Buck and Eddie finished their shift an hour ago. Chris finished school forty minutes ago and they both picked him up.
They should've been home thirty minutes ago.
It's not like they've never been late. Of course, some things just can't be helped. But, Buck always called me if they were running late. If he didn't, I'd leave him a voicemail until he could pick up.
But the call went straight to voicemail every time, which meant something was wrong. I called Eddie's phone too, but that ended with the same result. Something had to be wrong because both of them knew I struggled to keep calm in unknown situations, a side effect of my crappy parents.
I stood on the front steps of the house, feeling the rain pelt down hard on me. My phone weighed heavy in my hand and I shoved it into my pocket. My mind went to the only person I knew could help right now.
Bobby.
My feet took off as I began running in the direction of his and Athena's home. I knew the route like the back of my hand, having spent many family occasions around their house.
As I ran, I kept an eye open for Buck's jeep as I remember the vehicle leaving the drive this morning. My heart thudded heavily in my chest and I mentally noted that after today I needed to work on my cardio.
It didn't take long to reach Bobby's house or, maybe, I was just too pumped up on adrenaline to realise how long I'd been running for.
I couldn't raise my fist to knock at first, the adrenaline sending me crashing into the door with my shoulder.
"Bobby!" I yelled, thumping my hand on the door desperately.
It swung open and I stumbled forward. Thankfully, two strong hands grabbed my shoulders and pushed me back upright. "Cooper? You're soaked, what's wrong?" Bobby fussed worriedly, pulling me out of the rain.
Athena came around the corner and gasped, immediately running back somewhere else. Bobby wrapped an arm around me and guided me to their sofas, not flinching as I got his clothes wet.
"Buck and Eddie-" I gasped, trying to get my breath back after running here and because of the anxiety racing through my veins.
Athena raced back in with a towel, wrapping it around my shoulders as she tried to dry me off. "What's wrong with Buck and Eddie? Take a deep breath Coop, you're going to hurt yourself." Bobby fretted as he guided me to sit down on the sofa.
"They haven't come home, but Buck always calls if they're going to be late. He didn't call. I tried to call him and Eddie, but it goes straight to voicemail." I rambled out, stopping when Bobby rested a hand on my shoulder.
"We'll find them, okay? But you need to breathe and you need some warm clothes before you get sick." He urged sternly, looking at my soggy form with worry.
Athena rushed past and grabbed her keys, "I'll go drive about and see if anyone has seen them. My radio will pick up some information if there was an accident." She declared, looking at Bobby before she opened the door.
"An accident? You think they had an accident?" I gasped. Bobby's hand was the only thing keeping me in place.
"Do you need me to come too?" Bobby offered, although he seemed reluctant.
Athena waved him off as she grabbed a coat, "You stay with him. Cooper, it's going to be okay. I'll find them baby." She assured before she left the house.
I leaned forward and rested my head on Bobby's chest, taking a shuddered breath when he rubbed my back. My body shivered as the adrenaline wore off and the cold and the fear seeped into my bones.
"Let's get you into some warm clothes." Bobby whispered, brushing the towel over my wet hair before he stood up.
I watched as he rushed out the room, returning as quickly as he went. "They'll be a bit big on you, but it'll keep you warm." Bobby assured me, handing me the items of clothing.
A small hum of appreciation left my lips and I shuffled to the bathroom to change. It was clear that these were Bobby's clothes as I wouldn't fit into anyone else's here. It brought me some comfort to have something of his, especially the hoodie that wrapped around me comfortably.
I looked back down at my phone and frowned when no notifications appeared, making my way back to Bobby. "Still nothing." I sniffled, wiping my runny nose.
The Captain cringed, making his way into the kitchen. "I'll make you some tea, it's the English brand you like." He offered. Despite the situation, my heart warmed at the thought of Bobby getting an English tea brand after I told the whole team how American tea was not as good.
