Washington Park

12 1 0
                                    

Hi Readers: What did you guys think of the first chapter for today? Well, now that we have that under our belts, it's time for me to do something else; and that would be to give you guys a chapter that you guys have been waiting for since we got back to Chicago, which would be our first Halstead family chapter. And that's exactly what I'm going to give you in this chapter. Hope you guys like it.
XXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Washington Park – They decided that they would always do it together. That they would do groceries together, that way they could lower the impact of chances of exposure; exposed to COVID-19, due to the fact that they all live in the same condo complex. But just who might we be talking about? Well, that would be the future Mr. and Ms. Dawson (Antonio and Sacha), the two Mr. and Ms. Halsteads, and Dr. and Ms. Choi; yes, you heard that right: Jay and Alex, Will and Natalie, Antonio and Sacha, and Ethan and April all live in the same condo complex. Jay and Alex live in Condo 1N, Will and Natalie live in Condo 2S, Antonio and Sacha live in Condo 3N, and Ethan and April live in Condo 4S. So yes, it's quite crowded here at the Washington Park apartments; yet at the same time, it felt nice under the circumstances. And that was due to the fact that it gave them a sense of community, and a sense of safety.

And that was due to the fact that it allowed them to not feel as alone, because they've decided to treat these separate apartments as one home; and that means that they can still interact with each other, which most certainly is something that helps with some of the mental health worries that they all had about COVID-19. How people may need to stay apart, but still be together. But there were also other things that were nice, like the sense of relief that Jay got each and every time he watched his brother come home from the hospital as it meant that he passed his nighttime screening and wasn't infected with COVID-19. And that was how they were all okay with doing this, due to the fact that they all know that they haven't really gotten a chance to be infected. Something that is crucial based on the scenarios that they all find themselves in, as they are all related to people who are considered high risk.

Jay? Well, he's married and has two beautiful children with his wife Alex.

Antonio? He's engaged to an immunologist, has two children with his ex-wife Laura, and his sister has four young children. Oh, and she also lives with her mother-in-law Nancy.

Will? Well, I think you already know the answer to that one. He's married to Natalie, who is currently pregnant with their first child.

And Ethan? You know the answer to that one as well. He's married to April and has a young (two-week-old) son with her. A son who is really his nephew, whom they adopted as his sister was not able to take care of him adequately.

And that was something that he admired about Ethan, how he was so selfless; and how he just loved to help others, which is something that he should've expected from him. After all, he is both a Veteran, as well as a Doctor. So, it's just in his nature to think of others first; he's served his country for years and continues to do so. But right now, they are not serving their country; but are instead serving their wives, as they do whatever they can to make sure that they keep them (and if they have them, their children) safe from COVID-19. And that was why they decided to go grocery shopping as a group, as they trusted each other explicitly. But still, h e wasn't sure whether people were going to want to do this in the future. "So, listen, I think we all need to talk about this." All three of the other husbands were confused as they heard Jay say that, as they weren't sure what he was talking about. But they'll find out now.

And that was due to the fact that he just continued speaking. "This was a good first experience, and I think it worked out pretty good; yet we also need to realize something else, and that this is pre-my brother's and Ethan's returns to the hospital." All of the husbands then agreed with what Jay was saying, especially Antonio. "I see where you're coming from Jay." Taking a breath, Jay turned his head and looked at his brother, who was sitting in the front seat of his pickup, due to the fact that he was his brother. "I mean, I just don't know what we want to do. Do we want to do this again? Do we want to do it independently next time?" Will sighed as he looked at his brother. "I think that's more something you need to decide. After all, you're the dad with young kids." Jay agreed with Will as he said that, before looking in the mirror at Ethan. "Ethan has a young son as well." Ethan agreed with Jay as he said that.

The Caseys: Family Life, Part 3Where stories live. Discover now