And so cometh another week… This chapter has been sitting in my writing folder on my desktop for most likely nearly a year. I, for the most part, have been writing my chapters in order but this one was mostly written back this time last year, if not before.
A few shout outs:
MissCiccisweden – I'm not too sure if I am going to keep going after I get to end when Smudge arrives. I have had a few thoughts on seeing some particular points in their lives, but if will likely depend on if there is any interest and if I have the inspiration.
Guest who left a lovely review for myself, ItsWhatIWrite, Jewel & Ducky – THANK YOU! It was such a lovely review and I would have liked to respond to you personally. I can't speak for the other girls but I love when people let me know what they like and why they like it. It means so much when someone tells me their personal opinions of my story, so thank you – hope you enjoy this chapter.
And to everyone else who reviews – thank you. I am glad that you are still enjoying the story, even if the updates are a bit here and there.
And whilst I'm on my thankyous because we're not sure when we'll get to another chapter as much as we would love for it to be soon – a massive thank you to everyone who favourited, followed and reviewed Rebecca and my latest venture 'Running In Circles'. Bear with us, it might be a while for another chapter but the entire storyline comes from a special place for me and I'm sure Rebecca too. We feel like we need to tell this story and we want to do it justice.
Week Thirty Three
~ Candidate is size of a pineapple ~
Gabby groaned as she tried to lift herself out of the rocking chair in the nursery where she had found herself finally falling asleep. Sighing as she looked around the nursery there was still a heap that she felt that she needed to do. It would only be seven or so short weeks before baby made his or her appearance. Whilst she was pretty uncomfortable at the moment, she was still able to do many of the things she wanted to do independently.
That wardrobe needed organising. At the moment it was bare with a few wicker baskets laying around the floor and some hangers in the cupboard itself. Most of the clothes that she and Matt had purchased were sitting atop the dresser waiting to be washed first. Her parents were coming home to Chicago this week and Adriana had been on the phone numerous times to tell her that family members were sending back various presents for them and not to go shopping for any more baby related items just yet. Cindy Herrmann had also sent a message that she and the other fire ladies were sorting out a shower for Gabby once she finished work - yes, they were cutting it fine should anything happen; but again everyone was reminding her that she shouldn't buy any more clothing just yet.
Therein lay some frustration. Gabby had the energy to be working on the nursery right now. It largely lay untouched from when Matt and the boys had worked on it previously. The room needed more finishings than anything else.
She would be finishing up at the Academy next week and had submitted all the paperwork that she thought she needed to. It was a call that she had made at the beginning of this week, and firmed it all up with the academic heads after shift on Monday. It had always been on the cards that she would finish somewhere between her 34th and 37th week. At least she hoped she had done everything, especially after the all-nighter she had had when she had finished her marking a week or so ago. Actually Gabby was going to miss some of her students and she would happily serve on Ambo with many of them. Even some of the female firefighter candidates had come by to thank her and wish her well. She was so impressed to find that just a few short years after she had finished at the academy there were more females in the firefighting classes. But she still had a week to go next week and there were plenty of other things that she needed to get done this weekend.
Things had seemingly calmed down between Matt and herself, neither of them had brought up their early morning disagreement from the previous week. It had probably been more of a one sided disagreement; Matt wanting her to do one thing and whilst she agreed with him on some level she didn't want to admit that.
Nevertheless, there had been a very clear sign of relief gracing Matt's face on Saturday night when she had informed him that she would leave the Academy and start her leave by the end of her 34th week. No matter how much she tried there was still a level of frustration in her thinking, and she couldn't seem to shake that feeling that he had been trying to control her.
Thirty three weeks into her pregnancy and Gabby was starting to realise that there was so much that wasn't in her control anymore, her body was no longer her own and when Smudge arrived nothing would be the same. Gabby Dawson - PIC the one who was always in control of a situation; nothing ever too hard to be on top of was going to be giving way to Gabby Casey who was still learning to go with the flow. And it was hard to do.
