"Jake! Amy! You made it!" cried Charles as he saw them walking up to the picnic.
Jake was carrying their son, Mac. He squirmed in his dad's arms wanting to be put down so he could go play with the other kids. Jake put him down and got down to face him.
"Do you want to go play with Nicolaj and Ava?" he asked.
The little boy nodded.
"Go ahead, just stay where we can see you," Amy said.
Jake took Mac by the hand and went with him to find the other kids. Once Mac was with the group, Jake went back to the car to grab their lawn chairs and bag, and then to his wife and best friend.
"How's the pregnancy going?" Charles asked Amy.
"Exponentially harder than with Mac," she answered.
Charles gave her a sympathetic look. He was sure carrying twins was hard, and being seven months along, her protruding belly meant she waddled more than walked. Jake came back carrying not only the chairs and bag, but also a cushion. He put a chair down directly behind Amy and set the cushion on it. He then went around to face her. Taking her hands in his, he smiled at her.
"I'll help you sit," he said.
As Amy tried to sit in the chair, Jake helped guide her gently. After a minute she was sitting and trying to get comfortable. She gave Jake an appreciative smile.
"Thank you," she said.
"Anytime Ames," he responded.
"You need anything, just yell."
"Can you get me a water?" she asked.
"Sure thing," Jake answered as he went to find a cooler.
As Amy waited for Jake to come back, Terry and Sharon walked over. Amy knew Sharon could commiserate with her, having given birth to twins in 2012. She gave them a smile as they approached.
"How are you doing?" Terry asked.
"I can't get comfortable anywhere, and my ankles are swollen so much they throb. Other than that, peachy," she responded.
Terry and Sharon exchanged a knowing look.
"Do you have a body pillow?" Sharon asked.
"Three," Amy said.
"They take up so much of the bed, Jake's sleeping on a cot next to me right now. They help some at night, but I'm so big, I still struggle getting comfortable. Jake rubs my feet every night before we go to bed. A lot of times I fall asleep while he's doing it, it feels so good."
"Just remember, it's almost over," Sharon offered.
"I know, but October feels a long way away," Amy said.
Sharon sat down next to Amy. She took the younger woman's hand in hers.
"It is hard, but just remember at the end, you'll have two babies to love and who love you back," she offered to her husband's colleague.
Amy smiled at her, tears forming in her eyes.
"Thank you for encouraging me and reminding me what the reward is at the end", she said.
As Amy and Sharon were talking, Jake came back with two cold bottles of water.
"One to drink, one for your neck," he said.
"Thanks babe," Amy said, taking the bottles from him.
She opened one and took a drink. After she closed the lid, she pressed the other bottle against the back of her neck. The coldness felt good against her skin. Amy was normally always cold, but during her pregnancy she felt hot constantly. She was putting cold wash cloths on her forehead and neck all the time now. Jake opened the bottle she was drinking out of and offered it to her.
"Switch?" he asked.
Amy nodded. In one smooth motion Jake handed the open bottle to her and took the one she had on her neck in his hand so he could keep it against her skin for her.
" And that is how it's done," he said, a big grin on his face.
Amy just rolled her eyes and laughed.
"Can you go find Mac?" she asked.
"Sure thing," Jake said.
Jake wandered off to find his son. He quickly located him with Charles and Nikolaj.
"Hi Jake," Nikolaj said.
"Hi Nikolaj," Jake responded.
"Mac, are you ready to go back with mommy?" he asked.
Mac nodded. Jake took his hand and they walked back to Amy. When he saw Amy, Mac started running toward her. He hugged his mom when he got to her. Amy smiled at her son.
"I'm happy to see you too sweetie," she said.
"I think they're getting ready to start," Jake said as he got to his wife and son.
As he said this, Commissioner Holt stepped up to the microphone.
"Officers, families, welcome to the Brooklyn Police Association Picnic. Food is about to be served. After lunch we will have the precinct games. Each precinct will compete against the others to see who will be this year's champion. Enjoy your day and thank you for working to make Brooklyn safer."
"I think we have a good chance this year," Jake said to Amy.
"Besides Terry, some of your uniforms are pretty athletic."
"I just hope there are no sergeant competitions, because we're forfeiting those," she said.
"What? You don't want to try to waddle through any games?" he said cheekily.
Amy rolled her eyes.
"Don't make me get up to hit you. I finally got reasonably comfortable."
"Don't get up Amy. I'll hit him for you," Rosa said as she came up behind Jake and hit him in the arm.
