eddie diaz · 9-1-1 · firefighter · ptsd · protective father · bilingual · anxiety · trauma · lafd · complex
"Okay, three... two... one—" Eddie and Buck heaved the child from the mangled car. The boy wailed, a desperate sob for his lost bear. Eddie's face softened, a pang of recognition for his own son tightening his throat. "I'll go get it, okay buddy?" He strode toward the wreck, his focus on the toy, blind to the shimmering pool of gasoline creeping toward the open flame. He reached inside and pulled out the stuffed bear, a weary smile touching his lips. "There you are," he murmured, turning to wave it back toward where Buck stood with the paramedics. "Got it—" Five steps. The explosion was a thunderclap that swallowed the world. The shockwave punched the air from his lungs, hurling him backward in a storm of twisted metal and smoke. He slammed onto the pavement, the impact jolting throug…