Eddie rubbed his temples as he stared at his laptop screen, trying to will the letters to take shape into better words for him. Something like flexible hours, good insurance, no background check needed, livable wage. He had to do something besides sit around at home all day, especially once Chris started school. There were still a few weeks until then, but time was going by quickly and Eddie hated waiting until the last minute to do things.

The program had set him up with a job opportunity, but he was hesitant to take it. Working as an overnight security guard at a power plant was honest work, but it wasn't what he wanted. The thought of putting himself in danger like that, while he was in constant danger, didn't sit right with him. It wasn't fair to Chris to take any unnecessary risks right now. And the idea of carrying and having to use a weapon again made his stomach unsettled. But finding something that worked for his family was tough.

"Can I have the rest of your hot chocolate?" Christopher asked from across the table. They were sitting in a little cafe not far from their house, using the place for their Wi-Fi and a change of scenery. Chris was spending his time looking through a new book about firefighting that Buck had been nice enough to drop off. The guy seemed to love reading as much as Chris.

Eddie had gotten through the rest of the dinner with Buck without any other flubs, at least in his opinion. Buck was an easy guy to talk to. And it was nice that he didn't press for details. Eddie dreaded the days where he would have to start actively lying to people about his past. He had a list of things he could and couldn't say that he glanced over often, but he was terrified to mess up. What if he said too many things that contradicted and ruined their placement? Eddie couldn't bear the thought of having to start over again. Chris would suffer the most.

"Go ahead," Eddie replied, sliding over his almost full mug. He was avoiding coffee, due to continued sleep issues, but the hot chocolate wasn't really his thing. He felt like he had to order something, so he wasn't taking up space in the business for nothing, so he ordered something that Chris would like so it wouldn't go to waste. And Christopher was never one to let chocolate go to waste.

Eddie received a stipend from the marshalls, even though it hurt his pride. He couldn't let that get in the way of providing for his son. But he needed a good job on top of that. There were always surprise bills that popped up, especially with Christopher's medical needs. And now he didn't have the military insurance to fall back on. The fact that they were dropped into one of the most expensive states in the country didn't help either.

"Master's degree? Really?" Eddie muttered, clicking off of that job listing. Since he couldn't list his actual history in the Army on resumes, a fake English degree had been slotted into his background. They couldn't give him anything super specific, in case he landed a job he was too underqualified for, but he had no idea what to do with what they'd given him. Eddie never went to college, joining the service right after getting Shannon pregnant. A long career in the military had been his plan, but plans changed.

"Do you think Buck can come over soon?" Christopher asked, looking up at him with a dollop of whipped cream on his nose. "I want to talk to him about my new book."

"I'm not sure," Eddie chuckled, reaching over to wipe his son's face. No matter how bad of a mood he was in, Chris could always make it better. Eddie took his cell out of his pocket and scrolled to Buck's contact. It didn't take long to find, since he only had him and Chris in there at this point. They'd texted occasionally, with Buck leading the conversation mostly. Eddie didn't want to come across as desperate, even though he ached for adult interaction. He shot him a text, asking if he was free anytime soon.

"Oh my gosh!" a woman in the cafe suddenly shrieked. Eddie's head snapped up in response, his training kicking in before he could even think. He found the cause of the outburst fairly quickly, watching as an older man slumped down in a booth across the cafe.

"Chris, call 911 and put my phone on speaker," Eddie directed, rushing over to check on the man. From where he was, he couldn't tell what was wrong with the man. It could've been any number of things, from allergic reaction, stroke, heart attack, choking, or more. What was important was to figure it out as fast as possible and do what he could to keep him alive.

The man was unconscious by the time Eddie got to him. He pulled him out of the booth and set him on the floor, going through the motions that still felt like second nature. Eddie checked his airway, which was clear, but he didn't feel any breaths. And when he didn't feel a pulse either, he got to work.

"Is there a defibrillator in here?" Eddie asked, rhythmically pumping on the man's chest. He didn't even need to count anymore, knowing exactly when to switch between compressions and rescue breaths.

"I'll go check," the employee replied, running off to look for it.

"Here, Dad," Christopher said, setting his phone down on the floor next to him.

"Thanks, Bud," Eddie replied, feeling immensely proud of his son. They'd discussed scenarios like this before, but it was different when you were in the middle of the situation. A lot of people would clam up or panic, but not his boy.

"911, what is your emergency?" a woman asked on the other end of the line.

"I'm at the Blue Song Cafe on 10th street. I've got a male 60s in full cardiac arrest for at least one minute, possibly longer. I'm currently performing CPR on him, waiting to see if an AED machine is available," Eddie explained, not slowing down his movements. He bent down to give rescue breaths and resumed compressions when he didn't see any change. "I've gone through two cycles already."

"I assume that you don't need any directions on how to perform CPR?" the woman asked.

"Correct, Ma'am."

"I have units on their way, approximately five minutes out."

"Thank you."

"I couldn't find a defibrillator," the employee said as she darted back into the room.

"Did the man have any symptoms before he lost consciousness?" Eddie asked her, watching him for any signs of life. He couldn't let this guy die. Even if he had to perform CPR for hours. The thought of Chris having to witness something like that was out of the question.

"I don't know. He seemed fine," the employee sniffled.

"Does anyone here know him?" Eddie asked. The few people in the cafe mumbled that they didn't. Eddie couldn't think of a worse way to go. To be all alone. But that was where he was headed. Chris would grow up and leave him one day. What would Eddie have after that? He knew it was years off, but he'd already spent years waiting for Shannon. The idea that that part of his life was over was depressing. That companionship on a real level was unattainable.

"Units should be arriving soon. Is there any change in the man's condition?" the 911 operator asked.

