Dandelions

Ravi Panikkar

Edited 7/11/2025

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Ravi didn't usually mind staying behind. Someone had to hold down the fort, and today it was his turn. Still, there was a little sting watching the ladder truck pull out without him. Eddie, after his stint as a 911 dispatcher, started teasingly calling it FOMO.

He stretched and rolled his shoulders, before making his way down from the loft. That's when he saw the guy by the door. An unfamiliar civilian, fidgeting like he wasn't sure he was supposed to be there.

"Hey, man. You need something?" Ravi asked, offering an easy smile. You never knew in a fire station if someone truly needed help, or simply directions.

Before the man could answer, Tommy Kinard strutted behind him. "Hey, Ravi," the pilot greeted, all sunshine and charm.

Ravi grinned. "Hey, Tommy. Picking up Buck today?"

The civilian's head snapped towards Tommy the moment the words left Ravi's lips. Ravi was used to it, men like Tommy, Buck, and Eddie tended to get double takes. However, there was something weird in this guy's gaze. Something that unsettled Ravi.

"Yeah. We're picking up Elle and taking her to the park," Tommy answered, practically beaming. Completely unaware of the civilian who was staring creepily at him.

Ravi felt a flicker of warmth. Elle was a sweet kid. Officially Buck's daughter, sure, but kind of everyone's by now. And Tommy's "we" came out so naturally that Ravi didn't even question it.

If only Ravi's mind was not wondering, why was the guy still staring like a creep.

Luckily, then he heard the rumble of the ladder truck as it pulled back into the bay. The call must have been a short one, and Ravi was grateful for that. With more people as backup, they might be able to contain the situation if it got out of hand.

The crew spilled out laughing, Buck stepped down from the rig, towel in hand, as he talked to Eddie about something that clearly hadn't gone to plan. And then he saw the man.

The grin froze, as he whispered in shock. "Connor."

Ravi froze as he glanced between them and caught the shock that ran through both men like a ripple. Buck's expression closed off in an instant and Tommy shifted closer without even thinking, instinctively standing guard protectively over his shoulder.

Oh.

Ravi's stomach dropped. This was that Connor. The one who'd left. The one who'd signed away Elle and abandoned her like it was yesterday's trash. The one Buck never mentioned unless he had to, and even then, only in short, flat sentences that carried too much history.

Now he was standing right here.

Ravi didn't say a word. Didn't need to. His instincts kicked in, the same way they did at a scene when something felt off.

Connor looked around like he'd misjudged the moment—like it was just hitting him how unwelcome he was. That tracked. People like him usually underestimated the consequences when their mistakes finally caught up to them.

Out of the corner of his eye, Ravi saw Bobby already pulling out his phone to call Athena. Good.

Tommy stayed close to Buck, with Eddie standing a few feet behind, his arms crossed over his chest. And just like that, the whole team gathered protectively behind Buck. If Connor tried anything, he would need to get through the whole 118 crew.

Connor swallowed hard and stepped back. Ravi saw it happen; the quiet unraveling of whatever courage had gotten him through the door in the first place. Part of him wanted to scoff. To say what everyone else was probably thinking.