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Jake swore that his back was only turned for five seconds.
But in the five seconds that he went to grab something from the kitchen, Caroline fell and hurt herself. Her little foot must have caught on one of the chair legs around the dinner table and sent her plummeting to the ground. And the second that she landed, she let out an instant high-pitched wail that caused Jake’s heart to freeze in his chest.
Kids cried, that was a given. But that wasn’t a ‘I-have-a-booboo’ kind of cry that was really more of a demand for some coddling. And it wasn’t a surprised or shocked kind of cry that Caroline made when one of them scared her as a joke.
No, something was wrong.
“What happened!?” Jake called out, rushing over to her side. Caroline was crying her heart out, still lying belly-first on the ground. Jake scooped her up carefully, but when his hand jolted her left arm, Caroline screamed in pain again. “Is it your arm?” Jake asked worriedly, sitting Caroline on his knee.
“Yeah,” Caroline sniffled, burrowing her face into his chest. “It hurts. It hurts, Daddy.”
Trying to not cry along with her, Jake managed to keep his head. He was no medical expert, but he’d dealt with more than a few injuries over the years and was certified in basic first aid. Jake rubbed her back as he assessed the situation, trying to put the pieces together.
“I’m sorry that it hurts, Care. And I’ll get you some medicine, but first I have to figure out what’s wrong, okay?”
“It hurts,” Caroline cried into his chest.
“I know, I know,” he replied, trying to calm her down to keep himself calm. “Can I look at your arm, sweetheart?”
“No! It hurts! It hurts!” Caroline yelled, tears and snot streaming down her face.
“I know, sweetheart, and I’m sorry, but I’m just trying to figure out what’s wrong,” Jake pleaded with her, pressing a kiss to her head. “Can you move your hand for me? Any of your fingers?”
“It hurts, Daddy,” Caroline sobbed as a few of her fingers twitched.
“Alright, alright, let’s get you to the doctor,” Jake stated, scooping her up into his arms.
Jesus Christ, this was why Rooster was usually the one to handle these things. Rooster had the natural ‘Mother Hen’ vibe that Jake seemed to lack. There was a reason that Caroline usually went to Rooster when she had a nightmare or when she skinned her knee playing outside. Rooster was a coddler by nature and Caroline recognized that. Jake obviously was a complete failure of a parent.
“Everything’s going to be alright, Care. Just hold on, okay?” Jake told her, standing up.
“Okay, Daddy,” she sniffled, burrowing into his chest again.
Jake moved quickly, grabbing his phone, keys, and wallet, before heading out to the family car parked in the garage. Calling Rooster, Jake pressed the phone to his ear with his shoulder as he tried to maneuver Caroline into her car seat without further hurting her arm.
“Pick up, pick up, pick up,” Jake muttered as he harshly yanked the strap out so that Caroline had more space to put her arm under it. When Rooster’s voicemail came on, Jake mumbled out a curse and just hoped that Caroline didn’t hear it. “Hey, it’s me, Roos. Caroline fell and hurt her arm. I’m taking her to the clinic. Call me when you get this. Love you. Bye.”
“Where’s Papa?” Caroline asked quietly.
She stared up at Jake with those same brown wounded-puppy eyes that she had gotten from Rooster. The ones that wormed their way into his heart when they were accompanied by a smile and absolutely shattered his heart when they were joined by a sniffle and tears.
“He’s coming, sweetheart. Just hang tight, okay?”
Thankfully, the clinic wasn’t too far from their house, but Jake was definitely white knuckling the drive as Caroline continued to cry in the back seat. With a quick check in, Jake sat down with the clipboard and all the stupid forms. Caroline sat on his thigh, sniffling, and rubbing her snot-covered face all over his shirt. Jake kept a protective arm around her waist as he filled out the forms quickly.
“It hurts, Daddy,” Caroline repeated tiredly.
“I know, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry that it hurts, sweetheart,” Jake sighed, pressing a kiss to her head. “It’ll just be a little longer now.”
A quick glance down at Caroline’s arm told him that she wasn’t faking it at all. Her arm was definitely a little swollen just below her elbow. God, he’d fucked up. He swore that it was just for five seconds. He took his eyes off of her for five seconds and this is what happened. What kind of father—
“Caroline Bradshaw-Seresin?” one of the nurses called, causing Jake to pick his head up.
