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"No. I swear to god that duck pushed me!" Ivan exclaims and everyone rolls their eyes.
We've been on this topic for the last hour and no matter how he spins it, the idea is still crazy.
"Ev! Tell them!" Ivan shouts and we all look to Ev who's still sat on my lap, she tried to get off when they all came in and I don't know what possessed me because the idea genuinely made me feel empty. So I pulled her back down and eventually she gave in and didn't try to her back up.
"Hmm?" Ev asks, her eyes so heavy she looks like she could pass out at any given moment.
"About the duck. How that fucking duck pushed me!" Ivan shouts, clearly Everests tired state isn't registering in his head.
"It wasn't a duck Ivan. We've been through this, it was a goose and it didn't push you it grabbed your jacket because you had a sandwich in your pocket and pulled you." She mumbles, her eyes growing heavier to the point they're basically closed.
"A duck is a goose." Ivan defends and we all send him a blank look. "A goose is a just a giant water chicken. Like penguins are snow chickens."
I don't even know what he just said.
I seriously didn't understand a word of that.
"No a duck is a water chicken a goose is a water ostrich." Ev mutters and my brain malfunctions.
She understands what he just said?
"Yes!" Ivan shouts excitedly and Everest winces at the loud noise.
"Wait so, what are swans?" Turner asks.
"Water Emus." Ev grumbles and Ivan agrees with a vigorous head nod.
Ivan looks at the guys and continues his story while I turn to Ev. She looks exhausted.
"Get some sleep." I whisper in her ear and I swear I feel her shiver slightly.
"But the bed is so far." She groans, pointing to the bed that is literally two feet away from us.
"Then I'll fucking carry you but you need to get some sleep." I say and she immediately shakes her head.
"I'll just sleep here." She mutters, resting her head against my shoulder and shutting her eyes.
"Do I not get a say in that?" I ask and she lightly shakes her head.
"If I get up and fall asleep, I'm scared you won't be here when I wake up." She mumbles and I tense completely.
"I'm not going anywhere, I promise." I reply.
"You said that before you left too." She mumbles into my neck.
Shit.
I didn't realise me leaving for a few weeks would affect her so much. Eli and the others already told me I'd fucked up majorly and that they were all insanely pissed at me until I told them what I was doing when I was away.
Those whole seventeen days were horrible. Aida didn't stop crying and she was crying for Ev constantly. She even started shouting 'mama' at strangers that had the same coloured hair as Ev and then cried more when she realised it wasn't her.
I tried everything, I even sat and listened to 'all too well' for hours that I can now recite every word but nothing worked. She just cried and I felt helpless and I knew it was my fault.
I took her away from her mother just like Courtney took her away from me and the shit I said the day I left, are words I never thought I'd say. You don't know true panic until you don't know where your kid is but at that moment I failed to realise Ev was feeling the same thing I was feeling.
Something she must have continued to feel for the next seventeen days.
I really fucked up, on a brand new scale.
I fucked up so much that I hurt the one person I never wanted too.
The one person I never wanted to care about but couldn't help but.
That feeling, sitting in the ambulance with her as Eli quite literally was breathing for her, is something I never want to experience again. I sat in the ambulance, just staring at her, trying to remind myself that she'll be okay when my biggest fear was and still is that she wouldn't be.
Her biggest fear is me leaving again but even if I wanted to, I couldn't. Nowhere else would feel like home and not because of the location but because of the one person who wouldn't be there.
"I'm not leaving Ev. Even if you ask me to." I whisper but I can tell she's already passed out based off the slow puffs of air against my neck.
My left hand runs up and down her spine while my right is still resting against her thigh and I can't help but just stare down at her.
How can you not?
Even in a hospital gown, you still can't take your eyes off her.
Or atleast I can't and anyone who can, has ten times the willpower I could ever have.
I know at some point, she's going to get off me but right now, I'm just going to be happy with the fact she's here.
Fuck.
When did I become this person?
