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me-myself-and-my-fos · 13 hours ago

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Practice

Pairing: Love is the Best Medicine

A/N: Commission for @speedstershipping! He asked for some of Casey and I, and I don’t have self control so this is 4.1k words

Warning: pregnancy; pregnancy mention; fluff

Labor and Delivery loved to gossip. So much so, that the moment Max did anything it always got back to Nic quickly. It’s how she was able to get ahead of the wild changes he made every day. When she heard he was at the hospital instead of the parade with daughter, she knew he had to investigate.

Nic swore to herself as she ran after Max down the hall. He was so fast. She wanted to know what his fitbit steps looked like. “Max!” she called out, weaving through doctors and patients. It earned his attention enough to slow him down so she could catch up. “It’s rude of you to make a pregnant woman run,” she said breathlessly, putting a hand on her back. She tried to match his pace, but he was taller with longer legs. “What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be at the parade with Luna.”

“I know, but something big came up— a mother with HLH and we have a limited window to treat her. So I’m letting Luna down. Again.” Max shook his head, obviously disappointed with himself.

“What if Casey and I took her?”

Her words hit him, and he stopped so fast she overshot when trying to stop herself. She looked back at him, and he seemed taken aback by the offer. Hope. Hope that maybe his little girl wouldn’t have to miss the parade for a fourth year in a row. “You would do that?”

Nic nodded. “You’re not just my boss, Max. You’re a friend. Plus, we could use the practice,” she told him, gesturing to her stomach.

“Thank you, Nic. Thank you so much.” He pulled her into a hug, and she hugged back.

“Give me an hour to grab some stuff from the house and for us to change.”

Max pulled away from the hug. “Deal. I’ll let Luna know. And tell Casey he has the rest of the day off.”

“Got it.”

They separated, Max to find his team for the surgery and Nic to let her husband know before she headed to the house. Her coming down to the ED without being paged wasn’t uncommon, so no one questioned it, not even Lauren, when she walked right in and belined for Casey. He was behind the nurses’ station, going over some paperwork.

“I’m going to grab the car keys,” she said, not waiting for a reply. “Oh, and Max said you have the rest of the day off!”

Nic was already heading towards the breakroom for Casey’s locker when he looked up, brows furrowed at her words. Had he heard her correctly? “I’m sorry, what?” He hurried after her, watching from the doorway as she put in the combination to his locker. “Did he give a reason?”

“I volunteered us to take Luna to the Mermaid Parade,” she replied. “You finish up here and I’ll grab some stuff from the house, okay?” She walked by, kissing his cheek, and he watched her leave, dumbfounded. But he had to admit, he loved when she gave him orders.

Casey wondered how many back roads she took and traffic laws she broke to get back within an hour. He didn’t care much, though, when she walked through the doors to the ED in a white sundress embroidered with yellow flowers. One of his favorites. She had some clothes for him tucked under one arm, with a backpack hanging off her other shoulder. He whistled, meeting her in the middle.

“There she is: la madre de mi hija,” he announced proudly, and Nic shook her head with a laugh when his hands slipped onto her waist.

“You’re something else.” She presented the clothes to him. “Get changed. I’m going to get Luna.”

“First let me admire how cute you and our frijolito look in that dress.”

She knew exactly what he was doing, and if she didn’t stop him now, they’d never leave in time for the parade. Nic took one of his hands from her waist and placed the clothes in them. “Change. Now. Or I’m leaving without you.”

“Okay, okay. I’m going!” He kissed her cheek and walked off with the clothes.

Nic found Luna with Max in what used to be his office. After today he was headed to Berlin. He smiled as she walked in, pointing to her so Luna could shift her attention.

“Aunt Nic and Uncle Casey are going to take you to the Mermaid Parade. Doesn’t that sound fun?” he asked his daughter quietly, and Luna’s eyes lit up at the mention of Mermaids. She nodded.

“Mermaids!” she cheered.

Nic laughed at how utterly adorable the five year old was. “We are going to see all of the mermaids, I promise.”

“Yay!”

