Robert Nash

## Bobby Nash

**Robert Wade "Bobby" Nash** is a main character on *9-1-1* who works as the captain of Station 118 of the Los Angeles Fire Department. He debuts in the first episode of the first season of *9-1-1* and is portrayed by Peter Krause.

Bobby was married to Marcy Nash and they had two children, Robert Nash Jr. and Brook Nash. He was a fire captain in the St. Paul Fire Department until he relocated to Los Angeles and started working as captain of LAFD station 118 after losing his family in the devastating fire that he inadvertently caused. At one of the first calls he responded to as captain of the 118, Bobby encountered Athena. A few years later, they began dating and eventually got married.

## History

### Early Life

Not much is known about Bobby's background except that he grew up in Minnesota, and came from a family where there was only one career option for boys: firefighter and that he is a fourth-generation firefighter. He has also mentioned that he has a brother, with whom he used to play lawn darts when they were kids.

While in school, he took up figure skating, and with his partner, Heidi Shatsky, became Twin Cities Junior Pairs Champions three years running.

### Losing His Family

After becoming a firefighter, Bobby married to Marcy Nash and they had two children, Robert Nash Jr. and Brook Nash. He and his family were happy for many years until Bobby injured his back while on duty and as a result, had to rely on pain medications, alcohol, and drugs in order to cope with the lingering pain. He became addicted to them and his addiction continued for years to come with him returning to rehab every occasion when his wife found out. His addictions were so intense that he would attend work high or drunk. He even kept a separate "drug den" apartment five floors below the one he had with his wife and children, where he would go to drink. On one of his trips to his apartment, he accidentally fell asleep. When he woke up, he realized how late it was and, in his rush, he forgot to turn off the space heater. As his wife had enough of him for the night, he was then kicked out of their apartment. Since he forgot to take his keys, too, he resorted to sleeping on the roof of the complex. The active space heater sparked an ember and lit the nearby blanket in his drug den alight, which then consumed the entire building due to overlooked fire hazards. By the time Bobby was alerted by the Fire Department's arrival, most of the apartment building was set ablaze and he tried to go back to his apartment for his family. The ground collapsed soon after, where he was discovered by responding firefighters and removed from the building for his safety. A total of 148 people died in the fire, including his kids. His wife was severly burned and died of her injuries at hospital, though not before sharing one last happy moment with him.

### Moving to Los Angeles

An investigation was launched into him, though Bobby was exonerated from any wrong doing because the fire had been a freak accident but he still felt guilty for his indirect role.

As a result of all of the deaths, Bobby fell off the deep end until he eventually returned to rehab, and this time, he managed to get his habits under control. After six months of being sober, he asked the deputy fire chief Phil Evans to take him off desk duty and put him back in the field, as he can't atone for what he has done by riding a desk. While Phil believes Bobby is ready, he doesn't think other firefighters would trust Bobby anymore. Bobby then asked to transfer somewhere else, and he relocated to Los Angeles. His indirect involvement in the apartment building's destruction was also concealed to avoid any trouble, so he could join the LAFD.

### Working as the Captain of Station 118

On his first day as the Captain of Station 118, he met Hen and Chimney and found them placing bets with the rest of the crew on how long Bobby would last as their captain, as they've had six captains in just two years. Bobby then put his money on the odds of him outlasting one or all of them and walked away. At one of the emergency calls he responded to on his first day, Bobby met his future wife Athena when dealing with an aggressive rooster.

At the end of his first day, Bobby went to a bar and had a drink because he had a good day and didn't feel deserving of it. The next day, he went to church and gave away his AA chip to the priest because he lost his sobriety, but the priest told him to keep it and do his best to earn it back.

