Chapter Text
This AU has completely taken over my life for the past six weeks and I am incredibly excited to share it with you!! The chapter line up looks as follow:
1) Dex (August and September)
2) Nursey (October and November)
3) Chowder (December)
4) Nursey (Winter)
5) Dex (Spring)
Basically, Dex's parents had him when they were very young and waited awhile to bless him with sisters: Hayley (age 7), Julia (age 5) and Emma (age 1). They are a loveable bunch but also a HANDFUL. Much like the Frogs themselves.
Disclaimer: I do not own Check Please, but I'm convinced I am actually the secret child of Shitty and Holster.
Part 1: Dex (August and September)
The last picture he has of the Poindexter family was from his graduation day.
His father stands to his left with an arm around his shoulders, beaming with pride. In front of him stands Hayley, Dex’s seven-year-old sister with hair as red as his and a smile brighter than anyone he knows.
Dex holds Julia: the middle sister who was delighted to get a new dress for the occasion. Her small arms are wrapped around Dex’s neck and he remembers thinking she had a pretty good grip for a five-year-old.
His mother stands on the other side of him and she’s on the verge of tears. He was the first in his family to graduate college and it was an emotional day for everyone. His youngest sister, Emma, sleeps in his mother’s arms. The baby of the family just celebrated her first birthday.
Dex remembers everything about taking that picture: in the midst of the chaos and cheers and disbelief of graduation day, they managed to have a moment where they all stood together. Dex could not believe that college was over, but he was so excited for what came next. His plan included a move to Boston, a job at a fancy engineering firm and a trip home one weekend a month to see his sisters.
Two weeks later, everything changed.
--
August 2018
“Are you really sure about this William?”
“Yes, Gran.” He knows she’s worried and she probably has a very good reason to be, but it doesn’t change the fact that she has asked the same question at least ten times that day alone. He shifts Emma to his other hip and she starts to tug on the collar of his shirt.
“I know they are your friends…”
“Gran, it’s going to be alright. I have a plan.” And he does. It’s a very shaky plan where at least a thousand things could go wrong…but it’s a plan.
He took a job at a small electrical engineering firm in Providence that promised a work-life balance and a good health insurance. He put his childhood home in Maine up for sale and used the money to buy a small house in Pawtucket.
Chowder signed with the Falconers and was planning to crash with Jack and Bitty until training camp was over anyway, so it made sense for him to move in. Chowder loves the girls and assured Dex he would be way too lonely living on his own after three years in the Haus.
Nursey was a different story. He graduated with a degree in English and had vague plans to move back to New York, but the minute he heard about the Poindexter parents, he drove up to Maine and stayed the whole summer. He helped with the funeral, decisions about Dex’s job, house hunting in Providence, packing up the house, keeping the girls busy…when he offered to move in for a few weeks until things could settle, Dex couldn’t imagine turning him down.
“It’s just, you’re so young William.” Her hand comes up to his face and he closes his eyes for a second. He doesn’t feel young. “And I know you love your sisters but when they named you guardian your parents couldn’t have possibly known it would happen this soon.”
“I know, Gran. But I am the guardian and their big brother and I’ve got help. It’ll be fine.” He meets her stern gaze with one of his own. Stubbornness is genetic. “You’ve got gramps and Aunt Carol and her crazy kids to take care of.”
“Exactly, the girls should be surrounded by their family-“
“We’re in Rhode Island now.” His tone is firm and final.
It takes another hour of her double-checking everything around the house, but Gran leaves with only a few tears and requests to call twice a week. The house is quiet for only a few minutes before the front door slams open.
“Where are the three coolest girls on the East Coast?”
“NURSEY!” Hayley and Julia rush to him at top speed and he crouches down to give them hugs.
“You were gone for a whole week!” Hayley frowns and he ruffles her red hair.
“Nah, barely even six days. Had to pack and tie up some loose ends.”
“Will helped us paint our room!” Julia says excitedly. “We picked lav...lav…”
“Lavender.” Hayley finishes. “Julia left the door open and Emma almost crawled inside and knocked over a paint can. Gran went crazy.”
