From The Ground Up
This life will go by in the blink of a eye but I wouldn't want to spend it without you by my side. Sarah x Connor and all that comes in between
A Little Sun
"I just can't believe Owen is a teenager." Sarah said as she helped Natalie gather all the dirty dishes. "I can't even begin to fathom my boys being 13."
"Well, they are not so far behind." Natalie laughed. "I wouldn't be too worried about it, you've been preparing for this their whole life, trust me."
Sarah groaned. "Right. So when it's the party?"
"He doesn't want one." Natalie told her. Sarah had a feeling Owen was much like Natalie on that end for not wanting a big party, after all, her wedding to Will hadn't been much of a fuss. "He takes after Jeff on that one or maybe he's just transitioning, I don't know."
They walked back outside where Will and Connor were getting their hands dirty on the grill, or at least attemting to do so. Natalie couldn't wait for Ethan to get here and bust their bubble with his Navy skills much to her and Sarah's amusement.
"How is it going boys?" Natalie asked.
"It's getting there..." Will mused. "Where are the kids?"
"Where do you think?" Natalie told him. They were all upstairs, probably cramped up in Owen's room, glued to the TV or on their tablets.
"I kind of miss the freedom we had as kids you know? We didn't live plugged into our devices." Sarah pointed out.
"Says the one who has to be texting between sessions." Connor said. Ever since Sarah had left Med and opened her practice so she could spend more time with the kids, Connor would tease her, mostly because he missed being around her most of the day.
"Would you stop? You love when I text you" Connor turned tomato red as Will shot him a look. "And you were the one who didn't want to go into private practice with me."
"I've been a private something all my life." Connor said. "A little of goodwill never hurt anyone."
"Well babe, Med isn't exactly goodwill..." Sarah said. If you'd ask her, the only thing she didn't like about leaving the hospital was that Connor now worked closely, maybe too closely with Ava Bekker and she wasn't around.
"Are you jealous? Is that what I'm sensing here?" Connor asked amused.
"No, I will never..." Sarah said. "Shut up."
"Thought so." Connor winked at her. Natalie grabbed on Sarah's hand.
"Leave her alone Connor..."
"And it's not like you need the money." Will said. Natalie rolled his eyes at him. "What? I'm just saying..."
Connor blew him off as he continued to focus on the task in front of him. The world was still not a very accepting place for left handed people as he struggled with the clamps Will had given him.
"Daddy!" All eyes turned around as Jamie came running outside. Jamie was a tomboy, much to the credit of her older brothers but she had Connor wrapped around her little finger alright.
"What's wrong sweetie?" Natalie asked.
"The boys are being mean." She pouted in a very Reese like style. "Why am I the only girl? Can this new baby be a girl too?"
Ah, yes that new baby happened to be quite the surprise, especially after Sarah had put her foot down on that department.
Four kids were enough. Or so she thought.
And although Jamie wasn't the only girl in the gang, she in fact was in her family.
Her brothers, were six years older than her so even though they were still close to her, she was pretty much left to her own devices if Nat or April's girls weren't around. "Where's Hayley?" Nat asked after she recovered from the look on Sarah and Connor's face.
Jamie shrugged. She couldn't care much to where she was as she hadn't come to her aid, and she was older so she pretty much kept to herself, she was 8 after all. "She's no fun anymore."
Natalie turned to Will. That girl was a teengager on a little girl's body. "I'll go..." He told her.
"Come here Jamie J." Connor smiled picking her up. "I've got just the thing to cheer you up."
Jamie's demeanor changed instantly. A daddy's girl. "Are you going to ground them? They deserve it."
"Tell you what, I can think about it." Connor winked. Sarah rolled her eyes at the cuteness as Will came out into the yard with the rest of the kids.
"It's summer, get some sun, burn a little.."
"Sun burn is not fun uncle Will, you can die from it." Finn said in a matter of facty.
"Of course you can." Will rolled his eyes at Ollie. "Owen... why don't you get the water mat? You can have some fun with that." Will suggested, the almost 13 year old nodded and dragged Luke along to go get it.
"Hey boys, come here a sec..." Connor said, grabbing Ollie and Finn as Luke dashed off. "What's this thing I'm hearing about you being mean to your little sister?"
"She's a baby!" Finn said. "We didn't do anything." the 10 year old groaned. "You're always defending her..."
"I am not...you are being mean!" Jamie called from besides Sarah.
"OKay, what happened?" Connor asked again.
"We were playing and we're supposed to wait turns but she didn't want to, because of course she always has to get her way." Finn explained looking back at his little sister. Jamie stuck his tongue at him.
"I hate to say it, but she's sort of a brat, Dad..." Ollie sighed. "Although, maybe we shouldn't have yelled." Sarah watched the interaction between the boys and Connor and smiled when they apologized to Jamie who in turn hugged them. It took them a moment but they seemed to have put it behind them.
It was a win situation for everyone, although Ollie might have been right on the spoiled front. Not that she's be willing to accept that she and Connor sometimes weren't as strict on Jamie as they should be.
"Alright, mat is set up..." Will announced. "Go and have some fun while we try to figure out where we stand on the food."
"Can't we just order some pizza?" Luke suggested.
"No, we can't now, go." Luke rolled his eyes at him. Sarah watched as soon enough all the kids were having fun together, even Hayley and Nat and Will's youngest Emma had joined in.
"So, are you guys going to find out about this baby?" Natalie asked.
"No, last time I wanted to find out I ended up with triplets." Sarah said shooting Connor a glance. "I'm good just this one b¡eng a surprise since it's our last baby."Sarah rubbed her not so prominent bump slightly.
"Don't tell Connor that." Will said, rising his voice so she'd hear him.
"Oh he knows." She told him. Connor then turned around to kiss her as Natalie and Will cheered, as they broke the kiss, Sarah spotted Ollie who had was not even wet on the side.
Her lucky number 3 as she called him, was all her. He wore glasses and had curly hair, her eyes and in someways he shared her shyness and overthinking personality.
And he was the one who had struggled the most growing up, spending a lot of time in and out the hospital. "I'll be right back okay?" She let go of Connor's arm and walked over to Ollie.
"What's up bud?" She asked. Ollie smiled at her. "It's warm out, you don't have to wear your shirt."
Ollie looked down at her. "People stare mom."
"Which people?" Sarah said. "I only see your siblings and cousins here and they don't stare."
"No, but still..."
"Come on Ollie, I'll even hold your glasses..." Hayley said.
Ollie smiled as he took his shirt off, handing it to Sarah. She knew he was self conscious over the scar across his chest.
It was Connor's time to watch Sarah turn into super mom. And it that moment he didn't mind just how many kids they had if it mean he would get to watch her be just that to his children.
Just a sweet one with the Manstead fam thrown in the mix! What did you think?