Passing Ships


"These nights are killing me." Punk admitted, leaving the changing room in the fire station with Dean after finishing a tough night shift. The sun was slowly starting to rise and the birds were beginning to wake up. He hated it.

"I thought you didn't mind nights?" Dean asked him, putting his backpack on and heading out of the garage.

"I didn't when I was single." Punk nodded, "I hardly see Ape. I get in and then she wakes up to go to work. She comes home and then I'm getting ready to go back out to work." He shook his head as Dean nodded.

"How is she doing?" Dean asked, "She's like a week out from her due date, right?"

"Five days, actually." Punk nodded.

"So it could happen anytime?" Dean asked.

"Her OB thinks she'll go late with the way the baby is positioned." Punk said, "But yeah, I mean… she's pretty much at the finish line." He nodded.

"That's crazy." Dean shook his head, "You're gonna be dad in like… less than two weeks at least." He said as Punk nodded, "You scared?"

"Yeah, of course I am." Punk laughed a little, "We'll be alright, though." He nodded positively.

"I can't believe she's still working." Dean shook his head, "She's a lunatic."

"I can't either." Punk said, "She's on her feet all day, I seriously don't know how she's doing it. She pretty much sleeps from the second she gets home. With that stupid pillow." He mumbled.

"The stupid what?" Dean smiled.

"The pillow." Punk shook his head, "I just want the baby to get here so that thing can go in the trash." He rolled his eyes as Dean chuckled, "It does help her sleep, though." He nodded.

"Yeah you can't complain about shit right now." Dean nodded.

"I know. I'm afraid to say anything in front of her. You know she sat on me the other night." He said as Dean chuckled, "I was laughing at her trying to tie her laces." He followed up.

"I'd sit on you too." Dean nodded.

"And then last night I yawned whilst I was having dinner and she give me this glare." Punk shook his head, "Am I not allowed to be tired?"

"No." Dean shook his head as Punk nodded in agreement, "I'll see you tomorrow. Enjoy the pillow." He chuckled, heading over to his car as Punk shook his head, walking over to his.


He got home pretty quickly due to the quiet roads, walking into the house and heading straight upstairs. He had no desire to do anything besides sleep.

He got into their bedroom, looking over at AJ lying in bed sleeping, hugging into her pregnancy pillow. He was so glad it was helping her sleep and comforting her, but he also wanted to put it in a shredder.

He got out of his clothes, pulling his side of the covers back and getting into bed, trying to be as quiet as possible. He did feel like he was walking on eggshells a little. She was so heavily pregnant that he knew she was now at an uncomfortable stage, and just wanted to have the baby.

"You know you don't have to slam your car door shut." AJ grumbled as Punk smiled a little.

"It's awake." He teased as she kicked him with her foot, "I'm sorry, I didn't think you'd hear."

"I hear everything." AJ nodded, still keeping her eyes closed. Opening them would mean she was fully awake and she didn't want that just yet, "How was work?" She asked him.

"It was fine. Pretty quiet night." He told her, "What did you get up to?" He asked, turning on his side to face her, remembering all he could see was the pregnancy pillow.

"I ate macaroni out of the pot and then I went to bed." AJ told him, "And now I have to get in the shower and take this fat ass to work." She groaned as he laughed a little.

"It's not fat-"

"It is." AJ said, "I just want this baby out. I'm so tired." She sighed.

"I know." He nodded, "But the baby will come when it's ready. You're super close now. It won't be long." He said as she opened her eyes, pushing the pregnancy pillow under her cheek so she could see him more clearly.

"I think we should start improvising." She said seriously as he looked at her.

"What?" He laughed.

"Everyone knows the tricks that help you go into labour. Spicy food, the walks, sex." She listed.

"April, the baby will come when it's ready. Eating a pepper or something ain't gonna do shit. Plus you're walking around all day." He pointed out.

"Ok so… sex. Tonight we should order spicy food and then you can do your stuff to me. I think doggy is supposed to be the best way." She nodded.

"So romantic." Punk smiled to her.

"No this is strictly business." AJ nodded as he chuckled.

"Ok." He nodded, "But I'm on another night shift so… we're gonna have to be quick about it."

"When are you finished with these night shifts? I hate them." AJ shook her head.

"I know, I do too." He sighed, "I got another two to do." He told her as she frowned.

"Another two too many." AJ shook her head, listening to her alarm going off, "Ok, I'm awake!" She yelled as Punk raised his eyebrows, "Would it be totally inappropriate to just… ask my patients to take care of themselves today?" She shrugged.

"Yeah, I think so." He nodded.

"Yeah, ok." AJ sighed, getting out of bed slowly, "You go to sleep." She waved her hand, waddling her way to the bathroom as Punk smiled, pulling the sheets over him, looking at the pregnancy pillow and thinking about it. He hugged his arms around it, resting his face into it, not so mad about its presence in bed when he got to use it.


"Oh, there's my little whale. I've been looking for you." Renee smiled, patting AJ on the head as she walked into the radiology office.

