Chapter Text
December 19
Buck is ready to enjoy his day off. Chris is at school, Eddie is enjoying a gossip session with Hen, and Buck is just going to relax in front of the TV. He loves his job, but with Christmas coming soon and training the new probie has been a lot of work. But at least Charlie is good at their job, and they learn fast.
He slouches on the couch and starts one of the many movies Chim can't stop talking about. Today he's watching The Transporter. Not a bad movie, he's even having a good time, not that he will ever admit it to Chimney, it's so good to see him lose his mind.
He's at Statham's first change of shirt, he can understand the appeal, but let's be honest, Eddie is way better and hotter than the actor. Eddie should definitely be an actor; he would be so successful. Wait, maybe not, he would be too successful, and Buck doesn't want other people fawning over his boyfriend.
Anyway. Buck watches as Jason Statham changes his shirt when his phone rings. Eyes still glue on the television, he fishes his phone without looking at who is calling him.
"Yup?" He says in place of greetings, his mouth full of popcorn.
"Buckaroo?"
When he hears Athena's voice, he immediately stands up, pauses the movie, and frowns. He feels a wave of anxiety running through him.
"Thena?" He swallows the rest of the food with difficulty. "Everything is okay?"
"Yes, don't worry. Everything is fine. He is fine." He can hear the accent she puts on when she talks about Bobby, but it doesn't help him. "Look, I'm at work, the kids are in class, can you pick Bobby up. He's at Cedar."
Buck, who was already in his car, almost drives into another car.
"What?" He's sure his voice comes out strangled, but how can't it not. Bobby is in the hospital. "I'm on my way."
He's sure Athena keeps talking to him, and he answers her with hums, yes, and sure. But he doesn't register what's happening. He's speeding through traffic, and he's pretty sure he got flashed. Honestly, he's lucky he doesn't meet a patrol officer. He's not sure even Athena wouldn't be able to save him.
He parks badly and turns his car off. "I just got there. I'll call you back, Thena."
He hangs up without waiting for an answer and rushes into the hospital. He knows where to go immediately; hell, he could find his way with his eyes closed.
'You know that's not normal to be able to do that,' his mind murmurs to him.
'Shut up. Now's not the time!' he shoots back.
He doesn't know the nurse at the welcome station; she looks young, new, and alone. He stops abruptly in front of the desk, and his apparition makes her startle.
"Hi, sir," she says, and even her voice sounds young. She might be around May and Charlie's age. "How can I help you?"
Buck looks around, there's no one he knows there, no one to just let him go until the ER and find Bobby. He tries to smile, but he feels how it must look fake, he's toi tensed for this.
"I'm here for Bobby Nash." He should have said hello.
The young nurse nods and looks down at the computer. She frowns and, without looking up, she asks.
"Can I have your name, please?”
"Buck." He winces when he hears his tone. It's not her fault; he needs to calm down. He takes a deep breath before speaking again, softer. "Sorry. I'm Evan Buckley."
The nurse looks up at him. She seems surprised, but she smiles softly and nods before going back to the computer.
"Sorry, I…" she frowns and sighs. "Are you family?"
Buck, who's biting his nail because of the stress of being kept from Bobby, frowns at her.
"Yes. I'm…" he stops himself. He's not Bobby's main emergency contact, he's not Athena, and last he knew, only May and Harry are legally considered kids. He doesn't know if they changed his hospital records. Most of the staff here know the 118. They don't really check when they come to pick up or see each other. Which, yes, it should be concerning.
'I told you so,' his brain supplies, but he ignores it. Instead, he sighs and drags a hand across his face; he doesn't miss the way the young nurse flinches.
'Relax, Buckley. You're going to scare her. You don't need to be thrown out of the hospital.'
"Sorry. Bobby is…" well Bobby is his dad. He's the father he chose and who chose him. But he's not legally. Can he lie to the staff? Would it be lying? He doesn't want to put the new nurse in trouble.
"Buck?" another voice interrupts his train of thought. He looks up and behind the new nurse, who turned around and obviously relaxes when she sees her colleague. It's Kaitlyn. The nurse in charge. "You're here to see Bobby?"
Buck's shoulders sag in relief, and he nods quickly. Kaitlyn doesn't have the look all professionals have in their eyes when they have something bad to announce to families. She smiles gently and nods before turning to the other nurse.
"Natasha," she looks around. "Where's Brandon? Did he leave you alone?"
Natasha jumps from one foot to another, hesitation clear; she probably doesn't want to put someone in trouble.
"He had to rush to the bathroom." She shoots a worried glance at Kaitlyn. "I think he's sick."
