When they got to the station, the kids were simply awestruck by how big it looked to them. Amelia held Andy's hand tightly as they walked in while the boys took a deep breath and stuck together. "It may look huge guys, but I promise it's not as scary as you think it is", Jack explained as they walked together through the doors. "Here we are. This is where we work", he announced as they entered the reception area. "Those are the stairs, that is the hallways to the lockers. That over there is the front desk; Mommy and Aunt Maya love putting me there when they're mad at me", Jack joked while Andy playfully elbowed him. "Ouch. That's Aunt Maya's office, another place that Daddy only goes when he's in trouble, and that is the door to the barn. Did you know that your Aunt Maya and I almost watched your Aunt Vic get…..", he started to explain until Rowan interrupted him to inquire about a picture he saw. The other two fixed their gaze in the direction that Rowan was looking.
"Who's this guy? We have the same picture above the fireplace at home", Rowan asked while making his way towards the trophy case to point to an old picture of a younger, healthier Pruitt. "He must be someone important if we have a flag on the mantle beside his picture. My teacher said that those are reserved for members of the military, fire, and the police when they die"
"That is Andy's dad and he passed away. His name was Pruitt and he was the best", Jack introduced while Rowan looked at the picture of Andy and Pruitt.
DJ looked at him confused, "If that's Mommy's daddy then is he our grandpa even if he died?"
"Yes, DJ buddy, he's still your Grandpa Pruitt" , Jack explained while looking through some of Pruitt's medals and honors himself.
Rowan smiled his first genuine smile since the fire as he looked into the trophy case. Jack walked over and put his hand on his shoulder. "He got a ton of medals didn't he? Who's that?", he asked while pointing to a smaller picture.
"That's Andy when she was about DJ's age and her best friend Ryan", Jack summarized as the two of them looked at the pictures of Pruitt and the medals. Andy couldn't help but smiled bittersweetly when she looked over at the two of them. At the moment, she was busy with Amelia clinging onto her leg and DJ spinning around in the desk chair. "Everyone loved him, I know I did", Jack added
Andy snapped them out of their staring at the trophy case by motioning towards the barn that DJ kept pulling her towards. DJ was going on and on about how he wanted to see all the trucks and the lights which seemed pretty cool to him after Jack and Andy explained everything in the car. He loved seeing the station so busy and lively. Andy brought them over to the window near the front desk and stood Amelia on the desk so she could get a better look while DJ looked into the barn from the rolling desk chair. "Your work is so cool that it's going to make all my friends jealous", DJ bolstered. "Roger's dad only works at a bank and Dustin's dad is a no good lying….", he started, simply repeating what he heard about Dustin's father from Dustin's mother.
"I'm glad you think we're cool", Andy interrupted; she didn't need him to repeat the last of something Dustin's mother most likely muttered under her breath, hoping that no children would hear it. She chuckled while she messed up DJ's hair which, like Rowan's, had grown long and shaggy since Jenna last took them for a haircut. "Before we go into the barn and take a look around, who's up for a snack?", she asked while getting down to DJ's level. "Your new aunts and uncles, everyone is waiting up there", she told him.
DJ got down from the chair and ran ahead of Andy. Andy chased after him the best she could with Amelia on her hip. "Come on Mommy. Let's go meet them already!", he whined impatiently from the middle landing.
Andy tapped Jack on the shoulder and told him that they were heading upstairs. Jack had been zoned in on telling Rowan about Pruitt and Ripley. Rowan listened intently as he looked at all the medals in the case. He made the decision right then and there that someday, he was going to earn all the medals like Pruitt. "DJ's getting impatient and little miss over here almost lost it when she got a peek of the barn. I don't know what that's all about. If you have any guesses I'd be happy to hear them", Andy whispered as Jack joined her on the stairs while Rowan joined DJ in a race up the steps. "Careful", Andy warned.
