911/911 Lone Star One Shots

Like A Son

Athena got home late from her shift, half expecting to find Bobby waiting up for her but hoping he was getting some sleep. She walked quietly into their house and as she walked down the steps, she saw Bobby asleep on the couch. He must've tried to stay up for her.

She smiled, deciding she would grab something to eat before waking him up to move to their room. In the kitchen, she found a plate of leftovers waiting for her.

She looked back towards the living room and her heart felt so full of love for her husband. As she sat at the table eating, she listened to him snore softly. Then he whimpered. That wasn't right.

She looked at him worriedly, watching as he shifted restlessly and another whine escaped him. Just as she was going to go wake him, he suddenly calmed again. She studied him for another minute before figuring maybe he was okay.

She finished eating and as she was loading her plate in the dishwasher, she heard him cry out. Hurrying into the living room, she found him breathing way too heavy.

"Bobby, wake up. It's just a dream, wake up for me." She shook him gently, sitting on the edge of the couch and looking down at him worriedly.

Bobby jolted awake, unable to get enough air into his lungs. He couldn't breathe. He must be dying because he couldn't breathe. His eyes wildly looked around for help before focusing on Athena. She was talking but he couldn't make out what she was saying.

"Athena..." he gasped, reaching for her and desperately taking hold on her shirt. "Can't... I can't breathe..."

She took his hand off her shirt and held it to her diaphragm, exaggerating her own breathing. "Follow my breaths, okay? You can breathe, baby."

Bobby could feel the rise and fall of her breaths but his couldn't follow. He couldn't do it. He couldn't get enough oxygen. He was going to die.

"You're not going to die, baby. You're having a panic attack. You're going to be okay. I'm right here." Athena reassured him. Her voice was steady but there was a scared undertone. She hadn't seen Bobby like this before.

"I couldn't help him... he... I couldn't... I- Athena, I didn't..." He made out between gasps, tears finding their way down his cheeks without him knowing.

"Shh, shh, shh. Don't talk right now, just breathe. In and out." She continued to coach him patiently as she wiped the tears from his cheeks. "Follow my breathing, you can do this."

It took nearly fifteen minutes for Bobby's breathing to regulate, finally matching his wife's. Athena held his hand to her diaphragm and continued to breathe with him for a few minutes after he had calmed down.

"You're okay. What happened?" She asked softly, moving her hands to cup his face and wipe away any leftover tears.

He looked up at her and tears sprung to his eyes again. "Buck. I- I had a nightmare and I couldn't save him. He- the lightning and we couldn't- nothing we did could get his pulse back and he was- he died. I can't lose another kid, Athena."

Athena felt her heart sink. She knew Buck was like a son to Bobby. She knew how hard the team had fought to keep Buck alive after the lightning strike. She knew her husband took it hard. She just didn't know how bad it still was for him months later.

"Bobby, Buck is okay. You didn't lose him." She reassured him. Bobby nodded, taking a deep breath to try and calm himself down a little more.

"Buck's okay." He whispered more to himself than Athena. "He's alive."

"He is." She confirmed, kissing his forehead before someone knocked on the front door. She frowned and stood up, grabbing her gun on the way to the door because who knocked at someone's door after 11 pm?

She peeked out before almost laughing at the irony. "Hey Buckaroo." She opened the door all the way and relaxed her hold on the gun.

"Don't shoot. I'm sorry it's so late but I saw the lights still on and figured someone was up. I left a phone charger here and my other one broke and my phone's on 10%." He explained as Athena pulled him inside and shut the door behind him.

"You're welcome here anytime. Maybe use what little phone battery you have left to text or call next time though so I don't answer the door with a gun." She made him laugh as he walked down the steps.

"Hey Bobby." He greeted his captain, who was off the couch and pulling him into his arms in an instant. "Uh, hey, what-what's this for?" He returned the hug, confused as to why Bobby was holding onto him so tight.

"Bad dream. He really needed to see you." Athena explained, smiling at the pair.

"Oh, hey, you could've called. You know I'm here for you, anytime." Buck quietly reminded Bobby as the captain loosened his grip and pulled away.

"I know." Bobby nodded, holding Buck by the shoulders and giving him a once over to make sure he was really alive and okay. "You know you're like a son to me, right? I love you, kid."

Buck smiled wide at the words, needing to hear them just as much as Bobby needed to say them. "I love you too."