Suffocating Surveillance
Summary:
Buck has enough of Maddie trying to micromanage his life and using her boyfriend to keep tabs on him and feels the need to get away from the situation before it damages his relationship with his sister and Chimney beyond repair.
Disclaimer: I do not own 9-1-1 or its characters. I do however own this story; I wrote it and I do NOT give permission for anyone to post it anywhere else. If you want to share it post a link.
Buck approached Bobby and asked him if they could talk in his office.
Something in the tome of his voice alerted the Captain that Buck was serious and didn't want to discuss the issue in the loft where anyone coming up the stairs might overhear them. Bobby immediately put down his knife and issued orders to the few other members of the shift he could trust with his cooking to continue the meal preparation.
"What is it, Buck?" he asked concerned.
"I think that I need to ask for a transfer to another station," Buck said somewhat reluctantly.
"Buck?" Bobby said staring at him blankly. This was the last thing he would have guessed this to be about.
He tried to gather his thoughts to work out why Buck would be asking for a transfer. "If this is about you wanting to start a relationship with Eddie, you don't have to leave as long as the two of you can keep it professional out on scenes and keep the PDA to acceptable limits in the station," he offered.
"It isn't that, we're best friends, and even if we had started a relationship, I wouldn't be in here asking for a transfer because of it," Buck replied amused before sobering. "I just don't think that I can continue to work with Chimney reporting everything I do and say to my sister all the time. Maddie is still trying to run my life and with Chim taking her side I can't get away from it to try and fix my relationship with her. It hurts that neither of them seem to care how I feel about this and it's undermining my trust in him, and I can see that Maddie's comments are affecting the way he sees me too."
"Will you let me talk to Chimney and see if he can change his behaviour before you apply for a transfer?" Bobby asked carefully.
Buck hesitated and then shook his head. "No, I can see him trying to change about the little things, particularly while he's here at work. But the minute there was something big or something he really didn't agree with he'd call her. You know what he's like with secrets, nothing you could say would stop him letting things slip when he gets home and tells him about his day. As soon as Maddie gets a hint that there's something going on she's going to dig for more information until she knows he's told her everything he knows."
Bobby sighed resignedly and nodded. "You're probably right. Would you consider a temporary transfer until you've worked things out with your sister?"
Buck smiled with the obvious signs that Bobby wanted him to stay. "I don't want to leave the 118 Bobby, this team is like family to me, but I also don't want to be in limbo. If I transfer temporarily and then I come back when things seem to sort themselves out only to fall apart again when Chim starts telling her everything again then I'll have wasted months I could've used to get settled somewhere else," he said sadly.
"I'll put the word out that you're looking for a transfer. I take it that you want to stay within commute of the loft?" Bobby agreed.
"To be honest, it's more important to me that I'm still in commute of Durand and Eddie's in case Chris needs me," Buck admitted.
"The 56 would be a good choice for you if you're interested in moving into more SAR work, it might mean you'd need to pick up another qualification but there'd be a pay rise moving to a SAR position," Bobby offered.
Buck grinned, "The 56 would be amazing," he agreed. "Can you not say anything to anyone until it's official? I want to tell Eddie myself."
"I won't," Bobby agreed. He would like to call Chimney in and yell at him for driving away a member of the team and one of the best firefighters he'd ever worked with, but he recognised that that would just lead to more of the problem Buck was trying to escape, there was no way Chimney would keep the news of Buck wanting to transfer to himself and Maddie would be all up in Buck's business urging him to make whatever choice she thought was best for him.
Bobby rang the Captain of the 56. He'd been asking regularly to be told if Buck was considering leaving the 118 so he could make the first offer. Even after the lawsuit, Buck had a great reputation as a firefighter and heavy rescue asset and would be highly sought after by any stations with an opening. There had been some resentment at first but someone had made sure that it got around that Buck had turned down a hefty payout because he'd only wanted his job back. Bobby assumed it was someone in HR trying to smooth things over so Buck could return to work safely without somebody's desire for retribution putting him at risk.