"Ow! What was that for?" Jake said.
"For teasing your very pregnant wife, who I might remind you is a superhero for being here at all in her condition."
"Thanks Rosa, but you don't need to defend me. I actually insisted on being here no matter what. I love coming to the picnic and seeing everyone," Amy said.
"Just sit. I'll go get food for us," Jake said.
"Scope it out first and come back so I can tell you what I want," Amy replied.
Jake went to see what was available for lunch. He saw the standard picnic food, hamburgers, hot dogs, different salads and sides. He also spied some grilled chicken. He figured Amy would probably want that. On his way back to Amy he thought of a good prank to play on his wife. As he approached her, he had a pained expression on his face. Amy looked at him worried.
"Oh no, Jake, what is it?" she asked.
"They let Charles be in charge of catering this year," he said.
"Noooo! Everything up there will make me want to puke just looking at it. Ugh, why?" she whined.
At this point Jake couldn't hold it any longer and started laughing hysterically. Amy just shook her head as she realized her husband had been pranking her. She started to laugh along with Jake.
"Good one," she said.
"What food do they have for real?"
"Standard picnic food. Hamburgers, hot dogs, potato salad, baked beans, macaroni and cheese. I saw grilled chicken too," Jake answered.
"Could you get me chicken, beans, and mac and cheese?" Amy asked.
"No mayo-based salads. I don't think my stomach can handle it right now."
"Sure thing," Jake answered.
Jake got in line and waited to get to the serving table. Not long after he got in line, Charles came up to him.
"Need any help with plates?" he asked.
"Actually, that would be a big help," Jake replied.
"Now I can get food for all three of us in one trip."
"How much solid food is Mac eating?" Charles asked.
" A little so far," Jake said.
"We're introducing soft things first. I'm getting him some macaroni and cheese right now."
"Smart. What does he think about the twins?" Charles asked.
"Hard to tell since he's not talking yet, but he's very clingy to Amy right now. He likes to hug her belly and lay his head against her," Jake answered.
"He might be trying to interact with the twins. He probably feels them kick when he lays his head there," Charles said.
"Yeah, that's a good point," Jake said.
At this point, Jake was at the front of the line and grabbed three plates. He handed two of them to Charles to hold while he started putting food on the first plate. The two friends worked in sync, passing plates back and forth as Jake filled them with food. Once they got to the end of the food line, Jake grabbed drinks for Amy and him and stuck them in his pockets. Charles followed him with the other two plates back to Amy and Mac. Jake smiled when he got back to his family. His friends had moved some picnic tables to where Amy and Mac were, and were now sitting with them. They had also positioned the tables so Amy was at the end and didn't have to get up from where she had nested herself. He was so appreciative of how much everyone was helping Amy be as comfortable as possible.
"Hey babe," Amy said as Jake got to the table.
"Hey Ames," Jake responded, leaning down to give her a kiss.
He put his plate down and grabbed the other two from Charles. He set Amy's plate in front of her and Mac's plate next to his. Jake saw Amy had already started feeding Mac some baby food. He looked at his son and smiled.
"Who do you want to help you eat your macaroni and cheese? Mommy or me?" he asked the little boy.
Mac pointed at Amy. Jake smiled at his wife and nodded at her, telling her to eat and he'd handle Mac.
"How about we let mommy eat her food and you can sit with me right by her," Jake said to his son.
Mac smiled at his dad and nodded. Jake pulled the drinks he had out of his pockets and handed one to Amy.
"Here's another water for you," he said.
Amy smiled at him in appreciation. Jake picked Mac up and put him on his lap as he sat down. He then alternated feeding himself and his son. Mac ate his lunch enthusiastically. When the macaroni and cheese was gone, he pointed at his dad's half-eaten hamburger.
"Do you want to try my hamburger, buddy?" Jake asked.
The boy nodded. Jake looked at Amy for her opinion. Amy thought about it for a minute.
"Give him a very small piece and watch to make sure he doesn't choke," she said.
Jake tore off a tiny piece from his burger and gave it to his son. Mac grabbed it and shoved it in his mouth. He smiled right away from tasting the meat.
"Do you want more?" Jake asked.
Mac smiled and nodded vigorously. Charles came over, having overheard the conversation.
"Don't get up, I'll get him a burger," the older man said.
"Thanks buddy," Jake replied.