“As you can see, she’s very excited.” Max laughed softly, kissing Luna’s head. “Will you take pictures?”

“Of course,” Nic agreed, taking Luna from him. “We’ll take so many pictures you’ll be able to make a whole album with them.”

“Great. Thanks.” He smiled at his daughter. “Bye, Luna. Bye bye.”

Traffic from the hospital to downtown was horrible, and it took nearly fifteen minutes for them to find a space in the parking garage. A few times someone squeezed into a space before Casey could reach it, and they were sure Luna accidentally learned a few spanish swears in the process. But they finally found a space and snagged it before anyone else could. Casey unbuckled Luna from the car seat as Nic threw the bag over her shoulder. They could hear the excitement of people on the streets from the eighth floor of the parking garage.

“Alright, Luna. What do you want to do first?” he asked, holding her close to his chest as Nic slipped her hand into his free one. The distance to the elevator was short, and Luna made her wishes known.

“Mermaids!” she cheered, pushing blonde hair out of her face.

Nic hit the button to take them down and laughed. “Of course. Mermaids first.”

“Yay!” The five year old clapped her hands, and Casey had to tighten his hold so she didn’t wiggle out of his arms. Nothing sounded worse than having to explain to their boss how his daughter went missing because she was too wiggly.

The elevator finally arrived, and the three got in. Nic savored the moments of quiet they would have before the roaring of people surrounded them. And roaring it was as they reached the ground floor and stepped out. The crowd was massive, and Casey squeezed her hand a little tighter. Getting separated in this crowd felt like their biggest fear. They pushed through as close to the barriers as they could get, which wasn’t close. But the noise of the parade approached, children and parents screaming. Luna couldn’t see from her spot in Casey’s arm, so he lifted her above his head to sit on his shoulders. She had a much better view as her fingers held onto his ears, and he held onto her ankles. Nic used what limited space she had to snap photos and video of Luna’s excitement as the parade passed by. She pointed at the Mermaids, squealing with happiness.

After about twenty minutes the parade passed, continuing its route. But it would be back. It was going to be looping three or four times. But there were many activities for children and their parents, and Luna wanted to get seashells.

Nic sat on the edge of the sandbox, holding onto the bucket as Luna and a few other kids dug for seashells. The young girl picked up another one and Nic held out the bucket to her. Luna dropped it in to join the half dozen other seashells before she continued to scour for more. Nic’s free hand rested on her stomach as she thought about doing this with her daughter one day. She wondered if Bianca would be interested in Mermaids and princesses and tea parties. Or if her father’s influence would be stronger and she’d have a love of sports or history. Maybe she would be a mix of her parents. The possibilities were endless, but Nic couldn’t wait to meet their daughter in a few months.

Casey stood off to the side, watching Nic and Luna. He couldn’t wait to have that with her. Bianca’s due date was in September and it was the end of May. They could wait a few more months to meet her. But until then he’d find contentment watching his wife interact with Luna and their nieces and nephews. There was no doubt she would be a great mom, and he knew that especially watching the way she spoke with Luna, guiding her and encouraging her.

“Is she yours?” asked a mom who had been standing beside him, watching her son dig through the sand. She leaned over to Casey as she spoke, and his eyes never left Nic.

“Oh no, we’re just watching her for a friend,” he explained, smiling as Luna handed another shell to Nic. She held out her arms, apparently done with this activity. He stepped forward, taking the bucket from his wife as she lifted the five year old in her arms.

“What do you want to do now, Lulu?” she asked as they walked away from the sandbox.

“Rocks,” Luna said, playing with her shiny purple pearl necklace. She pointed towards a box filled with polished rocks of all colors, and a line of kids with tiny felt bags waiting to get a scoop of the rocks. “I want rocks.”

“We can do that. We can get you some rocks.” Nic adjusted her hold on Luna, and as they headed to the line, Casey spoke.

“I’ll be right back.” He kissed Nic’s head and broke off, heading in a different direction. It had her raising a brow, but she continued to the line so not too many kids would be in front of Luna.

