red flag

✧

"Guys, what do we think?" Bobby walked over to Olivia, Hen, and Chimney with Eddie and Buck on either side of him while they watched the medics inspect the severed hand in the ziplock bag. Dispatch rang in earlier alerting them of the hacked-off limb that the resident's dogs stumbled upon.

"It doesn't look like it was cut off," Hen said.

"Wound's pretty jagged," Chimney spoke.

"Maybe blown off?" Olivia chipped in as she held up the bag.

"The fireworks," the woman, presumably one of the homeowners interjected. "Right before my husband got home, someone was setting off fireworks."

"I'm not hearing any fireworks now," Eddie said.

"You know which house?"

"I think that way."

"Okay, everybody!" Bobby raised his voice, alerting the other firefighters in the vicinity. "Time to go door-to-door. We have to find the person who belongs to this hand."

They were pretty much going on a wild goose chase trying to hunt down the person whose hand they discovered. Essentially, they went door to door and asked each resident in the area if they were missing a limb but they were unsuccessful until a man approached them and stole the cooler containing the hand.

Neither the medics nor Buck were in the mood to pursue the man, so Eddie had to chase him down.

"Two hands, nine fingers!" Once securing the cooler, Eddie knelt beside the man to inspect his hand. "So who's missing a hand?"

"My buddy. He's in the car. You got to help him out. I was gonna take him to the hospital."

"Uh, this is Captain Nash, 118," Bobby clicked on his radio. "We're gonna need an ambulance at the location. We have two victims with traumatic amputations."

"You know where your finger is?"

"No. I didn't try looking for it. I was too worried for my friend Manolo."

"Got the finger!" Chimney shouted.

"I'll get it," Olivia volunteered as she strode past her captain and over to Chimney who was holding out the appendage. She grimaced, grabbed it, and turned on her heel to join Eddie. "Tiny issue..." She looked over her shoulder and knitted her brows. "This is a thumb."

"He's not missing a thumb."

"There's another victim."

"Alright. We're gonna have to start another search." Bobby clicked his radio back on. "Dispatch, this is Captain Nash, 118 again. I think we're gonna need a third ambulance."

✶❤︎✶❤︎

Olivia eyed the wooden door and the 3B engraved underneath the peephole as she patiently waited for the occupant to open up. When he did, he stood aside, flashed a small smile, and urged her to come inside.

"Kai's cleaning up his room and then he'll be out," Tyler notified. "Told him to do it last night but you know..."

"Procrastination unfortunately runs in the family."

"Yeah, he must get it from your side." He walked over to the fridge and pointed to the top shelf. "Want something to drink?"

She shook her head and pulled out a stool at the kitchen island to take a seat. "Where's your girlfriend?"

"We broke up."

Olivia knitted her brows, confused. As far as she knew, he and Eve had been going steady for the past year or so. Even Kai seemed fond of her, so the announcement of a breakup was unexpected.

"I'm sorry. Kai didn't mention anything so I just assumed..."

Tyler shrugged and rested against the countertop with his arms crossed. "It happened pretty recently. A few days ago, actually."

"Can I ask why?"

"We wanted different things. I was more than willing to marry her but she wants kids," Tyler exhausted a sigh, the crease between his brows present as ever. "Don't get me wrong, I love kids but I love my kid more and I can't see myself loving another kid that isn't him. It's not in the cards for me and that was a dealbreaker for her so we broke up."

"Damn, Ty. I'm sorry but it's better that you got that out of the way now instead of five years from now."

"Yeah," he raised his brow. "You're lucky. You've got it all figured out."

"I don't know about that. There's things I'm still figuring out," Olivia let out an indignant huff. She tore her eyes away from the table and flashed a small smile at the incoming middle schooler heading their way. "Munchkin, hey!"

"Hi, mama," Malakai slipped his backpack over his shoulders, a grimace flashing over his face. "My room's all clean, Dad."

"Good. You got everything?"

"Yeah." The middle schooler nodded and shuffled over to his father, embracing him in a quick hug. "Bye, love you."

"I love you more, kid." Tyler raised his hand, waving at Olivia and giving her a nod. "See you, Liv."

Olivia quirked her lips into a half smile, tipping her head. "Bye."