A short time later, Charles was back with a hamburger patty for Mac. He had grabbed a knife as well so Jake could cut it up into tiny pieces. Jake smiled at him as he took the plate.
"Thank you again," he said.
"My pleasure. I'm always ready to help my best friend and his family," Charles responded.
As Charles sat back down, Jake turned back toward his son. He cut the patty into bite-size pieces and set the plate in front of Mac.
"One piece at a time so you don't choke," Jake said.
Mac picked up a piece and put it in his mouth. He smiled again at the taste. After a minute he started pointing at his mom and whining. Amy looked at Jake.
"Let him come over here. I'm finished eating," she said.
Jake put Mac on the ground and handed Amy his plate. Their son ran to Amy and stood between her knees. He lifted his arms up to her.
"Do you want to sit on my lap sweetie?" she asked.
Mac nodded. Amy picked him up and set him on her lap. She grabbed his plate and offered him a piece of meat. The little boy took the food and ate it quickly.
"Eat it slowly," Amy said.
"I don't want you to choke."
Mac nodded to her. He ate a few more bites, and then laid his head against Amy's chest. He started to suck his thumb as he cuddled up with his mom.
"Awwwwwww!" said the rest of the squad sitting there.
"This is close to his normal nap time," Amy said.
"He might fall asleep at some point."
"They're not just America's dream couple! They're America's dream family now too!" Charles squealed.
"Dude chill!" Rosa yelled at him.
As they were talking, Commissioner Holt stepped up to the microphone again.
"We are ready to start the precinct games. Each precinct has a marker where everyone needs to gather. We will go over the structure of the games after everyone is gathered at their designated spots."
"Terry, where's our spot?" Jake asked.
"I'll go see," Terry said, running off to where the competition would be. He came back to his squad a few minutes later.
"It's over by where the food was served. A little hike but not too bad for most of us. Amy, do you think you can make it on your own?"
"I don't know," she said.
"Don't worry about it Ames," Jake said.
"We'll get you there, right guys? Terry, grab the back of the chair. Gary, spot to make sure she doesn't fall, I'll get the front. Charles, can you bring Mac with you and Nicolaj?"
"Sure thing, Jakey," Charles answered.
"Jennings, you take the left, I'll take the right," Rosa said, joining the group around Amy.
Before she could protest, Amy felt herself being lifted up in her lawn chair and carried. Jake, Terry, Rosa, and Gary carried her all the way to the banner with "99" written on it. They gently set her down and everyone gathered around the group.
"Thanks guys," Amy said.
"That was a smooth ride over here."
The other precincts quickly gathered at their banners. As Holt stepped to the microphone again, Mac ran to Amy and climbed in her lap once more. He perked up when he saw his "Grandpa Ray" and watched the older man with his full attention.
"Precincts, this year we will be doing four rounds of games. One for uniformed officers, one for detectives, one for sergeants and lieutenants, and one for captains. Points will be awarded based on place in each competition. The precinct with the most points at the end of all four rounds will be the winner. I know that one precinct is at a disadvantage owing to their sergeant being seven months pregnant, so the sergeants and lieutenants will compete while wearing pregnancy bellies."
There were some protests and objections from other precincts at the stipulation for the sergeants and lieutenants. Jake could see the anger growing on his wife's face. He tried to go to her to calm her down, but before he could get to her, Amy, having been pushed far enough, stood up with Mac and yelled at the groups closest to the Nine-Nine.
"HEY! QUIT YOUR BELLYACHING! I'M CARRYING TWINS HERE! THE FAKE BELLIES YOU'LL BE WEARING WILL BE A HECK OF A LOT LIGHTER THAN THE REAL ONE I TRUCK AROUND EVERY DAY!"
"Damn Sarge!" Rosa said, impressed by Amy's unwillingness to back down.
"I didn't think I'd be able to compete, but they thoroughly pissed me off! I'm ready to go!" Amy yelled to her teammates.
Jake got her attention, looking worried.
"Ames, are you sure that's a good idea? What happens if you fall and hurt yourself? What happens if you get overheated and pass out?"
Amy shot her husband a look that could melt steel.
"We'll come to that if it happens. Until then, I'm here to win and shut up all those other sergeants who think I'm getting special treatment. Now let's do this!"
With that, Terry called for the attention of all the officers of the Nine-Nine.
"All right everyone, let's go out there and show em how we do it! NINE-NINE!
"NINE-NINE!" everyone responded.
"nine-nine" said a small voice after everyone else.
