Pumpkin Surgery
Disclaimer: Sadly I own neither Saving Hope nor Daniel Gillies.
Pairing: Joel & Alex (or if you prefer Alex & Joel)
Rating: T
Summary: Joel and Alex carve pumpkins with their children.
Alex Reid stood in the kitchen of her home. Virtually every surface was covered in sheets of newspaper as Luke and Charlotte waited anxiously at the table to carve pumpkins while baby Theo sat in his high chair watching intently.
She wore a pair of rubber gloves from under the kitchen sink and was cutting the stems off of three medium-sized pumpkins with the same meticulous precision that she used in the O.R.
"Mommy, can I hold the knife?" Luke asked, "I promise I'll be really careful."
Alex shook her head without looking up, holding the large kitchen knife steady. "No, Luke. You and your sister can take the insides out of the pumpkins and draw the faces on. But only Daddy and I get to use the knife."
"But I'm the oldest." Luke protested sticking out his lower lip.
Alex nodded, "I know buddy. But only the grown-ups get to handle the sharp knives. Sorry those are just the rules."
I've seen too many people wind up in the hospital on the wrong end of a sharp object.
I'm not going to let that happen to any of my kids.
Including me.
Alex shuddered for a moment, thinking of the time when she herself has been stabbed as she set the knife aside and picked up the second pumpkin.
At the sound of Joel's car in the driveway Charlotte got up and ran toward the front door. "Daddy's home!"
Alex smiled at her daughter's childlike enthusiasm, "Don't run sweet pickle," She said softly as she heard the front door opening.
"Hi, Daddy! We waited for you to carve the pumpkins! C'mon…" Charlotte said, taking her father by the arm and pulling him toward the kitchen.
Joel smiled, "All right, angel. Let's go carve those pumpkins" Joel said, lifting his daughter off her feet and into his arms.
Charlotte wrapped her small arms around her father's neck and whispered in his ear, "I love you, Daddy. I'm glad you're home."
"I love you too, Charlotte. And I'm glad to be home." Joel replied, kissing his daughter's cheek. "Now, let's go into the kitchen before your Mommy and your brothers have all the fun without us."
Charlotte giggled, "They won't do that, Daddy."
Joel smiled again, "Are you sure?"
"Hey. What did I miss?" He asked as he walked into the kitchen, setting Charlotte down on her feet.
Alex smiled at the sound of her husband's voice, "Oh I was just about to perform a little pumpkin surgery. Would you like to scrub in, Doctor Goran?"
Joel nodded, "Yes I would, Doctor Reid. But I'd like to kiss my wife first."
That's the right answer.
Alex thought as Joel wrapped one arm around her, pulled her close and gave her a kiss that nearly left her breathless.
"Mmmmm," Alex whispered, enjoying his proximity and the sensation of his lips on hers. "How was your day?"
"It just got better." Joel replied, brushing a strand of her dark hair away from her face. "How was yours?"
"It was fine. I was just telling our son why he can't handle a knife."
"Luke, you know better, mate." Joel said reaching out to ruffle his son's dark hair and meeting his eyes. "Don't you?"
Luke looked his father straight in the eye and nodded.
Suddenly Theo's cries broke through the moment of silence.
"Joel, baby would you mind changing him? I would do it but…"
"But you're in the middle of pumpkin surgery." He finished, kissing her forehead just before he picked up their son, who stopped fussing the moment Joel lifted him out of the high chair.
"Let's get you cleaned up little man." Joel said heading for the stairs, even as his daughter grabbed his free hand. "But Daddy, I thought we were going to carve pumpkins."
Joel nodded, "We will Charlotte. Right after I change your brother. I'll be right back okay?"
"Okay Daddy." Charlotte replied softly reluctantly letting go of her father's hand. "But hurry back, okay?"
"Yes ma'am." Joel answered giving his daughter the same response that he often gave her mother.
And Joel's heart melted, the same way it always did when Charlotte smiled.
That little girl has me wrapped around her finger.
But I don't care.
I would do anything for my kids.
And for Alex.
Joel quickly changed the baby and then headed back downstairs. Alex was seated at the kitchen table with the kids on either side of her.
"The last patient is on the counter, Doctor Goran." Alex said as he walked back into the kitchen and put Theo back into the high chair. And he wasted no time reaching his tiny hands toward the orange pulp of the pumpkin and laughing.
"Thank you, Doctor Reid." Joel replied smiling at the sight of his wife sitting with the children who were now up to their elbows in pumpkin goo, and loving every minute of it.
