Where He Lies

Feel my body emotionless deep inside, 

I can see my funeral already,

this where he lies..

I'm damned by this big, cruel world that I reside in,

This the world that I die in. 

- Where He Lies by Kode 

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"Damn it, Maddie! This is your fault." Doug shouted, his hands hitting the steering wheel. 

Zane wiped his hand across his face, his hand coming back bloody. He'd forgotten about the blood. Seeing his mom again had distracted him completely. 

"I told you," Doug sighs, "You couldn't leave me. I warned you so many times." 

Maddie's mind goes to the time she'd told Buck she'd leave with him, and Doug ended up beating her so badly that she couldn't even face seeing her brother face-to-face. 

 "Is he dead? Did you kill Chimney?" Maddie cries, her face soaked in tears. 

"If he's not, he will be. Even with your stupid son's choice to try to help him. He'll bleed out quickly." 

"I'm not stupid! I was trying to save him!" Zane yells, glaring at his father. 

"Shut the hell up!" Doug snaps. 

It's not until his dad stops yelling at him that Zane recognizes the name. Chimney. The name he'd heard his father say over and over since they'd arrived in California. 

"That guy is not our problem anymore." Doug shrugs his shoulders, focusing on Maddie again. 

"Why did you do it? H-he's such a kind man." 

Zane looks at his mother, hurt. She'd left him back home so she could start a new life here in California without him. 

"He was so good," Maddie whispers. 

"Do you think I don't know that? I didn't want to hurt him. I liked Chimney. We were friends." 

"What?" Maddie and Zane say at the same time. 

Zane knew his father was out with the same person, but he never expected it to be the man his mom grew closer to. 

"But you cloud me, Maddie. You fog up my head. You always have." Maddie continued to look at Doug, confusion written all over her face. 

She wondered how long Doug had been in California, befriending her friends. Maddie looked back at Zane, but he looked away quickly. They must've been here for weeks. Zane looked rough; he needed a haircut. 

"Why'd you leave?" Zane asks, interrupting his father. 

Doug slams on the brakes, and Zane flies forward, his face hitting the back of the driver's seat. "I told you to shut the hell up. Why don't either of you ever listen to me?" 

Zane held his face in his hands, his tears and blood mixing. He doesn't look up again. Not even when Doug mentions his uncle, Zane knew that much. Maddie had been with her brother, Buck. All this time, Zane could have been with her, and Buck could have helped Maddie keep both of them safe. 

"Chimney told me you asked him out, and I knew. I knew I waited too long." Zane's head snaps up. 

Was his mother going on a date? 

The only sounds in the car are the sobs coming from Zane and Maddie begging Doug to pull over so they could talk. 

"It's not too late," Maddie says, her eyes focused on Doug. 

"Of course, it's too late! I just killed a man for you, Maddie!" 

"Stop! Please!" Zane sobbed, covering his ears. 

He was tired and didn't want to listen to this anymore. He was starting to get flashbacks, horrible ones. 

*Zane, Six years old* 

Zane stood behind the wall, peering around the corner as his father continued to kick his mom repeatedly. He was scared, but his mom always told him to hide if he heard his dad start yelling. Zane usually listened, but this time, he wanted his mommy. 

"Mommy!" He screamed, his little face wet with tears. 

Doug turned around, moving toward Zane before the boy could even run. "Doug! Please, leave him alone, he's sorry." Maddie says, getting to her knees. 

"You're sorry, right, Zaney?" Maddie asks, nodding at Zane, as if to say it was okay. 

Letting him know that she was okay. Zane nodded slowly, his fear evident on his face as Doug looked at him. 

"Get out of here." Doug pushes Zane before he heads back toward the living room. 

Zane watches his father punch his mother again, but this time, he runs into the kitchen. He pulls a chair to the counter, climbs it quickly, and grabs the phone. He dials 9-1-1 and listens, quiet sobs falling from his lips. 

"9-1-1, what's the nature of your emergency?" A woman's voice scares Zane, but he recovers quickly. 

"My mommy needs help!" Zane cries. 

"Alright, what's your name, sweetheart?" 

"Zane," He mumbles. 

