Chapter 6
Austin, Texas - 2021
Carina shifted in her armchair, a small, involuntary sound escaping her lips. Buck, who had been idly flipping through a magazine, immediately looked up, his brow furrowed with concern. "You okay, Cari? Need another pillow?"
"Just a little ache," she murmured, rubbing her thigh. "It comes and goes."
TK, who was in the kitchen making iced tea, paused, his head peeking around the doorway. "Want me to grab your meds, Carina?" Carlos was already at her side, gently adjusting the blanket draped over her legs.
"Thanks, guys," Carina said, managing a small smile. "Maybe just a change of position."
As Buck helped her adjust, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He glanced at the screen – Eddie. A knot tightened in his chest. He slipped away slightly to read the message: "Hey, just checking in. Hope Carina's doing okay. It's... quieter here without you both. I miss having you around, Buck. Be safe."
He reread the last sentence. Miss having you around? It felt like more than just missing help with Christopher or Carina. A confusing warmth spread through him, quickly followed by a familiar wave of anxiety. He pocketed the phone, a little lost in thought, and rejoined the others, forcing a smile as Carina settled into a slightly different position.
Later that afternoon, while Carina was resting in her room, Buck found himself on the back porch, staring out at the Texas sunshine. His phone vibrated again. Maddie. He swiped to open it: "Hey Evan, just wanted to let you know Mom and Dad are planning to be there for a welcome home dinner when you and Carina get back. They're really looking forward to seeing you."
Buck's breath hitched. His jaw tightened, and the hand holding his phone clenched. A wave of icy dread washed over him. His parents. The thought sent a familiar chill down his spine. He hadn't told Carina, hadn't told TK or Carlos, about the chasm that existed between him and his family. The idea of a "welcome home dinner" felt like a cruel joke. He shoved the phone back in his pocket, a muscle twitching in his cheek. He suddenly felt a desperate need for air, for space.
TK found him a few minutes later, leaning against the porch railing, his gaze distant. "Hey, you alright, Buck? You seem a million miles away."
Buck offered a weak smile. "Yeah, just... thinking."
Carlos joined them, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Everything okay with Carina?"
"She's resting," Buck replied. "Just the usual aches and pains." He hesitated, then added, "It's just... a lot, you know? Her injury, being here..." He trailed off, unable to articulate the deeper, more personal anxieties swirling within him.
TK's eyes held a gentle understanding. "It is a lot, Buck. You've been incredible with her."
"Yeah," Carlos chimed in. "You've been putting everyone else first. Don't forget to take care of yourself too."
Buck managed a nod, but the words felt hollow. He looked out at the Texas landscape, a wave of emotion washing over him. He hadn't been there from the very beginning with Carina. He'd chosen to be her dad when she was ten, a time when she already had a personality, her own history. The responsibility had felt immense, a privilege and a challenge all at once.
He remembered one of the first times she'd gotten really sick after he'd adopted her. It was just a bad flu, but his inexperience as a parent in that way had sent him spiraling. He'd called Maddie, his voice tight with a fear that felt disproportionate to a common illness. "Maddie, she's burning up, and she's so quiet. I don't know what to do!"
Even now, years later, he could hear the calm reassurance in Maddie's voice over the phone. "Evan, breathe. What are her symptoms? Have you given her any fever reducer? Remember what the pediatrician said..." She'd walked him through checking her temperature, keeping her hydrated, the signs to watch out for that would warrant a trip to the emergency room. He'd clung to her instructions like a lifeline, feeling utterly lost and inadequate in those early days of being a dad. That fear, that intense protectiveness, had never really gone away, it had just evolved. Now, with her physical vulnerability so apparent, it was amplified.
He swallowed hard, the memory still vivid. He wanted to tell TK and Carlos a fraction of this, to explain the deep-seated worry that came with being her dad, especially now. He opened his mouth, a rush of words forming, but then the image of Maddie's text about his parents flashed in his mind. That looming discomfort clamped down on his vulnerability, making it impossible to share this more personal anxiety.
"Yeah," he said finally, his voice a little rough. "It's just... seeing her like this, you know? It brings back... stuff." He kept it vague, unwilling to delve into the specifics of his early parenting anxieties or the impending parental visit.
TK and Carlos exchanged a knowing glance, respecting his hesitation. "We get it, Buck," TK said softly. "Just know we're here for you too, in whatever way you need."
Buck offered a grateful but strained smile. He appreciated their support, but the walls he'd built around his deeper feelings felt too high to scale right now. The weight of caring for Carina, the confusing message from Eddie, and the looming presence of his estranged parents were a tangled mess in his chest, leaving him feeling more isolated than ever in the warm Texas sun. He knew the peace of their Texas trip was coming to an end, and the thought of returning to Los Angeles, and the inevitable reckoning with his parents, hung heavy in the air. He hadn't told Carina the specifics, just that Maddie and Chimney wanted to have them over for dinner soon after they got back. He dreaded the moment he would have to navigate the introduction, the explanations… the potential judgment.
Los Angeles - 2021
The flight back to Los Angeles was uneventful, but as the plane landed, a knot of anxiety tightened in Buck's stomach. He glanced at Carina, who was looking out the window with a mixture of anticipation and weariness. He offered a reassuring smile, but inside, he felt a sense of profound unease.
