"Pleeeeeeeeeease?" Jared drew out of the word until he couldn't breath any longer. His blue eyes were wide and innocent as he stared at me with his lower lip pushed out.
"You know none of the Bravo boys are going to be there?" I couldn't bring myself to say no to Jared. Especially when he was giving me the most pitiful look ever.
"I know, it's not like I know any of them," Jared's lip dropped down further. "Please? I'll sit in the corner, play with Alexi and not do anything. I'm dying of boredom here."
I bit my lip trying not to smile at Jared's pleading. I usually wasn't this easily swayed, but I knew how he was feeling at the moment. I was just about to head over to Abby's baby shower and Jared desperately wanted to come. He was already going stir crazy and it hadn't been that long since we'd be discharged from the hospital.
We'd been home for a week now. I'd made my goal of being in my own bed by the 4th of July. It was only by a day, but at least I'd made it. The last few weeks in hospital had been soul crushingly boring. Even with all the paperwork Coulson had dumped on us, the days seemed to drag on and on with no end in sight. My only relief was my conversations with Greg. He and his constant supply of baked treats was the highlight of my days. As soon as my painkillers were backed off I became a bit of an insomniac. Lucky for me, he did mostly night shifts and he had a very minimal patient load because of us being his primary patients. He also wasn't complaining because SHIELD was paying him extra to basically sit there and watch us all night. It was a win, win scenario for both of us. I got company and it helped him stay up for those long hours of nothing to do. He was very easy to have a conversation with. Once I'd been discharged it'd turned into regular texting. It was a nice little friendship we had going on. He'd never pry about things, he'd just help to get my mind off whatever was bugging me.
But it also gave Jared and Clint something to tease me about. The pair of them together when they were bored were no better than 12 year old boys. Natasha left for her undercover mission with Stark Industries a week and a half ago. She had her final interview today, not that it mattered. The interviews were all for show. SHIELD made sure of it that she was the perfect candidate and short of her having a complete meltdown in the interview, the job was guaranteed. Unlike some other undercover missions, she was allowed contact with Clint and I as part of that cover. We'd even gotten our own little cover stories. Clint was her adopted brother and I was her best friend from high school. It was something at least. She'd been keeping in touch via text very regularly, bored out of her mind waiting to actually start work and get on with her mission.
Clint and Laura had smoothed things over not too long after I'd started talking to Greg. I still had no idea what really happened and didn't ask. But I did apologise to Laura the first instance I could. Words could only do so much, but at least she was talking to me again. Jared decided that buying her forgiveness was the best course of action. When the next Pandora charm arrived he may have succeeded in doing it as well. With some help from Mom, and some minor abuse of SHIELD privileges, he'd tracked down a Pandora charm that was supposed to be nothing more than an urban legend. That combined with the luxury full day spa and promised baby sitting duties for that day might just work in his favour.
"I won't bitch about your driving," Jared's pleading continued. "I'll just sit there and be a good boy. Please let me come."
"If you're coming you better put on some pants," I hid my smile in my coffee mug. "I'm leaving in 5 minutes."
Jared was up off the couch and going as fast as his crutches would allow before I finished speaking. His gleeful smile lit up his entire face. It was something I hadn't seen much of lately. Jared had been very quiet and withdrawn ever since we'd come home. Still being on crutches and in a moon boot for at least another month hadn't helped his mood either. It hadn't gone unnoticed by me that he hadn't teleported since we'd gotten home either. It was so unlike him to not use his powers for everything. Instead he hobbled around, sometimes in a lot of pain, on his crutches and did things like a normal person.
Jared was dressed and back in the lounge room in 3 minutes flat. I drained my coffee and quickly put the mug in the dishwasher. I grabbed the ridiculous size basket and few wrapped presents that were sitting on the kitchen bench. I'd had a hard time choosing what to get for the baby shower. I had no idea about these things and couldn't choose between all the suggestions Mom and Laura gave me. So I just brought everything they suggested. The midnight online shopping sprees had been a little bit of fun. I'd also brought a few presents for Alexi so she wouldn't feel left out during the shower.
"I feel bad for not getting anything," Jared looked over at the armful of presents as we got in the elevator to go down to the garage. "Should we stop at the store and pick something up from me?"
"I think I've got it covered," I smiled wryly. "If not, I'll make Abby find what she wants and you can buy it for her online while we're there. Deal?"
"Deal."
We were both quiet as we got into Jared's car. The stinking hot July weather was well and truely here. There's been a heat wave all week with temperatures in the low 100's was getting old very quickly. The afternoon thunderstorms had been spectacular though. Jared and I had spent a few afternoons sitting up on the roof watching them roll in, usually with a cooler of beer between us. Mom and Dad were staying in Riley's old apartment as it was closer to the hospital. They were due to go back to New York any day now. Mom's excuse for hanging around a bit longer was she just wanted to make sure we could manage on our own.
The traffic was fairly sedate for a Saturday as we drove to Evans place. I'd left early enough I could grab Starbucks on the way there. I was halfway through my vanilla latte before Jared broke the silence in the car.
"I never said thank you," Jared's voice was so quiet I nearly missed what he was saying.
"You never say thank you when I buy you coffee," I rolled my eyes. "But you're welcome. You owe me 6 bucks by the way."
"That's not what I meant Kari," Jared's tone was deadly serious. I snuck a look over to him, a small frown crossing my own face. Jared looked as serious as he ever got. I could even pick up a flicker of nerves coming from him. It only took a second to click in my head that he wasn't talking about Starbucks or anything else I'd helped him with since we'd been home.
"You don't need to thank me," I said, brushing off his thanks. "You would have come after me if I needed you to. In fact, if you don't come and help me if I ever get it that situation, I'll haunt your sorry ass for the rest of your life."
That barely registered a smile on Jared's face. He was looking down at the floor, scuffling his sneakered foot along the carpet.
"Are you sorry for going after her?" I asked after a few moments of silence.
"A little," Jared wrinkled his nose and twisted his mouth, like he did when he was thinking of how to put something into words. "I'm more pissed at myself for rushing into chasing her down and not being prepared. She baited me far too well and I couldn't help myself. You know me, I'm an arrogant asshole who doesn't think of the consequences and do things for my own gain."
Well, he said it. Not me.