"How old are you, Zane?" The operator's voice is calm in Zane's head, but the 9-1-1 operator on the other end of the line is shaking. 

She is dispatching police and paramedics quickly. She could hear the kid's mom screaming in the background. 

"I'm six; please help my mommy." Zane sobs. 

"Who's hurting your mommy?" 

"My daddy! He was gonna hurt me, too. Mommy didn't let him!" 

"I have the police officers on the way. Are you okay?" 

Zane's surroundings came into focus; he didn't hear his mommy anymore, and his daddy wasn't yelling. Within seconds, Zane was in the air. "NO! Daddy, please!" 

"Hello?' Doug says, snatching the phone from Zane's shaking hands. 

"Who's this?" He furrows his brows before glancing at Zane. 

"I'm Zane's father, and ma'am, I assure you everything is fine here. His mother and I were playing, and he got upset because he had to take his bath," Doug says, holding a squirming Zane in his other arm. 

"I have officers on the way. If they could speak to your wife and son, all of this would be cleared up," the operator says, her nerves all over the place. 

"Of course, I'm sorry that my boy took you away from helping someone who actually needs it." Doug smiles into the phone, but he doesn't wait for the woman to answer before slamming the phone into the receiver. 

Doug carries a kicking and screaming Zane into his bedroom. He has his belt off in seconds, and Zane's screaming, trying to get away. But Doug overpowers Zane in more than one way. Once he's done, Doug leaves Zane on his bed, his back already bruising. 

The officers arrive three minutes later. Doug answers the door and invites them in. 

"Zane, the police are here," He shouts, smiling at the officers. 

Zane tiptoes out of his room, stopping at the top of the stairs. "Hey, kiddo." One of the officers smiles at Zane. 

"H-hi," Zane mutters as he walks downstairs.

"He's only crying because I've grounded him from playing outside for making a false call," Doug says, his hand gripping Zane's shoulder. 

"Is that true, Zane? You alright?" One of the officers asks. 

"I'm fine," Zane whispers, stepping closer to his father. 

"Where's your wife, sir?" The other officer asks. Doug's nails dig into Zane's shoulders as he keeps talking to the officers. 

"Zane!" Maddie is shaking Zane's arm, her eyes watching their surroundings. 

Zane tried to focus on his mom, but the memory was still fresh. He'd forgotten about that incident, forgotten how badly his father had hit him after the police had left. He'd missed three weeks of school. He almost had to repeat kindergarten. 

"Come on, get out of the car," Maddie says, reaching behind and unbuckling Zane's seat belt. 

"No! He'll be back." Zane shouted, clicking it back into place. 

"Please, do this for me, Zaney. Even if I can't get away, you can." Maddie is begging, 

"No, I c-can't." 

Zane looked out the window and saw his father walking back. "He's coming," he whispered. 

Maddie doesn't hesitate; she gets out of the car quickly. "What are you doing?" Doug's voice is loud as he grabs Maddie's arm. 

"I was looking for you. I have to go to the bathroom." Maddie stutters. 

Doug looks between Maddie and Zane, who is still inside the car, avoiding eye contact. "You sure that's all?" 

"Yeah," Maddie whispers. 

Doug's grip tightens on her arm as he looks down at her. 

"I mean, look around, Doug. Where am I going to run to?" Maddie says. 

Zane's head snapped up, and he glared at her through the window. How did she expect him to run when she didn't think there was anywhere to go? 

Doug sighs, debating. "Do you want me to pee in a restroom or the car? Huh?" Maddie asks, her voice becoming more confident as she speaks up. 

"Get out of the fucking car," Doug says finally, opening the back door. 

"No," Zane says, shaking his head. 

Doug reaches into the car, pulling Zane out and pushing him against the vehicle. "You are going to follow us into the store, and you are going to stay next to me. If you even think about speaking to anyone, I'll kick your ass." 

Zane's eyes are wide in fear as his father steps back. "Put this on," Doug snaps, throwing his jacket at Zane, "and both of you keep your heads down." 

Doug walks slightly behind Maddie with a grip on Zane's wrist. 

