Chapter 10
A/N: Sorry for the lateness, my daughter had an accident today and I spent ALL day in the doctor’s office. She’s okay, but I’m exhausted (something about sitting at the doctor all day WEARS you out) Thank you for the continued love. On with our story.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Chuck, but I do own the Bartowski/Grimes 2016 presidential poster…
Sarah wet a washcloth, walked over to the couch, and laid it on her patient’s forehead. She heard a mumbled thanks and smiled. She had changed out of her clothes from the night before and was watching the sun come up.
“Did you know?” her patient asked.
“Know what?”
“That someone that small could regurgitate that much?” Chuck asked. “I mean it was like something out of the Exorcist. It just kept coming and coming and coming.”
“Clara never thrown up like that before?”
“No. I mean she’s spit up some, but that…that was truly something I have never seen…nor want to again.” Chuck laughed. “When I was a kid and I got sick, Ellie used to have to fight me. I would cry and moan, but Molly, she was great. Ellie always said I deserve to have a child act like me. I guess I’m lucky my girl isn’t,” he said. Sarah grinned at him. He took the washcloth off of his face, sat up, a worried look on his face. “Sorry, she’s your daughter, not mine.”
“Really?” she asked. “If I’m not mistaken, you sat up with her last night, you manned the explosion that happened in the bathroom. You kept her calm and held her hair and told her you were there.”
“I overstepped my bounds, didn’t I?” Sarah swatted his arm.
“Chuck Bartowski, quit being an idiot. You were exactly the father that girl needs and deserves.” The look Sarah gave him gave him no room for argument. He grinned at her.
“You approve?” she leaned over and kissed him.
“One thousand percent,” she said. “Now, get some sleep. I have some paperwork I need to take care of…where are you going?” she asked Emma as she came down with Clara.
“Mama!” Clara yelled holding her arms out. Sarah stood up, walked over, and took her. Clara hugged her neck and giggled.
“How’s my girl?”
“Hu,” she said. Sarah walked over, and grabbed a bad of dry cereal, and Clara began to go to town on it.
“I steal your kid, you steal mine?” Chuck asked, smiling.
“Sharing,” Sarah said winking.
“Hey, Clara, is Sarah pretty?”
“Retty,” Clara said, hugging Sarah. Sarah looked like she would cry. “Mama retty.”
“Yeah, she is isn’t she,” Chuck said.
“You two getting married next week, or Monday?” Emma asked dryly.
“We haven’t decided,” Sarah replied, in a playful mood. Both women turned to Chuck, who’s head seemed to be short-circuiting again.
“I think you broke him,” Emma said.
“He’ll reboot in a minute,” Sarah replied. “You know you’re pretty?” she said to Clara who clapped and giggled. “Yes, you are.” Sarah turned to her mom. “Where are you off to?”
“If Chuck doesn’t mind, I’m going to take Clara over to our apartment. I figured the two of us should spend the day over there, if not the night, so as not to spread this thing.”
“You okay with that Chuck?” Sarah asked.
“Hey, Pumpkin?” Clara turned towards Chuck. “You okay staying with just Granny for a while.”
“Gran!” Clara yelled, holding her arms out. Chuck looked at Sarah.
“How did she pick up on that so fast?”
“How does she pick up on calling me Mama so fast?” Chuck looked up at the ceiling where his room approximately was. In the bed in that room lay Molly, asleep. After her throwing up, which Chuck swore was things she ate when she was three and possibly her toenails came out of her, Sarah gave her a bath, put her to bed in Chuck’s bed, and washed the sheets on her bed.
“You know, I think when she’s better, we might have a little talk with one Miss Molly,” Chuck said.
“Sis!” Clara yelled. Both Chuck and Sarah looked at Clara. Chuck’s eyes were about to close.
“Mom, I’ll call you when the coast is clear,” Sarah said. “You sure you don’t mind?”
“I’m fine, in fact, I was going to take Molly and give you two some alone time,” Emma said. “I figured you two needed to have a conversation.” A soft snore made both turn as they saw Chuck laying there, his head awkwardly on the couch, mouth slightly open, snoring. “Hard to find a guy who will stay up all night with your child.”
“Hard to find a guy you love, who will stay up all night with your child,” Sarah countered.
“Sarah, don’t overthink it,” Emma said, pulling her in for a hug. Clara gave Sarah a one arm hug and patted her back. Sarah pulled away and tickled Clara.
“I’m not,” she said smiling. “But it’s not just my decision.”
“Let the little one loose on him if you have to,” Emma said, heading out the door. “All’s fair in love and war,” she said, and she left. Sarah looked over at Chuck, still snoring.