Kaitlyn pinches the bridge of her nose and sighs. "Not another one. Okay, I'm walking Buck to Bobby, and I'm sending someone to help you. And I'm calling back-ups."
She waits for the younger one to nod before gesturing to Buck to follow her. Once he's next to her, she excuses herself.
"Sorry for that. We have something running around, and it's knocking everyone out of service. Also, it's Natasha's second day, and she wasn't supposed to be alone."
Buck nods. He knows how hard it can be in their line of work to find a replacement.
"But anyway, you're not here for this." She stops abruptly, and Buck almost crashes into her. "Bobby is okay, he's perfectly fine. He told me that you might be worried sick, so I came to welcome you. Are you okay?"
Buck sighs; he almost lies, but honestly, he doesn't want to lie to Kaitlyn or the nursing staff here. They're always so nice when one of them ends up hurt. He shrugs.
"I'll be once I see him."
Kaitlyn smiles and nods. She pats his arm and starts walking again.
The Most Amazing Wife: Buck is already here.
Yes, he's panicking.
Bobby sighs, reading Athena's text. When Athena told him that she would call Buck to get him, he knew that the kid would probably panic. But he arrived at the hospital in record time, much to Bobby's dislike. His phone buzzes again.
The Most Amazing Wife: I'm going to have a word with this boy.
"Everything is okay, Bobby?"
The man looks up from his phone. Kaitlyn is poking her head inside the curtain and looks at John, who just finished his bandage.
"I'm fine. Actually, Buck is here, and he might actually be worried sick. Can I go?"
Both nurses exchange a look, and Bobby is surprised Buck isn't already opening the curtain to ask them 100 questions about Bobby's health. But Bobby is fine, he's great. It's a stupid injury, and he doesn't even need many stitches.
"I'd like to check one or two things one last time before releasing you," John says calmly. "Just to be sure. At least your temperature. And I'll give you the papers. But you'll have to come back in three days."
Bobby looks at Kaitlyn, hoping she'll let him go, but she only agrees with her colleague. "I'll check on Buck. I'm impressed he hasn't barged in yet."
John snickers, and Bobby sighs, nodding when he understands that he's stuck here. Also, they really talk about them like they work here. That's something he doesn't miss, coming here so often, he knows everyone.
Finally, after what feels like an eternity, the curtain opens with force, and Buck finally appears. His posture is tense, and his eyes are wide open. Bobby feels the kid scanning him from head to toes, doing a double take at his bandaged palm.
"Pops." Buck finally takes the few steps that separate them and stops close to the bed. Bobby sees the hesitation and how his hands hover close to his, so he extends them for Buck to take. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Buck, it's just a cut," Bobby reassures the man holding his hand and inspecting it. "Mostly a bruised ego with how much the paramedics laughed at me."
John laughs, and Buck snaps his head toward him, a silent question in his eyes.
"He is perfectly fine." John nods."I'm going to grab the discharged papers."
The nurse leaves, and Bobby studies Buck. He can feel the nervous energy coming from the kid.
"Kid," he waits to have Buck's full attention. "I'm okay."
"Yeah. Sorry. It's just…" Buck cuts himself and sighs before finally dropping into the chair next to him. "What even happened?"
Bobby grimaces at the question because this is really a stupid situation. He sighs.
"The new neighbors we told you about?" Buck frowns but still nods. "They have a dog, like a big one that gets easily bored. I was on the phone with May, cooking, and the dog must have been running because he knocked something over. I got scared and cut myself."
Bobby watches as Buck registers the information he just told him, nodding along.
"But how did you end up in the hospital?"
Bobby's shoulders slump even further down, "May called 9-1-1. I tried telling her it wasn't needed, but she did." The older man shakes his head, but can't blame his step-daughter because he would have acted the same. "Paramedics insisted on bringing me here, after they laughed a little."
"And they were right!" John suddenly says, opening the curtain, making them jump. He smiles gently at them as he sits on a stool, before speaking again in a more serious tone. "Sorry. But they were still right. You need to be careful, your immune system is lower than it should be. If you hurt yourself, you need to be careful not to infect the wound."
Bobby knows that. With all the experiences they inflicted on him, all the viruses injected in his body, any cut or wound can end up infected. He knows he needs to be careful, but it doesn't mean he can't hate it. Still, it could be worse, so he avoids complaining too much.
"I know." Bobby ends up saying, not wanting to argue with John.
John smiles and gives him some paper. "Perfect. Here is everything you need, and the discharge papers. Just hand them to someone when you're done. And I hope I won't see you soon." He points to Buck. "And you are included in it."