Inside the gas station, Zane keeps his head down and comes to a stop when his parents stop at the counter. "Evening," The worker says, nodding at them. 

Maddie turns her head away but speaks loud enough for him to understand. "Um, do you have a bathroom that I could use? I feel like we've been on the road forever." 

"Sure thing." The worker smiles, pointing toward the back of the store. "In the back, to the left." 

Maddie leaves Doug and Zane at the front, and Zane eyes the candy aisle. He wants to ask for something, but there is no telling how Doug will react. 

"Are you folks vacationing?" Zane's attention snaps to the worker, who looks at him with his mouth open. 

"Go get something to snack on. Hurry the hell up." Doug shoves Zane toward the candy, and the kid doesn't hesitate before grabbing multiple things. 

At the counter, Doug throws a twenty on the counter before grabbing Zane by the arm and dragging him to the bathroom. 

"You okay, babe?" He knocks on the door. 

"Yeah, I-I'll be out in a minute," Maddie says, her voice shaky. 

Doug looks back at the front of the store before banging on the door, "Let's go, Maddie." 

Zane tries to back away when Maddie doesn't answer. "Maddie!" Doug shouts, finally getting the door open. 

The window was open, and Maddie was gone. Zane let out a sob. His mom had left him all over again. He was never going to see her again; he knew it. Doug would either kill him or they'd run forever. 

"Let's go!" Doug shouts, grabbing the back of Zane's jacket and dragging him outside. He goes around to the back of the building. 

"Stop it, let me go!" Zane shouts, trying to pull out of his dad's grip. 

Doug shoves Zane into the side of the building, his hand around his throat. "Shut up and do not move." 

Zane is left alone, and he hears his father shouting at Maddie. He listens with his head in his hands as his mother begs Doug to 'just let us go!' 

"Hey, kid, you okay?" The worker from inside stops beside Zane. 

"He's gonna hurt her, please. You have to help her!" Zane cried. 

"Don't go back there until your mom or I come get you, alright?" Zane nods in agreement, keeping his head down. 

After the guy leaves, Zane sits on the ground, his knees pulled up and his face hidden. There is a lot of shouting between Doug and the worker before Zane's ears ring. Someone had a gun. Someone was shot. Was it Maddie? 

"Oh, my god!" Maddie cries out, and Zane gets up, running around the side of the building. 

"Mom!" Zane shouts, but he skids to a stop when Doug points a gun at him.

"Don't shoot him! Doug, please." Maddie sobs. 

"Shut up! Everyone shut the hell up!" Doug shouts, pacing back and forth. 

 Zane looks around, his mother was still standing, so no way she was shot. He finally notices the worker leaning against a dumpster. He's holding his stomach, and Zane lets out a sob. "What did you do? Why did you do that?" Zane shouts, his fist connecting with his father's stomach. 

"Shut up! Just stop!" Doug screams, swinging his gun back and hitting Zane in the side of his head. 

Zane falls to the ground, unconscious, and Maddie screams. "NO!" 

Doug throws Zane over his shoulder before approaching Maddie and the worker. "No one is saving anyone," He says before another bullet enters the man. 

This time, right in the head. 

+

+

Doug drops Zane onto the couch, and Maddie sits next to him. He was still unconscious, and she was worried. She knew he had a concussion, but not how bad it was. "Thank god there wasn't an alarm," Maddie says hesitantly. 

"Why do you think I cut the phone line?" Doug side-eyes her, and Maddie looks away. 

"So I couldn't call for help," Maddie mutters. 

"Well, yeah, that too." He shrugs. 

Zane starts whimpering, and Doug sighs. "All right, I'll make us a fire; you guys are probably freezing." he chuckles. 

"Mommy," Zane whispers, bringing his hand away from the side of his head. 

"Shh, you're going to be okay, Zaney," Maddie whispers, pushing his hair back from his forehead. 

"It hurts, mommy." He mumbled, his words slurring just a little bit. 

"I know, baby. I'm sorry." She whispers. She's not able to move either before Zane throws up. 

