Slow Down

Prologue

  To say that Buck was changed was an understatement. The tsunami had put him through Physical and Mental turmoil. He lays up at night still feeling like that terrified guy running through the water trying to find Christopher. Sometimes he could still feel the pain in his vocal cords that was there as he screamed Christopher's name. When he does sleep he wakes up screaming Christopher's name. The pain that was in his heart during the tsunami was still there, it never went away. The ache in his heart when he was trying to tell Eddie what had happened comes back each time he sees Eddie. He knows that Eddie won't be mad if he knew the story of how Christopher went missing, but he knows he could never bring himself to say it out loud. Each time Eddie shows up with Christopher and leaves him Buck becomes paranoid almost. He second guesses every place he takes him and each thing they do. The energy it took Buck to watch Christopher was almost too much. He knew he couldn't keep on with the paranoia each time Christopher was over. Buck was so jittery all the time. Paranoid that something would happen, and he knew the only way to get the jitters gone was to do something. Something to keep him preoccupied, so today when Eddie came to pick up Christopher, Buck left as soon as they did.
Buck knocked on a door, and Athena answered. "Hey Buck, how you doing." Athena said.
"I'm good, Athena. I was just wandering if Bobby was here." She nodded and let him step in. He stood there silently as Athena went to get Bobby.
"What's going on Buck?" Bobby asked.
"If I were to get a clean bill of health, do you think I could rejoin the team?" Bobby just looked at him questioningly as if he wanted to say no. "Before you say no, Bobby, just here me out. When I was out there after the tsunami had hit, there was not a single bone in me that wasn't thinking about saving Christopher and keeping him safe. That exactly what I did. I saved him and I kept him safe for a long time. While we were on top of that ladder truck, I saw multiple people who needed help, who needed saving, and I got them out of the water and on top of the ladder truck too. I did all this without getting any blood clots. That's how I know I'll be safe out there on the field. Just please let me have this job back. I need it." Bobby took a while to answer cause this was the first time Buck had talked about the tsunami since it happened. He eventually answered with a hopeful look on his face.
"If you get a clean bill of health, I will let you join , but it has to be one hundred percent."
"It will be. Thanks Bobby!" Buck said leaving.
A week later the doctor cleared Buck for duty, and the 118 team welcomed Buck back with smiles of pure joy.