Chapter 1: The Day That Should’ve Been Ordinary
Chapter Text
It should’ve been an easy Saturday.
Eddie had suggested a drive—just the three of them—because Christopher had been complaining all week that between Buck’s shifts and Eddie’s overtime, they barely got an hour of real “family time.” The plan was simple: grab ice cream, take the scenic route along the canyon road, and maybe stop by the lake before sunset.
Nothing dramatic.
Nothing dangerous.
Just peace.
Buck teased Eddie the whole morning about being “the strict parent,” while Christopher rolled his eyes and declared that they were both embarrassing. Eddie laughed, shook his head, and Buck felt that warm bloom inside his chest that always came whenever Eddie smiled just for him.
They were a family. Not officially, not on paper—but in every way that mattered.
And then the world tore itself apart.
---
The Road Before Impact
The sun was low, turning the road into a warm gold. Eddie was driving—because Eddie always drove when Christopher was in the car. Buck sat shotgun, one arm casually perched on the open window, humming along softly to whatever old Spanish rock song Eddie had on.
Chris sat in the back seat, swinging his legs in rhythm with the beat.
“Dad,” Christopher said suddenly, “can we get churros too?”
“No,” Eddie said automatically.
“Maybe,” Buck countered.
Eddie shot him a look. “No. Ice cream is enough.”
Buck grinned. “Live a little, Eds.”
Christopher laughed. “See? Buck gets it!”
Eddie groaned. “You two are going to be the death of me.”
Buck was mid-retort—something about Eddie being dramatic—when he saw it.
A white pickup truck.
Charging.
Too fast.
Too close.
Coming around the bend.
Swaying.
Losing control.
“Eddie—” Buck whispered, dread coiling in his stomach.
Eddie saw it a split second later.
Everything slowed.
---
Impact
“Chris, down!” Eddie barked, his voice cracking with panic as he braced both hands on the wheel.
Buck reached across instinctively, trying to shield Eddie even though it made no logical sense.
The other truck swerved wildly across the yellow line.
The headlights were blinding.
Christopher screamed.
And then—
The world exploded.
The impact slammed into Eddie’s side with bone-snapping force. The sound wasn’t a crash; it was a detonation—glass shattering, metal folding, tires screeching in agony. Buck’s body jerked violently as his seatbelt locked, digging brutally into his chest.
The car spun.
Once.
Twice.
The horizon flipped.
Up became sideways.
Sideways became down.
Christopher’s cry cut through everything—raw, terrified.
Buck reached back blindly, hand searching for Chris, but the world was a violent blur.
The car slammed into the guardrail. The front crumpled inward. A sickening crunch echoed through the cabin. Eddie’s head snapped back, then forward, striking the steering wheel even as the airbag tried—failed—to cushion him.
Buck felt ribs crack.
He tasted blood.
The seat crushed into his shoulder.
The world went black at the edges.
Another hit.
Another violent lurch.
Then—
Silence.
A ringing silence so loud it drowned everything.
Buck gasped, choking on air that tasted like smoke and dust.
His vision was a smear of red and white.
Pain radiated everywhere—sharp, suffocating.
He lifted his head, every muscle screaming.
“Chris?” he rasped, voice shredded.
No answer.
His heart lurched.
“Christopher!” louder now, desperate.
A whimper answered him.
“B—Buck…”
Buck’s entire body flooded with relief. He twisted in his seat, ignoring the white-hot stab in his ribs, and saw Christopher curled against the far corner of the back seat, glass scattered in his curls, tears streaking down his dusty cheeks.
“I’m— I’m stuck,” Chris whispered, shaking.
“Okay, buddy. It’s okay. I’m right here. You’re safe.” Buck reached toward him with trembling fingers. “Are you hurt?”
“M-my arm hurts…” Chris cried softly. “And my chest…”
Buck swallowed hard. “Okay. Okay. Just stay still.”
He turned.
And froze.
---
Eddie Wasn’t Moving
“Eddie?” Buck whispered.
Eddie’s body slumped sideways against the driver’s door, the airbag deflated beneath him. Blood streaked down from a gash above his eyebrow. His breathing—if it was breathing—was shallow, erratic, terrifying.
