The 118 - Tumblr Posts

Bobby comes home after a shift

Athena:How was your day honey?

Flashback to typical 118 chaos

Bobby: Quiet

Eddie: How could you?!

Buck: Honey, I'm sorry I'm so so sorry!

Eddie: Buck, apologies will never be enough!

Buck: I didn't know that watching Top Chef without you would so bad!

Eddie: But you did know Buckley! You did know! And you did it anyway!

Buck: I'm sorry, I was a bad boy. I need to be punished!

Eddie: I have the perfect punishment for you.

And the next day at shift, if the 118 is looking with concern at Buck because he walks weirdly and cannot sit properly, they are also looking at Eddie who's red because he went a little bit too hard. And Buck loved it anyway.

I just started 3x18 on 911 I do not want Abby here 😀😭😭

“If you give buck a clipboard” is the 118’s “If you give a mouse a cookie”

I’ve been stuck in s6 of 911 for ages should I just jump to the end so I can catch up on s7?? 😭 I feel like I’m missing out

CURLY HAIR BUCK IS BACK YALL

I love when shows let male characters hair be curly

+ bonus: bobby, please!

-> the 118 live in the hospital, don't they?

fave goofy-ass 911 moments: 29/? - 6x07 bobby is THE nosiest mf'er don't let that captain hat fool you

prompt: the rest of the 118 see tommy and buck be affectionate together for the first time. not just the aftermath, like with the wedding kiss, but they actually witness it. cuteness overload!

It took a few weeks for everything to calm down enough for everyone to get together.

The 118 was adjusting to working under Captain Gerrard.

Bobby and Athena were adjusting to moving into an apartment half the size of their house.

Hen and Karen were adjusting to visits with Mara every chance they could get.

Chimney and Maddie were adjusting to having two young girls running around the house.

Eddie was adjusting to being alone.

And Buck was less adjusting and more enjoying his new romance with Tommy.

He didn't mention Tommy much at work. He got sick of Gerrard's one-off comments pretty quickly. Usually, he would have been egging him on every chance he got, but it turns out he was more protective of Tommy than he originally realized, and anytime his name came out of Gerrard's mouth it made him want to punch the man.

It was easier to not bring him up.

When Bobby and Athena had finally settled into their new place, which very conveniently had a grilling and picnic area on the roof, they invited everyone over.

Bobby made sure to include Tommy in his invitation. His and Buck's relationship may have been new, but he was an old friend to the majority of the 118, and a new friend to those he hadn't known all that long.

He did not include the fact that Athena was insistent on seeing their dynamic because, “One of them is gonna give the other a run for their money and I can't figure out which one's which yet.”

In fact, the majority of the group was interested in seeing Tommy and Buck together. Everyone except Eddie, who accidentally witnessed far too much of their dynamic a couple weeks ago when he decided to head into Buck's place without knocking first.

It would be the last time he ever made that mistake.

The others couldn't help their curiosity. It was the first time Buck had ever seemed so settled in a relationship. The first time he wasn't asking for near-constant advice. The first time he wasn't endlessly concerned he was doing something wrong or about to screw things up.

Something was different. Something had shifted. They wanted to know what it was.

And while Hen and Chimney had known Tommy for a long time, they hadn't exactly stayed in touch after he left. Up until the cruise rescue, Hen hadn't really spoken to him at all, and Chimney would send him a text or two each year just to ask how he was keeping up. The Tommy they knew was closeted, scared, defensive under Gerrard's leadership, cocky, and seemingly always searching for something... more.

“I'm kinda bummed,” Buck said as they headed up to the roof.

“What?” Tommy glanced at him curiously. “Why?”

“Because everyone already knows you,” he explained. “I can't introduce you as my boyfriend.”

Tommy smiled, eyes crinkling up in the cute way Buck loved. He switched the wine bottle he was holding to his other hand took Buck's hand in his, giving it a squeeze. “You can still do that, if you want. I mean, they might look at you funny, but who cares, right?”

Buck squeezed his hand back. After a moment, he gasped, eyes widening as he did a little jump. “I can introduce you to all the kids!” he exclaimed.

Tommy couldn't help but laugh at Buck's excitement. “That sounds perfect, Evan.”

