Upping the Ante – Chapter Four – emersli1

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12 Minutes

The last two weeks had been eye-opening.

The first couple of days had been pretty standard for a new job.  Meeting people.  Getting familiar with the labs.  Checking out equipment.  Reading manuals.

The next two days were in the field.  Jake and Mateo took Marshall and Buck out on a reconnoiter, sleeping out for the first night… getting back to Yreka filthy and tired and ready for three days off.

Buck had video called Chris and Eddie that evening; to let them know he’d gotten back safely and tell them all about the crew and the job so far.

Chris was incredibly excited to hear that one of Buck’s partners had CP but was living his best life anyway.  Buck told the boy about the trip he and Mateo had planned for their time off…going out on an all-day climb to start getting confidence in each other’s abilities.  And he reassured Eddie that everyone seemed to be willing to work together and support each other.  Have each other’s backs.

The next week Buck spent mainly in the lab, learning to run the tests and spot the markers for CWD … and learning the containment procedures when positive results showed up.

He really felt he was settling in well.  Everyone appreciated his willingness to learn and his skills in the lab.  While Buck had expected he’d be most appreciated for his physical assets, he was finding himself respected for his knowledge and laboratory skills as well.

Everyone just assumed that he wouldn’t be here if he hadn’t been competent to do the work.  Dr. Meecham was passionate about the project, and would never have recommended Evan if he hadn’t known he would be capable.  Jake, as it turned out, had gotten his AAS at Moorpark last year before transferring to Oregon State to finish his bachelor’s degree.  As Evan’s trainer, he knew exactly what skills he’d learned and just expected him to have mastered them.

It was really amazing just being … trusted.  Respected.  Expected to know his stuff and be able to adapt to the lab and the job parameters.

It had been a long time since Evan had had that sort of professional respect, and he was thriving under it.

He couldn’t wait to get home to Eddie and Chris and tell them all about the last two weeks.  He hadn’t told Eddie, but he’d decided he couldn’t wait for tomorrow.  Evan had gone online this morning and switched his plane ticket.  He’d get into LA by nine this evening.

Evan would see Eddie this evening, and be able to peek in at Chris.  And make pancakes in the morning.

His heart was practically bouncing in anticipation.  The separation had been harder than he expected, and Evan was more than ready to reconnect with his partner.  He had a therapy group meeting and a meeting with his doctor over this four-day trip… but Eddie and Chris came first.

Moving from his lab station to the supply closet for more slides, Evan got a text notification.  Wondering what was up, he fished his phone out of his pocket.  Eddie never texted him at work, so this had to be important.

Your sister is here.  We got it all wrong.  She could be in danger.  Should I call?

Buck felt all the blood drain from his head, then come rushing back with a vengeance.  Forgetting about getting more slides, he moved back into the lab.

“Jake, I just got a text from Eddie.  Apparently, my sister is in some sort of trouble.  He says she could be in danger.  I’ve gotta call him and find out what’s going on.”  

The other man looked concerned.  “Hey, yeah man.  Go call him.  If you need to leave early, we’ll cover you.  Family first.”

“Thanks Jake.  I really appreciate that.”  Buck moved back out into the hallway and down to the lounge/break room to make the call.

Two rings.  Then Eddie’s face.

“What the hell do you mean, she could be in danger?”

Eddie’s face looked seriously out at him.

“First of all, she’s here… safe … on our couch.”  Something in him relaxed just a tad.

“But?”  Eddie wouldn’t have contacted him if he hadn’t been concerned.

“But…she’s gonna need to be somewhere else soon.  I’m thinking of taking her to Pepa’s.  Or maybe Abuela’s.  But right now, she really needs to see you.  Is that ok?”  Eddie was already making plans.  That was good.

“Uh, yeah, sure.  Put her on.”  Buck still had no idea what was really going on, but if Maddie wanted to see him…well he couldn’t imagine saying ‘no’.

The screen shifted and Maddie’s face came into view.  Maddie’s face, to which she was holding one of their ice packs.  “Maddie?  What’s wrong?”

Buck was already mentally changing his ticket again for the soonest flight he could get.  No need to go home, he had plenty of stuff at Eddie’s.  Jake and Marshall would get his truck home.

Maddie smiled at him, a little lopsidedly.  “Oh, Evan.  It’s so good to see you.  I’m so sorry my message didn’t reach you.  And that horrible doctor… I just, I needed to see you for myself.  See that you were happy.  That you were OK.  I’m so tired, but I needed to see you.”

