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Chapter Text

Spring 20, Year 3

“Okay, I think we covered everything,” Harvey said nervously.  “You should know where to find diapers, wipes, change of clothes, extra socks, bottles, burp cloths, pacifiers, extra blankets if it gets too cold… if you need anything while we’re gone, we’ll both have our cell phones on, just give us a call.  In the event of an emergency, call… oh, I suppose you’d just call me, then.  If you need-”

“Okay, okay, I say this with love but you need to calm down,” Robin interrupted gently.  “I think I’ve done this a couple of times.  Plus, the kid’s already asleep, so… not much that could reasonably go wrong.”

“I’m sorry,” Harvey answered sheepishly.  “First date night since the baby, I’m a bit nervous.”

“And hey, that’s to be expected and it’s perfectly normal,” Robin reassured him.  “But just know that everything’s gonna be just fine.  I’ve raised two kids, done my fair share of babysitting, and I’ve got this.  I’m a veteran at this point.  You two just try your best to relax and enjoy a nice date alone together.  I know how exhausting parenthood can be, just try your best to enjoy tonight.  Everything’s gonna be just fine here.”

“Thank you, Robin,” May replied with a sigh of gratitude.  Harvey appeared to be about to open his mouth to voice more concerns, but May gently rested a hand on his forearm and squeezed.  “We trust that everything’s gonna be okay with you in charge.”

“You guys should get going or you’ll miss the movie,” Robin commented, glancing at her watch.

“Should we say goodbye first?” Harvey asked uncertainly, glancing up the stairs toward the nursery.

“No way,” Robin answered quickly.  “The baby’s asleep, you don’t want to risk a meltdown just to get some goodbye kisses.  Everything’ll be just fine here but if you don’t go you’ll actually miss the movie and defeat the entire purpose of tonight.”

Harvey appeared hesitant once more as he glanced up the staircase, but May hooked her arm in his and very gently began to guide him towards the door.

“Everything’s gonna be just fine,” May said soothingly.

“I guess you’re right,” Harvey replied with a long sigh.  He turned to Robin and nodded.  "Thank you for doing this, Robin.“

"Yeah, we really appreciate it,” May agreed.

“Thank me later, you two need to get moving!” Robin replied as she ushered them uncertainly out the door.

Once May and Harvey were outside, they stood for just a moment outside of the farmhouse and looked at each other.  They both appeared hesitant as though neither of them wanted to be the first to walk away.

“It’s too early to be leaving the baby alone,” Harvey fretted nervously.

“Hardly alone, Robin’s there and she can handle it,” May reminded him.  “The first time has to happen at some point, why not today.”

“You’re right,” Harvey replied begrudgingly.  “It just feels so… wrong.”

“I know,” May replied with a nod.  “But at least we’re in this together.  Other people may think we’re overreacting, but I know how you feel.”

Harvey smiled at May as he took his hand in hers.  It was a silent trip into town, both May and Harvey would start to talk about the baby back at home and speculating about how it must be going before trailing off.  They knew that it would do neither of them any good to dwell on the subject and the entire point of the evening was to enjoy some much-needed respite from parenthood.  When they arrived at the movie theater, May glanced at the poster for the movie that was playing and laughed when she saw a cartoon tree with the title “The Brave Little Sapling”.

“I find it funny that our first date night after the baby is an animated kid’s movie,” May mused.  “Funny how that worked out.”

“The downside of our theater only showing one movie at a time,” Harvey added with a chuckle.  “Trust me, the irony wasn’t lost on me.”

As they stepped away from the ticket counter with their movie tickets in hand, May saw Jodi approach them with Vincent following close behind.

“What are you two doing out and about tonight?” Jodi asked in shock.

“First date night since the baby,” Harvey answered, his voice ever so slightly quivering.

“Ah, yes, that’s always a tough one,” Jodi replied with a gentle, knowing smile.  “Who’s watching the little angel now?”

“Robin,” May replied.  “I think she’d have thrown a hissy fit if anyone else in town had the honor of babysitting for the very first date night.”

“I understand,” Jodi replied with a nod.  “But if you ever want to do something like this again, I’m happy to babysit as well.”

“You and everyone else in town, we’ve been getting offers from just about everyone,” May chuckled.  “The list is a mile long of potential candidates.”

“You’ll have to forgive everyone for being so eager, we can’t help it,” Jodi replied with a light giggle.  “First baby in town since Vincent, so it’s all very exciting.”  At these words, Jodi reached over and tousled Vincent’s hair.

“Mom, stop!” Vincent scoffed, frowning at his mom.

“Well, I should let you go before the movie starts, I’d hate to hold you up,” Jodi went on, completely ignoring Vincent’s brooding scowl.  The young, happy little boy that he had been when May first moved to Pelican Town was slowly beginning to disappear as a moody tween began to take over.

May and Harvey exchanged brief farewells with Jodi and Vincent before entering the theater for the very first time.  May had only seen the outside of the theater during the official grand-opening ceremony, but this was her first opportunity to view the inside.  The lobby was quite spacious and May was surprised to see that there was even a concession stand and a crane game.  The crane game was currently in-use by a stranger from out-of-town, the opening of the new movie theater brought an unexpected wave of tourism to Pelican Town as this was the only theater in the valley.  Thankfully there was no line for the concessions, May and Harvey decided that it might not be a bad idea to treat themselves to a small snack.  Harvey simply ordered a Jasmine Tea, no doubt he was hoping the calming effects of the tea might ease his mind while they were here, while May ordered popcorn for herself.  To her, a movie theater experience just wasn’t complete without popcorn.

When May and Harvey took their seats with their snacks, they noticed that the theater was almost empty.  The only other people inside the theater were Jodi and Vincent who had skipped concessions and took their seats in the front row.  Shortly after May and Harvey found seats in the back row of the theater, the unknown tourist who had been playing the claw machine sat in the back row as well on the opposite side.  May held back a groan, she had been hoping that she and Harvey would have the back row to themselves, but she knew that was a bit selfish.  She just wanted everything to go perfectly for their first date night in quite some time.  As the lights in the theater dimmed, she could feel Harvey wrap an arm around her shoulders.

“You okay?” May whispered.

“Yeah,” Harvey answered.  “Nervous, but I think I’ll be okay.”

“Glad to hear it,” May replied, resting her head gently against Harvey’s shoulder.

May didn’t care that it would make eating popcorn just a bit awkward in this position, it felt nice to be close to Harvey like this as the movie began to play.  It had been awhile since they had a real date together and as she sat next to Harvey, soaking in the feel of his strong arm around her shoulders while they watched a new movie together, all of her doubts, worries, and fears melted away and she heaved a content sigh.  Everything was going to be just fine.

Chapter Text

Fall 1, Year 2

The first day of fall was rough, though that wasn’t unexpected.  The first day of every season with the exception of winter was always a bit chaotic to get a head start on planting seasonal crops to yield the most successful harvest.  May spent most of the day directing Shane on which seeds to plant in which locations while he did all of the physical labor to get the job done.  He had only been working for May for half a season but his help was already proving invaluable as May neared the end of her pregnancy.  The further along she was, the harder it was to do the back-breaking work on the farm.  Harvey had insisted that she hire a farmhand to do the work on the farm and after Shane’s depression and alcohol dependence had spiraled out of control following the loss of his job, May knew that she needed to help him turn his life around.  He was hired to help out with the physical labor on the farm and so far, it was proving to be a worthwhile arrangement for everyone.  Harvey had the peace of mind that his pregnant wife no longer had to physically exert herself on the farm, May was able to rest more with the brunt of the work taken care of, and Shane was given the chance he needed to work a job that wasn’t demoralizing and to feel like he was truly doing something worthwhile with his life.

Even before Shane came to work on the farm, he and May had a bit of a weekly tradition of meeting at the saloon every Monday evening to eat, drink, and chat while Harvey attended his book club meeting.  It had proved to be a great way to strengthen their relationship and it was through these weekly meet-ups that they became closer than ever before.  It was around the time that Shane lost his job at JojaMart that May noticed Shane drinking far more than usual, which was certainly saying something for a man who already drank a lot.  It was after May had found Shane one evening, in such a bad state that he needed to be rushed to the emergency room of Harvey’s clinic, that she debated ceasing these weekly meetings at the saloon.  It didn’t seem healthy or productive to continue meeting up in a place that served alcohol, however Shane insisted that his friendship with May and the weekly hang-outs they had were the only things in his life keeping him going.  They continued to meet up every Monday evening as before, but the nature of their visits changed.  Before, Shane wouldn’t eat too terribly much and for that matter, neither would May.  Shane primarily spent his time drinking and May was usually talking to Shane, catching him up on what happened during her week and he was content to just listen.  Now, however, Shane was drinking far less but seemed to be eating far more.  It wasn’t exactly the healthiest way for him to cope, but it was certainly more healthy than drinking himself into oblivion.  It was clear that his weekly therapy sessions were starting to work, but Shane couldn’t help stress-eating as he tried to continue his progress toward mental health.  Meanwhile May found herself eating far more as her pregnancy cravings caught up, keeping her in an almost perpetual state of being starving.  In all reality she was perfectly well fed, but the hunger cravings of pregnancy were hitting her hard and it was difficult to feed those cravings with Harvey around constantly insisting that she maintain a healthy diet.

After a very busy yet productive first day of fall, May and Shane called it a night just before Harvey began his trip to the cabin in the mountains for his book club meeting.  These days, he almost always left the golf cart with May to ensure that she wouldn’t have to walk anywhere that she needed to go.  Ordinarily she insisted that she could walk just fine, but after such an exhausting day of work she had to admit that having the cart to take into town was a welcome gesture.  As Harvey left the farmhouse to attend his book club, May and Shane loaded into the golf cart to ride into town for their weekly tradition at the Stardrop Saloon.  It was Shane who had to take the wheel this evening, May had finally reached the point where her belly was so large that she couldn’t quite fit behind the wheel of the compact golf cart.

When May and Shane arrived at the saloon, it was mostly deserted as it usually was on a Monday evening.  Pam, of course, sat at her usual spot with her usual stein of beer watching her usual Monday night programming on the saloon’s television.  At their table near the entrance, Clint and Willy appeared to be unwinding after a long day and were talking animatedly to one another.  As always, Gus and Emily were stationed behind the counter, idly chatting with one another as May and Shane approached the bar.

“These damn barstools are too tall,“ Shane complained, grunting as he struggled to position himself atop one of the barstools.

“If I can heave my short, pregnant ass onto this barstool, I’m pretty sure you can manage,” May huffed as she climbed somewhat clumsily onto her own barstool.

“You may be pregnant, but you’re still physically fit,” Shane pointed out.  “My body’s a dumpster, I can’t even walk from the ranch to your farm without becoming short of breath.”

“A few more seasons on the farm will whip you into shape,” May teased, poking Shane jokingly on his gut.

“Sheesh, I’m just as big as you are, aren’t I?” Shane chuckled, glancing back and forth from his stomach to May’s.

“I don’t know whether that’s an insult to me, to you, or to both of us,” May laughed.

It wasn’t long before Gus approached the counter to address Shane and May.

“So what’ll it be?  As though I even have to ask,” Gus chuckled.

“Harvey’s at book club, you know we’re ordering the greasiest items on the menu,“ May replied, licking her lips.  "Pizza and pepper poppers, please.”

“Alliteration aside, you’re putting me in a tough spot, kid,” Gus pointed out, leaning in close on the counter.  “I promised Doctor H I’d serve you only healthy foods.”

“Yeah, well what the doctor doesn’t know won’t hurt him,” May huffed.  “Plus, who do you want to irritate more; the town doctor or a very feisty pregnant lady?  I’ll give you a hint, it’s never wise to come between a pregnant woman and her food.”

“A very good point… pizza and pepper poppers it is,” Gus answered, his eyes widening slightly in response.

As Gus turned to leave, Emily was already approaching the two of them with two glasses of ice water.  Harvey had stressed to both May and Shane that drinking lots of water would be beneficial to them both for various reasons and Emily already knew by now to keep the cold water coming.  At least May wouldn’t feel entirely guilty splurging on pizza and pepper poppers knowing that she was at least drinking a lot of water as Harvey advised.

“Yoba, today was exhausting,” Shane sighed, downing nearly half his water in a single gulp already.  “This was by far my worst day yet on your farm.”

“Welcome to the change of seasons,” May groaned.  “The first day of spring is the worst because you have to hit the ground running after a dormant winter, but the first day of summer and fall aren’t much better.  As you saw today, there’s a lot more work to do to prepare new crops for the change of seasons.”

“How the hell did you manage the first day of summer all on your own, all while being pregnant?” Shane asked, raising an impressed eyebrow.

“It was not easy,” May answered honestly.  “Harvey took the day off to help and I had Robin and Demetrius on hand as well to help out.  Together we managed, but it was exhausting.”

“Shit, you’re telling me today I did the workload that four of you guys did last season?” Shane asked in awe.

“You mean a pregnant lady, a doctor with very little experience with manual labor, a scientist who spent more time inspecting the soil than he did actually planting anything, and a 46 year old woman?” May asked jokingly.  “I wouldn’t really brag about that.”

“Fuck off,” Shane replied, smirking jokingly back at May.

“Did you just tell your boss to fuck off?!” May asked, sounding playfully offended.

“What, I did that at Joja all the time,” Shane went on, his smirk only widening.  May had the feeling that this wasn’t a joke, it was a very real probability that Shane had told Morris to fuck off when he worked at Joja.

“But all jokes aside, thanks for your help today, Shane, there’s no way I could do this all by myself,” May said seriously, her hands absentmindedly resting on her large belly as they so often did lately.

“Hey, I should be the one thanking you ,” Shane pointed out.  “I never hated my job more than when I worked at Joja, that was the most demeaning place I’ve ever worked in my entire life.  You could spit in my face and punch me in the gut and you’d still be a better boss than any of the assholes working for Joja.”

“I completely understand,” May nodded sympathetically.  She, too, had awful memories of working for Joja.

“But you gotta do what you gotta do to survive sometimes,” Shane went on gravely.  “I had Jas to take care of, I needed something to make a living and there aren’t a lot of options for someone with no real life skills.  When I lost my job at Joja I just… snapped.  I dunno, it was like the straw that broke the camel’s back.  My life up to that point had been shit, but I kept telling myself it was going to get better… it had to get better.  But it never did.  I worked a shitty job, didn’t have any friends, didn’t have a life, but at least I had a way to take care of Jas.  When I lost that, well… what the fuck was the point of even carrying on anymore?”

May remained silent as Shane spoke, this was the first time he had ever really spoken aloud about what had happened during the summer when May had found him almost passed out near a cliff in the forest, surrounded by empty beer bottles.  At the time he was too overwhelmed and ashamed to acknowledge what had happened and it seemed best to let him talk about it in his own time.

“I still think about what would have happened if it weren’t for you,” Shane went on in the same somber tone.  “What if you hadn’t offered me a job at Runaway Farm, what if we hadn’t been friends, what if you didn’t support me, what if you hadn’t found me on that cliffside.  So much of my good fortune these last few weeks is all thanks to you.  I literally owe you my life.  I still don’t know what the fuck you see in a piece of shit like me, but… thanks for taking a chance on me.  Thanks for managing to turn my life around in just a few short weeks when I tried and failed for years.”

“Shane, you’re… you’re not a piece of shit,” May began.  It seemed important to address that first.  “You’re just a man who’s faced blow after blow of bad luck and horrible circumstances.  It’s not your fault that your life slipped so far out of your control, there’s only so much you could have done.  With everything you’ve endured, it’s okay to need a little bit of help, there’s nothing wrong with that.  I’m just happy that so many things fell into place to allow me to help you.  It’s a miracle I happened to be out in the forest when I found you, it’s fortunate that Harvey was able to rush you into the clinic in time to save your life… it was about time something went right for you for a change.  Add to that that we were already talking about looking to hire a farmhand and, well, the stars aligned and it all worked out perfectly.”

“I have to ask, though… why me?” Shane asked, bewildered.  “You and Harvey saw me at my worst that night, you saw a side of me that I never wanted anyone to see and yet you still chose to hire me of all people after you saw me at rock bottom.  Why?”

“ Because you hit rock bottom,” May said plainly.  “I know what a difficult life you’ve led, I know all about the hardships that you’ve faced and how much you tried not to let them bring you down.  You’re a fighter, Shane, whether you believe that about yourself or not.  I couldn’t stand back and watch life deal another blow with the loss of your job.”

“And Harvey?” Shane asked hesitantly.

“He agreed with me from the very beginning,” May assured him.  “He never once questioned it, in fact it was his idea from the start.”

“It… it was?” Shane asked, his jaw agape.

“I’ll never forget it, you were still passed out after Harvey had pumped your stomach that night and I asked him if you were going to be okay,” May recalled.  “Harvey was far less worried about your physical health, his priority in that moment was your mental health.  I don’t know how much Harvey knows about what you’ve endured in your life, but that doesn’t matter.  He knew that you needed help, and not just a referral for therapy.  You needed a win.  It was Harvey who suggested that hiring you would help us out tremendously before the baby comes and would help you get back on your feet and start you on a better path moving forward.”

“I didn’t know it was Harvey who felt that way,” Shane uttered in disbelief.  “I always assumed it was you and that Harvey just went along with it.”  May shook her head in response.

“I’ve told you from the start that we’re both grateful to have you in our lives and I mean every word of it,” May stressed to Shane.

A brief moment of silence passed between them as Shane stared pensively at his glass of water.  The outside of the glass had started to sweat and Shane stared at a bead of water drip slowly down the side as though transfixed.  As he continued to stare, no doubt stewing on what May had just said, she noticed that the corners of his lips just barely curved upward in a small but distinct smile.  Out of nowhere, May felt her breath catch in her chest and suddenly she felt overwhelmed with emotion.  It was a common occurrence these days with the way her hormones were toying with her.  It was only a few days earlier that Harvey had walked in the door from work to find May sobbing in the kitchen because she had spilled ketchup on Harvey’s ZCU shirt that was basically her maternity pajamas now.  At least now there was a valid reason for her to feel so overcome with emotion.  Tears formed in the corners of her eyes despite her best efforts at keeping them at bay and her constant sniffles caught Shane’s attention, causing him to look up at her and groan.

“No, don’t start crying, for Yoba’s sake please don’t start crying,” Shane said uncomfortably.

“Oh, it’s too late, this is happening,” May replied with a nod.  She immediately lost the fight and began sobbing.  “My hormones are a roller coaster these days, you just gotta live with that.”

May reached over to give Shane the closest thing to a hug she could manage as she leaned over the gap between their two barstools, trying to contend with her large belly getting in the way.  It was an awkward hug, but that didn’t make it any less meaningful.

Gus approached the counter balancing a large pizza on one hand and a tray of pepper poppers on the other, his eyes darting back and forth between May who was still sobbing shamelessly to Shane who sat stiff and uncomfortable.  When May noticed Gus approaching, she finally released Shane and straightened herself up on her barstool, wiping her eyes on the backs of her hand.  This was in vain, as the tears continued to flow freely.

“So, uh… clearly I missed something here,” Gus chuckled, setting their food on the counter in front of them.

“Don’t mind the crazy pregnant lady crying,” May replied in amusement, still wiping her eyes as she tried repeatedly to sniff back the tears.

“I’m just gonna leave these here, walk away, and pretend like none of this ever happened,” Gus teased, backing slowly away from the counter.  “I never brought you junk food, I never saw you crying, I never saw you hugging, this is just a completely normal night at the saloon.”

“That’s your story and you’re sticking to it,” May replied with a nod.

As Gus retreated to the other side of the bar to check on Pam, Shane turned to May and smiled weakly, though he still looked a bit awkward.

“I’ll drop it in a minute, but one last time… thanks for everything, Boss,” Shane reiterated with a nod.

“And thanks to you too, Shane,” May replied, nodding in return.  Her tears were finally subsiding just as suddenly as they had begun.

“To May and Harvey, the kindest people I know,” Shane toasted, holding up his nearly-empty water glass.

“To Shane, a man with more perseverance than anyone I’ve ever met,” May added, holding up her own glass.

“To the success of Runaway Farm,” Shane continued.

“To our friendship,” May added

“To our weekly ritual,” Shane went on, smiling at the absurdity of how long this toast was lasting.

“To pizza and pepper poppers,” May finished, clinking her glass against Shane’s.  As amusing as this toast had become, the tantalizing smell of the greasy bar food before them was too tempting to wait any longer.  It was time for the two of them to reap their well-deserved reward.

Chapter Text

Winter 14, Year 2

Harvey awoke the morning of his 38th birthday in very much the same way he had for weeks now; to the sounds of his infant daughter Daisy’s cries.  From the very first wail, Harvey bolted upright in bed and glanced at the clock.  It was 4:06 in the morning.

“I’ve got it,” May yawned next to him.

“No, sweetheart, it’s fine, you got up last time,” Harvey reasoned, but May was already rolling sluggishly out of bed.

“It’ll take you five times longer to warm up the milk in the fridge and prepare a bottle than it will for me to just feed her,” May pointed out.  It was the same argument she used all the time and one Harvey certainly couldn’t combat.  “Besides… you should get to sleep in on your birthday.”

May flashed him a sleepy smile before leaving the room to take care of Daisy, leaving Harvey alone still half-asleep as he processed what she had said.  He had completely forgotten that today was his birthday.  Life had been so busy since Daisy’s birth and the ever present exhaustion made it impossible to think clearly or keep track of time.  As he laid his head back down upon the pillow, he wondered what plans, if any, May had in store.  Yet before he could even consider what those plans could be, he was already back to sleep.  It was barely past 4 in the morning on his birthday and his wife had already given him a wonderful gift; the gift of sleep.

It was over three hours later when Harvey finally woke up, sitting up in bed with a wide stretch as a huge yawn escaped his lips.  He felt slightly guilty at how well he had slept that night, it was the best night’s sleep that he had gotten since Daisy was born.  With a final stretch, Harvey rose from bed and headed into the living room to greet his wife and daughter.

When Harvey entered the room, he spotted May hunched over the kitchen counter chopping potatoes.  He tried to make a decent amount of noise as he approached her, too many times he had caught her off guard while she was in the kitchen and it nearly led to disastrous accidents.  It was better to advertise his presence as much as possible while she was holding a sharp knife.

“Good morning,” May greeted him, setting down the knife to turn towards Harvey.  “You don’t have to make weird noises anymore, I hear you.”

“Hey, better safe than sorry,” Harvey teased, kissing his wife gently on the cheek.  “Last thing I need on my birthday is to rush you to the clinic for stitches.”

“Speaking of which, Happy Birthday, sweetheart!” May squealed excitedly, wrapping her arms tightly around Harvey’s waist.  Harvey couldn’t imagine how she was so chipper, the purple bags under her eyes were a clear indication that she was exhausted and yet her tone of voice was downright energetic.

“Thank you,” Harvey said pleasantly, returning his wife’s embrace.

“I’m so glad you got to sleep in this morning,” May added happily.  Harvey smirked in response.

“How funny that sleeping until 7:30 is considered ‘sleeping in’ these days,” Harvey chuckled.

“Hey, these days you gotta take the sleep where you can get it,” May added with a yawn.

“I feel guilty, you always end up being the one to get up with her in the middle of the night,” Harvey remarked with a lopsided frown.

“Sweetheart, you have a full time job and it’s your busiest season of the year,” May pointed out.  “At least until spring, Daisy is my only job.  Shane’s got all the rest covered.  You can’t afford to be up all night with her and attempt to be any good at your job the next day.  It makes sense, you know it does.”

“That doesn’t stop me from feeling guilty,” Harvey replied sadly.  “Maybe next weekend you could sleep in.”

“Well we can talk about that when it’s next weekend,” May said in a rush, returning to her work chopping potatoes.  “Right now, there’s more important things… like breakfast.”

“Yoba, I hope you didn’t put off eating breakfast just waiting for me to wake up,” Harvey gasped.  “A nursing mother should-”

“I know, I know, you still have to be my food police even after she’s born,” May interjected with a playful sigh.  “I ate a banana to at least give me something , but I had to save room for your big birthday breakfast.”

“Oh, honey, you don’t have to-” Harvey began, but was  interrupted once more.

“I most definitely do have to,” May cut in seriously.  “It’s your birthday and nothing changes that.  I know we can’t do as much as we did last year but I still want your day to be sorta special.  I just hope I can give you a birthday that’s at least halfway decent.  The bar was set pretty high last year, I’m afraid this year won’t come close.”

“As long as I’m with my girls, I’m happy,” Harvey said sweetly.  “Speaking of which, where’s the little lady?”

“Where do you think?” May asked with a grin.

May tossed her head in the direction of the portable bassinet they had setup in the living room and Harvey nodded in understanding.  Daisy was still at the age where she was asleep for hours at a time and most of her days were spent either being held or sleeping in her bassinet.  Daisy seemed to sleep more soundly in her bassinet than she did in her crib, she always looked incredibly peaceful to Harvey while she slept.

“Go ahead and take it easy this morning, I’ll keep working on breakfast,” May said with a tone of finality.  Harvey knew there would be no talking her out of it.

“Can I at least help?” Harvey asked as a final effort to lighten May’s load.

“No way,” May replied, stubbornly shaking her head.  “Take it easy this morning and be thankful that Maru’s handling inventory at the clinic today.  That seems to be her yearly gift to you is handling inventory on your birthday so that you can actually take a full day off.”

“Assuming no one gets sick or injured,” Harvey added.  He grinned as he knocked on the wooden dining table, though he didn’t actually believe such superstition.  Still, it couldn’t hurt.

Already Harvey could hear the clank of pans and the creaking of cupboards as May set to work in the kitchen.  He felt incredibly guilty that she was shouldering all of the work, especially while she was so tired, but he supposed he had done the same when it was her birthday.  But at least then neither of them were severely sleep deprived and Harvey could use the excuse that he was taking care of his pregnant wife.  Now it seemed almost unfair for May to cook him breakfast but there was no fighting it.  So long as it was only breakfast and not all three meals of the day, though he suspected that take-out from the saloon was in their future for dinner.  Or at least he hoped.  It admittedly wouldn’t be a very enjoyable birthday if May spent all day cooking and cleaning.

While May busied herself in the kitchen, Harvey made himself comfortable in the living room.  His new favorite spot was the one right next to Daisy’s bassinet.  He just couldn’t help himself, even when she was fast asleep he loved to be near her.  It felt silly but even weeks after she was born, he still loved to watch the rise and fall of her chest while she slept or marvel at just how tiny her hands were.  She was a miracle and Harvey still couldn’t fully grasp that this tiny human being, this precious little girl, was his.  Then again, it was still difficult for him to accept that he had a loving wife and lived in a beautiful, spacious home and it had been over a year.  Even two years earlier these would have been far-fetched pipe dreams to him; an impossible fantasy that would never be his.

It made Harvey rather thankful to think back on past years, especially with today being his birthday.  Two years ago he was as alone and miserable as he’d ever been in his life.  It had been quite possibly his worst birthday in recent memory.  Last year, by contrast, had without a doubt been his best.  In one year he had gone from celebrating alone to celebrating as a newlywed, headed off to Zuzu City with his wife to stay the night for their belated honeymoon.  This year the size of his family had grown even more with the birth of his daughter and Harvey couldn’t wait to see what the day had in store for him now.  It certainly wouldn’t be as action-packed as his previous birthday had been, but Harvey was sure it would be just as wonderful.  If anything, a lowkey day spent at home with his wife and daughter sounded perfect.  With how busy the winter season was for him, it actually sounded quite pleasant to have a relaxed birthday with no agenda.

The entire time May cooked breakfast, Harvey stared at Daisy as his mind wandered, reflecting on his life; past, present, and future.  He was actually quite thankful when May called out to him that breakfast was ready, he could only take so much quiet contemplation before he ended up overthinking things and making himself anxious.  These days when he caught himself overthinking things, it almost always involved Daisy and the multitude of ways he could fail as a parent.  It was much better to switch gears to breakfast.

“Smells good,” Harvey commented as he re-entered the kitchen.

In perfect time, his stomach growled audibly at the sight of the breakfast spread before him.  May had gone all out and Harvey felt both grateful and guilty for the amount of work she had put into their breakfast.  Scrambled eggs and peppers, country potatoes, bacon, sausage, and a fresh cup of coffee awaited him when he sat down at the table and it all looked so delicious.  How May managed to make such an involved breakfast on so little sleep was nothing short of admirable.

“This looks incredible, honey,” Harvey added, taking his usual seat at the dining table.

“I hope you like it,” May replied, taking her seat across from him.  “Happy Birthday.”

Breakfast was a mostly quiet affair as they ate.  These days, they had to eat their meals quickly in case Daisy woke up or needed attention.  It was rare that they got to eat at the same time and use both hands, more often than not one of them was holding Daisy during a meal and had to eat one-handed.  Meals such as this were a treasure, but had to be enjoyed quickly nonetheless.  It was only ten minutes later when they had both cleaned their plates and as though on cue, Daisy began to fuss in her bassinet the moment Harvey set his empty coffee mug down onto the table.

“Perfect timing,” Harvey commented in amusement.  “It must be her gift to me, letting me finish my birthday breakfast before waking up.”

“Well I’d offer you the choice between going to get Daisy or washing the dishes, but I think it’s pretty safe to say which one is the better option,” May teased, already collecting both of their empty breakfast dishes.

Though Harvey had put up a fuss while May made breakfast and even offered to help, this was not an offer he was about to make at the moment.  It would be a losing battle anyway but not only that, Harvey was quite anxious to greet Daisy for the morning.  Somehow sleeping in as late as he did, he inexplicably missed his baby girl.  It felt silly, but there were plenty of things about parenthood that took him by surprise.  Not the least of which was needing a break from parenting, only to receive that break and instantly miss his child.  While May set to work collecting the dirty dishes, Harvey went back into the living room and sat down next to Daisy’s bassinet.  She wasn’t crying, but her tiny body was wiggling in her bassinet and her face was scrunched up as she made short, gentle fussing sounds.  Harvey was pleased to see that her eyes were open, he loved looking into her beautiful green eyes and seeing bits of himself in her.  Anyone who saw her would comment how she looked exactly like May… until she opened her eyes.  Those eyes were Harvey’s and it was something he felt unreasonably proud of.  Once again parenting led to odd, unexpected, and often silly feelings like being overly emotional over the color of a person’s eyes.

“Good morning, little one,” Harvey said sweetly, reaching into the bassinet to scoop Daisy into his arms.

Daisy continued to wiggle and it wasn’t until she was properly cradled in his arm that he could feel what was by now a very familiar feeling against his hand; a full diaper.

“Ah, so that’s why you’re fussing,” Harvey chuckled.  “Another birthday present for me.”

Harvey didn’t want to trouble May, she had already worked so hard this morning and was busy in the kitchen with dishes.  It was never a bother for Harvey to change diapers, though all of the fathers in Pelican Town had warned him about how awful it was.  Perhaps it was the nature of Harvey’s profession that such a task wasn’t unpleasant to him.  From the moment he changed Daisy’s first diaper, it never once was something that caused him to cringe or scowl.  If it was something he could handle so well without issue, he was happy to do it as often as possible to save May the trouble.  If anything, it made Harvey feel useful to take on a task that was so universally unpleasant.

While Harvey carried Daisy upstairs and changed her diaper, he thought about how many warnings he’d received from the fathers of town about the newborn and infant phase.  The general consensus was that it was pretty awful and yet Harvey had to say that he very much disagreed.  He’d received warnings about how awful diaper changes were and how exhausting late nights could be but medical school and his residency had prepared Harvey for both.  Harvey had also been warned that the infant phase was incredibly boring, that there was nothing exciting or noteworthy about a small baby and that they didn’t become interesting until they could say or do things.  This was one warning that Harvey also disagreed with, very wholeheartedly.  Daisy was only a few weeks old and already he was fascinated by how much she was growing and changing.  The tiny, frail newborn that she had been weeks earlier was already gone, replaced by a chubby infant with rolls of baby fat and pinchable cheeks.  Since her birth she was also far more alert than she had been, keeping her eyes open for longer periods of time and even tilting her head around the room to take in her surroundings.  She was learning, she was growing, and Harvey was captivated watching every new and exciting change in her.  Infancy was fascinating, despite all the warnings he had received.  It was only a few weeks and yet already, Harvey felt like he was flourishing in fatherhood.

Once Daisy’s diaper was changed she already seemed to be in a much better mood.  The soft fussing sounds had changed to soft cooing sounds that were music to Harvey’s ears.  Harvey once more scooped Daisy into his arms and cradled her close, eager to rejoin May.  He hoped that she would be done with the dishes by now, he was eager for the three of them to finally spend some quality time together for his birthday.

As Harvey descended the stairs, he felt a draft of cold air blowing into the farmhouse and could hear May speaking to someone at their front door.  A moment later he heard Robin’s voice on the other side of the door.

“Hey, you said you wanted a big one, I didn’t hold back on that,” he heard Robin say proudly.