DJ made it to the top first and stuck his tongue out at Rowan who stuck his out back. DJ crossed his arms and furrowed his brow, pouting, before walking to the beanery. He stopped when he got to the entrance and saw everyone either making themselves a snack or talking about calls that they had gone on that day. "Who are these people Mommy?", he asked while Andy gave him a look. "I meant to ask, are these your friends?", he corrected
"Much better", Andy affirmed before walking in behind the boys. The boys went straight to the table with Jack, not missing a chance to talk to their new pseudo relatives. Amelia on the other hand, tried to hide behind Andy in an effort not to be seen by anybody. Amelia held Andy's hand and stood planted behind her, visibly overwhelmed by everything going on and all the new faces. Andy felt two little hands cling onto her leg and watched as Amelia looked out from behind her for a few seconds, only to go back to hiding. "Lia sweetheart, what's going on? You were so excited to come here earlier", she inquired.
Amelia didn't answer and stayed silent as Andy made her way to the fridge. Andy picked up Amelia and balanced her on her hip while simultaneously getting a container of orange slices out for the boys. She used her free hand to then pour a bowl of pretzels and brought the snacks over. She took the free seat next to Rowan and had Amelia sit in her lap. For a reason that she couldn't comprehend, Amelia was suddenly absolutely petrified of anything to do with the station. Andy didn't press the issue, figuring that it was either a fluke or Amelia being overtired. It had been an overwhelming week with all the shopping they did, the funeral, and the meetings that both parents had. There was a ton of waiting and adjustments as well as an overhaul to the kids' whole routine that they had with Jenna. Everyone at the table stared at Andy, it was unusual seeing her with children, especially one clinging to her for dear life.
"Hey, we're the Gibsons, we used to work here", Andy joked while everyone came over to hug her. "We can do hugs and the sappy welcome back stuff later. Amelia's a little nervous and literally won't leave my side. I highly doubt she wants everyone crowding her", she excused while Amelia agreed with her in a voice that barely registered above a whisper.
Maya laughed and sat down while taking a look at the kids who bore an uncanny resemblance to her own mother and brother with the same bleach blonde hair and blue eyes with the exception of Amelia's chestnut colored eyes being the only difference. DJ even had freckles on his nose in the same spot that Mason had them at his age. "Wow, you and Gibson weren't kidding when you said you became instant parents", she exclaimed while the two boys greeted her with a, "Hi Aunt Maya".
"Just curious, why would we ever joke about that?"Jack questioned, only for Maya to shrug and make a snarky comment about how she didn't know. "Way to be sensitive", he muttered
Vic glanced over at Amelia who was burying her face into Any's shoulder. "Oh my goodness, Lia's even more adorable than she was when she threw flower petals down the aisle at your wedding. She's still so little", Vic expressed. "Pruey's about as tall as her. We told her yesterday about Lia and every five seconds Prue's been asking when she's going to get to talk to her. I hope you have an idea of when that will be because I am not going back to listen to "Where's Lia? Where's Lia?" all night long", she added, visibly frustrated.
"Alright DJ, now no one has ever won this game against me. Give me five", Travis chuckled as the two of them high fived. "Up high, down low, in the middle…", Traivs started while DJ followed the directions.
"Uncle Travis, there's a spider on the window", DJ whined while Travis looked behind him. DJ took the opportunity to high five Travis. "Made you look!", he laughed while Travis turned around.
Travis chuckled, "Well played Dalton James"
"Nobody calls him that unless he's in trouble", Rowan corrected while DJ glared at Travis. "It's always DJ or else he won't talk to you"
"Good to know. Sorry about that kiddo. Candy?", Travis apologized while pulling a candy bar out from the shopping bag next to him. DJ snatched the bar out of his hand and accepted the apology right away. He had no problem with eating the candy and talking with Travis about school and Jenna. Andy wasn't too pleased with Travis bribing DJ but decided to let it slide this once. DJ looked happy and that made both Andy and Jack happy.
Andy, seeing how well the kids got along with the team, was reassured that she was doing the right thing by introducing the team as almost a pseudo extended family so early in the adoption. "I know this came as a shock for you guys and I'm so entirely grateful for all the support you've given us over the past few days whether it be help at the station or offers to babysit while we sort everything out. It helps to know that our friends are looking out for our kids", she told them as she wiped a tear away.