✶❤︎✶❤︎

"Sounds like you handled it pretty well." Eddie offered Hen a bit of reassurance as she entailed the details of Denny's birthday. According to the female firefighter, her son had questioned his moms about his origins, more specifically, his birth mother. "You answered his questions; when there's more, you'll answer those, too."

"I guess so," Hen shrugged. "I just wish I knew where this was coming from."

"He almost lost one of his moms. It's only natural that'd get him to think about the mother he doesn't know."

"I hope that's all it is. It's unsettling, and this damn wind doesn't help. Always puts me out of sorts."

"That's because we know what these winds can do." Bobby joined the two at the kitchen island, taking a seat beside Hen. "Where there's wind, there's fire."

"You guys couldn't sleep either?"

"Starting to feel like it's contagious," Eddie sighed.

"Where are Buck and Liv?" Hen asked.

"The kids are sleeping," Chimney raised his brow, dropping his tablet on the island. "They may not be talking to each other right now but if there's one thing those two can do it's sleep."

It was no secret that they had been avoiding each other like the plague. Buck was expecting Olivia to make the first move and approach him first but she wasn't budging and neither was he.

"They're still not talking?" Bobby glanced at Eddie, hoping the man would divulge the details.

"Don't look at me," Eddie surrendered his hands. "I don't know anything. Liv won't budge. Buck won't budge. I'm not meddling." He raised his brow at Chimney. "What's got you up?"

"Well...I was looking into that house." Chimney was referring to the haunted house he and Hen responded to a few nights ago. "The one where Williams thought he saw that ghost."

"The Murder House?" Hen inquired.

"Yeah, I wanted to know more about it. Seemed like it hadn't been lived in for a while."

"It's not surprising, considering it's called the Murder House," Bobby quipped. "Also, maybe that's why you can't sleep."

"What kind of murder?"

"Triple homicide in the '60s. Dad came home right before Christmas, killed his three daughters, then himself. Mother somehow got away. Nobody knows where she ended up. House has been vacant ever since."

"Can't imagine why."

Screeching tires and yelling firefighters caused the four to break up the conversation. From the top of the loft, they eyed the apparatus bay and saw a car swerving into the house while the firefighters worked quickly to clear the area so she wouldn't crash into anything.

From inside the bunk room, Oliva lifted her head from the pillow while her ears perked up at the sudden commotion outside. She could see the shadow of another figure occupying another bunk as they slowly woke up, rubbing the sleeping from their eyes.

"Did you hear that?"

Buck's voice flooded her ears and even if they couldn't necessarily see each other due to the darkness, she nodded. Olivia ripped the covers off her body and soon raced out of the room with Buck following after her.

"Is everything — Oh. She's naked," Olivia eyed the nude woman standing beside the car in the middle of the apparatus bay. "W-What happened?"

"Okay. This is not a dream I've had before," Buck looked away.

Eddie shielded his eyes. "Is she..."

"Naked."

"And asleep?" Chimney snapped his fingers in front of the woman's face. "She's out cold. Maybe she's sleepwalking."

"You mean sleep-driving."

"Uh, what should we do?" Buck asked. "Isn't it dangerous to wake a sleepwalker?"

"Probably not as dangerous as driving while sleeping."

"Okay, here's what we're gonna do. Buck. Go get a blanket. Chim, let's check her out, just to be safe, and maybe she left her ID in the car. Eddie, can you check the front seat?"

"She's naked. You really think she thought to grab her purse on the way out the door?"

"I will look," Olivia rolled her eyes and headed for the front seat of the car. By the time she peeked into the vehicle, Buck was racing over with a blanket and Hen was notifying everyone that dispatch had been called, then suddenly, the woman snapped out of her trance and began screaming.

"You're okay. You're okay," Hen consoled. "You're in a safe place. My name is Hen, and I'm a firefighter, okay? We just want to help you. Can you tell me what your name is?"

"Uh...Lizzy. Lizzy Sampson."

"Lizzy, if it's okay with you I'm going to check you out," Chimney notified.

"So, Lizzy, apparently, you got behind the wheel while you were sleeping," Bobby said. "You have a history of this kind of thing?"

"Um, sleepwalking, yes. But this, this is new."

