Make It To Me (Chris Evans AU Fic)

A Mother's Heart

"Chris, are you almost ready?" Jake asked, coming up to rest against his desk at the police station with the other officers crowding around.

"Yeah, I'm ready," He said while signing one last paper before putting his folder away and then grabbed his jacket. "Where should we go?"

"We were thinking that pub down on the corner. They always have the game on and they'll let Sarge in," One of the officers said.

Chris nodded before all of them set off down the street and crowded around a table in the small pub, ordering a round of drinks before the football game came on. It was the first game of the season and when some of Chris' co-workers asked Chris to come join them after work, he called Nina to check with her to make sure she didn't have any plans but said there wasn't anything on the calendar and happily told him to go have fun with his friends so Chris had agreed.

At home, the family had just finished their dinner when Logan eagerly asked, "Mom, can we move my stuff in Jack's old room now?"

"Yeah, then Logan and I can each have our own rooms!" Ryan piped in after taking the last drink of his water.

"Sure," She told them while stacking the plates and told them, "I'll be up as soon as I load the dishwasher."

"I'll come help, Mom," Sophie offered while getting up from her chair.

Nina shook her head and chuckled, "No, you better go help your brothers. I'm afraid something will be broken if you're not up there to help."

Sophie giggled along with her mom before following her brothers up the stairs. Once all the commotion was upstairs, Nina finished stacking the plates and carried them into the kitchen. It had been almost a week since Jack left for college and the adjustment hadn't been easy on Nina but somehow it seemed to get harder.

It was a shock at first but now the reality of it all was settling in. Logan was moving into his room, there was one less spot at the dinner table, and someone missing to hug goodnight. Her son, her first baby, would probably never be coming back to live in this house again and the realization of that made the sweet mother struggle. She had talked to Jack on the phone every day and she knew they'd always be close, but it... was different now.

Nina tried not to focus on it and loaded the dishwasher as quickly as possible before going up the stairs, wanting to distract her thoughts. She could hear all the kids talking and laughing and followed the sound into Jack's old room. When she got there, Logan's bed and furniture had already been moved in and Sophie was hanging up Logan's posters on the walls. Somehow seeing this solidified the reality from it all and Nina quietly walked down the hallway into the bedroom where all of her emotions came crashing in on her.

Chris was about halfway through his second beer as the game went into the third quarter. All of the officers were talking as they watched the game but Chris still could hear the ring of his cell phone above it all. He didn't take his eyes off the game, just answered it without even checking who it was and held it up to his ear.

"Hey, this is Chris," He muttered while watching the game.

"It's me," Nina's silky smooth voice said into the phone, and this got his attention.

"Hi sweetheart," Chris smiled. "What's up?"

It was silent on the line for a moment before he heard her voice waver trying to keep tears away as she asked, "I um, I know you're watching the game but c-could you come home?"

Instantly concerned, Chris got up from the table and walked over to a quieter corner where he asked, "Is everything okay? What's going on, Nina?"

"Everything is fine, I promise," He heard her sniffle. "I just... I just need you right now."