*****

Bobby wasn't sure how they'd gotten to this point only five minutes into Buck arriving, but here they were. Before Tommy had even handed off the wine, Buck was going into a story on Gerrard mentioning the 1933 Griffith Park Fire, but he had been wrong about some information.

“And I was trying to tell him how twenty-nine people died, not twenty-seven, but he was insistent that I was wrong. I knew I wasn't. I had just spent a couple hours the other night reading over articles about it. When was it, Tommy?” he asked, turning to his boyfriend, “Two nights ago?”

“Uh, three. Three nights ago.”

“Right, three nights ago. See, two people died later at the hospital, so they weren't included in the initial death toll. So, obviously, I had to get online and show him...”

As Buck continued, Bobby nodded along, trying to take in at least some of what he was saying. Sometimes, when Buck got on tangents like these, it was hard to keep up.

As the discussion got more heated, Bobby noticed Tommy's hand drifted to Buck's back, resting at the base. Buck continued without missing a beat, but his voice calmed and his posture relaxed.

“Did he ever admit defeat?” Tommy asked. To Bobby's surprise, Tommy had kept his eyes on Buck the entire time. He seemed genuinely interested in every word that was coming out of Buck's mouth.

Buck shook his head. “No, he'd never do that. But he was quiet for the rest of the day, so I took it as a win.”

“Oh, that's definitely a win,” Tommy agreed.

Not that he ever doubted, but it was then that Bobby knew his initial analysis was correct. Tommy was good people, and he was good for Buck.

*****

Hen's eyes drifted over the rooftop, settling between Tommy and Buck. She had noticed earlier how they always seemed to gravitate toward each other. Now was no different. Even though they were on opposite sides of the roof, Buck talking to Maddie, and Tommy having a very expressive conversation with Jee, they would steal glances at each other. A smile here, a wink there. Buck even gave Tommy a little wave, like they hadn't been sitting side by side only five minutes ago.

“I don't think it's just the honeymoon phase for those two,” Athena said, scooting a chair closer to Hen before sitting down.

Hen rolled her eyes affectionately at yet another tiny wave from Buck before turning to Athena. “I think I agree. I've never seen Buck so smitten before, and I don't use that word often.”

“Mhm,” Athena hummed with a nod. “Tommy seems just as smitten as Buck. I don't ever remember him looking so peaceful before. I haven't worked with him much since he transferred to Harbor, but I remember what he was like before.”

Hen huffed out a laugh. “Arrogant?”

“And stiff.”

“Yeah. He changed a lot, especially after Gerrard left, but this is different.”

They kept watching as Jee got distracted by Mara and they ran off to play. Tommy walked over to Buck, who held out his hand for Tommy to take before Tommy was even close.

As soon as he could, Tommy took his hand and sat down beside him on the little couch. Buck leaned in close, whispering something in his ear, then they laughed deep and loud.

“If I watch anymore of this I'm gonna throw up,” Hen said, standing up. “I'm gonna go rescue Karen from whatever game Denny is showing her on his phone.”

Athena laughed, squeezed Hen's hand as she went by, but kept her attention on the boys.

She couldn't seem to look away.

*****

Maddie tapped Chimney's thigh, nodding toward where Buck and Tommy were standing in a corner of the rooftop, watching the sunset. They had their arms wrapped around one another, occasionally stealing a chaste kiss. “They look so happy,” she said, a warm smile on her face.

“Yeah, they do,” Chimney agreed. “I'm happy for both of them. They're good together.”

“Yeah, they are. Did you know Buck hasn't even been to his loft in a week? When he's not working he's at Tommy's place.”

“And they're not sick of each other yet?” Chimney laughed. “Oh, they're in deep.”

Before Maddie could respond, Eddie was coming up to them, kneeling down beside Chimney. “We gotta hide the clipboards.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I'm serious, man, we're gonna be in deep trouble if we don't.”

Maddie leaned forward. “Why do you need to hide the clipboards, Eddie?”

Eddie motioned to Buck and Tommy. Tommy had an arm around Buck's shoulder now, both of Buck's still wrapped around Tommy's waist. He had his head resting against Tommy's shoulder, and Tommy pressed a kissed to the top of his head. “Have you seen the two of them? I'm not even gonna go into what I witnessed a couple weeks ago-”

“Thank God.”