“Well yeah, but this is huge !” May commented in shock.  “I don’t even think we have enough ornaments to cover this thing.”

“Guess you’ll have to buy more ornaments then,” Robin chuckled.

Harvey watched as May stepped aside to allow Robin inside, yet all Harvey saw was a tangle of pine needles and branches entering the farmhouse.  Somewhere underneath this massive pine tree was Robin, or at least he had to assume so.  All he could see of her was a pair of denim jeans and black work boots.

“Where to?” Robin asked once she was fully inside the farmhouse.

“Same spot as last year,” May commented, already rushing over there to help Robin guide the tree to the proper spot.  It was only now that May noticed Harvey at the foot of the stairs and smiled at him.

“There you are!” May called out to Harvey.  “I figured you were just upstairs changing Daisy.  So, uh… part of your birthday present got here.  Surprise!”

“And what a surprise it is,” Harvey remarked with a grin.  “Do you ladies need help?”

“Are you insinuating that we can’t do it?” Robin teased, attempting to unload the massive tree that she was somehow carrying all on her own.

“No way,” Harvey quickly answered.  “Just checking in.”

“You should know from last year that I’ve got this covered, Doctor Boyfriend,” Robin huffed as she set the tree down in the corner by the fireplace.  Harvey recalled the year before when he surprised May with Winter Star decorations as an early gift and Robin had helped him with the exact same task by bringing him a tree.

“Another beautiful tree,” Harvey commented as he stared in awe at the nearly 8 foot tree that just barely fit inside the farmhouse.  The top branch was only inches from the ceiling.

“So, what, is this tradition now that you two are gonna surprise each other with trees provided by yours truly?” Robin asked, looking back and forth between the two of them with a playful smirk.  “Because if so, I’m gonna have to start charging a delivery fee or something.”

“Something tells me we can’t afford your rates,” May joked.

“Oh, don’t worry, I take payment in the form of baby snuggles,” Robin replied, her eyes darting over to Harvey who was still cradling Daisy in his arms.

Robin had just started to reach out to take Daisy from him when Harvey cringed slightly, looking down at her filthy hands.  Even Robin stopped for a moment and inspected her hands, visibly covered with dirt from carrying the pine tree into the house.

“Yeah, good point, Doctor Boyfriend,” Robin remarked, withdrawing her hands.  “Maybe I’ll have to take a rain check on those baby snuggles.  Plus, I should get out of your hair anyway.  It’s your birthday, you guys deserve to spend the day with just the three of you.”

“Thank you so much for stopping by, though,” May added kindly.  “I really appreciate it.”

“No problem,” Robin replied as she made her way to the door.  “You guys enjoy your day.  And Doctor Boyfriend, Happy Birthday.”

“Thank you, Robin,” Harvey replied with a nod.

Once May closed the door behind Robin, she turned to Harvey and smiled.

“So… I guess you figured out part of your birthday present,” May said playfully, gesturing toward the tree.  “I may have taken a page out of your book last year.”

“I guess this means next year it’s my turn again,” Harvey teased.

“I figured since we’d probably be stuck at home all day, it might be nice to spend the day decorating for the holidays,” May suggested.  “If you want to, that is.”

“I told you already, anything that involves spending the day with my girls sounds good to me,” Harvey replied.

“I just feel bad that your birthday will be a bit underwhelming this year, especially after last year was so wonderful” May said sadly.  “But there’s just not much we can do this year.  I couldn’t even go out and pick out a suitable birthday gift for you.  The best I could do was a tree to decorate and then I just had to order something online.”

“There’s a difference between underwhelming and uneventful,” Harvey clarified kindly.  “And an uneventful birthday sounds perfect.  Plus, I don’t need a gift.”

“You most certainly do.  And speaking of which…” May began, grinning at Harvey as she crossed the room.  Harvey sat down on the couch and watched as May pulled a small, beautifully wrapped package out of what appeared to be a box of cheese crackers in the pantry.

“What’s the best place to hide a gift from your lactose intolerant husband?” May giggled, brandishing the box in Harvey’s direction.  “The last place he would ever look; an empty box of cheese crackers.”

Harvey grinned as May joined him on the sofa, it was actually a rather clever tactic on her part.  Maybe he would have to start hiding her gifts in empty pickle jars.  As May held out the wrapped package to Harvey, his heart sank slightly at the idea that he would have to hand Daisy off to May in order to open his gift.  It felt silly, but he savored every moment she spent in his arms since he got to hold her so little throughout the day.  One quick swap later and Daisy was cradled comfortably in May’s arms while Harvey held the small, rectangular birthday gift.

“What do we have here,” Harvey muttered, turning the package over in his hands.

It was a neatly wrapped package in vibrant birthday themed wrapping paper with a large white envelope taped to the outside.  Harvey very delicately opened the envelope to find a fairly generic looking greeting card.  On the front cover was a bouquet of multicolored balloons with the words ‘Happy Birthday’ printed in large, swirly letters.  Once Harvey opened it, however, his jaw dropped and he felt his chest swell with emotion.  Inside the card was a hand-written message from May, but Harvey felt guilty that he didn’t immediately read it because his attention was drawn elsewhere.  At the bottom, May had signed her name and next to it was the tiniest handprint he’d ever seen.  Not even two inches tall, the hand that was stamped onto this card was no doubt Daisy’s.

“She’s too young to sign your card, so I had to improvise,” May added playfully.

“I love it,” Harvey remarked right away.  “My first birthday card signed by Daisy… I think I’ll hang it up at the clinic so I can see it everyday.”

“Well I promise you the card was the best part,” May said sadly.  “The gift itself is really underwhelming.”

“I’ll be the judge of that,” Harvey replied, already ripping off the paper.

Harvey gasped when he saw the cover of a DVD set titled ‘The History of Flight in the Ferngill Republic’.  It was a six part documentary that had aired on television the week before Daisy was born; certainly not a time in Harvey’s life where he had the time or attention to devote to a six-hour documentary.  Harvey had been disappointed to miss it, he had actually been very interested in watching it if he’d been able to, but it just wasn’t possible.  There were too many other things going on in his life and he assumed he’d have to catch it on television another time.  The fact that May even remembered his interest in the documentary at a time when she, too, was preoccupied was baffling enough.  For her to care enough to hunt down a way for him to watch it was even better.  But May was always exceptionally thoughtful and supportive of his niche interests.

“I know you don’t get a lot of downtime lately and there’s not a lot we can do with our free time,” May began nervously.  Her face was screwed up in a look of uncertainty, seemingly terrified that Harvey hated his gift.

“This is perfect,” Harvey replied sincerely.  “I don’t think you realize how much it means to me that you support my dumb hobby-”

“It’s not a dumb hobby,” May interjected.  Harvey’s face lit up immediately at her words.

“And the fact that you think so means the world to me,” Harvey went on happily.  “I know it doesn’t interest you, but you still care because it interests me .  Thank you, honey.”

“You’re welcome,” May replied sweetly.  “I want your days off at home to be as relaxing and enjoyable as possible.  There’s not a lot we can do with Daisy, but we can stay home on a day off and relax all together under a blanket and watch something on the TV.”

“Yoba, that actually sounds amazing,” Harvey sighed contentedly.

“Though I’ll leave it up to you; do you want to decorate the tree first or put on your documentary first?” May asked.

“We can do the tree,” Harvey answered.  “I know how much you love decorating for the holidays.  Though you should get to hang up the ornaments since you didn’t get to decorate the tree last year.  I still feel guilty about that.”

“Don’t feel guilty at all, sweetheart,” May reassured him.  “It was such a sweet surprise, it was so worth it.”

“Either way, I’d still like you to do most of the decorating… if you want to, that is,” Harvey replied seriously.

“You just want more time to hold Daisy while I’m busy decorating,” May giggled, already passing their daughter gently over to Harvey.  Harvey grinned in response.

“I suppose that’s part of it,” Harvey teased.  “You get to hold her all day, I feel like I barely get any time with her.”

“Well it is your birthday,” May reasoned.  “You two take it easy and spend some time together.  I’ll get some decorating done.”

“That sounds like the best birthday I can think of,” Harvey replied happily.

It was actually quite enjoyable to have a day free from the usual stress and anxiety that Harvey had felt lately.  He remained on the couch with Daisy in his arms, content to sit comfortably with her as he watched May decorate.  Occasionally she would ask for his opinion on where the tree needed more tinsel or which ornament placement looked best, but he was sure she was only asking him these things to make him feel included.  Despite Harvey’s eye for details through his work with model airplanes, May always had a much better eye for this sort of thing.  Harvey felt slightly guilty, but the majority of his attention was on Daisy, just watching her wiggle in his arms as he said anything and everything that came to his mind just so she could hear his voice.  Harvey didn’t care how many times people tried to say that infants were boring, he was absolutely captivated.

By the time May was finishing up the tree, Daisy was once again starting to fuss in his arms.  It had been awhile since she’d last eaten so it was relatively easy to assume that she was ready to eat again.  It was mildly amusing to look at the tree once May was finished, the majority of the decorations were on the bottom 75% of the tree, but the top 25% was quite a bit more scarce.  It was understandable given May’s height, there was only so much she could reach to decorate a nearly 8 foot tall tree, even if she stood on the tips of her toes.

“All that’s missing is the star,” May commented, crossing the room to Harvey as she held out their punched tin tree topper.  “I’m not tall enough to reach the top, so you can do the honors.”

“I suppose it works for us to swap places anyway, I think she’s ready to eat again,” Harvey remarked, handing Daisy back over to May.

“While you’re at it, maybe you can rearrange some of the ornaments to spread them out more evenly,” May chuckled.  “That top part of the tree looks so sad and bare.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” Harvey replied with a smile.

A swell of pride hit Harvey as he placed the star atop the family tree.  It was so tall, even he had to stand on the tips of his toes to reach properly but he just barely was able to make it.  So many holiday movies portrayed the placing of the star at the top of the tree with such importance.  Harvey had never fully understood that concept until now, being given the task of putting the final touch on his family’s Winter Star tree.  Through Harvey’s entire life, he’d never had a fondness for the holidays, that was a time of year for families to enjoy the season together and it wasn’t exactly a welcome time for a man with no family.  Now, however, Harvey was elated to celebrate the first of many holiday seasons with a family of his own.  Maybe it would always be his job to place the star at the top of the tree; the first of many traditions they would figure out as the years went by.

While May took care of feeding Daisy, Harvey placed some of the festive garlands along the walls, mostly the places that May couldn’t quite reach.  He wanted to save as much of the decorating as possible for May to make up for the year before when she didn’t get to decorate at all.  As he worked, May was just catching him up on the mundane aspects of her day to day life, taking full advantage of Daisy’s feeding time as an opportunity to vent and talk to another adult.  Harvey was happy to listen and hear all about it, though anyone eavesdropping would probably think their conversation dull and meaningless.  Nothing about May was dull or meaningless, he was happy to hear anything she had to say.  If anything, he was happy to give her the chance to just talk and know that someone other than an infant was listening.  Harvey knew from his research that being a brand new mother could be a lonely ordeal, for May especially while Harvey was in his busiest season at the clinic, but he was happy to make himself available to listen whenever possible.

“I’m sorry, I’ve talked your ear off, haven’t I?” May chuckled nervously as she finished feeding Daisy.

“Music to my ears,” Harvey replied kindly.

“It’s your birthday, you shouldn’t have to listen to my whining,” May went on.

“It’s not whining for my wife to catch me up on the day to day goings on around the house,” Harvey said simply.

“If you say so,” May sighed, sounding unconvinced.  “But if you just had to sit through all of that, you’ve at least earned a reward.  The decorating’s done, I’m all caught up on the dishes, we can put on your documentary while I make lunch.”

“I don’t know about you, but I’m still stuffed from breakfast,” Harvey commented.  “I think I’ll be fine until dinner.”

“Me too, actually,” May agreed.  “Maybe we’ll just get dinner a little earlier to make up for it.  Don’t get too excited, I just plan on ordering take-out from the saloon.”

“I was actually hoping for that,” Harvey remarked with a grin.  “It gives us more time together.”

“Perfect,” May replied.

“Speaking of more time together,” Harvey began hesitantly, “I wouldn’t say no to some company while I watch my documentary.  Only if you want to, that is.”

“I’d love to,” May replied kindly.  “It might not be my thing, but hey, maybe I’ll learn a thing or two.”

Right away May passed Daisy over to Harvey, knowing full well that he would want to soak up as much time as possible with his daughter while he could.  Not only that, but poor Harvey always had a heck of time figuring out how to operate the DVD player while May could make it happen so much quicker.  Within minutes, the opening credits had started and May was pulling a blanket from the linen closet to bring with her back to the couch.

“It’s freezing outside, might as well be cozy,” May remarked, cuddling up close to Harvey as she draped the blanket over the both of them.  

“The Ferngill Republic, the birthplace of modern flight,” the documentary began.

Though Harvey knew that the documentary really couldn’t be of much interest to May, it was still endearing to see her curl up under his arm and stare at the screen intently, paying close attention.  This attention did not last long, however, though Harvey couldn’t blame her.  Within 30 minutes Harvey glanced down at May and smiled in amusement to see that she was fast asleep against him.  Her day had started so early in the morning and she had done so much work to give Harvey a special birthday, it was no surprise that she was running on empty and needed to rest.  It actually made Harvey quite happy to see that she would be able to get the sleep she needed today.  In his other arm, Daisy had also fallen asleep, though that was far less surprising as she usually fell asleep right after eating.  Harvey sighed contentedly, looking back and forth between his infant daughter curled up in his left arm and his wife cuddled underneath his right arm, both asleep while his documentary played on the television in front of them.  It certainly was not the most exciting or glamorous birthday he could dream of, far from it; it was better.  Spending the day in a cozy home with a loving wife and beautiful daughter was better than anything he could have ever dreamed of.

Chapter Text

Winter 28, Year 1

New Year’s Eve used to be one of May’s favorite holidays.  When she had been dating Chad, it was tradition to meet up at a friend’s house to celebrate with good food, good champagne, and good company.  The celebration would last for hours, leading up to watching the ball drop on television to count down to the next year.  At midnight, glasses of champagne would be raised in a toast and the couples in the room would kiss to ring in the new year.  It was a fun, exciting tradition for May and one that she always looked forward to every year.

The first New Year’s Eve after her breakup with Chad had passed by completely unnoticed.  In fact, May hadn’t even realized that the holiday had come and gone until days later.  On the night of New Year’s Eve, May had been unpacking her belongings in her new home in Pelican Town, stressing and worrying about the following day when she would begin her first full day of work on Runaway Farm.  During such a stressful time in her life, it was reasonable that the holiday had come and gone without her notice.

One year later, things were different… very different.  May had been living at the farmhouse on Runaway Farm for exactly one year and yet her situation couldn’t have been any further from where it was when she moved in.  The once small, dilapidated farmhouse was shown some tender loving care and had even been expanded since May had moved in.  Yet a kitchen and proper bedroom were not the only additions to the farmhouse.  In that year, May had met and married Harvey, and as if that wasn’t moving fast enough, she was newly pregnant with her first child all in the span of one year.  It was incredibly fast for the both of them and yet it felt right.

On the evening of New Year’s Eve, Harvey had prepared a special dinner for May; angel hair pasta primavera with clams.  It was a wonderful gesture and one that Harvey had put a lot of work into just for May.  With a busy day ahead of her tomorrow for the first day of spring, it was a relief to have such a nice meal the night before.  When the meal concluded, Harvey and May laid on the couch together, enjoying the last few moments of relaxation before facing a full workload the following day.  It hadn’t been until now that May realized she would miss yet another New Year’s Eve.  With how early she had to wake up the following morning and with how tired she had been lately from her pregnancy, there was no way she could justify staying up until midnight.

As it got closer to 9:00, the time that May would need to start getting ready for bed, she kept noticing that Harvey was glancing at the clock on the wall.  At around 8:50, Harvey sat up straight and gently shifted past May to rise from the sofa.

“Getting ready for bed early tonight?” May asked.

“Not quite,” Harvey replied, crossing the living room into the kitchen.

Harvey seemed intent on keeping his back toward May to shield what he was doing, but she could see him rifling around in a cupboard, pull out a few items, and then retreat to the refrigerator.  When Harvey surfaced from the fridge, May could see that he was holding two champagne glasses and a glass bottle of what appeared to be champagne.

“Happy New Year, honey,” Harvey said sweetly, returning to the sofa to sit back down next to May.

“Sweetheart, I-” May began, staring at the glass bottle.  Before she could finish, Harvey interrupted.

“It’s sparkling cider,” Harvey explained with a smile.  “I know you can’t have champagne, but that doesn’t mean we can’t try to celebrate New Year’s Eve right.”

“There’s no way I can make it until midnight,” May went on, shaking her head.  “We have to get up so early tomorrow morning and I’m already exhausted these days.”

“I can fix that as well,” Harvey replied, smirking as he rose from the couch once more.  He was so tall that he was able to reach the wall clock with ease.  After only a few seconds of fiddling with the clock, it was now set to just minutes before midnight.

“You’ve thought of everything, haven’t you?” May chuckled in amusement.

“I just want to give you the holiday you deserve,” Harvey replied.  Already he was pouring them both glasses of sparkling cider.  “I know we can’t do a proper New Year’s Eve with champagne and big parties and counting down until midnight, but… this is the best we can do this year.”

“And it’s perfect,” May added, grabbing the stem of her champagne glass.

May and Harvey clinked their glasses together and drank from their sparkling cider as they watched the clock.  Of course there was plenty missing from May’s usual New Year’s Eve celebrations, but this one had so much more than she could ever ask for; it had Harvey.  With Harvey at her side, she could forego any other tradition.

As the clock neared “midnight”, Harvey took May’s hand in his own and together they watched the clock intensely.  It was strangely exciting to count down with the clock, even though May knew they were only counting down to 9:00pm.  It felt like a real countdown to New Year’s.  By the time there was only 10 seconds left, Harvey gripped May’s hand tighter and he looked just as exhilarated as she felt.

“10, 9, 8,” they counted in unison.  The clock ticked down, with May and Harvey counting down with it, until the clock hit midnight.

“Happy New Year!” Harvey bellowed excitedly.

May haphazardly set her champagne glass onto the side table, hardly caring that she sloshed a small amount of liquid onto the floor.  That didn’t matter.  What mattered now was a part of the New Year’s Eve tradition that she was most eager to share with Harvey; the kiss at midnight.  May leaned in and planted her lips eagerly against Harvey’s, catching him by surprise.  Perhaps he’d never had anyone to kiss at midnight, he seemed completely taken aback by May’s advance though he certainly didn’t seem opposed to it.  Harvey’s lips melted into May’s and he returned her kiss with equal enthusiasm.  When their lips separated, May looked up at Harvey and smiled as she noticed a goofy, lovestruck grin on his face.

“Happy New Year,” May finally replied.

“I just hope this will do,” Harvey said uncertainly.  “You deserve a much better celebration next year.”

“Next year?” May questioned, raising an eyebrow at Harvey.  “The only reason we’ll be awake at midnight next year is if we’re up with the baby.”

May chuckled as Harvey’s eyes grew wide, he seemed to regularly forget that in less than one year, they would have an additional member of the family.  It was as though his mind only focused on the fact that she was pregnant, not the fact that this meant they would have a baby in their lives.  Harvey leaned back against the sofa, running his fingers through his hair as he laughed nervously.

“Another year of sparkling cider and changing the clocks it is,” Harvey replied shakily.  “It’ll probably be quite some time before we’re in any position to stay up until midnight.”

“Then I think we just came up with a New Year’s tradition,” May giggled.

Chapter Text

Valentine’s Day with Harvey was rarely a major event, but that never bothered May.  Injuries never took a day off for a holiday and if anything, there was a slight influx of emergency clinic visits that day.  One year Harvey was delayed by a sliced finger from a kitchen accident involving someone attempting to cook an extravagant meal for their sweetheart.  Another year it was a burn from a candle that had been knocked over by an over-eager couple.  This year May wasn’t quite sure what was holding Harvey up, but she could be patient.  After four years of marriage, she was accustomed to life as a doctor’s spouse.  Valentine’s Day didn’t change that.

It was nearly 7:30 by the time May heard the door handle turn.  The timing was perfect, at least Harvey would get to see Daisy just minutes before her bedtime.  The moment Harvey entered the farmhouse, Daisy ran across the room as fast as her footed pajamas would allow and Harvey immediately knelt down to be at her level.

“Daddy!” Daisy called out excitedly, nearly tackling Harvey to the ground as she threw her entire body at him in a warm hug.

“I missed you today, sweet girl,” Harvey replied affectionately.

“I miss you too, Daddy,” Daisy replied sweetly, squeezing Harvey around the neck as tightly as her tiny arms could.

Harvey wrapped one arm around Daisy to return her hug, but grasped in his other hand May noticed an assortment of flowers.  Once Harvey released Daisy from his embrace, he stood up and greeted May with a light peck on the cheek.

“Sorry I’m late… again,” Harvey sighed, shrugging apologetically.  “Happy Valentine’s Day.”

“Happy Valentine’s Day to you too, sweetheart,” May replied affectionately.  “You didn’t have to get me anything, we don’t really do Valentine’s Day.”

“I’ve had to miss quite a few of them over the years, at least this one I’m home before midnight,” Harvey said sadly.  “I had to at least do something .”

Harvey’s disappointed expression melted into a warm, loving smile as he presented May with a large bouquet of fairy roses.  May hadn’t noticed until now that the assortment of flowers that Harvey was holding was actually two separate bouquets; the fairy roses that he had just given her and a smaller bouquet of daisies.

“Ooh, I get two bouquets?” May asked excitedly, reaching out for the second, smaller bouquet.

“Uh-uh,” Harvey replied playfully, pulling the flowers back before May could grab them.  “I’ve got two lovely ladies in my life, don’t I?”

May’s heart melted as Harvey knelt down on the ground once more and smiled at Daisy who was already giggling in anticipation.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, my sweet girl,” Harvey said, presenting Daisy with the bouquet.  “Some daisies for my Daisy.”

“Thank you, Daddy!” Daisy squealed, hopping up and down in her excitement.  She had never before received a bouquet of flowers and seemed delighted to be given her very first one.

“Mama tells me that Miss Penny helped you paint flower vases today, is that right?” Harvey asked, his tone becoming bright and excitable as it often did when he was speaking to Daisy.

“Yeah!” Daisy called out, her jaw dropping overdramatically as she put two and two together.  “I go get it!”

Daisy raced across the room once more, her newly received flowers already losing a few petals from the speed at which she was running.  Harvey stood up straight once more and turned to May who was smiling so widely that her cheeks were aching.

“That was so sweet of you,” May remarked, her tone full of love and adoration for her husband.

“I have to spoil both of my girls on Valentine’s Day,” Harvey answered with a grin.

“Then it’s a good thing your girls have their own plans to spoil you in return,” May replied playfully.

Harvey raised a questioning eyebrow, but May simply turned away and approached the pile of mail that was sitting on the end table.  Underneath the junk mail and bills was a dark red envelope.  May retrieved the envelope and approached Harvey who was staring at it curiously.

“It’s not much so don’t get excited,” May cautioned him.  “But much like you, I had to do something .”

“You didn’t have to,” Harvey replied bashfully, his cheeks flushing pink as he ripped open the envelope.  It was amusing that even after four years of marriage, Harvey still managed to get flustered whenever May did something sweet for him.

Harvey withdrew a Valentine themed greeting card, on the cover of which was a big red heart displaying the words ‘Happy Valentine’s Day’.  A rather generic card, but Pierre didn’t exactly carry a very broad selection of festive cards.  On the inside of the card was a short but sweet sentiment that May had hand-written but on the opposite side were two kiss marks in red lipstick; one large and one small.  The smaller one was more of a blob, were it not for the second kiss mark for reference it wouldn’t have been recognizable as a kiss at all.  It had become a bit of a tradition since the very first birthday Harvey celebrated after Daisy was born for May to present him with a greeting card ‘signed’ by herself and Daisy.  Oftentimes it was a handprint, sometimes she’d let Daisy go wild with a marker, but this year for Valentine’s Day it was lipstick kisses.  Harvey’s jaw went slack and May could see his eyes light up as he surveyed the two kisses from his wife and daughter.

“Try getting a three year old to stay still long enough to put on lipstick, that was my challenge for the day,” May chuckled.  “And the resulting mess afterwards was its own challenge.  I hope it was at least worth it.”

“Most definitely,” Harvey replied eagerly.  “It’ll have to hang up among my collection of cards in the clinic.”

May smiled thinking about the collection of greeting cards Harvey had amassed, his favorites of which hung on the wall behind the clinic counter next to the clinic’s certification and Harvey’s medical degree.  ‘Only the most important documents’ Harvey had teased.

Daisy returned in moments with a small flower vase, splotched all over with red, pink, and white paint.  The paint had mixed in most places making it primarily pink, but there were still a few spots of red and white visible amidst the sea of pink.  Harvey gasped as though he had just laid eyes upon the world’s most priceless artwork.  In his eyes, he had.

“Daisy, this is beautiful!” Harvey commented, taking the vase from Daisy and turning it over in his hands to survey every inch of it.

Daisy beamed with pride and appeared giddy by Harvey’s impressed reaction.  She handed the bouquet of flowers off to Harvey who headed straight for the kitchen to get the flowers into water.

“Vo ilà!” Harvey called out, gesturing with a flourish to the flowers in their decorated vase.  Daisy clapped her hands as she grinned from ear to ear.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, sweet girl,” Harvey said, leaning over to scoop Daisy up into his arms.

“Happy Balentime’s Day, Daddy,” Daisy replied sweetly, nuzzling her face close to Harvey’s.

May approached her husband and daughter, wrapping her arms around the both of them in a tight family hug.

“Happy Balentime’s Day,” May repeated with a giggle.

Chapter Text

Harvey had always considered himself a patient man.  The nature of his job demanded it, though even then he never found it difficult.  He could sit through countless stories from Evelyn who usually managed to turn a thirty minute appointment into a two hour appointment with anecdotes and stories, all of which Harvey listened to with great interest.  Any time a patient had a huge list of questions or concerns, Harvey never once cringed or hurried them along.  He was always happy to take his time and answer any questions his patients had, regardless of how tedious or mundane they were.  It was his job to be helpful, kind, and above all, patient.  Harvey had always assumed that if the day ever arrived that he became a father, the same patience he had as a doctor would carry over to his patience as a father.  For the most part he was right, Harvey was a patient and understanding father in most respects, but there was one very specific area where he wildly overestimated his patience; his hobby.

It was surprisingly excruciating to watch Daisy hold a bottle of glue upside down and squeeze hard, allowing a stream of glue to pour onto a model piece nearly covering it.  The tools that Harvey had so delicately and precisely laid out were scattered across the table and the tiny pieces of the model airplane they were working on had been splayed across the table with a few even falling to the ground.  It was chaos and any time Harvey tried to maintain order, he found his patience waning.  It was an odd sensation to feel so overwhelmed, frustrated, and impatient; it was very new to Harvey who otherwise was so calm and collected.

“What’s next, Daddy?” Daisy asked, wiping a glue-covered hand directly onto her shirt which only picked up lint and t-shirt fibers.  Harvey cringed seeing his daughter’s gooey, stick hands covered in pink fibers that he knew would later end up on the plane.

“Well, let’s take a look at the instructions,” Harvey suggested, flipping the page in the lengthy instruction manual for the next step in the process.  He showed the picture to Daisy and pointed at their next instruction.  "We’re looking for this little piece here, it’s called the propeller.  This is the part of the plane that spins around to, well, propel the plane forward, hence the name.  Can you find this piece?“

Harvey already had eyes on the piece, he usually tried to think many steps ahead and have his next few pieces lined up so that he could work more swiftly and efficiently.  Working with Daisy, however, he wanted her to do the bulk of the work.  As a result, it was almost excruciating to watch his young daughter scan the table, humming loudly as she looked for the right piece.  Even when she was staring right at it, her hand no more than six inches away from it, she still couldn’t seem to locate it.  The urge to point it out and hand it to her was overwhelming.  It took every ounce of self control Harvey had to stay silent and watch in mental anguish as Daisy looked and looked and looked some more before finally finding it only by brushing her hand against the piece and accidentally knocking it to the floor.

The remainder of the kit went by in much the same manner; pieces were broken and glued back together, other pieces were attached upside down or crooked, some pieces had gone missing entirely leaving a few empty panels in their plane.  By the time it was over, Harvey felt guilty to admit, he was a bit relieved.  This was the biggest test of his patience he’d ever had.  And yet when he and Daisy stood back to survey their work, any frustration he may have felt melted away instantly at the look of joy and pride on Daisy’s face.

"We did it, Daddy!” Daisy squealed, jumping up and down in glee as she looked at their finished product.

It was a bit lopsided and gobs of glue that would take hours to dry were coating most of the outside, but somehow they had made it mostly resemble a plane.  The hours of tedious work suddenly didn’t seem so bad as Harvey looked at the project that he and his daughter had made together.  Yes, it had stretched his patience further than it had ever been stretched before, but the end result and the look of joy on Daisy’s face made it all worth it.  This was a plane he would be proud to display in the center of his shelf.

Chapter Text

Summer 6, Year 1

It was the first weekend of summer and Harvey was headed off to the city for an annual medical convention at the Zuzu City Convention Center.  Harvey didn’t often leave Pelican Town, he was never the type to go on vacation or take a break from his duties at the clinic, but this was the one exception.  Every year he made accommodations to have a stand-in physician oversee the clinic in his absence so that he could attend the 4-day convention and this year was no different.  It was important to Harvey to stay up-to-date with medical information, especially with how isolated he was from the city.  Harvey never wanted his medical knowledge to slip or to become disconnected from the medical community in Zuzu City.  With how far away Pelican Town was to a hospital or to medical specialists, it was important for Harvey to receive as much training and information as possible.  It was also important for Harvey to maintain his contacts in Zuzu City for questions, referrals, or a second opinion.  Harvey was never usually social, but the annual medical convention made him much more comfortable than he ordinarily would have been in a large crowd.  He was always in his element whenever he was working and a convention hall filled with hundreds of doctors was not quite as intimidating as the 30 or so villagers he interacted with back in Pelican Town.

To kick off the start of the convention, the morning of the first day was always a brunch buffet for the participants to socialize, catch up with old colleagues, or to get comfortable with the convention hall before beginning their seminars.  Harvey always had mixed feelings about the brunch buffet.  On the one hand, it was the most time he had to socialize with his old friends and colleagues, however it was also a harsh reminder of how alone and miserable he was compared to his friends.  It was wonderful to see his old med school friends and to catch up in a more social capacity before the actual conference began, but hearing how successful and rewarding their lives were compared to his own was always difficult to endure.  By now, all of his friends were happily married and had started families of their own.  Harvey was the last one in his group of friends to not have anybody and it didn’t seem likely that he ever would.  Certainly not at his age.

Of course Maru continued to insist that Farmer May had a crush on him, but Harvey found that incredibly unlikely.  Women like May were just too far out of his league and the sooner he accepted that, the better.  May had been on Harvey’s mind non-stop over the last few days and it was driving him mad with how much he tried to stop thinking about her.  He hoped that this convention would prove to be a decent distraction to get him focused on his work once more.

When Harvey arrived at the convention center, he was not surprised to see a sea of white coats all filing into the building.  Even Harvey had dug his white doctor’s coat from his closet to wear for the event.  In previous years when he had forgone wearing the standard attire, he received far too many stares and raised eyebrows than he was comfortable with and elected to wear the coat like everyone else.  He followed the trail of white-coats into the building and headed straight for the back of the room, the usual spot where he and his former colleagues would meet.  Sure enough, from a distance he was able to spot the table where his friends sat; Dr. Susan Bruno, Dr. Alvin Tripp, and Dr. Jeffrey Mulligan.

“Harvey!  Good to see you again, buddy!” Alvin greeted Harvey as he approached the table.

“Good morning,” Harvey said pleasantly, addressing the group as he took his seat at the table.

“How’s Leila?” Harvey asked conversationally, turning to Alvin.  “I remember hearing that you two were having another baby, but I couldn’t quite remember when she was due.”

“Little Olivia was born just a few weeks ago,” Alvin said proudly.  Right away he reached for his phone with a large grin, no doubt to search for baby pictures.

“Wow, congratulations,” Harvey said sincerely.  “That’s what, now, baby number four?”

“Baby number four,” Alvin repeated with a chuckle as he stared at his phone, looking for just the right picture.  “There’s our four girls, aren’t they somethin’?”

Alvin held his phone out for Harvey to see and his heart skipped a beat at the sight of the beautiful family in front of him; a sweet, candid photograph of Alvin and his wife, sitting at home on their sofa with their newborn and three other daughters.  Curled up in the lap of one of his daughters was a ginger cat.  It was a sight that nearly brought Harvey to tears, if he was being perfectly honest.  It was everything he ever saw in his mind when he closed his eyes and tried to picture what kind of life he wanted.  Maybe not four daughters and certainly not a cat, but the idea of a sweet, happy family together with their beloved pet in a home filled with warmth and love… it was everything Harvey ever wanted.

