Work Text:
TK stood near the engine, watching as Paul and Mateo polished out a scratch from a callout, buffing it out carefully.
“That’s never gonna come out guys,” said Marjan, coming over and handing TK a bottle of water. Their last callout had been crazy, and the team were all grateful for some down time to sort themselves out, get everything back in working order.
“It better. Judd’s never gonna let me live it down if it doesn’t,” replied Mateo desperately, polishing it viciously.
“Hey, when does Captain Strand get back? I thought he was on shift today,” remarked Paul, glancing between TK and Mateo.
“He was supposed to be back this morning, but I haven’t really heard from him, and I knew he’d asked Judd to cover this shift, and he’ll take over the next one. I’m not sure, I thought I would have heard from him by now,” answered TK, pulling out his phone to glance at it. Nothing from his father had come through, but Owen wasn’t the greatest at responding to text messages, or even sending them in the first place, so TK wasn’t too worried.
“Hey, Carlos! I thought you were on shift. You here for my famous rigatoni?” asked Paul, spotting Carlos as he walked into the station. TK straightened up, unfolding his arms as he spotted a second officer and Major Reyes not far behind them.
“No, but thanks for the offer. TK, can—can we talk?” asked Carlos quietly. TK nodded, a pit of dread dropping into his stomach, and he led the two officers and the Rangers upstairs to the Captain’s office, where Judd was filling in paperwork.
“Hey, T—” Judd glanced up, realizing there was a small group entering the office space, and he set aside the paperwork he’d been trying to get through for over an hour. “Officer Reyes, Mitchell. Major Reyes. How can I help you today?” asked Judd politely.
“We need to speak with TK. Can we borrow your office, please?” asked Gabriel.
“No, Judd can stay. He’s like my brother, and he’s the Captain on duty, he can stay. What’s going on?” asked TK, taking a seat on one of the chairs in Owen’s office, knees bouncing nervously. Carlos glanced at his father, swallowing nervously before taking a seat across from TK.
“TK, I—I am so sorry. One of the rangers found your father’s car on the outskirts of town, and—”
“No, no, please, Carlos,” pleaded TK, his eyes welling with tears.
“Given the amount of blood found on the scene and the state of the car, we believe that Owen Strand was killed in a motor vehicle accident this morning, sometime before ten o’clock,” added Mitchell. TK shook his head, swiping away tears from his cheeks.
“No, he can’t be. He was on his way home from Dallas, he was fine!” exclaimed TK.
“TK, I am so sorry,” apologized Carlos softly. TK let out a moan like a wounded animal, sliding off the chair into a crumpled heap on the floor, sobbing as his heart broke for his father, the loss of someone in his life, and the grief in the room was overwhelming. TK barely heard Judd and Officer Mitchell leave the room, before it was only Carlos, Gabriel and himself left in the glass walled office.
“I am very sorry for your loss, TK. Owen Strand was an excellent man, and he will be missed,” said Gabriel quietly. Carlos kneeled on the floor, and wrapped his arms around TK as he lurched up against Carlos, holding him tightly and sobbing into his shoulder, almost hysterical as he tried to take in what had happened. Carlos just held him, ignoring the ache in his knees from the hardwood floors, running a hand up and down his back to try and reassure his boyfriend. TK faintly heard the reaction of the 126 down in the main garage, Marjan demanding answers from Judd, before burying his head against Carlos.
“I can’t do this,” he sobbed thickly.
“We’re here for you, we can help. I’m finishing up my shift early, can I take you home?” asked Carlos gently. TK nodded against Carlos’ shoulder, and allowed Gabriel to help him upright, giving Carlos the chance to stand. Gabriel pulled TK close, wrapping his arms around him.
“I’m sorry, mijo. I do not wish this news on anyone,” whispered Gabriel. TK hugged him back, the smell of his cologne almost comforting, before he found himself wishing for Carlos again. He released Gabriel and trailed after Carlos, taking his hand and holding it tightly, ignoring everything else around him, just focused on putting one foot in front of the other.
Owen Strand was gone.
And TK didn’t know how he’d go on.
TK found himself at the Reyes ranch a few hours later, bundled in a comfortable pair of Carlos’ sweats and an old APD academy shirt, a quilt wrapped around him as Andrea gave him a bowl of warm soup.
“I know you don’t feel like eating, but you need to keep up your strength,” she said softly. TK didn’t even react to her, his eyes spilling over with tears again, leaning forward and placing the bowl on the table before falling sideways against Carlos, holding his shirt in his hands as he started crying again. Carlos was an anchor in the emotional storm, a safe waypoint for TK, to guide him out of this because he didn’t know what to do, or how it had even happened. He’d only spoken to Owen the night before, and everything seemed fine, and no-one could explain to him what had even happened, how Owen’s hire car had been found smashed into a bank of trees, far from the road, a pool of blood nearby, too much for anyone to have lived, and the lack of answers made TK feel worse.
