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Standing inside a hospital underneath their available X-ray machines was nothing new to Buck; from a childhood of misbehaviours all the way up to adult accidents both on the clock and in his spare time Buck saw the inside of an X-ray room more than the average adult. It was safe to say that Buck was accident prone with a dash of blind stupidity, meaning that the combination of the two did occasionally land him in the waiting room of the nearest hospital as he waited to be seen too by a doctor. This was no exception as Buck found himself wound up in the emergency room once again after a work call turned sour.
The story was that Buck and the rest of the 118 A shift had been dispatched to a nearby cafe underneath an apartment building after there had been multiple calls of a fire that had broken out in what seemed to be the cafe’s kitchen. It was late when they had pulled up at the correct location and as they gazed upon the building it became obvious that the fire had spread. Flames licked the outer brick walls of the cafe, having melted the glass to allow it access to the open air, and had creeped up the building from both the outside and the inside and had infiltrated the first floor apartment building. Witnessing the damage Bobby instructed both Eddie and Buck up into the residence to rescue anyone that may be inhabiting the building whilst he radioed in for backup and Hen and Chimney began to hose down the fire from the ground.
As both Eddie and Buck went on a scavenger hunt into all the apartments- luckily there was only four so it wasn’t too strenuous- they swept the premises with immaculate precision until they stumbled upon an elderly lady and her dog on the top floor of the building. Since they only had one more apartment to check before evacuating they decided to split up with Eddie directing the woman outside and Buck to examine the final home. After a thorough sweep Buck concluded that the apartment was empty but as he turned to vacate the building and assist with quenching the voracious flames he stopped in his tracks and his face paled.
Suddenly the situation became a whole knew level of unsafe because as Buck turned to flee outside he was met with a wall of fire laughing at him since it was not obstructing the only exit available.. Within the time it took him to adequately check the apartment for any signs of life the fire had somehow jumped to trap him in the apartment. Buck backed up until his back collided with the wallpaper behind him and he reached for his radio for help.
“Cap, the fire’s jumped and it is now blocking the only exit, is there any way to get a ladder at a window on the north side of the building?”
The only noise for the next handful of seconds was the sounds of the roaring flames as they crept towards Buck menacingly, then suddenly his radio crackled to life and Bobby’s voice echoed out, “That’s a negative Buck, is there no way you can get out through the corridor?”
“I don’t know how far back the fire goes so I don’t want to risk it Bobby.”
Slowly Buck made his way towards the window and looked out, contemplating his next actions very carefully, he couldn’t vacate the building the traditional way but he also could climb down a ladder yet he still needed to get himself out. The other firehouse had only just arrived but nobody would get to him in time even with the extra manpower. Buck knew what he had to do but he didn’t want to do it. Leaving through this window was his only option and he would have to fling himself out on a free fall and hope for the best. There was no time to procure and inflate a cushion for a soft landing but there was a tree that Buck was positive he could reach if he propelled himself out far enough.
God damn it. Buck thought wryly.
He took one look at Bobby, who had now made eye contact with him and from his expression Buck could tell that his captain knew what he was about to do since the older man’s eyes widened and he began shaking his head. Buck however, didn’t pay his captain any mind before shunting the window wide open- luckily it opened outwards all the way- and he stood atop the windowsill for only a fraction of a second before he flung himself out of the window.
Luckily Buck made it towards the tree successfully, unluckily he couldn’t manage to secure his grip on any of the branches so he plummeted towards the ground slower than if he were to have missed the tree entirely but faster than he would have liked. Branches were tearing at the skin on his cheeks and attempting to slice the thick fabric of his uniform but none of that hurt as much as Buck’s right side when he made contact with the solid ground.
“Fuck!” Buck exclaimed loudly as pain shot rapidly across his arm and chest.
In the midst of Buck's cries of agony he almost missed the burst of fire that exploded from the window he just jumped from, only managing to catch it because of the violent sound of flames crackling in the moonlight. There was no time to preen at his impeccable timing as Hen and Chimney immediately swept in and began checking him over. They loaded him up into an ambulance as yet another fire engine rolled in from another house and Buck was frantically ushered away to the hospital.
Which summarises everything up nicely as to why Buck was now currently sitting on a hospital bed waiting for an available X-ray room to open up. Maddie was sat next to him, having been called as soon as he was admitted, but as of yet she was the only one since the rest of the 118 were still on shift battling the cafe blaze. Buck wasn’t upset though as he knew as soon as his body cracked against the concrete floor that having his entire family around him would have to wait. Ever since he fell from that window his body hadn’t stopped pulsating with waves of pain and since he had yet to be seen by a doctor Buck was getting absolutely no relief from it all.