“I feel for you Chuck,” Sarah said softly, running her fingers through his hair. “I’ve got Emma, Clara, and Molly on my side. It just doesn’t seem fair.
}o{
About 9, Sarah looked up from her computer. She was working on putting together the consolidation of the three companies, which was impressive since Carmichael Industries really didn’t exist yet. She heard thumps coming down the stairs and looked up to see Molly making her way down.
“Mommy, I love our new house,” Molly said. Sarah saw Chuck open one eye, and quickly close it again. “When can we move the rest of our stuff in?”
“Honey, it’s not our house,” Sarah replied. “We haven’t been invited, but I take it your good if we were invited to move in?”
“Why hasn’t Daddy asked us to move in yet?” Molly asked.
“You’d have to ask Chuck, Sweetie,” Sarah began, but never got to finish. Molly walked over and got right in Chuck’s face.
“Daddy? Daddy?” Chuck opened one eye and shut it. Sarah knew she should stop this, but she was enjoying it way too much. “DADDY!” Chuck jumped. “When can I move the rest of my stuff in? Can I do it today?”
“You should probably ask your mother that,” Chuck replied, trying to figure out why this little person was screaming at him.
“So you don’t mind if I move my stuff in?” Molly asked. Chuck’s head was in a fog, and he knew he should be careful, but he just wanted some sleep.
“No, I don’t care,” Chuck replied. Sarah hid her laugh with her hand. Chuck had no idea what he had just stepped into. Sarah started to say something when her phone went off.
“Hello,” she said, grinning. The grin fell from her face in seconds. “I mean…I really can’t…are you sure? I could do that. Are you sure it’s her? She was the mole!?! She’s going by herself? Well, no I don’t blame her, and all this time I thought it was Zondra. Well, Molly was sick all night.” Sarah looked at Chuck, her eyes pleading. Chuck had managed to pick himself up off the couch.
“We got this, Mommy,” Molly said, holding her fist out to Chuck. Chuck just looked at it. Molly turned and gave him the evil eye. He bumped her fist and she exploded it. Chuck didn’t. That got another evil eye. Chuck did it again, and exploded it. Molly nodded, turned to Sarah and smile. “We got this,” she said, and leaned back on the couch both hands behind her head.
“I understand what I’m about to say is going to complicate my life to no end, but when she starts dating, I’d feel better if you talk to the boys beforehand,” Chuck said. Sarah nearly dropped her phone.
“If that’s what you want,” she said shakily.
“You’ll show them the knives?”
“Yes,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “When I get done with this, we talk?” Chuck gave a single nod.
“Yes,” Molly said, doing a fist pump. “I’m getting a baby brother!” Chuck and Sarah shared a look. Chuck just grinned and shrugged. Part of Sarah did a flip that she didn’t know she had.
“I’m here, Carina,” Sarah said, never taking her eyes off of Chuck. “I’ll be in as quick as I can.” She hung up, got up, walked over, and stood right in front of him. “I promised no secrets, but can we wait until I get back to talk to you about this.”
“Sure, a couple of days?” Sarah gave him a look. “Got a pressing knife fight in Jakarta?”
“No, it should take a couple of hours, and I’m staying here with Carina and covering Ops. I’d explain more, but I really need to go,” she replied. “I love you both, and I will talk to you soon.
“Love you,” Chuck said, grinning. She bent down to kiss him and he pulled back. “I wouldn’t, sleep, bad breath, drool.”
“You owe me one,” she said winking. She kissed Molly, got to the door, stopped and turned back. “Molly, if your serious about this, what he says goes, you got it.”
“Got it, Daddy and I, we’ve got an understanding,” she said. Sarah grinned.
“Chuck, we are so talking when I get back,” Sarah said, and with that she was gone.
“You’re ordering my baby brother tonight, aren’t you?” Molly asked. Chuck looked at her, and decided to be honest.
“You know that’s not how that works, right?”
“I figured, Jerry isn’t that smart, but I’m five, how about you give me this talk when I’m older?”
“Don’t you want your Mom to?
“Nope, she’ll be all technical, and you’ll blush, and sputter, but you’ll be honest. That’s what I love about you, Daddy,” Molly said. “TV?” Chuck reached over and ruffled her hair, causing a quick little tickle/slap fight to break out.
“You watch TV, I nap, and if you need something, you wake me?” Chuck offered.
“Deal,” she said. “Daddy, thanks for letting me live here. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure Mommy comes with me.”
