Sirens blare in the distance. Dogs bark at the mailman. A light drizzle falls from the grey clouds hovering above. The outside world is noisy and chaotic in Chicago.
But life is calm and full of love inside of the Caseys' brick townhouse in the city. The pitter-patter of tiny feet can be heard from down the hall. A sports reporter announces highlights of the baseball game on the television. Bacon sizzles from the frying pan.
The pitter-patter stops, and Louie's little head pops up from under the kitchen island. When he notices Matt flipping pancakes and the bacon sizzling away, his eyes widen and a smile stretches across his face.
"Pancakes?" he asks, excitedly.
"Not just any pancakes – happy face pancakes," Matt responds. He places one large and fluffy pancake on a plate for Louie. Then, he completes the happy face by adding banana slice eyes, a strawberry nose, a mouth made of chocolate chips, and finally, whipped cream hair. "There you go, Lou Man!"
"Thank you! Oooohh! Yummy!" His smile stretches even further at the sight of his favorite breakfast.
"Maaamaaa! Mama, look! Daddy made happy face pancakes!" he calls out.
Gabby walks in carrying Louie's kid-sized blue and green striped backpack, full of his favorite toys, books, blanket, and everything necessary for a night at his abuelos' house. She places the backpack on the empty chair beside Louie, finishes zippering her jacket, and then plants a kiss on Louie's cheek.
"Happy face pancakes? No way!" she says to Louie, as she takes a sip of coffee from the travel mug Matt had set out for her. "Do you think Daddy made some for me, too?"
"Your breakfast is served! Happy face pancakes for my two favorite people," Matt says, placing another plate on the island.
"Thanks, baby," she says, adding a soft kiss on his lips as an extra thank you.
"What? No happy face pancakes for me?" In walked Kelly, attempting to put on his boots while walking into the kitchen. "Guess I'll just have to steal some of yours, Lou!"
Kelly grabbed a piece of bacon with one hand and tickled Louie with his other hand.
"Uncle Sev, silly! Uncle Sev, silly!" Louie calls out between giggles.
"I think Matt made enough pancakes to feed everyone at 51. So dig in! You have a big day ahead of you," Gabby says to Kelly, pushing an empty plate towards him.
"Are you ready for your first shift back, Sev?" Matt asks. He transforms the pancakes on his own plate, as well as Gabby and Kelly's plates, into happy faces, much to Louie's delight.
"Absolutely," Kelly responds. "Oh, I forgot to tell you guys. I'm checking out a new apartment tomorrow after shift."
"What? Come on, man. You don't have to do that. We love having you here," Matt says, shocked and surprised over his best friend's announcement.
"It's been a crazy few months for all of us, and you guys know how much it's meant to me that you've let me crash here. But now that I'm going back to work, I think it's time that I find my own place again."
It really had been a crazy few months for everyone standing in the Caseys' kitchen. Almost two months ago, their lives all changed in the blink of an eye. Matt came home to Gabby and Louie, and their little family was established. Meanwhile, just a few blocks away, Kelly and Stella were attacked by Stella's high as a kite, steak knife wielding ex, Grant. Fortunately, neither Kelly nor Stella suffered life-threatening injuries, but Kelly was literally stabbed in the back and had multiple surgeries. Just days later, Matt bought the townhouse to fix up for his newly formed family, and Kelly moved in with them when he was released from the hospital. Eventually, they decided to sell Matt and Kelly's apartment. Kelly wanted a smaller place when he was able to live on his own again. Matt and Gabby helped Kelly recover from his injuries, and Kelly helped to entertain Louie.
"It's been a blur of daycare visits, hospital visits, trips to the park, and trips to physical therapy," Kelly continues. "I'm ready to get back to work, get my own place, watch something on TV other than Sesame Street."
"Well, we'll miss having you here, but I'm glad that you're getting your life back," Gabby says with a smile.
Kelly tickled Louie again, and he starts giggling almost instantly. "Don't tell your mom and dad, but I'll miss you the most, Lou Man."
"Miss you! Love you!" Louie says. "Love you, mama! Love you, daddy!"
Tears fill Gabby's eyes. She glances at Matt and notices that his eyes are also glistening with happy tears. It had been a few weeks since Louie first called them "mama" and "daddy," but they both still got emotional when they heard him say it. A few months ago, they never could have imagined that their life would be as perfect as it is in this moment. They're a family. Louie is happy and well adjusted. Their best friend is healthy and ready for work. Their lives, certainly, make sense. And they couldn't ask for anything more.
Louie's adorable giggles fill the room as his foster parents join in on Kelly's tickle attack. Sirens blaring, dogs barking, rain falling. None of the noise and chaos matter to little Louie when his family is all gathered in the same room. Especially when happy face pancakes are involved.