"Look alive, people. This is not a drill," Bobby said seriously as they all surveyed the chaos in front of them. If they hadn't gotten the details beforehand, Eddie would've been convinced they'd been called out to a riot. It still could turn into that, if they didn't get a handle on things soon. They had a lot of work to do.
"This is why I stick to Cyber Monday," Buck said, leaning close so Eddie could actually hear over the mayhem.
"Police are on scene, but they have been overwhelmed. They've requested our help in crowd control," Bobby explained, heaving one of his supply bags over his shoulder. "There are also injured civilians here. If you encounter one, they take priority. Treat them as best as you can, then take or direct them to one of the tents set up around the perimeter."
"Oh, I was thinking about getting one of those for Maddie," Chimney said, pointing to a woman who was choking another woman with a scarf. A couple of cops were working to get them separated. "Good quality."
"Pair up. I don't want anyone going off alone if we can help it," Bobby directed, immediately breaking his own rule to go off on his own. Eddie wasn't going to call him on it, since he was the captain.
"Wanna be my buddy?" Buck asked, rocking back on his heels like he was bashful. As if them sticking together wasn't a given. Hen and Chimney had already wandered into the fray.
"Let's go," Eddie replied, rolling his eyes fondly at his partner. There was no one he'd rather face a horde of crazed shoppers with. They entered the melee side by side, immediately running into a pair of men fighting over a box of tools.
"Fellas, is it really that important?" Buck asked calmly, trying to diffuse the situation. The men paid him no mind, continuing their tug of war over the little package. It was so ridiculous that Eddie felt like he was watching a couple of children fighting over a toy. They probably wouldn't be this bad though.
"Enough!" Eddie shouted, startling the men enough that they loosened their grips on the box's handle. Eddie took advantage, snatching the thing away from both of them. "How about you grow up and get out of here, before you end up spending the holidays in jail instead of with your families?" The men stared at Eddie in shock, before shifting to embarrassment. They turned and walked away from each other without another word, heading toward separate exits.
"Wow," Buck breathed out, fanning himself dramatically. "Hearing you use your dad voice gets me all hot and bothered."
"Shut up," Eddie huffed, slapping Buck lightly on his shoulder. "And I do not have a dad voice."
"You absolutely do. Makes me want to drop everything and do as you say."
"Then listen to me now and focus on the job," Eddie said, biting back a grin as he watched Buck stand at attention and give him a little salute. No matter what they were doing, Buck had a way of lightening the mood.
They kept making their way through the packed store, directing people to the exits, no matter how much they whined about their unpurchased items. Every time Eddie had to raise his voice, he saw Buck smirking out of the corner of his eye. Just because Buck's default was to be affable and try to reason with people, it didn't always work. There was nothing reasonable about two old ladies pulling each other's hair over a doll.
"Seems to be thinning out," Buck noted as they made their way back inside. They'd just led an old man who lost his walker out to one of the tents. Not a lot of people were having to be treated, which was a miracle with how aggressive some of them were being. More people were being led out in handcuffs than anything else.
"Does it?" Eddie sighed, shaking his head at the people who still hadn't seemed to catch on that they weren't wanted anymore. Apparently nothing was more important than a deal.
"Over here," Buck said, bumping his shoulder before jogging toward a display. There was a woman at the bottom of it, clutching her leg, along with something in her lap.
"Ma'am, are you okay? Are you hurt?" Eddie asked, kneeling beside her to start an exam.
"I fell on my knee and I think I heard something pop," the woman replied through gritted teeth.
"Ouch," Buck said sympathetically, snapping on a fresh pair of gloves.
"I'm gonna have to move this out of the way," Eddie said, gesturing to the box in her arms.
"No!" the woman snarled, curling her body over it protectively. Eddie looked toward the ceiling, praying for patience.
"Ma'am-"
"You are not taking this away from me! I waited in line for nine hours for this! I missed Thanksgiving for this!"
"And what is this?"
"It's a My Puppy," Buck said, reading the packaging from his angle. At Eddie's blank look, he explained. "It's one of the hottest new toys this year. A smart dog that connects to your phone and has an advanced AI system. It's the closest thing to a real dog without having to go to an animal shelter."
"Really."
"I was thinking about getting one for Chris."