Conversations needed to be had - it all seemed peaceful between them however Gabby knew that she was harbouring some resentment towards her husband. There was a constant replay in her mind of Antonio reminding her that Matt was just being a protective husband and that every man would be like that. Yet it was difficult for her to sit back and accept that. And sooner or later it was going to come exploding out of her in the worst possible way. She needed to get ahead of it and smooth things over. Talk to him like they had been committed to trying. No more running away from their problems. But she had forgiven Matt, deep in her heart, she knew that he was just doing the best for her. No one could ever accuse Matt Casey of not loving and protecting his family.
All those things that she had shared with Antonio - all of those fears, maybe it was time that she said all those things to Matt. They weren't going away. And she supposed that the best time to bring it all up wasn't going to be when she was in labour. Gabby laughed slightly at the sheer thought of it… She needed to work this out in the next eight weeks. They had worked so hard at communicating that she just knew that taking a step away from that, no matter how little it seemingly was, was a step going back to who they were years ago.
Shaking her head to rid them of those thoughts Gabby made her way into their bedroom on a hunt for a specific item.
Pulling out the bag she had intended to take to the hospital, Gabby looked around the room, thinking that she might start packing. She knew that she was making one too many plans and she was doing the Type-A thing and trying to control everything. Since there were so many variables that she couldn't control, Gabby was determined to take a strong hold on the things that she could. Natalie had passed on a few times that she didn't need to pack until she was at least 36 weeks. That hadn't been helped when she found a light dressing gown that she thought would be perfect for the hospital.
It took her a few backward and forwards trips between the nursery and the master bedroom before she finally eased herself into a chair thought about what she could realistically pack at 33 weeks. She had reasoned that 37 weeks was considered full term and really that was only weeks away, she could count that in days. She needed to be prepared. Gabby could picture Matt rolling his eyes at her for that.
She didn't spend too long in the end, after trying to find some warm socks to pack she finished off by placing some baby clothes and diapers in the bag before she decided that what she really want to do was cook. Three steps out of the room, she turned back towards the armchair remembering that she hadn't washed any of the baby clothes. Fluffing out the tiny items, Gabby couldn't believe that Smudge was ever going to be as small as to fit into these bits of material. Leaving them on the dresser, Gabby made a mental note to do a load of delicates once she finished up at work.
Slowly making her way downstairs into the kitchen, Gabby paused at the fridge looking at the photo taken a few weeks ago by Janine, again with the bunker boots on top of her belly. Poor Smudge, if he didn't take to being a first responder there might be a huge uproar. During the latest photo session, it was only Matt in his uniform, she had tried to get her turnout coat on, but no dice; it had fit her shoulders but no way was she getting it closed over her belly. Gabby had always loved all of these photos that were scattered around the house, firehouse and her parents' house.
It was a good thing that they weren't using their chalkboard as a place to keep any list anymore. It was too full of various family photos. She laughed slightly as she noticed what she thought had to be the funniest photo of them yet; both had their casual clothes on, Gabby's hands linked under her belly and Matt using his helmet as a faux belly.
Remembering back to the cool day Gabby snickered as she remembered the absolute look of horror that flashed over Matt's face when Janine even suggested using his helmet in that sort of way. Janine had also mentioned that it could make for a really sweet newborn photo to place their little bundle into Matt's helmet.
And while she couldn't get her turnout coat on there had been a photo from their first photo session that she wanted to recreate. So Matt had braved the cold in only his long-sleeved grey shirt, whilst Gabby had worn his turnout coat; she couldn't get it buttoned up but the effect was still there. Matt was stood behind her, the jacket brushed back, his hands had snaked under his coat and rested on her belly. Protecting their little Smudge nestled away, growing a little more day by day.
She wiped a tear away as she looked at the photo, Gabby had prided herself on being a strong independent woman who didn't need a man to make her life, but here she was tearing up over missing her husband.
Sighing to herself, she placed her hand on her belly. "You know bebé I really miss Daddy at the moment. He looks after us so well." She laughed to herself as the baby kicked back in response. "What's say we make some food and go and visit Daddy at work?" she questioned out aloud before moving her way towards the pantry, albeit slower than she normally would.