I don't hug anyone. Not my friends and rarely even my family. When I was with women in the past, I just left afterwards. Never started a relationship, didn't stay in their bed. I just left because it felt like the only thing I could control.
But for Ev I'd give it up. I'd give up all my control if she asked.
"Dude can you even feel your legs right now?" Turner asks, making me break my gaze away from Ev and over to him.
Truthfully, I haven't felt my legs in over forty five minutes because I didn't want to move them a muscle incase she thought I was implying I'm uncomfortable and she'd immediately get off.
"Not even a little bit." I reply quietly.
"So your not going to push her off even to check your not suddenly paralysed?" Spencer asks like the idea of me not moving is crazy.
"Someone could shoot me in the leg right now and I still wouldn't move." I tell them and they all break in to small grins.
Literally, all five of them.
"Your setting my standards for men very high right now." Luca says and I roll my eyes.
"Yeah. Mine too." Eli adds.
"Your so in love with her it's honestly a little bit pathetic at this point." Spencer saying with a grin.
I don't say anything, I just look down at the person asleep on top of me.
He's right.
I can't deny it because I'd be lying and we all know it so I don't even bother. It would be pointless.
"No denial?" Ivan asks incredulously.
"No denial." I repeat quietly.
"Dude be careful because I might just go gay for you." Ivan replies and I suppress a laugh.
"I'd go gay for you too Iv." I joke and his smile grows like he's honestly flattered. "But you'd have to get rid of Ev first."
"I mean I could." Ivan shrugs and I shake my head. "I could find her someone else so you and I can run off into the sunset together."
"Your deluded if you think I'd ever let her be with someone else without so much as a fight." I mutter and I hear Luca sigh in what sounds like longing.
"Not even if I sweetened the deal with matching horses?" Ivan asks.
"Not even then."
"What about unicorns?" Ivan asks again and I shake my head. "Dragons?"
"You could promise me every mythical creature you can think of and I still wouldn't take it." I reply.
"I need to find a man." Luca sighs again, leaning back in one of the chairs the nurses brought in earlier. "Specifically one that acts like you."
"Why don't you and Eli do something?" Turner asks causing Eli and Luca to side glance eachother.
"Absolutely not." Luca says causing Eli to look offended.
"Why not? Your always saying he's marriage material." Spencer says and Luca look over at Eli.
"Dude. Are you crazy? Their kids would look like horses." Ivan chimes in which makes Eli and Luca look to him with matching glares.
"I didn't say ugly horses!" Ivan defends, holding his hands up in surrender. "Besides I could use them to ride off into the sunset with Matt."
"Ivan-"
"I know. I know. Reflection time. Think before I speak." Ivan interrupts Eli, crossing his arms over his chest with a pout. "Like I'm a fucking kid."
"Because you are." We all say and Ivan looks unbelievably offended.
"Ivan. When we go swimming what do you always ask?" Turner questions and Ivan looks down at his lap.
"If you want to play mermaids." He grumbles. "Ev always plays with me though! You're all boring."
"What's your favourite cereal?" Spencer asks.
"Lucky charms." Ivan replies.
"Why?"
Ivan kicks his foot against the floor before muttering. "The marshmallows."
"And what do you do with the marshmallows?" Eli questions.
"I make shapes with them."
"What do you get from McDonald's?" I ask and Ivan sends me a small glare.
"Two happy meals." He responds.
"Why?" I ask.
"The toys." He mutters.
"Point made." Eli adds causing Ivan to huff.
"Iv. Your very mature in some ways. We'd all trust you with our life when it comes to a fire but in any other situation, your like our baby brother even though your older then us." Turner says and Ivan shrugs his shoulders.
"You'd all be boring without me anyways so I'll take it." Ivan says and we all nod our heads.
"Very true." Luca adds.
Turner laughs and then looks over at me. "Did she sign the papers?"
"Not yet. She wants me to sweat it out first." I reply and Ev stirs slightly, tightening her arms around my neck and then falling back to sleep so I continue running my hand up and down her spine.
