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"We're home, Jenny," Ryan called as he walked through the front door of their apartment.
"We?" Jenny's voice floated back from the kitchen.
"Hey, Jenny," Esposito said softly, but loud enough for her to hear.
Then there was a sound he didn't know how much he missed until he heard it, little feet running down the hall followed by an excited squeal. "Uncle Javi!" Jenny followed behind Sarah Grace with a small grin on her face. Her stomach wasn't big yet, but Esposito could see her starting to show.
Sarah ran into Ryan and Esposito's legs; she wrapped one of her arms around Ryan's left leg and the other was around Esposito's right leg. Ryan winched slightly when he went to pick her up so Esposito stopped him with a hand to his arm. Esposito picked up his niece so Ryan could give her a hug with little strain.
"I miss you," Sarah said and it took Esposito a second to realize she was talking to him. She was three months shy of two-years old and she was growing like a weed. She could walk on her own and was starting to talk. She spoke more than other kids her age and Esposito blamed those dumb educational videos Ryan made her watch practically every night.
"I missed you, too, sunshine." He kissed her chubby cheek softly and squeezed her in a hug. Oh, how he had missed this little girl. Ever since they found out the results to their Sergeant's exam and their fight started, Esposito hasn't been over to Ryan's apartment. He went from spending numerous nights a week after work here to zero.
"Javi, Kevin told me that you passed your Sergeant exam. I haven't seen you since to congratulate you." Jenny turned to Esposito and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek after she hugged and kissed her husband.
"He told you?" Esposito said without thinking that Ryan was still here and may have been hurt that Espo would doubt that.
Jenny looked confused. "Of course. He was proud of his partner." She teased her blushing husband with a smirk. Turning back to Esposito, she grinned. "You'll make a great Sergeant."
"Oh, I'm not taking the position." Esposito shifted Sarah in his arms when she started reaching towards her father.
"Why?" Jenny looked surprised.
"I'm Kevin's partner and we're together 'til the wheels fall off. That's not happening any time soon." Esposito said meeting Ryan's eyes as Sarah jumped from his arms to Ryan's.
This time Ryan winched more visibly, but he held Sarah tight in his arms. Jenny noticed this time and took her from his arms to place her on the ground. "Sarah, why don't you put an extra plate on the table for Uncle Javi?"
Sarah started jumping up and down and let out another squeal. Sometimes she was good at using words and other times she couldn't get it out and figured a squeal would work better. Esposito watched as she ran out of the room with a warm heart. Sometimes it amazed him how much this little family cared about him.
When Sarah was gone, Jenny's smile disappeared. "What happened?" She was looking over Ryan's body for any signs of an injury.
"It's a long story." Ryan sighed and Esposito could tell his chest was bothering him.
"Dinner needs to cool." Jenny crossed her arms, unwilling to give up so easily.
"Why don't we sit?" Esposito said reaching an arm out to the small of Ryan's back to steady him just in case he needed help getting to the couch. Esposito knew he was okay, but he was still on edge from earlier that day.
Jenny kept a close eye on her husband as they sat down. Once settled, she repeated, "What happened?"
"Javier passed the exam and I was insecure and jealous," Ryan said simply.
"Only because I was an arrogant neanderthal," Esposito challenged. He wasn't going to let Ryan take the blame for this.
"Then I guess that makes us both a couple of assholes, huh?" Ryan nudged Esposito's shoulder with the smallest of smiles.
"Not that that excuses me for how I treated you." Esposito took a deep breath. "What I said, Kevin, just before I went into her office never should have left my mouth. I will never be glad for us to be over."
"You guys really are a pair of idiots." Jenny shook her head, looking between them. "You really thought you were going to be able to let go of each other so easily?"
Ryan looked down at his lap and admitted softly, "Not for a minute. No matter how bad our fights ever get, I will never want another partner than Javier." He shut his eyes, pushing back tears. "Today, I saw her hold a gun up at you and I just reacted. I couldn't let you get hurt. Not again. So I just... jumped."
