35 | ❝ THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM... AND NOT JUST ONE... ❞

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CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE

❝ THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM... AND NOT JUST ONE... ❞

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[season 3, episode 1 + own storyline]

ROSIE POV

DURING THE NEXT SHIFT, ROSIE WAS STILL ANGRY AT CAPTAIN NASH. It wasn't even about what he had done, but the fact that instead of talking to her, he preferred to remain silent and confide everything to his younger sister.

She didn't speak to her superior unless it was necessary. She could see that the team was quite divided on the issue — she had Ian and Chim on her side, but even they thought she should speak with their boss because the situation was affecting the entire team.

"What's the harm?" asked Garcia as the three of them sat in the changing room. Rosie was nervously arranging her things in her locker for the third time that week. "I know the captain well enough to know he won't make a fuss about it. You know that."

"I don't know what to think about all this," she said bluntly. "I can understand a lot because the last few months have been really crazy, but... The lack of communication?"

"Ian's right," Chim agreed, putting his hands on her shoulders. "You can't keep this up for so long... It'll end badly for your friendship, and I know how close you are to Bobby."

Rosie sighed heavily. Sometimes she was fed up with how well he knew her. She knew he was right, but... She had to think calmly about how to approach this without unnecessary misunderstandings.

She could see how pleased both men were that, despite everything, they had achieved what they thought was best in this situation.

"I'll talk to him..." she capitulated. She wanted to go and look for Nash, but they heard the signal that they were about to be called out on a call. Rosie just rolled her eyes. "...when you get back from the call."

She wanted to say goodbye to her beloved and her friend, but the whole situation was interrupted by the arrival of the captain himself.

"The kid's speeding down the motorway, they have a plan to stop him," he informed them, while Buckley deftly sidestepped him to go upstairs and prepare a meal for the whole shift. "Where are you going, firefighter Buckley? You're coming with us."

The girl frowned. Had she heard correctly, or was she imagining things?

"Aren't I the bottle washer person?" she asked him directly. "Because you've been making that clear to me for the last few weeks..."

"I was worried that something would go wrong," he said openly. "I'm still afraid, but Lissie and Athena are right. I can't keep one of my best people locked up. Starting today, I want to change that."

Rosie felt a surge of new energy wash over her — without hesitation, she ran to get her things so she could change as quickly as the others.

"I won't let you down," she assured him, and the captain just smiled, aware of the significance of the words his subordinate had used. She always gave one hundred per cent, and no one could question that. "As for that kid... Are we supposed to clean up after them?"

"Not exactly," said Bobby, and Chim, Ian, Hen, Eddie, and she got into the car right after him.

Sitting in the vehicle, she felt a little strange — after all, the last time she had ridden in it, it had exploded, nearly killing her and Buck. She took a deep breath because she couldn't let fear get the better of her; she had to overcome it. This was one of those moments when Jonathan's words, which he used during therapy sessions, were perfectly applicable.

WHEN THEY HEARD THAT TONY, THE GUY FROM THE HIGHWAY, WAS GOING TO DRIVE HIS CAR STRAIGHT INTO THEIR TRUCK, ROSIE DEFINITELY HAD FLASHBACKS TO THE PAST. Despite everything, she tried to be as professional as she could. She couldn't let anything show. After all, it was just a plan, and nothing bad would happen to them...

Although she had to admit that when she heard the plan, she thought it was definitely irrational. When Bobby said that Athena had come up with it, her opinion changed a little — after all, she knew Grant well enough to know that she wouldn't do anything unless she was sure it would work.

In the end, the whole operation was a success — the fifteen-year-old crashed into the car, and they were able to go out and take care of him.

"Hen, don't be so hasty," Ian laughed, seeing Wilson already heading to examine the patient. "Let our star shine. She's been waiting for this moment for so long..."

Garcia was like another brother to her, but sometimes she was fed up with him. And this was one of those moments.

"You're right," she said. "I can imagine how much you must have missed this..."

"You have no idea how much," Buckley replied with a smile, immediately springing into action with Chime after Bobby and Eddie pulled the boy out.

In the meantime, the boy's father arrived at the scene, brought in by a police car. Fortunately, the teenager was not seriously injured, but they still had to take him to the hospital for tests.

"After this, I'm definitely not letting Marrie touch a car until she's twenty," Rosie said clearly as they rode in the ambulance to the hospital. "With her ideas, you never know."

The boy's father, who was there with them because he didn't want to leave his son for a moment, looked at her.

