Like Father Like Son

Chapter 24

One Year Later

James and Elaine smiled as they watched Kim and Brian share their first dance as husband and wife, they never thought their daughter would ever be happy again.

So much had changed for the entire Ruzek family, a family that suffered a major loss and it took them years to recover but they finally had.

Adam James was now a senior in high school, with plans to join the Chicago Fire Department a position that was pretty much guaranteed, they had all been relieved when the doctors and CFD cleared Adam to eventually enter the academy. For now he was a member of the Junior Fire department.

Liam was thriving in school, he had become Christopher Hermann's sidekick at the ice rink and still involved in the hockey league for children with special needs, Adam and Sean helping when they could. They all had a good laugh when Brian tried to help, but unable to stay upright on ice skates.

Dani had benefited the most from having Brian in her life, she was so young when Adam was killed that her memories weren't as strong and she struggled to remember him. Most of what she thought she remembered was she just things others had told her. It always broke Kim's heart when Dani's school would have 'Daddy and Daughter Dances' at school, James always offered to go but Dani would decline, that he wasn't her daddy so he couldn't go. Kim was over the moon when Dani took it upon herself to ask Brian to take her. Kim listened to their conversation that night, Brian had just finished reading to her when Dani asked. Brian told Dani, that he would take her but that he wanted her to take Adam too, unbeknownst to Kim he had purchased a necklace for Dani that contained a heart charm with a picture of Adam engraved on the front and his badge number on the back.

Sean and Kaylee had been married a few weeks, the impending birth of their first child the catalyst for the quick wedding. They were expecting a boy, his name already selected, Adam Michael Ruzek.

"I love you Brian" she told him as they danced, "I never thought I would feel this way again" she kissed him.

Brian smiled at her, "I love you too Mrs. Ruzek-Davis"

Kim loved that he was okay with her hyphenating her name, Adam Ruzek would always take up a large part of her heart. A part she would never leave behind or forget, Brian knew that and she loved him even more because of it.