saved her life. | evan buckley x oc

chapter nine.

she was back to work that morning. she had gotten up early, and she certainly hadn't been ready for it. but hey.. couldn't be so bad. she had her friends there if she needed them. she could do it. kai walked back into the firehouse, bag slung over her shoulder as she pinned her name tag to her uniform. chimney smiled at her as she walked in, and so did hen.
" hey! you're back! feelin' better today? "
chim asked, raising an eyebrow a bit. kai gave a nod, chuckling under her breath.
" getting some rest was.. definitely good for me. i'm glad bobby let me off when he did. "
she admitted finally, looking to the ground before finally looking up.

her eyes met with buck's, a look of clear concern in his own two eyes. kai offered a small smile. she walked from hen and chimney over to buck, and sat her bag down.
" hey, buckaroo. "
she greeted, her lips forming a much bigger smile. buck offered a concerned smile back.
" hey. You feeling okay? i know you went home early yesterday, hope you're alright. "
he said, his tone full of genuine care. she was his best friend, wasn't he supposed to care about her? kai smiled back at him, chuckling.
" yeah, i am. just a tough day yesterday. i'm fine though, buck, i swear. "
she said, her tone of voice extremely calm. buck decided not to push it.. but he knew something was definitely up with her. there just had to be. she couldn't just be fine after everything he knew had happened yesterday.

they handled a few calls for the day, it was a constant thing. but the day had been rather regular, nothing away from the norm. as everyone sat down to eat what bobby had made them, everyone at least had smiles on their faces. they had a positive attitude for the day. and all they wanted was some food. this was like a family meal, honestly. or at least, to kai it was. she really didn't have much of a good relationship with her family. especially in her childhood. a family dinner had been extremely irregular for her. the 118 was her family now, and she accepted it. she really saw these people as the functional and fine family that she had never had.

the firehouse was pretty silent, so everyone decided to make a little small talk. chim casually grabbed a forkful of what was on his plate.
" so, Kai. how're your kiddos doing? "
he asked, his tone chipper. kai smiled, leaning on the table a little.
" good, as always. acing their tests, taking care of each other, and just.. being the best possible kids ever. don't know what i'd do without them, y'know? "
she said, a decently happy tone to her voice. honestly, most of them had never heard her speak so happily about anything. eddie smiled, raising an eyebrow.
" oh, you have kids? "
he asked curiously. kai nodded, leaning back.
" mhm, three of them. set of twins and a five year old. "
eddie smiled again, perking up a little.
" that's cool, i have a kid myself. my son, christopher. "
a fond smile found its way onto kai's lips. though, a faint look of jealousy crept across buck's face, noticeable to a few of the others at the table. though nobody called it out, hen raised an eyebrow at buck's expression, before deciding it was better not to press. clearly buck had.. some feelings about this. and it was pretty clear they weren't all that positive.

eddie and kai walked out to both talk more about their families, which left everyone else. hen finally spoke up.
" well buck, you definitely looked a little jealous back there. what was that whole thing about? "
she asked, her eyebrow still raised as she leaned on the table a little more. buck looked a little alarmed on being called out, but he quickly cleared his throat.
" well- you know how i rejected kai. i've been thinking about it more. i know i like her. i just.. she wouldn't walk away like abby did, but- i'm just torn about this, hen. "
he explained, talking with his hands and just.. he was explaining this with some difficulty. chim whistled.
" look, buck. i don't have all that much to say about this matter. but all i know i can say is that you just need to follow your gut. you wanna ask her out? ask her out. alright man? "
he gave buck a big pat on the shoulder.

and just as he did? the alarm went off. they had yet another call. this time.. maybe a more severe one.