From Intern to Family | 9-1-1 Fanfic

Chapter 33

"He's a kid." Buck snarled.

"I know he's a kid, but that doesn't make it easy. We knew we had to start again and then come back once we were ready." His explanation continued, despite Buck's outburst.

My hand came around my back and I reached out to hold on to something- anything to support me. Buck reached forward and allowed me to grip his hand as tightly as I wanted to. He stood close to my back and I used his presence to calm myself.

"You don't get to decide when to care for your kid and when not to. That's not how family works." Bobby stated, crossing his arms sternly.

My parents didn't even seem the slightest bit embarrassed or guilty by the statement. I had left the idea of them behind a long time ago, so why did it hurt so much?

"Who even are you people?" The man opposite us snapped, glaring angrily.

The statement made my anger spike, "Hey- you don't speak to them that way." I argued back, leaving Buck in favour of stepping forward.

Their attention fell back on me as shock painted their faces. "Excuse me?" My mother gaped and I threw a glare straight back at them.

"They are the reason you're even speaking to me right now because without them I'd either be in juvie or dead." My sentence sent shockwaves through the group. The bluntness wasn't untrue, but that didn't mean it was less disturbing to hear.

Yet I stand by it. These people gave me a life I never thought I could have.

Unfortunately, my parents didn't take too kindly to them. "Don't be so ridiculous. We made a choice and now we're back to fix it, isn't that good enough? Besides, we've been telling Ryan all about his big brother-"

"He's not my brother."

Both adults stuttered in disbelief. I sensed the group behind me step closer protectively and I could almost feel the wave of approval from them.

Ryan, obviously sensing something wasn't right, began holding on to my father's leg nervously. "Look, you're upsetting him. Of course you're his brother-" I cut them off again with a dirty glare.

"He is not my brother! Chris-" I pointed up at the boy on the stairs, "-is my brother and you two are definitely not my parents." I hissed. The sentence caused more pain than I thought it would as I felt my head pound and my chest constrict.

"How dare you-" The man roared. He stepped forwards, only to halt at Eddie and Buck stepping either side of me. The others joined and I felt safe with them.

For the first time, I finally felt like I could stand up to the pair in front of me. "You're not my parents. Buck and Eddie are my parents and this team is my family! This firehouse is my home and you will never match that." I yelled in the heat of the moment.

The adults opposite me seemed shocked by my outburst. A worried gasp left my lips as I realised what I had said, looking to the two men either side of me. Before I could even ramble or worry, both of them wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

"Cooper is our son." Buck assured.

"And we love him." Eddie promised.

A mantra of 'don't cry' echoed in my head as I buried my head into Eddie's arm. They held me tightly and I relished in the feeling. Bobby stepped in front of the group as Chim, Hen and Athena followed.

They formed a protective line in front of our vulnerable scene and I couldn't stop the tears from dropping this time.

"Cooper is an important part of our family." Bobby declared, standing tall in front of the two distraught visitors.

"He is a wonderful kid with a great heart." Hen stated, glancing back to smile kindly at me.

Chim cleared his throat, "He has wormed his way into all our of hearts." He teased as he winked at me. I laughed wetly at him.

"And he is better than you people will ever be." Athena finalised.

In that moment, surrounded by the family I had found and their words of love, I had never felt better. I was safe, I was happy and, mostly importantly, I was loved. So, as I stared at the pair I used to call family, I no longer felt any pain.

Sometimes it takes the right people to heal you from the damage of the wrong people.

Ryan was carefully lifted into his father's arms as the trio turned away from the group. A sense of relief filled my being and I felt my body relax as soon as their bodies were out of view.

This was it. I could finally move on from them, once and for all.

Everyone turned around to look at me, carefully gaging my reaction. Tears were still running down my face at a steady pace, but they weren't entirely sad.

"Group hug?" Buck offered.

We all laughed at the statement and gathered in a tight circle, holding on as tightly as we could. The air seemed lighter and it felt as if the storm had finally passed.

"So we're family, huh?" Eddie teased and I smiled at the group.

"Yeah.. Family sounds good." I stated.

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How do we feel about this chapter? I'm not sure if it lived up to my expectations but I'm happy the message was conveyed clearly.

The next chapter will be the last chapter and it'll wrap up the story entirely. I'll write a better thank you for the last chapter, but I want to express my gratitude now. The love for this book has been insane, so thank you so much!

One more chapter and we're done! Man am I gonna miss it.