Trying for a reassuring tone, Buck responded.  “Hey, yeah…I’m fine.  Um.  And what doctor?  And who hit you?  What message?  I’m just so confused…”

Eddie’s face filled the screen again.  “Give me just a second to get Maddie settled for a bit of a rest… I’m a little worried about concussion, so I don’t want her to actually go to sleep but she could lay down and her head might feel better.”

Buck made a decision and moved back into the lab.  

Jake looked up immediately.  “What’s up?”

“I’m still not sure what all’s going on, but somebody’s hit my sister in the face.  I need to go…”  Buck hated leaving early, but he needed to be there in person.

“Of course.  Do you want me to drive you to the airport?  Then I could just drive your truck back home and it wouldn’t be stuck out there for however long.  Marsh and I rode in together, so no need to worry about another vehicle.”  Jake was already moving, signaling Mateo to take over his station.

“I’d really appreciate that.”  Buck moved over to gather his things and sign out on the lab board.

“Go.  Take care of your sister.  Let us know if we can help, and don’t worry about your samples.  I’ve got them.”  Mateo was a rock, ready to step in and cover for him.  “We’ll let Marsh know when he gets back in.”

Eddie’s face came back into view just as Buck was climbing into the passenger side of his own truck.  “I’ve got her resting in the bedroom now, with the lights turned down.  But I’m going to take her to the ER as soon as we hang up.  The police told her to get a medical evaluation, and I’m not qualified to do it.”

Buck snorted.  “Eds, you were a combat medic.  You might not have the certs, but you definitely have the experience.  How bad is it?”

Eddie frowned as he glanced back down the hallway and lowered his voice a little.  “Look, Buck… her jaw isn’t broken.  That’s a good thing.  It was an open-handed slap, not a backhand or a fist.  That’s also playing in her favor.  But she has a growing contusion, swelling that makes it impossible to determine the state of her cheekbone, and a killer headache and nausea she didn’t want to admit to.  Knowing how much Han can deadlift…I’m just not willing to take any chances.”

“Howard Han hit her in the face, hard enough to potentially break her cheekbone and give her a concussion?”  Buck felt as though he’d been punched in the stomach.  He’d promised Maddie she was safe here.  That he’d protect her.

Jake cursed.  “Hey Eddie.  I’m Jake, Evan’s next-door neighbor and work partner.  I’m driving him to the airport right now and we’ll get the earliest flight out for him.  If you want to text me, I’ll send you his flight details.”  He rattled off his phone number for Eddie to write down.

“And if this Han character needs to be dealt with, well North Cali has a lot of forest, and I have not one but three shovels.”  Buck looked at him in surprise.  Jake had always seemed so laid-back and chill.

“What?  I’ve got three sisters.  Whatever you need, man.”

Buck turned his attention back to his phone.  “Listen Eds… we’re turning into parking at the airport now.  I think the full explanation is going to have to wait, but after the ER trip…take her to Pepa’s, if that’s alright with your Tia.  And turn off her phone.”

Eddie nodded.  “Yeah.  That’s what I figured.  Paco will be home tonight, and Luis still lives at home.  I’ll ask Carla to pick up Chris and drive him to Pepa’s after camp.  If Han makes bail and shows up at my place…he won’t find any soft targets.”

By the time Buck’s taxi dropped him off at Pepa’s that afternoon, he had had four hours to fume.  To feel guilty.  To be scared.

Now it was time to plan and do damage control.

Pepa let him in with a grim look on her face.  “I called Paco home as soon as Eddie called me from the hospital.  We are taking a few days off to help deal with this situation.”

“I wouldn’t ask that of you…” Buck started.

“We are family.  She is your sister.  That makes her ours, and we protect our own.”  Paco had come to stand with his wife in the hallway.  “If the hijo de puta shows up here, we will be ready.”

Pepa drew him into the living room where Abuela was sitting, perched like a queen on a comfortable armchair.  “Eddito will be here soon with la pobrecita.  They were going to stop off at the police station for her to sign her statement before coming here.”

Abuela stood and drew Buck into a fierce embrace.   “Do not worry Nieto.  Su hermana will be safe.”

The sound of a car in the driveway had everyone in the room on alert, watching the door.  Pepa went to the window and looked out.  “It is them.”

Paco opened the front door as Eddie was steadying Maddie up the steps.  Buck’s first look at his sister in almost a month left him shocked and furious.