“I bet.” Nursey smiles and stands back to his feet. He makes a silly face at Emma who giggles and buries her head into Dex’s neck. “You miss me Poindexter?” Dex grins: Nursey asks him that every time they spend more than a day apart. Before he can reply, the door swings open again.
“CHOWDER!” Chowder carries a huge duffle back and is nearly knocked backwards with the surprise of two girls charging at him.
“Hi girls!” He gives them big hugs and eventually stands up to pull Nursey, Dex and Emma into a group hug as well. “Bitty helped me pick out car seats for Emma and Julia and I got some for you too Nursey, they are in my trunk-“ Dex snorts.
“I don’t think car seats are going to fit in the back of Nursey’s Audi.”
“You didn’t tell him?” Chowder looks from Nursey to Dex.
“Chill C, it was a surprise.”
“What’s a surprise?” Julia bounces with excitement.
“I got a new car.” Nursey says proudly. Dex takes a few steps towards the front window and looks out: sure enough, parked behind his family’s old blue Ford Explorer is a shiny new Lincoln Navigator.
“Are you serious.” Dex thinks it’s absolutely ridiculous Nursey bought a new car when he will only be here for a few weeks.
“Like Chowder said, car seats wouldn’t fit in the Audi.”
“I like it!” Julia has to stand on her tip-toes to look out the window. “Does it have airbags?”
“Every car has airbags, Julia.”
“Not every car, Hayley! The bumper cars at the fair didn’t!”
“That’s because they are not real cars!”
“You said they were! You said they were real cars and that’s why I wasn’t allowed to drive it by myself!”
“Alright, knock it off.” Dex knows the warning signs of a fight between his sisters. Every day they found a new way to drive each other crazy. “Let’s put Emma in her playpen and then help Nursey and Chowder unpack their cars.”
It goes as smoothly as it possibly can and Dex only has to bring out the Disney band-aids twice (one for Julia, one for Nursey). They had already moved the furniture in the week before, so it was mostly suitcases of clothes, hockey gear and video games. Jack and Bitty swing by and drop off enough food to feed them for the rest of the week and brand new monogrammed backpacks for the girls.
“They are from L.L. Bean.” Bitty tells Dex proudly. They sit on the back porch with beers and slices of pie. “Even if y’all are in a new state, the girls can carry a little bit of Maine with them.”
“Thanks Bits.” He cheers their glasses together. Dex is glad Jack and Bitty live close: he loved his senior year of college, but he missed the blond baker and his ability to make you feel a little better about the world.
“Oh lord, I am tweeting about this.” At first Dex thinks its about Nursey chasing Hayley and Julia around the yard, the three of them pretending to be pirates. But then he follows Bitty’s gaze and has to stifle a laugh.
Jack holds Emma, who looks impossibly small wrapped in his large arms and Chowder hides behind his hands playing peek-a-boo and sending the baby into a giggle fit every time.
Dex finishes his beer and takes a deep breath. Maybe….maybe this plan could work.
--
It’s nearly midnight and he has three very awake and very loud girls.
“It’s MY shirt!” Hayley yanks a yellow shirt away from Julia. “You have your own clothes!”
“I HATE hand-me-downs! I want something new!” Julia aims a kick at her sister and Nursey picks her up and walks her to the other side of the room. Dex can hear Chowder trying to calm Emma down across the hallway.
“You girls were supposed to be asleep four hours ago, what happened?” Dex looks between the two.
“I woke up and she was going through my stuff!” Hayley folds her arms across her chest.
“You never let me look when we are awake!” Julia twists in Nursey’s arms. He tightens them slightly and shoots Dex a pleading look.
“I don’t want to share a room with her, she’s a thief.” Hayley points at Julia, who immediately starts sobbing at the accusation. “Can’t you stay with her and I’ll stay with Nursey?”
It’s an argument she has tried to make since they first figured out the sleeping arrangements. The house has four bedrooms: the largest one went to Dex, the second went to Hayley and Julia to split, the third room went to Chowder and the smallest room was just enough to fit Emma’s crib, changing table and the old rocking chair Dex’s father had built before Hayley was born. Nursey was staying with Dex because “we’re already used to living together and Chow needs his sleep if he’s going to stop professional pucks all day.”
