Trauma changes people. trauma changes everyone.
All rights for the 9-1-1 cast and all rights to most of the plot goes to ABC. New plots and new characters belong to me 🫶
Book continues in Apparition! 🫶
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MILES
The room felt emptier the moment they wheeled Lydia out for her MRI. I had been holding her hand before they came, and now my fingers felt useless without hers to hold onto. Eddie stood near the bed, his arms crossed tightly over his chest, staring at the empty space where Lydia had been.
Chris and Dahlia had left earlier. Both of them were exhausted, and Eddie insisted they go home and get some rest. Now it was just Eddie and me, both of us caught in heavy silence.
The door opened, and Buck walked in, his face tired but alert. His eyes scanned the room, landing on the empty bed. He frowned. "Where's Lydia?" He asked, his voice laced with concern.
Eddie straightened up slightly but hesitated, his mouth opening as if to explain. He glanced at me instead.
I took a breath, stepping in. "They took her for an MRI," I said quietly. Buck's eyebrows raised in surprise, but before he could ask, I continued. "She... she couldn't hear us, Buck. At all. Nothing. She didn't even hear the monitors beeping."
Buck's mouth dropped open, and he shook his head, disbelief etched across his face. He sank into the chair beside Eddie, his usual calm replaced with visible worry.
"Chris and Dahlia?" Buck asked, looking between us.
"They left," Eddie answered, his voice heavy. "They were both exhausted. I didn't want them here all day and night."
Buck nodded, leaning forward in the chair. He looked up at Eddie then, his expression softening. "You need to go home, too, Eddie. Get some rest. If anything happens, I'll call you the second it does."
Eddie shook his head firmly. "She needs me here." His voice cracked slightly, but he didn't falter.
Buck sighed, leaning back in the chair. "She doesn't need you to end up in a hospital bed beside her," he said, his voice gentle but firm.
Eddie exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. "No," he said finally, shaking his head. "I'm staying." He turned back to the empty bed, his jaw tightening.
Buck glanced at me, shaking his head as if asking me to back him up. I shrugged, unsure what to say. We all wanted to be here, to do something, but none of us had any control over what was happening.
I turned my head back to the bed, replaying the doctor's words from earlier in my mind. They didn't know what caused her seizure, and now they didn't know why her hearing was gone. Every time we thought we'd found a step forward, something pulled us two steps back.
The silence stretched, but Buck broke it suddenly. "Maddie's gone," he said quietly, his voice heavy.
Eddie turned to him sharply, his mouth falling open. "What?"
I blinked, unsure if I had heard him right. "What do you mean, gone?" I asked cautiously.
Buck ran a hand over his face, his expression more evident than ever. "She left Jee-Yun at the fire station with a tablet that had a video message on it. Chimney doesn't know yet."
"Jesus," I whispered, shaking my head. The weight of the situation settled over us like a heavy fog.
Eddie let out a low breath, sinking down in his chair. "Chimney's going to be crushed."
"Yeah," Buck agreed, his voice thick with emotion. "I don't even know what to do. Bobby and Athena are on their way, though. They want to see Lydia."
Eddie just nodded, his gaze fixed on the bed again.
The silence returned, heavier now. None of us spoke, but we didn't need to. The unspoken words hung in the air, filling the space between us.
