A/N: Don't own 'em, just love 'em.
This piece practically wrote itself. I think you'll see why, especially if you've been following my other stories. :) Enjoy. Don't forget to review, please.
Pink Blankets and Bows
Nick Stokes sighed tiredly as he slipped into bed and pressed himself up against his sleeping husband.
"You're home late," Greg Sanders murmured sleepily, having awoken the moment Nick crawled into bed. He rolled in Nick's arms so he could press his face into Nick's chest and breathe the older man's scent. "Case run long?"
"No," Nick said, kissing the top of Greg's head before continuing, "I was over at Desert Palms, visiting a patient." The night's events replayed in his mind for what must have been the thousandth time, bringing on the same onslaught of emotions yet again. The overwhelming sadness of the girl's suicide, mixed with the utter joy of helping Doc Robbins deliver the girl's baby. The devastation that the infant's grandmother wanted nothing to do with her, the fury at the way the young girl had been treated by people who didn't even know her, then the satisfaction of the cheerleaders being brought to justice for what they had done.
And overshadowing them all, the sense of confusion, then hope, when the adoption agency social worker had walked into the nursery while Nick had still been there with the infant's young father, Nathan.
~~~CSI~~~
Nick had still been standing next to the rocking chair Nathan was sitting in with his daughter, when a familiar woman walked into the nursery. The I.D. badge she wore around her neck identified her as a social services agent with Little Hands to Loving Homes Adoption Agency, and Nick realized he had seen her there before when he and Greg had been filling out paperwork with one of the other agents.
The recognition on her face told Nick that she must have recognized him from the agency, as well. She stuck her hand out to Nick, "Nick Stokes, isn't it?"
"Yes, ma'am," he'd replied politely, as he watched her gaze shift to the pink swaddled baby in Nathan's arms.
Realizing what was going on, Nick looked to Nathan in confusion. He didn't think he'd mistaken the look of love the young father had given his new daughter.
Noticing his look of confusion, Nathan gave Nick a sheepish look of his own. "I love her, Mr. Stokes, I really do, but I just can't do it alone. My parents are threatening to kick me out if I don't go to college–" the boy trailed off.
Trying to give Nathan a reassuring look, Nick said, "I understand, son." Looking up to the social worker, Nick finally recalled her name was Rosa. "Rosa, could I talk to you for a minute?"
Smiling her own reassuring smile at Nathan and the baby cradled in his arms, Rosa shifted her smile to Nick, "Sure."
Out in the hallway, Nick took a moment to glance back into the nursery. Baby Maria had fallen asleep in her father's arms. Nick's own arms ached to hold the infant again, as he had just after her miraculous birth.
"I hear you helped to deliver the baby after you found her mother's body," Rosa said, to break the ice. "And I've seen you and your... life partner? at the agency," she continued, when she sensed that Nick was suddenly hesitant to speak. "You'd like to adopt her, wouldn't you."
"I knew there was a reason I was there at that place and time," Nick said lamely.
Giving Nick another reassuring smile, Rosa said, "I can't make you any promises, but I'll see what we can do."
~~~CSI~~~
Bringing himself back to the present, Nick said, "The house looks great. You didn't spend all of your day off cleaning, did you?"
Humming happily, but still a bit sleepily, Greg said, "No. I managed to get a few other things done, too, as well as spend some time relaxing. Who'd you visit at the hospital?"
The smile on Nick's face carried to his voice, causing Greg to look up at him, as he said, "Someone I'd like to take you to meet later this afternoon." To keep Greg from questioning him further, Nick pulled Greg up and began to gently kiss him. When they broke the kiss off a few minutes later, Nick said huskily, "No more questions. Let's go to sleep. I'm exhausted." That wasn't entirely true. His body thrummed with excitement, as he couldn't wait to see Greg's reaction to baby Maria.
Hours later, Nick stumbled blurrily out to the kitchen. The smell of Blue Hawaiian coffee permeated the house, rousing Nick to seek out a cup.
Greg was still in the kitchen, standing next to the coffee pot, while he waited for the brewing cycle to finish. He was turning something idly over in his hands while he waited.
Taking a cup from the cup rack, Nick moved to stand next to Greg, finally able to see what was in Greg's hand.
The younger man turned the small pink hair bow over in his hand again, then held it up to Nick. "What's this?"
"A pink hair bow," was Nick's unenlightening answer. He'd deliberately left it sitting on the kitchen counter when he got home from work.
Greg shot him a good-natured, "I can see that, asshole!" look. "What's it doing here?"
Seeing that Greg was already dressed, Nick took the bow from his hand and pushed it into Greg's pants pocket. "You'll need that later," was all he would say. Noticing the coffee pot was finished, he scooped up the carafe and filled his coffee cup. After filling Greg's cup for him, Nick took a cautious sip of his own before giving Greg a quick kiss on the cheek and going to get dressed.
~~~CSI~~~
"I don't understand why you're being so damned evasive," Greg hissed quietly to Nick, as they walked the corridors of Desert Palm Hospital.
Nick just shot him another wait and see look before punching the elevator button.
Several minutes later, Nick was pulling a suddenly hesitant Greg into the nursery.
The nurses looked up, but only smiled when they saw it was Nick. They were different nurses from the ones on duty earlier, but apparently the word had already spread that CSI Nick Stokes had helped deliver little Maria, and was even going to try to adopt her.
"Nicky? What are we doing here?" Greg asked uncertainly, glancing around at all of the sleeping babies.
Gesturing towards the rocking chair, Nick said, "Sit down, G." He then proceeded to tell Greg about the case he'd worked last shift. "I helped Doc Robbins deliver a baby, Greg."
Greg's eyes were wide, as he watched one of the nurses go to a crib and lift a tiny pink wrapped bundle out. She brought the baby over and carefully laid her in Greg's arms, smiling reassuringly down at Greg's bafflement.
Kneeling down in front of Greg, looking from the sweet face of the sleeping baby to the sweet face of his husband, Nick said, "I'd like to introduce you to Maria, soon to hopefully be our daughter."
Tears shimmered in Greg's eyes, as he beamed a smile at Nick. "She's perfect, Nicky!" Wiggling carefully around, Greg managed to free a hand to get at the bow in his pocket. Pulling it out, he gingerly put it in the sleeping infant's hair.
When Greg laid his hand on Nick's cheek, Nick turned and kissed the palm of Greg's hand.
Kneeling in front of Greg, watching him watch the sleeping baby in his arms, Nick knew that the last few months had been leading up to this moment, that their future was going to be filled with pink blankets and bows.