It was a five minute wait, at most. Each kid got a scoop of rocks and went on their merry way, taking the hand of whoever was accompanying them and excitedly showing off the bag. When it came time for Luna to have her scoop, Nic set her down, protectively hovering next to her as she passed a five dollar bill to the vendor. Luna got her rocks into the bag, holding it up to show Nic who grinned.

“Oh those are beautiful.” She hoisted the five year old into her arms again and stepped away to let the line continue. “Are you going to show your daddy the rocks when you get home?” Luna nodded, brushing more hair out of her face as she sifted through the rocks. Nic lightly bounced her as she looked for Casey, unsure where he went. It was moments like this that she hated being short more than anything. He could see over people’s heads more often than not.

“Look what I got!” Casey called out in a sing-song voice as he walked back over. In one hand he held up a seashell headband and in the other was a pink skirt designed as a bedazzled mermaid tail. Luna’s face lit up at it and Nic grinned. He reached them, taking the headband and sliding it onto Luna’s head, pushing her hair back and out of her face.

“Do you want to put the skirt on, Luna?” Nic asked, taking it from her husband as she held the five year old with one arm. She nodded as Nic’s words. “Let’s find you somewhere to change.”

They headed to a cafe across the street and the doctor took Luna into a stall to change her into the skirt. It was a long mermaid tail on the front and back, and she knew instantly they’d be carrying her all day. There was no way Luna could walk too long with it on, but she knew Casey wouldn’t mind carrying her. It would be great practice for Bianca.

Nic walked out of the bathroom holding Luna’s hand, and Casey was standing by the front door grinning at them. “Oh my goodness, Luna! You’re a mermaid!” he feigned surprise, and it made the little girl giggle. When they reached him, he held out a small wax bag to them. Inside were two cake-pops, a white chocolate covered one with pink and purple sugar sprinkles and a red chocolate covered one with a white drizzle. “I got you both something.”

Nic took out the cake-pops, handing the one obviously for Luna down to the little girl. “What do we say to Uncle Casey?”

“Thank you, Uncle Casey!” Luna said with a smile before taking a bite of the treat.

He lifted her into his arms. “You’re welcome, little mermaid.”

“Where’s yours?” his wife asked, taking a bite of her red velvet cake-pop. They began to walk out of the cafe, and she took a mental note of the name. The cake-pop was so good she already wanted another one.

“I already ate mine,” he assured her, knowing she’d go back in to get him one. “It was funfetti.”

She hummed, satisfied with his answer. “I saw a booth with jewelry. Let’s go check it out.”

Casey noticed when Nic was starting to get tired. Her hand kept reaching to massage her lower back, and she seemed to be falling behind. He checked his watch and saw it was close to one, and decided now was a great time for lunch. There was an area with food trucks set up and he headed there with his wife in tow. They ordered seafood from one of the trucks, and Nic wandered off to get some waffles from another food truck nearby. They all sat down once they got their lunch.

“It’s a waffle shaped like a fish!” She showed Luna the waffle with a big grin, but she was more interested in her popcorn shrimp than what Nic was showing her. Casey shook his head with a chuckle and watched Nic sandwich her piece of breaded fish between fish-shaped waffles. He held an amused smile at her, and his wife paused as she was about to take a bite. “What? You’re not allowed to judge.”

“Did I say anything?” he asked playfully, the corners of his mouth migrating up even further.

“You know you’re not allowed to judge.”

“I didn’t say anything!” he laughed, taking a bite of his lobster roll. He gently pushed Luna’s bottle of water closer to her.

“Mhm.” Nic took a bite of her food and moaned happily at the sweet and salty combination.

They ate their lunch happily, and Luna stood on her chair to see part of the parade as it passed by where they were eating. Chatter spread through the children and their parents sat under the canopies eating. The five year old was enraptured with the parade, and Nic snapped a few pictures and videos while Casey ensured Luna ate. Until they made it a game of tossing the shrimp to see if Casey could catch it in his mouth. Luna laughed a belly laugh full of delight that made Nic’s heart flutter as she filmed it for Max. Once lunch was done, Nic grabbed the sunscreen from her bag and began to apply it to Luna’s face.

