Next Step
4 months later…
"Do you have any idea how irresponsible you both were?" John yelled, standing in his office with Punk and Dean standing in front of him, "You could have been killed!"
"We could be killed every time we go out." Punk said.
"You were off duty!" John yelled, "That means you don't go anywhere near a fire. You had no uniform on. No equipment. No truck." He listed as he paced in front of them.
"It was just a small house fire, chief." Dean said, "We saw it and we… we couldn't just leave it."
"You call the fire department just like any other Chicago citizen. You do not run into it with no preparation." John said, "That's not how we work here. Your asses were on the line and now when the board gets word of this, my ass will be on the line." He spat.
"I think you're being a little dramatic." Punk shrugged as John paused with anger, putting his hands on his hips and looking at him, "We got everyone out of the house safely, no one got hurt, it was… it was like a school day." He nodded to Dean who nodded along.
"Do you realise I am the bearer of bad news around here?" John asked, "If you two die, it's me who pays your wife a visit to let her know." He nodded to Punk, "And your girlfriend who stress bakes… how many cakes do you think she's gonna bake when I go tell her, her boyfriend frazzled in a fire cause he was stupid!" John yelled at Dean who groaned at the telling off.
Punk and Dean didn't reply with anything, standing like school boys who had just been called into the headmasters office, which was pretty much what was happening.
"Ok, so we're sorry." Punk said as John looked at them.
"You don't put your neck on the line if you aren't prepared. If you're coming home from a Hawks game, and you see a house in trouble, you call and wait for help. You don't go near it. It's just suicide and it's just stupid." John made clear as they both looked at him, "For crying out loud, you're not kids anymore. You know how this shit works."
"We were just trying to help." Dean mumbled.
"And that's very heroic of you, but it could also have gotten you killed and as much as I'm mad at you both right now, I'd like to avoid that." John nodded, "Ok?"
"Ok." Dean said with attitude.
"Ok?" John looked at Punk.
"Ok." Punk nodded.
"Alright now get out of my sight." John shook his head, walking back behind his desk as Punk pushed Dean forward, leaving the office.
"What the hell is wrong with him?" Dean shook his head, leaving the fire station.
"He's got a point. We didn't have any shit with us." Punk nodded, knowing what they did probably wasn't wise.
It had been their day off and they were driving home from a hockey game when they spotted a house in flames. It was just instinct to stop and try and help. But it was a big no no in their line of work to put themselves in danger when they had no protective gear on and no equipment with them. But they couldn't help it.
"He should be grateful we just saved a family. I feel good and he's trying to make me feel bad. Bullshit." Dean scoffed as Punk chuckled.
"We were off duty." Punk said, "We should have just called for back up."
"Oh, yeah. Cause we're gonna sit outside a burning house, watch it get progressively worse whilst waiting for a truck to arrive." Dean shook his head, "He would have done the same thing."
"Probably." Punk nodded.
"I think he's losing it, you know." Dean said as Punk chuckled, shaking his head as they headed to the car.
Punk got home after dropping Dean off, walking through the door, hearing the TV on in the living room where he walked through.
"Hey." Punk smiled, looking over at AJ curled up on the sofa with a blanket.
"Oh, no. Phil Brooks, don't you think you can come in here and say hey to me." AJ chuckled, looking over at the TV as Punk raised his eyebrows. He thought he would have gotten away with not telling her, but someone had obviously spilled the beans.
"Who told you?" Punk asked.
"The chief called me." AJ looked over at him.
"Oh, he's such a bastard." Punk thought to himself, "He called you?"
"Yeah, because he said he knew you wouldn't tell me." AJ said, "I mean… what were you thinking?" She shook her head.
"I was thinking… some people might die." Punk shrugged, "It wasn't a big deal. It wasn't a big fire." He made clear, "We used the old wet towel hack, that's how small it was-"
"It was stupid." AJ shook her head as Punk walked over to her, sitting down on the couch beside her as she made sure he couldn't get any share of her blanket. Sometimes he just couldn't help love her especially when they were in an argument.
"What? I can't touch your blanket now?" He asked.
