Chapter Text
February 2019
Abby’s gone.
She had been, for months, but he’d never allowed himself to believe it. She’d been his first real love, the type of love that leaves a mark when they’re gone. When he had first accepted that the idea of her had vanished, he made a promise to himself- that whoever he was before her was gone too.
But here he was anyway, a few months later, in some seedy bar that should have been demolished a year ago. He’s not expecting anything, really. Maybe just a drink or two to keep the edge off. Sure, Maddie’s okay now, but she wasn’t before, and he can’t handle another broken promise.
“Lookin’ a little lonely, hotshot,” a voice purred into his ear. Slowly, Buck turned toward the voice, which belonged to a woman Buck 1.0 would have taken to immediately. There was a type of fakeness to her that overwhelmed any type of sincerity she may have had. She was blonde, like most women like her in Los Angeles were, and wore heavy eye makeup that didn’t really do much for her.
So, fake.
“Not lonely,” Buck mumbled. “And not interested.”
But maybe he was. Interested, that is. He wasn’t drunk. He was thinking clearly. Maybe Buck 1.0 had some good ideas. Sex bit the edge off better than anything the bartender could give him.
“I don’t think you mean that, baby,” the woman insisted, beckoning to the bartender. “I think you need something.”
“Maybe you’re right,” he agreed. The bartender appeared with two clear-looking shots, and Buck downed them both, restraining from making a face. Vodka.
The woman stroked her fingers down Buck’s back, which made him shiver. He liked the feeling. The tingle. The shiver.
“That’s more like it, sugar,” she murmured. “Wanna get out of here?”
It wouldn’t hurt to let go for a night. He’d earned it.
“Yeah,” Buck said, a little stronger from the vodka. “Let’s.”
But it wasn’t just for a night.
Buck fell back into the cycle. He’d meet someone at a bar, they’d hook up, (usually in the bathroom or the alley, though sometimes they’d bring him back to their place), rinse and repeat. But Buck 1.5 had some rules for himself: don’t do it the night before work, and don’t get his family involved. They didn’t need to know.
And his system worked. Sure, he had a bruise or two his next shift back, but nothing crazy enough to make someone question.
He used it until he didn’t need it anymore.
Until Ali came back.
Until the ladder truck crushed his leg, and his heart in the process.
~~~
February 2020
Compared to this time last year, Buck was doing pretty well. Maddie was fine and stable with Chimney, his family was closer than ever, and he hasn’t thought about having a relationship in months.
Of course, the other shoe waited for the perfect time to drop.
It was Chris’ biweekly night with Abuela, so Eddie was wasting his time with Buck, like normal. Eddie brought the beer, and Buck provided everything else, like normal.
The entire night was normal until the doorbell rang. The pair looked at each other, but Buck shrugged.
“I’ll get it,” he said.
He opened the door, but there was no one there. All that was left was a small basket. Nothing too crazy, but after the events of last year, Buck didn’t want to take any chances.
“Eddie, come look at this!” Buck called from the door. Eddie appeared behind him almost immediately.
“It’s just a basket, Buck,” Eddie deadpans.
“Yeah, but after last year-”
“You don’t want to take any chances. I get it.”
Eddie stooped low to get a better view of the basket. Buck tensed as he poked the basket.
Nothing happened.
“See, Buck,” Eddie teased, “nothing to be-”
The contents of the basket let out a sniffle and a low whine.
“Eddie, I don’t think…”
The pair stilled, and whatever was inside sniffled once more.
Eddie unwrapped the basket to reveal a sleeping baby, swaddled in one of the cutest blankets Buck had ever seen. She had tufts of curling dark hair that peeked out from under a matching hat.
But someone left a baby. At his front door.
“Ummm,” Buck completely froze. It’d been months since he hooked up with someone, and he’s not a hard person to find. If he had gotten someone pregnant, he would have been told.
Eddie scooped the child into his arms and nudged the basket towards Buck with his foot.
“Look for a note or a birth certificate or something,” Eddie instructed. “I’ll call Athena, just in case.”
“I don’t think you’ll need to, Eds.”
Buck had pulled out a manila folder with Melody Buckley written on the front. Inside was a stack of papers that Buck assumed were the baby’s information.
“Dammit,” he mumbled. He unceremoniously shoved the papers back into the folder and groaned.
