Chapter Text
“Penelope.”
“Papa”
“You’re going to have to forgive me at somepoint.”
“No.”
Jack ignored Dennis’ snort of amusement at Penny’s firm denial of forgiveness, blatant distrust in her green eyes, holding her stuffed animal against her chest with suspicion. A look she learned early from Jack, something that Frank, Robby, and Dennis loved to remind him of.
“Baby,”
Jack looked around before leaning in, apologetic, where Penelope was sitting on the desk of the central hub, something he knew Robby would not approve of, not because they were at work, which was partly part of it, but mostly because he would be worried that Penny would find a way to get hurt.
“I didn’t know it was your cookie.” Jack lightly pleaded. He could feel Dennis fighting a smile behind him, shooting his lover a glare. “I thought it was Daddy’s.”
Jack knew immediately that was exactly the wrong thing to say as he watched his daughter’s eyes go wide with scandalised betrayal, shooting to Dennis and then back to Jack.
“You were going to eat Daddy’s cookie?!”
“Yes, he was.”
Dennis leaned a hip against the desk of the hub, Audie in his arms, babbling happily, chewing on a teether clipped to her onesie. They had been at the hospital for hours now. Tanner, breaking his arm jumping off the sofa and bumping his head, was getting a cast and under observation for a concussion, and Theo refused to be separated from Frank. They could have taken the other three home, but no one wanted to actually leave.
Robby was stuck in a meeting upstairs, unable to check his phone. “Dennis,” he looked at the younger man, not bothering to hide his amusement now, “you’re not helping.”
He watched as Dennis made his already large eyes go wide, and, lowering his head, reminded Jack of the helpless mouse everyone assumed was an omega when he first started.
“Knock it the fuck off,” He turned swiftly to Penny, “grow up, word.”
“Damn,” she sighed. Jack gave a long sigh, and when he looked at Dennis, he was greeted by a guilty grimace.
“That’s on me.” He admitted.
“What’s on you?” Robby’s voice cut through the sounds of the Pitt, announcing his arrival with a pinched expression on his face, the same look he had when any of the kids got hurt, betraying his fear and worry, “and why is our daughter sitting on the hub?”
“Aba,” Penny greeted, “Papa ate my cookie.” The look of complete betrayal once again was worn on Penny’s round toddler face, and Robby paused mid-step at the greeting.
“In my defense I thought it was Dennis’.”
Jack offered to move so Robby could pick Penny off the desk, placing a kiss against her temple, brushing her dark curls away from her face.
“I’m sorry, what?”
“I feel so loved in this relationship.” Dennis deadpanned.
“We try, now give me my kid.” Jack snarked, reaching for Addie, Dennis smacking his hand away with practised ease, moving his body away. Robby let out a breath and looked at Penny.
“What happened, Lolo?”
“Tanner jumped off the sofa. He’s in the potty.” She declared, satisfied, and gave all the relevant information to Robby. Jack could see Robby’s shoulders release a little of the tension.
“He was playing the floor was lava.” Jack supplied, slipping into the years of being an attending. “He jumped off the sofa and missed the ottoman. Simple break of the left radial and ulna, with a closed reduction. Casting for six weeks, no need for surgery. He also hit his head when he fell. He’s not showing any signs of concussion, but he will have a good-sized bruise on his forehead.”
The three of them had seen it again and again, with children, but that didn’t stop the sheer panic that gripped them when Frank came in with all four kids, Tanner crying and cradling his arm, and a bruise already forming above his left eye. It didn’t stop the tension that radiated from Dennis and Jack as they were reduced to parents and not doctors.
They trusted everyone there, but it meant nothing as Tanner was crying from pain.
“Why didn’t anyone come get me?”
Jack knew immediately what Robby was really asking. “Because it’s a broken arm, Robby. If it was anything more than that, one of us absolutely would have gotten you, and in person, too.”
Jack stepped into his space, and he felt Robby lean forward and place his forehead against his. “He’s okay, he’ll be okay. All the pups are safe, Dennis and I are safe, Frank is safe.”