"Of course she does. She was completely fucked up while you were gone." Spencer says and I nod my head.
I didn't realise how fucked up until she said she was scared I wouldn't be here when she woke up.
"She was horrible!" Ivan exclaims and I shush him and gesture to Ev. "She was. She made fun of my music."
"Ivan. You listen to KidzBop." I deadpan.
"What's your point?" He asks.
"Iv. It's literally kids turning explicit songs into PG songs." Spencer replies and Ivan's gaze snaps to him.
"And Yung Pleit is better?" Ivan asks causing Spencer's eyes to widen.
"Much! Ev and I listen to him all the time." Spencer defends.
"It is better then KidzBop." Turner adds.
"Don't get me started on your music." Ivan exclaims.
Okay, so he's very defensive about his music.
"What's wrong with one direction?" Turner asks, sounding genuinely offended.
"There's nothing wrong with them but are you stuck in 2011? They're separate artists now and some of their individual songs are so much better!" Ivan exclaims.
"But as a group they're so much better!" Turner shouts. "What about Spence and his Taylor Swift or Eli with his Billy Joel!"
"Taylor Swift I can agree with, all her songs are good but Billy Joel? Talk about being stuck in 2011 more like Eli is stuck back in the 80s!" Ivan exclaims.
"Can you all just turn the volume down on your voices. I don't want to wake up to you all shouting about music." Ev mumbles into my neck.
"I'm sorry baby." I whisper without even thinking but the heart rate monitor she's attached begins beating faster and I can't help the smirk that forms on my face.
"Shut up." She grumbles, pushing her face further into my shoulder and falling back asleep. How can she fall asleep so quick?
I look back up at the guys who are giving me looks.
"What?" I ask.
"I'm sorry baby." Ivan mimics me, dropping his voice and then sending me the same blank look.
"I've never felt more single in my life." Luca sighs.
"Matt. If we're going to run away together, your going to have to start calling me baby." Ivan grins and I hold up my middle finger to him.
"Aw. I'll call you baby Iv." Luca jokes, leaning into Ivan who slaps him away.
"We're suppose to be making fun or Matt for being in love with Ev." Ivan says, slapping Luca away again.
"Shut the fuck up." I grumble.
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"Morning station 1!" Tiana yells as she walks through the door.
The others groan and so do I, lifting my head off the back of the chair and squinting my eyes as the brightness of the lights hits me like a truck. I feel Ev lift her head of my shoulder with a groan but she doesn't stand up, not that I would know considering my legs lost feeling hours ago.
When I look up, I see Ivan slowly waking up from the hospital bed while the others are getting up out of their chairs.
I don't know what time we fell asleep but the last thing I remember was Ivan talking about one of the nurses outside, who was looking at him until Luca and Eli butted in and told him she was a lesbian which then created the conversation about their "gaydar" but turns out they know her from mixers.
"Tia. I hate you." Ev grumbles, looking towards the bed and groaning again when she realises Ivan isn't getting off of it any time soon.
"Will you hate when I tell you I brought a guest?" Tia says.
"Unless that person is Jennifer Aniston, then yes Tia. I'll still hate you." Ev replies before my dad walks through the door with Aida in his arms and I watch as Evs face quite literally lights up.
She immediately jumps off me and runs towards my dad and holds her hands out to Aida.
"Mama!" Aida squeals and leans out of my dads arms and into Everests.
Ev sets Aida on her hip with a huge smile and then turns to my dad.
"I didn't think you were serious about working from home." Ev laughs, leaning into him and he wraps an arm around her shoulders then kisses her cheek.
"Like I'd lie to my honorary daughter." My dad laughs. "I'm serious, I've got a granddaughter now. I was wrapping up some business in Colorado when Diane rang me and told me what happened and I got on the first flight over here and I'm not going back, I'll do the rest from right here."
"So papa amatos is back for good?" Ev questions.
"I'm back for good." My dad says with a smile.