“You have a beautiful family,” Harvey said kindly as he looked at the picture.  He tried his best to mask any disappointment or sorrow, but he wasn’t sure how convincing he was.  While Alvin stowed his phone back in his pocket, Harvey noticed Jeff grinning from ear to ear.  He was shifting nervously back and forth in his seat as though waiting for the right moment to speak up.  Once Alvin stowed his phone away, Jeff took his opportunity to speak up.

“Well now that everyone’s here, I’ve got a bit of news to share,” Jeff cut in, still sporting a big, goofy grin.  “Paula and I actually just found out that we’re expecting our third!”

“Congratulations!” Susan squealed excitedly.

“That’s excellent news,” Alvin cheered, reaching over Harvey to clap Jeff on the back.

“Congrats!” Harvey said awkwardly, once again trying to mask his jealousy and display a pleasant, supportive front.

“This is all pretty new, we only found out a few days ago,” Jeff went on happily.  “We’re still waiting on the hCG results.”

“Oh wow, so this is really early then,” Susan commented.  “Who’s your OB?”

“Dr. Farr,” Jeff answered right away as though the answer were obvious.

Susan and Alvin both nodded knowingly as though they were very much in agreement.  Harvey was sure there was something he was missing and couldn’t help but feel a bit out of the loop.  They all seemed to know all of the doctors in the city and who was the best; cardiologist, oncologist, obstetrician, you name it and these three all knew exactly who to see.  Harvey, meanwhile, only had a limited number of contacts and very little knowledge on who was the best, or even worst, doctor to refer patients to for referrals in the city.  Already he was feeling a disconnect between himself and his friends but their spouses and families were only half of it.

Harvey couldn’t help but space out slightly as Susan and Alvin continued their conversation with Jeff about his wife’s pregnancy and about their past experiences with pregnancy and birth.  It was a subject so far removed from anything Harvey could contribute to that he didn’t feel guilty sitting this one out.  There was nothing he could say on the subject that wouldn’t be awkward or uncomfortable for everyone else.  By the time their conversation died down, Harvey noticed Susan’s attention turn toward him and he knew that his turn was next.

“So, how’s life out in the valley, Harvey?” Susan asked conversationally.

“Same as last year,” Harvey answered with a dark chuckle.  “Nothing exciting ever happens so I’m afraid I don’t have many exciting workplace stories to share like I’m sure you all have.”

The three other doctors shifted uncomfortably in place, Harvey wasn’t sure if the awkward expressions on their faces were out of pity or annoyance.  Given the situation, Harvey had to assume it was pity.

“I’m sure practicing medicine out in the valley poses some interesting challenges,” Alvin said optimistically.

“You don’t have to try and glamorize my work, Al, it’s alright,” Harvey said kindly.  “I know it’s a lot slower at my clinic, but it really is rewarding work.”

“I’m sure it is,” Susan said genuinely.  “Y’know, there are days I get home after a long shift and I can’t even remember the name of a single patient.  You just see too many over the course of a day, it’s impossible to keep your head on straight.  It must be nice to actually get to know your patients on a more personal level.  I bet it makes the whole process so much easier when you’re practically friends with them.”

Harvey just chuckled awkwardly in response.  He couldn’t bring himself to admit that the only real ‘friend’ he had in town was his assistant in the clinic and that the villagers in town still only thought of him as just their doctor and nothing more.  It was embarrassing to have to admit that in a town of 30 people, he still couldn’t manage to get on a first-name basis with any of his patients.

“So, besides the clinic, how else is life in the valley?” Jeff asked, raising an eyebrow.  Harvey knew exactly what Jeff was getting at before he had even finished speaking.  “Any lucky ladies in your sights these days?”

“Not at the moment, no,” Harvey replied simply.  Jeff’s raised eyebrow fell and he looked almost disappointed.  Harvey wasn’t sure why, it was the same answer every year.

And yet Harvey stopped and thought for a moment.  There actually was a girl he had set his sights on, but he wasn’t sure if he should even mention her.  Despite Maru’s insistence that May was harboring a crush on him, Harvey couldn’t will himself to believe that it was true.  And yet as he thought about her, he couldn’t stop the small smile that curled up in the corner of his lips.  Clearly the others had noticed this faint smile as well, they all smirked at Harvey and looked very interested all of a sudden.

“You’re a terrible liar, Harv, I see that grin you’ve got going on there,” Jeff teased.  “Your mustache betrayed you, it curved up the minute you stopped talking.”

“Well… there is this one girl,” Harvey finally admitted, his hand darting upward as he awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck.

“Ah, yes… ‘this one girl’,” Alvin said fondly.  “I remember when Leila was ‘this one girl’.  They all start off as ‘this one girl’ in the beginning, don’t they.”

“No, it’s nothing like that,” Harvey said dismissively.  “It’s certainly not going to go anywhere.”

“That’s what you think,” Alvin teased.

“No, no, I mean it, it’s not like that,” Harvey assured him, waving his hands dismissively.  “Just a new girl that moved to town.”

“Ooh, a new girl, even better,” Susan piped in.  “Maybe she’s looking for a fresh start, why else do people move out to the valley.”

“It’s not like that,” Harvey reiterated.  “We’re just friends.”

“Ah, so you’re friends with this girl,” Jeff chuckled, wiggling his eyebrows annoyingly.  “Even better.”

“It’s not going anywhere,” Harvey repeated seriously.

“And what makes you say that?” Alvin asked curiously.

“She’s way out of my league, first of all,” Harvey commented darkly.

“Harv, you’re a doctor… there’s no such thing as ‘out of your league’,” Jeff said smugly.

“There is with her,” Harvey said with a dreamy sigh.  “She’s beautiful, she’s funny, she’s smart, she’s kind, she’s… she’s perfect.”

“Wow, Harv, you’ve got it bad ,” Susan remarked in amusement.  “I’ve never seen you this head over heels for a girl, not even for Gwen.”

Harvey was so focused on May that even the sudden mention of his ex couldn’t bring him down.  All his mind could focus on at the moment was May and how even thinking about her made everything seem okay.  How was it possible for the very thought of this woman to suddenly make Harvey feel calm and comforted.  It was her smile that stuck out the most in Harvey’s mind; that sweet, kind, beautiful smile.

“Are you gonna do anything about it?” Jeff asked curiously.  “Are you gonna ask her out?”

“Yoba, no,” Harvey answered immediately.  The calm, tranquil feeling he had felt from thinking about May vanished instantly.  Just the thought of asking her on a date was far too anxiety-inducing.

“Any particular reason why?” Jeff went on, tilting his head at Harvey in what seemed to be disappointment.  “It sounds like you’re crazy about her.”

“There’s no way she’d say yes,” Harvey answered honestly.  “I’d rather we remain friends than risk asking her on a date and losing her completely.”

“Harvey, you’ll never know if she likes you or not if you don’t try,” Susan pointed out.  “If she’s a good enough friend, you won’t lose her just by asking and if she doesn’t give you the time of day, then maybe she wasn’t all that great to begin with.”

“At least give it a try, Harv,” Alvin added.  “You’ll always wonder what could have been if you don’t speak up.  I spent weeks torturing myself over Leila before I asked her on a date, I know what you’re going through.  Look at us now, we’ve been married for eight years and have four beautiful daughters together.  None of that would have happened if I didn’t take the leap and just ask her.”

Suddenly in his mind, Harvey saw the picture that Alvin had shown him earlier, the picture of his beautiful, perfect family.  He thought back many years earlier to a conversation remarkably similar to the one they were currently having.  Harvey, Alvin, Jeff, and Susan had met up at a bar after a rough night during medical school and Alvin was in a particularly dour mood.  He had been stewing about ‘this one girl’ for quite some time now and Harvey, Jeff, and Susan had all tried giving him a similar pep talk to the one Harvey was receiving now.  Harvey recalled how hopelessly infatuated Alvin had been and he recalled wondering why Alvin was being so foolish about this whole thing.  Why couldn’t he just ask her?  What did he have to lose?  Why was he acting like this was such an insurmountable task?  All at once, Harvey understood why it was so difficult for Alvin way back then.  And yet now, Harvey had the proof right in front of him that sometimes, ‘this one girl’ could become something special.  The image that Harvey saw in his mind of Alvin’s family picture no longer filled him with dread or regret, it filled him with hope.  If Leila could start off as ‘this one girl’ to Alvin then maybe, just maybe, May could be the same for Harvey.

Chapter Text

It had started off as a calm, quiet morning. Harvey woke up and got ready for work as usual, kissing his wife goodbye before he left for the clinic. On the trip to work his thoughts traveled to the night before, his first ever book club meeting with Maru, Demetrius, Elliott, and Penny. It had only been an introductory meeting but even then, it felt nice for Harvey to be included in a small, peaceful group such as this. A book club seemed the perfect way for Harvey to dip his toes into socializing after years of distancing himself from the community. Social anxiety and a desire to maintain a level of professionalism with his patients did not make it easy to make friends.

During that first meeting, the book club had started a group text to be able to communicate with each other for scheduling purposes. It made perfect sense, rather than having one person trying to call everyone to coordinate and end up having to go back and forth multiple times, it seemed much easier to form a group chat to communicate plans. When Harvey arrived at the clinic early that morning, he had barely gotten settled at his desk when he heard the first of what would be many text notification sounds.

*ping*

The first text wasn’t all that unexpected, May would text him a few times throughout the day to check up on him, even more now that they were newly married. Fully expecting to find a text from his new wife, Harvey checked his phone and was surprised to see a text from Penny in the group chat.

Penny:
Thanks again for coming to the first book club meeting last night! It was so much fun!!!

Harvey smiled when he read the text, it was sweet for Penny to offer her thanks, she had been the one to arrange the book club to begin with and it was safe to say it was a success. Harvey set his phone down and turned to approach the coffee maker to begin brewing his morning coffee. He hadn’t even made it three steps from his phone when the notification sound went off again.

*ping*

Harvey turned on his heels and went right back to his phone, maybe Penny had an addendum to her message. Instead, this message was from Elliott.

Elliott:
Many thanks to you, Penny, for arranging this meetup as well as to the Bennetts for playing host to the first meeting.

Yes, Penny did deserve thanks in return, as did Demetrius for opening up his home to the group. It was nice to see everyone properly thanked. Harvey set his phone down once more but this time, the notification sounded before he had even turned away. Then another. And another. He froze for a moment, wondering if he needed to stand here and read each message as it came in. At this point, he had coffee to make and a clinic to run. The messages could wait. The entire time Harvey spent warming up the coffee maker and starting his usual opening routines around the clinic, he could hear the text notification continue to chime. When his coffee was made and he finally sat down at his desk, he winced as he opened up his phone to catch up on the missed messages.

Demetrius:
Happy to have you all!

Maru:
Yeah, the meeting went great! That was fun!

Penny:
I agree, I’ve been wanting to do this for ages.

Elliott:
Nice to finally read books for a change to give myself a break from writing them.

Demetrius:
When you’re published we’ll have to make your book the next selection for the book club. 😉

Maru:
Pretty sure he’ll be sick of it by then

Elliott:
I would welcome all of your thoughts, opinions, and feedback on my novel if it ever gets published.

Penny:
WHEN it gets published!! ^.^

Elliott:
Your optimism is admirable.

Maru:
Just promise not to abandon us when you become a big shot published author

Elliott:
Not to change the subject but which chapters are we supposed to read this week?

Maru:
I love how Elliott says ‘not to change the subject’ and then changes the subject XD Deflect much?

Penny:
Aw, Elliott’s being shy. That’s sweet.

Demetrius:
I think it’s one chapter per day, 7 for the week.

Elliott:
Thank you, Demetrius.

Maru:
Saved by my dad. Don’t think I’ll stop calling you a big shit writer
*SHOT
I mean big shot! 😫
Okay, I’ll shut up now

It was an unexpected conversation to come back to. Other than Elliott asking which chapters to read, which he only seemed to ask to deflect attention away from himself, there was no talk of planning or scheduling at all. Harvey was sure the intention of the text chat was to plan logistics for future book club meetings but none of that seemed to be taking place. It was odd. When the conversation seemed to have died down, Harvey set his phone back down to enjoy his coffee and resume his morning tasks.

For the next hour, Harvey didn’t hear anymore notifications and assumed that the brief conversation that took place was over. He didn’t anticipate another message until maybe a day or two before the next book club meeting to confirm the time and location. He’d already talked to May about hosting the next meeting at the farm and would notify everyone a few days ahead. By the time Maru arrived at 9:30, all thoughts of the book club had left his mind.

“Good morning, Maru,” Harvey greeted her cheerfully when she walked through the door.

“Where have you been all morning?” Maru asked curiously.

“Here at the clinic,” Harvey answered, slightly confused. “Where else would I be?”

“I mean in the chat,” Maru clarified. “You haven’t said a single word!”

“Was I… was I supposed to?” Harvey asked nervously. “No one asked me anything, did they? Have I been missing messages?” Harvey panicked for a moment, thinking somehow his notification sound had turned off. It was a fairly new phone, his first ever smartphone, and he still wasn’t entirely sure how to use it. It was very possible he had silenced it by accident.

“Calm down, not everything’s about you,” Maru giggled. “No one asked for you, but… I dunno, everyone else was participating, I thought you’d at least have something to say.”

“I just didn’t really have anything important to say,” Harvey reasoned.

“You don’t have to have something important to say to say something,” Maru explained. “Look at me, I razzed Elliott for a bit, I don’t think that would count as important. Even made a giant ass of myself with a typo, that definitely doesn’t count as important. It’s just chill.”

“Oh… just chill,” Harvey repeated quietly. Even saying the word ‘chill’ aloud felt so out of character for him, it felt foreign coming out of his mouth. Maru simply shrugged and started to remove her winter hat and coat while Harvey busied himself with some paperwork.

Social interaction was not exactly Harvey’s strong suit. For so many years he kept his head down and lived his day to day life primarily on his own. His friendship with Maru was really the only meaningful relationship he’d had until May came along. Until recently, hardly anyone in town ever spoke to him outside of the clinic and when they did, it was still usually in a medical capacity. Of course he attracted quite a bit of attention once he started dating, and then married, May. That was a different kind of attention, though. Primarily it was well wishers offering congratulations or the gossip brigade hoping for a bit of information about his relationship. It wasn’t until Demetrius had invited him to the book club that he really felt someone had reached out to him as a friend, not as the latest topic for town gossip or a walking medical textbook. It was odd to be in a position at almost 37 years old to be making new friends, but here he was. Socializing in general was a bit foreign to him and especially now in the age of smartphones and texts, it was even more complicated. Texting alone seemed to have its own social convention and slang that he was wildly ignorant about. It was easier for Harvey to just read the texts and feel like a part of the group rather than actually participate.

*ping*

The next notification arrived in the middle of Harvey’s first appointment of the day with Evelyn Mullner. He had just started taking her temperature when it sounded. It went ignored, whatever the message said could wait until he was finished with his patient. Then, three more notifications were heard in quick succession.

*ping* *ping* *ping*

“Oh these phones, sometimes I think we were better off without them,” Evelyn commented.

“I completely apologize if this is distracting,” Harvey remarked, feeling guilty that it had even happened at all.

“Not at all,” Evelyn replied, smiling and shaking her head. “It’s just a very different time from when I was growing up. You couldn’t get in touch with people the way you can now. It’s mostly a good thing, I suppose, but sometimes it can be too much.”

“I agree,” Harvey nodded, focused on his work while he conversed with Evelyn. He began wrapping a blood pressure cuff around her arm to take her blood pressure.

“Alex is on his phone all the time,” Evelyn commented. “I mean all the time, I rarely see his face anymore. I just don’t understand what’s so fascinating about these smartphones.”

“You and me both,” Harvey chuckled. “I just got mine very recently and only because May insisted I needed one. Can’t say I’ve done anything with it that I couldn’t do on my old flip phone.”

“Oh, even a flip phone is a bit much for me,” Evelyn laughed.

*ping* *ping*

Harvey felt mortified by the sudden stream of messages.

“I’m so sorry, I really need to learn how to silence this thing,” Harvey muttered apologetically. “This is so unprofessional, I’m very sorry for the interruption.”

“Oh, don’t you worry about it,” Evelyn reassured him. “You’re a newlywed, it’s understandable. It’s May’s slow season, I’m sure she just misses having you around to talk to. You don’t have to apologize for your wife wanting to talk to you.”

Harvey didn’t say a word, he wasn’t about to break it to Evelyn that it was actually a group text that was causing the notifications, not any communication from May. If anything, Harvey would welcome getting a message from his wife right about now. Very quickly Harvey stuffed his phone into a drawer to muffle the sound and resumed his work taking Evelyn’s vitals. By the time he had finished, the notification sound had gone off a few more times. Luckily, Evelyn still didn’t seem bothered by it. As soon as her appointment was over and she left the exam room, Harvey threw open the drawer to retrieve his phone and see what was so important that everyone had to message about it.

Penny:
Was hoping to find a quiet place outside to read but it’s WAY too cold! 🥶

Maru:
Seriously, don’t catch a cold, we don’t want to see you end up in the clinic
At least not for being sick 😉
Of course you could always stop by to say hello

Elliott:
I was planning to read outside as well, but as they say, the weather outside is frightful.

Demetrius:
😂🤣😂 Good one!

Maru:
I’ll probably just end up reading in my room. I’d say we should all meet up to read together but I guess that’s a bit much when we’re meeting up once a week to talk about what we read

Penny:
Yeah, that might defeat the purpose. Good thinking, though!

Elliott:
Already looking forward to the next meeting. This is quite possibly one of my favorite pieces of literature.

Penny:
Yeah, I can’t wait to finally have our first real meeting!

Demetrius:
Did we ever figure out where that will be? It’s fine to have it at the cabin again, but I wasn’t sure if that’s the plan.

Penny:
Last I heard, Harvey was going to see if they could host it at the farmhouse.

Maru:
He’s with a patient, but I can find out when he’s done

Penny:
Thanks! ^.^

By the time Harvey had caught up on the group chat, he looked up and saw Maru standing in the doorway of the exam room smirking at him.

“So… is the next book club meeting gonna be at Runaway Farm?” Maru asked.

“Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention it but yes it is,” Harvey replied.

Upon answering Maru’s question, Harvey set to work to sanitize the exam room, his usual routine when a patient left. Yet for some reason, Maru was still standing in the entrance to the exam room, still watching Harvey with a smirk on her face. There was an odd silence until finally, Maru shook her head and sighed.

“So don’t you think you should answer them?” Maru asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I don’t really see a need to until it gets closer,” Harvey remarked. “The next meeting isn’t for another few days, I just figured I’d let everyone know a day or two before. Isn’t that why the group text exists? For scheduling and planning?”

“Among other things,” Maru replied with a shrug. “It doesn’t all have to be business, you know.”

“I guess I just assumed that, well… that the texts would be more on the informative side,” Harvey explained. “I wasn’t expecting chit chat and razzing and text notifications going off constantly.”

“Does it… does it bother you?” Maru asked, tilting her head curiously.

“I suppose a little,” Harvey answered honestly. “Aside from just the back and forth conversation being distracting during clinic hours, the constant pinging from my phone makes me feel… I don’t know if anxious is the right word, but-” Harvey trailed off, unsure of how to put into words exactly how the constant messages were making him feel. Very luckily for him, Maru smiled and nodded knowingly. She’d been his best friend long enough to know what he meant.

“I’ll let everyone know, Doc,” Maru replied with a reassuring smile.

Maru turned to leave but paused for a moment in the doorway before turning back to Harvey with her hand outstretched.

“But I should probably silence your notifications or that pinging will drive you crazy,” Maru chuckled. “I already know you have no clue how to do that.”

“Bless you, Maru,” Harvey chuckled in return. He often felt too dumb to use a ‘smart’ phone.

The rest of the day passed in quiet bliss as Harvey filed paperwork, sent off a supplies order, prepared charts, examined patients, sent off referrals, and sanitized accordingly. It was nice to get back into his usual routine without the constant interruptions. Whenever there would be a lull in his day he would peek over at the group chat, see the wall of text he had missed, and put his phone back in his pocket. It was overwhelming and even a bit intimidating to see what he had missed and it seemed almost impossible to try and keep up. He just hoped that his lack of participation wasn’t coming across as rude. It was a relief that this was his busiest season, at least it gave him a proper excuse for why he wasn’t messaging back.

By the time Harvey arrived back at Runaway Farm that evening, he was exhausted from his long day and relieved to be home with his wife. His day may have been far busier than normal with the start of his busy season, but it was a comfort to know that May’s day was quite a bit lighter than normal. Her slow season had begun and she was enjoying some well earned downtime. Harvey only wished he could share that downtime with her, but at least the clinic would be doing a bit better financially this season for him to provide for her. When he entered the warm, cozy farmhouse to see May’s smiling face greet him, already he felt the tension in his shoulders ease and the stress of the day melt away. May always had that effect on him.

“How was your day, sweetheart?” May greeted him, crossing the living room to meet him at the door. He sighed contentedly as her arms wrapped around his waist.

“Not too bad,” Harvey replied, enveloping May with his arms in a tight hug. Before letting her go, he pecked her gently on top of her head.

“I hope it wasn’t too busy today, I know that’s gonna be a problem in the days and weeks to come,” May said, gesturing for Harvey to follow her into the living room to sit and talk. Harvey flopped down on the couch next to May and smiled as their dog King leapt into his lap.

“Not so busy yet, but I know it’s coming,” Harvey sighed. “Already I had Lewis stop by with-” Harvey stopped himself, shaking his head. “Sorry, almost got carried away there again. Doctor/patient confidentiality was much easier to uphold when I didn’t have a wife asking me how my day went.” Harvey smiled, he’d gladly risk near slip-ups to have May to come home to each day.

“Well what happened besides patient visits?” May asked conversationally. “You can at least tell me about that part.”

“The first part of my day was a bit… loud,” Harvey recalled. May raised a curious eyebrow. “At the book club last night we started a group chat to keep in touch about updates for future meetings. First thing this morning I get a message from Penny thanking everyone for coming last night and it sorta snowballed from there.”

“Snowballed?” May remarked curiously.

“Well, it just turned into a whole conversation,” Harvey explained. “They started going on about Elliott’s book and chit-chatting, my phone was going off all morning. Poor Evelyn, the notifications kept interrupting her appointment. Finally Maru helped me silence them so at least I wouldn’t be hearing it all day long.”

“Did you at least get to catch up in your downtime?” May asked.

“I tried, but by that point it was too overwhelming,” Harvey answered honestly. “I’d missed so much, it felt like it was pointless to try and catch up.”

“I guess,” May replied, but the look on her face appeared almost disappointed.

“Did I do something wrong?” Harvey asked in concern. May’s look of disappointment faded instantly and she chuckled.

“Not at all,” May reassured him. “I just feel bad, this is your first social group in Pelican Town, I feel bad that you missed so much while working.”

“I suppose I could have kept up if I really wanted to,” Harvey admitted. “I just… didn’t really want to. It was making me nervous. So much of my life has been spent outside of social circles, it feels weird to be part of one.”

May didn’t say a word, instead her hand reached for Harvey’s and she laced her fingers between his. Her head rested gently against his shoulder and she snuggled up close to him as a show of support. Though Harvey was thankful that she didn’t ask him to elaborate, he felt that he should. It would actually be nice to voice his concerns aloud to someone he knew wouldn’t judge him or misunderstand him.

“I’ve been thinking all day about why I was so bothered,” Harvey began. “I’m a far better listener than I am a talker. In-person it’s much easier to just sit back and listen, to devote all of my time and attention to the person speaking to me. Whether it’s a patient discussing symptoms or Maru talking about her latest project, I listen intently. That’s my contribution to the social exchange. I’m also better in one-on-one conversations, large groups tend to overwhelm me. With these constant messages, it’s impossible to keep up and I feel like I’m being a terrible listener but I’m also not quite ready to be a participant, either. There’s too much going on. I’m just so inexperienced, I don’t even know that I’d be able to come up with anything to say. So I feel like I’m failing in both regards, as a listener and as a participant. And on top of all of this, I’m trying to navigate a phone I don’t know how to use, a form of communication I’m not comfortable with, and slang I don’t really know how to use. I couldn’t type an emoji if my life depended on it. It sounds so ridiculous, I can’t even be part of a text chat without getting anxious about it, but… I don’t want to blow it.”

“It’s not ridiculous at all,” May said kindly, lifting her head from Harvey’s shoulder to look him in the eye. “Of course it’s overwhelming. You’re not used to conversations that aren’t face to face, you’re not used to being in a social group, you’re not used to typing out messages to communicate, this is all way out of your comfort zone. But you won’t know how well or not well you’ll adapt to it if you don’t try. It’s all so new to you, but sometimes that’s a good thing. It’s good to push yourself to try new things. And I promise you that if you try and you still don’t like it or still aren’t comfortable, they won’t hold it against you. It’s okay to try participating and realize that it’s still not for you. The important thing is that you at least give it a try. Who knows, you may find that it’s nice to receive random messages throughout the day to keep your spirits up. And if you find it stressful rather than enjoyable, I’m sure Maru will be happy to keep you updated on the important bits of information.”

Harvey removed his phone from his pocket and opened up the group chat. He’d missed a decent amount, but scrolled through to the most recent topic of conversation. He was met with a picture Elliott had taken of himself sitting by a bonfire on the beach, holding the book for their book club.

Elliott:
Not a bad place to start my reading on Day 1.

Maru:
Lucky! 😲 I’m so jealous! This is where I’m stuck reading

Next was a selfie Maru had taken sitting on her bed in her room. Behind her Harvey could barely see the bottom of one of her science posters.

Penny:
Still better than where I’m stuck reading.

Then came a selfie of Penny sitting on the small, tattered sofa inside of her trailer with a lopsided frown, book in hand.

Maru:
Yeah, you win

Penny:
More like I lose.

Maru:
True. Sorry, Penny 😥

Penny:
It’s fine. I just want to see where everyone else is reading!

Demetrius:
Sorry, everyone, but my view wins!

Harvey had to stifle a laugh at a selfie of Demetrius holding up his book with a huge smile on his face. In the background was Robin hunched over a set of blueprints, clearly unaware that Demetrius was taking her picture. It was sweet how enamored Demetrius was with his wife even after all these years married.

Maru:
Dad, don’t make this awkward or I’m kicking you out of the group chat. Go simp over Mom somewhere else

Elliott:
I concede to you, Demetrius.

Maru:
Don’t encourage him

Demetrius:
😍🥰😍🥰

Harvey stared at the photos that were posted, scrolling back and forth between them with a feeling of unease. No one had asked Harvey where he was reading his book, but perhaps by this point they’d give up on him. He had been silent all day long, maybe they just didn’t care whether he was involved or not. They seemed perfectly content without him. Yet a small part of Harvey ached to participate, to post his own photo to share with the group. It was a struggle in his mind between watching quietly from the sidelines or actively participating, both had their pros and cons. Harvey had spent too long on the sidelines and it was admittedly lonely at times. But it would be far worse to say something, to step up and make himself vulnerable, and get shot down, ignored, or mocked. Not that he suspected anyone in this group would do so, but it was a fear he still couldn’t shake. Without saying a word, he scrolled to the top of the current conversation and handed the phone to May for her to read. Once she had reached the bottom of the conversation, she didn’t immediately give Harvey his phone back.

“So am I taking your picture or are you?” May asked optimistically.

“I was afraid that would be your response,” Harvey chuckled nervously.

“This is probably the most perfect opening you can ask for to start participating,” May reasoned. “All it takes is a picture to be part of the group. You don’t even have to say anything if you don’t want to.”

“I still don’t understand for what purpose, though,” Harvey remarked, honestly not understanding the appeal of taking a picture of himself holding a book.

“Camaraderie,” May answered. “It’s not that there’s anything really important or even entertaining about it, it’s just kinda fun and silly. Sharing a picture like everyone else did shows that you’re engaged, that you want to be part of their social circle.”

“Oh, they don’t need to see my boring picture,” Harvey chuckled nervously. “I’m certainly not as photogenic as Elliott.”

“Well we’ll skip over the part where I disagree with you because I could go on all night,” May teased. “But that’s not why they’re doing this. Do you really think that’s what this is all about? Showing off pictures or being the most entertaining or the most likable? Is that really what you think they want out of this?”

“I… I suppose not,” Harvey answered awkwardly.

“I promise you that’s not what they’re after,” May went on. “It’s all about camaraderie, everyone making themselves vulnerable, not just you, to form a closer bond. You’re a doctor, you’re used to people making themselves vulnerable to you so I think you just don’t recognize it anymore when you see it. Trust me, they are making themselves just as vulnerable as you are.”

Harvey took the phone from May and flipped through the photos once more. Elliott didn’t have his usual charming smirk that often looked forced, he appeared calm and comfortable. His hair was ruffled from blowing in the wind and it had gone a bit wild. Maru’s picture revealed three empty drinking glasses on her nightstand in the background. Penny’s tattered sofa was certainly not the best location to show off for a photo. Demetrius was already dressed in his pajamas for the evening. The first time Harvey had flipped through the photos, he had missed all of those. Each picture seemed perfect, he hadn’t been looking for anything negative. Not that he was looking for it now, but the vulnerabilities all came into focus. May was right. It was clear that no one had questioned themselves before taking their photo, they did it to share something with their social circle, not to present a perfect picture. And to truly feel like a part of it, Harvey wanted to share his not-so-perfect picture as well. He was sure he looked exhausted after a long day at the clinic and his tie was probably crooked, but he didn’t care. For a second he held his phone up to take the picture, realizing that he didn’t actually know how to take a selfie.

“Here, I’ll do it,” May giggled, taking the phone from Harvey. Harvey smiled sheepishly in return.

The book that Harvey needed was on the end table, Harvey reached for it and held it up next to his face with an awkward, closed-mouth smile. King was still sitting in his lap and had perked his head up, trying to bite the book as Harvey held it up. Once May had snapped the picture, she turned the display to Harvey to show him the final product. It wasn’t his best picture, but it wasn’t his worst either. He had been right, his tie was crooked, his hair was as unkempt as ever, and his smile looked a bit awkward and forced. King’s face was a bit blurry in his attempt to bite the book as well. For a moment Harvey debated asking May to retake the photo, but thought better of it. This picture was real, not staged, not forced. It was perfect.

“Next you’ll have to teach me how to send this,” Harvey chuckled.

“Of course I’ll help you send it,” May replied kindly. “I’ll tell you what, tonight for dinner we’ll have leftovers and I can sit with you tonight and teach you a few things about your phone. We’ll start by sending the picture. Did you want to say anything or just send the picture by itself?”

“Just say… ‘happy to be home’,” Harvey answered. He couldn’t think of any witty remark or clever saying he could add, but he didn’t want to remain silent either.

Harvey watched as May uploaded his picture, typed his caption, and sent it. It was too late to turn back now. In seconds, Harvey felt that familiar anxious and overwhelmed feeling when the messages started coming in.

*ping* *ping* *ping* *ping*

Maru:
Hey Doc, glad you could join us!

Penny:
omg, your dog is so cute!!!

Demetrius:
Harv! Welcome!

Elliott:
Do tell the missus that I send my regards.

It was difficult to hide the smile that spread across his face from the response he received from his friends. Not that he was expecting any negativity, but he also wasn’t expecting such a kind and immediate response either. It was very surprising just how nice it felt to engage like this. When Harvey turned to May, she was smirking back at him.

“I’ll start heating the leftovers while you talk to your friends,” May said sweetly, kissing Harvey on the cheek before rising from the couch.

Harvey:
sorry im late to the party

Chapter Text

Summer 11, Year 2

“Sunscreen, pajamas, toiletries,” Harvey mumbled under his breath, standing over an open suitcase as he went through his mental packing checklist for the third time.

Only an hour earlier, Harvey and May were at the community luau, enjoying the festival with their friends and neighbors. Now that it was over, it was time to pack their bags in preparation for the following day when they would leave bright and early for a vacation to the city. Not only in celebration of May’s birthday, but also as one last vacation before the arrival of their baby in fall. Robin insisted they needed a ‘babymoon’ and May’s birthday seemed like the perfect time to arrange it. Now that the luau was over, Harvey had the entire rest of the day to fret about their upcoming trip.

“Sweetheart, I’m pretty sure we have everything,” May assured him. “And if we don’t, it’s not like we’re going to the middle of nowhere. It’s the city, we can buy anything we forgot.”

“Pretty sure if I forgot my glasses I couldn’t just get those at any old store,” Harvey pointed out seriously. May couldn’t help but giggle at the absurdity of it.