“Calling Athena and Maddie for emotional support then,” Eddie attempted to joke.
And honestly, Buck couldn’t blame him. He probably would have called them too, if he were alone. And probably Eddie, while he was at it.
Eddie had sat on the couch with Melody so it was easier to use his phone. Taking a breath, Buck made his way back and plopped down next to him, trying not to jostle his daughter(?) too much.
“Give me the baby and take the folder,” Buck commanded.
“A please and thank you would be nice,” Eddie snickered.
“Please give me the baby that is possibly my daughter while you take the folder and look through the papers.”
Eddie rolled his eyes but gave Buck the baby. He only saw a baby picture of his sister once or twice, but Melody looked exactly like Maddie, except that she had Buck’s eyes.
There was no mistake that this baby was his, and Buck couldn’t decide if he was happy or not.
“I have a birth certificate saying that she's three months old, medical records, custody papers, and a note,” Eddie reported and Buck didn’t know how to respond.
“Custody papers?” He choked out.
Eddie skimmed over one of the packets. “The mother granted you full custody. Brittany Anderson?”
That name meant absolutely nothing to Buck. But looking at Melody, she was born at least a couple of months ago, which meant,
“Shit.”
Eddie looked alarmed. “Buck, what’s wrong?”
“Just read me the note, Eddie. Please.”
Eddie nodded and shuffled the papers around to find it, and Buck braced himself for the inevitable.
“Evan,” Eddie read, and Buck couldn’t help but flinch at the use of his given name. She must have Googled him, somehow.
“Do you-”
“Just get it over with, Eds.”
“Okay. Evan-
This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. We both know that. You didn’t know me, and I didn’t know you. Not until the accident last April. When I realized it was you, I had just found out I was pregnant. I was worried it was yours, but there were still other options. But after she was born, genetically, you were the only option-”
“-Wait,” Buck interrupted. “Did she just-”
“Just called you the only white guy she slept with, I think so,” Eddie laughed dryly.
“Damn. Just my luck,” Buck mused. “Keep going.”
“-Finding out you were a firefighter scared me, Evan. That, and combined with how you were when we met-,”
Eddie’s words fizzled out, and it didn’t take a genius to figure out why. Though he wasn’t there in the beginning, Eddie had heard the stories time and again, most from Buck’s own mouth. “Buck?” He asked, concerned.
Buck mulled over his words before responding. “Maddie had just been through it with Doug, and that mixed with Abby, I wasn’t handling it well,” he answered honestly. Athena might ask him the same question later, so telling Eddie first felt like a good option. “Buck 1.0 made his appearance again.”
“Oh Buck,” Eddie said, pity laced in his voice.
“I’m fine, she’s fine, we’re all fine, Eddie. Just finish the letter.”
“-I was scared you wouldn’t want her, so I tried my best to take care of her. I tried so hard, Evan. But I can’t. So I found you, and saw that you have the support system I wish I had. I’ve given you everything I could think of that you would need. Please take care of Melody like I know you will.
B.A”
Eddie slid the letter back into its folder. “Huh,” he said.
And wasn’t that a word to describe it.
“Should I be worried about how easy it was to find your address?”
Buck shrugged. “I mean, probably?” But he had no real opinions on the matter. It brought him Melody, his daughter, so he couldn’t be too mad about it. But, he’ll probably talk to Athena about it later.
There were two sharp knocks at the door, and Eddie stopped Buck from getting up. “Just hold your kid while you can, Buck,” he said, and Buck couldn’t argue with that.
Buck heard the door open and Eddie whispered, “thanks for coming. She just settled back down,” and Buck wondered how much Maddie and Athena knew.
Or, well, how much his team knew, seeing that they were all there.
“Why, uh, is everyone-”
“I was with Maddie,” Chimney offered with an energetic wave. “And she seemed worried, so I called Hen.”
Hen nodded, and Karen was next to her, holding a bundle of items.
“He also called to see if Karen and I had any baby things to spare. And Bobby just came along as moral support.”
Bobby gave him a warm smile, and Buck felt his eyes fill with tears.
“Wow, guys,” he whispered, voice thick. “Thanks.”
“But, as much as we would all appreciate a social visit, we do need to talk about this, Buckaroo,” Athena said. “What happened?”
