Life After You - Evan Buckley [9-1-1] COMPLETE

Chapter Eight

Buck

It had been three weeks since Buck kissed Harper. Three long, lonely, agonizing, confusing weeks. He should have known Harper wouldn't come by. He pushed her too hard. He had pushed her away, just like Rebecca. He signed, looking out his car window. He had come to Bobby and Athena's tonight for a get together.

Grabbing the wine from his passenger seat, he made the jog to their front door. Buck longed for the day he was married with a family and could invite people over. He knocked on their wooden door. Athena answered with a smile.

"Come on in, Buck. She said, walking back to the kitchen.

He closed the front door and followed. His friends sat at Athena and Bobby's kitchen table. Hen and Karen were here, Eddie, Ravi, and Ravi's date. Buck chose the seat next to Athena. He sat the wine on the table.

"Do you think you could help me pack some things out, Buck?" Athena asked.

"Of course." He replied, hopping up.

Bobby patted his back as he left the dining room. Once they were in the kitchen with the door shut, Athena signed. She was leaning against their kitchen island in a beautiful bronze dress that set her skin tone off.

"I have to admit, I wanted to talk to you." She said to Buck.

"What's up?" He asked, his back to the wall beside the door.

"Your friend, Harper."

Buck sighed, rubbing his eyes. "How do you even know about Harper?"

"Bobby told me."

"Bobby needs to mind his own business." Buck spat.

Athena raised a quizzical brow. "Do you want to play a blame game or hear what I found out?"

Buck hated to admit it but he was terribly nosy.

"What did you find out?" He asked.

"Of course you could never tell anyone." Athena spoke, walking to a closet. She pulled out a file.

"Who am I going to tell?" Buck asked, walking to the kitchen island. His throat felt dry when he read the name Jack Campbell on the file.

"What is this?" He asked.

"I got curious when Bobby told me about the death of a homicide detective. It was interesting because the media in Seattle really pushed out stories about this murder."

"Don't news outlets typically report police murders?"

"They do." Athena admitted, "Not this hard."

Athena opened the file, and it contained countless articles covering the murder of Jack Campbell.

"What is all this, Athena?"

"I have a friend in Seattle. She said that Jack Campbell wasn't a homicide detective."

"Clearly he was." Buck said, pointing at the articles.

Athena looked at Buck seriously.

"Buck, what I am about to tell you, you can never tell anyone. Not even Harper. Do you think you can manage that?"

"Do I want to know?" Buck asked.

His mind was racing.

"Jack Campbell was an FBI agent in the violent gang task force."

"It can't be, Athena. Harper would know what her own fiancé did for a living."

"Unless he was trying to keep her safe." Athena said, turning the pages to the last page in the file. It was his face sheet for the FBI.

"I don't understand." Buck said, meeting Athena's eyes.

"I don't know for sure." She spoke. "But, Jack had a closed casket funeral."

"You think he's alive?"

"In witness protection." Athena said, biting her lip.

Buck shook his head, pushing off the island. 'You're crazy, Athena." He started walking to the kitchen door.

"Am I?" She asked.

He quickly spun around.

"What man would do that to his fiancé?"

"Maybe Harper is safer thinking he is dead. These gangs are scary, Buck. They're incredibly violent."

Buck sighed. "Well, even if it is true, she doesn't want anything to do with me."

Athena smiled gently, closing the file.

"Give her time, Buck."

Buck gave Athena a soft smile. "What do we need to carry out?"

She stuffed the file in the closet before opening the fridge. She had made plenty of appetizers for the evening.

"Thanks, Athena." Buck said.

"I'm just looking out for you." She winked, leading the way back out to the dining room.

Buck tried not to let his mind wonder and enjoy the night with his friends. However, his mind went back to Athena's words. Did he have a closed casket funeral?

By the end of the night, Buck had one too many.

"Let me take you home, man." Eddie had said.

Most of the car ride was silent. When he got about ten minutes from Buck's apartment, he decided to speak.

"Have you heard from her?" Eddie asked.

"No." Buck said, letting his eyes look out the window. "I won't either."

Eddie pulled up to Buck's apartment.

"Do you need help up?"

Buck shook his head.

"I got it, Eddie. Thank you though. Do you care to come get me tomorrow to get my car?"

"Just call me when you're ready." Eddie nodded.

Buck entered his apartment lobby and took the elevator up to his floor. When the doors opened, Buck saw a tall man tucking out of Harper's apartment. He froze, so this is why Harper wasn't interested. She was seeing another man.