"Do you have a crazy teenager at home too?" he asked.

"Dad, I'm not crazy," Tony replied, clearly embarrassed by his parent. "It's just..."

"Sorry, son," the man corrected himself.

Rosie smiled as she checked that the boy was okay. He might have had a stupid idea, but he was clearly not a bad kid.

"We have a daughter," Chim said, checking the younger Bryson's vitals, explaining the mistake. "She's not even ten years old, but sometimes she's crazy like her mother. I'd prefer her not to drive until she's fifty, but that's just my opinion..."

He glanced at his girlfriend. Normally, she would have been annoyed by such a comparison, but this time she managed to laugh.

She finally felt completely herself, and all it took was one action... That was really what she had been missing.

LISSIE POV

THE WEDDING RECEPTION FOR ATHENA AND BOBBY WAS ALREADY ONGOING WHEN SHE ARRIVED. It might have seemed ironic — after all, she lived with them. However, she needed to talk to Jonathan, and the only free appointment he had was that afternoon. Her father understood and encouraged her to go and take care of her health, and then come back.

She was also a little stressed about the whole party and how the rest would react to her change. So far, only a few people had seen that she had cut her hair and changed its color. Sometimes she still couldn't get used to it, but she felt great with them.

Lissie pressed the door handle and was immediately struck by the music playing, intertwined with conversations. The atmospheric lights she had helped hang were already lit in the garden. Athena flashed somewhere in the crowd — she was the only one wearing a white dress, the same one she wore at her wedding.

Bobby was the first to spot her and immediately approached her with a smile.

"I'm glad you're here," he greeted her and extended his arm toward her, which she took, and they began to descend the stairs. "Everyone started asking about you, so Athena and I started to think that they'd rather come to you than to us."

Lissie laughed briefly and punched her father on the shoulder.

"You know that's not true... I'm just a nice bonus."

"You're definitely more than that," he muttered and kissed her on the side of her head. He led her to the garden where everyone had gathered, then whistled briefly, drawing the attention of the rest. "Look who's finally honored us with her presence."

All eyes turned to her almost immediately, and it was clear that most of them were completely speechless. Lissie blushed under the influence of so many eyes on her, but they all expressed almost the same thing — surprise, but also delight and admiration.

"Why are they looking at us like that?" she whispered to her father, and he just laughed briefly.

"I guess no one expected to see you with blonde hair," he replied, which only deepened the blush on her cheeks.

Bobby left her, returning to his wife, and she quickly joined the crowd of their friends, greeting everyone. Marrie hugged her as if she hadn't seen her in ages, even though just yesterday she had picked her up from school and they had gone for ice cream together, unbeknownst to her parents.

"I would never have thought you'd dye your hair blonde," Ian said, approaching her with a mischievous smile. "What got into your head, huh?"

"I've completely lost my mind, haven't I?"

Lissie touched her light hair, which had started to curl slightly some time ago. She didn't understand where it came from, because her hair had been completely straight her whole life.

"No." Garcia shook his head. "You look different, but I've never felt so strongly that I'm seeing my best friend from high school."

"I'm far from her," she muttered, a little embarrassed. She felt that she would definitely never be that Lissie from high school again.

"But I know you're on your way to feeling that way again. Besides..." Ian reached for her hair and tucked a strand behind her ear. "Since when did your hair start curling? I know your mom had curls, but you never had a problem with that. You even complained that you couldn't inherit that from her."

"I don't know," she replied honestly. She hadn't paid much attention to it, but Ian's words made her feel extra warm. Lately, she had been feeling closer to her biological mother than ever before. "I cut my hair, and it started curling after that."

"You know, I have a theory about that." Ian smiled at her and folded his arms across his chest. He looked at her with a mysterious gleam in his eye, as if he knew something about her before she did.

"And I'm about to hear it, right?"

"Of course." Ian pulled her toward the empty chairs and sat her down across from him. "Are you ready? Because this is going to completely shatter your worldview."

Lissie laughed happily.

"I guess I have no choice."

"Definitely not," he replied confidently. "You've always had straight hair, right? And straight hair is often seen as a form of performance, putting on a mask to meet the expectations of others..."

"Are you telling me that my hair was the result of me lying to everyone and not admitting what happened?"

"No," he shook his head. He clicked his fingers and pointed at her with one of them. "But fifteen points for Gryffindor for talking about it so openly. I'm damn proud of you, Mels."

"Thank you," she smiled at him, trying to hold back the tears. "But what about this theory?"