“Eddie!” Buck choked out, shaking more violently than the crash itself.
No response.
He reached out, hand trembling so hard he could barely grip Eddie’s wrist.
He felt a pulse.
Weak.
So weak.
“Eds,” Buck whispered, voice breaking. “Come on. Please. Wake up.”
Eddie didn’t move.
Buck’s chest tightened painfully. He wiped blood from Eddie’s cheek with a shaking thumb.
Christopher whimpered from the back seat. “Is he okay? Dad? Buck—Dad’s okay, right?”
Buck forced himself to breathe, forced his voice to stabilize. Chris needed him steady.
“He’s alive,” Buck said softly. “We’re going to help him. I promise.”
He squeezed Eddie’s hand again.
“Eddie, open your eyes. Please. You’re too stubborn to give up like this.”
The sound of sirens in the distance made Buck collapse forward with relief.
“Help is coming, Eds,” Buck whispered. “Just hold on.”
---
The Extraction
The fire truck’s lights painted the wreckage in red and blue flashes. Voices shouted, boots hit pavement, tools clanged.
“Three trapped!” someone yelled. “Adult male driver unconscious, adult male passenger awake with injuries, juvenile conscious!”
Buck blinked against the light as a pair of familiar hands cupped his face.
“Buck! Buck, hey—look at me.”
Hen.
“Ribs,” Buck whispered. “Think—think they’re broken.”
“What about Eddie?” Hen asked, voice grim.
Buck turned his head toward Eddie.
Hen’s breath hitched.
“Jesus…”
Firefighters swarmed Eddie’s side, trying to pry the crushed door open.
“He was unconscious,” Buck whispered. “He’s—Hen, he’s not waking up.”
“We’ve got him,” Hen promised, squeezing Buck’s shoulder. “We’ll get all of you out.”
Christopher sobbed from the back. “Auntie Hen! Help my dad!”
Hen rushed to him immediately. “I’m here, sweetheart. We’re going to take care of him. You’re safe now.”
Buck watched helplessly as they cut away Eddie’s door, metal screeching. Eddie’s body shifted limply with every movement, making Buck’s stomach twist.
“Pulse faint!” one of the firefighters shouted. “BP low!”
“Prep for rapid extrication!” another yelled.
Buck reached across the seats, hand shaking, and touched Eddie’s fingers.
“Stay with us,” he whispered. “Please.”
Eddie didn’t respond.
---
The Ambulance Ride
They loaded Christopher into one ambulance, Buck into another. Buck fought the paramedics, twisting despite the agony in his chest.
“I need to ride with Eddie,” he gasped. “Please—he needs me—”
“Buck,” Hen said firmly, holding him down. “You have fractured ribs, possible internal injury, and a concussion. You’re bleeding from your head. You need stabilization.”
“I don’t care,” Buck rasped, tears burning in his eyes.
“I know,” Hen whispered, her hand soft against his cheek. “But you’re no help to anyone if you pass out on the floor. Eddie is being cared for. We’ll keep you updated. I promise.”
His breath hitched with defeated pain.
Chris was crying for him.
Eddie was dying.
And Buck was strapped to a gurney, useless.
They shut the doors, and for the first time since the crash, Buck let himself sob.
---
Hospital Intake
Bright lights.
Needles.
Hands on him.
Questions he couldn’t process.
Buck drifted in and out between pain and panic.
He didn’t care about the scans.
Didn’t care about the IV.
Didn’t care about the oxygen mask.
He cared about Eddie.
“Is he here?” Buck whispered hoarsely. “Eddie Diaz— where—?”
“Sir, we’re still assessing your condition—”
“I don’t care about me!”
“Your ribs could puncture your lung if—”
“Please,” Buck sobbed, gripping the nurse’s wrist with desperate strength. “Please, someone tell me if he’s alive.”
The nurse swallowed, eyes softening.
“He is. He’s in surgery right now. He lost a lot of blood. They’re doing everything they can.”
Buck collapsed back against the pillow, shaking violently.
Everything they can.
Everything they can.
It didn’t feel like enough.
---
The Discovery
Two hours later—a blur of machines and pain medications—Buck jolted awake when a doctor entered the room.
