Where it All Began

Sick Days and Uncle Jake

Wes's POV
I woke up this morning with Maddie laying down next to me with her head on my chest. I kissed her forehead and got out of bed quietly to go check on the twins. Jake will be here in about 2 hours so hopefully I can get the twins feeling a little better by then. I walked into the nursery and went to Alya, she was still fast asleep for now. Taylor however was awake. Hey bud. Still feel icky? He shook his head and his lip started to shake. Then he started to cry. It's okay buddy. I picked him up and held him close with his head on my shoulder. I took him out into the hallway so he wouldn't wake Alya up, but ended up going downstairs with the baby monitor on my belt. I went to the kitchen with Taylor and set him down in his high chair. Here buddy, want me to make you some breakfast? "Uh huh, pacakes?" I can make pancakes. I smiled and kissed his head before going to the cupboard to get everything out. I started making breakfast and set the monitor on the counter. When I finished making pancakes for Taylor, Alya woke up. "Daddy!" I'll be back in a minute bud. Taylor sat there eating and I took the steps upstairs 2 at a time. Hey princess, how 'bout you, you still feel yucky? "Uh huh. I hunry" alright, your brother is already downstairs eating. I took Alya downstairs and set her in her high chair next to Taylor. As they ate I picked up my phone and called Jake.

