Evan Buckley

Full name

Evan Buckley

Birthdate

1991, born in Pennsylvania

Nicknames

Blood Thinner Boy (by Chimney), Buck, Buckaroo

Appearance

Tall, white, handsome, muscular, blue eyes, light brown hair.

Personality

Buck is shown as confident, compassionate and impulsive. He tends to act without thinking about the possible consequences which often lands him in hot water but his intentions always stem from a place of goodness. He wears his heart on his sleeve and cares very deeply about those around him. Buck is also very knowledgeable, driven and determined. He never gives up, whether it is on the job or throughout life in general, and always supports his friends and family.

Family

Phillip Buckley (father) Margaret Buckley (mother) Maddie Buckley (older sister) Daniel Buckley (older brother, dead) Doug Kendall (ex-brother-in-law, dead) Jee-Yun Buckley Han (niece)

Romances

Buck used to be a "sex addict" he slept with the first girl he saw, but he changed. One of his most important romances was Abigail Clark (a 911 operator) for whom he fell deeply in love or so Buck believed. He is currently dating Natalie Dollenmeyer.

Backstory

Buck was born in Pennsylvania, in 1991 or 1992 and is the youngest of three children. At the time of Buck’s birth, his older brother, Daniel Buckley, had been battling juvenile leukaemia for three years, with little to no success from numerous treatment options. Desperate to save their son, Phillip and Margaret Buckley decided to conceive Buck as a savior sibling. This procedure ensured that Buck was born as a genetically compatible match to Daniel’s condition and, thus, enabled him to partake in a bone marrow transplantation. Despite being a match, complications arose during the transplant and the bone marrow cells failed to graft, causing a relapse of symptoms and Daniel's eventual death. After Daniel died, Phillip and Margaret packed up all their belongings and moved to Hershey in order to start a new life. They also made Maddie promise to never tell Buck about their brother.

Backstory (Life before Los Angeles)

Buck only felt seen by his parents when he did reckless things, resulting in many minor bumps, bruises and accidents that Maddie helped to patch up. The Buckley siblings grew very close until Maddie followed her boyfriend Doug to Boston in order to attend nursing school. Buck continued to be reckless and eventually crashes his motorcycle. He meets Maddie at the hospital and admits to her that he got kicked out of community college, due to spending the tuition money on the motorcycle. He fears the anger and disappointment of his parents and begs Maddie to let him stay with her and Doug. Later, Maddie picks him up in her jeep during an argument he's having with their parents. But instead of letting him stay with her, Maddie hands him the keys to the car and some money. She then tells him to just go and figure out what he wants to do in life. Buck is happy for the opportunity but wants Maddie to come with him. He manages to convince her and they agree to leave town the next day. As Buck goes to pick his sister up at the hospital she works at, he is handed a note from Maddie telling him she can't leave and Buck angrily storms out, leaving town alone. Maddie is then seen being heavily bruised, presumably by Doug. Buck starts to send Maddie postcards when he "was done being mad at her", telling her all about the journey he was on. He travelled up and down the east coast, picking up odd jobs here and there, finishing bartending school, learning mixology and surfing with a girl he had met in Virginia Beach. He grew to love the ocean, started working construction and made his way to the west coast, where he tried out to be a NAVY Seal.

Backstory (Life before Los Angeles)

He acknowledges lacking some discipline but still passed the physical test without any problem whatsoever, but he had difficulty "turning off his emotions" and because of this, he dropped out. Buck continues to travel and works some time on a ranch before he's drawn back to the ocean. He heads down to Peru spending another summer bartending, but then gets talked into going to Los Angeles by a customer. In LA he joins the Fire Academy and becomes a firefighter.

