Chapter Text
Buck didn’t think he’d leave this room alive. He had been certain the last of his life would extend only to these four warm yellow walls. The nurses were detaching wires and machines from his body, but he wasn’t a corpse. His own hands were dressing himself, trembling still as they were. He was strong enough to pull on his own sweats as he leaned on Bobby.
Bobby was the one who tied the strings of his sweatpants, both of them seeing how quickly he’d lost muscle mass while he’d Frozen. Bobby also helped him into his sweatshirt, one from Bobby’s own closet, pulling at his long sleeves so they wouldn’t bunch up under the jacket sleeves. Buck let himself fall back to the bed and Bobby bent down, slipped warm fuzzy socks (newly gifted from May) onto his feet, followed by his sneakers. Buck almost teared up; he didn’t think he’d ever wear shoes again.
Dr. Gomez signed off his discharge forms with a smile. “Mr. Buckley,” she said, “I am happy to tell you that you are free to go home.”
Eddie had just come back into the room, and Buck had the privilege to watch the man’s face light up with a brilliant smile. And then he turned that smile on Buck; it softened as he said, “Yeah. Let’s get you home.”
A nurse brought in a wheelchair, and Buck would have argued about it if he didn’t know he wouldn’t have been able to walk on his own all the way to the car. Luckily, Eddie was the one to push him through the halls, Bobby chatting with the nurse as they made their way to the elevator bank. The nurse wished them luck, shot a wink at Buck as the doors closed, and then they were leaving that wretched floor.
Outside, it was much chillier than Buck had expected and he shivered as a gust of wind picked up, feeling like it blew right through him. Eddie and Bobby were quick to his sides as Maddie pulled the car up to the curb. Before she’d even stopped the car, Bobby was reaching for the car door, and the two men heaved Buck into the back seat. Eddie jumped in with him and held him tight, rubbing his arms to warm him up. Maddie shot them a smile, her eyes running over them approvingly. She looked better than she did last week; she looked less tired.
Bobby was back from returning the wheelchair and jumped into the car. Maddie put the car into drive and started their journey home.
Because Buck was alive. He was thawing. He was living.
Eddie was pressing kisses to his head, rubbing warmth into his fingers, his ears, his nose. Bobby was fiddling with the radio until he landed on Springsteen, hummed along to the tune. Maddie’s smiling eyes caught Buck’s in the rearview mirror, and they held his for a moment long enough to warm him again.
His body was barely 92°, but they knew he was out of the woods. All he needed now were some cuddles and love. And no one had any doubts that he would have exactly that.
After all, it was only late December, and the new year was just on the horizon.