Author Note: Sorry for the delay, I was trying to get some other stories finished and had to fiddle with this one a little :)

Chapter Two

Romano trudged through the door, his whole body aching from a long day's work. As he set down his keys on the counter, he massaged the back of his neck. He was grateful that the soreness was only catching up to him; he tried to be on the move as much as he could. Having an older partner didn't really make it easy, but Hooker had been a good support for him the last couple of months. Romano opened the fridge, decided that he didn't really have an appetite, and closed the door. He moved down the hallway and into his room, finding Jeanette sitting in the recliner. A blanket was draped over her legs, and she looked content as she read a book. Romano knocked on the door frame, then leaned on it. Jeanette looked up and smiled.

"How was work?" She whispered.

He shrugged. "Normal, I guess. How was the day of the midwife?"

Jeanette laughed quietly, shutting her book. She took off her glasses, looking at him wisely. "After three months, I don't really think I count as the midwife anymore, do you?"

Again, came the shrug. Romano moved over to the crib, looking down at the infant - fast asleep. "It's already been that long?"

"Oh, yes, indeed. Before you know it, you'll be sending her on her first date with some kid you'll never approve of."

"Sure," Romano mumbled. "Sure, I will. Thanks for looking after her, Jeanette."

"What's an old lady to do?" Jeanette said, and Romano patted her shoulder.

"You're not old," Romano replied, earning a look. He laughed. "Okay, maybe a little. Hey, why don't you take the day off tomorrow? I'm not working, just going to catch up on sleep."

"A cop playin' hooky?"

Romano smiled. "Try Hooker - Sergeant's orders. I gotta admit, it's kind of nice having him around anymore. He doesn't get on my case so much." He winked to show he was kidding, and Jeanette laughed. She stood and gathered her things, giving one last, sweet look at the baby. She turned and patted Romano's cheek, and the two walked to the front door. Jeanette's car sat on the curb, as it had nearly every day for the last year. She'd become more than the midwife she'd started out to be, a very dear friend. They said goodnight, and Romano hesitated outside for a moment to look up at the dark sky. He was very tired, so he headed in to get some rest. He knew he'd be up in a few hours to take care of his daughter. Corrine Romano was barely three months old, with a steady feeding schedule at three in the morning. Back in his room, Romano got into his pajamas, his mind already running through the things he thought about every night. He looked over at the crib when he heard Corrine shuffle, then fall silent again. Corrine, the name that Emily had wanted more than any other. Granted, she hadn't had much to fight against - Romano had never picked anything out - but had only been liked by her. Romano just...hadn't liked it, as he disliked other names. He'd barely managed to patch things up with Emily during her pregnancy, before she'd been taken from him. Her health had been terrible ever since she'd come back, ever since...that monster had attacked her. Romano couldn't remember what the doctor had told him - he'd barely been able to look at the guy through the tears - but Emily had been under a lot of stress. She'd been left weak, and having the baby had just been too much. Then the parental responsibility had literally been placed in his hands after that, giving him no time to mourn. The five steps to recovery had been replaced with five new things to buy: diapers, bottles, baby formula, clothes, and a car seat. He hadn't managed to touch that yet, since Jeanette was babysitting all the time, and he had little experience with the rest of it. He wasn't really a father at this point, more like...an estranged uncle. He worked all day, slept some of the night, and went back the next day. The bills were far from being paid at this point, so he had to make sacrifices. Romano finally started to doze off with bitter thoughts in his head. He knew that if he ever found out who'd done what he did to Emily, the man would pay. It didn't matter if Romano was on the job or not, he would see it through to the end. Emily had been someone special, even before all of this, and it'd been hard to leave her behind. If he'd known that she'd gotten pregnant, he wouldn't have left her to fend for herself. He missed her so much.

Three o' clock came around, and Corrine started to whine. Blinking a couple of times, Romano pulled himself from bed and rubbed his eyes. "Okay, kid." He yawned. "I'm up. Gimme five minutes..." He wandered into the kitchen and got the formula ready, struggling to remember all the details. He always had a moment where he wondered if it would be too hot or cold, but the baby never seemed to mind She was a fussy baby, crying half of the time she was awake, but whenever she was fed was the one time she was calm. No matter what Vince Romano did, that child was always upset with him. She always wanted to squirm and squeal, so he left her be in her crib. Jeanette often reminded him that Corrine did the same thing when she was around, but he wasn't convinced. He hurried to cap the bottle and went back into his room. He found her on her side, moaning pitifully, and he sighed as he picked her up. Moving to the recliner, he settled back into it gratefully and placed the bottle in Corrine's mouth. She clamped onto it immediately, and the room fell silent. Romano took those few short minutes to rock her gently and look at her, try to admire her, but he never got very far. He saw himself in her eyes, and resented that. In a way, she'd always be stuck with him forever. She finished her bottle quickly, and made little chirping sounds of discomfort as she was burped. Then she started up again, and Romano was more quick to put her back to bed. He wrapped her up carefully, then collapsed back onto his mattress without a thought to pull up the covers.

A knock at the door woke him in what seemed like minutes. It was light outside, though, and he groaned. Sitting up, he barely noticed the next knock as he felt the tears in his eyes. He'd been dreaming of Emily again, but he could hardly remember it. Standing, he pulled on a sweater and headed to the door as it sounded a third time.

Hooker was there, that always amused look on his face. "What are you doing here?" Romano asked. "I mean, so early? Don't you have the night shift?"

Hooker smiled as he was let in. "Called in for a special assignment."