30 odd years Gabby had been living in Chicago, her whole life and still she wasn't used to the cold, cold winters that they experienced. Pregnancy, however, had given Gabby her own personal heater, here she was waddling around her kitchen in yoga pants and a t-shirt. Her eyes flicked over the ingredients that lay atop of the counter wondering what it was she might be able to make. She knew that sancocho would be such a treat, especially for Cruz. That boy loved any food, specifically Dominican food that she brought in. And she was sure that Cruz wouldn't have had too many Dominican meals lately, especially living with Otis. Gabby almost felt responsible for making sure that Cruz had a few home cooked treats from their shared culture every now and then.
She found the family cookbook that her mother and grandmother had given to her for her 21st birthday. Flicking through until she found their family sancocho - they had an 'everyday' version with beef and then the more deluxe Sancocho de Siete Carnes; the one with seven types of meat. It took a little over 45 minutes for her to prepare all the meat; it had never taken her that long to prepare just the beef. She was letting it rest and marinate when the pot of water finally boiled. Two steps towards the pot, she figured that it was much too hot to be cooking this. Gabby had already started to sweat.
Reasoning that there were some over foods that she could much easier cook in the oven so she didn't have to lean over hot water, having the steam blow up into her face. Not to mention that she would need to be on her feet for much longer, stirring and looking after it for at least an hour. She could figure something else out to do with the meat, actually the longer it marinated, the better it would be. Smiling to herself Gabby turned back to her cookbook to see what else she had ingredients for that she might be able to make.
It had been a while since she had made Albóndigas de Res, she thought to herself as she opened the freezer. And there staring her right in the face were the frozen meatballs that her mother had made with her a few months ago. She was pretty sure she could do a quick defrost of them whilst she made the sauce. Once everything was put together she would be able to sit down and just watch it all.
And without even realising it Gabby had the meatball stew on, rice cooking and a few other dishes cooking in the oven. Still feeling hot, she shed her outer long sleeve shirt whilst flicking through her pregnancy book. Gabby had to laugh when one of the first things she noticed about the 33rd week - 'There's still room in the uterus for your baby to exercise her limbs and she's getting much stronger and more active. You'll know all about it!'
As if on cue Smudge elbowed hard just underneath her ribs leaving her gasping for a breath. She had become used to Smudge's movements coming mainly from side to side, but still, she never knew where the kicks were next going to come from. Chuckling to herself once more, Gabby found some music on her phone and started to sway to the gentle tones. Slowly she rocked her weight from one foot to the other, her hand going to the underside of her stomach supporting the extra weight she carried. Moments later Smudge's movements started to slow, obviously, the swaying had had the desired effect in rocking Smudge to sleep.
Dawson was greeted with an announcement of the speakers as she walked onto the apparatus floor - "Tiny smoke eater in the house." Laughing to herself, she juggled the dishes she was carrying trying to work out how to lift them far enough above her belly so she could walk comfortably. It was a slow walk; it was becoming the norm for her to walk around these days more often than not naturally holding up her bump. It was actually helping out with some extra support and felt like it was giving her back and pelvis a break. So this was a very slow walk for her.
"Whoa Mama," Cruz jumped up from the Squad table to take the dishes from her, Severide close behind to take the last one. "Whatcha ya being cooking? Please say sancocho?" he pleaded lifting the lid to sniff the heavenly aroma of the meat.
Severide and Dawson both gave him a look, one confused and the latter 'as if'
"Cruz, it's too hot for that… Too hot in the kitchen for me to make that," she clarified.
"Hot? It's not that hot Dawson! We're in the middle of a very cold Chicago winter," Cruz couldn't have looked more confused even if he had tried. There were some very unusual words coming out of Dawson's mouth right now, if he looked over and past Gabby's shoulder he could see the snow gathering on the ground.
Instinctively he pulled his coat closer to his body with his free hand.
"You try lugging around your own personal heater and tell me it's not hot Cruz."
Cruz had the decency to look embarrassed. Seeing him open his mouth ready to apologise, Dawson decided to put him out of his misery.
"No, I've got rice, Habichuelas Guisadas, Pollo Guisado, Albóndigas de Res and a salad…. There might even be some Empanaditas Dulces if you're lucky." Cruz's mouth was watering just hearing about it. He placed a quick kiss on her cheek. He quickly handed over the food to Severide to allow him to place into the kitchen area.
