Disclaimer: ER still isn't mine. If it was, do you think Kem would be in
the picture? Hell no.
AN: Sorry, it took so long. My usual laziness and complete lack of ideas are my lame excuses. This is the last chapter. I'm starting a new fic which will probably turn out a lot better than this one. Thanks for all your reviews and support.
This chapter's set forward a couple years.
**** flashback ****
Ugh. This is not going very well. Oh, man. How did I let everything get so out of hand? Everything was running so smoothly. Everything was going according to plan.
Until a few minutes ago.
Just a simple task.
Breakfast.
Pancakes, toast, bacon, coffee- for Abby and I- juice for Brandon.
Simple.
What did I do to mess this up so badly?
I step away from the stove and look over to Brandon.
"Daddy, those pancakes look nasty."
He's sitting on the counter with a large glass bowl, almost empty of pancake batter, in his lap. Too bad there aren't many pancakes as proof of my strenuous labors.
"Thanks, kiddo."
He smiles at me. At least he thinks this is humorous.
I reach for the box sitting next to Brandon. I flip it over to find the "quick and easy instructions," as the front of the box calls it. Two eggs, oil, milk, add batter, stir-I did all that- grease pan, cook till golden brown.
Shit.
Grease pan. I forgot to grease the freaking pan. I was wondering why they were sticking so badly. My reasoning was that only certain people had the special talent of making pancakes. I guess I was wrong.
I look back to Brandon. He knows I messed up. I can tell. He doesn't look upset, though. "You don't get pancakes too often, do you?"
He shakes his head. "Nope. Mommy doesn't know how to cook pancakes either. We go to IHOP when I want 'em."
"Well, Brandon, it looks like you're either gonna have to go wake mommy up and tell her to get ready, or we can try again."
He doesn't look very interested in another attempt. "I mean, we can try eggs this time, instead of pancakes. Or we can have cereal or yogurt? What do you want?"
He looks at me the same way Abby does when she's making a big decision- furrowed brow, pursed lips. Who would have thought breakfast was so important? He stays silent with that contemplative look on his face. Eggs, cereal, or yogurt? Dammit, I forgot his new favorite food item-
"Ketchup."
Ketchup, imagine that.
I smile at him. He's like addicted to the stuff. "You want ketchup for breakfast?"
"Yep." I love his little one word responses.
"How about you go wake up mommy and ask her if we can go get some breakfast?"
"Can I have ketchup?"
"I'll see what I can do."
His face lights up and I lower him onto the floor. He quickly runs off in the general direction of our bedroom. I can hear the light patters of his feet hitting the stairs.
****
We ended up going to IHOP for breakfast. Abby thought it was sweet that I tried to make pancakes. I was still kind of upset about the grease. But what can you do?
Abby got her pancakes in the end, as did I. After all that work, I was in the mood for some pancakes. Brandon, however, had eggs with ketchup. Lots of ketchup. Abby and I decided that pancakes and ketchup wouldn't end well, so he got eggs.
I'm brought out of my little reverie when I feel a slight movement in my arms. I look down to see the newest member to our family. Her big brown eyes gaze up into mine and she squirms around again. A small but very recognizable smile plays across her chubby face.
"Audrey, you have to sleep. Daddy has to work tomorrow." Her eyes look about the room until finally settling on something near the doorway. I look up to see Brandon standing there.
"Hey, kiddo." He moves towards us. "What are you up so late for?"
"I couldn't sleep."
"Bad dream?"
He yawns. "No. I just couldn't fall asleep."
"It looks like your sister can't sleep either." He stands next to me and looks over my shoulder to find Audrey looking back up at him. "You want to hold her? I need to get another bottle."
He nods and I get out of the chair so Brandon can sit. I gently lay her in his arms, making sure he supports her head. I start to leave the nursery, but before I do, I turn around and see Brandon talking really quietly to Audrey. Wow. That's really something special. Something so pure and innocent that it takes your breath away for a minute.
I take a second glance and then make my way to the kitchen to get Audrey's bottle. I'm surprised to find Abby down here already in the refrigerator. "Hey."
She jumps. "God, Carter, you scared me."