“-but they've got it bad for each other. I give it six months before they're engaged. You know what happens after that?”

Chimney thought for a second, sucking in a breath when the realization hit him. “Wedding planning.”

“Wedding planning,” Eddie repeated.

Maddie shook her head. “You guys are crazy.”

“What? You don't think they'll be ready to walk down the aisle in six months time?” Chimney asked.

“Oh, no, they definitely will. You're just crazy if you think not being able to find a clipboard will stop him. I don't know if you guys know this, but Notes app Buck is far worse than clipboard Buck.”

FIC: currently untitled, 911

written for @bucktommypositivityweek! i had this idea a while ago but never intended to do anything with it, but today's "kids and pets" prompt said "you have no excuse actually, now write it." so i did

important note given recent and disgusting events in fandom: this fic centers on Tommy and Jee, bc i thought we deserved something wholesome for them, but i'm being cautious about how i post it. i'm only using the one tag for my own organizational purposes, which means that as of posting, you're only seeing it because you follow me (or are an event mod). that in turn means that you know it's the work of a real human you sort of know and vaguely trust!

i also don't intend to post on ao3 until the mods have vetted and reblog. that way i'll have some proof of safety to link to.

with all that out of the way, here you go!

It’s too fucking hot.

Tommy’s lived in LA a little over twenty years, has adjusted to the heat, does not miss snowy winters, but sometimes it’s still just too fucking hot.

Doesn’t change the fact that he has 24 off and his car needs washing, and the only person he trusts to do that is him.

There is at least a decent amount of tree shade at the top of his driveway in the morning, breeze making it more comfortable than his garage, so he goes out there slathered in sunscreen - even under the thin tank top he forces himself to put on with his shorts because Mrs Roberts across the way has never heard of keeping her eyes to herself - and gets to work.

He’s rocking a rhythm, 80s playlist streaming from his phone on Do Not Disturb and Yeti full of ice water next to the soapy water bucket to remind him to drink, when he hears his name.

“Tommy! Tommyyyy, Tommy!”

Tommy turns sharply at the sound of his name in a small, familiar voice. Jee is walking up his driveway - well, staggering a little, he realizes, even as he drops the big sponge on the hood to move closer to her.

“Where -“ he starts to ask, glancing past her for Chimney or Maddie, but he gives that up pretty quick, because Jee is flushed red, shirt crumpled and leggings marked with dirt, eyes looking glassier the closer he gets, and they’d never let her get like this. He says instead,

“Hey, Jee, hi.”

“Tommy..” Her face crumples and she bursts into tears. Or, into sobs, really, her eyelashes catch some small drops but no real tears fall. Tommy, crouched in front of her now, shifts to his knees and pulls her into a hug.

“It’s okay,” he soothes, “it’s okay. How do you feel?” Because she’s hot to the touch, too hot and not sweating as much she should be to compensate.

“I’m so hot,” she sobs into his shoulder, “and my head hurts and I,” she drops to a small whisper, “I threw up.”

“Okay,” Tommy says, “okay, let’s go inside where it’s cooler.” He scoops Jee up into his arms; she sighs a little, burrowing close despite his body heat. Though with as high as hers is, maybe he still feels cooler to her than the air around them.

He left the front door open and its screen door unlocked, so it’s only seconds before he’s inside. “Hildy, dial 911, enable bathroom speakers.”

Was the full suite Hildy system expensive as shit to install? Did he spend countless hours learning how to make it as uninvasive as possible? Did Eddie make the sign of the cross and pass it off as a joke when Tommy asked Hildy to order pizza? Yes to all of the above.

Did he get it expressly in case of an emergency and is that the best decision he’s ever made in his life right now? Absolutely.

“911, what’s your emergency?”

Not Maddie, thank god. Tommy does recognize Josh Russo’s voice, though, from several Buckey-Han+friends rounds of poker.

“Firefighter Tommy Kinard, off duty,” he reports, giving his address as he nudges his bathroom door fully open with a shoulder. “Victim is five years old, female, displaying signs of heatstroke. Perspiration minimal, reports nausea and headache, I haven’t wasted time finding a thermometer but I’d guess 103 minimum.”

