Certain to be Bright
Saturday morning, Jack was up and dressed bright and early. His bleary-eyed mother, who may or may not have had a little bit more to drink the night before than was advisable, stumbled into the kitchen to make coffee. She was startled to see Jack sitting on the sofa, looking for all the world as if he could whip his weight in wildcats. "Morning, Mom," he said cheerfully.
"Morning," she mumbled. Kelly entered and took over the coffee making, urging Stella to go ahead and get a shower. He would see to breakfast.
"Dad, is Mom hung over?" Jack inquired.
Kelly hid a smile. "What makes you ask that?"
"Well, she had quite a few drinks last night, and she shows all the signs."
"Give her a break, kiddo. She was celebrating."
"Celebrating what?"
"What do you mean, celebrating what? The adoption, you goofball. Being officially your mom."
Jack shrugged. "Well, she's been my mom in all the ways that matter for a while now. So I don't see why it's that big a deal."
"Really?" Kelly's brows were nearly at his hairline. "Says the boy who cried over the whole thing twice yesterday."
Jack shrugged again. "Couldn't help it."
"Well, your mom can't help being over the moon about the whole thing, either. Cut her some slack, huh?"
"Okay."
With the aid of several cups of coffee, Stella was soon feeling much more chipper. They were all dressed and out the door in due time.
When they arrived at the firehouse, Jack was greeted heartily. It seemed that all of 51 was looking forward to Jack's party almost as much as he was. Of course, Jack kidded Mouch and Herrmann that they were really just looking forward to Sylvie's cake and chocolate ice cream, but it was all good natured fun. Jack knew that he was risking having his celebration interrupted by bells, but a party with the first friends he had made after coming home to his dad was his heart's desire, so it was a risk he was willing to take.
As it happened, the party was interrupted three times, but Jack smiled patiently through it all, waiting out the calls each time. Once cake and ice cream was finally consumed, the Firehouse 51 gang presented Jack with the collage they had made for him. Jack loved it. He was quiet for a few minutes as he looked at all of the pictures of himself with these people who had so readily accepted and loved him. Then he said quietly, "I wanted to have my party here today, bells and all, because all of you were my first friends after I came home. This is perfect. It's exactly what I've been thinking about. Thank you all so much. I love it." There was a great deal of applause at this brief speech.
Jack's Nana had brought him a couple of gifts. One of them was a button-down shirt that he had admired in a store window as they were walking to the restaurant the previous evening. She had stopped in that morning to buy it for him. It was a sea foam color, and she thought Jack would look striking in it. Her other gift to him was a generous Barnes and Noble gift card. "They have books, of course, but they also have games and puzzles and things like that. You can order anything you like, honey."
"Thanks!" said Jack enthusiastically.
Looking at the amount, Kelly raised his eyebrows. "A hundred bucks? Really, Mom? That's a little over the top, don't you think?"
"I have exactly one grandchild, Kelly. He gets it all right now. If you want me to divide the spoils, you know what to do." Jack laughed, and Kelly just shook his head.
Eventually, after several stops and starts, the party broke up and the cleanup began. Jack decided to leave the leftover cake—Sylvie had made a huge one—for third shift. They would be going to the cabin after shift in the morning, anyway, and it wasn't practical to take it along. Jack didn't really care that much about the cake itself, anyway. It was having a birthday that mattered to him. It was another new experience.
Unbeknownst to Jack, while he had been at school the previous Wednesday, his dad had made a clandestine trip to the cabin to haul up his birthday presents. They would be waiting there for him tomorrow, but he had no idea. He assumed his parents would get him a little something, but again he had no real expectations, because he didn't know he should. He slept soundly that night, in spite of his excitement about going to the cabin.
The next morning, to save time, the Severide-Kidds had a quick breakfast at the firehouse, with Kelly saying he would fix brunch when they got to the cabin. They would stop for groceries on the way up, he told Jack. Jack was happy with this arrangement, and he got into the car with his parents eagerly, ready to be on the road. He had no idea that there were a bicycle, books, games, and puzzles awaiting him. He was just happy to be going to his favorite place in the world.
They made good time to the cabin, even including their brief stop for supplies. Jack was happy, because as far as he was concerned, every moment counted. Even though it was deep winter, and some of the things he most enjoyed in the summer would not be happening, he would still enjoy being here. This place was the place where he felt the calmest, the safest, and the most content.
As they pulled up to the cabin, ominous clouds were gathering to the north. "Looks like snow," Jack observed.
"Yep. Most likely," said Kelly.
"That's okay," Jack replied. "We can build a snowman and have a snowball fight and-"
Stella laughed. "Why don't we get the car unloaded right now," she said. "And then we'll see what the future holds, alright?"
"Okay," grinned her son. "I'm up for whatever."
As they entered the cabin, laden with duffel bags and groceries, Jack stopped dead in his tracks. "Whoa! Are we having second Christmas?"