“Pretty sure if you forgot your glasses you wouldn’t get very far before realizing it,” May teased, reaching for Harvey’s glasses to pull them off. Right away his eyes scrunched up in a struggle to see. “Your eyesight’s so bad, I don’t think you need to worry about accidentally forgetting your glasses.”

“Sorry, I don’t mean to be so neurotic… as usual,” Harvey chuckled darkly, blindly reaching out for his glasses. May gently placed them in his grasping hands so he could place them back on his face.

“You’re just nervous, it’s understandable,” May assured him. “This’ll probably be our last vacation before the baby gets here, it’s important. But I think we’ll be just fine.”

May kissed Harvey gently on the cheek before leaving the room, leaving Harvey behind to stare at the suitcase more. Just as he realized he might want to pack his portable fan in case the hotel room was too warm, he heard a ringing from his pocket. Not from his personal cell phone, however; from the clinic emergency line.

“No,” Harvey uttered in horror under his breath.

The last thing he needed right now was an emergency in town. A stand-in physician would be arriving in the morning to cover the clinic while Harvey was gone, but if something catastrophic happened today, he couldn’t in good conscience leave his replacement with a major medical issue from the start. He would likely have to stay to see it through.

“Pelican Town Medical Clinic, this is Doctor Harvey,” Harvey answered as calmly as he could, but even he could detect the hesitation and nervousness in his voice. He certainly wasn’t projecting his usual aura of calm and professionalism.

“Hi, Doctor,” Marnie greeted him sluggishly. She sounded unwell. “I’m so sorry to call like this, I know you and May are leaving for vacation tomorrow, but I’m really not feeling well after the luau today.”

It was fortunate that this was a phone call and not an in-person visit so that Marnie wouldn’t see Harvey’s shoulders slump forward while he visibly cringed. Marnie was a wonderfully pleasant woman, but after she needed medical attention during last year’s luau, he was starting to wonder how her misfortune at community luaus ended up dragging him down with her.

“What symptoms are you experiencing?” Harvey asked, sitting down on the edge of the bed and really focusing to give Marnie his full attention.

“Well, it only started about a half hour ago, but I’ve been feeling light-headed, nauseous, sick to my stomach, and just about five minutes ago I began… vomiting,” Marnie listed off, hesitating at the last one as she became uncomfortable. Harvey was used to it, many patients were uncomfortable disclosing what they felt were more embarrassing symptoms but to Harvey, there was nothing embarrassing about it at all. By this point in his career, he’d seen and heard just about everything and nothing embarrassed him anymore when it came to his patients.

“Are these your only symptoms?” Harvey asked, his mind already sorting through a list of possibilities.

“At the moment, yes,” Marnie replied.

“Well, it doesn’t sound like anything that requires immediate medical attention, but if the symptoms worsen, if you feel like you might pass out, or if the vomiting persists then please call me back. Until then, I advise you to stay hydrated, small sips of water will be easier for your stomach to handle, and drink ginger ale if you’ve got it to help settle your stomach.”

“Thank you, Doctor,” Marnie replied gratefully. “Sorry that it always seems to be me that requires your attention on luau days.”

“Not to worry,” Harvey replied honestly. He had initially been annoyed at first by the call, but now just felt guilty that he’d even felt bothered at all by receiving a call from a patient. First and foremost, he was the town’s doctor and it was a duty he did not take lightly.

Once his call with Marnie ended, Harvey stowed the clinic phone back into his pocket and resumed packing. Or at the very least, he resumed worrying about packing. By all accounts the packing was done and over with, now it was just the time to think of all the odd, random things they might possibly need in the case of some one-in-a-million scenario. As his mind stewed over whether or not to bring a pair of nail clippers, just in case of a rogue hangnail, the clinic emergency line rang again. Harvey fumbled for the phone, positive that it would be Marnie once more.

“Hello?” Harvey answered without his usual greeting. He’d been so sure it was Marnie, it felt unnecessary to answer so formally after they’d just spoken minutes earlier. He was surprised to hear a different voice answer back.

“Hello, Doctor,” Elliott answered back. He, too, sounded unwell. “I was calling to check in with you regarding some symptoms I’ve been feeling since returning home from the luau.”

“Go on,” Harvey replied, though he suspected he knew what those symptoms would be.

“I’ve been feeling very nauseous and ever since the luau ended, I’ve been feeling stomach cramps,” Elliott explained. “And just in the last half hour, I’ve been… well, I’ve been…”

For someone usually so eloquent, Harvey could understand why Elliott was hesitant to admit aloud that he’d been vomiting. It would be amusing were it not for the fact that Elliott was ill.

“Vomiting?” Harvey suggested, fairly certain that this is what Elliott had been so hesitant to say.

“Yes,” Elliott confirmed quietly.

“I could be wrong, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say that I suspect you have food poisoning,” Harvey replied seriously. “It seems to be going around.”

“Is it serious?” Elliott asked in a panic.

“Not usually,” Harvey replied. “Typically food poisoning will get better on its own without any medical intervention, it’s just not exactly a fun experience. If you start to experience worse symptoms, if you can’t keep liquids down, or if it’s paired with a high fever or signs of dehydration, then absolutely give me a call back. That will require medical attention. Until then, I advise you to take it easy and try to stay hydrated.”

“Thank you, Doctor,” Elliott replied.

When the call with Elliott ended, Harvey set the phone down on the bed and heaved a weary sigh. There was no sense in putting the phone back in his pocket, Harvey had a feeling this would not be the last call he’d receive. With Marnie, Harvey had wondered if it was something she had eaten at the luau but with Elliott, he was almost sure that it had to be food poisoning. The question now was just how serious it would be, how many people were affected, and what was the cause. Harvey had barely risen from the bed to get May to tell her what was going on when the phone rang a third time.

“Pelican Town Medical Clinic, this is Doctor Harvey,” Harvey answered in a rush, just trying to get past the niceties to hear from his next patient. This time, it was Clint.

The hour that passed was full of phone calls, all from many residents in town all experiencing similar symptoms. By now, Harvey knew the cause had to be food poisoning, there was no other explanation. He sat down at his desk, long since giving up trying to think about packing, and instead set to work to try and figure out the cause. He called many patients back, asking them what they had eaten at the luau to try and narrow down the cause of it. It was unsurprising to Harvey in the least to hear that the one thing they all had in common was the communal luau soup. It was unsurprising because Harvey had felt from his very first luau that it couldn’t be a good idea to have a large pot of soup that anyone and everyone could add to. Not only did it exclude those with food allergies, aversions, or intolerances, but it was also a fantastic way to invite trouble either through pranks or improperly prepared foods. In this case, it was probably the latter. Clearly someone hadn’t handled their ingredient properly and it tainted the entire soup. The situation was far from over, finding out the cause was just the beginning.

The next step for Harvey was to make phone calls to every resident in town, warning each person that food poisoning was possible to anyone who had eaten the luau soup. Unfortunately for Harvey, with the soup being the main attraction of the event, nearly everyone in town had eaten some. There were few people Harvey could think of off the top of his head that definitely wouldn’t have eaten it, those with dietary restrictions certainly lucked out. Harvey was never more thankful in his entire life to have skipped the luau soup and he was incredibly relieved that he’d urged his pregnant wife to do the same. He couldn’t imagine how much worse this would be if May had fallen ill in her condition.

Once he had contacted the residents of town to issue his warning, many of whom did not need his warning as they were already experiencing the symptoms of food poisoning, his last call was to Mayor Lewis. The soup that Harvey had detested from his very first year in Pelican Town finally had to come to an end. This was the last straw. Harvey was never one to make waves and usually remained quiet on town issues that did not concern him, but this was an issue that very much concerned him now.

“H-hello?” Mayor Lewis muttered miserably upon answering the phone. No doubt he was yet another victim of the soup.

“Good evening, Mayor,” Harvey replied politely.

“Doctor! I was actually just about to call you,” Lewis went on, his voice sounding weak. “You see, for the last hour or so I’ve been-”

“Experiencing all the symptoms of food poisoning,” Harvey interrupted, finishing Lewis’ sentence for him. “Yes, that’s actually the reason I’m calling. It seems that quite a few residents in town are suffering from food poisoning.”

“We should notify Gus,” Lewis went on seriously. “I knew those crab cakes looked suspect.”

“It’s actually not the crab cakes that are to blame,” Harvey went on. “The only thing that everyone exhibiting symptoms have in common is the luau soup.”

“Well that can’t be right,” Lewis blurted out, as though the idea were preposterous. “Why would anyone purposefully poison the soup?”

“These things rarely happen on purpose, Mayor,” Harvey explained. “It was probably just a well-meaning resident who didn’t quite prepare their food properly. But that’s not even the issue at hand. The issue is the soup in general. It’s a major health concern. I’ve always felt that way and this year only proved it.”

“Doctor, I hardly think that one bad year proves-” Lewis chortled, but Harvey continued speaking with a cool confidence he could only seem to find while in doctor mode.

“Eighteen,” Harvey cut in. “Eighteen people are exhibiting symptoms of food poisoning. Now nineteen with you. And I’ll go out on a limb and guess twenty for the governor who probably wasn’t too happy to arrive back home with food poisoning. I consider that very problematic.”

“Dear Yoba,” Lewis gasped. Clearly he hadn’t realized the severity of the problem until now.

“You’re inviting trouble having a large, open pot of soup like that for anyone and everyone to just dump ingredients in,” Harvey continued seriously. “You don’t know how those ingredients were handled, you don’t even know exactly what’s in there which of course is a concern to those with food allergies, and lastly it’s a shock to me that none of the younger residents have used this as an opportunity to pull a very public prank. And all of that isn’t even touching upon other health concerns, why just last year poor Marnie passed out from heat exhaustion from the physical exertion of standing in front of a very hot pot and stirring it constantly during one of the hottest days of the season. It’s a major health concern and frankly, I’m putting in a formal complaint and asking for the removal of the communal soup for all future luau events.”

“Doctor, it’s tradition! Be reasonable!” Lewis barked.

“I think it’s very reasonable to choose public safety over tradition,” Harvey replied calmly.

“Well I… but that’s- I mean- come now, Doctor, you can’t…” Lewis stammered, clearly taken aback by Harvey’s request but unable to come up with a decent rebuttal.

“We can discuss this matter further upon my return home from vacation,” Harvey added.

“You can’t go on vacation now, not in the middle of a public health crisis!” Lewis cried out in a panic.

“Ah, so at the very least you do acknowledge that it’s a public health issue,” Harvey quipped. Harvey wasn’t often so quick-witted, but he felt rather proud of himself for his clapback. “Though at the moment, no one seems to be exhibiting serious symptoms that require immediate medical attention. I will have my phone with me all night should that change. In the morning, my replacement will arrive before I leave town and I’ll brief her on everything that has gone on so that she is properly prepared should things take a turn for the worse. I don’t see that outcome happening, but the town will be in good hands if it does. As I stated, we can discuss the issue of the soup once I return home from a well-earned birthday celebration for my wife.”

“Y-yes, Doctor,” Lewis mumbled.

“And before I let you go, I advise you to stay hydrated and get lots of rest to help with your food poisoning symptoms, Mayor,” Harvey added. “Stressing yourself out won’t do any good for your recovery.”

“Yes, Doctor,” Lewis repeated in an irritated grumble.

Harvey’s heart was racing by the time he hung up with Mayor Lewis. For years he had hated the idea of the communal soup and now, he was the one leading the charge to remove it completely. He’d get a petition going if he had to, whatever it took to finally get rid of such a public health issue once and for all. If a petition would be necessary, Harvey had a feeling that it wouldn’t be too difficult to get signatures right about now. At the very least there were probably eighteen residents who would jump at the chance to sign it. When Harvey turned his attention back to the suitcase that still laid open on his bed, he crossed the room and zipped it shut without another glance inside. At the moment, he felt more confident and self-assured than ever. He felt invincible.

Chapter Text

Summer 28, Year 1

Harvey watched with reverence as the woman he loved climbed out of bed and reached her arms high above her head to stretch. Her long, black hair fell down her back, the ends just barely brushing the top of her bare bottom. After indulging in Harvey’s company to satisfy her more carnal needs, she had immediately risen from his bed and began to dress herself. Harvey stayed in bed, hoping that she would change her mind and rejoin him. When she turned around, Harvey couldn’t help but stare lovingly at her. As she noticed Harvey staring, she scowled.

“Don’t make this weird,” Gwen scoffed. “Make yourself useful and help me find my bra.”

“It’s late, are you sure you don’t want to stay the night here?” Harvey offered. “You could climb back into bed, we can lay together a little longer.”

“Harvey, come on, not this again, I don’t have the patience for this,” Gwen sighed as she continued looking around for her bra.

“I just thought-” Harvey began, but Gwen immediately cut him off.

“Yeah, that’s the problem, you think too much,” Gwen snapped.

“It’s already so late, I just thought it might be nice for you to stay,” Harvey said quietly, his head hung slightly low.

“Ugh, you’re so clingy,” Gwen scoffed, rolling her eyes. “You’re lucky I’m willing to put up with this, Harvey, not many women would. It’s suffocating.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you,” Harvey replied, turning his eyes away. As his gaze left Gwen, he noticed the strap of her bra sticking out from under the sheets.

“Where the fuck is that damn bra?!” Gwen asked in frustration. Harvey hooked a finger through the strap of her bra and silently held it up.

“Oh, there it is,” Gwen said casually, snatching it away from Harvey.

Gwen dressed herself quickly as Harvey watched in silence. He didn’t want to risk saying anything that might upset her further. Once she was completely dressed, Harvey marveled at how beautiful she looked. Her long, silky hair accentuated her face, framing her lovely features. Her ruby lipstick was slightly smeared after the evening they had shared together, but Harvey couldn’t help but smile to himself at it. It was a small sign to the world that he had been there, that his lips had the pleasure of meeting with hers, even if for a moment. He remembered the kiss in his mind and replayed it over and over again. Gwen usually wasn’t fond of kisses, they felt too personal, but Harvey simply could not prevent himself in the heat of the moment. It was becoming more and more difficult for Harvey to subdue his feelings about Gwen. It had been so long since he had found himself in the company of a woman and although he knew that Gwen wasn’t looking for a serious relationship, he couldn’t help but find himself wondering in the back of his mind if that could ever change. He ached to have her with him, to spend more time with her, to get to know her on a more personal level. The relationship they had was very physically intimate, but not exactly emotionally intimate. Maybe that could change… someday. As Gwen grabbed her purse to leave, Harvey’s chest tightened at the thought of her leaving so soon.

“Please don’t go,” Harvey implored. He always dreaded the lonely evenings he spent by himself in his apartment after Gwen left.

Gwen stopped, though she didn’t turn around to even look at him. With her back to him, Harvey heard a sigh of annoyance.

“Harvey, it’s late,” she answered shortly.

“I love you,” Harvey blurted out before he could stop himself.

Right away he could see Gwen’s shoulders tense and he knew his outburst would not be taken well. Gwen turned around quickly, her long, black hair whipping around her body as she turned to face him. Yet her face was different, something had changed. Though her outfit, tall frame, and long black hair had remained, her facial features had become someone else’s. Gone were her heavily shadowed eyes, her ruby red lips, her thinly shaped eyebrows. Instead, Harvey was horrified to see a new face; gentle brown eyes, cute rounded nose, soft pink lips. Gwen’s face had suddenly become May’s face. Though her usually kind eyes were now just as fiery and intense as Gwen’s and her sweet, gentle smile was replaced by a scowl of rage and annoyance.

“I can’t have this fucking conversation right now,” May snapped, her words dripping with disdain. Seeing this much anger and contempt on May’s face was more terrifying and unsettling than any encounter he’d ever had with Gwen. It was nothing he’d ever seen from her before, though he’d seen it from Gwen countless times.

“I-I’m sorry,” Harvey apologized desperately, wishing he could take the words back. It would have been easier to remain silent, to keep those words bottled up. Now he feared that he may have ruined everything.

“Yeah, you are sorry,” May spat, grimacing at Harvey as though she were disgusted by him. “This had better be the last time I hear that, that’s not why we’re doing any of this. If you can’t keep your feelings out of this arrangement, I’ll find someone who can. And then what? Then you’ll be alone, Harvey. I think you forget that without me, you’ve got nobody. Remember that next time you want to make this more than it is. I swear, if you keep this up, it won’t be fun anymore.”

“I understand,” Harvey muttered in defeat. She was right, of course. Without her, Harvey had no one. It wasn’t worth risking what little companionship he had to try and make this something meaningful. It would be best to keep whatever feelings he had for her to himself.

“I’m gonna go grab a drink before the saloon closes,” May remarked, already crossing the room to leave Harvey’s apartment. Harvey knew better than to ask if he could come along, especially not after what had happened.

“Be safe,” Harvey piped up timidly.

“Yeah, sure, whatever,” May replied in irritation, already halfway out the door before she slammed it behind her.

The instant the door slammed shut, Harvey jolted up in bed, waking from his horrible nightmare in a cold sweat. He was still in the same bed in his apartment, but he knew that the scene he had witnessed in his dream, or more accurately his nightmare, had happened years earlier. It was an awful memory he was reliving in his sleep of the one and only time he had ever told Gwen that he loved her. There was no mystery at all as to why he had this particular nightmare tonight of all nights, and certainly no question as to why Gwen had transformed into May the moment he said ‘I love you’.

Just the night before, Harvey had been moments away from taking the leap to confess his love to May, risking it all to let her know how he felt. An ill-timed phone call halted his near admission, causing him to leave May’s home immediately to attend to a medical emergency. By the time the emergency was handled and Harvey returned home, his mind did what it always did and took over. In the moment he had cursed the poor timing of a medical emergency, devastated that the one time he had taken the leap to be impulsive it had failed before he could even see it through. Now, however, there was time to think. Time to stew. Time to analyze. Harvey was never one to make such snap decisions, maybe this was the universe’s way of stopping him from making a huge mistake. The nightmare he had just awoken from only confirmed this theory. Clearly the powers that be were making it known to Harvey that he needed to continue keeping his feelings for May silent. He didn’t believe in such signs from the universe, but it still wasn’t worth the risk. He loved May too much, she was too important to lose.

What if May wasn’t interested in something so serious? What if she, too, thought Harvey needy or desperate? Did she find him as suffocating as Gwen had? Would admitting his love for her destroy this beautiful relationship they had? Was it worth risking it all to let May know how he felt? As much as Harvey loved May, the evidence was all there. He couldn’t risk May despising him the way Gwen had. The nightmare he had was all the proof he needed that he was asking for trouble by confessing his love. For someone like May, that was not a risk he was eager to take.

Chapter Text

“I’m home!” Harvey called out the moment he stepped through the door of the farmhouse.

Tuesdays and Thursdays usually found Harvey returning home later than he’d prefer, missing the majority of Daisy’s nighttime routine. It always left him feeling disappointed to barely be home in time to give her goodnight hugs and kisses, but it was worth it to set his schedule up this way to allow him to be home earlier the other nights of the week. This Thursday, however, a cancelled appointment at the end of the day allowed him to return home in time to be present for all of Daisy’s bedtime routine. It didn’t often happen and as a result, Harvey was thrilled to be part of it.

“We’re upstairs!” May called out in answer.

Harvey didn’t waste a second, he was already on his way up the stairs, taking them two at a time, to see his family. Before heading into Daisy’s room, Harvey poked his head into his son Elwood’s room, but it was empty. He shrugged and continued down the hall through Daisy’s open door to find May and Daisy sitting on the floor together, Daisy clutching a book in her hands.

“Daddy!” Daisy called out, throwing the book to the ground to sprint towards her father. Harvey let out an audible ‘oof’ as Daisy crashed into his legs.

“Hi there, sweet girl,” Harvey greeted her, bending down to pick Daisy up in a huge bear hug. Right away his back seized up in protest but Harvey hardly cared. It wouldn’t be much longer before Daisy would be too big to hold, he would pick her up for as long as he could.

“You’re home early,” May remarked happily, rising from the floor to greet her husband with a soft peck on the cheek.

“Cancelled appointment,” Harvey explained. “Where’s Elwood?”

“Where else?” May asked, tilting her head knowingly at Harvey.

“With Jas,” Harvey answered, shaking his head though he couldn’t help grinning. “So what have you girls been up to?”

“Daisy’s just showing off her reading to me,” May replied enthusiastically. Daisy beamed with pride in Harvey’s arms.

“No way, Daisy can’t read, that sounds way too hard,” Harvey scoffed in over-dramatized doubt.

“I can, I can!” Daisy boasted proudly. “I’m learning to read!”

“This I have to see,” Harvey replied, setting Daisy back down. His lower back would pay dearly for it later.

The moment Daisy’s feet hit the floor, she rushed back over to her book and grabbed her copy of Go Dog Go. She sat cross-legged on the rug, followed by May and Harvey who sat at either side of her. When Daisy opened to the first page, Harvey noticed that she held the book almost two inches from her face.

“Big dog,” Daisy began slowly, sounding out each word. “Lit-tle dog.”

May watched Daisy with a proud smile upon her face, but Harvey felt immediately uneasy. Something wasn’t right.

“Why are you holding the book so close?” Harvey asked calmly, trying to mask as much of his nervousness as he could. “Try holding it further away, that might be more comfortable.”

“But then I can’t see the words, silly Daddy!” Daisy giggled.

“Can you try it? For me?” Harvey asked, showing Daisy about what distance to hold the book. Daisy complied, but right away Harvey could see her eyes squinting and straining. She stared at the book for a moment, tilting her head a few times to get a different view, then looked up at Harvey and shook her head.

“I like the other way better,” Daisy said matter-of-factly.

The moment Harvey locked eyes with May, her proud smile melted into a look of concern. Harvey hadn’t meant to worry her, but this was certainly cause to be concerned. He and May remained next to Daisy as she read the book to them, holding the book very close to her face the entire time. By the time she’d finished, the knot that had formed in Harvey’s stomach was immense and he was feeling nauseous with worry.

“Great job, sweet girl,” Harvey said with as much pride and happiness as he could muster. “I’m so proud of you.”

Harvey kissed Daisy gently on top of her head and signalled a look to May that meant he needed to speak with her. They had to talk about this.

“Why don’t you clean up your room a bit before your bath,” May suggested. Daisy opened her mouth to protest but stopped the moment she caught May’s ‘mom eyes’ that she had mastered by now.

“Okay,” Daisy sighed.

As soon as Daisy shuffled overdramatically to her toy box, May left the room and signalled for Harvey to follow. She couldn’t seem to get out of the room and into a more private location fast enough. She’d barely made it down the stairs and into the living room before whipping around to Harvey so quickly that her hair nearly smacked him in the face.

“I never noticed until you said anything,” May sobbed, losing all composure she had put on for Daisy’s sake as she burst into tears.

“Honey, it’s okay, it’s fine,” Harvey replied calmly, wrapping a supportive arm around May’s shoulders. He couldn’t be upset right now when May needed him to be strong.

“I should have seen it, I should have noticed that it wasn’t right,” May went on through her sobs. “I just thought she was being silly, holding the book close because she thought it was fun.”

“It’s not your fault,” Harvey assured May, his hand rubbing small, soothing circles at May’s back to calm her down.

“I’m a terrible mother,” May remarked, the crack in her voice causing the knot in Harvey’s gut to tighten.

“You most certainly are not,” Harvey said firmly yet kindly. “You’re a wonderful mother. Most parents wouldn’t think to question something like that, especially not in the beginning. And honestly, even I should have noticed it, so it’s not just you. You know how she’s always leaned in close when she’s coloring. Same thing, I always assumed it was fun for her. But now we see that it’s more than that, that maybe she needs a vision exam.”

May’s shoulders shook at these words, sobbing once more against Harvey’s shoulder.

“It’s really not a big deal,” Harvey went on optimistically. “Heck, I was her age when I first needed glasses, I suppose this shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. If anyone should feel bad about this, it’s me for cursing her with my terrible genetics.”

It at least made Harvey feel better to hear May snort with laughter through her tears. Already her crying was beginning to subside and she finally pulled away from Harvey’s shoulder, removing her own glasses to wipe the tears from her eyes and cheeks.

“I just hate the idea of her having to need glasses so young,” May said sadly, returning her glasses to her face. “She’s only five. That just seems so young to me.”

“It’s not ideal, but better to catch it now and get her the glasses she needs rather than ignore it or keep telling ourselves that she’s fine,” Harvey replied honestly. “I needed glasses at five years old, I promise you she’ll adapt to them quickly. Kids actually adapt much faster and easier than adults. You didn’t need yours until you were 36, it’s a lot harder to get used to something after 36 years of not needing it. Kids are resilient, Daisy’s no exception.”

“I hope so,” May muttered worriedly.

“And hey, I’m sure she’ll love getting to pick out her frames,” Harvey pointed out. “Maybe she can even find a purple pair.”

“She loves purple,” May replied, nodding. Already she looked a little happier.

“Daisy’s a tough girl, she’s gonna be just fine,” Harvey reassured her. “I’ll get on the phone with Doctor Manheim tomorrow morning and set up an appointment for her to get her eyes checked.”

“Thank you, sweetheart,” May sighed, wrapping her arms around Harvey’s midsection as she rested her head against his shoulder.

“She’ll be okay,” Harvey reminded her, returning May’s warm, comforting hug.

“I know she will be,” May replied, actually sounding confident in her answer. “You needed them young and look at you, you turned out just fine. She’ll feel better knowing that she’s just like you.”

It was unfortunate that Daisy had inherited Harvey’s poor eyesight, but at May’s words, Harvey smiled at the thought that he could share this one thing with Daisy. When he had needed glasses, there was no one there for him to explain to him what it was like, no family connection about genetically bad eyesight, no comfort or support at a time when he needed it. It was heartbreaking to think that Daisy would also need glasses at such a young age, but Harvey was overwhelmed by the idea that he could support her and help her in a way that he never had.

Chapter Text

It was rare for Harvey to have much free time in the winter. With more patients than usual and a much longer trip back and forth to the clinic in the snow, it kept him away from home far longer than usual. By now he and May had adapted to this inevitability, this was now their fifth winter together and circumstances were no different for Harvey. In the small amount of free time that Harvey did have at home, a majority of it was spent handling things around the house like assisting May with household chores or being present for Daisy’s daily routines whenever possible. By the time he actually had any amount of time to truly use for himself, he was usually too exhausted to do anything beyond collapsing onto the sofa and turning on the history channel or Queen of Sauce as background noise while he zoned out.

On a very rare day off during winter, May encouraged Harvey to finally use some time to focus on himself. Too often Harvey’s hobby of model airplanes or using his radio went ignored during his busy season. To guarantee that Harvey would have no responsibilities to distract him, May took their three year old daughter Daisy out to visit Grandma Robin in order to give Harvey free reign of the whole house. It would defeat the purpose to have a free day if he could hear a tantrum from Daisy or feel obligated to clean up after lunch. The idea was for Harvey to do whatever would make him the happiest and most relaxed with his free time.

Nearly six hours later May returned to the farmhouse with Daisy, hoping to find her husband well-rested and content. Instead, what she saw when she opened the farmhouse door was a chaotic spread of dozens of kinds of candy, piping bags full of frosting, and a very focused Harvey holding a ruler to an uncut sheet of gingerbread. He had been so focused on his task that he hadn’t heard the door open, but the thud of the door closing snapped his attention away from the gingerbread as he jumped in surprise.

“So… what have we here?” May asked, tilting her head curiously. It was too difficult to tell at the moment if Harvey was enjoying himself or not, the only expression on his face she’d seen thus far was one of concentration.

“Oh! This is, um… a project I’ve been wanting to work on for quite some time,” Harvey muttered breathlessly. He looked excited despite the hint of panic in his eyes and exhaustion in his tone.

“Are we making a scale model of Candy Land?” May asked with a grin. The moment May uttered the word ‘candy’, Daisy gasped and rushed over to the table.

“I want candy! I want candy!” Daisy chanted, already reaching out for a red, sugary gumdrop on the table. May was just fast enough to reach out and hold Daisy back from the assortment of candy all over the table.

“Grandma Robin already spoiled you enough with sweets,” May pointed out. Just as Harvey turned his attention back to the gingerbread, May whipped her head back to her husband. “Don’t think you’re off the hook, why is our table covered in candy?”

“Well, ever since Daisy was born I’ve been wanting to make her a gingerbread house,” Harvey explained, his cheeks reddening in what seemed to be embarrassment. “I know it’s not quite model airplane construction, but I’ve always wanted to try my hand at working with gingerbread during the holidays. Either I’ve never had the time or never had the excuse. It never felt right for a grown, single man to spend his time making candy and gingerbread houses. Model airplane construction already feels a bit juvenile, I was not about to start building gingerbread houses on my own.”

When May approached the table for a closer look, she noticed that nothing had actually been constructed yet. At the moment there were over a dozen bowls with various candies categorized by both color and type as well as sheets of gingerbread. It was an impressive spread to be sure.

“Please tell me you haven’t spent all six hours of your time on this,” May gasped, knowing full well what the answer would be.

“It would have been done faster if I hadn’t messed up the first few batches of gingerbread,” Harvey replied with a frown. “The recipe was all off, I had to make some adjustments but I think the third time’s the charm. This one should be much more structurally sound and taste right. The first batch was too brittle and the second one was very sturdy, but tasted awful. I think I’ve finally got the right middle ground. Not that the taste matters, of course, but if you’re going to go all-in to make a gingerbread house from scratch then you should at least be able to take a bite out of it when it’s all said and done. Otherwise what’s the point of using gingerbread, might as well use cardboard.”

“You’re adorable,” May giggled affectionately, pecking Harvey lovingly on the cheek.

It was actually quite impressive to see how far Harvey’s cooking had come over the years. With baking especially, Harvey was proving to be far more competent than May and was now even brave enough to try new things and play around with recipes. It was sweet to see his excitement for cooking and model construction come together in a fun, festive way. And of course this new venture benefitted Daisy greatly, whose eyes had never left the bowls of candy sitting mere inches from her face. It was astounding to May to think that Harvey had actually enjoyed spending six hours on this project but from the look of pride on his face, she could tell that he very sincerely did.

“You know, Daisy, Daddy’s gonna need a big helper to put this together,” Harvey remarked with a grin, turning his attention to Daisy. “I’ve got enough to build two houses, why don’t I try putting one together myself to give it a try and maybe tonight you and I can work on the second one before bed. What do you think?” Harvey leaned in close to Daisy, whispering in such a loud and over-exaggerated way that May could surely still hear him. “And maybe we don’t have to tell Mama if you sneak a few pieces of candy here and there.” When Harvey pulled away, he winked at Daisy who was so giddy that she was dancing on the spot.

“Yes! Yes! Yes!” Daisy squealed, her arms flailing in her excitement.

“What are you two planning?” May asked, pretending she hadn’t heard anything at all.

“Just doing our nothing,” Daisy replied innocently.

“Yup, just doing our nothing,” Harvey repeated playfully.

May had to fight the urge to laugh out loud. She and Harvey always knew when Daisy was up to something when her response was ‘just doing my nothing’, it was the best cover-up a three year old could come up with. Other than being a perfect way to catch Daisy up to no good, it was also incredibly adorable. May didn’t have any plans to put a stop to that any time soon.

“Well you two have fun doing your nothing, I’m gonna start on all these dishes Daddy left in the sink,” May sighed, flashing an understanding smile at Harvey as he looked sheepishly at the sink.

“Ah, yes, I did make a bit of a mess, didn’t I?” Harvey mumbled.

“No problem,” May reassured him. “I’ll do the dishes while you and Daisy do your nothing.”

Harvey and May exchanged knowing winks as they each fought the urge to laugh. As May turned to the sink, out of the corner of her eye she could already see Harvey reach for a red gumdrop and hand it to Daisy who giggled loudly with glee.

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

"Ma-ma."

"She said it again!" May squealed in delight.

Daisy toddled over to May with her arms up, her hands grasping at air to indicate to her mother that she wanted to be picked up.  Without hesitation May obliged, peppering Daisy's cheek with a flurry of kisses.  Over the course of the last week, Daisy had begun saying her first word; Mama.  Of course Harvey and May were thrilled that their daughter was finally starting to speak her first words, however Harvey wasn't expecting how jealous he would feel over Daisy's first word being "Mama" instead of "Dada".  As a doctor he understood that any speech at all was a developmental milestone to celebrate.  However as a father, it was disheartening to hear Daisy call out to May instead of himself.  It didn't matter that the logical side of his brain knew it made sense, that the "M" sound was much easier to pronounce for developing toddlers than the "D" sound.  Despite all of that, it was an awful reminder that May spent far more time with Daisy than he could and that their bond together was closer than the one Harvey and Daisy shared.

After the barrage of kisses, May placed Daisy back onto the floor and both she and Harvey watched as Daisy toddled across the room to her pile of toys in the living room.  As usual, Daisy was followed very closely by their dog King, who had taken it upon himself to be Daisy's official bodyguard despite being not much bigger than she was.  Daisy giggled as King nuzzled close to her on the floor; somehow even King had a closer bond with Daisy than Harvey seemed to have.  It felt disheartening to Harvey, wondering how he even fit into his daughter’s life.

