South-Side Renascent || c.g.

Birthday Soldier

Carl

3 Days Until Basic

When I was 10, I tortured my classmates. At 14 I was in juvie for selling drugs. 15; I decided to turn my life around. I finally graduated and had a child with the love of my life at 18. I had the biggest plans for 19; I was gonna go off to the military so I could really make something of myself. Life is fucking crazy.

Since it was my birthday and I was leaving in a few days, my family decided that they were throwing me a party. I wasn't really in a party mood but I wanted them to be happy, so I just let them do their thing.

Debbie and Cailee had been running around for hours, getting stuff for later on and decorating a little. I stared up at the green makeshift 'Happy Birthday Soldier' banner that was strung over the living room/kitchen archway. I remembered Cailee gluing the letters onto the string and Ian putting it on the wall cause he was the tallest.

I smiled to myself and slouched back into the couch I would miss dearly. Ah, all the memories that'd been made here. Since Cailee was out, Cody was sitting in her bouncer in front of me. She started making weird faces and fidgeting. Oh no, I knew what that face was.

"Are you pooping?" I asked her and picked her up out of the bouncer. I lifted her up a bit more to smell her diaper, "Yep, definitely pooping." I heard the front door open and Cailee came in holding a couple of little gift bags and one big Target bag.

"Hi, my babies!" Cailee cooed. She kissed both of us on the cheek, "I'll be right back." She ran into the kitchen to sit the bigger bag down and upstairs with the smaller ones. She ran right back down without them. "How are my two babies?"

"Big Baby is fine, Little Baby needs a diaper change," I said and stood up with Cody.

"I'll change her," Cailee reached out for the baby.

"No, I'll do it," I said and grabbed her diaper bag.

"Nope, it's your birthday. Hand over the baby," she insisted.

I caved and handed Cody to her, "Fine. But I'm doing it next time."

"No, you're not!" Cailee sang as she made her way upstairs. "And no peeking into any of those bags!"

_

Cailee and I were making out on the couch when we heard the front door open. We pulled away immediately and tried to act natural.

"Ghetto Ninja Warrior!" Kev exclaimed when he walked into the house. "Happy birthday!"

I smiled and got up to hug him, "Thanks, Kev. Where are V and the girls?" He hugged Cailee as well.

"Right here!" V said as they walked through the door. The girls both gave me and Cailee hugs and ran off to go play. V handed Kev what looked like a huge container of food and told him to take it to the kitchen. "Happy birthday, my big baby," she said and hugged me.

"Thank you, V."

"And hello to my niece," she hugged Cailee too and smiled. "Where's everybody else at?"

"They all are on the way, I think," I said and Cailee nodded. Sure enough Ian, Aubrey, and Lip waltzed in.

_

The kids were asleep upstairs in Debbie's room and everybody else was downstairs partying. Just us Gallagher's in our natural habitat. I was dancing with Fiona when Debbie pulled me aside.

"What's up, Debs?" She didn't say anything, she just smiled and pulled me upstairs. She pushed me into my room and shut the door. Cailee was sitting on my old bed with the gift bags from earlier next to her. She reached her hand out and I took it, sitting down next to her.

"We haven't really gotten to spend much time together today. I wanted to give you my gifts alone so we could. Happy birthday, baby," She handed me the first bag. A big smile formed on my face when I opened it.

I pulled out two dog tags. One read 'Cailee' and the other read 'Cody.' "Baby, I love them, so much," I pressed a soft kiss on her smiling lips. She put them on me and I knew they'd stay around my neck throughout the time I was going to be gone— it was as close to me as they were gonna be.

"Open the other one."

"Hmm, wonder what it is," I smirked and jiggled the bag a little bit. Cailee giggled as I pulled tiny polaroids out of the bag. The first was a photo we'd taken when we were 10 on Fiona's old camera. The second was a picture we took at my graduation, the one that was my home and lock screen. The third photo made me smile the most. It was a picture I'd taken when Cody smiled for the first time.

"I know you can't take much when you go, so I made sure everything was small enough to carry on you," Cailee spoke. "There's one more thing in there."

I reached back into the bag and pulled out a folded piece of paper. I went to open it but she stopped me.

"No, I want you to read it after you leave. Promise me you'll wait."

I folded the paper back up and put everything back in the bags, "I promise."

She smiled sweetly and I wrapped my arms around her. I was going to miss her so much... My fucking everything. When we pulled apart, her eyes were starting to water.

"Hey, no, don't cry. I love you, it's gonna be ok," I pulled her back in and she wrapped her arms around me tight. After a while of just holding each other, she pulled away.

"Let's go enjoy our time with everyone while we're all here," she said and stood up. I grabbed her hand and we went back downstairs. Instead of everybody dancing around like before, they were in the kitchen at the table smiling when we came down.

I noticed a big birthday cake sitting in the middle of the dining room table. Everybody stood up and Cailee gestured for me to sit down in front of it.

"Happy birthday to you," Ian started singing and I started smiling.

"Happy birthday to you!" Everybody else joined in. I started moving my fingers like a conductor as they continued. "Happy birthday dear Carl! Happy birthday to you!"

"Make a wish!" Aubrey and Debbie shouted. I looked around at everyone I loved and realized I didn't have a wish— I had everything I ever wanted right there in that house.

♡

A/N: All I hear and see are fireworks outside of my window lmao, Happy 4th!