"You're the best Mama. So more in the car?" he called as he walked towards the common room. "Hey Otis, come help grab some food."
"Dawson, is there anything normal for us to actually eat?" Severide teased.
"Pfft… In a mood for traditional food so that's what I'm cooking. Sure there is an apple around for you Severide," she finished as she walked towards the door leading into the house itself. Severide gave a brief half smile as he passed the food onto Capp and Tony, ordering them into the common room with it.
"Dawson?" a voice called out from the common room
"Brett?" she called back as the young blonde came hurtling towards her, meeting her in the hallway.
"Wow, look at you," Brett exclaimed pulling her into a hug, albeit struggling slightly to get her arms around her.
"Damn girl," Kidd whistled. "You're lookin' good."
"Feel as fat as a house," she scoffed.
"We didn't want to say anything Dawson, but…" Severide joked as he walked past the group.
"SEVERIDE!" Kidd admonished as she punched him in the arm, hard.
"Pack a punch there Kidd," Herrmann said as he wandered past.
"What did he do this time?"
Severide made an attempt to look innocent. "Me?"
"You!" glared Kidd. "Making fun of the pregnant one."
"Nah, he's right. I'm huge, I don't think I can actually stretch anymore. There is no way I could possibly get any bigger. And I feel exhausted, just can't sleep."
"Still a bit longer to go kid," comforted Herrmann as he pulled her in for a side hug. "There's still plenty of room to get a bit bigger," he reminded her. As she shot him a glare, he too hurried off.
"So what are you doing here then?" Brett queried, looking worriedly at her friend.
"I needed to cook and then I needed to get out of the house."
"Gabby?" Casey's confused voice rang out; sure he had heard her voice. She shouldn't be here, there was a list of errands that she had wanted to run today and she had also mentioned a few loose ends she wanted to tie up at the academy too.
"Better get moving if you want food," Jimmy commented as he followed the smell into the kitchen, rushing towards the food making sure he was in front of Otis in the food line.
Dawson followed the rest of the crew in, a touch faster than she should have. It was a mix of baby brain and pure stubbornness that she still tried to keep up with everyone at her usual rate of going fast. However, what she was forgetting was that her centre of gravity had shifted and she couldn't see the ground as well anymore. Just before she reached the kitchen area she stumbled, falling forward.
"Whoops," Dawson chuckled as she tumbled into Casey's waiting arms.
"Hey, hey. You need to slow down," Casey gently chastised as he placed a kiss on her forehead.
"Lieutenant," Kidd started. "I'm sure Dawson knows how to walk properly. I'm sure she has been able to do it for herself since she was a young child."
"You'd be surprised," Herrmann interrupted. "Centre of gravity has changed. Not surprised that Dawson is nearly falling over."
"Hey! Right here," Dawson grumbled. Casey smiled slightly as he tightened his arms around her ever expanding waistline.
"Mama?" Cruz called out walking through the common room holding on the containers of food Dawson had brought in, Otis trailing behind him. "Where should I put these?"
"Just on the counter, they should be ready to serve," Dawson told them as she extracted herself from Casey's grasp. As she moved forward from the spot she stood with Casey her hands moved around to her back, her thumbs placed towards her spine, rubbing in small circles.
"Oh no you don't," Casey warned, his own hands going to the small of her back.
"But they won't know what it is," protested Dawson.
"Doesn't matter, they will eat it anyway," informed Casey. Dawson looked around and watched the rest of them nodding along in confirmation. After a beat, Dawson conceded and guided Casey's hand to the spot where she was feeling the most pain. Casey's thumb seemed to hit the sore spot a bit better than she could ever reach. She pushed his hand down a bit more, closing her eyes as she let some comfort wash over her.
"Hey," he whispered into her ear. "Let's get you off your feet," he told her as she was guided towards a chair, before he disappeared off to get himself some food, pushing Severide out of the way to get ahead of him. He shot Severide a smirk as the squad lieutenant grunted at him, "Got to get in before you, or else there will be no food!"