“They’re going to help you, okay, Care? They’re going to make it better,” Jake told his daughter as he carried her back into the exam room.
A quick examination led to calls for an X-ray, which caused Caroline to start crying all over again. And well, he just about started to ball himself when she reached out for him while they were prepping her for the X-ray and strapping her in place so that she didn’t move or run away.
“It’s going to be okay,” he kept repeating to her, trying to keep her calm.
The nurse led them back to the examination room to wait for the X-rays to be developed. Jake sat up on the exam table with Caroline on his lap. She passed the time sucking on a popsicle that one of the nurses had offered her. An ice pack was wrapped around her arm, hoping to decrease the swelling. Jake was in the middle of trying to clean the tears and snot off her face when Rooster called him back.
“Hello?”
“What’s going on?” Rooster asked, sounding a bit out of breath. Knowing him as he did, Jake assumed that Rooster was probably sprinting to the base parking lot from the locker room or his office. “What’s wrong?”
“Caroline fell. I think she tripped on one of the chairs in the dining room. And now her arm’s a little swollen.”
“Are you at the clinic?”
“Yeah. We’re waiting on X-rays now.”
“And how is she?”
“She’s upset,” Jake sighed, staring down at their daughter. He ran a hand through her slightly curly dark blonde hair, causing Caroline to glance up at him. Her entire mouth was now bright red from the popsicle, but Jake could have cared less. “But now she has a popsicle and she’s a bit calmer.”
“Is that Papa?” Caroline asked, pulling the popsicle out of her mouth.
“Yeah, do you want to talk to him?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m putting you on speaker,” Jake told Rooster. He pulled the phone away from his ear and tapped on the speaker icon. He held the phone in front of Caroline, and gently held the melting popsicle away from it. “Talk to Papa, Care.”
“Papa?”
“Hey, Care. How’s the arm, sweetheart?”
“It hurts. But the nurse gave me happy medicine,” Caroline replied, more chipper than she had been since the accident.
“Happy medicine?” Rooster repeated, sounding confused.
“Painkillers,” Jake supplied.
“Yeah. But it didn’t taste good,” Caroline mumbled, reaching for her popsicle again.
“I’m sorry about that.” Rooster paused for a moment and Jake could make out the sound of a car door slamming in the background. “I’m on my way now. I’ll be there in a couple of minutes, okay? I’ll see you soon.”
“Okay.”
“I love you, Care.”
“Love you, Papa.”
“Text me when you get here,” Jake added, taking the phone off speaker.
“I will. I love you.”
“I love you too, Roos.”
“Bye.”
“Bye.”
The ER doctor, an elderly gentleman who probably could have been Caroline’s great-grandfather he looked so ancient, walked in with a wide smile a few minutes later. Caroline stared up at him with wide and suspicious eyes, but she relaxed a bit when Jake shook the doctor’s hand.
“Alright, now, this is your arm, Caroline.” The doctor pinned the X-ray to the light screen and turned it on. “And right here is a small crack in the bone.” He took one of his pens and circled the small line on the bone with the end of his pen. “Not too far below your elbow.”
“So, it’s broken?” Jake asked, holding Caroline just a bit tighter at the diagnosis.
“Just a crack. The bone isn’t fully separated or broken all the way through,” the ER doctor assured Jake. “And when children are as young as Caroline, their bones are already growing at a fast rate, so it’ll be all healed up in no time at all. But it will require some immobilization for now.”
“Jesus Christ,” Jake sighed, rubbing his face. He glanced up at the X-rays as Caroline stared up at him questioningly. “And you can do it right now?”
“Yes, we’ll be sending you to the orthopedic department now. It’s just a building over and one of the staff will take you over right away.”
“Thank you.”
Jake quickly called Rooster back to let him know about the switch in locations. Luckily, as soon as they arrived, they were ushered into another exam room. Caroline leaned against Jake, starting to get a bit cranky. And well, Jake didn’t blame her. It’d been well over an hour since the accident, and she’d cried her little heart out at least five times since then.
“I wanna go home, Daddy,” Caroline whined, kicking her feet in annoyance.
“I know, Care. I do too. But we gotta make sure that we fix the booboo on your arm first, alright? It shouldn’t be too much longer now.”
“Oh-kay,” she huffed.
A couple more minutes passed before another doctor walked into the exam room. Caroline, now tired, a bit hungry, and definitely still a little bit in pain, didn’t even blink at the entrance of a new adult. She just pouted further, half-burying her face into Jake’s chest.
