The scene got cleaned up relatively quickly. The roads were cleared. The two bodies in the car were taken out as the car gets totaled.

The clean-up at the pier took longer. It took a while before Steve and the others navigated their way back to T.K and Buck talking to the police officers.

They're still in their tactical gear as they stride up to them. Steve and Danny tackle the man into a bone-crushing hug. He laughs joyfully at their parental love towards him. Buck trades hugs with Eliot and Jason as well as administrates small talk between the small group.

S.W.A.T cars pull up with their lights flashing dividing the group. Buck claps his hands, a toothy smile spreading across his face. He walks up to Hondo who shows the same happiness. The two of them give each other a brotherly hug before backing up again.

He turns to Hondo's team spotting a familiar face in the crowd. He frowns slightly seeing Jim Street in front of him. He mock salutes making him giggle. They hug briefly before pulling away.

He turns to Danny. Behind him, he sees T.K directly Jay back to Hen and Bobby to get his shoulder looked at. Buck frowns fiddling with the necklace around his neck. "How's Grace?"

Danny is about to respond but a squad car pulling up distracts him. "Ask her yourself?"

He points behind him. With raised brows, he turns around. Two girls fly out of the back seat running at him at full speed. He meets them halfway nearly getting tackled to the ground as they wrap their arms securely around his waist. They cry happily in his arms not daring to let go. He pulls them apart cupping the sides of their cheeks.

Buck frowns at the sight of May's split lip. "May, your lip."

"I-I'm fine. I got hit when I was fighting back."

"Are you sure you're okay? Both of you?" They both nod as he pulls them into his arms once more.

"Evan!"

The shout of his name catches him off guard. He pulls away out of fear knowing the voice. "Maddie?" Maddie pushes her way through the group of people into the comfort of her brother's hold. "Mads, holy shit!"

She steps back poking him harshly in the chest with her finger. Buck yelps in response. "Don't scare me like that ever again! I don't need to lose my little brother too." She chokes up.

He bows his head slowly securing his hands around her torso. "I'm sorry, Maddie. It's all over now."

"Good, 'cause..." she trails off seeing Chimney in the distance. "Your niece or nephew is going to need you around to hear your random facts and broken humor."

His eyes bulge as he freezes. "You're pregnant!" He shrieks. She nods with a laugh. He picks her up spinning her in her arms. "Oh, I'm going to spoil the crap out of that kid."

"I expect nothing less." She goes on her tiptoes kissing him on the cheek. "There's someone who's been meaning to talk to you."

"I've been given that impression a lot lately," he nods his head back at the firehouse.

Maddie pats his shoulder before walking over to the others. She walks past her husband. His jaw to the floor he follows quickly behind her towards the ambulance where Jay is still being examined.

A fiery short haired woman smiles up at him as he turns around. In her full police uniform, she pulls him into him.

"I wish you told me all that was going on, Buckaroo. I would have been there to knock some sense in them, dunderheads."

Buck sighs, "does everyone know?" Athena nods, a guilty look on her face. "Hen?" She nods again confirming his suspicions. He shakes his head. "You're my pseudo mom, 'Thena. I didn't even go to Maddie."

"You should have said something. Buck, you've grown up since the first time we met. We've been close. You are like a son to me. No matter the idiotic actions my husband may take you should know that I will hear your side. I will listen to you. I will help you."

"I appreciate the love and support, but I think we're a bit past that, don't you think?"

She nods slowly. She looks at the group of firefighters. Buck's grimace doesn't go unnoticed by Athena. She scoffs, "which one of those poor fools broke your heart, Buckaroo? And pissed you off by the looks of it."

He turns his head crossing his arms. With one hand he hooks his finger in the ring. "What makes you think that?"

She gestures towards the ring he holds. "That's a wedding ring if I'm not mistaken. A men-sized wedding band. You've been reaching for it our entire talk. I assume you do that when you're nervous. So which of the faces, I don't know screwed up?"

"You're not gonna hate me for hiding that I like men?"

"You're family, Buck. My son. May's brother. As much of a dysfunctional family we are I will always support you."

"You're not judging me?"

She scoffs, "my best friend is gay. Besides, I've always known."

"I—uh— the one on the left, kinda shorter." He raises a brow, "how did you know?"

She leans into his ear taking him into one last hug. "A mother always knows."

She walks away going to speak to Steve and the young girls. Buck looks around seeing dozens of people around him. The anxiety in him builds up more and he clutches the necklace tighter. The ring made an imprint on his sweaty hand.

A tap on the shoulder pulls him out of his mini-anxiety attack. It's T.K. with a worried expression on his face. "Are you okay, Ev?"

His eyes flicker around nervously at all the people he knows. The trauma he's endured at the front of his head. Killing someone instead of saving them again. Going against what he told himself years ago he wasn't going to do again. He went against the promise he made to himself. The guilt rises in him and T.K. can see it.

"I did exactly what I told myself I wouldn't do."

T.K looks away squinting into the sun. "Me too. When I joined my dad in New York on the fire department I wanted to save people, not kill them."

"How are you dealing with it?"

T.K shrugs, "I remind myself that I've done more good than bad. The lives we save in the process are worth it." He observes his brother. "I was wrong about you."

"What do you mean?" He asks full of worry.

T.K laughs, "you're not completely straight. I've been watching you for the last couple of days. That ring, it's not new, but I haven't seen you wear it in public. The guys back there, you've been staring at the one. You have history, and I don't mean a fallen friendship—"

"Yeah, yeah, I see where you're getting at."

"You wanna talk about it?"

"What is there to say? Our relationship was private. Jay was the only one who knew about it. There was a stupid fight over my SEAL history, he went out, got drunk, and slept with someone else. He tried to hide it then admitted it."

T.K frown deepens at the explanation. He points at the ring. "You were going to propose?"

He sighs tucking the necklace into his tank top trying not to think about it. "Yeah. I came here right after. I couldn't go through with that betrayal. I've been so torn down by my past that I couldn't do it again. I dropped everyone in Chicago and came here. I haven't spoken to any of them in over four years."

"Look, I've been through the same thing. I fell down the wrong path after my boyfriend told me he was seeing someone on the side the night I was going to propose. Why do you think we were in Texas? I can't speak for him but my ex didn't come for me. This guy you were seeing, hears about you and he takes the first flight out. I don't know but about relationships, I'm still working mine out with Carlos, but I think you need to talk to him. At least try to get closure and move on. Holding onto that ring only serves as a reminder."

"It keeps me going. I don't want to let it go."

"The ring or him? You can get by without that ring, Evan. It's up to you what you want to do. Keep living in the past or move forward."

He pats his shoulder reassuringly leaving him on his own once more. He slaps his thighs with his hands. A shooting pain runs to his knee making him groan. He limps back towards the firehouse.

"Let's talk," he decides. Casey and Severide follow behind him as he goes into the kitchen.