9-1-1 and 9-1-1 Lone Star one shots (mostly angst)

20: Buck+Eddie ⚠️ part 1 (s6b spoilers)

•Title: "Waiting"

•Requester:

•Warnings: Buck in a coma, spoilers for 6x10, etc.

•Inspiration: We didn't see Eddie in the promo, so I am adding him lmao

•Type: angst

A/N: Can we just talk about how wild the Buckley parents were? Like what tf are they on? They're being nice. TO BUCK. She even called him a miracle baby. Girl- YOU DIDNT ACTUALLY WANT HIM. He was a donor baby from the beginning. Don't pretend to care now, tf?

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Eddie closes his truck door, the rain still coming down hard. His hair is dripping wet and he is still in his uniform-turnouts included. He walks up towards his front door in a daze. He doesn't really realize he's even moving. He can still hear his own voice shouting for Buck. He can still hear Bobby in the passenger seat of the ambulance telling him to drive safer as he speeds through the streets. He can still feel Buck's limp hand in his own as they wheel him into the hospital. He can still feel his heart in his throat- but that's actually happening at this moment. It hasn't left his throat. He hasn't said a single word since they left the apartment building. It felt weird, firefighters leaving a fire. He doesn't even remember opening the door, but suddenly he is in his house, water dripping on the floor.

"Dad!" Christopher's happy voice breaks him from his trance. The young boy comes walking into the entryway, Carla close behind him, "you're all wet."

Eddie looks down at himself, just now realizing he is still in his turnouts, "I am."

"Why didn't you change? You never bring those home. What's wrong?" Christopher, being the smart and perceptive boy he is, asks.

"Right, I came here to tell you," Eddie's voice is quiet and monotonous.

"Who died?" Christopher asks.

"What?" Eddie questions immediately.

"Your voice. It's the voice you used when mom died," Chris says softly, "so who died?"

"Nobody died, Chris," Eddie has to bite his tongue to keep from saying 'not yet'. Chris doesn't need that fear. He needs the facts.

"Eddie, how about you go and change into dry clothes, then talk to Christopher," Carla suggests. Her voice is calm but her heart is racing. She has a theory on who has made him act like this, and it breaks her heart.

"Yeah, yeah, good idea. Bud, why don't you go play or read or something while I change?" Eddie suggests to his son.

Eddie doesn't wait for a response before he walks off towards his bedroom. He closes the door with a sigh, being quick to lock it. He peels his jacket off, dropping it onto the ground with a thud. He pulls his arms through the suspenders that connect to his pants, shoving them down. He steps out from the fabric and pulls his navy blue shirt over his head with a groan. Once shirtless, he pulls off his blue pants, leaving him in just his boxers. He goes into his adjoining bathroom and turns the knob with a sigh, water coming from the shower head. He shoves his boxers down and steps into the water with a sigh. He closes the shower curtain roughly and with a shaky hand. The hot water touches his skin as the steam engulfs him. As his muscles relax, this being the first time they do so since the lightning struck, his walls crumble down. He leans against the tile wall as a quiet sob leaves his mouth. He doesn't dare be louder than the water, not wanting Christopher to hear him.

All that Eddie can see in his mind, his eyes closed tightly, is the lightning striking. He feels his body being launched to the ground. He remembers the pain that washed over his body as he stood. he remembers how the pain dissipated as he looked up, seeing Buck's body. He remembers how much his throat hurt as he repeatedly screamed Buck's name. He remembers the terror coursing through his body as he climbed up the ladder at the fastest pace he had ever climbed. He remembers looking down at Buck as he lowered him. The pure dread he felt as he returned to the ground. This is it. He thought as he drove the ambulance at a rather alarming speed.

Eddie stands in the shower, the water growing colder, as his cries calm down, he spins so the water focuses on his face, reaching the salty residue the tears have left. He steps back and opens his eyes, running both of his hands down his face. He reaches out, still in a daze even after crying, and turns the water off. He lets out a breath, a lighter sigh, as he reaches his hand out. He grabs a bright white towel and wraps it around his waist. He steps out of the shower and grabs another towel, rapidly running it over his dripping hair. Once it is semi-dry, he returns the towel to it's hook. He opens the bathroom door and walks into his bedroom. He slips the towel off, placing it on his dresser, before pulling a pair of boxers on. He slowly, with once again shaky hands, dries of his torso and shoulders. He pulls out his dark blue firefighter long sleeve and slips it on, followed by a pair of jeans. He places the towel on his dresser once again before he makes his way to his bedroom door. He turns the lock and places his hand on the doorknob before taking a deep breath. He turns the knob and pulls the door open. He hangs his head low as he walks towards where he hears Christopher's laughter.

"Hey," Eddie says quietly as he takes a seat next to Christopher on the couch, "I have to talk to you, now."

"What is it?" Christopher questions.

"Tonight, we had a call at an apartment building to put out a fire," Eddie starts in a quiet voice, "Buck climbed the ladder to spray water on the building. A lightning strike came and next thing I knew, I was knocked on the ground. When I stood back up, Buck was hurt really bad. I helped Bobby get him down and on a gurney and we took him to the hospital."

Carla purses her lips, no doubt trying to hold back her tears. Christopher's eyes are wide and glimmering with unshed ones, "but, he's okay, right?"

"I'm not sure. We had to return to the station after the doctors took him," Eddie says, not wanting to lie, "I am going to go back and meet the others, but I wanted to come speak to you. Denny's mom has offered to watch you overnight."

"Okay," Christopher says quietly, "I'm going to go pack a bag."

Christopher walks off and the second he shuts his door, Eddie lets out a sigh and slumps his head down. Carla moves over, closer to him, and places a comforting hand on his back. Eddie raises his head and takes a deep, shaky, breath.

"How bad is it, Eddie? What didn't you tell him?" Carla questions, unsure if she even wants to know.

"W-when we got him down, he didn't have a pulse," Eddie says softly, his heart aching as he said the words.

It is just around ten minutes before Christopher is walking out of his bedroom with his bag in hand. Eddie stands and the two get light jackets on along with their shoes. Carla follows them, making sure to turn off all of the lights. The three walk out of the house, Eddie locking the door behind them. Carla hugs both of them goodbye, making Eddie promise to update her, and gets in her car before driving off. Eddie helps Chris up into his truck before climbing in himself.

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A/N: Okay, so there wasn't much Buddie in this, but it was a shit ton of angst, lmao.