"Well, yes... Let me explain further," he poured her some orange juice from the bottle on the table. "It is believed that if someone, usually a woman, falls in love and feels completely safe with someone, there is no reason for her to do everything to please others; she doesn't have to control everything. It is said that love gives you the space to finally be yourself, without any pretense. That's why your hair starts to curl."

"Did you just make that up?"

"I swear I didn't!" he exclaimed indignantly, putting his hand on his heart. "Josh told me that. He likes to read about stuff like that."

Lissie raised her eyebrow, quickly catching on.

"You know, looking at you more closely, it's as if your hair has started to curl too." She reached out to touch his perfectly styled hair, but he quickly pushed her hand away, not wanting her to touch him.

"You'll ruin my image," he said sulkily.

"That definitely can't be ruined." She shook her head amusedly. "Your ego is too big for that."

"Now you're insulting me," he muttered, and she noticed him starting to get up.

"Hey, you're not mad, are you?"

"At you?" He looked at her. "Never in a million years, but I can see that the object of your affection is heading your way."

"What...?"

When she looked behind her friend, she immediately spotted Buck, and a smile spread across her face.

"AT FIRST, I DIDN'T RECOGNIZE YOU AT ALL."

Buck spoke, sitting down opposite her.

"Is that good or bad?"

"Good," he replied with a gentle smile. "Very good, because you look..." He paused for a moment, searching for the right words to use. Lissie felt herself blushing under his gaze, and now that her hair was light, she felt it was even more noticeable. "Beautiful," he finally said, and there was no trace of his earlier nervousness. "You look beautiful. And different. It suits you."

"Thank you... That's how I feel, you know? Good... Like I'm slowly coming back to myself."

"You're glowing, Sunshine," he replied cheerfully, and she laughed briefly. Then he held out his hand to her. Lissie looked at him with a frown, not understanding what he meant. "You're not going to refuse me and dance with me, are you?"

"But there's not even a dance floor here... And no one else is dancing..." She nodded toward the rest of the garden, where everyone had found a group to talk to. Yazzo's song Only You started playing on the speakers, and she knew that May must have had a hand in choosing the repertoire for tonight, because she had been obsessed with that song lately.

"So what?" Buck didn't wait; he just grabbed her hand. Lissie let him pull her up to stand and stood opposite him. "You told me the other day that you didn't want to waste this opportunity you have... So why do you care what other people think?" He ran his thumb over her hand, and she immediately felt shivers run through her whole body. "Besides, you're not going to refuse to dance with me, especially today, when I passed my exam and am returning to the fire department."

Lissie was speechless with shock. She knew how much Buck had sacrificed to achieve what he wanted so badly. She had mixed feelings about his methods — the surgeries, the medication issues, and all the grueling training — but she supported him in returning to what he loved so much. That's why she was genuinely happy when he succeeded.

"Really?" She hugged him briefly. When she pulled away, she took his hands in hers. "Why didn't you say anything before?"

"It's Bobby and Athena's night, and I didn't want to draw attention to myself... Besides, I'm telling you now."

Lissie shook her head in amusement.

"And now I can dance with you," she replied cheerfully. "But, Buck? As soon as you feel worse or something is wrong, promise me you won't ignore it."

Buck sighed heavily, and Nash could feel him slowly getting irritated, but he held back. He took a breath, put his hands on her shoulders, and looked into her eyes, and she couldn't take her gaze off his irises.

"I promise I'll take care of myself."

"It's not against you. It's just... I'm worried about you. Lately, everyone has been worried about me. Now it's my turn."

"Everything will be fine," he assured her. "You don't have to worry about anything, at least not now, because we're finally going dancing."

"Then lead."

Lissie laughed briefly and let him lead her to the middle of the garden, where there was more space. There, time seemed to slow down, and when Buck led her to the beat, she even had the impression that all her worries had simply disappeared. It was difficult for her to call it any kind of coordinated dance, but now and then, he made her spin around. He pulled her back, then pulled her a little harder than she expected, so that she landed on his chest. She leaned her hand against him and tilted her head back, laughing happily.

Buck leaned over her, her hair brushing his cheek.

"I missed this," he said into her ear so that only she could hear him.

"What?" She looked into his eyes, and that was enough for her to feel the warmth spreading through her whole body and... peace. A peace she had never felt before.

"Your laugh," he replied simply. "But this one is different. Lighter. And you deserve it... To be able to enjoy every moment."