~*~

It wasn’t often that May and Harvey let Daisy toddle around the farm.  At her age, there was a lot that could hurt her on the farmland and Harvey still wasn’t exactly comfortable with her getting so dirty.  However, on a particularly beautiful Saturday morning, the Higgins family decided to spend their time together outdoors, basking in the perfect weather.  Harvey and May setup a blanket by the pond to sit and relax in the shade of a nearby oak tree while Daisy was running around trying to chase King.  It was amusing to watch King, who Harvey knew could run quite fast when he wanted to, running at a speed just fast enough to outrun Daisy while still giving her a fighting chance.  Eventually King’s speed would slow allowing Daisy to catch him which would elicit an excited giggle from Daisy.  Harvey closed his eyes and breathed in deeply through his nose, exhaling a calm, content sigh.  It was a perfect day.  At least it was, until he and May heard a scream from Daisy.  Harvey opened his eyes to find Daisy on the ground, she had tripped on a rock and skidded across the ground.

“Da-da!!!!” Daisy wailed, looking around in panic for the one person she knew could help her when she was in pain; her daddy.

Without a moment's hesitation, Harvey jumped up from the blanket and sprinted towards Daisy, not even noticing what word Daisy had shouted in her moment of need.  All that was going through his mind at the moment was getting to his daughter.  Harvey was at her side in seconds, scooping her up in his arms and already making his way swiftly to the farmhouse to treat Daisy’s scrape.

“Da-da,” Daisy repeated, looking up at Harvey with tears in her eyes, though she smiled up at him and reached out to grasp the collar of his shirt in a tight grip.

It was only this second utterance of the word that gave Harvey pause, causing him to falter on his way up the porch steps.  Tears welled in his own eyes; tears of overwhelming emotion.  The bond that Daisy and May shared was undeniable, Harvey knew he could never have the closeness that they shared.  However in a moment of need, in a moment of fear and pain, it was Harvey that Daisy called out to.  It would take time for Daisy to have as close a bond with Harvey as she did with May, but for now, it was enough that Daisy knew she could rely on her father to be there to care for her whenever she needed him.

Chapter Text

Fall 26, Year 6

It was the worst storm the valley had seen in years.  Rain fell in an unrelenting downpour, the sound of which was so loud and erratic that it sounded like television static turned up to full volume.  The only sound louder than the hammering of the rain against the room was the occasional booming clap of thunder.  The storm had knocked out the power, leaving Pelican Town in the dark.  Harvey was glad his emergency clinic cell phone was fully charged, just in case of emergency.  Though luckily, most of the town remained indoors during such hellacious weather.

Throughout the day, Daisy was nervous and afraid of such intense weather, having never experienced anything quite like it before.  Much of her day was spent with distractions from Harvey and May to keep her mind away from her fears.  All through the day, Daisy never once let go of her comfort stuffy, a rainbow unicorn doll.  At night, however, there was little that could be done.  Without power, the Higgins family was stuck in the dark to wait out the storm.  The only light they had was the soft glow of a battery powered lantern and the occasional burst of light from lightning striking outdoors.  The thunder still rumbled overhead, causing Daisy to jump each time.  Each clap of thunder led her to cling to her doll even tighter.  When it was time for bed, Daisy was shaking in fear.

“I don’t wanna go to sleep by myself,” Daisy cried, wrapping her arms around her mother and clutching her close.  “I’m scared.”

"You're not really by yourself," May pointed out, gesturing to the doll.  "You have a friend to keep you safe!"

"But Rainbow Unicorn isn't enough," Daisy whined, clinging her mother more tightly.  "I want to be with you guys."

Harvey and May’s eyes met, barely able to see the other in the dim light of the lantern, and nodded.

“I guess it’s a family sleepover night,” Harvey remarked, smiling reassuringly to Daisy.

“YAY!” Daisy squealed, all sadness immediately dissolving from her face.  Daisy loved family sleepover nights and if anything could help her remain calm during such a frightful storm, it was this.

The Higgins family stumbled in the dark to get properly ready for bed and when everyone’s favorite pajamas were on and bed was prepared, Harvey, May, and Daisy all climbed in.  Harvey and May each took their usual side on the bed, with Daisy nestled comfortably between them.  Clutched under her arm was the soft, colorful plush known as Rainbow Unicorn.  King abandoned his usual cozy dog bed and curled up atop the bed just at Daisy’s lap.  As a loud clap of thunder echoed in the room, the Higgins family cuddled up close together.  They would stay like this all night if they had to.

~*~

Fall 6, Year 7

The windows of the old farmhouse rattled from the tumultuous storm raging outdoors.  Each violent gust of wind sent a tremor through the entire house that would be unnerving were it not for the fact that storms in the valley were usually this intense.  The Higgins family was certainly used to this level of extreme weather; all except Elwood.  Elwood had only been living with the Higgins family for a week and wasn’t even a Higgins yet himself.  Until his adoption could go through, which would take some time, he was still considered a foster child under the care of Harvey and May.  Still, that hardly mattered to the Higgins family.  From his very first day at Runaway Farm, Elwood was a member of the Higgins family.  Harvey could see how nervous Elwood appeared to be as the walls of the house shook and the wind howled ominously outside.  Elwood attempted to quietly and covertly mask any outward signs of unease, hiding any of his vulnerability from those around him.  It was unfortunately a tactic Harvey himself understood all too well.  Elwood was fearing making himself too vulnerable around a new family, too afraid to show weakness or uncertainty, it was how Harvey had felt every time he was placed with a new foster family.  As a loud clap of thunder roared outside, Harvey caught sight of Elwood jump in surprise, then immediately shrug it off as he pretended to be unfazed.

“The weather here can get a bit dicey sometimes,” Harvey remarked casually to Elwood.  “In the city, storms are a lot easier to deal with but out here in the valley they’re a force to be reckoned with.  But don’t you worry, we’re safe here in the farmhouse.  It’s a lot more sturdy than it looks.”

“Oh, I-I’m not worried,” Elwood replied quietly, though Harvey wasn’t convinced.

“I loooove storms,” Daisy squealed happily, running to the sofa to peek out the window at the sheets of rain pouring from the sky.

“I remember when you used to hate them,” May pointed out with a grin.  “They used to terrify you.”

“I guess they’re still kinda scary,” Daisy agreed as the window she’d been staring out of rattled from a powerful gust of wind.

“Then why do you love them?” Elwood asked curiously.

“Family sleepover nights!” Daisy shouted, climbing atop the sofa to jump up and down upon it.

“First of all, no jumping on the couch,” Harvey instructed seriously.  Daisy flopped onto the couch with a pout.  “And second, that’s true, storms got a lot easier to endure with the added ritual of family sleepover nights.”

Suddenly Daisy scrambled off of the couch and ran to Harvey with a delighted grin on her face.

“DADDY!  Does this mean Elwood can join in on family sleepover night?!” Daisy gasped in excitement.  Harvey grinned at his daughter as her head turned rapidly back and forth between Harvey, May, Elwood, and back again, trying to gauge everyone’s reaction to her request.

“F-family sleepover night?” Elwood asked, a slight tremor in his voice.

“It started off with one of the first storms Daisy ever experienced, or at least one of the first she was capable of remembering,” May explained.  “She was terrified so we all climbed into bed together and cuddled up close to help Daisy feel better.  She loved it so much that when the next storm came, she insisted on it.  I guess it’s become a bit of a tradition now.  Of course now Daisy’s older, we setup a sleeping bag next to our bed for her.”

“But now I won’t have to be all alone on the floor!” Daisy squealed.  “I’ll be right back, I’m gonna go grab a sleeping bag for Elwood!”  Before Harvey or May could say anything, Daisy was sprinting out of the room and up the stairs.

“I’m sorry, she can be a bit overexcited,” May apologized with a nervous giggle.  “I-if you’re not comfortable or if you’d rather sleep in your own room tonight, I assure you, you don’t have to-”

“I’d love to,” Elwood interrupted eagerly.  “I-I mean, if… if that’s alright, May.”

May and Harvey had encouraged Elwood to call them by whatever names he felt most comfortable using; anything from ‘Mr. and Mrs. Higgins’ all the way up to ‘Mom and Dad’ were just fine with them.  For the last week Elwood had been referring to them as Mr. and Mrs. Higgins, both Harvey and May faltered at Elwood’s use of May’s name for the first time.

“A-absolutely,” May replied, not exactly succeeding at covering up the tears that welled up in her eyes.

“We’ll get you all setup with a sleeping bag,” Harvey offered kindly.  He didn’t want to make a big deal for Elwood’s sake, but his heart was racing and he felt a rush of excitement and nervousness all at once.

In no time at all, Daisy was back carrying a huge sleeping bag over her head that was at least double the size of her small body.  She was huffing and puffing by the time she got it down the stairs, but threw it on the floor with a proud sigh.

“I’ll even let you use the one that doesn’t have a hole in it!” Daisy proclaimed happily.  “And maybe we can pop some popcorn, too, and watch movies in Mama and Daddy’s room and King can sleep on the floor with us, as long as you don’t mind gross dog farts.  King’s got really gross dog farts, so maybe he can sleep at our feet.  Oh!  And if you want to borrow one of my dollies you can!  I’ve got a TON of them!  Wanna check ‘em out?  I’m okay if you wanna borrow one!  Rainbow Unicorn's been through a bunch of storms, she's perfect!”

Daisy’s enthusiasm was endearing, despite how many times Harvey and May tried to explain that Elwood wasn’t quite technically her big brother yet, that there was a lot of boring grown-up paperwork to contend with first, that didn’t matter to Daisy.  As far as she was concerned, she’d gotten a big brother of her very own literally overnight.  It was sweet watching how Elwood’s nerves seemed to melt by Daisy’s excitement and by the time she’d coaxed him into joining her to look at dollies, he seemed much more calm and was even smiling.  As the two headed up the stairs to pick out dollies, Harvey couldn’t help but call out to them.

“Elwood, welcome to the first of what I hope is many Higgins family sleepovers.”

~*~

Fall 7, Year 7

Even without an alarm clock, Harvey still awoke at 6:00 in the morning after years of his body adjusting to it.  By morning, the treacherous storm from the night before had passed leaving the room peaceful and quiet.  The only sounds that could be heard were the gentle breathing of his family.  His wife May laid next to him, still peacefully asleep.  Even though she, too, was awoken daily by the 6:00 alarm, she still struggled to properly wake up even after all this time.  May was most certainly not a morning person.  Harvey sat up slowly in bed so as not to disturb his sleeping wife and fumbled to put his glasses on.

With his vision far clearer, Harvey was able to get a better look at the room around him.  Light was barely peeking through the crack in the blinds, shining a beam of light that traveled along the floor.  Just out of the light’s reach laid Harvey’s daughter Daisy, curled up in a ball with her sleeping bag kicked off.  No matter how many times she was re-covered through the night, she always ended up kicking off her blankets by morning.  Their dog, King, ended up taking advantage of Daisy’s unused blankets and used the crumpled heap as his own bed.

Laying next to Daisy and King, very softly snoring in his sleep, was Elwood.  Harvey smiled at the sight of the boy, his mouth slightly hanging open, peacefully asleep after his first Higgins family sleepover.  In the crook of his arm, clutched close to his chest while he slept, was one of Daisy’s stuffed dolls; a rainbow striped unicorn.  Were it not imperative to respect Elwood’s privacy and gain his trust, Harvey would have snapped a photo of the wholesome sight.  Elwood had only been with the family for a week and they were all still trying to find a balance together while they awaited the adoption process to begin.  Elwood still seemed uncertain and Harvey absolutely understood.  Harvey himself had been in similar situations when he was in foster care and had found that it never paid off to get his hopes up.  He couldn’t blame Elwood for doing the same.  But seeing him fast asleep amongst the rest of the family, holding one of Daisy’s dolls close to him for comfort, felt right.  Whether Elwood knew it or not, he was already a Higgins in Harvey’s eyes.

As quietly as he could, Harvey rolled out of bed and crept out of the room to leave everyone else to get more sleep.  Pancakes, eggs, fresh-squeezed orange juice, and bacon seemed like a nice enough way for the rest of the household  to wake up and Harvey was eager to provide for his family.

~*~

Spring 14, Year 11

“You can’t keep all of them, Daisy, you have to pick,” May instructed sternly.

May and Daisy stood in the midst of a sea of stuffed dollies covering the floor of Daisy’s room, going through the tedious task of paring them down.  By this point in her life, Daisy had so many stuffed dolls that they could barely fit in her large toy box at the foot of her bed.  At 8 years old, it was time to consider getting rid of most of them.

“But I wanna keep all of them, they all are important to me!” Daisy whined.

“Daisy, you sleep with the same four dolls every night, most of these haven’t seen the light of day in over a year,” May pointed out.  “Come on, you gotta pick some to get rid of.”

May bent over and picked a select few that she thought could be guaranteed choices to get rid of; characters from old TV shows Daisy long since stopped watching, sweet yet generic gifts from relatives barely spoken to, and a few other babyish options that Daisy definitely outgrew.

“How about these ones?” May asked, showing Daisy the armful of dolls she’d selected.  Daisy opened her mouth to protest, but May tilted her head and flashed Daisy her serious mom face.  “We have to start somewhere .”

“Okay, fine,” Daisy sighed overdramatically.

“Great, we’re making progress,” May remarked.  “I’ll go downstairs and grab a bag to stuff the donations in while you pick out a few more.”

May left the room with her arms full of dolls, passing Elwood in the hall.  Elwood stepped aside to allow his mother room to walk past, but held out a hand just as May was about to walk down the stairs.

“Hey, Mom, where are those headed off to?” Elwood asked curiously.  He looked almost concerned.

“Donation center,” May replied.  “I finally talked your sister into slimming down her doll collection.”

Elwood bit his bottom lip nervously, his eyes darting around awkwardly as though he had something he needed to say, but was thinking better of it.

“Is that okay?” May added, seeing how uncertain Elwood appeared.

“Would it be okay if, um… I mean… could I just, uh… so that unicorn doll there, can I, um… can I… have it?” Elwood stammered, never actually making eye contact with his mother as he stumbled through his quiet and shaky request.

“Uh, sure I guess,” May replied, bewildered.  What her 16 year old son could possibly want with a rainbow unicorn doll was beyond her.  She’d tried being respectful of Elwood’s privacy in his teen years and left many of his odd behaviors unbothered, especially regarding his dating life with Jas, but this was one parental curiosity she could not ignore.  “Mind if I ask why?”

“It’s… it’s stupid,” Elwood mumbled, grabbing the unicorn doll from the pile and stuffing it in the large front pocket of his hoodie.

“Elwood, our home has two dozen ceramic kittens from Grandma Robin, I don’t think there’s much I’d consider stupid,” May joked.

“It just… it has a good memory attached to it is all,” Elwood replied.  May tilted her head curiously and Elwood finally looked her in the eye as he went on.  “The first week I was here, I was so scared.  I was in another new home with another new family, it’s something I’d been through before but it never made it less scary.  There was a storm that first week and Daisy let me borrow one of her dolls to keep me company that night.  She was only 4 at the time, it was cute how excited she was and it really did help me feel safer, funny enough.  It really was a comfort.  I woke up the next morning feeling calm and safe already and it usually took me a lot longer to reach that point in all the other homes I stayed in.  I dunno, I guess… this doll kinda reminds me of that, it reminds me that I’m safe here.”

Mess be damned, May dropped the armful of dolls she was holding and flung her arms around Elwood’s neck, pulling him into the tightest hug she was capable of.  Already he was taller than she was, but with Harvey as her husband May was used to standing on her toes for a hug.  Elwood squirmed uncomfortably in her embrace, doing what most 16 year old boys did by acting embarrassed by a hug from their mother.

“Mom, stop!” Elwood whined playfully.

“After that little speech, you had to know this was coming,” May teased, finally releasing her son.  “Of course.  Consider that doll yours forever.  I had no idea it meant that much to you.”

“It’s lame, but-” Elwood began, once again turning his eyes away from May’s, but she interrupted him and kept her eyes locked with his to make her point.

“It’s not lame,” May stressed.  “It’s not lame to have something that reminds you of your family and brings you comfort and makes you feel safe.  Even if it’s a stuffed rainbow unicorn.”

“Thanks, Mom,” Elwood chuckled.

~*~

Spring 20, Year 11

“Thanks for dinner, Mr. and Mrs. Higgins!” Jas spoke up politely, already rising from her seat to clear her dirty dish from the table and place it in the sink.

“Yeah, thanks,” Elwood thanked his parents, following Jas’ lead by clearing his plate as well.

“You’re welcome,” May replied happily.  “And hey, thanks for clearing away the dishes, one less thing to worry about tonight.”

“What time do you have to be home tonight, Jas?” Harvey asked, glancing at the clock.

“Not for another hour,” Jas answered.

“Is it okay if we hang out in my room?” Elwood asked his parents.  Despite how many times Jas came over to the farmhouse, Elwood still felt nervous every time he asked his parents if it was okay for he and Jas to be together in his room.  It was always the same answer, but for some reason Elwood felt awkward and always checked anyway just in case the answer ever changed.

“Sure, but you know the rule; door has to be at least half open, no less,” Harvey answered.

Elwood and Jas excused themselves from the kitchen and headed up the stairs together towards Elwood’s room.  Once they reached the top landing and were out of sight of Elwood’s parents, he reached out to gently take Jas’ hand in his.  It was a short distance from the top of the stairs to Elwood’s bedroom, but it was still nice to hold Jas’ hand along the way.

When they arrived at Elwood’s room, he flopped onto the bed and landed on his back with a satisfied sigh.  Jas took a seat at the edge of the bed, near Elwood’s head, and reached out to gently cup his cheek.

“Well you sure look happy,” Jas remarked, smiling sweetly down at her boyfriend.

“I’m always happy any time I get to see you,” Elwood replied with a lovestruck grin.  “I’m glad Shane let you come over so late, I know he’s been hard on you about that lately.”

“I think the more it sinks in that you and I are more than just friends, the more it scares him,” Jas remarked thoughtfully.  “It was fine for me to come over for dinner all the time two years ago, but once you and I started dating more seriously, I think he just couldn’t take it.”

“That really sucks,” Elwood sighed in frustration.  “You’d think by now, after all this time, with how close our families are, that he’d trust me.”

“I think it’s pretty much a requirement for him to be strict about any boy that’s dating me, even his boss’ son,” Jas pointed out.  “I don’t think it’s you specifically he’s being strict about, it’s literally anyone that’s dating me.  Kind of an old-fashioned way of going about it, but what can you do.  We just have to enjoy every concession, like me being able to come over for dinner tonight.”

“I’m glad you could come,” Elwood remarked happily.

“Me too,” Jas replied, brushing aside a stray curl of Elwood’s hair to plant a soft kiss in the center of his forehead.  In response, Elwood reached for Jas’ hand and kissed the back of her hand gently, squeezing affectionately as he did so.  They’d yet to kiss each other properly on the lips by this point, wanting to take things slow.

“So, what do you wanna do before you have to go?” Elwood asked casually.  “We don’t have time for a movie, but we could start one.  Then we’ll have an excuse for you to come over again sometime soon.” Elwood smirked playfully.

“I like your thinking,” Jas replied, smirking in return.

Jas glanced across the room to Elwood’s bookshelf, specifically the shelf where he kept his movies, but Elwood remembered only a second too late that he forgot to remove something very important, but very embarrassing, from his shelf.  Only a few days earlier he’d acquired an old rainbow unicorn doll of Daisy’s, rescuing it from being given away.  It was something he held near and dear to his heart, a token of comfort and a symbol of the love and support he felt as a part of the Higgins family.  Having something like that meant so much to Elwood, but it seemed impossible to explain such a token to someone like Jas.  To anyone else, it just appeared as though Elwood were a 16 year old boy randomly hanging onto a child’s doll.  Before he could stop Jas from looking at the shelf where the doll was prominently displayed, he could hear her giggle softly.  Already Elwood felt his entire face burn hot in embarrassment.

“What’s with the unicorn doll?” Jas asked, still laughing in amusement.

For a moment Elwood debated lying, he could easily tell Jas that Daisy was playing in his room and left it here.  It had to be better than admitting the truth to Jas about his real reason for keeping the doll perched upon his shelf.  And yet as he glanced back and forth between Jas’ expectant face and the doll on the shelf, he sighed.  Even over something so mortifying for him, he couldn’t bring himself to lie to Jas.  Lying about something so significant and important to him, even if she couldn’t understand it, wasn’t the right choice.  He had to tell her the truth and hope she would be compassionate enough to not give him a hard time about it.

“It used to be Daisy’s,” Elwood began, sitting up to be able to look Jas in the eye properly as he spoke.  “When I first came to Pelican Town and moved in here at the farmhouse, it was really intimidating.  I didn’t know if this would be where I’d end up or if it was gonna be just another temporary stop.  Mom and Dad said they had every intention of adopting me but I was naturally skeptical.  I’d heard that once before and that didn’t exactly work out.  They were nice enough, very kind people with a cute little kid.  Daisy was so excited when I showed up, I guess to her she got a big brother overnight.  I wish I’d known at the time that I was with my forever family, but there was no way to know.  Anyway, that first week there was a big storm and it made me even more nervous and scared.  Of course Mom and Dad were very understanding, but Daisy… she was so excited.  She told me all about the family sleepovers during storms and how they’d setup sleeping bags and all gather into the master bedroom to sleep in the same room to wait out the storm together as a family.  It sounded wonderful to have that kind of support.  She grabbed me by the hand and dragged me to her room, insisting I pick out a doll to sleep with.  I didn’t really want to at first, so she picked out a doll for me to sleep with that night.  And that right there is the one she picked.”

“Does this little guy have a name?” Jas asked curiously, rising from the bed to approach Elwood’s shelf.  She picked it up and held it for a closer look.

“Rainbow Unicorn,” Elwood answered with a laugh.  “Daisy wasn’t exactly very original with her doll names.”

“So that’s the story?  You thought it was sweet Daisy offered you the doll?” Jas asked, an amused smile on her face.

“Not quite,” Elwood answered, feeling the back of his neck flush hot in embarrassment as he prepared himself to tell the rest of the story.  “So that night we setup sleeping bags in the master bedroom, Daisy of course set hers up as close to mine as she could get it.  I was still really nervous, the house was still very unfamiliar to me and at night, the sounds of the storm were even worse.  I know this sounds stupid, but it was all kind of scary.  But when the lights turned off and it was time for bed, Mom and Dad wished us both a good night and assured me and Daisy that if we needed anything at all during the night, to wake them up and let them know.  It was nice to know they were so close by.  It even helped having Daisy so close, too.  Everyone else seemed to fall asleep before I did, and I just laid on the floor trying to force myself asleep.  I clung to Daisy’s doll and weirdly enough, it was actually really comforting.  I don’t know, I can’t explain it, but it kinda helped me calm down and made me feel really relaxed.  I ended up falling asleep clutching it, Dad told me a few years later that he’d woken up to see me holding it and had wanted to take a picture.  Glad he didn’t, this whole thing is embarrassing enough as it is.”

Elwood had tried to avoid focusing too hard on Jas’ reaction to his story, afraid he’d see her trying to hold back her laughter or even worse, that she would pity him.  When he finally finished speaking, Elwood looked up to see Jas staring intensely at him, tears in her eyes.

“I don’t think it’s embarrassing at all,” Jas remarked seriously.  “I think it’s actually really sweet.”  Jas held Rainbow Unicorn up at arm's length and looked into its round plastic eyes and smiled warmly at it.  “Thanks for taking good care of him, Rainbow Unicorn.  Keep watching over him, okay?”  Jas gently kissed Rainbow Unicorn on top of its head and placed the doll carefully back on the shelf before returning to her spot on the edge of the bed next to Elwood.

“Thanks for understanding,” Elwood said quietly.  “I can’t even believe I just admitted that to you, it feels so dumb.”

“You wanna know what’s dumb?  Some nights when I have trouble sleeping, I have to ask Uncle Shane for one of his old, smelly shirts.”  Elwood raised a curious eyebrow, admittedly a bit confused as to where this was headed.  “Apparently when he first became my guardian, I struggled to sleep whenever he wasn’t around.  I don’t really remember it much, but Aunt Marnie said that I’d be up for hours crying whenever Uncle Shane had to work late.  They solved that little problem by giving me one of the shirts from his hamper so that I’d smell him there and fall asleep.  Worked like a charm according to Aunt Marnie, I guess I’d regularly sleep with his old shirts almost like a security blanket.  Now here I am, 16 years old and I still sometimes grab one of his old shirts from the laundry when I can’t sleep.  Seems crazy, but I guess when my boyfriend has a rainbow unicorn doll for comfort, it doesn’t feel so crazy after all.”

“Sounds like my kinda crazy,” Elwood replied with a lovestruck grin.

Without warning, Jas leaned forward and planted a very eager, very unexpected kiss onto Elwood’s lips.  He gasped in surprise as his girlfriend’s lips met his in what was his very first real kiss.

~*~

Summer 3, Year 18

"Welcome home, Seymour," Jas said softly to the newborn in her arms.

Her husband Elwood shut the door behind them, then rushed to her side to wrap an arm gently around her waist.  Elwood was tall enough to look over his wife's shoulder and down upon the face of his newborn son.  For a moment the two parents lingered just in the entryway of the house, too captivated by the tiny miracle in Jas' arms to move.  Seymour was born only three days earlier but it was still not enough time to fully grasp how precious he was or how much he was loved.  For now, there was no rush.  Elwood and Jas were content to stare at the miracle they had made and the son they had brought into the world.

When they were finally ready to take their first steps around the house as a family, Jas held Seymour close to her chest while Elwood never removed his arm from around his wife’s waist as they stepped further into the house.  They slowly walked Seymour through the house, giving a tour of each room to their new son and the house he would grow up in.  It seemed silly, but it was their first real act as a family in their home.  It was important to Elwood that Seymour feel comfortable and safe in his home, even from the very beginning.  The last stop on the tour of their home was Seymour's nursery.  Jas walked him into the room and held him in a way to better see his room.  Not that he could see much with his eyes closed, still fast asleep.

"This is your room, little one," Elwood said softly.  "I hope you like it.  We didn't really have a theme for how to decorate it, there were just too many options.  Your Grandpa Shane wanted a gridball room, your Great Aunt Marnie thought we should decorate with farm animals, Grandma and Grandpa Higgins thought we should decorate with planes... I guess we settled on a little bit of everything."

High on a shelf of Seymour’s room were the decorative items that Jas and Elwood chose to display, keeping them higher off the ground to protect them from when Seymour would inevitably become a destructive toddler someday.  Grandpa Shane had gifted his grandson a gridball signed by a player from the Zuzu City Tunnelers, his favorite team.  Great Aunt Marnie had gotten a piggy bank for Seymour, made to look like a realistic pig as opposed to the very cartoonish ones that are usually found.  Grandpa Harvey bought and built a special model airplane especially for Seymour.  Grandma May hand-wrote and framed a poem for her grandson which was propped up on the shelf next to all of the other treasures.  The shelf was filled with wonderful gifts and tokens from Seymour’s family who all loved him very much, even before he was born.  Still, there was one more item upon the shelf that was not quite as new as the others, but perhaps held the most value; at least to Elwood.  Elwood crossed the room and reached up to grab an old, tattered stuffed doll of a rainbow unicorn.  Jas smiled lovingly at her husband as he approached, holding the doll behind his back.

“Hey, little guy… I want you to meet someone,” Elwood began, fighting to subdue the swell of emotion in his chest.  Elwood pulled the doll from behind his back and held it close to Seymour.  “This is Rainbow Unicorn.  Not a very inventive name, I know.  You can blame your Aunt Daisy for that one.  You see, he used to belong to her.  And when I first showed up to my home, she let me borrow him so that I’d feel better.  Worked like a charm.  I was much older than you are now, but I hope he brings you the same comfort he brought me.  Now Grandpa Harvey says you can’t sleep with dolls in your crib yet, safety hazard and all, but he’s gonna be here in your room waiting for you.  And whenever you need him, he’ll be there.”

Elwood held the doll even closer to Seymour so that they were nearly face to face.

“The doll’s almost as big as Seymour,” Jas giggled.  Elwood pushed the doll forward a bit, booping his son gently on the nose.  As soon as the doll touched Seymour’s nose, the newborn’s eyes opened just a crack.

“Oh!  Friends already,” Elwood chuckled happily.  “I’m glad he made such a good first impression.”

Same as they had been in the entryway, Jas and Elwood remained frozen in place in Seymour’s nursery, once again transfixed by their newborn son.  Jas gazed lovingly back and forth between her son and her husband, watching as Elwood continued to boop Seymour softly on the nose over and over again.  The smile that Elwood wore was bigger than any Jas could ever remember seeing.  She was grateful for Rainbow Unicorn welcoming both of her boys home.

Chapter Text

Winter 24, Year 5

“She’s finally down,” May sighed, quietly tip-toeing down the stairs.

“I’m sorry that took so long,” Harvey replied sympathetically.

“You’d think we’d be used to it by now,” May went on with a shrug.  “Daisy’s always had sleep issues.”

“Tell me about it,” Harvey chuckled darkly.  Memories of far too many sleepless nights flooded Harvey’s mind.

“But tonight’s so much worse,” May remarked.  “Makes sense, I guess.  This is really the first year she’s starting to understand the holidays.  It’s making it even harder for her to fall asleep when she knows what’s happening tonight.”

“True,” Harvey agreed with a nod.  “Bad enough to have a child with sleep anxiety but on the night before Winter Star, I suppose we should feel lucky she even fell asleep at all.”

“She’d have probably been asleep a bit sooner if someone wasn’t making a bunch of noise down here,” May remarked, narrowing her eyes at Harvey.  She was only half joking in her irritation.

“Sorry about that,” Harvey apologized with a guilty expression.

“Daisy was just about to nod off when we heard a crash downstairs,” May went on.  “It startled her awake and we had to start all over again.  It got her too excited and riled up, she was positive she heard Santa Claus.”

“I thought I could get an early start getting her presents under the tree,” Harvey explained.  “I accidentally stubbed my toe on the damn coffee table.  Hence the crash.”

“Well then I guess she wasn’t entirely wrong about it being Santa,” May giggled.  “Maybe without the white hair and beard, but an equally impressive mustache.”  May smiled at her husband as she playfully twirled the ends of his mustache

“True, I suppose in this context I am Santa,” Harvey laughed.

“Your eyes, how they twinkle.  Your dimples, how merry.  Your cheeks are like roses, your nose like a cherry,” May recited, playfully tapping and tugging each part of Harvey’s face as she went along, ending with a light boop to his nose.

“If you start comparing my midsection to a bowlful of jelly, I might just need to resume my workout sessions,” Harvey teased.  “I’m sure the white hair will come in time, but at the moment I’m not keen to have too much in common with Santa Claus.”

“Mmm, but I love that bowlful of jelly,” May went on playfully, wrapping her arms around Harvey’s midsection and squeezing gently.  Harvey’s cheeks flushed as he started to get flustered.  “Ah, and there’s those rosy cheeks again.”

“W-we should probably keep getting those presents under the tree,” Harvey deflected, not doing very well at masking his delighted grin.

“We will,” May assured him.  “Maybe we should give her an extra bit of time to really make sure she’s asleep.  We’re in that crucial period right afterwards where she could still wake up.  The last thing we need is to destroy the magic of the holidays when she’s only three years old.  You don’t look enough like Santa yet that she’d be fooled.”

“Ah, a very fair point,” Harvey agreed.  “I guess I’m just so eager, but I’ll try to be patient.  It’s just so difficult sometimes.”

“It’s sweet,” May remarked.

“It is?” Harvey asked, raising an eyebrow.

“It’s cute how excited you get on the night before Winter Star,” May went on, gazing lovingly at her husband.  “It’s been this way ever since our very first Winter Star together.”

“I guess I’d just never had much of a reason to be excited for Winter Star before you and Daisy came along,” Harvey reasoned.  “The year before we got together, I spent the evening alone in the clinic.  Same as the year before that, and the year before that, and, well… you get the idea.  But now, there’s so much more to enjoy about the holidays.  Especially with Daisy, this is just an experience I never thought I’d have.  Can’t say I ever thought I’d be leaving out milk and cookies for Santa or filling up stockings.  It’s nice.  Unexpected, but nice.”

“Is it everything you hoped it would be?” May asked.

“Even more,” Harvey answered happily.

“Well I’m glad we could give you a reason to be excited for the holidays,” May replied, planting a delicate kiss on Harvey’s rosy cheek.  “Now come on, Santa, let’s get a bit more cozy while we wait.”

“You read my mind,” Harvey replied.

