Matters of the Heart

Chapter 46

November 2021

Jaylee was now 4 months old and Jesse and Abbey were now in a comfortable routine as new parents. Jesse had stayed home with Abbey during the first several weeks of Jaylee's life. But then settled back into his filming routine during the ninth season of Chicago P.D. And Abbey had stayed home with Jaylee taking a leave of absence rather than a maternity leave. Leah helped out when she could as did Patrick's girlfriend Reem as well as Lili Gehlfuss, Nick's wife. They would come over while Jesse was filming for a few hours to give Abbey the opportunity to take a nap or shower. Going back to work at the hospital was a conversation Jesse and Abbey had been having in depth for several weeks. To be honest, Abbey wasn't sure if she truly wanted to go back. She had gotten used to being home with her baby and she didnt want to miss anything. The truth was, financially, she didn't have to. Jesse had been working since he was a child, and had always been smart with his money. He was never one of those actors that frivolously spent his money, instead invested and saved his money, only using it to spend on big purchases like homes and cars and necessities, and Abbeys engagement ring of course. It wasn't a huge million dollar ring like some celebrities have but it wasn't a small ring by any means. And sure they had a nice home in Chicago's Logan Square, one of Chicago's swankiest and safest neighborhoods. And he drove a GMC Sierra Denali 2500 and yes it was a $65,000 vehicle that he payed for in cash just like he had for their $850,000 home but he didn't have multiple sports cars like Ferraris and Porsches and multiple homes on the French Riveria or in places like Hawaii or Cabo. He had already sold his home in Los Angeles. His family was in New York, and even when Chicago P.D. ended, Chicago would be his home. For the most part, he had always lived a mostly quiet life and he and Abbey continued to live that way. But of course, their newborn baby girl didn't want or need for anything in her short life so far. And Abbey had lived a comfortable adult life. Even though her dad had payed for her college degree, she worked her entire way through college tending bar at a campus sports bar and made pretty decent tips putting most of it in a saving account. And that for the most part payed for medical school, so she didn't have extravagant student and med school loans. And when her grandfather died a few years earlier, and his house was sold she inherited a portion of his estate. Nothing extravagant by any means but it was a solid 25 grand. And she does hold a comfortable nest egg even without Jesse's financial help.

Even though they had had several discussions about whether or not Abbey would return to work, one evening after Jesse came home from filming, he found Abbey feeding Jaylee in their bedroom and they had the conversation in detail.

"Hey you know if not going back is something that you want to do, you don't have to, you know that right?"

She looked up from Jaylee and up at Jesse's face.

"Because you don't. We'll be ok. More than ok. I can support us."

"I know that. I just never wanted you to think that I was going to plan to raise our family strictly off of your earnings. I know there's girls that do that, that pick guys like you and just - "

He stopped her by leaning over and kissing her firmly on the lips.

"I'm not that kind of girl."

Jesse slightly laughed.

"I know that. I know. And I have never not once thought that about you. I know we've talked about it but I just wanted to lay that out there for you. Give you that option. If you want to stay home with Jaylee, then you can do that, if you want to take some more time and go back in several months, wait till she's a year or two or even when she starts school and then go back then that's fine too, I want what you want."

"I thought about taking several years off, keeping my license, because I worked way too hard for that no matter what I decide, but yeah I thought about that, you know going back once she starts school"

"And that's perfectly fine. If that's what you want."

"I did think that but then the more I thought about it, I want another one so..."

He gave her that irrestible smile of his and nodded.

"Yeah me too."

"In fact I don't even know that I want to stop at 2."

This was music to Jesse's ears.

"Yeah? So how many?"

Abbey gave him a look, like she was worried to tell him.

"Come on, you can tell me anything."

"Well I was an only child until my twenties when Leah came around. And you weren't. You're literally the middle child of 5. I know you're the only biological child of your parents marriage but you have an older brother and sister and younger sisters too and I love that. I want at least 3, but I wouldnt be against having 5?"

"Seriously?!"

She nodded cautiously, handing Jaylee over to him, covering herself back up. He gently bounced Jaylee on his shoulder, burping her as a huge smile broke out on his face.

"I'm down with that!"

"Yeah?"

"Oh, definitely."

"So going back when Jaylee starts school, I don't know if that will work because I'd like to already have another one or two by then"

"We'll work it out. We'll play it by ear but if you want to go back, if that's what you really want to do, then I'm ok with that too. I just want you to know that whatever you decide, I'm behind you. It's your decision and I will support it completely. "

"I mean I would like to go back. I do love being a doctor. If I hadn't come to Chicago to become a doctor I might have never met you. "

Jesse smiled at that.

"And I would never expect you to give up your life either just because your with me. You know that right?"

"I do know that. But what would we do with her? And our future children? Jess, I don't want to be one of those who depends on nannies raising our kids"

"I know that. I don't want that either. But let's focus on what to do with Jaylee while you're working right now and we take the future as it comes"

Abbey looked up at her husband and nodded, smiling as she saw he had now switched Jaylee to his arms. And that their daughter was perfectly content in her father's arms. Jaylee was already such a daddy's girl. She knew no matter what they decided they were going to be ok because they were a family.

Abbey leaned over leaning on Jesse's shoulder, he wrapped his free arm around her softly kissing the top of her head.

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I hope this chapter wasn't too boring. It was pretty much an informative filler and the next one might be too. I needed a filler chapter or two before I just started going on into the future.

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