Danger Zone (File One of The First Responders Files)

Chapter Six

I promised myself I wasn't going to go further than about 5.5K . . . congrats, guys, you get 6K+ because I am apparently that anxious to get to Chicago Fire Season 9.

Eddie gets back from his shift, Squad 3 is the best and you can't change my mind, Judd extends an offer, Jay drops a truth bomb, and a very important character for the future is introduced.

Enjoy!

***

Buck tilted his head when he heard the door to the house open just past nine, and he smiled, opening the fridge and taking two of the beer bottles he had put in there when he arrived at the house. "All good, man?" he asked.

"As fine as I can get," Eddie sighed, letting his duffel bag slide off his shoulder and onto the floor as he trudged into the kitchen. "We were running calls almost until the shift end."

"I wondered," Buck checked his watch. "You're a little later than you would usually be."

"There was also an accident on Sunset," Eddie shrugged. "Christopher already in bed?"

Buck snorted. "Oh, yeah."

Eddie sighed in relief, his exhaustion clear on his face as he caught the beer Buck slid across the counter. "You're a miracle worker."

"No," Buck smirked. "Just an excellent negotiator. See, he was willing to get ready for bed and get in the bed. I was not allowed to leave the room until I told him a story."

"Oh, God," Eddie stared at him. "If it was anything like the kid in the rotisserie – "

"That was not a story," Buck denied. "It was a cautionary tale."

Eddie snickered, lifting his beer. "Dare I ask what the story was?"

Buck waited until Eddie had taken a drink. "I tried to teach the moral 'never let anyone doubt you when you believe you can do something' by way of 'don't let firefighters drag you on a serial arsonist chase.'"

Eddie spat out the sip he just took, making Buck collapse on the counter in laughter. "Where the hell did that come from?!" his best friend sputtered, looking at Buck with wide eyes.

"Oh, that was priceless," Buck cackled, unable to stop laughing. "Oh, my God, I'm doing that more often!"

"Not funny, Buck," Eddie glared at him.

"Yes, it was," Buck chortled.

"No, it wasn't."

"Oh, it was for me."

"Seriously, though," Eddie scowled, grabbing a paper towel and vigorously scrubbing the counter he had just sprayed his drink onto. "Where did that come from?"

"My new paramedic friend," he shrugged. "It's how she and her two officers became their department's resident badasses and arsonist hunters." He snorted, taking another swig of beer. "Seriously, she's helped catch three in one year. She deserves a promotion." He paused. "Actually, the lieutenant does, too. He sounds like he's the ringleader." He nodded decisively. "Yeah, he should have one, too. He's got all three of them."

Eddie stared at Buck. "Your new friends scare me."

"Oh, I only know the paramedic," Buck waved his concern off. "I don't know the officers."

Eddie pinched the bridge of his nose. "Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

Buck snorted. "At least she's not the one who's gotten shot by a kid this year."