Of course, Nursey brought a queen sized bed and Dex had a full, so there was only about six inches of space between them. He figures it’s still better than the bunk beds in the attic.
“Hayley, we’ve talked about this. You and Julia shared a room back at the old house and you are sharing one here too.”
“It’s not fair. Emma gets her own room.” Dex gives her a look and she heaves a dramatic sigh. Emma’s room is the size of a closet.
“Fine!” She turns to Julia, who is no longer crying. Instead, Julia rests her head against Nursey’s side and lets out a few dramatic sniffles when the attention is on her. If Dex didn’t have to be up for work in six hours he would find it sweeter than he currently did. “I’m sorry I called you a thief.”
“Okay.” Julia sniffs and Nursey whispers something in her ear. “I’m…I’m sorry I tried to borrow your clothes.”
“Very good apologies.” Nursey smiles approvingly between the pair and Dex tries not to roll his eyes. “Now, how about we try this bedtime thing again?” Dex gives Nurse a nod and leaves him to tucking them back in. Across the hall, Chowder bounces Emma up and down as he paces across the small room.
“Well she doesn’t sound like a banshee anymore.” Dex leans against the doorway and yawns.
“She is loud! Like, Holster level loud!” Dex chuckles at the comparison. He’s not wrong. “Was she okay sleeping this past week?”
“She woke up twice the first night and at least once every night since. She was sleepin’ through the night in Maine but…”
“It’s okay, she just needs to adjust.” Chowder gives him a reassuring smile. The goalie always had an uncanny ability to put Dex at ease without making him discuss his feelings. “Oh, gross!” His face scrunches up and he holds Emma inches away from him. “I think she pooed!”
“Alright, hand her over.” Dex takes his youngest sister and is immediately hit with an offensive smell. He unbuttons the bottom flap of her onesie and lays her on the small changing table.
“I guess I should learn how to do this.” Chowder stands a foot away from the table, still looking disgusted as the smell.
“You don’t know how to change a diaper?”
“No? I don’t think Nursey does either?” And come to think of it, Nursey was always the one to volunteer to look after the older two this summer while Dex took care of Emma. He grimaces.
“How were you guys planning on figurin’ that out when I’m at work tomorrow?”
“Improvise?” Chowder shrugs.
“Nursey, get in here.” Dex calls across the hall. He appears at the doorway.
“Yo, that smells nasty.” Emma giggles and Dex bites down a grin.
“Alright, first rule is you never leave her alone on the changing table. Trust me, they roll off faster than you can blink. So you need wipes and diapers.” He looks back and forth between his best friends: Chowder looks like he is listening a hockey play, Nursey looks like he is one step from running down the hall.
He shows them how to take the diaper off and wrap it up so it covers the used wipes and then slide and fasten the new one. Chowder repeats the instructions twice and Nursey and Dex chirp him for it.
Dex lays her down in the crib. She looks up at the three of them and gives a sleepy smile.
“Goodnight Emma!” Chowder whispers and he tucks a teddy bear next to her. Nursey lightly bumps his shoulder into Dex’s and his shoulder tingles a little. After four years, he never really got used to the tingling sensation he felt around Derek Nurse. He just learned to accept it as a constant. It’s not feelings, it’s physics.
“She’s the only one who has the same eye color as you.” Dex catches one more glimpse of Emma’s amber eyes before she falls asleep.
“Mom had those eyes.” His voice is oddly scratchy. Nursey bumps his shoulder again and this time he doesn’t move away.
“They’re nice.”
--
September 2018
Dex leans back in his chair and stretches his arms about his head. The architect’s notes for the project were messy and Dex could already see problems with where the lights actually should go and where the architect said they should go.
“Let me guess, he has these lofty ideas about chandeliers that we can not possibly wire without changing the whole structure of the building.” Dex looks up from the desk to see his supervisor in the doorway.
