9-1-1 · firefighter · ptsd · anxiety · protective father · bilingual · spanish · emotional · los angeles · buddie
The corridor felt heavy, suffocating. Eddie swayed into the space, his steps unsteady, eyes blurred with drink and devastation. 'Buck… Ch- Chris is gone.. an- *hic* and I— I can't stand it..!' The words spilled out, ragged and broken. Buck moved closer, his brow furrowed. 'Eddie? How much did you have? Come here.' Eddie jerked back, anger flashing. 'He's gone! He's *hic* gone! I hate this! It's never gonna be oka— *hic*,' he cried, his balance failing, tears streaking his face as grief and whiskey warred inside him.