Chapter 18

After a few minutes of conversation...Pete told Alyssa he was grateful to them for taking him in...Alyssa told him he was welcome to stay for as long as he wanted to...Kelly took his colleague by the shoulders and propelled him into the guest room and once Mills had collapsed onto the bed, closed the door behind him.

Then he went back into the kitchen and slowly sank into his usual chair at the end of the table.

Lyssa gently set his coffee mug in front of him...black...the way he always took it...and settled herself in Andy's chair beside him. She began to rub those familiar, soft, slow, soothing patterns against his shoulder...waiting for him to open up.

He let his breath out slowly.

"That place was a mess." he said softly. "Bottles all over."

"Do you think he's gonna be okay?"

"I think he was about twenty minute from passing out."

He wrapped his hands around the mug sitting in front of him.

"You did the right thing, Honey." Alyssa whispered to him. "He'll get through this..."

But privately, Kelly wasn't so sure. Mills and Dawson had been together just a little longer than he and Alyssa. And he had meant what he said about if he ever lost her...they'd be fishing him out of the river. He couldn't imagine his life without her...her and the kids. He didn't even want to.

Why had they stayed together for so long? Knowing they didn't want the same things? It seemed to him that this was something the two of them should have worked out a long time ago. Maybe things wouldn't have got so far out of hand.

But it was none of his business. It wasn't his place to judge. All he could do was be there for his friend...offer him a safe place to stay...a shoulder to lean on.

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At six o'clock he went upstairs to wake the twins.

"Hey..." he said, gently shaking Andy awake.

It was a little bit early for them to get up...but he didn't want them making a lot of noise when Mills was prob'ly sleeping right beneath them.

"Hey..."

He crossed the room and gave Jesse a little shake too.

"Wake up, guys..." he said.

Andy sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes.

"Is it time to get up already?"

Jesse yawned.

"Almost..." Kelly said. "I need to talk to you..."

He waited till both boys were more or less awake and sitting up in their beds.

"Uncle Pete's gonna be staying with us for a while." he told them.

"How come?" Andy asked.

"Cause he's been pretty sad since Aunt Gabby moved to her own apartment...and Mom and I thought it would be better if he stayed here."

"So he doesn't get lonely?" Jesse asked.

Kelly nodded.

That was as good an explanation as any. It was something ten year olds understood.

"He's downstairs in the guest room...and he's still sleepin'. So don't go stompin' around up here when you're gettin' ready...okay?"

"Can we go say 'hi'?" Jesse asked.

"You can see him after school." Kelly told them.

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By the time Kelly had gotten back from picking Maggie up from school, Mills had finally emerged from the guest room. He was sitting at the kitchen table nursing a cup of coffee and a killer hangover when the princess came running through the door.

"Unca' Pete!" she cried happily.

Kelly winced at the volume level...only imagining how Mills must be taking it.

But to his credit...Uncle Pete plastered a smile on his face.

"There's my girl!"

He turned in the chair and held out his arms and Maggie lunged right into them.

"Will you make my lunch?" she asked.

"Maggie...give Uncle Pete a few days to get settled..." Kelly said quickly, shifting Lexi into one arm so he could try and disentangle Maggie with the other.

Mills didn't look like he was up to playing short order cook for the three year old.

"No...it's okay..." Mills replied. "Whaddya want me to make?"

"Maggie Cheese!"

He should have known.

"Mac n' cheese..."

"Lexi never had Maggie Cheese before...not in her whole life!" Maggie told Mills...like it was the greatest tragedy to befall mankind.

"Lexi doesn't have teeth..." Kelly pointed out.

"Yes she does..." Maggie insisted. "She gots four!"

Kelly rolled his eyes.

He knew better than to argue with his little princess.

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Maggie slid down off Uncle Pete's lap and went skipping off into the living room...and as soon as Kelly put Lexi down the baby started crawling after her.

He had to chuckle as he watched her go.

Then he turned to Mills.

"You don't have to do this." he said. "I'll just tell her you're not feeling good..."

"No...I want to." Pete insisted.

But Severide still wasn't entirely convinced.

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He followed the girls out the living room where Maggie was stacking pink Lego Duplo blocks on the coffee table. Lexi had pulled herself up to her feet and was trying to copy what Maggie was doing.

Kelly could see the look of pure determination shining in her blue eyes as she struggled to get everything to line up just right. And then when the blocks clicked...she squealed with satisfaction.

And Kelly couldn't help but smile.

"Good job, Lexi..."

Lexi churbled back at him.

Kelly sank down into the sofa...everything was catching up to him. He'd only had about three hours of sleep before Dawson's call woke him up...and he'd been going ever since.

When the girls went down for their naps...he intended to take one himself.

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Mills pulled the pan of Mac n' cheese out of the oven and dished out a big spoonful for Maggie and a slightly smaller one for Lexi. He set them aside to cool while he crumbled up a couple strips of turkey bacon and once he'd mixed that in he added the secret ingredient...four drops of sweet barbeque sauce. That was Maggie Cheese.

"Come 'n get it!" he called.

Out in the living room Maggie turned to her sister.

"C'mon Lexi! Nummy time!"

She went skipping off...and Lexi dropped to her bottom and started crawling as fast as she could.

Kelly just shook his head as he hauled himself out of the sofa and in just a few long strides he caught up to Lexi chugging along. He bent down and scooped her into his arms.

The baby laughed when he tickled her tummy...and he laughed right along with her.

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"Can me n' Lexi eats in the playroom?" Maggie asked.

"Lexi needs to sit in her highchair..." Kelly said.

"No she don't...da pink table just her size!" the little girl insisted.

She looked up at her daddy...teal blue eyes open wide...rosy little lip turned out just a bit.

Lexi looked at what Maggie was doing...then she copied it. She looked at Kelly...and made a little pout.

Mills had to turn away so he wouldn't burst out laughing.

Kelly looked from Maggie...to Lexi...and back again at Maggie.

"Ooohhh..." he groaned. "There's only one way outta this, Mills..."

"What's that, Lieutenant?"

"Unconditional surrender."