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“Dad?”
There’s no response.
“Daaaaad!”
Imogen hears a distant clanging in the kitchen, and waits patiently until her door swings open.
“What’s wrong?” Buck asks, still drying his hands on a dish towel. “You know you’re not supposed to yell like that unless it’s an emergency.”
She rolls her eyes.
“I’m not allowed to yell like that unless it’s important,” she points out. “So technically, I’m well within my rights.”
Buck rolls his eyes now, and Imogen stifles a laugh because she knows that’s where she gets it from.
“What’s so important then?” Buck asks, shifting to lean against Imogen’s door frame as Strider—their dog—pushes his way past on his way into Imogen’s room. “Is this about your birthday?”
She’ll never understand how he always seems to know these things.
“Sort of,” she offers, picking at her blanket. “It’s… birthday adjacent.”
“Birthday adjacent, huh?” Buck repeats. “You know your dad’s already got half the surprise party planned, right? Please don’t take this from him. You know he’ll be unbearable if it doesn’t go to plan for the third year in a row.”
Imogen laughs, startling her cat Arwen in the process.
Her other dad has been trying to plan a surprise party every year since her sixteenth birthday, and he’s failed spectacularly each and every time. It’s become a running joke in their family that her dad absolutely cannot be trusted with any kind of party planning.
“No, it’s not that,” she eventually manages to get out amidst her laughter. “It’s actually, uh…”
She trails off, not really sure how to say what she needs to say.
Buck takes a seat on the edge of her bed, nudging Arwen over and crossing his legs opposite her.
“Is this about the letter?” Buck asks, and Imogen nods hesitantly. “Hey, it’s okay. Is that why you waited until Dad went to pick up dessert?”
“He’s weird about it.”
“He’s not—okay, maybe he’s a little weird about it,” Buck concedes. “But not for the reasons you’re probably thinking.”
“So he wouldn’t be mad if I wanted to go?” Imogen asks quickly, and wonders for a moment whether her dad was even able to understand her. “It’s not that I want to—”
“Hey, stop.” Her dad’s voice is firm, and Imogen does indeed stop her rambling. “First of all, he’s not going to be mad. Neither of us are. We’ve always said it’s your decision, remember? Your dad is just protective, and he doesn’t want you to get hurt.”
Imogen’s eyes dart up and lock onto her dad’s. “You think I’m going to end up hurt?”
“That’s not what I’m saying. What I’m trying to say is we don’t know what to expect,” Buck clarifies. “It’s been eighteen years—almost to the day—since your birth mother wrote that letter. In an ideal world, she’s there waiting for you like she said she would be, and you get to spend some time with her and ask whatever questions you might want answered. Hell, maybe you decide you want to stay in contact and—”
“I don’t think I want that,” Imogen admits, and she feels guilty for both cutting her dad off and for saying the words in general, but it’s true. “I mean, I have questions, and I want to know what she’s like; whether she’s a good person, you know? But I already have a family and I don’t want that to change.”
“That’s totally understandable, sweetheart,” Buck says supportively. “I’m sure she’ll understand your decision no matter what you choose to do at the time.”
She’s filled with an overwhelming sense of gratitude for getting to have this man as her dad. She could have ended up anywhere with anyone, but instead she’s got the best family in the whole entire world and she wouldn’t trade it for anything.
“Will you help me tell Dad?” she asks, puppy dog eyes at the ready. “Later tonight maybe?”
“Of course I will,” Buck says, pulling her into a sideways hug. “You know I’m always gonna be there when you need me.”
*
“I’m back!” Eddie calls out about fifteen minutes later as he comes through the front door. “Can one of you two come help me with this?”
Imogen vaguely hears her dads mumbling on her way out to the living room—something about too much ice cream—but it’s not until she sees the multiple bags hanging off of her dad’s arms that she fully understands what’s going on.
“It’s her birthday tomorrow,” Eddie grumbles, as Buck hovers around him while he tries to figure out how to assist. “She deserves all the ice cream in the world.”
“I’m not arguing,” Buck says as he finally reaches out to start taking a couple of bags off of Eddie’s arms. “I’m merely pointing out that our freezer is not a tardis.”
Imogen snorts at that.
