Chapter Text
The night is falling. Eddie stares at the dying sun lingering outside the window. Orange light filters through the glass, draws shadows hiding in the corners.
He couldn’t decide which one frustrates him more, Buck’s backstab or the fact that Eddie still can’t hate him for it. Not too much, at least. Not as much as he thought he would after getting betrayed by one of the most important people and the best friend of his life.
He’s hurt, sure. Disappointed, you bet. Fumed and pissed, absolutely. But he can't find any resentment in him facing the man who seems to always find a new way to drive him crazy. He wishes he could, so his guts didn’t have to be churning in this miserable way as it does right now. It’s like there’s a chainsaw working hard to cut him in half, with one side yelling go back there and punch him and the other half whispering maybe you should give him a little benefit of the doubt , as if Eddie is the one who did something really bad and unforgivable, not the bastard demanding Eddie to see his side after all that shit. He can’t blame himself for the gracious prayer he sent up when the two cars crashed. The distraction was efficient and direly needed.
Exhaustion hits Eddie like a strike after they get back to the store. He had climbed a crumbling high-rise up and down after an earthquake, fought through hellfires and blinding smokes to find a survivor, one after another with no stop. But none of those compares. It's deep in his bones, gnawing.
He stands in the lane waiting for check out, with his teammates one step ahead. No one has spoken a word since they came back from the rescue. Lena had already gone back to the station with the first responder team.
The silence is broken when they are about to reach the end of the line.
“Hey honey, are you ok? You look awful.” Eddie tenses a little at Hen’s concerned look.
“Yeah. Just… feel tired.” He doesn’t know his voice is so rough until the words come out of his mouth. He tries to brush it off with a cough.
“We all are.” Eddie can’t help but squirm under the knowing look of Hen. She’s always the smartest of them all. She puts a hand on his back in consolation. “It’s been a long day.”
“I just can’t believe he could do something like that.” He looks away from her piercing gaze. It’s only when Bobby walks to her side that Eddie notices he is staring at the aisle they left.
“He’s been through a lot recently.” They all turn to the older man at this. Bobby simply puts up a compensating hand. “I’m not saying it as an excuse, but it’s reasonable. He did what he thought was right. I won’t judge him for that.”
Eddie stares at the man in disbelief. He never thought Bobby would say something like this. Eddie knows that Bobby treats Buck like his own son, so he never thought the man would be this calm about Buck’s betrayal. Isn't he supposed to be the one who got hurt most by this? Well, maybe except Eddie, for the obvious...personal reasons that he never shared with a soul.
He would point it out, he would argue that it’s surely not an excuse and it’s not even a little reasonable, if he wasn’t so tired. It seems the fight (though he doubts it could count as a fight since the only one who got mad was him) and the accident that interrupted it had drained all of his energy, leaving him with only exhaustion and a sore body. He had all this hot rage in him that had nowhere to go just minutes earlier and now it’s all gone like the helium from a leaking balloon.
Bobby doesn’t bat an eyelash at the accusing look from Eddie and continues coolly. “He will come to his senses, sooner or later. Don’t be too hard on him.”
“Yeah? How about sooner? I can’t guarantee I won't punch some of it into his thick skull if it’s later.” Chim snorts at the front and shouts over his shoulder.
Eddie manages a wry smile, but the jab helps the burning in his chest little. He feels like his head is splintered in a hundred pieces, and every single shard fills him with a different feeling. Some bigger ones want to go back in there and grab Buck's shirt and just ask him why , and the smaller ones want to crawl back home and shut himself in his bedroom until all of this could go away. Until all of the anger and hurt and the unfairness could leave him alone.
The bigger parts win in the end.
He chances a glance at Cap and Hen and Chim, who are putting the groceries from the carts on the counter. He makes the decision before he can chicken out.
“I’ll uh… I need to use the bathroom. You guys go ahead, don’t wait for me. I’ll meet up with you at the station.” He only hopes they won’t call him on his lame excuse. It’s not his fault his brain is a mess at this moment and couldn’t come up with a decent one.
“Already? Did you eat something?” Chim frowns.
Hen smacks him on the arm while gathering the vegetables into a bag. Her lips quirk slightly like she couldn’t fight back her smile. She turns to Eddie, who almost choked at Chim’s snide remark. “You sure?”
Eddie can only nod. He looks at Bobby, who merely nods back indifferently. “See if he’s ok. Call us if not.”