Audie babbled loudly, making Robby pull back with a chuckle. He shifted once again to greet her with a soft “Hi, does that taste good?”
She held out the drool-covered teething toy with a chubby fist, smiling proudly. “I see.” He admired getting an amused huff from Dennis.
Jack rolled his eyes with fondness. “So how bad is it?”
“I think we might be forcing Helen into early retirement.”
Jack nodded in satisfaction. “That’s encouraging.”
Helen had been on his list since the day she made Frank cry while he was pregnant with Audie. He enjoyed messing with HR out of principle in a mostly non-serious way, enjoying being the HR headache so long as no one was seriously uncomfortable or was in trouble.
However, he fully became Helen’s personal headache when he found out she had made his omega cry. Robby fully approved of Jack’s method of chaotic revenge. They did try to spare Dennis from having to deal with her, but he was more like Jack than they were aware of.
“Any date on when we’re driving Gloria out?”
“None yet, by the way, we need to talk about patient satisfaction scores again.”
“Fuck.” Jack muttered, catching a sight of three familiar heads of hair: Frank carrying Tanner, and Theo looking tired and guilty. Jack didn’t waste a moment, walking towards them, knowing Robby and Dennis would wait for them.
“Hi, buddy.” He greeted Tanner, reaching for him and taking him from Frank, heart clenching when he saw the tears in both their eyes.
“Papa, it hurts.”
“I know, baby, it will feel better soon. Promise.” He rubbed Tanner’s small back in soothing circles, a cast now adorning his arm. “Hey,” he greeted Frank. “This isn’t your fault.”
“I know.”
“Do you? Repeat is back, Frankie.”
“I know it’s not my fault. Doesn’t stop it from feeling like it is, though.”
Jack keeps Frank’s eyes on him before nodding. “I know, sweetheart.” He admitted. He was already at the PTMC, in the Pitt, checking in one of his patients that came in last night, the vet alone, young and scared, when Frank called about Tanner. Theo, blinks tiredly at Jack
He was by far their calmest pup, steady and mellow, which Frank would comment reminded him of Crus of Jesse.
“Hi, puppy.” He greeted, taking his hand from Tanner’s back to run it through Theo’s blonde hair. “Not your fault, Frankie.” Jack repeated, “And they’re going to say the same thing.” He promised.
Robby sat Penny down next to Dennis and wasted no time pulling Frank into a hug, engulfing Theo in the embrace. The kiss on the side of his head is one of reassurance. “I love you,” was all he said and stepping back and taking Audie from Dennis.
“Hey,” Dennis assured softly, still shyer with public acts of affection while at work. He cupped Frank’s face with one hand, “No one blames you, baby, at all. Okay?”
Frank can only nod. “You don’t believe me, do you?”
“Give it a few days,” is Frank’s soft reply. Dennis moves forward and upwards, placing a quick kiss on the taller man’s lips.
“Alright,” Dana interrupted, with a fond look. “That’s enough of all this, not that I’m not happy to see you all-”
Theo gives a single commanding grunt and holds out his chubby arms to Dana, who wastes no time taking him from Frank, the older alpha’s expression never changing.
“Robby and Whitaker, you have patients. Jack, take your boy back to his room so we can discharge him properly.” Frank took Audie from Robby, who actually pouted, and Dennis lifted Penny down off the hub.
“Penny, sweetie, go with Papa, make sure he doesn’t try anything.”
“Hey.”
“You ate my angel’s cookie, you can’t be trusted.” Dana shot back at Jack’s offence. “Frank, honey-” Jack smiled, hearing Dana’s tone as he began to walk back to Tanner’s room, “give me her and go take a break, no one is blaming you, Momma, but I know what you’re feeling. I’ll keep the others from stealing them away. Why do you take a breath?”
Jack didn’t need to hear Frank’s answer or look back, knowing the man he loved was being taken care of by people who loved him.