After a few forced mouthfuls of Andrea’s soup, TK eventually begged off, unable to eat any more for fear of being sick, and Carlos had helped him to his old room, a massive double bed in the room with a blanket turned down. Carlos got TK in bed before stripping his own shirt off and getting into bed and spooning him, feeling him shake with the sobs, the thick grief a heavy weight on his boyfriend, and Carlos wished he knew how to fix it, what he could do to help TK. He held him close, whispering in his ear in gentle Spanish, quiet phrases telling TK it was okay, that he’d always be there for him. After a while Carlos felt him go lax, having cried himself to sleep, and his own heart broke and shattered as he realized how much TK had to have been hurting. He hadn’t seen TK as upset as he was since he’d revealed to Carlos that Gwyn’s baby wasn’t Owen’s, it was Enzo’s, and TK was devastated for what might happen to his half sibling, given the way his mother had flitted between the two men, dangling the promise of a child between them.
TK had been doing better since then, even after his angry outburst at the fire station the day he’d come down to tell him that Owen had been arrested by the rangers. It had hurt, TK shoving him away, fighting him, earning himself a bruise on his chest, positive he’d hurt TK too. They’d talked it about it later, discussing that it wasn’t right to react the way he had, aggressively and physically, and TK had agreed to bring it up with his psychologist, to discuss his coping mechanisms, how he could have handled it better, and Carlos was pleased with how TK had started talking to him when they had a problem, using his words rather than his fists, calmer discussions rather than the angry ones they’d had in the past where TK had shut down.
He didn’t know how they’d make it through this, though. Owen dying was something he thought they’d avoided after he’d survived cancer treatment and a major surgery. He didn’t know how he’d even help.
“Carlitos, you need to get up,” said his mother urgently. Carlos struggled to open his eyes, feeling like he’d only just drifted off, his mother’s frame silhouetted in the doorway by the light from the hallway. He glanced at the window, noting it was still pitch black outside, and assumed it was either very late at night or quite early in the morning.
“What is it?” asked Carlos blearily, scrubbing his eyes to try and wake up.
“EMS are on their way, you need to wake up TK.”
Carlos sat up in bed at the mention of EMS, and frowned at his mother. “EMS are coming? What happened? Is Dad okay?”
“Your father is fine. TK’s is not.” Andrea left, and Carlos shook TK awake, feeling bad that he’d had to wake up his boyfriend after he’d only just fallen asleep.
“Hmm?”
“TK, you need to get up, something’s happened,” said Carlos, sliding out of his bed and grabbing a nearby shirt to pull on over his bare chest.
“What? Is everything okay?” asked TK, sitting up lethargically.
“I don’t know, but EMS is coming, you need to get up, please,” said Carlos. TK finally caught onto the urgency in Carlos’ tone, and flipped the covers back, swinging his feet around and getting out of bed. He padded down the hallways behind Carlos, running a hand through his hair and yawning, feeling like he’d run a marathon before going to sleep, his whole body aching. Carlos turned a corner into the living room, dropping to his knees next to Gabriel, and TK paused in the doorway, the scene before him feeling surreal.
“Dad?” he rasped, a hand against the wall to stop himself from falling over. Owen was on the floor, covered in blood and bruises, every breath catching as he tried to inhale evenly, face pinched in pain.
“TK,” Owen breathed, and TK surged forward, falling to his knees and crawling over to Owen.
“Dad, what happened? The Rangers and APD reported you as dead!” exclaimed TK, and Carlos could already hear the hysterical color TK’s voice was taking on.
“Rumors of my…death have been… greatly exaggerated,” replied Owen, his voice halting. Andrea returned with a first aid kit, and TK flipped it open, pulling out gauze pads and pressing them on some of the wounds he could see.
“God, Dad, how did you even get here?”
“Walked. It’s not that far,” replied Owen, coughing a little, a hand stealing to his ribs.
“It’s far enough from where your car was found, sir,” replied Carlos.
“9-1-1 said they’re sending a crew, and Grace said she’d tell Judd, let him know what was going on,” reported Andrea.
“Okay, Dad, I’m gonna check you over, see what we’re working with,” decided TK.
“Can already tell you,” replied Owen, eyes drifting closed.
“No, don’t close your eyes. Tell me if I got it right,” said TK, starting his head to toe assessment. “Head wound, possible concussion. Looks like you have some facial bruising too, maybe a broken nose, I’m not sure. Clavicle feels out of place, maybe a steering wheel injury, though not sure. Both wrists appear swollen, possible breaks for both. Chest feels like there may be some ribs broken, no flail injury though, and no sign of pneumothorax. Possible internal bleeding, but I can’t tell, and looks like you’ve done some damage to your legs, but I can’t tell until we cut off your pants,” explained TK. “How close am I?”
“Pretty close,” replied Owen weakly. “I hurt,” admitted Owen.
“I bet you do. You’ll have to tell us how you got out of that,” said Gabriel warmly. Andrea got up as a sharp rap echoed through the house from the front door, and she let in the EMS crew from the 130.
“Captain Strand?” asked the paramedic Captain, Daniel de Luca, looking shocked.
“The one and the same,” coughed Owen.
“We heard… never mind. Lucy, grab the gurney from the rig, Kelly, get in there and start assessing.”