"Pupils are equal and reactive. No sign of head trauma or a concussion."

"Pretty lucky," Eddie shook his head. "The way you came in here, you could've really hurt yourself. Or us."

"I don't know if 'lucky' is the right word to describe how I feel. More like...mortified."

"Do you remember anything?" Olivia asked.

"I went to bed around 11:00, like I always do, and the next thing I know, I'm standing in a firehouse."

"And do you always sleep in the nude?" Buck questioned.

"I like to sleep with the window open and feel a...breeze."

"Okay, so, uh, you seem to be fine, but if it's okay we're gonna take you to the hospital to get check out, just be to one the safe side."

"I guess."

"Alright, Buck, why don't you check the locker room, see if we got some clean t-shirts, sweats, something."

"Right, um...what do we do about her car?"

"My car?"

"The one you almost ran us over with."

"Weird. I don't have a car."

✶❤︎✶❤︎

"Murder's too obvious. There's no way that's what it was." Chimney spoke as they sat crowded around on some picnic chairs after the sleepwalking debacle. Bobby made some hot cocoa so the firefighters retreated to the roof while Chimney spoke more about the Murder House.

"Then why do they call it 'murder house'?" Eddie inquired. He turned his head to the side and a smile flashed across his lips as Olivia walked over to the group of four. "Hi, honey, can't sleep?"

"No. Don't feel too good either," Olivia mumbled as she dropped into the chair beside her boyfriend. "This wind's got me feeling all...frazzled."

Eddie pressed the back of his hand to her forehead and quirked his brow. "You're feeling a little warm." She batted him away with an eye roll. "What? You do!"

"We can handle the rest of shift if you're not feeling up for it," Bobby cast a concerned gaze upon the woman.

"I can handle it," she shrugged. "What were we talking about?"

"Chimney's going on about the Murder House we got called to a few nights ago," Hen explained. "He's fixated on it. Don't know why."

"Because I'm convinced a murder didn't happen there."

"Then why do they call it a Murder House?" Olivia tilted her head.

"You two spend too much time together, you know?" Chimney narrowed his eyes at the couple.

"Oh...look who's up," Hen sat up against the chair and smiled as Buck joined the group. "Couldn't sleep either, huh?"

"Who can sleep when there's cars driving unannounced into the building?" Buck retorted.

"Would you prefer an announcement?" Eddie quipped.

"I would."

"Why don't you have a nightcap?" Bobby suggested.

"Uh, yeah, sure."

"Sun should be coming up any time now. More like a 'daycap', Cap," Chimney clinked his mug against Bobby's with a grin.

Olivia bit back a snort. "God, you're so corny."

"Hot chocolate," Hen offered the cup to Buck. "Warm beverage will make you feel sleepy. The tryptophan in the milk."

"I made it with oat milk."

"Close enough. Just go with it."

"I feel like the wind makes my skin itch."

"It's the ions in the air," Hen enlightened. Buck and Eddie shot her a confused look and she scoffed. "It's a thing."

"Everything okay, Cap?"

"You smell that."

Olivia scrunched her nose just as the bells rang. "Fire."

✶❤︎✶❤︎

The glow from the television lit up the hallway, Olivia rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she stumbled her way down and headed for the living room. She found Eddie seated in front of the couch with the headset over his ears while he furiously moved his thumbs on the controller.

He looked away from the television, moving the headset slightly above his ear, and quirked his brow with a small smile. "You caught me."

"I thought you bought this game for the kids," Olivia recalled a few days prior when he came home with a bag from Gamestop, elated with his most recent purchase and going on about how the boys would love the game.

"At first, yeah. But now Kai's into Madden and Christopher likes Call of Duty. Apparently they don't like Undisputed." He patted the space beside him. "Feeling any better? I left out some medication for you in the bathroom."

"I took it." Olivia curled up against his side, suppressing a yawn. "Still don't feel too good. Can't sleep but my body feels so...fatigued."

"I'm sorry," Eddie tore his eyes away from the television to kiss her temple. "I know you're not feeling well but there's pizza in the kitchen if you want it. Might make you feel a little better if you eat something."

Olivia nodded and groaned as she pulled herself off the ground and walked over to the kitchen to grab a slice of pizza. She opened the box and noticed half of it was gone, Eddie's doing.

