(Jamie, 4 weeks old)
Joe and Danny were standing above the crib, wordlessly observing the little baby mum and dad have brought back home from the hospital with them.
"Well, he doesn't look that bad when he is sleeping," Joe uttered, looking down to the crib at the dozing baby.
"I don't know, Joe," Danny mumbled, still not sure what he should think about Jamie.
"Although he seems little small to play with us, don't you think?" Joe mentioned suddenly.
"Of course, he is too small to play with us, dumb head," Danny smirked, taking Jamie's foot into his hand, teasing the little.
"Hey, Jamie, I'm your big brother Danny," he told the child who just opened his eyes looking curiously at Danny with his big eyes.
"Hey, Danny, can I hold him for a moment when he is awake?" Joe asked.
"Of course you can't, not when mum or dad are not present!" Danny said to his younger brother strictly, tickling Jamie now on his belly. Jamie made a satisfied sound and gave his big brother a wide smile.
"But why not? " Joe inquired. "It's not like I'm going to hurt him or anything!" He insisted stubbornly.
"Yeah, kid, but you are not much bigger than the baby you could have accidentally dropped him," Danny tried to reason with his younger brother.
"No, I won't, I swear! I'm a big boy as you are!" he stated slightly annoyed not really liking the fact that Danny was still seeing him as a little baby, "I'm already seven!"
Jesus, that kid was annoying! Danny thought for himself as he kept tickling Jamie for the kid seemed to enjoy it.
"Joe, you are not gonna touch the baby, and that's my final word!" Danny stated sharply towards his brother once he saw Joe's little hands approaching Jamie.
"But I just want to hold him for a while!" Joe cried out.
"You stay back from the baby, or I'm gonna call dad!" Danny threatened.
Jamie, who didn't like the sudden commotion, started crying.
The doors opened, and the father of the family Frank Reagan walked in.
"What's going on?" he asked suspiciously once he saw his boys leaning over the crib.
"I just wanted to play with Jamie, daddy, but Danny won't let me!" Joe complained.
"And he was right to do so!" Their father uttered as he hastily walked over to the crib to see whether his youngest child didn't need anything.
"Joe, Jamie isn't a toy for you to play with. He is just a little baby and as you might know babies are very fragile when they are born for their skull is still soft so it would be easier for mummy to give birth to the baby and that's why they can get hurt easily!" the detective explained to Joe as he took Jamie into his loving arms sitting on his and Mary's bed. "That's why we all have to take good care of the baby to make sure nothing happens to him. Is that clear?" He asked his son.
Joe just nodded his head sadly.
"If you want you can come and sit next to me," the detective suggested to his middle son.
Joe followed his father's instructions, silently taking place next to his father looking longingly at the baby at his dad's arms.
"Are you sitting tight, Joe?" Frank made sure.
Joe nodded his head slightly, not letting his sight of the baby even for a moment.
"Alright, I will now let you hold your brother, Joe," the detective told his son placing the baby carefully into Joe's arranged arms, always supporting Jamie's head with his own hand. "Here you go," Frank whispered once Jamie was safely in Joe's arms.
"He is so small," Joe mumbled as he gently stroked Jamie's hair.
The detective just gave his son an amused smile, watching his two little boys lovingly. "You were also so small once you were born, Joe," he revealed to his child remembering Joe in Jamie's age, "but Jamie really is the smallest from all of you," Frank stated as he rubbed Jamie's cheek with the back of his hand tenderly.
"But daddy why was Jamie born so small? Why isn't he big enough so he could play with us already?" Joe wanted to know.
Frank just laughed for himself.
"Joe, mummy had to carry Jamie in her belly for nine months before she gave birth to him," the detective told his son. "You have no idea how hard it is to carry a baby even so small as Jamie for such a long time," he tried to reason with Joe, not sure whether he was old enough to really understand.
"I still can't believe he is ours," Joe whispered as he suddenly bent down so he could plant Jamie's cheek a gentle kiss.
