Kids Today.

chapter thirty-four, The Day Before...

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"Kids today, I tell ya..."

Emery then wrinkles her nose, "That made me sound really fucking old." She scoffs.

The eldest Sharpe sister leans against the doorframe, staring at Amaya in the bed. There was a pint of ice cream on her bedside, her record player was blasting Lana Del Rey, and she was swiping through old pictures of her and Tori.

So, as you can see...

Amaya wasn't doing too well.

"Oh, Emerson, look at this one." Amaya holds the phone up, not even bothering to sit up. "Me and Tori took Emmett to the Pumpkin Patch to take pictures of him."

Emery nods her head and smiles as soon as she sees Amaya smile. Then Amaya's smile lessens and tears fill her eyes again. "This was the first time I told her I loved her." She lets out a choked sob and tosses her blankets over her head.

Amaya was staying the night at Emery's for the fifth week. Emery didn't mind. She loved having Amaya over. But brokenhearted Amaya was a different story. The amount of ice cream bowls that piled into the sink overnight could've made Emery lactose intolerant. She has tried to get Amaya out of bed.

Movie nights, Karaoke, Lego building. But none of that interested Amaya.

So, Emery had another plan. A plan she knew would get her out of bed. "So, Buck's got this 'welcome back to the 118' party going on tonight."

"So?"

Emery lets out a small chuckle. "Maya, I need to figure out what I'm going to wear."

Amaya stops sniffling, she pulls the covers off her head and her frizzy hair pops out. "How much time do we have?"

Emery lets out a breath. "Uh...2 hours—"

"I can make that work." Amaya hops out of bed and brushes past her sister. She grabs Emery's wrist and pulls her to her room.

Emery stands in her room as Amaya roots through the closet. "Okay, so, what kind of vibe are we going for?" Amaya asks. "I feel like since you and Buck aren't even together right now—"

"Why'd you say it like that?" Emery squints her eyes.

Amaya then deadpans, "You've been hanging around him for the past 5 months. Supporting him with his rehab, working out with him, eating with him." She then bunches her shoulders. "You guys are basically a couple—"

"But we're not." Emery chuckles nervously. "We're friends."

"You just asked me to help you pick out an outfit for you." Amaya tilts her head.

Emery purses her lips, "What outfit were you thinking about anyway?"

Amaya grabs a gray button-cropped rib-knit t-shirt. Emery tilts her head, "No bra?"

"Emerson!"

"What?" Emery shrugs.

Amaya huffs, "Wear your black bralette. Just in case you get lucky."

"I like the way you think, Maya." Emery grabs the shirt. "Which pants?"

"Your black and gray slacks."

Emery nods and softly hums. "Cool, cool..." she bites the inside of her cheek. "You wanna come? Wish Buck good luck on his return?"

Amaya tenses, "I dunno..."

Emery lets out a breath. "Kid, it's Buck. He's been fighting tooth and nail to get back here."

Amaya looks at Emery and she inhales. "Yeah, you're right. This is for a good occasion." She wipes her nose. "I guess I should find something to wear, huh?"

"You need help?" Emery smiles.

Amaya then snorts, "You help me with fashion?" She then laughs. Emery's smile drops. "You're really funny, Em."

Amaya walks out of her sister's room. Emery tilts her head, "What? But I wasn't trying to be funny." She then pulls her brows together. She follows Amaya to her room.

"I wasn't trying to be funny, Amaya!"

...

"Okay—okay!"

Emery speed walks through the house, her eyes on her clipboard (are we surprised?). "The balloons are up, the streamers...platters—hold on." She points at the empty space on the table. "Where are the platters?"

She turns to the girl and raises her brows. May tenses, "I-I don't know."

"You live here, May." Emery deadpans.

"Mom!" May calls out. "Emery's getting scary again!"

Emery's mouth drops open.

"Emerson, you better stop scaring my kids." Athena points at Emery.

Emery tenses, "I-I wasn't. We were just playing." She pulls May into her side and laughs. Athena glares at the two before walking away. Emery looks at May, "I cannot believe you just did that."

"You were being scary." May then pulls her brows together. "Does this have to do with this party pertaining to a certain Buckley?"

"No!"

May deadpans with a brow raised. Emery swallows, "Wh-whatever. Find those platters." She walks away from May.

Emery walks to the backyard. "Are we almost ready?"

"Yeah, we've got everything we need." Eddie nods.

Emery chuckles, "Good. Uh, Captain..." she looks at Bobby. "Do you know where the platters are? May can't find them anywhere."

"I saw Athena put some stuff in the shed. They might be there." Bobby states.

Emery nods her head, "Okay, I'll be right back—"

"They're here!"

Emery's eyes widen, "But the platters—we don't have the platters."

"The platters don't matter, Em," Eddie says. "Not really."

Emery sags her shoulders and walks into the house. The front door opens. Athena, Maddie, and Buck walk in.

"Thank you for coming!"

"Thank you for inviting us! We appreciate it—"

"SURPRISE!!!"

Buck jumps back and grasps at his chest in shock. He looks at the crowd of people and laughs. He turns back to Maddie and points at her, "You knew?"

"Uh, yeah."

Buck then high-fives Athena. He walks over to the group of people. Buck hugs and thanks, everyone. Then his eyes land on Emery's and his heart jumps into his throat. Emery smiles, her hands still gripping on her clipboard.

"Hi."

Buck practically melts from her soft and timid voice. "Hi."

They both stand like that for a moment. Then they turn their heads to see their teammates staring at them with smirks. The team still didn't know about Emery and Buck's few months of hooking up together. But they had noticed how often Emery would visit Buck in the hospital. She never left his side when he was at rehab and they noticed how at ease Buck was with her.

Emery rolls her eyes, she looks at Buck, and holds her arms out. Buck chuckles nervously and wraps his arms around her waist. Emery wraps her arms around his neck and her heart begins to ram against her ribcage.

"Awwwww—"

"Nope. Stop it." Emery points at Amaya, she pulls away from Buck.

The girl rolls her eyes and turns to Bobby. "Can I have some cake?"

"You didn't even eat dinner." Emery tilts her head.

"The cake is going to be my dinner."