Buck explained everything from the start, about how Buck 1.0 had made an appearance (which made everyone cringe) to their current predicament.
“How did she know it was yours though, since it was a hookup?” Chimney asked.
“She saw me on the news and learned my name that way.”
Hen put a hand on his shoulder. “I think he means, yours specifically?”
Eddie snorted. “He was the only white guy she had slept with in a while, apparently.”
His team let out small laughs which made Buck smile. “That mixed with the fact she looks exactly like Maddie did when she was a baby.”
He held Melody closer to Maddie for her to take a look, and his sister almost burst into tears on the spot.
“She does, doesn’t she,” Maddie whispered. “But she has your eyes, Evan.”
Buck looked back at Athena. “I really don’t want to worry about a DNA test, ‘Thena.”
“And,” Eddie added, handing her the stack of papers, “the mother put his name on the birth certificate, and based on everything else, I think it’s safe to say we just roll with it.”
Even with the reassurances, Athena still looked a little uneasy.
“Buck, it would really make me feel better if you did the test. We can’t just rely on a birth certificate with a name put there by someone you forgot existed.”
Right.
Because all Melody was at that point was a baby left on someone’s doorstep.
Buck readjusted his hold on the baby. Athena was probably right. Under the slim possibility that Melody was not his daughter, a whole other can of worms could open.
“I’ll set up an appointment next week.”
~~~
March 2020
Melody was proven to be Buck’s daughter at the beginning of March.
Bobby had announced a probable shutdown a week later.
The team had just finished up a call from an elderly gentleman complaining about chest pain and shortness of breath.
“I swear,” Buck heard Hen mutter, “that was the fifth call this week, and it’s a Tuesday.”
“I’m really not liking the look of this new coronavirus,” Chim said. “It’s reminding me a lot of SARS, but it’s not responding to any treatments the same way.”
“Or at all,” Hen finished.
Buck had no clue what they were talking about. He vaguely remembered Maddie talking about it when he was maybe twelve, but that was it.
“What do you think is gonna happen?” Buck prodded. “If Mel gets it-”
Before Buck could finish his thought, Bobby’s voice rang through the house.
“Alright, team,” Cap called out over the loft. “Meeting in five. I’ve taken us off for a little bit.”
“You think this was about the call?” Eddie asked, sneaking up behind Buck. He jumped a bit and the team laughed.
“Where did you come from?” Buck accused.
Eddie raised an eyebrow. “The… truck?” He said, point towards it. “Where did you think I was?”
“It doesn’t matter,” Hen interjected. “Let’s just go upstairs and get this meeting over with.”
They all agreed and made their way upstairs to where Bobby was, holding a packet of papers. Bobby looked around the loft before he started speaking.
“We have everyone?” He asked. “Yes. Good. So I think we’ve all noticed an influx of these respiratory calls, right?” The team nodded as Cap continued his speech. “I’m not liking the looks of it right now, and I don’t think you guys are either. I’ve gotten some numbers from the hospitals and they’re with us.”
“Cap,” Buck ventured, “where are you going with this?”
Bobby gave Buck the look and kept going. “Now, after talking to a couple of the other Captains, we’ve all agreed that we need to start wearing gloves and masks at each call, no matter the situation.”
Chimney looked like he was about to make a joke, but Bobby shut him down with a, “Chimney, what do you think?”
“What do you think the county’s gonna do, Cap?” Hen asked.
“To be honest, Hen,” Bobby sighed, “I really hope for a shut down.”
The loft exploded into exasperation and Bobby held his hands up in surrender. “And hear me out before you’re all up in arms. Half of Europe is already shut down to keep it from spreading.”
“That’s… extensive,” Buck heard Eddie murmur.
“I know this isn’t what you want to hear, but as your Captain, my job, first and foremost, is to keep you safe and bring you home. And if this is how we do it, so be it.”
The news not a week later only confirmed what Bobby had told them.
“-mask up, stay inside, and keep-” Hen turned off the TV before the anchor said anything else. “I can’t be making myself freak out at ten in the morning,” she rationalized.
Buck vaguely paid attention to the speech Bobby made that was only slightly more specific than his last.
“Damn, Bobby,” Chim whistled, “are you a psychic?”
“Not a psychic, Chim,” Bobby said. “I just follow the news.”
