It had been a month since Kim and Adam had gotten married. Adam had been true to his word and had gotten a vasectomy. Which allowed Kim not to have to go on birth control again but also allowed them to have an active sex life without worrying about pregnancy. It was amazing and they were taking advantage of it daily. They had filed the paperwork to adopt Emma officially. And had filed the paperwork for Adam to adopt Jackson. They had a lot going on but they were loving every minute of it. The kids were happy and loving school and Lily was growing everyday. She was crawling all over the place and keeping them on their toes.
Adam has been working at the gym training clients and helping them to get healthier. He was working with a bunch of rookies helping them to bulk up so they were ready for the season ahead. His other clients were first responders who wanted to get stronger and healthier so they were better protected on the job. Adam loved that in a small way he was helping protect the city. The city where his children live. It made him proud. On the other hand both his parents had heard about his marriage to Kim and had reached out. Adam chose not to answer the phone both times. He said he felt better about his life without them in it. He wanted a positive energy surrounding their kids.
Kim had been working hard fighting crime and getting ready for her big performance. Kim was beyond nervous for this performance. She hadn't been on stage in close to a decade but she hadn't lost the moves or her rhythm. She knew she could do it but the nerves were ever present. On breaks at work the team would find her practicing in the locker room where she had space to move properly. And when practicing at home the kids were always there to watching her. She loved that they seemed to be interested in what she was doing. Emma even wanted to learn the moves so Kim got her an outfit to practice in. While they practiced together Adam made sure to video them.
Today was the day of that performance. Today all the hard work would pay off. Today a wonderful charity would receive money from the ticket sales of her performance. She was proud to do this for charity but to also show that she was strong enough to face her demons. Kim had gotten up early to start the process of warming up and stretching. She took a long shower, spending extra time washing her body. After she exited the shower she dried off and started to put lotion all over her body. When she finished she stepped into the bedroom to see Adam was awake, sitting up waiting for her.
"Good morning! How are feeling about today?" Adam asked as he watched her getting dressed. "Morning! I'm okay. Nervous but okay. I'm excited that I raised a lot of money by doing this and I'm proud that I'm not letting the past prevent me from this but I'm nervous that I'm going to fall or mess up. Just typical nerves." Kim was rambling. She did that often when she was nervous. "You are going to be great! You have practiced this over and over. You know the piece better than most. You are going to rock this. And besides you face worse on the streets daily. And by the way I'm proud of you too. Not many people could do what you are doing. I love you darling!" Adam got out of the bed and crossed the room to hug her. "I love you too baby! And thank you!" Kim whispered as she melted into his embrace.
"Let's get you some breakfast. You can preform on an empty stomach." Adam kissed her lips before heading downstairs to give her space to get ready. When she finished dressing she went back into the bathroom to dry her hair. The wardrobe people would do her hair and make up so that wasn't an issue. Kim headed downstairs to eat the meal Adam fixed for her but she was zoned out. He expected it so he made sure the kids were taken care of so she could zone. He hated seeing her like this but completely understood. He noticed she had finished eating at some point and removed the plates from in front of her. Kissing her head as he left her be.
They spent the next few hours playing games trying to keep Kim's mind busy. Kim ignored her phone, ignored the tv and just listened to the music in the background. Kim tried to be present but she couldn't. The stage was all she could see. The movement was all she could envision. After a later lunch Kim headed to the Chicago Ballet to begin getting ready with the wardrobe team. As she walked into the building she felt a sense of déjà vu. She was back here for real, not on a case, not trying to forget. She was really going to be on that stage live tonight.
She smiled as she passed by the poster for tonight and smiled harder when she saw the posters of past performances that she danced in. She took a photo of a poster and texted it to Adam. She smiled wide remembering that night. She continued down the hall towards the dressing room. Seeing her old dressing room brought back so many memories. She stood there staring at the door trying to open the door but just couldn't. Her courage faltered as she touched the door. She took a few deep breaths before her phone beeped. She looked down to see a photo of Adam and the kids. It was that photo that gave her the courage to open the door.
The room looked the same. She saw her costume for tonight. She placed her bags down and ran her fingers over the costume. Feeling the different fabrics, the seams, the trims. It all felt familiar yet different. She couldn't explain it if she tried. She only hoped that things are home were going better. Luckily at home Adam and the kids were playing games and running around with the dog. None of them thinking about anything else, at least that's how it looked. Adam was thinking non stop about Kim but was able to hide it well from the kids.