“Uhh... I’m not going to... I really need to use the bathroom...” Eddie’s last attempt to quibble dies in his throat at the sight of the two identical cut the crap and one slightly concerned faces in front of him. He scratches the back of his head and looks away, averting their gazes at all cost. “...I was just...perhaps the sushi last night...?”
The words are not convincing even to himself. He doesn’t eat sushi and they know it.
Hen chuckles and nudges him with her elbow as her encouragement before going back to her vegetables. Cap is already paying the check and Chim is holding the shopping bag for Hen. Eddie stands and fumbles, but none of them seem to mind or care, so he takes his leave before he can change his mind and bail out.
——————
He feels like a fool, rummaging through the whole store like a complete idiot searching for a needle in a haystack. He didn’t even remember why he came back in the first place. Some stupid wishful thinking conjured up in a stupid haze by his stupid head certainly. He has gone through the baking area, the vegetable and fruit section, the meat and dairy, but there’s no sign of Buck.
Of course Buck has gone. He has no reason to stay. Why would he? He can’t help with the rescue or the shopping. He only came to apologize, and he got rejected and yelled at. There’s nothing left in here for him to be waiting for. Buck already made his choice the moment he threw the whole department under the bus.
Eddie sighs. He knows deep down that Bobby is right, that Buck has been through a lot lately. And he trusts with his heart that Buck never meant anyone to hurt. But the damage is done anyway.
The last aisle is futile. Eddie can’t see what else should be expected. He closes his eyes and runs a hand over his face.
It’s late and awfully quiet. The store is almost empty except the bored clerk behind the counter doodling his crossword on a magazine.
Eddie shouldn’t be here, standing beside a shelf of happy cat laxative powder. He should go back to the station and help his teammates to prepare the dinner. He should go home and check up on Christopher, who hasn’t been as cheerful since the lawsuit. Ever since Buck stopped coming around and hanging out with them. And Eddie doesn’t know how to break the truth to him, how to answer the confusion and the disappointment in Chirstopher’s eyes asking where his bucky went, and if he’s tired of me like all of my other friends .
The mere thought of it fuels him with new anger. He has to physically restrain himself to not take his fury out on the nearest hittable object. How could Buck just leave them like that? Did he ever take their feelings into consideration? The turmoil burning like lava makes Eddie want to punch something hard, makes his fists throb with the thirst of hurting people to ease the boiling pain in his own chest. Makes him want to chew out the culprit causing all his torment. He runs to the bathroom before he loses his self-control.
How ironic. He looks at himself in the mirror. I ended up here after all.
The little chamber is scarce. Lights dim. The sensation of the cold water splashing on his face barely cools down the fire. It doesn’t help much, but he finally lets out a long heavy breath and manages to reign himself in. He surveys the image in the mirror, water trailing down his cheek, almost like tears. The damp collar sticking to his throat feels tighter than a noose. He stares at himself and gets lost in his thoughts.
How could you expect me to see your side, when you never see mine? He asks bitterly in his head. He asks himself. It’s not true, he knows. Buck always sees his side, sees his struggle when no one bothered to have a look. Buck always takes his stand and walks in his shoes, and that’s why it hurts so much. And it’s what scares him most. He doesn’t know if he could forgive Buck for one and the only time he took his own side. He fears that they’ll never get over this, that Buck will never be back, and he has no idea how to deal with that.
It would be too unprofessional and unhealthy to smash his frustration at his own reflection, to punch his treacherous pity for the man out, especially after he almost got sued for his poor anger management skills.
He clenches his hands on the counter hard, white knuckled. Luckily there’s no one here. He can’t say he won’t just take his anger out on the next poor guy who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. He waits and breathes, focusing on the noise of the water flooding down from the faucet. It feels like decades, but bit by bit the crushing tide of red-hot rage torching him inside calms back down.
He allows one last sigh before he straightens himself. He still has work to do, family to care for. He doesn’t have time for this. He should go back to the station where his teammates are. He should grab a minute and call Christophter’s teacher about the science camp next week that the little guy wouldn’t stop talking about. It would be an excellent way to distract him from Buck’s absence. Eddie should head home, and finish the piled up chores that he never got a chance to do during his three non-stop shifts. He definitely shouldn't be standing in front of a sink in the bathroom of a grocery store, waiting for the impossible.
Eddie splashes some water on his face again and turns off the faucet. Silence falls like an ocean wave, consuming and overwhelming.
And that’s when he hears it, in the middle of the dead silence. There are faint sounds from the stall at the far end, hushed but constant. He’s surprised he missed it in the first place, but to be fair he came in with a hot-head. He didn’t really have the time or attention to check out if there was somebody already in here.
