911 fanfics

i'll take you home

When Buck awoke that morning he knew he was in for a long day. Thankfully, he only had a 12-hour shift. He couldn't pinpoint what was wrong, he chalked it up to being tired, but something wasn't right. His hand slammed down on the snooze button and he rolled back over, desperate for 10 more minutes of sleep. When the BEEP BEEP BEEP woke him up a second time, he knew he would be late for work if he didn't drag himself out of bed. 

He stumbled into the bathroom, wincing at the bright light and loud stream from his shower. After getting dressed and forcing a quick breakfast down, he hopped in his car and went to the station.

He arrived a few minutes later than usual but still well before his shift was scheduled to start. He went to the locker room and sat on the bench after putting his bag away, rubbing away the last bit of sleep from his eyes.

"Morning Buckaroo," Hen chirped as she joined him in the locker room. "You good?"

"I'm fine, Hen, just a little tired," Buck smiled up at her, forcing himself to get back up and change into his uniform.

"If you say so," she said, doing the same. "I'll see you upstairs."

Sure enough, less than 15 minutes later, Buck joined Chim, Ravi, and Bobby upstairs, followed shortly by Hen, and soon enough Eddie. The day started as normal: taking calls as they came, lounging around playing cards, and doing chores as needed, but he could feel himself wearing away.

By midmorning, Buck knew he was more than tired, but he couldn't quite place what. 

By midday, Buck felt the lights drilling into his eyes and the alarm pierced his brain.

By mid-afternoon, Buck was beginning to doubt he would make it through the rest of his shift.

Shit, he thought. It's a migraine. Before he could do anything, the bell rang.

When they returned to the station after the call, Buck headed straight to the bunks after cleaning up. The team gave him a funny look but didn't question it as they continued their day. It was only afternoon, but Bobby started on dinner after having invited B shift to come early and join them, while Hen read her book and Eddie and Chim washed the firetruck. 

After half an hour and no Buck, Hen began to grow suspicious and went to check on him. She found him awake in the dark bunk room, staring up at the ceiling.

"Hey, Buck," she whispered, sitting on the edge of the bed.  "You feeling ok?"

He laid his arm over his eyes to block out the light from the hallway before mumbling something about a headache.

She reached forward and rested her hand against his forehead. "You don't feel like you have a fever. Do you think you can finish your shift or do you need someone to cover you?"

"I dunno," he groaned.

"Hm," she said with a frown, "I'm gonna get Bobby." She squeezed his knee, leaving the bunkroom, being sure to close the door behind herself, and went to the kitchen in search of Bobby.

"Hey, Hen," he said, seeing her approach. "Everything alright?"

"Hey, Cap, Buck's not feeling great, says he has a headache. I'm not sure if he can finish his shift."

It was Bobby's turn to frown, pausing what he was doing to fully face her. "Is he in the bunks?" he asks, getting the affirmative from her.

"Do you want me to make a few calls; see who might be available to cover?" she offered.

"That'd be great," he said, turning off the stove and heading towards the bunks. He gave the door a gentle tap before slowly opening it, finding Buck struggling to push himself up in the bed, leaning back against the headboard.