At 3 he took them all upstairs to bathe them. He bathed the girls together and Jackson alone. Even though they were all small kids they didn't want to answer a ton of awkward questions about body parts. At least Adam didn't. Once the kids were dried off he dressed them in their nicest outfits that weren't from the wedding. Adam did his best to do Emma's hair for the event. He wasn't great at hair but he tried his best to make it look nice enough. Lily did t have enough hair to worry about and Jackson's hair was simple. Once the kids were dressed Adam got ready himself for the night. He found one of his best suits that's reserved for award shows and got ready quick.
They headed to the ballet shortly afterwards. When they arrived he was amazed by all the people there for the event. He was also amazed by the number of first responders that had showed up to support Kim. "Hey guys!" Adam walked over with all the kids in tow. "Hey Ruzek!" The group responded. "Let me take Lily from you. Give you a hand." Erin offered as she saw him with his hands full. "Thanks Erin. I want to show the kids the posters that shows Kim's old performances. Come on kids!" Adam led them down the hall as the group followed. "Okay kids look here. That's your mom when she was younger. Mom used to dance here every night. Doesn't mom look pretty?" Adam picked up both kids so they could get a closer look. "Yeah mommy!" Jackson yelled as the group laughed.
Adam took them to each poster to see if Kim was in the poster or not. It became a game for the kids and Adam was thankful to keep them busy before the show started. When it was almost time Adam took the kids to their seats and waited for the show to start. Both kids were antsy but they were being well behaved about it. When the lights flickered Adam knew the that was the call for people to take their seats. The lights went out, Adams heart was in his throat. The curtains opened and he saw the stage appear with dancers. When he saw Kim come out on the stage his heart started to beat faster, his eyes filled with tears. He had never been more proud of her. Giving birth was one thing but this, facing her demons, facing her past and rising to the occasion was a whole new level.
The kids watched in awe of their mom on stage. She looked elegant, graceful and above all talented. Adam watched his wife on stage loving how amazing she was. Before he knew it the first half was over and it was intermission. The curtain closed and the lights turned on. Adam rose from his seat to see all the first responders looking in awe at the stage. "Could you help me Erin? I want to get the kids in the bathroom before it starts again just in case?" Adam asked as Erin snapped out of her daze. "Um yeah. Of course. Come on Emma let's hit the potty okay?" Erin held out her hand to walk with Emma.
They returned from the bathroom and the group was chatting about the performance. "I had no idea Kim was that good! Why did she stop dancing? She should still be on stage." Casey stated as he spoke with the group. "She left because of the abuse and mistreatment she suffered. The controlled diet, the daily weigh ins, the suspension for getting her period. The broken bones, the bruises they ignored. She needed to be saved. She needed to be safe." Adam tried to explain without giving all her details. "I had no idea of any of this. Strong girl." Casey offered as they sat again to wait for the show to start again.
The lights flickered again and the crowd knew to be quiet. The lights went out as the curtain opened again. Adam saw nothing but his wife who owned the stage. She was meant for this but years of abuse threw her off course. Led her to him and their 3 kids. To their friends, their family. She made the right call then, her life was falling apart because the job was demanding and she was stuck with a horrible director who was abusive and harassing. He wondered if she could somehow have both. He doubted it but it was nice to think about.
As the finale was playing out before his eyes he shed tears of love and pride. He knew she saw him, maybe saw those tears, but he didn't care. He wasn't ashamed of it. The final notes played, it was over. Dancers came out to receive praise from the audience, it was polite, it was respectful amounts of clapping till Kim, the featured dancer came out on stage alone. She received a standing ovation for her performance. It was loud, it was over the top. Flowers were thrown on stage as she bowed in the center of the stage. Her eyes met his both shining bright with tears as their love they felt for each other was expressed. She blew him a simple kiss before the entire cast took the stage for one final bow.
Kim returned to her dressing room to change into her street clothes but had brought a nice dress in case she felt good after the show. It was an old dress from her dance days, one that always made her feel confident in herself. She left the hair and make up and added some jewelry, the last touch being her wedding rings before heading out to see her family. As she walked into the lobby she was met with loud cheers and wolf whistles. Her whole first responders family had stayed to congratulate her on her performance. It took forever to hug and thank each one but at the end she was met by her family. Her children beaming with pride and her husband who looked like he wanted to rip her clothes off right there.
"I take it you approve of my performance tonight?" Kim whispered as he held her tight. "I think this is your true calling Kim. I have no words for how talented you are. I'm beyond proud of you. I love you darling!" Adam kissed her hard making their friends cheer. "I love you too! But I'm happy with my life. All the pain, it led me to you, our kids, our whole family that's here tonight for me. I healed my past tonight and now we can finish living our happily ever after. Let's go home!" Kim grabbed her husbands hand as the family walked towards their car. As they drove home they both looked at each other and smiled. Happily ever after sounded perfect.