"Hey Mommy, is this what it's like to have your hands inside someone's guts?" Luke asked smiling, "Because it's kinda awesome."
Alex laughed, "A person's insides are a little more complicated than the inside of a pumpkin buddy. But yeah, I guess it is kinda like that."
"It sounds like we've got ourselves a general surgeon in the making here Reid." Joel said, drying his hands on a kitchen towel and grabbed a spare set of gloves from under the sink before taking the knife from the counter and expertly cutting the stem from the top of the pumpkin.
Alex chuckled again, "Yeah right up until the point where he realizes that orthopedic surgeons get to fix bones and play with cool tools."
Joel gave his wife a longing look.
She has no idea how sexy she is.
He was about to tell her just that when his four-year old daughter's demanding voice broke the spell of the moment.
"Daddy, are you almost done? I want to draw on my pumpkin."
Joel nodded, "I'm almost finished angel. I thought you were helping Mommy take the insides out?"
Charlotte wrinkled her tiny nose and shook her head, her dark hair bobbing slightly, "I don't like it. It's cold, sticky, and squishy.
At this Joel laughed out loud, "Okay, come over here and I'll help you wash your hands. Then you can draw all right?"
Charlotte hopped out of her chair and moved as fast as her tiny legs could carry her toward her father.
"Be careful, sweet pickle. The floor might be slippery with all these pumpkin guts." Alex said, making Luke laugh.
"Eww! Yuck!" Charlotte exclaimed as Joel wrapped both hands around her small waist and lifted her up so she could reach the kitchen faucet spraying water all over the kitchen as she washed her tiny hands.
"It's not bath time yet, Charlotte." Joel said turning down the faucet and handing her a clean towel.
"I know, Daddy." Charlotte said, laughing, as he tickled her belly. "Okay, you're ready to draw. Go get your marker from Mommy. But promise you'll only draw on the pumpkin. Not on the walls, the table, or the floors."
Charlotte nodded, "I promise, Daddy."
"Good girl." Joel said, kissing her cheek softly before setting her down and picking up the last pumpkin and carrying it toward the table.
"Are you ready for your next patient, Doctor Reid?" He asked, setting the pumpkin on the table in front of his wife.
"Yes I am. Thank you, Doctor Goran." She answered, pulling her hand out of the pumpkin and reaching toward her husband so she could kiss him.
"You're welcome, Doctor Reid." He answered not caring that his shirt was now covered in pumpkin pulp.
"Oh Joel, baby I'm sorry…" He cut off her apology with a kiss. "That's all right, love. I was going to take a shower later anyway."
"Well in that case…" Alex whispered pulling him toward her once more for another kiss.
Luke rolled his eyes, "Can't you guys kiss later? We're trying to carve pumpkins here?"
At this both Joel and Alex smiled, and moved away from each other, handing a marker to both Luke and Charlotte.
We might do more than kiss later.
"You'll understand what it's like to be in love someday mate." Joel said as he watched his son drawing the face of The Hulk on his pumpkin.
This time it was Luke who made a face and whispered, "Yuck," making his father chuckle.
After both the children had drawn their faces, they sat and watched with rapt attention as their parents meticulously carved their works of art into the pumpkins.
When they were done, they brought the pumpkins out onto the porch and watched as Alex and Joel placed candles inside each of the pumpkins and lit them.
After a few minutes the candles went out and the children reluctantly went back inside the house.
"So," Alex asked looking at Joel, "Do you want clean-up or bath time?"
He flashed her one of his trademark grins, "Isn't that the same thing?"
Alex laughed, "Yeah. Pretty much."
"I'll take the kitchen." Joel replied, "But I'll make it up to you later."
Alex smiled, kissing the mole behind his ear, "You promise?"
"Yes ma'am." Joel answered, pulling a piece of orange pumpkin pulp out of her dark hair.
"Okay guys, it's time to get cleaned up and ready for bed." Alex said, ushering the kids upstairs.
Two hour later the kitchen was clean, the kids were asleep and both Joel and Alex had showered and fallen into bed, exhausted.
"How is it that I'm just as exhausted after performing pumpkin surgery as I am after performing actual surgery?" Alex asked, her words running together with the force of her exhaustion as she moved closer to Joel pillowing her head on his bare chest.
Joel laughed and kissed the sensitive skin between her neck and shoulder, "Kind of makes you glad Halloween only comes once a year."
"Mmmmmhmmm…" Alex answered, drowsily. "Happy Halloween, Joel baby. I love you."
"I love you too, Reid." Joel whispered, just before he fell asleep beside her.