"I never expected things to go the way they did," Jared sighed. "I'm very glad to be alive and in one piece."
"Except for your ankle," I pointed out. Greg had shown me the x-rays and 3D CT scan of Jared's ankle before it was plated and screwed back together. His ankle had been in 6 difference pieces. What I had missed in my 2 weeks of being unconscious was Jared's ankle being held together by an external fixator until the swelling had gone down enough to put the plates and screws in. It was quite gory and impressive at the same time.
"Except for my ankle," Jared repeated with a grimace. "So I guess this is my fucked up and round about way of saying thank you for saving my life and bringing me back home."
"You brought us home," I suppressed a shudder as the memory of the room nearly exploding around us popped into my mind. "But you're welcome. Just remember to repay the favour one day if I ever get myself into a situation like that."
"Will do," Jared sagged in relief. He looked like I'd just taken a load off his shoulders in our little conversation. Then a thoughtful look crossed his face and he looked at me very carefully. "Are you going to tell Mom about my day drinking?"
The first day we got home Jared had been sipping from a water bottle while we sat on the couch watching a movie. When he got up for a toilet break, I'd taken a swig. It was a very nice blend of vodka that went down very smoothly. Dad was with us, working on something, so I put the bottle back without saying anything. But I'd caught him on more than one occasion with the same water bottle. I'd just been waiting for a chance to bring it up. It seems my discretion hadn't gone unnoticed.
"Is your day drinking going to become a regular fixture?" I asked trying to be tactful. Jared was having just as much trouble sleeping as I was. At least I was finding a better outlet for my insomnia.
"It helps me sleep," Jared's voice turned quiet again. His eyes went back to the floor as if he was too ashamed to look me in the face. "I know I shouldn't, but it helps blur the nightmares so they don't seem so vivid and real. I can't remember them when I wake up."
"That's what I'm here for," I said gently. I hated that I really understood where he was coming from with this. There were nights I wanted to crawl into a bottle and make it all go away. "And Natasha and Clint. We're all there for each other when things get shitty."
Jared didn't say anything for a long few minutes. He just turned his head to stare out the window. The sunlight flitted across his face as the scenery passed by. 2 months in hospital left both of us pasty white, even more so than usual. Jared looked like he was trying to soak up every ray of sunshine he could. Some vitamin D might just improve his mood.
"I won't tell Mom," I decided to not push the issue for the moment. "But if it keeps up, I will tell Clint."
"Duly noted," Jared visibly flinched at my threat. "I will come in and harass you instead. Maybe Greg will make me some brownies too."
I rolled my eyes, both at Jared's change of subject and what he'd changed it to. I'd let the subject of his drinking go for the moment. But it wasn't the last he'd hear about it if it kept up.
"His cupcakes are to die for as well," I ignored his none too subtle jab. "He made me Reeces Pieces cupcakes with peanut butter frosting one night. You know a guy and girl can just be friends and there's nothing else behind it. Look and Clint and I."
"Yeah but its fun to tease you about it," Jared chuckled. His face relaxed into a soft smile. "I'm just being a shit."
"You're always a shit," I chuckled with him. "You've been that way since birth. I don't expect that to ever change."
We'd just turned down the street towards Evans' place. Abby had texted me earlier saying she'd leave a spot in front of the garage free so I didn't have to walk too far. At the time I didn't think too much of it. As we pulled into the street, I could see why. It looks like Abby was having one hell of a baby shower.
"I really am sorry though," Jared turned serious again. "But at the same time, I'm so proud of you."
"Thanks bro," I reached over and gave his hand a squeeze. "Just remember I'm here for you whenever you need me."
"I know," Jared flinched as I hit a bump turning into the driveway. "If we're not too tired after this, want to go out to dinner? Just you and me?"
"Sure," I said instantly. It'd been such a long time since we'd done something with just the two of us. "Your shout."
"I will make it somewhere nice then," Jared looked pleased with my easy answer. "And now I'm hungry, lets go inside."
Hungry was a new thing for Jared. He'd done nothing but pick at his food since we'd been awake. He was starting to look skinny again instead of muscly. But I smiled even wider and just nodded. It was a struggle to get Jared's crutches and my armful of presents out. Just as I was trying to close the car door with my foot, Evans popped up next to me.
"Did you buy the entire fucking store?" Evans laughed as he reached over and took the large basket off me. He also dropped a kiss on my cheek, which was a surprise. "Good to see you up and moving."
Evans and Abby had been near daily visitors at the hospital. Alexi was always happy to see me, so she'd be all over me and wanting my attention every single moment. With Abby just shy of 8 months pregnant now, she was glad for someone to hand her off to. Even if it was for only 45 minutes. It'd almost been odd not seeing them all week since I'd been home.
"I couldn't decide," I shrugged with a sheepish grin. "Some are for Alexi as well. I didn't want her to feel left out."
"Yeah because that girl needs anymore toys," Evans scoffed playfully. "Good to see you too Jared."
"Hey Evans," Jared smiled politely. "Sorry for crashing the party, but I was going to go crazy if I stayed at home."
"I appreciate having another guy around," Evans chuckled. "All the guys from my team ditched me in favour of a baseball game. They'll be back later."
Evans didn't need to add he wasn't letting Abby out of his sights at the moment either. She'd had a few false alarms over the last 2 weeks. But with her getting closer and closer to full term, everyone else was starting to relax a little. Even if the baby was born now it shouldn't have any complications. Everything on the last scan and checks ups all looked perfectly normal and healthy. The mystery sex would also finally be revealed. It seems her baby didn't want to uncross his or hers legs for the ultrasound leaving all of us still guessing. I had bets on a boy. Mom was absolutely convinced it'd be another girl. I had a feeling that was more to stir Evans up more than anything else.
The short trip from the car to the front door was very appreciated. I hovered next to Jared to make sure he didn't fall on his face on the sightly uneven ground. He and Evans were talking about baseball, something I wasn't a huge fan of. The blast of air conditioning as the front door opened was a welcome relief. Even in the short walk, I felt like I was melting.
"Kari brought a friend," Evans announced as we walked into the lounge room. The sight of a roomful of all women, some with young babies nearly made me high tail it out of there. There was way more oestrogen in this room than I was used to. All of a sudden I wanted to be at the baseball game more than here.