"Nope," said Kelly. "Eleventh birthday, remember? Happy birthday, bud."
Jack dropped his bags and walked over to the shiny bicycle standing near the fireplace. It was bright red, with wide tires and all the trimmings. A crimson helmet hung from the handlebars. "Is this for me?" he whispered.
"Yeah, it is," his father responded. "You might have to wait for the first spring thaw to learn to ride it, though."
"That's okay," said Jack. "Thank you guys. Thank you so much. All this other stuff…?"
"All yours, baby," said his mom.
"But I just got all that stuff for Christmas."
Kelly shrugged. "Not your fault you were born less than a month after Christmas."
Jack looked around and just smiled. "You guys are the best," he said.
"So are you," said Stella, and kissed him on the cheek. "Come on, let's get some groceries put up, okay? Then your dad can fix us some steak and eggs."
Jack was always down for a good meal, so he helped willingly, and within an hour the family was chowing down.
By the time brunch was cleared away, snow had begun to fall. Kelly built a roaring fire, and Jack sat near a window, quiet and still, just watching the snow come down for a very long time. Kelly and Stella snuggled together on the couch, also quiet, just gazing into the fire. Eventually, Jack got chilly sitting by the window, and came to join them. He curled up on the other side of his dad, reaching across to grab Stella's hand. Still, no one spoke. Jack took a deep breath in and out, and relaxed against Kelly. He loved this stillness, this silence. They must have sat that way for nearly an hour, no one speaking, no expectations, just enjoying each other's physical presence. Eventually, Jack slid down and laid his head in Kelly's lap, not letting go of his mom's hand. Absently, automatically, Kelly began to rub Jack's head. Finally, Jack drifted to sleep, followed soon after by both of his parents.
Kelly woke first, after only a few minutes, and when he began to stir, so did Stella. Gently removing Jack's head from his lap, Kelly rose and put out his hand to Stella. Leaving their son sleeping on the sofa, they headed to their bedroom and shut the door. They knew that if Jack should wake, he would have the sense to know to leave them alone. As it turned out, there was no need to worry. Jack slept for several hours, and they let him. It didn't matter if he was up late, and they understood that there was something about being here that gave Jack a calmness that he experienced nowhere else. So they let him rest.
Jack finally woke late in the afternoon, as Kelly was adding wood to the fire. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, and said, "Hey, Dad."
Kelly turned. "Hey, sleepyhead. You've been out for a long time."
"Like how long?"
"I don't know exactly. Few hours."
"What time is it? It looks like it's getting dark already."
"It's close to four, but it isn't quite getting dark yet. It just looks that way because it's still snowing."
"Oh. Why'd you let me sleep so long?"
Kelly shrugged. "Why not? Your mom and I figured it doesn't really matter if you're up late, and honestly we just enjoy seeing you be able to sleep like that. You really do just get blissed out when you're up here, don't you?"
"Yeah, I do. It's just really peaceful. I liked earlier when we were just sitting together and nobody felt like they had to do anything or say anything. Everybody just chillin' and having their own thoughts. Just enough to be with each other. Know what I mean?"
Kelly sat down next to him. "I do know what you mean. I'm glad you find that kind of peace here, Jack. I really am."
"Are you ever going to sell this place, Dad?"
"Not on your life. I thought I might, once upon a time, but not now. Not a chance."
"Good. Hey, I'm hungry."
"Naturally. How about we roast hot dogs?"
"Awesome!"
So they had Jack's favorite dinner that night. Instead of another birthday cake, he had s'mores, and Stella promised to bake chocolate chip cookies the next day. "I'll have to get started early, so we can enjoy some of them before we have to leave," she said.
"Yeah, I don't know that we need to worry about that," said Kelly. "Last time I was up here and it snowed like this, a few years back, the road was blocked for a couple of days. Not many folks are up here this time of year, so clearing this particular road is low on the priority list. I can call the county and let them know we're up here, but unless we're in danger of freezing or starving, which we aren't, it won't make much difference, I don't imagine. I will tell them we're both firefighters and we're needed back in the city, but that probably won't matter much, either. I already called Casey while you and Jack were sleeping, to let him know we might need to sub out on Wednesday."
"Now I know why you insisted on buying more food than we could possibly eat in two days."
"Yep. I really didn't realize it would snow quite like this, but it's always best to be prepared."
Jack was listening to this exchange with interest. "So what you're saying," he said, "is that even if the snow stops, the road could still be blocked for a couple of days."
"That's what I'm saying."
"So...potentially, we could have nice weather and an extra day or two to enjoy it?"
"Yeah. Well, I mean, if we can't get out by tomorrow night or very early on Wednesday, then we might as well stay until Friday. We don't have another shift until Saturday, anyway, so why not?"
"Well, school," said Jack hesitantly.