"I'm trying... Therapy with Jonathan is definitely helping me. And I know I can rely on my loved ones."

"Always," he smiled cheerfully. The music changed to a more upbeat song, and Buck pulled her aside. "Which reminds me, I found something."

He pulled his phone out of his pocket and began clicking on the screen. Then he handed it to her, and she could see an Instagram profile and posts depicting various subdued, delicate, and feminine tattoos.

"It's the profile of a girl who transforms scars into tattoos," he explained, and Lissie quickly began to browse through the first posts, already knowing that the style and linework of her drawings were definitely to her liking. "The next appointment is in two months, so I took the liberty of pre-booking it for you."

She completely missed that.

"Excuse me?"

"Of course, we can cancel," he replied quickly, coughing briefly, as if something had caught in his throat. "But I spoke with this girl personally and decided it was worth considering what she was doing. She also works with various foundations supporting women."

"You did all the research, right?" Buck gave a short laugh, but stopped when he coughed again. He ran a hand over his chest, and Lissie frowned, displeased.

"Is everything okay?" she asked with concern.

"I'll be fine," he assured her, as if nothing were wrong. "If you don't want to cancel the appointment, you need to know what you want tattooed."

"I know exactly what I want tattooed," she said, visibly surprising him.

Buck started to say something, but a new wave of coughing interrupted him. This time, it looked much more serious because the attack wouldn't go away, and Buckley actually recoiled under its influence.

"Buck?" Lissie was visibly concerned. Just moments earlier, they had been talking, joking, and even dancing, and he was fine, so why now? "Buck, what's going on?"

Evan didn't answer, just coughed again. He brought his hand to his mouth, and when he pulled it away, blood was visible. He looked at her, and Lissie could see the fear in his eyes, for he himself didn't know what was happening.

"Rosie!" Lissie cried in horror as Buck collapsed onto the lawn. She tried to clear his airway to prevent him from choking, but the blood was rising. "ROSIE!"

Her friend appeared almost immediately, as did the rest of their family, drawn by Lissie's screams. Nash stepped aside, making room for Rosie and Chim to provide him with proper assistance.

Unwilling to stand idly by, she reached for the phone on which Buck had shown her the tattoo artist moments earlier, with a trembling hand, and called 911. Tears welled in her eyes, and she knew she'd only been afraid like this once before.

When she watched Austin abuse Rosie, there was nothing she could do.

Now Buck was choking on his own blood in front of her, and she felt just as helpless.

ROSIE POV

SHE DIDN'T THINK THAT DURING BOBBY AND ATHENA'S WEDDING PARTY, SHE'D BE FORCED TO SAVE HER OWN STUPID BROTHER FROM DEATH IN FRONT OF ALL, INCLUDING THE CHILDREN. She knew perfectly well what had led to this. The culprit was Buck's eagerness to return to work, specifically a pulmonary embolism stemming from what he'd managed to do to his body.

"I kept telling him," she muttered as she and Maddie left the room after a rather heated exchange with their younger brother. "To give himself time. I told him so, you told him so, and even Lissie chimed in! Why doesn't he listen to anyone..."

"That's what you two have in common," Maddie said, patting her sister on the shoulder. "Except that when you were training to stand on your own two feet, you did it thoughtfully and carefully. Buck had lost those two elements."

Rosie snorted, feeling a little better.

"I thought you'd blame me for going after Austin to rescue Lissie from hell, and when you found out, you went into labor like that..." she sighed heavily.

"Despite everything, I love you with all my heart. And I wouldn't trade you for anyone."

The two of them hugged each other just as Seth and Chim joined them. Both men were touched by the sight.

"They're hugging, Chim..." Seth began. "Either they just had a heart-to-heart, or their brother is no longer with us... What do you think?"

The sisters looked at their partners, slightly irritated.

"Even their faces are identical," Han said, teasing them.

"Hilarious," Rosie sarcastically remarked to her lover and friend. "As for Buck, he's still alive, but I'm not going to save him the next time he does something stupid. Now let's get out of here. I've had enough of the hospital for today."

The other three agreed. They couldn't do much to help Buck at the moment, and they had two children to take care of.

WHEN THEY REACHED THE APARTMENT, THEY WERE GREETED BY AN ARGUMENT BETWEEN IAN AND MARRIE. They were both surprised how it had happened, but when they saw Lissie's face, they knew better than to ask, though they guessed it must have been about the board game on the table.

"What about Uncle Buck?" Marrie asked, seeing her parents return home. "He didn't bleed out, did he?"