After Sal Deluca disobeyed his order at a fire, Bobby confronts and eventually fires him when Sal continues to show defiance. Later on, Bobby revealed to Hen that he originally was to merely reprimand Sal for misconduct, and when Sal refused to comply with his orders, he instead suspended Sal for 6 weeks, while advising the fire chief to reassign Sal at station 122. Hen was impressed with how Bobby handled the situation and invited him out for drinks with her, Chimney, and Tommy, with the latter two also agreeing on Bobby's stance.

Figuring out the fire as an act of arson with Athena, he confronted the Costas family with police at the hospital, and Victor was arrested, while Bobby himself was accused by Freddie of deception. Bobby soon confessed to the priest that he didn't want his fellow firefighters to know about his past, but taking the priest's advice to him about showing who he is to the team, Bobby started a new firehouse tradition: the team eating meals together. Bobby quickly bonded with the team and set out to be a good captain who is tough but fair.

### Falling off the Wagon

Following a harrowing plane crash rescue where many people died, and he nearly drowned trying to save a passenger, Bobby had a breakdown and went on a bender, ending his 546 days of sobriety. When he didn't show up at work the following day, Hen and Buck went to his apartment to check on him, and they found him passed out on his bed. After they got him up, Bobby promised them that it was a "one-time thing" and apologized. They then proceeded to tell him that it is okay to ask for help sometimes, and Bobby admitted he needed help.

Keeping his past a secret from the team at first because he did not want them doubting him as their leader, Bobby decided to open up to his team after his priest advised him to trust his friends and let them in if he cared about them.

### Blood Donation

When Chimney organized a blood drive at the station, Bobby refused to donate his blood, as he was terrified of needles. He only complied after some urging from Chimney, Buck, and Hen. Later on he received a call from the hospital asking to speak with him in person. Bobby assumed something was wrong, and later at church, he showed the priest his book in which he documented the names of everyone that he had been able to save on the job. The book had 148 spaces, one for each person he "killed" in the fire. He said the reason for his counting is so that he can end his life once he has saved enough people to balance out the lives he accidentally took in the fire. The priest reminded him that the Church is against suicide, but Bobby felt the need to make penance for his actions, and he was afraid he may now not live long enough to balance the book.

However, Bobby later learned that he just had a rare type of blood that has the ability to cure pregnant women and their babies of rhesus disease. He viewed this as God's punishment because he was now obligated to stay alive and donate his blood for the rest of his life to save lives, but he couldn't save his own children. Chimney convinced him that it's not a curse, but rather a blessing that he is able to save thousands of babies and helped him realize that he may not have to keep his handbook anymore, as he will save a lot more than just 148 people.

### Relationship with Athena

Bobby decided to start dating and set up an online dating profile after his sponsor suggested him that dating would help him get back out into the world again, which the crew react with disinterest and amusement due to his mundane description. Later on, he responded at a devastating accident where motorcycle enthusiast Kenny split himself during a high-speed frenzy. Bobby was traumatized by the sight of Kenny's death and left when the police took over to compose himself. Athena, who was also on the scene, came to comfort him and Bobby asked her to go to church with him after she asked him how she could help.

Afterward, they went to church together. At church, they reflected on their lives and prayed together. Later on, Bobby disposes of his handbook and attends his date with Athena. After four months of keeping their relationship a secret from everyone else, Bobby wanted to go public with their relationship, but Athena refused out of embarrassment because she was ashamed of being happy after her divorce, sparking an argument. However, after hearing Michael's positive attitude on the matter, Athena came to the firehouse to apologize to Bobby and revealed their relationship to the 118 team by kissing him.

### Accidental Relapse

When a tray of brownies laced with LSD came up to the station, the unaware crew all took some and were intoxicated. Later, while out on a call, it became apparent that everyone, except Chimney, was high off those brownies. Bobby, who stayed behind at the station, was also high and started talking about his deceased daughter to Taylor Kelly, who was there making a report of the station. By the time Athena got to the station, Bobby was on the roof, hallucinating his daughter, Brook. Bobby said he could see Brook, "a bright light floating in the sky", and wanted to float away with her. However, Athena managed to talk him out of his hallucination.