“Baby girl,” Eddie says, face softening immediately upon seeing her enter the room. “I got all your favourites.”
“I can see that,” Imogen says through a laugh. “Did you leave any ice cream for the other residents of Los Angeles, or…?”
Buck turns away, but Imogen knows he’s silently laughing anyway.
“Do you want the ice cream or not?” Eddie asks, offering her a rocky road flavoured tub. “Because I’m happy to eat all this myself…”
Imogen grabs the ice cream. “Thanks Dad.”
“That’s what I thought,” Eddie pretends to grumble.
They make their way into the living room—Buck and Eddie curling up together on the couch while Imogen takes the recliner—and start digging into their dessert.
Imogen only manages to take a few bites before she has the overwhelming urge to get the conversation about her birth mother out of the way.
“Dad?” she says, and both Buck and Eddie look over at her. “I’ve made a decision about next weekend.”
Eddie seems to know what she’s talking about immediately, his face unreadable as he turns towards her more. “You have?”
Imogen steels herself. “I think—no. I know I need to go. I hope that’s okay.”
She watches as her dad takes a deep breath.
“Of course it is,” Eddie says, and Imogen feels herself relax immediately. “I’m sure you have questions for your birth mother, and I hope she’s able to answer them for you. Your dad and I will be there to support you the entire time.” Eddie pauses. “If you want us to be, that is.”
“Well duh,” Imogen says without hesitation. “I need my dads with me. I know I’m eighteen tomorrow, but this is still scary and I really don’t want to go alone.”
“You’ll never be alone, baby girl,” Eddie says, and Buck nods his agreement. “We’re always going to be there for you when you need us, no matter what. Whether you’re eighteen or eighty, I promise.”
Imogen gives up on holding back her tears at that point.
“Come here, sweetheart,” Buck says, nudging Eddie until there’s space between them for her to crawl into. Imogen throws herself in between them and lets them wrap her up in their arms the way they’ve done since she was a baby. “We’ve got you. It’s alright.”
Her tears come to an end rather quickly after that, but Imogen finds herself not wanting to move. Instead, she closes her eyes and lets her dads hold her.
She’s relieved to realise she was worried about nothing.
*
Chris is—as expected—tasked with getting her out of the house so their dads can get everything set up for the party the next day.
Imogen plays her part dutifully, acting surprised when her brother shows up in the morning saying he wants to take her out for breakfast.
“You laid it on a little thick back at the house, don’t you think?” Chris jokes once they make it to the restaurant. “I’m pretty sure Buck was about to die laughing if we hadn’t left when we did.”
“Dad really wants to surprise me,” she reminds him. “I don’t want to ruin it for him.”
“You’re a good person,” Chris says as they take their seats, “and I’m glad you’re my sister. I hope you know that.”
Imogen feels herself getting a little emotional, but she does her best to shake it off.
“You’re not so bad yourself,” she says in an effort to deflect. “Now how about we eat some food and then we can waste time until they text you and tell you the party’s all ready to go.”
Chris laughs as he hands her a menu. “Sounds like a plan.”
*
Two hours or so later, Imogen and Chris make their way back to the Diaz residence. Imogen lets Chris guide her out into the backyard where she’s greeted by a cacophony of people shouting happy birthday and setting off confetti.
“Oh my god!” she exclaims. “I wasn’t expecting this at all!”
Imogen says a silent thank you to her drama teacher in high school for the preparation for this exact moment in time, because her dad seems to buy it.
Chris however can’t resist a snort. “Definitely laying it on thick.”
Imogen grins at him in response.
“Happy birthday baby girl,” Eddie says, as he and Buck rush forward to envelope Imogen and Chris in a big hug. “I can’t believe my baby girl is eighteen!”
“You said that this morning,” Imogen says, her voice muffled by Eddie’s shoulder.
Eddie laughs. “And I still can’t believe it.”
“Was he like this when you turned eighteen?” Imogen asks Chris as they all separate. “Or was he worse?”
“Way worse,” Chris insists. “I was his first baby all grown up. He’s had time to prepare for yours.”
“And yet, he’s still a mess,” Buck interjects, wrapping an arm around Eddie’s waist. “But we love him anyway, don’t we kids?”