"Honey, that's not exactly how it works," Rosie replied, looking at the girl. "But I won't get into that. Uncle Buck is alive, although I was wondering if he was really worth saving."

Lissie burst out laughing, but she was also clearly relieved that the youngest Buckley was still among them.

"He gave a scare, that's true," Melissa said.

"That's why you two make a great trio." Ian laughed, and both girls nudged him. "And what was that for?!"

"For love of country and endless stupidity!" they exclaimed simultaneously, prompting laughter from Chim and Marrie.

After a few moments, Garcia and Nash left Rosie and Chim's apartment, much to Marigold's dismay. To appease Marigold, Lissie promised her a trip to the pier, which she loved, to which she agreed.

When the three of them were left alone, Chim offered to put their daughter to bed. Left alone in the living room, Buckley was overcome with doubt. Maybe her brother had had an embolism, but what if it had happened to her? After all, she had trained just as hard as Buck... She knew their cases were completely different, but still...

"Rosey?" she heard Howie's voice, placing his hands on her shoulders. "I thought you were going to bed too..."

"What if it happened to me?" "She asked him bluntly. The man didn't quite understand what she meant. "Coughing up blood... You saw it yourself."

Han nodded, understanding her meaning perfectly.

"You might share stubbornness with your younger brother, but compared to him, you were sensible," he replied, sitting down next to her. "I know you're worried, but you can't keep thinking about what if... Buck recovers, too, and when he gets back, he'll be just as annoying at work as before."

Rosie said nothing more, just burst out laughing at her lover's words. She knew he had a point.

LISSIE POV

SHE WAS QUITE SILENT ON THE WAY HOME. She was glad that Buck was okay, as much as Rosie could tell her in front of Marrie, because she was sure it was much more complicated. Pulmonary embolisms could be incredibly unpredictable and treacherous. She remembered one case, a patient they'd been called to in Chicago. The situation there was much more serious, and despite their willingness and doing everything possible, the woman died on the way to the hospital. This was one of the first patients she'd lost, so she remembered everything in detail.

Lissie rested her elbow on the window of her friend's car, then her chin in her hand, and stared at the passing streets of Los Angeles, but she couldn't focus on the road. All she could think about was Buck and the thought that if he were alone when this happened... Then she would never have had the chance to tell him that...

She quickly wiped her cheek as she felt a few lonely tears form in the corner of her eye. She tried to be strong with Marrie, because the young woman was terrified by the sight of her bloodied uncle, but now that she was alone with Ian, she didn't have to.

"Do you think he'll be okay?" she asked, breaking the silence between them. She looked at Ian, who remained focused on the road ahead. "Buck... Pulmonary embolism is complicated."

"I don't know, Liss..." Ian sighed heavily, and even though Lissie didn't want him to be honest with her just this once, she understood why he didn't try to convince her that everything would be okay. "But they caught on quickly. Besides, he had all the best paramedics in Los Angeles with him when it happened. Now he needs to take better care of himself."

"He told me he passed his re-exams for the fire department. They'll revoke his clearance to return to work under these circumstances, and that will completely devastate him."

"He's been fighting for so many months that one or two more shouldn't make much difference..."

Lissie shook her head and looked back at the evening streets of Los Angeles.

"It matters," she murmured, so Ian couldn't hear.

She didn't even want to know how Buck would react when he heard he had to completely heal the embolism before he could return to work. It would devastate him, because he'd waited so long for this. She didn't agree with him when he said the fire department was the only thing that mattered in his life, but she knew exactly how much it meant to him.

Ian pulled up in the driveway of the Grant-Nash house, but Lissie couldn't bring herself to go inside. That meant that if she went to the garden, she'd see traces of what had happened.

"You're worried," Ian said, and Lissie knew him well enough to recognize that tone.

"What's so strange about that?" Nash turned back to him. "Buck's my friend. He's been helping me lately... It's natural to be worried about him."

"I didn't say I meant him."

Ian smiled mischievously, and she blushed slightly.

"Stop it, Ian... I know what you're trying to do."

"I don't know what you're talking about..."

"You know perfectly well... You always bait me when I'm close with someone. It's been like this since the beginning of our relationship."

Garcia sighed silently.

"Why don't you just admit you like him? And it's not because you're friends, because you're not friends with him like you are with me or Chim. I know you, Liss. There's nothing wrong with that... I just want you to be happy."

"I know," she smiled sadly at him. "And if one day I fall in love, you'll be the one I tell that."