-o0o-
A couple of weeks later Bobby entered the station to start his first shift without Buck with a heavy heart.
"Before I start announcements we have a new policy this morning. Can everybody put their personal phones into the box until I've spoken with everybody," Bobby announced.
"Where's Buck, it isn't like him to be late?" Chimney said looking around before pulling out his phone and beginning to text Maddie to see if she knew why Buck wasn't at work on time.
"Han, phone in the box, now!" Bobby said holding the box in front of him. Several others quickly pulled out their phones and put them in the box.
"I just need to…" Chimney began.
"If you send that text, you will be suspended from the rest of the shift for failing to follow orders," Bobby said sternly.
Chimney looked wounded. "But Maddie needs to check on Buck," he argued.
"No, she doesn't. Buck is fine and I know exactly where he is. Hand me your phone or head downstairs and collect your things we will see you at the start of the next shift.
Chimney glared at him as he handed over his phone.
Bobby ignored his gasp of outrage as he checked the text messages, finding a text message just sent to Maddie, timestamped after he'd given the final warning that he'd be suspended if he sent it. He handed Chimney back his phone with a disappointed look and said wearily.
"Firefighter Han. You're suspended without pay for the rest of the shift for deliberately not following a direct order. Clock off, grab your bag and go. See you on Friday. You are excluded from being able to pick up shift to make up for missing this one for the next two weeks, I will also be filing a complaint for disobeying a direct order," Bobby said officially.
The rest of the shift sat there silent with shock that Chim, who seemingly got away with a lot more than most of them, had been so severely reprimanded.
"I can stay for the announcements," Chimney offered, now desperate to hear what had been so important that pissed Bobby off so much.
"No, you chose to disobey orders, because your relationship with your girlfriend took precedence over your job, you will wait until next shift to find out the changes," Bobby said firmly, before glancing at the rest of the table. "Nobody else will tell Firefighter Han anything I demand be kept confidential and believe me I will know if you do, and you will also be facing a one shift unpaid suspension for failing to follow orders."
They all nodded their agreement. Hen looked like she wanted to object, Eddie seemed to be hiding his amusement.
"Firefighter Han please go and clock out and leave the station, before I extend your suspension for another shift," Bobby said turning back to him and seeing him standing their belligerently.
The next shift was a 48 and Chim couldn't afford to be docked 72 hours pay so he hurried down and loudly clocked off before retreating into the change rooms to change his clothes, leaving the door open, hoping to overhear the big news.
Bobby smirked and began with the routine news of the day, allocating chores and beginning to serve breakfast while he waited for Chimney to leave the building.
"We have two new Firefighters joining us at twelve o'clock. Firefighter Simone Daniels is a transfer from San Diego with certifications in rescue and will be replacing Firefighter Buckley who has transferred to the 56, and Firefighter Callum McDougall who just finished his probationary year at the 122 who will be replacing Firefighter Diaz. This is Eddie's last shift here, before spending two weeks at the Academy before joining Buck who started at the 56 this morning," Bobby announced.
"Why didn't he tell us he was transferring?" Ravi asked.
"Why did you kick Chim out before telling us. He's going to hate being the last person to know?" Hen asked.
"I took your phones this morning specifically so I could explain to you all that Buck had asked that his sister not be told about his transfer until he finishes his first shift tomorrow morning. Buck applied for a transfer because he felt that he could no longer work with Chimney reporting his every movement to his sister as if he were a small child that needed her supervision and permission to make decisions for himself," Bobby said sadly. "I offered to speak to Firefighter Han officially or unofficially and explain that he was driving Buck away but Buck did not believe it would work, as evidenced by Chimney's putting informing Maddie Buck was 10 minutes late for his shift ahead of following a direct order this morning even when threatened with suspension. So now I am giving you all a direct order. Anyone who tells Firefighter Han or Maddie Buckley about Buck's transfer before Chimney returns to work and tells us that Buck has talked to his sister about it himself, will be suspended for 24 hours without pay."
"You're punishing Chimney for Buck leaving," Hen complained.
