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"A complication?" Andy asked as she turned to Helm. "What kind of complication?" she asked as she narrowed her eyes at Helm who opened and closed her mouth trying to find the correct words to use in front of two very worried parents.
"It was just too inflamed, and it ruptured when we made contact. Luckily, we controlled it right away so there shouldn't be any problem. I would like to keep her here a day or two longer than normal and keep her on antibiotics for a week and a half just to rule out any sort of infection. She's doing amazing in there", Helm smiled as Andy took a long shaky breath and wiped a tear away.
"Thank you Helm", Andy answered as he pulled Taryn into a hug. She let go to let Helm leave and turned to Jack. "Honey, she's alright. Amelia's okay. God, she should be. That little girl has a whole army of people watching over her up there", Andy smiled as he wrapped his arms around her waist.
"What would I do without you?" he asked as Andy chuckled and kissed him.
"Fortunately, you'll never have to find out. Remember, I'm in this for the long haul. For better or worse", she reminded him as she gestured to her ring. "Now, let's go back to Lia's room. Maya and the boys should be coming any minute. Rowan's probably pestering her to get a move on. Either that or he's still asleep. I swear to God that kid can sleep thorough anything", Andy chuckled as she thought about all of the mornings spent getting him up and ready for school. She learned very quickly that he would wake up not with sound but with light pouring into the room. It became her routine on school mornings to flip on the lights, open the blinds, and let him wake up to that on his own. Usually she would see him trudge, reluctantly to the kitchen island, only perking up at the scent of sausages and pancakes. DJ usually followed him downstairs, half dressed, with his hair half brushed, needing a reminder to go upstairs and change. Jack snapped Andy out of her thoughts as he recalled the previous night where he found a slice of three-day-old pizza sitting in DJ's bed
"We have Rowan who sleeps through anything and DJ sleeps on anything. I found a slice of pizza in his bed last night when I went to go lay down. The funny thing being that we haven't ordered pizza since Saturday, and I think I remember you telling him not to bring it upstairs", Jack laughed as he wondered what other items meandered their way into a six-year-old's room.
Andy shook he head and laughed, "The pizza probably had mold growing of course. I told him I don't know how many times that food stays downstairs in the living room, the dining room, the kitchen, or the playroom". She recalled that the conversation ended with a hasty "Yes Mommy" before he went back outside to use the pool with Jack. "What did he say when you asked him about it?", Andy asked
Jack sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, remembering that DJ had fallen asleep mid-conversation. Jack had been too tired after the events of that day with Amelia to keep DJ awake for a talk. "He fell asleep before I could say anything. I can tell him when he gets here to clean his room. I'm willing to bet Ro will probably help him.", Jack smirked
Andy chuckled thinking about the boys and their love-hate bond with each other. They could be inches away from killing each other one minute and then the next minute be pushing each other on the tire swing near the treehouse. "I don't know whether they'll spend more time cleaning, arguing, or listening to music.", Andy wondered aloud as Carina walked back in with the picture.
"Here you go, sorry about the wait. Dr. Hunt needs me to do a consult on some incoming trauma, so I have to give this to you and go meet him", she explained
Andy took the picture from Carina's hand. She smiled as she studied the outlines of both babies on the sonogram picture. She was grateful at how amazingly healthy both of them looked. She handed the sonogram to Jack so he could take a look and turned her focus back to Carina. "No worries. Thank you for squeezing us in Carina. I'll see you and Maya at the courthouse on the 2nd and then on the 4th at my house for your party. Start getting excited!" she smiled
"I will. And Maya will too", Carina smiled as she hugged Andy. "Tell little Miss Lia that I hope she feels better", she added as Andy and Jack left the room to walk back the Amelia's room. Once they were there, Jack collapsed in the chair while Andy checked her phone again.
Andy scrolled through a series of texts from Maya, before putting her phone back in the pocket of her shorts. "Maya just texted me. The boys are getting in the car now, they should be here soon. I guess they spent all morning sleeping and making get well cards for Lia", Andy chuckled as she sat on the arm of the chair and leaned back into her husband. "Do you want to go see if there's anything she would like at the gift shop? I think I saw a Playdoh OR set in there", she smiled as they both stood up from the chair.
