Drowning on Dry Land

He Isn't Coming

Telling Christopher that Buck wasn't coming– that he was missing– was almost as hard as telling him that his mother died. He couldn't find the right words. He couldn't think of a way to tell him that wouldn't cause the tears he was fighting back to spill over.

He knelt in front of his sweet boy, gripping his small hand between both of his larger ones. "Buddy, I have to tell you something."

"Is Bucky coming now?" His voice was small and hoarse, but he didn't lose his sweet smile.

Eddie kissed his forehead, before answering gently. "No, mi hijo. Bucky can't come see you right now. He's still out there looking for you, and Daddy is going to have to go find him."

Chris just smiled and nodded, eyes full of childlike innocence. "Okay, Daddy. Bucky is probably saving people. He's like Superman."

The lump in Eddie's throat wouldn't go away, and unshed tears burned his eyes. "I think he was just looking for you, Buddy, and then got a bit lost. But I will do everything I can to bring him home to you, okay?"

"Okay, Daddy." He murmured softly, eyes fluttering closed.

Eddie stared at his son's beautiful healthy face, a face he never would have seen again if Buck hadn't kept him alive through that wave, before taking a deep breath and preparing himself to make the two calls he was dreading, one to Maddie and the other to the team.

The ringing of his phone as he waited to hear Maddie's voice sounded shrill in his ears.

She picked up almost immediately. "Eddie?"

"Maddie." He whispered, throat thick with emotion.

"What's wrong? Did you find Chris? Is he hurt?"

"Maddie, I found Chris. He's fine. But... It's Buck Maddie." He wanted to cry. How do you tell someone their brother is missing? How do you tell them that he went out in this mess for you, to save the one person he knew you couldn't lose?

"What about Buck? Is he hurt?" Her voice developed a frantic edge, and he could tell that she was working hard to keep her cool.

"He left Med One and went back out to search... without a medical clearance. And I don't know where he is or where he was going. He's just gone."

He listened as she took a deep breath before responding. "I'm coming down there now. Eddie, we need to find him. I can't lose him." She hung up without another word.

Eddie slumped onto Christopher's cot, pulling his exhausted child into his arms, letting tears stream down his face. He was so relieved to have him back, so grateful that the extent of his injuries was a scratch on his cheek and a few bruises. It could have been so much worse. But Buck protected him. He needed to find Buck, but he couldn't leave Chris alone, so instead he radioed his team. Their team. Hoping they could get a headstart, while he waited for Maddie to come stay with Chris.

"118, do you copy?"

"We are almost to the VA hospital, Eddie. We copy." Chimney's voice rang clear through the ringing in his ears.

He took a deep breath trying to figure out what to say, before finally radioing back. "Buck is gone."

Bobby's voice rang loud in his ears. "Repeat that Eddie, what is Buck's status?"

Eddie scrubbed a hand over his face, before extracting himself from Chris's sleeping form and stepping away again. "He's missing. I don't know where he is."

"What happened, Eddie?" "Where was he last?" "What do we know?" All three voices rang out over the radio at once causing their words to jumble together.

"I radioed Med One to have them send Buck to me, but Officer Ryan said he went back out to look for Chris. No medical clearance, just grabbed my spare shirt and took off." He bit his cheek trying to hold back more tears. "I don't know where he is. I don't even know if he's alive."

This time only Bobby responded, voice steady and sure. "Eddie, we will find him. It's Buck. He's going to survive this. We will drop this load of people off and try to retrace his steps from Med One. Is there someone you trust to watch Chris while you look around the VA and head toward Med One from the opposite direction?"

"Maddie's coming."

"Good. Eddie stay strong. Buck is stronger than any of us." Bobby assured before the radio went silent.

He slid down to his knees at Christopher's bedside, pressing his face in the boy's hair, listening to the chaos all around them.

----------

"Sir. Sir! Can you hear me?"

Buck groaned a bit in response, but kept his eyes closed tight. All he felt was exhaustion and pain.

"Sir. I need you to open your eyes. I need you to tell me if you have any medical conditions. What's your name?" The insistent voice rang in his ears and kept shaking him.

He refused to open his eyes, but he managed to mumble softly to her. "Clots. Thinners. Find Chris," before exhaustion pulled him under once more.

Notes:

Thank you to the always wonderful httpstiles for beta reading this!

Please comment and let me know what you think.