“Why would a company purchase an old warehouse and plan to make it ‘eco conscious modern lofts for the young Providencer’’” he reads from the title page of the proposal and rolls his eyes, “and yet they don’t want to change anything about the 200 year old building?”
“Because it’s cool and hip Poindexter.” Angie’s got her hands on her hips and shakes her head, causing a few of her dark curls to fall around her face. Dex has only been working at the firm for a month, but he knows he got the best supervisor.
“I guess. I’ve marked a few places in the plan that need reviews, but there are a few I wasn’t sure about.” He hands her the packet and she glances over it.
“Pretty good work. After lunch, come in my office and we can go over it.” Angie always let Dex take a stab at a problem or proposal first. “How are the sisters liking school?”
“So far, so good.” He picks up a framed picture from his desk and hands it to her. Chowder has discovered a love for printing photos at the pharmacy and framing them. Dex is pretty sure he sends framed photos to the rest of the team too, to Farmer and possibly his parents back in California. “That one’s from the first day.”
“They look pretty happy.” She hands it back to him and he takes a glance. Hayley holds Emma while Julia makes sure her brand new pink dress is on full display. They are all smiling, but it’s likely because behind the camera Nursey and Chowder were making silly faces.
“Thanks.” Angie doesn’t give a compliment without meaning it. “Did City Hall end up getting their proposal in?” She makes a face.
“You just added another thing to my to do list, Poindexter.” He smiles apologetically. “See you after lunch.”
He picks his phone off of his desk after she leaves and finds a new snapchat from Nursey. It’s a picture of Emma passed out on the living room floor surrounded by a mess of toys and books with the caption “play hard, nap hard.”
They were trying to find a day care center for Emma, but every place either had a two month long waiting list or it just didn’t feel right. To Dex’s surprise, the pickiest person was Nursey. The same boy who woke up after more than one kegster on the Haus floor with leaves in his hair would ask all of these questions about crib standards and diaper changing schedule.
“Nope, that place sucks.” Nursey declared after leaving one of the interviews. “There are way too many kids and not enough workers. It smelled weird.”
“It smelled fine.” Dex rolled his eyes and reached in his back pocket for the car keys. Emma kicked her feet against his side. “Alright Em, jeez, I’ll put you down in a minute.” She had started walking the previous week and hated being picked up every since.
“Nah man, it definitely smelled weird. And did you hear the music they were playing? That annoying kids channel? Emma hates those songs.”
“Sure, Nursey.”
--
Dex pushes the cart through the parking lot with a huff. Nursey had forgotten the shopping list when he went to the supermarket a few days before. A house of three guys in their twenties (one of them a professional hockey player) and three growing girls requires meticulous meal planning and exact lists.
Something that, apparently, only Dex finds useful.
He is annoyed because its Wednesday night and he’s at the crowded as hell Stop and Shop because they ran out of paper towels, milk and saran wrap. He is annoyed because their printer broke at work and it’s a pain in the ass to try to decifer an architect’s handwriting through scans on the computer screen. He is annoyed because the woman in front of him and the cashier wouldn’t stop talking.
His phone rings as he hauls the last bag into his trunk.
“Hello?”
“Mr. Poindexter?”
“Um, yes?”
“This is Ms. Criswell, Hayley’s teacher. We had a little incident today at school.” Dex stills.
“What happened?”
“The class was playing outside during recess and apparently there was an argument between Hayley and another classmate. It ended with Hayley shoving the classmate and calling her a…” Dex braces himself. “A bitch.”
He runs a hand through his hair and tries to control his voice as he apologizes to the teacher and promises to have a talk with his sister and there will not be a repeat of this behavior. He counts backwards from ten six different times on the drive home but he’s still fuming when he pulls into the driveway. That cool down technique only worked half the time on the ice anyway.
He pieces together a plan of how to proceed and makes it through a quick dinner of sandwiches without blowing up, but he can see the looks Nursey and Chowder are giving him and each other.
After dinner, he sends Julia and Emma to the living room and tells Hayley to stay seated at the kitchen table.