"And I know it would break your heart to miss the entire week, wouldn't it?"
"Yeah. I'd be devastated," said Jack, deadpan.
"No doubt," said Stella. "But you may need to make the sacrifice."
"I know," said Jack with an exaggerated sigh. "I'll try to bear up."
"On the other hand," his mother reminded him. "It is possible that the road will be clear tomorrow and we'll have to go back and get back to work and school and all of that, too."
"Why you gotta burst my bubble, Mama?"
Kelly laughed at the two of them. "In the meantime, why don't we drag out one of those games or something?"
So they did. They passed the evening with games and a jigsaw puzzle and quiet conversation, staying up until nearly midnight, and still the snow continued to fall.
The next morning, they were literally snowed in. The cabin door would not open at first, and when Kelly was finally able to force it, snow cascaded in on top of him. There followed a massive clean-up effort by Stella and Jack, while Kelly changed into dry clothes and warmed himself by the fire. Kelly called the county and was informed that the road out from where they were was not scheduled to be cleared until Thursday at the earliest, and possibly not until Friday morning, depending on how other efforts progressed. Jack was elated. Kelly called Casey to confirm their inability to be there the next day, then called Jack's school to explain their situation. Once those calls were completed, there was nothing to do but enjoy the extra time they had been given.
It was sunny outside, but frigidly cold, as so often happened after a blizzard. Kelly grabbed two snow shovels from a storage closet, and he, Stella, and Jack took turns digging the snow away from the front door. Eventually, they made their way outside, bundled warmly, and Jack got to build his snowman. When that was done, Jack wanted to build a snow fort and have a snowball fight, but his parents nixed that idea in favor of going inside to get warmed up. Jack argued briefly, but Kelly shut him down pretty sharply, and he gave in, though he still wasn't happy.
After some lunch and time to thaw out, his parents acquiesced to going back outside. They did indeed have quite the snowball war, followed by a brief foray into the woods. As they entered the forest where Jack had gotten lost the previous summer, Jack was struck by the almost absolute quiet of the frozen landscape. He stood there, barely breathing, and closed his eyes. "So quiet," he whispered.
"Yeah," Kelly answered softly. "Your grandfather used to say, 'There's a special kind of silence in snowy woods.' I remember him saying that several times. He loved the peace of this place just like you do, I think." Jack merely nodded.
They returned inside, and soon it was time for dinner. Stella had not baked those cookies yet, so after dinner she set out to do so. They were delicious, and Jack had a night time snack of warm chocolate chip cookies and cold milk, then fell asleep curled on the rug in front of the fire.
"Kelly, I know what you say about carrying him to bed, but we can't let him sleep there. Even in front of the fireplace, the floor is cold."
Kelly responded by pulling the sleeping child to his feet and guiding him to his parents' bed. The cabin had heat, but it didn't stand up well to this kind of relentless cold, and Kelly figured they would all be warmer if Jack slept with them. Kelly banked the fire, and he and Stella crawled into bed not long after Jack. The three of them slept snugly through the night.
Wednesday was sunny and somewhat warmer, but still below freezing. Once again, they alternated between outside playing and inside warming up. Late in the afternoon, Jack ventured out onto the dock. His parents watched from the porch, neither of them wanting to brave the cold wind off the water. Jack simply stood there, looking out over the water, hands deep in the pockets of his parka. Finally Stella said, "I'm going to walk out there with him. He is a million miles away. I would love to know what he's thinking."
"Have at it. You won't last long. Jack's still pretty immune to the cold, but you aren't. But go ahead."
Stella walked out to the end of the dock and put her arm around her son. She leaned down and spoke, and he responded. They continued to talk, and Kelly just watched them both. He thought about the past year, about how far Jack had come, and he and Stella for that matter. He wondered what the future held for his son.
He could see Jack dressed in a three-piece suit, standing before a spell-bound jury as he made a compelling closing argument. He could see him in jeans with a scruffy beard, teaching a university class the finer points of constitutional law. He could see him in a fire helmet and turnout gear, too, with captain's bugles, barking out orders at an accident scene. He could also see him in a Cubs uniform, standing on the mound and pitching a perfect game, or at least a no-hitter. And he could see him here, in this place where he found such peace, fishing off the dock, tramping through the woods, ruminating in front of the fire. He saw him tall and strong and confident, broad of back and wide of shoulder, smiling.
Whatever the future held for Jack, it was almost certain to be bright.
Fin.
A/N: That's it for Jack, at least for now. This story took me several months to write. I don't use a Beta, and I probably never will. I'm very particular about my grammar, spelling, sentence structure, and word usage, so this is a big effort for me. I enjoyed writing Jack, and I hope you enjoyed reading about him. He and I may be back, but then again...who knows? Sayonara for now.
chuck fan 81 and multi coup lover, Thanks.