~~~
April 2020
They system had been in place for around a month and Buck was already at his wit’s end.
“I don’t know what to do anymore, Eds,” Buck complained to Eddie one night over beers. “I’m scared to go to work, and I’m terrified to come home.”
On the news, Buck had seen testimonies from other first responders about how they slept in the garage or outside, or not even at their own homes.
But he couldn’t do that. Not to Melody, who was turning five months old soon.
At the beginning of the shutdown, Buck and Eddie had immediately decided that their “bubbles” (as the media called) had to contain each other. Buck couldn’t raise a baby by himself, and Eddie was losing Carla to her family out of state.
Eddie took a long sip of his beer.
“Would you be open to leaving active duty for a bit?”
Buck choked on his own beer.
“Seriously, Eddie?” he asked, affronted that Eddie would even attempt to mention it. “Do you not remember what happened last time?”
Eddie placed his beer onto a coaster before shifting, one hand grasping Buck in the comfortable space where his shoulder and neck meet.
“Buck, hey, hear me out.”
He waited until Buck nodded before he continued.
“I know you hate not being out there with us, but you’ve got to remember, we’re already on different shifts.”
Oh, yeah.
Since Buck and Melody moved into the Diaz house, he and Eddie decided to take alternating shifts, so someone was always at home with the kids, and one the rare occasion they weren’t, Maddie offered to step in.
“If you take the fire marshall job, or maybe the liaison at dispatch, you could be home with the kids more often. One less chance for exposure.”
“What about you, Eds?”
Eddie shrugged, “I’ll probably sleep in the garage, at least for now. It’s nice enough.”
“I hate kicking you out of your home,” Buck honest-to-god pouted.
“You’re not kicking me out, Buck,” reassured Eddie. “I’m offering you my home.”
“I-”
“Just promise me you’ll think about it.”
Buck had no idea what to say. Everything Eddie had presented him with was true. The whole point of the lawsuit was because he was losing his family. He’s not in the same circumstances these days.
“Let’s talk to Cap, and see what he thinks.”
Unfortunately for Buck, Bobby thought it was a good idea.
“I know this isn’t what any of us want,” Bobby said, “but I think it would be the best. I want to say it would only be for a few weeks, but…”
“It doesn’t look like it’s ending anytime soon. Yeah Cap.”
“On the bright side,” Bobby offered, “I’ve been hearing some things about A-Shift shuffling houses.”
Eddie’s ears perked up. “I totally forgot about that! Chimney’s been trying to find someone to stash Albert.”
Albert? Who the hell-
Eddie must have noticed Buck’s confusion because he rolled his eyes and said, “his brother?”
In Buck’s defense, between Melody and switching off A-shift, he doesn’t know much about the lives of his friends, even though Maddie is apparently living with the both of them.
“Oh, yeah. You made him sound like a dog or something”
Eddie and Bobby laughed good-naturedly.
“So, Buck, will you sleep on it?”
“Yeah, I think I will.”
~~~
May 2020
Two weeks later, Buck had finally thought of a solution for all of their problems.
“I have a plan,” he told his team-slash-family over a Zoom call (it was easier than Facetime.)
“Here we go,” Hen jabbed. “The return of Clipboard Buck.”
“Actually…” Buck trails off.
“Wait, Buck,” Eddie turned in shock. “You actually did it?”
“Wait. Did what?”
“Buck what did you do?”
This wasn’t the first Zoom call of the Lockdown, yet this was the first that Albert was attending, on Buck’s insistence. Buck felt a bit bad for him.
Albert raised his hand. “Why am I here, exactly?” He asked.
“If your family would let me explain,” Buck replied, slightly annoyed.
“Fine Buck, what is it?” Chimney asked.
“The answers to all of our problems. As of tomorrow, I will no longer be an active duty member of the LAFD.”
The team gasped, and Eddie gave Buck a little nudge.
“I knew it,” he whispered.
“Don’t let it get to your head,” Buck whispered back.
Maddie looked extremely worried at Buck’s declaration.
“Buck, is everything-”
“Physically, I am fine.” He probably shouldn’t have said it like that, but he plowed on. “I realized that a remote desk job would probably be better for Melody, and as you all know, I’m staying with Eddie, so by extension, Chris too.”
“Okay, so your problem is solved,” Hen summarized, “but you mentioned you’ve fixed ours too?”