“No!” she whined, pushing Nic’s hands away, but unfortunately for her Nic was stronger.

“Yes, Lulu. I know you hate it but you need it.” She rubbed it into Luna’s face, across her nose and forehead, down her neck and to her ears. Nic was thorough, getting every piece of skin she could, including Luna’s scalp. “We all need it; even mermaids need protection from the sun.” She glanced over as Casey walked back from throwing the trash away. “Even Uncle Casey. Right, babe?”

“Huh?” His head snapped up at the sound of his name, and he took a moment to process the scene before nodding half-heartedly. “Yeah, sure.”

Nic rolled her eyes as she finished applying sunscreen to Luna’s hands before squeezing more into her hands. “Then let me apply some to you too, especially that bald spot.”

“Hey!” he objected, his mouth dropping in offense to her jab. He shivered at the cold feeling of the sunscreen as she started rubbing it up his neck and collarbone. “Eso fue fuera de lugar,” he mumbled with a pout. He looked at Luna who was giggling. “Do you see how she treats me?”

“I’m just kidding, honey. You still have a full head of beautiful hair.” Nic stood behind him, rubbing the sunscreen into his scalp and the back of his neck. When she was done lathering him in sunscreen, he helped Nic apply sunscreen through her own whines of protest. She was going to make sure she was thorough in the shower tonight.

“Do you want to get your face painted, Luna?” Nic asked, squeezing the young girl’s hand. She pointed to where a woman was set up with a table full of paints and a chair for people to sit at. It made sense now why so many kids had face paint.

Luna nodded, tugged on Nic’s hand. “You first,” she insisted, pointing to the table.

“You want me to go first? Sweet girl, are you sure?” Nic looked down at Luna who nodded again, looking up at her. “Okay, I’ll do it first.” Casey took Luna’s hand, keeping her close as Nic sat down for the face paint. She picked out the colors blue, teal, and white, requesting something ethereal but aquatic. The artist was more than happy to oblige, and Nic slid off her glasses as they began.

As her face was being painted, Casey pulled out his phone and recorded it, taking a few pictures as well. She didn’t notice, too focused on not moving or speaking for the artist. He smiled down at Luna as she clutched his index finger. “Doesn’t she look pretty?” he asked quietly. The five year old nodded, and he smiled as he continued to record. The painter finished and Nic thanked them before standing, and as she put her glasses back on she didn’t notice Casey slip his phone away.

“How do I look?” she asked, walking over to them.

“You look great,” her husband said, and Luna let go of his finger to get her face painted. She sat on the chair, swinging her legs and giggling as the painter got the pink and purple paint ready to put on Luna’s face. Casey snaked his arm on his wife’s waist, pulling her into his side. “We should probably get some pictures for Max.”

“For sure.”

They both held up their phones, snapping pictures and taking a short video. The paint was adorable and flowy, and seemed inspired by masquerades much like Nic’s. But it also had a touch of glitter on it, and Luna did her best to sit still. She was almost vibrating with excitement, something that was making everyone chuckle. When it was finally done, she jumped up from the chair and ran over to Casey. Luna grabbed onto his hand, tugging him towards the chair.

“Now you!” she insisted with a wide smile. He couldn’t resist the excited twinkle in her eye and glanced back at his wife.

“I’ll be a minute,” he told her, complying for the five year old. Nic shook her head, laughing as she snapped a few photos. Luna dragged him to the chair, insisting he sit down. When he did, he smiled at Luna. “You pick the colors.”

She grew even more excited and pointed to the colors she wanted painted on his face. It was a bright white and a sparkly purple. Once the artist started to paint, Luna rocked on her heels, watching the whole time. Nic smiled, phone still out as she snapped a few pictures, zooming in on her husband’s face. She rested a hand on her stomach, heart swelling at the knowledge he was going to be a wonderful father. A kick from their daughter only made her smile widen. In a short few months she would be here and their life would soon look something akin to this. It caused a buzz of eagerness through her veins.

