#tiny love!au

[crockettmarcel]

just a reminder that this exists. idk if I'm ever going to update it but those three chapters slap so hard

[crockettmarcel]

“ ikea really knows how to make building a crib stressful… ” + tiny love parents

From the beginning, getting the nursery set up had been a difficult task. Keeping Sarah out of the room until it was finished while trying to involve her in all the decisions was harder than Crockett had expected it to be, and she was constantly begging him or Ethan to let her inside. She’d seen all the paint samples, had given her input on the carpet and drapes (there was not going to be any grey in her daughters’ nursery, contrary to what Crockett wanted), but she had yet to see the finished product.

The main reason for that, of course, was that it wasn’t finished.

Almost everything was done, but Crockett and Ethan had yet to build the cribs, which, as Ava kept pointing out, were the most important part. Sarah wasn’t due for a couple of months, but her OB had hinted that the girls might end up making their appearance before then, and Ava was insistent that they’d have somewhere nice to sleep when they eventually did.

So now, while Sarah was out getting ice cream with Lolly, Crockett was locked away in the nursery, trying to figure out how to put a crib together.

Even from downstairs, Ava and Ethan could hear him cursing at it, and she struggled to keep it together at the thought of what was going on up there. He’d been insistent that the nursery was his (and Ethan’s) project, a sort of gift to Sarah, but it didn’t sound like he was having as good a time with it as he’d planned. Every so often, the sound of something crashing to the floor would ring through the house, and if Ava didn’t know any better, she’d have guessed he was destroying everything and throwing it onto a pile in the middle of the room.

She wouldn’t blame him.

“Do you want to go check on him?”

Ethan stared straight ahead at the TV, seemingly more focused on changing channels than whatever his boyfriend was doing upstairs.

“I’m sure he’s okay.”

That was that, and the two of them sat back to watch some old war film Ethan had seen a hundred times before. Ava wasn’t sure if it was legal for a network to show something so boring almost on a loop, but she’d take it over Crockett’s football games any day.

They made it to the first ad break with no incidents from upstairs, but then, halfway through some middle-aged man’s speech about a revolutionary new erectile dysfunction pill, there was one final crash, more swearing, and then footsteps on the stairs. Whatever had happened was bad enough to send Crockett down to ask for help, and Ava couldn’t wait to find out what it was.

“Ikea really knows how to make building a crib stressful, don’t they? Or are you just incapable of reading the instructions?”

All Crockett could offer in response to Ava was a mumbled “It’s not from Ikea,” before slumping into one of the armchairs and staring blankly at the TV, completely oblivious to the looks Ava and Ethan were giving each other.

Ask him what’s wrong, Ava’s wide eyes and raised eyebrows screamed at Ethan.

Do it yourself, Ethan frowned back, and she huffed. There was no way in hell she was getting involved - she liked watching the drama unfold from the sidelines, not getting caught up in the middle of it. Besides, it wasn’t her project. Ethan should be the one to sort it out.

The glare she fixed him with told him exactly that (she’d had plenty of opportunities to perfect it whenever Connor was around), and with a sigh, Ethan turned to Crockett and asked him what was wrong.

“I broke the crib,” Crockett said, quietly enough that Ava and Ethan weren’t sure if they’d heard him properly.

“You- what?”

“I broke the crib,” he repeated, louder this time, and Ava had to hold back a laugh. Images of what he could have done to break the crib were running through her mind, each one funnier than the last, and she wished she’d been up there to watch it happen.

Ethan, though, was more sympathetic. He was full of kind words, reassurances, telling Crockett that it would be okay, that they still had time to go out and buy a replacement and that their daughters would have somewhere to sleep.

Crockett nodded along in agreement until he felt better, and only when a hint of a smile appeared on his face did Ava allow herself to laugh. He obviously felt bad about it, and she wasn’t that mean that she’d kick him when he was down, but god did she need to know how he’d broken the crib.

It took a bit of persuasion, but eventually he opened up and told Ethan and Ava, in the most overdramatic way possible, how the crib had met its end. They were sure most of it was an over-exaggeration, as were the majority of his stories, but it was entertaining, and the three of them were in fits of laughter when he finished, too distracted to notice the front door opening.

And then suddenly Sarah was standing in the doorway, head tilted to the side and a quizzical look on her face, and one by one, they realised they had to break the news to her.

“You’re back early,” Ava remarked, and Sarah just sighed.

