Later that night, Ashleigh opened the fridge, looking back at Buck and Maddie...
"I just feel bad for him, you know? Eddie, I mean. Not Christopher." Ashleigh says.
Buck popped the cork, pouring them all a drink.
"Christopher's great. He's smart, adorable, and funny, in a kid way. He just needs a little extra help." Ashleigh says.
"Cerebral palsy, right?" Maddie asked.
"Aunt Pepa said he got stuck in the birth canal. There were complications, and then..." Ashleigh says.
"Well, did Aunt Pepa explain what's happening with the child care situation? Because there are programs." He tells her.
"Eddie's working on it. He's got insurance. There's other stuff through the city, state, and county, but the requirements are all different. You can apply for one, and it can disqualify you from another. It's a whole, giant bureaucratic mess. I... I can't get my head around." Ashleigh tells them.
"I was a nurse. The only people who truly navigate bureaucracy are the people who work inside it." Maddie says.
Ashleigh handed a plate to Buck, seeing how Maddie had already eaten.
"It shouldn't be that way, though... Eddie, always wondering how to take care of Christopher, and Christopher feeling like a burden on his dad." Ashleigh said, walking into the living room holding a plate.
"Eddie doesn't feel that way, does he?" He asked.
"Not even a little. He, uh, he loves that kid like crazy. He's a really great dad." Ashleigh said.
"So does this crush on Eddie... Ashleigh, I need to know what's going on there." He muttered, sitting down on the couch beside her.
"That's cute. And how many times do I need to tell you, Buck? I don't have a crush on Eddie... I don't know; we've just become really close. Anyway, it feels completely different from how I feel about you. It's more like a sibling sort of relationship." Ashleigh mumbled.
"I have some news. I found an apartment. It's not far from work, and I thought maybe it was time for you two to be alone. Two-bedroom, secure building. Parking included." Maddie said.
"Look, I have no issues with you staying here, Maddie. Honestly. I mean, it's practically the Gilbert-Buckleys household." Ashleigh says, switching the TV on.
"You're really moving out?" He asked.
"I told you I wasn't gonna be able to live here forever. When I left Doug, I didn't have a plan. I just grabbed my stuff and ran as fast and as far as I possibly could, but you two convinced me to start over and make a brand new life in L.A."
"We were right about that." Said Ashleigh.
Ashleigh popped some food into her mouth while flipping through Netflix.
YOU ARE READING
9-1-1.
ActionBased on Season Two... After his devastating family tragedy in Minnesota, Bobby Nash moves to Los Angeles to start over, where he becomes Captain of the 118, and meets Athena Grant for the first time. The first responders deal with a calamity at a c...