"No, it's not. Amaya Sharpe." Emery squints her eyes.

Amaya snorts, "Jeez, relax, mom." She turns and walks away. Emery exhales and scratches her neck. She then looks at Buck with a smile. "You hungry?"

Buck raises his brows, "Starving."

Emery chuckles nervously, her hands shaking. She looked over at the group that was still staring at them. Her mouth slightly opens and she turns to Buck. "Let's go...over here." She loops her arm through Buck's and guides him through the house. They get to the backyard and grab a couple of plates.

Both of them stayed silent, trying to not only come up with something to say but also find out who was going to speak first.

Emery looks at the side of Buck's fade and a smile forms on her lips. "So, how are you?"

Buck's storm blue eyes meet Emery's brown ones. Even though they were as dark as mocha, there was still a light in them. A light that caused Buck to just want to wrap his arms around her and never let her go. All Buck wanted to do was be close to her. He couldn't put it into words, how much he wanted her.

"I'm good." Buck chuckles. "I'm coming back to work and that's all...I wanted." He hesitated. Because that wasn't all he wanted. His eyes flit to Emery's lips then he looks back into her eyes. Emery softly chuckles, "I'm glad you're coming back. Everyone's missed you."

"Everyone?" Buck chuckles. "Fletcher missed me?—"

"I've missed you." Emery looks back at him. "If...that's what you were wondering."

Buck's heart rate quickens and he takes a step closer to her. "I've missed you too, Emi." He tilts his head. "Even though, we've seen each other almost every day for the past five months."

Emery laughs, "We have been seeing each other a lot lately." She raises her arms and slightly leans back. "And we haven't been having sex."

"Crazy, right?" Buck exhales a chuckle.

"You guys haven't been having sex?"

Emery and Buck turned to Amaya, eating a plate of cake. The eldest Sharpe points at the plate. "I told you—"

"I ate a burger," Amaya says.

Emery purses her lips, "Okay. I'm satisfied."

"Satisfied? You're not even getting any." Amaya points at her sister. Buck covers his mouth, trying not to laugh. "For the past 5 months, I thought you guys were hooking up."

"No, Amaya. Why would you think that?" Emery tilts her head.

"Because you asked me to help you find an outfit for Buck."

Emery reached forward and latched onto Amaya's arm. "Way to keep a secret—mouth!"

"Mouth? That doesn't make any sense..." Amaya shakes her head.

"You dressed up for me?"

Emerh turns to Buck with wide eyes. He had a smirk on his lips and his brows were raised. Emery lets out a loud laugh, "N-No—No! I didn't dress up for you."

Buck folds his arms and waits for her to crack. Emery shifts, she then looks at Amaya; who begins to walk away. The eldest Sharpe looks back at Buck and her face gets hot. "I...I didn't—I wasn't, uh...HEY LOOK THERE'S MADDIE AND CHIM!!!" Emery speed walks over to the new couple.

"What are you guys talking about?" Emery barges into the conversation.

Maddie pouts her lips, "Running from Buck?"

"Why would she be running from Buck?" Chimney asks. He then gasps, "Is he asking you for more movie recommendations? I hate it when he does that."

"Yeah—Yep. That's exactly it." Emery points at Chimney.

"I can't believe you managed to keep this a secret." Buck voices, making his way over to the three. Emery tenses as Buck's arm brushes hers. The girl shifts her eyes over to Buck in time to see him rub his chest. She pulls her brows together but looks away from him.

"Can I have some cake?" Buck points.

Chimney hands Buck some cake, "We had two cakes, you know?"

"Yeah, we weren't sure how today was gonna go." Maddie shrugs. "It was Emery's idea."

Emery nods, "Yeah, we uh, had another one on standby in case you crashed and burned." She winces.

"It said, "Better Buck next time"." Chimney adds.

Emery lets out a stifled laugh and covers her mouth. Maddie then feeds Chimney some cake and Emery wrinkles her nose. "Oh, guys, come on..."

"Are you guys just gonna get married already?" Buck grimaces.

"Oh, don't forget to invite us," Michael speaks as she passes them.

Emery points at Michael. "Yeah, because some people seem to do that...forget to invite people to weddings."

"Or they just don't invite us on purpose," Michael says.

Emery then shakes her head. She looks back at Chimney and Maddie. "You two—"

"We haven't even been dating for that long," Maddie says.

Emery then nods, "Fair point." She turns to Buck and pulls her brows together. "Did you eat dinner?"

Buck then furrows his brows and matches her expression. "Did you?"

Maddie smiles at the two while Chimney looks confused.

...

Emery eats her burger with her brows pulled together. She softly hums as she chews. Her eyes were glued to Buck as he talked to Eddie. Her worries weren't going away and it didn't go unnoticed.

"Oh, boy..." The brunette walks over to Emery. "You're worrying."

Wren leans against the wall with her plate of cake in her hands. She watches Emery stare at Buck. "Which is why you aren't listening to me—"

"Does something about Buck seem different to you?" Emery asks, her eyes never leaving him.

Wren frowns, "His right leg looks smaller than his left."

Emery turns to the brunette with a deadpan expression. "That's not funny."

"And he shouldn't have taken his cast off too early." Wren rolls her eyes.

Emery sets her half-eaten burger on the table. Wren was right. Emery didn't want to think about the last five months too in detail, but she knew how hard Buck was pushing himself in order to get back to work. That's exactly why he took the cast off early. Everyone advised against it, but Buck said he knew his body. And he does know his body.

But so does Emery.

And she noticed him shake his leg five different times since he's been here. He has also been rubbing his chest. Wren watches as Emery begins to tap at her collarbone. "You should talk to him."

Emery turns to Wren and the rookie cop shrugs. "If you're worried. You should talk to him. For some reason, he listens to you." She sends Emery a soft smile.

Emery looks back at Buck and she begins to feel nervous. What if he brushed her off? What if he snapped at her? Emery knew that Buck would never act that way towards her, but at the same time; Emery would've promised that she would never act that way with Helena...

"I'm gonna go over there." Emery exhales. "Wish me good luck."

"Of course. Good luck." Wren grips Emery's shoulders and gives them a small shake.