“Love you, Molly,” Chuck said halfway asleep. Molly lay with her hands behind her head, sure she was on her way to completing Project OMAHA.
}o{
Sarah watched the computer monitor, not believing the footage she was seeing.
“I always thought it was Zondra,” she said softly. “Carina, I feel so bad.” Carina had just been starting at her the whole morning. For two hours they watched as Amy was tracked on the cameras and Zondra was leading a strike force to bring her down.
“Walker, are you seriously not going to tell me what happened last night.” Sarah was looking at the monitor. She sat up, grinned, and turned toward her friend.
“Whatever do you mean?”
“Oh, for the love of Pete! You can cut the sexual tension between you two with a knife! What went wrong?”
“How do you know anything went wrong?” Sarah asked innocently. Carina smirked.
“Because you’re not mad like it was terrible, and you’re not glowing like you would be if it was half of what you were hoping.” Sarah knew she shouldn’t say anything, but she couldn’t help herself. She and Carina had shared so much the last five years.
“Okay, I wore the purple thing I showed you a few weeks ago,” Sarah began. Carina’s eyes lit up. “But, someone lied to me yesterday,” she continued.
“No. You didn’t!”
“I did.”
“But, didn’t that punish you more than him?” Sarah blushed.
“At first, I thought he had learned his lesson, and first thing in the morning, we’d have our fun, but then,” Sarah paused.
“What did he do? Massage? Kiss you? Rub you?”
“He opened the door, so he could hear Molly in case she was scared or got up since it was her first night in the house.” Carina sat down.
“Your ovaries exploded didn’t they?” Sarah didn’t answer, but the blush returned. “That’s not it, is it?” Sarah shook her head. “Walker…tell me!”
“He heard something in the middle of the night. It was Molly, she had a fever and was having a chill. He picked her up, carried her downstairs, gave her medicine, and slept on the couch holding her. Two hours later, Emma woke him so he could give Molly the other medicine, and that’s when I saw it all. I went back to bed when I heard a commotion. Molly got sick, and Chuck took her to the bathroom, held her hair, and nursed her all the way thought it.”
“Are you marrying him Monday, or do you think you’ll wait ‘til next week.”
“I told him that we were having a talk tonight,” Sarah said. She looked down at the floor. “I know what I want to do, but…”
“Here it comes,” Carina said.
“What?”
“It’s complicated. The kids, our work situation, our housing situation. Sarah what do you want to do?”
“Spend every minute with him,” Sarah said, surprised by her own honesty.
“If there was no romance involved, what would you do about work?”
“Exactly what we’re doing.”
“If he were an asset what would you do?”
“Move in and provide 24 hour guard.”
“What’s. The. Problem?”
“I’m scared.”
“There it is,” Carina said, hugging her. “Sweetie, you love him, of course your scared. You’re scared he’ll realize he fell for the wrong former federal agent and you’ll find him swinging from my chandelier one night.” Sarah just gave her a flat look.
“You have a chandelier?”
“No,” Carina admitted. “But, you know what I mean.”
“What if we break up?”
“Do you think he’ll ever not be in Molly’s life?”
“Not unless I ask him not to be,” Sarah admitted.
“Then it comes down to two people, you and him.”
“He’s never actually asked me if I would move in,” Sarah said softly.
“Have you ever asked?” Sarah just looked at her. “If you want it, go get it!” Sarah smiled.
“Miller, Walker, I got her,” the comms exploded. “We’ve got Amy, we got the mole!”
“Zondra, I owe you an apology,” Sarah said.
“You don’t owe me anything, Walker,” Zondra replied. “I thought it was you.”
“Next time you’re in the area, why don’t you drop by,” Sarah offered.
“You got it,” Zondra replied. Sarah smiled, signed off, and found her phone.
“I’m going to call Chuck, and we’ll wrap up,” Sarah told Carina. She dialed the number, and was surprised by what she heard.
“Chuck’s phone,” came Molly’s voice.
“Is he asleep?” Sarah said, and heard an awful retching noise in the background.
“If he is that’s impressive,” Molly answered.
“Molly, what’s going on?”
“According to Chuck he just threw up something he ate in third grade.” Sarah ran her hand over her face. “Ohhhh, that sounded painful.”
“I’m on my way,” Sarah said. She turned to Carina who was fighting a smile.
“Go, nurse your man back to health.” Carina said, grinning. Sarah hugged Carina and raced out the door.
}o{
Sarah walked in and saw Molly sitting on the couch, watching TV, coloring, and eating potato chips. She came in and sat down beside her. Molly looked up, sad.
“I’m sorry, Mommy,” she said. “I ruined this weekend.”