“It was too loud for Lolly and she said she wanted to come home. Can’t say these two were very happy about it though,” she replied, resting both hands on her bump. At this point, it felt like they were working in shifts so that she always had someone kicking (or maybe punching?) her ribs, and all she wanted to do was sit down.

There was enough space on the sofa next to Ava, and she quickly relaxed into her fiancée, resting her head on her shoulder so that Ava could play with her hair.

“Is Lolly okay?”

Sarah nodded. “She made it very clear that she didn’t want anyone near her when we got home. I think it’s best to just leave her in her room for a bit, keep an ear out to make sure everything’s okay.”

“Oh, like Ethan and I did while you were out?”

Her comment was met with a frown, and Crockett was quick to jump in and explain.

“I started building the crib after you left.”

“And then he broke it.”

Someone needed to be open with Sarah, and as much as Ethan could tell that Ava wanted to do it, she didn’t seem to have the most noble of reasons, and he felt that Sarah was owed at least some seriousness right now, instead of having the whole thing turned into something to laugh about.

The whole room went silent after Ethan spoke. Sarah didn’t say anything, just looked between the three of them to try and work out if he was joking, but it quickly became obvious that he wasn’t.

“I, uh- I need to lie down.”

She could already feel herself choking back tears, and she didn’t want to cry in front of her family over something as trivial as this. The crib could be replaced, she knew that, but at the same time, it felt like the world was ending in front of her.

Hormones were a bitch.

Ava helped her stand up — it was so much more difficult this time than when she was pregnant with Lolly — but she refused anything more than that. She was capable of walking upstairs by herself, and quite frankly, she didn’t want anyone hovering over her and making sure she was okay.

(Maybe this was where Lolly got it from.)

No one said anything for a few minutes after Sarah left, until Ethan, sick of the awkward silence, reminded Crockett that they needed a replacement for the crib.

“I’ll help you build it this time,” he offered, and Crockett simply nodded.

There was no way he was doing that alone again.

[crockettmarcel]

“drink your juice” + reesker for the three sentence fics, please? maybe a crumb of lolly content?

"Lolly, please. You need to drink your juice."

She simply shook her head, hands covering her mouth so none of the evil liquid could get in, and it took all of Ava's self control not to scream out of frustration.

Instead, she simply left the room to join Sarah on the sofa, head resting on her bony shoulder as she lamented her struggles with the toddler.

"Ava. She's three and she's sick. She needs to stay hydrated!"

Ava held the sippy cup out to Sarah. "If you think you can get her to drink this, be my guest."

[crockettmarcel]

Hii , could you do it tiny love au and Sarah, Ava and Lolly for the 3 sentences fic? it’s my favorite!!! thank youuu

Lolly’s cries echo through the apartment, waking Ava and Sarah immediately.

“She’s your child before 5am,” Sarah mumbles into her pillow, emphasising her point by gently batting at Ava’s face until she feels movement next to her.

The clock on her nightstand reads 4:58am, and Ava whispers a loving “I hate you” in Sarah’s ear as she passes her.

three sentence fic

[crockettmarcel]

day 24 - blue

It’s dark when Crockett and Nat finally get back to Med, and late enough that Lolly should be at home, having dinner. She isn’t though, Crockett notes as he allows himself to be led to a treatment room from the ambulance bay. Her little pink puffer jacket is hanging on the back of a chair by the computers, and he knows Sarah would never take her outside without it, especially not in this weather.

He’s suddenly hyper-aware of his own coat, bright blue but stained red, just like his hands are, and he stops abruptly, letting Maggie walk on without him. The coat’s squeezing his lungs, making it harder for him to breathe, and he’s sure that it’s only a matter of seconds before his lips are the same shade as the fabric that’s killing him. 

     “Crockett?”

Maggie notices him, finally, and he can tell from her reaction that he’s not dying. Still, he can’t understand why his lungs have suddenly stopped working, and why every breath takes more effort than the last.

     “Too tight,” is all he manages to get out as he tugs at the zip. It won’t undo, and the more he tries, the more it seems to resist him.

     “Hey, you’re okay.” She moves closer to him, holding a hand out to offer her help. “Let me.”

He nods, and watches as she unzips the coat in one smooth motion, then pulls it off him just as easily.

     “Lolly, she- she’s little.” He gestures helplessly at the bloodstains, and Maggie nods.

     “I’ll find somewhere for it where she won’t see, okay?”

