Work Text:
Ever since you had gotten pregnant, Jack had stepped into dad mode hard core and he made sure to be as involved as possible.
Doctor’s appointments? He was there.
Baby girl’s first kick? He felt it.
Assembling the nursery? He did it.
But by far, his favorite thing to do was read to her. This was the Abbot household routine from day one of pregnancy.
You usually napped in the afternoon a few hours after Jack came home from a night shift. He would grab the book of his choosing, join you in bed or on the couch, and read to baby girl. She loved the sound of his voice, always moving when he talked. During reading time she would kick a little and then settle as he continued reading.
Jack felt as if he was putting her down for a nap, which in turn helped you sleep a little better since she would be more settled.
It was his favorite part of the day and he never missed it.
That’s why today he feels anxious and as if he’s going to crawl out of his skin.
The pitt had been swamped with nonstop traumas and not enough staff. Robby asked him to stay longer which ended up in him working a double.
Jack had texted you letting you know he wouldn't be home until the next morning but that he’d facetime you around your usual naptime so that he could read to baby girl.
—--
Of course the incoming traumas didn’t seem to stop and Jack is called to patient after patient all day. The whole time, any chance he gets he's watching the clock.
One particular trauma lasted longer than planned but was successfully handled by the team.
Jack pulls out his phone to check his phone and sees the time
‘4:47 p.m.’
Fuck!
He was supposed to call you at 3.
Quickly he gets Robby’s attention from across the room.
“Robby! I have to make a call. Cover for me, thirty minutes maybe?”
Robby waves him away with a smile “You’re good bud! Tell the missus and baby girl Abbot I said hey!”
Jack lets out a breath “Will do!” and then dashes towards the ambulance bay. He facetimes you and waits anxiously as it rings.
Did you already fall asleep?
Are you upset with him?
Is baby girl disappointed?
What if y–
The sound of you answering breaks him out of his thoughts.
Before your face can come into focus on the screen he’s already talking.
“Sweetheart, I’m so so sorry. It was so damn busy and I kept watching the time. Then this big accident came in and I got caught in it and I…I missed our reading time.”
His stomach twists at the silence but when he looks at his screen, he sees you with a relaxed smile. Your head is propped on your free hand and you’re just looking at him with the same grin he fell in love with years ago.
“Jack, it’s okay.” you tell him
He looks back at you with a defeated expression.
“You’re not mad?”
You give him that ‘are you serious?’ look.
“Jack Abbot, why would I be mad that you were doing your job?”
“Because I…” he wipes a hand across his face “I always read to baby girl and I fucking missed it.”
You chuckle a little as you hold your phone out as far as you can to give him a look at your belly.
“Baby girl,” you hold the side of your belly “is happy as a clam and–”
Jack watches as you lean to the side and grab a blanket to cover your lap.
“She’s ready for her story now.”
He furrows his eyebrows “You didn’t read without me?”
Your heart melts at his soft tone.
“Of course not baby, we were just waiting for dad. Weren’t we sweet girl?” the last part directed at your belly as you rub it lightly.
You feel her kick against your side.
“See, she said she missed you and wants her story now.”
Jack can’t help but laugh at that.
Of course you waited.
You had waited so he could still have the best part of his day. You were easily the most kind and considerate person he had ever met and he loved you beyond words.
He still doesn’t know how he managed to get his dream girl.
He walks quickly to his truck and pulls out a stapled pile of paper from the glove compartment with ‘Baby Girl’s Favorites’ scribbled at the top.
Jack knew work would happen and sometimes he wouldn’t have the current book he read from on him to read over the phone. So he printed out the stories that baby girl seemed to like the most and kept it handy in his bag and in his truck just in case.
He settles in his seat as he flips to the first story.
You get comfortable on your side and prop the phone up in front of you so he can see you and baby girl.
“Alright Abbot ladies, today we’ve got a riveting story of Goldilocks and The Three Bears. Momma is Goldilocks, of course, and Uncle Robby, Uncle Frank, and Uncle Shen are the three stinky bears…”
He smiles wide as you let out a loud laugh at the descriptions.
God, he loved doing this with his two favorite girls.
He’s so glad you waited for him.