Work Text:
Buck feels hot. So incredibly hot. He can feel beads of sweat running down his face, over his nose. It stings when it reaches his lip and Buck hisses. He thinks he does.
It’s loud around him, roaring in his ears and he can’t focus. There’s something he’s forgotten but he can’t remember what.
Why does he feel so hot?
Maybe he should try to move. Sharp pain in his leg stops his movement. A flash of panic runs through his mind.
Am I still trapped?
The fire truck.
Why is it so hot?
Also, it’s dark. Why is it dark?
Buck tries to think really hard but everything seems so foggy and he is so tired. He thinks he’s seen his sister somewhere, wearing pink scrubs.
His sister is a nurse. Right. No, she was a nurse.
Buck shakes his head or again he thinks he does. His head hurts and it’s still so hot.
His mom and dad were there too. They looked so disappointed. What did he do?
He flexes his arm.
Did he hurt it?
But there’s no pain when he moves it. It’s so damn hard to focus and he knows he’s still forgetting something.
„-uck, wr … oming. –ay awa-ke.“
The sudden noise next to his ear startles him.
Was that his dad?
There’s this noise again but he can’t make out what it is. His leg is throbbing in pain even more now, but he can’t remember why.
„-ke up.“
An invincible pressure pushes him against a wall. The loud bang that follows makes his eyes snap open. It hurts. His eyes are watering and he can’t seem to see anything.
It’s not dark anymore though. The bright and red light dances around him. He carefully lifts his hand and rubs at his eyes. It’s so hot he wishes he could do something about that heat.
After he puts his hands away, his vision is clearer. He blinks a couple of times in confusion. He recognizes the red light now.
It’s fire.
Around him.
A panic is rushing through his body and he wants to get up but fails because he suddenly feels so incredibly weak. He pushes himself against the wall again. The air feels too tight now and he can’t get enough air in his lungs.
It’s so hot. He wants it to stop.
He can hear his own breathing and he realizes it sounds all kinds of weird. He presses his hand against his chest. He needs to get more air. His vision goes blurry again but he forces himself to keep his eyes open. His chest is heaving now and it hurts to breathe.
He looks around. He knows where he is now.
He remembers.
The warehouse.
The fire. The explosion surprised him. The guy who got trapped with him.
He panics even more and looks around. His cough gets worse and he feels like he might throw up.
Where is the guy he tried to get out?
He finds him lying on the floor a couple of meters away from Buck. His urge to rescue the person takes over and he wants to get up and check if he’s still alive. He pushes his hands against the cement floor and tries to get up. His legs betray him though and he can’t lift himself up. Frustrated he’s falling against the wall again. He punches his fists against the floor.
Screaming.
There’s no sound coming out of his mouth, instead, the cough gets worse. The man isn’t moving and he can’t see him breathe. Not from the distance anyway.
He failed, didn’t he. Like everyone says he always does.
Fail.
His shoulders sag down and he lets his arms fall down on his side. He throws his head against the wall. He didn’t do enough to save the man. Why should he get out alive?
He failed.
He closes his eyes again. They’ll be disappointed in him. Bobby, the team, his sister.
„-lmos there –uck. –old on!“
He moves his finger to his radio on his shoulder and gently rubs at it. Why would they come and save him?
He failed.
It’s so incredibly hot and he’s so tired. He lets himself slip away and welcomes the darkness he gets pulled into. Then there’s nothing for a while.
„BUCK! WAKE UP! OPEN YOUR EYES. GODAMNIT KID, NOT LIKE THIS. WAKE UP!“
Suddenly there are hands everywhere.
On his face, on his body.
He doesn’t want them to touch him. He wants to sleep. They won’t leave him alone though. His body gets jostled around but he really doesn’t want to move. Everything hurts.
„Please Buck, Please!“
Was that his dad?
Why is he here?
To tell him how he failed again? How it wasn’t enough what he did.
„D — dad?“
Buck coughs and his chest hurts really bad. The hands stop roaming over his body and he feels a soft touch on his cheek. It’s a hand he notices.
„Easy kid, easy. Close enough. It’s me, Bobby. I’m here, we gonna get you out ok. Hang on Buck.“
Buck is confused. Why was Bobby here?
He pries his eyes open. He feels like they’re glued shut but he needs to see for himself that his Captain is really there and he’s not just imagining things. His head hurts but he blinks the heat and sweat away. He can get his eyes barely open but he can see him now.
Bobby.
He’s crouched in front of him. His hands softly cupping his face.
„obby? –ou’re –ere.“
Bobby smiles or at least Buck thinks he does. The breathing mask makes it hard to see.
„Of course, I’m here kid. We all are.“
Buck looks over Bobbys‘ shoulder and sees Chim running towards them. He kneels next to him and puts a breathing mask on his face.
„Deep breaths, Buckaroo. Deep, calm breaths, ok? You gonna be alright.“
They came for him.
They did not leave him.
The fresh oxygen fills his lungs and he thinks he can breathe better. He’s still so tired though. His body hurts. He lifts his hand and reaches towards Bobby. He can feel his Captain take his hand and rub over his hurting knuckles.
He is so tired.
He loses his focus again and suddenly the world tilts to the right and goes dark.
„His oxygen levels are coming up and he’s got minor burns and a split lip. I bet his leg is sore as hell too, but nothing serious is damaged. He should go to the hospital though. So they can keep an eye on his oxygen levels, but I’m not too concerned.“
Buck hears the voices around him. He’s confused, where was he now? His breathing is better and he feels his head resting against something soft. His eyes don’t feel that heavy anymore and he opens them slowly. He has to cough a bit but it’s not as bad as before.
„Look who’s decided to join us. Damn kid, you scared us. What would I have told your little niece when uncle Buck, can’t come around to play huh.“
Chimney squeezes Bucks shoulder.
„It – It’s a girl?“
Chimney nods and smiles at him. He’s gonna have a niece. Buck smiles back at his friend.
Just then he realizes that Bobby, Hen, and Eddie are there too.
Hen gently strokes over his head and gives him a quick kiss on his forehead.
„I’m so glad you're safe Buck. We were really worried.“
He nods at her.
Eddie gently touches his leg.
„Legs all good, maybe a bit sore, but you’ll be fine. Thank god we found you.“
Buck thinks he can see tears in Eddie's eyes.
„Alright, let’s load up and get him to the hospital.“
Buck wants to protest, he doesn’t feel that bad anymore. He doesn’t want to go to the hospital but one look at his team tells him, he really needs to go, for his own sake as much for theirs. He must have scared them pretty bad.
Suddenly he remembers the man in the factory and his body shoots up from the gurney. He pulls his oxygen mask off.
„The man, where’s the man? Did you get him out? He’s dead, isn’t he? I failed didn’t I?“
Bobby gently pushes Buck back down on the gurney and puts the oxygen mask back into place. His eyes look tired and there’s grime on his face but he smiles at him.
„He’s alive Buck. He made it out, thanks to you. You did good, kid. You did really good.“
All the tension leaves Bucks body and he can feel the tiredness coming over him again. He blinks tiredly.
„I saved him?“
His captain nods.
„You did, you did, son.“
Buck's eyes widen again and his Captain smiles softly at him Bobby called him son. Bobby came to save him.
Buck closes his eyes, just to rest for a bit. He knows he shouldn’t go to sleep. His Captain lets him rest though. He feels Bobby's hands on his arm, the whole drive to the hospital. He doesn’t let go.
And Buck didn’t fail.
He didn’t.