Maddie and Chimney met them at the airport, their smiles warm but with an underlying tension that Buck couldn't miss. As they helped with luggage and Carina's wheelchair, Maddie caught Buck's eye, a silent question passing between them. The drive to Maddie and Chimney's apartment was filled with surface-level chatter, but Buck could feel the weight of what was to come pressing down on him.
When they arrived at Maddie and Chimney's, the atmosphere felt subtly off. Buck noticed an extra pair of shoes by the door, shoes he recognized all too well. His heart sank. Maddie hadn't just invited them.
He wheeled Carina into the living room, his face tight with a mixture of anger and guilt. The supposed welcome-home dinner had already begun, and his parents were there, their expressions a blend of displeasure and wounded pride.
"Mom, Dad," Buck said, his voice strained, forcing a semblance of politeness. "This is Carina. Carina, this is my mom, Margaret, and my dad, Phillip."
Margaret's greeting was a clipped, "Hello," her eyes narrowed as she took in Carina in her wheelchair. Phillip remained silent, his gaze fixed on Buck with a barely concealed fury.
The dinner conversation was a minefield. The polite inquiries were laced with accusations. "So, Evan," Phillip began, his voice dangerously quiet. "You didn't think to mention that you… adopted a child? Years ago?"
"Dad," Buck said, trying to keep his voice level. "I was going to tell you."
"When?" Margaret snapped, her voice sharp. "When Carina was eighteen? When it was no longer convenient to keep her a secret?"
"It wasn't a secret, Mom," Buck protested. "It was… complicated. I just needed time."
"Time?" Phillip scoffed. "You've had years, Evan! Years to tell us that you had a child. A teenage daughter! And you kept her hidden from us."
"I didn't keep her hidden," Buck said, his voice rising. "I was protecting her. And frankly, I wasn't sure how you'd react."
"And you thought we'd react badly?" Margaret asked, her voice dripping with hurt and indignation. "You think so little of us, Evan?"
"I know how you are, Mom," Buck retorted, his gaze meeting hers. "You have a very specific idea of what my life should look like. And Carina… she didn't fit into that picture, did she?"
"This isn't about fitting in, Evan," Phillip said, his voice hard. "This is about family. About honesty. You deliberately excluded us from a huge part of your life. And Carina's life."
Maddie, who had been watching the scene unfold with growing distress, finally spoke up. "Maybe we should all just take a breath…"
"No, Maddie," Buck said, shaking his head. "They need to hear this. They need to understand. You were the only one who knew, Maddie. From day one. You were the only one who didn't judge me, who didn't question my decisions. You were the only one who welcomed Carina with open arms."
He looked at his parents, his expression a mixture of anger and pain. "Why couldn't you have been like Maddie? Why couldn't you have just accepted Carina? She's my daughter. And I love her. And I'm not going to apologize for that."
Carina, sitting silently in her wheelchair, her hands clenched in her lap, felt a wave of conflicting emotions. She was grateful for Buck's unwavering support, but the pain in his voice, the years of strained relationship with his parents, was palpable.
"It's okay, Dad," she said softly, her voice trembling slightly. "I don't need to be here for this."
Buck looked at her, his eyes filled with apology. "Carina…"
"No," she said, shaking her head. "I don't need to listen to them talk about you, about us, like we've done something wrong. I'm going to go."
She turned her wheelchair and headed for Maddie’s guest bedroom, leaving Buck to face the fallout of his choices, the weight of his parents' disapproval a heavy burden in the room. The unspoken question hung in the air: could they ever truly accept Carina, or would their judgment forever cast a shadow over Buck's life?
The silence that descended after Carina left was thick with resentment and hurt. Buck stood his ground, his gaze unwavering as he faced his parents.
"You're making a mistake, Evan," Margaret said, her voice cold and hard. "You're pushing us away."
"You're the ones pushing me away," Buck retorted, his voice shaking with suppressed anger. "You're the ones who can't accept my life, my family. Right now, you've never even tried to get to know Carina."
"We don't know her because you kept her a secret!" Phillip exclaimed, his face flushed. "You deliberately excluded us."
"Because I knew how you'd react!" Buck shouted, finally losing his composure. "You're so quick to judge, so quick to criticize. You've always made me feel like I'm not good enough, like I'm a disappointment. And I'm tired of it!"
He took a deep breath, trying to regain control. "Carina is my daughter. And she's the most important person in my life. If you can't accept that, then I don't know what else to say."
The argument continued, a painful rehashing of old wounds and unresolved conflicts. Buck's parents remained unmoved, their disapproval a tangible presence in the room. They couldn't seem to grasp the depth of his love for Carina, their focus solely on their own perceived hurt and disappointment.
Eventually, exhausted and emotionally drained, Buck ended the conversation. He couldn't force them to understand, to accept. He could only protect Carina and himself from their negativity.
He found Carina in the guest room, sitting quietly on the bed, her face pale. He knelt in front of her, taking her hand.
"I'm sorry, Cari," he said softly. "You shouldn't have had to hear any of that."
Carina squeezed his hand, her eyes filled with a mixture of sadness and understanding. "It's okay, Dad. I know you love me. That's all that matters."
Buck pulled her into a hug, holding her tightly. He knew this confrontation had changed something. The fragile peace with his parents had shattered, leaving a gaping chasm of unspoken resentment and hurt. He didn't know if they would ever truly accept Carina, or if their relationship could ever be fully repaired. But he knew one thing for sure: he would always choose Carina.
She was his family, and he would protect her, no matter what.