Life as a firefighter

Four months into his job as a firefighter at the Los Angeles Fire Department, Buck continually takes advantage of his role as a firefighter in order to impress women, even going as far as using the fire truck to make a point to a girl. After saving a 911 caller known as Jesse, he proceeds to have sex with her on the roof of the firehouse until his captain, Robert Nash catches him. As Buck already received one warning, Bobby decides the second is enough to fire him. However, their animosity is short-lived when Hen summons him to assists Sergeant Athena Grant in a 911 call involving a home invasion, where he helped Athena to locate the house without drawing suspicion early bfore stopping a perpetrator from escaping. Reutrning from the incident, Buck tells Bobby that he knows he acted like a "punk" but "a punk who understands what he lost" and Bobby decides to give him a second chance. One day, while assisting Athena on a call, Buck speaks with Abigail Clark, the 911 operator. Although their relationship starts off with regular phone calls, it progresses into face-to-face interactions once Buck helps Abby look for her mother, Patricia Clark who suffers from Alzheimer's. They eventually become a couple after going on a date on Valentine's day; even though they are 16 years apart in age. When Abby leaves for Europe after her mother dies, Buck holds out hope for their long distance relationship even though practically everyone around him believes that Abby won't be coming back. Buck stays in Abby's apartment for a while until he finally accepts the fact that their relationship is over and leaves Abby and her apartment behind.[5] Their relationship was the first serious one that Buck has had and he credits it for converting him into "Buck 2.0", the version of himself that no longer seeks out random women for meaningless sex.

Accident

While responding to a 911 call, Buck is caught up in an explosion orchestrated by Freddie Costas that leaves his leg pinned to the ground by a fallen ladder truck. It takes the assistance of several Los Angeles citizens and the rest of the 118 to lift the truck off of Buck's leg. Buck wakes up in the hospital after having had surgery on his crushed leg which is now held together by rods and screws. His greatest concern is whether he'll be able to work as a firefighter again and this ultimately ends Buck's short relationship with Ali Martin whom he met during the earthquake. Ali doesn't believe she can watch Buck inevitably get hurt on the job again. Later, Buck reveals to Maddie that he requires another surgery on his leg because the doctors weren't completely happy with what they saw on the X-rays. Maddie urges him to wait to have the surgery as it may have a large impact on his health, on the rest of his life but Buck stubbornly decides to proceed with it as "being a firefighter is his life" and he wants to get back to work as soon as possible. Buck regains his LAFD firefighting certification five months after his accident and is treated to a surprise celebration at Bobby and Athena's house. However, in the midst of thanking Bobby for being there during all the surgeries and rehabs on his leg, Buck starts throwing up blood and winds up in the hospital again. The doctor tells him that he suffered from a pulmonary embolism due to blood clots in his lungs and his leg which are likely to have appeared as a result of pushing himself too hard to get back to work. Buck is placed on anticoagulants or blood thinners and monitored at the hospital. Later on, Bobby visits Buck at the hospital and tells him that he is no longer cleared to be back at work because of the blood thinners and the LAFD's liability issues.

Accident

Bobby adds that the fire chief may clear Buck for light duty in a few weeks but Buck, feeling hurt and angry tells Bobby that he could never settle for a "desk job" and quits. On Halloween, Buck officially makes his return to the 118 and receives an icy, hostile reception from his fellow co-workers and Eddie, in particular. Hen and Chimney are the only ones who openly welcome him back and Hen tells him that while Buck does have friends at the firehouse, they are following Bobby's lead, who isn't eager to forgive Buck immediately. As a result, Bobby places Buck on light duty which involves handing out candy to children as well as smoke detectors and basic fire safety pamphlets to any parents. Chimney commiserates with Buck's position by recalling how he wasn't allowed to attend any calls during his first few months at the 118 and had to work his way through.