"That'll give her something to do here and take her mind off of any pain. I've never seen a kid that loves Playdoh more than her. Her teacher told me that she's quite the little Playdoh artist" Jack chuckled. "Oh I remember when she used to eat it", he added, thinking back to the first time they ever met the kids over Jenna and Carl's. Life was so simple for them back then, not to say that it wasn't getting back to that way. Especially for Rowan; he had made a great improvement since the fire and even got promoted to the sixth grade despite everyone's fears. Back then, Jack and Andy could have never imagined being parents to these kids, but now they couldn't imagine their lives without them.
Andy laughed as she remembered that day, "I remember that too. I remember when she asked me to carry playdoh flowers down the aisle at our wedding. Nothing has changed with her in a year, she's still crazy about playdoh, and she still has a big imagination", Andy smiled as they walked to the gift shop hand in hand. When they got there, Andy bought a few "Get Well" balloons and the playdoh while Jack browsed around the store. Andy paid for the gifts at the register, while Jack stood in the corner of the gift shop eyeing a remote-control mini drone. Andy saw him and walked over with the bags while he took the box down and read the instructions.
"This is perfect" Jack smiled as he took the large box down from the shelf.
"Whatcha got there?" Andy asked, looking over his shoulder at the drone in the box. The drone clearly marked for ages eight and up.
"A drone with some kind of camera, and five different attachments. This thing is cool", Jack smiled as he read the list of different things that the drone could do. Andy sighed to herself, thinking of all the plastic food she had to throw in the dishwasher after Amelia's tea parties. Amelia still tended to try and eat the plastic food despite how many times both Andy and Jack told her no. Also, as much as Amelia tried to keep her things nice, she was three and still in the phase where she broke things. Andy thought back to the week before where Amelia not only broke a vase in the living room, but one of the boys' RCs when she pulled all of the wheels off the toy car thinking Jack could snap them back on.
"Honey, I love the idea, but Lia's way too young for that. She'll break it or swallow the parts. She still worries me when she chews on the play food in the playroom kitchen. I had to throw away the plastic corn on the cob because of how many teeth marks it had", Andy sighed as Jack shook his head, still studying the box and the price.
"Not for Amelia. For Rowan. I need to get him some type of reward", he answered, not looking at Andy as he opened the magnetic cover on the box to reveal the drone neatly packed away behind a plastic screen. He knew it was the right one for Rowan, and it was even the eleven-year-old's favorite color, blue. He smiled to himself as he tucked the drone under his arm and walked over to the register. "Andy, he impressed the hell out of me handing the situation like he did last night. He was calm, collected, and did exactly what I asked him to do when I asked him to do it without even a shred of panic in his eyes", Jack answered. "Did you know, he told me a while ago that he wants to be like his Mommy, a badass fire captain"
Andy narrowed her eyes. "You let him curse?"
"Relax, he didn't say badass. That's me talking, because you are a badass fire captain", he chuckled as Andy reached up and kissed him quickly, after making sure no one could see them.
"And you my friend are going to be a badass interim captain when I go on maternity leave", Andy smiled "Now back to Ro. He wants to be a fire captain?"
"He loves the thought of it, especially after what happened with Jenna and Carl. Judging by his composure last night, he's going to make one hell of a captain someday", Jack smiled as he handed the woman the drone.
"This one is our best. I just bought one for my grandson's birthday. He was over the moon about it", the woman smiled.
"Thank you for telling us! We're buying it for our son. Can you also throw in this Lego car set?" Andy asked as Jack looked at her, thankful that she had remembered to pick up something for DJ. "Can't buy for two and not the third. You didn't think I'd forget him", she added, smiling as she slid the credit card through the machine and picked up the bag.
"You're right. I completely forgot", Jack admitted as he looked over his shoulder and noticed DJ running at full speed into the hospital with Maya and Rowan chasing after him. His hair was half-brushed, and his shirt was stained with mud from presumably the morning. He held a bouquet of tulips, wrapped in a paper towel with the dirt covered roots still attached. He smiled proudly, running over to his parents, and dropping clumps of dirt off the flowers as he went.
"Dalton James Herrera-Gibson, come back here", Maya called in a captain's voice that she rarely ever used around the kids. DJ grinned widely when he spotted Andy in the gift shop. He ran up and hugged her leg, taking her by surprise. She bent down and kissed the top of his head while messing up his hair.
