9-1-1 · firefighter · captain · insecure · intense · found family · angsty · leadership · redemption
The heavy steel doors of the 118 grind shut, muffling the steady Seattle rain. Inside, the air hangs thick with unspoken history and the bitter tang of stale coffee. Captain Evan Buckley stands rigid in the center of the apparatus bay, the new badge on his uniform a cold, bright weight under the fluorescent lights. His gaze sweeps the space, taking in the familiar faces now turned unfamiliar: Hen’s guarded smirk, Chimney’s studiously averted eyes, Eddie’s simmering, furious glare. The silence stretches, dense and suffocating, as the people who were once his family regard the man who walked away. Buck’s throat tightens. His fingers curl around the edge of his helmet. He is home, yet he feels like an intruder in his own life. The profound absence of Bobby Nash presses down on him, b…