He thanks her as best he can when half of his mind is still trapped in the back of that van, then watches as she walks away and leaves him standing alone in the middle of the ED. There’s a room ready for him, and he can see Monique standing outside it, looking around for him, but he can’t get himself to move.

It feels like forever before Ethan appears in front of him, though logically he knows it’s been a minute at most, and it’s the safest he’s felt since Jim pulled a gun on him and Nat. Ethan’s eyes are red-rimmed, and just the thought of the man he loves crying because of him makes Crockett’s heart ache.

     “I didn’t know if I was going to see you again.” 

     “I’m here now.”

Ethan pulls Crockett towards him, one hand resting between his shoulder blades and the other on the back of his head, gently running his fingers through his hair. Crockett tries to resist - he can’t touch Ethan, not when his hands are still sticky with blood - but being this close to him feels more like home than anything else, and within seconds his head is in the crook of Ethan’s neck, and his hands are hovering just a few inches from his back. It’s as much as he can do, but it’s enough.

Neither of them wants to break the embrace, but eventually Ethan does, urging Crockett to go and get checked out. Monique’s still standing in the doorway of the treatment room, waiting expectantly, but she knows to give Crockett space. 

But he does as Ethan says, and makes his way over to the room. Monique tries to get him settled on the bed and hooked up to the monitors, but he just thanks her and tells her she can go. He’s fine - he knows he’s fine - but his hands are still dirty, and everything about the sensation of the dried blood is getting to him. 

There’s a little sink in the corner of the room, as there is in every treatment room, and he gets to work washing his hands, the same way he does before surgery. He doesn’t have a brush, so by the time he’s done there’s still blood caked under his nails, too difficult to remove without it, but he feels better, even with the way his shoulders don’t feel quite right.

     “Daddy!” A voice interrupts his thoughts, and he realises he’s been watching the water wash down the sink for at least a couple of minutes. It’s clear now, but last he remembers, it was still brown from the blood.

Lolly’s hovering by the open door, and as soon as Crockett sees her, his face breaks into a smile. He’s not sure how much she knows, if anything, so he simply picks her up and carries her over to the bed with him, wincing at the strain on his shoulders.

     “Lost?” She points to Jay, who’s waiting by the nurses’ station, and Crockett just smiles. She still remembers him from a couple of months ago when she went missing while they were Christmas shopping, so as far as she knows, Jay helps find people when they’re lost.

     “Daddy wasn’t lost. I just had to do a special surgery outside the hospital.”

She frowns. “But Jay?”

     “He’s just here because the person having the surgery was a bad guy, and it’s his job to make sure the bad guy doesn’t do any bad things, yeah? But everything’s okay, ma belle.”

This answer seems to satisfy her, so she turns her attention to the embroidery on Crockett’s scrubs, carefully running a finger over each letter. 

     “Doctor Daddy,” she announces with a smile.

     “Is that what that says?”

Her curls bounce up and down as she nods. “Yeah! Doctor Daddy.” 

She’s grinning up at him, the gap where she lost her first tooth somehow even cuter than it was that morning, and Crockett finds himself on the verge of tears. He hasn’t even been her dad for a year, but she was his first thought when he was shoved in the back of the van with a gun in his face. She was the thing that kept him going throughout all of it - he had to make it out for his baby. He wasn’t going to leave her and Sarah again, the way he had all those years ago. He couldn’t do that to them.

     “Hey sweetheart,” he says, his voice catching in his throat. “Why don’t you go and find Papa and get some food, yeah? It’s almost dinner time, and you’re probably gonna get pretty hungry soon if you don’t eat.”

     “Okay! Love you, Daddy.” She kisses his cheek then jumps down off the bed, barely waiting for a response before running off to find Ethan.

It’s only once Crockett’s sure she’s far enough away that he finally lets himself cry.

[crockettmarcel]

day 13 - parenting

It was almost nine am when Sarah finally appeared in the living room, her hair still messy from sleep, and mascara from the day before smudged under her eyes. She’d been too tired to take it off before she fell asleep, but didn’t really feel any better now, and she couldn’t help wishing she was still in bed.

Ethan was on one of the couches with Harper in his arms, and Sarah mumbled out a soft hello to the two of them before curling up on the armchair in the corner. There was a blanket folded on one of the arms, and despite how warm it already was, she pulled it over herself and closed her eyes, hoping she’d be able to get back to sleep.