“Anything happen in school today that you want to tell me about?” He sits across from her. Her hair is in two braids which means Chowder must have helped her get ready. He has a strange talent for braiding hair.
“No.”
“No, nothing happened or no, you don’t want to tell me?” He keeps his voice even. She doesn’t break his gaze but her left leg starts to bounce up and down.
“Nothing happened.” He narrows his eyes. “It was a normal day?”
“Really? Then why did I get a call from your teacher sayin’ you swore at another kid on the playground and shoved her?” There’s a sound of dishes clattering from where Nursey is loading the dishwasher. Dex ignores this. Haley’s face starts to flush.
“That’s not really what happened.”
“Well then what did happen?” He’s starting to lose a little of his control. Stay calm, he thinks. The plan is to stay calm.
“You won’t believe me.” She crosses her arms and Dex scoffs before he can think better of it.
“Might not, since you just lied to my face.”
“Carly was making fun of the way I talk!” She raises her voice to a shout and stands to her feet, moving her hands to her hips. “And the other kids were laughing and I told her to stop and she just kept making fun of me so I pushed her and…and…”
“And you called her a bitch.” Dex stands. “Hayley, I don’t even know where you learned that word!”
“I’ve seen movies.” When exactly did his seven-year-old sister develop the sass level of a teenager?
“Well I hope you enjoyed them, because you are grounded.” He points at her and her mouth drops open. Grounding was not technically part of the plan, but if she’s going to fight him on this she needs consequences.
“You can’t ground me!”
“I just did!” So much for staying calm, Poindexter.
“No you can’t, you’re not my dad!” Dex feels like the wind has been knocked out of him but Hayley continues to shout. “My dad’s not here!”
“You think I don’t know that?” He’s even louder than she is. “Damnit Hayley, they were my parents too!”
A strong grip wraps around his right bicep.
“You both need to chill.” Dex turns wildly to Nursey. “C, how about you and Hayles go upstairs?” Chowder scoops her up and takes her out of the kitchen. Dex hears a sniffle and it cuts through some of the ringing in his ears, but he still feels hot and angry and Nursey really needs to get his fucking hand off of him. He tries to pull out of the grip.
“Let me go, Nursey.”
“You know that was almost like watching you fight yourself.” Dex glares at him but Nursey isn’t fazed. “Come on, man. I know it’s not cool she lost it at school-“
“No Nursey, it is not cool. It’s a goddamn mess. First the teacher calls, next I’m goin’ to get parents calling because my sister taught their little angel the b-word.” Nursey opens his mouth to say something and Dex cuts him off. “She’s been there for a month and now she’s that kid.”
She can’t be that kid. Dex was that kid, he was the one who was always getting in trouble or mouthing off when he shouldn’t have. He fought on the playground and taught the whole third grade the f-word and the only thing that ever made him shape up was hockey. “She was never like this before.” His voice is quieter but not calmer. “I mean yeah she’s got a temper, but Dad woulda…”
He stops and closes his eyes. It all hits him at once.
“But Dad’s not here. They’re not here.” His voice cracks on the last word and he digs his fingernails into his palms to try to distract from the stinging in his eyes. “I’m in charge of making sure the girls turn out right and…fuck!” The tears start to fall and he hastily wipes them away with the sleeve of his dress shirt. “Fuck, Gran was right, I can’t do this-“ He lets out a sob and is immediately pulled into a hug.
He didn’t cry when he got the call from the hospital, he didn’t cry more than a few tears at the funeral. He packed up his whole house, finding old bank statements from dad and birthday cards mom would never get to send, but each time he took a shaky breath and got through it without causing a scene.
But he cries now.
“My parents are dead, Derek.” He hates how broken he sounds. Nursey pulls him closer, gripping the back of his neck.
They stay like that for a while, Dex twisting his hand in the back of Nursey’s soft t-shirt. When Dex pulls away he sees he has left a giant stain of tears and snot the light green fabric. Gross.
“Sorry.” He wipes his face. Nursey glances down at his soaked shoulder and shrugs.
“It’s chill.” Dex lets out a watery laugh and Nursey clasps a strong hand on his shoulder.