"I second that. We couldn't have made this as smooth of a transition for our kids without you guys", Jack added. "We can't thank you enough"
Maya chuckled, "Well, it was easy to help out. We love them and we love both of you"
"And it was fun helping you build furniture while Andy took the kids to Target", Dean mentioned. Within two days of the adoption, Jack and Andy had accumulated a whole pile of furniture for the kids' rooms. Jack stayed up all night attempting to put together a bookshelf and a dollhouse for Amelia's room and nearly threw the pieces in the garbage out of frustration. Andy offered to call Dean and take the kids shopping and to lunch for the day so the guys could work on the rooms over beers. Maya and Teddy offered to babysit on several occasions while Andy and Jack had to deal with the lawyers to sort out the stuff pertaining to Jenna and Carl's will. Maya and Vic listened to Andy cry on the phone when she vented about how awful a person Jenna's mother was. Even though none of the team had met the kids, they still rallied together to show a sea of support for their own. "You were there for me when I got Prue, so now it's my turn", he added
"Even if that means not going to Joe's after a difficult call to get drunk", Travis added
"Why do you guys get drunk at Joe's?", DJ asked, innocently, unaware of what he was asking.
Jack nearly choked on the water he was drinking. "Ummmm…..well….let's not…..hey Teddy, Leo is DJ's age right?', he asked quickly, hoping to change the subject. He glanced over at the far end of the table where Leo was sitting, completely engrossed in his iPad. "Speaking of Leo, doesn't Owen usually drop him off at the hospital daycare with Allison for professional development days?", Jack wondered. Leo still had yet to even acknowledge that DJ was there and vice versa.
"Not when he gives Owen an argument about getting up. Owen took Allison and I offered to take Leo later. I think our boys are going to get along great", Teddy mentioned. "Hey, Leo, take your earbuds out and say hello. Remember I told you how my friend Andy adopted a little boy just like you?"
Leo took one earbud out of his ear and glared at Teddy for interrupting his game. "Yeah momma?", he asked while DJ walked over to where Leo was sitting. "Hey, my mom said that you're adopted too", Leo greeted.
"Leo Hunt!", Teddy scolded
"You are too?", DJ asked, unfazed, as he sat beside Leo. Leo nodded and showed him the video game that he had been playing. "Oh wow, you're only at the beginner level of Animal Crossing? I made a whole village with Rowan before we lost our XBOX in the fire", DJ bragged before getting sad. Leo shook his head and handed DJ the iPad so he could learn how DJ played the game. "Do you like pranks?", DJ asked
Leo nodded, "I prank my mom, dad and Allison all the time. Only my dad doesn't think its funny and I have to go to time out. You?"
"Jenna used to say that I lived in time out!", DJ answered
Andy and Teddy looked on and shook their heads while watching the boys play. They loved listening to the laughter from both of them. "I wish Allsion was here, then we could introduce her to this little cutie. Hi big girl, I'm your Aunt Teddy", Teddy introduced only for Amelia to shy away from her and bury her little head into Andy's neck. "Hard time adjusting?"
Andy sighed, "No, this is new. She's normally not this shy or clingy. The other day, she almost ran out of the house because she wanted to say hi to the mailman and give him a picture that she drew. She loves meeting new people and she was so excited to come today until we showed her the barn". Andy ran her fingers through Amelia's hair while Amelia played with the necklace Andy was wearing. "I don't know if you go through it with Allison, but it's been really crazy with basically a toddler on our hands. The other day I was in the laundry room and I set her up on the couch with a coloring book. She got real quiet and when I walked out of the laundry room, she was trying to climb on top of the mantle. She had moved her dollhouse and everything over so she would have something to stand on. Amelia managed to put her feet inside the rooms and grab onto the roof for support. Jack will tell you, I was scared out of my ever living mind", Andy summarized before glancing over at Rowan who had put his earbuds in his ears to listen to music. He leaned back in the chair almost as if he was trying to make himself invisible. "Rowan on the other hand, keeps to himself. He doesn't want to talk about what happened", she explained.