The incident wrecked his sobriety, and Bobby struggled with it because he went from being sober for a while, to now only a few days. He admitted to Athena that he wanted to get high again because it felt good and made him feel free from all the pain he was carrying. Athena then reminded him that she was there for him and that he should stop trying to carry it all alone. After watching unreleased interview footage, Bobby and Athena managed to corner the culprit responsible for the incident.

### Proposing to Athena

After a few months of dating, Athena asked Bobby to move in, as she was ready to take the next step in their relationship. Upon being asked, Bobby was taken aback, but after taking a moment, he later proposed to her instead and she happily accepted.

Shortly after they got engaged, Athena's parents paid a visit to their daughter and Bobby met them for the first time. Athena's mother, Beatrice, was not supportive of their plans to get married. She was agitated at Bobby when he attempted to act like a stepdad to her grandchildren, bringing up his past and telling him that Athena's children are not his "consolation prize", despite Bobby not having such intentions. She reluctantly apologized to Bobby after Athena told her to, and then got angry at Athena for not telling her things including being engaged to Bobby and May’s suicide attempt. She continued to accuse Athena of making decisions without considering the consequences, and Bobby stepped in to defend Athena after Beatrice said that it's a miracle her two kids are alive. Before leaving, Beatrice tried to smooth things over with Athena, but still insisted that she was making a "terrible mistake" by marrying Bobby.

### Suspension and Reinstatement

Following the bank heist, an investigation into Bobby’s past opened up and he was temporarily suspended when records revealed the Minnesota fire's association with him. While he was under investigation, Chimney became the interim captain and Bobby spent this time planning his and Athena's wedding.

After Athena was targeted by a serial bomber, she and Bobby investigate on their own. They linked all the victims together, tracing it back to the arson case at Guillermo's Eatery. They realized that Freddie Costas, son of Victor Costas, was vengeful against whoever that helped to imprison Victor for causing his father to die in confinement. They suspected that Bobby was the next one to receive a mail bomb, but when they checked his apartment, they found nothing. Before they could warn others at the fire station, the 118 was already out on a call and a bomb toppled the ladder truck, crushing Buck's leg. When Bobby arrived on the scene, he saw that Freddie had a bomb strapped to his chest, demanding to see him. With no other choice, Bobby personally confronts Freddie and stalls until Rick Romero brings Ellie to the scene. When Freddie got distracted by Ellie, Bobby ambushes him from behind and takes the detonator, allowing the SWAT to move in and disarm the threat. The rest of 118 and bystanders then proceeded to rescue Buck. The LAFD later reinstated Bobby out of public pressure due to his heroism. After things calmed down, Bobby and Athena decided to elope, and they got married at the courthouse with May and Harry present.

## Personality

After losing his family, Bobby became closed off and withdrawn, but, over time, he bonded with his team and became more open and warmer. Bobby is shown as caring, decisive, calm, and levelheaded. He is usually quiet and keeps to himself, although in front of his friends and family, he is shown to be witty and a good sport. Despite his more introverted personality, he is seen as a fatherly figure within the firehouse and most of his crew have all come to him for advice at some point.

## Relationships

### Marcy Nash

Bobby and Marcy were married until her death. They lived in St. Paul, Minnesota, and had two children together. In 2014, Marcy and both their children died in a fire, which devastated Bobby. After losing his family, Bobby blamed himself for what happened the night of the fire and went on a bender. Eventually, he returned to rehab, and subsequently moved to Los Angeles to start over.

### Athena Grant-Nash

Bobby first met Athena at one of the first emergency calls he responded to as captain of the 118 after moving to Los Angeles. At the call, he handed Athena a rooster named Maurice after she asked for the assailant who stabbed the victim. They met again when the 118 responded to a fire caused at a restaurant, and would later revisit the crime scene on separate occasions, teaming up to uncover its true cause as arson.