Buck chuckles, and Bobby relaxes, seeing Buck finally calmer. They both say goodbye to the nurse, and Bobby starts filling out the discharge papers.
"You know," he says, with a smirk, not looking at Buck. "Athena tried to explain what happened to you. But you weren't listening."
He looks up, the kid is sitting straight in his chair, face pale. Bobby can't stop the laugh that escapes him. "Also, you came pretty quickly."
Buck groans and sinks into his chair. "I'm in for a lecture, uh?"
Bobby laughs again, and when he catches Buck's eyes, the kid laughs too. They fill the rest of the paper in silence, the previous tension finally gone. They start to leave, Buck updates the former captain on Chris's last school project, and when they pass the welcome desk, they are stopped by a young nurse.
"Mr. Buckley?" She asks with a small voice, eyes lightly cast down. "I wanted to say sorry about earlier."
Bobby raises an eyebrow. The nurse, Natasha, eyes flicker between him and Buck, awkwardness emanating from her entire body.
"It's okay," Buck says, and Bobby doesn't miss the glance the younger man throws toward him. "I mean… I get it."
Bobby hears how Buck's voice wavers at the end of the sentence, and it raises alarms in his head. He steps a bit closer to Buck, trying to offer the kid some comfort.
"What happened?" He asks in a voice as soft as possible.
"Nothing," Buck answers too quickly, and Bobby narrows his eyes toward him, but he isn't looking at him.
"I didn't let him in." Natasha's answer is also rapid fire. It reminds Bobby of Chimney when the paramedic has a secret. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know. His name and yours, and it's my first day and…"
Wow. Bobby holds up a hand, and the young woman shuts her mouth so suddenly Bobby can hear it. He smiles softly at her.
"Slow down. It's okay." He talks like he talks to panicked kids on a call.
"Yeah, don't worry." Buck laughs awkwardly. "If you knew the mistakes I made when I started as a firefighter."
Bobby winces, "Maybe not today, Kid."
Buck cackles loudly, and Natasha relaxes. "What I mean is I get it. You're all understaffed, you were alone, and having someone panic in front of you can make you panic too." He gives the new nurse one of his Buck-smiles. The kind of smile that makes you feel at ease automatically. "You'll get better, I'm sure of it."
Natasha blushes, looks down at her feet, and Bobby stifles a laugh. The Buck-charm still works.
"Thank you." She says with a soft voice. "And I'm sorry again."
Buck shrugs and smiles at Natasha before she goes back to work.
Both men leave the hospital, once in the car, Buck checks his phone and complains when he sees the number of texts from Athena.
"I'm screwed, Pops." He states starting the car.
Buck turns the music on, his gaze is fixed on the road, the only sign of distraction is the fingers tapping the wheel in rhythm. Bobby knows what it means. Buck needs some space, so Bobby doesn't ask questions. Not yet.
Buck can feel Bobby's eyes on his back while he's fixing them something quick to eat, and some coffee. He knows that Bobby wants to talk, but he's glad the older man is giving him some space, letting him think of what to say.
Because Buck doesn't want not to talk about it, but he needs to gather his thoughts. Wow, therapy truly is a good thing.
He turns off the gas, puts the sandwiches in plates, grabs them and the mugs before sitting down across Bobby. He looks as the man takes a bite of one of his sandwiches and hums.
"They're really good, Buck."
Buck feels himself blush. He will never be able not to blush when Bobby compliments him on his food. Almost, he knows he owes it to Bobby.
"Thanks." He says, ducking his head. "Actually, it's Jee's favorite food for the moment. She doesn't want to eat anything else."
He shakes his head, chuckling, and Bobby does too. When the silence settles again, he feels Bobby's piercing gaze on him. Buck stalls by taking a bite of his sandwich before looking up.
"Fine," he sighs and gestures to Bobby. "Shoot."
He doesn't look away. He inspects Bobby from the lines caused by his frown to the slight tilt of his head, and the worries in his eyes. Bobby puts his grilled cheese on the plate.
"You know I'm fine, kid."
Okay, so they are starting with this, fine with Buck. Well, not fine, but still.
"I know." Buck sighs and passes a hand through his hair. "I know, but when I heard you were in the hospital, I just panicked. You haven't in a hospital since…"
He doesn't finish his sentence; he doesn't need to, honestly, they both know what he means. The last time Bobby was in the hospital for anything other than a checkup was when they freed him from the lab. Bobby extends his hand and puts it on one of Buck's, bringing him some comfort.
"I know. Trust me, if I didn't like hospitals before. It's even worse now."
