training wheels. // evan 'buck' buckley

lv. a path forward

the past few weeks had been a whirlwind for me. between navigating the news of my pregnancy, the tangled dynamics with buck and eddie, and my attempts to maintain a semblance of normalcy at work, i felt like i was balancing on the edge of a cliff. but life didn’t slow down, and neither could i.

i hadn’t been to the firehouse in nearly a week, and the absence hadn’t gone unnoticed. when i finally decided to visit, the familiar scent of coffee and engine oil hit me as soon as i stepped through the doors.

“look who decided to show up,” hen called from across the kitchen, a playful smirk on her face. “thought you’d forgotten about us.”

i smiled weakly. “i’ve been busy.”

hen’s sharp eyes softened. “busy or avoiding us?”

i laughed nervously, grabbing a mug from the cabinet. before i could respond, chimney popped his head out from behind the couch.

“you owe me $10, hen,” he said smugly. “i told you she’d show up by friday.”

i raised an eyebrow. “you were betting on me?”

“of course,” hen replied with a shrug. “it’s how we show we care.”

before i could retort, eddie walked in, his eyes immediately finding mine. he gave me a small nod, his expression unreadable, and i felt my chest tighten. i wasn’t ready to face him - not with everything still so unresolved.

buck entered a moment later, his usual bright energy lighting up the room. “charlie!” he exclaimed, pulling me into a quick hug. “where’ve you been hiding?”

“work,” i said quickly. “and, you know, life.”

buck looked like he wanted to press further, but before he could, bobby entered with a clipboard. “alright, everyone, back to work,” he said, his tone firm but kind. “charlie, you staying for lunch?”

i hesitated, glancing at eddie and then back at buck. “maybe next time.”

that evening, i found myself at maddie’s apartment. the two of us had grown close since i started working at the call center, and maddie always seemed to know when something was wrong.

“you’re not eating,” maddie pointed out as i pushed my salad around my plate. “want to talk about it?”

i sighed, setting my fork down. “it’s complicated.”

maddie leaned back in her chair, her gaze steady. “complicated is kind of my specialty.”

i hesitated before finally blurting out, “i’m pregnant.”

maddie’s eyes widened, but she quickly composed herself. “wow. okay. that’s... big news.”

“you think?” i said, my voice tinged with sarcasm.

maddie reached across the table, squeezing my hand. “how are you feeling about it?”

“i don’t know,” i admitted. “scared, overwhelmed, guilty... pretty much everything all at once.”

“and buck?” maddie asked carefully.

i looked away. “ot’s not his.”

maddie blinked, processing the information. “eddie?”

i nodded, and maddie let out a slow breath. “that’s... a lot to handle.”

“you think?” i said again, this time with a bitter laugh.

maddie smiled gently. “you’ll figure it out. and you don’t have to do it alone.”

a week later, i found myself at another doctor’s appointment, this time for my first ultrasound. eddie had insisted on coming with me, and i hadn’t had the energy to argue.