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Chapter Text

Tommy sighed as he closed the door and toed off his shoes. It had been a very long shift and he was glad to be home. He was trying to be quiet in case Evan was sleeping. He’d called Tommy about halfway through his shift clearly not feeling well. He had a nasty cold and a headache. He also suspected the younger firefighter had a fever, but wouldn’t admit it. Softly he walked to the bedroom and peaked his head in. Evan was curled up under as many blankets as he could be under and was shivering violently. Hurrying over to his boyfriend, Tommy reached out and touched his forehead. He jerked back in horror and surprise at the heat radiating off of Evan.
“Evan, can you hear me?” Feverish glazed eyes opened sluggishly to meet Tommy’s worried Gaze. He tried to say something but it wasn’t coherent. “Oh baby, we need to get your fever down,” Tommy commented sympathetically. Grabbing the thermometer from the bathroom he ran it across Evan’s forehead and gasped at the reading. A reading of 103.2 was staring back at him. He started to panic, but quickly realized he needed to keep his cool and get Evan the help he needed. “I’m going to get you some fever reducers then put you in a bath to try and get the fever down. If we can’t, we’ll have to go to the hospital,” Tommy narrated as he grabbed the meds and settled on the bed next to his sick boyfriend. It was obvious that Evan wasn’t really there with him, because he didn’t protest the mention of the hospital. Reaching out he picked up the glass of water Evan had on the nightstand and tried to get him to take the meds. Tommy felt bad because he basically had to hold Evan up and practically feed him the medicine. Once that was done he carefully laid him back on the bed while he ran the cool bath. Once it was filled the right amount he went back to the bedroom and as carefully as he could stripped the younger mans sweat soaked clothes off him and guided him into the bathroom and finally into the water.
The moment he touched the water Evan began to whimper. “N-n-no, cold… Please stop,” he whimpered trying to get away from the tepid water.
“Shh, I’m so sorry, baby. I know it feels cold, but that’s only because of the fever. I promise you’ll feel better soon. Evan continued to fight being in the bath for a bit longer but then seemed to settle some. After another ten minutes or so, he seemed to be coming back to alertness.
“Tmmy?” he slurred clearly confused by his surroundings. “Whatsappening?”
“I’m trying to get your fever down so I put you in a bath,” the older firefighter explained. Buck blinked and seemed to be processing his boyfriends words.
“How high was it?” he wondered.
“It was 103.2, but I think it’s going down. How about we get you out of the water and into some comfy clothes. Maybe get some food into you?” Tommy suggested. Buck nodded slightly.
“I’ll try, not sure what will stay down, my stomach isn’t very happy with me along with my stuffy head, but I’m kind of hungry,” Evan admitted. Smiling softly Tommy helped him out of the bathtub then after steadying him as he dried off he stood by while Evan got dressed in case he needed help.
“Okay, do you want to lay down or go to the couch while I fix you something to eat?”
“Couch, please, I feel like I’ve spent too much time in the bed. Plus the sheets are gross,” Evan commented.
“The couch it is. I’ll get you settled then heat up some of the soup you made last night,” Tommy stated. Buck nodded gratefully as he settled on the plush couch and rested his head on one of the very comfortable pillows. He could hear Tommy in the kitchen heating up the soup and was drifting slightly when he started coughing. Thinking it was a result of the nasty cold he tried to take a breath in, but found he couldn’t. He started to panic because he could feel his airway closing and he had no idea what was going on. As quickly as he could, he scrambled off the couch and stumbled towards the kitchen. Unfortunately his vision was going dark and he crashed into the wall before falling to the ground.
A loud crash and a pain-filled cry startled Tommy as he was about to place the bowls of soup on a tray and he turned and ran for the living room not sure what he would find. Finding his boyfriend with blue lips and very little air movement wasn’t what he expected.
“Evan, what’s going on?”
“C-c-can’t breathe! Don’t feel good. Really sleepy, he said starting to close his eyes.
“No, don’t go to sleep, stay with me, please, baby,” Tommy begged. He had no idea what was going on these symptoms basically came out of nowhere. The wheezing was getting worse and he knew that they needed help he didn’t have the supplies to give. Grabbing his phone out of his pocket he dialed the three numbers he had hoped never to have to dial because something was wrong with Evan