"There is no way I'm letting you bring a robot demon into my house!" Eddie hissed.
"Excuse me?" the woman asked, completely offended. Eddie didn't care how she felt about it in all honesty. There were a lot worse things he could say, but he was a professional.
"Have you paid for this yet?" Eddie asked, keeping his tone even instead of having it slip into something he would've used on Christopher when he was younger and pouting over something he wanted. Although he was never this bad. And he really didn't want to prove Buck right.
"No, but-"
"The store has been shut down, which means no one is buying anything," Eddie explained, plucking the creepy toy from her grasp and setting it out of reach. He hated touching the thing. It probably already scanned them and had all of their information. "Now, we need to get you outside so the paramedics can take care of you. Understood?" The woman glared at him for a few seconds, before giving up with a nod of approval. Eddie still handled her with the utmost care, since even the most combative patient deserved his best. They got her outside with no issue, then returned to the store to do it all again.
"Maybe Hildy will tell the robot dogs to rise up and take over the world," Buck teased as they walked over to one of the exits that had been blocked by overturned furniture. They got to work clearing the way, so it would be easier for more people to leave.
"Funny," Eddie grumbled, tossing aside an end table.
"What's wrong? Besides the obvious," Buck asked, helping him lift a couch and carry it to sit against the wall.
"Look at all this," Eddie said, waving an arm at the mess they were surrounded by. "Holidays are about spending time with family, not trying to score the best deals."
"For some people, this is the only time they can afford that special gift that someone has been wanting all year," Buck pointed out.
"In a couple years, they're not gonna remember the gift at all. But they will remember that their loved one wasn't there. And you don't always get the chance to make up for it," Eddie muttered, thinking back to all the special moments he'd missed with Christopher. It was a consequence of the job and he'd been lucky enough to have second chances, but it still hurt to look back on.
"Yeah, but not everyone has family to spend time with," Buck said quietly. Eddie immediately felt guilty, thinking about Buck's less than ideal home life. He had Maddie, but his parents left much to be desired. Eddie's childhood wasn't the best either, but holidays were the times that everyone came together and at least pretended that things were perfect.
"You do now," Eddie reminded him, reaching over to squeeze his hand. They'd only had the evening of Thanksgiving off, but that was all they needed. He, Buck, and Chris had shared a meal they'd ordered in from a restaurant and it was perfect. They put up Christmas decorations and ended the night watching the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving special.
"I know. And I'd never choose standing in line for a robot demon over you."
"Not even with the advanced AI system?"
"Not even with the advanced AI system," Buck confirmed, smirking a little. "I'm more likely to show up with a real dog."
"You better not," Eddie warned.
"A dalmatian. You never see those anymore."
"And you won't see one in my house."
"We'll see." Eddie was about to keep arguing when a scream interrupted them, followed by the sound of stampeding feet. He and Buck made brief eye contact before they took off in that direction, all joking forgotten as they shifted back into serious professionals. There was a group of people running away from a swaying decoration. It was a metal Christmas tree monstrosity, attached to the ceiling of the store by some wires. There were gift boxes hanging off some of the branches and Eddie could see some of them scattered on the floor.
"Looks like people tried climbing onto the tree to get the boxes," Eddie called out to Buck, pointing at someone jumping down from the opposite side and running off.
"And they compromised the stability of the ceiling," Buck added, pointing at a piece of it that looked like it could fall down on them at any second.
"We need to get everyone away from this area," Eddie said, yelling for people to make their way to an exit in an orderly fashion. It was easier said than done, since instead of greed fueling them, it was panic. There were abandoned carts and loose items blocking some of the paths, so people ended up bunched in a group as they ran. Eddie and Buck got pushed apart, with Buck getting caught in the worst of it. Thanks to his height, Eddie was able to keep an eye on the top of Buck's head as it stood above most of the frightened shoppers. Eddie herded people toward safety, knowing the faster they were gone, the sooner he'd be able to get back to Buck. It was going okay, until he heard Buck call his name.
"Ed-" Buck's voice got cut off and Eddie's head snapped up just in time to see Buck's disappear. Eddie moved on instinct, fighting his way through the people to get to his partner. He caught a couple elbows along the way, but he didn't care. The bruises could wait.
