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The call came just as Bobby was finishing his dinner. The firehouse was quiet, the others either out on a call or in the bunkroom. When his phone buzzed on the counter, he assumed it was Athena or maybe a member of his team checking in, so he didn’t even check before he accepted the call.”Hello?” He said, holding the phone between his cheek and shoulder.An unfamiliar voice responded. “Good afternoon. Is this Robert Nash?”“Yes, this is Captain Nash,” Bobby replied, his brow furrowing.“This is Tanya Allister from First Presbyterian’s Emergency Department. You’re listed as the emergency contact for Evan Buckley?”Bobby’s heart dropped. “What happened? Is he okay?”“He’s stable, but he was brought in earlier with self-inflicted injuries,” the nurse said carefully. “We need you to come down and sign off for a 72 hour hold. We’ll be admitting him.”Bobby froze, the words hitting him like a punch to the chest. Self-inflicted injuries. The room suddenly felt smaller, his breath caught in his throat, his lips felt numb.“I’ll be there as soon as I can,” he managed before hanging up.The drive to the hospital was a blur, Bobby’s mind racing with questions he didn’t have answers to. He hadn’t spoken to Buck much since the lawsuit, hadn’t really been there for him the way he should have. He’d told himself it was to protect Buck, to give him time to adjust after everything that had happened. But now, as guilt churned in his stomach, Bobby wondered if his distance had done more harm than good.When he arrived at the hospital, the nurse at the desk directed him to Buck’s room. The walk down the corridor felt like it took an eternity. When he finally stepped inside, the sight of Buck sitting on the bed, with his left arm heavily bandaged, made his chest ache. An older man was sitting in a chair by the door reading a book. He nodded as he stood up, closing his book. “I’ll be in the hallway. Please let me know if you’re going to leave. He needs someone to sit with him until he’s admitted.”Buck flinched, but didn’t look up at first. When he did, his expression was a mix of shame and exhaustion. His eyes were red rimmed and the dark circles of exhaustion seemed to stand out in stark contrast to his pale face.“Bobby?” he asked quietly, his voice raw.“The hospital called me,” Bobby said, stepping closer but stopping a few feet away. “They said you… hurt yourself.”Buck looked down at his hands, his shoulders slumping. “I wasn’t trying to… you know,” he said softly, his voice barely audible. “I just… I didn’t know how else to make it stop.”Bobby’s brow furrowed. “Make what stop, Buck?”Buck hesitated, his hands fidgeting in his lap, picking at the skin around his fingernails. Bobby ached to put his hands over Buck’s, to stop the fidgeting.“The noise,” he finally said, his voice cracking. “The feeling that I’m not enough. That I’ll never be enough.” He looked up at Bobby, tears welling in his eyes. “You benched me, Bobby. You don’t trust me anymore, do you? You don’t want me. No one ever does. I’m too much. Too exhausting.”Bobby’s heart broke at the pain in Buck’s voice. He pulled a chair closer to the bed and sat down, leaning forward.“Buck, it was never about trust,” he said, his voice thick with emotion. “I’ve been keeping you benched because I was scared. Scared that if I let you go back out there, something would happen, and I’d lose you.” He shook his head, tears brimming in his own eyes. “I thought I was protecting you, but all I was doing was pushing you away. I didn’t realize how much I was hurting you.”Buck wiped at his face, his tears falling freely now. “I didn’t know how to tell you,” he admitted. “I didn’t want to let you down.”“You could never let me down,” Bobby said firmly. “Buck, you’re one of the strongest, bravest people I know. And I am so sorry that I made you feel like you weren’t.”For a moment, neither of them spoke, the weight of the conversation settling between them. Then Bobby reached out, placing a hand on Buck’s shoulder and squeezing gently.“You don’t have to go through this alone,” he said softly. “We’re going to get you the help you need, and I’m going to be there every step of the way. I promise.” He gave a wet laugh and rubbed his other hand over his face.Buck nodded, his throat too tight to speak, but the small, hesitant smile that followed told Bobby he was starting to believe him.Bobby gave another wet laugh suddenly. “I just realized that I walked out on my shift without telling anyone.”Buck cracked another smile. It was small, but it was genuine.For the first time in a long time, Bobby felt like he was finally doing right by Buck. It wasn’t too late to fix this—not as long as they faced it together.