“Evan Buckley?”
Buck sat up too fast. “Eddie—tell me about Eddie.”
The doctor’s expression was careful.
Measured.
“Eddie is stable for now. We stopped the internal bleeding. There is abdominal trauma and several fractures. But there is… something else we discovered during the ultrasound.”
Buck’s chest tightened.
“W-what?”
The doctor took a slow breath.
“Eddie is pregnant.”
Buck stared at him.
The world stilled.
“What… what did you just say?” Buck whispered.
“Approximately twelve weeks.”
Buck’s vision tunneled.
Pregnant.
Eddie was pregnant.
Eddie—his Eddie—was carrying a baby.
“Our main concern,” the doctor continued, “is that the trauma places him at high risk of miscarriage. The fetus currently has a heartbeat, but it is weak. The next 24–48 hours are critical.”
Buck pressed both hands over his mouth as sobs shook his body.
A baby.
Eddie’s baby.
Their baby.
And now—
They could lose both.
“Can… can I see him?” Buck begged.
“We’ll bring you once he wakes,” the doctor said gently. “But you need to remain on the monitors for now. Your condition is also serious.”
Buck didn’t care.
His heart was in another room.
Fighting for two lives.
---
Chapter 2: Buck Waits, and Breaks
Chapter Text
Time lost all meaning.
Buck stared at the IV in his arm, at the bruising on his ribs, at the dried blood on his knuckles from trying to reach Eddie through twisted metal. He couldn’t stop replaying the collision, the way Eddie’s body had gone limp, the way his head had lolled, the pulse so weak beneath Buck’s shaking fingers.
He should’ve protected them.
He should’ve seen the truck sooner.
He should’ve put himself between the danger and the people he loved.
He failed them.
A soft knock on the door broke through the fog.
Bobby stepped in.
The captain’s eyes took Buck in — pale, trembling, clearly fighting tears.
Buck’s chin crumpled. “Bobby…”
Bobby wrapped an arm around him carefully, mindful of his ribs.
“You’re alive,” Bobby murmured. “You, Eddie, Christopher — you all made it. That’s what matters.”
Buck let out a sound that was almost a sob. “They said Eddie—he’s—Bobby, he’s pregnant.”
Bobby froze.
The shock flickered visibly across his face, but he recovered within a second, squeezing Buck’s shoulder.
“Okay,” Bobby whispered. “Okay. And?”
“And the baby might not—might not…” Buck couldn’t say it. The words caught in his throat, strangling him.
Bobby nodded slowly. “I’m so sorry, Buck.”
Buck buried his face in his hands. “Eddie didn’t even know. He didn’t get a chance to tell anyone… and now—now he might wake up and learn he could lose—”
Buck broke, shoulders shaking violently.
Bobby stayed with him, steady and grounding.
“You’re not alone in this,” Bobby whispered. “You don’t have to carry this fear alone.”
But Buck already felt alone — in the way only someone watching their whole world bleed could feel.
---
Christopher Asks the Hardest Question
A nurse wheeled Christopher in later, arm in a cast, eyes still puffy from crying.
“Buck?” Chris whispered.
Buck’s throat tightened. “Hey, buddy…”
Chris climbed onto the chair beside him and took Buck’s hand carefully.
“Is Dad gonna wake up?”
Buck swallowed hard. “Yeah. He will.”
“Is he gonna be okay?”
Buck hesitated.
A beat too long.
Christopher’s face fell. “They told me they had to do surgery. They said he was really hurt.”
Buck squeezed his small hand. “Your dad’s fighting hard. He’s the strongest person we know, remember?”
Chris nodded, trying to be brave.
Then he said, voice trembling:
“Why did he stop breathing in the ambulance?”
Buck’s heart stopped.
They didn’t tell him.
They didn’t tell him Eddie coded.
Buck wiped his eyes. “Sometimes, when someone is hurt really bad, their body gets confused. But the doctors brought him back. They’re taking care of him.”
Christopher bit his lip so hard it turned white. “I want him. I want Dad.”
Buck pulled him gently into his uninjured side. “Me too, buddy. Me too.”
