BUT DADDY I LOVE HIM, ᵉᵛᵃⁿ ᵇᵘᶜᵏˡᵉʸ

055

The 118 rig roared onto the highway, lights slicing through the dark night, sirens harmonizing with the distant wails of other emergency vehicles already on scene. Buck's eyes scanned the tangle of metal, headlights reflecting off crumpled hoods, twisted guardrails, and smoldering engines. The smell of gasoline mixed with burnt rubber hit his nostrils, and his stomach knotted.

"God... this is bad," Hen muttered under her breath as she swung down from the rig, helmet in hand. Chimney followed, already assessing the nearest vehicles for injuries. Bobby's voice carried over the chaos, calm and commanding, but tension laced every syllable.

"Split up. Rylin, Hen, Chimney, start on that side. Eddie, Buck—you're with me. Let's see what we've got."

Buck fell in step beside Eddie, adrenaline tightening his chest. They moved quickly, weaving through the chaos of emergency crews from other stations. Cars were piled up in every direction, some overturned, others crumpled against each other in impossible angles.

And then Eddie's pace slowed, his eyes locking on something just off the road. At first, Buck thought it was another twisted vehicle in the mess, but the way Eddie's jaw tensed, the pale flicker in his eyes, told him otherwise.

"Eddie?" Buck asked, stepping closer.

Eddie's gaze didn't move. His lips parted slightly, a soft, almost inaudible, "Oh... no..." escaping.

Buck followed his friend's eyes, scanning the edge of the tree line. And then he saw it.

A blue car, crumpled and wrapped around a tree, hidden from view from the main pile-up. The hood was bent almost in half, windshield shattered, metal bent in ways that made Buck's stomach twist into knots.

It took him a moment to process—the shape, the color. The way the car sat there, silent in the chaos surrounding it, almost invisible.

His chest dropped. That car... that was Madison's.

Buck froze, unable to move. His heart slammed against his ribs as the realization hit him like a punch. The world seemed to shrink, all the noise and chaos around him fading into background static.

"Buck..." Eddie's voice was low, tight, full of warning.

Buck snapped toward him, panic in his eyes. "It's—" His voice broke. "It's her car."

Eddie didn't answer, only tightened his grip on Buck from behind as Buck's legs instinctively surged forward. "No. Not yet," Eddie said firmly. "You're too close to this. You can't do this right now."

Buck struggled against him, every instinct screaming to run, to get to Madison. "Let me go! I have to—"

"You can't!" Eddie's arms were iron, holding Buck anchored in place. "You're too close! Not like this!"

Buck's vision blurred with panic and fear. "They're in there, Eddie! Sarah and Madison!"

Eddie's jaw clenched. "I know. But losing yourself won't help her. Let me handle this. Let me get to her."

Buck froze, chest heaving, panic threatening to overwhelm him. Eddie's words were a lifeline, but it was barely enough. He could only stare at the car, imagining Madison and Sarah trapped inside, and his own sense of control slipping like sand through his fingers.

And then he heard it—the crunch of boots against gravel that wasn't Eddie's.

Rylin.

She had noticed the car too. Her eyes went wide at the sight, frozen for a split second before instinct took over. She darted toward the wreck, fear fueling every step.