Emery chuckles and walks over to Buck. As she gets closer, she can hear her heartbeat grow louder. "Evan."

Buck and Eddie turn to the girl. A smile finds Buck's lips. "Hey—"

"Can I talk to you?"

Eddie makes an 'oh' with his mouth. He watches as a crease forms between Emery's brows and her fingers were tapping against her thigh. "You made her maaad." He then laughs. "I knew this 'friendship' wasn't going to last." He walks away from the two.

Buck pulls his brows together, "What did I do wrong?" He tenses. "I haven't even started my first shift yet."

"You've been grabbing your leg," Emery says.

Buck slightly opens his mouth, "I've got a leg cramp?"

"A cramp? In your bad leg?" Emery squints her eyes. "Are you lying?"

"No, Emi. I swear."

"Okay...what about your chest?" Emery crosses her arms. "I saw you rubbing it."

"Glad to know you're keeping a close eye on me..." Buck smirks.

"I'm not kidding, Evan." Emery's voice was stern.

Emery would call him 'Buck' every now and then. But for her, 'Evan' was now her go-to. But if she wanted to tease him, 'Pretty boy' was the way to go. She thought it made sense since he teased her with 'Princess'. But 'Emi' was for Buck and Buck only. Everyone knew that.

"It must be gas reflux or something." Buck rubs his chest. "I honestly don't know."

Emery opens her mouth to speak again.

"Buck!"

Emery and Buck turn to Bobby, who is walking over to them.

"They are sending me the paperwork in the morning. Then you will officially be back."

"How's that feel?"

"Oh, I'm just glad it's over," Buck says. "You know, I hated not being with you guys."

"Em, what do you have to say about that?" Bobby turns to the girl. Emery raises her brows out of surprise. Then she rolls her eyes, realizing he was trying to be some kind of wingman. "We've missed you, Evan."

Buck chuckles and stares down at her. "Thanks, Em."

"Anyway, I'm going to find Fletcher and make sure he hasn't given Dylan just cake." She then winces. "That kid loves his cake."

She gives Buck a small smile and pats Bobby on the arm before walking away.

"It'll be nice to have the whole team back together."

"Thanks, Cap. And I don't just mean for the party and the cakes. Um..." he looks at the ground for a moment. Then he looks up. "Thank you for being there. You know, for the surgeries and the rehabs. I, uh—I know I wasn't always the easiest person to be around."

"Oh, my god..." Bobby rolls his eyes, almost saying that Buck has a lot to handle during that time.

"Oh, really?" Buck laughs.

Bobby chuckles and shakes his head. "No, you weren't that bad." He raises his brows. "I also wasn't the only person to help be there for you."

Almost like the universe was screaming at him, he heard an unrestrained yet blissful fit of laughter coming from afar. He follows the laughs and his bright yet storm blue eyes land on Emery. She was holding Dylan in her hands as he fed her cake.

Buck couldn't help the smile that found his lips when he saw Emery with the kid in her hands.

"I came over here to make sure you weren't feeding him any cake before his dinner and yet, here I am," Emery says with her mouth full of cake. Tom chuckles and he looks at the cup of water in his hands. Emery looks over at Tom and tilts her head, "Hey, Tom."

Tom looks at Emery and she chuckles. "You doing okay?"

After the fire engine exploded, Tom had twisted his ankle and had a concussion. He was thankful that his injuries weren't severe. The first person he thought of, when he hit the street ground was his son. What would he have done without any future plans for Dylan? What would he have done if he died and Dylan had no plans for anyone looking after him?

"Fletch?"

Tom refocuses on Emery and he raises his brows."Yeah, yeah. I'm okay, just...tired."

Emery presses her lips together and softly hums. She looks at the toddler in her arms. "Well, guess Dylan is far more superior than you. Because he's still lively!" She tickles Dylan who begins to laugh.

Dylan raises his arms, "Superior!"

Emery laughs harder than before. "Yeah, that's right."She then gives Dylan back to Tom.

Emery trails her eyes behind Tom and she focuses on Buck. A smile forms on her lips, but Emery watches as Buck laughs and her face heats up. Then she watches Buck cough and her smile lessens. Her back straightens when Buck's coughing becomes more aggressive. Emery pulls her brows together and she walks over to him.

"Buck, are you okay?" Bobby asks.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm..." Buck coughs into his hand and he lifts his hand up. Emery's eyes widen when she sees the blood splattered on his hands and lips. "Evan?"

More blood begins to rise out of his mouth and he collapses onto the ground. A loud gasp escapes her lips. "Evan!" She falls to her knees and checks on cups Buck's neck.

"Someone call 911!"

☆

"You got lucky."

Chimney, Maddie, and Emery were standing in the room with the doctor.

"Most people who suffer a pulmonary embolism don't do it surrounded by trained medical professionals." The doctor states.

Buck chuckles, he looks at the three and his blood runs cold out of fear. Chimney was standing there with a nervous expression, afraid of the two women beside him. Emery and Maddie's arms were crossed and from the expressions on their faces, Buck could tell they were pissed. But passed Emery's pissed expression, Buck could see the pain in her eyes.

"What caused the blood clot?" Maddie asks.

"Clots. Plural." The doctor says. "There's the one that hit his lungs and then there's two more in his leg. As for the cause, it's unclear."

"But, he just got a clean bill of health last week," Chimney says. "This came out of nowhere."

"Did it?" The doctor looks at Buck. "No pain or tenderness? Skin discoloration? Swelling?"

"I thought I just pulled a muscle."

"You thought you just pulled a muscle in your leg that was crushed by an entire fire engine?" Emery raises her brows and a chuckle mixed with a scoff comes from her mouth.

Buck's shoulders sag, "Okay, I've been training for my LAFD recertification test."

"Well, that's not surprising." The doctor speaks. "Training hard can lead to dehydration which can increase the risk of clots."

"So, he's been pushing himself?" Maddie questions.

"Too hard," Emery adds with a soft hum. And that hum spoke volumes.

"Okay, um, well, great. Look, I'm not dead." Buck says. "You found the clots. When can I get out of here?"