"What happened to staying with a grown up when we're in a big place, little guy?" she asked as Rowan walked up to Andy and hugged her too. "Also, DJ, honey, are these the tulips I was growing in the garden?" she asked as DJ looked down towards his half tied, half untied shoes.
"I forgot, I'm sorry. I was just super excited to see you" DJ answered sheepishly "And I'm sorry for picking your flowers Mommy, I just wanted to give Lia something to make her feel better", he explained with his most apologetic expression as Andy smiled and kissed him in the head.
She knew that he meant well, wanting to surprise his little sister with something he could get himself. "Next time ask Aunt Maya to use the sharp scissors to cut off the roots buddy", she explained as she took the bouquet of tulips and turned them over in her hands. The paper towels were soaked and falling apart at the lightest touch. "Let's see what the woman at the checkout can do about these", she suggested as her and DJ walked up to the counter. The woman chuckled as she took the tulips and unwrapped them from the towels. DJ stood on his tippy toes and put his chin on the counter so he could see exactly what was going on.
"My goodness these are beautiful flowers", the woman smiled as she looked as DJ. "Where did you get these?" she asked as Rowan chimed in from where he was standing, over by the entrance to the shop with Jack.
"Our Mom's garden, he wanted to give the to our sister, but he couldn't cut off the roots. He's not allowed to use the sharp scissors in the kitchen and didn't want me or our Aunt Maya's help", Rowan explained. The woman chuckled while she took a pair of scissors and cut the roots off. DJ watched her carefully as she wrapped the tulips in cellophane and put them in a new vase.
"Woah, you're good", DJ affirmed while the woman tied a big pink bow around the rim of the vase.
"I'm glad you think so. It's on the house", the woman smiled as she walked around and handed DJ the vase. Andy nudged DJ as he carefully inspected the woman's handiwork to make sure it was good enough.
"What do you say to the woman DJ?" Andy asked
"Thank you!", DJ grinned widely. He proudly walked over to Rowan with the vase. "Guess what the lady over there gave me?", he bragged, only for Rowan to ignore him. Rowan had been too busy eyeing the drone in one of Jack's bags to notice that his brother was talking to him. Seeing he wasning going to get an answer, DJ rolled his eyes and let out an impatient sigh. Maya bent down and helped him attach the "Get Well" card he made to the card holder in the vase before Andy called him over to fix his shoes. Rowan's eyes were still glued on the box
"Who's that for? It looks super cool" Rowan asked as he reached out to touch the box. Andy was preoccupied reminding DJ to tie his shoe that had come undone while he was running. When she was done, she looked over at Rowan and Jack, to find Rowan peering into the gift shop bag, studying the drone box.
"You like the drone?", she asked as Rowan nodded. "Good, because it's for you bud", Andy answered, smiling, while Jack handed the large plastic bag to Rowan. "Your father and I are super, super proud of how you handled the situation last night. We know that was really scary and Dad told me you were really calm, and you helped him out. Big time"
Rowan cried as he pulled the drone out of the bag and hugged them. "Woah, it's a camera drone with five different attachments. How did you know I wanted one?"
"Lucky guess. No, I remembered the book we read on drones last week and when I saw this, I knew I had to get it for you", Jack smiled as he hugged Rowan.
DJ furrowed his brow and eyed them with jealousy. He looked up at Andy with the sad blue eyes, knowing that she was a sucker for that. For a six-year-old, he was very smart. "What about me? I slept with Ro last night because he was scared. I was a good brother and didn't fight, and I cleaned up my room this morning when Gigi asked me to" he explained, listing all of the reasons why Jack and Andy should be proud of him too. For extra emphasis he quivered his bottom lip a little to get the point across that he didn't want to be forgotten. He knew pulling out the crocodile tears meant instant attention.
Andy laughed while hearing DJ's litany of reasons to be rewarded too. "We got you a brand-new Lego set. You didn't think we would forget about you did you, silly boy?" Andy asked, as he danced around her and searched for his bag. She noticed his bangs growing almost over his eyes. "Stop dancing or you'll drop the vase", she warned as he stopped in his tracks.
"Sorry Mommy", he answered quietly, walking over to her side.