"Hey stranger," Abby called out. She was sitting in her reclining chair with her feet up. Her eyebrows raised a little in surprise as she looked at Jared. "Hey trouble. Both of you come and sit down. Everyone who doesn't know them, this is Kari and Jared."
Abby frantically motioned her hand towards the couch next to her. The women sitting in it quickly vacated and moved to another position. Thankfully Abby and Evans were used to entertaining large crowds, because there would have easily been about 30 women in the room. The outside chairs had been brought in and I spied a table full of food at the back. I said hello to a few of the girlfriends and wives I knew from the Bravo team boys. But there were a lot of unfamiliar faces. I plonked down on the couch, grateful for the seat. Jared sat next to me, easing his leg onto a spare ottoman.
"Where's the little monster?" I asked to cover my discomfort. Alexi was nowhere to be seen or heard.
"Upstairs because she had a tantrum," Evans explained as he put my ridiculously large gift basket on the table that already had presents. "I'll go see if she's ready to pick her toys up. Maybe having Kari here will be bribery enough for her."
"Tell her I have presents too," I held up the neatly wrapped ones in my lap.
"And this lady with a baby needs a top up," Abby handed Evans her empty glass with a sweet smile. "And some more food."
"Sure," Evans went without complaint. It made me smile at his retreating back. He did absolutely everything for Abby at the moment. Apparently the doctor wanted Abby to take it very easy until the baby was ready to come out. Evans took that as he started his paternity leave early, waited on Abby hand and foot and did everything he could to make sure she was comfortable. It was rather adorable to see him as the doting husband and dad.
"You've got him so well trained," someone sighed as soon Evans was out of earshot.
"He's just making up for not being here for Alexi," Abby smiled as she squirmed in the chair. She looked really uncomfortable today. She was a very petite woman. Her pregnant belly made her look like she'd swallowed a beach ball. "In an almost overbearing way. But I can't complain, he gives me foot rubs and everything."
The conversation dissolved into talking about babies, as it usually did at these things. I had a feeling Jared and I were the only childless ones in the room. Unlike me, Jared was more than comfortable joining in the conversation when he could. Once it started down on talking about Abby's upcoming birth, I began to feel very lost. I was never so grateful for my phone to vibrate in my pocket. I snuck it into my lap and checked the screen.
How goes the baby shower?
It was from Greg. I was surprised he was actually out of bed this early. It was only 11am. He usually didn't surface until early afternoon. Today was one of his rare weekends off, the first he'd had in over a year.
They're talking about birth and stuff I have no idea about. I'm grossed out and never having kids because of these stories. What the fuck is a doula? It sounds like a dirty sex act.
I tapped out and sent the message as quickly as I could so I didn't miss the conversation I wasn't following. Jared had been watching my sneaky little texting out of the corner of his eye. He'd kept a pretty straight face but a little smirk had flitted on his face.
I tried to focus on what was being said, but my phone vibrated again.
You have no idea how hard I'm laughing at you right now. A doula is like a non medical birth coach. I have to agree, the OBGYN rotation I've done are my least favourite.
"Oh fuck I'm leaking," the woman sitting closest to me dragging my attention away from my phone. She had a baby in her arms. "Can you hold her for a second please?"
She held the baby out to me. I could only stare in mild horror at the tiny infant swaddled in a yellow onesie.
"Oh, no thank you I'm vegetarian," the snark fell out of my mouth before I could stop it.
The woman looked at me like I'd just grown another head. A few laughs echoed around the room, but I was mostly met by stunned silence.
"You're such a man sometimes," Jared rolled his eyes and held his hands out. "I'll take her, unlike my sister, I love babies."
Jared pretended to be oblivious to the soft sigh going around the room at his declaration. There was just something about a man declaring he loved babies that seemed to make most ladies ovaries go into overdrive. I must have missed that gene somewhere. Maybe Jared absorbed it in the womb instead of me.
While Jared was fussing over the baby girl, I quickly shot off a text back to Greg.
I just told someone 'No thank you I'm vegetarian' when they tried to hand me a baby. Not too many people thought it was funny.
I could feel Abby's eyes on me as I typed the message out as quickly as I could. She had a little smile on her face as she watched me.
"It's only Barton," I lied.
"Uh huh," Abby's smile grew. "I believe you."
I didn't have time for a reply. Alexi came barrelling into the room, shrieking something that resembled my name. She threw herself on me, wrapping her arms around my neck.
"Hey trouble," I put my arms around her, squeezing her as hard as I dared. "I missed you."
"Miss you," Alexi said back. My heart melted a little at hearing those two words coming from her. Her vocabulary was picking up at a very rapid pace. You'd say a word to her and she'd repeat it most of the time. Miss you had been one of the first few words she'd put together.
"Are you going to sit there and behave for Kari?" Evans had been right behind her. He handed me an apple juice and Jared a coke. Alexi nodded vigorously, clinging onto me even harder. She looked a little red eyed and teary still. The word no had fast become a favourite lately. I had no doubt she'd thrown an epic tantrum over something she didn't want to do.
With Alexi in my lap chattering away, I didn't have to add to much of the conversation going around the room. But the party was a little bit fun. Despite feeling completely out of my depth, I gradually relaxed and joined in a few of the games. Abby's Mom tried to pry Alexi away from me a few times, it ended in a few tears with Alexi firmly refusing to leave me alone. The only time she got off my lap was to rip the presents open. She only got as far as the box of 'Little Miss' books before she was crawling back into my lap holding one out for me to read. Dad had started reading to her while we were in hospital. It'd created a bit of a monster, now she wanted everything to be read to her. So books were the perfect present for her at the moment. She had more than enough toys. Halfway through the second one she began to yawn. By the time I was on the last page she was struggling to keep her eyes open.
"I'll go put her down for a nap," I excused myself. Abby was about to start opening presents so I wouldn't be missed for a while.
"No," Alexi mumbled, rubbing her face against my shirt.
"Net," I corrected her Russian, just to see if she'd repeat it.
"Net," Alexi parroted back to me in a perfect accent. Both Jared and I grinned in amusement at her easy acceptance of saying it back. This might be a little bit of fun.
"How about you teach her other favourite word in Russian so she stops getting in trouble at playgroup," Abby snickered. "I'll leave your presents until you get back down here."
