Chapter 1
What a night/morning!
Somehow summer in the city always managed to translate into "crazy". It was like the heat did something to peoples' brains.
This time...some truly brilliant individuals decided that 3AM was the ideal time to have a weenie roast. So they jumped the chain link fence and fired up their neighbor's grill. They might have gotten a little carried away with the lighter fluid...because the flames shot up...like... a dozen feet in the air...set fire to the one tree in the whole yard...which in turn spread to the porch and eventually engulfed the entire back of the house.
Then these idiots had to compound matters by trying to dump any available liquid on the blaze before calling 911. Unfortunately all they had on hand was about a case and a half of beer and a couple pints of hard liquor.
Everyone got out of the house okay...but when the homeowner realized what his neighbors had done he ran to his car, popped the trunk...and grabbed a sawed off shotgun.
Needless to say, him exercising his right to bear arms made an already hairy situation even worse.
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Severide was looking forward to a week's vacation...starting in two more days. He and Alyssa were taking the kids to a theme park in Ohio. They were going with Lyssa's brother Joey, his wife EmmaLynn, and their four kids. Should be a good time...family...fun...relaxing...
"Well, you can't go! Nah-nyeah! Nah-nyeah!"
That was what Kelly heard the minute he opened his back door.
"But Wexie wanna go!"
"Well you can't!" Maggie teased.
Home Sweet Home.
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"Hey!" Kelly said. "What's goin' on? Is that how you're supposed to talk to your sister, Maggie Grace?"
The two little girls turned to look at him as he came into the four seasons room and dropped his bag.
"Daddy!" Lexi cried as she ran over and hugged him around the legs. "Maggie no wet Wexie pway dow-haus!"
Kelly picked the almost three year old up into his arms and gave her a little kiss on her forehead. This was a big day. Today he and Lyssa taking Lexi over to St. Pasqual's Early Childhood center for her preschool screening. It was the school's practice to individually assess each child and try to make the classes the best fit possible. They had gone through it with the twins and with Maggie...and now it was Lexi's turn.
She just didn't know it.
"You're gonna go with Mommy and Daddy to check out your new school today." Kelly told her as he set the baby back on her feet.
"My old school..." Maggie pointed out.
"You're not helping, Maggie Grace."
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Most kids knew when they heard their full names that they were in trouble. He remembered when his grandmother would holler out "Kelly Michael!"...it still sent shivers down his spine.
But Maggie was oblivious. And Alyssa warned him that he had to stop referring to her as a little princess and get tough with her. Otherwise she'd be a monster long before she ever reached her pre-teen years.
It was easier said than done.
Be tough...he told himself. Be tough.
"You need to stop pickin' on your sister." he said as he scooped Maggie up and carried her out to the living room.
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Alyssa was coming down the stairs and she shot her husband a strange look as he swept right past her.
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Kelly plopped his Baby Girl down on the brown leather sectional sofa and knelt down in front of her.
"You need to talk nice..." he said. "And stop teasin' Lexi. Otherwise the only place you're goin' today is straight to your room for time out."
Maggie's teal blue eyes opened wide in horror.
"But Uncle Mouch is takin' me to the 'Merican Girl Store! To play with the dollhouses!"
The American Girl Store downtown was celebrating some big anniversary of their historical dolls...and they were having an event where girls could play with all the different dolls from the different periods in specially constructed dollhouses all decorated to reflect each story. You had to buy tickets months in advance...and apparently it was a pretty big deal.
"Well, girls who talk nasty to their baby sisters don't deserve special treats." Kelly said. "And I'm sure Uncle Mouch would agree with that."
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He pulled his phone out of his pocket, tapped in his password, and set the alarm for five minutes.
"Okay...you're gonna sit here for five minutes. " he told his daughter. "Then you're gonna go tell Lexi you're sorry. You understand?"
Maggie nodded...he bottom lip turning out in a little pout...her big blue eyes filling with tears.
Stay strong...he told himself. Stay strong.
He started the timer, stood up, and set his phone on the top shelf of the bookcase.
He'd already figured out Maggie knew how to reset the alarm, so he wasn't taking any chances.
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Kelly went back to the kitchen where Alyssa had a cup of coffee waiting. He wrapped his arms around his wife and breathed in the fresh scent of lemon shampoo.
"Good job, Honey..." she told him, a teasing glint in her eye. "Good job."
"Hey..." he growled. "No teasin'...or I'll put you in time out."
"I'd like to see you try, Severide..."
Then Alyssa started to laugh.
"What?" he asked.
"Nothing, Honey..." she giggled. "I'll just never understand...how you can run into burning buildings...dive into the freezing cold lake...repel down the side of a skyscraper..."