Eddie finally caught sight of Buck's back, where he was almost prone on the ground. His mind flashed to victims of trampling. It didn't take much for someone to be seriously injured or worse. Only a few steps between soreness and tragedy.
Eddie bullied his way to Buck's side, grabbing the back of his shirt and yanking him up. Adrenaline had him pulling with enough force that Buck almost stumbled back to the floor once he was upright, but Eddie kept him steady. The reason he had been on the ground was apparent when Eddie caught sight of what Buck was holding in his arms.
"You good?" Eddie asked, looking over Buck and the little girl he was holding as best he could in the middle of the chaos. She was crying a little, but Eddie couldn't see any visible damage.
"Thanks to you," Buck confirmed, leaning into him a bit to show his appreciation. Eddie wanted to stay pressed up against him as well, but they had work to do.
"Take her out to one of the tents. I'm gonna try to get the rest of the people out of here before this thing falls."
"Are you sure?" Buck grimaced. They both hated splitting up, even when it wasn't going against Bobby's direction. But sometimes it couldn't be avoided.
"I'll be fine," Eddie assured him, nudging Buck toward one of the exits.
"I'll be right back," Buck promised, giving him one last look before hurrying to the edge of the building. Eddie waited until Buck was out of the thick of the chaos, before turning back to the behemoth of a tree.
There were a few more firefighters gathered around it now, but none Eddie recognized. A couple pieces of ceiling had fallen so far, but there were no people lying injured underneath them, so Eddie considered it a win. They were going to need someone to go up to the ceiling to unhook the thing, so it didn't take more down with it.
"Do we have a plan yet to get up there?" Eddie asked the closest firefighter to him.
"We're working on it," he replied, pointing toward the back of the building. "They used a cherry picker to attach it to the ceiling, so we've got a few guys trying to get it over here."
"Easier said than done," Eddie sighed, eyeing the path it would need to take. Besides the people still running around, there was a whole bunch of junk in the way. "I'm gonna help move some of the stuff to the side." The firefighter nodded in response, patting Eddie on the back as he went on his way.
Eddie tossed anything he could lift out of the way, keeping his eye open for Buck as he went along. Most of the people were out of the building by now, but there were still a few stragglers. Didn't they have another place they could shop? People needed to be more like him. He would get presents for Chris throughout the year, only leaving things like clothes for closer to the special day. It was much less stressful than waiting until the last minute. And there were good deals to be found no matter when you shopped, as long as you knew where to look. Less chance of having to fight over a Furby as well.
Eddie paused what he was doing when he heard a scraping noise behind a pile of furniture. He couldn't tell what it was, but on the off chance it was someone trapped, he had to check it out. Eddie bit back a groan of annoyance when he found the source of the noise. A teenager was trying to pull pairs of jeans out from underneath an upturned display. If you could even call them that. They were mostly holes instead of actual pants.
"Really?" Eddie asked, crossing his arms over his chest. Screw it, he was in dad mode now. The teen jerked his head up, staring at Eddie with wide, guilty eyes.
"Um, I-I-" the kid stammered, raising his arms and backing up a few steps. Eddie was about to launch into a lecture about stealing and choosing the right path in life when there was an ominous creaking sound above their heads. The teen was oblivious, too caught up in his fear of repercussions to realize the danger. Eddie reacted, darting forward just as a chunk started falling. He tackled the boy, landing in a heap as the piece clipped his side.
"Eddie!" Buck shouted from somewhere nearby. Of course he would come back just in time to see that. A few seconds later, Buck was hovering over them, looking panicked. It probably looked a lot worse than it was from where he was watching.
"I'm good, Buck," Eddie said, wincing a little as he sat up. The teen sprang up too, looking frazzled. "You good, kid?"
"Yes," he replied, nodding shakily.
"You should still go outside and get checked out. And make better choices in the future," Eddie directed, figuring this was enough to scare him straight for now. The teen hurried away, not even attempting to grab anything along the way. Success, Eddie supposed.
"You're bleeding," Buck said quietly, the stress clear in his voice. Eddie looked down, finding a line of blood dripping down his arm.
"Shit," Eddie muttered, feeling the sting now that he was aware of the injury. "It's not that bad."
"I leave you for two minutes and look what happens," Buck mumbled, ripping open a wad of gauze and pressing it to Eddie's wound. Eddie hissed at the contact. "Sorry."