Dean glanced over at Rowan too, "He's still reeling from a very big loss. All of them are and you guys are doing everything you can to try and make things comfortable, safe, and happy for them like any good parent would". He watched as Andy asked Rowan to pause the music for a few and talk. Rowan reluctantly did so and wrapped his earbuds around his phone before putting his phone back in his jeans. "So Rowan, bud, Andy told me that you like the Mariners", he started, attempting to make conversation
"They're okay, but I like the Seahawks better. Football is way more fun to watch", Rowan answered. "Carl, Jack, and I used to watch them all the time. We'd bet my screen time on the winners. They used to say that the Seahawks wouldn't win but I would always bet that they would. Last year, I got so much extra screen time when they won almost every single game", he added excitedly, reminiscing about the fall when the three of them would watch football and he would cheer every time the Seahawks scored a touchdown. Jack and Andy, in an effort to make things normal, had hosted Jenna and the kids for a Super Bowl party after Carl died. However, the game had lost its appeal a little for Rowan after Carl's death. "Sometimes Jack and I will play in the yard. Sometimes Lia will join us but she usually runs off with the ball, laughing"
"What else do you like to do?", Vic asked
Rowan looked to Andy for an answer. With everything that had happened with Carl and then Jenna picking up an extra job and extra hours, he kind of forgot about his hobbies. Prior to the fire he had loved reading, playing the cello, and his prized collection of video games. More than anything except for maybe the cello, he loved taking aerial pictures with his remote control drone that Carl had bought him for good grades in school. With everything else in Jenna's house, the cello, most of his books, and the drone had burnt. "I like playing video games", he offered while Andy sighed. "I also like reading. I like reading more than I like video games", he explained
"Speaking of video games, we just installed the PS6 in the lounge over there. I think we have Thrill Seeker 3 in there. Wanna come check it out? Then maybe we can go down to the barn with your Uncle Ben and check out what's down there", Travis offered while Jack explained some of Rowan's hesitations with going into the barn. Travis assured both of them that he and Ben would thoroughly explain everything without bringing up what had happened a week ago.
Andy watched as Rowan's face lit up for probably one of the first moments since the fire. "Can I Andy? Please?", he asked excitedly while Ben and Travis got up to go.
"Sure bud", Andy answered. Rowan gave her a surprising hug before walking out of the room with Travis and Ben. "So I guess it's just us and this little cutie", she chuckled as she tickled Amelia's stomach. Only this time Amelia didn't laugh, instead she stayed quiet and hid. "Lia bug, what's wrong?", Andy asked.
"I wanna go home", Amelia cried. "Don't like it here"
Andy looked at Jack and mouthed 'help' while trying to console an inconsolable Amelia. Jack thought for a moment about what he could do and suggested the very thing that Lia had been excited to see back at the house. "Hey Lia bug, how about you, me, and Mommy go downstairs to check out the trucks with Rowan?", he asked only for Amelia to cry even harder. That was the last reaction that he was expecting from her. He looked at Maya who shrugged and at Teddy who suggested it might be something to do with the fire. Seeing the trucks through the window earlier might have triggered her. "Wanna eat something and then we'll go?", he suggested only for Amelia to yell "no" at him.
DJ on the other hand quickly accepted the offer that wasn't extended to him yet. "If she won't do it, Leo and I will go", he quickly offered, only to be momentarily ignored so his parents could help Amelia. "Being the middle kid is so boring", he muttered to Leo
"I heard that", Jack told DJ. "Don't worry, I'll take you down there too. Right now we need to help your sister. Come on Lia bug, it'll be so much fun", he gently pressed
Amelia wiped away some tears but continued to cry, "Too scary. Jenna went bye bye. Jenna's never coming back". Andy and Jack exchanged looks; Teddy had been right. Amelia was afraid of the station.