"No, don't touch it." She warned as he shook his head, "It was irresponsible and you can't afford to be doing things like that."
"I know. I know and I'm sorry-"
"No, I mean it. You can't be doing stuff like that anymore." AJ shook her head seriously, looking at him as he looked back.
"Ok." He said suspiciously.
"Cause I'm pregnant." She nodded as he tilted his head like a dog trying to figure out what it's master was saying.
"No you're not." He said in disbelief as she nodded.
"Yes I am." She nodded.
"You're just messing with me." Punk scoffed, nudging her thigh and smiling, his smile fading as he realised she really wasn't messing with him, "Shut up." He said.
"I didn't say anything." She smiled a little.
"We've only been trying for like… a few weeks." Punk shook his head with confusion, "You told me it would take a while."
"I thought it would." She laughed a little.
"Holy shit, you're actually pregnant?" Punk asked as she nodded.
"Yeah, I took some tests when I got home. I was gonna wait for you but I just… I thought there was no way they'd be positive." She shook her head, "And you had other things to do like running into fires with nothing to protect you." She kicked him with her foot as he chuckled and mounted her.
"You're pregnant?" He smiled as she nodded.
"Yeah." She smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck.
Kids was something they'd talked about a lot recently, especially on their honeymoon, and they had decided to start trying about a month ago. AJ figured it would take a lot longer than this to happen, she almost keeled over when she saw the positive tests.
"Damn, we're good." Punk nodded as she chuckled, kissing him softly as he cupped her cheeks, "Ok, no more dumb stuff at the fire department." He nodded, suddenly realising the seriousness of what he'd done.
"Yeah, you're damn right." She took a hold of his chin, "I'll kick your ass." She warned as he smiled and nodded.
"I know." He nodded, picking her up from the couch as she giggled, wrapping her legs around him as she held onto his neck.
"We're having a baby." She smiled. There was no one sentence that made her happier to say right now. There was nothing more she wanted to do than to start a family with him. She was nervous and terrified. So terrified. But they had each other.
"We're having a baby." He nodded with shock, kissing her softly.
"I can't believe chief called you." Punk scoffed, lying in bed later that night with AJ.
"I told him I was pregnant." She turned to him, "I'd literally just found out when he called, and it just came out." She shook her head.
"That's probably why he was extra mad." Punk thought to himself, "I felt like a little kid."
"Good. What you did was stupid." AJ emphasised, "And you don't get to make me worry anymore. I get special privileges now."
"How so?" Punk chuckled, turning on his side and looking at her.
"I am giving you a child. Your ass is mine for the next nine months." She nodded.
"My ass is always yours." He assured her as she smiled, "Man, I still can't believe it."
"I know." She whispered, "I'm excited but I'm also… terrified." She admitted, taking a deep breath.
"Yeah me too." Punk agreed, "It's like… a big responsibility." He nodded.
"Huge." AJ nodded, "I gotta figure out what I'm doing with my residency." AJ placed her hand on her forehead.
"I thought you said it would be fine to just pick up where you left off?" Punk asked her.
"Yeah… yeah, it will." AJ nodded, "If I work until I'm full term then that means when I go back I only have one more year to complete after I have the baby." She nodded, "And then I'll be fully qualified in neurology."
She'd battled with herself about the timing of having a baby. If she wanted to wait until she was finished her residency or if she wanted to just have one now. She felt like it was the right time now, and it was easy to work around having a baby, as easy as she was telling herself it would be.
"This kid is gonna grow up with the smartest mom." Punk said, "You're gonna be such an asset during homework time." He nodded as she chuckled.
"And what will you do? Stand and look pretty?" She smiled, curling into him as he chuckled. Just the thought that they were starting a family of their own now, that they could love this little person and watch it grow was incredible.
"Something like that." Punk nodded.
"This kid." AJ whispered to herself as he nodded, "I'm so… prepared and unprepared for this." She nodded as he chuckled.
"Me too." He smiled, "We'll figure it out." He nodded.
"We will." She smiled, leaning in and kissing him softly as he pulled her body tight.