Buck grinned. “Yup! The loft is vacant, so Albert can move in there, Maddie can stay with us in the Diaz house, and everyone else goes over to Chim and Maddie’s place.”
The team gaped at him as he finished with a flourish.
Chim slapped his forehead. “Why didn’t we think of this?”
Eddie shrugged. “Because you didn’t know about Buck’s change in career path?”
“That probably would have been helpful,” Hen agreed. “Why didn’t you tell us, Buck?”
“I didn’t want to worry you all,” Buck said honestly. “And I needed to make sure the transfer went through before I brought it up.”
“My question is,” Maddie said. “Are you kicking Eddie out of his own house?”
Eddie waved his hand. “Nah. Honestly, we’ve been here longer than we should have, with two high-risk kids. I’ll probably try the garage for a bit, or move in with Hen and Chim.”
”Just moving yourself into my own home, I see,” Chimney jabbed.
“We fixed your problems. Be grateful your brother has a home, Chim,” Buck joked.
Albert still seemed a bit uneasy about the whole ordeal. “Are you sure, Buck?” He asked. “I don’t want to be encroaching on your private space, given that we hardly know each other.”
Buck waved it off. “You’re all good, man,” he said. “I’ve been trying to find a better place anyways. If you can afford it, I may just switch the deed over.”
“You’re kidding, Buck,” Maddie exclaimed.
“I’ve already been living with Eddie for a while now. I don’t see myself going back anytime soon. It’ll just be easier for everyone if I open up the loft for Albert.”
“Thank you, Buck,” Albert said gratefully.
“Then it’s settled,” Buck cheered.
~~~
Summer 2020
And that’s how it went.
Maddie moved in with Buck, Melody, and Chris two days after the family Zoom call, and Hen moved in with Chimney. Eddie tried to sleep in the garage when he was off shift, but it just made everyone a lot more miserable, so he too moved in with Chim.
Albert didn’t have much in terms of stuff, so moving him into the loft was easy. Buck left him the basics in terms of housewares (he did bring his favorite pots and pans with him to Eddie’s, so he did replace those for Albert) so all he had were personal items.
To not be on active duty was weird, to say the least. It wasn’t even like the last time he had a desk job. This time, unless he had to actively go and inspect a building, he was stuck inside the house. On the bright side, however, Buck was able to be there for each of his daughter’s milestones, big and small. (just one week after Eddie left, Buck had sent him a video of the first time Melody held herself up without help).
But it’s never always smooth sailing.
Chris would have a tantrum over not seeing his father, which would set Melody off, and with the addition of Maddie’s fluctuating hormones, the house would become an absolute nightmare.
When Melody got a simple cold in June, Buck had a full-on mental breakdown that forced Eddie to break their little bubble, which in turn, stressed Buck out even more.
While Maddie was at work, Buck once had to bring Melody to an inspection. Needless to say, he got a warning on that one.
But they made it through without a single death threat. And for siblings, that was pretty damn good.
~~~
Fall 2020
When Eddie moved back in October, Buck was absolutely thrilled. Sure, Buck still had a few more months before he could be vaccinated and get back to work, but life was better now that Maddie was back with Chimney and he had his best friend by his side.
What surprised Buck about the move was that Melody remembered Eddie. Of course, they had continued FaceTiming over the summer, but Melody wasn’t around often, and she hadn’t truly understood the concept of object permanence until after Eddie had left.
Buck would constantly deny it, but he cried a bit that day. When Eddie had walked back through the front door, Chris had jumped into his fathers arms. That, mixed with Melody’s little Eds! (Buck definitely didn’t take a video of when Eddie found out that his name was Melody’s first word. Of course not) and squirmy little happy dance, Buck couldn’t have been happier with his little family.
When November rolled around, with it came Melody’s first birthday. As much as Buck wanted a family gathering, the lack of vaccinations, mixed with the June scare, left him filled with anxiety.
So, they did what everyone did, and did a Zoom party and left gifts on the front porch.
Well, most of the gifts ended up on the porch.
Chimney decided that Buck needed to stretch his legs and hid Melody’s gifts all around the yard.
Buck still hated him.
Christmas was more or less the same.
