Happiness and Tragedy


"How bad is it?" Renee asked, rushing with Shauna down to the emergency room.

"We're literally running out of space to treat people." Shauna shook her head.

"I'm talking about Dean and Phil." Renee said, "Is it bad? Are they hurt? Of course they're hurt." Renee's heart raced, feeling like she couldn't breathe. It was so many emotions in one night. From the happiest of emotions to complete dread and despair as she walked into the ER which more looked like a massacre had taken place.

"Phil is getting stitches. He should be fine. I haven't told him about April and the baby yet. I wanted to get him examined first." Shauna nodded.

"And Dean?" Renee turned to her worriedly, "Where the hell is Dean?" She shook her head.

"He's going into surgery." Shauna told her.

"What?!" Renee yelled, "You brought me down here to tell me he's going into surgery?" She spat angrily, "Where is he? W-What's wrong with him?" She panicked.

"I need you to calm down." Shauna pulled her aside as Renee stumbled over, "He's going to be fine. He needs surgery on his leg. It was a bad break." She said.

"So it's not his head or… or his heart or anything like that?" Renee nodded.

"No, but he does need surgery right now, because he's losing a lot of blood." Shauna said, "He's in that emergency room over there if you wanna go see him. I can talk to Phil." She said as Renee nodded.

"God, I've never seen it so busy in here before." Renee shook her head, rushing her way past people in the ER, desperate to get to her boyfriend who was very clearly in pain and discomfort with a terrible injury.

Meanwhile Shauna made her way over to Punk who was sitting on one of the beds in the ER getting stitches on his eyebrow and his arm.

"I saw Renee there. Did you tell her about Dean." Punk looked up at Shauna who nodded.

"Yeah, I told her." Shauna said, "That's a lot of stitches." She nodded.

"Well let's hope it keeps my eyebrow from falling off." He nodded tiredly as Shauna looked at him.

"Phil." Shauna said as he looked up at her, "April is here." She nodded.

"What? Did you call her? It's just some stitches." Punk shook his head, "She's just gonna worry."

"No… she was here before you got here." Shauna said as Punk shook his head with confusion, "She's just had the baby."

"What?" Punk shook his head. He couldn't quite digest that information.

"She's just given birth not too long ago, just before you came in. They're both healthy and-"

Punk immediately got up from the bed, knocking over the tray with the nurses equipment in it accidentally as he left the ER, running down the hospital. His adrenaline wouldn't let him wait on the elevator arriving, so he ran up the stairs. After the night he'd had, his body really shouldn't have allowed it to run up so many stairs, but he couldn't help it.

He ran all the way to the maternity wing, getting into trouble by several members of staff. He was still in his uniform with soot all over it and all over his face. He was a mess to say the least, and he couldn't even describe the night they'd had as a fire department, but selfishly nothing else mattered besides getting to his wife right now.

He asked at the desk for April, being directed to the room she was in, rushing towards it and bursting through the door where he saw AJ sitting up in bed, cradling a blanket which he could only see little hands sticking up from. He wanted to cry. He wanted to cry because their baby was right there. He wanted to cry because he missed it. He wanted to cry because he was a father.

"Hey." Punk shook his head in disbelief as AJ looked over at him, her shoulders finally sinking down with ease once she saw his face.

"Hey." AJ swallowed the lump in her throat, watching as he walked over to her slowly, "You have a son." She smiled as he raised his eyebrows, a lump catching in his throat as he looked on at the baby boy fast asleep in AJ's arms.

"Oh my God." He whispered. It was overwhelming and so much to take in.

"I'm sorry but he couldn't wait." She shook her head as Punk just stared at the baby boy. He was in awe of him. This little guy he'd watched his wife grow with, and now he was here, sleeping so peacefully, as if he'd always been part of their life.

"He's beautiful." Punk shook his head as AJ nodded.

"Yeah, he is." AJ smiled, "I haven't stopped staring at him." She shook her head as Punk looked at her.

"I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry I wasn't here." He shook his head as she turned to him, "I should have been here." He shook his head.

"You're here now." AJ nodded, looking into his eyes, desperate to have this moment since the second she felt her baby boy on her skin, desperate to look into her husband's eyes and be grateful for the health of this beautiful baby.

"I love you so much." He cried a little, cupping her cheeks and kissing her passionately as she kissed back. Suddenly it didn't matter that he wasn't here for the birth. He was here now and it felt just as magical.

"I love you." AJ cried against his lips, pulling back from the kiss as he looked back at their baby son, "He's very quiet." AJ smiled, watching Punk watching him. The look on his face was priceless. It was full of love and pride and everything in between.