Alexi was dead to the world by the time I hit her bedroom. She must have had a very epic tantrum for her to be so tired. I didn't get any protest as I tucked her into bed, only a very brief stir as I tucked her favourite teddy bear next to her. I stood in the room just watching her sleep for a few minutes. She was a far cry from the tiny baby I'd originally been too scared to hold. It was hard to believe she was walking and really getting the hang of talking. I tucked her dark curls behind her ear before leaving the room quietly. Just as I was about to head down the stairs my phone vibrated again.
Like the view?
It was from Greg. The picture attached was a gorgeous view of the Potomac. Where ever it actually was looked quiet and secluded.
Gorgeous, but you are fucking crazy to be out riding in this heat. Where is that?
Evans was coming up the stairs just as I finished the text.
"Hungry?" Evans asked, pausing on the 2nd top stair. "And I'm guessing she didn't give you any grief?"
"I'm starving. She never gives me any grief," I chuckled a little. "What was her tantrum about this time?"
"Picking up her toys," Evans explained, looking a little weary. "When I tried to pick her up off the floor during her tantrum she also told me to fuck off."
"Yikes," I cringed as we started back down the stairs. "Little Miss Potty Mouth doesn't quite cover it."
"I'm a terrible Dad though because it makes me laugh and then she thinks she's out of trouble," Evans shook his head. "She's using it in the right context at least."
"Jared and I both had potty mouths growing up," I said to reassure Evans. "Or so Mom used to say. Our language was always more colourful after spending time with Dad at work."
"I'm sure you didn't get the looks I do at playgroup," Evans sighed but there was a smile playing over his face. "Those mom's are fucking evil with their cliques and opinions. Because how dare I send my daughter to playgroup with a sandwich, cookies and a juice. And I don't know if her lunchbox if BPA free or not. You should have seen the mass hysteria when I accidentally sent her with peanut butter and jelly one day."
"Again another reason not to have kids," I flinched as I finally got down the stairs. My leg wasn't very happy with stairs still.
"You ok?" Evans was instantly at my side. He hovered, looking unsure if he should support me or not.
"Fine," I waved him off. "Stairs still suck right now."
"Go sit down," Evans gave me a gentle nudge back towards the lounge room. "No doubt Abby is dying to open your present. Did I get anything in that?"
"Yeah, baby sitting vouchers for when you and your wife need some alone time," I grinned at the thought of what was in the basket. "Might even be a voucher for dinner in there somewhere with free baby sitting duties for that night."
That one had been Clint's suggestion. He commented that he and Laura barely got any time together after Cooper was born. So I'd gotten a voucher for one of the nicer restaurants in DC and attached a note to it. 'Includes free babysitting for tonight.'
"Best present ever," Evans grinned back. "Go, I'll even bring you a plate of food so you don't have to get up again if your leg is sore."
I didn't need to be told again. I went back into the lounge room and plonked down next to Jared. Somewhere along the line he'd acquired another baby to cuddle, looking completely at ease with the baby over his shoulder.
"Stop doing that you'll make people's ovaries explode from the cuteness overload," I murmured in Icelandic as I sat down. Jared shot me a charming grin, but said nothing in return. He looked the happiest he'd been in weeks. Getting him out of the house had been the right choice this morning.
"Can someone reach for Kari and Jared's basket for me?" Abby asked loudly. "I need to see what's in this monstrosity."
Abby ripped into the many layers of cellophane I'd put over it. I almost felt a little mournful watching her. It'd taken me an hour to get it wrapped up so it didn't look like I'd just throw it over the top and hoped for the best. I didn't bother to correct her about it being a joint gift. At least that way I didn't look too crazy for how much I brought.
"Where do I even start?" Abby laughed as she turned the basket around in her hands a few times. I'd gotten the standard baby shower things. Like a bundle of nappies, a few cute little baby clothes for now and later. A knitted blanket. A really cute swaddling set with different animals prints on them. A few stuffed toys and baby books.
"Best present ever," Abby pulled out the bottle of tequila and strawberry margarita mix bundled together. I'd labelled it as 'Mom's Stress Relief.'
"I do try," I grinned back at Abby. She looked ready to crack open the tequila bottle right now. "But wait there's more."
"I can see that," Abby rolled her eyes, but looked positively gleeful as she sorted through the presents that were mostly for her. It was mostly gift cards and vouchers all to make her life a little more pleasant when the baby finally arrived. The meal delivery voucher was a hit, along with the dinner and mini spa treatment.
"You can thank Mom for a lot of this," I deflected the excited thank yous being thrown at me.
"I'd get up and hug you both but I'm too fat and tired," Abby's grin faltered a little. She winced and settled back in her chair, rubbing her stomach. "And I think I have a foot in my kidney."
"You can hug me later," I assured Abby. She didn't have to hug me or really thank me for anything. Her and Evans had been more than accomodating with me in their lives.
"You can hug Kari twice for me," Jared was squirming in his seat looking uncomfortable as well. "I forgot my lunchtime painkillers."
I was tempted to call Jared out on his obvious lie. He never forgot anything important like that. He just didn't like the side effects that came from the big bag of opiates he was still meant to be taking every day. But as soon as he said it, multiple women went rummaging through their handbags. In less than a minute he had a selection in front of him. One of the drawbacks of being STRIKE. You tend to end up with chronic daily pain in your 30's. Even if you didn't, the injuries that came with the job could take a heavy toll on your body. Hence why most of the Bravo team wives had strong narcotics in their purses.
"Now I feel like I'm in a candy store," Jared laughed a little. He picked up the bottle of the weakest one available. "Thanks everyone. I'm slightly worried about the amount of Perocet being carried around in your purses."
"Just you wait until you hit 40," Evans walked into the room with his hands full plates of food. "You won't be laughing about needing strong painkillers on a regular basis."
"I have to make 40 first," Jared said dryly. He quickly threw the pills down with a wrinkled nose. "I'm dreading the arthritis I'm going to get from my ankle."
Evans put a plate of food in my lap. It was piled high with finger food. I dug into it straight away, going for the cheeseburger sliders that Evans did so well. Beside me, Jared was doing the same. He wasn't lying about being hungry. His own cheeseburger sliders were gone in a few bites. I didn't miss the pleased look crossing both Evans and Abby's faces as they watched Jared eat. No doubt Mom had been asking everyone to keep a close eye on both of us.