Everyone stopped and looked in the center of their group. Jake and Amy were staring at Mac, beaming.
"He just said his first word! Terry! Do it again!" Jake yelled excitedly.
"NINE-NINE!" Terry said.
"Nine-nine," Mac responded again.
"He's one of us!" Charles yelled.
"Are you surprised, considering he was literally born at the precinct?" Rosa asked.
"Okay, uniformed officers, gather over here. Detectives, over here," Terry said, pointing to spots around the banner. The officers all gathered with their groups to get ready for the competition. Commissioner Holt came up to the microphone to start the games.
"We will start the competition with the uniformed officers competing in a relay obstacle course. One member from each team will run the course at a time. Once one has finished, the next teammate will run the course. The first team to have all their members finish the obstacle course will be the winners."
"Who are our two fastest officers?" Terry asked.
"Benson and Williams," Amy said.
"Benson, you start, and Williams, you're our anchor. The rest of you, pick a spot in the line," Terry said.
Gary started pacing nervously. Amy noticed and called to him.
"Jennings! What's wrong?"
"I'm nervous boss. I've never been much for sports and I'm scared I'll mess it up for the whole team," he said.
Amy looked at him sympathetically.
"Think about it as you're chasing a perp rather than an obstacle course. Let yourself think you're doing your job," she said.
She could see the younger man relax as he did this.
"Thanks boss. I feel better," he said.
"Good. Now catch that perp!"
Jake leaned down to Amy.
"Where do you want to watch?" he asked.
"Right by the finish line," she said.
He helped her stand up and took Mac's hand. They walked to the finish line area.
"Do you want to cheer on mommy and daddy's team?" Jake asked Mac.
Their son nodded.
"Every time one of our teammates finishes we'll yell 'NINE-NINE!' Does that sound like fun?"
"Mm-hmm," Mac said.
The teams gathered at the start line. One of the captains stood at the start with an air horn to signal the start of the relay. The horn was sounded and the first runners took off.
"NINE-NINE!" yelled Jake.
"Nine-nine!" Mac answered.
The Nine-Nine's uniformed officers performed well, and were in second when Gary's turn came up.
"Go chase that perp Jennings! NINE-NINE!" Amy cheered.
"Nine-nine mama!" Mac said to his mom.
Amy's heart melted at his statement.
"Awwwww! You called me mama! You said your second word! I'm so proud of you sweetie!"
She picked up Mac and gave him a big hug. While Amy was celebrating with Mac, Gary made up the gap to the lead runner and was neck-and-neck with him when he passed the race off to Officer Williams.
"NINE-NINE!" yelled Jake and Amy together.
"Nine-Nine mama dada!" Mac answered.
Jake looked at Amy with a huge grin on his face.
"Did he just say mama and dada?" he asked.
"He did. He said mama when Jennings started his leg," Amy said.
Jake beamed at his son. He was so happy Mac had said his first words and that his words were special to both Amy and himself. As Jake was marveling at his son, Williams took the lead in the race. The final competitors stayed close and as they crossed the finish line, Williams was able to lunge forward for a close victory. All the officers of the Nine-Nine cheered.
"NINE-NINE!" Terry yelled.
"NINE-NINE!" responded the other officers.
"Nine-nine!" Mac said, again after everyone else. This caused everyone in the group to bust out laughing at his always saying it after them.
"He's definitely your kid, Jake," Rosa said.
"Always late."
Jake opened his mouth to object, but after a second all he could respond was "yeah, you're right" with a resigned sigh.
Before he could say anything else, Commissioner Holt called for the next round to start, the Captains round. The next competition was assembling a seemingly random collection of parts. Terry looked at his pile with panic in his eyes.
"It's the fairy princess castle all over again!" he cried.
"Captains, you must assemble your parts yourself. Your officers can only offer advice," Holt called, explaining the rules.
"Ready, and start!"
"Terry! Separate the big parts from the small parts!" Charles called.
"Right. That'll make things a little easier," Terry responded.
Terry started separating parts by size. As he went, he also started separating parts by shape. After he had all the parts separated, he looked at the piles to see where to begin assembly. All the other officers also looked at the piles to see if they could help decipher what his assembly was supposed to be. Amy spoke up after a time.
"It's a desk with cabinets," she told him.
"Start with the frame of the desk."
