"Atticus!" He heard his wife yell from down the hall.
"Yes, dear?" He asks listening intently and looking up from his newspaper.
"I'm going to give Jem a bath, I want you to check on Scout."
"Yes, dear,"
"Call me "dear" one more time..." She said getting annoyed. He had to laugh. She was a spitfire and that's why he loved her. He folded his paper as he set it down and walked down into the next room to the baby's room.
He smiled at his baby girl as he walked in the room. She was a beautiful baby with dark hair and sparkling blue eyes. Whenever she smiled, it melt Atticus' heart. He had hoped that she would never lose that smile. He wanted nothing more than happiness for his daughter.
She was asleep but must have had a bad dream for she began to whimper. He placed his hand on her stomach and began to rub it while humming to her. It didn't help, she began to cry harder. He then picked her up and paced her around the room.
"Is she all right?" He heard his wife call from the bathroom as she was letting Jem's water run.
"Yes, she's all right. Don't worry, Emma."
Scout wailed harder as he replied to his wife. Atticus apoloigized for his raised voice and kissed her cheek. He sat down in the rocking chair and began to rock with her. He knew she wasn't hungry or in need of a diaper change. She was just being grumpy. This was his second child and he knew the difference in their cries.
"C'mon, Scout, everything's all right," he says once again giving his daughter a kiss.
"Atticus!" He heard little Jem scream from the bathroom.
"Yes, son?"
"Is she ever gonna be quiet?"
"Jeremy Atticus!" Emma started to scold but Atticus once again couldn't help but laugh.
"It's not funny, Atticus!"
"Well..."
Scout then began to quiet down. She lifted her head to look up at her father. When their eyes met, she smiled a little grin. That made Atticus smile back at her.
"Hi, honey," he says rubbing her hair. "Are you done with your little tantrum?"
When it looked clear that she was calmed down, he picked her up out of the rocking chair and back into her room. He lays her down gently as she immeadiatley falls back to sleep. He gives her tummy one last rub and her cheek one last kiss.
"I love you, Jean Louise. My little baby," he says walking out of the room. He continues to walk down the hall and into the bathroom where Emma was still giving Jem a bath. He smiled at the sight of the bathtub filled to the brim with bubbles.
"Did she go back to sleep?" Emma asks not looking away from her son.
"Yes," he says bending over to steal a kiss from his wife. It catched her by suprise but she happily obligies. He was good to her like that. It made Jem laugh.
"Atticus loves Mommy!" He chanted playfully.
"Atticus loves Jem," Atticus says giving him a kiss on the cheek.
"Mommy loves Jem," Emma says giving him a kiss on his other cheek. Jem squeals with happiness which makes them laugh.
Atticus takes in this moment. It was so pure and sweet and he wished for many more nights like this.