"Diaz, can we talk?" Captain Robert "Bobby" Nash questions his newest firefighter. Eddie looks at him with confusion but follows him to the Captain's room.
"What's up, cap?" Eddie questions him. Bobby hands him a phone, and Eddie knows what this is about.
"This is us sparring, cap. It's a way to help us improve our skills. The actual fighting is to see who wins," Eddie explains. Bobby nods in understanding.
"That's Lydia," Eddie says and leaves. That name leaves Bobby outridden. Hen and Chimney made everyone believe Eddie was cheating on Buck with Lydia. Seeing the two together made him realize he made a mistake. Before Eddie could get any further, Evan "Buck" Buckley rushes him back to Bobby's office.
"Buck!" Bobby says.
"I'm sorry, Bobby. Eds, I'm sorry for how I behaved with you. You were right, as I do let the 118 get the best of me. I should've talked to you about this but didn't, which caused tension. Maddie and Hen are coming into the fire station to cause a scene. They think it's a Doug situation but don't know that you do MMA," Buck rumbles. Eddie blinks at him.
Buck was the only one who knew about Eddie's MMA. There are many things that Buck knows about Eddie that no one else knows—not even Lydia. Buck looks at Eddie's hurt eyes and feels his heart broken. This man has suffered so much that he only wants a family that loves him.
"It's a spare, not abuse," Eddie whispers. Buck pulls Eddie close to him. Bobby knows they are close but doesn't know how close. He also has never seen Eddie so emotional.
"I know it is. It's like boxing. It's going to be okay. There are so many people telling the jerks what MMA is. You will be okay. Can you set up a therapy appointment for me?" Buck asks the younger man. Bobby looks at Buck with surprise. Eddie nods.
"I'll call Aishik now," Eddie says, pulling out his phone. Buck takes Bobby out of the room. Bobby gives Buck a look.
"Eddie's...he's...Eddie's my soulmate," Buck blurs out. Bobby is taken aback by his bluntness.
"How long?" Bobby questions.
"Last year. Bobby, we're platonic right now," Buck tells him. Bobby nods in understanding.
"There's paperwork you need to fill out, but that will be later. Right now, we can do damage control and protect Eddie," Bobby tells him. Buck nods. The two see some chiefs, Athena, Maddie, Chimney, and Hen. Karen is with her but glaring at her wife.
"What can I do for you?" Bobby questions everyone. Most know what this is about, but Bobby still had to ask.
"Was Diaz sparring?" One chief question, all turned to him. The chief likes Diaz. He has seen how his girls are with him and can see the hurt little boy wanting a family.
"Sparring?" Hen asks. Her gut told her she wouldn't like what she heard, and she had been wrong about the whole thing for a while now.
"Any fighting sport has something called spares. They help fighters see where they're going wrong and improve their skills. My daughters have fought with men since they were two. They can take some men down. Is that what Diaz was doing with the woman?" he explains.
"Yes, he was. That's Lydia Valenzuela-Notario. Both served together and had been sparring since they met. They're platonic soulmates," Buck tells them. Maddie and Hen flinch.
"It's wrong! No one should ever raise their hands on other people!" Maddie tells them. Most look at her with a 'what are you talking about' face.
"THIS ISN'T DOUG!" Karen roars. Maddie backs away, eyes wide. Hen is in shock with her. The others are startled by this, as Karen is never the one to yell. She's the quiet one who speaks with grace.
"I can understand where this may look like a man is hurting a woman, but if you look at the video, she is hitting him more than he hits her. You don't get to come into a place and accuse someone of abuse if you don't have any proof of abuse! You have made Buck turn his back on Eddie whenever you hear Lydia, and I'm done! Lydia is Eddie's older sister. Why can't other people have a life outside this place? What makes you think that people want to go to you? You need help, Maddie," Karen tells the woman. People are in stunned silence—Hen's about to talk.
"None of that, Henrietta Maria Wilson. I'm done with your bullshit! Get therapy, or we're getting a divorce, and I'm taking Denny," Karen puts her wife in her place. Hen steps back in cowardness.
"Eddie did nothing wrong. That's fact. This conversation is your final warning if you bother Eddie Diaz about this. Am I clear?" The chief tells his firefighters.
"Yes, Sir," The 118 shouts.
"Miss. Buckley, if you harass Eddie, I will make sure that you don't have a job anymore," He promises her. Maddie hung her head in agreement. After that, Chimney and Hen prepare for work, and the chiefs and Athena leave. Karen looks at Buck.
"Can I see him?" She asks. After a few wrong texts to the wrong person, Karen goes to Eddie's place to confront him. To her dismay, most of the texts are true, and she goes to hug him. Buck comes in, seeing them hugging and crying. Karen has become a constant in Eddie's life. She and Lydia are great friends. Buck smiles and tilts his head up. The woman goes upstairs to see Eddie in the Captain's office.
"Hey, stranger," Karen greets the younger man. Eddie looks wide-eyed at her. Her heart breaks. He's so young—younger than Buck, who had to go through hell and back alone. Karen's brother served with Eddie and was on his first tour. Eddie was on his third. Emmett was twenty-four, and Eddie was nineteen.
"Karen? Are you okay?" Eddie asks, and the woman pulls him close.
"I'm okay. How are you holding up?" She asks, combing her fingers through his hair. He melts into her.
"I'm tired of people assuming and not asking questions," Eddie admits. Karen smiles and kisses his forehead. Emmett adopted Eddie as a little brother, and Karen has treated him as such.
"I get that. I got you, Eddie. How can I help you?" Karen asks him.
"Karen?" Hen questions her wife. She follows her to talk. She didn't know that Eddie and Karen knew each other. She watched Eddie lean into her wife, and Karen played with his hair.
"Hen," Karen says cooly, making Eddie play with her sleeve. It's his way of telling her he isn't ready for a fight. Hen witnesses a moment that breaks her heart. Eddie is young, and Hen has hurt him.
"I'm sorry, Eddie. I don't know anything about you and never truly asked about you. I never talked to you. I assumed things, and that hurt you. I'm sorry, but I will do better. I'll go to therapy to get better," Hen tells the two and walks away. Eddie looks at his sister, making Karen smile.
"It's the best we can get," Karen kisses his forehead.
"You have to go, or you'll be late," Eddie says, and Karen hugs him. After Karen leaves the station, Buck is by his side for the rest of the shift. Chimney tries, but Hen stops him. After shift, Eddie drives home to see his abuela waiting for him.
"Abuela, ¿qué pasa?" Eddie asks, fear in his veins. She brings up the video.
"¿Qué es este nieto?" She asks. She's not accusing him but wants to know what this is.
"Eso es MMA. Artes marciales mixtas," Eddie explains. She nods slowly.
"¿Es seguro?" She asks, and Eddie smiles.
"Sí," Eddie says. She smiles at him.
"Quiero ver qué tan bien cocinas. He oído que sabes cocinar," She says, making Eddie smile.
"¿Qué deseas?" He asks.
"Tu selección," She says, and Eddie nods. Buck comes in, and she smiles at her grandson and his partner. Eddie cooks them vegetable pasta and some cookies. After some time, Abuela leaves. Buck takes Eddie into his arms.
"Things will be okay, Eds. You wait and see," Buck says, and the two cuddle.