“And the victim’s name?” Josh is a professional and he sounds it, but Tommy can pick up on an underlying tension.

“Jee-yun Han,” he says. “Hildy, shower on, water pressure low, temperature just below lukewarm.”

“Firefighter Kinard, the 118 are on their way, eta five minutes.” That’s definitely relief in Josh’s voice; Tommy grins a little as he reaches out to test the water. It’s perfect - cool but not cold so as not to be a shock to her system, spray heavy enough to soak quickly through her clothes and light enough to avoid overwhelming her. Starting the cooling process immediately is important and also easy to overdo.

“Tell them the front door is open and we’ll be spending that five minutes cooling off in the shower, clothes and all, right, Jee?”

Jee stirs in his arms. “Can’t shower in clothes,” she mumbles. He gives her a gentle little bounce as he steps into the tub.

“Sure we can,” he says, bright and, he hopes, warm and happy. “It’s silly, right? We can be silly.”

Tommy holds Jee against his shoulder first and starts scooping water into her hair. Jee exhales, relaxing more deeply against him.

“Let me guess, dispatch,” he says as he works, “I’ve ended a search I would have known about if I hadn’t had my phone on Do Not Disturb.”

“Buck did warn us you would,” Josh says. “He and Maddie are off today, they’ve been with the searchers. She disappeared from the Rowe school.”

Jee’s hair is thoroughly wet, as are her clothes along the back. Tommy turns her carefully, holding her against him and careful to keep her face up out of the spray. Her eyes are closed; she doesn’t react to the cool water against more sensitive skin.

“Jee,” he murmurs, bouncing her a little, “hey, Jee, open your eyes, look at me - that’s right, you can’t go to sleep in the shower, that’s ridiculous.” When he’s satisfied that she’s still at least conscious, he says,

“Rowe, that’s like three miles away, how’d she end up here?”

“Where are you? - I mean, where did you find her?”

“I didn’t,” Tommy says, “she found me.”

The front door bangs open a moment later, followed rapidly by Eddie and Hen barging in with a gurney at the ready.

“They’re here,” Tommy says, “thanks, Josh, let’s get drinks soon, Hildy, end call, disable bathroom speakers,” all as he hands Jee over to Eddie, who just barely doesn’t make a face at the mention of Hildy. Tommy kills the shower himself, half-listening to Hen and Eddie be paramedics at each other.

“Papa’s waiting for you outside,” Hen assures Jee, “and Mama and Uncle Buck will be with you soon.”

“Get dry and dressed in ninety,” Eddie tells him, “and Bobby says you can hitch a ride in the engine if you want.”

“I’m there.”

*

Tommy’s just barely settled in to wait with Chimney, who is pale and etched with a kind of dread Tommy knows he can’t fully comprehend, when Evan and Maddie come flying down the hallway.

“Howie,” Maddie says, and Tommy watches Chim steady now that he has her to comfort. Something to do other than worry.

“We shouldn’t be in for much of a wait,” he tells her as they embrace, “she wasn’t looking too bad in the ambulance -“

Then Tommy’s arms are full of Evan and his attention shifts.

“Tommy, thank god, how was she, how - ?” He pulls Tommy in close as he talks, burying his face for a moment in the side of Tommy’s neck. Tommy holds him, and lets him.

“Quiet but conscious when they showed up,” he says. “Dehydrated, feverish, about as sunburned as you’d expect - Evan, what the hell happened? How did she get from fucking Rowe all the way to my place?”

Evan leans back just enough for their eyes to meet. “We don’t know yet. They called Maddie - uh, a few hours ago? I guess? And said Jee was missing, and we went to go join the search, there were a lot of people, I don’t even know how she got past the search perimeter in the first place. Athena’s still there looking into it.”

“She’ll figure it out,” Tommy tells him, “and Jee will be fine.” He kisses Evan’s forehead, and Evan sighs a little. His hold on Tommy doesn’t loosen, but Tommy still feels him relax.

“Yeah.”

