A/N: A quick one shot about the Swarek family.
If you have the time, please review to let me know what you think about it.
XX
Sam groaned into his pillow as he was woken up. He went to sleep less than an hour before, so he wasn't happy.
Next to him Andy started to stir as well. She sat up and pushed the covers off her. The crying in the room next to theirs only got louder. Their three week old daughter didn't like it when she had to wait for her parents.
It would be easy to turn around and let Andy take care of whatever was bothering their little girl, but Sam wasn't one to take the easy way out.
Andy's pregnancy wasn't easy and the delivery didn't go exactly smooth either, so Andy was still extremely tired as well.
Besides, Sam missed his daughter. He took two weeks paternity leave and since going back to work he hardly saw her.
"I've got her," Sam said as he laid his hand on Andy's knee. He quickly kissed her shoulder and left the bed.
He rubbed his eyes while he made his way to the nursery. Elin was still screaming her little lungs out and Sam wondered why nobody told him about this.
Of course he knew that babies cried. He knew that they didn't sleep through the night right away and of course he knew that it would take a while before they figured out a schedule that worked.
Nobody prepared him for the lack of sleep he was currently experiencing though. Elin never slept for more than three hours straight. Sam was convinced for a while that something was wrong with her; he figured that she probably was in pain if she cried so much.
He read stuff to prepare for fatherhood, but nothing he read said anything about how bad it could actually be. After the first two weeks he googled though and apparently his daughters behaviour was perfectly normal.
It took babies a few weeks or a few months to get settled and figure out how to sleep through the night.
As much as he could use a night filled with silence, when he looked down in the crib his heart swelled with love and pride.
Their daughter was perfect.
Even with her face completely red from crying so hard, she still was the most adorable thing Sam ever laid eyes on.
"Sssh," Sam said as he gently lifted Elin and pulled her against his chest. "You're waking up everybody in the city sweetheart."
Sam gently stroked the girls back and placed a kiss to her chubby cheek. "Daddy missed you."
It was completely weird how soon he got used to that word. He was a dad now and it felt like he had been all his life.
"You hungry?" Sam asked. He bounced a little and carefully made his way downstairs.
Their kitchen was now a baby zone. There were bottles and pacifiers everywhere. Obviously Andy had been sterilizing everything before he came home.
As an expert Sam fixed a bottle and went into the living room. He sat down in a comfy chair and placed the nipple of the bottle near Elin's mouth.
The girl took it, but after two sips she spat it out and started crying again. Sam sighed and leaned forward to place the bottle on the table. "That's not what you want, huh?"
He gently placed Elin on his thighs and used his right hand to stroke her belly. "What's wrong princess?" he wondered out loud. "Afraid you're missing something exiting?"
Sam chuckled and leaned forward to kiss Elin's forehead. "That's probably it. You're just like your mom, you've got way too much energy."
Elin's whimpers slowly died down as she watched her father with big eyes. "You just want to be held."
As much as Sam hated to admit it, Andy was better at reading their daughter than he was. Of course it helped that Andy hadn't left her side since she was born. She would be a stay-a-at- home mom until Elin was at least six months old.
"Need me to take over?" Andy's voice interrupted Sam's thoughts.
Sam looked up and smiled when he saw his wife in the door opening. She looked completely exhausted and was still carrying most of the baby weight she put on. She was still the only woman Sam had eyes for though.
"I've got her," Sam promised.
Andy made her way towards her little family and sat down next to Sam. "I know that, but you have to work tomorrow."
"I don't need to go in until noon," Sam answered. "Besides, I haven't seen her all day."
Andy laid her head on Sam's shoulder and yawned. "She was probably crying because she was missing her daddy." Andy stroked her daughter's head and couldn't help but smile. "She's kind of perfect, right?"
"She is," Sam agreed. "She looks like you."
Andy shook her head and placed her finger on Elin's cheek. "When she yawns there is a dimple, right here. Just like yours. And she definitely has your nose."
"She has your mouth," Sam argued.
They had had this discussion before, but somehow they always ended up talking about how perfect their baby was.
"Let's just hope she gets my eyebrows."
"She'll have perfect eyebrows," Sam stated. "Right sweetheart?"
He lifted Elin again and laid her down on his chest. "Ready to go back to sleep?"
As if she understood what her father was asking, Elin started to whimper again. She kicked her little legs and moved her head around.
"Apparently not," Andy answered.
Sam sighed and placed Elin back on his thighs. "You like to see everything, don't you?"
Andy stood up and came back a second later with a pacifier in her hand. "Here," she said as she placed it next to Elin's mouth.
"That one new?" Sam asked as he ran his finger over the words that were on the small object. On the pacifier was a badge with the words 'my daddy, my hero'.