Christopher cried quietly into Buck’s shirt.
And Buck held him, even as his own tears fell into Christopher’s hair.
---
Eddie Wakes
Three hours later, a nurse came in.
“He’s waking up.”
Buck’s heart nearly stopped.
Christopher clutched Buck’s hand as they followed the nurse into Eddie’s room.
Eddie looked… impossibly fragile.
So pale he blended into the sheets.
A nasal cannula feeding him oxygen.
Sensors across his chest.
IV lines in both arms.
His ribs wrapped.
His abdomen lightly bandaged.
He looked broken.
“Dad?” Christopher whispered.
Eddie’s eyelashes fluttered.
Slowly… painfully… he opened his eyes.
Confusion.
Pain.
Fear.
Then—
Recognition.
“Chris…” Eddie’s voice cracked, barely a breath.
Christopher rushed forward, stopping only when Buck gently caught his shoulder to keep him from jostling the bed.
“I’m right here, Dad,” Chris whispered. “I’m okay. Buck’s okay. We’re all here.”
Eddie blinked slowly, tears forming at the corners of his eyes.
Buck stepped forward, voice trembling. “Eds… you scared the hell out of me.”
Eddie reached weakly for him.
Buck grabbed his hand instantly.
Warm. Fragile. Real.
“You… you both okay?” Eddie whispered.
“Bruised, banged up,” Buck said, brushing Eddie’s knuckles with his thumb, “but we’re alive. You saved us, Eddie.”
Eddie took a shaky breath, then flinched at the pain in his ribs.
“Where… what… happened?” he whispered.
“You were hit on your side,” Buck said gently. “We spun. You lost a lot of blood. You went into surgery.”
Eddie nodded faintly. Then his hand shook as he moved it weakly to his stomach.
Something in him already knew.
His eyes filled with terror.
“Buck…” Eddie whispered, voice breaking. “My stomach… something feels wrong…”
Buck looked at the doctor, who nodded solemnly.
“Eddie,” Buck said softly, tightening his grip on Eddie’s hand, “there’s something we need to tell you.”
Eddie froze.
Every muscle went rigid.
“W-what?” he whispered.
Buck took a breath he couldn’t quite finish.
“You’re… pregnant.”
Eddie’s eyes widened so suddenly it was like his entire world slammed to a stop.
“No…” he whispered. His lips trembled. “No, that—that can’t—Buck—”
“You’re about twelve weeks,” the doctor said gently. “It was confirmed on the trauma ultrasound.”
Eddie looked like someone had punched all the air out of him.
Buck moved closer, sitting carefully on the side of the bed.
“Eds… breathe. It’s okay. You’re not alone.”
But Eddie was already shaking.
“The—baby—?” Eddie whispered, voice cracking down the middle.
The doctor’s face softened with heartbreaking sympathy.
“There is a heartbeat,” she said quietly. “But it is very weak.”
Eddie gasped like someone had stabbed him.
“No—no, please—” Eddie’s voice shattered. “Not my baby—please—”
Buck grabbed both of Eddie’s hands. “Hey, hey—look at me. Look at me, okay? We’re going to fight for this. All of us. You’re not losing this baby without one hell of a fight.”
Eddie sobbed — raw, silent, agonized.
Christopher was crying too, even though he didn’t fully understand.
Eddie tried to curl in on himself from the pain and grief, but his abdomen screamed at the movement. Buck caught him before he could strain himself.
“Don’t move,” Buck whispered against Eddie’s temple. “I’m here. I’m right here.”
Eddie cried into Buck’s chest, gripping his shirt with every ounce of strength he had left.
“I didn’t know,” he sobbed. “I didn’t know—I didn’t get a chance—”
Buck held him gently, stroking his hair. “I know. I know, baby. I know.”
Eddie froze.
He realized what Buck said.
Buck realized what he said.
But neither had the energy to acknowledge it.
The fear was too heavy.
The stakes too high.
Love too raw to deny.
---
The Baby’s Heartbeat Weakens
An hour later, alarms started beeping.
Eddie’s heart rate spiked.
His blood pressure dropped.
Sharp pain ripped through his abdomen.