He can make out the murmuring now that his flipping temper and the dripping water aren’t distracting him. The throaty sound is muffled, but he can distinguish the small sobbing and the occasional choking and burping from the stifled air. It’s someone who fought hard to hold back his tears but failed. The stranger doesn’t seem disturbed by Eddie’s little mental breakdown earlier. Perhaps he was too deep in his own meltdown to even notice.
Eddie hesitates. He should get going. He should mind his own business. Not to mention he’s still on his shift. Judging by the trembling of the man suppressing his wounded wail, the guy probably wants to be left alone anyway. Eddie doubts it could make the poor guy less sad if he found out there’s other people who witnessed his moment of embarrassment. But there’s an edge to the sound that rings a bell in Eddie’s head, though he can’t quite put his finger on why. It stills his steps anyway.
It sounds like Buck.
The pitch of it is a little higher, sharper, and the texture is more...rusty. But it does have the similarity nonetheless. Rich and supple, still simmering in that deep husky way. And the slight tremor in it is the last straw to crush Eddie’s hesitation.
Help others when they need it. It’s what firefighters do, right?
He drags his feet in defeat. Buck always manages to find a new way to torture him and drive him crazy, even when he’s not around.
Eddie works his way to the stall tentatively. Contrary to popular belief, Eddie is not usually good at consoling anyone. People saw his warm looks and soft eyes and assumed such, but the comforting sort of thing has never been his strong suit. The job of suicide intervention is usually left to Hen—she has her own way to give her patients the push to fight for their lives——and Buck, who can melt the whole arctic with his smile, and fills anyone soaking in it with the hope of life. And sometimes Bobby too—although he usually leaves the opportunity to the others—and rarer times Chimney even. But not Eddie, it’s never Eddie.
It’s not like he doesn't know how to do it——the training to become an army medic and a firefighter is thorough and he passed the course with a score above average——he’s just… not convincing. Sure, he’s a good listener, but his fortune ends when it comes to the pep talks and the encouraging words. His supervisor in the troop once said maybe he just didn’t have the talent. Eddie tends to believe that, rather than the voice in his head whispering how could you convince others when you couldn’t even convince yourself.
The sobbing lingers, and it looks like the man doesn’t notice Eddie’s footsteps. Words brewing in his chest, Eddie decides to take the safest approach. He gently knocks on the door.
“Hey man, are you alright?” The question is pretty harmless, or so Eddie thought. But he knows his luck when he hears no response from the other side, and even the sound of sobbing vanishes immediately.
Eddie was pretty confident that he was being gentle enough. But now he feels a little sorry for startling the guy and intruding on his privacy.
“Look, all I wanna do is help. I know it’s hard to be left alone in a moment like this,” Eddie says after a long pause. He gives an earnest effort to make his words sound sincere. “You can always tell me to fuck off, and I’ll leave. I just wanted to check if you’re ok, and see if there’s anything I can do.”
Eddie regrets it the minute the words are out. That’s why I never do the comforting. Eddie almost slams a hand over his mouth. Of course he’s not ok . Why else would he shed tears desperately and helplessly in a toilet stall, all alone with the door locked in a grocery store, where he still doesn’t feel safe enough to cry out loud.
Eddie’s words hang in the dead air. The muffled sound of fabric is the only answer. Eddie sighs.
“Listen, I understand you’re feeling like shit and probably aren’t in the mood to talk right now. And that’s completely ok. I understand. Like I said, you can always tell me to leave.” Eddie deliberates for a moment before adding, “You don’t even have to talk to me. But if you want me to go away, you only need to give the door a knock, and I'll be gone.”
The quiet still remains, but Eddie considers it as a win. He waits long enough for the man to change his mind then speaks again. “Alright. Do you want me to stay then?”
Silence stretches, longer than ever. Just before Eddie thinks he might never get an answer, he hears two beats from the door.
He lets out a long breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. The tension in his shoulders eases. He can’t help the tiny chuckle bubbling from his chest. “Great, I’m fine with that. I can stay.”
The quietness doesn’t set Eddie back as he leans on the side of the doorframe, working on how to do this. “I assume you don’t want to talk about it? Wait——” A thought came to Eddie’s mind before he could go on. He pauses a moment and frowns. “You’re not nonverbal are you?”