A few minutes passed in silence, broken only occasionally by Harper’s gentle cooing, before Crockett came in carrying Willow and a bag of milk for her. This was enough to get Sarah’s attention, and she watched the two of them as Crockett carefully attached the bag to the end of Willow’s NG tube. 

After a consultation with Connor and Dr Grant where it had become apparent that she wasn’t gaining anywhere near as much weight as she should be, the family had decided that the tube was the best way forward. It was only temporary, until she had her surgery at six months, but without it, she was burning too many calories trying to feed, and the effort she put in often meant she wasn’t getting enough oxygen. Before the tube, it had become a regular occurrence for her to lose consciousness after a feed, and although her parents were constantly expecting it, it never got any less scary. 

They’d all become experts with the NG tube now, more so than their colleagues, and Sarah couldn’t help but admire the way Crockett set everything up so effortlessly. He was a good father, Ethan too, and it was obvious how much they both loved their daughters. Sarah couldn’t think of anyone else she’d rather be doing this with, and as Crockett did one final check of the tube, she let her mind wander to the memories they’d made together over the last few years.

     “Do you want to feed her?”

She was dragged out of her thoughts by Ethan’s voice, and it took her a moment to register what he was asking. 

     “What?”

     “Harper. I can do it if you want, but-”

     “No, that’s okay.” She held her arms out for the baby, smiling as she was reunited with her daughter for the first time since the night before.

     “Hey there, angel. Did you miss Mommy? Yeah?” Harper stared up at Sarah as she placed a kiss on her forehead, then quickly latched on, settling down against her mom’s skin. She was always calmest when Sarah fed her, when she could feel her heartbeat against her own tiny body, and it was almost enough to make Sarah cry. Almost.

Sarah focused all her attention on Harper while she fed, only looking up when she could sense that she was almost done.

     “Is everything okay with Lolly?”

Crockett frowned. “Yeah, why?”

     “She’s been really quiet all morning, and that’s not like her at all.”

The two men exchanged glances, and Crockett had to bite back a laugh. “Ava took her out to buy breakfast,” Ethan explained, and it suddenly occurred to Sarah that she hadn’t seen her fiancée at all since she’d woken up.

     “Oh.” 

She was about to say something else when Crockett’s phone beeped loudly - he always forgot to put it on silent - and both twins started fussing at the sudden disturbance. He passed Willow over to Ethan so he could calm her down before she started crying, then frowned as he read the message.

     “They should be home in five minutes. Lolly didn’t have a good time.”

     “Meltdown?”

He shook his head. “I don’t think so. Ava says to be careful with Lolly though, so who knows.”

The room went quiet again, and stayed that way until the front door opened and Ava announced their return. Lolly quickly pushed past her and beelined for Sarah, forcing herself into what little space was left on the armchair and burying her face in the crook of Sarah’s neck. No one said anything, but Ava quickly set the two brown bags down on the coffee table and took Harper, returning Sarah’s whispered thank you with a smile.

She explained which food was for who, then sat back on the other couch with Harper lying on her chest as Ethan passed it all around, content in this moment she was sharing with her family.

[crockettmarcel]

day 2 - angel

Ava wanted to kill Connor. 

She’d found out a week before that he’d booked Christmas Eve off months in advance, in case of any last-minute parties he might want to attend, which meant Dr Latham had had no choice but to schedule Ava instead. There were no elective surgeries on Christmas Eve, but there was always some sort of emergency, and Dr Latham couldn’t afford to lose both of his fellows.

Which meant Ava had drawn the short straw. Ava, who had a girlfriend and a daughter to go home to, who had Christmas traditions that weren’t just drinking until the early hours of the morning and then waking up at midday. She’d be home later, in time to help Lolly put milk and gingerbread out for Santa, and to cuddle with Sarah on the couch for hours after Lolly had gone to bed, but it still wasn’t the same as being there all day. She wouldn’t get to go on one more last-minute trip to the Christmas market like they usually did, or drink eggnog in the kitchen with Sarah while Lolly decorated cookies at the kitchen table.

Part of her knew that Connor was just as entitled to Christmas as she was, but at the same time, he didn’t have a three-year-old waiting for him at home. It wasn’t just Ava that was affected by this, but Lolly too, and that’s why she was so mad about it. 

Lolly had cried when she left for work that morning, something she hadn’t done for a while, and when Ava arrived at Med, she’d had to spend a few minutes just sitting in her car, trying to compose herself. She hated seeing her baby so upset, and knowing that it was because of her, even if it was completely out of her control, hurt even more.