“Hello, I’m Dr. Barbara,” the orthopedist introduced herself to Jake with a kind smile. “And this must be little Caroline.”
Caroline stared up at Dr. Barbara with a grumpy look that Jake recognized well. Though it was usually on Rooster’s face when he went too long without sleep, or Jake said something stupid to annoy him. And Caroline’s impression was spot on in Jake’s humble opinion.
“She’s a little tired,” Jake explained, shifting his hold on his daughter.
“The poor thing’s been through a lot,” Dr. Barbara agreed, pulling up the X-ray. “Well, the good news is that with her age and her particular injury, all that will be required is a soft cast, which is much faster and easier for the little ones to deal with.”
“And you can do it right now?”
“Just need to gather the materials and an extra set of hands and we’ll be ready to put the cast on,” Dr. Barbara assured Jake, flipping off the X-ray screen. “I’ll be back in a few minutes, and we’ll have you out of here soon enough.”
“Thank you.”
Rooster arrived not long after Dr. Barbara left the room, still dressed in his uniform, and a bit wind-swept looking. Probably speeding with the windows down, if Jake had to guess. Rooster quickly hurried to Jake’s side. They shared a quick peck before Rooster turned to Caroline.
“How’re you feeling, sweetheart?” Rooster asked, bending down to Caroline’s eye-level.
“I want to go home,” Caroline whined, tucking her face into Jake’s chest again. “Tired.”
“I think it’s the medicine,” Jake whispered to Rooster, who nodded in response.
“What’s the diagnosis?”
“A crack in the bone. They’re just going to put a soft cast on her arm. The doctor left to get the materials and said that she’d be back in a couple of minutes.”
“Well, that’s not too bad, is it?” Rooster cooed, trying to lighten Caroline’s mood. “And maybe we can get some ice cream on the way home.”
“Ice cream?” Caroline repeated, picking her head up suddenly.
Jake would have normally made a comment about Rooster coddling Caroline or giving her a cavity, but today it didn’t pop out. Hell, if Caroline wanted the whole fucking ice cream stand, Jake would have given it to her after what happened today. After what he had allowed to happen today while she was supposed to be under his watch.
“With sprinkles?” she asked, turning to Jake. It was a given that Rooster would agree to her proposal, but Jake was the parent that she usually needed to get on board.
“With sprinkles,” he agreed softly.
“Thank you, Daddy. Thank you, Papa.”
“Of course, sweetheart.”
Jake rubbed Caroline’s back soothingly as she rested her head against his chest. Rooster stood up and squeezed Jake’s shoulder reassuringly. Jake met Rooster’s concerned and analytical gaze with a slightly subdued expression. Like he was expecting Rooster to glare at him or be pissed with him. Rooster glanced down at Caroline before turning back to Jake.
“Are you okay?” Rooster asked Jake softly.
“I’m fine.”
“No, you’re not,” Rooster replied, knowing him too well.
“We can talk about it later,” Jake stated as the door opened again. Rooster didn’t comment further, but Jake knew that he’d hold him to that promise.
It didn’t take too long for the doctors to wrap up Caroline’s arm with the soft cast material. She sat on Jake’s lap the whole time, though she held Rooster’s hand with her non-injured arm. She was still clearly cranky and tired, but the promise of ice cream had gotten her to behave and focus on the future, rather than the present.
And without too much delay, the Bradshaw-Seresin clan was heading out of the clinic and into the parking lot. Caroline was still perched on Jake’s hip, her left arm hanging uselessly at her side wrapped in a soft cast. But Jake kept a steadying hand on her back and leg.
“Where did you want to go for ice cream?” Rooster asked Caroline as they walked.
“Beach.”
She was, of course, referring to the small seaside ice cream shop on the boardwalk not too far from the Hard Deck. The very same one that Maverick had taken Rooster to on numerous occasions when he was growing up too, actually. They had the polaroid to prove it.
“Beach it is. We can show your Grandpa Mav your cast and everything too,” Rooster agreed, fishing out his keys from his pocket. They reached the Bronco, which wasn’t exactly booster-seat friendly, so Jake kept his hold on Caroline. “I’ll meet you there then,” Rooster stated, rubbing Caroline’s back. He pressed a kiss to Hangman’s lips before climbing into his car.
