From Intern to Family | 9-1-1 Fanfic

Chapter 26

A hand gently brushed against the top of my head and I leaned into it. "Dad?" I murmured sleepily, the hand feeling just like his.

It stilled suddenly and I grumbled at the action. My dad knew I loved it when someone messed with my hair.

"Time to wake up Coop." A voice hushed and I frowned at the voice. That wasn't my dad's voice. Who was next to me? My eyes opened of their own accord and I winced at the bright light above me.

I sat up abruptly and almost bumped heads with someone, but luckily they moved just in time.

"What the hell- Eddie?" I questioned, looking around in confusion. Buck was right beside him, as well as Bobby and Athena on the sofa across from me.

Didn't I fall asleep at the firehouse?

Bobby, obviously noticing my confusion, pushed a glass of water in my direction and spoke up. "Arthur called me after he found you in the firetruck. I came and picked you up and brought you back here. You wouldn't wake up so I assumed you were very tired. Buck and Eddie got here this morning after they woke up." The man explained.

I thought back to the evening before and pressed a hand against my forehead. I was hoping nobody would see me in there and if they did, I'd be able to just leave. Never would I have expected that they'd call Bobby for me.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get you up the in middle of the night." I apologised, feeling embarrassed at the thought of Bobby carrying me to his car and taking me to his home.

Now it was Bobby's turn to be confused, "I'm not upset about that. I'm more concerned why you weren't at your foster home and why you felt like you couldn't call any of us." He stated. I blinked in surprise, not expecting the firm show of care from the man (I really should be used to it by now).

I took a sip of the water, letting the coolness soothe my throat. "I got back after the internship and they said they were having friends over. Told me I had to find somewhere else to stay for the night and go back in the morning before heading over to the station again." I explained, trying to sound as unbothered as I could.

"They did what?" Eddie questioned with his voice dangerously low. It sent a shiver down my spine and I refrained from turning to face him.

"Why didn't you call one of us? You could've crashed at our place again." Buck stated. His tone wasn't quite as dangerous as Eddie's, but I could note the anger still present.

Hesitantly, I glanced up at the pair as I tried to think of an answer. "I-I don't know. I didn't want to bother you guys and I was fine-"

"You were asleep in a firetruck."

"But I was safe! I didn't know what to do and I know the firehouse is always safe for me to go to." I exclaimed, throwing my hands up in frustration.

I could've gone wondering around the streets in the dark, alone, but I didn't. Instead, I chose somewhere warm, safe and good. Wasn't that the sensible choice?

Athena sat down beside me and rested a hand on my shoulder, which I wasn't entirely annoyed by. "We are glad you are safe and that the firehouse is a safe space for you. But you know you can always come to us and I think the boys are just a little frustrated that you felt like you couldn't." She explained softly.

The guys nodded along with her statement, albeit reluctantly. This is why Athena was the boss, she was the most level-headed (and scary).

"Look I'm sorry I didn't call you guys. But I was fine, honest." I muttered.

Eddie shuffled in his spot, wearing away the carpet beneath him. "You're not going back to that foster home. They can't just throw you out on the streets whenever they want." He argued.

"Especially when you were shivering from a soaking wet t-shirt."

"And the only thing I found with you was a bottle of beer. Yes, I know it was unopened."

I clenched my jaw at the series of jabs, feeling like they were directed at me more than my fosterers. "I said I was fine. I'm not moving to a different house and you're not going to say a word to Andrea." I hissed in anger.

They all began talking over each other with various points about how they weren't suitable to take care of me. I scoffed at their efforts. I didn't need someone to take care of me, I was only there out of necessity.

Buck clenched his fists, "We can't let you go back to a home that doesn't take care of you." He reiterated.

"You don't get a say in this. If I get removed from that house there is a high chance I end up in worse one, then what are you going to do? You can't try and save me every time something goes wrong!" I ranted.

In my anger, I ended up in a standing position and Eddie put a hand on my chest to stop me leaving. Unfortunately, I didn't take too kindly to the action.

"Get your hands off of me."

"Let us foster you."

The sentence sent my heart rate skyrocketing as I forced myself to remain still. Buck looked knowingly at his partner, as if they had discussed the topic before, whilst Bobby and Athena looked mildly surprised.

I was not so positive. "Don't say that. You don't mean that." I muttered through gritted teeth. This was not good for all of my pent up emotions, that's for sure.

"I'm serious Cooper. Buck and I are already listed foster carers since Chris mentioned he wanted a sibling." Eddie explained. I shook my head and pushed his hand away from me.

"You can't just say things like that. I'm just an inte-"

"Don't say you're just an intern because you know damn well that you're more than that to all of us." Eddie was putting on the tough cop act and I hated that it made him more believable.

How could I be anything more than an intern to these people? Did they not know me?

Bobby stepped in to ease the situation and managed to get everyone to sit down in their seats again. "I think we all know you've become a permanent member of the 118 family. We all have our demons, okay? So stop thinking that we won't accept you for yours." Bobby explained.

The statement sent a pain through my heart, leaking into my bloodstream and trickling into every muscle in my body. How was it so hard to believe these people when they've never been anything but truthful?

Still, I actively avoided looking into their eyes. "I'm not the person you want me to be. You can't just invite me into yours homes because it won't work. You open yourselves up to me and I can't do the same. I can't live with you guys because then you'll understand what I mean and I can't lose this internship. I need this." I rambled, feeling breathless the longer I spoke.

My chest felt heavy as I took in laboured breaths, watching as Bobby and Athena shuffled away. Of course, they were starting to see the real me. They wanted an early chance of leaving and I couldn't blame them.

"Coop look at me."

I looked up instantly, knowing that I could hardly say no to these people. Both Buck and Eddie were crouched in front of me. They were far enough away that it didn't freak me out, but close enough that I could reach out for them if I wanted to.

"We are going to foster you. You can say no if you really don't want this, but you can't say no if you're afraid." Buck began, glancing to his boyfriend to continue.

Eddie nodded in agreement with Buck. "You don't think we know who you are by now? Sure you've got some secrets, but who doesn't? We don't care about that. Like Bobby said, you're a part of this family and family help each other in times of need." He explained. I bit down on the inside of my cheek to distract myself from the onslaught of emotions flooding my brain.

"So Blue, you coming home with us?"