Summary: "Feeling desperate and uncertain that she could handle it on her own, she'd called the only person she could think of: Sonny Carisi." Rollisi Oneshot. Fluff. Friendship.
Disclaimer: I don't own Law & Order: SVU, any of the characters, or any of the storylines referenced from the television show. I am making no profit off of this work of fiction. Any names, places, or events having similarity to real life occurrences are simply coincidence.
A/N: Found a Tumblr prompt that prompted this. Enjoy…and feel free to let me know what you think!
Amanda cuddled Jesse close on the couch, rocking her back and forth as she tried to hum to her again, willing the infant in her arms to sleep. It wasn't as though this was normal. She had to remind herself of that every day. Jesse was – usually – a happy baby. A loving baby, even. She would only cry in desperation.
Until the last two days.
Until her first real illness, when she couldn't keep down food and couldn't seem to get comfortable. Amanda had hated watching the process unfold.
Feeling desperate and uncertain that she could handle it on her own, she'd called the only person she could think of: Sonny Carisi.
Their relationship had clearly evolved since his arrival in the squad and he was good with Jesse. If nothing else mattered, that did.
Upon receiving the phone call after a long day at work, Sonny had immediately jumped from his couch and packed an overnight bag. He would help Amanda however he needed. Shoving a box of his ma's homemade cannoli in as well, he took off. Sonny had stopped by an overnight store for essentials – soda, frozen pizza, ice cream, and a bunch of bananas. His arrival had been more than welcomed.
Knocking on the apartment door, he could hear Jesse's wails through the walls. He chuckled to himself. Amanda opened the door and he stepped inside, kicking off his sneakers and twirling past her, dropping the bag of groceries on the counter before holding out his hands for the baby. Without hesitation, Amanda handed over Jesse and draped the towel adorning her shoulder over Carisi's. She put away the groceries and dropped onto her couch.
"How long has she been fussy?"
Amanda sighed, her body sprawling slowly over the couch, arms above her head and hair fanned beneath her, one leg over the arm of the couch and the other falling off the side to let her foot rest on the floor. "Since about three-thirty when she started throwing up," Amanda muttered, closing her eyes and relishing the comfort of the couch. "She has a mild fever, but her doctor said that there's a bug going around. If she doesn't improve in a day or two or she worsens, to call."
"Is she keeping anything down?" Carisi asked lovingly, rocking Jesse with ease as he watched Amanda. The new person, less tired and frustrated, seemed to be helping and Amanda was grateful for the newfound quiet in the apartment. It was just like Carisi to be more focused on Jesse than anything else. He hadn't even asked her how she was yet, but this wasn't about her. Not entirely, at least. Besides, she was sure her time to complain would come.
"Her last bottle went fine," she nodded. "About an hour ago."
That was the remainder of their night and next day. Jesse was doing better, but the illness had made her fussy. So they shared pizza when she slept, rocked her when she wouldn't, and made sure someone was constantly holding her because it was the only way Jesse could be kept from crying. Never did they cross a line beyond friendship, but they definitely shared more with each other than either detective had been expecting. They'd even managed to finish the majority of his ma's cannoli.
And she was appreciative of his presence because it made the night feel less lonely and the frustration split in two by the shared load. Most of the time being a single mother didn't leave Amanda feeling helpless; she wanted for very little in her family life. Yet, in her first minor crisis with Jesse, having someone by her side felt good. Carisi, in and of himself, was good for her and she made a mental note to thank him soon.
Until the point that he'd been in her home for twenty-three straight hours and had passed out at the end of the couch, a spit-up towel draped over his shoulder and his mouth wide open as his head tilted back. He'd only fallen asleep about forty-five minutes ago, but almost as soon as he crashed, Jesse had started whining again and Amanda had to jump into action.
Part of her wanted to throw something at him. He'd been helpful, but she had been awake as long – if not longer – and just wanted her bed. Besides, she was starting to feel queasy herself. However, she blamed that on a lack of sleep. It had always been her struggle. When she was tired, she got nauseous.
Jesse settled against her and she put her feet up on the coffee table, leaning over to rest her head on Carisi's shoulder. It was the closest thing to a pillow Amanda could find, and she would give anything to just close her eyes – even for a minute.
Frannie wandered over, curling her large furry body into Carisi's legs. His arm haphazardly fell from its perch atop the couch to draw Amanda in close and cup her shoulder, his thumb sprawling out to rub the thin layer of hair atop of Jesse's head.
"You okay, doll?" he asked through a curtain of sleep.
"We're all resting," Amanda insisted, her voice hushed and barely above a whisper. "And I swear to God, if you wake her up I'm not going to share the last cannoli."
Carisi let out a muffled chuckle before nodding his agreement. "That's a painful, but fair, trade," he responded gently. "Now, get some sleep, 'Manda. We all need it."