Ev smiles and turns to Ivan who's laying down on the bed, his hands threaded behind his head. Ev walks over to the bed with Aida.
"Up." She says, pointing to Ivan who groans but pushed himself off the bed regardless. Ev sits down on the bed, crossing her legs under her and setting Aida ontop of her knee. "Don't you guys have a shift soon?"
"In an hour." Spencer groans.
"Yeah, we've got to go. Come on." Eli says, standing up from his chair and stretching his arms over his head.
They all begin to get up, except for me and Ev scrunches her eyebrows. "Your not going?"
"Captain has told him to stay off with you, they've got two subs working with us and they are ass!" Ivan exclaims.
"No. One of them is an ass, the other isn't too bad." Eli corrects.
"I'll take a guess and say they're from station 11?" Ev asks as Aida wraps her hand around Everests finger.
"Bingo!" Spencer shouts.
"Bunch of jackasses." Turner adds, picking up his jacket and pushing his arms through the holes and pulling it over his shoulders.
"One of them is Pritchett. You remember that sexist asshole from the academy?" Luca says, pulling on his shoes.
"Remember him? I pulled him out of that storage locker fire weeks ago and he's still a sexist dick. Told me 'we don't need a woman because they always think they're right'. Still got him out though. Who's the other one?" Ev asks and I feel my blood simmer at the idea of some firefighter being a dick to her.
"Briggs's brother in law. He's actually okayish. He just doesn't do much." Spencer adds and Evs eyes widen.
"Has he said how Briggs is?" She asks, that's the guy we pulled out of that same fire.
"He's still in this hospital but he's doing a lot better, he said that Taylor wanted to see you and thank you but he may never get back to firefighting." Luca says with a sigh.
Ev sighs too and looks down at Aida. "Tell him that Taylor can come up and see me whenever he wants. Or I'll go down to see him."
"Okay. I'll tell him what room your in." Luca says and Ev nods as a 'thank you.'
"Come on, we've got to go." Eli tells them, pulling Lucas shoulders towards the door.
"Give Pritchett a glare from me!" Ev exclaims as they all walk out the door.
"Will do!" Ivan shouts, running after them.
Ev looks back down at Aida with a grin and watching her with my daughter, our daughter, does something to me. It cracks something open I didn't even know was closed to begin with. Something in me lights up when I thought I'd be dull for the rest of my life.
I don't know if I hate what's she's doing to me or if I'm just terrified by the way she's affecting me but knowing she's just as affected makes me feel a little better. That's why I can't help but see how far I can push it before her heart rate rises. My new favourite thing is the heart rate monitor she's attached too.
"Still hate me?" Tia asks Ev but she's not paying attention, she's too busy making faces at Aida, getting her to laugh. "Mount?"
"Sorry what?" Ev asks, lifting her head up to look at Tiana.
"I said, do you still hate me?" Tia asks through a laugh.
"No. This is better then Jenifer Aniston." Ev grins, kissing the side of Aidas head.
Aida finally looks over at me since she got here, she was too occupied with Everest to even glance at me.
"Dada!" She shouts pointing at me, leaning in my direction and i lean forward, taking her from Ev and placing her on my knee.
"Hi sweetheart." I say with a smile and I hear Evs heart rate monitor increase, it's literally a feelings detector or some shit.
Maybe I should get one for myself, might be the only way I can tell her how I feel because let's be honest, it's probably the only way I'd be able too.
"Okay, so I have a question. What did I walk in on?" Tiana asks as her and dad both sit down in the chairs the guys were asleep I'm not long ago.
"What do you mean?" Ev asks, reaching over to the table beside her bed and taking a sip of the water she got yesterday. "Okay. I thought that would satisfy my hunger slightly but it didn't. I need food."
"I'll go downstairs and get you something." My dad offers. "Omelettes? They won't be as good as Everests but will they suffice?"
"I'll eat strawberries, I'm that hungry." Ev groans and my brows furrow.