“How do I look, baby?” Casey called out to his wife as the artist finished. He looked adorable with the white and purple glitter paint all over his face.

Nic covered her mouth as she giggled, a snort escaping. Luna had run over and was clinging to the skirt of her sundress. “You look beautiful, mi amor.”

Casey handed money to the painter before standing from the chair and walking over to them. “Want to see more mermaids before we leave, Luna?” He lifted her up in his arms.

“Yes please!” she exclaimed, fiddling with the seashell headband she wore.

When it was getting close to six, Nic texted Max to let him know they were bringing Luna home with them. They stopped to get her chicken nuggets and fries, and they grabbed their own dinner. Nic settled Luna on the couch with the food and put on The Little Mermaid. She sat next to the five year old who was enthralled with the movie. As they finished their dinner, Nic encouraged her husband to take a shower. He didn’t argue, wanting to get the face paint off before the glitter got all over the house.

“You would not believe how many times I had to wash my face to get off that glitter,” Casey exclaimed as he came down the stairs in his night clothes. Nic lifted a finger to her lip, shushing him before pointing to Luna. She was asleep next to her on the couch, cuddling the shrimp plushie under a blanket. She had fallen asleep after Ursula sang ‘Poor Unfortunate Souls’. His eyes glanced at the small girl and walked over to the couch. “I’ll switch so you can shower.” She nodded in agreement, standing up to kiss his cheek before he took her place on the couch then rushed upstairs.

A soft knock on the door woke them up, and Nic glanced at the time on the xbox home screen. It was a little after one in the morning. The only person that could be was Max, but she cautiously checked the peephole anyway. Casey tiredly lifted a still sleeping Luna into his arms and grabbed the mermaid tote bag full of the things they spoiled her with.

“Hey,” Max whispered, smiling fondly when his eyes fell on the sleeping form of his daughter. “How’d it go?”

“I’m not sorry to say we spoiled her,” Nic replied with a laugh, and Casey nodded with an amused smile. “We’ll send you all the photos and videos in the morning. But she had a blast.”

“I’m so glad to hear that.” There was still guilt in his eyes as he took Luna from Casey. “I wish I had been there for it.”

“You had a pretty good excuse,” Casey told him. “Saving someone’s mom was a good reason.”

Max took the tote bag and his eyes widened in surprise at the weight. They really did spoil her. “I know, but she’s so young. I don’t want to miss too much of this time with her.”

“You won’t. That’s why you’re leaving New Amsterdam in the first place,” she reminded him. “By the way, how did the surgery go? Did you save her?”

He nodded, smiling bashfully. “We did. It was a grueling fifteen hours of nonstop surgery, but we did it. She’s going to be fine.”

Casey sighed in relief, nodding. “That’s great. I’m glad to hear she made it.”

“It’s late,” Max yawned. “I should get Luna to her bed and let you two go to yours.” He was about to descend the steps when he looked back at them. “I really appreciated this, by the way. I mean I really did. And you two are going to make amazing parents.”

She mustered a tired smile. “Thank you, Max. Goodnight.”

“Night, guys.” He nodded at them and stepped down the stairs.

Nic closed the door and locked it, sighing tiredly. She ran a hand through her hair. “I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for bed. That couch is not comfortable to sleep on. We should totally get a new one.”

“Yeah, a woman in your condition shouldn’t be sleeping on a couch anyway,” Casey said, his hands slipping to her waist.

“A woman in my ‘condition’?” She raised a playful brow at his words.

“You know what I mean.” He leaned down, kissing her softly as one of his hands slid to rest on her stomach. “But Max is right. We’re going to be amazing parents to our frijolito. Today proved that.”

“It did.” She nodded, placing her hand over his as it rested on her stomach. “Now let’s go to bed. I’m exhausted.”

“I got you, mama.” He scooped her up in his arms, causing Nic to squeal as he carried her upstairs.

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me-myself-and-my-fos · 17 hours ago