#chimneyhanweek2020

Hen, thankfully, picks up the phone right away.

“Hey, Karen and I were just about to...” she cuts herself off, hearing the way her best friend is hyperventilating, “hey, what’s wrong? What happened?”

Great, that’s another person whose night he’s intruding on. Hen was just trying to enjoy a nice night with her wife, hadn’t she mentioned earlier that Denny was with a babysitter for the night? God, just wanted a date and time to reconnect with Karen, probably the last thing she wants to deal with is him. Probably stressed and tired and sick of his poor leadership as temporary captain and--

“Hey, hey, Chimney. Answer me. What’s wrong? Can you breathe for me?”

“H-Hen,” is all he’s able to whimper out, and he can hear cussing under her breath a bit.

“Where are you, honey?”

“C-car. My car.”

“Outside your apartment?”

“N-no. Maddie’s.”

“Maddie’s? Did something happen? What did she--”

Even in his state of panic, he can’t bare to hear the anger in Hen’s voice, can’t allow anyone to disparage Maddie, the woman he loves even though she’s also the woman that he’s hurt the most.

“No,” he interrupts, “B-Buck.”

“What the fuck did he do?”

“H-Hen, I c-can’t...” he’s cut off by a sharp intake of breath he has no control over.

“Okay, okay. You’re going to breathe with me okay? In for four, hold for four, out for four. just like we’ve done before, hm? Okay. I’m going to start counting, and you just try and breathe, alright? You’re gonna be fine. I’m on my way to you.”

“B-But--”

“One, two, three, four...”

It takes several rounds for him to even try and cooperate, it feeling far too difficult at first to be possible. But Hen persists, shifting between sternly commanding him to breathe and cooing the sweetest, most calming things she ca think of. Eventually, he starts to calm and he can hear Hen sigh in relief at the lack of hyperventilating.

“There we go, Chim. You’re okay. I’ve got you. I’m coming.”

“Hen,” he whines, ‘m’sorry, don’t wanna talk about it just... Hen.”

“I’m coming. I’m coming, Chimney. I’ll take you home and take care of you. Whatever happens, it’ll be alright. And you know I’m not opposed to smacking Buck around.”

“Hen,” he can’t help but laugh, just the teeniest bit, “it was true. What he said...”

“I don’t know what the hell he said, but if it made you panic like that, I’d be willing to be it isn’t true. But you can tell me about what happened when you’re ready. I’m almost there.”

“Sorry I ruined your date night,” he sighs, leaning his head against the car window, reveling in how cool it feels against how hot all over his body is feeling from the panic attack.

“Nah, don’t worry about. I’m your best friend. When you need me, you call.”

“Still my best friend? Even though I’m--”

“I’m always your best friend. Never doubt that, Chim.”

“Mmm. Love you.”

Some things had been easier. The plan was already in place, the bags by the door and ready to go as soon as Maddie felt a contraction. The due date was circled on the calendar. Everything was perfectly in place, except the newest addition to the family didn’t get the memo about the plan.   

It was only two weeks early, but it was enough to cause a bit of chaos. Chim was at work when he got the call from Maddie. They had just gotten back from a call, and he pulled out his phone, seeing he had just gotten a text from Maddie. All it said was ‘it’s time.’ It took a few seconds for his brain to process exactly what that meant, before springing into action. 

“The baby is coming!” Chim shouted, somehow trying both to take his gear off and put his civilian clothing over the top. Pregnancy brain was a real thing for everyone involved in it. The rest of the crew, who normally would have laughed at Chim, were busy with the rest of the plans.  Bobby was calling the Chief to have the 118 taken offline while a new crew came in. Buck and Eddie were off to pick the other children up from school and wait to bring them to the hospital until closer to the delivery time. Hen’s job was the most crucial of all. She needed to get Chim home to Maddie, and both of them to the hospital. Everyone was rushing around to make sure the plan went off as perfectly as it could at this point. 

Chim somehow ended up in the SUV with Hen, sirens on and speeding to their house. He knew he was supposed to be here, but he honestly couldn’t say how he got here. It didn’t take long for them to arrive at the house, throw the bags in the car, and make sure Maddie was situated. 

The plan accounted for the worst. If Maddie did have to give birth in the car, she had Chim there, but also Hen as a paramedic. They all knew Chim would be too emotional to do it, and Hen had delivered the next most amount of babies. Plus they all knew Buck would blow up Eddie’s phone for updates if he was in the position. Luckily though, that part of the plan was never used. Hen pulled into the hospital, having called ahead to let them know what was happening. After dropping her passengers off, she raced back to the station to switch to a normal car and get Bobby so everyone who needed to be at the hospital could. 

Maddie got into a room just fine, and was able to get nice and comfortable before things got too serious. That was how Chim ended up with his time to pace the hallway. He made sure he was far enough down the hall to not stress Maddie out, but close enough he could come running if something was wrong. He spent the time pacing assuring himself that nothing could go wrong, but also sending a silent prayer up to whoever was listening to make sure Maddie and the baby were safe. He didn’t spend too long in the hallway, waiting to be there for his wife. It was far more stressful for her, she was the one who had to push a baby out. 

They talked about frivlious topics. Enough to keep Maddie’s mind off what was going on but not something that would require too much work. The nurses came in and out of the room, checking on her various stats. They offered reassurances that it shouldn't be much longer, but it really was a guessing game. 

It didn’t take long before it was officially time, and they took Maddie to a delivery room. Chim made sure to send a text to Buck to bring the kids before he followed in. He gave Maddie his bad hand to squeeze. This part he was ready for. With the twins Maddie had broken two of his fingers. They joked it was one for each kid. She hadn’t broken any with their third kid, but this fourth kid was being completely unpredictable. They would have a dramatic last child. 

The cry of their last child did something to Chimney, and he couldn’t hold back the tears. He promised himself he wouldn’t be a sobbing mess when he saw his daughter for the first time, but he broke that promise real fast. He cried for every one of his kids, nothing had changed and he was glad it didn’t. Every one of their kids was their own special miracle.