Rather than dirtying up a clean dish, she grabbed the box and waltzed back over to the living room as she munched on a slice.

"The whole box, really?"

"It's only fair," she spoke, through chews of the cheesy-goodness. "You nearly ate the whole thing."

"I made sure to save you a few." He eyed the half-eaten slice in her hand with a curious gaze, she ignored his stare and kept chewing on the slice of pizza.

"Ooh, I forgot to tell you, Tyler and his girlfriend broke up."

"Who dumped who?" Eddie suspiciously narrowed his eyes at the tv screen.

"Seemed mutual. Eve wanted kids, Tyler didn't so they split up."

"He doesn't want kids? But he's a father..."

"He doesn't want more," Olivia elaborated. "He obviously loves Kai but can't see himself bringing another child into this world. He was willing to marry her though, she just wanted to be a mom."

"Sucks but breakups happen."

"Wow, Eddie, you are so empathetic."

"I should show empathy towards the guy?" He scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"Okay. Relax. I didn't tell you so you could get all worked up," she abandoned the box of pizza on the coffee table and rubbed his shoulders with a soft giggle. "I told you because it's juicy gossip and I tell you everything."

"If you tell me everything, will you tell me why you and Buck aren't speaking?"

"Nice try."

Nearly forty-five minutes later, Eddie found himself in the same spot he had been in for hours. Olivia had moved to their bedroom to "watch her shows" but based on the fact that she hadn't come back out nor had he heard any movement from her, he was sure she had fallen fast asleep.

A buzzing noise snapped him out of the current mission he was playing on the screen and he moved the headset, picking up his phone and sliding his thumb across the screen. "Yo!" He winced, too aware of the light sleepers he had under their roof.

"Hey, man, you're on with me, Hen, and Chim," Buck's voice took over the speaker.

"Looks like the winds got us all tonight," Eddie quipped.

Hen hopped on, "Well, I wouldn't give too much credit to the wind. Chimney's obsessed about a house, I'm worried about my kid, and Buck's..."

"Before I announce my news...Liv isn't around, is she?"

Eddie curiously narrowed his eyes at the phone. "Uh, no. She's asleep."

"Okay, well, I have officially decided not to be a sperm donor," Buck admitted. "I know the whole Age of Absolutely thing means to say yes to everything but certain things made me reconsider."

"Woah, woah, you said no?" Hen sat up against the couch, phone to her ear and shock written all over her face. "What happened?"

"I-I don't know."

Chimney furrowed his brows."Uh, so is this a good thing or..."

"Yeah, I-I think so."

"Okay, well, congratulations on not being a sperm donor! Wait. Do we congratulate you?"

"I don't know. It feels weird," Eddie spoke up.

"Not sure what to say," Chimney admitted. "What's the etiquette for this?"

"I'm still stuck on you saying no," Hen spoke over the line again, confused. "Last I checked you were a firm yes. What happened?"

"T-Things happened, okay?" Buck huffed. "Should we, uh, check in on Bobby? See what he thinks about all of this? You guys think he's still awake?"

"Pretty sure after the day he had, he ain't sleeping."

"Well, hang on."

Hen clicked on his contact to add him to the call but to no avail, he didn't pick up. The conversation went on for a while before Eddie realized how late — or early, it truly was.

He checked the time on his watch and sighed. "Okay, guys, the boys are going to be up in an hour, and Liv still doesn't feel too good, so I'm on drop-off duty. I'm going to try to get in a nap. See you guys tomorrow."

"Alright. Tell Liv we hope she feels better."

"See ya."

Reluctantly, Eddie switched off the game console and glanced at the pizza box which was now empty. He decided to he would clean up the small mess when time allowed before dragging his feet down the hall and plopping down on the bed.

Olivia felt his side of the bed dip and rolled over, throwing her arm across his torso. "Finally." Eddie's chest rumbled with a laugh and he pecked her head, wrapping his arms securely around her body. "Night, babe."

"Good night...morning, technically."

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authors note

-i know I'm not the only one who completely despised the sperm donor storyline🫣 this storyline did not contribute anything to buck and since I wasn't a fan of it, I decided to get rid of it!

-Hope you all enjoyed the chapter!