Everything He Is

by Kadi

Rated: T

Disclaimer: This isn't my sandbox. I can only state that I like to play in it.

A/N: lontanissimaand a few others asked for a sequel to the baby fic "Everything She Does". They were interested in seeing what life would be like after the fact, and I felt a little curious about it myself. I'm afraid this is a bit of fluff, but with fifteen days of hiatus left until Season 3 begins, I needed some fluff! As always, your comments mean a lot. Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed.

Happy Shandy Sunday! Enjoy!

How hard could it be?

Those were famous last words if Sharon ever heard them. She debated, quite seriously, whether allowing Rusty to babysit was really the wise choice, especially after he said that. Her dilemma came with the fact that her new son, Ian, was only two weeks old. She had a doctor's appointment, a followup to the baby's birth and her cesarean and was not ready to take the baby out of the house just yet. Sharon learned with Ricky, twenty-some years before, that carting a small child here, there, and everywhere was not always the best idea. Originally Nicole was slated to babysit her new baby half-brother, but had called early that morning full of apologies because one of her stepsons was sick and she didn't want to risk spreading the germ to the baby. Sharon was grateful for that, and she understood, truly. Children got sick. Which was exactly why she was keeping Ian at home as much as possible for the first few critical weeks. He had only left the house for his own one-week checkup.

Andy was back at work now, had been for a few days following his own two-week paternity leave. Asking him to rearrange his day after being off for a full two weeks did not sit well with Sharon, and so she refrained from calling him with the news that they were without a babysitter. Then Rusty volunteered.

Sharon thought it was sweet, and told him she would figure something out. He insisted.

"Sharon, he eats, he sleeps, and he messes up a diaper. How hard could it be?"

He was just so earnest about it, and there might have even been something in his tone. Either way, Sharon agreed. Rusty had her number, and Andy's, and to be honest there was no reason to not allow it. Of course, when she thought about just how easy he expected it to be, Sharon couldn't help but get a tiny bit of satisfaction from the lesson that her foster son was about to learn. She adored that boy, she truly did, but the first two weeks of Ian's life had been rather simple. He had both parents at home to care for him. Sharon almost forgot how hard it was to take care of an infant on her own, and it was definitely different now at 53 than it had been in her twenties. Those first couple of days after Andy returned to work taught her that.

On top of it all, they were still crowded into the condo. They would be moving in a couple of weeks, the house was theirs now. There were just some minor repairs and remodeling that Sharon wanted completed before she moved the baby in. It was driving everyone a little batty, she knew. If Andy tripped over even one more basket of laundry or baby accessory she was sure that he was going to lose it. Bless him, but he was holding that temper of his in check. Rusty was being a good sport about it too, evidenced by his offer to babysit.

Sharon took him up on it. That didn't mean she that she wasn't having second thoughts about it. She rethought it all the way to the elevator, and then all through the descent from the eleventh floor. She almost went back upstairs twice before reaching her car. If she didn't have more than just the one errand planned, she might have. After the doctor's appointment she was supposed to stop by the house and meet the contractor to inspect the work being done. She also needed to stop by the market and the dry cleaners, and honestly, having a few hours to herself wasn't so bad, was it?

Possibly, but then she had second thoughts about leaving Rusty home alone, and that was before Ian's birth.

They would be okay, or so she told herself repeatedly. Really, this was a lesson that Rusty needed to learn. He didn't seem to think that caring for Ian was all that difficult, so Sharon was okay with teaching him otherwise. Perhaps he would learn a new appreciation for why his favorite shirt was still in the laundry, or any number of other things that had fallen to the wayside since Ian's arrival.

Yes, it was fine. It was a good lesson. Ian was in good hands with Rusty.

Once Sharon convinced herself of that she settled in for enjoying the day. After her doctor's appointment she met with the contractor. She took her time inspecting the house. The nursery was painted and the floors redone. The fumes were airing out nicely. The kitchen was where the real work was being done. New cabinets and appliances were being installed, along with new flooring. It was coming along nicely. The lighter oak cabinets they'd chosen for the kitchen went well with the open, airy feel to the house and all its windows. Afterward, Sharon sent a text to her husband with the update, along with pictures. Then she asked where he was. She hadn't heard from Rusty yet, aside from his answer to her texts checking up on him and the baby that everything was great. She didn't believe him, not for a minute, but he was replying which was a good sign. Sharon decided she didn't need to rush right home just yet. Instead, with Andy replying that he was at the office, she decided to swing by the deli and then the Murder Room.