They hold each other like that, Evan’s gaze switching from Tommy to Maddie to Chimney every now and then. Cataloguing the room, Tommy thinks; checking that the people in it he cares about are still as okay as they were the last time he looked. Chim and Maddie are leaning tightly together, clutching each others’ hands, attention focused on the door to Jee’s room.

It isn’t too long before it opens. “Mr and Mrs Han?”

“Yes,” they say together, and the doctor smiles.

“Your daughter’s a trouper,” she says. “We’d like to keep her overnight, make sure she’s fully hydrated and that fever comes down, but she’s going to be fine, and she’s asking for you.”

It would be a lie to say that Tommy’s never seen Chimney move quite that fast, but it does come pretty close.

“Thank god,” Evan sighs as the doctor follows them into Jee’s room. “Thank you, if you hadn’t seen her, who knows -“

“She saw me,” Tommy says. “If she hadn’t, if she’d just walked past -“ if he’d decided to put off washing his car . . . he takes a deep, shaky breath. Crisis over, commence adrenaline crash. Always worse when you know the victim. His friend’s daughter, his partner’s niece -

Christ, Jee could have died. Rowe leans right up against a residential area, most of those residents at work during the day and therefore not home to see a little girl wandering by herself . . . change one thing, and she could have died.

The belated fear, the kind Evan’s been living with the past few hours, must be showing on his face, because Evan says gently,

“Hey. Hey, Tommy, she didn’t. She saw you and she’s fine just like you said she’d be.”

Right. Right. Still. It might be Tommy’s turn to tuck his face against Evan’s neck and just breathe for a minute.

“We should call Bobby,” he mutters, eventually.

“Maybe when you look less like you might puke.”

“I’m fine now,” he says, straightening up to look at Evan and prove it. Evan gives him a soft little smile.

“Good. Everyone’s fine.” He kisses the corner of Tommy’s mouth, light, then steps back to pull out his phone.

Bobby answers almost immediately. “Buck? Any news?” he asks, slightly staticky on speakerphone.

“Jee’s gonna be fine,” Buck reports, beaming now. There’s a chorus of relieved exclamations on the other end. Tommy makes out Eddie saying thank god and a wordless sound from Hen, and a little cheer from - Ravi, he thinks?

Bobby is silent for a long moment before he speaks. “That’s very good to hear,” he says, voice heavy with relief and other things mixed in that Tommy doesn’t know him well enough to decipher. “I heard from Athena a few minutes ago - guess now we know why Chimney and Maddie weren’t answering her calls.”

“You did?” Evan asks. “What happened?”

“There’s footage from security cameras showing an older student, a girl, leading Jee off the campus approximately forty-five minutes before anyone noticed she’d gone missing. The girl came back by herself about twenty minutes later. She told Athena that it was a game the students play and everyone always comes back just fine.”

Tommy snorts disbelief.

“Yeah, that sums up Athena’s thoughts on the matter, too,” Bobby says, dry.

“Forty-five minutes?” Evan asks. “So she must have been outside the search perimeter from the start.”

“And somehow found her way to my house from there,” Tommy says. “Pretty damn impressive, I think she’s been there maybe twice.”

“She’s really smart,” Evan says matter-of-factly, like that solves the issue for him.

As they wind up the call, the doctor exits Jee’s room and heads off down the hall. Chimney appears in the doorway a moment later.

“Jee’s asleep,” he says, “conked out pretty much as soon as she was sure her mom and I weren’t going anywhere, but we thought you two might at least like to stick your heads in for proof of life before you go.”

Tommy lets Evan go in first, of course, only a little because Chimney stops him with a fierce hug.

“We’re even, all right?” he says, voice thick. “I saved you, you saved my little girl, you don’t owe me a damn thing anymore. If anything, I’m in your debt.”

“I am just really glad I was there,” Tommy says. That he was there, and that Jee saw him.

“Me too, man.” Chimney claps his shoulder briskly. “C’mon, Maddie wants to cry on you too. And we’re having you over for dinner once Jee’s feeling better. I think we’re gonna rope Buck into helping plan the menu.”

“At your own peril.” Tommy has long since learned the risks and rewards of letting Evan plan - much of anything, really.

“Maddie thinks the big sister card will keep him in line,” Chimney says. “We’ll see.”

