim as well as where you work, live, and like to hang out."
"But…Oh my god! They might know about you! I have to leave." Maddie said in a panic.
"Mads slow down. They might have seen me in a photo or two. They saw me today, at least your father did. They didn't recognize me. I already told you Maddie if they come after my family I'll end them and I've got your back. That's why I made a few calls and got some information. It's also why I feel you should stay with Chim for a bit."
"But I can't just stay at Chim's I don't even have clothes with me and I need to work tomorrow," Maddie said in dismay.
"I'll get you some clothes tomorrow if you want Maddie. I'm up early anyway. So, if I get your key I can get you whatever you need. Also, I doubt Margret and Phillip will approach me should they even be there. As for tonight, well you can use one of Chim's shirts as sleepwear." Buck stated as if it were no big deal.
"I think Buck's right Maddie. Come stay with me for a few days until we can sort out the thing with your parents." Chim told Maddie.
"Fine, I'll stay with you Chim," with that Maddie reached into her bag and pulled out a keychain to hand to Buck.
"thank you, Buck, I appreciate your help so much," Maddie said as she and Chim stand at the door not too long after their discussion, hugging her sister tightly before giving Eddie a hug just as tight whispering in his ear that she was glad Buck had him and she was lucky to have Eddie to which Eddie smiled as he returned the hug and told her softly he was the lucky one.
Once the couple left, Eddie turned and led Buck to the couch and pulled her onto his lap as he said," How are you holding up amor? You haven't really said much about what happened this afternoon at the station."
"I don't know Eddie. I just know that this is a can of worms I never expected to be opened. I feel bad for Maddie, don't get me wrong. But at the same time, I don't actually care about them. They left me a long time ago and I am pretty sure from what I've seen, that was for the best as bad as that sounds. They don't seem like the type of people who should be parents. I can never imagine doing to Chris what they did to me, you know?" Buck said as she leaned into her husband and best friend, smiling softly as his arms tightened around her waist at her words.
"Ev, baby you could never and would never do what they did to Chris," Eddie said as he moved to place his one hand on her belly which was only barely different from the normally taught skin due to their baby growing in his wife's belly." And I know for a fact you would never abandon either of our children. You would kill for them and you would die for them, just like I would." Eddie stated with absolute conviction as he met the blue of his wife's eyes.
"you're right. I wouldn't leave either of them. They mean too much to me. This baby isn't even born yet and I'm already willing to wage war for this little one. Just like I was when I first realized I loved Chris and would do anything for him." Buck murmured as she placed her hand over Eddie's hand her fingers toying with Eddie's wedding band as she got lost in thoughts of her past, the system and all she saw in the Navy, how Chris and Eddie were her saving grace when the world's horrors circled like sharks at the edges of her mind.
"Sweetheart? Come on. Don't go getting lost in the past. Come back to me. Please?" Eddie said softly as he watched her beautiful blue eyes go dull and hazy as she thought of her past and what she saw and experienced.
With a sigh, Buck squeezed Eddie's hand savoring the cold metal of his wedding band pressing into her palm. " I'm here babe, sorry I guess I just kinda drifted there for a bit."
"mmm, think we both should get some rest amor, we both had a long day and you need to be up early to get Maddie her clothes as you promised," Eddie said as he stood up with his wife in his arms, smirking at the slightly muffled yelp and half glare from Buck.
"Or we can keep ourselves busy. It's not like we aren't used to getting little to no sleep." Buck smirked at Eddie whose brown eyes lit up in arousal.
"Well, I guess we can do that too," Eddie said in a husky voice as heat coiled in his belly.
With a kiss to his wife's temple, he led them into the bedroom, where the couple spent most of the night loving each other.
Same night with the Buckley parents at their hotel
Margret had been ranting about Maddie since they left station 118, not that Phillip had heard much of his wife's rant. He was too distracted thinking about the woman he had seen in the firehouse. He just couldn't shake the feeling that he knew the tall blonde-haired woman. He just didn't know from where. With a determined look he stood up and headed for the table with the file containing the information they had received from the PI they hired and thumbed through the papers stopping once he saw the photos of his daughter and her friends. He took a moment to gaze at the picture of his daughter, head tilted back and laughing with more joy than he had ever seen on Madeline's face, while the man he had seen at the station had his arms wrapped around Madeline. Both seemed so in love and filled with contentment and joy that Phillip himself briefly felt a jolt of nostalgia and heartache, for he too once felt such joy and merriment with his own wife in his arms.
With a sigh, Phillip flipped over to the next page pausing as he saw the blond he'd seen in the station, smiling wide and leaning back into a dark-haired man. With a squint he took in the woman's face, eyes raking over the picture, and inhaled a shocked breath when he saw her left eyebrow…specifically, the stains that marked her face.
"…Phillip? Are you even listening to me?" Margret huffed in annoyance, as she took in her husband's face and saw that he was pale as a sheet.
"Phillip, what is it?" Margret asked as she stood in front of him arms crossed in front of her chest.
Phillip looked up at his wife, his eyes wide and shocked as he took in the agitated form of his wife. "Madeline wasn't lying when she said she knew about Evalynn. She truly did find the child." He stated with shock and horror in his voice.
"nonsense! There is no way she could have found the child! Phillip, we need to focus. We need to figure out what we are going to get Madeline to calm her down, she can't go looking for the truth! If she finds out what we did we will lose her. And we can't lose her. What would people think of us" Margret told Phillip with anger in her voice refusing to look at the picture he was holding up to her.
"Margret! Just look at the damn picture! Madeline already found her and we have the proof right here. Just look at it. The blonde. She looks just like our Daniel did. And she has the same port-wine stain on her face as that child had." Phillip told his wife as he waved the picture around. Fear on his face.
"What no! That can't be! That child can't be here" Margret yelled as she snatched the picture from her husband at last and took a look, only to suck in a sharp gasp as she looked at the picture of the blonde she briefly saw at the fire station, only this time she could see her face more clearly and was shocked to see that much like Phillip had said she looked just like her boy did, the only difference was there was a stain over her eye. A mark that still held the same shape as the one on the baby she gave birth to so many years ago.
"Oh, what are we going to do? She clearly already has some sort of bond with Madeline! We need to get her away from them all!" Margret said as she looked at her husband with a determined look on her face.
"We'll think of something, I promise." He said as he held his wife in his arms, thoughts, and ideas tumbling through his brain.