May took Harvey by the hand and gently led him to the sofa where a warm blanket was already laid out.  She lifted up the blanket and crawled underneath it, beckoning for Harvey to join her.  In minutes, the two were snuggled underneath the blanket, their fingers still entwined.  It was quiet and peaceful in the farmhouse, the crackle from the fireplace was the only sound that could be heard.  Both Harvey and May’s eyes traveled to the window by the sofa, gazing outside at the gently falling snow outside.  The fresh layer of snow that fell over the empty fields outside made a blanket of white across the entire farmland that only added to the tranquility of the scene.  There was something about undisturbed snow that May loved.  Despite the frustration of getting Daisy to sleep, it was now a peaceful, silent night.

By morning the peaceful setting would be gone, replaced by the excitement and buzz of a busy holiday morning.  In no time there would be scraps of ripped paper and ribbons strewn around, squeals of delight and loud hums of musical toys, and a festive energy that would surely break the silence and bring chaos and excitement to the farmhouse.  But for now, on this night before Winter Star, Harvey and May sat in peaceful silence together as they watched the snow fall outside, sparkling in the light of the moon.

Chapter Text

It was close to dinnertime and Harvey was almost finished catching up with the reading for the book club.  He’d been behind for the last week and was hoping to use any spare time he had to catch up.  With only one chapter to go before being fully caught up, May had offered to make dinner solo while Harvey sat in the living room to read.  Ordinarily they tried to make dinner together whenever possible, they both enjoyed cooking together and it had become a point in the day that the both of them looked forward to.  Harvey felt guilty leaving the work to May, but she insisted that he finish his reading while he had the opportunity to.  Since dinner was relatively lowkey tonight, and he was admittedly very enthralled with the book so far, Harvey decided to take her up on her offer.

The smells coming from the kitchen were only mildly distracting to Harvey as he read.  Twice he stopped reading to inhale deeply from his nose, appreciating the aroma of delicious food coming from the kitchen.  By the time he had finished his chapter, most of the clangs from the pots and pans had died down as May stood at the stove, stirring a simmering pot.  Occasionally she reached into a tall open cupboard to grab a spice bottle, adding to the mixture she was stirring.

Harvey rose from the couch, looking down at the cover of the book he was reading.  It was wonderful so far and as much as he knew May wasn’t as enthusiastic about reading as he was, he thought she might actually enjoy this book.

“I’m all caught up!” Harvey announced, stepping into the kitchen with the book in his hand.  Looking down at the picture on the cover, he was amused to see that even the main character looked a bit like May.  He smiled at the artwork, it was yet another reason to enjoy this book.

“I really think you’d like this one, honey, it’s about- OW!”

Harvey yelped as he smacked his head hard against the open kitchen cupboard.  For the last hour May had left the cupboard open, crossing back and forth across the kitchen without a problem as the top of her head had about an inch or two of clearance under the tall cupboard door.  Harvey, on the other hand, most definitely did not clear the cupboard at his height.  With the door open, he walked right into it while his attention had been somewhere else.  Harvey winced as he rubbed the now-tender spot on his head and May rushed to his side, hurriedly closing the cabinet door that she had so easily been able to walk under.

“Are you okay?!” May gasped, gently resting the tips of her fingers at the spot where Harvey had bonked his head.  “You’ve got a big red spot.”  He winced again at May’s touch, the spot was very tender.

“I’ll be fine,” Harvey replied, still wincing although he was already smiling and was rather amused by the ordeal.  “This isn’t the first time I’ve hit my head on a kitchen cupboard and it won’t be the last.  Cupboards, low-hanging light fixtures, ceiling fans, these are all the dangers tall people face.”

“Aww, sweetheart,” May remarked sympathetically.  She stood on the tips of her toes and kissed the tender spot on his head gently.  It still hurt for a moment, but it was worth it.  “Sit down at the table, I’ll finish up dinner.  My poor, tall husband.  Sometimes being short has its benefits, I guess.”

Harvey grinned like a giddy fool as he sat down at the table, watching May return to her work.  He held back a laugh as she opened the same cupboard, withdrew another spice, and walked right under the open door without even grazing the top of her head.  In minutes, he saw her return to the cupboard, standing on the tips of her toes to reach for a container on a shelf that was just barely out of her reach.  Seeing his time to shine, Harvey stood up and approached the cupboard, careful to not make the same mistake of walking right into it.  He excused himself past May and grabbed the container with ease, not even needing to stand on the tips of his toes to reach it.  He smirked at May as he handed over the container she needed.

“I guess being tall has its benefits, too,” Harvey pointed out in amusement.

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

“If they think they can make a risotto in 15 minutes, they’re crazy,” May remarked with a scoff.

Harvey grunted in agreement, equally doubtful that the chef on TV would be able to make the very ambitious risotto he had planned for the cooking competition ‘Ferngill’s Top Chef’. Lately Harvey and May had fallen into a pattern of making dinner, cleaning up the dishes, then finishing up the night snuggled on the couch to watch TV together. Often their favorite was cooking shows, it was the closest common ground they shared. This ritual would no doubt be considered mundane to the outside observer, but to Harvey it was the perfect way to unwind after a long day. It always gave him something to look forward to no matter how stressful his day was.

“Oh wow, this is a trainwreck, I can’t watch,” May went on overdramatically. She laughed as she adjusted herself on the couch to find a more comfortable position. Finding a comfortable position during her pregnancy had proved difficult for May. As she finally settled in, she laid her head against Harvey’s shoulder and rested her hands on her belly. Without realizing it, Harvey had done the same and rested a hand idly atop May’s baby belly. He hadn’t realized he’d done it until he felt a kick at his palm.

“Clearly Daisy doesn’t think this is a very good idea either,” May laughed, shifting her hand to Harvey’s to give it a gentle squeeze.

“Oh, sorry,” Harvey remarked, pulling his hand away on instinct.

“Sweetheart, it’s fine,” May assured him. “I don’t mind.”

“It’s just I know you don’t like when people reach out and touch your belly like that,” Harvey went on sheepishly.

“Well yeah, other people,” May answered, rolling her eyes. “If Caroline tries one more time, I’m gonna punch her in the nose. But of course you can. I think it’s safe to say I grant you of all people a little more license.” May giggled and returned her attention to the show, though Harvey still kept his hand away and rested it at his side.

As the show went on, May uttered a very smug ‘I told you so’ under her breath as the judges scoffed at the chef’s ruined risotto, claiming it needed more time to cook. Harvey couldn’t help but smile at May’s enthusiasm, it was endearing. Truth be told, only half the reason he enjoyed cooking competitions was for the content, the other half was hearing May’s usually colorful commentary. To the surprise of neither of them, Chef Risotto was eliminated and didn’t go on to the final round.

“Shouldn’t have tried to take that risk,” May pointed out matter-of-factly.

When the dessert round of the competition began, May winced when both chefs commented that they would be making an ice cream. With only one ice cream machine, it was always tense to see who would get to the machine first. Harvey could feel May’s shoulders clench in anticipation as she watched the scene unfold. Harvey felt another kick at his palm, realizing only now that he’d absentmindedly let his hand rest at May’s belly yet again. Just as he was about to quietly withdraw it, May rested her hand atop his to keep it there.

“It’s fine,” May reminded him. “She only seems to kick when you rest your hand there, I think she likes you.”

Harvey smiled as he gently rubbed May’s belly. His hand remained in place through the rest of the show, smiling each time he felt a soft kick or movement from within. It felt nice to snuggle on the couch with his wife, enjoying the last remaining weeks they had before life as they knew it would drastically change. It was an aspect of their daily life that Harvey would miss when they became parents, just spending a quiet, relaxing evening with May doing something as mundane as watching television.

Chapter Text

“So the world champion of staying awake must actually be Stella! Or maybe not. The end.”

May closed the book she was reading to her daughter, setting it aside on the bedside table.

“Read it again, Mama, read it again!” Daisy chanted, hopping up and down excitedly from her spot atop her bed.

“No way, we’re already running really late,” May remarked, glancing at her watch. “Daddy’s book ran a little long because someone had to overdramatize the turtle voice.” May glanced lovingly at her husband flashing him a look of feigned annoyance.

“Hey, if turtles could talk they would probably talk slowly!” Harvey replied in playful defense.

“But now it’s my turn for a story!” Daisy squealed, already sitting up a little straighter to prepare herself.

The evening routine was always the same from the time Daisy could talk; Harvey and May would tuck her into bed, they would each pick one book to read Daisy from her bookshelf, then Daisy would get to finish the night by telling her own made-up story. From the time she was two years old, it was a nightly routine that they very rarely broke. Only medical emergencies could pull Harvey away from this treasured time with his wife and daughter and it gave Daisy a sense of stability and routine to be able to look forward to the family bonding every night. Even the pending adoption of Elwood could not throw the routine into question, May was sure to keep Daisy’s nightly story routine intact during such a chaotic and unpredictable time in their lives. It was important for Elwood to feel at home with them but it was equally important for Daisy not to feel as though she were being replaced. Each night for Daisy’s routine, May would notice Elwood busy at work hunched over the desk in his room, working on his latest drawing. He seemed content to have some quiet time to himself to draw and May wanted to grant him his space if he needed it.

“Are you sure you have time for a story?” Harvey asked, furrowing his brow overdramatically at Daisy to look playfully stern. “Didn’t Mama say we were already running late?”

“Can it be a short story? Pleeeease?” Daisy begged, clasping her hands in front of her and attempting the biggest, most pronounced pout May had ever seen.

“Alright, a short one,” May sighed. “But you’ll have to tell it to Daddy tonight, I think we left Rainbow Unicorn downstairs after you and Elwood built your fort, I’ll go get it for you.”

“Don’t worry, dear, I’ll fill you in on all the wonderful details of her story,” Harvey remarked with a grin.

“I expect a fully acted out re-telling,” May replied, returning her husband’s smile.

As May crossed Daisy’s room she already started to giggle as she heard Daisy begin with ‘Once upon a time there was a robot named Tina, and she hated green beans.’ May swiftly left Daisy’s room, stepping out into the hall in a hurry to get Daisy’s doll. What she hadn’t expected was to run into Elwood who had his back to May, seemingly on his way into his bedroom. Yet to be standing here in this spot, headed towards his room, he would have had to have been directly outside of Daisy’s room.

“Elwood, sweetie, is everything alright?” May asked in concern. The moment she addressed him, she caught Elwood’s shoulders tense up and heard a low, almost inaudible sigh.

“Y-yeah, everything’s fine,” Elwood mumbled.

“Did you need anything?” May went on cheerfully. “If you ever need to get our attention, you can just come on in, you don’t have to wait for us or anything. We’re here for you with whatever you need.”

“I know, but I didn’t need anything,” Elwood replied, his back still turned to May. She wished she could see his face, he seemed very uncomfortable and uneasy at the moment and May was hoping to suss out why.

“Okay, well… let us know if you ever do,” May reminded him gently.

“Thanks,” Elwood replied quietly.

As Elwood continued on his way to his room, May’s mind reeled with all the reasons why Elwood would have been standing at the door without knocking or entering the room. It was possible he was simply too nervous or afraid to knock, May wouldn’t have blamed him for still being a little awkward about interrupting anything. Yet in the weeks that he had been with the Higgins family, May was already seeing Elwood loosen up considerably and become more comfortable around them. Even if he was too nervous to knock, May hoped he would have at least said something to her in the hallway if he needed her attention. Elwood had almost made it to the door of his room when May gasped under her breath, suspecting a very possible, and very heartbreaking reason why Elwood might have been standing outside of Daisy’s door.

“Elwood, do you… would you like to join us for storytime?” May offered.

Elwood froze once more, though this time his tense shoulders seemed to loosen. For the first time since she’d spotted him in the hall, Elwood turned around to face her. His expression was difficult to read, he seemed simultaneously embarrassed, nervous, and excited.

“I know the books on Daisy’s shelf are nothing at all you’d find entertaining, but… maybe you’d like to read a book as well? Or maybe even come up with your own, like Daisy does. Only if you want to, that is,” May went on casually.

May didn’t want to pressure Elwood in any way in case she was wrong, but she suspected that a part of Elwood was feeling left out for not being included in the family’s evening ritual. It all seemed so obvious now and May felt awful for such a terrible oversight on her and Harvey’s part. Of course Elwood would want to be part of such a close family experience. For weeks May had thought they were sparing Elwood from a juvenile storytelling session in favor of his artwork, failing to see that the artwork was likely an outlet to take his mind off of what he was missing out on; quality family time. Her suspicions were almost immediately confirmed when the corner of Elwood’s mouth twitched and his lips spread into a wide grin.

“Sure, I… I think I’d like that,” Elwood answered, far more upbeat and cheerful than he’d been in the last few minutes.

“I’m sure your sister would love that,” May answered, wincing as she quickly corrected herself, “er, Daisy would love that.”

“No… no, it’s okay… you can call her my sister,” Elwood corrected May, his smile becoming even wider.

It was the first time he’d ever been okay with addressing anyone in the Higgins family as his own family. Already this huge step forward was enough to cause May’s chest to tighten, leaving her fighting to hold back tears. She could not guarantee she would be so successful at holding them back if the day ever came that he referred to her as ‘Mom’.

“Well then I think your sister would like that,” May remarked as casually as she could. She could hear the quiver in her own voice through her giddiness. “I just need to run downstairs real quick to grab her Rainbow Unicorn doll, you can head in there if you’d like. I think you might catch the tail end of a story about a green bean hating robot. Go ahead and pick out a book to read, we have time to squeeze in one more for the night.”

“Didn’t you say we’re running late?” Elwood blurted out, very awkwardly biting his bottom lip and turning his eyes away when he realized he’d virtually admitted to listening at the door.

“There’s time,” May answered simply before stepping away to the staircase.

It was difficult to force herself to keep going without looking back, May was desperate to turn around and watch Elwood go into the room, to overhear what he was going to say to Harvey and Daisy, to see if he looked awkward or uncomfortable, to reassure him that it was okay and to validate any fears or nervousness he might have.  She was so used to mothering a four year old, it would take some time to adjust to mothering a teenager.  Elwood didn’t need to be coddled, he didn’t need his hand held.  All he needed was to feel like a member of the family and May was delighted to take one more step in that direction.

Chapter Text

Spring 16, Year 1

“Give me a kiss to build a dream on
And my imagination will thrive upon that kiss.
Sweetheart, I ask no more than this,
A kiss to build a dream on.”

Though Harvey was only barely singing under his breath, Maru could hear the words crystal clear all the way from the waiting room where she was wiping down the chairs.  She looked up to find Harvey idly staring at the computer screen at the front desk, seemingly spaced out as he continued to sing quietly.

“Give me a kiss before you leave me
And my imagination will feed my hungry heart.”

“You’re terrible at this, you know,” Maru giggled.

“Wh-what?!” Harvey started, snapping to attention.

“You’re supposed to be keeping things quiet and low-key and here you are singing love songs under your breath in the middle of the clinic,” Maru clarified, shaking her head in amusement.

“Oh, s-sorry, I didn’t realize I was doing that,” Harvey muttered in embarrassment.

“It’s a slow day today, go clean the exam room or something,” Maru suggested.  “Take your mind off of things, be productive, and for goodness sake don’t be out in the waiting room singing about kisses.  Yoba, never thought you of all people would be the worst one to keep a secret.”

Harvey hurriedly excused himself to the back, seemingly grateful for an excuse to leave the front desk and retreat to the back.  Ever since he had started dating Farmer May only days earlier, his behavior was very different.  Much happier, yes, but also far more self-conscious and closed off.  It was difficult to get any information out of her best friend, but Maru could see in his generally brighter attitude and almost giddy outlook that he was happy.  Never one to wear his heart on his sleeve, Harvey was certainly conflicted; he appeared to be the happiest he had ever been yet the desire to keep his relationship with May a secret as well as his general wish for privacy made him force that happiness down as much as possible.  Even around Maru.

~*~

“Thanks for stopping by Pelican Town Medical Clinic!” Maru exclaimed, handing over the small paper bag filled with Evelyn’s over-the-counter purchases.

Just as Evelyn grabbed the bag and uttered her own ‘thank you’, Maru’s ears perked up at the sound of a high-pitched, melodic sound coming from the back.  Now Harvey was whistling.  It seemed to be the same upbeat, sappy love song he’d been singing earlier.  Maru would have been impressed at how loud and strong Harvey’s whistling was, he was actually quite good at it, but more than anything she was worried that he had his heads so far up in the clouds that he forgot about discretion.  Evelyn didn’t seem to have picked up on it, but Maru still helped her swiftly to the door and waved her out, uttering a loud goodbye to drown out the sound.  Once Evelyn had left, Maru headed to the back to find Harvey.  As soon as she entered his office, Harvey immediately stopped whistling and appeared to be flustered at having been caught.

“Everything alright, Maru?” Harvey asked casually, leaning forward at his desk and resting his chin in his hand in an attempt to play it cool.

“Now you’re whistling?” Maru teased.  Instantly Harvey’s forced nonchalance dropped and the tips of his ears burned bright pink.

“Heard that, huh?” Harvey asked sheepishly.

“If the waiting room were full, everyone would have,” Maru pointed out.  “Thankfully it was just Evelyn.  Her hearing isn't what it used to be, you’re good.”

“Sorry, I can’t seem to help myself,” Harvey admitted, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck.

“If you really want to keep this thing a secret, you’re gonna have to,” Maru pointed out bluntly.

~*~

It was tough to listen to.  A low, deep rumble made its way into the empty waiting room and Maru could once again hear the same sweet love song she’d been hearing all day, this time in a soft hum.  It seemed to be coming from the exam room where Harvey was with a patient.  Thankfully that patient was Alex, quite possibly the least observant resident in town except perhaps Sam, at least in Maru’s opinion.  Still, Harvey was playing with fire absentmindedly singing, whistling, and humming love songs all day in front of his patients.  Maru wanted to stop him, to burst through the doors and interrupt the appointment, but at this point it was too late.  Harvey was humming along and there was nothing to be done about it.  Luckily the humming didn’t last for long, only minutes later Maru heard the double doors at the back open up.

“Before you go, I just need you to fill out a quick form and we’ll get you some pain medication to take home,” Harvey instructed, helping Alex through the doors and into the waiting room.

Though Alex balked at the help, he certainly seemed to need it.  One leg of his pants was rolled up and his ankle was wrapped tightly.  He didn’t seem to quite have the hang of using crutches, so Harvey’s assistance definitely appeared warranted.  Once Alex was seated in one of the chairs near the door, Harvey approached the front desk.

“Maru, can you get Alex the following over-the-counter medications to take home?” Harvey asked, handing a short hand-written list to her.  Maru was grateful that Harvey didn’t seem to have the classically terrible hand-writing that most doctors had, thankfully the note was perfectly legible.

“Sure thing, Doc,” Maru confirmed, already headed towards the shelf of medications to grab what Alex needed.

“I don’t think we’ll need a follow-up, Alex, but be sure to call and setup another appointment if you aren’t seeing improvement in the next few days,” Harvey advised.  “Ankle injuries need time to heal, so please don’t resume regular activity too early.”

“But Doc, I-” Alex protested, but Harvey cut in firmly yet professionally.

“I understand that you’re in the midst of training, but I assure you a torn ligament isn’t what you want right now,” Harvey cautioned him.  “Right now it’s nothing more than a sprained ankle, easily treated with time and patience.  But returning to physical activity before the ankle has probably healed can, and probably will, lead to a torn ligament.  That will affect your training far worse than a few days of rest.”

“Okay, fine,” Alex sighed.

“Now, Maru can get you those medications and assist you with the last of the paperwork before you go,” Harvey went on.

As Harvey turned on his heels to head towards the back, Maru’s eyes widened as he already started humming once more.  Never before had Maru seen Harvey so madly in love with anyone before.  For sure May’s presence in Harvey’s life and their new relationship together was proving to be all Harvey could think about.  Maru quickly got Alex what he needed and held the door open for him as he hobbled back outside.  The second he was gone, Maru slammed the door behind her and nearly sprinted to Harvey’s office.  The humming was still going strong.

“Doc, you’ve really got to chill with that,” Maru cautioned him more seriously than ever.

“Oh, Yoba, I’m doing it again, aren’t I,” Harvey sighed.

“Yup,” Maru confirmed with a nod.

“I can’t help it, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about her all day,” Harvey went on, equal parts frustrated and smitten.  “This is the first full day in the clinic since we’ve been dating and I already miss her so much.”

“You gotta snap out of it,” Maru instructed seriously.  “I know you two want to keep this secret, and that’s fine.  I get why.  But you’ve got to keep it together.  If not for you, then for her.”

Hearing it from this perspective, Harvey nodded resolutely and took a deep breath.  It was sweet how determined he seemed to be at the mention that this was for May.

“I’ll do better,” Harvey finally answered.

“Good,” Maru replied with a soft smile.  “Now, if you need to get that song out of your system, you don’t have any other appointments for the rest of the day, you can head up to your apartment and listen to it on repeat for all I care.  I’ll call you down if we get a walk-in, but I doubt it.  Go upstairs and daydream about May all you want, whatever you need to do.  Just don’t let it follow you into the clinic, alright?”

“Alright,” Harvey replied with a grateful smile.  “Thanks, Maru.”

“For what?” Maru asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Everything, really,” Harvey answered.  “But mostly thanks for having my back.”

Harvey nodded in Maru’s direction before turning on his heels and disappearing behind the double doors that led to the back.  Maru could hear the loud clunk of his shoes, he seemed to almost be sprinting up the staircase to his apartment.  All Maru could do was shake her head and laugh.  It had been an unusual day in the clinic for sure, but one that made Maru smile.  All of Harvey’s outbursts today, unknowingly singing love songs under his breath or being caught staring into space with a lovestruck grin on his face, were a welcome sight for Maru.  It was a peek into Harvey’s new life and new relationship, a peek into how he was feeling.  Based on how many outbursts had occurred that day, Maru knew that what Harvey and May had must really be something special.  And it was a welcome change to finally see Harvey so happy.

Chapter Text

Miss May Reed had only moved to town not even a season ago and already, Doctor Harvey Higgins was smitten. His interest in her was instant, her enchanting smile and vibrant eyes struck his heart like lightning the moment he laid eyes upon her. She had visited his clinic to introduce herself, rendering Harvey speechless with her grace and eloquence. Harvey had not expected her to be so captivating. Already he regretted his harsh judgement before meeting her, he had assumed that the granddaughter of a farmer would not be as well spoken or charming as May turned out to be. Regrettably, he was not quite as charming and certainly not as eloquent. He had barely been able to utter an acceptable greeting and force a few stuttered pleasantries. Whether or not Miss May caught on to his flustered state was nothing he could glean from her reaction. She was either incredibly kind or exceptionally deceitful. For Harvey’s sake, he hoped for the former.

As weeks turned to months, Harvey found himself pining silently over Miss May. Every encounter he’d had with her since their first was just as exhilarating and each time, he fell deeper in love with her. It wasn’t often that Harvey had the pleasure of Miss May’s company, he typically only saw her at social gatherings or the rare occasion she was in need of his medical expertise. Each moment in her presence was a treasure, each memory of her filled him with hope that someday, he could muster up the courage to court her. Yet as the seasons marched on, Harvey had no more nerve to pursue Miss May than he had the day she came into his life. All hope seemed lost until the day Mayor Lewis announced an upcoming ball to be held on the last day of the season in celebration of the new year. There would be no more perfect an opportunity than this to express his affection for Miss May and ask her to accompany him to the ball. He only had to hope he would be faster than the other eligible bachelors in town who surely had similar plans. He also had to hope that May would find his nervous, shy demeanor endearing rather than pathetic.

The day after the announcement for the ball was made, Harvey plucked up as much courage as he could, which was admittedly very little, and purchased a bouquet from the local florist. It was customary in the valley to present the object of one’s affection with a bouquet of flowers as a symbol of romantic intent. Harvey was never one to ignore tradition. With a beautiful bouquet of flowers in-hand, Harvey strode down the path to Runaway Farm with a sense of purpose. By the time Harvey returned, Miss May would know of his feelings for her for better or for worse.

The snow-covered fields of Runaway Farm looked calm and serene, a cruel mockery of the storm brewing within Harvey’s mind. Each step he took toward Runaway Farm brought him more doubt and uncertainty and by the time he approached the first step of Miss May’s quaint farmhouse, he had begun to feel light-headed. He swooned on the spot, wondering if perhaps he was too unwell to go any further. Other than a short trail of footprints in the snow, there was no other sign that he had been here. Miss May need never know what he had been about to do. Just as Harvey turned to retreat, he heard the creak of the front door and saw Miss May’s silhouette in the doorframe, bundled in a thick shawl against the harsh winter chill. Even now he could have saved face if it weren’t for the bouquet of flowers that he wouldn’t possibly be able to explain away. Were it not for damned tradition, he could have attempted to give May the impression he was here for a social call. Yet the moment May’s eyes fell upon the arrangement in his grasp, her eyes widened and Harvey’s heart raced. His light-headedness hit once more and he could feel himself stumbling backwards in a foggy haze.

“D-Doctor Higgins?” May asked in a panic, stepping forward from the warmth of her farmhouse to meet him at the foot of the stairs.

The sight of May’s worried face, somehow still as beautiful as ever even when lined with concern, was the last thing Harvey remembered seeing before fainting.

Harvey awoke in a daze, blinking rapidly as his eyes adjusted to the low light of the flickering candles in the room. His surroundings were unfamiliar, the feel of the sofa beneath him was unfamiliar, but when his eyes turned to meet May’s, they were certainly something familiar. He’d seen those eyes dozens of times in his dreams. They were a welcome source of comfort in what was otherwise a confusing and rather embarrassing moment. Why he was laid down in what he could only assume was May’s farmhouse, he could not say.

“Wh-Why am I-” Harvey stammered, but Miss May held a finger delicately to his lips. Harvey’s spine quivered at her gentle touch.

“You need rest,” May uttered quietly. “You took a fall, but the snow on the ground appears to have cushioned your fall.”

It all came back to Harvey as Miss May explained what had happened. A wave of dread washed over him and he felt immediately mortified by the whole ordeal. Any hopes he had of making a good impression with May, of impressing her with whatever charm or wit he could muster, were dashed. There was certainly no way she would ever find him suitable if his first attempt at courting her ended with him fainting at her doorstep. As Harvey lamented his poor fortune and the loss of his only chance to be with May, he realized that his feet had been propped up with a stack of cushions; elevated to just above the level of his heart. It was enough of a distraction to pull Harvey’s thoughts temporarily from his misfortune as he looked down at the position of his feet in a mix of confusion and fascination. Typically only those who worked in medicine knew that this was the proper response to care for someone who has fainted.

“My feet,” Harvey pointed out, gesturing to the stack of pillows that his feet rested upon. “How did you know?”

“My father was a doctor,” May answered. “With how many patients I’ve seen laid out in our home, I picked up a thing or two.”

“Miss May, you are extraordinary,” Harvey uttered in utmost reverence.

“You find me extraordinary?” May asked, smiling at Harvey with a cheeky raise of her eyebrow. “Is that why you brought a bouquet of flowers to my doorstep? Surely you didn’t come all this way to ask my opinion on them.”

“It would almost be easier if I had,” Harvey replied nervously. “But your intuition is once again spot on. Yes, I brought a bouquet of flowers… for you. If you’ll have them.”

“I’ll certainly have them,” May replied, gesturing to the bouquet of flowers which were already placed lovingly into a vase of water. “The question is whether I’ll accept their deeper meaning, their true purpose, your reason for bringing them to me in the first place.”

Though May was still relatively new in town, Harvey knew by the way she spoke that she was most certainly familiar with the valley’s tradition surrounding bouquets. Her tone was so neutral, so enigmatic that Harvey couldn’t be sure if she was flattered by his offering or appalled. Her mysterious smile was of no help either. But if Harvey was going to ask her to the ball properly, he would certainly not do so laying down. He moved his feet off of the pile of cushions and swung them down, sitting himself upright upon the sofa.

“I was wondering if you, well, rather I was hoping you would…” Harvey stammered, his throat becoming dry being so close to the fire roaring in the fireplace. Though it was the middle of winter, he suddenly felt very warm.

“I won’t give a proper answer until I’ve heard a proper question,” May remarked, her eyebrow still raised, cheeky as ever.

“Miss May… I was hoping you would do me the honor and privilege of allowing me to escort you to the ball,” Harvey finally blurted out.

“I would be delighted to,” May replied, luckily saving Harvey any further anguish by answering right away. “What woman wouldn’t want to attend the ball on the arm of such an esteemed physician.”

“You’re quite the physician yourself,” Harvey remarked.

“Then we make an excellent pair,” May replied.

“I should return to the clinic,” Harvey sighed, already rising from the sofa with a heavy heart. Though he hadn’t even left May, he already missed her. “Not only should a doctor not be far from his post, but I fear what rumors may fly if it is discovered that I was alone with you in your home.”

“You may tell them I’ve been feeling faint,” May answered. Harvey admired her quick wit and enchanting charm.

“I shall have to remember that,” Harvey replied. “Miss May, I do hope that I’m not being too forward, but… it will be a pleasure escorting you to the ball.” Harvey reached forward and took May’s hand in his, planting a soft, delicate kiss at the back of her dainty hand. “Thank you for your hospitality.”

When Harvey released May’s hand, he caught on to the slightest tinge of pink in her cheeks. Though the temperature inside of the farmhouse was cozy, Harvey suspected that the flush of her cheeks was in response to the kiss he graced the back of her hand with. Or at the very least that’s what he hoped.

“Do try to stay warm outside, Doctor Higgins,” May remarked as she escorted Harvey to the door of her farmhouse.

“Thoughts of you will keep me plenty warm,” Harvey replied. “Until I see you again, Miss May.”

Harvey bowed respectfully to May before turning on his heels and stepping out into the frigid air outside of the warm home he had left. Yet the drastic change in temperature was hardly felt by Harvey as he trudged across the snow covered field back to the cobblestone path that led into town. What he had said to Miss May was true, just the thought that he would be escorting her to the ball was enough to warm him to his very core even in the harshest of conditions.

Chapter Text

Spring 5, Year 4

“Would you look at that,” Pierre laughed, slapping his hand on the counter in amusement.  “Harvey, what are you doing bringing a treasure troll into my store?”

Though Pierre’s attempt at a joke wasn’t exactly polite, Harvey couldn’t deny that he wasn’t entirely off the mark.  Harvey stepped into Pierre’s store holding his one-year old daughter Daisy in his arm, off to his side just above his hip.  The tips of her hair tickled the tip of Harvey’s nose in what could only barely be considered a ponytail.  Really what it was was May realizing that she could gather just enough of Daisy’s hair in a bundle at the top of her head, creating a tiny fountain of hair sticking up at the top of Daisy’s head.  Harvey had to turn his head to avoid his nose being tickled any further from this miniscule ponytail.

“No treasure troll here,” Harvey replied, shaking his head.  “Just my girl.”

“That’s quite a look,” Pierre teased.

“May was thrilled that Daisy’s hair is finally long enough to put in a ‘ponytail’,” Harvey remarked, using his free hand to make air quotes with his fingers.

“Oh yeah, Caroline was the same way with Abi,” Pierre recalled, shaking his head.  “I’ll tell ya, as soon as that hair was long enough, it was ponytails and bows galore.  Just wait ‘til May figures out she can do pigtails.  If you think Daisy looks like a treasure troll now, she’ll look like she has tiny horns growing out of the top of her head with pigtails.”

“I’m looking forward to seeing that one,” Harvey chuckled, fondly ruffling the puff-ball of a ponytail atop Daisy’s head.

“Oh you think it’s cute, but you just wait,” Pierre cautioned him.  “It’s not easy being a Girl Dad.”

“A Girl Dad?” Harvey questioned, raising an eyebrow.

“The dad of a girl,” Pierre explained.  “You just wait.  It starts with harmless little hairstyles.  Pigtails here, bows there.  Next thing you know, you’re the one stuck doing the pigtails when your wife is sick because your little girl has to have her hair done.  And it doesn’t end at hair.  Then all of a sudden it’s nail polish.  And not just for her, no sir, for everyone .  Just wait ‘til Daisy’s begging you to let her paint your nails pink.”

“I don’t know, could be a nice pop of color with the white doctor’s coat,” Harvey joked.  Pierre, however, did not laugh.

“You joke, but it’s tough having to look your kid in the eye and tell her no over and over again,” Pierre answered.

“You… you told her no?” Harvey asked.

“Of course!” Pierre scoffed.  “What, like I’m gonna walk around with pink nails?!  I run a business, do you know how unprofessional that would look?!  Not to mention I saw what she did to her mother’s nails, it was horrendous.  More paint got on Caroline’s skin than on the actual nail.  It was a mess.”

“I’m sure she tried her best,” Harvey remarked delicately.

“Just wait, it gets worse,” Pierre went on, completely glossing over Harvey’s remark as he continued on his tirade.  “Bad enough to have the hairstyles and the bows and the nails, but don’t even get me started on all the pink .  Pink everything .  And glitter.  Oh, Yoba, save me from all the glitter.  It gets everywhere .  Might as well kiss your carpet goodbye, you won’t be seeing it under the layers of glitter that’ll end up all over.”