"Chimney refused to follow a direct order, he sent that text after being told he would be suspended if he sent it," Bobby said uncompromisingly.
"That's not fair, Maddie's his girlfriend and Buck's sister," Hen argued.
"You would be singing a different tune if Eddie was to start texting your every movement and opinion to Karen or your mother every shift. I heard they're quite good friends from wine nights during Eddie's time at dispatch. Buck deserves his privacy and to be treated like the responsible adult that he is, just because one of his coworkers was dating his sister doesn't change that," Bobby pointed out.
"The second piece of news is that with the loss of Firefighter Buckley, this station will no longer be rated for swift water or deep-water rescue or wilderness rescue so in return our area for medical and general calls has expanded slightly as the 133 picks up our slack in those areas until someone on the team completes those certifications so please see me if you're interested in doing so. The Firefighters may also notice a reduction in the number of bonuses you're paid, due to the drop in heavy rescue calls."
"Why? If we're getting a new rescue asset, Firefighter Daniels?" Ravi asked confused.
"Because firefighter Buckley has more certifications than anyone at the 118 on all three shifts, there are very few firefighters of his level working outside the SAR Bureaus, and Eddie is not all that far behind him. Firefighter Daniels doesn't have Buck's level of certifications, while she has most of Firefighter Diaz's certifications and meets the lifting requirements for the position, she is not a replacement for Eddie strength wise let alone, Buck. Firefighter McDougall is also about the same fitness level as Eddie who was the second strongest on our shift, but he lacks the heavy rescue training and experience, so Buck will be sorely missed on heavy rescue," Bobby explained.
"Who will be training me now?" Ravi asked.
"I will for now until Daniels and McDougall settle into the station then we'll make a decision whether Daniels takes over your training or you continue with me," Bobby replied.
"Buck also wanted me to tell you that your welcome to call him anytime if you want help or a second explanation about something, Ravi. He's sorry that he couldn't be here today to tell you he was leaving in person but there was an accident at the 56 yesterday that moved up his start date. That applies to all of you if you're studying for new certifications that he already has, he's happy to help," Eddie said.
"I didn't realise that Buck had so many certifications. When did he have time to study for them?" Hen asked.
"He had a lot of the wilderness rescue certs when he started at the academy from his volunteer work in Colorado, and his SEAL training, others he picked up as he was recertifying after the ladder truck and the tsunami," Eddie explained.
Bobby gave everybody back their phones reminding them if they told Maddie or Chimney or someone who then told Maddie or Chimney they would receive a black mark and a 24-hour suspension.
Eddie was the only one who immediately started texting without hesitation. They all knew he was texting Buck but were envious that he could be totally open with his best friend when they would have to hide their knowledge from anyone who knew Buck and Chimney well enough to be able to talk over the situation.
Eddie had had his phone on record when he had put it in the top of the box and since Bobby had carried the box around throughout the announcements the recording would have caught all of the argument between Bobby and Chimney, the announcement of them leaving, everyone's reactions and Bobby's decree that Chimney and Maddie were not to be told anything about Buck transferring.
He'd sent it to Buck and Buck had sent back an expression of shock that Bobby had gone as far as he did and relief that he could now wait a couple more days and have a few shifts with his new team under his belt before informing his sister.
-o0o-
Chimney regretted texting Maddie that morning, not only for the loss of 24 hours pay which would put a serious stain on his budget for the next month but because Maddie immediately texted back demanding to be told as soon as Buck arrived at work and he had to admit to her what had happened and she blew up about Bobby interfering in their relationship and her relationship with her brother. Since he was now off work and she was starting her shift, she demanded that he ring Buck and check on him to find out why he was late.
Problem was, Buck wasn't answering him and was ignoring his texts, and Maddie was expecting him to call her with answers.
He texted Hen asking if Buck had arrived, and Hen texted back that she wasn't allowed to contact him during his suspension. He then texted Bobby to ask if Buck was okay and Bobby reminded him that he'd already told him Buck was fine and anything else would be up to Buck to choose to share.