Both men grimace. Buck can totally imagine it. Sometimes when he thinks about what Bobby's been through, he feels a surge of anger and wants to make those people pay. But he has him back now, so he focuses on this fact.
"But," Bobby speaks up again, and Buck looks back at him. "I'd rather wait for you to come get me than to have you in an accident, kid."
Bobby's gaze is so heavy that Buck has to look away for a second. The other man is still holding his hand, a welcome source of warmth.
"You're right. I'm sorry." Bobby shakes his head, but Buck is sorry he didn't want Bobby to worry. "Plus, if I get in an accident for something like this, I think the others would be so mad. And Eddie might put me in the dog house, with Chris's support."
When Bobby laughs, Buck takes it as a win.
"He'll have mine too, kid."
Buck puts both hands on his heart in a mock shock expression.
"Oh wow, Pops. Thanks for the support."
Bobby chuckles at the remark but sobers up quickly. Buck can almost hear his mind saying, 'speaking about pops'. But this time, he doesn't say anything, waiting for his former captain to talk first.
"Speaking of which." Bobby's full attention is back on him, and Buck shifts a bit. "You know what happened in the hospital doesn't mean anything, right?”
Buck leans back into his chair and looks at the ceiling. He knows that. They both, well, the fifth of them, talked about it time and time again. And they talked about Buck's insecurities, too. And look, Buck is secure in his place in the family. Well, most of the time. Because he can't lie, today stung a little. Like a slap from reality. One that reminded him of his real place in the eyes of the outside world.
"I know. Trust me, I know."
He looks back at the other man, and here it is, Bobby's concern for him. And weirdly, it warms something in Buck. Because here they are, talking about it, instead of tiptoeing around it. They made so much progress. Buck ducks his head and shakes it. He's happy and proud of them. And when he thinks about this whole situation, when he looks up at Bobby, who's still waiting patiently for him to express his feelings, he can't help the soft smile he offers his father.
"I know." He repeats this time with more assurance. "I won't lie, it hurt at the time. Like reality had just dropped a cold bucket on him. But you know what, Pops?"
The firefighter grins when Bobby's eyebrows shoot up in surprise.
"I mean, look at us," he gestures between the two of them. "Look at the conversation we're having. It's all I need." He pauses, seeing that it's Bobby's turn to be overwhelmed by emotions. "Well, that and you not cutting yourself too."
Bobby ducks his head before looking at him with a fond smile. "Me too, kid. Me too."
After a few seconds, they go back to their meal. Buck tells Bobby about his last shift and the new probie, when suddenly a big bang echoes from upstairs, making Buck drop his grilled cheese.
"Shit, you weren't kidding."
Bobby laughs, "I know. But we might have found a house."
Buck looks at him in surprise, and Bobby tilts his head with a silent question in his eyes. Then, the older man's eyes widen.
"Don't tell Athena I told you that. We haven't told anyone. We're still waiting for an answer. And it be until January."
Buck burst out laughing at the older man's expression. He laughs so hard it hurts, and it makes all the tension from the day disappear.
Buck stays so they can watch a movie together. They start the one the kid was watching before getting interrupted, and Bobby rolls his eyes fondly at him every time Buck comments on it.
Later during the day, Athena comes home, May and Harry on her tail. The tree of them check on Bobby, and he lets them without complaining… too much.
Then Athena gives Buck the lecture of his life, while Bobby forces himself not to laugh at the defeated look on Buck, who looks small next to a scalding Athena. May and Harry don't stop themselves from laughing at Buck, but when their mom throws them a dark glare, they go to another room to laugh. Bobby takes a picture and sends it to Eddie.
When Buck catches Bobby's action, he points at him and looks at Athena. "He told me about the house."
Athena's eyes flicker to him, "We're talking about it later." She orders before turning back to Buck. "We're not done, young man."
Bobby sighs and chooses to leave the room, not wanting any more of Athena's wrath.
Later that night, after a dinner with the kids and the Diaz boys, the couple lies in bed. The day had been tiring, but still, now in the calm of his room, his wife silently reading next to him, Bobby thinks back on what happened in the hospital. He hears Athena close her book and shift.
"What's going on in that head of yours, baby?" She asks, leaning against him.
So Bobby tells him what happened and the mistake the young nurse made. Athena hums and nods against his chest.
"And what are you going to do about it?" He can hear her smile; he knows it's not a real question. She knows what he wants to do, and she agrees.
He snorts. "You're not surprised?"
Athena raises her head so their eyes can meet. She raises an eyebrow and gives him her best 'are you serious right now' look.
"Come on. It was just a matter of time.