In hindsight, spending only a week as the unit commander was probably a good thing. Lieutenant Provenza never fully appreciated before just how much paperwork was generated by this group of officers and the cases that came their way. The reports alone were lengthy, especially those submitted by the always wordy Tao, or the ever eager to please Sykes. His desk was piled high with far too many of them for his liking. For one, he didn't like having them on his desk, and for the other... how was one person meant to do all this, run a unit, and maintain an on-call schedule? It was impossible.

These were not new thoughts for the Lieutenant, but rather things which had occurred to him regularly since the beginning of the Captain's maternity leave some weeks before. She made it look easy, but he supposed that was all part of the bureaucratic hocus-pocus the woman wielded like it was second nature. It was a little easier now that Flynn was back, he had pushed half of it off on his partner, in part to get it done, but also as a bit of punishment for having been gone for two weeks. "It's your wife's mess," he told him, "you can help me with it!"

He was smirking about that when the bag hit his desk. There were enough things on his desk right now, thank you very much! The lieutenant scowled. "I don't recall hanging a sign that said catch-all for-" He trailed off when he looked up and realized who had deposited the bag emblazoned with the logo of the Deli that the team preferred. Provenza's eyes widened in surprise upon seeing the Captain, and looking not entirely like herself. Yes, he'd dropped by after little Ian was sent home to check on things, but then he became so busy with filling in for her that there wasn't time to drop by again. He spoke to his partner enough, and now with Flynn back, well... He got regular updates, and pictures. Always with the pictures. Flynn was like an old woman with those pictures. There were always new ones. The kid couldn't burp without someone taking a picture. Although, most of them were kind of cute.

Provenza wasn't expecting to see her. Not for several more weeks. "Captain." He stood up, bones creaking and back protesting from having been bent over his desk for so long. "What are...you shouldn't be here."

Sharon tried not to take his scowling countenance personally. She smiled in response. "I'm not. You haven't seen me." She had her shades pushed into her hair, which fell in soft layers around her shoulders. She wore a loose, flowing wrap-dress of light lilac, and a pair of strappy, wedge sandals. She placed the drink tray beside the deli bag and took a cup out of it. This she carried to the desk positioned near her office and dropped a separate bag onto it before placing the cup beside it. Then she folded gracefully into the chair beside Flynn's desk and crossed her legs. Her purse hit the floor beside her. "In fact, I was never here at all."

"Well, you look amazing Captain," Sykes piped up immediately. She was leaning forward on her desk and smiling brightly. "How are you feeling?"

"Good, thank you, Detective," Sharon smiled warmly at her.

Behind her, Provenza rolled his eyes. "Shouldn't you be at home," he waved a hand at her, "Looking horrible, changing diapers, and doing... maternal things. That is why it's called maternity leave."

Sharon tilted her head at him and smiled a little too pleasantly. "Hm. Probably. I had a few errands to run today and Rusty is babysitting." She shot a knowing look at her husband.

His brows shot up. Now she had his attention. He was busy inspecting the salad that she'd brought him. "Rusty?"

"Mmhm." She set her chair to twisting slowly back and forth with one foot. "One of the boys is sick, Nicole couldn't make it. I thought I would kill a little more time," she drawled.

"What's the big deal?" Provenza shrugged. "He's a decently responsible kid." He took a sandwich and drink before passing the lot of it to Sanchez.

"Therein lies the lesson," Sharon pointed out. "His exact words were... How hard could it be?"

Andy snorted a laugh. "If he was a lighter sleeper, he'd know better."

"That's what I thought," she chirped. "I'm sure it will be fine. I've checked on them a few times. He assures me that everything is perfectly okay, and therefore, I am taking my time."

"You're teaching him a lesson." Sanchez shook his head. "Well, we don't mind." He took a wrapped, still warm sandwich out of the bag with a grin. "We'll let you hang out with us for a while, ma'am."

"Thank you, Detective. At least someone is glad to see me," she shot a pointed look in Provenza's direction. When he simply huffed at her and grumbled quietly, she flashed a wide smile. "Since I'm here, I might even be willing to take some of that off your hands..."

"No." Flynn interrupted before his partner could jump on it. "You'll start and then you won't be able to stop." He flashed a pointed look at his wife before he turned and frowned at his partner, who seemed ready to allow it. "No." When both Sharon and Provenza pouted at him, Andy just shook his head. "The answer is still no."