"And you saved my life."
Ryan looked up at Esposito and said softly, "That's what partners do."
"Only the best." Esposito met Ryan's gaze and held it as they shared a smile.
"And the best husbands let their wives check their various bumps and bruises to make sure they're okay." She gave Ryan a pointed look, though the worry was clear in her eyes. "And the best friend helps." She gave Esposito a pointed look.
Esposito chuckled and raised his hands up in innocence. "She's right, bro. You know that a kevlar taking a bullet is hell. I think a little notepad would be much worse."
Ryan rolled his eyes, but nodded. "Okay, just don't touch it." He slowly unbuttoned his dress shirt and slipped it off his shoulder with limited motions. Esposito helped pull it off his wrists and then Ryan lifted the t-shirt.
On his left side of chest, just above the ribs, was a blue bruise the size of the notepad. Esposito wouldn't be surprised if it bruised his ribs. Esposito sighed. "Why didn't you tell me right away, Ryan? This is going to be swollen for at least a week and it's gonna hurt like a bitch."
"Better than a bullet hole." Ryan looked down at his bruise and winced at the dark coloring and swelling.
"Trust me, bro, I know."
Jenny kissed Ryan on the top of the head. "I'll be right back with ice and then we'll start dinner."
They were quiet for a the first moment alone. Ryan shifted and cleared his throat. "I want you to know that if I had to do it again, I would. In a heartbeat. Even if I knew that notepad wouldn't be there, I'd do it again and again."
"I know," Esposito whispered. Of course he knew his partner would die for him. Even during the darkest hours of their fight, Esposito knew he would still give his life to save Ryan's and Ryan would jump on the blade for him. Not that he had as much to lose as Ryan.
But he didn't know why. Why would Ryan want to jump in front of a blazing bullet just to save him? Ryan had a family- a pregnant wife and a baby girl. The closest thing Esposito had to a family was the three (soon-to-be four) people in this apartment right now.
No matter how bad life got, he could always come to them. And Javier never wanted to lose that.
After dinner, they decided that after today, they all needed jsy some time to relax. (UFC was vetoed by both Jenny and Sarah). Esposito wasn't really paying much attention to the TV as Jenny tried to find something to watch. Sarah had climbed into his lap with a book and Esposito was happy to read it.
Now, she was asleep in his lap and her father was snoring besides them. Jenny was curled under Ryan's arm as she flipped through the channels. He watched silently as she found nothing and then with a sigh she turned off the TV. Esposito stayed quiet, knowing she something was on her mind.
"Do you ever stop to think how lucky we are?" She asked softly.
Esposito looked over at her softly tracing her fingers along his hand. He wasn't sure what she was referring to or maybe she was talking to herself or Sarah Grace.
But then Jenny turned to look at him and said, "Kevin is the greatest man I know." Esposito couldn't complain because he knew that Ryan was a much better man than him. "The amount of love he has and gives is just amazing."
Esposito smiled and looked down at his partner. A man he knew he was grateful to have in his life. "I'm the luckiest guy in the world to have a best friend like him."
"He loves you, you know." Jenny smiled. "He wouldn't jump in front of a bullet for just anybody."
"I love him, too." Esposito said, looking at his slumbering partner with a fond smile. "He's the little dorky brother I never had."
"I don't thank you enough for keeping him safe out there, Javi. He loves me and Sarah and he'll always do his best to come home to us, but sometimes I lay in bed wondering if I'll see him the next morning." She said with a sad smile on her face.
Esposito placed his hand on top of Jenny's hand that she was still holding Kevin's with.
"And, Javi, if you ever need a reason to make it home safe, think of us. Just know that we worry about you just as much as we worry for Kevin. As small as this family is, you're apart of it. And once you're apart of it, you can't leave."
Esposito squeezed Jenny's hand. He looked from the little girl snuggled in his lap to his best friend drooling on himself next to him and the woman that kept them together next to him. He loved them and nothing could ever make him want to leave. He was sticking with them until the wheels fell off.