-o0o-
Maddie was in a flap, Howie hadn't called her back to tell her Buck was okay and he wasn't answering his phone. She'd sent him messages asking him to call her and she knew he'd received them, but he'd left them all on read. She went by his apartment on her way home, but he wasn't home, Eddie was still at work and Christopher at school so he wouldn't be there, she had no idea where he was if he wasn't at work.
"Have you heard from Buck? Did he arrive at work?" Maddie asked anxiously when Howie finally called her.
"I don't know, Hen was the only one who text back, and she informed me that they were all told they weren't allowed to contact me during the shift or tell me anything that had happened during the shift since I was suspended. Bobby had some major announcement he wanted to make, and he made the point of not letting me stay to hear it. I'll have to ask her when she gets off tomorrow," Chimney said frowning. What right did Bobby have to prevent his best friend from talking to whoever she wanted during the down time at the station or on the way back from calls as long as the chores all got done.
Chimney was on the phone calling Hen as soon as the shift finished, but she didn't pick up.
After a while, he called Karen who confirmed Hen had arrived home and was sleeping. Karen told him that Hen hadn't mentioned Buck or the shift she'd just done at all that morning, they'd talked about personal things. Chimney thanked Karen and asked her to have Hen ring him when she woke up.
He rang Eddie, but as soon as he asked about Buck, Eddie lost his temper. "Buck is a grown adult, he doesn't need you and his sister checking up on him like he's a small child. Maddie has no right to be stomping all over his boundaries. Buck told her the other day that he will call her when he is ready and honestly a genuine apology would have done far more to make today be the day that he's ready to talk to her than Maddie continuing to disrespect him like this," Eddie told him furiously.
"I just want to…" Chimney began.
"You just want to placate your girlfriend anyway you can. Have you ever considered that in constantly taking Maddie's side like this even when you know it's hurting Buck, you're proving to him that you're no longer someone he can rely on to be his friend?" Eddie interrupted him harshly.
"I'm Buck's friend," Chimney argued.
"How can you be his friend when you're no longer someone he's willing to call for help or tell what's worrying him, because he knows you'll run tattling to his sister and make their relationship even worse by working her up until she tries to take over and make decisions for him again?" Eddie asked bluntly.
"She's his sister, she practically brought him up. She wants what's best for him," Chimney insisted.
"How can it be what's best for Buck when it's hurting him like it does and she doesn't even see it?" Eddie demanded. "Think about that before you run to her with every little thing, huh. Would you want us telling Albert all the things about you that you tell Maddie about Buck?"
Chimney went to say something else when he realised that Eddie had hung up on him.
Buck walked into the Diaz house and called out "Hello."
Eddie had hurriedly disconnected the call with Chim as soon as he heard Buck's key in the lock and now he took a deep breath trying to calm down before Buck realised he'd been arguing with someone and asked him about it. "In the kitchen," he called.
"You better not be trying to cook, I'm not that late," Buck said teasingly.
Eddie laughed. "I'm not that bad," he protested. "Besides I'm just reheating the breakfast Bobby sent home for you."
"Did he make his hash brown casserole?" Buck asked enthusiastically.
"It has ten minutes to go to finish heating. Chim rang looking for you," Eddie added hesitantly.
"Did he say anything about me leaving the 118?" Buck asked.
"No, he was complaining that Maddie was worried that she hadn't heard from you since Tuesday," Eddie said. "I'm pretty sure he doesn't know that you weren't at work with me last night, let alone that you've transferred stations. Eat up. I promised Abuela that we'd go over there and fix her fence for her today."
"You mean you promised that you'd fix the fence and are dragging me over there to help you," Buck said laughing.
"She promised us pozole for lunch," Eddie tempted him, more to the point Buck knew Maddie and Chimney wouldn't look for him at Abuela's and that would have swayed his decision even if he hadn't already been totally on board with helping the matriarch of the Diaz family who treated him like one of her own.
-o0o-
Chimney was early for his next shift hoping to catch Buck before shift started to convince him that he needed to ring and apologise to his sister for the fight they'd had. The stress wasn't good for her and the baby.