W: Hey man! How far out are you?
J: Uhm, about 45 minutes.
W: Great, the girls are still asleep. And the twins are awake, but they started to feel sick last night so they'll be out soon.
J: Awe that sucks man. I'll be there as soon as I can to help out.
W: No need to rush. Oh hey! Why the hell didn't you tell me you were going to propose?!
J: Only her parents knew. It just kinda happened. I talked to her parents, got the rind, and a week later I proposed.
W: Alright well fair warning, Maddie was jumping for joy after Abby and I got home last night. They probably stayed up until 2am just talking.
J: That doesn't surprise me at all. Alright, well Chicago traffic is a bitch, so I'm going to get off of here and let you turn into Super Dad. I'll be there soon.
We both laughed.
W: Alright. See you soon.
I hung up the phone and turned to Alya and Taylor who were finishing up eating. I went to the cabinet and got sippy cups out and filled them with juice. I took them over to the twins and set them down in front of them. Taylor picked his up and started to drink it all. Then I took them both upstairs to get them changed. After they were changed I took them downstairs and put a movie in. They were content on the couch for a few minutes until Alya sat up. "Daddy?" Yeah Princess? I got up from the desk in the corner and went over to her. "Sit?" She looked up at me with her big brown eyes. I smiled and sat down in between her and Taylor. She immediately curled up into my side and fell asleep. Taylor soon followed after. A little while later I picked them both up and laid down on the couch, with them curling up on my chest to go back to sleep. About ten minutes later I took them back upstairs to sleep in their cribs. Then I went to our bedroom and woke Maddie up. Hey Love, wake up. She stirred a little in her sleep before waking up and looking at me. Morning. Morning. Jake will be here in about 20 minutes. I already fed the twins. They still feel horrible. And now they're sleeping. Thank you, so much. I kissed her forehead and then helped her up. I'm going to take a shower. I'll be down in a few minutes. Okay. Want me to get Abby up? Nah, let her sleep. Jake can get her up. Ok. I'll be downstairs. I went to the nursery to check on the twins before going downstairs. Unfortunately, Alya wasn't able to stay asleep and was standing up by the time I had gotten over to her crib. "Daddy" I'm here Princess. Let's go downstairs. I picked her up and took her downstairs. When I got to the bottom of the stairs there was a knock on the door. I went to open it and saw Marcus standing on the other side. Hey Marcus. Hey man, and Hi to you little Princess. He looked at Alya and frowned. She feelin' okay? No not really. Her and Taylor are both sick. Sorry, bro. Anyway, I know you took the week off but, I need help with some things. Yeah no problem. Okay, so there's this new case were working on, and I'm so close to figuring it out, but without my partner there, I'm not 100% sure that I did everything right. What is it? We've got this guy, Andrew Henry. He's accused of homicide in the 2nd degree. I know that it wasn't just a freak accident. It never is. And then I got to thinking, remember the case we had about 2 years ago? Same thing that I've got now. And then it was potential and we got him for first degree murder. I'm pretty sure it's the same thing I've got going on now. I just don't know how to crack it. Okay. I think I can help you. Got the files? Yeah, they're in my car. I'll be back in a second. Okay. I'm going to go fill Maddie in on what's going on. Marcus went out to his car and I went upstairs with Alya and went to talk to Maddie. Hey Maddie? Marcus needs some help with a case, shouldn't take too long so I'm going to help him. You're not leaving are you?? She walked out of the bathroom in a towel to get dressed. No, he's got the files so I'm going to set it up in the dining room. Okay, want me to take her? Nah I got her. Can you check on Taylor when you get done though? Yeah of course. Okay. I'll be downstairs. Want me to start breakfast for you and Abby? Yes please. I kissed her on the cheek and went down the hall to the nursery. Taylor was still out cold. I went to walk downstairs and bumped into Abby. Morning. Good morning. Maddie just got out of the shower, I'm getting ready to start breakfast for you two. Thanks Wes. No problem. We walked down the stairs and Marcus walked back inside. I continued to talk to Abby on my way to the kitchen. Has Jake called you this morning? Yes, he called about 5 minutes ago and said that he was almost here. Great! Oh, Marcus this is Abby, she's Maddie's best friend, we went to high school together. Abby this is Marcus. He's my partner. Nice to meet you. "You too. Where do you want me to set up everything Wes?" Dining room. I'm going to start breakfast and then I will be in there. "Sounds good." I maneuvered around the kitchen with Alya still in my arms asleep. Here, I'll take her. I need my Little Princess fix. I chuckled and handed her over. Thanks. Usually they don't get sick, but when they do it's bad. No problem. I made breakfast and went into the dining room to help Marcus. Okay so with everything that you told me earlier, I can already tell that it is exactly like the case that we had a few years ago. Who was the victim? Shelby Jackson. She's a paramedic over at 37. As soon as I heard that name I froze. Maddie had gotten close to Shelby. She had been to the house a few times and sat with them at the CFD bbq last year. Hey, you okay Wes? Uh, not really. Shelby, she was a friend of Maddie's. I stood there with my arms crossed over my chest as I looked over the files spread across our table. I was looking through the suspects and saw a picture that caught my eye. It was a suspect. One that couldn't be real. It couldn't be. Absolutely not. Okay, Marcus. We need to keep this on the down low when Maddie or anybody else is around. Some of these suspect, I know that they don't line up, and I know they can't be true. But it can't be good. Who are you referring to Wes? I pointed at the picture on the table. Him. Ah damn.. Marcus saw who I was referring to. Lieutenant Alex Jacobs, Squad 7, Firehouse 87. I shook my head and started pacing. Okay, make sure to get Sarge to do the interviews. I want to be there. So if I have to come in, I will. But only for the interviews. I'm technically not on the case but I want to be there. So call Harrison and fill him in please? I'll get these files picked up. I picked up all of the files and handed them over to Marcus. Wanna stay for awhile? Sure. Not very long though. I have to get back to the district in a few. I'll call Harrison on the way. Ok sounds good. I'm going to take these back out to the car, I'll be back in a second. I walked to the kitchen and watched Marcus go out to his car. As he opened the trunk and put the files in, Jake's car pulled up and he got out. Jake's here! I ran to the living room and got Alya from Abby as she ran to the door and outside. Maddie and I followed her outside. When we got out there Marcus was hanging up the phone. I walked over to him with Alya. Hey, sorry gotta go. Harrison said that I need to get back. He found something. I'll remember to tell him everything you said. Alright, have him calm me before he does the interrogations. Will do. He leaned down a little to talk to Alya who had woken up. Bye Princess. Feel better okay? "Oday" He kissed her head and waved to Maddie. "See ya Maddie" Bye Marcus. After he drove off I walked over to the group. Remember Uncle Jake, Alya? She nodded her head slightly. "Hey Baby girl. Daddy said you haven't been feeling too good. I think I have something for you to make you feel better." Jake went to his car and get a bag out of the front seat and brought it back over. He pulled out a small stuffed bear and handed it over to Alya. She was quick to hold onto it and lay her head back down on my shoulder with a smile. What do you say Princess? "Ank ou" I smiled and we all went inside. Maddie went upstairs and got Taylor. After breakfast we were in light conversation. Jake was the first one to bring up the baby. "So guys, are you going to tell us the gender? Or are you just going to leave us hanging?" At four and a half months pregnant, Maddie was showing and it was obvious now. I looked over at her and she smiled, nodding her head. Well... Maddie finished. It's a girl! They both smiled and then asked the next question "So, name yet?" I looked at Maddie. Alexis Faith. Abby started to tear up. All four of us knew where Faith came from. It's Abby's middle name. I looked down at the little girl in my arms and smiled. She was still clutching the bear she had gotten from Jake. I looked around me and realized that I have everything I have ever wanted. A family, friends that I can count on for anything, a house, and a job. Then the job brings me back to what Marcus has showed me this morning. I have to figure this out. I sighed slightly and kissed Alya's head, then continued to rub circles on her back as she slept.