"911, what's your emergency?"

"I'm at 1832 Bryson Avenue. There's an adult male with multiple stab wounds to his torso!" JJ shouted into the phone, her breathing laboured.

"Need medical and police response!" Buck yelled when he noticed his daughter freaking out. "Okay, can I get your names?" JJ took a shaky breath. "Juniper and Evan Buckley. My Dad's a firefighter with the 118." She hiccuped, tears streaming down her face.

Buck looked at her as he took his jacket off, using it to apply more pressure.

"Buck, JJ?" JJ now recognised the operator's voice as Josh, Maddie's friend. "Yeah, the-the victim is Howard Han." She placed the phone on the floor next to Buck, so he could explain Chimney's state.

JJ paced as Buck spoke to Josh. Tears ran down her face as she hyperventilated. Who would do this? Why would someone do this? Then she suddenly remembered something.

Maddie.

Buck seemed to have the same thought because his head shot up to lock eyes with JJ after Chimney mumbled something. "Aunt Maddie!" JJ shouted as she ran into the house.

She ran upstairs, shouting her aunt's name. Nothing. She then ran back downstairs, her breathing worse than before. Panic shot through her veins. Still no sign of Maddie.

"She-She's not here!" She yelled loud enough for the people outside to hear her. "She's gone." She whispered to herself, pulling on her hair.

She turned around, looking for any sign that her Aunt had been home, or hurt. "No." She mumbled, her eyes locked onto Maddie's phone and keys.

Maddie hadn't left by choice. And JJ knew who was to blame.

She knew about Maddie's ex-husband, and that he was the reason her Aunt came to LA. They hadn't told her much about the situation, but she wasn't stupid, she connected the dots.

All she and Buck came here to do was pick up a few books that Maddie had found at the store for JJ. Now, JJ stared at the books in front of her on the table. She let out a frustrated cry, pulling at her hair once again.

"He found her." She told her Dad when he walked through the front door.

"It was Doug. Doug Kendall. He told Maddie he would kill her if she left him. He did this." Buck told the detective. "You said he lives in Pennsylvania. He know she was here?" The detective replied. "No, she-she..."

"She was filing for divorce," Athena spoke up, her arms wrapped around a shaking JJ. "That could have put her back on his radar." The detective nodded.

"Well, we'll take a look at him, but before your friend lost consciousness he said he was attacked by a Jason Bailey. Any of you know who that is?"

Buck was at a loss for words, so JJ replied. "I know he had a new friend. Some guy he was playing pool with, he told me at dinner the other night. We never met him, but it could've been him. He got close to him so that he could get close to my Aunt." The detective sighed, clearly not believing a word she said.

"Chimney's phone is right there. You know, check it for yourself." Buck agreed with his daughter. "Phone's locked. Can't open it without the victim's consent." Buck looked around, frustration and fear bubbled inside of him.

"They'll subpoena his phone records, but it'll take time." Athena tried to soothe him. "Well, Maddie doesn't have time, okay?!" JJ flinched from under Athena's arm. "Doug did this!" Buck lowered his voice at his daughter's reaction.

"He almost killed Chimney, and... and he could, he could kill her next." He cried, rubbing a hand down his face. "But he didn't," Bobby stated. "Bobby..."

"Maybe you're right. It's Doug. And he found out where Maddie was, and he came here and he hurt Chimney, but Maddie's not here, and if all he wanted to do was kill her..." Bobby trailed on.

"Then we would have found her, too," JJ spoke up, still clinging to Athena's side.

"And you didn't." Bobby turned to look at JJ before turning back to face Buck. "She was alive when he took her, and that's what we're gonna hold onto right now." Bobby patted his arm.

"Um... Can I, Can I change my shirt? I think I left one here a few days ago." The detective nodded. "Fine, just don't touch anything. And bag his shirt when he's done." He walked away.

JJ looked down at her white shirt and jeans, whimpering over the blood that stained them. When she had noticed Chimney, before Buck, she had immediately ran to him, sitting on the floor to check his pulse, getting covered in his blood in the process.

"It's okay, baby." Athena took off her jacket, hanging it around JJ's shoulders before guiding her to the car.

JJ sat in the back of Athena's car as she listened to Athena, Bobby and the detective talk.

"Athena, we have to prepare them-" She quickly stopped him. "We're not there yet." She stated. "You don't think you're gonna find her alive." Bobby realised.

"The most dangerous time for a woman in these situations: when she leaves," Athena told him. "Maddie knew that. That's why she was in hiding. But if it's him..."