“How did you ruin this weekend?” Sarah asked.
“You and Daddy were supposed to have a big family weekend with all of us and order me a baby brother. I got sick and ruined it, and now Daddy is sick.” They paused when they heard a terrible retch. Sarah held up a finger.
“You need anything?”
“All good,” he choked out.
“We have different definitions of all good,” she muttered. She turned back to Molly. “Being a family isn’t just about being a family that goes to a park or Disneyland, or goes and get ice cream. It’s about being there at all times.”
“In sickness and in health,” a weak voice came behind them. Sarah looked back at Chuck. He looked awful, but she couldn’t love him more than she did right now. She hopped up and went to help him. He tried to shoo her away, but she was having none of it, and walked him to a chair that he sunk into. “Family is about being there during loss, during the hard times, and during the times no one else is there for you,” Chuck said.
“Like when you were there for me when I found out I was adopted?” Molly asked. Chuck nodded.
“But, you had family, Molly, why didn’t you say something?” Chuck asked. Molly looked down.
“I didn’t understand then,” she said.
“Understand what, Sweetie?” Sarah asked.
“I didn’t understand that you wouldn’t give me back,” Molly said. Sarah’s mouth dropped.
“Molly, you are my daughter. I may not be your biological mother, but I will never give up on you, and I will fight tooth and nail for you,” Sarah said looking her in the eyes. Molly hugged Sarah.
“And Clara?”
“Yes, Molly, and Clara, as long as Chuck lets me,” she replied.
“Why would I ever not let you, and, how could I stop you? Seriously, how?” Chuck asked. Sarah looked at him and shrugged.
“You couldn’t,” she replied grinning.
“And, Daddy?” Sarah never quit looking at him.
“In sickness and in health,” she said softly.
“In sickness and in health,” he replied.
“As long as we both shall live,” she said, parts of her body doing dances she hadn’t felt in a while. Chuck grinned.
“As long as we both shall live,” he replied doing the eyebrow dance.
“I do,” she replied.
“I do too.”
“I’m not kissing you right now,” Sarah said, smiling.
“I wouldn’t kiss me right now,” Chuck replied. Sarah grabbed Molly’s hand.
“Come on, let’s go make your bed, wash my sheets, and talk about where you got those potato chips,” Sarah said. Chuck made an ohh face at Molly. Molly made a scared face back at Chuck.
“Wait, your bed?” Chuck asked. Sarah stopped at the foot of the stairs and looked at him.
“My bed,” she replied, giving him a look that challenged him to say anything. Chuck situated himself in the chair.
“The big walk-in closet is empty,” he replied. “There’s plenty of room in the attic for storage, and in the basement for some things as well,” he said, his eyes closed. He opened one eye and saw her still looking at her.
“You asking me to live with you?”
“I thought you just told me you were going to,” Chuck said as the door opened. Emma walked in holding Clara, rolling a big suitcase behind her.
“There’s two more in the trunk,” she said. Chuck just watched her come through, and she stopped right in front of him. “If you hurt her,” she began.
“If I hurt her?” Chuck asked. “She knows over 100 ways to physically hurt me and she has my heart in her hands.” Emma smiled at him.
“What happens next?”
“Well, I thought I’d take a nap,” Chuck said. “But, apparently you women-folk aren’t going to let me.”
“Women-folk?”
“I have a fever, I’m delirious, and I don’t know what I’m saying,” Chuck said quickly. Emma bent down and kissed his forehead.
“You have a slight fever, did you throw up?” Chuck nodded. “That explains the smell.” Chuck looked hurt. “Go shower, now” she said pointing toward the bathroom. Chuck got up, and walk by, turning his head so as not to look at her, he came to Sarah, and did the same thing. She slapped him on the backside as he went by.
“You are going to be the death of me.”
“If you don’t shower, that smell will be the death of me.” Chuck turned and started back up the stairs. The four watched him go.
“You sure about this, Sarah?” Emma asked. Sarah looked at her.
“I’m sure I love him, and I want to spend the rest of my life with him, but I’m scared to death,” Sarah admitted. Emma smiled.
“See, not that complicated.”
“Does that mean you’ll call the stork tonight?” Molly asked. Sarah put her hand over her face.
“Jerry and I need to have a long talk,” Sarah said, and started up the stairs of her new home.
A/N: Sorry it’s short, today has been a day, but I wanted to get this up. Probably nothing until Friday. A lot going on tomorrow, and Thursday I’ve got Star Wars tickets for 7 pm, and I’ll be hyper all day. See you soon.
DC