"Sorry." She smiles and I give her a light kiss on the forehead. "What are you doing down here?"
"I was hungry. I also came to look for you. Why weren't you in bed?"
"Audrey was sounding a little restless on the monitor. I wanted to see what was wrong."
She nods her head.
"You know, I think we have a real problem."
She hands me one of Audrey's bottles then wraps her arms around my waist. Her head takes its usual resting place on my chest. "Oh yeah, what's that?"
"We have a house full of insomniacs." I state, completely serious.
She laughs into my chest and looks up at me. "What?"
"We have a house full of insomniacs." I repeat. "Everyone's awake. Brandon is upstairs waiting for me to bring Audrey back her bottle. Oh man, Abby you should have seen it. I was just about to leave to come down her and I saw the most beautiful thing. Brandon, he was holding her and talking to her. Having, like, a little monologue with her. Just playing off of her little sounds."
I look at her. She smiles at me again. "I know. He does that a lot."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Usually when he doesn't think anybody is around or listening. He really loves her." I nod my head. "And here I was afraid that he wouldn't like having a new baby in the house."
I give her a small kiss, and then hold up Audrey's bottle. "She probably needs this."
She nods and we both make our way upstairs into the nursery. I reach the doorway first and slowly peer in. Brandon has his head tilted to one side, looks like he's fallen asleep. We make our way in, Abby's hand in mine, and stop a few feet away from the two of them.
"Carter, they're asleep."
I nod. I guess Audrey doesn't need her bottle after all.
"Here, you take Audrey, and I'll go put Brandon in his bed." I whisper as I reach down and take my daughter from her brother and gently place her in Abby's arms. She stirs a little, but then falls sound asleep once again.
Brandon is a little different. After Audrey is safely in Abby's arms, I slowly scoop him out of the chair. Man, he's gotten big. But I guess nine year olds are pretty big.
I make my way down the hall and quietly enter his bedroom. I methodically step around the super hero action figures strewn about the floor and finally reach his bed. Carefully, I lay him down and tuck the covers around him. With a kiss on the forehead, I exit his room to find Abby waiting for me in the hallway.
"You ready to go back to bed?" she asks me.
I nod and encircle my arms around her waist and guide her back down the hallway to our room. We turn out the lamps on both nightstands and get into bed. Abby finds her typical position on my chest and I wrap my arms around her. "John, how did we get so lucky?" she asks once we're settled.
"I don't know." I answer slowly. "But we are pretty lucky, huh?"
She nods into my chest. "You know a long time ago, I never thought we'd end up like this. I mean, married with two beautiful children? God, John, how did we finally do it?"
"I don't know, but I'm glad we did. You know, if you hadn't come back, I don't know what I'd be doing."
I feel her nod into my chest again.
"I love you. You know that, right? I love you so much."
She looks up at me. A few soft locks of hair fall into her face. I softly push them behind her ears. "I know. I love you too."
We share a soft kiss, then she lays her head back on my chest and pretty soon, I can feel her breathing deepen.
I look up at the dark ceiling. My mind takes over as I'm pulled into a reflection of my life with Abby.
I honestly don't know what I'd be doing if she hadn't come back. That day was one of the best days of my life. Alongside that, my wedding day, the first birthday I got to spend with Brandon, and the day Audrey was born. But nothing happening in my life now would ever have been possible if some of the things that life threw at us hadn't occurred. I realize that now. Abby and I were always meant for each other. Everything that did take place in my life led straight back to her.
And now we're finally a family. My life has finally ended up where I want it to be. I'm here. Abby's here. Brandon and Audrey are here. There's nothing more I want or need.
Finally.
I'm home.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Author's Notes: Okay you guys. This is it. I'm done. Sorry if the chapter sucked, or didn't make sense. I thought a flashback would be kinda cool. Um, if you didn't catch it, Brandon was nine years old. And Audrey was still young enough to need a bottle and have her head supported (whatever age that is). So this chapter jumped ahead like five or six years. You didn't think I'd have a three year old upstairs, holding a baby unattended do you? Good . My next fic should be up soon, but I want to get a few chapters ahead so this whole fiasco doesn't happen again. Thank you guys so much for reading and reviewing. I really appreciate it.
