Labor Day Weekend 2015—the Department BBQ-1. Crawl...Check!
Kelly pushed the double stroller across the grass in the park.
"All I'm saying…is it's ridiculous. I'm a firefighter…I can get out the door in full gear in less than ninety seconds. It shouldn't take two hours to get out of the house!"
"Packing for two babies takes a little longer than ninety seconds…I'm sorry." Alyssa argued.
"And that's another thing. Why do we need to pack like we're goin' on a damn safari or whatever? Do we seriously need to haul all this crap everywhere we go?" he went on.
Alyssa sighed.
"Yes, Kelly…we seriously do. We have two babies. Just grabbin' a cooler full of beer on your way out the door's not gonna cut it anymore."
Kelly was tired of arguing. They'd been going round and round since they got in the car.
"Maybe not…but at least they'd sleep good." He said with a grin.
Alyssa just rolled her eyes heavenward.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
They spotted their crew at a group of tables under a couple big, shady trees.
"There you are." Casey said. "We were beginning to wonder about you."
"Who knew it'd take two hours to get out of the house? We got enough stuff here to go on a world tour."
Alyssa shot him a look. So much for not arguing…
"Andy decided to try and feed himself right when we were about to leave. I had to clean him up and start from scratch."
Casey bent down to look Andy in the eye.
"Were you eating again?" he said to the little boy.
"Is he awake?" Kelly asked.
Otis passed the stroller on his way back from a beer run.
"With all he eats…you'd think he'd be a lot bigger." He said.
Alyssa shrugged.
"The doctor said he's just got a high metabolism…"
Casey turned to Jesse…
"You better start eating more…" he said as he tickled Jesse's little tummy. "Before your brother gets it all."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
While this was going on Kelly reached under the stroller and pulled out a blanket. He took it over and spread it in the shade beneath the trees.
Alyssa grabbed the sunscreen and started spraying it on the twins.
Leslie came over to help her.
She unbuckled Jesse from the stroller and held him up.
"These little t-shirts are so cute!"
Both boys had on little onsies…Andy's was white, Jesse's was navy blue. And one the front they said 1. Crawl, 2. Walk, 3. …and there was a picture of a fire helmet and an axe.
The ladies set the boys on the blanket and spread out some toys for them. And Kelly went off to find the beer.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
He was just reaching into the cooler when he heard his name.
"Kelly!"
He looked up and say Nikki Rutkowski skipping toward him. The girl kept turning up…like a bad penny.
"Nikki…"
She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him…from which he extracted himself as quickly as possible.
"I haven't seen you in forever! What're you doin'?" she said.
He shrugged.
"You know…same ol', same ol'. You?"
"I'm here with my new boyfriend. He's on Engine 17." She linked her fingers behind her back and stuck her enhanced boobs out…and turned back and forth in what he assumed was supposed to be a teasing manner. "Are you still with your girlfriend? The one from the hospital?"
Kelly held up his left hand.
"I married her. We've got twin boys." He said.
Nikki's mouth dropped open from the shock of this news.
"So I guess you wouldn't want to get a drink sometime? Catch up?" she said.
Kelly rolled his eyes incredulously.
This girl was absolutely unbelievable.
"Prob'ly not a good idea…no." he said.
Nikki lowered her eyelids seductively.
"Married doesn't mean 'dead' you know." She purred.
"No…it doesn't." Kelly agreed. "But it does mean that I'm not about to risk losing my family for a quickie in the equipment room."
He turned around and headed back to Alyssa and the team. On his way he passed a guy who looked vaguely familiar headed toward the beer.
He's gotta be the boyfriend from 17…Kelly thought to himself. Good luck, man…you're gonna need it…
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
He set his beer down and unfolded a chair for himself.
"Hey Lieutenant?" Cruz called out. "Why are the boys playin' with cop cars?"
Kelly looked over to his sons. They were both teething on little rubber police cars.
"My brother-in-law got 'em. Guess he felt like he had to represent."
He went over to the blanket and squatted down to the boys' level.
"Hey, Andy…" he said. "What do we think about the CPD?"
Andy made a big 'raspberry' and threw the police car. Jesse copied his brother.
Everybody laughed, and Kelly smiled.
"That's my boys!"
Andy clapped his chubby little hands together and laughed…so hard that he fell over.
That only made everybody laugh harder.
"He looks like a turtle on its back…" Otis said.