My feet carried me into the kitchen beside Bobby, where I shivered beside him. He wrapped an arm around me and rubbed my arm to help generate some warmth. I turned my head to bury my face in his shoulder, seeking the comfort I couldn't get from my parents.
"I don't want to lose anyone else." I whispered, mostly to myself.
The fear sat heavy in my stomach and I rubbed my teary eyes. Bobby stopped what he was doing and wrapped me up into a tight hug, gently rubbing my back. "You're not going to lose anyone, you hear me? They're going to be okay." He promised.
I shrugged my shoulders sadly, already assuming the worst. Bobby grabbed the cup of tea and led us over to the sofas. He threw a blanket on my lap as I sat down and set my tea aside in favour of wrapping me up in another hug.
"Everything's going to be okay." He whispered into my drying curls.
We settled into a comfortable silence and I fiddled with my hands in my lap. A million thoughts were racing through my head, most of them negative, so I blurted out the first thing to stop my thoughts.
"I called you Pops once." Bobby moved back to look down at me, curiosity shining in his eyes.
"Dad and Papa were talking about one of the barbecues coming up. Chris calls you Pops all the time and I got caught up in the conversation. I didn't even realise I said it until Dad pointed it out after staring at me for a solid minute. I was too embarrassed to tell you, but now seems like a great time because I don't know what else to do but ramble right now." I somehow managed to stop talking.
Bobby's laughter filled the room and I sunk deeper into the sofa from embarrassment. He ruffled my hair playfully and I could see the wide smile on his face.
"You can call me whatever you want, Coop. I'll be your Pops just like I'm Chris'." He stated, squeezing me gently. I swiped at the moisture in my eyes, not having the words to tell him how much I wanted it.
After that, it felt like forever before anything else happened. I had finished my cup of tea and Bobby moved on to telling me stories about the team before I came along. He had a lot of Buck doing dangerous things and ending up in trouble. Apparently, we were quite alike.
Bobby's phone buzzed once on the table, making us both pause. It buzzed again and again before we jumped up. He grabbed the phone and picked up the call, holding it to his ear swiftly.
"Athena?" He questioned.
I could hear Athena talking on the other end of the phone, but I couldn't make out what she was saying. I paced back and forth across the living room, waiting anxiously for Bobby to relay the information to me.
"Okay okay, we're on our way." He insisted before ending the call.
I stared up at him with hopeful eyes, seeing a smile form on his face. "They're okay and back home. Athena said they were freaking out when you weren't home, but they'll explain everything when we get there." He stated and I felt like the whole world had been lifted off my shoulders.
We scrambled to put our shoes on and I stuffed my wet clothes into a plastic bag before we ran to the car. Bobby drove us as fast as he could, but insisted that he wouldn't break the speed limit.
Always the rule-follower.
The car had barely stopped before I jumped out the door, spotting Eddie, Chris and Buck talking to Athena in the living room. I ran through the open front door.
"Blue!"
"Coop!"
They all yelled as I entered the house. I crashed into Eddie first, since he was the closest to me. Buck joined us with Chris following in third as I finally relaxed in their arms.
I pulled away after a minute before I punched Buck in the arm, making him yell in shock. "You scared the hell out of me! You can't do that- I thought something bad had happened!" I yelled, biting my inner cheek as my eyes watered slightly.
Eddie hushed me softly, resting his hands on my shoulders. "We're really sorry, Coop. There was traffic and then the jeep broke down. Buck's phone died and I left mine at the station, so we had to wait until help arrived before we could get in contact with anyone." He explained.
How much bad luck could this family get?
"It's alright now, you're all safe and that's what matters." Bobby cut in, standing beside Athena.
I nodded in agreement and took a deep breath, relaxing myself now that I knew everything was okay.
Everyone agreed it was a good time to start heading to bed, since it had been a long, stressful day. Before Bobby and Athena left, I made sure to give the captain a longer hug.
"Thanks Pops." I whispered, feeling his arms tighten around me.
"I've got you Coop." He replied. A smile braced my lips as I waved goodbye.