It was easy to get lost in the conversation while everyone started to get up and eat. Most of the Bravo team wives and girlfriends gravitated towards Jared and I, while Abby's other friends formed their own groups. As usual, Jared became the centre of attention. After everyone had eaten and the cake was cut, Alexi woke up from her nap. She came downstairs looking grumpy, with her favourite teddy bear and book in hand. I was still eating cake, so she climbed onto Jared's lap instead. It only took her waving the book around and her sweet smile to get Jared to cave in and start reading 'Little Miss Giggles' to her. Alexi snuggled into Jared, putting her head on his shoulder listening intently as Jared read out loud to her.
While Alexi was occupied, I quickly took my chance to sneak off to grab a drink before Alexi noticed me missing. No doubt she'd want a juice as well, as she usually did after a nap. Jared looked like he could do with another caffeine and sugar hit as well. I wasn't the only one who still got tired doing day to day activities. As I walked into the kitchen, Evans jumped and looked over his shoulder. He'd been leaning against the table, watching a small TV set up on the bench. He'd been watching a baseball game, beer in his hand.
"I need something manly to do," Evans explained with a guilty smile. "There is way too many female hormones flying around in that room."
"Tell me about it," I peered over his shoulder to look at the game. The Nationals were playing the Dodgers. So far it looked like the Dodgers were getting their asses handed to them with no chance of getting back up from it. "Any chance I can grab one of those?"
"Sure, in the fridge," Evans went back to watching the game. "Does Jared want one?"
"Probably, but he's not getting one," I wandered over to the fridge and helped myself to the Heineken in the door. I paused for a second, realising what I'd just said. Shit. That didn't come out right. I scrambled for an appropriate lie. "He's on that many narcotics still, I don't want to have to carry him to the car."
"Such a mean sister you are," Evans chuckled, not taking his eyes away from the TV. It seems I actually got away with my lie. "If that's the case, should you be having that beer?"
"I'm down to Advil and maybe something stronger at night if I've overdone it during the day," I explained, taking a long drink of beer. I barely managed to hold back my groan of delight as the bubbles hit my mouth. I forced myself not to chug the beer down and reach for another one. I still had to drive home.
My phone buzzed in my pocket, like it had several times throughout the last hour and a bit. I quickly pulled it out and scrolled through the text messages. They were all from Greg.
Mt Vernon trail. I spend all day in air conditioning. It feels good to go out and sweat in the basking sun.
I may or may not be currently regretting my last statement.
I take it back. I'm really regretting it. I'm trying to summon the energy to turn around and go home. It seems like all my extra baking over the last few weeks has caught up with me.
I could feel a little grin growing on my face as I read through the messages. Poor Greg. Considering it was meant to get to 110 degrees today he must be dying out there. I tapped out a quick reply to him.
But I really enjoyed your extra baking. I'd offer to come pick you up, but I only have a motorbike and Jared owns a sports car. I guess I could attach a cable and drag you along?
"Are you texting that doctor?" Evans voice broke through my thoughts as I hit send.
"That answer entirely depends on whether you're going to tease me if I was," I peeked up under my eyelashes to watch for Evans reaction.
"I won't tease you," Evans chuckled, finally dragging his eyes away from the baseball game. "It is a little funny though. He seems nice."
"He is," the line of dots appeared under my text showing that Greg was replying. "It's nice to talk to someone out of SHIELD to be honest. Refreshing even."
"A little bit of normal never goes astray," Evans smiled at me. "If it was anyone else, I'd offer to make sure the boys don't sit on the porch while polishing shotguns when you start dating again."
Evans was so good when it came to talking about, well anything that skirted into Riley territory. He never pushed to talk about a subject unless I offered more. If I just wanted to sit in silence and enjoy a beer, he'd do the same. I was very lucky to have people like him in my life.
"We'll reserve that for when Alexi starts dating," I said with little smirk. The screen on my phone lit up as Greg's reply came in.
As fun as that sounds, I think I'll pass. Why am I not surprised you own a motorbike? I'm guessing its some crazy sports bike that does 200MPH and you've gotten it up to that speed before.
I felt torn between laughing and pulling a face at the phone screen. He was right on both accounts. The top speed on the Kawasaki was 220MPH. I'd gotten it to 200 a few times. I went back through my phone and found a video Natasha sent me one day. I'd gone past her on the bridge to work, it was early morning and no other traffic around so I'd been going as fast as I could. It was only a short clip of me zooming past, the Kawasaki roaring as I hit whatever speed I was doing. I sent it without any other message. No doubt Greg would be sitting there shaking his head at me.
"Earth to Kari," Evans voice snapped me out of what I was doing. I looked up with a twinge of guilt. Evans was standing there watching me with an infuriating smirk on his face.
"What?" I took a sip of beer, trying to look innocent.
"I was asking while you were zoned out texting your doctor friend," Evans barely managed to keep his laughter in check. "If you wanted to go to the range next week with Bravo team? Its booked in for Thursday morning."
"Oh god yes," I said instantly. "Otherwise I spend the next month in Coulson's office until Barton comes back to work."
I'm sure it was part of my punishment. I was back to playing personal assistant to Coulson for the next month. It meant an entire long month of nothing but Coulson's office and tagging along for whatever he was doing. As boring as it was going to be, it was still preferable than being dead. If Coulson wasn't my handler, I'm sure my punishment would be a lot more severe than playing secretary. After that I'd be allowed to start flying again.
"Good, you can teach Cobb a thing or 20 about proper marksmanship," a look of frustration flittered across Evans face.
I couldn't bring myself to try and say something nice about the situation. I'd met the new marksman, Roy Cobb, as soon as he'd arrived. He was straight from the Academy, highly recommended, top marks in everything, but had the personality of a stereotypical high school jock. Cocky, arrogant and rude were the nicest words to describe him. He was the type of person you didn't want or need in a black ops job. I'd rather chew my own arm off and beat myself to death than to trust him with my life on a mission. But the guy did have scores nearly as good as Clint at the Academy.
"When I'm feeling better I'll quite happily beat his ass in hand to hand as well to knock some of the cockiness out of him," I reassured Evans. "In the mean time I will shoot well enough that my awesomeness will be too hard to contain and it'll keep him quiet for a little bit."