Dawson grinned, missing the general hubble in the house. She nodded slightly at Otis as he deposited her keys back to her. Sitting down she found that Brett had placed a plate of food in front of her. "Brett, thanks. But that's way too much."
Brett looked confused. Casey shook his head as he lifted the plate off the table and added to his own plate. "It's better for her to eat a number of smaller meals, rather than three big meals," he said as he held up Dawson's plate for her inspection. "Rather not deal with the heartburn later," he joked as he took his usual seat at the head of the table.
Accepting the plate back she leaned back slightly as she let the house chatter wash over her, how she had missed this. She watched as Cruz shovelled food into his mouth like there was no tomorrow, he had made at least two more trips back up for more food. And she watched as Kidd inched closer and closer to Severide as if no one else was watching, actually Dawson was sure that most of the company hadn't noticed. A small smile unfurled across her face as Kidd let out a giggle when Severide dug a long finger into her side tickling her. It had been a long time since she had seen such a smile on Severide's face and she was glad that it was her friend that had managed to help him out.
A while later Dawson stood ready to put her empty plate away. A short sharp gasp fell from her lips as she felt a sharp sensation run up and outwards towards her hips and her hands moved towards her lower belly.
Everyone around the table moved to get up and began to crowd around her. "Whoa," she called out. "Everyone back down. I'm okay… Everyone go sit back down!" she ordered. She shot a hard glare around the table until they went back to their own activities.
"Hey," Casey whispered softly as everyone else resumed eating. "Look at me," he told her as she shuffled towards him, trying to catch her breath. "Ligament pain?"
"Sure it wasn't something else?" Herrmann questioned, he took shuffling his chair closer to Casey's. "Braxton's?"
"Round ligament pain," confirmed Dawson as she was pulled down onto Casey's lap. "Only happens when I get up suddenly," she finished as Casey began to caress her belly.
Herrmann regarded her carefully, looking her up and down as if there was a need to satisfy himself that there really wasn't anything happening. A few concerned looks and short while later he turned back to his food satisfied there was nothing he could do to help.
Conversations started to flow around Dawson as she snuggled into Casey's embrace. Slowly the lull of the conversation Dawson started to close her eyes, who would have ever thought that would ever happen in the noisy center that was Firehouse 51. It wasn't until Cruz addressed her that she even opened her eyes.
"So did I hear something about Empanaditas Dulces?" Cruz asked.
"Say what?" came Herrmann's voice.
Casey chuckled at the sight of Herrmann's twisted face. "Fruit jam turnovers," he informed the group. "What? I've learned something about Dominican food, especially how good Adriana's Empanaditas Dulces are. You better leave me some Cruz."
"In that red plastic container that I brought in, by the coffee machine Joe," Dawson pointed out. "There are some other sweets in the container next to it too."
Cruz gleefully rubbed his hands together as he reached the container, wrestling it out of the way of Otis' grabby hands. Filling his plate, he gave Dawson's shoulders a quick squeeze in thanks, "I would give you a hug but I don't think the lieutenant would appreciate that," he laughed. The look on Casey's face said it all as Cruz swiftly moved towards the end of the table.
Once the laughter stopped the rest of the house got up to find something more to eat whilst Casey continued to rub circles on Dawson's tummy. Casey smiled gratefully as Severide left a turnover within his grasp. There was little chance for the squad lieutenant to protest before Casey had swiped it off the table and taken a bite.
"You snooze, you lose," Casey laughed in Severide's face, one that was shocked that he had lost his dessert. Grumbling Severide made his way to his feet back towards the food.
"Hey, didn't get a chance to say hello earlier," Casey spoke softly into his wife's ear, once he had finished the sweet. Dawson smiled as she leaned down to capture Casey's lips, licking the remaining sugar from his lips.
"Hey yourself."
A moan broke them out of their thoughts. "Dawson, your mother should sell these."
Dawson shook her head as she watched the group around her settle back into eating again, Cruz and Otis were playing cards, Mouch and Herrmann were watching TV and the rest of squad had disappeared back out to their table.
Dawson made a move to get up off of Casey's lap, knowing that she was heavier now and sooner or later it would become too much for him. But Casey held her fast, tightening an arm around her hips.
