Chapter 1
2013 El Paso, Texas
Buck had just stepped off the plane, and instantly, the heat hit him. Buck knew he could go back to L.A., but to be honest, Buck didn't want to spend his leave from work with both his parents and his two siblings. Don't get him wrong; Buck loves his family and would do anything for them, but sometimes they can be too much, so when his CO of the Navy Seals said that the young man had three months to take, so why not go to Texas, which was somewhere the young man had never been before. El Paso was somewhere that sounded nice, but stepping off the plane, he thought, "I should've just gone home."
Buck shakes his head to get the thought away from him.
Once Buck had gotten his bags and passed through security, he made a beeline for a taxi to take him to the hotel he had chosen for three months. When Buck got in the cab, he gave the address to the driver.
"Hola, ¿puedes llevarme a Luxury Apartment El Paso Westside, 240 Desert Pass Street, El Paso, TX?" Buck says
(Hi, can you take me to Luxury Apartment El Paso Westside, 240 Desert Pass Street, El Paso, TX)
"Por supuesto señor" The Taxi Man says
(Of course, sir)
It only takes 15 minutes from the airport to the apartment Buck is staying at for the three months he is here.
After thanking the taxi driver, Buck heads inside to get booked in.
"Hola, bienvenido a Luxury Apartment El Paso Westside. ¿Puedo tomar los detalles de tu reserva?" The Receptionist says
(Hello, welcome to Luxury Apartment El Paso Westside. Can I take your reservation details)
"Hola, mi nombre es Evan Buckley y he reservado para tres meses." Buck says
(Hello, my name is Evan Buckley, and I have booked for three months)
"Sí, Sr. Buckley, tengo sus datos. Sólo dame un momento y te daré la llave de tu habitación."The Receptionist replies
(Yes, Mr Buckley, I have your details. Just give me one moment and get you your room key.)
After Buck had been booked in and found his room, he quickly showered and changed into the appropriate clothes for this weather. He goes into town and gets a feel for the place.
Just as luck would have it, the EL Paso Carnival was in town, so Buck went to check it out and meet some locals.
The Carnival was impressive. There was so much for Buck to try, and the people he spoke to when arriving seemed nice and friendly.
While walking around, Buck accidentally bumped into a woman, and when he apologised, she just brushed him off, but something about her made Buck suspicious, and he decided to keep an eye on her just for his peace of mind.
Buck was following the brunette, but he made sure he was doing it discreetly, and no one got suspicious of him.
The brunette woman had stopped in front of a stall, and she was watching a couple that was four stalls in front of her, and she kept looking at the toddler that the female had in her arms while her male counterpart was waving a Teddy Bear and making funny faces to the child.
The brunette kept turning her gaze away from the couple, and the child probably didn't want to draw attention to herself, and this confirmed to Buck that he was right to keep an eye on her. He would keep her away from the child, or if she got near the little boy, he would get him away from her as she looked dangerous.
While Buck was watching the brunette women, he didn't notice that four gunmen had come to the carnival and started to shoot up the place. Once Buck heard the first gunfire, he looked to where it came from, and at that moment, the brunette woman took her chance and took the little boy.
While everyone was running around or trying to find some sort of cover, Buck heard a child scream. He ran to the noise, and he saw that it was the same child that the woman was watching. He ran over to him and scooped him up in his arms, and noticed that the child was bleeding from his leg. It looked like the bullet one of the gunmen fired hit the child, and the brunette took off and ran.
Buck was so busy making sure that the curly-haired blonde boy in his arms would not die that he overlooked one of the shooters coming up behind him. When he did turn around, Buck came face to face with a gun pointed at him, and Buck didn't have time for this as the child immediately needed medical attention
"If I were you, I would put that guy down immediately, young man", Buck growls out
"Oh yeah, and who's going to stop me if I don't," the gunman says
"That would be us, EPPD", an officer says
"Put the gun down and hand behind your head," another officer says
The gunman thinks but soon realizes that he will not be able to do anything without getting hurt himself, so he does as the officer says; he puts the gun down and puts his hands behind his head, waiting to be handcuffed.
Once the gunman is in police custody, Buck gets the little boy to the paramedics, and the couple he saw the boy with come up and are absolutely in tears. The female says
"dios mio no mi nieto"
(my god, not my grandson)
Buck goes to put the little boy on the gurney, but the two-year-old won't let go and is visibly shaking.