The rest of the morning passed by in a haze, one that TK could barely remember as his father was taken to hospital, word coming back that he’d become critical on the ride across to Memorial, red-lined straight to surgery once they got there, and TK could feel his anxiety ratcheting up with every hour that passed, pacing the floor in the waiting room.
He couldn’t lose Owen again.
He wrung his hands together nervously, watching the clock before resuming his circuit around the waiting area, Carlos and Judd sitting next to each other on one side, Andrea and Gabriel on chairs adjacent to them. Carlos had tried to convince TK to sit down after the third hour, but TK had snapped at him before welling into tears, apologetic, and Carlos had allowed it. The situation was complex, and he wasn’t sure he would have handled it much better than TK was currently doing. He sat on his phone, glancing up to check on TK every few minutes while texting the group chat with Marjan, Mateo, Nancy and Paul in it, keeping them updated on the situation.
He needed there to be good news, for TK’s sake.
After six hours of waiting, hoping, praying, a doctor finally came out to see them. “Family of Owen Strand?”
“Yeah, that’s me, but you can tell them too,” said TK jerkily as Carlos, Judd, Andrea and Gabriel stood up to join him. Carlos could feel the anxiety rippling off TK’s skin, the obvious tension in how he held himself, preparing for the worst possible outcome. He put a hand on TK’s shoulder, squeezing gently, reassuring that he was still there for him, no matter what happened.
“How did he go, Doc?” asked Judd gruffly.
“He pulled through surgery, and we’re confident he’s going to make a full recovery. It was bit touch and go there, but he’s pulled through wonderfully. He’ll stay here for a while as he recovers, but he should be up and about in six to eight weeks.” TK lost the rest of the doctors words in the static haze that filled his head, the relief flooding through his body and making him light-headed. He staggered slightly, trying to maintain his balance before his body decided it had endure enough for the day, and TK crumpled to the floor before Carlos could even catch him.
“Oh!” The doctor surged forward and joined Carlos next to TK, pulling out a penlight and checking his pupils. “Still responsive, just… what happened?” he asked, glancing around the group.
“Owen Strand was reported as dead yesterday afternoon,” explained Carlos.
“Wait, the man we just saved in surgery?” asked the doctor.
“The one and the same. We found his hire car wrapped around a tree, and a massive pool of blood nearby, and the investigators decided no one could live having lost that amount of blood,” added Gabriel.
“Well, he seems dehydrated, though that could be from the crying. I’ll get one of the ER nurses to come and get him, and we’ll get him on a drip and monitor him. It could just be the emotional toll, given what he’s been through, and his body has just decided to shut down instead, but we’ll get some tests anyway to double check,” the doctor decided. He stood up, crossing the room and talking to the nurses on duty, before disappearing. He returned a few moments later with a pair of nurses and a gurney, and between Judd, Carlos, Gabriel and the doctor, they got TK up onto the gurney before wheeling him away.
“Wait, Judd, can you stay with Captain Strand?” asked Carlos.
“Of course. Let me know how TK goes!”
“I’ll stay with Judson, Carlitos, and your father can go with you. I don’t want to overwhelm poor TK,” said Andrea softly.
“Thank you, Mami.” Carlos embraced his mother briefly before trailing after the doctor and nurses, Gabriel hot on his heels. TK was taken in an elevator down to the ER floor, handed over to a kind nurse named Jamie.
“Hey, I hear he collapsed in the surgical waiting room?” he asked, jotting down notes on an iPad.
“Yeah. He’s had a rough day,” explained Carlos, moving to stand near TK’s head and running his hand through TK’s hair.
“Sounds like it, Gemma just walked me through what was going on. I’m just going to start him on some fluids, get a blood draw to check for anything else, but I’d say he’s just exhausted and dehydrated,” explained Jamie.
“Probably. He found out his father had died, and then he showed up in the middle of the night at our house, not dead, and I think it’s been a lot,” admitted Carlos.
“It definitely sounds like it. Let’s get him set up and see if he improves.”
When TK came around, he woke to Carlos resting his head on the edge of his bed, Gabriel sitting on a chair in the corner, head tilted back as he slept, snoring a little. TK felt his heart drop, and he choked back a sudden sob, Carlos waking up suddenly, head shooting up.
“TK, you’re awake,” he breathed.
“It wasn’t true, was it,” TK replied, swiping away tears and looking at the IV cannula, confused at its presence, digging into his flesh.
“What?”
“He’s not really alive, is he,” replied TK, squeezing his eyes closed and leaning against the hospital bed.
“No, baby, he is, I promise. Judd and my mom are up there with him now, because you collapsed, and we wanted to get you checked out, make sure you’re okay. I promise, your dad is alive, and he’s going to be fine.” TK burst into tears, and Carlos stood up to sit on the edge of the bed, pulling TK close and wrapping his arms around him. “He’s okay, cariño, I promise.”
“I don’t know how I would have moved on without him,” admitted TK tearily.
Carlos pulled him away for a moment, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “I would have been there for you, no matter what. I’m here for you, through thick or thin, and I’ll always be by your side. I love you, TK, and I promise, I’m not going anywhere.”