"I'm too heavy," protested Dawson as she tried to wriggle out of his grasp one more time.
Casey silenced her with a kiss, shaking his head, before turning to the newspaper that lay on the table. Dawson raised an eyebrow momentarily before moving on. Turning to her left slightly she began a conversation with Kidd and Brett about what was happening in their lives.
"So tell me about this new guy Miss Brett?" prodded Dawson.
Brett gave them a bright smile before starting off about the new accountant that she had been seeing, gushing about how sweet he was and the many romantic dates they had been on during the last short week or so. Brett had decided after the day out the three girls had spent together, that enough was enough. There was no time to keep feeling sorry for herself. If there was a guy out there for her, and she was sure there was, then she was going to find him. And therefore the next time she saw this same accountant at Molly's again, she accepted the drink that he bought her, and willingly agreed to a dinner.
A few minutes later Dawson's attention was drawn to a spot just under her right ribs where the baby was repeatedly kicking her, hard. One such kick actually took her breath away for a moment. It was too uncommon for her to become breathless as Smudge kicked, she was just learning how to live with it now. It stopped and she was just about to go back to her conversation when she noticed that whilst Casey had one hand cradling her belly, he wasn't involved in any of the conversations. Rather he was gently prodding the side of her belly trying to get a reaction, obviously he had become bored with the news. He would poke and then lay his hand flat, enjoying the thump he felt and then prod a bit lower and the process would start again. Dawson looked over at him and took in the look of pure love that Casey's face showed. He would have the same look when he had his face level with her stomach talking to Smudge. Dawson really didn't want to say anything but it was getting really uncomfortable. She was just going to let him be and went back to her conversation with the girls, hoping that she could handle how uncomfortable it was.
"Erk," she squeaked as the baby kicked her in the rib. "Matthew! Stop it," she admonished, her own hand rubbing the spot just whacked, her other hand moving over to flick Casey's ear as a form of telling off.
The girls gave him an odd look. Neither of them could quite understand what was happening. Their normally reserved lieutenant had a cheeky half smirk on his face. "Smudge and I are playing a game," he admitted.
Dawson gave him a look. "You mean you're winding him up… And I'm getting punched in the process," she said as she proceeded to lift herself up off the chair.
Brett gave a giggle at the couple. "Oh no you don't Sylvie Brett… Matt loves doing this… pressing my belly for a response. It's his favourite pastime at the moment. Don't encourage him," Dawson firmly told her. Casey had taken to interacting with baby a few weeks after he had first felt Smudge move, for a few weeks in the middle baby had actually started to ignore Casey's playful pokes, however then he had taken to poking both sides of the belly and chatting away to it too. Now Smudge was back on board with 'playing' with Daddy.
"Did I just hear HIM?" Kidd shrieked. "SEVERIDE," she hollered, "you owe me 50 bucks."
"What you on about woman?" Severide replied as he came in from the apparatus floor.
"Wow Stella. What a foghorn, no one should be able to be heard on the floor from here," Dawson mumbled deadpan as she carefully made her way to her feet.
"I heard her distinctly say him in relation to the baby," Kidd stated.
"Us too," piped up Otis.
"You guys," Dawson said exasperatedly. "It's just a pronoun… Although I'm surprised that you haven't heard Casey here continually say him."
Everyone turned towards the Truck Lieutenant, mouths open with questioning looks.
Casey shrugged noncommittally, "Just a thought."
Gabby shook her head and continued, "Tomorrow you might hear me say she's wriggling around in there. Especially if your lieutenant can't keep his hands to himself and keeps prodding her," she laughed.
"Hey…." Casey got up to defend himself. "I was your lieutenant once too," he said as he wrapped his arms around her once more. "Damn hot one too," he added quietly into her ear.
"Geeze 'Tenant, can't you keep your hands off of her?" Herrmann asked.
"How do you think she got that way in the first place?" fired over Kidd.
"Well, he should know, he's got five kids of his own," added Mouch.
Dawson yawned in spite of herself. "Go have a lie down in my bed," suggested Casey.
"Matt," Dawson started in a warning voice.
"Casey… Leave the poor woman alone," Severide started. "Surely she knows how tired she looks," he teased.