He turns and heads back into the room. Tommy follows behind, pausing in the doorway himself for a few seconds to just look: Jee’s sunburned, peaceful face, her little hand in Maddie’s; Maddie gazing down at her, radiating joy and gratitude; Chim taking his place on the other side of Jee’s bed while Evan stands at the foot of it, also watching them all.

Luck seems to be the theme of the day, and right now Tommy’s feeling pretty lucky himself.

Can you please do a hurt/comfort Eddie + Tommy friendship with Bucktommy - Tommy gets hurt in some way (mentally/physically/sick/etc) and Eddie helps him until Buck can get there

you gave me a reason to finish the fic I started earlier today! thank you!

His teeth were chattering. Had been since he woke up after hitting the ground.

He didn't hurt anywhere, which was never a good sign.

He laid there, surrounded by trees. Cold, wet leaves underneath his body. He could hear crickets and frogs all around him. Could smell smoke somewhere nearby.

There were distinct sounds of metal creaking mixed in with nature.

Slowly, he moved his head to the right, then to the left.

Fire.

It was about fifty yards away. Thankfully, due to the recent rain, the fire was contained to the helicopter that had so gracefully fallen out of the sky.

He wasn't sure how he ended up so far from it. Had no memory of being ejected or jumping or whatever happened that made it so he wasn't inside those flames.

He lifted his hands to his face, could barely see them as the sun set below the trees. He was sure there was blood. Dirt, mud, leaves, and blood.

They shook so fiercely he wasn't sure how he had any control over them at all.

His breathing was labored, heart beating rapidly. No matter what he tried, he couldn't seem to calm himself down.

Suddenly, in the distance, he heard something.

People talking.

Not just people, familiar people.

Family.

“H- Here,” he barely managed to get out, figuring they'd be running toward the fire instead of him. He cleared his throat, tried again. “Here! I'm here!”

The talking stopped, then there was running.

He could feel the pounding of the footsteps as they approached.

“Hey, we gotcha, Buddy!”

“Howie?”

“Yeah, it's me. Saving your ass, once again.”

Hands were on him now. Lights shining in his eyes, causing him to squint. He could hear others talking. Hen, Eddie, Bobby. Couldn't quite make out what they were saying.

Chimney had him focus on him. “Can you tell me your name?” he asked.

“T- Tommy,” he answered. God, he wished he could stop shaking. He couldn't barely get out a word.

“Year?”

“2024.”

“Best paramedic you know?”

“Hen,” Tommy replied, choking out a laugh.

“Hey now!” Chimney exclaimed, mocking offense.

“I knew I liked you,” Hen said with a smile. She patted him on the shoulder before getting back to work.

Chimney chomped on his gum a couple times before asking his next question. “Can you wiggle your toes for me, Tommy?”

Tommy shook his head. He lifted his arm, tried to pull Chimney closer to him so he could whisper. “I c- can't feel anything,” he paused, sucked in a shaky breath, “b- below my waist.” He knew what this meant, and he also knew he was in shock. The adrenaline pumping through him was the only thing keeping him remotely alert.

Chimney nodded, sharing a glance with Hen. “Cervical collar for our dashing pilot here, please, Hen.”

“Already on it.”

“Ho- Howie?”

“Yeah, Buddy?”

“Ev- Evan?”

“Buck went home early today,” Eddie answered, moving into Chimney's place so he could do whatever work needed to be done. “Chief is cracking down on overtime, so he had to be sent home.”

“We've... We've been sa- saving f- for the wedding,” he explained, although he wasn't sure why. Everyone there already knew that.

Eddie took Tommy's hand and wrapped it up in his own. “You were probably already up in the air when Buck sent you the text complaining about being sent home.”

“He'd say... He'd say th- the chief didn't want us t- to have the good hors d'oeuvres.”

Eddie nodded, tried putting on a smile. “He did mention that on his way out.”

Tommy squeezed Eddie's hand. “We m- might have to re... reschedule.” His lip trembled at the thought, tears welling in his eyes. Evan was so excited for the wedding. Had been working diligently and meticulously on every detail since they got engaged in October. He wanted a winter wedding, and didn't want to wait another whole year, so February it would be. With it being December now, Tommy didn't see any way he'd be able to fully recover by then.