She jumps up, shocked. Zane shows no signs of needing to throw up, but his concussion is worse than she'd thought. He's silently crying, and Maddie wishes that none of this was happening. She wishes that Doug had just left Zane out of this entirely. Left him with Chimney. Or even sent him to her parents' house. 

She knows in her heart that Buck would watch over him. He adored the kid when he met him eleven years ago. He even asked about him when no one else was around to overhear him. 

"Doug, I'm going to get him some water and a towel," Maddie says cautiously. 

"Whoa. In the kitchen? Where the knives live? I don't think so." Doug says, putting his arm out in front of Maddie. 

He points at the sofa, "Just sit right there." Doug says. 

"He needs to stay hydrated, Doug. You hit him harder than you probably think you did. Do you want a dead kid on your hands?" Maddie asks, skipping over the fact that she'd probably pay for that. 

"Stop!" Doug is pacing, running his hands through his hair. "Just shut the hell up!" 

He stops pacing after a while and kneels in front of Maddie. Talking nonsense about how she always forgives him and that he can make her love him again. They'd all get new names and have a new life. Zane was coming in and out of consciousness, but he tried to laugh when his father said they'd get new identities. 

They could all change their names and move somewhere new, but Doug Kendall would always be the abusive husband and father. He'd always be the guy who enjoyed hitting his wife and son after every minor inconvenience. Doug would never change who was on the inside. 

+

Zane's eyes flew open, and his gaze landed on his mom, who was already staring at him. "Shh," Maddie whispered. 

"I'm going to need you to be ready, okay? We're going to run," Maddie says, pulling him into a hug and whispering in his ear. 

"I c-can't," Zane mumbled, his words still slurred. 

 "You need to, for me, please, baby?" Maddie is practically begging him. 

Zane finally nods before sitting back. 

"Doug, he's awake. Please get him some water," Maddie says, her voice louder now. 

"I'm thinking!" Doug snaps. 

"Please?" Maddie says. 

Doug finally agrees. He leaves Maddie and Zane in the living room as he searches for a cup. Zane watches Maddie get up and slowly make her way to the fireplace. She grabs one of the pokers and stands against the wall leading into the kitchen. 

"Zane, go to the door." She whispers, just loud enough for him to hear her. 

He gets up, stumbling over to the door. 

"What was that?" Doug shouts when Zane knocks something over. 

"Just a lamp. Zane knocked it on accident." Maddie says, nodding for Zane to keep moving. 

Maddie is ready when Doug comes around the corner. She swings her arms high and hits Doug with the poker. He drops the glass and falls to the floor. "Come on, Zaney!" Maddie shouts, running to the door and opening it. 

Maddie runs, pulling Zane along with her. He was trying to keep up, but his head hurt, and he felt like he'd pass out again. They were on a bridge now, and he wanted to stop. 

"Mom! I can't!" Zane cried out, slowing down. 

"Come on, baby, just keep running for me." Maddie pants, keeping her eyes locked forward. 

"Maddie!" Doug shouts. 

There's a loud bang, and Zane feels a tearing pain in his left shoulder. "Ow," He sobs, tripping over his feet. He falls, and it forces Maddie to let go of his hand. 

"Zane!" Maddie screams, watching the blood pour from his shoulder. 

"Go, mama. He'll never stop," Zane stutters right before he spits out blood. 

"No, I told you I wasn't leaving. Get up, baby. You can do it," Maddie says, wrapping his arm over her shoulders and running again. 

In the time it took them to get back up, Doug had made it halfway to them. He was going to catch them. Zane knew it deep down. There was no making it out alive anymore. Not for him or his mother. 

"Maddie! Just stop running!" Doug screams. 

"Mom," Zane whispers, his eyes getting heavy. 

"You're only injuring him further! Just let it go, babe." Doug shouts. 

Maddie lets out a sob but never stops running. She doesn't stop until she finds a tree that's out of Doug's view. "I'm sorry, baby. Stay right here and keep this on your shoulder." Maddie says, taking Zane's arms out of his jacket. 

Maddie presses the jacket firmly to his shoulder before she waits behind another tree. Zane didn't know how much longer he could stay awake. 

He was so tired. 

He couldn't breathe. 