There’s no noticeable reaction except the heavy breaths, so Eddie takes it as a no and sighs in relief. “Good...” And he bites his tongue hard for the slip. “I mean, not good that you were crying but good that you can still speak...”
Eddie pulls a hand across his closed eyes and gives up on the explanation “...As you can see, comforting people is not my forte. Too bad I’m all you got at this point.”
Eddie can’t be certain if what he heard was a laugh or another muffled sob, but he chooses to be optimistic. “Right, you can laugh. I’m not ashamed of it, just so you know. Buck once said that it’s because I was already perfect enough when God made me, so the lord decided it was only fair to add a little flaw in me.”
His quip causes the man from the otherside to cough violently. Eddie smiles involuntarily despite the extreme reaction. “I know, I know. You think I’m bragging, and that’s fine. And I can promise it’s not true. I’m pretty sure he was joking anyway, since the original quote was more flavor tastes better, Eddie. God is a good cook. I’m telling you, no one is perfect enough when Buck is around. He’s the bravest and the kindest, and the most amazing man I ever...”
The unexpected words rushing out of his mouth stab his own heart like a hot iron. He suddenly looses the ability to speak, stung. The truth slips out of his mouth in his unawareness. He doesn't realise what he’s just admitted until it hits him, that his fury is not coming from Buck’s betrayal; he’s angry with Buck because he left without a word after he was so deep in Eddie’s life, just like Shannon. He’s angry with Buck because he chose a lawyer instead of the people he loves and the people that love him when he was in dire need of help and support. He’s angry with himself for not seeing it sooner so he could be there in time, and that he forgives and caves so easily.
Eddie didn’t realize he’s shaking until the soft knocks buzz through the stall wall and into his body.
“I’m fine...” He says distinctively, but the coarseness in his voice deceives no one.
The silence is nothing but scrutinizing. Eddie laughs self-consciously.
“...Alright, I’m not fine. I was just...” What? Petrified? Excruciated? At a loss? Didn’t know what to do? There’s no words that can describe his mixed feelings accurately.
Silence falls once again, yet it is inviting this time. Eddie finds his voice again in the soft quiet of it.
“...He was a friend of mine. Well, he still is, although I doubt he thinks the same of me since he made the decision to...”
Eddie looks at his foot, back against the cold wall. He doesn’t want to bring it up, let alone in this situation.
“It’s such a cliche you probably wouldn’t wanna hear it...” Eddie tries to put it lightly. “How about I tell you a story about one time I had to dig an actual grenade out of a man’s leg? Huh? How about that? Wait, did I mention I’m a firefighter? ”
Eddie takes the silence as the answer and laughs, “No? Well, I can tell you the job is amazing. You would never think that there are so many weird things happening in the world every day before you become a firefighter. I thought I already had my eyes opened in Afghanistan, but this job proves I couldn’t be more wrong...”
The words flow as the silence from the other side continues. Eddie doesn’t mind it at all. He sits down on the floor and shifts for a more comfortable angle as he settles into the story telling. The one way conversation is surprisingly soothing. It strangely reminds him of telling bedtime stories to Christopher. Perhaps he doesn't know how to cheer people up when they are down, but he does know this. Besides, he hasn’t the faintest idea of what else on earth to say anyway. His life is plain, boring, and basically just him being a firefighter and a father. Since he’s not that keen on talking about Christopher to a stranger, here he is. The man isn’t crying or sobbing anymore, for starters. Eddie takes it as a good sign. Plus he doesn't hear any complaints or objections as he starts to argue with himself about the pros and cons of the career of a firefighter.
“...All I’m saying is, I’m not that opposed to the prospect, but don’t you think it’s a little demeaning that what turned them on is the uniform, not what you are inside of it? Well. at least most of them are. Like, they don’t see you as a person, just an icon or something. Sometimes it could count as endearing, but most of the time it’s just so annoying...”
Eddie grins at his silent comrade behind the firm knock. It feels good to have someone on his side, even if he never saw the man's face or heard his voice, and the side is only rhetorical.
And furthermore, to Eddie’s ultimate surprise, he never thought he would be so open with a stranger, especially not outside a toilet with no response except one simple sound. But maybe that is the reason. The non judgemental nature of the quietness, and the unwavering patience behind it. The fact that it’s a stranger actually makes it easier. There’s really no hindrance once he begins to pour out his thoughts about his daily living and his job to the man behind the door, in desperate need of someone to lean on in his lowest. There were so many things he didn’t dare to share with others. Maybe they both could use this strange conversation at this point.
