Following what felt like the longest hiatus ever, 911 finally returned on March 6 with its first new episode of 2025, one which left fans wondering if the 118 is about to lose yet another member with the reveal that Eddie was looking to leave Los Angeles to move to Texas in order to be close to Christopher.
As 911 season 8 resumed in episode 9, “Sob Stories,” we learn that Eddie is still set on moving to Texas and he’s made a major step toward leaving. While cleaning at the firehouse, Eddie shows Buck the house he’s put a down payment on and it becomes clear to Buck that his best friend could soon be leaving. As the friends talk, Eddie reveals he hasn’t told Cap or anyone else yet that he’s looking to leave town as he wants to get his ducks in a row before he leaves. At the top of the list is finding someone to sublet his place and Buck puts on his brave face as he offers to help his friend out.
After responding to a call at an animal shelter, Buck helps Eddie get his house ready as he welcomes prospective renters. Despite his best intentions, Buck seems to get in the way leading to a series of unfortunate conversations that scare off the many potential renters. Following the showings, Eddie calls Buck out for sabotaging the showings and Eddie asks Buck to leave. Just as he’s about to head out, he realizes he forgot his phone and goes back inside where he overhears Eddie telling the husband and wife pair looking at the house that he's leaving town to move as all that matters is in Texas -- which was quite a gut-punch not just for Buck, but for Buddie stans.
The next day, Eddie arrives at the firehouse and is surprised to see the beagle Buck rescued at the fire and we learn that Buck is officially a dog dad now, having rescued the dog. Buck makes a comment about not abandoning the dog and Eddie comments about how Buck’s landlord doesn’t allow for pets. In a moment of pain, Buck replies that he'll just move and tells Eddie he's not the only one who can move which forces Eddie to tell the rest of the group about his plan to head to Texas to be with Christopher.
Later, Buck tells Eddie about overhearing his conversation in which he told the potential renters that all that matters is in Texas. Their conversation is cut short when Blaze races out of Buck’s arms as his family arrives in search of Bingo, who ran away when he was startled by a neighbor’s fireworks. Buck says an emotional goodbye to the dog before the 118 have to head out on a call, but it’s clear the emotional words he exchanges are more about Eddie leaving than saying goodbye to the dog.
As the episode draws to a close, Eddie is back home waiting for an appointment to show the house when he’s greeted by Buck. Buck comes to apologize for outing him in front of Cap and Eddie says it’s what he always does. Buck confesses he’s struggling more than he’d like to let on about the idea of Eddie not being around to which Eddie makes it clear that he’ll always choose Christopher.
There’s a knock at the door and Eddie tells Buck he needs to leave so he can show the house, but much to his surprise when he opens the door it's Cap, Chimney, and Hen waiting for him.
Buck lets Eddie know that he has ended the lease on his apartment and is going to sublet his apartment so that Eddie can go be with Christoper. He tells Eddie he’s happy for him as he’s happy for him to be going back to where he belongs to be with Christopher. The group heads out for dinner and it seems that Eddie’s time on the show is coming to an end… at least for now, it seems.
Maddie finds herself in a dangerous place
Our other major storyline comes via Maddie, who begins the episode taking a 911 call from a man who they first believe is about to harm himself only to then realize they’re dealing with a kidnapping instead. The man has taken a young woman and tells Maddie he’s going to do something terrible. Maddie tries to talk him down to buy the police time, telling the caller she understands him. Maddie promises him she isn’t sending the police to him but when Athena arrives at the address given, the caller shouts at Maddie about lying as he hangs up.
The next day, Maddie meets up with Athena and Detective Amber Braeburn (guest star Abigail Spencer). Maddie reveals she found a similar call from 10 years ago from the area and also heard from a dispatcher in Portland who took a similar call a few years back.
Athena tracks down a potential suspect at his last known address but the place is empty and it looks like he left in a hurry. Athena and Detective Braeburn find bloody and the wallet of his victim suggesting they just missed them.
The caller calls back to the 911 dispatch and tells Maddie he tried his best and that he hasn’t hurt his victim yet but doesn’t know how long he can hold back. They track his address and this time he doesn’t buy into Maddie’s attempt to keep him talking realizing she’ll be sending the police. Maddie apologizes for lying the first time and the caller says she betrayed him as he makes a threat to harm his victim by cutting her jugular.
Maddie says she thinks she knows how to end the pain and that the answer is right in his hand, that the answer is in his hand telling him he has to slay the monster quickly and painlessly. We hear a gunshot before the call drops and Athena picks up the phone. She informs Maddie that the man is down from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. Athena goes to clear the house and finds the man’s taken victim.
After the incident, Maddie is struggling with convincing the man to take his own life even though it’s what saved his kidnapped victim. Athena and Detective Braeburn show her a recovered pouch of trophies from his victims, as they assure Maddie that thanks to her actions the man will never be able to hurt anyone else as they encourage her to go home and relax.
As the episode ends, Maddie tucks Jee-Yun into bed and then proceeds to do a bit of cleaning. While doing dishes, she hears the door open and assumes Chimney has come home early which is when she's hit from behind and collapses to the floor as the figure bends down and reveals themselves to be Detective Braeburn, aka the caller who had phoned into the 911 dispatch center! It seems Detective Braeburn framed the man and was the true killer, and now she's taken Maddie hostage!