Harvey opened his mouth to interject, but Pierre hardly took notice.  Before Harvey could even get a word out, Pierre was already barreling on, growing more impassioned with every word of his rant.

“That’s nothing compared to being the one stuck carrying all the bags,” Pierre went on, his brow furrowing.  “Do you know how embarrassing it is to be out in public carrying a Barbie backpack and a purple sequined purse?!  It’s one thing when she steps out wearing stuff like that, everyone knows she’s just a little girl.  But when a grown man has to walk around carrying that stuff?  Mortifying.”

“Surely everyone at the time knew you were the father of a little girl,” Harvey reasoned.

“Well yes, obviously,” Pierre snapped.  “But that doesn’t change the fact that you get some stares when you’re a grown man walking around with a little girl’s backpack.  It’s a small town, people talk.”

“And what do they say, exactly, what a good father you are for carrying your daughter’s belongings?” Harvey quipped.

“You just wait,” Pierre sighed, shaking his head.  “Just wait ‘til the day Daisy has you lugging around her mermaid backpack or her unicorn lunch box and you’ll know what I mean.  It’s embarrassing.”

“I’m rather looking forward to it,” Harvey replied smugly.  “I’ll wear her backpacks and pink nails as a badge of honor.  And if she wants to put bows in my hair, well then… I’m sure I’ll look just as beautiful.”

At this remark, Harvey flourished his hand in a gesture to the tiny ponytail atop Daisy’s head as though it were the most elegant hairstyle he’d ever seen.  Normally Harvey wouldn’t engage someone like this, opting instead to nod quietly or change the subject.  But it was irritating and rather upsetting to hear Pierre’s take on what it meant to be a ‘Girl Dad’.  Harvey had only just barely heard the term for the first time today, but he’d been living his life as a Girl Dad for over a year.  Truth be told, he was loving every minute of it.  Even now he was loving the bows that adorned Daisy’s clothes, the tiny hair clips May would try to pin in Daisy’s hair that eventually fell out with so little to grasp on to, the lace-trimmed shoes that were completely useless when Daisy couldn’t walk but Harvey still found them adorable.  Nothing about being a Girl Dad ever felt shameful or embarrassing to Harvey.  None of it caused him to feel emasculated or annoyed like Pierre seemed to be.  It was grating on Harvey’s nerves to have Pierre suggest that being a Girl Dad was almost ‘lesser’.  Pierre seemed to be quite irritated as well, clearly he wasn’t pleased with Harvey’s flippant answer.  Both men glared at each other for a moment, with Harvey losing any intimidation he might have had with his height thanks to an ill-timed babble from Daisy.

“Was there something I could help you with today, Doctor?” Pierre finally asked through clenched teeth, breaking the tense silence.

What Harvey had truly needed to pick-up at the store was a bottle of cooking oil for stir fry dinner.  Yet at the moment, he was feeling particularly spiteful and didn’t want to support Pierre any more than he had to.  That would have to change, of course, but today he couldn’t bring himself to purchase any groceries.  If they had to get take-out from the saloon tonight, Harvey would happily be the one to pick it up.  Instead, Harvey’s eyes traveled to the small shelf of beauty-supply products near the front.  Towards the bottom of the shelf was a row of different colored nail polishes.  To Harvey’s amusement, there was a bottle of a shockingly bright shade of pink.  Without saying a word, he strode over to the shelf, leaned over to grab the bottle, and brought it back to the counter with a smirk.

“Just this,” Harvey remarked coolly.  “First ponytail and all, we thought it might be nice to paint her nails for the first time, too.  It’ll really complete the look, I think.”

Pierre glared at Harvey through the entire transaction and when Harvey left the store with his purchase, both men were eager to have some space to cool off.  They would each forget about this encounter, or at the very least move on from it.  In a town so small, one couldn’t hold a grudge for too long.  But at the moment, Harvey stormed away from Pierre’s store holding Daisy close to him as he walked.  As though recognizing her father’s foul mood, Daisy began to babble happily again and the sound instantly caused Harvey’s heart to melt.

“You know I can’t actually paint your nails yet, right?” Harvey asked, smiling at Daisy as she continued to babble.  “With how often those fingers end up in your mouth, I can’t have you ingesting this toxic gunk.  But I’m gonna save this for you.  This exact bottle.  And when you’re ready, I’ll paint your nails.  Maybe when you’re even older, you can return the favor.  I really could benefit from a pop of color.  What do you think about that?”

Though Daisy’s babbling remained the same, Harvey still smiled and nodded as though she’d given him an actual answer.

“Okay, sounds like a plan, little one,” Harvey replied lovingly.  “Now to go home and explain to Mama why I came home with nail polish instead of cooking oil.  Ah, the life of a Girl Dad is never dull.”

Chapter Text

Spring 24, Year 6

The Flower Dance had changed over the last few years, in Harvey’s opinion, for the better.  Gone was the stiff and awkward first dance pairing Pelican Town’s most eligible bachelors and bachelorettes together, putting them on full display for the rest of the town.  That outdated tradition had ended years earlier, funny enough thanks to Harvey himself.  In the following years it was nice to show up to the Flower Dance event to less pomp and circumstance than previous years.  It was a fitting change, especially as Pelican Town itself was growing and changing.  Where there had once been a potential need for pairing up the singles of town, now there was a need to open the dance floor to all and make room for the blossoming families in town.

Harvey’s own family had blossomed, bringing not only the first wedding to Pelican Town in two decades, but also the first child born in the community in 8 years.  The Higgins family was the first of many to form in Pelican Town and with this change, many of the town festivals and events were given new life.  The young, eligible singles from Flower Dances past were paired up and in new, exciting relationships.  Some of those relationships even made families of their own.  The wide open field where the dance was held now echoed with the giggles of toddlers and the cries of babies. Couples both old and young headed to the dance floor, filled with glee and excitement, to enjoy the company of their partner.  This, Harvey felt, is what the Flower Dance should have always been about; love, in any form, in any expression, without limitations.  There were now grandsons dancing with grandmothers, fathers dancing with daughters, friends dancing with friends.  It made the event far more relaxed and much more accessible.

With the tone of the Flower Dance being far less formal and intimidating, it also made it easier for Harvey to avoid having to spend much time being stared at.  In years past, the singles in the opening dance were put on display, forced to awkwardly dance with nearly all eyes in town focused on them.  Even Harvey’s first year as a married man, the focus was on him and his wife.  Not that Harvey minded all that much dancing with his wife, it was something he very much enjoyed at home, but certainly not on full display to an eager crowd of onlookers.  Thankfully over the years, attention on him and his family had died down and he could more easily enjoy his time spent at the dance with his girls.

When the Higgins family arrived at this year’s Flower Dance, they were not met with the same flood of people that Harvey and May had been greeted by in years past.  Luckily, their arrival offered them no more than a few friendly waves and nods.  It wasn’t unexpected to have Robin and Demetrius offer a warmer welcome, with Robin immediately swooping in to give her honorary granddaughter hugs and kisses.  Robin was even kind enough to offer to watch Daisy while Harvey and May stepped onto the dance floor for their first dance together.  Even though Harvey wasn’t fond of dancing in public, he had to at least dance with his wife once during this event.

Once the dance was in full swing, Robin and Demetrius excused themselves to the dance floor, this was one of their favorite events due to their shared love of dancing.  With Robin and Demetrius gone, Harvey and May migrated over to their other set of couple friends; Elliott and Leah.  Daisy rushed over to their son Andersen, Andy for short.  Though Daisy was almost a year older than Andy, he was actually taller than her by at least two inches.  They made an unusual pair but it was always a welcome opportunity to see Daisy interact with someone more her age.

“C’mon, Andy, let’s dance!” Daisy squealed, grabbing the toddler by the hand and running to the open dance floor.  Poor Andy was barely able to stay upright as Daisy dragged him along behind her.

“Daisy, honey, don’t hurt him!” May called after them, wincing as she watched her daughter pull a two year old across the field.  She turned to Leah and smiled apologetically.  “I’m sorry, she’s just really eager to dance.”

“Don’t worry about it, he’s tough,” Leah assured her with a smile.  “He may only be two, but he’s big for his age.  My little tank.”

Leah and May giggled as they looked back at their children who had arrived at the dance floor.  Right away Daisy started jumping up and down, still grasping tight to Andy’s hand.  Poor Andy just stood there, rooted to the spot, refusing to dance.  Any time Daisy looked to him and tried to encourage him to dance, he shook his head stubbornly.  Finally, Daisy grabbed both of Andy’s hands in her own and started to twist his torso in an attempt at forcing him to dance.

“No!” Andy shouted, pulling his hands out of Daisy’s grasp.  He was so much stronger than her, it wasn’t much of a challenge for him.

Andy ran away from Daisy as fast as he could, rushing back to his mother.  He looked upset.

“You don’t wanna dance, buddy?” Leah asked.

“No dance!” Andy answered.

While May’s attention was turned to Andy to make sure he wasn’t upset, Harvey turned his attention over to Daisy who was still standing in the middle of the dance floor.  Everyone around her was too busy dancing and having fun to even see that she was there.  Not only was it a safety hazard if someone didn’t see her and knocked her to the ground, but she also appeared to be devastated standing all by herself on the dance floor.  Even from this far, Harvey spotted Daisy’s lower lip tremble and he could see that she was moments away from bursting into tears.  Without a word to May, Harvey strode across the field as fast as his long legs could take him.  He was at Daisy’s side in seconds.  Already, he could see tears streaming down her face.

“Hey, what’s the matter, little lady?” Harvey asked, kneeling down to address Daisy.

“I wanna dance!” Daisy wailed, inhaling deeply as though she were about to let out a sob.

“Well how perfect is that, I was just looking for a dance partner!” Harvey remarked happily.

“What about Mama?” Daisy asked, so confused by her father’s answer that it momentarily snapped her out of her tears.

“Mama and I already danced a few times today,” Harvey explained.  “I think Mama might be ready for a break, but I sure would love to dance again.”

It was lucky Daisy did not know of Harvey’s general dislike for dancing or she’d have known for a fact that he was lying.  Though in this case, at this moment, it wasn’t a lie.  Not really.  Though Harvey really wasn’t fond of dancing in general, he wanted nothing more than to dance with his daughter right now in the middle of the Flower Dance.  Already the look of pure joy on Daisy’s face at his words was worth any dancing.

“Really?!” Daisy gasped excitedly.  “Daddy, I’ll dance with you!”  The way Daisy offered, it was like she had thought of the idea herself.  Harvey nodded in approval as though it hadn’t even occurred to him until now.

“Well that sounds perfect!” Harvey praised her, smiling as Daisy’s small hand reached for his own.

When Harvey glanced over his shoulder to see if he could catch May’s attention, he saw that he already had.  May was staring across the field at himself and Daisy, a look of adoration on her face.  Even from this distance he could see her mouth the words ‘I love you’.  He quickly mouthed ‘I love you, too’ before Daisy dragged him to the center of the dance floor as she had with Andy.

The song that was currently playing was bright and upbeat, the perfect song for Harvey to dance to with his little girl.  In past Flower Dance events, Harvey had danced with Daisy before, but not like this.  She was littler then, too small to be able to dance properly, leading Harvey to hold her in his arms and sway on the dance floor.  One of his favorite photos on the wall of the farmhouse was of Harvey and Daisy during her first ever Flower Dance, with him cradling her gently in the crook of his arm as he swayed her gently back and forth on the dance floor.  Clutched in her tiny hand was a single daisy flower.  It was a picture that brought a smile to Harvey’s face every time he passed by it.  But now, his little girl was growing up.  She was three now, and wanted to dance with her father properly this year.  They’d barely held hands to start dancing when Harvey spotted Emily and Sandy walk by, both with daisies woven into their hair.

“I’m really sorry, ladies, might I have one of the flowers in your hair?” Harvey asked awkwardly.

They smiled and nodded to both Harvey and Daisy, they immediately understood Harvey’s need for this particular flower.  Sandy stood still while Emily reached into her wife’s hair and removed a single flower, the largest one that was there.

“Here you go, Harvey,” Emily offered, handing the flower to Harvey.

“Thanks,” Harvey replied, waving to the two of them as they continued on their way to the buffet table.  When he turned to Daisy, she was tapping her foot overdramatically in her impatience.

“Daddy, when are we dancing?” Daisy whined.

“Well it is a flower dance, after all,” Harvey pointed out with a smile.  He held out the single flower to his daughter who looked at it curiously.  “Do you know what this kind of flower is called?” Daisy shook her head. “This is called a daisy.”

“Just like me!” Daisy gasped excitedly.

“Just like you,” Harvey repeated.  “It’s actually your mother’s favorite flower, that’s why we named you Daisy in the first place.  She said that daisies make her happy.  If we’re going to dance at the flower dance together, then my Daisy needs a daisy.”

Daisy was a squealing, giddy mess by the time Harvey had finished speaking.  She was bouncing eagerly on the tips of her toes and reaching her hand out to grab for the flower.  Harvey shook his head and instead of handing the flower to Daisy, he tucked it gently behind her ear.

“I can’t say I’m as fancy as Emily and Sandy, I don’t know that I can weave this into your hair or anything,” Harvey chuckled.  “But I think I did alright.”

“Can we dance now?” Daisy asked eagerly.

“Yes, we can dance now, my Daisy,” Harvey answered.

The moment Daisy’s tiny hands rested in Harvey’s, he felt himself become a giddy mess as well.  This dance felt very different than past years.  It was a silly thing to think about, but Harvey had often pictured dancing with his daughter at the Flower Dance someday, holding her hands in his as they moved around the dance floor together.  This was very different than Harvey holding her in his arms; this was actual, proper dancing.  Maybe not exactly in a formal sense, but Daisy was wiggling and moving her feet to the beat of the music with Harvey trying as best he could to keep up.  When he turned his eyes back to May, he saw her holding her phone up, snapping a picture.  Harvey couldn’t wait to have another picture on the wall to bring him joy; a documentation of the first time he properly danced with his daughter at the Flower Dance.

Chapter Text

Summer 16, Year 1

Whenever May found herself in town, she always tried to make the most of her time there.  The walk from the farmhouse to the middle of town square was always a long one, it made sense to fill her schedule accordingly.  If she could visit Pierre’s for shopping, stop by the saloon for a pick-me-up, drop into Evelyn’s to say hello, and finish off with dropping by the clinic to see Harvey, she considered it a pretty productive trip.  When she found herself one packet of melon seeds short of finishing up her row of melons on the field, she knew she’d regret it if she didn’t run to Pierre’s before he closed for the day.  It was a Tuesday, if she didn’t hurry and go now he would be closed the following day and it would have to wait until Thursday.  If nothing else, a trip into town always meant dropping by the clinic to see Harvey.  Whether it was a longer visit to catch up on each other’s day or a shorter one just long enough to exchange quick hellos, it was nice to see Harvey in any capacity.  Especially now that they were finally dating.  Considering it was the first Tuesday Harvey was back in the clinic since they had started dating, May was eager to drop by and at the very least give her new boyfriend a quick smooch before heading back home.

Though it was already past 3:00, Harvey’s posted closing time, May knew that Tuesdays and Thursdays always ran late for him.  It was the two days a week he tried to stack his appointments in the hopes that the remaining days would be less busy.  With walk-ins and emergencies, that didn’t always work.  It was no surprise to open the door past business hours to find it unlocked.  It was also no surprise to find Maru behind the counter, Tuesdays and Thursdays were her only work days in the clinic to accommodate the busier days with appointments.  Maru, however, was surprised by the unexpected appearance of someone walking in the door of the clinic past business hours.  The sound of the door bursting open was enough to startle her and May heard a gasp, a short shriek, and the sound of breaking glass.

“Agh!  Oh no!” Maru shouted.

May’s eyes traveled to the ground and she saw broken shards of what used to be a small glass vial as well as a small amount of blood on the floor of the clinic.  It appeared that Maru dropped a blood sample that was likely being sent off to the lab.

“Oh no, Maru, I’m so sorry I startled you!” May gasped, rushing to Maru’s side to help.  Though Maru was still in a bit of a panic, she held out her hand to May to stop her.

“No, no, stay back, I-I’ve got it,” Maru cautioned May, though her poor voice was shaking in her nervousness.  “I, uh… I just have to, um… crap, I can’t believe I did that.  That was so stupid.”

“It’s okay, Maru, accidents happen,” May reassured her from a safe distance.

“No, it’s a whole thing,” Maru went on in frustration.  “Not only do we have to call the patient in to re-take the blood sample but there’s a whole protocol for cleaning up blood in the clinic for safety and just… ugh, this is such a mess.  The whole sample is ruined, Harvey’s gonna kill me.”

“It’s not all your fault,” May reasoned.  “You wouldn’t have dropped it if I hadn’t stopped by after hours.  Besides, I’m sure Harvey will understand that it was just an accident.”

“Accidents aren’t as forgivable in a clinic,” Maru pointed out with a frown.  “Make an accident working at a grocery store, the worst that happens is clean-up in aisle 5.  Make an accident in a medical clinic and it can be so much worse.  Dammit, that was really stupid.”

“Maru, it’s okay, Harvey will-” May began, but gasped when she heard the doors to the back swing open.

Out walked Harvey, wearing his white doctor’s coat.  May didn’t often get to see him wear it and if the situation were different, she might have spent a few extra seconds ogling her new boyfriend in his professional look.  Now, however, was not the time for it.  She had heard Harvey whistling a pleasant tune when he stepped out, but the melody faded and Harvey stopped whistling the moment his eyes fell upon the broken glass and ruined sample.  For a moment, Harvey’s eyes widened and he looked upset.  He was so focused on the mess, he hadn’t even noticed that his girlfriend had arrived.

“Maru, what ha-” Harvey began, but May quickly spoke up and caught his attention.

“It was an accident,” May piped up in Maru’s defense.  Not that she suspected Maru would be in any real trouble with Harvey, but she could see the situation escalating if they both dissolved into panic.  Poor Maru already looked frazzled, the least May could do was speak up on her behalf.  Harvey’s eyes turned to May the moment she spoke, jumping in surprise as he first noticed that she was there.  He seemed just as confused by her presence there as he did about the mess on the floor.

“I showed up to surprise you and, well… ended up surprising Maru instead,” May went on with a lighthearted chuckle.

“I’m so sorry, Doc, I’ll get to work right away to clean it up,” Maru assured him.

Harvey’s eyes traveled between May, Maru, the mess on the floor, and back again.  Maru shrugged and flashed Harvey a nervous, apologetic smile and May was relieved to see Harvey return that smile and nod.

“Not a problem, I’ll help you out and together we can get this cleaned up,” Harvey offered kindly.  Maru heaved an audible sigh of relief.  Her sigh caused Harvey to raise an eyebrow.  “Did you think I’d be upset?”

“Well, I mean, I know how hard you try to keep things clean around here and how big a deal it is when we’re working with blood and now we have to call the patient to have them come back to give another sample and on top of all that there’s broken glass and-” Maru rattled off frantically in a single breath.  Harvey shook his head and chuckled.

“Maru, slow down, everything’s fine,” Harvey cut in.  “Nothing a bit of elbow grease can’t fix.  As for the patient, I’ll call them in a little while to see if they can come in again tomorrow.  I’ll take the fall for this one, I don’t want you worrying about that.”  Harvey’s eyes traveled to May and his smile was accentuated by a gentle flush to his cheeks.  “And, uh, May… I wish I could be a better host at the moment, but… duty calls.  Thanks for stopping by.”

“I was in town and wanted to see you before I headed back home,” May explained.

With only one big step of Harvey’s long legs, he was able to clear the mess on the floor and cross the room to May.  Though Maru attempted to hide her stare, she wasn’t exactly doing a great job.  It was obvious that she wasn’t actually staring at the glass on the floor and was glancing at Harvey and May out of the corner of her eye.  Once Harvey was at May’s side, he wrapped his arms around her for a quick hug, very aware of Maru’s presence in the same room. It was doubtful he would feel comfortable enough for a kiss, especially while he was working.  Sure enough, Harvey pulled away only seconds later and kept a professional distance from May.

“I’m glad I got to see you,” Harvey remarked casually.  It was amusing to see him fighting off a warm, giddy smile in an attempt at professionalism.

“I’d kiss you if Maru weren’t here,” May uttered, just quiet enough so only Harvey could hear.

May often praised Harvey for how calm and collected he was in his job, but it was endearing to see him teeter so close to the edge of being a complete and utter mess.  His neck blushed furiously just visible above the collar of his white coat and May could see his mustache quiver trying to keep himself from being flustered.  It was quite adorable.

“Maru, would you mind going to the back to start collecting the supplies we’ll need to clean this up?” Harvey asked suddenly, his eyes still on May as he spoke.

Out of the corner of May’s eye, she could see Maru fighting to hold back a fit of giggles.  Harvey wasn’t exactly smooth with his request, it was fairly obvious to both May and Maru why he was suddenly asking.  Yet Maru thankfully didn’t call him on it, no doubt relieved for his help with the spill.

“Sure thing, Doc,” Maru replied, an air of amusement in her voice as she headed through the doors at the back of the room.  Once she had disappeared behind them, Harvey wrapped his arms around May once more.  This time he was far less tense.

“I might have bought us a little bit of time,” Harvey remarked with a smirk.

“You genius,” May replied fondly.  “Just enough time to kiss you properly.”

May raised herself onto the tips of her toes, wrapping her arms around Harvey’s neck to pull him closer until their lips met.  Though he was significantly more relaxed than he had been moments earlier, she could still sense a tension and nervousness no doubt due to being in the middle of his place of business.  It was amusing that even now, Harvey was ever the professional.  The kiss was soft and sweet, but over far too quickly.  Just enough to leave May wanting more when their lips parted.  She was sure that she could never get enough.

“I’m really glad I got to see you,” Harvey repeated with a lovestruck grin.

“Even though it led to this?” May asked, gesturing towards the mess still on the floor.

“I meant what I said to Maru, nothing a little elbow grease and an awkward phone call can’t fix,” Harvey replied.  “It was worth it to see you today.”

The doors of the back opened slowly and with a bit of noise before Maru appeared, May could tell Maru was purposefully announcing her presence with plenty of notice in case Harvey and May were being affectionate.  It was an act of consideration Harvey was too oblivious to notice, but May found it sweet.

“So, are we doing this?” Maru asked, holding the bucket of cleaning supplies.

“Sure,” Harvey answered.  He turned to May one last time and smiled.  “Thanks for stopping by.”

May waved as she turned on her heels and headed for the exit.  As May opened the door to leave the clinic, she could hear Harvey start whistling the same bright, cheerful tune he’d been whistling before.  May recognized it instantly as one of her favorite love songs.  She giggled, knowing she would have the song stuck in her head for the rest of the day.  It seemed Harvey did, too.

Chapter Text

Hot steam billowed out of the shower as May pulled back the shower curtain and stepped onto the mat.  The bathroom in Harvey’s apartment was so compact, the tiny room had filled with hot steam even after only a five minute shower.  May hated getting dressed in such humid conditions, not that she’d remembered to bring her clothes into the bathroom with her anyway.  The change of clothes she’d brought were waiting for her by Harvey’s bed, along with Harvey himself.  May smirked to herself as she wrapped one of Harvey’s towels around her, already giddy at the idea of what Harvey’s reaction would be to her stepping out of the room to greet him in nothing more than a towel.

A cloud of hot steam followed May as she opened the door of Harvey’s bathroom and stepped out into the main room of his studio apartment.  Harvey was sitting on the edge of his bed, already dressed for the day as he slipped his socks on.  Pity he was already dressed, May suspected he wouldn’t be for much longer.

At the sound of the door opening, Harvey looked up and gasped quietly at the sight of May stepping into the room, followed by a cloud of steam that enveloped her.  Harvey’s jaw went slack and for a moment, he sat frozen in place on the edge of the bed, too dumbstruck to say or do anything.  This was exactly the reaction May suspected she might receive from Harvey.  Playing into his reaction, May sauntered across the room, delighting in Harvey’s eyes following her every move.  He seemed spellbound.  When May approached Harvey, close enough that he could reach out and touch her, she reached a hand forward and rested it gently against Harvey’s cheek.  The only thing holding her towel up was her other hand, clutching at the towel to keep it steady.  She was almost hoping Harvey would push her other hand aside, allowing the towel to fall.

“I hope I didn’t leave you waiting out here too long,” May began, her hand against Harvey’s face rubbing soft, gentle circles against his cheek with her thumb.

“N-no, not at all,” Harvey stammered, his gaze still transfixed upon her.

“I suppose I should start getting dressed,” May went on, “assuming you want me to, of course.”

“Do you… do you-” Harvey stammered, his cheeks flushing the more flustered he became.

“Yes?” May encouraged him, leaning forward so that their noses were almost touching.

“D-do you… do you want to make breakfast together?” Harvey blurted out.

“B-breakfast?” May questioned, leaning back a bit as she raised an eyebrow in confusion.  “Well that’s not at all what I was expecting.”

“I’m… sorry?” Harvey questioned in equal confusion.  “Is that okay?”

“Well yes, of course, I just… was expecting something a little more… rated R,” May joked awkwardly.

“ Oh ,” Harvey replied, the back of his neck burning red as realization struck.  This wasn’t the first time in their relationship he’d been a bit oblivious.

“It’s fine, no pressure, but… I’m curious, I have to know, why was breakfast the first thing to come to mind?” May asked lightheartedly.

“I dunno, I don’t know if I can explain it,” Harvey replied, his cheeks flushing red in embarrassment.

Harvey’s hand darted upward to rub the back of his neck, a nervous tic of his whenever he was feeling uncomfortable.  May’s expression softened as she took a seat next to Harvey on the edge of the bed, hardly caring that her damp towel was soaking the comforter atop Harvey’s bed.  Something had flustered him, but not in the way May had expected.

“It’s okay, you don’t have to be embarrassed with me, what’s going on?” May asked gently.

“Seeing you step out of the shower like that, wrapped in one of my towels, early in the morning after we’d just woken up together, ready to get dressed and start the day, it just felt so… domestic,” Harvey admitted nervously.  “I know it sounds dumb but for just a moment it felt like…” Harvey trailed off, his eyes turning away from May.

“Felt like what?” May encouraged him.

“It felt like we were living together and this was the start of an ordinary day,” Harvey answered, his hand returning to awkwardly rub the back of his neck.  “And there’s something strangely exciting about the ordinary.  We wake up together, get ready for the day, make breakfast together, exchange a quick kiss before heading out the door to work.  The moment you stepped out of the shower it just all… flashed before my eyes.  I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you think-”

“That’s an equally flattering reason for you to stare,” May interrupted, leaning forward once more to plant a delicate kiss on the tip of Harvey’s nose.

“I hope I didn’t make things awkward,” Harvey added.

“Not at all,” May answered sincerely.  “I think it’s sweet and incredibly romantic.  Gimme five minutes, I’ll get dressed and we can start on breakfast together.  Though for the record, if you want to keep staring, I’m also okay with that.” May winked in Harvey’s direction as she crossed the room to where she’d laid her clothes out.  She didn’t turn her head to see whether or not Harvey was still staring, but she had a hunch that he was from the sound of the light gasp of awe she heard as she let her towel slip away.

Chapter Text

It was nice to return back to work on the farm.  May had taken a longer leave of absence than she’d anticipated after the birth of her daughter Daisy, not fully returning to her normal duties until the start of summer.  It was Harvey’s least busy season and as a result, he was more able to stay home and care for Daisy, allowing May enough time to put some work into the farm.  Although she knew she would miss seeing Daisy all day, she had to admit that it felt wonderful to be back getting her hands dirty on Runaway Farm.  Luckily in her absence, Shane had kept the farm operating wonderfully.  Not a crop was out of place and the livestock was flourishing.  He’d done an excellent job of keeping the farm afloat.

“Welcome back, Boss,” Shane greeted May on her first morning back.  “I hope you don’t mind, I brought some help along.”

Shane gestured to his goddaughter Jas, who was dressed in denim overalls, a button-up work shirt very similar to May’s, and her own straw hat.  Jas smiled nervously and waved.

“Now that she’s on her summer break, I thought it might be nice for her to shadow us while we work, she can kinda learn how things operate here,” Shane went on.  “Now that you’re back, Boss, she can learn from the bes-” Shane stopped mid-sentence as his phone started to ring.

“Son of a bitch,” Shane muttered under his breath.  “I’m sorry, I gotta take this.”  He turned his attention to Jas.  “Kiddo, start following Miss May around, listen to everything she says, okay?  You can learn a lot from her.  I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

Before either May or Jas could reply, Shane was already turning away and answering his phone as he stepped aside for some privacy.  Though Jas had warmed up considerably to May over the last year and a half, she seemed far more like the nervous little girl she’d been when they first met as soon as Shane left.  Jas seemed to exude far more confidence when he was around but now, left on her own with May, she appeared far more intimidated.

“So, you’ll be spending the summer here on Runaway Farm, huh?” May asked conversationally.  Jas quietly nodded.  “Well I know you’ve already spent some time here during the winter to help out your uncle.  I’ll warn you now, though, summer and winter are very different around here.  Winter was mostly about taking care of the animals and keeping them comfortable and fed.  We still have that in summer, but they’re harder to catch when they’re roaming around their enclosure.  Plus there’s the crops, which take a lot of time to plant, water, prune, and harvest.  You’ll definitely be put to work here if that’s alright.”

“That’s alright, Miss May,” Jas replied.  Though she still seemed reserved, May could spot a slight smile that seemed to indicate she was feeling more comfortable.

“We really appreciate your help here,” May went on.  “Ever since Daisy was born, your poor uncle has had to do all the work by himself.  He’s done an amazing job, but the farm is only getting bigger.  There’s a lot of work to do this summer to prepare for next season.  Did you know we want to try and plant a corn maze for fall?”

“I didn’t know that!” Jas gasped, sounding amazed.

“Yup!  In fact, that’s the project we’re working on today!” May informed her, gesturing to the large, empty field beside them.  “Today we’re planting more corn than you ever thought existed.  But once it’s all done, it’ll be really cool.  When fall rolls around, you can brag to your friends that you helped build the maze.”

“I don’t really have any friends other than Vincent,” Jas pointed out, her excited smile fading as she looked disappointed.

May felt awful, disappointed in herself for upsetting Jas like that.  Of course there weren’t many young children in town, bringing up that fact wasn’t helpful to anyone.  An awkward silence passed between them as Jas looked down at her feet.  Any confidence she’d felt earlier was gone.  Just as May thought things couldn’t get worse, an idea came to her.

“Do you know who my best friend is?” May asked casually.  Jas looked up and nodded.

“Robin,” Jas answered.  “I know you two get along really well.”

“You’re exactly right,” May confirmed.  “She’s been my best friend since I first moved here.  Did you know that we’re thirteen years apart?”

“Thirteen years?!” Jas gasped, her eyes widening in surprise.

“Yup, thirteen years,” May repeated.  “That’s longer than you’ve been alive.  It’s amazing the friends we can make, I never would have guessed I’d be friends with someone so far apart from me in age.”

“That’s really cool,” Jas remarked, though she didn’t seem to quite understand what May was getting at.  Not yet, at least.

“I worry about Daisy,” May added, frowning slightly, though mostly for show.  “I know she’ll be in a similar boat as yourself.  Elliott and Leah are going to have a baby any day now, but what if that’s it?  What if that’s all the children this generation will have?  I worry there won’t be too much interaction for her.”

“I hope that doesn’t happen to her,” Jas replied sadly.  “It’s no fun.”

“You know, you and Daisy are about  eight years apart,” May remarked, looking down at Jas.  “That’s not even as far apart as me and Robin.”

“Miss May, are you trying to say I should be friends with a baby?” Jas giggled, putting together exactly what May was implying.  “That’s silly!”

“Yeah, I guess that’s a bit silly,” May agreed, joining Jas in her laughter.  “But if you’re gonna be spending more time here at Runaway Farm, well… it might do the both of you some good to spend time together.  Only if you want to, of course.  As Daisy grows up, it might be nice for her to have more kids in her life.  Even if they’re older kids.  And who knows, you might just enjoy having her in your life.  You could kinda be like…”

“Like a big sister?!” Jas gasped as realization struck.

“Yeah, kinda like a big sister!” May agreed.

“I’ve always wanted a baby sister!” Jas went on excitedly, dancing on the tips of her toes.

“There’s an old saying ‘you choose your family’,” May went on, squatting down low to look at Jas from her eye level.  “I can’t think of anyone better to choose as Daisy’s ‘big sister’ than you, Jas.  Only if you want to.”

“I’d love to!” Jas squealed.

Without warning, Jas threw herself forward, wrapping her arms around May in a hug so unexpected, it almost knocked May to the ground.  The air in her lungs was temporarily knocked out in a huff as Jas tackled her, but May smiled anyway and wrapped her arms around Jas to return the hug.  It was only a few moments later that May heard the shuffling of feet approaching, followed by a gasp.