Andy, not knowing what to do, closed her eyes and rubbed Amelia's back while humming the lullaby that Pruitt used to sing to her. Her heart broke everyday for what these kids went through prior to the adoption. Rowan was too busy being a de facto 3rd adult in Jenna's house to have time to be a kid and Amelia, who was excited to visit the station at first, was now petrified of even looking at the trucks after remembering the fire and the commotion as well as being told that another adult was dead.
Dean, seeing Andy and Jack struggle to calm Amelia, walked over and knelt down to Amelia's level, "Hey Lia, I'm going to offer you something really special but I need you to calm down and look at me okay?". Amelia did as asked and slowly looked up at him from the comfort of Andy's shoulder. "Good job, thank you for not crying. Lia, did you know that I have a little girl your age?", he asked, leaving Amelia shocked beyond words. Andy and Jack hadn't mentioned anything about Allison or Prue to her.
"No I didn't. You do?", Amelia answered quietly. "Will she play with me?"
Dean chuckled, "I do. She's two just like you. Aunt Vic and I already told her all about you. Her name is Pru and she's so excited to play with you. Would you like to talk to her right now?"
"Yes please", Amelia answered while Dean FaceTimed Yemi. Andy and Jack looked at Amelia and then at each other while the phone rang. "Where is she?", Amelia asked while putting her whole face on the screen. Dean laughed and pulled the phone back while explaining that Prue's face would be on the screen in a minute and that she didn't need to get that close to the screen to see her. Within seconds, Yemi's face lit up the screen. Amelia made a face and handed Dean's phone back to him. "Who's that?", she asked
Dean laughed and held the phone until Prue got on. "That was my sister Yemi. Pruey is playing; she'll be on in just a second", he explained to Amelia. Andy breathed a sigh of relief seeing Amelia as calm as she was. Shouts of "Hi Daddy!" could be heard through the phone speaker as Prue got closer to the phone. "Hey, sis, I need a favor. Andy brought her kids by, the three they just adopted. Anyways, I want to know if Pru would like to say hi to Amelia", he asked. He chuckled when he heard Yemi call for Prue and then heard a little voice in the background ask, "That's Lia?". He watched Prue take the phone away from Yemi, before putting it a little too close to her face like Amelia had. "Hi baby girl, yeah I love you too. I have a friend for you to meet Pruey. Yes, yes it's Lia. I know you've been waiting so long to meet her. She's a little sad but I thought you saying hi could make her happy. Right?", he asked
"Right. I wanna say hi Daddy! I wanna make her feel happy", Prue answered while Dean handed his phone to Amelia. "Hi Lia, hi Lia! I'm Pruitt Arike Miller, but Daddy calls me Prue"
"I'm Amelia Joy Herrera-Gibson but my Mommy calls me Lia. You like dolls?", Amelia asked
"Grandma gots me a big one. Biggerer than me!", Prue answered, "I like you Lia. You're my best friend"
"I am?", Amelia asked, her face lighting up.
Andy and Jack watched happily as the two girls talked and talked, sometimes over each other with loud giggles. It was a far cry from how upset Amelia had been just ten minutes ago."Thank you Dean Miller", Andy thanked. Jack agreed and smiled while listening to Amelia and Prue giggle. He knew the laughter was genuine when the dimples on her cheeks popped out as they do whenever she smiles really big. When the girls hung up and while Dean was saying goodbye to Prue, Amelia talked over everyone, trying to tell them about Prue, as if none of them had met her before. "What did you think of your new friend?", Andy asked
Amelia looked up at her and summarized, "Oh we're gonna play dolls at my house Mommy. And, and on the swings. And at her house we're gonna eat crayon popsicles"
"That sounds super fun. I'm sure Uncle Dean and I can set that up and I'm sure Aunt Teddy and I can set up a playdate with you and Allison as well as Leo and DJ", Andy suggested as the two boys listened in from the corner. They high fived each other before going back to their game. Andy stood up from the table while Amelia scrambled down from her lap. Andy walked over to Jack and embraced him from behind, "Maya and I have some work we need to get done so you're on kid duty for the next hour"
"And I have to take Mister I-Don't-Want-To-Get-Ready to the hospital daycare. I can't wait until school opens back up tomorrow", Teddy joked
"Do I really have to play with the babies Momma? I want to play with DJ. He's so cool!", Leo expressed.