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“9-1-1, what’s your emergency? Came the dispatcher’s calm voice.”
“This is off duty firefighter Tommy Kinard and My boyfriend can’t breathe. His lips are blue and he’s wheezing.”
“Has he been sick recently?” the dispatcher asked. Tommy nodded before remembering he was on the phone and she wouldn’t be able to see him.
“He’s been fighting a cold but nothing that would cause this,” Tommy explained. Evan reached out and grabbed at his throat as it continued to close up. “Oh god, his throat is closing up, what do I do?” Tommy asked brokenly.
“It sounds like an allergic reaction, did he take anything new or eat anything different today?” the dispatcher asked.
“Ev, did you eat anything that you haven’t before today or take any meds you haven’t taken before?” A shake of his head was the answer.
“Just what you gave me…” he rasped.
“I gave him some Naproxen for his high fever before putting him in a cool bath. Maybe that’s it?” Tommy wondered. Evan nodded sadly.
“Allergic… to… Naproxen…” he choked out. Tommy felt horrible, he had no idea that he was allergic to it and he gave it to him.
“So he’s allergic to Naproxen, what’s his name?” the dispatcher questioned.
“His name’s Evan,” Tommy replied.
“Evan, have you had this kind of reaction to Naproxen before?” she wondered. Buck shook his head and demonstrated scratching his arms.
“He says no, just a rash, is that right?” Tommy interpreted. Buck nodded.
“Okay, it seems like for some reason the allergy has gotten worse. Do you have any Benadryl?”
“Yeah, I do, in the medicine cabinet.”
“Good, get two pills and help massage Evan’s throat so he can swallow them. An epi-pen would be better, but hopefully this will help enough until the paramedics can get there.” Rushing into the bathroom Tommy quickly grabbed the Benadryl and was back at the struggling man’s side in record time. Carefully he lifted Evans head and helped him swallow the pills. His breathing was still bad, but at least it looked like his distress was easing slightly. The sound of sirens caught his attention.
“The ambulance is here,” he stated.
“Okay, I’ll hang up now, I hope everything turns out okay,” the dispatcher said as she disconnected the call.

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“LAFD someone call for paramedics?”
“In here, Tommy called back. He was glad he’d left the door unlocked so he didn’t have to leave Evan’s side. The medics from the 136 came into the room. Lena Bosko gasped in surprise when she recognized their patient.
“Hey there, Buckley, what’s going on?” she asked while her partner began taking his vitals while she prepared some oxygen.
“He’s having an allergic reaction. I gave him some Naproxen for a high fever and didn’t know he was allergic to it,” Tommy explained.
“Does he have an epi-pen?” the other medic asked. Buck shook his head.
“He said his reaction was never this bad before, just a rash but I’m guessing it’s been years since you took it?” Tommy confirmed. Buck nodded with a small smile.
“Well lucky for you, we have an epi-pen, so we’re going to use that then take you to the hospital for them to check you out and make sure everything’s okay,” Bosko explained. Quickly they administered the epi-pen and after making sure the oxygen mask was securely on Buck’s face they lifted him on to the stretcher and headed for the ambulance.
“Kinard, you want to ride with us?” Bosko questioned.
“Yes, please, I’ll call Bobby on the way. I’m sure he’ll let the rest of the team know.” Buck huffed in frustration.
Moving the mask slightly, he said “They don’t have to come, I’m fine…”
“Hush, they care and I know they’ll want to see for themselves your fine, now put that mask back on,” Tommy scolded gently. Buck sighed but did what he was told and settled back on the stretcher for the ride to the hospital.

Chapter Text

The 118 had just gotten back from a call. They were missing Buck today but one of the B-shift guys had agreed to cover. Thankfully this was the last call of the shift, and they were able to clock out and head home.
“Man, I’m glad to be heading home,” Hen stated yawning widely.
“Yeah, me to,” Eddie agreed.
“Has anyone heard from Buck?” Ravi wondered? Everyone shook their heads.
“I think Tommy got off a bit earlier than us so he will hopefully be home and can check on him. I’ll probably call in a bit,” Eddie commented. Just then Bobby’s phone rang. Pulling it out he glanced at the caller ID.
“Well looks like we might get some more information, it’s Tommy,” he said, answering it.

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“Tommy, what’s going on? How’s Buck doing?”
“That’s actually why I was calling, are you still with the team?” Tommy asked.
“Yeah, we’re just finishing up shift.”
“Okay, can you put me on speaker?” the other man requested. Nodding Bobby did what he asked.
“You’re on speaker, now what’s wrong?”
“Is Buck, okay?” Eddie questioned.
“No, we’re on our way to Cedars right now, actually. Everyone gasped in surprise. “When I got home, he had a super high fever, so I gave him some meds for it and put him in a bath. I didn’t know he was allergic to Naproxen and shortly after he got out of the bath he began going into anaphylactic shock. His voice broke and everyone could hear the tears he was trying to hold back. “I called 9-1-1 and the 136 responded. They gave him an epi-pen injection and I gave him some Benadryl as instructed by dispatch. He seems to be doing a bit better but he’s definitely still struggling.”
“We’re on our way, you guys just hang in there,” the captain assured as he hung up and turned to the rest of the team.
“Okay let’s get changed and head to the hospital. I’ll call Athena on the way. Everyone else nodded in agreement as they reached for their phones to notify their loved ones while running for the locker room to get changed.