Chris and Imogen make eye contact, roll said eyes, and then agree in unison much to their fathers’ amusement.
Imogen finds herself quickly swarmed by various family and friends, and she graciously accepts all their birthday wishes and generous words of advice for her final steps into adulthood. It’s a little overwhelming, if she’s honest, and she eventually finds herself slipping away to the kitchen to take a breather.
She’s careful not to open the refrigerator, knowing that her dads have definitely got her birthday cake stashed away in there. She helps herself to a glass of water to be safe.
She’s interrupted by a voice coming from the doorway. “Now what’s my favourite granddaughter doing hiding away in the kitchen in the middle of her birthday party?”
Imogen turns around, a bright smile spreading across her face.
“Athena!” she exclaims in excitement. “Dad said he wasn’t sure if you’d be able to make it!”
She places her glass of water down on the bench and rushes into Athena’s open arms.
“I wouldn’t miss this for the world, you know that.”
And she does. Bobby and Athena haven’t missed a single important event in her entire life—unlike both sets of grandparents on both her dads’ sides—and it hasn’t gone unnoticed.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” Imogen says, eyes bright. “I wanted to see if we could meet up for lunch before I start work next month. I’ve got so many questions.”
Athena laughs, tucking a strand of Imogen’s hair behind her ear. “I still can’t believe May convinced you it would be a good idea to spend a year working at dispatch.”
“She said it was a great experience!” Imogen says through a laugh of her own. “Besides, what I really can’t believe is that my dads are going along with it.”
Athena sighs at that, and Imogen frowns.
“I know they probably feel the same worry I did when May decided it was what she wanted to do,” Athena says then. “But I’m proud of them for supporting you.”
“Well, I think it helps that they’ve made it their life’s mission to be the most supportive parents no matter what,” Imogen teases. “They’re kind of great, aren’t they?”
“I think they’re blessed to have such wonderful children,” Athena says, her voice betraying her emotions. “It’s been an honour to watch you grow up, Imogen.”
Imogen lets Athena pull her into another hug, only to be startled by the sound of Bobby’s voice as he makes his way into the kitchen. “Is this where the real secret party is?”
Imogen lets go of Athena just enough to pull Bobby into their hug. “Let’s be honest, nobody’s good at secret parties around here.”
Athena laughs at that. “You knew the whole time didn’t you? Was it your dad or Christopher who told you?”
Imogen ducks her head as she attempts to hide her smile.
“I found out,” she admits. “And then they confirmed it. But I made them both promise not to tell Dad because I know how much this meant to him.”
“Of course they did.” Bobby shakes his head affectionately. “Can’t keep a secret to save themselves.”
“Do not tell Dad I knew,” Imogen says insistently. “Let him have this one.”
She knows how much effort he put into today, and she doesn’t want him to think she wasn’t surprised.
“You’re a good daughter,” Bobby says, and Imogen thinks she hears a little more seriousness to his words than he may have initially intended. “Your dads and your brother are lucky to have you.”
Imogen smiles softly.
“I’m lucky to have them too.”
*
Time flies after her birthday party, and before Imogen knows it she’s sitting on the couch in her Dad’s office at the 118 firehouse on the day she’s supposed to meet her birth mother. It’s almost three in the afternoon—maybe fifteen minutes before her birth mother is supposed to arrive—and Imogen’s starting to feel nervous.
“You alright?” Buck asks from his desk. “I can go get your dad and Chris if you want?”
“No, no,” she insists. “She could turn up any minute. I don’t want her to think I’m not here.”
Buck puts his pen down, shifting his paperwork out of the way. “She’s not going to disappear if you’re not there at three on the dot, you know?”
“She might not even show up,” Imogen accidentally blurts out. “I mean, maybe she doesn’t even think about me anymore. Maybe she forgot about the letter.”
She’s not sure why it matters all of a sudden, considering it was only a little over a week ago that she hadn’t even decided if she wanted to come today.
“She’s gonna show up.” Her dad sounds certain, and it’s comforting. “I don’t think we ever told you all the details of the day you were surrendered—because you never really asked for too much—but I think you should know that your birth mother was one of the bravest women I’ve ever met.”
Imogen hesitates for a moment.