"Oi!" defended Casey as he brought her closer into his arms. "No need for that Sev."
"Defensive," tutted Severide.
"Don't mind him," Dawson told Severide as she swatted Casey's arm. "He's just being all over-protective of Smudge and me. Gives him something to do."
Casey gave the entire house a mock frown as he rested his hand on the bump. "Hey… Smudge here likes it," he protested, the laugh evident in his voice as he felt a series of thumps against his hand.
Dawson gave him her 'oh really' look as she heard the alarms go off.
"Rest!" ordered Casey before he took off after the rest of the truck guys. "And leave the dishes alone," he threw over his shoulder. "Jimmy can do them when we get back." Jimmy's eyes widen at the statement.
"Anyone would think I'm still the candidate here," he muttered under his breath as he made his way to his position in the back seat.
Dawson smiled gently as she watched everyone rush out of the house, rubbing the lower side of her bump as she felt a series of rapid kicks. "Yeah I know bebé, Mama wants to be out with them too." Slowly she made her way into Casey's office stopping briefly to pick up her bag that had been unceremoniously discarded in the common room.
She flung her jumper onto Casey's bed as she opened the door. For some reason his office seemed to be much warmer than the common room; he must have left a heater on. Dawson looked around to see if she could see where it had been placed, but it was much too high up for Dawson to reach the off switch.
Easing herself down onto Casey's chair, she pondered for a moment if it would be possible to swipe one of the more comfy chairs from the office area… She even pondered if she could convince someone to take the couch into his office. She would even be able to nap on that one. She looked down for a moment or two noticing for the first time that her belly button had finally popped out. It was weird to think what was happening to her body, all the changes she could see and those she could only feel.
Reaching into her bag, she pulled out a leather CFD book. She had managed to get her mitts on a few more so she hadn't felt bad about turning one of them into a journal for baby Casey. It didn't matter what anyone said, this child was a smoke eater through and through. And when she first found the letter that Casey had written, she had wanted a way to preserve it and the many more that they would likely write to Smudge. And this was perfect for them. Since she had decided that this was its purpose she had worked on putting it together for Smudge, some letters, mostly hers, were written directly into the book, whilst others had been slotted into pockets that were glued into the book. Now they had a chronological order to the letters that had been written by them both.
Reaching over for a pen, Dawson tapped it thoughtfully as she thought about what it was she might write tonight. Turning once more in Casey's chair, Dawson decided that this just wasn't comfortable enough. Noticing that there was a number of pillows on Casey's bunk she swiftly moved, well as swiftly as she could - it was more of a shuffle, Gabby shuffled out towards Kidd's bunk to 'borrow' her spare pillow.
Settling down into Matt's bunk, she started to tap the pen lid thoughtfully against her teeth.
Smudge…
Smudge, just 52 days to go! These says I can never quite wrap my head about how soon you're going to be here. There's still so much more to get ready before you arrive - so don't you get any smart ideas and arrive early. We might have your nursery ready - but Mama is sorely in need of some basic baby items for you. Abuela keeps telling me that we still have a baby shower to come and that I should wait until after that to go and buy the rest of your things.
I'm sitting here at Firehouse 51, it's always felt like a second home to both Daddy and I. And it occurs to me, I don't know what Daddy has written to you or if he's even told you about our second family… But they are such a big part of our lives.
Just wait 'till you meet your dad. He's fantastic. I just know he's going to be such a wonderful daddy to you. I always wanted a man with the biggest, most beautiful heart I could find. And that's your Daddy. He cares so deeply and shares himself so openly with me. I love his honesty and the way he has trouble keeping a secret, even when it's a fun surprise. I completely trust him to take exquisite care of all of our hearts, which is really the most important task of all. I remember the first time I met your Daddy.
Daddy is actually quite reserved; he'll keep to himself. Some will even describe it as him having a cool demeanour, it's what Mama would almost call standoffish. He also has a no-nonsense attitude but everyone here at the Firehouse respects him for it. And he won't even stop defending his men even at the risk of his own career. When Mama served under him (shhh we don't talk about that much) she learned so much about being a firefighter.