"We'll move you to a room. Keep you on the anticoagulants." The doctor says. "Tomorrow, we'll run some more tests. And then, we'll see."

The doctor leaves the room. Emery exhales, "Thanks, Doc."

Chimney looks at Maddie and Emery, then he looks at Buck. He slightly opens his mouth and chuckles. "You know what, I'm gonna go tell everyone that you're okay."

"And I'll join."

They all look at Emery. They all expected her to want to stay and reprimand Buck. So, this was a shock.

"Are you sure?" Chimney asks.

Emery stares at Buck for a moment. A look of sadness across her eyes. Guilt forms in Buck's chest knowing he kept this from Emery. They had been around each other almost every day for the past few months. In Emery's eyes, it seemed like he couldn't trust her. Emery lets out a breath. "Yeah, I'm sure."

Buck slightly opens his mouth. His heart drops when Chimney and Emery start to leave the room. "Emerson, wait."

Maddie folds her arms and points at Buck. "You stay away from her, Buck." Her voice was stern.

"What?" Buck scoffs.

"She needs space. So give it to her."

...

Emery and Amaya made their way back to the house. As soon as the front door closed behind them, Emery sat on the couch. Her leg was bouncing and she was scratching at her wrist. Amaya holds Emery's hand. Emery looks at her sister.

"That's a bad habit." Amaya voices the familiar words. Emery raises her brows and chuckles. "This is your bad habit."

"Yeah, that I stopped and you picked up." Amaya retorts. "And you should definitely stop it."

Emery's shoulders slump. Amaya bites the inside of her cheek. "He's going to be fine."

"Yeah, well, we don't know that." Emery voices. "If he keeps pushing himself like this..." she covers her face and sinks in her chair. Amaya lays her head against Emery's shoulder.

"I thought he was ready," Emery whispers. "I was there with him for months and he never said a word to me." She then bunches her shoulders and shakes her head. "Did he not trust me or—"

"That's not it, Emerson," Amaya says. "He didn't want you to worry. Because I don't know if you know this, but you are a worrier."

Emery rolls her eyes and looks to the side. She bites at her fingernails. Amaya looks around the house, noticing the rearranged furniture. Then her eyes shift to the stove. "Did you know that the stove was on?"

Emery looks over at the stove that was ignited. She raises her brows. "Shit—no!" Emery shoots up from her seat and quickly walks over to the stove. She switches the stove off. Emery turns and presses her back against the counter. She covers her eyes with the palms of her hands. Amaya watches as Emery exhales heavily. A worry sets in the younger sister's chest.

"Hey, Em. Can I ask you something?" Amaya asks.

Emery then pulls her hands off her eyes and looks at her sister. "What's up?"

"Promise you won't get mad?"

Emery sighs, "Depends. What is it?" She crosses her arms.

Amaya rubs her hands against her jeans, her nerves rising. If Amaya was right about this, then she definitely would receive Emery's wrath. It's what has happened in the past.

"Are you still on your meds?"

Emery raises her brows and her back straightens. Amaya tenses as she waits for Emery to snap at her. The eldest Sharpe stays silent for a moment. Then she exhales, "Yeah, Maya. Of course, I am."

Her tone was soft and patient. Instead of Amaya relaxing, she tenses even more than before. "It's just, I know some months back you were talking about things becoming overwhelming. And I wanted to make sure you hadn't forgotten."

Emery shakes her head, she holds her phone up. "I have an alarm to remind me." She presses her lips into a smile. Amaya looks down at her hands and nods. "Right, I-I'm sorry."

"No, don't apologize." Emery walks over to her sister. She kisses Amaya on the head. "Thanks for worrying about me." She sits next to Amaya with a sigh. "And I'm sorry that I made you worry at all."

Amaya bites the inside of her cheek. "I'm sorry too."

Emery pulls her brows, "What?"

"You know, me giving you shit lately." Amaya shrugs. "It's not fair to you. It's not like you're the reason Tori and I broke up."

"It's your first heartbreak, Maya. I can't blame you for shutting down." Emery huffs. Amaya pouts her lower lip, "Thank you for being patient with me."

"What are big sisters for?" Emery throws an arm around Amaya's shoulder and shakes her.

Emery's phone begins to ring in her pocket. She takes her phone from her pocket and looks at the caller I.D. "I'll be right back." She stands up. She walks to her room and answers the phone.

"Captain?"

"Hey, Emerson. I needed your advice on something."

Emery raises her brows, "Oh, of course. What's it about exactly?"

"It's about, Buck."

Emery sits down on the bed then she quickly stands up. "Uh, is it bad? Good? Are you still at the hospital? Is he okay?"

Bobby softly softly chuckles from all the questions. "It could be good or bad. I'm not still there. And he's okay, right now."

Emery lets out a breath of relief, but she tenses. "What did you need advice on?"

"I feel like Buck...he's been pushing himself too hard." Bobby starts. "And he's going to keep pushing himself until he's back."

"Well, Bobby. I know he's been cleared, but after what happened today...when is he going to be cleared again?" Emery bites her fingernail.

"I don't think it's going to be soon," Bobby answers. "But even if he is cleared, it won't be the same..."

Emery tenses, "Light duty?"

"Yeah."

Emery scratches her brow. Buck wasn't going to like that.

"Okay, but what did you need my advice on?" Emery asks.

"I was wondering what you would think about if I kept Buck from coming back for a while?"

Emery pulls her brows together. "What? Why are you asking me about something like that?"

"Because we're Co-Captains?"

Emery closes her eyes and slowly nods her head. "Right, right..."

It honestly shouldn't have been that much of a shock that the Chief decided to have Emery and Bobby as Co-Captains. Emery suspected something was up a few months ago when Bobby kept telling her. "Who knows, maybe things might change in the future..." and he looks off to the side.

She didn't expect it to be her becoming Captain. The small amount of time Emery was Captain, really caught the Chief's attention. No one knows yet except for Bobby. There was still a lot of paperwork to go into it. But, Emery was so close. Not only was she going to be Captain, but she was going to be side-by-side with Bobby Nash. Her hero. That's all she could ask for.

But now, having one of her first decisions as Co-Captain being about Buck's future? She was second-guessing this whole leadership thing.

