In Flames // 9-1-1 Fox (seasons 1-4)

ch. 36 extra scene - Eddie's POV

A/N: I've been struggling with my ~depression~ recently and didn't have any energy to write and so I felt guilty. And then some of y'all asked for an Eddie POV to the truck bombing. So I had to respond. Thank you, it helped me out of my funk a bit. Love u all mwah

Edmundo Diaz was a protector. Always had been. His parents loved to tell the story of when Sophia or Adriana fell on the playground, he would be the first one at their side. Eddie loved his sisters dearly and wanted to protect them, even if they were older than him. Every scraped knee, every broken bone, every fractured heart and Eddie was there, ready to help his sisters patch up their hurts and move on with life.

That desire to protect grew alongside him in life. He was always the guy keeping a watchful eye out during parties to make sure his friends were safe. He got into a few fights in high school because some assholes decided to make comments about some of the girls in class. It was just a thing he did. Everyone knew Eddie Diaz as the guy that would help you carry your art project to class and as the guy who wouldn't hesitate to lay out a guy in the hall for making a comment about another student that Eddie didn't appreciate.

He wasn't the best student, but he also wasn't the worst. He showed up to class, mainly because his parents made him, but he just didn't care or understand what they were teaching. Eddie would rather be out on the football field, throwing around a few passes with friends. So when high school ended, he found himself without any plans. His sisters were excelling in college and post-graduate schools, but Eddie couldn't picture himself at UT or Baylor.

He enlisted. He found use for that inherent nature to protect and used it in the Army. It was good for him. A way to get that energy out that he had rushing through him constantly and also a way to sharpen his skills. Eddie was smart, but he wasn't overall book smart. He left that to his sisters. He liked the Army. His parents couldn't add unnecessary pressure onto him because they had no clue what it was like to be in the military. Except that left him isolated as well. It felt like no one except his team knew what it was life.

And then he met a pretty brunette at a bar after his first tour and his life changed. Shannon was everything he thought he needed in his life. Call him a stereotype but they married soon after they met, eyes hazy with lust and love. They were twenty-two when Shannon became pregnant and Eddie did what he did best: he protected them in what he thought was the right way. He re-enlisted.

He took one look at his son and knew that he would die rather than let the world hurt him.

But life fell apart. It's funny that way. Everything seems to be going right and then it just collapses. Christopher's diagnosis. The helicopter got shot down. Shannon left. Eddie packed up all his and Christopher's things and moved to Los Angeles to start over.

And then he's dragged to a club by some old Army buddies and the rug is ripped out from right under him. Not many people could say they met the girl of their dreams kneeled over a body with blood covered hands as she saves a life. He thought Shannon was what he needed in life, but Mariana proves him wrong without even lifting a finger. It's like she smiled and everything made sense. There was no question of if she was good enough. Mariana was perfect in every way. He wasn't good enough for her.

Wasn't it obvious? Every time he saw her changing into her uniform, Eddie couldn't tear his eyes away from the scars that covered her body. The faded scar that ran down her leg from the surgery to fix her femur. The puffy pink scars on her chest and stomach from two bullets that came too close to never letting them meet. The various marks across her shoulders and back from brutal punishments doled out by foster parents who should have their licenses revoked. He wanted to trace every line and mark. He wanted to hurt anyone who hurt her.