“You were the one she surrendered me to, right?” she eventually asks.
Buck nods.
“She was young. Only a year older than you are now, and the same age your dad was when your brother was born.” He must see the look on her face, because he adds, “It’s hard to wrap your head around, huh?”
“She was so young,” Imogen says quietly, almost to herself. “I can’t imagine what it must have been like for her.”
“I don’t think either of us can,” Buck says honestly. “I know I’ve said it before, but surrendering a baby is one of the hardest decisions any parent will ever make. And it’s a selfless decision most of the time, at least from my experience. They know they can’t provide for that baby, or they’re not in a safe environment, and so they do what’s best for their baby.”
Imogen knows it’s maybe not the case all of the time, but she thinks that’s an honourable way of looking at it.
“I’m glad you’re—”
The door creaks open, and Eddie sticks his head in. He’s alone, which means Chris must still be downstairs.
“Is she here?” Buck asks, and Eddie nods.
“I spoke with her briefly,” Eddie says, turning to look at Imogen. “I told her you were here, but she asked me to come and make sure you still wanted to meet her. She really didn’t want you to feel pressured.”
“I still want to meet her,” Imogen confirms, suddenly sure of her decision again. “Are you guys ready?”
“I think we should be asking you that,” Buck says, standing and making his way over towards Imogen. “Are you ready for this?”
Imogen nods.
“As ready as I can be,” she says, pulling her dads into a hug. “Let’s do this.”
*
They have the same eyes.
It’s the first thing Imogen notices even from across the station as she watches her birth mother talk to her brother.
Her dads are walking in front of her, so she has a moment to take the woman standing before her in without her noticing, and it’s strange.
They’re around the same height, by the looks of things, and Imogen can see more and more similarities in their faces the longer she looks at her.
“Gabriella,” Eddie calls out as soon as they’re within hearing distance. “Thank you so much for giving us a moment.”
“Of course,” Gabriella says, and oh, this is really happening. Imogen feels her heart start to race. “If you need more time, I—”
“Not at all,” Eddie continues. “Gabriella, this is Imogen, and my husband, Buck.”
Imogen finally steps out from behind her dads, and she’s sure she sees Gabriella’s breathing stop the moment she lays eyes on her.
“Hi,” Imogen says nervously. “I’m Imogen. Obviously. Sorry, I didn’t mean to be so awkward, I—”
“No, not at all,” Gabriella reassures her, “I don’t think any of us really knew what to expect today. So it’s completely understandable that you”—Gabriella’s eyes drift over towards Buck and—“Oh,” Gabriella says, eyes locked on Buck. “It’s you.”
“I wasn’t sure if you’d recognise me,” Buck says, maybe a little shyly. “It’s been a long time.”
“You’re…” Gabriella trails off, most likely waiting for Buck to confirm her suspicions.
“Her dad,” Buck confirms. “Well, one of them at least.”
Imogen’s kind of thankful for the distraction, as it gives her a moment to process.
“I never thought that—” Gabriella cuts herself off, still unable to look away from Buck. “I’m so sorry, I’m making a mess of this. I just—it never crossed my mind that I might see you again and I—” Gabriella takes a deep, steadying breath. “I guess you weren’t just saying things when you said you’d take good care of her.”
“I made you both a promise,” Buck says, placing a hand on Imogen’s shoulder. “I had to keep it.”
Imogen looks between them, a warmth filling her chest as she realises today is maybe going to be a lot more meaningful in ways she’d never considered.
“He’s the best dad,” Imogen says, and when Gabriella looks at her again she can see the unspilled tears in her birth mother’s eyes. “Both my dads are the best parents I ever could have asked for really.”
“I’m so glad to hear that,” Gabriella whispers, and Imogen smiles at her.
“I’ve had an amazing life so far, just like you said you wanted for me in your letter,” Imogen says, looking at her dads briefly before turning back to Gabriella. “And I wanted to make sure you knew I’ve never hated you for surrendering me.”
Gabriella’s tears are well and truly streaming down her face now, and Imogen can feel herself getting choked up. She presses on though, because she needs to get this out.
“It’s the opposite, in fact,” Imogen continues. “I want to thank you for doing the best thing for both of us. Because if you hadn’t, neither of us would be where we are today, and I’m so grateful for the life I have.”