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The ambulance came to a stop outside the emergency room doors and the doors flew open. Bosko and her partner pulled the stretcher out and began raddling off information.
“Evan Buckley off duty firefighter 31-year-old male suffering an allergic reaction to Naproxen. Reacted to this med before but never with anaphylaxis. Given oxygen in the field as well as epi and Benadryl but still having difficulty breathing. Almost needed to be intubated but stabilized enough for the moment to make that unnecessary.” The hospital staff nodded as they took control of the gurney and wheeled it to a treatment bay. Lifting Buck on to the bed they started to work on him. One of the nurses noticed Tommy hovering in the doorway.
“Sir I need you to step out and let us work on him.”
“No, please, I can’t leave him,” Tommy begged.
“I’m sorry, but it’s hospital policy, you can’t be in here while we’re working on him. If you’ll go to the waiting room someone will be out to speak with you as soon as they can,” she assured softly. Tommy looked like he was about to argue again when he was stopped by Lena’s hand on his arm.
“Sorry, it’s just that he’s Buck’s boyfriend and he’s obviously worried,” she apologized to the nurse. The nurse nodded in understanding giving Tommy a sad smile.
“Come on, Kinard, let’s go wait in the waiting room. I’m sure the rest of the 118 will be here soon,” she urged coaxing the distraught man out the door and down the hall to the waiting room. Sinking into a chair Tommy let his face fall into his hands and he began to cry. He felt so guilty. How could he have done something so stupid? What if Evan died? Reaching out Bosko placed a hand on his shaking shoulder.
“It’s not your fault, did you know he was allergic to Naproxen?” she asked. Tommy shook his head. “Then there you go. You didn’t give him Naproxen on purpose to cause a reaction. It was an accident,” she reminded him gently. Tommy nodded slightly but she could still see the doubt and guilt in his eyes. Just then the rest of the 118 came rushing in.

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“Looks like the entire family’s here,” Lena commented as she saw all of them surrounding Tommy.
“This is exactly where we need to be,” Maddie commented as she embraced Tommy and began rocking him back and forth. The others nodded in agreement.
“Yeah, he’s our Buck,” Chris stated matter-of-factly.
“He sure is,” Carla agreed patting the young boys back.
“And of course, we love Tommy to,” Chris interjected giving the worried firefighter a smile wanting to make sure he knew his place in the family. Tommy gave Chris a shaky smile back.
“Thanks for that, kiddo, I love you guys to.”
“Well, it looks like you guys have things in hand, we’re going to head out,” Bosko told them as she turned and headed for the doors pushing their stretcher along with her. Everyone thanked her and settled into wait.