-Allison
AN: Sorry, it took so long. My usual laziness and complete lack of ideas are my lame excuses. This is the last chapter. I'm starting a new fic which will probably turn out a lot better than this one. Thanks for all your reviews and support.
This chapter's set forward a couple years.
**** flashback ****
Ugh. This is not going very well. Oh, man. How did I let everything get so out of hand? Everything was running so smoothly. Everything was going according to plan.
Until a few minutes ago.
Just a simple task.
Breakfast.
Pancakes, toast, bacon, coffee- for Abby and I- juice for Brandon.
Simple.
What did I do to mess this up so badly?
I step away from the stove and look over to Brandon.
"Daddy, those pancakes look nasty."
He's sitting on the counter with a large glass bowl, almost empty of pancake batter, in his lap. Too bad there aren't many pancakes as proof of my strenuous labors.
"Thanks, kiddo."
He smiles at me. At least he thinks this is humorous.
I reach for the box sitting next to Brandon. I flip it over to find the "quick and easy instructions," as the front of the box calls it. Two eggs, oil, milk, add batter, stir-I did all that- grease pan, cook till golden brown.
Shit.
Grease pan. I forgot to grease the freaking pan. I was wondering why they were sticking so badly. My reasoning was that only certain people had the special talent of making pancakes. I guess I was wrong.
I look back to Brandon. He knows I messed up. I can tell. He doesn't look upset, though. "You don't get pancakes too often, do you?"
He shakes his head. "Nope. Mommy doesn't know how to cook pancakes either. We go to IHOP when I want 'em."
"Well, Brandon, it looks like you're either gonna have to go wake mommy up and tell her to get ready, or we can try again."
He doesn't look very interested in another attempt. "I mean, we can try eggs this time, instead of pancakes. Or we can have cereal or yogurt? What do you want?"
He looks at me the same way Abby does when she's making a big decision- furrowed brow, pursed lips. Who would have thought breakfast was so important? He stays silent with that contemplative look on his face. Eggs, cereal, or yogurt? Dammit, I forgot his new favorite food item-
"Ketchup."
Ketchup, imagine that.
I smile at him. He's like addicted to the stuff. "You want ketchup for breakfast?"
"Yep." I love his little one word responses.
"How about you go wake up mommy and ask her if we can go get some breakfast?"
"Can I have ketchup?"
"I'll see what I can do."
His face lights up and I lower him onto the floor. He quickly runs off in the general direction of our bedroom. I can hear the light patters of his feet hitting the stairs.
****
We ended up going to IHOP for breakfast. Abby thought it was sweet that I tried to make pancakes. I was still kind of upset about the grease. But what can you do?
Abby got her pancakes in the end, as did I. After all that work, I was in the mood for some pancakes. Brandon, however, had eggs with ketchup. Lots of ketchup. Abby and I decided that pancakes and ketchup wouldn't end well, so he got eggs.
I'm brought out of my little reverie when I feel a slight movement in my arms. I look down to see the newest member to our family. Her big brown eyes gaze up into mine and she squirms around again. A small but very recognizable smile plays across her chubby face.
"Audrey, you have to sleep. Daddy has to work tomorrow." Her eyes look about the room until finally settling on something near the doorway. I look up to see Brandon standing there.
"Hey, kiddo." He moves towards us. "What are you up so late for?"
"I couldn't sleep."
"Bad dream?"
He yawns. "No. I just couldn't fall asleep."
"It looks like your sister can't sleep either." He stands next to me and looks over my shoulder to find Audrey looking back up at him. "You want to hold her? I need to get another bottle."
He nods and I get out of the chair so Brandon can sit. I gently lay her in his arms, making sure he supports her head. I start to leave the nursery, but before I do, I turn around and see Brandon talking really quietly to Audrey. Wow. That's really something special. Something so pure and innocent that it takes your breath away for a minute.
I take a second glance and then make my way to the kitchen to get Audrey's bottle. I'm surprised to find Abby down here already in the refrigerator. "Hey."
She jumps. "God, Carter, you scared me."
"Sorry." She smiles and I give her a light kiss on the forehead. "What are you doing down here?"
