The Nature of the Emergency (Evan 'Buck' Buckley X OC)

Postcards (AKA The Aftermath)

It has been a few minutes since our day ended and I am waiting in the car. Buck has decided that he is going to apologise to Maddie. I wanted to be there to give him some much-needed backup but a part of me knows that this needs to be resolved between the two of them. After what feels like an eternity Buck comes back. In his hands are a stack of what appears to be postcards.

"Well?" I tentatively ask.

"I think you should read these when we get home. It will show you who I really am," Buck says as he sits down next to me.

"Buck, I know who you are. You are Evan Buckley. The man who saves lives even when his own needs saving," I respond. There are so many other attributes that I could list but that one is the main one.

"Are you going to read them?" Buck asks. I can tell that he is already embarrassed.

"Are you kidding me? Of course, I am," The stack of postcards piqued my curiosity so as embarrassing as it is for Buck I am going to read them. All of them. There is a lot that I need to know. Buck seems to shrink in the seat as he puts his seatbelt on. With that, we get going. After eleven minutes of driving, we finally made it back to our apartment. As soon as I enter I take the stack of postcards and sit down. This is going to be interesting. My eyes are drawn to an interesting photo. It is of Buck in a uniform that doesn't belong to the LAFD. In fact, it is not one that I would have expected him to wear. I quickly read the attached postcard.

"Of course," I mutter.

"What?" Buck asks. His face is burning red.

"You had a go in the military," I respond as Buck joins me at the table. To my surprise, my comet has rendered Buck speechless. I put it down to the fact that the postcards are a glimpse into an otherwise hidden past.

"Well I decided that I looked better in a different uniform," Buck jokes as he joins me. To be honest the camouflage does not suit him. A giggle falls from my mouth. I know he isn't really a fan of authority unless its name is Bobby. Even then it is a stretch. An idea soon crosses my mind.

"Once I am done reading these, why don't we go out and do something?" suggest as we haven't had any meaningful time together since Buck found out about Daniel. Plus I want to make sure Buck is at peace with what he was told. After a few minutes of looking through various postcards, I came across an interesting one. In this postcard, Buck has gone back to bartending. This time it looks like he is serving drinks on a random beach at what I assume is some place in Puerto Rico. The next one shows him at the firefighter academy.

"So how did you make the jump from bartending to firefighting?" I ask as I turn my attention to him.

"Umm...I just felt that it was my calling. It's like when you left med school to become a paramedic. As fun as bartending was, it just wasn't for me," Buck explains. After a few minutes of reading I have come to the part where I enter the picture. Buck had been a firefighter for a year.

"Do you mind if I read this one out loud?" I ask. I want Buck to suffer the embarrassment alongside me.

"Sure...?" Buck knows what he is in for.

"Dear Maddie, I think I found someone. Someone real. As nice as Abby was, we couldn't find a common ground. With this person, I think I have enough to make it work. Her name is Ella Calder. Not only is she a good person, she is also good at her job. She is a paramedic. That's how we met. Before you can ask I realise the risks of dating someone in the fire department. Anyway, I am running out of room on this postcard so I hope you can find the strength to leave that monster. From Evan," To Buck's horror, I read the entire postcard out loud. So that explains why Maddie knew who I was before I knew her. It sounds like it was love at first sight. I catch myself giggling as Buck tries to distract himself. Luckily for him, that was the last postcard in the bundle as it was the last one Buck sent before Maddie came to LA.

"You don't have to worry, Buck. I got through all of the postcards," I add for good measure.

"So what do you think?" Buck asks.

"Honestly?" I retort as Buck pulls me into a hug.

"Honestly," Buck confirms.

"Given your backstory, I am glad that you chose firefighting. Not only did you find another family in the form of the 118 you found the love of your life," I say as my grip on Buck's shirt tightens.

"I still want to try and make it up to my parents. Just so long as I have someone backup," Buck half jokes as he loosens his hug.

"Of course. In this case, I will be on your side. You three have enough drama to last for a lifetime. I don't need to add to it," I counter getting a chuckle from Buck.

"It's already been a lifetime. Anyway, let's go for a walk," Buck remarks.

"Umm...before we go, what should we do about these?" I say as I hold the stack of postcards. I don't want to do anything to them unless Buck gives me permission.

"I want to keep them," Buck says as he grabs a couple of things. Well, then that settles it. We are keeping them.

"Give me a second," I say as I begin the search for a box. After thirty seconds of looking, I have found a suitable box. With a few swift movements, I have the postcards in the box. After finding a safe spot for the box I turn my attention to getting ready for my walk with Buck. It will be nice to go out without any drama. I need it as the past week was hell and that was putting it mildly. The thing is I know it could have been worse as Buck's parents wouldn't have approved of my dad. Anyway, meeting the in-laws wasn't the worst. 

A/N I know this chapter is short but it is just a little filler before I throw Ella and Buck into the most chaotic shift of their lives. Since this is an author's note I would appreciate it if you vote and/or comment if you enjoyed this story