"I've pretty much been looking at MRI's all day and charting." AJ shook her head, "Did my rounds this morning and George Pickens had to get rushed back into emergency surgery. I had to do an emergency intubation whilst moving him to surgery." She nodded.

"That sounds like a lot of stress for a little pregnant lady." Renee nodded, taking a seat at one of the computer desks.

"It's fine, he's in recovery now." AJ nodded, "I'm just so exhausted by the littlest of things."

"I think that's pretty understandable." Renee said.

"And I barely see Phil these days. He comes home and I'm leaving for work. Then when I get home he's ready to go back out." AJ shook her head.

"Yeah Dean is the same. It's a pain." Renee agreed.

"I'm hoping to get off early today." AJ nodded, "Just like an hour early. Shauna said she'd cover for me."

"Oh, you are turning into such the teachers pet." Renee scoffed.

"No I'm not." AJ chuckled, "She's just being extra nice to me because I'm with child." She nodded.

"Why you getting off early? You got big plans?" Renee chuckled a little.

"I do, actually." AJ nodded, "I'm going home to order some spicy food and then I'm gonna get railed by my husband." She smiled as Renee looked past her at Shauna who had just walked into the room.

"That's good to hear, Mendez." Shauna nodded as AJ raised her eyebrows, turning around on the office chair, "I don't see much work getting done in here."

"I was charting." AJ assured her as Shauna folded her arms, "I am four days away from my due date. I've been on my feet all day. I just… I needed a seat for five minutes." AJ said, "And I was looking at MRI results."

"Young? What are you doing?" Shauna asked.

"I was charting." Renee nodded, "I just came in here two seconds ago."

"Hey, look at this tumour." AJ said, holding the MRI up as she got to her feet and pressed it up against the bright screen, "Does this guy have any behaviour problems?" She asked Shauna.

"He's a little aggressive but I thought that was just his personality." Shauna shrugged, "But this makes more sense." She nodded, looking at the MRI.

"Operable?" AJ asked Shauna.

"Page Doctor Wilson." Shauna said, "That's a question for him. I've never seen a tumour located like that." She shook her head as AJ nodded. She was tired, but she could very much still do her job, and she was glad to. It was part of who she was and she wouldn't be sorry for that.


"Hey." AJ said, getting home later on, walking through to the kitchen where she saw Punk unpacking food from a take-out bag, "Smells spicy in here." She smirked.

"I didn't know what to get so I literally just asked the guy on the phone to give me the spiciest things he had on the menu." Punk nodded as she smiled.

"You realise you don't have to eat the spicy stuff, right?" She smiled, walking over to him and hugging him from behind, kissing his arm.

"I know." He chuckled, "Just think of it as an act of support." He nodded as she smiled, "How was your day?" He turned to her, leaning down and kissing her.

"My day was fine. Busy as usual." She nodded, putting her bag down and taking a seat at the table, "Did you get some sleep?" She asked. She knew he struggled to sleep properly when he worked night shifts.

"I slept for a few hours, yeah." He nodded, sitting down with her at the table, "It's like your body knows you're not supposed to be sleeping during the day. Messes me all up." He said.

"Only two more to go." AJ rubbed his arm as he nodded.

"Ok, get your spice on." He said.

"Yeah, my eyes are already nipping." AJ nodded, spooning some rice onto her plate, "But I am so hungry."

"Did you see any medical miracles today?" He asked her.

"No, I wish." AJ scoffed, "I did meet a man who had a brain tumour and because of where the tumour was located in his brain, it was causing him to act out. Behaviour problems. Aggression. You name it." AJ said, "I mean it's crazy what your brain really does." She nodded to herself as he smiled.

"Such a little nerd." He smiled.

"Hey." AJ scoffed, "Ok, this is real spicy." She laughed a little as Punk nodded in agreement, taking a deep breath as he began to hear his phone ring from further over in the kitchen.

He got up from the table, answering the call from the chief who was frantic and in need of his help.

"Ok… ok, I'll leave right now." Punk nodded as AJ looked over, "Ok, I'll be there as quick as I can." He said, hanging up.

"What's going on?" AJ asked.

"There was a gas explosion downtown." Punk said, "I gotta go." He said regrettably.

"But your shift doesn't start for another few hours." AJ sighed, "I just got home." She said unhappily.

"Ape. Gas explosion. Possibly lots of dead and injured." He nodded as she sighed to herself, "Save me some of this for when I got home, yeah?" He nodded, walking over to the table and giving her a kiss, pulling back as she pulled him back by the neck for another kiss.

"Ok, you go." AJ nodded to him as he smiled, flicking her chin playfully before rushing out of the kitchen and leaving the house.

AJ challenged herself with as much spicy food as she could, but all she really wanted was to dip her hand into the bag of donuts they had in their kitchen. She got up from the table, clearing the food away and taking it over to the kitchen, pausing on her way there as she felt a weird sensation between her legs.

"What the…" She looked down, stepping back a little as she saw her pants were wet, realising her waters had just broke.