Having to work together often because of their professions causing them to meet frequently at cases, they got acquainted and through Hen, they all became friends. However, they were not romantically involved until Athena decided to divorce Michael due his outing causing family drama and Bobby jumps into the dating game. Bobby initially asked Athena to go to church with him when Athena asked him what she could do to help him through the day after they both had just witnessed a severe motorcycle accident. They went to church together afterward and eventually went out on a date.

After four months of keeping their relationship a secret, Bobby wanted to go public with their relationship but Athena refused because she didn't want to be embarrassed if their relationship didn't work out. That caused a rift between them but after talking with Michael, Athena came to the firehouse to apologize to Bobby and revealed their relationship to the other members of the 118 by kissing him in front of them.

The two continued dating and after some time, Athena asked Bobby to move in as an attempt to take the next step in their relationship. That took Bobby by surprise, and Athena thought that she scared him off. After taking a moment, Bobby came back to Athena on Christmas Eve and instead of agreeing to move in with her, he proposed to her; saying that he didn't want to take the next step but wanted to take every step with her for the rest of their lives. Athena happily accepted his proposal and they became engaged.

They started to plan their wedding after Bobby got temporarily suspended from his duties at the 118 but after the events of the serial bomber, he realized, owning to their dangerous professions, they have no time to spare. They then went to a courthouse with May and Harry and got married.

## Trivia

* Both Bobby and his actor Peter Krause are from Minnesota.
* He started going to sleepaway camp when he was eight and looked forward to it every year.
* As a kid, Bobby did ice skating and hockey.
* He is Catholic.
* He suffers from trypanophobia, a fear of needles, as seen when he was reluctant to donate his blood initially.
	+ Ironically, his blood has a unique makeup which can be used to treat pregnant women and their fetuses with rhesus disease.
* In "A Whole New You", Bobby's *Romance The Uniform* page reveals that Bobby's:
	+ Favorite color is red
	+ Favorite dessert is flan
	+ 52 years old
	+ A great cook
	+ Favorite book is *The Da Vinci Code*
	+ Favorite show is *Friends*
	+ Favorite movie is *Highlander*
	+ Favorite band is *ELO*
	+ Favorite singer is *Celine Dion*
	+ Favorite actor is *Michael C. Hall*
	+ He does not like to travel
	+ He enjoys taking walks in the rain
* He and Buck once went to see a Bruce Springsteen's concert together.
* Bobby has physically appeared in every episode in the series so far except for Hen Begins and Chimney Begins, where he was shown only in flashbacks.
* He is a 4th Generation Firefighter.
* His favorite pastry is bear claw.
* His favorite subject is science.
* He has been a firefighter for almost three decades.
* He suffers from Arachnophobia, fear of spiders.
* Both Bobby and Athena have broken their arms during the series. Athena broke her arm in "Powerless" after being attacked by Jeffery Hudson and Bobby broke his in "Pay It Forward" after he was trapped under debris during the bridge collapse.

## Appearances

 "**Heartbreaker**"

 "**Haunted**"
 "**Fight or Flight**"

*Note:
\* denotes archive footage only appearance.*

 "**Athena Begins**"
 "**Pinned**"

 "**Jinx**"

 "**Ghost Stories**"
 "**Fear-O-Phobia**"

 "**Cursed**"
 "**Mixed Feelings**"

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Bobby Begins Again"
2. ↑ "Pilot (9-1-1)"
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Point of Origin"
4. ↑ "FOMO"
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "Merry Ex-Mas"
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Malfunction"
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 "Karma's a Bitch"
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Under Pressure"
9. ↑ "Dosed"
10. ↑ "New Beginnings"
11. ↑ "A Whole New You"
12. ↑ "This Life We Choose"
13. ↑ "What's Next?"
14. ↑ "Pilot"
15. ↑ "Fight or Flight"
16. ↑ "Home and Away"
17. ↑ "Brawl in Cell Block 9-1-1"
18. ↑ "Fear-O-Phobia"