"I've been away too long," Sharon decided. "You're getting entirely too bossy."

"You're absolutely right," Provenza decided. "You should come back so you can knock him down a peg or two."

"She should take a few more weeks off," Flynn decided. "The fact that the two of you are agreeing on anything makes it clear to me that she's too damned tired to be thinking straight."

Sharon joined the others in their laughter. "He could have a point."

"Beside the one on his head?" Provenza smirked.

"Just when you were beginning to think that you'd missed all this," Buzz shook his head. He stopped beside the captain and showed her his phone. He had no less than five texts from Rusty in the last ten minutes. "I believe your lesson could end up being a resounding success, Captain."

Sharon tilted her head as she read. The corners of her eyes crinkled and she laughed out loud. She took the phone out of his hand and scrolled back. There were several other texts besides those.

Are you kidding me right now? Gross! What is she feeding this kid.

Seriously? You take the diaper off and he leaks? I thought Flynn was joking!

OMG! My ears are ringing, this kid has lungs!

Hey, what do I do for hiccups? Is that normal?

What do I use to get puke off the couch?

Why won't he sleep? He's fed. He's dry. Seriously?

The dryer thing didn't work. I put the carseat on it, and he's still awake. Now what?

He's still crying. The neighbors are going to think I'm killing this kid.

Seriously. If someone calls the cops to Sharon's apartment, I'm in for it.

Sharon flashed a gleeful look at Buzz. "Do you mind?"

"I've run out of ideas," he told her. "Please, by all means."

She chortled happily as she began to type her response back. "Lieutenant Flynn says to give him an ounce of water and try burping him again."

The response was almost immediate and made her laugh. "DUDE! You told Flynn? Seriously? I'll never hear the end of it."

She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear before sending back, "He promises not to tell. Just try it and let me know if it doesn't work." Sharon was still smirking when she handed the phone back to Buzz. "Thank you."

Andy squinted at her. "You're just going to sit there?" He was surprised by that. He figured she'd be out of there the moment the text was sent.

"I am." She set her chair to swinging back and forth again. "Rusty wanted to take responsibility for Ian, and at the same time, he believed it would be simple. He's reaching out for help, but I'd rather he be asking one of us those things instead of someone who is unfamiliar with Ian and his habits. At the same time, he is asking, so I can let that go. At least Buzz is here and willing to reach out to you or I with what he doesn't know. I still think that Ian is in very good hands with Rusty." She paused for a moment and smiled. "I'm going to give it ten minutes and if what I told him to do doesn't help, then I'll go right home. Otherwise, I'm going to sit right here and continue to enjoy my break, and my continued attempts at trying not to worry."

She was worried. Andy shook his head while a grin tugged at his lips. She was putting on a very good show of nonchalance but this was as much for her as it was for Rusty. She needed to be able to feel like she could trust someone other than the two of them with the baby while she wasn't at home. She would be back at work in a few weeks and the baby would be moving between a rotation of sitters and daycare, depending on the time of day and their needs. Sharon was stretching her own endurance, as well as Rusty's. Andy said nothing, but instead pushed his salad toward her and grinned when she took a slice of tomato and popped it into her mouth. "Contractor says it'll be ready in another week?" He asked, changing the subject.

"Yes." She breathed a bit of relief at that. The condo was overflowing. "The upstairs is airing out well. The nursery looks great," she replied. "I'll call the moving company and start making those arrangements when I get home." She snagged a piece of fresh broccoli and chewed on it thoughtfully. "We might actually manage to get moved in, unpacked, and settled before I have to come back." At his look, Sharon shrugged. "Odder things have happened."

"Yeah," Provenza snorted. "Like the her being on maternity leave to begin with."

"Exactly," she agreed with a good-natured, crooked smile. "As long as we can get moved, period, I'm willing to take what I can get. I don't think any of the baby's things can take being tripped over much longer. Especially by he with the temper." She hooked a thumb toward her husband and made a face, which had the others laughing. They knew him well.

"Yeah, laugh it up." Flynn scowled at them. "You try maneuvering through an apartment in the middle of the night with a crying baby and said baby's crap spread out all over the place."

Sharon's brows shot up. "Crap?"

His eyes narrowed. "Sharon."

"Andrew."