Even though most of the team had their first rounds of vaccinations by Christmas, Buck was still paranoid and opted to stay home with Melody. He hated every minute of it, but unlike Chris, babies can’t keep masks on and anything could happen.
Eddie understood, so when he and Chris came home, they immediately took warm showers and changed their clothes to these goofy matching sets Buck found during his weekly Amazon perusal.
They did the best they could.
~~~
February 2021
By the end of January, Buck was fully vaccinated and fully recertified as an active member of the LAFD. He probably didn’t need to be recertified since he wasn’t off on injury, but he hadn’t been in the field in seven months, so he did it mostly for Bobby’s peace of mind.
But with recertification came with his name being added back to the Emergency Response roster.
And being back on the roster meant that when Texas needed more support, he went.
He’s had Melody for almost a year, and it would be the first time he left her for more than a couple hours. To say he was terrified was absolutely an understatement.
But he knew that he had the support of his family, so when it came time to ship out, Tia Pepa, whose job was still one hundred percent remote, was more than happy to take on both Chris and Melody.
“I promise I’ll be back soon, Mel-Bell,” Buck whispered into his daughter's hair. They were standing on Pepa’s doorstep, handing off the children so that they could get to the station in time.
Tia Pepa laughed and took the baby, much to Buck’s chagrin.
“Adiós, mijos,” she said, shooing them off of her doorstep. “They will be fine, ¿si? If you don’t leave now, you’ll be late!”
Buck gave Melody and Chris one last hug, and practically fled towards Eddie’s truck.
“Is it always like that?” Buck asked when Eddie jumped into the passenger side?
“Yup,” Eddie replied. “You’ll never get used to it.”
~
In Texas, when he wasn’t digging holes, or saving team members from burning mountains, Buck would show anyone who stood still long enough pictures of his daughter.
“For a minute, Marwani thought she was mine,” Eddie announced at dinner their second night.
“Huh?” Buck said through a bite of leftover pizza. “How’d she think that?”
“She was looking through my Instagram during that first mission. Thought she was mine and Chris was yours.”
“Really?”
“Yup. Then she thought we were married.”
Well wasn’t that something. It wasn’t the first time people had assumed that they were dating. Not even the first time they were assumed to be married. It made sense; they were raising multiple kids together, they were each other’s emergency contacts. Hell, after turning the guest room into a nursery for Melody, they started sleeping in the same bed.
That’s just how it went.
“Isn’t that something?” Buck mumbled into his pizza. “What’d she say when she found out we aren’t?”
Eddie shrugged and that line of conversation dropped.
~
The winds had shifted, teams were being sent home, and Buck, for one, could not wait to get back home. The change of scenery was nice, but all he wanted was a nice shower and a hug from his kids.
But not yet.
During one of their breaks, while distracted with pictures with Melody, Buck felt a head droop on his shoulder.
“Tired already?” He teased. “We just got here.”
“Yeah,” Eddie sighed. “And just got a call from my mom. She wants us to stop by El Paso on our way out.”
“And that’s bad because…”
“I don’t even know how she figured out I’m in Texas!”
“Did you not tell them?”
“Why would I?” Eddie huffed. “All she would say is ‘where is Christopher while you’re in the woods’ and ‘you should stop by on your way home,’ as if we’re not driving a fire truck twenty hours home.”
“I mean-”
Eddie cocked his head and glared at Buck. “No. Buck, why?”
Buck grinned. “I wouldn’t say no to a home cooked meal.”
“We’re not going to force my mother to cook for a group of hungry firefighters.”
But Buck wasn’t talking about Eddie’s mom. “Didn’t Abuela move back to El Paso last summer?”
Eddie jabbed a finger into Buck’s ribs, which made him squirm.
“Hey!”
“You are not extorting Abuela for food, either, Buck!”
Buck let his lower lip tremble. “Don’t you want to see Abuela too, Eddie?” He asked.
Eddie rolled his eyes, and picked his phone up.
“Fine. But I can’t guarantee anything.”
So here they were, three days later, in Helena Diaz’s (Dad’s at work. Again) backyard, with a meal in front of them that Buck could have only dreamt of. (And if he cried when he saw Abuela for the first time in almost a year, well…)
No sooner were they sat down did Abuela start badgering Buck for pictures.
“Evancito, I know you’re hiding pictures of my nieta, no? Let me see them!”