"So a regular day at the range then," Evans grinned and raised his beer bottle to mine. "I can deal with that."
"Me too," I grinned back, clinking my bottle against his. "Here's to terrifying the rookie."
"I'll definitely drink to that," Evans chucked as he tipped his bottle back and drained the last of the contents. I did the same, but only managed to get 1/4 of the way through mine. The small amount of alcohol was enough to make my head spin. I was going to have to nurse the rest of the beer if I wanted to drive home.
Alexi wandered into the kitchen a few seconds later with a grumpy look on her face. I'd completely forgotten about getting her a drink. Except for her sleeping pattern she was a little creature of habit. If you disturbed her routine it was like DEFCON 1.
"Hey munchkin," I quickly grabbed down and pulled her up into my arms. Instantly, her head went on my shoulder and she stuck her thumb in her mouth. It seems I'd averted the nuclear toddler blow up for now. "What juice do you want?"
She murmured something that suspiciously sounded like apple. It was hard to work out with her thumb in her mouth. But there was no objections when I got her the juice box that was apple. She stuck the straw in her mouth and perked up considerably at the first sip. I guess it what I looked like while having my first coffee of the morning.
"You better get out there and rescue Jared," Evans turned back to his baseball game. "There's heaps of leftovers if you want anything else."
"Don't mind if I do."
I took the remainder of the sliders with me, along with a coke for Jared. It was a bit of an awkward armful with Alexi still balanced on my hip. But I managed not to drop anything on my trek back to the lounge room. In my brief interlude in the kitchen the room had started to empty of some of the ladies. It was a lot quieter than earlier. The groups of women had shrunk to one large circle around Abby now. Jared looked like he was fighting off sleep on the comfortable couch.
"I'm sure if you ask nicely you can crash in the spare bed for a few hours," I murmured quietly to Jared. He took the can of coke and plate of sliders out of my hands so I could sit down easily. Alexi had nearly finished her juice and was looking like a little wind up toy that was ready to go.
"No, if I stay awake I might sleep better tonight," Jared responded with a shrug. His eyes trailed down to the beer bottle in my fingers. I expected him to make a fuss, but he just shoved a slider in his mouth instead.
As expected Alexi was wide awake and bouncing by the time she finished the last bit of juice. She went between Jared and I, handing us both book after book to be read. She never got bored, but she was very insistent if our attention strayed. Jared switched to reading to her in French at one stage which just made her giggle. It also made the remaining females in the room sigh as the fluent French flew over his tongue. It was a very pretty language and I supposed spoken by an attractive male made it even nicer. My attempt to teach Riley anything other than Russian had been a dismal failure.
As the afternoon wore on, more and more people trickled out. The Bravo boys who went to the baseball game came back, stopped for a quick drink and then left with their respective wives or girlfriend. Alexi showed no signs of wanting to let Jared or me go anywhere. We were the last ones left by the time Evans managed to pry Alexi off both of us. Abby was looking more and more uncomfortable by the time she followed me upstairs to put all of Alexi's books away.
"Thank you for keeping her occupied," Abby collapsed in the rocking chair by Alexi's bed. She winced as she rubbed her extended stomach. "And for all the presents. You didn't need to get us so much."
"I couldn't decide on one thing to get," I said sheepishly. I crammed the books into Alexi's already overflowing bookshelf. "Besides, think of it as a gift basked from STRIKE Team Delta, Jared and my parents. That way it doesn't seem too excessive."
"Nice try," Abby's amused tone makes me smile. A small silence stretched between us as I tried to manurer the rest of the books into the shelf. I'd have to talk one of the Bravo boys into helping me get another bookcase here before this one exploded. "Are you sleeping?"
"Better than I was," I admitted truthfully, not turning to face Abby. My hand hovered above the bookshelf for a few moments while I considered my next words. "Some days are easier than others. I am looking forward to being back at work, even if its something as mundane as helping Coulson."
"I swear they put something in the water in your locker room," Abby teased gently. "Every single STRIKE member I know is always itching to go back to work, even if they're still being held together with stitches."
"You have no idea how boring it was sitting in that hospital room, even with the work Coulson gave us," I laughed a little at her teasing. I finally found a place to shove the last book in. "Besides, I thought you would have been sick of me by now."
I shoved the book in with a little more force than necessary. The entire bookshelf looked like it was ready to explode and bury us in an avalanche of kids books at any second. But at least they were away for the moment. I put my hands on my hips, taking a step back to proudly observe my Tetris skills.
"You have no idea how much Troy and I appreciated your help with Alexi," Abby's voice changed in pitch suddenly. I turned around just to see her grab at her back while rubbing her stomach looking pained.
"What's wrong?" I instantly went to her side.
"Branxton hicks contractions," Abby huffed around her heavy breathing. "They've been niggling at me all day today. I can't get comfortable."
"Can I do something?" I asked feeling completely lost. My first instinct would be to holler for Evans, but Abby didn't look concerned yet.
"No just help me up," Abby's breathing finally slowed down to a normal rate. "Changing positions is supposed to help, but it's not today."
I helped Abby to her feet. She scrunched her face up in a look of disgust as she got to her feet. I was about to ask what was wrong, my eye caught it first. There was a small wet spot on the chair where Abby had been sitting.
"Pregnancy makes your body do gross things, like pee yourself," Abby said with no apology in her voice. She even looked a little disgusted herself. "Can you make sure I don't fall over in the toilet? I'm not feeling the best. I think I overdid it a little today."
"I'll stay guard," I assured Abby. I wrapped my arm around her for support as she waddled into the ensuite. While she went to the toilet, I sat on the bed feeling tired myself. It felt ridiculous that half a day of sitting around and eating could still leave me tired. The beer on top of it all probably didn't help. I may need another hit of coffee to keep me going for our dinner out.
"Hey Kari?" Abby's voice was muffled by the closed door.
"Yeah?" I called back.
"Can you get Troy please?"
There was no hint of panic in her voice. But something had definitely changed. I didn't stop to ask questions, I was flying down the stairs a heartbeat later. I found Evans sitting in the lounge room talking to Jared. He looked up at my sudden appearance. The look on my face must have given everything away. He was on his feet, sprinting upstairs calling Abby's name.