"No," Eddie sighed. He wished it would be like the movies, where the guy would gasp and open his eyes and be fine. The best he could hope for was staving off brain death before the real help arrived. "No better, but no worse."

"You're doing a great job."

"Dad, I hear sirens!" Chris called out, stretching to try to see out of the windows.

"Make sure you give them space to work, okay? But don't go too far," Eddie instructed. He'd kept a close eye on his son through all of this, but he didn't want him to get swept up into the chaos. Chris dutifully walked back to his side, standing next to the booth Eddie was crouched beside.

"We're on scene," a man announced into his radio as a group of first responders spilled into the small cafe. He and a woman rushed over to him, carrying bags of equipment.

"We can take it from here, Sir," the woman said, easing him away from the unconscious man and immediately restarting CPR. The other man was hooking up wires, trying to get a reading on the man. Eddie sat back on his heels, waiting as patiently as he could. He needed to hear that the man was okay. He needed this win.

"We've got a pulse!" the male paramedic announced. Eddie closed his eyes and tipped his head back, feeling his adrenaline start to peter away. It had been so long since he'd saved a life that this felt like the first time. And it wasn't guaranteed that the man would make it, but Eddie had given him a fighting chance. That was all he could do.

"Eddie? Chris?"

Eddie's eyes snapped open at the sound of his and his son's names. His first instinct was to assume that they'd been found, even though those weren't their old names. Anyone knowing them at this point gave him a jolt of panic, since they barely knew anyone. The rest of his adrenaline crashed out of him when he saw who was talking to him.

"Buck," Eddie sighed, sagging in relief. Buck walked over and pulled him up, steadying him with a hand on his shoulder when he swayed a little.

"Are you good? Do you need to get checked out?" Buck asked worriedly, moving his hand to the side of Eddie's neck.

"My legs just fell asleep a bit," Eddie brushed off. He couldn't say the truth. That saving lives was what he felt like he was meant to do, but couldn't anymore. And that this had triggered something in his brain that made him realize that. Eddie hated war and being put in the position of having to take lives, but helping people out on the battlefield brought him peace that he couldn't quite explain. Buck might understand, thanks to his profession, but Eddie would never be able to tell him his story.

"That'll happen," Buck laughed, letting Eddie go so he could bend down and pick up his phone before it got stepped on in all the commotion. Eddie immediately felt the loss, but held himself together. "The 118 is on scene and has everything handled."

"I bet you do," the 911 operator replied in amusement. "I'll talk to you later."

"Bye, Mads," Buck said brightly, before pressing end on Eddie's phone. Buck must've noticed the confused look on his face, because he smiled sheepishly. "My sister."

"Oh."

"We're moving out!" the female paramedic announced as they raised the stretcher and started wheeling the man out. Eddie caught one last glimpse of him, hoping he pulled through.

"You did a good job here. Eddie, was it?" one of the firefighters asked, holding out his hand to shake.

"Yes, Sir," Eddie nodded, shaking his hand.

"This is my captain, Bobby Nash," Buck introduced. "And this is my new neighbor."

"So you're the one he's been going on about," Bobby said knowingly, shooting Buck a sly grin.

"I- what? I just mentioned that I had new neighbors and they were a lot better than my last," Buck huffed, rolling his eyes. Eddie could see his cheeks getting a little pink, but he wasn't going to read into it.

"Well then, maybe you won't feel the need to move around so often. It would do you good to settle down."

"I don't move around that much," Buck muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Three times in the past year is a lot, even if you stay in the same area," Bobby pointed out. Eddie felt awkward as the pair spoke, feeling like an outlier. They obviously had a good relationship, unlike most of the ones he'd had with male authority figures. If his dad had been saying the same things to him, it would've come out as an accusation and reprimand, but it wasn't between Bobby and Buck. Eddie could already tell they cared about each other.

"Is that man going to be okay?" Christopher asked from behind Eddie. Buck crouched down so he was eye level with him.

"The doctors are going to do everything they can to help him. And your dad gave him the best chance," Buck replied, shooting him a quick smile before returning his attention to Chris. "He did a great job."

"I called 911, like he taught me to."

"Well then, you both did a great job."

"I actually texted you right before this all went down, to see if you were free soon. This wasn't really how I was expecting to see you next," Eddie said, finally getting his bearings back. "Chris wanted to talk to you about the firefighting book you gave him."

"Then it was fate," Buck declared, standing up and pulling Eddie into a half hug. The move surprised him and he was about to ask what was going on before Buck leaned in and whispered in his ear. "I learned my lesson last time, so I figured I'd ask you this while Christopher couldn't hear. If you guys aren't busy right now, you're more than welcome to follow us back to the station for that tour."

"Um, I don't see why not. Unless we'll be in the way," Eddie agreed. Buck pulled him that much closer, practically pressing their bodies together from shoulder to toe.

"I wouldn't offer if I didn't want you there," Buck insisted, giving him one last squeeze before letting him go. That was probably the longest embrace he'd shared with someone besides Chris for years. Was this what it was like to have friends? He lost most of the ones he'd made in his youth after becoming a father and joining the Army. Most people his age were going to college and having fun, but he had to grow up in the blink of an eye. And he didn't keep in touch with anyone he served with, after being discharged. It was too painful and brought up too many memories. The people at the jobs he worked when he went back to Texas gave up on him pretty quick when they realized he never wanted to go out with them or do things outside of working hours. This thing with Buck was new and he didn't want to screw it up, especially since Christopher seemed to like him too.

"Then we'll be there." Eddie watched as Buck's face lit up like it was the best news he'd ever heard. Like he was looking forward to it as much as Chris was. Eddie tried to match his energy, even though it didn't feel natural for him. Maybe if he kept at it, it wouldn't feel like he was wearing a mask. And Buck kind of felt like a guy he was willing to work on that for.