The team watched in silence while they stared at one another. It was hard to tell who actually won the contest, they both smirked and went back to sharing the Lieutenant's salad. "That's what wedded bliss gets you," Provenza muttered to Sanchez. "It's all nice and dandy until you wake up and realize what's yours is hers, even your food."

Andy slanted a look at his partner. He tilted his head and flashed a smirk at his wife. Then he speared a piece of cucumber and held it out to her on his fork. He watched her brows lift in amusement before she leaned forward and accepted the bite. He winked at her when his partner shuddered and groaned. "It's called sharing, you might look it up."

"It's called ralphing," the old Lieutenant groused, "and we're about to have a demonstration." He shook his head at them.

"Hm." Sharon leaned back in her seat with a hum. "It would be just horrible if you had to redo all of those reports because you'd ruined them," she drawled.

"It would," he shot back. "For Flynn. It's called delegating."

"That's exactly why I'd get Sanchez to help me with it," Andy said.

"Hey, what did I do?" Julio looked up and around. "I'm not in it," he told them. "I'm sitting here doing my own work, sirs."

"Lieutenant Provenza." Russell Taylor strode into the murder room, gaze intent upon the report in his hand. "When I asked you to forward the budget that Captain Raydor completed prior to leaving us, I'm not entirely cert—" He stopped abruptly and backed up. The Assistant Chief's gaze swept to the figure sitting at Flynn's desk. His brows shot up in surprise. "Captain! What are you doing here?"

He seemed almost happy. That sent warning bells off in her head. Sharon smoothed her dress out over her knees. "Just stopping by, Chief. I had a few errands to run downtown, so I thought I'd swing by and drop off lunch for the team. I won't be staying very much longer." In fact, she checked her watch. She was expecting that Buzz would hear from Rusty, one way or another, very soon. She glanced at the Tech, who checked his phone and shook his head at her.

"Oh." He looked around, craning his head toward Flynn's desk. "You didn't bring the baby?"

"No." Sharon smiled. "He's at home with Rusty. Which is why I'll be making this a quick visit. I have one other stop to make."

Taylor's face fell. "I see." He tapped the file against his leg.

Sharon suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. She exchanged a look with her husband, who just shrugged. She hadn't believed Andy when he said that Taylor was hinting that if she just happened to drop in, she might bring the baby with her. He really was like an old woman. "I suppose if I happen to make it back this way in the near future, I might have reason to bring him with me," she said finally.

"That's an infraction that I would be willing to overlook, Captain. I understand at this young age, you aren't willing to leave him with just anyone," Taylor said, trying to cover his eagerness.

"I'll see what I can do." Sharon pressed her lips together, trying not to laugh at the way Provenza and the others were rolling their eyes behind his back.

"Well," Taylor said next, "while you're here…" He waved the report in his hand. "Lieutenant Provenza forwarded me the budget you prepared before you left us. This can't be right."

"Of course it is." Provenza scowled at him. "I didn't like her budget, so I fixed it."

"Excuse me." Sharon arched a brow at him. "You fixed it?" She stood up in a single, graceful motion and held out a hand for it. "Let me see that."

Taylor looked almost relieved to be placing it in her hand. "It did seem quite inflated."

"Quite." Sharon read through it quickly. "Lieutenant!" She shot a look at him. "This is not even remotely close to what I left you."

"I know," He stood up and walked over. He snatched it out of her hand. "No offense, Captain, but your budget sucked." He slapped the file folder back into Taylor's hands. "Also, you're on leave. If the Assistant Chief has questions regarding the budget, he can address them to me."

"Lieutenant," Sharon's hands fell to her hips. "I understand the budget might have seemed a bit lean to you, however, it is four percent higher than the agreed upon budget that we received last year. Also, while I might currently be on leave, that does not mean that I am not still your ranking officer, I would appreciate it if you could—"

"Captain." Buzz stood up with an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry to interrupt. Rusty says that didn't work, it just got worse."

Her eyes narrowed at the Lieutenant before she let her attention drift toward Buzz. "Saved by the two-week old," she told him. "Okay, Buzz, thank you. Tell Rusty to put the baby on his shoulder and rub his back. That should help." She reached for her purse. From inside she took the shopping list and passed it to her husband. "If you get a chance, if not, it will wait until tomorrow."

"Yeah, no problem." That meant if they didn't catch a case and he wasn't at the office until all hours of the night or early morning. "I can tell you right now I'm not buying that, or that, or that. Sharon, really?"

She rolled her eyes at him. "Why not? I do your shopping."