Andy brushed his bangs out of his eyes. "DJ, sweetheart, can you see with your bangs like that?" she asked as he shook his head. Andy then looked over at Rowan's bangs, which were almost over his eyes as well. "I'll have to make an appointment for a haircut for all three of you"
"Yay, a haircut! That means the barber will give me candy", he thought, remembering the lollipops he used to get at the barbershop when he used to go with Carl. Andy interrupted his thoughts by handing him his new toy from Amelia's bag, taking the vase from him in exchange. "Oh boy, a Lego car. Thank you, Mommy. I knew you wouldn't forget", he answered excitedly as he hugged Andy. "I can't wait to take it out and build it", he grinned as Maya took the box from him and put it in her purse.
"Hey, I wasn't done with that", he argued, not knowing why Maya immediately took it from him. That was his present not hers.
"That's for when you get home. You and Gigi can build it together. It's just going in here for safe keeping", Maya smiled as DJ crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at her. Jack sighed, sensing an argument brewing between Andy, DJ, and Maya.
"None of that Dalton James. Aunt Maya just wants to make sure you don't lose all the pieces. Lia's room is big, and you might not be able to find them if you drop them", Jack explained as DJ sighed. Rowan barely glanced at all the commotion, too busy reading about his drone to care what his brother was arguing about. He looked over at DJ as he was poised to argue with Jack and attempted to diffuse the situation.
"Hey, DJ. How about I help you build it when we get home?" Rowan asked as DJ readily agreed, forgetting why he had been so mad, and more importantly letting Maya hold onto the set. Rowan knew that DJ was more than willing to cooperate if it meant getting to spend time with him. Jack smiled at him, relieved that he stepped in to get DJ to listen.
Jack knelt down to the boys' level and smiled, Amelia would be out soon, and they all needed to be upstairs. "Now what do you guys say we go up and wait for your sister? She should be out any minute now", he asked as Andy looked over at Maya.
"I'll go see what Carina is up to", Maya smiled remembering the last time that her and Jack were together in a hospital.
"Relax Bishop Monster, I won't bite", Jack laughed as Andy took the drone from Rowan and put it back in its bag, reminding him that he needs to be able to pay attention to where he's going in the building.
"Come on. Your goddaughter would love to see you", Andy smiled as Maya followed them. Andy held her hand out for DJ. "Hand in the hospital please. It's a very big place and I don't want to lose you. Either my hand or Rowan's. Pick one please"
DJ thought about it for a minute before settling on holding Rowan's hand. When they got back to Amelia's room, Andy noticed Miranda standing there with a big smile on her face. Andy immediately went over to talk to her while Jack got Rowan and DJ settled in.
"Go sit over on that chair you guys and try not to fight. Here, why don't you play a game on this? I downloaded a few of those games, you guys like. No Grand Theft Auto please. I'm looking at you Mr. Rowan", Jack warned as he handed the boys his phone. Rowan rolled his eyes and walked with DJ to a chair in the corner.
"Hi boys" Miranda smiled as she waved at them. Their response was only a wave in the air as they started a game. Andy, watching the interaction, simply shook her head and laughed.
"When they get into a video game forget it. All communication goes out the window"
Miranda smirked, "Don't act like I don't know Herrera. I have two teenage boys, and when they're on their video games the only words I hear are "Quiet, Mhm, Whatever, and Snacks"" she laughed
"Sounds like Rowan and DJ", Jack chuckled, gesturing over to the boys as they fought over who was making the correct moves in the game they were playing. He turned back to Miranda, all the while periodically glancing out the door for any sign of Amelia. "How's our little trooper?" he asked, concerned after the last update. He prayed that there wouldn't be any more complications. She was such a little girl and a simple surgery was already traumatizing enough. She didn't need anything else to add to it.
"She's doing great. She was in recovery for a little bit and last I talked to Helm, they were getting ready to bring her back down here. She should be awake in a few minutes", Miranda smiled as Jack sighed with relief. Sensing the release of tension, Andy walked over and put a hand on his shoulder, silently listening to what Miranda had to say. "I'm sure Helm already told you, we fixed the complication. She just needs to take antibiotics for a week and a half or so and we'll keep her here a little longer than usual to observe her. Nothing strenuous for a few weeks, running, climbing, none of that. Swimming shouldn't be a problem, just use one of those shower shield things for the incision. They're waterproof and you can buy them at wherever you shop. She'll be down here in a few minutes. Give me a call when she wakes up" Miranda smiled as she left the room.