"Cute, right?" Andy said.
"You have high hopes for me," Sam answered. He looked at Andy and determination filled his eyes. "I'll always protect you two. You know that, right?"
Andy smiled and leaned in to kiss Sam. "That's why you're our hero."
XX
Two weeks later Sam woke up completely disorientated. Something was wrong, but he didn't know what. Something just felt completely off.
He looked around and when he saw his alarm clock his heart suddenly skipped a beat.
The last time he was awake it had been midnight. Now it was almost six thirty and Elin still wasn't crying.
"Andy," he warned. "Andy, where is Elin?"
Andy woke and sat up with a confused look. "In the nursery?" she answered.
"It's six thirty," Sam said while his heart was still beating irregular.
Andy's eyes widened and within a second they were both out of the bed and in their daughters room.
"Oh thank God," Andy said when they found their daughter sound asleep, breathing softly. "I thought my heart was going to stop for a moment.."
Sam let out a deep breath and nodded. "She's okay," he said to reassure himself. "She just slept through the night."
Andy took Sam's hand and laid her head on his shoulder as they admired their sleeping baby for a moment. "Another first," she murmured.
"And a good one it is," Sam answered. "Minus the part where I almost lost it."
It was a new thing, but when it came to their daughter Sam didn't mind showing his insecurities. He knew that Andy felt all the same things he did.
They both loved Elin so much that it would kill them if anything ever happened to her. They were both afraid to mess up, make wrong decisions about how to raise her.
Together they made a perfect team though. They just didn't always see that.
While they stayed there watching her for a few moments, Elin slowly woke up. When she opened her eyes Sam scooped her up and cradled her against his chest. "You gave us a scare there, but we're also so proud."
Elin started to cry and Andy kissed her little hand. "She's hungry, I'll make a bottle."
While Andy was in the kitchen, Sam sat down in the rocking chair. He used his finger to very gently tickle Elin's neck and smiled when the little girl squirmed a little. "Mommy's almost ready," he promised her. "You'll get your breakfast."
A few minutes later Andy walked in with the bottle. "Already checked the temperature," she told Sam as he took the bottle from her.
It only took a second for Elin to take the nipple in her mouth. She eagerly drank the entire bottle. After that Sam burped her and changed her diaper.
"Want me to take over?" Andy asked as she watched father and daughter.
Sam shook his head and kept his eyes on Elin. "It's my day off."
They had never really talked about it, but on his days off Sam did most of the work. He wanted it that way. He didn't mind the diapers or feedings. He actually enjoyed all of it. Just seeing his little girl happy and satisfied was enough to make him a happy and proud man.
That day turned out to be quite sunny, so they took Elin to the park. Andy pushed her stroller as Sam walked next to them.
"Can you imagine that in just a few years she'll be playing there?" Andy asked as they walked past a play ground.
Sam smiled and nodded. "We'll probably have to bring a first aid kit with us if she's anything like you."
"Watch it," Andy said with a smile. "You'll probably be so over protective that you'd actually do that."
Sam shook his head and chuckled. He watched all the kids play and could picture taking Elin there in a few years. Maybe they would have another baby by then, maybe even two..
If it was up to Sam there would be a lot more babies. Of course Andy had a say too and she decided to give her body some time to recover from the first one.
When Andy shivered Sam put his arm around her. "Cold?" he asked.
Andy shrugged and kept walking. "I'm always cold when I'm tired."
"Let's head back," Sam suggested. He kept his hand on the small of Andy's back as they made their way back to the truck. Sam put the stroller in the truck while Andy made sure that Elin was safe in her car seat.
The rest of the day was spend in peace. They watched a movie and ordered take out for dinner. After dinner Sam took Elin upstairs and got her ready for her bath.
He made sure that the water had the perfect temperature and then slowly lowered Elin into the baby bath. At first Elin protested, but after a minute she calmed down.
"You like this, don't you?" Sam asked as he poured some water over her head.
After a few minutes Andy joined them and smiled at Sam. "Is it weird that I love you more now that we have her?" she wondered. "I mean, when I see you with her like this.. I melt. You make my heart race every time I see you with her."
Sam smiled back at her and shook his head. "Feels the same for me," he told her. "It changed." He rubbed some soap on Elin's belly. "You made our lives even better."
Just in that moment Elin's lips curled up.
"You saw that?" Sam asked Andy. His face lit up even more. "That was a smile right?"
Andy nodded and couldn't help herself when a tear escaped her eyes. "Her first smile.."
Sam lifted Elin out of the water and laid her down on the towel that was on the changing table. "First time she sleeps through the night and first smile in one day," he said. "We have one smart kid McNally."
"We have the perfect kid," Andy agreed.
XX
The end