Teddy smiled and glanced over at Andy before answering her son, "I'll bring you and Allison another day. Daddy's waiting"
"And I was thinking I could take these two on a tour of the barn. Don't worry, I won't scare little Miss over here. I have an idea", Jack suggested as Amelia ran over to pull him out of his chair while DJ did the same. "Go enjoy your work. The guys plus Vic and I got this", he assured her. Andy laughed and kissed her kids that were still in the room before heading down to her office with Maya.
The rest of the day went by quickly with keeping the kids engaged. Jack promised that they would all go to the Space Needle for lunch since nobody wanted to set foot in Wilson's yet. That was where Jenna worked as a waitress and the kids didn't want all the staff to ask about Jenna and how they were doing. Before they left, Andy and Jack were spending a little time with Rowan while Maya and Travis entertained the other two in the lobby.
"Thanks for showing me how all this works Mom", he stated absentmindedly before covering up his mouth after realizing what he said. "Uh, I mean, thanks for….never mind. I'm sorry Mom", he said again, even more confused by his choice of words this time. Calling Andy Mom seemed so natural, almost as if it was just supposed to happen. However, something in his mind caused him to panic after the name slipped out. This was the first time that he had ever called anyone Mom besides Violet, his biological mother, who for all he knew could be dead. With all the moving around he did, Rowan was afraid that if he called Andy "Mom" or Jack "Dad", something would happen where he would get taken away from them and because they had titles, there would be even more heartbreak. He felt that being first names only would decrease his chances of being hurt, almost like a defense mechanism. He didn't know why the name slipped out but figured it had something to do with him feeling safe, loved, and comfortable in his new house.
Andy wasn't like all the other "mothers" he had before who were either good but too busy or compulsive liars who used him and his siblings for their own gain. Once they weren't needed anymore, he found himself alone in the back of the car with a black bag full of his belongings next to him while his brother and almost newborn baby sister were carted off to someplace different to an elderly woman who made them feel anything but safe and loved. Andy wasn't like them; she was funny and kind and loved to make the three of them happy. He already had the sense that Andy and Jack loved them more than anything else in this world and would do anything to see them smile and laugh. It just seemed appropriate and easy for him to call her Mom and Jack Dad.
They stared at each other for a good five minutes without saying anything. Andy broke the silence by giving him a hug. "Don't be sorry buddy. Please. Are you sure you're ready to call me Mom? It's a big step for you", she asked, not because she didn't want him to but because she wanted to know that he was comfortable with doing it.
"I don't know, I think I am", he answered while taking a seat beside Jack on the edge of the engine. Andy was on the verge of tears when he hugged her and referred to her as his mother a third time. "You're my Mom", he told her. Jack put his hand on his shoulder and Rowan smiled up at him. "Dad, you're the best for making sure us three weren't scared when we came here", he complimented.
Andy glanced over at Jack who couldn't have been more proud. Rowan was finally accepting them, which Jack knew to be a hard decision for a kid that had gone through what Rowan went through. "He did it", she whispered while squeezing his hand and smiling at their boy.
"I'm so proud of you", Jack told his oldest while they sat on the engine. Rowan hugged him and got off the engine to look around more with Andy.
After looking through the barn again, Andy, Jack, and Vic took the kids on a ride around the block with one of the trucks. They let DJ and Amelia play around with the lights while Rowan was perfectly content just to ride in the back. Andy let Amelia wear her hat during the ride; the hat was much too big for her little head and fell over her eyes everytime she laughed. Andy snapped a picture of Amelia wearing it while atop Jack's shoulders. She got so many good photos of the kids to hang around their house. The three of them were all happy and smiling and that was everything to Andy.
