The Fire Station

Chapter 15

We returned home a week after we were intending to. The empty house was a welcome sight after the long plane ride. It was good to be home. "Let's worry about unpacking tomorrow," I suggested. "I'm exhausted."

Sidney took my hand and led me to the bedroom where he helped me undress and curl up under the covers. He slipped in behind me and wrapped an arm around me. His hand rested at my stomach. While I tried to sleep, Sidney chuckled quietly to himself a couple times. Our little Hadyn had gotten very active and even more noticeable by Sidney. As much as I enjoyed feeling him kick, sometimes I got a little annoyed, especially when I was so tired that all I wanted to do was sleep but he kept me up. Thankfully in time he calmed down and both Sidney and I were able to get some sleep.

The next day we were bombarded with visits from Sidney's family.

"Look how great you look," Mary gushed, placing her hands on my stomach. "You have doubled in size since the last time I saw you."

"Have I?" I asked, looking down at my stomach. "He is getting much bigger. Sidney can feel him move now when he's kicking."

"Our little Hadyn is going to be a great fireman someday with how active he is," Sidney added while coming up behind me and placing his hand on my tummy.

"You decided on a name already?" Tom asked.

"He decided on a name," Sidney explained. "Every time we spoke the name he'd kick."

Tom laughed. "I remember Alicia being that way. She was always moving and kicking."

"Exactly why I had to have a cesarean with her," Mary added. "She was so active, she moved into the wrong position and never moved back."

"That was the scariest day of my life," Tom said with a chuckle. Neither of them was aware, but the way they spoke only made me more nervous and fearful that something would go wrong. Sidney sensed my tension though. He made a point to rub my back supportively and change the subject.

"What's new at work?" he asked. "Any new stories to share?"

"You know that lady who called just to see the men from her calendar?" he asked with a chuckle. Sidney nodded his head. "She called again asking for us to come. We almost didn't, suspecting she was probably calling just to flirt with us again. But, just in case we headed over. She seemed fine at first and we simply indulged her for a moment, but then we started to notice something off. She was slurring her words and talking about things that didn't make sense. She pointed at her shoes and called them her brothers, strange things like that. We decided to take her in just to be safe. Turns out she was having a mild stroke and was confused about what she was doing. She had to move into an assisted living home. And guess who came to help her move?"

Sidney grinned as if he enjoyed the story. This was the sort of story I liked hearing about. The good things the men did in the community wasn't always just about putting out fires. They helped people and made a point to show compassion and respect for those in need. "I wish I could have been there. Maybe I'll have to stop in and pay her a visit."

Tom nodded. "I bet she'd like that. But at least now she has limited phone access. We shouldn't be getting anymore phone calls from her," he laughed.

Shortly after Tom and Mary left, Sidney's parents came by asking how our trip was and of course, how the baby was. They stayed for a long time talking and asking how things went. They didn't leave until Clara and Alison came by. Thankfully they didn't stay too long. They just wanted to welcome us home and bring over a dinner. I thought it sweet that they made us a dinner for our first night back home. It definitely helped to not have to think about making something. We were able to pop it in the oven and eat a little while later. Sidney could tell I was getting tired and insisted I head to bed. He laid down with me for a little bit before he got up and cleaned the dinner mess and even unpacked our suitcases. More than anything, he was trying to get back into his normal sleep pattern for work.