"Fine. Whatever." Andy heaved a sigh and tucked the list into his pocket. He didn't mind picking up certain personal items, but he was going to look damned odd walking down an aisle that had shelves of necessities for the nursing mother.

"Thank you, Andy." Sharon sketched a wave to the others. "I'll be seeing you all soon."

"It was good to see you, Captain!" Amy called after her. When the others looked at her, she shrugged. "What? It was."

"Whipped." Provenza shook his head at his partner. "That's what you are."

"Shut up," Andy turned his attention back to his work, eating in between reading. He ignored the laughter of the others. His wife just had a baby, if she wanted him to stop by the store, he'd stop by the store. Even if it was at three in the morning. There were reasons the others were still single, he told himself.

When Sharon got home she expected to hear the baby screeching his displeasure. Ian was crying, but it was not the hysterics which Rusty had led them to believe. The apartment was a bit of a mess, but not overly. She could see the tell-tale wet spot on the sofa where Rusty had cleaned the spit-up. Her teenage foster son was pacing a path between the kitchen and the sofa with the baby on his shoulder, doing as she'd had Buzz instruct. The relieved look on his face spoke volumes, however. She felt badly for him, but played it cool. "How did it go?"

"Not too bad," Rusty said, a bit haltingly. "Just two guys hanging out."

"Hm." Of course, she knew otherwise. Sharon walked over and took the baby from him. Ian's cries intensified when he was moved. That was evidence enough of his displeasure and discomfort. He was drawing his knees up, the first indication that his cries were caused by a stomach ache. "Oh, I know," she crooned. With the baby held in the crook of her arm, she walked over to the diaper bag which was tucked under the coffee table. Sharon tugged it out and sat on the sofa. She reached into one of the side pockets and took out a small bottle of the infant tummy relief drops. Expertly, with one hand, she screwed off the top and filled the very tip with a small dose. Ricky had been a colicky baby, and she had learned the wonders of these things. While Ian wasn't often colicky, they still came in handy, and after her experience with Ricky she wasn't about to go a day without having them on hand - just in case. Sharon crooned and hummed softly while she gave the baby the drops and then replaced the bottle. Afterward, she lifted him on to her shoulder with a burp cloth and easily toed out of her sandals before she started walking the length of the room. "So, it wasn't too bad?" She gave Rusty a knowing look.

The teenager ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "Well, not at first?" Finally he shrugged. "It was interesting."

"Mmhm." Sharon rubbed the baby's back while she walked. "Rusty, honey…" She grinned at him. "You have spit-up down the back of your shirt."

"What?" He craned his head around and twisted. "Oh gross! Seriously! Dude! Come on!"

Sharon laughed as he headed down the hall to his room, very quickly. She cupped the back of Ian's little head and kissed his brow. "You make me so very happy," she told him. "But try to go a little easier on your brother, hm?" She laid her cheek against his head and continued to walk and bounce him while his cries began to fade and the medicine did its job.

When Rusty returned after not just changing but showering and changing, the baby's cries had subsided. Sharon still held him, but now she had him cradled in the crook of her arm while she sat at her desk sorting through the mail. Rusty just stared at them. "How did you do that," he asked, amazed.

She chuckled quietly. "Experience." Sharon glanced at him over the top of her glasses. "Rusty, I have done this before. Twice, actually." Her gaze dropped back to the mail that she was sorting, tossing the trash and compiling the rest. "Actually, I'm rather looking forward to his teen years. That should be a breeze now." When Rusty made a face at her, she grinned. "You know, no one just knows how to do this. It's something that you have to learn."

"It looked simple enough," Rusty said. He dropped onto the sofa and reached for the remote. "You and Flynn make it look like, you know, really easy."

"It isn't, Rusty, but thank you for saying that." Sharon stood up and walked over to sit with him on the sofa. She lay the baby in his swing and started it. "It'll get easier as you and Ian get to know each other better. I am, however, proud of you for asking for help today," she gave him a pointed look.

Rusty cringed, then sighed. "Flynn told you that I was texting Buzz?"

"No," she said at length. "I was there."

"Oh." He gave her a sheepish look. "Guess I won't be babysitting again anytime soon?"

"Nice try." Sharon grinned at him. "You're still top of the list, buster. Who else am I going to trust Ian with, if not his brother, hm?"