"We make these decisions together now, Em."

Emery sits back down on her bed and stares at the wall. She taps her fingers against her thigh. Her thoughts became overwhelming. She knows how important being a firefighter is to Buck. But she also knew that he wasn't going to take his health into account until he got back to the station.

Her stomach tightens painfully and she's left with the feeling of guilt.

☆

Buck lets out a heavy sigh, seeing the curly-haired girl standing in his doorway. "Hey, Em..."

Emery quirks a brow, "Don't sound too excited." She brushes past him and sets her purse on the counter. Buck closes the door and turns to her. He shifts his eyes to the purse on the counter and pulls his brows together. Buck then looks at the empty rack that Emery always puts her purse on.

"You haven't been answering my calls." Emery turns back to Buck, his eyes still on Emery's purse.

"You didn't hang it up?"

Emery pulls her brows together. "What?"

Buck points at her purse. "You always hang up your purse."

She slightly shakes her head out of disbelief. "That can't seriously be what you're focused on right now." Her hand covers her right eye and she drags it down her face. "You haven't. Been answering. My calls." She repeats with her hands were pressed together.

Buck looks at her and blinks. He looks across her shaken expression and his brows raise. She told him at what happened with Helena. It made his heart sink thinking that he worried Emery to the point, she couldn't even eat. "I'm sorry." He softly speaks. Buck closes his eyes for a moment, trying to get his thoughts in order.

Emery pulls her brows together and watches Buck's small body language. Buck has put himself through hell in order to get his job back. Only to find out he's not even going to be able to fully go back to what he loved doing. Emery's face relaxes and she rethinks her approach at talking to Buck. She has been learning to communicate lately about her...feelings. And even though in this moment she was doing just that. She also has to learn how to do it in a calm manner.

Emery inhales a breath, "I...was just worried about you." Her voice was a bit strained. Buck glances to the side then back at her. "Are you okay?"

"I'm great." Emery smiles. "Just communicating."

Buck slowly nods his head, still weary about Emery's reaction.

"We're friends, right?" Emery asks.

Buck's chest tightens and he tenses.

Neither of them ever talked about planning another date after the explosion. They haven't even had an official kiss. And they both knew they weren't just friends. But neither of them wanted to admit that right now.

"Yeah." Buck forces out. "We're friends."

Emery gives him a small nod. "And friends communicate, right?"

"Yes..." Buck speaks awkwardly. "They do?"

Emery presses her lips together. "Okay, then." She sits on the floor with her legs crossed. "Let's communicate."

"R-Right now?"

Emery's shoulders sag. "No, actually. I meant in a few years. And you know, I'll still be sitting here on your floor like a weirdo—Evan, sit down so we can talk."

Buck tenses, "Yes, ma'am." He sits down with his knees pulled towards his chest. Emery tilts her head, "Will you relax? I'm not gonna make out with you or anything." She then arches a brow. "Unless you want me to."

Buck's face gets hot and his back straightens. Holy shit.

Emery lets out a small laugh. "Jesus—I'm kidding!"

Buck's shoulders then sag and he exhales. "I-I knew that."

Emery then softly hums, not believing him. Buck's eyes widen, "I knew that!"

"Okay, okay jeez..." Emery holds her hands up. "You like teasing me, but you hate it when I do it."

She exhales a breath and rolls her eyes. "Okay, listen..." she starts. "When you weren't answering my calls, it worried me." Emery presses her lips together. "And that's because of things that have happened in my past."

"I was never good with talking to Helena and my mom had always told me to just smile and be perfect." Emery tilts her head.

Buck tenses, his guilt forcing his chest to tighten.

"But, I'm trying to do better." She inhales. "And this is me trying to do better."

Buck couldn't help the heartwarming feeling form in his chest. Emery was trying so hard to be a better person and Buck wanted to return that same favor.

"Okay." Buck exhales. "Uh, when you called me. I was..." he trails off his words and Emery tilts her head. She watches as Buck tries to find something to say. Emery scoots closer to Buck and his face gets hot.

"Take your time." Emery softly voices.

Buck is pretty sure his heart just skipped a beat. He crosses his legs picks at his jeans. "Well, when I saw you called. I was embarrassed...for myself."

Emery pulls her brows together. But she stays quiet, wanting Buck to continue. "My whole life I tried to find what I was meant for." He explains. "Because everyone close to me had a clue about what they wanted to do and a passion." He exhales. "And I couldn't find that."

"Then I found it." His eyes become glassy and Emery's chest tightens.

"Firefighting is what I'm meant for."

"I'm meant to be a firefighter. But without that I'm—"

"You're Buck." Emery's voice was soft. Buck raises his brows and lifts his head up, meeting Emery's warm gaze. The way Emery was looking at him with such appreciation and fondness caused his heart to clench.

A small but genuine from forms on Emery's lips, while her face gets hot. "You're Evan. And I happen to think Evan's pretty amazing." She then opens her mouth. "But if anybody else asks. I never said that."

Blood rushes through Buck's ears and all he could feel was his heart beat in the tips of his fingers.

"I'm sorry, I didn't tell you about my leg bothering me." He softly speaks, wiping his eyes. "I knew deep down there was something wrong. I just didn't want to wait any longer than I had to...but now, I'm never going to be a firefighter again at this point."

"Don't say that." Emery shakes her head. "If being a firefighter is your dream, your life. Then you will not give up that easily."

Buck's eyes look across Emery's light brown face. Her eyes were glued to his, never looking away. She was passionate about her words and he could tell. Emery was so breathtaking, but when she started talking about something passionate? God, she was fucking glowing. And to think that she was passionate when she was talking about him?

Buck's breathing heavies and Emery pulls her brows together, she watches as Buck's eyes shift to her lips. Emery felt her heart lurch into her throat. "Evan—"

"Emerson." His voice was soft, but there was also a deep yearning hanging off at the end of her name when he spoke. Emery's stomach flutters and her core gets hot.

"Can I ask you something?"

Emery inhales a shaky breath, "Of course."

Buck's lips slightly part. "Do you really think we're just friends?"

