The day that 9-1-1 fans hoped would never come is almost here: the funeral of fallen hero Bobby Nash. (It’s not too late to reveal that this has all been a fever dream, by the way! … No? OK, then.)

TVLine has a pair of exclusive photos from Thursday’s episode (ABC, 8/7c), in which the 118 says goodbye to its captain, following his d3ath from Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever in the show’s two-part “Contagion” event.

Our photos offer a bittersweet first look at Athena as she grieves yet another lost love, and several members of the 118 serving as pallbearers for their captain, carrying him to his final resting place just as he carried them all for eight seasons.

“This was entirely a creative decision on my part, really,” showrunner Tim Minear told TVLine of Bobby’s untimely demise. “I’ve been thinking about it for a while. … Look, am I crawling out on a skinny branch? Maybe. On the other hand, if the stakes are never real, if there’s really no chance that any of this peril in which these characters find themselves amounts to anything, I think the show could di3.”

Now, there is some good news in all of this: Minear confirmed to TVLine that Krause will still appear in new scenes — presumably to flashbacks of moments we never saw — over the final three episodes of the season, so at least we’ll get to spend some more time with our beloved Bobby.

Browse our exclusive first look at Bobby’s funeral below, then drop a comment with your thoughts on the situation. How are you preparing yourself for this emotional hour?

Photo : Courtesy of ABC

Angela Bassett as Athena Grant

Photo : Courtesy of ABC

Lou Ferrigno Jr. as Tommy Kinard, Angela Bassett as Athena Grant, Kenneth Choi as Chimney Han, Richard Brooks as Chief Simpson and Oliver Stark as Buck

Photo : Courtesy of ABC

Oliver Stark as Buck and Anirudh Pisharody as Ravi Panikkar

Photo : Courtesy of ABC

Jennifer Love Hewitt as Maddi3 Han and Oliver Stark as Buck

Photo : Courtesy of ABC

Jennifer Love Hewitt as Maddie Han and Kenneth Choi as Chimney Han

Photo : Courtesy of ABC

Aisha Hinds as Hen Wilson and Tracie Thoms as Karen Wilson