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Chimney noticed how heavy and labored Tommy’s breathing was getting. Sliding into the seat on his other side he reached for his wrist, taking his pulse. It was racing and it was clear he was in the middle of a panic attack. If they didn’t get his breathing under control soon, he would be in danger of passing out.
“Hey there, Tommy, can you try and slow down you’re breathing for me?” the paramedic requested.
“I c-c-cant,” Tommy gasped.
“Yes, you can. Just follow my breathing,” Chim instructed as he began breathing exaggerated breaths. Finally, after a few minutes Tommy’s breathing had started to even out and a bit of color had returned to his face. “There you go,” Chim said soothingly as he patted Tommy’s shoulder.
“Here you go, man,” Eddie said as he handed a bottle of water to Chim.
“Thanks,” Chim answered uncapping it and handing it to Tommy. Reluctantly he took a few sips before putting the cap back on and letting it hang loosely in his hand. After a few moments of silence Tommy spoke up.
“Thanks for being here. I’m sorry to bother all of you. I know you care about Evan and would want to know what happened. Even if it was my stupid fault…”
“Hey now, it wasn’t your fault,” Athena said sternly.
“But I gave him the Naproxen,” Tommy argued.
“Did you know he was allergic to it?” Hen questioned. Tommy shook his head miserably. “Then it was an accident. It’s not your fault,” she replied.
“I guess you’re right, but I won’t believe it until I see Evan with my own two eyes and see that he’s going to be okay,” Tommy declared.
“That’s understandable,” Bobby answered.
“Besides like Chris said your family and we’re here for you to. It’s not just Buck we care about. We care about you as well,” Karen told him. Everyone else nodded in agreement.
“Okay it’s our turn to hug Uncle Tommy,” Chris declared as he, Denny, May and Jee ran towards him and wrapped him in a group hug. Everyone laughed and Tommy gave the biggest smile he’d given since everyone got there. “Thanks guys, your hugs are the best. They made me feel better,” he told the group of kids.
Then Chris’s words caught up to him.
“Uncle Tommy?” he asked in awe.
“Well Duh…” Denny sassed. Both Hen and Karen gave him an exasperated look even though they were trying to hide smiles.
“I mean of course you’re our uncle, you’re dating Uncle Buck so that makes you our uncle,” Denny explained. Tommy could feel his heart fill with so much love and warmth from this easy acceptance. Tears filled his eyes and he tried to blink them back.
“I’m sorry, it’s just that I’ve never had a family like this. My dad wasn’t a good guy and hurt me and my mom basically hid her head in the sand and didn’t stop it. I have a sister who is a couple years older than me, but we don’t talk much.”
“Well, this bunch knows a lot about crappy childhoods, so we know how to help you through any trauma surrounding it. Welcome to the Crappy childhood club,” Maddie said holding out her hand for a high five. Tommy laughed and gave her a high five grateful for all of these people in his corner. He didn’t want to bring the mood down, but he needed to ask his next question.
“Okay, so this doesn’t happen again, is he allergic to anything else?” Tommy wanted to know. The others thought about it for a moment then shook their heads.
“No, not that we’re aware of,” Eddie answered for the group. Nodding Tommy settled back in his seat for the first time that day feeling slightly less guilty, but still needing reassurance from his boyfriend before he could completely absolve himself of guilt.

Chapter Text

Silence had settled over the group. Thankfully after Tommy’s subsequent breakdown and being reassured by the team the silence didn’t feel so heavy. Tommy had started to doze after is long shift when the doctor came in. Chimney gently nudged his arm and he sat up.
“’Sgoing on?” he slurred clearly trying to wake up.
“The doctor’s here,” Hen stated. Nodding Tommy quickly jumped to his feet.
“How’s Evan? Is he going to be okay? When can I take him home?” Realizing he was gasping for breath he took a deep breath giving the doctor a chance to speak.
“Mr. Buckley is doing well now. When he came in he was dealing with a severe allergic reaction to Naproxen. We almost had to intubate him but thankfully the epi we gave him along with the supplemental oxygen did the trick.”
“When can he go home? Eddie spoke up.
“I’d like to keep him here for another couple of hours but then we can discharge him.” Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
“Can we see him?” Maddie questioned. The doctor nodded with a smile.
“Absolutely, but just keep it to a couple of people at a time since we have other patients in the ER. He’s in room four. Just go through those doors and it’s the third door on the right. If you’ll excuse me I have to check on another patient.” Everyone expressed their gratitude and turned to each other with happy but exhausted smiles on their faces.

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“Tommy, why don’t you go first?” Bobby suggested. Tommy nodded and stood up slowly. He glanced around uncertainly.
“Do you want one of us to go with you?” Maddie asked.
“Yeah, Maddie, can you and Eddie come with me?” he requested shakily. Both of them nodded and stood up to follow behind Tommy to check on Buck and make sure he was actually going to be fine.
The first thing that Tommy saw when he walked into the room was that his boyfriend was sitting up and looking bored and frustrated.
“Hey baby, are you okay?” he asked as he saw Tommy standing hesitantly in the doorway. Tommy laughed when he heard the question.
“You’re the one in the hospital bed and you’re asking if I’m okay?”
“Yeah, you look not okay,” Buck explained waving his hand back and forth. Then he turned and saw Eddie and Maddie standing next to Tommy.
“I’m fi…”
Tommy Kinard if you’re about to say fine, I call bull,” Buck argued. Turning to Maddie, he said
“How is he really?” Maddie sighed and gave him a soft smile.
“He was upset because he was the one who gave you the Naproxen but we assured him it was an accident.”
“They’re right, it was an accident. Now will you come over here and give me a kiss?” Evan requested holding out the hand that didn’t have an IV in it. Smiling widely for the first time since he’d gotten home and found Evan so sick Tommy made his way to his boyfriend and gave him a gentle kiss. Reaching out Evan pulled him into a slightly less g-rated kiss causing him to blush.
“Well I guess you’re feeling better,” Eddie teased as he and Maddie made their way into the tiny hospital room.
“I definitely am,” Buck said as he smiled at the three people surrounding him, glad he and Tommy had such a great family surrounding them.