Eddie saw Chim's car in the carpark as he pulled in and groaned. He was already in uniform and quickly dumped his stuff in his locker and took off upstairs not wanting to be alone with Chim when he realised Buck wasn't arriving for this shift either or heard from Maddie. They'd had a great day off, finishing the fence and a few other jobs Abuela wanted done and then spending time at the Griffith Observatory with Christopher.
Buck had arrived at his own new station early and sat in the carpark to call his sister after he knew Chimney would have had to leave for work, but before he should've been able to arrive at the 118 and let her know that he wasn't there.
"Evan, where have you been? Are you okay Maddie answered.
"I'm fine sis. Started at a new station and everything is going well so far. The team seems like a good group and I'm enjoying the work," Buck replied, deliberately light-heartedly. It had been more nerve wracking than he wanted to admit meeting his new team without Eddie at his side, and as much as he looked forward to the challenge of working at a SAR station he still resented being forced by his sister and de-facto-brother-in-law into leaving his Firefam.
"Starting at a new station? You mean that you've left the 118?" Maddie asked in confusion.
"Yeah, the way you and Chim couldn't respect my boundaries made the 118 start to feel claustrophobic, like I had to be on my guard about what I said all of the time. I decided that it would be better for our relationship and both of our mental health, if I no longer worked with your boyfriend," Buck told her honestly.
"What do you mean?" Maddie demanded.
"I feel like I can't do anything lately without you lecturing me. You have no right to try to dictate the way I do my job but with Chimney in your ear all day about anything and everything there's no chance of you ever hearing about what's going on in my life from my point of view before you've already heard his biased version and made up your opinion on it. It isn't good for our relationship. I feel like you're trying to act like you have the right to judge my life and you're trying to manage it instead of being my sister," Buck tried to explain what he was feeling in a way she'd understand the problem.
"Why didn't Howie tell me that you're leaving the 118?" Maddie asked.
"He didn't get told on their first shift without me because he got himself suspended before the announcement was made and nobody else told him because Bobby threatened to suspend anyone who told him before I had a chance to tell you myself," Buck said bluntly.
"Why would Bobby do that? Howie was worried for days about what was wrong that he was being excluded from," Maddie said crossly.
"You don't think that I have a right to tell you about my new job myself?" Buck asked sarcastically.
"Does this have anything to do with him being suspended?" Maddie asked suspiciously.
"No. how could I have had anything to do with it when I wasn't even there when it happened. Chim was suspended for refusing to follow a direct order given to him more than once. He was warned it would happen if he didn't cease and desist but apparently his need to inform you of every little thing going on in my life was more important to him than the fact that he was told more than once that he would be suspended for the rest of the shift if he didn't put his phone away immediately. That's on him, though it's potentially a sign that he kowtows to you more than he should," Buck replied.
"What did he need to tell me so urgently?" Maddie asked frowning.
"I don't know what he thought you needed to know. At the time the only thing he knew about me was that I was ten minutes late for work and that Bobby wasn't concerned about it and told Chimney that he knew why I wasn't there," Buck replied.
"Why would Bobby care about that so much that he suspended Howie?" Maddie asked.
"He was suspended for disobeying orders. It doesn't matter what the order was. He'd been ordered three times not to contact you, to put his phone away and warned he would be suspended if he sent that text," Buck repeated.
"But why did Bobby care?" Maddie persisted.
"Bobby was angry with him for driving me away from the 118, and Chim's behaviour proved to him that he had no alternative but to let me go," Buck replied.
"Why'd you tell Bobby that it was Howie's fault. That isn't fair, Evan," Maddie protested.
"Because my Captain needed to know why I was applying for a transfer before he would approve it. Bobby needed to know I wasn't leaving because of his management, that there was nothing different he could have done and that I wasn't blaming him for the hostile work environment Chimney was creating," Buck said.
You're over exaggerating, how can a coworker talking to his girlfriend, the mother of his child, make a hostile work environment for anyone," Maddie argued.
