Chapter 5

Kelly climbed out of his car and locked the door…then he trudged up the block to the apartment building.

The kids were all out front.

Andy, Danny, Kevin and Connor had drawn 'streets' in chalk on the sidewalk and were racing their Matchbox cars all over the 'city'. Jesse had Vivvie over to play that afternoon…and they had given up playing cars and were sitting on the stoop playing tic-tac-toe.

"Daddy!" Andy jumped up and ran to hug Kelly.

Kelly caught the little boy in his arms before Andy could paste him. The boys were getting bigger…and when they double-teamed him sometimes it was almost enough to knock him on his ass.

And after the shift he'd just had…Andy just might manage to do that all on his own.

Kelly was the first to admit…after his visit with Mr. Garibaldi…it was hard to keep his head in the game. For the first time in over twenty years…he found his mind wandering when he went out on a couple calls. He was thinking about the old firefighter…and how much the job had changed…and how much of it was still the same.

It was devastating to think that in a few weeks…maybe a few months…the old man wouldn't be there anymore. On one level, Kelly understood where Mr. Garibaldi was coming from. He'd lived a long life…a full life…his body had just failed him. All his family…his siblings, cousins…were gone. All his friends…the men he'd served with…gone. And his wife…his wife of sixty-seven years…she was gone.

He couldn't imagine his life without Alyssa…and he'd known her less than a decade. To lose the person who'd been by your side for more than half a century…he shook his head. He couldn't even contemplate it.

But on another level…a somewhat selfish one…Kelly had truly grown to care for the old man in the seven years he'd known him. Mr. Garibaldi was like a grandfather to him.

Andy's voice pulled him back from wherever his thoughts had wandered to.

"Can you take us to the park, Dad?" he asked.

"Maybe later, Buddy…" Kelly answered. "I need to go talk to Mommy for a while."

He hugged Andy to him then set his son down. He took a minute to mess up Jesse's hair before he let himself into the building.

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As he climbed the steps to the second floor he thought about stopping in at Nick and Kathy's. Declan was still having a really rough time and Kelly had been spending more time with the boy…trying to get him to fight his way back after all he'd been through.

Maybe he'd invite Chief over for dinner one night…maybe Chief could help get through to Dec.

He let himself into his apartment…

"Lyssa?"

She came out of their bedroom and ran into his arms.

And Kelly let out the breath he hadn't even realized he'd been holding.

"Miss me?" he asked.

"Always…" Alyssa answered.

She loved him so much…and the nights when he was on shift seemed twice as long as the others.

He led her over to the couch and sank down into it…and drew his wife into his lap.

"Did you think any more about taking the boys to see Mr. Garibaldi?" he asked.

He had told her about his visit to the nursing home and what Mr. Garibaldi had asked him when he called her the day before.

"Um-hum…" she replied. "I was thinkin' we could go after church tomorrow. I'm gonna make some eggplant and pasta today…and I made a sponge cake this morning. And I got some broccolini…I'll whip that up tomorrow.

All Mr. Garibaldi's favorites…

Kelly just smiled as he held his wife close to him.

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Casey came by after he had finshed up at the house for the day.

He was really working his ass off because he wanted the families to be back in their homes by Christmas.

Things were coming along…it looked like it might happen.

He got buzzed in…and as he rounded the corner he could smell the onions and garlic…and his mouth began to water.

Italian tonight…why was he surprised?

Andy and Jesse sprung to their feet and came thundering across the floor as Uncle Matt walked in the door.

"Uncle Matt!" both boys shouted.

"Hey, guys!" Casey wrapped his arms around his godsons.

"Are you fixing our house?" Andy asked…the same as he did every day.

"I sure am…" Casey replied. "Pretty soon you're gonna have to tell me what color to paint your room."

Kelly had gotten up off the couch and crossed the room to slap Matt on the back.

"Electrical inspection went off without a hitch…" Matt told him. "Monday they're gonna look at Nick and Kyle's places…and then I can start hangin' the dry wall."

That was great news. It would be so good to get back in their own house.

The apartment building was nice…it belonged to Rich Allen, one of the guys over in Arson, and he had offered it to Kelly, Nick and Kyle while their homes were being repaired after all three had burned in one terrible night.

It was too good a deal to pass up…it was only two blocks from the kids school…just on the other side of Melvina. And it was good that all three families were so close together, so they could help each other.

It wasn't just the physical…although that was a huge part of it. But they had their own support group…they all knew exactly what the others were going through.

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Alyssa came out from the kitchen and gave Casey a big hug.

"Just in time…" she said. "You guys can all go get washed up."

Andy and Jesse went thundering toward the bathroom…with Casey bringing up the rear.

Kelly caught her around the waist and pulled her close. Then he took a step back and laid his hand on her stomach.

Just like with the boys…he couldn't get over that his baby was in there. It was corny…he knew…but the thought that this was something he and Alyssa had created with the love they had for each other…he'd never thought it could happen for him.

