on thin ice [karen/frank - marvel]

fifty: frankie

[Roughly] Eleven Months Later

"Well your labs seem to check out. And your fitness tests are all pretty good"

Frank watched as Dr. Rafferty looked through the file of however many different sheets he'd collected over the last year from countless therapy and physio sessions. He was finally discharged from the last one a month prior to his meeting with Rafferty but business had clearly spiked up once again for him and it took Frank forever to get in.

Frank shuffled forward on his chair, hands clasped as they hung between his legs. He was anxious, he had to admit, but not as much as he used to be. With the help of a sponsor, he'd gotten anxiety pills that had been monitored well. "I just need your sign off to go back to work. I'll still be a Sergeant, just more tied to a desk. Still some involvement but less than last time. Definitely no more fights with anyone, that's for sure"

"Good," Rafferty said, straightening the papers on the desk. "We don't want something like this happening again, do we? Quite frankly, I'm sick of seeing your face" Frank laughed as did Rafferty before he looked down at the papers and pulled a pen out from the holder on his desk. He watched eagerly as Rafferty signed on multiple dotted lines before bunching the papers up and aligning them all against each other and handing them over to Frank.

"You strive for so much, Frank, fight so hard for this. I haven't seen anyone with your diligence and perseverance to help serve the community like you do in a long while. It would be an absolute pleasure to send you back to work" Rafferty said, holding his hand out toward Frank for him to shake. His kind words didn't go unnoticed by Frank as his cheeks flushed scarlet, eyes diverting to the ground out of embarrassment.

Shoving the papers in his pocket, he shook his hand firmly. "Thank you"

"As much as I don't want to see you here for a while, I can't wait to meet this little one"

Frank's eyes shifted toward Karen sat in the chair next to him silently watching the exchange. Her face lit up as Rafferty motioned toward her humongous bump. Her hands instinctively smoothed over it, Frank looking at how the scarf she was wearing sat on top in an odd little pile. She had lost the so called "pregnant glow" as by now, she was just tired of it. However she still beamed whenever someone mentioned it. "We'll be sure to visit" Karen said, beating Frank to it.

"Boy or a girl?" Rafferty asked.

"We don't know. We wanted it to be a surprise" Frank replied, taking Karen's hand as she pushed herself out of the chair next to him. He turned his focus toward her and helped her until she was upright and steady before looking back at Rafferty, who had instinctively stood from his own chair to help, even though he couldn't reach whatsoever. "Should be any day now. Due date was last week"

"Whoa" Rafferty said, "Rather it be you than me, son"

Frank laughed, Karen joining in as they both looked across at Rafferty. Their hands linked at their sides, Karen squeezing onto his tightly. Frank secured the papers in his back pocket, his ticket back to Sergeant. After over a whole year off, he was more than ready to get back and see if what Scott had been telling him were true. "We better be off, then. Thank you, I'll drop these at the precinct and hopefully I can start again on Monday"

Rafferty nodded, the same tight but contented smile plastered on his face. "Best of luck in the new year, Frank," he said, before looking toward Karen, "And take it easy. Make sure Frank does everything possible to pamper you"

Karen laughed at him before they began to exit the room, turning over their shoulders to wave toward him. Shutting the door behind him, Frank noticed Karen had already made her way to the door. The waiting room was full, overflowing, in fact, and he didn't know how she'd gotten through the small children running everywhere. "Careful," he said, holding it open for her as he approached her.