Attempting bravely to put a smile on his face, Buck turned to his sister and said jovially, “Do you think this place does point cards; ten visits and you get the eleventh one free?”
Judging from Maddie’s thunderous face though, Buck knew he made a mistake with trying to make light of his situation. He knew Maddie often took Buck’s health more seriously than he ever did but sometimes he couldn’t help it, he got hurt so often there would be no time to be anything but upset if he were to get himself down every time. Either way, Buck just looked away and started examining the closed curtains to try and avoid a lecture from his older sister. Maddie had opened her mouth and was about to begin her criticisms of Buck’s reckless actions but luckily for Buck he was saved by the curtain being dragged open and a doctor stepping inside their space. The newly arrived man held a clipboard in his hand and cleared his throat, keeping his gaze on the pages in front of him- he hadn’t looked away from the clipboard once.
“Okay Mr Buckley, I have your intake forms here and it states that you fell from a third story window, landed on a tree, and fell on your side, is that correct?” His tone was bored, almost like this was a massive inconvenience for him, and Buck squirmed on the bed slightly at his mannerisms.
The doctor finally lifted his gaze to address Buck and recognition seemed to flood his features as he observed the LAFD uniform. Buck could see the cogs turning in his mind as the doctor realises he wasn’t dealing with an unruly drunkard, or a wannabe daredevil but a man who was doing his (very respectable) job and found himself injured because of it. Shaking his head clear of whatever thoughts were running through his mind as he took charge of Buck as a patient the man spoke again,
“Okay, we will send you in for an X-ray as soon as we can- it shouldn't be much longer. For the meantime just sit tight.”
Once the curtain fell shut and the footsteps disappeared Buck let out an unconscious giggle which Maddie glared at him for- at least it wasn’t his reckless behaviour this time. Buck just shrugged and laughed absentmindedly, “he really thought that I was some kind of delinquent.”
It was clear for a few moments that Maddie was trying to hold back her laughter until her lip quirked in betrayal and soon the duo were giggling to themselves in the sanctity of a hospital curtain. From there the siblings spoke between them quietly, conscious that a curtain has no realm of soundproofing, but Maddie seemed to have calmed down from her previously pent up demeanour. As time trundled on with no sign of any movement Buck’s side slowly seemed to increase in pain though it wasn’t enough to warrant alerting the staff as it was more just relentless, dull throbbing. Buck was starting to get bored and was close to fidgeting with the nearby equipment but luckily he was saved by a nurse inviting herself into the curtained room and whisked Buck away for his X-ray.
Making small talk with the nurse Buck tried not to let his apprehension show, because despite becoming familiar friends with the art of X-ray Buck had never managed to shake the tension that would slung to his muscles as soon as he would enter an X-ray room. It was a bizarre fear and he knew as much; Buck could handle needles, MRI’s, and surgeries, but when it came to standing in a room for the smallest amount of time alone, waiting for the buzzes and clicking to subside before the attending doctor would return to the room. The whole process always felt cold and lonely to Buck, so it was always a procedure he was happy to see the back of once it was over.
Quickly, Buck arrived at the X-ray room and he was ushered inside by the nurse to be confronted with the radiologist. Suddenly, he was being positioned in front of the dreaded machine to x-ray his chest by the doctor as if he was a doll in a child’s playhouse. The radiologist quickly vacated the room for a few moments only but it was in those moments where Buck’s breath caught in his throat and his hands began to tremble at his sides. Before he could fall into a deeper state of anxiety the door reopened and the doctor strolled in and quickly manoeuvred Buck over to a table and chair where he sat down in order to have his arm scanned appropriately. Cursing that dreaded cafe and the stupid apartment and it’s flammable nature, Buck sat stiffly in the chair as he was left alone once again, the only noticeable movement was the frantic jutting of his leg. When the radiologist wandered back inside for the final time, Buck was more than ready to escape the dreaded room and return to his friendly hospital curtains.
On the way back Buck was practically skipping back to Maddie and was noticeably cheerier. Arriving at his curtain Buck flung it open just to get the fright of his life to see not just Maddie waiting for him but the entire 118 and Athena all sat chattering amongst themselves. At the sight of Buck they all cheered and rushed to greet him and direct him to the bed to reinstate himself underneath the covers.
“I didn’t know that your shift had ended.” Buck spoke dumbfounded.
“I asked if B shift were willing to come in an hour early so we could come see how you were doing- it just means that next shift we have to repay the favour.” Bobby mused.
Surrounded by his friends Buck lost himself in the joyous conversations and it did a good job to dull the incessant pulsing from his injuries. He smiled, despite the pain, as he realised how great his support system was and in the throes of familial kindness he realised that even though the despised an X-ray machine, it wasn’t so bad when he had the 118 and co. to greet him when he came back.