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“Alright, he’s all checked in. The doctor will be with you in just a few minutes.” The brunette receptionist said sweetly, she gestured to the seating area behind Gabriel, where a few well loved toys were scattered about. A race car mat sat on the floor, a few hot rods turned over, looking like someone had crashed them together.
Gabriel gave the young, ponytailed woman a small smile as he half knelt down to set his son on the ground. Jesse immediately ran over to the mat, “Thanks.” He said as he watched his 5 year old son, dressed as a cowboy grab the pony stick.
Jesse laughed happily, his childish, high pitched giggle filling the room, quite loudly, but incredibly infectious. He ran raced around the seating area with the stick pony between his legs, calling for the pretend pony to, “Giddy up!” They were the only family at the clinic, so Gabriel was had no problem with letting his son race around for a few minutes. Jesse was a bundle of energy, and trying to get him to settle down when there were other kids around was...needless to say, hard.
Jesse was running as fast as he could, the fringe on his little leather chaps tangling up with one another. He twist and turned around the mat, following the race track, pretending to be leading a Calvary along a dusty plane in the old west. He held onto the stick pony with one hand and held his other up pretending to be shooting. He made gun sound effects before he started dodged and weaves through the chairs.
“Jesse?” A nurse called out as she came out the door. She had long, dark hair, pink tattoos under the corners of her eyes. She glanced up and smirked when she spotted the little boy, “Ready to come back?”
Gabriel glanced over to the nurse before he looked back to Jesse, his son had stopped running and was staring at the nurse, a strange expression on his little face. The Latino stood up, “Jess.” He said simply as he stood and held his hand out for him, “C’mon.”
“But I wanna play!” Jesse whined loudly a big pout on his face.
“When we’re done you can play.” Gabe promised, and tilted his head towards the nurse, “C’mon.” He urged again, this time with a smile.
“But I wanna play cowboy!”
“I know, but we gotta get you a check up, then we can go home, and we can play cowboy.” Gabriel promised.
“Did I hear there them rumors right? There’s a cowboy in my waitin’ room?” A new, western accented voice said just as Jesse’s Doctor, Jack Morrison, came through the door.
The accented voice wasn’t anything new, Gabe had heard it before, many times, but he expected to see the pediatrician in his normal blue scrubs and white coat. Well Jack was still wearing the blue scrubs and white jacket, but the addition of the well worn Stetson on his head was certainly new.
Gabriel felt his heart jump into his throat at the sight. The clearest blue eyes sparkled with mischief, and the easy smile was lighting up the room, just as much as Jesse’s laughter.
The boy caught sight of his Doctor pointed to himself, “Thea’s me!”
“Well, c’mon then, pardner!” Jack waved Jesse over, ushering the boy through the door with nothing more than a few simple words.
“Can I bring my horse?” The boy asked as he started to reach for Jack’s hand.
“We can tie her up in the ol’ corral.”
Jesse let out a cheer and all but galloped at Jack’s side, the stick pony never leaving his other hand. Gabriel could only shake his head as he followed after them, “Sorry.” He said to the nurse, Hana.
“Don’t be,” She said, casually with a slight wave of her hand, “Sometimes it’s hard to tell him apart from the kids, and we have to bribe him just like he did Jesse. Works like a charm.”
Gabriel chuckled easily as he and Hana followed behind the other two. He watched as they raced down the hall together, pretending to shoot bad guys, hand and hand. Like they were thick as thieves.
Two ruffian riders protecting the old West.
Dr. Morrison - Jack - had always been so good with Jesse. He had helped delivered the boy when Gabriel’s late wife had gone into early labor. She had said it was just muscle pain, she hadn’t realized she was in labor until it was too late. They had been out at the grocery store, as had Jack. The blonde had been looking over the corn when she had cried out and doubled over in pain. He had helped her deliver the small boy in the employee break room, Gabriel at their side.
Sadly the birth had been hard on her, and she never recovered, leaving Gabriel alone with a newborn.
Jack had been there too, when Gabriel had gotten the news. He’d been holding the cleaner up newborn in his arms when Gabriel fell into the chair, pale and weak. The blonde shad slowly knelt down in front of him, Jesse still in his arms and gave him a small smile.
The rest was history.
