Work Text:
Eddie’s hands clung to the rope, trying to pull Buck’s dead weight up but failing. He felt like his world had stopped the moment the lightning struck, the moment he’d been thrown from the firetruck and the moment Buck had gotten hit.
And only one thing was running through his head.
No.
This wasn’t happening.
He was on the ground again, watching as Buck- his Buck -lay on the gurney, ECG reading a flatline. Buck was dead. His heart had stopped.
No.
Don’t go where I can’t follow.
Eddie’s training and reflexes kicked in where his brain couldn’t, where Eddie had retreated into the back of his own mind somewhere. He vaguely remembered getting in to drive as his team worked to get Buck’s heart beating again, to bring him back to life.
Buck’s heart stopped for 3 minutes and 17 seconds. Eddie was pretty sure his heart stopped the moment Buck’s did, but for some reason he was still awake to endure the agony of every single second Buck’s heart didn’t beat.