Life's Important Things
A Sequel to Delicate
I decided to add Natalia in this story. She was never a 'spy.'
Beautiful Mornings
Horatio Caine smiled.
The early morning rays of Miami sun shone through the blinds. The soft rays of light resting on the sleeping body of the most beautiful woman in the world.
His pregnant wife, Aimee.
She was three months away from giving birth to their third child. Their daughter Faith would be two next month. Their son Kyle had just turned seven. The gender of the baby his wife carried wasn't known. As they had with their daughter Horatio and Aimee were waiting till the birth to find out. With Faith, Horatio had a feeling from early in Aimee's pregnancy that the baby was a girl. They had moved Faith to another room a month ago and the girl didn't seem to mind. In fact she appeared excited. The room was painted lilac and had a matching butterfly-theme and her name on the wall. Her toddler bed was set up there as well as a white frame single bed for when Faith outgrew the smaller one. Her parents told her that the room was a gift from the new baby. For familiarity for her, the rocking chair from her old room was moved into the new one. They only had to purchase a dresser for Faith's clothes and rocking chair for the baby's nursery.
Kyle was not jealous of his sister's a new bedroom. When he outgrew his nursery, he got to decorate his new race car theme bedroom, too. But he wasn't totally left out, he got to go to Toys R Us and pick out a remote-controlled monster truck and another tonka tractor to play with in the sandbox. Horatio was off for a week, seven days of personal time he wanted to use before it expired. He had used some of this time to help set up his daughter's new room and as well as to be a chaperone on one of Kyle's school trips. Kyle was thrilled his dad was able to do this. When she could and when grandparents Lacy and Trey could babysit Aimee usually did this. She was actually signed up to do so for this trip but when Horatio had time off and wanted to do it, his wife thought it was a great idea.
"I guess I can call mom and tell her that she doesn't have to watch Faith," she said.
"No, don't do that," Horatio told her. "Maybe you can call Calleigh and you guys could get together.."
Aimee agreed it had been a while since she and Eric's wife had sat down together for a chat.
Adam and Emily Delko were fourteen months old now and running circles around their parents. They barely napped. But they were sleeping the entire night so mami and papi were willing to make this trade-off. Calleigh was back to work part-time now. She was not working on the Thursday of Kyle's field trip. She was happy to hear from Aimee Caine and thought getting together would be fun. She said she would order Chinese and hopefully her little ones would go down for a nap then. And even if they didn't the duo played well alone in their play area that was surrounded by a safety gate and this would enable the two women to catch up.
The twins happily greeted Aimee, giving her kisses and hugs. They weren't interested in sitting in the kitchen and stacking blocks at their tiny children's table. So Calleigh placed the two in the play enclosure, turned on the baby monitor before going back around the corner to kitchen where Aimee sat. Both women enjoyed talking to another adult for once, even if they were both moms and the topic eventually got back around to their children. The two had called Lorelei Rogers to come as well but T.J. had a doctor's appointment for his six month immunizations. The baby wouldn't be in the mood to be around company after that. Both Aimee and Calleigh knew that all too well from their children.
When she asked about Faith and her new room, Calleigh joked that Horatio must be relieved to not to assemble the crib again. Both laughed, remembering the trouble Aimee's husband had had last time.
"He said he's guilty as charged on that. He was happy that the toddler bed was so easily put together and the other was pre-assembled," Aimee said.
At the lab, Tim, Eric and Horatio were giving Ryan a hard time about his new relationship with new DNA specialist Natalia Boa Vista. The two had managed to keep their relationship a secret from their co-workers—only trying to avoid the teasing, since inter-office dating was now permitted at the lab.
"I saw your expression the first time you saw Natalia," Tim said. "I don't think anyone wants to know what you had her doing or where."
Eric and Horatio laughed.
"Oh, shut up," Ryan replied with a sheepish grin.
"Then again, when you and Natalia start having kids like the rest of us—god knows when you'll be able to do whatever it was in your brain," Eric said.
Ryan indeed wanted to have a family like the other three men. Despite having only dating for a short time while he hoped to have that family with Natalia.
Eventually.
If you wondering about the play enclosure the Delkos' have, think about the one from the Rugrats cartoon.