Emery's heart beats through her ears. She couldn't even hear herself think. "Is that even a question that needs to be answered?"  She softly chuckles and scoots closer to him. "We have had...a lot of sex."

"Passionate sex." Buck adds.

Emery softly hums, her mind going back to their many past nights of passionate sex. "Very passionate sex."

"I don't think we'll ever be 'just friends'."

Buck exhales a breath, and his entire body slacks with relief. He leans forward to connect their lips. Emery cups the side of his neck, but she places a thumb against his lips, keeping him from kissing her. She chuckles nervously, "But..."

"I don't think us being together is a good idea." Emery softly speaks. "In any kind of way."

Buck raises his brows, he pulls away from her. "I-I'm sorry." His face gets hot. "I shouldn't have tried to kiss you."

"Buck, don't apologize. Please don't." Emery laughs. "I want to kiss you."

Buck tilts his head, "Okay...so we both want to kiss each other."

Emery nods her head with her lips pressed together.

"So, why don't we?"

"Because..." Emery knows no one was supposed to know yet, but she couldn't keep it from him. "I'm going to be Co-Captain of Station 118."

Buck's jaw drops. Emery looks at the floor, waiting for an annoyed scoff. Or any kind of negative reaction. But that wasn't the case. Instead, she hears a laugh.

"Emerson, that's amazing!"

Emery looks at Buck with her eyes wide. Buck raises both his hands and Emery pulls her brows together. She slowly lifts her hands up and they high five.

"You're not...mad?"

Buck cranes his neck forward, "Why would I be mad?—This is everything you've been working towards!"

"I'm..." he trails off his words. His smile grows. "I'm proud of you, Emi."

Emery's heart skips a beat. Buck then tilts his head, "Uh, Helena would be proud of you too."

Her jaw goes slack and for the first time ever. Emery smiles at the mention of her late wife. Normally, it hurt hearing about Helena. Whether it be good or bad. But this time, she felt light. This is what Emery had been working toward. All the sacrifices she has made to become Lieutenant—to become captain. It was all going to be worth it. God, it has to be worth it.

Emery slightly parts her lips and a smile ghosts her lips. "You're...kind of amazing, you know that?"

Buck let's out a snort with his face getting hot, "Okay, Captain Sharpe."

"Soon-to-be, Captain." Emery corrects. "And. No one else knows but Captain Nash and the fire chief, so...please keep this under wraps."

"So, what you're saying is...you trust me with this information?" Buck smirks in a joking way. But Emery stares at him in awe. Everything about Buck amazed her. She honestly never knew why she hated him so much in the first place.

"Yeah, I trust you." Her voice was gentle.

Buck's smug expression drops and he's left feeling flustered. Emery bites her lower lip and smiles. "I should get going...Amaya and I are supposed to be heading to the museum." She stands up and holds her hand out to the boy. Buck looks at her hand and clears his throat. "Right, right..." he grabs her hand and Emery pulls him onto his feet.

He grunts, "You haven't skipped arm day I see."

"Or leg day." Emery shrugs a shoulder with a smirk.

Buck raises his brows, "Oh, I know." He gives her a playful wink.

Emery snorts and nudges him. "Shaddup..." she grabs her bag from the counter. Buck walks over to the door and Emery stands in front of him. They both stare at each other for a moment. If there was a way...

These two would choose to stare at each other forever.

Buck pulls the door open for her. "I'll see you, Emi."

"Yes you will, Evan." Emery walks out of his apartment and down the hall, a smile on her lips.

☆

Athena lets out a sigh and stops the car. "You wanna handle this one?"

Wren's back straightens, "Wait—for real?"

Athena raises a brow, "Do I look like I'm kidding?"

"Uh, no, ma'am." Wren grabs her walkie and slips it onto her shoulder. She gets out of the cruiser and straightens her utility belt. "Don't fuck this up..."

When on duty, Athena was a stone wall to Wren. And she was slow with her training too. Athena liked to be meticulous and take her time. So, the fact that Athena was letting her take the reins today...Wren couldn't mess up.

Wren gets to the driver's window.

"Hi." The woman in the car speaks.

"License, registration, and proof of insurance, ma'am." Wren speaks quickly. She then pulls her brows together. This was her traffic stop. She could say whatever she wanted. Obviously in a respectable way.

"How are you today, ma'am?" Wren smiles.

"I-I'm great. Would be better if I knew why I was being pulled over." The woman laughs. "I mean, was I speeding or something?"

Wren raises her brows, "Well, yes. And you blew through a stop sign."

The lady slowly nods her head, her smile still plastered on her face. She reaches in her glove box. Wren peaks inside the car, her eyes shifting to the baby in the back. The rookie officer scrunches her brows at the baby's state.

The woman hands Wren all the papers she asked for. Wren looks across each I.D. She then looks back at the woman, just in time to see the red across her hands. The brunette tenses. Ah, shit.

"I'm gonna need you to step out of the vehicle, ma'am." Wren opens the car door. The woman pulls her brows together. With a smile still on her lips, she steps out of the car. Wren turns to the police car and motions her head to the side, asking for Athena's assistance. Athena steps out of the car and makes her way over to the two.

"What's going on?" Athena asks.

"Her hands, ma'am." Wren softly speaks, low enough for just them two. Athena shifts her eyes to the woman's hands.

"And take a look at the baby." Wren's voice was slightly panicked. Athena looks into the car and her jaw clenches. She looks at her rookie. "Cuff her, boot."

Wren nods and slaps the cuffs around the woman's wrists.

"What is going on?" The woman laughs.

"All right, ma'am, I'm gonna need you to take a seat." Wren gently seats the lady on the curb.

"What?"

"Who's blood is that?" Athena asks.

Wren quickly rounds the car, in order to get a closer look at the baby.

"I don't—what blood?"

"On your hands and on your feet." Athena states.

Wren opens the car door, "Did you do something to your baby?"

"She's fine." The woman speaks. "My baby is fine."

Wren lightly touches the baby's face and her breathing hitches. She then speaks into her walkie.

"652-O-25, I have a newborn infant in respiratory distress. She's turning blue." Wren then snaps her eyes over to Athena in a panic.

...

"Vitals, blood glucose are normal. No sign of impairment."