"Those scenarios usually don't come with a happy ending."

When JJ, Buck and Bobby arrived at the hospital, Buck headed straight for Chimney, whilst Bobby and JJ went to sit with Eddie and Hen, who were in the waiting room for Chimney.

"Jay?" Eddie's eyes widened at the sight of her.

Her jeans were covered in blood, her hair was tangled from where she had pulled on it, and her face was red and blotchy from the tears.

"Eddie." She cried, letting him pull her into his embrace.

They stayed like that for a while, that was until Athena called them over, telling them the trouble Buck had found himself in.

JJ had been given some clean sweatpants from the lost and found, but she still looked like shit.

"So... that was a bold move," JJ mumbled to her father as she and Eddie sat down either side of him. "Yeah, yeah, I know. I already got an earful from Athena." JJ sighed, leaning into his side, worry eating up her insides.

"I know what you were thinking. I got sisters, too. Still not sure how you thought you were getting away with it, though." Eddie chuckled. "I wasn't worried about that."

"The police have all these rules, you know? Rules that are gonna get Maddie killed. But-but I'm a civilian." He whispered, out of earshot of Bobby and Athena. "Those rules, they don't apply to me, right?" JJ shook her head.

"Says the one in hospital jail." She mumbled. Eddie shot her a look, making her get up to stand with Bobby and Athena, her hands still shaking.

Every time she blinked, she saw Chimney on the floor, covered in his blood.

"I spoke with Detective Marks," Athena told them after Buck and Eddie had finished their conversation. "He's not happy with you." She told Buck. "I-I- just..." Athena interrupted him.

"Yeah, you broke chain of custody. You unlocked Chimney's phone without his permission. Mark's can't use any of it." Buck hung his head.

"I'm sorry. Okay? I was trying to help." He explained, eyes red from tears. "Okay. Let's go. The car's out front." She told him. "You're arresting him?" JJ asked, playing with her hands as she stood in front of Athena. "Not yet. But the night's still young." She began walking away.

Buck looked at his daughter, who raised her brows at him, a signal telling him to follow Athena. "Uh, wh-where are we going?" Buck rushed after Athena, Bobby and JJ following behind him. "To find your sister. If Doug is Jason, this phone is how we find him. But we gonna need a little help."

"I thought you said we couldn't use the phone." Buck gave her a confused look. "I said Marks couldn't use it. This isn't my case. I'm just a concerned friend of the victim." Buck caught on, giving a small grateful smile. "Thank you." The two started walking away.

"Dad." JJ's voice stopped them. Buck rushed into her arms, his hand laying on the back of her head. "Be safe." She mumbled into his jacket. "Bring Maddie home." He nodded into her hair.

Once they pulled away, Bobby spoke up. "Here are the ground rules: You don't leave her sight, you don't lie, you don't withhold any information from her, you don't break the law, and you don't do anything that's gonna force her into early retirement. And you come home safe to your kid. You got it?" Buck nodded. "You got it, Cap."

It was now the next morning, and JJ, Eddie, Hen and a few members of the 118 sat talking about Chimney, trying to lighten the mood.

Most of them left last night, leaving JJ, Eddie and Hen, but then they'd returned the next morning, staying to support their team.

JJ hadn't slept, she just sat in the same position, staring at the wall in front of her. She joined the conversation a few times, telling some funny stories of Chimney, but nothing else.

She hated hospitals.

"So, Chimney goes online to one of those internet forums for new mothers. They all give him advice. "Skin-to-skin contact works best." "No, the sound of a vacuum cleaner." "A cool breeze is soothing," Hen told them.

"A vacuum to stop a baby crying? I missed out on all this. Which one did he go with?" Eddie asked. "All of them." Everyone chuckled.

"We come home and find him asleep, shirtless, on the floor with Denny on top of him, a fan blowing at them, and the vacuum cleaner running in the corner." Everyone laughed once again. "Wow, uh, he went all out, huh?" Eddie said.

"That's Chimney for you," JJ spoke up for the first time in hours.

"Hey hey." Michael and Harry entered the waiting room, arms full of bags. "Hey." Everyone, minus JJ, stood up to greet them. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Oh, Harry and I were out. I needed to get some coffee, then we thought you guys probably need some, too." Michael explained, greeting Eddie, as they hadn't met yet.

"How is she?" Michael whispered to Eddie and Hen, nodding his head at JJ, who was still staring off into space.