And Kelly reached out to set his son upright again.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The team spent a lazy Saturday afternoon…laughing and joking and busting each other's balls over one thing or another.
Then Dawson looked up.
"What are they doing?" she asked as she stared at Andy and Jesse.
Kelly looked over at the twins. Both boys were up on their hands and knees, rocking back and forth.
"They been doin' that for about a week or so. It's like they're revving the engines…they just don't ever go anywhere.
A little while later…
"Hey, Kelly…I thought you said they never went anywhere."
Kelly shook his head.
"Nope…"
Dawson chuckled.
"Well, don't look now…but I think they're makin' a break for it."
Kelly spun around so fast he nearly gave himself whiplash…and saw that Andy and Jesse had already crawled about twenty or thirty feet off their blanket and were heading toward the parking lot.
"Oh…shit!"
He jumped up and ran after Andy.
"Hey! Casey!" he called. "A little help here?"
Casey laughed to himself as he jogged over and scooped up Jesse, who wasn't making quite as much progress as his brother.
He held the little boy up so they were looking eye to eye.
"And just where do you think you're goin', Mister?" he asked.
Jesse looked at him with such a thoughtful expression…it was easy to imagine that he understood what Matt was asking him. Then he looked over toward the parking lot…then back to Casey…then back to the parking lot again.
Casey shifted his grip on the baby and turned around to see what was in the parking lot.
He stated to laugh.
Meanwhile, Kelly had caught up to Andy…who was chugging along like a man on a mission. He grabbed his son and scooped him up into his arms. Right away, Andy started to squirm and fight him. Then he opened up his mouth and hollered.
"What? What are you getting' so upset about?"
Casey came up to him with Jesse.
"They want to see the trucks." He said.
Severide stared at Casey like he was speaking another language.
"Really? How do you figure that?" he asked.
"Jesse told me."
"Oh…Jesse told you? What are you, the 'baby whisperer'?"
Andy was still screaming at the injustice of having his escape thwarted.
"Put him down…trust me on this." Casey said.
Kelly gave his friend a look that let him know that he thought Matt had lost it…but he put Andy down on the ground again.
And the little boy immediately began crawling toward the parking lot again.
"Well, I'll be damned…" Kelly said…then he laughed.
He caught up to his son and scooped the baby up again…and this time the two men headed toward the parking lot…where there was a little show of antique fire trucks.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
They headed back to their tables…and Kelly hit Matt's arm to get his attention.
"Hey…can we keep the Great Escape just between us? If Lyssa thinks I wasn't watching the boys…"
"You'll be back on the DL." Casey said.
Kelly chuckled.
"At the very least…"
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Kelly took Andy back to their group…and Casey took Jesse to go get a cookie.
He stood in line and he was talking to the baby…
"So what kind of cookie do you want? Sugar? I think that's a good idea. Chocolate chip can get kind of messy…and we have to get one for your brother too."
He was still carrying on his one sided conversation when someone came up to him.
"Yes, I know…but we need to share. It wouldn't be nice to eat all the cookies over here and not take one to your brother."
"Matt?"
Casey turned around.
"Heather!"
The two hugged awkwardly.
"It's good to see you." He said.
He had seen her at the twins' baptism…but she had slipped in at the last minute and run out as soon as the ceremony was over. She hadn't stayed to talk to anyone.
"Yeah…" she said hesitantly. "It that…"
"This is Jesse. Kelly's got Andy with him."
"Oh."
She sounded disappointed.
"You wanna go see him? Say hello to everybody?" he asked.
She looked unsure.
"C'mon…" he said.
Heather followed him over to the tables where Station 51 had taken up residence.
"Hey…look who we found." Casey said as he approached the group.
Shay and Hermann both greeted Heather warmly.
Heather approached Kelly cautiously.
She didn't know what to say.
"Hey, Heather…" he said.
She barely heard him…she couldn't take her eyes off the little boy in his arms…so cute…with those big blue eyes that melted her heart.
"You wanna hold him?" Kelly asked.
"Can I?" Heather whispered.
"Sure…" he told her as he handed the baby to her. "Hey, Andy…go say 'hi' to Heather…"
She was surprised that he went to her so readily…but he was a friendly little guy with a big toothless grin.
"Hi, Andy…" she whispered.
Alyssa came up beside Kelly and he put his arm around his wife. And he watched as Heather cuddled the little boy who had her husband's name.