Jared and Alexi both watched silently, eyes comically wide as Evans thumped up the stairs. Voices were raised, but nothing we could make out. It didn't take long for Evans to come thumping back down the stairs with Abby in his arms, phone wedged between his shoulder and ear.
"Can you guys watch Alexi for me?" Evans asked not looking over to us. His stride didn't falter as he headed straight for the door. Abby shot me a strained smile over his shoulder. She looked pale and nervous.
"Sure," I ran for the front door so I could pull it open for Evans. He didn't need to be smacking Abby's head in the doorframe in his haste. "Everything all right?"
"I think I may have been in labour all day," Abby's voice sounded tense. "My water just broke."
I could only stand there in open mouth shock as Evans shot out the door. A few seconds later his car was screaming down the road at a very illegal speed. I stayed in the front doorway, not quite processing what just happened until Evans' car was long out of sight.
"Well," I mused looking down the street with both eyebrows raised. "Fuck."
My stomach fluttered with worry as my mind finally caught up with everything. I quickly pushed it away. There wasn't any need to think anything bad was about to happen. Abby was far enough along that there shouldn't be any complications. A few weeks early was better than a few months early like Alexi.
"Fuck!" Alexi echoed from the lounge room in obvious glee at using her favourite word. The sound of her voice quickly made me snap out of the building worry going on in my head. In a much quieter voice she added. "Mac and Cheese?"
I checked my watch. It was nearly 1730, later than I realised and very close to Alexi's dinner time. At least she had asked for something I could cook without burning the kitchen down. As much as I wanted to go out for dinner I was feeling the effects of the long day already. I went back into the kitchen and threw a few packets on for the three of us. There was still plenty of leftovers if Jared and I wanted anything else. By the time it was done Alexi had just walked into the kitchen, Jared hobbling after her on his crutches.
Dinner went by with very minimal fuss. Alexi sat in her high chair talking in her mixture of words and babble, between mouthfuls of food. Jared kept answering her back in different languages, making her giggle and try and repeat what he was saying. Some of the languages were just too hard for her to wrap her tongue around. It didn't stop her from trying though. Halfway through my own bowl, my phone vibrated. I quickly pulled it out of my pocket, in case it was Evans ringing. But it was only a text message from Greg.
That is a very sexy bike, even if your speed is making me cringe. I'm home, enjoying the air conditioning with Ben's Chilli Bowl. Whats your plans for tonight?
My mac and cheese suddenly didn't feel quite as appetising as it had before. I loved Ben's Chilli Bowl. My mouth watered just thinking of it. With Alexi occupied I might just be able to sneak out for it later. I quickly typed a message back to Greg.
Thanks, now I want chilli fries. I'm baby sitting tonight, rather unexpectedly. Abby just went into labour.
I threw my phone back on the table, digging into the now unappetising mac and cheese. After being home and having Mom's cooking for the last week, the mac and cheese reminded me far too much of hospital food. Jared had finished his and was eyeing off my bowl like he was going to snatch it away as well.
"If you're that hungry, I'll get you something else," I suggested, hugging the bowl a little closer to my body. As much as it tasted like hospital food, it was still mine. A mischievous look sprung onto Jared's face as he eyed off the bowl being cradled in my hands protectively.
"Ice cream!" Alexi announced loudly from her high chair. The mischievous look fell away from Jared's face as he laughed at her loud declaration. That only made Alexi grin and start to make more noise. She banged her spoon against the tray a few times while chanting the word. Her mac and cheese was only half finished. She'd spent more time pulling faces at Jared than eating.
"We can all go out for ice cream?" I suggested. I wasn't too familiar with this side of town, Evans and Abby lived on the outskirts of Silver Spring, but an ice cream place shouldn't be too hard to find.
"Ice cream sounds awesome," Jared said with the most enthusiasm I'd seen in weeks. He shovelled the last few spoonfuls of mac and cheese into his mouth in a hurry. The promise of ice cream, or her copying Jared's actions, spurred Alexi into quickly finishing her dinner as well. I quickly cleared the table while Jared looked for someone for us to go for ice cream. Just as I finished stacking the plates in the dishwasher, Jared spoke up.
"There's a place called Moorenko's that isn't too far away." Jared held his phone up, showing me the website. "It's looks awesome."
"Lets go then."
It didn't take long to get Alexi organised and into Abby's car. I wasn't going to struggle with trying to attach the carseat in Jared's car. I doubted it'd even fit in the back. I'd driven Abby's car plenty of times before and I doubted she'd mind if I took it tonight. The sensible family SUV was easier for Jared to slide into as well. It was only a 5 minute drive to Moorenko's. The ice cream shop was quiet so it didn't take long for us to get the ice cream and slide into a booth. Just as I raised my first spoonful to my mouth, my phone vibrated in my pocket. I quickly pulled it out, just as another message came through. The first message was from Greg and the second from Evans. I went for Evans message first, anxious for some news.
Going in for an emergency c-section. Will keep you posted.
"Abby's going in for an emergency c-section," I repeated the message back to Jared. Unlike me, he'd already shoved a mouthful of ice cream in his mouth. It took him a few seconds to be able to swallow it all enough to speak.
"At least we won't be kept waiting," Jared said reassuringly. "The baby will be out within 20 minutes and we can all celebrate then. I'm sure Abby will be happy to see her feet again. Hear that Alexi? Your little brother or sister will be here soon."
Alexi was too busy making a mess with her chocolate ice cream, she just stared at Jared with a wrinkled nose. While she was too young to comprehend exactly what was going on, she was also smart enough to know something was happening. Judging by the winkled nose and look of minor disgust, she didn't seem too happy about it either. I took a mouthful of my own chocolate and peanut butter ice cream before opening Greg's message.
Tell her good luck. I'd offer to bring over chilli fries, but I'm 3 beers down and not moving for the night. How about we do chilli fries and beer one night?
I stared at the phone, absently licking the bottom of my spoon trying to think of a clever reply to his message. It was a nice offer. But I still wasn't sure if I was ready to do that. But then again, Greg had been nothing but friendly towards me. There was no flirting of any sort. It sounded like a friendly offer, as if it was one of the Bravo boys or Clint asking me to do something. It only took a few seconds to make up my mind on what to do.