He's never felt this much pain before, not even when he was six years old.  

Before Zane goes unconscious again, he hears his parents shouting, and he hopes that if he dies right now, his mom will go down fighting. Hoped that Maddie wouldn't let Doug win. He'd been winning for long enough. 

+

Maddie lay in the snow, crying as Doug's lifeless body lay next to her. Her vision became blurry as she stared up at the sky. Her body knew it needed to move. She had to get to Zane. Maddie had years of experience; she knew that he would not be able to keep himself awake, to keep pressure on his shoulder. She had no time to help him before Doug got to them. 

"No," she whispers, getting to her knees. 

Maddie's hands are covered in her blood, plus Doug's. Her son's blood was seeping into her shirt as well. She had to get him back. Maddie starts returning to where she'd left Zane, tripping over herself multiple times. 

"Zane?" Maddie called, hoping he was awake. 

But it was silent. The only sound was coming from a bird a few trees over. 

When she finds the tree, Maddie falls next to Zane. She feels for his pulse, finding a weak one. "Oh, baby, come on! Wake up!" Maddie sobs, shaking Zane's shoulders. 

"I am so sorry, Zaney. Please! Just wake up for me. It's all over," Maddie whispers. 

"I promise." She sobs, pulling his body closer to her. 

Suddenly, someone was screaming. "Maddie? Maddie!" 

"Buck?" She screams, seeing her brother running at her full speed. 

She finally got to her feet and started running toward Buck. He caught her in his arms, and they both fell to their knees, their arms around one another. 

"I didn't give up! Buck, I didn't give up!" Maddie sobbed as she spotted Athena and other officers running toward them. 

"I know, Mads. You did so well. You survived." Buck says his breathing is quick. 

Maddie lets Buck hold her up for only a minute before she pushes him away. 

"Zane, we-we have to get him! Doug shot him!" Maddie says suddenly. 

"Who?" Athena says. 

"Zane? I thought Chimney was imagining things." Buck says, following Maddie. 

"Buck? Where are you going?" Athena shouts. 

"Follow us! We need another ambulance!" Buck shouts. 

Maddie leads Buck to an unconscious Zane leaning against a tree. There was a pool of blood next to him, and his face was bruised and bloody. The front of his shirt was also covered in blood. How did this kid bleed so much? 

Buck couldn't believe he was seeing his nephew in this state for the first time in over three years. 

"Oh my god," Athena's voice shocks everyone. 

Athena looked at the boy with a horrified expression. "We need an ambulance now!" she shouted into her walkie-talkie. 

"They'll never make it to us in time." Buck shakes his head, and Maddie lets out a loud sob. 

"Give him to me," Buck says, not even giving the women a chance to answer him.  

He picks Zane up and starts running. He runs until he sees the police cars and the ambulances. "Over here! Someone help him, please!" He screams, breathing heavily. 

"We got him, just let him go." A paramedic says as multiple first responders surround the stretcher. 

"His name is Zane; he was shot! And I think he might have a head injury." Buck says, not ignoring the fact that he'd seen the blood matted into Zane's dark hair. 

"Get him to the ambulance, call the hospital, and tell them to prep the ER and the trauma surgeon!" One paramedic shouts. 

"Are you his parent?" Someone asks. 

"No, h-he's my nephew," Buck says, looking down at his hands. 

They were shaking, and his heart was beating faster than usual. 

"We're going to take him to the hospital in town. You can meet us there with his parents." 

Buck can only nod and watch the ambulance drive away with his nephew in the back. 

+

Buck was told to wait in the hospital's waiting room. He was alone, considering Athena had stayed with the other detective. Their friends were back in L.A. Bobby texted a little while ago and said Chimney was doing great, and the surgery went well. Buck couldn't wait to tell Maddie. She asked him more than once on their drive here. 

"Zane Kendall?" Buck is brought back to the present when he hears Zane's name. 

"Uh, that'd be me." Buck gets up, heading toward the doctor. 

"Are you his parent?" 

"No, uncle. But his mother is back there somewhere. I haven't gotten any updates on her in over an hour." Buck sighs, running his hand over his face. 