Terry grabbed the tools provided and started assembling the frame of the desk. He was able to finish the outer frame fairly quickly and started assembling the cabinets. They proved trickier for him and he slowed down in the assembly. Two other captains were almost finished with their assemblies by the time Terry finished the cabinets. As he was fitting the first cabinet into its slot, the first captain finished. Terry picked up his pace and was catching the captain who was closest to finishing next. They finished at almost the same time, with it being called a tie for second place. After all the captains finished, Holt updated the standings.
"We have a tie for first right now between the Seven-Two and the Nine-Nine," he said.
"Nine-nine," Mac said.
Everyone laughed again.
"Is he going to repeat it every time someone says it?" Rosa asked.
"Looks like it," Jake said.
"He's talking, which is the most important thing, and it's not bad words, so we don't have to try to teach him not to say them, so it's a win."
The third competition was called, the sergeants and lieutenants. The other competitors were fitted with their pregnancy bellies and everyone took their places. Holt stepped to the microphone for the rules.
"You have to fill out 3 reports and then put them in their correct location in the file cabinet at the opposite end of the course. Ready, start!"
Amy got to work with a determined look on her face. Jake stood close by monitoring her to make sure she didn't push herself too much. He could hear more grumbling from other precincts about his presence. He finally turned to everyone to defend himself.
"I'm not helping her at all! She doesn't need my help! She can do this all on her own just fine! I'm here to make sure she doesn't have a medical issue from pushing herself just to shut up all you whiners!"
Amy finished her paperwork and headed toward the filing cabinets. She was the first one going to the filing area, but her very real and very large pregnant belly slowed her down. Others started catching up to her. She still got to the cabinet first, with another sergeant right behind her. She looked for the locations for her paperwork and quickly found them. She stuffed the papers in the folders and shoved the cabinet shut.
"Finished!" she shouted, out of breath.
Jake rushed to her side and handed her a water. She gratefully accepted it and drank the water quickly. He could see her face was red and sweaty. He turned to his friends.
"Grab the washcloths out of our bag and get them wet with cold water!" he yelled.
Charles grabbed the washcloths while Rosa ran to grab some waters. She quickly rejoined Charles and poured the water on the washcloths to get them cold. Terry ran up to Amy and helped Jake lead her back to her chair. They helped her sit down as Charles and Rosa ran up with the washcloths.
"Put one on her forehead and one on her neck," Jake called, looking worried.
Terry came up to his detective to try to calm him.
"She's okay, just a little overheated," he said.
"I hope so," Jake said.
"I was worried this would happen if she competed. I knew it was a bad idea, why does she have to be so competitive and hard-headed, why didn't I insist she take it easy," Jake said, starting to spiral.
Terry grabbed him by the shoulders.
"Look at me. Amy is going to be just fine. She made the decision herself. She knows her body better than any of us do. Just relax and go to your wife and see what she needs."
Jake took a deep breath and walked over to Amy. She already looked better after drinking some water and having the cold washcloths on her head and neck. Jake smiled when he saw her looking better. He bent down to be near her.
"How are you feeling?" he asked.
"Better," she said.
"Did I win?" she asked.
Jake chuckled. It was so like Amy to be concerned with whether she won when she should be concerned with cooling herself down.
"Yeah, you won," he said.
"Good," she said.
"That'll show those whiny bastards," she whispered under her breath, but still loud enough for Jake to hear.
Charles came up to Amy, holding Mac's hand. The little boy looked like he was about to cry.
"This little guy is worried about his mama," Charles said.
"Come here baby," Amy said, reaching her arms out to Mac.
He ran into her arms and hugged her tight.
"Mommy's going to be okay, just got a little too hot," she said.
"Mama, mama, mama, mama," he repeated.
Jake watched his son and wife hug and felt his eyes burning with tears. He loved both of them so deeply and couldn't wait for his family to grow by two in just a few short months. Amy had really worried him during her competition and he was still trying to calm himself down from the initial panic when he saw how red she looked. Seeing her able to comfort Mac reassured him she was feeling better. Amy calling to him snapped Jake back to attention.
"Jake, time to reapply sunscreen," she said.
Jake grabbed the tube from their bag and handed it to her. She squeezed some into her hands and started rubbing it on Mac. He stood and obediently let his mom apply the lotion. While she put sunscreen on Mac, Jake applied it to his own body. After he finished himself he started putting it on Amy where she couldn't reach. Amy started on herself where she could reach once she was done with Mac. Quickly, all three were covered with a fresh application of sunscreen. Shortly after they finished, the final competition was called, that being the detectives. Their competition was a scavenger hunt, the objective being to find seven items before the other teams. The detectives of the Nine-Nine picked Charles to lead them in the scavenger hunt. He called out the list of items they needed and each member said if they knew where that item might be. As they were organizing themselves, Amy talked to Mac.
