Sideways

Chapter 38 Interim Captain Evan Buckley-Diaz

"Eds..." Buck reaches out with his hand, tapping it around, trying to find his husband. "Eds, I don't feel good. Come back here and cuddle me." he groans. "Eds?" He reaches again, and his gloved hand presses against something hard.

He slowly tries to open his eyes and is met with head-splitting pain. He squints and very slowly opens his eyes again as the bright sunlight sends pulsing pain through his head. He looks down and sees the spiderwebbed glass of the ambulance's windshield under him. He sucks in a breath and starts coughing from the dust he inhales.

He pushes himself up off the glass and forces himself to focus. He pushes back and sits before looking around and taking in the scene before him.

Tilting his head upwards, he sees the front part of the 118's engine hanging half off the partially collapsed roadway. Fuck, that's not fucking good. Buck thinks to himself. He looks back down and past the windshield and sees an unconscious Hen in the driver's seat of the ambulance. Her pained groan spurs him to action.

Buck slides forward and hangs off the side of the RA, doing his best Spiderman impression. From this angle, he finally realizes what a bad spot they are in. The RA is slanted at a weird angle; the engine is half hanging off the bridge, and the ladder truck is still in one piece on the roadway above them. Below, however, is a different story.

There are flipped cars everywhere, a truck lays atop a half-collapsed storage container, and the remains of the camper are holding up the RA they pulled that woman and her daughter out of. He looks around for his friends. As his eyes trail down toward the ground, he sees someone's bunker-sleeved arm under the ambulance. He stops himself from throwing up at the thought of who that is and how hurt they are. He knows it could be Eddie, but he needs to focus and not freak out.

Another groan from Hen, and he moves closer and reaches into the driver's side window to check Hen's pulse, finding it strong but elevated.

"Hen," Buck says, rubbing her cheek, hoping to stimulate a reaction. "Come on, Hen, I need you here with me." He pleads. "Hen, please..."

"Buck?" Hen asks in a low and weak voice.

"Oh, thank you, god," Buck says, trying to keep the emotion out of his voice as he reaches in and takes Hen's hand.

"You're hurt?" Hen says groggily.

"I'm a little banged up, but I'm okay. Talk to me; how are you doing?"

"Come here," Hen says, and Buck leans in closer. Hen reaches into her pocket and grabs a tissue. She uses it to wipe the blood off his face. "You need to get checked out."

"Me?" Buck laughs. It warms his heart to see how much she cares for him when she should be worried about herself.

"I'm thinking me too. Where are the others?" Hen asks.

Buck reaches for the radio on his shoulder and keys it, "118 report. This is Firefighter Buckley; I have eyes on Paramedic Wilson. 118 report."

"This is Knox. I am in the engine and a little banged up, but I think I am okay," Knox says in a pained voice.

"This is Chim. I'm in the back of the RA, and I'm stuck." Chim sounds worse, his voice breathless and gritty. Buck hears his voice both over the radio and in person, his voice coming from behind Hen in the RA.

"What do you mean stuck?" Buck asks.

"I mean, the bar on the gurney has impaled me, and it is sticking into my lower abdomen. I am pinned against the back door. I can't move." Chim says.

"Fuck. Are you bleeding out?" Buck asks.

"No. The wound is sealed, but it hurts like a bitch." Chim says.