"It's fine," Eddie assured him. "Tie it off and I'll be good to go."
"Like hell," Buck scoffed, pressing the button on his radio. "Captain Nash, firefighter Diaz has been injured. A piece of ceiling fell on him and he has a cut on his arm that may require stitches."
"You make it sound so dramatic," Eddie grumbled.
"Is he mobile? Do you need assistance at your location?" Bobby replied.
"He's fine," Eddie answered before Buck could. He didn't need to be fussed over because of a cut.
"As far as I can tell, he can walk," Buck said, fixing Eddie with a stern look. Now who was the dad?
"Bring him out and take him to get treated. The incident commander is pulling most of our people out until the ceiling can be secured. Wouldn't want anyone to get hit by a falling section."
"Funny," Eddie muttered.
"Got it," Buck confirmed, flicking off the radio. He turned back toward him, staring at him with a softer look. "Ready?"
"I really am fine, Buck," Eddie promised, accepting Buck's hand up. He tried to hide a wince as his side twinged at the movement, but of course Buck saw. He was laser focused whenever he thought Eddie could be hiding an injury.
"The doctors will be the judge of that," Buck said, leading Eddie out of the building with a hand on his back. The medic that treated him wrapped his arm more securely, determining that he would need a couple stitches. Eddie was going to insist they could do it on the scene, before Buck mentioned his ribs. After that, they wanted him to get an x-ray, just to make sure nothing was broken. So Eddie was whisked away in the back of an ambulance, hitching a ride with another patient who needed more treatment as well. The rest of his team stayed behind at the scene, to Buck's dismay. He promised to meet him at the hospital as soon as he could.
"A nurse should be back with your paperwork shortly," the doctor said as he finished up with Eddie and left the exam area. It had been a few hours since Eddie arrived and he was finally finished. Most of the people from their call had ended up in the same emergency room and Eddie's injury wasn't a high priority. His scans had come back clear and he'd only needed two stitches in his arm, so it was a wasted trip in Eddie's opinion.
He leaned back on the exam table, drumming his fingers in boredom. Buck had sent along a message a few minutes prior that they were finally leaving and he was going to pick Eddie up. Eddie was going to pretend that he wasn't looking forward to Buck fussing over him once they got home. Doing it where everyone could see was one thing, but in private he enjoyed it. And he enjoyed paying it forward when circumstances called for it.
Eddie was just about to leave the room to head to the nurse's station when he heard a little tapping sound. It didn't sound like a person walking, but it did sound like it was getting closer. He looked up in confusion, but didn't see anything. When he looked down, he wished he hadn't.
"What the hell?" Eddie mumbled, watching as a little robot dog walked up to him. It sat down and Eddie swore it was looking up at him.
"Take me home, Eddie," the robot said mechanically, before letting out a bark.
"Oh, hell no!" Eddie exclaimed, looking around for something to use as a weapon. This thing was evil and had to be destroyed.
"Relax!" Buck laughed, bursting into the room. The relief of seeing Buck was overshadowed by Eddie's need to get the robot demon away from him.
"It said my name, Buck."
"You can record things for it to say in the app," Buck smirked, flashing his phone. He pushed a few buttons, causing the dog to roll over and bark again. It still made Eddie cringe. "The robot doesn't know anything about you."
"I still hate it. And that wasn't funny," Eddie grumbled, glaring up at him. "Did you really buy one just to torment me?"
"Nah. The manager of the store we were at gave a bunch of the slightly damaged items to the stations for the toy drives coming up. I'm giving this little guy to the children's ward," Buck explained.
"Nightmare fuel."
"It's not so bad," Buck said, scooting the thing away from Eddie and taking its spot. "I'm glad you're okay."
"Won't even have to take time off," Eddie assured him, grabbing Buck's hand and kissing his knuckles.
"Bobby gave us both tomorrow off, just in case."
"A whole day with you? Whatever shall we do?" Eddie wondered, grinning up at Buck.
"I have a few ideas," Buck whispered, leaning down so their foreheads were pressed together. Eddie could feel excitement stir in his belly at the thought of all the things they could do. Most of them involved not leaving their bed at all.
"Such as?" Eddie asked, watching as a devious smile slid onto Buck's face.
"Let's go shopping."