She looked up into his blue eyes.
"And yet two little girls can turn you into the biggest cream puff on God's green earth."
Kelly chuckled himself.
"Not to mention what their mama does to me..." he said as he leaned down to kiss her. "Don't forget about that..."
"You'll have to tell me all about it Severide."
"How 'bout I show you?"
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But he was interrupted by the alarm on his phone going off.
Maggie's five minutes in time out was up.
Kelly went back to the living room and grabbed his phone from the top shelf of the bookcase. Once he'd silenced the alarm, he crossed the room to the sofa and knelt down in front of his daughter...who was wiping at her eyes and her nose with the back of her hand. And Daddy wiped his hand down his face. The tears were almost more than he could stand.
Stay strong...he reminded himself...be tough.
Alyssa was right...burning buildings and ten foot flames didn't faze him in the least. But two little girls turned him into a marshmallow.
"Okay, Maggie..." he said. "Time out's over. Whaddya need to do now?"
Maggie looked up at him...teal blue eyes still full of tears.
"Tell Lexi "sorry"?" she said softly.
Kelly nodded.
"That's right. Do you know why?"
"'Cause I teased-ed her?"
He nodded again.
"You don't like when Andy teases you, do you?"
Maggie shook her head vigorously, strawberry blonde curls bouncing all around as she did.
Of course she didn't like when Andy teased her. He was a big meanie sometimes.
"Well...Lexi doesn't like to be teased any more than you do." Kelly said. "What did Mrs. Beatty always tell you in school?"
"Treat people the way you want 'dem to treat you?" Maggie said.
It was hard to remember all the things teachers said...they talked a lot.
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After Maggie had apologized...and Kelly explained to Lexi that she had to accept that apology...Maggie went off with Mouch to the American Girl Store.
And Lexi crossed her little arms over her chest.
"Wexie wanna go pway dow-haus." she grumbled.
Kelly picked her up in his arms.
"Maybe we can go another time, Sweetie." he told her. "But today Mommy and I are gonna take you to see your new school. You're gonna meet the teachers...and check out all the toys...and when we're done...we'll go get some ice cream."
"Owse cweam?" Lexi squealed, her eyes lighting up like Christmas.
Kelly winced at the high decibel...
"Sure..." he said. "What kind do you want?"
Lexi started counting on her fingers.
"Choc-wait...traw-berry...bubb-o gum...choc-wait tip...peanut bubber cwunch..."
Kelly couldn't help but laugh as he carried her toward the stairs.
"You're gonna get a tummy ache if you eat all that!"
"Uh-uh!" Lexi said. "
Then she went back to counting...
"An' cookie an' cweam...and cookie dough...an'..."
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Kelly held open the door of Room 2...and he couldn't help but think in another year...he'd never walk through that door again.
Andy and Jesse had three years of pre-school...so did Maggie. But because Lexi's birthday was at the end of August, and she was just turning three...she'd only get two years at St. Pasqual's Early Childhood program.
Where had the time gone? They had gotten her at eight months as their foster child...then eight months after that they got the green light to adopt her.
That was a year ago...almost to the day now.
He gently ushered Alyssa through the door, then reached down for Lexi's hand.
"C'mon..." he said.
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Now, the other kids had all been shy and timid when they entered their new classroom for the first time...but not Lexi. Kelly didn't know if it was because she had been there before with Maggie...or what...but she bounced into the basement classroom like she was ready to take on the world.
Mrs. Beatty, the lead teacher approached the family. She knelt down in front of the little girl...she was so cute in her pink polka-dot bike shorts and her little white top with the butterflies in it. Her dark brown hair was arranged in two pigtails...and her blue eyes sparkled with excitement.
"You must be Lexi." Mrs. Beatty said. "I'm so happy to meet you."
Lexi smiled.
"Hi!" she chirped.
"Would you like to come play with some of our toys?" the teacher asked.
The little girl nodded enthusiastically...and ran across the room to the small table already set up with puzzles and other manipulatives.
Mrs. Beatty smiled at Kelly and Alyssa before she went to sit with Lexi.
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Ms. Monahan, the preschool director, invited the parents to sit down while Mrs. Beatty and one of her co-teachers played with Lexi and tried to get a feel for her. She'd known the Severide's for about ten years now...ever since they'd brought the twins for their preschool screening. She had a good sense of them as parents and as a couple...so this was already just a formality.
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"Do you like puzzles, Lexi?" Mrs. Beatty asked.
Lexi nodded.
"Are they your favorite toys?"
This time Lexi shook her head.
"What is you favorite toy?"
Lexi smiled...
"Pink fi-tuck!" she said. "An' pink fi-haus!"