The bruise on her cheek had now taken over most of the left side of her face.  Her eye was swollen and she was clutching Eddie’s arm like it was her only anchor in an unsteady world.  Maddie looked up to see him standing at the top of the steps, and her eyes filled with tears.

“Oh Evan, I’m so sorry.  And I’m so proud of you.  I love you…so, so much.”  She reached out to him, and he caught her close.  Holding her securely, looking over her head at his partner’s grim face…Buck had to wonder what the total of the damage was.  He was still missing key parts of the story, but Maddie obviously needed to lay down.

“It’s been a long afternoon, and she didn’t keep lunch down.”  Eddie whispered to his aunt, who immediately started for the kitchen.

“I will fix her some dry toast.  She should be able to keep that down well enough.  Is it safe for her to go to sleep?”  Pepa moved quickly through the process of putting bread in the toaster oven, browning it lightly.

“She does have a concussion, but the doctor said she should be past the danger point.  Apparently, her adrenaline response kept her going until we got to the hospital.  She started really getting wobbly at that point.”  Eddie put a pharmacy bag on the counter and took three pill bottles out.  “She can have one of these with her toast.  Then she should probably lie down.”

Buck carefully maneuvered Maddie to the kitchen table, setting her gently in one of the chairs.  Pepa put the toast in front of her while Abuela got her a glass of water.  Paco stayed braced in the doorway, not wanting to completely overwhelm the poor woman.

Maddie looked at the food in front of her blankly for a minute, then slowly picked up the toast.  “Evan, there’s so much I need to tell you.  I don’t even know where to start.”

Buck smiled at her gently.  “Sure, you did.  You apologized.  You said you were proud of me.  You told me you loved me.  The rest is just details that we’ll work through together.”

Maddie’s lips trembled a little as she carefully chewed her toast.  Swallowing and taking a quick drink, she opened her mouth to begin explaining.

Pepa gave her a stern look.  “No, sobrina.  You will eat your toast so you can take your medicine.  Eddie will tell us what we need to know.”

Maddie obediently started chewing again, giving Eddie an apologetic look.

“She was in the hospital.  For reasons that aren’t important right now, Maddie committed herself to UCLA-Resnick for twenty-one days of inpatient therapy.  Howard Han told her he’d let everyone know.  Obviously, he didn’t.”  Eddie kept it short and sweet.

Buck felt as though his heart had swelled three extra sizes.  “Oh Maddie… I’m so proud of you.  I know how hard that must have been.  I wish I’d known.  I hope you know I would have absolutely supported you.”  He reached across the table and took her hand.

“Did you confront Han about not telling me?  Is that when…”  More of the pieces were fitting now, but there were still a few missing.

Eddie shook his head.  “No, Han slapped her when she refused to post his bail.”

Buck sat straight up in astonishment.  “Post his bail?  For what?”

Looking towards his relatives, Eddie tried to be discreet.  “Failure to report.  Lt. Columbo came to Maddie’s this morning looking for Han.  When he realized who she was, well she’d been on his list to talk to as well.  Having been a nurse and all.  Let’s just say… Howard didn’t take his situation seriously.  Until he was being arrested.”

“Oh.”  It was a small, sad little sound.  Buck ducked his head a little, and shot a hesitant glance at Maddie.  “Um, so you know about … uh …”

Maddie put down her toast and cleared her throat.  Still holding Buck’s hand tightly.  “Evan, what she did wasn’t acceptable in any sense and in no way reflects on you.  I am proud of you for acknowledging it.  I am proud of you for reporting it.  I have seen firsthand how difficult that can be, and I’m only thankful you had Eddie with you.  Please, tell me you’re getting help dealing with it?”

Buck sat up a little straighter.  “Yeah.  Yeah, I got a referral through the VA for telehealth appointments.  And I’ve got a great group of guys in a therapy group I attend.  Look at us, both being all grown-up and everything.”

Maddie laughed softly.  “Grown-up indeed.  That’s one of the things I’ve been working on… separating the little boy I raised from the man you became when I wasn’t looking.  And speaking of grown-up things…are you going to tell me about this ring?”

Maddie lifted their joined hands and turned them so that Eddie’s ring was visible on his finger.

“Uh…”  Buck stuttered just a bit at the abrupt turn of conversation.

Maddie suddenly looked stricken.  “Oh no, please tell me I didn’t miss your wedding?  I misunderstood your postcards and I almost missed your graduation, but please, tell me you didn’t get married while I was in the hospital.”