Sure. Can I get some more brownies too? I'm dying for a baked treat hit over here. I'll bring the beer.
"What's that smile all about?" Jared's voice made me look up. He was watching me with the mischievous little smirk back on his face.
"Absolutely none of your fucking business," I chuckled a little as I put my phone away. "Eat your ice cream before I throw it in your face."
"I would like to see you try," Jared challenged. The smirk on his face grew even more. Despite his teasing, I was happy to see that smirk. It took away all of the tension and stress that had been on his face for the last 2 months. As much as I hated to admit it, the smirk looked good on him. Sullen and stressed were not a good look on his handsome face.
"But that's a waste of such good ice cream," I didn't rise to his baiting. Instead I had another spoonful of the creamy delight. This could easily become my new favourite thing. The ice cream was handmade all from fresh ingredients. It was nothing like I'd tasted before.
"I can't believe I haven't found this before," Jared said around a spoonful of his own concoction, his own line of teasing gone. It was something cotton candy flavoured. It suspiciously looked like there was gummy bears in it as well. If I was a mean sister I'd tease him about his girly choice in ice cream. "Aren't I awesome for finding this?"
"No," Alexi piped up from her chair. She giggled as Jared pulled a horrified face at her perfect timing and choice of words.
"No!" Jared mock raged at her. "What do you mean no?"
Alexi's high pitched giggled filled the room as Jared lent over and tickled her. In her flailing to get away from Jared's tickling fingers, she smeared chocolate ice cream all over his face. Jared pulled back looking disgusted. The mess of chocolate dripped down off his face and onto his nice Ralph Lauren shirt.
"Uh oh," Alexi's giggles intensified. She reached up trying to get Jared's face again. This time he dodged her waving hands.
"Gross," Jared pulled a face at her. "How about I do it to you?"
Jared's hand hovered above his pink concoction. Alexi's giggles nearly reached shrieking levels at his threat. My phone vibrated noisily on the table, making all 3 of us jump in surprise. I quickly snatched it up seeing Evans name on the screen. This time it was a group message sent out.
Its a boy. 4lbs 4oz. Abby's doing well and he's healthy. No visitors tonight please everyone. We'd love to see you all tomorrow.
A second later another message came through, this time it was just to me.
Except you guys. You're welcome to bring Alexi up to meet her new brother and your god son.
"It's a boy," I announced. A sense of relief flooded through me. Abby was fine. The baby was fine. The niggling worry that had been in my mind quickly vanished at the news. "We're allowed to go up now."
"Lets go," Jared didn't need any encouragement. He shoved the last few mouthfuls of ice cream in his mouth. Alexi wasn't so easily convinced. She started to make a fuss as soon as I took her ice cream away from her. It took another long 5 minutes for her to finish it. Each mouthful took longer than the one before for her to finish. As it as she left a huge mess. Jared quickly slipped the girl working a tip and an apology for the mess while I cleaned Alexi up. Maybe ice cream with a toddler wasn't the best idea. But she didn't make any fuss once she was done. She happily bounced out to the car, holding my hand and talking non stop in a mixture of babble and words. She didn't squirm or fuss about going in her car seat either. The 20 minute trip to Fairfax Hospital flew by in a blur. It didn't take long to find a car park and mead up to the maternity ward. We found Evans standing outside the nursery, looking in with a giddy look on his face. I'd never seen him smile so much.
"Hey," I said quietly, not really wanting to disturb on the private moment he was having. I didn't need to be worried. Evans pulled Alexi and I into a tight hug as soon as we were close enough. His smile was contagious. It felt like my cheeks were hurting from smiling so much.
"Hey, Abby's asleep," Evans voice was a little muffled in my shoulder. When he pulled away his eyes looked suspiciously bright. Seeing him so happy made me start feeling a little teary myself. "The little guy is over there."
I followed his finger to an enclosed crib near the front of the room. I could only just make out the small baby in it which a shock of dark, curly hair.
"He's a little undercooked," Evans voice wobbled a bit as he followed my gaze. "He has a little bit of trouble regulating his temperature still and the doctors wanted his oxygen levels to be a bit more stable. But he's here and he's healthy."
"He has so much hair," I said with a breathless laugh. I hoisted Alexi up on my hip a little more and pointed towards the crib. "Can you see your baby brother?"
"Ew," Alexi's declaration made us all laugh. She wasn't wrong. Even a few weeks premmature made the little guy look red and wrinkly. She stared through the window, looking absolutely fascinated with what was inside. I stood there quietly while Jared and Evans exchanged a few quiet words and a brief hug. Evans son was so tiny. He wasn't wrong about him being a little undercooked. But he was healthy and that was the most important thing.
"What's his name?" I asked in the brief lull in conversation between Evans and Jared. I knew Abby and Evans had chosen names for either sex already. But they kept their lips sealed shut on it. It was a bit of a joke that their baby names were filed with SHIELD level 10 clearance.
"William," Evans said after a few moments pause. He was beaming. There was no other way to describe it. He looked every inch the proud Dad.
"William," I repeated with a smile. William had been Evans Dad. He'd died a few years ago from cancer. I wasn't surprised at all that was their choice of names for a boy. "I like it, good strong name."
"William Riley Evans."
The mention of his middle name knocked the breath out of me a little. But it felt so right. I was teary at the mention of Riley's name. But this time it was happy tears.
"He would have liked that," I said with my voice strong. It was nice to smile and think happy thoughts about Riley. "Riley really would have loved that."
Riley wouldn't have wanted Evans son to be named after him. It would have put him in the spotlight too much, something he hated. But having Riley as a middle name was just perfect. A beautiful reminder of someone who was so special to us all.
Authors Note
I meant to upload this last night, as anyone who watches the Facebook page might have seen. But I felt like crap and went to bed instead.
This chapter ended up being SO long, but really cute. I thought it was a nice balance of everything. Plus I do like seeing Kari moving on with her life a little more with every chapter.
I agonised over the baby name for such a long time, but in the end it ended up being a little special to me as well. William was my Dad's name, who I lost to cancer a few years ago. So it was nice to add a little something of him in there as well.
I'm aiming to update before the month is over! Please read and review, tell me if you love it or hate it. Or if the pace needs to be picked up a little. I'm excited for Iron Man 2, and even more excited for Thor as well.
Until next time guys.
