Shared miracles (9-1-1)

Chapter 1: Desperate Times, Desperate Confessions

Buck knew something was off the second he walked into the loft. Eddie was at the table, hunched over his laptop, eyes fixed on the screen with an intensity that made Buck pause.

It wasn't the usual Eddie, zoning out while scrolling for gear or watching videos about baseball drills for Chris. No, this was different.

Buck frowned, stepping closer. "What're you looking at?"

Eddie didn't answer right away. He just sighed, sitting back in his chair. The laptop remained open, the image of a modest, single-story house staring back at Buck like an omen.

"...You buying a house?" Buck asked slowly, a nervous laugh bubbling up in his chest.

Eddie didn't look at him. "It's in El Paso."

And there it was.

The words hit Buck like a freight train, stealing the air from his lungs. He blinked, trying to process, trying to make sense of something that made no sense.

"El Paso?" he echoed, like maybe he'd misheard.

Eddie nodded once. "I've been thinking about it for a while. Chris is there. He needs me, Buck."

Buck felt the room tilt. "He has you. You're here for him, every day–FaceTime, calls, trips back and forth. You don't have to move, Eddie."

Eddie finally turned to face him, and the look in his eyes nearly broke Buck's heart. It was resignation. Finality.

"You don't get it, Buck. It's not enough. He's my son."

"So what?" Buck snapped, his voice louder than he intended. "You're just going to pack up your life–leave everything behind? Leave me behind?"

The words slipped out before Buck could stop them, raw and exposed. Eddie's eyes narrowed, but there was something soft in his gaze, too. Like he was searching for something–an explanation Buck wasn't ready to give.

"I don't have a choice," Eddie said quietly.

Buck's hands clenched into fists. The panic was clawing at his chest now, rising too fast for him to push down. He watched Eddie close the laptop, and the sound of the lid snapping shut was like a door slamming in his face.

He's leaving.

It wasn't supposed to be like this. Eddie couldn't just leave–he couldn't walk away like Buck didn't matter. Like they didn't matter.

"Eddie," Buck started, his voice cracking. "You can't–"

"I don't have a choice," Eddie cut him off, his voice rising. "I can't–" He stopped himself, jaw tight, and turned away.

«He can't what?»

Buck's brain was spiraling, scrambling for something–anything–to stop Eddie from walking out of his life. Desperation grabbed him by the throat, and before he could think, before he could stop himself, the words were tumbling out.

"I'm pregnant, and it's yours!"

The silence that followed was absolute.

Eddie froze, staring at Buck like he'd grown a second head. "What?"

Buck's face went pale. His heart pounded in his ears as reality came crashing down on him. "I–"

Eddie's brow furrowed, and then, impossibly, he laughed. A low, disbelieving sound that made Buck's cheeks burn.

"You're stupid," Eddie said, shaking his head. "That's not funny, Buck."

But Buck wasn't laughing. His pulse was racing, his chest heaving as panic and something bigger–something heavier–pressed down on him.