"It wasn't the fact that he called you, it was the fact that he was spying on me for you. Let's turn it the other way around. If I started dating someone on your shift at dispatch, someone you currently consider a friend, and they started telling me every time you were late, or didn't eat a good lunch or planned to meet a friend who I didn't know, or looked a little pale and tired, and I started questioning you or lecturing you about all these things that were really none of my business, how would you feel?" Buck asked.
"That's different," Maddie protested.
"It wouldn't be different at all. It would be intrusive annoying, and borderline stalking. You would feel harassed and spied on and stressed that you had to work with someone who you couldn't trust, just like I have. Which in your job where you're sitting safely at your desk and your calls are totally separate to theirs might just be annoying and a little unsettling, but in my job where I have to trust my co-workers with my life on the regular it's causing me more stress than is good for me. I needed to get out of that situation before I reached the point that I started to second guess Chimney on the job, and one of us got hurt because of it," Buck said severely.
"I only want what's best for you. If you wouldn't behave so recklessly and take so many risks Howie and I wouldn't be so worried," Maddie stated.
"I am an adult and a fully qualified firefighter. I don't take unnecessary risks on the job and my job isn't any more dangerous than Chimney's. Even if it was, it would be my choice and I have the training to deal with the danger. I am not a child, and you are not my mother, to berate me for taking risks. You do not get to make life choices for me. You need to stay in your own lane and stop trying to run my life," Buck retorted.
"You've always been too reckless," Maddie scolded. "I may not be your mother, but I did pretty much raise you. It was me you turned to every time you were hurt or scared or sick. I can't deal with you being seriously hurt again, Evan," Maddie said.
"I was reckless with myself as a child because I learned that getting hurt or risking getting hurt in their direct eyesight was the only way to get Mom and Dad's attention. But I'm not that kid anymore and I have people in my life that give me love and affection without me having to hurt myself to get it," Buck replied. "You are not my mother, but your actions lately remind me more and more of Margaret Buckley in a way that is not at all in your favour."
"How can you say that! I'm nothing like Mom. I was there for you all the time when you were a kid. Do you have any idea how hard it was to raise you when I was just a child myself?" Maddie snapped.
"And I was grateful for the things you did for me when I was little, but I raised me from the age of nine, Maddie, I'm the one who got myself up for school made my own breakfast and lunch and made sure I caught the bus on time after 3rd grade. I did my own laundry, was responsible for my own homework, signed my own permission sheets and bandaged my own skinned knees from the start of 4th grade. I ate a lot of sandwiches for dinner that year and burnt myself a couple of times trying to cook, because if I didn't make my own meals, I went hungry. Gave myself food poisoning a handful of times too and had to deal with that on my own. Learned how to fish down the back of the couch and steal a couple of dollars from Mom's purse to buy groceries and sneak them into the house when they ate out without me too often and forgot there was someone at home still in need of feeding. I was younger than Christopher is now, last time I had you or anyone else to depend on. I stopped being that innocent little kid you started to raise when you walked out of my life and left me to fend for myself."
Maddie started to cry at the blunt recital of what her leaving for college had meant for Evan. She'd been so keen to get out and live her own life that she'd barely given him a thought, finding his calls begging her t come home and visit more of an annoyance than anything. She hadn't listened to him enough to realise he was suffering without her.
"So, what gives you the right to come back into my life now and pretend that I'm still a stupid kid who doesn't know anything and needs you to make decisions for me? What gives you the right to make one of my co-workers think that of me. That kind of attitude not only puts my career in jeopardy, it makes Chimney second guess me too and again that puts both our lives in danger every time we're out on a scene. The sad thing is that Chim used to be my friend, I was happy when you first got together because he was a good and gentle man under his caustic sense of humour but you've destroyed that for us, and I don't think that we'll ever be able to get it back."
Maddie was silent, and it was just as well. There was no way she could justify having put both her brother and her boyfriend, the father of her child at risk like that. As much as she believed that firefighting was too dangerous a career for her accident-prone risk-taking baby brother, she hadn't meant to put him at risk. If he'd been hurt on the job or had caused Howie to have been hurt because of her actions she couldn't have forgiven herself.