Once they were in the exam room, Jack had Jesse sitting on the paper covered and padded table while Gabriel took the chair. Jesse had the stethoscope in his ears and he was holding the sensitive drum to his own heart listening to his heartbeat.
“Alright.” Jack said, the drawl still in his voice, “Let’s see what we have here today.” He took the chart from Hana with a quick grin, “Accordin’ to this here chart, you’ve grown 3 inches since the last time I’ve seen ya.” He exclaimed in a playfully dramatically voice he deserved for kids, “Growin’ like a weed, ain’tchya?”
“Papi says I’m gonna be big, like him!” Jesse exclaimed as he raised one of his hands high above his head, trying to show Jack just how tall he was going to be.
Jack let out a laugh as he looked over to Gabriel, his brilliant smile still in place, “I reckon’ yer Papi is right.”
Gabriel felt his heart leap again. He always forgot Jack spoke Spanish, and the reminder sent a little flutter in his stomach, “I can hardly keep clothes on him.” He said, staying focused on the reason why he was there in the first place, his son.
“He’ll slow down for a bit.” Jack’s assured, the accent vanished as quickly as it started, “So we’re doin a -“
“Yer not talkin’ right!” Jesse exclaimed as he pointed up at Jack, “I thought you was a real cowboy!” He accused, his honey brown eyes narrowing in a disapproving, skeptical manner.
“Oh, I am.” Jack turned his attention back over to Gabriel, “Genuine Cowboy, rider n’ all.” He winked.
They’d been dancing around one other for the last year, Gabriel was sure of it, and if he were being honest with himself, Jack was the only person that Gabriel felt..okay flirting with. He had others try and come one to him, but.. it just..
“But I’m a tougher cowboy! I don’t need the bear!” Jesse bragged.
“No?” Jack asked with a raised brow as he stood up from the rolling stool he always sat on, he had the white nitrate gloves on already, “Well, I guess you really are a tough cowboy!” He set the full, and covered, syringe down on the counter. He tore open the sterilizing package and rolled up the edge of Jesse’s shirt and gently cleaned a spot, “Ready to Cowboy up there, buck-a-too?” Jack asked, the accent back in place.
“Aye aye captain!”
Gabriel couldn’t help but chuckle and shake his head in dismay, “Those are pirates, Jess.”
“Imma pirate cowboy!” Jesse’s attention was on his father, he didn’t even notice Jack going for the syringe.
“Is that because they both wear hats?”
“Yup!”
“All done!” Jack interrupted, “Good job there, Cowboy!” Jack set a bandaid over the small puncture and stepped away.
Gabriel blinked, surprise, “..what?”
“Papi! Look! All done!” Jesse said Jack scooped him up from the table and set him down on the ground. The boy ran over to Gabriel climbing - more like imitating a flailing octopus - into his lap. His father wrapped his arms around his son without really thinking about it, “Look! It’s a v-vaaa..ki-.. Papi, wha’s the word?”
“Vaquero.” Gabriel said the word slowly so his son could pick up the pronunciation, “how?”
“Years of practice.” Jack said as he took off his Stetson and set it down in Jesse’s head, “Now, I think you’ve earned a few laps around the office with yer steed!”
For as quickly and flailing-like as Jesse scrambled into Gabriel lap, the same amount of effort and grace went into getting back out. Jesse made a mad grab for the stick and raced out of the room.
“How’d you know he was going through the cowboy phase?” Gabriel asked, standing.
“I saw from the office.” Jack admitted as he pointed to his open door, “I had the hat already here, sometimes it helps some of the kids.”
“Well, at least he didn’t try and punch you this time.” Gabriel smirked.
Jack let out a soft chuckle as he wrote something in Jesse’s file, “Not like when I had to remove the cast.” He clicked the pen, retracting the ball point and slid it back in his scrubs pocket and handed the file over to his receptionist.
“He’s just strong willed and a trouble magnet.”
“He musta got that from you.” Jack teased as he clapped his hand on Gabriel’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze.
The Latino tilted his head slightly, his heart racing again, “Maybe we can talk about it more over some homemade mole and beer, while my son eats taco time and mexi-fries.” Gabriel offered with a grin, “My treat?”
Jack stared at Gabriel for a moment, shock in his blue, blue eyes, before he smiled, “You had me at homemade.”