But she had a job to do, and she couldn’t just sit in her car and cry all day. As soon as she was calm enough, she wiped the tears away, put on a brave face, and headed inside. All she had to do was get through the day, and then she could see Sarah and their daughter again.

It was a relatively easy day - a couple of consults in the ED, check-ups with her patients from a few days ago, and only one emergency surgery - and she spent most of it on autopilot, thinking more about Lolly than anything else, counting down the hours until she could go home and hug her baby.

She’d just finished another consult in the ED and was nursing a mug of black coffee in the doctors’ lounge when Maggie appeared in front of her, grinning from ear to ear.

     “You’ve got visitors, Dr Bekker.”

She didn’t say anything else, and left the room as quickly as she’d arrived, prompting Ava to get up and follow her. She wasn’t expecting anyone, and unless it was an old patient coming back, she couldn’t think who would be in the ED to see her.

Almost as soon as she was out of the doctors’ lounge, there was a flash of something in the corner of her eye, and then the feeling of something colliding with her legs, nearly knocking her backwards. She took a moment to steady herself, then practically cried when she looked down. Lolly was standing at her feet, still bundled up from being outside, with her face barely visible between her coat and bobble hat. 

Within seconds, Sarah was behind her and helping her out of her warm clothes, until she was left standing there in a little white dress Ava didn’t recognise. Her curls were sticking out even more than they usually did now that they were free of the hat, and the couple had to stifle their giggles as they looked down at their daughter. She was adorable, but it was always funny to them that no matter what they did, her curls had a complete mind of their own, more so even than Sarah’s.

     “So, what brought you two all the way over here?”

Lolly had grabbed onto Ava’s leg, and was carefully running her fingers up and down the fabric of her scrubs, occasionally stopping to draw little patterns on her mom’s thigh. It was soothing for her, and never failed to bring a smile to Ava’s face.

     “Well, I was thinking- since you can’t have Christmas Eve at home, why not bring it here?”

     “Oh God,” Ava laughed. “How embarrassing is this going to be?”

     “Very.” Sarah leaned in to kiss her girlfriend on the cheek, then promptly pulled away and unzipped her coat, revealing the ugliest Christmas sweater Ava had ever seen.

     “That is- where did you hide it?” 

Sarah frowned. “It’s been hanging in the wardrobe for a week. And look!” She reached under the hem of the sweater, and suddenly it was flashing, lit up by tiny multicoloured bulbs that had been invisible up until this point. Ava wished they’d stayed that way.

     “Sarah, I love you, but that is the most hideous thing you’ve ever worn.”

     “I knew you’d like it.”

Ava tried to protest, but was quickly distracted by Lolly tugging at her shirt, her little hands balled up in the soft black material.

     “You okay, bokkie?” 

     “I think she wants to show you her dress.” Sarah knelt on the floor next to Lolly. “Do you want to show Mommy your special dress?”

Lolly nodded, then turned to look back up at Ava, who was watching intently. “That’s a very pretty dress, my love. Did Mama choose it for you?”

She wasn’t sure what had happened, but out of nowhere Lolly’s bottom lip started wobbling, and she’d let go of Ava’s shirt so her hands were free to pull and stretch the hem of her dress. She was obviously upset, but Ava had no idea what had suddenly triggered it.

As if she’d been reading her mind, Sarah spoke up from where she was still kneeling on the floor. “You didn’t see the whole dress.”

She leaned in closer to Lolly and in as soft a voice as she could manage, talked to her for a couple of seconds, before ruffling her hair and kissing her cheek.

     “Show Mommy.”

With one hand now anxiously tugging her earlobe, Lolly slowly turned around until she was facing Sarah, allowing Ava a full view of the back of her dress. She’d been right earlier when she’d thought it had looked unfamiliar - there was no way she’d ever forget something as cute as this.

Stitched onto the back, just between Lolly’s shoulder blades, was a little pair of silver angel wings, each one roughly the size of one of Ava’s hands. She had no idea where Sarah had found the dress, but it was one of the best things Lolly had ever worn.

Everything about it was perfect, as it should be for her little angel.

[crockettmarcel]

Lolly gets these for Ethan and Crockett. she regularly takes them back and gives the #1 DAD one to whichever dad she likes the most in that moment*

*whoever let her stay up past her bedtime or have ice cream for dinner bc her moms aren’t home