"Do you wanna follow daddy while he does his scavenger hunt?" she asked.
Mac emphatically shook his head while still not letting go of Amy. Seeing her overheated had really scared him and he wasn't going to let his mommy get away from him the rest of the picnic.
"Do you want to sit on my lap and cuddle?" she asked, looking at him tenderly. Seeing her son so scared broke her heart. Mac vigorously nodded his head. She lifted him up while he climbed into her lap. He buried his face into her neck and hugged her tight. Amy's heart melted at this expression of love Mac made toward her. She turned and kissed the top of his head. She started softly singing a lullaby in Spanish. Her mother had sung it to her when she was having a panic attack when she was a girl and she had sung it to Jake when he would have a nightmare in the first months after he got out of prison. The song seemed to work on Mac too and he started to relax in Amy's arms.
While Amy sat with Mac, the detectives made progress on the scavenger hunt. Jake, Rosa, Charles, Hitchcock, and Scully worked well together and had found five of the seven items. The final two were a coffee cup and a bulletproof vest. Jake remembered he had a coffee cup sitting in the car and Hitchcock said he had a bulletproof vest in his trunk. Both men ran to their cars and grabbed the items. When they returned to the rest of their squad the group ran toward the stage to show all their items. They made it to Holt first and he looked over all the items. He announced the Nine-Nine were the winners of the scavenger hunt. While the detectives celebrated together the other groups quickly finished the scavenger hunt as well. All the precincts went back to their designated areas to await the results. Jake smiled when he got back to their area and saw Amy cuddling Mac in her arms and singing to him. The song brought back good memories of when she would soothe him after a nightmare. Tears started to form in his eyes as he thought about how wonderful a person his wife really was. He leaned down and kissed the top of Amy's head. She reached her hand up to his head and hugged him.
"I love you," Jake said.
"I love you too," Amy responded.
"Terry loves love," Terry said, watching them.
Soon after, Commissioner Holt stepped to the microphone.
"Congratulations to all of you for a successful competition. Now I will announce the winning precinct. The winners of this year's Precinct Games are the Nine-Nine!"
"YES! NINE-NINE!" Terry yelled.
"NINE-NINE!" the other officers responded.
"Nine-nine," Mac said.
"May I have Captain Jeffords and Sergeant Santiago come up here to accept the trophy for this year?" Holt requested.
Jake helped Amy stand up and tried to detach Mac from her, but the little boy stayed attached to his mom and Jake eventually gave up. Terry helped Amy up the steps of the stage and they both shook hands with their former captain and mentor. Terry and Amy then stepped to the microphone.
"We've only got one thing to say," Terry said.
"NINE-NINE!" they called together.
Mac leaned toward the microphone.
"Nine-nine," he responded.
Everyone either laughed or swooned at how cute Mac was. Terry helped Amy back down the stairs and back to the rest of their squad. Jake was packing up their bag and chairs when Amy and Mac got to him.
"We can take as much time as you need getting back to the car," he said.
"I don't want you to get overheated again. I know Mac definitely doesn't want to see that again."
"I know. I'll take it easier going to the car and let you know when I need to stop," Amy said.
Charles walked up to Jake.
"Let me help you with those chairs," he said, grabbing one of them.
"Thanks buddy," Jake said.
"Just leave it against the car when you get there. We'll be a little bit."
Charles nodded as he walked away. Jake held Amy's hand to help keep her balanced. Mac held onto Amy's other side. They slowly made their way back to their car. Amy had to stop and catch her breath a few times. Each time she did, Mac looked at her with worry. She would smile and reassure him she was fine and just needed to stop for a minute. After a period of time that felt longer to Amy than normal, they reached the car. Their other chair was leaning against the back just like Jake asked. He opened the trunk and put the chairs and bag in. He then helped Amy into the front seat and strapped Mac into his car seat.
"Nine-nine, dada," Mac said.
Jake smiled a huge smile at his son.
"Nine-nine buddy," he replied.
Mac said "nine-nine" over and over on their way home. Jake and Amy smiled at each other and laughed about their son's first words and how much he was one of them and would be a part of their squad, even as time passed and they moved on to other precincts and other pursuits.
"Nine-Nine Always"