"I was hungry. I also came to look for you. Why weren't you in bed?"
"Audrey was sounding a little restless on the monitor. I wanted to see what was wrong."
She nods her head.
"You know, I think we have a real problem."
She hands me one of Audrey's bottles then wraps her arms around my waist. Her head takes its usual resting place on my chest. "Oh yeah, what's that?"
"We have a house full of insomniacs." I state, completely serious.
She laughs into my chest and looks up at me. "What?"
"We have a house full of insomniacs." I repeat. "Everyone's awake. Brandon is upstairs waiting for me to bring Audrey back her bottle. Oh man, Abby you should have seen it. I was just about to leave to come down her and I saw the most beautiful thing. Brandon, he was holding her and talking to her. Having, like, a little monologue with her. Just playing off of her little sounds."
I look at her. She smiles at me again. "I know. He does that a lot."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Usually when he doesn't think anybody is around or listening. He really loves her." I nod my head. "And here I was afraid that he wouldn't like having a new baby in the house."
I give her a small kiss, and then hold up Audrey's bottle. "She probably needs this."
She nods and we both make our way upstairs into the nursery. I reach the doorway first and slowly peer in. Brandon has his head tilted to one side, looks like he's fallen asleep. We make our way in, Abby's hand in mine, and stop a few feet away from the two of them.
"Carter, they're asleep."
I nod. I guess Audrey doesn't need her bottle after all.
"Here, you take Audrey, and I'll go put Brandon in his bed." I whisper as I reach down and take my daughter from her brother and gently place her in Abby's arms. She stirs a little, but then falls sound asleep once again.
Brandon is a little different. After Audrey is safely in Abby's arms, I slowly scoop him out of the chair. Man, he's gotten big. But I guess nine year olds are pretty big.
I make my way down the hall and quietly enter his bedroom. I methodically step around the super hero action figures strewn about the floor and finally reach his bed. Carefully, I lay him down and tuck the covers around him. With a kiss on the forehead, I exit his room to find Abby waiting for me in the hallway.
"You ready to go back to bed?" she asks me.
I nod and encircle my arms around her waist and guide her back down the hallway to our room. We turn out the lamps on both nightstands and get into bed. Abby finds her typical position on my chest and I wrap my arms around her. "John, how did we get so lucky?" she asks once we're settled.
"I don't know." I answer slowly. "But we are pretty lucky, huh?"
She nods into my chest. "You know a long time ago, I never thought we'd end up like this. I mean, married with two beautiful children? God, John, how did we finally do it?"
"I don't know, but I'm glad we did. You know, if you hadn't come back, I don't know what I'd be doing."
I feel her nod into my chest again.
"I love you. You know that, right? I love you so much."
She looks up at me. A few soft locks of hair fall into her face. I softly push them behind her ears. "I know. I love you too."
We share a soft kiss, then she lays her head back on my chest and pretty soon, I can feel her breathing deepen.
I look up at the dark ceiling. My mind takes over as I'm pulled into a reflection of my life with Abby.
I honestly don't know what I'd be doing if she hadn't come back. That day was one of the best days of my life. Alongside that, my wedding day, the first birthday I got to spend with Brandon, and the day Audrey was born. But nothing happening in my life now would ever have been possible if some of the things that life threw at us hadn't occurred. I realize that now. Abby and I were always meant for each other. Everything that did take place in my life led straight back to her.
And now we're finally a family. My life has finally ended up where I want it to be. I'm here. Abby's here. Brandon and Audrey are here. There's nothing more I want or need.
Finally.
I'm home.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Author's Notes: Okay you guys. This is it. I'm done. Sorry if the chapter sucked, or didn't make sense. I thought a flashback would be kinda cool. Um, if you didn't catch it, Brandon was nine years old. And Audrey was still young enough to need a bottle and have her head supported (whatever age that is). So this chapter jumped ahead like five or six years. You didn't think I'd have a three year old upstairs, holding a baby unattended do you? Good . My next fic should be up soon, but I want to get a few chapters ahead so this whole fiasco doesn't happen again. Thank you guys so much for reading and reviewing. I really appreciate it.
-Allison