Chapter Text
The team had just returned from a pile-up, exhausted, they gathered around the kitchen table for dinner. Bobby warmed up the spaghetti and meatballs that had been sitting there for hours, and the crew eagerly dug in.
Buck took a sip of his water and said, "You know, speaking of spaghetti, I was reading an article the other day about how Europeans used to think tomatoes were poisonous due to the red color and the fact that a lot of aristocrats died while eating tomatoes. Turns out that the tomatoes they grew were so acidic that it reacted with the lead on their plates and sped up the lead poisoning process."
Chimney chuckled. "What got you looking into tomatoes?"
“I actually started with looking up how penicillin was discovered – an interesting story there as well, penicillin is derived from a fungus. It was discovered when Alexander Fleming came back from his vacation only to find the petri dish he had set out to culture hadn’t at all. Then-”
Hen interrupted. "Wait. How did you get from an antibiotic to tomatoes?"
Buck opened his mouth to answer when his phone started to ring. He looked at the caller ID and saw that it was an unfamiliar number. "Sorry guys, I gotta take this."
He answered the phone at the table because he was too tired to get up. "Hello?"
"Hi! Is this Evan Buckley?" a voice on the other end asked.
"Yeah, that's me. Who's this?"
"My name is Sarah Hendricks. I'm a social worker with the Department of Child and Family services office in New York City. I'm calling because we have your child in our custody.”
Buck's heart raced. "What are you talking about? I don't have a child."
His eyes darted to the rest of the team, when he saw their wide eyes, he got up and walked a little further away.
"I'm sorry to inform you, but the child's mother, Andrea Tucker, was in a car accident and didn't make it. In her will, she named you as the father and designated you as the legal guardian of him in case anything happened to her."
Buck's mind reeled. "I don't understand. How is that possible? I don’t know her."
Sarah's voice softened. "I know this is a shock, Mr. Buckley. She also stated it was a one night stand, so that’s probably why you don't have knowledge of it. But the child needs a guardian, and we were told you were the father. We need you to come out to us in order to confirm paternity, and we will go from there."
“Go out there? I’m on the other side of the country. I- um, fine. Just email me everything I guess, I’ll figure it out.”
“I will, Mr. Buckley. See you soon.”
Buck hung up the phone and stood there in shock. The team looked at him with concern.
"Buck, what's wrong?" Eddie asked.
His voice was barely above a whisper, "I need to go to New York."
Chimney's eyebrows furrowed. "New York? What's in New York?"
Buck looked up at them, his expression dazed. "Apparently, I have a child there. The mother died in a car accident and named me as the father."
The team's eyes widened in shock, and Hen got up and put a comforting hand on Buck's shoulder. "Oh my god, Buck. That's a lot to take in."
Bobby spoke up. "What do you need? "
Buck took a deep breath. "I- I don’t know."
He walked back to the table and sat down, staring at his untouched food. He couldn't believe what had just happened. He didn't even know he had a child, and now a whole one is just being given to him. The team sat around him, silent, as Buck tried to process his new reality.
Buck suddenly stood up, feeling overwhelmed. He grabbed his phone and dialed Maddie's number.
"Maddie, I- help," Buck said when she picked up, not giving her the time to greet him.
Her voice was laced with concern. "Buck? Hey, what’s wrong?"
Buck's voice cracked. "I don't know what to do, Mads. I just got a call from DCFS saying I'm the father of this kid and now I have to go across the country to confirm paternity."
Maddie's tone softened. "Hey, it's going to be okay. I'll go with you. We'll figure it out together."
Buck felt a wave of gratitude wash over him. "Thank you, Maddie. I don't know what I'd do without you."
Maddie chuckled. "That's what big sisters are for, Buck. Just let me know when you want to leave."
Buck hung up the phone and took a deep breath. He felt a bit more grounded now that he had Maddie. He looked up at his team and smiled faintly.
"Um, Maddie is gonna come with me. I- uh, can I go? I don’t think I can function properly right now…"
The team nodded in understanding, and Bobby came and put his hands on Buck’s shoulders, "Go, it’s fine. Take the week and do what you need to do, I’ll get your shifts covered.”
Buck smiled weakly and nodded, without words, he went to the locker room to grab his stuff and left.
As Buck drove home, his mind was racing with thoughts of the child he had just learned he had. He couldn't believe it. He had always been careful. Yeah, he wants a kid, but this. It’s just crazy.
He had a duty to the child, though. He couldn't just abandon them. He wouldn’t. If he’s really the father, he’s all in.
He also couldn't help but wonder what kind of person the child's mother was. How had he not known about her, or their child? He had always given his partners his number, even if they were only one night.
As he pulled into the parking lot, Buck took a deep breath and tried to clear his mind. He knew he needed to take things one step at a time, to figure out what he needed to do next. He needed a plan. He had to get to New York soon. It would probably be best if he left tomorrow.
Before he entered his building he got a text from Eddie, ‘Call if you need me. I have your back.’
‘I will, thanks!’ he replied.
As he got inside, he texted Maddie what time was good for her to leave the next day. Once he got that, he went searching for flights.
He booked two tickets for a non-stop to Laguardia at 1pm. They would get there about 7 hours later. It gives him approximately 24 more hours to figure out what the hell he is going to do.
He texted Maddie the flight details and then they planned to meet at her place in the morning.
Now, he needed to rest and try to get some sleep. He had a long journey ahead of him, and he needed to be ready. He collapsed onto his bed, and closed his eyes, hoping to get some rest before he had to deal with the next chapter of his life.