Eddie and Hen walk over to Emery and Bobby. "Yeah, whatever's wrong with that lady we don't have a test for it."

Emery scratches the end of her brow. "All right, well, dispatch said to stay here. It's a critical missing..." she then raises a brow. "Or a possible homicide."

"Well, Chimney said the baby started to respond when they got to the hospital." Hen voices. "So, maybe we'll get lucky twice today."

Wren and Athena were standing with the woman, who they found out was named Nancy.

"Tell us where the mother is, Nancy." Athena speaks. "What'd you do to her?"

Nancy begins to laugh. "I'm the mother."

Wren's skin begins to crawl.

"Is Aria okay? When can I see her?"

"We know that you're not that child's mother." Athena states. "She's not your baby."

"No! No, you don't understand." Nancy forces out. "She has to be. I-I promised..."

Wren tilts her head, "Promised what, Nancy?"

"I promised George there was gonna be a baby." Nancy begins to cry. "There has to be a baby this time."

"I don't know if you're insane or evil, but neither one is helping your situation right now." Athena voices.

"Nancy..." Wren's voice was soft. "If we don't find her in time and if she dies...things will not go well for you."

"Now, where is the baby's mother?"

Nancy's smile was gone and her face was cold. "I'm the mother."

"Sergeant, we got something."

Athena walks over to the police car and talks to Maddie on the other line of the phone.

"Maddie? What do you got?"

"Her sister said Jill was meeting a woman in Griffith Park by the only rides."

Wren pulls her brows together. She looks at the GPS on her phone. "That's not far from here." She holds her phone up. "It's like five minutes away."

"Let's get a move on." Athena says.

Wren walks over to the passenger seat, but Athena speaks.

"Boot!"

Wren looks at her Training Officer. Athena tosses her the keys. "This is your case. You drive."

Wren inhales, "Yes, ma'am."

The two officers made their way to Jill's last location. They met up with 118 there.

Athena and Wren pull up Jill's photo and ask civilians if they've seen her. But there was no luck. Emery and Bobby make their way over to the officers.

"Checked all the bathrooms." Bobby speaks. "She's not there."

Emery looks back at the man that Athena questioned. "Are you sure you didn't see her? It would've been about an hour ago. She'd be driving a 1996 burgundy Cadillac."

The man stops and raises his brows. "Wait, the red Caddy?"

"So, you do remember her?" Athena questions.

"No, I remember the car. We cater to mostly the SUV and minivan crowd." He then pints at the picture of Jill. "But that woman wasn't driving it. It was some other lady. Different hair."

Emery taps her fingers against her thigh as the man walks away.

"So, Nancy moved the car, but why?" Bobby questions. Wren shrugs, "To throw us off, maybe?"

"Nancy meets Jill here, shows her the baby clothes." Athena retraces the steps of the two women. "They're out in the open, people can see them."

"She can't take the baby here." Emery begins to scratch at her wrist. Wren lightly smacks Emery's hand, stopping her from scratching.

"She had to get Jill alone." Wren adds.

"Nancy walks Jill to her car, offers to put the clothes in her trunk."

"Hits her in the head, throws her in the trunk and moves the car."

Wren slowly nods her head, "Jill did tell Maddie it was dark."

"She's still in that trunk." Emery speaks. "And Nancy couldn't have driven far. She had to take that baby and carry it back to her own car." The girl's skin crawl just thinking about this whole situation.

The sound of the train whistle blows, catching the officer's and firefighter's attentions. Wren lightly taps Athena's arm, "Ma'am..." she then walks towards the man they were talking with earlier. The three others follow after the rookie.

"Can you get a car back there?" Wren questions.

"Yeah, that's where we load the horse trailers in." The man states.

Wren squints her eyes and spots the red Cadillac behind a dumpster. "Sergeant Grant, there!" She points the vehicle out.

That signals all four of them to sprint over to the car. Emery speaks into her Walkie. "118, we found possible victim near the garbage chutes!"

Everyone soon met in the back where the car was.

"I tried the door, it was locked." Athena voices.

Eddie grabs the halligan and pops the trunk open, revealing the woman profusely bleeding. Eddie checked the woman's pulse.

"We got a pulse. It's weak, but it's there."

"All right, let's get her out of there." Bobby directs. They help the woman out of the trunk and onto the stretcher. Emery looks into the trunk and hears a voice echoing inside of it. She grabs the phone and places it on her ear.

"Maddie?"

"Em, is she...? Is Jill okay?"

"She's alive." Emery speaks.

Maddie laughs over the phone and Emery chuckles. "Telling her to roll over onto her wound...smart." She then arches a brow. "You did a good job, Maddie."

"Yeah? So, did you." Maddie voices.

Emery snorts, "Oh, I know that."

Maddie then rolls her eyes. "Your smug thing gets kind of old, you know?"

"You're lying." Emery squints her eyes.

Maddie then laughs. Emery then arches a brow, "Wait...are you lying?"

Maddie then ends the call, leaving Emery confused.

☆

Emery lets out a huff, she looks across the article; her heart pounding through her ears. The title of the article read, 'Firesnatcher Strikes Again: Two Firefighters found dead.'

She had heard about 'The Firesnatcher'. Not only from Amaya but from some of the firefighters at the 118. It was beginning to become a serious situation that they all had to watch out for.

Her phone begins to vibrate. She forced herself out of her thoughts and she looks at her phone screen. Emery clears her throat and stops the alarm. She wipes at her eyes and exhales sharply. Emery regains her bearings and stands up from her seat. She walks through the apartment and makes it to Amaya's room. Emery peaks inside the room and huffs.

"Oh, boy..." she then purses her lips. "Guess who's back at it again?"

Emery looks at her little sister who was still sleeping in bed. "Maya, come on!" She steps into her room. "We're going out."

Maya lets out a groan, she then puts her pillow over her head. "Go away."

"Didn't we just have a talk about you being a little shit to me the other day?" Emery takes the pillow off Maya's head.

"But that was the other day. Today is a new day." Maya looks at Emery.

Emery nods, "Yeah. And you're on vacation, right now. You don't have to go back to Princeton, until next week." She claps her hands. "And since you decided to stay with me this week—we're going to have some fun!"