“What the hell did I miss?!” Shane asked in confusion.  “I leave you two alone for a few minutes and come back to… I don’t even know what I just came back to.”

“I’m gonna be a big sister!” Jas shrieked excitedly.  Shane’s eyes widened as he turned his head to May for answers.

“It’s a long story,” May laughed, shaking her head.

Chapter Text

“Miss Penny, she’s doing it again!” Andy whined.

Penny looked over at the sink where the children had lined up to wash their hands, already knowing exactly what she was going to see.  Sure enough, four year old Daisy Higgins was standing at the sink washing her hands while a line of impatient children waited behind her.  It was becoming more and more of a problem with Daisy holding up the line when it came time to wash hands.  And in a preschool classroom, hand washing was a nearly hourly occurrence.

“Daisy, we have to keep the line moving,” Penny reminded her gently.

“I’m almost done,” Daisy replied, though she seemed distracted.

Penny knew that Daisy’s father, Harvey, often got lost in thought when he was focused on something and it was almost amusing to see the same look of concentration on Daisy’s face.  Why she seemed so focused on hand washing, though, Penny could never tell.  It was always something that Daisy took at least three times longer to do than the other children.  Often Penny could also hear Daisy humming while washing her hands, but could never quite hear what she was humming.  Penny chalked it up to an odd quirk or something that she just did absentmindedly.

“Hurry up, Daisy!” Andy groaned, stomping his feet impatiently.

At least Daisy didn’t seem to let the huffs of the other children hurry her, she took her time finishing up and stepped aside to dry her hands.

“Finally!” Andy sighed, rushing to the sink.  Before Daisy had even finished drying her hands, he was already done and had rushed off to play.

“Daisy, if it’s alright, can I ask you why you spend so much time washing your hands?” Penny asked kindly, kneeling down to speak to Daisy at her level.

“It’s how Daddy taught me,” Daisy answered plainly.  “Daddy said that I gotta hum the Happy Birthday song twice while I’m washing my hands to make sure they’re clean.”

“Y-you have to hum to make sure your hands are clean?” Penny asked, sure that Daisy had misunderstood her father’s instructions.

“Yeah!” Daisy answered, nodding her head vigorously.  “But I hum quiet so the other kids don’t hear.”

“What does the humming do to help?” Penny asked, still baffled.

“Daddy said it’s to make sure I spend enough time washing them,” Daisy explained.  “And he says I gotta do real good to get everywhere .  I gotta get the fronts, the backs, the sides, the parts in-between my fingers, even under my nails!  He says that if I finish washing my hands before I’m done humming, then I didn’t spend enough time.  He always says ‘ clean hands take time ’.”  The last bit Daisy had spoken in a low, deeper voice that surely had to be an imitation of her father.

Penny nodded as it all made sense.  Of course Doctor Harvey would advise his daughter to be so vigilant washing her hands.  In fact, Penny herself knew she didn’t spend nearly as much time washing her hands as she should, and hearing Daisy’s simple explanation was a nice reminder of how important it was to do a proper job.  Daisy was not holding up the line for the others, if anything she was providing a valuable lesson; a lesson all of the students should be part of.

“Thank you so much for explaining that to me, Daisy, that makes a lot of sense,” Penny assured her.  “Do you think your daddy would be alright giving the class a demonstration on proper hand washing tips?”

“I think so?” Daisy answered, shrugging.  “I can ask him if you want.”

“No, that’s okay, I can give him a call,” Penny replied.  “Go have fun for now.  Thanks for teaching me.”

Once Daisy ran off to play with the other children, it was Penny’s turn to wash her hands.  Muscle memory took over at first as she rushed through lathering her hands with soap.  She paused for a moment, smiling as she could practically hear Doctor Harvey’s voice in her head urging her to take her time and wash her hands properly.  Penny smiled as she started over, scrubbing every inch of her hands while she began to hum the Happy Birthday song.

Chapter Text

Summer 15, Year 1

May:
What time did you want to head over tonight?

Harvey:
Assuming there’s no last minute walk-ins, I’m hoping to close up the clinic at 5.  I can be there by 5:30?

May:
5:30 sounds perfect! ^.^ Can’t wait!

Harvey:
Me either.  I’m sexcited to see you.

Harvey stared in horror at the text message he’d just sent.  It went unnoticed until the moment he hit ‘Send’.  But by then, it was too late.  His stomach clenched as all color drained from his face.  He hadn’t even been dating May for three full days, the thought that he’d accidentally sent such a suggestive and forward typo was more mortifying than any nightmare he could have.

“Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no,” Harvey repeated to himself over and over again, too horrified to even begin thinking of how to fix this.

Not that he would even have the knowledge to undo such an error, of course.  If there were any way to delete the text or undo sending it, it was beyond Harvey’s limited technological capabilities.  At this point he barely knew how to send a text at all.

In his panic, Harvey could only think of one person to contact, his regular ‘go to’ in a moment of crisis; Maru.  If anyone knew how to un-send a text, it would be her.  His hands were shaking so much by now that he could barely use his phone to call Maru.  Harvey hoped that she wasn’t too busy on her day off.  Luckily, she answered the phone within only a couple rings.

“Hey, Doc!” Maru greeted in her usual friendly tone.

“Maru!” Harvey shouted, more loudly than he’d intended.  “I need your help, I really messed up and I don’t know how to fix it.”

“Oh no, what happened?!” Maru asked, no doubt fearing the worst had happened in the clinic.

“I was sending May a text and I accidentally hit a letter that I didn’t realized I’d hit and I tried to type the word ‘excited’ and I… didn’t,” Harvey blurted out rapidly.

“Okay, slow down, I have no idea what’s going on,” Maru replied, though she sounded far more relieved to hear that the problem was only regarding Harvey’s relationship and not a clinic mishap.

“I tried to type ‘I’m excited to see you’ and instead of ‘excited’, I typed…” Harvey trailed off, too embarrassed to admit what he’d actually sent.  It was too mortifying to even say aloud.  On the other end of the line he could hear Maru give off a curious sound, clearly waiting for his answer.  After a deep breath, Harvey barely muttered, “ sexcited .”

Deep down Harvey knew the situation was actually rather humorous, but it still didn’t feel great that Maru’s first reaction was to burst into laughter.  The knot in Harvey’s stomach intensified as he sat there listening to Maru’s cackling, his face burning hot in embarrassment.  This was a disaster.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry for laughing,” Maru finally spoke up as her laughter died down.  She still sounded terribly amused.  “I know it’s not funny to you, but I promise it’ll be funny later.”

“Not if she breaks up with me,” Harvey answered solemnly.  Maru let out one last snort of laughter.

“Harvey, she’s not gonna break up with you over a typo,” Maru pointed out, finally becoming more serious.  “If anything I think her reaction will be really similar to mine, I think she’ll find it hilarious.  She probably knows it was a typo, you don’t exactly seem the type to slip into her DMs and talk dirty.”

“We’ve barely been dating three days, Maru, our third date is tonight,” Harvey went on in concern.  “For all she knows, I’m trying to come onto her in the most pathetic way possible.  I may not be known for being crass, but I don’t think it’s too far-fetched to read as ‘pathetic’.”

“First off, if you genuinely texted a woman that you were ‘sexcited’, that’s even more pathetic than I think you’d be, Doc,” Maru teased.  “I’d expect a pick-up line like that from Alex, but definitely not from you.”

“Okay, fine, but how do I fix this?!” Harvey asked desperately.  “Is there a way to un-send this?!”  The more time they wasted on the phone call, the more damage his text was potentially doing to his relationship with May.

“You can’t really un-send a text once it’s sent,” Maru began.  Harvey heaved a frustrated sigh.  “Calm down, there’s still ways to fix it.  For now, just text an asterisk followed by the word ‘excited’.”

“Why?” Harvey asked, bewildered.

“Just trust me on this,” Maru assured him.  “It’s like the universal sign for ‘oops, I made a typo and here’s what I actually meant to say’.  And honestly, you probably don’t need to do anything more than that.  She’ll know that it was just a typo and if she even brings it up to you at all, just play it off as such.  It’s not wrong, you’re not lying to her.  It was a typo, plain and simple.  These things happen, Harvey.  This just happened to be a rather, uh, suggestive typo is all.  I promise you two will be laughing about this by the end of the day today.”

“I highly doubt that,” Harvey replied gloomily.

“But the sooner you send that text off, the better,” Maru advised.  “If you wait too long it’ll be weird.”

“Okay, I’ll send it as soon as I get off the phone with you,” Harvey answered.  “Thanks for your help, Maru, I appreciate it.”

“No prob,” Maru replied casually.  “And slow down next time you send a text, proofread it first before you hit ‘Send’ so you don’t get too sexcited.”  Maru cackled with laughter and quickly hung up before Harvey could even reply.

Harvey didn’t even have time to let Maru’s final jab get to him, he had to hurry up and send the text to May.  His hands shook as he typed, nearly making the same typo all over again.

Harvey:
*excited

All Harvey could do now was wait.  It seemed silly to think that such an innocent typo could lead to a major problem, but it was still so early in his relationship with May that he didn’t want anything to threaten that.  Minutes passed in agony as Harvey stared at his phone, too nervous to see what May’s reply would be.  Nearly fifteen minutes had passed from the time the original text was sent to the time he finally received a reply.  It had been, without a doubt, the longest fifteen minutes of his life.  When he finally saw a new message pop up from May, his breath caught in his chest and his heart raced as he read her reply.

May:
LOL! 😂 I’m excited to see you, too.

Though Harvey still wasn’t exactly clear on what ‘LOL’ meant, he at least knew enough that it was a positive thing.  He heaved a sigh of relief at May’s response, finally able to see the humor in the situation.  A nervous chuckle left Harvey’s lips as he collapsed down into his desk chair which grew into full blown laughter as the reality of what had happened sank in.  With any luck, it would be a funny story they’d recall years later.  But perhaps that was just wishful thinking.

Chapter Text

AJ’s Deli couldn’t operate without the loyalty of its regular customers.  The owner, Andre, appreciated each and every one of his regulars and made it a priority to memorize their orders and take good care of them.  Perhaps that was why he had so many regulars.  Cheesy as it sounded, he liked to think that he served more than just sandwiches in his deli, but also smiles.  His regulars kept coming back for more and over time, he got to know more about them beyond what their sandwich preferences were.

Gina, for example, was in the midst of an ugly divorce.  Andre usually snuck in a few extra banana peppers onto her sandwiches on days when she seemed particularly upset.  It wasn’t much, but it was the least he could do.  May was a young, vibrant woman who was thrilled to be starting a new job in Joja Co.’s customer service department.  Andre didn’t have the heart to tell her that he’d served many a Joja employee before and they rarely seemed happy with their employment at the largest corporation in the world.  Yet she still had that ‘new job’ glow and Andre hoped for her sake that she remained happy there.  Winston, an older retiree, came by nearly every day at exactly 11:00 on the dot when the shop opened for the day.  He was always prepared with a book of crossword puzzles, a yellow Ticonderoga #2 pencil behind his ear, and a warm smile that always made Andre feel like he was family.  Being greeted every day by Winston’s smiling face was a daily ritual that reminded Andre of why his little shop was so important in the community.

Then there was Harvey.  Of all the regulars at AJ’s Deli, Harvey was the biggest mystery.  Though he also came in almost every day, Andre still didn’t know much about him other than he was a doctor at Zuzu City General Hospital.  Even then, he only knew that from the scrubs and ID badge that the man wore.  Harvey was quiet and seemed to prefer to keep to himself.  Yet Harvey also seemed incredibly alone.  It was just a hunch and only based on the vibe Andre picked up from him, but there was a sadness about him that made Andre feel for Harvey.  Andre hoped to know more about Harvey as he knew many of his regulars, but was respectful enough of Harvey’s boundaries to not pester him.  That would be the quickest way to lose a regular customer.  Instead, Andre always greeted Harvey with a welcoming smile and his usual reuben with no cheese and extra pickles.

Usually Andre’s regulars all showed up at various times in the afternoon, other than Winston who was quite punctual.  However, on a cold snowy morning in the middle of winter, all four of Andre’s most regular customers showed up all at once.  He wasn’t expecting to look outside his shop window and see all four of them standing in a line they had formed at his door, shivering in the frigid cold as they huddled underneath the small awning that offered them the smallest bit of reprieve from the snow.  By now it was 10:50, a bit too early to open but Andre reasoned that it wouldn’t be the end of the world to open 10 minutes early.  It was the least he could do to take care of his regulars.  He’d barely opened the doors when Winston came rushing inside, bundled up in a thick scarf, a hand-knitted wool hat, and a snow-covered parka.

“Bless you for opening early, AJ, one more minute out there and I’d be a snowman,” Winston laughed.

“Come on inside and get warm,” Andre offered, holding the door open as Gina, Harvey, and May all entered the deli.

Winston headed straight for the coat rack by the door, stopping to remove his various layers to settle in for the afternoon.  He often stayed for at least an hour and Andre suspected that on a snowy day like today, he might be there all day.

“You three go ahead and order first,” Winston offered, unraveling the long scarf that had been wrapped nearly four times around his neck.

Though Winston had been first in the line, Andre wasn’t surprised that he elected to order last.  He was rarely in a hurry, while the other three often were due to jobs and responsibilities.  Gina, the next in line, thanked Winston for his offer and immediately rushed to the counter to order.  She seemed especially frazzled today.  Andre added a second heaping handful of banana peppers on her sandwich as a result.  As he finished constructing Gina’s sandwich, he couldn’t help but overhear a brief exchange between Harvey and May.

“Sir, I think you were next,” May piped up, gesturing to the spot in line behind Gina.

“That’s alright, you can go ahead of me,” Harvey offered kindly.

“I couldn’t possibly do that, fair is fair,” May countered, shaking her head.

“Really, it’s fine, I don’t mind,” Harvey went on, stepping back to allow space for May to move ahead of him in line.

“Need more time to look at the menu?” May asked casually.

“Oh, no, I know exactly what I’m gonna get,” Harvey answered with a light chuckle.  “I come here almost everyday.”

“So do I!” May gasped in excitement, smiling as though she’d found something in common far more profound than just a shared sandwich shop.  “Funny I haven’t run into you before… at least I don’t think I have.  I’m terrible with faces but I feel like I’d remember the mustache.”

Harvey didn’t respond, but Andre looked up just in time to see him awkwardly rub the back of his neck as his cheeks flushed.  The one and only time Andre had ever complimented Harvey on such a distinguished mustache, he’d received a similar reaction.  Harvey seemed a bit shy when it came to receiving compliments, not the best mix for someone like May who was usually very generous with compliments.  Every time May stepped through his doors, Andre looked forward to a dose of validation as May complimented either his hair, his newest t-shirt, or his sandwich craftsmanship.  Andre chuckled to himself as he wrapped up Gina’s sandwich and handed it off to her, it was amusing to know the personalities of his regulars and watch them collide.

“Good morning, May,” Andre greeted her as she approached the counter.  “Want me to get started on that turkey club, no tomato?”

“You got it,” May confirmed with a thumb’s up.  “Nice sweater, by the way, that looks great on you!”

“Thanks!  You’re here a bit early today, early lunch break?” Andre asked casually as he took May’s payment.

“I’m actually supposed to be off today,” May sighed, her bright and cheerful demeanor dropping as she looked disappointed.  “But my supervisor called and asked if I could cover a shift and since I have the least seniority, I pretty much have to.  I don’t want to make a bad impression with my bosses.  Just grabbing a quick lunch before I start my shift.”

“Hey, it’s none of my business, but you don’t owe any employer time that is rightfully yours,” Andre pointed out seriously.  “There’s no shift on earth worth intruding on an employee’s day off and I hope you know that you don’t owe them your time, even if you’re the newest one there.  Don’t let them walk all over you because once they know they can , they will .”

“Thanks, Andre,” May replied, though she didn’t exactly look comforted.

As Andre popped May’s sandwich into the toaster oven to warm it up, he turned back to the counter to at least take Harvey’s order.  He couldn’t help but notice that Harvey looked exhausted.

“The usual?” Andre asked, already ringing up the reuben, no cheese, extra pickles into the register.

“The usual,” Harvey repeated, nodding.  The moment he finished answering, he let out a huge yawn that seemed to even take Harvey himself by surprise.

“Long night?” Andre asked in concern.

“All-nighter at the hospital,” Harvey answered sleepily.  “I've actually just finished my shift, figured I’d grab a sandwich before I head home and pass out on the couch.”

“Sounds like you’ve earned it,” Andre remarked with a sympathetic smile.

“Not exactly the way I’d choose to spend my birthday, but-” Harvey began, but Andre immediately cut in.

“It’s your birthday today?!” Andre interrupted.  Harvey nodded.  “Well heck, Happy Birthday, Doc!  Hey, pick out a bag of chips and a soda, I’ll upgrade you to a combo at no extra charge.”

“Oh, I couldn’t possibly-” Harvey began, but was interrupted once again.  This time, by May.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but I heard you were up all night working at a hospital and that today is your birthday?” May asked, approaching Harvey curiously.

Andre had to hold back a laugh, it was amusing that May ‘didn’t mean to eavesdrop’ and yet had clearly heard everything.  She liked to listen just as much as she liked to talk, which Andre could argue was admirable about her… though maybe not as much when it was listening in on stranger’s conversations.

“Yes, that’s correct,” Harvey replied timidly.  Almost instantly, a flush returned to Harvey’s cheeks.

“Well then Happy Birthday,” May remarked, sliding a handful of bills across the counter to Andre.

“Please, no, I really appreciate it, but you don’t have to,” Harvey insisted, waving his hands to turn down the gesture.

Both May and Andre locked eyes, exchanged a quick smile, and nodded to each other.

“Look, if you don’t tell me what chips and soda you want, I’ll pick for you,” Andre pointed out with a shrug.  He reached forward and grabbed the money May had left on the counter, processing the payment on the register before Harvey could say another word.

“I, uh… this really isn’t necessary… I mean, I’m a total stranger, you don’t have to-” Harvey stammered, turning to May as Andre excused himself to finish up May’s sandwich.

“I know I don’t have to,” May replied plainly.  “Just like you didn’t have to become a doctor and save lives.  In the grand scheme of things, buying someone a sandwich on their birthday isn’t anywhere close to the work that you do.”

For a moment Harvey opened and closed his mouth a few times as though about to rebut, but ultimately sighed in defeat.

“Thank you very much, Miss,” Harvey finally replied.  By now the blush of his cheeks had spread to his neck and ears.

“You’re welcome,” May replied, grabbing her sandwich from Andre as he approached the counter to hand it to her.  “Happy Birthday.”

“Alright, the lady’s sandwich is done, your time is up,” Andre announced to the back of Harvey’s head.  He had turned his attention to May, watching as she left the shop and headed back out onto the snowy street.

“Wh-what?” Harvey gasped, snapping out of it as he realized he was being spoken to.

“Your chips, your drink, what do ya want?” Andre asked with a chuckle.

“Oh, uh… I suppose just plain potato chips and a Joja Cola,” Harvey answered.  “I’ll need the caffeine later today.”

“Don’t tell me you’re working on your birthday,” Andre gasped.

“Medical emergencies don’t take a day off,” Harvey answered with a dark chuckle.

“You work too hard, Harvey,” Andre pointed out.  “I know it’s the nature of the job, but I hope you take a little time for yourself.  Look at Winston here, managing to find some time to enjoy the simple pleasures in life.  Don’t let this city consume you.”

“I won’t,” Harvey answered, smiling kindly.

By the following year, Andre was pleased to see that Doctor Harvey had taken his advice.  Andre recalled the autumn afternoon when Harvey ordered his last sandwich from the deli, announcing that he’d be operating his own medical clinic out in the valley.  Years later, May entered the shop with a similar announcement, saying a tearful goodbye to Andre as she notified him that she was leaving the toxicity of the city for a more simple life in the valley.

Andre never did forget his regulars, even long after they left the city.  He found himself thinking about them from time to time, grateful for the support that they had given him over the years.  It was why Andre recognized two of his regulars from the moment they stepped foot into his shop from the cold, snowy outdoors.

“I can’t believe it,” Andre gasped, his jaw dropped as he saw two very familiar customers enter hand in hand.  “Harvey.  May.”

“Andre!” May shouted, releasing Harvey’s hand as she rushed across the shop to throw her arms around Andre in a warm, friendly hug.  “I can’t believe you remember us!”

“Of course I do, how could I forget two of my favorite regulars!” Andre remarked happily.  “Wasn’t sure if I’d see either of you again and for sure I never expected to see the two of you together.  There’s a story here and I absolutely have to hear it.  Gina, would you mind taking over the counter for a bit?  I have some old friends to catch up with.”

“Sure thing, AJ,” Gina replied, nodding.  She’d been a loyal, hard-working employee ever since Andre had hired her after her divorce was finalized.  She was much happier now with that ugliness behind her and a fresh start on her own.

Andre gestured for Harvey and May to join him at a small table next to where Winston was doing his daily crossword puzzle.  For the first time in 7 years, all of Andre’s favorite regulars were in the building together once more.  And as chance would have it, it was even Harvey’s birthday.

Chapter Text

The valley was changing.  Over the years, the village of Pelican Town had grown considerably, more than doubling in size in the time May Higgins had lived there.  The success of Runaway Farm along with the renovation of the town’s community center had kicked off a boom of growth and development throughout the town that, mostly, was a good thing.  Progress was happening and their small, quiet village had grown to be a proper town.  May felt honored to be there to watch the town grow.  It was even more rewarding to watch her own family grow in the process.

To this day, May Higgins still wondered how different her life would be if she had never opened the purple-sealed envelope she’d found in her desk drawer the day she quit her job at Joja.  Where would she be now?  What would her life be like?  Would she be happy?  Surely nothing her life in the city had to offer could even compare to what she had now.  May was sure of that much.  Nothing in her wildest dreams could be better than the life she had found waiting for her in Stardew Valley.  Nothing could be better than the love of her life, Harvey, and the life that they built together.

The years crept by, some better than others, but all were rewarding in their own way.  Every challenge they faced only brought May and Harvey closer together, every victory they shared was cause for celebration.  Their love began fast and intense, blossoming from two people in love to a family of four with their two wonderful children.  May was sure life couldn’t get any better than that.

Yet four grew to six as their children grew up and found love of their own.  Daisy left Pelican Town to explore her career in a neighboring city, though May didn’t feel that sense of loss that most parents felt when their child left to pursue their dreams.  A little piece of Daisy would always be with May, in her heart and in her memories, and Daisy would always be welcomed back to Pelican Town as though she’d never left.  Elwood, on the other hand, stayed behind to live in Pelican Town with his wife Jas.  Together they built their own life, made their own family, making the Higgins family grow even larger.  Six became fourteen as Elwood and Daisy each began their own families, giving Harvey and May beautiful grandchildren to share their love with.

After over thirty years together, now May was sure that life couldn’t be any better.  Her children were successful and more importantly, they were happy.  Her grandchildren were a joy, May and Harvey were never happier than when they could see the smiling faces of their grandchildren and watch them learn and grow.

With the branches of the Higgins family tree extending outward, it left the old farmhouse quieter than it had been in some time.  Whenever the grandchildren weren’t visiting, it was just Harvey and May alone together in the large, empty house.  Still, it never felt lonely, not with Harvey around.  He had been May’s comfort, her support, her partner, and her friend from the beginning and after all this time, that hadn’t changed.  If anything, thirty years of marriage only made their bond stronger.

With Harvey finally retired from his decades of service to the community of Pelican Town, the days at Runaway Farm were slow and quiet, but it was a nice change of pace.  Harvey and May could sleep in a little later, take their time making breakfast together in the mornings, and enjoy long, deep conversations over their morning coffee.  In the afternoons, they’d stroll through town, musing over how much the once tiny town had grown and changed over the years.  Often it was too busy for their liking, they both wistfully agreed that the calmer, quieter days were more enjoyable.

Still, there were areas of the town that had remained relatively unchanged.  When they had the energy for it, Harvey and May enjoyed taking long hikes up the mountain to the lake.  It brought a wave of nostalgia to May, who loved to reminisce about how many treks she had made there in her younger days, more often than not to visit her best friend Robin.  Ever since Robin and her husband Demetrius moved to a small cabin in the forest, it was much easier for May to visit her dear friend.  As a result, Harvey and May hardly ever hiked up the mountain anymore without a reason to make the journey.

But the view there was calm, serene, stunning.  It was easy to forget about the hustle and bustle of the ever-growing town below with the whistling of the steady breeze or the chirp of nearby birds and crickets.  Even further up the mountain, the view from the summit showcased the beauty of the entire valley, a view that thankfully had not changed along with the rest of the town.  It was still the same gorgeous, breathtaking view of lush, green mountains, bright blue skies painted with fluffy clouds, and local wildlife thriving despite the progress of modern life.  It had been years since Harvey and May had last visited the summit.

Though it was more difficult over the years to make the trip up the mountain, Harvey and May would occasionally venture up there on days where they were feeling particularly adventurous or energized.  Harvey reasoned that long walks such as those were good for their aging bodies, that it would serve them well to keep active in their old age.  Even retired, Harvey still couldn’t seem to slip out of doctor mode.  May always found it amusing and endearing.

On a quiet spring morning, Harvey and May ventured up the mountain, hand in hand as they walked at a slow and steady pace.  With no agenda or rush, they could take their time and go at their own pace.  It was nice to not feel the stress of time ticking away that they’d felt in their earlier years with family obligations, work, and general life responsibilities.  Everything went so much slower now and finally, May felt she could truly enjoy the little things in life like a slow stroll with her husband.  It seemed like the perfect day to revisit the summit at the top of the mountain.

May was starting to get winded by the time they reached the top of the summit.  It had been some time since she’d climbed this high up the mountain and in her old age, her stamina wasn’t quite what it used to be.  Though Harvey himself also seemed winded, he held an arm out to his wife to help steady her.  Even in his retirement, Harvey was still putting the well-being of others before himself.

With her arm hooked in his, May walked with Harvey over to the bench right at the edge of the summit, the best place to sit and soak in the natural beauty of the entire valley.  She collapsed onto the bench with a weary puff of breath, with Harvey not far behind as he sat down next to her.  A loud pop of his knee was enough to disturb the quiet serenity of the area, causing birds in a nearby tree to squawk and fly away.  May had to stifle a giggle.

“The pop heard ‘round the valley,” May teased, resting a hand atop Harvey’s knee.

“Those poor birds,” Harvey laughed.

“I’m exhausted after all of that, I don’t think I’ll be ready to climb back down until I’ve had at least four hours to recover,” May remarked, only half joking.  “If we were smart, we’d have packed a picnic lunch or at least brought something to regain some energy.”

“After all these years, you should know me a little better than that,” Harvey replied, reaching into the inside pocket of his coat to withdraw two field snacks.

“Bless you, you wonderful man,” May replied adoringly, grabbing a field snack from Harvey.  “Of course you came prepared.”

Harvey wasn’t through with surprises, from the outside pocket of his coat, he pulled out a water bottle for them to share.  It wasn’t uncommon for May to simply not think to bring essentials like these with her, mostly because she never had to.  Wherever they went, Harvey was always prepared, always ready for whatever they might face, always there to make sure she was taken care of.  May never had to worry when Harvey was around.

“Hey, May?” Harvey asked suddenly as he finished up the last bite of his field snack.

“Yes, honey?” May asked, turning to give Harvey her full attention.

“I love you,” Harvey remarked simply, but with a depth of meaning that was backed by thirty years of the love he felt for her.

“I love you, too,” May replied, reaching her hand out to grasp Harvey’s.

Looking down at their hands held together, at the wrinkles that covered most of their hands and the age spots that had appeared across both of their skin, at Harvey’s long fingers that once stitched up the injured and May’s rough palms that became hardened from decades spent working on her farm, it felt gratifying to see them clasped together as they should be.  After all their hands had been through, nothing felt more comfortable and natural than May’s hand resting against Harvey’s.

“It’s so beautiful up here,” Harvey remarked with a content sigh.

“It really is,” May agreed.  “I wish we could come up here more.  It’s a nice place to sit and just take a moment to enjoy the view.”

“The town has become so busy and active, all of the spots that used to be this calm and serene are gone now,” Harvey sighed sadly.  “The old fountain where I used to sit and relax was destroyed, the big oak tree by town square was chopped down for housing, even our favorite spot by the river ended up having more businesses built.  I know it’s all in the name of progress, but sometimes I miss the small, quiet town that Pelican Town used to be.”

“Me too,” May agreed.  “I remember we used to meet up for lunch by the river when I’d try and steal you for an hour during work.”

“And Daisy loved playing underneath that big oak tree,” Harvey recalled, smiling at the fond memory of watching Daisy take her first steps beneath that tree.

“At least we have our memories,” May reasoned.  “Nothing can get rid of those, they’ll be with us forever.”

A comfortable silence passed as Harvey and May stared out at the view from the summit that overlooked Stardew Valley.  May couldn’t help but take slow, deep breaths to soak in the crisp, natural air and the hint of pine from the surrounding trees.  The only sound that punctuated the silence was the occasional trilling song of birds or the flap of wings as they took off across the bright, sunny sky.  No matter how busy the town had become, it was comforting to know that there was always here, there was always the summit.

While May herself was content to enjoy the peaceful environment of the summit, she could see out of the corner of her eye that Harvey appeared deep in thought.  The slight furrow of his brow and twist of his mustache was recognizable enough to May by this point, she could tell he was thinking about something.  What, she couldn’t be sure, but he didn’t seem as relaxed as she was.

“You okay?” May asked.

“I was just thinking about the last thirty years,” Harvey answered fondly.

“Sure is a lot to think about,” May mused.  “But I suppose in a place like this, you can’t help but reflect on things.”

“We’ve been through a lot together, haven’t we?” Harvey chuckled.  “But look how far we’ve come; two wonderful children, 8 beautiful grandchildren, a cozy home, rewarding careers.  And most of all, we have each other.  I can’t think of anything I would change or do differently.”

“Me either,” May agreed, resting her head against Harvey’s shoulder.

The silence resumed as comfortably as it had been before.  Even May couldn’t help but reflect on the last thirty years with Harvey and how eventful and rewarding they had been.  She had been so convinced when she first moved here that her life was over, that Pelican Town was her last desperate attempt at finding some semblance of a life.  In her best case scenario, May hoped she would at least make enough money to survive.  What she didn’t expect was that it was only the first step towards her life finally beginning.  Harvey had been in a similar situation, stuck in a rut he had felt he’d never escape from.  In a way, the two of them rescued each other.

It was almost becoming too much for May to think about, she could feel herself growing more emotional and overwhelmed the more she delved into thinking about her life with Harvey and the past thirty years together.  Almost perfectly on cue, Harvey let out a soft snort of laughter next to her, which he very quickly subdued.  It was exactly the distraction May needed to pull her back from becoming too emotional.

“Now what are you thinking about?” May asked curiously, squeezing her husband’s hand as she looked at him curiously.

“That when I’m next to you, I’m not even scared of falling off this cliff and dashing onto the sharp rocks below,” Harvey laughed, nodding his head over to the ledge of the cliff that was awfully close to where they were seated.  “It’s been a strange train of thought.”

“I suppose at least you were honest,” May remarked, laughing as well at the very sudden jump in tone.  “Quite the thought derailment.  But it’s endearing.  After all this time, you still can’t help but see the safety hazards.”

“And what do you know, I made that my life’s work,” Harvey teased.

“And what a life it’s been,” May added, looking up at her husband adoringly.  “We’ve had a wonderful life together, Harvey.  Every minute of it.”

“I… I love and admire you very much, May,” Harvey said sincerely.  “I don’t think I could have asked for a more perfect life than the one I have with you.”

The emotions that May had been fighting off earlier had returned in full measure at Harvey’s words.  She felt the exact same way.  Their life together was perfection, there was no other word for it.  If May could go back and change even the smallest aspect of her life, she wouldn’t.  Even the rough patches, the difficulties, the struggles, May wouldn't change any of it.  All of that led to here and now, right where May wanted to be.

But what could May possibly say to Harvey to encapsulate all of her love for him and the perfect life they had?  It was impossible.  No words existed to properly express to Harvey just how much the last thirty years meant to her.  Instead she leaned forward, pressing her lips against Harvey’s to say everything she wanted to say through a kiss.  Even after all these years, May still felt a tingle down her spine at the gentle tickle of Harvey’s mustache and the tender warmth of his lips against hers.  As they separated, she looked deep into Harvey’s vibrant green eyes, the eyes she fell in love with three decades earlier, and smiled.  She knew Harvey understood everything she had wanted to say as he smiled at her in return.

As a soothing breeze picked up around them, May rested her head against Harvey’s shoulder, heaving a long, deep, content sigh.  The view was so gorgeous and the company was so pleasant, she felt she could stay here all day.  And perhaps they would.  They had all the time in the world together.