If he did at all.

“Let's not worry about that right now, alright, Man? I don't think Buck will care when the wedding is, as long as there is one. Let's focus on that, okay?”

Tommy nodded. Blinked a few times to rid himself of the tears.

A few fell anyway.

“Ed- Eddie?”

“Yeah?”

“Do I... Do I still have my legs?”

“You certainly do, Kinard,” Bobby interrupted. Tommy wasn't sure how long the captain had been on his other side. Bobby gave his shoulder a light squeeze. “You've got all your limbs right where they should be. You ready to move now, Kid?”

Tommy could've laughed at the nickname. He'd been called that by Bobby a couple of times, many years ago. It'd been a long while since then.

He nodded. “Ready.”

Eddie didn't let go of his hand as they lifted him and began carrying him to the ambulance. Tommy was a bit surprised. He didn't remember ever being moved onto the spine board. Hadn't felt a thing.

A part of him had wondered if they'd even been working on him during that time. That maybe Eddie was the chosen distraction until he drifted off and his breathing stopped.

He was glad to know he was wrong.

*****

Bobby drove them to the hospital, with Eddie staying in the back beside him. It was a bit cramped with him, Eddie, Chimney, and Hen all back there together, but the fact he was surrounded by these people made him feel a bit more comforted.

Tommy looked over to where his and Eddie's hands were still tightly gripped together. He wasn't sure if Eddie was refusing to let him go, or if he was refusing to let Eddie go. Didn't really matter either way. He needed something to keep him tethered to reality.

He shook his wrist back and forth a few times to get Eddie's attention. “Can you... Can you call Evan? Please?”

“Of course,” Eddie replied, grabbing his phone out of his pocket with his free hand.

“You've got some cuts on your arms, Tommy,” Hen explained as Eddie pressed Buck's name. “We're gonna work on those on the way to the hospital, so you might feel some stings, okay?”

“Yeah. That's okay.”

Eddie put the phone on speaker and Buck answered on the third ring. “What's wrong?”

“Buck-”

“Who is it, Eddie? I just left work an hour ago. Is it Bobby? Hen? Chim?”

Tommy took a deep breath. “B- Baby.”

Silence.

Then.

“Tommy? Is that you?”

“Had a... a little accident.”

“What hospital?”

“The usual,” Eddie replied.

“I'm heading there now.”

“Evan? Evan!” Tommy exclaimed, wanting to get his attention before he got in the car and started to drive.

“I'm here, Tommy,” he answered. “I'm gonna meet you at the hospital.”

“I don't wanna... wanna scare you,” Tommy said, and he could feel the tears burning his eyes again. “I can't. I can't feel my legs.”

“He's stabilized,” Chimney added quickly, before Buck could ask. “Likely a lower spinal cord injury.”

Another pause, followed by a quiet. “Okay. Okay.”

“He's doing well, Buck,” Eddie reassured him. “We're all right here with him. He won't shut up about you, like always.”

Tommy smiled. He hoped Evan did as well.

“Feeling's mutual,” Buck replied. His voice was softer now. Tommy knew the words were meant to keep him focused and thinking positively.

It worked.

“Need you t- to be safe.”

“I will, Baby. I'll drive safe and I'll be at the hospital as soon as I can, okay?”

“Okay. L- Love you.”

“I love you, too. So damn much, T- Tommy.”

Tommy wasn't sure who hung up first, but he could tell by the way Evan's voice wavered at the end that he was probably close to falling apart.

“Thank you,” Tommy said as Eddie put his phone back into his pocket.

“Whatever you need, Bud, I'm here.”

“Just... Just keep ho- holding my hand.”

Eddie nodded, squeezed a little tighter. “I can do that.”

Eddie Diaz × Evan "Buck" Buckley

"Cause you've got me and you know

That I've got you and I know

If the tide takes California

I'm so glad I got to hold ya

And if the sky falls from Heaven above

Oh, I know I had the best time fallin' into love

We've been livin' on a fault line

And for a while, you were all mine

I've spent a lifetime givin' you my heart

I swear that I'll be yours forever, 'til forever falls apart

'Til forever falls apart"

the kitchen scene wouldn’t stop making me think of the one meme so