“You know we got your back through this, right?” Dex nods: he knows, but its still nice to be reminded.
“Even when I fuck up?” He means it to sound lighthearted but he knows Nursey sees right through it.
“Even then.”
--
It takes Dex longer than it should to walk up the stairs and knock on the door to Chowder’s room.
“Hey.” He says softly. Hayley’s not crying anymore, but there are tear tracks down her face and his heart breaks a little. He’s never yelled at her like that before.
“Hey.” Chowder stands up from his bed and gives him a tentative smile. Chowder always believed the best in Dex, even when he didn’t give him much to go on. Dex takes his place on the bed while Chowder leaves.
Neither of them look at each other for a minute, they both opt to look around the decorated room. Chowder may be the back up goalie for the Falconers, but his room looks exactly like the room in the Haus: covered in Sharks gear and pictures.
Dex takes a deep breath, reminds himself that he is the grown up, and opens his mouth.
“I’m sorry for yelling at you. I know what it feels like to lose it.” Hayley meets his gaze and her eyebrows go up in surprise. “I shoulda been more understanding.”
“I’m sorry I lied. And that I called Carly the b-word. Even though she kinda was one.” Dex bites his lip to keep from laughing.
“Well I think the only thing you can do it to apologize to Carly and your teacher tomorrow and just… try not to do it again.” He wonders if that’s good advice. He should have called Bitty before talking to her.
“Do I have to say sorry to Carly?”
“It’s the right thing to do.” She contemplates it for a minute, but ultimately agrees. He knows he can end it here, bribe her with ice cream and discuss the terms of her grounding (which he really isn’t sure she deserves anymore), but there’s something else nagging at him. He scoots a little closer to her.
“Listen Hayley, it’s hard with mom and dad gone and living here now.” She nods slowly and he digs his thumb into his forefinger to keep his voice from cracking. “And ya know, I liked being just your older brother. But things are different now and I’m supposed to be in charge of you girls and sometimes…sometimes that means I have to lay down the rules.”
“I know.” She huffs, but it’s not out of anger. “I just miss them a lot sometimes.”
“Me too.” Dex nods and he opens his arms. Hayley crawls into them and he pulls her tight for a hug. “I miss them a whole lot.”
“I’m happy we live with you and not Gran.” She whispers in his ear. “And Nursey and Chowder.” She pulls back and gives him one of her bright smiles and he didn’t realize how much he missed seeing those the past few months. “I like it here, Will.”
He doesn’t know what to say, so he pulls her in for another hug.
--
Dex takes a long shower and lets the steam relax his tense muscles. It was already Wednesday night, which meant only two more days until the weekend and besides Hayley’s soccer game, they had a pretty free weekend. The Falconers were playing a preseason game on the road, so maybe he and Nursey could take the girls to visit Bitty at the bakery.
He takes a deep breath before turning off the water, enjoying the last few moments of quiet. The Poindexter sisters never make bedtime easy. He ties the towel around his waist and makes his way to the bedroom.
“Yo,” Nursey is already in his pajamas and flopped across his bed. “Change quick, you have got to see the cutest thing.” Dex raises an eyebrow but pulls his pajamas from the drawer. He barely has enough time to pull and old hockey shirt on before Nursey takes his hand and leads him across the hall.
The sight melts any last tensions from his day immediately.
Chowder is in his Shark pajamas and sits on his bed with Emma (also in shark pajamas, a gift from Chowder) in his lap. Hayley and Julia are on either side of him and all three girls are giggling as he reads “The Monster at the end of this Book”.
“YOU TURNED THE PAGE!” Chowder’s impression of Grover is pretty accurate and his dramatics send the girls into hysterics.
Nursey leans against Chowder’s doorway and reaches out a hand to ruffle Dex’s hair. Somehow over the years the gesture went from driving Dex up the wall to making him feel calm.
“We’re gonna be okay, Poindexter.” He says softly as Julia turns another page of the book, sending Chowder into another tailspin. Hayley’s laughter is as loud as Emma’s squeals and Dex finds himself smiling.
“Yeah. I think we are.”