“Buck—Buck—something’s wrong—” Eddie gasped.
Buck’s heart stopped.
Doctors rushed in, pushing Buck and Christopher gently aside.
“Possible placental tear—”
“Get the fetal monitor—”
“BP is crashing—”
“Prepare for emergency intervention—”
Eddie cried out, gripping the rails.
Buck forced his way to Eddie’s side, grabbing his hand.
“I’m here, I’m here,” Buck whispered fiercely, even as tears blurred his vision. “You’re not doing this alone.”
Eddie gasped in pain, face contorted. “Buck—I—I can’t—I don’t want to lose—” A sob tore out of him. “Please don’t let them take my baby—”
Buck kissed his forehead. “I won’t. I’m right here. I’m not letting go.”
Machines beeped louder.
The fetal heart rate dropped.
Eddie sobbed — a broken, terrified sound.
Christopher hid his face in Bobby’s chest, shaking.
And Buck felt his own soul ripping apart as the doctors worked desperately to save a life so small, so fragile, and so wanted.
---
Chapter 3: When the Room Turned Into War
Chapter Text
“BP dropping again!”
“Fetal heart rate down to 80!”
“Eddie, stay with us—”
The room pulsed with urgency — nurses moving fast, machines screaming warnings, the air sharp with antiseptic and fear.
Buck held onto Eddie’s hand like it was the only thing keeping either of them alive.
“Eddie,” Buck whispered, voice shaking, “I’m right here, baby. I’m not leaving you.”
Eddie was crying, but not from pain — from terror.
“I don’t want to lose our baby,” he gasped, clutching Buck’s fingers with surprising strength. “I didn’t even know—Buck—I didn’t know—I would’ve—”
Buck leaned close, forehead against Eddie’s temple.
“Don’t think about that. Think about now. Think about holding our baby in a few months. Think about breathing. With me. In and out.”
Eddie tried.
But then a sharp, deep pain ripped through him.
“AAAH—Buck—Buck—!”
Buck panicked. “Somebody help him! He’s in agony—”
“We’re trying,” a doctor said quickly. “The trauma caused uterine bleeding. We need to slow it down or he could—”
She didn’t finish.
She didn’t need to.
Buck felt Eddie slipping.
His grip loosening.
His breaths coming weaker.
His body trembling violently.
“Eddie! Hey—Eddie—look at me.”
Eddie’s eyes barely opened.
“C—Chris?” he whispered, searching for someone he couldn’t see.
“He’s safe,” Buck promised, voice breaking. “Christopher is fine. I’m here. Stay with me.”
“Buck… if something happens…” Eddie choked. “Promise me—promise you’ll take care of him—both of them—”
Buck shook his head hard, tears falling onto Eddie’s sheets.
“Stop. Don’t say that. We’re not losing you. And we’re not losing this baby.”
“Fetal heart rate dropping again!”
The line dipped.
Once.
Twice.
Buck felt like he was drowning.
“Please!” Buck shouted at the medical team. “Please save them!”
A doctor responded, urgent but calm.
“We’re giving him medication to slow the bleeding. If it stabilizes, we can avoid emergency surgery. Just give us a few minutes.”
Eddie whimpered in pain.
Buck held him tighter.
“You hear that?” Buck whispered fiercely into Eddie’s hair. “You fight. You hear me? You fight for our baby. For Chris. For us.”
A choked sound escaped Eddie. “I’m trying.”
“I know,” Buck whispered. “I know you are.”
He kissed Eddie’s forehead again and again, each one a desperate prayer.
---
The Moment Everything Balanced on a Knife’s Edge
Minutes stretched like hours.
“Heart rate is rising… slowly,” a nurse murmured.
“Bleeding is slowing—good. Good.”
“BP climbing.”
“Fetal heartbeat stabilizing—110… 115…”
Buck felt his knees buckle.
He sagged forward, shaking with relief as Eddie gasped and sobbed into his chest.
“It’s okay,” Buck whispered over and over. “It’s okay, baby. You’re okay. The baby’s okay.”
Eddie clung to him like he was drowning and Buck was the only solid thing in the world.
“Is—are they safe?” Eddie choked.