"Yeah? And what's your idea of fun?" Maya asks. "Making me go out with a broken heart?"

Emery arches a brow, "Yes. Exactly." She flips onto the bed, making Amaya bounce a little. "Come on, after everything we have gone through and are still going through." She lays her head on her little sister's shoulder.

"We need to make every second of our lives count."

Amaya stays silent for a moment, thinking about her sister's words. "You really have been working on yourself, haven't you?" She turns to look at Emery.

Emery clicks her tongue and winks. "Yep." She hops off the bed. "Now, let's go. I need to make my day off count."

Amaya raises her brows, "You requested a day off? For me?"

Emery never took days off. Not unless there was a family emergency. The eldest Sharpe looks back at Amaya. "Of course, I did. If my sister is hurting, I want to help her through that."

"And you think having fun is going to help?" Amaya asks.

Emery raises her brows, "Uh, hell yeah. Now get dressed." She knocks on the wall before leaving the room.

"Wait—Em, where are we going?!"

☆

"See, now is this fun or what?!"

Amaya rolls her eyes, but she laughs with her newly won dinosaur stuffed animal. At first, Amaya was hesitant about spending the day at the boardwalk. But as hours went by, she was actually having fun. And For the first time in months, her mind wasn't on her breakup with Tori.

"Yeah, okay...this has been really fun." Amaya kicks a rock. "I will admit that."

Emery throws an arm over Amaya's shoulders. "And I totally dominated in skee-ball."

Amaya snorts, "Yeah, you did. But did you really have to laugh at the people who lost?"

"It's not my fault they were sore losers." Emery shrugs and she tosses some cotton candy in her mouth. Amaya laugh, "Emery, they were all like 10 years old!"

"I wasn't even laughing that much." Emery bunches her shoulders.

"You held up an 'L' to your forehead and started jumping around—"

"Okay, well...I actually don't remember that." Emery says.

The sisters look at each other and burst out laughing. Amaya grabs onto Emery's arm to keep herself from falling. "Well, anyway..." she then holds the dinosaur up. "Thank you, for winning this for me."

"Hey, what are big sisters for, right?" Emery huffs.

"Calling little kids losers and putting them in headlocks?"

"Okay, I only did that to one kid! And that's because he was cheating and everyone was allowing him to."

Amaya and Emery laugh while sitting on the bench. Amaya grabs some of the cotton candy from Emery and pops it into her mouth. Emery's laughing quiets down and she keeps her eyes on the bucket of cotton candy in her hands.

Today was such a nice day. These past few weeks have been amazing, but Emery knew it wasn't going to be like that for long; because she knew herself and the way that she got. It causes her chest to tighten thinking about it. Fear slowly crept through her and it's like the world began to lose it's color.

"Maya..."

Amaya looks over at her sister and pulls her brows together from the solemn expression across her big sister's face. "Okay, how did you get so broody so fast?" she giggles. Emery looks at Amaya and the younger sister's body fills with worry.

"Emerson, hey, what's going on?"

Emery lets out a small breath and looks at the sky. She taps her fingers against the bucket of cotton candy.

"You were right..." Emery forces out. "I...haven't been taking my meds."

She then waits for the criticism. She waited for Amaya to tell her how stupid that was and why she would even want to come to the pier today. She waited to hear Amaya say that she was going to talk to mom and dad about it. God, Emery didn't know if she could take another intervention...

But Amaya just inhales, "Okay...why?"

Emery pulls her brows together and looks at Amaya. "Uh, when I was going up for Lientenant, I became inconsistent and then I just felt...clear without them."

"Felt? Like as in you don't feel that way anymore?" Amaya asks, a soft expression across her face.

"Felt as in, I know that this feeling isn't going to last." Emery admits. "Felt as in...I know I need to go back on them—and I will. I am."

Amaya presses her lips into a small smile. She then furrows her brows. "Well, it seems like you've already made your decision. Why did you have to tell me about it?"

Emery looks at her younger sister and shrugs a shoulder. "Because you're like a part of me or whatever..."

Amaya slightly opens her mouth and a smile grows on her lips. Emery notices and she rolls her eyes.

"Awwww, Emerson!—"

"Oh God, don't make such a big deal out of—"

"I'm apart of you?" Amaya wraps her arms around Emery's neck and presses her face against hers. "You're such a softie."

"No, I'm not. I'm mean, I'm a bitch."

Amaya rolls her eyes, "Yeah, you're such a bitch...better half—"

"I didn't say better half, all right?" Emery growls.

"Yeah, yeah. I love you too, dummy."

Emery presses her lips together but she relaxes and hugs Amaya back. "I promise, I'm going back on them."

Amaya's lips twitch. "You're a good big sister, you know that?"

Emery snorts, "Eh, I try to be."

Amaya inhales a breath and pulls away from the hug. "Now, let's go. Ring toss is calling my name." She hops off the bench and runs down the boardwalk. A smile finds Emery's lips and she laughs again. She stands up and begins to walk over to her sister. But something causes her to stop in her tracks. The wind stills.

Emery watches as everyone runs over to the railing of the boardwalk and look at the ocean. She turns her head and her blood instantly runs cold. "M-Maya..." she could barely get out.

Emery snaps her eyes forward and sees her little sister, standing with the crowd of people.

"Amaya!" Emery calls out, her heart pounding through her ears.

Amaya turns to Emery and quickly walks over to her. "Emerson—"

"You need to listen to me. And do exactly as I say, okay?" Emery's tone was firm. It causes fear to rise to Amaya. She wasn't afraid of her sister, but of the situation. Because she saw the fear in Emery's face as well.

Emery didn't even have to walk closer to the railing to see what everyone was looking at. Because she saw the massive waves that were dragging back to sea, readying to crash into the pier.

And as those waves came rushing towards the boardwalk.

Emery knew that life was never going to be the same again.

━━━━━━━━━━

author's note.

Was this a long chapter??? Yuuuuhhhh

Is the next chapter going to be long too??? Yuuuuhhhh

Is it also going to be gut wrenching??? Yuuuuhhhh

words : 9505