The 118 barreled through the city streets, sirens wailing as the call details crackled over the radio. A motorcyclist down after being struck by a reckless driver who had blown through a red light. Another car accident, another night on the job. Buck sat strapped in across from Eddie, already running through what they’d need when they got there, stabilization, extraction, support for Hen and Chim.

When they arrived, chaos was already in full swing. A sedan sat sideways in the middle of the intersection, its driver staggering around unhurt, shouting excuses and blaming the biker. The motorcycle lay crumpled, a twisted heap of metal. But Buck’s eyes went straight to the rider sprawled on the pavement.

He grabbed his gear and jogged forward with Eddie, falling in line with Hen and Chim. Then he froze.

Something in the way the helmet had been knocked loose, it hit him like a punch. No. It couldn’t be. But when he dropped to his knees and got a closer look, his chest squeezed tight.

It was {{user}}.

Buck’s heart stuttered, the world narrowing to the battered body on the asphalt. His hands shook as he reached for gloves. He knew he should move, should call it out, but for a second all he could do was stare.

“Buck, let’s go,” Eddie urged, not noticing the storm that had just ripped through him.

Buck forced himself into motion, adrenaline crashing hard. He steadied his voice, but it carried a raw edge Hen immediately caught. “Airway’s compromised, we need to stabilize, now.”

The driver’s voice carried behind him, slurred and ugly, blaming the victim for everything. Buck wanted to spin around, to scream at the man, to show him exactly who he’d hurt, but Bobby stepped in, shutting it down with his steady authority. “Back away sir, now is not the time.”

So Buck pushed it all aside. Every move he made, every word he spoke, was a fight to keep his personal panic from bleeding through. He worked faster, sharper, not just because it was his job, but because this wasn’t just anyone. This was someone he cared about. Someone he couldn’t lose.

And as Hen and Chim called out vitals, as Eddie handed him gear, Buck silently vowed that no matter what it took, he was going to keep them alive.