"Your allergic to strawberries." I state and she looks over at me like she can't believe I know that but I know.
I know everything about her because for the past eighteen years, I've payed attention.
"How do you know that?" Ev asks.
"I know a lot about. I've payed attention, even when you pissed me off." I shrug.
"Right. We're going to get omelettes. Right dad?" Tia asks and send dad a wide eyed look causing my dad to nod his head.
"Yeah. Yeah let's go. We won't be long." Dad says as Tia pulls him out the door.
The second the door closes, Ev turns to me with a skeptical gaze.
"What the fuck do you know about me besides the basics. You hated me for years, some years you didn't even talk to me." Ev asks and my heart sinks slightly because it's true, I did ignore her but I did pay attention.
"I might not have talked but I listened." I state simply and she still look's skeptical, like she thinks I'm lying so I let out a sigh, sitting forward while Aida plays with my fingers.
"Your allergic to strawberries, cashew nuts and shellfish. Your suppose to be lactose intolerant but you still eat dairy, which I don't think I'll ever understand. You broke your hand when you were four and now you can literally move your knuckle side to side, popping it out and back and you do it when your stressed. Everytime you get nervous you pop it out and you use to call it your 'party trick' and it freaked everyone out. I know you take the piss when your singing but I also know you've got the exact same voice as your mom had and it's annoyingly amazing. Your favourite candy is skittles, just like Lina's is. Egg yolks make you gag and you ate brownies so much as a kid you can't even look at them anymore. I also know your so weirdly flexible that you can basically dislocate your shoulder and stretch your arm behind your head and I know you learnt Spanish because of your obsession with Sofia Vergara." I tell her and her eyes widen.
"I listen. I ignored you then insulted you but when you talked, I listened." I add and I see a small smile pull at her lips.
"Your allergic to shellfish too. Your favourite food is my omelette even though you act like it's not. Your favourite James Bond was Pierce Brosnan which, by the way, is the wrong answer it's Sean Connery. Nobody knows how fucking smart you are and it infuriates me. Before my dad changed your mind, you wanted to be a lawyer and for what it's worth, I know you would have been damn good at it. Not as good as you are at fighting fires but you'd have been good. Your also deathly allergic to cats but you let Tia get one anyways because it made her happy and for those two years it was alive, you were doped up on so many antihistamines you were basically a zombie. The cat died after your dad accidentally ran over it and you told Tia it was you that did it so she didn't hate your dad." She pauses and then takes a deep breath. "I also know that the day of my award ceremony you made Tia FaceTime you so you could watch and I know you didn't tell me, I just don't know why."
I completely freeze, why do I ask Tia to keep anything from Ev. She can keep secrets forever with other people but the one person she always tells them too, is Everest.
I did make her FaceTime me though, she was getting an award for saving my life and our daughters life and I was happy. I acted like I wasn't but I needed to watch he receive it because it was well deserved, infact she deserved more then just a medal of honour.
"It was just easier if you didn't know." I mumble and I hear Ev scoff.
"How is that easier?" She asks.
"I didn't want you to think I cared."
Some how she scoffs even louder at my reply.
"Teo. I don't know about you but I've always cared. I hated you, you pissed me off and you hurt me but I still cared despite all of that and I'd like to think you did too." She pauses again and then looks to me with hesitant eyes. "Did you?"
Her hesitant eyes lock with mine that are filled with certainty.
"Of course I did." I tell her and I watch as her face relaxes in relief.
I can't even remember a period in my life where I didn't care for her in my own fucked up weird way.
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AN:
4k?!?!
Wtf
Tysm
I'm actually in love with you all.
Completely off topic, but I've just gone through my shit and found the X-rays of my scoliosis before they turned me into the terminator with metal rods and screws. My spine is basically the inside of a hardware store at the point.
Anyways...
I am not supposed to be judging a book by its cover, right? No, wrong! One look at you, and I am already floored.
Once again, with impeccable rizz.
Don't forget to vote, comment and share⭐️
Lots of love V❤️
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