Maya walked over and put her hand on Jack's other shoulder, all the while squeezing Andy's hand. "I'll take the boys down to the cafeteria to get everyone some lunch to-go, that way you guys can have some time alone with Lia when she wakes up", Maya smiled as Andy tiredly thanked her.
"Coffee too please. Make that two. And two grilled ham, cheese and tomato sandwiches for us", Andy smiled as Maya called both boys over. Rowan rolled his eyes in typical preteen fashion as him and DJ took the shared earbuds out of their ears.
"But I was almost done with this level, and Lia loves us. I want to see her when she wakes up", he whined in front of Maya as Andy gave him a look, silently warning him not to argue.
Maya chuckled at Rowan's ill-fated attempt to stay behind in the room. "Sorry kid, but whining doesn't work on Aunt Maya. Maybe on Mom and Dad, but not Aunt Maya"
"I hate to break it to you dude, but your aunt's right. Tell you what, I'll hold it for you Ro. You and DJ need to go eat", Andy answered firmly.
"But we're not hungry, are we Rowan?" DJ explained as Rowan smirked at him and shook his head. Jack couldn't help but laugh. That kid was going to be a lawyer someday. He could see DJ standing up in a courtroom one day, arguing big important cases with the same gusto he used to argue for things such as more screen time or reasons why he didn't clean his room when asked.
"Ok, DJ, let me ask you this. Did either of you eat breakfast this morning?" Andy asked
"No. We were too tired", they answered in unison.
"There's you answer then. Go eat, and listen to Aunt Maya", Jack instructed. Trudging over to the door, Rowan reluctantly handed Andy the phone and grabbed hold of DJ's hand. Once they were out of the room with Maya, Helm wheeled Amelia back in.
"Do you think you can talk to your patient's parents Hannigan? I need to go to the pit, so this is all yours. Don't make me regret letting you handle this, because if you do good, I'll let you handle my post-ops", Helm explained to her intern as she smiled at Jack and Andy and left the room. That left none other than Jamie Hannigan standing in the room with them.
"You", Andy muttered as Hannigan looked at Jack, eyes flashing with anger. Neither party had seen each other since the incident at Joe's bar that night.
"I remember you. You had the crazy fiancée", Hannigan answered nervously.
"Hmmm, it's wife now. And this is our little girl Amelia", Andy answered with a fake smile as Hannigan flipped through Amelia's chart on his iPad.
"Yes. Amelia Joy Herrera-Gibson. Ok, it says here that they had as small complication in surgery. If there was a complication, I wouldn't lay down with her. I know parents do that on the Peds floor as a fear thing or whatever. You don't want to make things worse", Hannigan answered as Andy shook her head
"But that doesn't make sense", she started as Hannigan cut her off.
"Look, I don't make the rules. It's what's best for my patient, and I'm sure Dr. Bailey and Dr. Helm would agree with me" Hannigan answered smugly as he looked at Amelia, who was sleeping peacefully. "I will be by to handle her post-op later. She should be waking up any minute. Call the nurses station if you need anything", he added as he left the room. Andy watched him leave while rolling her eyes and shaking her head in disapproval behind him.
Andy stopped and stared out the door for a few minutes before talking "I can't stand him. Something about that little…..", she answered switching between Spanish and English, or Spanglish as Robert called it, cursing. Jack cringed at each word that flew from her mouth and he silently thanked God that the boys were with Maya and not in earshot of any of this. He could tell Andy was pissed and there was no denying that. She stopped to catch her breath and prepared to vent again when Jack stopped her. He had been standing next to Amelia's bed and watched her slowly open her little eyes.
"Andy, come here, Amelia's waking up", he smiled as she walked over to them, her eyes glistening with unshed tears of gratitude to Ryan, Pruitt, and Robert for keeping her little girl safe during surgery.
"Lia bug?" Andy called as she held on to Amelia's hand and kissed her forehead.
"Mommy? Daddy?" Amelia questioned as she woke up, groggy from the anesthesia. Andy and Jack were overjoyed as they looked at her and smiled.