"Don't you think we should start telling people?" he asked.

Keeping the pregnancy a secret was absolutely killing him.

"We have that sonogram appointment Monday…" she reminded him. "I just want to know that everything's okay, you know, after…"

He pulled her to him again and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"Everything's gonna be just fine." He told her. "And after the appointment I get to hire a sky writer…and take out a billboard on the Edens…maybe the Stevenson…and the Kennedy…"

"Maybe you can put it on the scoreboard at the Cubs game…" she teased.

He looked like he was actually considering it.

The peaceful moment was shattered by the thundering of little feet across the hardwood floor.

"Hey…easy, guys. Uncle Nicky and Aunt Kathy prob'y think you're gonna come through the floor…" Kelly said.

He slid his arm around Lyssa's waist and they headed for the table.

Little did they know Casey had observed the little exchange between them.

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The next day they went to visit Mr. Garibaldi.

Kelly had told the boys that morning what the plan was. He said Mr. Garibaldi was sick and that he really wanted to see them.

The boys remembered what had happened to Mrs. Garibaldi last spring.

"Daddy? Is Mr. Garibaldi gonna go to Heaven soon?" Jesse asked.

Kelly swallowed hard.

"Yeah, Jesse…I think he is. But he's had a really long life…and he's been so sick lately."

Jesse nodded.

"And he can see Mrs. Garibaldi again." The little boy said.

"That's right. He misses her a lot." Kelly said.

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They walked through the corridor to Mr. Garibaldi's room…and all the old people in their wheelchairs out in the hall stopped to look at the little boys.

Kids were a rarity there…especially ones so young.

They were armed with all the things they wanted to show Mr. Garibaldi. Their class picture…their T-Ball picture…the book on firefighting they had gotten a couple weeks ago…and their new fire trucks, of course.

And Alyssa had been cooking…so Kelly carried the insulated bag with the eggplant and the gnocchi, the broccolini with lemon and garlic…and the Italian sponge cake.

Always take care of your own…

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Kelly knocked on the door and the boys went bounding into the room.

The old man's face lit up as he saw Andy and Jesse running toward the bed.

Alyssa was right behind them and she leaned over to kiss Mr. Garibaldi's cheek. Kelly set the bag on the windowsill and slid his jacket off. He carefully lowered the side rail on the right side of the bed and motioned to Jesse to come to him. When Jesse did, Kelly slipped his little blue windbreaker off and lifted his son onto the bed.

Then he went around to the other side and did the same for Andy.

He helped Alyssa with her jacket too before he slipped his arm round his wife. He had been worried that the boys would be upset at seeing Mr. Garibaldi in the nursing home…but he realized that for most of the last two or three years Mr. Garibaldi was in a hospital bed in the downstairs bedroom of their house. So this really wasn't any different than they were used to.

And he didn't have to worry about Mr. Garibaldi getting tired…the boys were talking almost non-stop. The old man barely got a word in edgewise. At least at first. They showed him all the things they brought…the pictures…the book.

"That's the kind of fire truck I used to ride on…back when I first started at Station 1." Mr. Garibaldi said breathlessly as he pointed to a 1944 Mack Pumper. "I used to ride right here…" he pointed to a spot on the rear of the truck…the step there he used to stand.

"On the outside?" Andy breathed.

He didn't know you could ride on the outside of a fire truck!

"Sure, Andy…that's how they used to do it. Even when Grandpa Benny first joined the department…" Kelly told him.

"But what if you fall off?" Jesse asked. "The fireman could get hurt!"

"I'm sure quite a few did…" Kelly said. "That's why they changed it."

They turned the pages slowly…looking at all the old equipment and the old tools. Mr. Garibaldi had a lot of stories to tell.

And Kelly and the boys all listened in rapt attention.

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But Alyssa noticed the old man was getting tired.

"Boys…why don't we show Mr. Garibaldi what else we brought?" she said as she pointed to the insulated bag.

The boys eyes lit up.

"Mommy cooked all day yesterday!" Jesse said. "She made all stuff you like!"

"Yeah…she made gnocchi…" Andy went on…then he made a face. "And little broccolis…"

He had no use for broccoli…it didn't matter what size it was.

Kelly laughed and went out to the nurses' station to see if he could get some silverware and a plate.

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After Mr. Garibaldi had had a few bites of each dish…he settled back against the pillows.

Kelly could see it was time to wrap it up.

Alyssa was busy packing up the food…

"Boys…we need to head out…and let Mr. Garibaldi get some rest." Kelly said.

They said their good-byes…it was a little emotional for everyone.

Alyssa kissed the old man's cheek again and herded Andy and Jesse out the door to give Kelly a moment.

"Thank-you…" Mr. Garibaldi wheezed. "This was perfect…just what I wanted."

Kelly nodded.

"I'm glad. I'll come by again this week…after shift."

The old man got a wicked gleam in his eye.

"You think you could sneak a beer in here?"

Kelly just chuckled.

"You got it!"