"Alright, I'm going to tell you what I did for the kid, and then I'll find the mother." 

Buck nodded, sitting back down in the waiting room. The doctor sits as well, with a folder in his lap. 

"Zane came in with multiple injuries. I've never seen so many on one person, especially a kid." Buck winced, imagining the pain Zane had been in. 

"The bullet wound was more serious than we originally thought. The bullet entered his left shoulder, hitting a major blood vessel. That's why there was so much blood when you found him." 

"Were you able to fix it?" Buck asks. 

"Yes, we got the bullet out, and we stitched him back up. He'll likely need physical therapy after it completely heals."

Buck nods and continues to listen to the many injuries Zane has. He had a severe concussion; plus, they ended up stapling a wound on the side of his head to close it. Buck was glad that Maddie wasn't here for this; she'd be freaking out. 

"It's going to take weeks, possibly months, for everything to heal completely, but I'm confident that Zane will be able to carry on doing what he'd done before this happened." The doctor smiled reassuringly at Buck. 

"Thank you so much. I appreciate it, and I know my sister will as well." Buck says, shaking the man's hand. 

+

Buck was finally reunited with Maddie after three hours. At some point, Athena joined him in the waiting room, and Buck told her about Zane. He said that he'd heard Chimney say something about a kid being there, but he thought he was imagining because he was losing consciousness. Buck begged Athena not to tell anyone about Zane, not yet. Ultimately, it was up to Maddie to tell everyone about her son.

Sooner or later, everyone would know him. But Buck knew that Maddie would wait until he was okay again. No matter how long it took. 

Maddie asked that she and Zane be transferred to the same hospital Chimney was currently at, and by the end of the night, the three of them were back in Los Angeles. 

+

Maddie stops laughing and just softly smiles at Chimney. "I do have to tell you something I should have told you when we first met." 

"Nothing will ever surprise me more than your husband befriending me just to almost kill me," Chimney says, a light smile on his face. 

"I'm sorry about all of this. If I had known he was here, I could have just left with him and prevented all this." Maddie sighs. 

"No, this is not your fault, Maddie. He was a crazy guy, and there was no way you'd have been safe," Chimney says.

"Yeah," Maddie mumbles, "But, um, I want you to meet someone. He's recovering now, but I'd like you guys to meet sometime." 

"Who is it?" Chimney asks, raising his eyebrow. 

"Zane, he, uh, he's my son," Maddie says, her eyes locked on Chimneys. 

"Y-your son?" Chimney repeats. 

Maddie nods, pulling out a picture she'd gotten from Buck. 

"This is Zane." Maddie hands the picture to Chimney, watching his reaction. 

"I can't believe I didn't know you had a son." 

"I didn't tell anyone. But I also have a two-bedroom apartment, and my brother is sleeping in my dining room. I've always planned to bring Zane here, but I wanted to do it the legal way. Doug, h-he just made it happen faster." 

"Why- I mean, why didn't you just take the kid when you left Doug?" Chimney asks, handing the picture back. 

"Because it was safer that Zane had stayed with his father. At least, I thought. I didn't want to take him, and then we ended up with a nasty custody situation." Maddie sighs, running her finger over the smiling picture of Zane. 

"Maddie, I understand. I'm sorry if I didn't make that clear." Chimney says, smiling softly at her. 

"I'm so sorry, Chim," Maddie mumbles, lying her head on his shoulder. 

+

+

A/N: Okay, well, 4.7k words is well over enough for me for this one. I wanted to keep going, but I also wanted to get this chapter out. I've been writing for days. 

I am not going to write a scene for Maddie introducing Zane to every single main character, but you will see Zane and Millie meeting for the first time. They are going to be besties, so it only makes sense. 

The next chapter is back to mainly Millie, and it will now be in late March/early April. By the way, I've already started writing it. 

Also, I fear that Millie has been nine forever! But I'm not going to change her age until season 3. I'm possibly going to have the tsunami episodes be her birthday. Why not? Buck takes the kids to the pier for Millie's birthday, easy enough. 

anyways, 'nuff said, I'm done yappin'. 

- Kammy 

slight edits: March 2026