"Yes, he is," Frank replied, giving Joe a loving smile before he took Jamie back into his protective arms.
"Danny, would you like to hold your brother too?" the detective then asked his oldest son, being well aware of Danny's longing glances he was throwing at them the whole time.
"Ehm, I don't know...," Danny mumbled shyly being afraid he might have accidentally hurt the baby.
"Come on, son, you don't have to worry," his father encouraged him, giving Danny a kind smile. "Joe, do you think you could make some space for Danny so he can too hold Jamie for a while?" he turned to his middle son.
Joe jumped off the bed and made some space for Danny.
"Come and sit next to me," Frank suggested to his oldest.
Danny walked over to his dad, who was now holding Jamie in his protective arms only hesitantly. He sat down and watched as his father laid Jamie carefully into his arranged arms.
"Just hold him tightly," Frank whispered, seeing Jamie yawing, soon after he really fell asleep in his big brother's arms.
"So, how does it feel being the big brother to your three siblings, Danny?" Frank asked in a low voice his son as he watched son holding Jamie protectively in his arms.
"Ehm..., I don't know..., good…, I assume...," Danny uttered, not letting his eagle sight of Jamie.
"Are you okay with mum and me bringing another baby do the family?" the young detective asked his son carefully not sure how Danny felt about their newest addition to the family.
"Ehm, I suppose it's okay," Danny mumbled. "It's not like we can give him back or anything...," the boy shrugged his shoulders.
"I mean, Jamie's cute," he added quickly once he saw his father's alarmed look, "but he really doesn't do much... he just sleeps, eats, poops, and cries...," Danny complained.
Frank just had to laugh. "That's because he is still tiny," the detective tried to explain as he gave his oldest son an amused smile. "You were once just like him," he reminded Danny.
"Yeah, I guess I was...," Danny admitted.
"Okay, boys, let's see if Erin doesn't need any help with the dinner," Frank suggested taking the baby carefully from Danny so he could lay him back into his crib. He then would cover the baby with the blanket and made sure the baby monitor was on. The detective gave his youngest a loving smile before he turned around and being followed by Danny and Joe; he left the room, leaving the doors slightly ajar.
***BB***
Mary took her youngest son into her loving arms and started quietly whispering to him his favorite lullaby.
"Hush little baby don't say a word, mama's gonna buy a Mockingbird. And if that mockingbird is not gonna sing mama's gonna buy you a diamond ring. If that diamond ring turns to brass, mama's gonna buy you a looking glass. And if that looking glass gets broke, mama's gonna buy you a billy goat. And if that billy goat won't pull, mama's gonna buy you a cart and bull. And if that cart and bull turn over, mama's gonna buy you a dog named Rover. And if that dog named Rover won't bark, mama's gonna buy you a horse and cart. And if that horse and cart fall down, You'll still be the sweetest little baby in town. So, hush now baby don't you cry, daddy loves you, so do I. Hush little baby don't you cry, daddy loves you, so do I!"
"You're spoiling him, you know that, right?" Frank asked as he approached his wife, putting his hands around her shoulders, planting her head a tender kiss.
"Funny it's coming from you," she laughed as she turned around giving her husband a knowing look.
Frank took his youngest child into his loving arms, carefully putting his right hand under his little head. Planting his son's head a tender kiss.
"I don't know what you are talking about," he said as he held his child closer to his chest.
"Just admit it Reagan, our youngest son has you on a string," Mary teased her husband, "don't you, darling?" she laughed as she leaned down to her newest addition to the family so she could plant her son a gentle kiss.
"I don't know what you are talking about, Mary!" the detective tried to defend himself, but they both knew she was right for with the other children being already old enough to be at least partly looking after themselves Jamie was the baby they were both gonna enjoy.
The end
AN:
Guys, I'm thrilled to read that you enjoy the father-son relationship the most about my stories, that's why I started writing these stories originally to depict the bond between a child and its parent.