Helena’s face became unreadable, and Buck felt Eddie freeze in the seat beside them.
“Granddaughter?” Helena asked incredulously. “What’s this about another child?”
“Uh…” Eddie floundered for a response and Buck squeezed Eddie’s thigh. While the rest of the team looked like they were politely ignoring the conversation, Buck knew that they were still pretty much listening. Helena wasn’t all that quiet.
“Evancito has the most precious baby girl,” Abuela gushed. “Christopher talks about his new baby sister every phone call!”
Helena looked like she wanted to say something else, and Buck could tell that Eddie was trying to brace himself, but Abuela kept the conversation flowing.
“Here, Helena. Look at all of these sweet pictures Evancito sends to me!”
With her distracted by baby photos, Buck leaned over to whisper into Eddie’s ear.
“How are you feeling?” He asked.
“Like this is the reason I didn’t want to stop,” Eddie replied through gritted teeth.
“Look on the bright side,” Buck chuckled. “Every grandmother is easily distracted by pictures of cute kids. And we have the cutest.”
“Yeah, we do,” Eddie responded distantly.
With the baby-in-the-room squared away, Helena kept all kid-related topics distinctly focused on Christopher, which Buck couldn’t decide was good or bad, and it seemed to him that Eddie couldn’t either.
By the time dinner was over, Buck could feel Eddie shuffling in his seat, so he nudged Hen’s foot with his own, hoping she would get the memo.
She obviously checked the time, and announced, “thank you two so much for the meal, but we need to head out soon if we want to beat the LA rush traffic tomorrow.”
Abuela nodded gravely. “Yes, yes. Go. We’ll clean up.” She went around the table to say goodbye to each member of the team, even the ones she didn’t know.
When she got to Buck and Eddie, Abuela enveloped them both in her arms. “Stay safe, mis nietos,” she said with a kiss on each of their cheeks. “And don’t forget to send me more pictures, hm?”
Buck gave her a kiss back and watched Eddie do the same. “We will. I promise.”
Helena kept glaring at the two of them, which made Buck increasingly nervous.
“Why is your mom giving us a death stare?” He asked.
Eddie shrugged. “Don’t know, don’t care. Let’s get a move on, Buck.”
So, expertly ignoring Helena Diaz, the team was back on the road.
~
Being home from Texas was a breath of fresh air- literally. No longer did Buck feel like he was breathing through a wet towel, instead breathing in the smell of baby.
His baby.
Seeing Tia Pepa standing among the families of the rest of the team, holding his child, one he hasn’t seen in over a week, made him want to cry (just a little bit.)
“Dada!” She cried, grinning and making grabby hands towards him.
“Mel-Bell!” Buck said in a similar fashion. He turned to Tia Pepa.
“Let me shower for real before I hold her. I don’t know how you did it, Pepa. It felt like living in a sauna.”
“Clearly, I did not, or else I wouldn’t be here,” Tia Pepa joked. “Go shower, so you can hold your bebé.”
Buck didn’t need to be told twice. After taking possibly the shortest shower in his life, he ran back outside to claim his daughter from Tia Pepa. Melody’s giggles when he spun her around were infectious, so he let out a few of his own.
Before long, Eddie joined Buck outside, Christopher in tow from wherever he was sitting.
“Ready to head out?” He asked Buck.
Dramatically pouting his lips, Buck asked, “could you go find my bag?”
Eddie wouldn’t take the bait. “Your bag is right here, and I’m not carrying it.”
”But I have a baby,” Buck huffed. “And I haven’t seen her in ages.”
“It’s been a week, Buck. You’ll have to put her down when we get to the car,” Eddie countered.
Buck let out a long sigh that drew a small laugh from Chris, and readjusted his grip on Melody so he could grab his bag.
On the way out to the Jeep, Buck could hear Eddie furiously tapping away on his phone, mumbling under his breath. While he was strapping Melody into her car seat, he heard his best friend let out a small “fuck” under his breath. With a boop to his daughter’s nose, Buck turned around to face Eddie.
“What’s going on?” He asked.
Eddie waved his phone in front of Buck’s face, as if it were obvious. Buck steadied the phone, which was open to a text thread with Eddie’s sisters.
“Is everything okay?”
Eddie waved it off. “Yeah, everything’s fine. Except for the fact that my sisters think we’re together.”