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They arrived at the scene mid-day. The sun seemed out to get them, a grueling bright attack on their retinas. That didn’t stop the team from acting quickly.
Chimney had a microphone out, trying to assure the kid - who’d miraculously ended up on top of a utility pole. - Eddie followed Hen’s lead, standing off to the side he watched the rest of the team jump into action. Buck was swiftly talking Harry through what you might do in this situation. A classic example of “see one, do one, teach one” mentality. Not that Harry was anywhere near going up himself, this would solely be in Buck and Ravi’s hands.
Eddie glanced at Hen just before the ladder is finally in place. The only response she has is a worried glance, rather it be for the kid or Buck. Eddie wasn’t sure.
He swallowed down the anxiety that was beginning to bubble under the service. Buck had done this type of rescue a million times; but for some reason, this time felt different.
Eddie isn’t able to stop himself, as he approaches the bottom of the engine. Buck looks up at him from where Ravi had been double checking his line. “Something wrong?” He asked, tilting his head to the side. “No, no-” Eddie sighs, “Just- Be careful.”
Ravi looks at Harry with a snort. (He’ll find out much later then today that Ravi had made a joke about Eddie worrying about Buck going up just moments before he’d approached them.)
“Come on Eds, it’s me.” Buck chuckles.
“Exactly.” He glares.
“I’ve got this,” Buck adds, when he comes to realise how serious Eddie actually is. The tone is a wash of reassurance. He nods in response as Buck climbs on top of the engine, Ravi by his side.
“Alright, I just got the a-okay from dispatch - The power line should be shut down, let’s get our boy here down.” Chimney instructs, before turning back to Theo, continuing to placate the kids worries. Not that the kid seemed all that worried to be up there, having got himself into this situation in the first place.
“Go get'em, Cowboy.” Eddie teased. Buck smirks shaking his head as he began to climb the first steps.
Eddie turned and joined Hen again, avoiding her eyeline. “Ravi has his back,” Hen assures. “I know,” He swallowed, not letting his focus move away from Buck as he climbed the hundred foot distance. Ravi just on his tail.
He can’t hear Buck from this distance, but he can somewhat see the soft expression on his face. The way he smiled at any children they came across on call - similar to how he looked at Christopher. He watched Buck loop the safety harness around the boys shoulders, Theo must say something funny because he laughs before he reaches for his radio.
“Already, Theo is ready.” Buck’s voice crackles over the system. This is where they came into the plan, as Buck lowers the boy into Hen’s hands. Once the harness is off and he’s sat on the stretcher, Hen begins to go through the checklist of items to insure he is injury free.
Eddie feels it in his feet first. The biting noise that rings through their surrounding area.
The buzz is so loud it nearly knocks him off his feat - but maybe that’s just from the unexpected nature of it, not the actually volume. Ravi’s scream coming out louder.
He looks up, only to meet a flash of sparks.
Where Buck and Ravi should be descending down the engine ladder.
Eddie is fast enough to watch Buck’s body tumble off the end. His limp weight swinging on the taught rope.
If he could focus on anything else, he might have heard Hen’s gasp. He might have seen Harry jump to Ravi as he’d stumbled down the ladder because of the same blow that had hit Buck. He might have even heard or seen Chimney’s frantic communication with Buck’s radio trying to get a response, or to Dispatch updating Maddie in sheer panic.
The line was supposed to be shut off.
They’d been told it was clear.
Eddie’s only focus was his internal clock that was triggered immediately by the sight. One second, two seconds, three seconds…
Ravi is fast, already preparing to go after Buck. Eddie is faster.
He’s up the engine before anyone can really react to his movements, he’s half-way up the ladder before Chimney is shouting at him. He had no idea if the power line was actually shut down now and despite not having a harness on, Eddie didn’t particularly care for this fact.
There were very few things that ran through his head when Buck had been struck with lightning the first time, but since forced to watch Chris talk to Buck’s comatose body as he laid in a hospital bed Eddie didn’t know if he’d ever get up from, he’d thought of a million of different things he would have done given the chance at a do-over.
Not that he thought the do-over would actually come.
He’s barely able to look at Buck’s hanging body as he manages to get the rope to lower Buck to the ground. Ravi at the foot, watching and reacting to his every move - The two of them work together to bring Buck to the ground.
Both Hen and Chimney jump into action as soon as Buck nears them.
Seventy seconds, seventy-one seconds, seventy-two seconds, seventy-four…
He slides down the ladder’s sides without a second of worry for his own well being. His mind screaming the same thing on repeat ‘Buck, BuckBuck, BuckBuckBuck’
Chimney throws his head back in relief, as Hen crowds herself over Buck’s body.
Eighty-six seconds, Eighty-seven, Eighty-eight…
“If I had a nickel,” Hen sighs falling back, she sits up right as she looks at Eddie, finally by their side to tower over Buck as he laid in the dirt road.
His best friend is smirking.
Buck is alive, and suddenly Eddie feels alive too.
“Not- Not as bad.” Buck jokes before his laugh became a cough. “Still four out of ten.”
Ravi knocks into Eddie’s shoulder as he plows into him, “Jeez man, how did you react so fast?!” He huffs at him. He feels himself reboot as he considers the question still not looking away from Buck laying on the floor.
Chimney must had shuffled over to check on Theo or talk to the stranger that had put the call in, as the Captain isn’t there to yell at Eddie for his reckless reaction.
Eddie falls forward, hands caught on his knees to keep himself standing. He reminds himself again that Buck is alive.
They’d been granted yet another second chance, and Eddie was all to familiar in knowing that someday those will run out.
“This cannot be good for your heart,” Hen scoffs.
“Eh, it hardly knocked me out for a second.” Buck waves as he attempts to sit up, falling flat on his back. Eddie once again reacts faster then their friends - already predicting Buck’s movement so he’s by his side ready to help him sit up when Buck tries again.
“I’ve got you, Babe.” Eddie mumbles. Then freezes.
Maybe he should start counting to track his own heart attack. His skin hot, and mind dizzy.
Buck flushes, his birthmark deepening in hue.
The reaction is like lightning to Eddie’s nervous system, which seems like a poor comparison to make in the moment yet he had no idea how else to explain it.
He could just say his entire world view shifted as if clicking into the right spot after years of being just off but that felt a tad overdramatic for something that he’s knows in this moment has laid dormant under the surface this entire time.
He was in love with Evan Buckley, and that wasn't a new concept.
“Maddie just got back to me, apparently they had lowered the voltage to the equivalent of a taser shock, but hadn’t completely cleared it.” Chimney grumbled, as he joined the group again. “Not that that excuses anything, or what you did - Prince Charming.” He adds with a glare directed solely at him. Eddie cringed.
“What did you do?!” Buck blinked, looking between him and their team.
“Don’t worry about it,” Eddie quickly excused.
“Oh, we will, once we get him checked out at the hospital.” Hen remarked.
Buck groans, but before he can say anything about being fine and the step being unnecessary, Eddie reaches forward and squeezes his shoulder. That shuts him up quite effectively.