Buck cupped Eddie’s face gently.
“Yes,” Buck breathed. “For now, they’re safe. Both of you are.”
Eddie cried harder — soft, broken sounds of fear and relief.
The doctor finally approached.
“We’ve stabilized the bleeding,” she said gently. “But Eddie needs strict rest for days. The pregnancy is still high risk. But the baby survived the crisis.”
Eddie collapsed back onto the pillow, exhausted.
Buck kissed his forehead again, whispering, “Thank god… thank god…”
Christopher, who had been crying silently into Bobby’s chest outside the curtain, was gently brought in.
“Dad?” Chris whispered, voice trembling.
Eddie’s eyes fluttered open.
“Hey, mijo…”
Christopher rushed to his side, careful of the wires and bandages.
“You scared me,” he whispered, wiping his eyes with his casted arm.
Eddie stroked his cheek weakly.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart. I’m okay. And I’m not going anywhere.”
Chris swallowed. “After the crash… you weren’t breathing. And I thought—I thought I’d lose you.”
Eddie pulled him close and kissed his forehead.
“You won’t,” Eddie whispered. “I promise.”
Buck watched them, tears falling freely.
This was his family.
His whole heart.
And nearly losing them had shattered him in ways he’d never felt before.
---
When the Dust Settled, Love Spoke Clearly
Hours later, after Christopher fell asleep in the chair beside Eddie’s bed, Buck sat quietly on the edge of the mattress, brushing a thumb over Eddie’s knuckles.
Eddie watched him through half-lidded eyes.
“You okay?” Eddie whispered.
Buck let out a watery laugh. “No. Not even a little. But you’re here. Chris is here. And the baby’s… still fighting. That’s enough.”
Eddie stared at him, voice barely audible.
“Buck… I’m scared.”
Buck leaned close, cupping Eddie’s face.
“I’m terrified,” he admitted. “But you don’t have to carry that fear alone.”
Eddie’s eyes filled again.
“I didn’t know,” he whispered brokenly. “About the baby. I didn’t even feel different. I didn’t—”
Buck pressed a finger to his lips.
“Doesn’t matter. You know now. And we’re going to protect them. Together.”
Eddie swallowed hard.
“The baby… it’s yours too. Isn’t it?”
Buck didn’t blink.
“Yes,” he whispered. “Ours. All three of us — we’re a family.”
Eddie let out a shaky breath. “I’m sorry you had to find out like this.”
Buck shook his head. “I don’t care how I found out. I care that you’re both alive.”
Eddie closed his eyes, tears slipping down his temples.
“Buck?”
“Yeah?”
Eddie’s voice was soft, fragile, and full of everything he’d been too scared to say for years.
“Don’t leave. Not tonight.”
Buck slid his fingers between Eddie’s, holding them firmly.
“I’m not leaving, Eddie,” he whispered. “Not tonight. Not tomorrow. Not ever.”
A single tear fell from Eddie’s lashes.
Buck brushed it away gently.
“I love you,” Buck whispered — terrified but certain.
Eddie’s breath hitched.
He stared up at Buck like he was seeing him for the first time.
Then—
Soft. Barely audible.
Full of truth.
“I love you too.”
Buck leaned forward slowly, pressing the gentlest kiss imaginable to Eddie’s lips — careful of injuries, careful of everything except the truth between them.
Eddie melted into him, weak but real.
Their first kiss tasted like tears.
Like relief.
Like survival.
Like the promise of a future they almost lost.
Buck pulled back only when Eddie needed air.
“Rest,” he whispered, brushing Eddie’s hair back. “I’ve got you.”
Eddie exhaled shakily, eyes drifting closed as Buck stroked his arm.
Christopher slept peacefully beside them.
And for the first time since the crash, Buck let himself breathe — really breathe — feeling their baby’s survival like a miracle pulsing through the room.
Eddie slept with Buck’s hand over his.
Safe.
Alive.
Loved.
A father twice over.
And Buck kept watch over his family, whispering soft promises into the quiet hospital room.
“You’re not alone.
Not anymore.
Not ever.”
---
THE END
ora_han on Chapter 1 Fri 05 Dec 2025 05:11PM UTC
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