Maverick met them outside the ice cream shack. It was still an hour until opening at the Hard Deck, but he was more often than not found milling around before the doors officially opened to help Penny out. Rooster was in the middle of wiping chocolate ice cream off Caroline’s thoroughly covered chin when Maverick reached them.
“Grandpa Mav!” she shouted, waving her free hand.
“Hey, Care Bear,” Maverick called back, smiling softly. “How’re you holding up?”
“I got a big girl cast,” Caroline stated proudly.
She held her arm up for inspection. And there was the signature Seresin smirk—the one that made naval aviators want to knock Hangman’s front teeth out but also made just about everyone want to pinch Caroline’s little cheeks. The medicine and ice cream seemed to have soothed her pain and tiredness, giving her plenty of energy to show off her ‘big girl cast’.
“I see that. And does it hurt?”
“Not too much now,” Caroline replied, like a seasoned pro.
“She’s got some happy medicine in her,” Rooster supplied, tossing out the used napkins.
“Happy medicine?” Maverick repeated, sounding confused.
“Tequila,” Jake joked, though he earned a glare from Rooster for it. “Motrin,” he amended.
“Well, of course, you’re a tough one, aren’t you, Care?” Maverick called, ruffling Caroline’s curls.
“The toughest,” she stated surely.
Maverick took Caroline to get some more napkins for the ice cream—Jake was quite sure that her shirt was going to have to soak between the chocolate ice cream, snot, and bright red popsicle—which left the couple alone for a few moments.
“Alright, spill,” Rooster sighed, turning to his husband.
“Nothing’s wrong,” Hangman insisted, not meeting Rooster’s gaze.
“You’re a shit liar.”
“I’m not lying.”
“Jake.”
“Are you mad at me?” Jake asked, turning to face Rooster.
“I’m more annoyed that you won’t answer my question,” Rooster grunted out, leaning back on the bench.
“No, about . . . about Caroline.”
“What about her? The ice cream was my idea,” Rooster reminded his husband.
“No, about the fact that she got hurt,” Jake somewhat snapped, causing Rooster to sober. “About the fact that she broke her arm.”
“Why would I be mad about that?” Rooster asked softly.
“Because I was supposed to be watching her.”
“You were watching her,” Rooster replied confidently. “She’s a kid, Jake. I broke my arm when I was a kid too. Shit happens.” Rooster sat up and wrapped an arm around Jake’s shoulders, pulling him into a side hug. “Just because she broke her arm, that doesn’t make you a shit father, okay?”
“But—”
“—Nope,” Rooster interjected, not letting Jake’s insecure train of thought go on any longer. “You did exactly what you were supposed to do. And she’s a kid. She’s going to get hurt sometimes no matter what we do. No matter who’s watching her.” Rooster pressed a kiss to Jake’s head, which seemed to get him to relax. “Got it?”
“You’re sure?”
“Course, I’m sure.” Rooster and Jake turned to see Maverick pointing out the ships in the distance to Caroline, who was perched on his hip. “You’re a great dad, Jake.” He squeezed Jake just a bit closer. “You’re not your dad, okay? You’re a great dad. The best dad. And Caroline agrees with me.”
“Did you ask her?”
“I don’t need to,” Rooster replied confidently.
The family returned home after bidding goodbye to Grandpa Mav. They had a quick dinner and gave Caroline a careful bath, mindful of her cast, before putting her to bed early. The toll of the day was quickly catching up with her and she had practically nodded off against Jake’s shoulder as he carried her into her room.
“Good night, Care,” Rooster spoke as he pulled her covers up. “You come and get us if you need anything, okay?”
“Okay, Papa.”
“We love you, sweetheart,” Jake stated, pressing a kiss to her forehead.
But before he could pull away completely, Caroline had wrapped her good arm around his neck, giving him as tight of a hug as she could manage given the angle. Jake paused for a moment, a bit surprised and more than emotionally overwhelmed, before hugging her back.
“Love you, Daddy.”
“I love you too, Care. I love you so much.”
“I know,” she replied with the confidence that she seemed to inherit from him.
With a similar hug for Rooster, Caroline was tucked in for the night. Rooster and Jake slowly and quietly left her room, watching her drift off to sleep slowly. Rooster closed the door behind him before turning to find Jake trying to hold back the tears.
“Told you,” Rooster stated knowingly.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.”
“One of these days, you’ll have to admit that I’m right.”
“And yet today is still not that day.”