Michael and JJ were close, maybe not as close as Athena and JJ, but Michael treated JJ like a daughter, he loved her like one.

"Not so good. We tried to get her to eat but she won't move." Eddie sighed, his eyes glued to JJ.

"Was she checked out for shock?" He asked, getting nods. "Yeah, the doctor said she's not in shock, she's just over-stressed."

Eddie sat in his spot next to JJ, trying to get her to move out of her spot. "Jay." He mumbled, placing his hand on her knee. She turned to look at him, but her face was blank of any emotion.

"Do you want me to call Sophia?" JJ's eyes quickly met his. "No. Don't bother her, she has enough to deal with." JJ's voice was hoarse after hours of not speaking. "Okay."

"I want to go and see Chimney."

Before she left to see Chimney, Shannon and Chris showed up. The presence of Christopher made JJ feel better, which is why she was sneaking him in with her.

"Hi, Chimney," Chris spoke when the man woke up. "Hey." He and JJ locked eyes, but she didn't speak. Tears gathered in her eyes at the sight of him like this. It felt like last year all over again.

"I heard you had another surgery," Chris said. "Yeah. I guess I'm catching up with you." He replied, his voice dry.

"Hey, you're awake." Bobby walked into the room. "Looks like you got your first visitors." He nodded towards JJ and Chris. "Your dad know she snuck you in here?" He asked Chris, who shrugged innocently. "I'm gonna say no." Bobby laughed, looking at Eddie who stood in the doorway.

"Welcome back, man." Eddie enthusiastically greeted, smiling at his friend.

JJ leaned over to leave a soft kiss on Chimney's forehead before following the Diaz boys out of the room.

JJ felt lighter after knowing Chimney was alive and well, but her hands were still shaking.

She kept them tucked into her pockets so nobody would notice that they hadn't stopped shaking since last night.

"You feeling better?" Eddie questioned, wrapping his arm around her. "Yeah, but I'll feel better when I know my Aunt is alive." He sighed, pulling her closer. "I know kid."

JJ and Chris sat side by side in the waiting room, eating the pizza that Shannon had brought. Once the shock had worn off, she realised how hungry she was. 

Chris sat leaned up against her side, rambling on about his day with his mom. JJ joined in now and then, but just listening to the boy talk calmed her, and he seemed to realise that too, because he didn't stop talking.

Eddie and Shannon watched them from across the room, Shannon was watching Chris with a smile, but Eddie's eyes were focused on JJ. His eyebrows were furrowed with worry.

"You really care about them don't you?" Shannon said. "What?" Eddie asked. "Juniper and her Dad. Buck? Was it?" Eddie nodded. "Yeah, I do."

Shannon frowned, a knowing look on her face that Eddie didn't catch. Maybe Eddie had moved on.

Bobby walked back into the waiting room with his phone in his hand, a calm look on his face. "Buck called." Everyone stood up. "Is she..." JJ asked. "She's alive. She's pretty banged up, but she's going to be fine." JJ let out a cry of relief, hugging Hen tightly.

"Maddie's going to get patched up at the closest hospital to them, and then she'll be transferred here," Bobby informed them. "Go home everyone, It's been a long two days."

Everyone, minus JJ, Bobby and Eddie, left the hospital, all going back home to sleep, Hen told them to tell Chimney she'll be back tomorrow.

"She's okay. They're both okay." JJ sniffled, a chuckle leaving her lips. "They're okay," Eddie told her.

She soon fell asleep in Eddie's lap, his hand stroking her hair. She was in such a deep sleep that she didn't notice her father and Maddie had arrived.

Maddie was taken straight to a room, telling her brother to go home. He promised they'd be back tomorrow, leaving her with a kiss on the head.

"JJ," Buck mumbled, crouched in front of her sleeping frame. The girl let out a groan, sitting up from Eddie's lap. "Dad?" She mumbled. "Yeah, come on, let's go home." He told her, helping her stand up.

"Maddie?" She asked groggily. "She's fine, she's asleep in her room. We'll see her tomorrow." JJ agreed, following him to the parking lot.

Eddie drove the Buckley's home, telling Buck to make sure she ate before sleeping again.

"Thank you for staying with her." Buck pulled Eddie in for a hug, the two staying there longer than they should. "We're family," Eddie replied.

LUCE SPEAKS //

this chapter was a rollercoaster to write.

but i hope u enjoy 🤞🏼

i didnt preread soo if there's mistakes then deal with them.