Relationships

Buck is shown to have a strong relationship with his older sister, Maddie. Some time ago, Buck was very surprised to find Maddie in his apartment that he was watching for his then girlfriend Abby. Buck is upset that she has not attempted to contact him as they have not seen each other in three years. Maddie explains that she was staying there to hide from her abusive ex-husband Doug, as he had threatened to kill her and that he had "meant it this time". Buck is concerned about this, and he reminds Maddie that both he and their parents had not approved of Doug from the beginning. Maddie tells him that she wants to help people, as she is a trained nurse, but she doesn't want to put people in harms way from Doug. Buck recommends that she should work as a 9-1-1 dispatcher, and Maddie is hired after she completes dispatcher training. Maddie also shows concern for Buck when the earthquake hits, and is relieved when they make it out alive. Buck is shown to be supportive of Maddie's new relationship with Chimney, although he is secretly surprised that Maddie is more interested in Chimney than Eddie. By this point, Maddie has moved into her own apartment and Buck eventually joins her after bouncing around from place to place after moving out of Abby's apartment.

Relationships

With his boss, Bobby Nash; it is clear that Buck and Bobby have a rocky relationship as while Buck treats his job with some modicum of seriousness, he acts in a disrespectful manner to his captain. This only changes after Bobby fires Buck and makes him realize how important being a firefighter is to him. When Buck is ultimately given his job back, Bobby tells him that this is his last chance and that it's time for him to grow up. As a result, Buck gradually starts to mature in life and on the job which greatly improves his relationship with Bobby to the point where he starts seeing Bobby as both a father-figure and role model of sorts. He also gets along well with Bobby's wife, Athena, who is a Los Angeles police officer.

Relationships

With one of his co-workers, Henrietta Wilson; it is shown that while Buck and Hen get along very well together, Hen sees him as someone who doesn't have a lot of discipline and requires a tight leash in order to be kept in line. However, their relationship grows once Buck starts taking his job more seriously. They often banter with and make good-natured fun of each other in a way that siblings usually do but they also support each other when it really matters.

Relationships

With one of his co-workers, Howard Hen (also known as Chimney; it is shown that Chimney feels a little jealous over Buck always being given the exciting things to do while on call. This jealousy fades over time, especially after Chimney lands himself in hospital after being critically injured in a car accident. Buck stands by him during that difficult time and later on, Chimney repays the sentiment by offering Buck advice as well as a place to stay while he struggles to move on from Abby. Buck is also very supporting of Chimney's relationship with Maddie. He is the one who finds Chimney after he is stabbed by Maddie's abusive ex-husband, Doug and worries deeply about his condition while he races to find Maddie. These events only serve to strengthen their relationship and while it has not been explicitly confirmed, it is clear that Buck sees Chimney as an older brother. He is someone to joke around with but also someone who Buck can turn to for advice when he needs it.

Relationships

With one of his co-workers, Eddie Díaz; When Eddie joins the 118, Buck immediately acts coldly towards him because he feels threatened by Eddie's presence as well as how quickly and seamlessly he becomes a part of the team. This hostility is short-lived, however as the two bond over a dangerous situation that involves taking a live grenade out of a 911 caller's leg. Once the grenade is safely obtained, Eddie commends Buck for being "a bad-ass under pressure" and they vow to have each other's back which effectively consolidates the beginning of their friendship. From then on, Buck and Eddie work together harmoniously while on the job and eventually becoming best friends. Eddie also trusts Buck with his son, Christopher, often having him babysit or coming over to hang out with them.

Christopher Diaz

Eddie first tells Buck about Christopher while they are on their way to deal with the destruction caused by the earthquake. Buck responds by saying that Christopher is "super adorable" and that "he loves kids" before proceeding to reassure Eddie that Christopher is safe at school. Later, Buck gives Eddie a lift to pick Christopher up from school and while it is not explicitly shown, it is believed that this is when the two officially met. From then on, it is clear that Buck has a very loving, wholesome and genuine relationship with Christopher. Buck enjoys spending time with Christopher and is constantly in awe of how independent Christopher is because he doesn't let his disability slow him down or prevent him from doing anything he sets his mind to. They see each other as family. Christopher feels comfortable with Buck and shows him a level of affection that is similar to what he shows his father, Eddie.