Though, there’s a major part in his life that he does his best to avoid talking about, but it’s not an easy task.
“Shit, I mentioned him again...” Eddie lets out a frustrated huff. He really didn’t need Buck in his head now. Eddie tries not to think of him and focuses on his mission of comforting, but it’s hard when Buck has been practically all over his life since the day they met.
A soft knock comes from the other side a while later, cutting his thoughts in the middle. Eddie’s lips curl in amusement.
“Are you trying to tell me it’s ok?”
Knock knock.
An unexpected laugh barks out of Eddie’s lung, making his chest ache for a totally different reason. “That’s very kind of you.”
The muffled sound is definitely a puff of air, Eddie is almost sure the man is rolling his eyes right now. Eddie can’t help but laugh again. “Alright fair, I’ll take it. To be honest I don't think I could stop mentioning him if I wanted to either. How could you leave out the man you work with every minute of every day in a conversation about your job, I mean...It’s impossible.”
Another knock.
Eddie nods in agreement. “Right? It’s not that I don’t want to, but Buck makes it very difficult when he is constantly being such a great guy. Even when he sued the whole department and used the personal things we told him against us. God I wish I could hate him for that. It would be so much easier.”
Silence speaks more than words.
Eddie rolls his eyes at the ceiling. There’s unspoken curiosity hanging in the air but Eddie doesn’t think he could explain his entire ordeal to the man right now. He decides to point out another factor instead. “You don’t believe me.”
There’s no response and Eddie doesn’t need one.
Eddie can’t blame someone who hasn’t met Buck for having doubts, but Eddie feels strongly urged to clear it up. He’s not really motivated enough to figure out where those urges came from though. He knew it already anyway.
“I suppose it’s only reasonable. I wouldn’t believe myself since the only source of information is me and I’m highly biased. But nothing can change the fact that he is one of the most amazing people I know.” Eddie shrugs before adding, “You should probably trust my word since I'm still flattering his ass when the bastard broke my heart.”
The man on the other side of the door splutters, and Eddie laughs at the choking sounds of it. Maybe he shouldn’t phrase it like that, but at least the man seems to have forgotten the thing making him cry earlier completely. So Eddie changes the subject to list the numerous moments of Buck being Buck during their work. All the funny ones and the memorable ones, all the brave ones and the sweet ones.
It’s not a short list.
It takes Eddie great effort to wrap it up in forty minutes and get to the most important part.
“...and there’s the tsunami, the one not long ago. My son, Christopher, was with him when the tsunami hit. They were at the pier. I didn't even know that. I thought they were both hanging out at the movies, safe and sound. I was out in the field, doing the rescue all day, until Buck showed up. He was standing there, blood soaked and mud all over him and even being on the fucking blood thinners...”
Eddie has to pause himself for that. He takes several deep breaths, swallows hard, and grabs his shaking hands before speaking again.
“...he was standing there, looking at me. He told me he lost my son——”
The sudden burst of tears from the other side cuts his words in half, leaves him baffled in confusion, wondering what wrong thing had he said and panicking to fix it.
“——hey, it’s okay. He was okay, he’s fine. He was safe. He was brought to me by a woman before I even got the time to worry. Buck saved him. And he’s a tough little guy. Buck saved him during the tsunami and protected him well. But that’s not the point I wanted to say...”
His voice hitches and throat closes by the truth he is about to say out loud. The sobbing doesn’t stop, so he forces himself to continue.
“He was...he told me...” Eddie has to put a hand on his mouth, to suppress the cracking sound and remind himself that this isn’t about him, but to let the man know that Buck is amazing and help him to believe there’s still good things in the world to live with and hold onto, before Eddie is able to go on without any trembling. “My son said Buck saved him. And not only him. He said Buck saved a lot of people. A fire truck of people. He said Buck saved them all from the tsunami and led them to the top of a fire truck above the water. You know, Buck was bleeding when he showed up. And the next moment, he collapsed in front of me and I thought… I thought I lost him. I was so glad when I found out the two most important men in my life were ok...”
Eddie brushes a hand over his face. It comes back wet. Great, now me. Eddie thinks sarcastically in the far corner of his head. The weep from the other side is cutting his heart like a saw.
“...Christopher said Buck is his hero. He’s mine too. I was devastated when I heard the bad news, but you see, even in the most horrible moment of your life, there’s still hope.”
The memory is not a pleasant one for Eddie. All his life, he had never felt so scared and glad altogether in one single day.