His cheeks colored. He felt that slightly giddy feeling he got when she claimed him. She knew how he felt about her being compared to his mother. She wasn't his mother, she was so much different than that. Rusty didn't need to equate her with any titles to know that she was important to him. She loved him as though he were her son, and he knew that he loved her too. It was enough. "I guess so. I just feel like it should be easier, you know? I want you to be able to trust me with, you know, everything."

"Oh Rusty." Her smile softened. "I do trust you. I'm not comfortable leaving him at all, just yet. It's not an easy thing." She reached out and lay her hand on his arm. "You're going to get the hang of this. Soon enough, you'll be sick of me tasking you with babysitting duty. You'll be begging me to find anyone else to do it for you. I promise."

"You're not really selling me on the idea, you know that right?" Rusty shook his head at her. "Okay, so it wasn't a complete failure I guess." He rolled his eyes at her. "Note to self, diaper comes off, it aims, it fires."

A surprised laugh bubbled out of her. "Yes, I'm afraid it does." She drew her legs up onto the couch and settled into the cushions. "If you had other plans for the day, you can get out of here. Ian and I will be just fine." Sharon tilted her head at him and grinned. "I mean, how hard could it be?"

Rusty groaned. "Lesson learned, Sharon."

She gave his arm a squeeze before leaning back. Sharon stood up. "I'm going to go and change. He should nap for a little while."

"Believe it when I see it," Rusty muttered.

It was nearer to eleven before Flynn made it home that night. As it turned out, the team had caught a case. They had a body and a few minor leads, but nothing concrete. It was certainly nothing which would warrant their working through the evening. After going as far as they could, they cut out for the night. It would be morning before they had Morales' report on the autopsy anyway.

He stopped by the store on his way home. He didn't get everything on the list, he was too beat to do more than pick up essentials that he figured they really needed. Sharon might say it could wait another day, but she wouldn't be doing the grocery run anyway if they weren't getting down to the wire. Andy carried the bags through the apartment to the kitchen. When he tripped over the corner of the baby's swing, he swore. "Damnit." Andy nudged it back, nearer to the sofa, with his foot and grumbled all the way to the kitchen. "Two weeks," he groused. "Just two more weeks."

By the time Andy had everything put away, he could almost hear his bed calling him. He made his way, quietly, down the hall. There was a light on under Rusty's door, but he figured the kid was either studying or playing online chess. Either way, he decided not to disturb him. Instead, he eased into the master bedroom and pushed the door closed behind him. The room was only faintly illuminated, it was a mixture of the outside lights combined with the soft glow from the mobile in the bassinet. Andy could just make out the sleeping form of his wife. He slipped into the bathroom to make short work of getting changed before joining her.

His body was aching wearily. It had been a long day, and with Ian still not sleeping through the night… well, it made for even longer days. There was something to be said for having a baby at their age. Actually, there were a lot of things he could say about it, but he wouldn't change it. They had beaten the odds. Ian was a perfectly normal, healthy baby, and Sharon had come through the ordeal with almost flying colors. She still tired easily, but as she pointed out for him, she wasn't going to bounce back in the same way that she had at twenty-five.

Clothed only in his boxers and a t-shirt, Andy walked back to the bed. He stopped beside the bassinet, but found it empty. He shook his head and gazed toward the bed. He squinted in the darkness, and smiled wryly to see his young son laying beside his wife. Andy shook his head and rounded the bed to sink tiredly into it. His eyes were slowly adjusting. He lay with his head propped against his hand and watched the two of them. Ian was laying on his back with his knees drawn up like a little frog, sucking away at the pacifier. Sharon lay on her side, hand draped lightly across his belly.

"So much for not spoiling him," He whispered, and leaned across to brush a light kiss against her mouth.

"Shh." Her lips curved into a small smile. Her eyes fluttered but didn't open. "He'll want to nurse again in an hour," she mumbled sleepily. "He might as well be where I can reach him."

Andy just shook his head again and smiled at the pair of them. He drew a finger across his son's tiny nose before settling down with them. "I won't tell," he teased quietly. Andy reached out and lay a hand over the baby as he got comfortable. His thumb curled around her pinky and he felt rather than saw her smile as he closed his eyes. What would a few hours hurt, Ian would make his way back into the bassinet before the night was over. If it got her a few more hours sleep, Andy wouldn't complain. "Love you," he whispered.

"Hmm." She smiled, but continued to doze. Her pinky rubbed his thumb. "Love you," she replied, just as quietly.

Beneath their joined hands, Ian continued to enjoy his contented slumber.