"Can I hold him?" He asked as she smiled.

"Yeah." She laughed a little, passing him over to Punk who took him into his arms.

"Hi." Punk whispered, looking down at the baby boy in his arms, never feeling something quite like it in all his life. After a night of terror, bloodshed and loss… this just banished it all from his mind. His heart was consumed by this little guy already.

"I'll ask about all your stitches later." AJ assured him tiredly as he smiled a little, "I got some of my own, too." She nodded as he scrunched his face up.

"Are you ok? Did it… did it go ok?" He nodded.

"Yeah, it did." AJ said, "Renee was with me. And my doctor was great. I really didn't think I could do it without you at one point."

"I'm so sorry." He shook his head, "I should have been here. I should have."

"Don't beat yourself up about it." AJ shook her head, "We're all ok and that's… that's the important thing." She nodded tiredly as Punk looked over at her. If only she knew about the night they'd had. He wasn't sure now was the time to get into it. He just wanted to stare at his baby son from now until forever.

"Look at that hair." Punk smiled as AJ nodded.

"Yeah, the hair seems to be a hit with everyone." AJ smiled, watching as Punk sat down on the chair beside the bed, never taking his eyes from the baby for a second. Watching her husband holding their baby boy was everything she wanted, everything she'd dreamed about seeing since the minute she got pregnant. It was an image that would stay engrained in her mind forever.

"He's amazing." Punk whispered, taking hold of the baby boy's hand gently between his fingers.

"I uh… I did try calling you a lot but… I guess I knew it was a long shot after getting called out for an emergency like that." AJ said. No one had yet told her just how bad the incident was. She had no idea there was so many casualties in the ER. She had no idea just how much danger her husband was in tonight.

"I was getting stitches and Shauna just told me." Punk shook his head, "I… I couldn't believe it."

"Neither could I." AJ admitted. It had all happened so fast, she couldn't believe their baby boy was actually here, in her husband's arms right now.

"He's really here." Punk smiled, "I mean… just a few hours ago he was in there." He pointed to her stomach as AJ smiled, "And now he's here." He smiled. He was proud and he was in love with his son.

"He's perfect." AJ nodded, "I don't think I'm even being bias when I say he's literally the most beautiful baby ever." She shrugged. She truly believed it. But she figured that was just her being a mom.

"He's amazing." Punk smiled, looking down at the baby boy sleeping, studying his tiny little nose, his wispy hair and soft cheeks.

"How is Dean?" AJ asked, lying her head back on the pillow as she looked over at him. She was so physically and emotionally exhausted, but watching her husband holding their baby boy was something she just wanted to stare at forever.

"He's down in the ER. He's gonna need surgery. Punk said as AJ lifted her head and looked at him worriedly.

"What?" AJ shook her head, "Surgery?"

"Y-Yeah… yeah, it wasn't a very good night." He nodded as she looked at him worriedly, "He's gonna be fine. He's just broken his leg pretty badly and it needs set in surgery because of how it's broken." He said as AJ nodded, "I think he's got a concussion too."

"Oh my God." AJ sighed.

"We lost a couple guys." He nodded, "Frank and Drew. They were inside when the second explosion went off."

"Oh, Phil." AJ said sadly, "I… God, I didn't even think it was that serious. I thought maybe you guys were just going to clean up."

"So did we. When we got there another explosion went off." He nodded as AJ sighed. She knew how close he was with the guys at the fire department. They were a team. A family. And to hear such tragic news like this was upsetting.

"I'm so sorry." AJ shook her head as he nodded, "Is Renee with Dean?"

"Yeah I saw her go into the room he was in." Punk nodded, "He should be fine. I just rocked my arm and head but I'm good."

"Thank God." AJ sighed. She had no idea what kind of danger he had really been in tonight. To hear lives had been lost, knowing that could have very easily have been him, it absolutely terrified her, and she felt even more comfort in watching him sit there with their baby boy.

"I can't stop staring at him." He whispered, shaking his head as he looked down. The night was filled with a lot of pain, but this surprise had turned it around in some way, because he finally got to hold his son.

"Are we definitely sure about the name?" AJ nodded, "I wanted to wait until I saw you."

"Yeah." Punk said, "What do you think?" He asked her.

"I think he's our Matteo." AJ nodded as Punk smiled, looking down at the baby boy.

"Yeah he is." Punk smiled, "Hi, Matteo." He whispered, leaning down and kissing his head as AJ smiled.