A choking sound interrupts his flashbacks and makes him jerk to face the door. There’s shivers simmering through the wall. "What happened? Are you alright?”
The muffling inside the stall doesn't help Eddie’s concern, but what worries him more is the hitching puffs and the heavy breath.
“Are you having a panic attack?” Eddie asks bluntly out of anxiety before he almost slaps himself in the face. How could he know if he’s having a panic attack? Eddie is the medic here.
“Alright. It’s ok. It’s ok, you are safe. The symptoms will pass. You will be ok,” Eddie says firmly. “There’s nothing to worry about. You are safe here. You are safe with me. Just follow my lead and breathe, listen to my voice. In...and out. In...and out… very good, you are doing great. Focus on my voice. Everything will pass. Everything will be ok. You have nothing to worry about.”
Eddie feels bad for the man's anguish. The little choking and sobbing and wounded sounds pain him, but he can do nothing except sit here, cooing some meaningless words to make the man feel better.
It seems like ages, but the man’s breaths finally calm. Not back to normal, but close. And Eddie can finally be at ease.
“How are you feeling?” Eddie just needs to check. “Do you need anything?”
A pause before a knock.
Though Eddie is not convinced. “That was ambiguous. You sure you don’t want me to come in and check? I’m a licensed paramedic. ”
The knock is the only answer.
Eddie has no choice but to concede. “Fine. But you'll let me know if you're not feeling well? Mental conditions can cause physical problems sometimes.”
Another knock is not enough assurance but Eddie has to make do. It’s not like he could just pick the lock and break in anyway. “Alright then... Do you want me to ——”
“Why?”
Eddie is shocked by the hoarseness in the croaked voice at first; it’s rougher than sandpaper, harder than the grinding stone, and it has a familiar edge in it. Then he realises, this is the first word from the stranger. Surprise and excitement hit Eddie so hard that it takes him almost a minute to catch up with the question.
“Why?” Eyebrows furrowed, Eddie turns his head slightly towards the door, trying to get a clue. “Why what?”
Silence remains, but an epiphany graces Eddie as he perks up. “Oh you mean why would I still be flattering his ass when he broke my heart?”
A knock after a long pause.
“Well...it’s hard to explain. I mean, it’s not that big of a deal...” An excuse is hanging on Eddie’s lips as he trails off, but he finds he can't say it. He just can’t. Or rather didn’t want to. He can’t see the point of lying, he can’t lie to himself. He knows exactly why it all makes him so angry and why forgiveness comes so easily.
“...because I love him. We love him. We love him as teammates, as a family. It’s hard to hold a grudge against a man when he's being so selfless and caring all the time. You know what, I lied earlier. I didn’t say the reason he sued us is because he wanted to have his job back, the job that allowed him to help other people, save other people. And I didn't mention that he refused the one million dollar offer after he won. I know I would take it… I could use the money to give Christopher a better life and give him the chance to do all the things he wants. But Buck turned it down. He’s so much better than me. He was on the fucking blood thinners and bleeding during the tsunami and still trying to save people, while all I want is hiding him and Christophter safe at home and screwing the flood after me… He’s so amazing and good and how could I not love him? How could anybody not? Hate doesn't linger when love lasts...”
Eddie hooks his arms around his legs, jaw on his knees and stares into space, suddenly feeling small.
“...I only hate myself for not being there sooner...” Eddie isn’t sure the man heard his whisper, and he doesn’t care. The dead silence is the only thing left in the air right now, suffocating them.
Eddie grimaces. This is stupid. He was supposed to be the comforting one. He manages to laugh, to pass it as a joke. But it comes out wrong. Too rushed, too forced. “Anyway. It’s my honor to entertain. It’s getting late and you probably don’t need me anymore... I hope you are feeling better now.”
There’s no answer within the sound of silence.
“You should go home and get back to your family. I'm sure they are all waiting for you...”
Blank and void, all alone.
Eddie lets out a dark chuckle. He feels stupid for expecting otherwise.
His back hurts from the hard surface and the bad angle. His legs are numb, but he drags himself to his feet. He feels like he should say something. Say goodbye, adiós. But nothing comes to his mind as his lips part.
There’s no more left to be said. His job is done.
So he settles with a quiet “Take care.” as his final words, and moves toward the way out. Footsteps against the hard floor echo heavily, melting in the thick air.
A soft chirr of a hinge brings Eddie to a stop just before he can reach the exit.
A smile cracks on the corner of his lips before he turns to look back.
In the pale light and the sombre air stands a man.
It’s Buck.