Into the Fire with You

Chapter 2

4 Months Later

Buck and Eddie have been together since Christmas, but they haven't told a soul about their relationship. They steal glances at each other at work and if anyone notices, they don't comment. The only alone time they get is when Chris is at a friend's house or at Abuelas'. Despite this, they could not be happier and have fallen into an easy rhythm with one another.

It was just another day at the office when the sirens rang out. When the team pulled up, they saw a woman stuck in her balcony. She had fallen through and was hanging on with all her might. They rushed to help her and Eddie began his ascent on the ladder. When he reached her, he quickly harnessed her to him and the rest of the team worked to get her out.

Once she was out, they laid her on the stretcher and began assessing the damage. This is when Eddie noticed her son standing by. He looked pale and tired. He was about to ask him if he was okay when he heard the mom explain that he had an autoimmune disorder and could not leave the house. Eddie felt compelled to help and offered to stay with the boy while his mom went to the hospital. Buck eyed Eddie with a look of surprise mixed with confusion but Eddie simply nodded at him and Buck shrugged and wheeled the woman out of her apartment.

While staying with the boy, Eddie made him some lunch and FaceTimed with Christopher and Carla. Chris and the boy hit it off and asked if they could hang out sometime. This is when the boy's mom returned and seemed mad. She admonished her son for eating something that she did not make and rushed Eddie out the door with a simple nod. Eddie was taken aback but shrugged and went back to the station.

Later the evening, Eddie was looking for a GoFundMe that the mother had mentioned so he could donate. However, he found several with the same pictures but different names. Carla and Eddie soon realized that the mother was a fraud and was using her son to steal money.

The next day Eddie told the team his suspicions and Hen wondered if the mom was making the boy sick. Eddie gasped and remembered the many bottles of eye drops he saw in the cupboard. They all agreed that eye drops would give him the symptoms he had. However, before Eddie could figure out what to do, his phone rang. It was the boy from yesterday. He said his mom was hurt and Eddie got the B shift to rush over there. He called Buck on the way and he met them there.

When they arrived, they saw the mother on the floor unconscious. The boy had dosed her with the eyedrops. Eddie realized that he figured out what his mother had been doing. The cops were called and arrived as they were wheeling the now awake mother into the ambulance. She was screaming for her son, but Eddie cut her off and exposed her to everyone. Eddie told the boy he would meet him at the hospital and the two ambulances drove off.

Buck and Eddie were facing each other talking about what just happened when a sharp sound caught both of their attentions. Before they could react, Buck was splattered with Eddie's blood. They made eye contact and Buck realized Eddie had been shot.

It was like slow motion. Eddie and Buck never wavered in their eye contact as Eddie began to fall to his knees and then onto his side. Blood was pouring out of him and Buck felt someone grab his arm and pull him down to the ground next to the Firetruck. Another shot rang out as everyone began yelling into their radios. Buck could barely focus on what was happening as he continued to stare at Eddie. Eventually Eddie's eyes rolled back and closed.