A life that never would have existed if not for her birth mother’s courage and sacrifice.
A life she wouldn’t trade for anything in the world.
“You have no idea how much it means to me to hear you say that,” Gabriella responds, brushing at her cheeks to wipe away her tears. “I really have thought about you every day of my life, you know? It’s such a relief to know you’ve been so happy and so—so loved .”
It hits her then, that for the last eighteen years her birth mother has had absolutely no way of knowing if she made the right decision.
And in that moment, Imogen can’t help but take a step forward and ask, “Would it be alright if I gave you a hug?”
Gabriella nods with zero hesitation.
“That would be wonderful,” Gabriella says, and Imogen takes another step forward immediately. And as Gabriella holds Imogen in her arms for the first time since the day she was born, she says, “I never let myself imagine I’d get to do this again.”
And it has Imogen holding her even tighter, because she really can’t imagine going through what her birth mother went through.
After a good minute, they finally release one another, and Imogen knows what she needs to do.
“Well,” Imogen says, smiling through what remains of her tears. “If it’s alright with you, Gabriella, I’d love to fill you in on more of my life. Maybe we can all head to the cafe down the street? They’ve got the best hot chocolate.”
Imogen looks at her dads and her brother, and she can definitely see some tears in all of their eyes along with their encouraging smiles.
When she turns back to Gabriella, she finds a familiar smile waiting for her.
“You have no idea how much I would love that.”
*
At the end of the day, Imogen’s confident she made the right decision in going to meet her birth mother.
She’s not sure if she’ll reach out to Gabriella again anytime soon, but she likes knowing she has the option. It’s just not something she feels like she needs right this moment in time.
Her life feels full as it is—she’s loved by her dads and her brother and so many other people—and she doesn’t want that to change.
But the door is open, and Gabriella made it clear she can walk through it any time she wants.
“You alright baby girl?” Eddie asks as he makes his way into the living room and takes a seat on the couch.
Imogen turns to face him and offers a slightly exhausted smile. “Yeah, just a big day. Mostly okay, but not entirely sure how to feel about everything, you know?”
“Want a cuddle?” he asks, opening his arms as soon as he’s settled on the couch. “I could sure use one.”
Imogen nods immediately. “Yes please.”
Neither of them say anything further as she makes her way over to the couch to curl up in her dad’s arms.
Buck and Chris find them like that some time later, and waste no time squishing in next to them. Eddie shifts so that Chris is also between them, and Buck wraps an arm around both kids. His hand meets Eddie’s behind them, and they hold onto one another.
“What are we doing?” Buck asks, even though it’s pretty obvious.
“Cuddles, baby,” Eddie mumbles, sounding half asleep. “Think we all need some.”
“We do,” Imogen mumbles, face buried in Chris’ shoulder. “Lots of cuddles.”
“Lucky we’re here then,” Chris says as he shifts to get more comfortable. “I had a feeling you might need us all tonight.”
“You were very right,” she mumbles again. “This is exactly what I needed.”
Imogen’s pretty sure she’s always going to want comfort from her dads and her brother, and she’s not ashamed to admit it.
“It was a pretty big day,” Buck says after a minute, running his fingers through Imogen’s hair the way he knows brings her comfort. “I think it went well though.”
“Definitely,” Eddie agrees. “I think I speak for all of us when I say we’re really proud of you baby girl. You were amazing today.”
Buck and Chris both echo his statement, and Imogen’s truly glad they think so.
She smiles softly. “I love you guys so much. You’re the best dads and the best brother I could have ever asked for.”
“You’re not so bad,” Chris says jokingly, before adding more seriously. “You know I’m just kidding. I’m really glad you’re my sister. I wouldn’t have wanted anybody else.”
Imogen hugs Chris a little tighter.
“And you’re the best daughter ever,” Eddie says, leaning over to press a kiss to her hair. “And we love you too. More than anything in the universe.”
Buck presses a kiss to the other side of Imogen’s head. “Forever and ever, sweetheart.”
*
Imogen’s life remains much the same after that day.
She’s happy, and her days are filled with joy and laughter.
She has everything she could ever need and want.
And her family still loves her more than anything in the universe.