Nash gathered her things, said goodbye to Ian, and left his car. Garcia lowered the passenger window, where she'd been sitting moments earlier, and leaned forward so she could see him.

"You don't have to tell me about it," he called after her. "When you fall in love. Your behavior gives you away, because it's easy to see how you feel about Buck and how he feels about you. You don't have to believe me now, but you can't ignore the signs, and only a blind man would miss them."

Lissie just shook her head.

WHEN SHE ENTERED THE HOUSE, IT WAS EXTREMELY SILENT. She pulled her phone from her back pocket and sat at the bottom of the stairs, feet on the floor. She sighed heavily, wondering what she should do next. She considered speaking to Buck, but she was afraid she would immediately betray her concern and what she knew. On the other hand, she couldn't just remain silent; that would make things even more suspicious.

The door opened, and her father returned with Athena, who saved her from what she was about to do. She knew they had gone to the hospital after Rosie and Maddie, and she had a feeling they might say more than what she'd heard from their friend, assuming they had more information themselves.

"Hey," Athena paused at the top of the stairs, having been the first to notice her. "I thought you were with Ian and Marrie." Lissie rose from her seat and turned to them as they walked downstairs.

"Rosie and Chim are back, so... Ian drove me home. Everyone could use a little rest after what happened."

"That's true," Bobby nodded, touching her arm reassuringly. "How are you feeling?"

"I wasn't the one vomiting blood..." she replied, but it was clear that her father wasn't convinced. "A little shaken," she finally said. "It's just... We were talking normally, and then suddenly... I just hope he pulls through."

Bobby pulled her into a hug, and she took the moment to snuggle into his side. She needed that kind of support, especially since she'd been putting on a good face all evening since the ambulance arrived.

"Michael took the kids in," Athena informed them, glancing at her phone. Now it was clear why the house had gone so quiet and no one had noticed her arrival.

"How are they coping?" Lissie asked, approaching her stepmother.

"May's calm, and Harry keeps asking if it's Ebola."

Despite this, young Nash snorted briefly.

"So much for celebrating our wedding together," Bobby said, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I said a wedding with only the children was the best solution. I was right."

"At least no one will complain about not having a party," Athena replied, slightly amused, and headed for the kitchen, where a pile of food and drinks lay on the table, all in need of cleaning up. She pulled a bottle of liquor from the container used to chill the white wine and poured a generous amount into a glass. "That's exactly what I need right now."

"You can go lie down and rest," Lissie suggested, leaning against the wall. "You have work tomorrow, and I don't have to get up early. I probably wouldn't have slept anyway... At least I'll clean up a bit and be useful."

"Thank you, but you don't have to do anything. It'll be sorted out tomorrow. You should rest too."

Athena placed her hand on her cheek and sat down at the table.

"That's right," Bobby reassured his wife, looking at his daughter. Then his phone buzzed and he read the message. "Buck apologizes for the blood and hopes he didn't mess anything up."

"A little ammonia will do," Athena assured. "The important thing is he's alive."

"What about him?" Lissie finally asked. "Rosie told me as much as she could without scaring Marrie... Did they find the cause of the embolism?"

Bobby sighed heavily. He folded his arms across his chest and shook his head, but Lissie had the impression it was more of a gesture that indicated he was concerned about Buckley's condition.

"He focused on getting back to work, and I thought he could handle it, but now I'm not so sure..." he replied, and Lissie had already suspected something like this might happen. "That's exactly what I was afraid of with him and Rosie, but Buck... I feel like he's demanding too much of himself. He's ignoring the pain and the potential impact on his health... I don't want him to make the same mistakes I did."

"Buck thinks the firefighting is the only thing that matters in his life." Lissie folded her arms across her chest, unconsciously echoing her father's gesture, which made them look decidedly related. "It means a lot to him."

"But it shouldn't mean everything."

"I tried to tell him that. The same way Rosie and Maddie did. Do you think he listened to us?"

Athena took a sip of wine, then set the glass on the table and stood in front of her husband.

"You're worried and want to protect him. That's normal, because when I think about May, Harry, or Lissie, I feel the same way."

Lissie looked at her in shock. They'd never really talked about it before, but she'd long considered Grant a mother figure. She'd thought she no longer needed someone like that in her life, but Athena had proven her wrong. She hadn't expected their relationship to work this way both ways, though.

"Buck and Rosie aren't my children," her father emphasized.

"That doesn't change the fact that you have the right to worry about them."