There wasn't a lot that made Jim Beckett nervous. But tonight, yeah, he was nervous. His daughter and son-in-law were going out alone for the first time since their son was born. Rick's daughter, Alexis, was going to babysit but she had the flu, so Kate had called Jim to see if he was available. He was, and had quickly responded yes to her. But it had been a long time since he was responsible for the care of an infant, so that was the basis for the nerves. He gathered himself and knocked, and the door swung open about a second later.
"Hi, Jim! Thanks so much for doing this. I was afraid we were going to have to cancel our plans." Rick ushered him inside. The men shook hands and briefly hugged.
"Rick, I'm more than happy to do it. Hanging out with my grandson, I can hardly believe it." Jim replied with a smile. "I figured this was my first chance to tell him stories about his mom."
Rick laughed but stopped quickly when he saw Kate enter the room. "Nothing but good stories, right, Dad?" she said. Jim hadn't seen her coming so he was a bit startled to hear her.
"Oh yeah, Katie, nothing but fun stories. Besides, I'll save the crazy stories for when he's older. I want him to remember!" Jim laughed as he hugged his daughter.
"You're so funny, Dad," Kate replied. "Now you know where everything is, right? I just fed him, so he should be okay for a while, but there is a bottle in the fridge. Rick's moved his bassinet out here to make it easier. And if you need to reach us.."
"Katie, I have your cell number. And Rick's cell as well. Go on, have fun. I'll bet Jamie won't even wake up before you get back. Now, get going before I change my mind and leave!" He chuckled as he added the last, and Kate just rolled her eyes at him. She looked into the bassinet and smiled at her sleeping son and gave him a kiss. Rick walked over with her jacket in his hands and he too smiled at Jamie.
"See you later, Dad," she said as Rick helped her into her jacket. The two of them gave one last little wave as they walked out the door. Jim went to sit on the couch and read one of the briefs he brought with him when he heard some noise coming from the bassinet. Almost as soon as he got up, James started to cry in earnest.
"Alright, Jamie, let's check you out. I'm sure you're not hungry, so let's check the other end," Jim said. He checked his diaper, but it was dry. "Okay, maybe a little rocking will help. If you're hoping for singing, you've got the wrong grandparent." Jim rocked the baby in his arms and it seemed to help. His cries turned to whimpers, then stopped. He opened his eyes and looked at Jim's face and gave him a gummy smile. Jim was blown away; Jamie might have Rick's coloring and nose but the smile was pure Katie Beckett. It brought Jim back to those early days with his little girl, when she would cry but how her tears turned to smiles whenever he or Jo rocked her.
"Well, Jamie, why don't we sit down and have a man-to-man talk? Maybe a boring story to start, so you can fall back to sleep. And if a boring story doesn't work, I could always read you one of these briefs. Did you know your mom was going to be a lawyer? Things happened, and she became a cop instead. And she's the best darn cop New York has ever seen. Well, at least in my opinion. And I think your dad thinks so too. Your dad is a pretty good cop too, even if he's not an official one. " Jim found himself talking about all sorts of stuff. Soon, he noticed that Jamie's eyes were closing, and then he realized he had talked his grandson to sleep. He was never telling anyone that; he's heard enough "boring lawyer" jokes to last a lifetime. He brushed a kiss to Jamie's forehead, and gently placed him in the bassinet. He pulled out the brief and started to read.
Soon, he heard the clink of keys and realized that Rick and Kate had returned home. "Hey, Dad, how'd it go?" His daughter whispered as she leaned into the bassinet to check out her son.
"He was perfect," Jim replied. "Woke up for a bit, but quickly went back to sleep. Never had a chance to tell him any stories – this time, anyway." He grinned at his daughter. "Nice dinner?"
"Yeah," Rick replied. "We both managed to not call you for the whole meal. Aren't you impressed with us?"
Kate rolled her eyes at her husband. Jim got up from the couch, gathered his papers and placed them in his brief case, and started to leave. "Hey guys, any time you need me, just call. Maybe next time, you can do dinner and a movie so Jamie and I can watch the Mets play!" Kate laughed at her dad, kissed him on the cheek, and watched while Jim and Rick shook hands. Now he was the one waving good-bye. Once the elevator doors had closed, he heaved a sigh of relief. Grandpa duties successfully completed, he thought. Not bad if I do say so myself. And then he found himself looking forward to the next time he would get to take care of his grandson.