The male counterpart says to the paramedics
"¿Hay alguna posibilidad de que este hombre pueda venir con nosotros al hospital ya que mi nieto Christopher no lo deja ir?" The Man says
(Is there any chance this man can come with us to the hospital as my grandson Christopher is not letting go of him?)
"Honestamente, señor, no necesito ir al hospital con usted y estoy seguro de que puedo hacer que el pequeño Christopher se suelte". Buck says
(honestly, sir, I don't need to come to the hospital with you, and I'm sure I can get little Christopher to let go.)
The couple and the paramedics were shocked that this young man could speak Spanish perfectly.
"Me temo que no será fácil una vez que mi nieto se aferre a alguien a quien no dejará ir pase lo que pase" The man says
(I'm afraid that won't be easy once my grandson clings on to someone he won't let go no matter what.)
Además, parece que le gustas mucho, así que parece que estás atascado.
(Plus, he seems to like you, so it looks like you are stuck)
Bueno, dicho esto, supongo que soy una almohada humana entonces.
(Well, with that said guess I'm a human pillow, then)
Everyone laughs at that, and even little Christopher chuckles.
Lamento mucho no haberme presentado. Mi nombre es Evan Buckley. Es un placer conocerlos a todos, pero me pueden Buck
(I'm so sorry I didn't introduce myself. My name is Evan Buckley. It's a pleasure to meet you all, but you can me Buck)
Hola Buck, es un placer conocerte. Soy Ramón Díaz, y esta es mi esposa, Helena Díaz, y ese pequeño koala es mi nieto, Christopher. Como tu ya sabes
(Hello Buck, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Ramon Diaz, and this is my wife, Helena Diaz, and that little koala is my grandson, Christopher. As you already know)
"Ok, let's go. We need to move fast. If you have any family let them know we are going to Kindred Hospital El Paso and to meet you all there," the Paramedic says.
All three adults and the toddler jump into the ambulance. The paramedic has to check Christopher out while he clings to Buck.
Once they reach the hospital, they all jump out, and by this time, the paramedics can get Chris on the gurney and wheel him through the doors where the staff are waiting to help save him.
"What we got" A doctor calls out
"Two-year-old boy has Cerebral palsy got a gsw to the leg,", Paramedic one says
"OK, let's get him into surgery," the second doctor says
They wheel Chris away, and all three adults watch in horror and hope that the little boy makes it out alive.
With nothing to do but wait, the Diaz parents and Buck sit silently and wait for the news they want to hear.
The silence is so long that no one knows what to say or how to break it. It's not until Buck's phone goes off that everyone looks at him
"I'm sorry, it's my little sister. I'll just send her to voicemail," Buck says
"You should answer it; family is important," Helena says
"Only if you are sure," Buck says
"Yes, Buck, we are sure and don't worry, we will tell you when we get an update," Ramon says
"Thank you. I know I'm not family, but I would like to know how he is doing," Buck says
"You saved our grandson. Of course, we will keep you updated," Helena says
"Thank you," Buck says
Buck walks away and pulls out his phone, and answers it.
"Hey, May, what's going on?" Buck says
"Buck, I'm freaking out like I'm going to have to see a shrink," May says
"Ok, calm down and stop being dramatic," Buck says
"First off, I'm not dramatic second off, I have just walked in on mum and dad role-playing", May says
"That's so gross. I can't believe that. I don't want to even think about that," Buck says, sounding disgusted
"How do you think I feel? "May laughs
Before Buck can reply, Ramon comes up to him and says, "The doctor has an update."
"Listen, May I have to go? I'll call you later," Buck says
"Wait, are you in the hospital," May says, but Buck has already hung up
While walking back to meet the doctor, Buck asks Mr Diaz something that was bugging him
"Mr Diaz, I don't mean to sound rude or anything, but can I ask about Christopher's dad," Buck asks
"Please call me Ramon, and my son is currently in Afghanistan. His army contact finishes in two weeks, and my wife and I can't wait to have him back and with his son," Ramon says
"I hope he will be OK. Afghanistan is a dangerous place. I have been there when I was on a mission for the Navy Seals," Buck tells him
"Thank you for saying that about my son, and can I ask, are you still in the Navy?" Ramon asks
"Yes, I am. I have three months on leave, then I go back for three months, and that's it, my contract will end", Buck replies
"Could they not end your contract now since you have three months off already?" Ramon asks
"I didn't think of that; I'll bring it up to them when I phone them," Buck says
Once Buck and Ramon are back with Helena, the doctor comes over, and they pray that Christopher is alive.