Everyone keeps telling me that you're "one lucky baby" and I agree. I've always thought of myself as one of the luckiest people I know. And I'm so happy to pass on my good fortune to you. In fact, there's no one else I'd rather bless with endless good luck and the ability to appreciate and enjoy it. You are so lucky to be coming into so many families who will love you and spoil you. There is Daddy's family, Mama's family and then there's our fire family… Even though they aren't blood relatives, that changes nothing. I know that they will protect you as much and as fiercely as any family would do so. Mama and Daddy have been part of this family for a long time and we are so incredibly lucky.
First there's Uncle Kelly - that's the name that he chose for himself. Your Uncle Kelly, he can't wait to meet you. He is Daddy's best friend and I know that he will love and protect you just as much as Tio Antonio will. He and Daddy met during their training days at the Academy… no one would have ever thought that one day they would end up working, both lieutenants at the same house. Uncle Kelly and Daddy haven't always seen eye to eye but I know he always has our backs. He is an amazing firefighter… he will tell you that for many years he was the youngest person to make Squad… he'll probably tell you this when trying to convince you to join Squad. Bebé, I'm sure that all through your young life you are going to be hearing all about joining Truck or Squad. I don't think it's ever going to be about joining the CFD. I'm sure you'll fast learn that he is very popular with pretty much everyone and he's very good at his job. Uncle Kelly was even one of Mama's instructors at the Academy when she retrained. And you know what Smudge? He'll do anything to protect you, if you turn out to be a girl I don't pity any boy who wants to date you - they'll have to get through Tio Antonio, Uncle Kelly and Daddy just to see you. And that's a pretty long line to move past to get to you.
And then there's Aunt Stella - If I'm talking about Uncle Kelly then I need to talk about Aunt Stella. She's a pretty awesome woman to have around. It's been awesome having her on Truck - Aunt Stella and Mama were a force together on Truck 81, I'm pretty sure that Daddy and the rest of the company had no idea what hit them. Nothing is too much for Aunt Stella, she will jump in boots and all to help out. For Aunt Stella it doesn't matter that she is a female firefighter - she's always been able to hold her own in our very male dominated profession. I respect her for that and I like that she's yet another strong female presence in your life. And she does that in every part of her life. Just wait 'til she meets you; I'm sure, Smudge, you're going to be strong like Daddy and me and if you've got even a quarter of our stubbornness then help anyone who looks after you as a child.
And then there's Mr. Herrmann - it doesn't seem to matter where Mama and Daddy are; Mr. Herrmann is full of advice and is like a second father to Mama. He's had some hair-brain ideas; he's what you might call a 'general entrepreneur', Mama's just not too sure what is so entrepreneurial about him. But Molly's was all his idea, and I'm thankful for that. I'm sure that when things go wrong when you arrive on the scene plenty of our phone calls are going to the Herrmanns. With five children he's pretty handy with his ideas. And over the past eight months, I know he and Daddy have had many conversations about what life is going to be like with a family of three. He's also the right-hand man on Truck, I know that I can trust Mr. Herrmann to have Daddy's back every time that he walks out the door to serve the Chicago community….
A few hours later Casey walked in, a smile spreading across his face at the scene in front of him. In the soft light of his lamp beside his bunk shone a soft smile. Gabby had evidently fallen asleep in the middle of doing something. The pen she had been using was still loosely in her grasp, her hand hanging by the edge of the bedding. Her other hand was haphazardly strewn across her swollen belly, her rings catching the light sparkling brightly.
Taking soft quiet steps towards her, he brushed a few stray hairs from her face dropping a quick kiss to her template. Picking up the book that had landed into her lap, Casey's eyes quickly scanned the unfinished letter. Smiling one last time, he tucked the book back into her bag that he found by the feet of his chair and started his reports.
She was right - Smudge's arrival was fast arriving, and everyone was right. Smudge was one lucky baby.
~ Lanugo, the fine hair that covered her entire body and helped keep her warm as she developed, is starting to disappear, but there might still be patches of it on her shoulders and back ~
Hope you enjoyed this update – let me know what you thought… And I'm also interested to take a poll to see if you think Smudge is going to be a girl or boy ;)
~Em