Reading Time:
5 Minutes
Daniel lived, and the Buckley parents no longer wanted Evan. Evan has been searching for a home since he met Eddie Diaz, a struggling father who has been on his own since his wife left him looking after their son. Everything changes for the two of them the night they met. As the small family come and starts something, they all need someone who loves them enough to stay. What happens when Shannon refuses to give Eddie his divorce, and Evan hears from the family who let him go all those years, not because they missed him, but because they need something only he can be a matching donor to Daniel.
“Good morning, Hen, my favourite paramedic.” Buck greeted Hen with a loud kiss on her cheek.
A grin appeared on Hen’s face as she had grown used to Buck’s greetings. “Good morning to you as well, Buck. I take it you had a good day off?”
“I did indeed, and I take it you had a wonderful day off with Karen?” Buck absolutely adored Karen, and he couldn’t wait for Christopher to meet her. He knew that being a firefighter wouldn’t seem as cool as being a rocket scientist, and he wouldn’t blame Christopher for it; he thought Karen was cooler than him.
A loving look appeared on Hen’s face as she thought about her wife and son, “We had a wonderful day together, we took Denny to the newest zoo exhibit.”
Buck gave her a knowing look, “How much did you spend at the gift shop?” Whenever he and Eddie took Christopher to the zoo, the boy would talk them into buying at least one new stuffed animal.
The sigh that Hen let out reminded Buck of the one that Eddie always made after their trip to the zoo, “Enough that I could have taken Karen out to a fancy restaurant. We have got to start learning to say no to that boy.” The way Hen’s lips twitched up into a smile, Buck knew that she wouldn’t change a thing, even if going to the zoo cost a small fortune.
‘Hopefully, we can soon plan a zoo trip between Denny and Christopher. Maybe we can convince Athena and Bobby to let us take Harry and May with us as well.’ Buck looked forward to the day that he could introduce Eddie and Christopher to his firefam, but he could understand why Eddie was taking his time with his parents, especially his mother, who was still going on about how Christopher would be better off with them, though his dad had started to speak up against Helena, thanks to Abuela threatening to disown him if he kept that up. Then there was the issue with Shannon. Eddie was careful who he introduced to Christopher. Buck would wait as long as he had to.
Hen gave Buck a knowing look, like Athena, she could read Buck well. “Denny was hoping that you could take him next time. Apparently, Karen and I don’t know any cool animal facts like you do, and we don’t make it as fun as you.”
A laugh escaped Buck, “But that still doesn’t make me cooler than Karen. The only thing that could be cooler than being a rocket scientist is being a superhero. I would be happy to. We will work something out.” Hopefully, by then, he could introduce Eddie and Christopher to the 118th.
“That would be wonderful, and I could plan something special for Karen. Now go on, I think Bobby is waiting for you in the kitchen. He shooed Chimney out of there when he heard you arrive.” Smiling Hen nodded towards the stairs. Everyone knew that when Buck was on shift, he was the one to help Bobby out in the kitchen. Not that anyone was complaining, it was clear that Buck was almost as good as Bobby when it came to cooking. He had taken to his cooking lessons, and he had a skill for it.
“Then I’d better not keep Bobby waiting.” Buck gave Hen a quick kiss on her cheek before bouncing up the stairs, reminding Hen of a golden retriever.
“Hey, pops.” Buck greeted his father in always but blood. “What do you need me to do?”
Bobby couldn’t help but smile at the young man he had come to love as a son, the man who was slowly becoming the heart of the 118th. “If you could start chopping up the vegetables and then slicing the chicken into long pieces, I will get the skillet and sauce ready.” Bobby directed Buck.
“Will do.” Pulling on the apron that May had bought him, Buck began to get to work.
+******+
Lindsey McDonald looked at his client from across his desk. “Are you certain that this is what you wish to do?” He held up his hand, “I am not trying to stop you, I just want to make sure that you are ready to do this. As you know, I have had these papers drawn up for sometime but I have been waiting for you to go at your own speed.”
A smile was on Eddie’s face, “I have had thought about this for a while, and as you know, I am seeing someone, and we have both talked about this. Buck isn’t pushing me to do this at all. He is happy to go at my pace, but I know that I want to marry him soon. I can’t do that if I am still married to Shannon. I have reached out to her multiple times, as has your office, and we still can’t get in contact with her. I have waited for her to get in contact with me for two years, at least to talk to our son, but she hasn’t. Christopher deserves parents who want to be in his life, and even when I was deployed, I did my best to stay in contact with both of them. My son is one of the most important people in my life, the next is Buck. Christopher has come to see Buck as a second parent, and he has been asking me if he can soon call him papa. I want to marry him and create a life with Buck and Christopher, but I can’t until my past with Shannon has been closed. So, please, I would like to file for divorce in absentia.”
Lindsey’s smile grew, “Then that is what we will do. I do expect an invitation to the wedding, and Pepa has been telling me how delicious Buck’s baking is. I wouldn’t mind next time we meet that you bring something along.”
“I know without a doubt that Buck would be happy to bake you something. My Abuela has even begun to teach Buck her recipes.” Eddie would be upset, but they all knew he was hopeless in the kitchen, and it amused him to know that his mother still didn’t have them.
“I have been lucky enough to taste some of Pepa’s cooking, and she loves to remind me that her mother is the one who taught her. Your Tia is a cruel woman.” Lindsey commented.
Eddie couldn’t deny that, he had seen his Tia take great joy at Diaz get together when her food was fought over will his mother’s went almost untouched. Of course, his Abuela was the real prize.
+*****+
Pennsyanial
“Mr. and Mrs. Buckley, I have great news. I have finally managed to track down your son Evan; he is in LA.” Photos were placed on the kitchen table. “He is a firefighter at the station 118th.”
Margaret’s hand flew to her chest. “Oh, finally, we can save our beloved Daniel. Philip, we can save Daniel. We need to go to LA right away and bring him back home, or maybe we should see if we could transfer Daniel there.” Margaret didn’t care about what life Evan might have created in LA; all that mattered was getting the help Daniel needed, help that only Evan could give.