"Oh, what's that?" Romano asked, harmless sarcasm in his voice.

"Visiting a friend - very important." Hooker winked and pulled off his jacket. "Fall is definitely here, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I'd say so. I should turn up the heater, I guess."

Hooker took a moment to look around, admiring what he saw. "It's been a while since I've seen the place so clean!"

Romano made a face, turning the knob on the thermometer. "No, it's been a while since you've been over. If it wasn't for Jeanette, I'd be swimming in pizza boxes."

Hooker laughed heartily. "A woman's touch, every time. I turned out the same way ; Fran always had everything done before I could walk through the front door. How are you doing?"

"...As good as any dead-beat Dad could be," Romano replied, earning a look from his superior. "What? I'm not anything special."

"Why not?"

Romano waved a dismissing hand. "Nah, not now, Hooker. It's too early for that - I'm exhausted."

Hooker nodded understandingly; He remembered the first days of parenthood. He motioned toward the hallway. "Is she asleep?"

"I guess so, she's pretty quiet. If you want to see her, be my guest." Romano led him down the hallway, and almost immediately they both could hear distress. She'd obviously woken up, and wrestled her little fists within her blankets.

Hooker moved in and scooped her up, cooing her sweetly. "Hello, little one, what's the matter? A face this beautiful shouldn't be sad."

Romano let himself smile a little. Hooker had been unusually somber around his partner ever since Emily had died, even sensitive, and it was still odd. He could do from a tough police veteran to a teddy bear in a matter of seconds, and had latched onto the baby from the first moment. Romano knew that someone great would be there to protect her. "You're good to her, you know," he said. Corrine fell asleep within minutes, and Romano was surprised when Hooker went to pass her to him. "No - "

"What? She's not my baby, Vince."

"She'll cry..." Too late. Romano had her back in his arms before he could finish. He held still, not ready for another emotional breakdown. "You don't understand, man. This kid hollers whenever she's around me. She doesn't have the right parent holding her."

"Romano," Hooker said, taking a place on the bed corner, "take a seat. I want to talk to you."

Romano hesitated, but another wave of the hand obligated him into the recliner. Corrine shuffled a little, but she didn't wake. Letting his breath out slowly, Romano looked up at Hooker with tired eyes. "I'm serious. This won't last long - she cries so much. She needs her mother, a-and I can't -"

"She's a baby, Romano. All babies cry, no matter what. She doesn't do it because she hates you, I promise. You won't have to deal with that until she's twelve." Hooker winked, amused at his own joke.

Romano rolled his eyes, deciding to give it a rest. His partner was trying to be helpful, and definitely understood, so he didn't argue. He closed his eyes and listened.

"When I had my first daughter, she cried - a lot. I always thought, 'Am I being too rough? Am I holding her wrong?' I figured that my wife already had it figured out and didn't want to let me in on the secret. One day, though, it happened. Christine was still fussy, but she started to smile and call me by my name. Now I have a great relationship with her. It's just takes time, Romano, the natural passing of time. One day she'll realize how important you are, and love you no matter what."

Romano opened his eyes and looked down at Corrine, who hadn't stirred the entire time. It was definitely a new record. "Is that true?" He asked her. "You'll love me someday?"

"It'll come, Romano, sooner than you think."

"You're sure you don't want me to come over?"

"No, I'm okay, I promise. Thanks for the help, Jeanie."

"Not a problem, honey. It'll be just fine. Goodnight."

Romano hung up the phone, still balancing a howling baby in his arms. Three weeks had passed, and Corrine had caught her first fever. It nearly scared the life out of Romano, but after talking to Jeanette, he decided that it couldn't be too serious. Babies got sick like everyone else, and she wasn't going to get much sleep tonight, but that was normal. It had started after midnight, after Jeanette had gone home, and now it was around one-thirty. Moving to the bathroom, Romano placed the tiny infant bath into the big one, starting the water. Corrine had already thrown up a couple of times, so her outfit was carefully removed along with her diaper, in the laundry room. There was a little area that Hooker had set up for him, making it an easy station to clean her up. He hurried back into the bathroom and shut off the water, then placed Corrine in her bath. He rubbed her stomach and ran warm water over her, massaging her head and ears a little. She whined and pushed against his hands, but he was determined. He had to help her somehow.

He sighed, feeling emotional from his fatigue. "I'm sorry, kiddo," he whispered. "I'm sorry you're stuck with me. I wish your Mom was here. Emily, I wish you were here." Frustrated tears fell down Romano's face as he dressed Corrine later on. She was finally starting to wear out, her face still flushed and rosy. He wrapped her up tight and held her against his chest, sobs wracking his own body. "I'm trying, Corrine. I'm trying, baby."

He knew he had to love this little girl. She was Emily's girl, and the last couple of days, she'd started to feel like his, too. He'd been robbed of some truly precious experiences already, and his depression was keeping them apart. Perhaps she could feel that; that's why she was so upset. He was stressed out, and so was she. He didn't know how to help her understand that he was the only one she had now. He was broken, and probably wouldn't be able to provide her every need, as much as he wanted to. He collapsed into the comfy chair, and just then, the phone in the kitchen rang. He groaned, tempted not to answer, but it was probably Jeanette. He took a minute to collect himself, then balanced the phone against his shoulder.

"Hello?"

There was a laugh, obviously Hooker's. "From the sound of it, you've been up for a while. Is everything all right?"

"Oh, Corrine's got a fever. Jeanette said it wasn't serious, and things seem to be calming down. If it gets worse, though," he paused to yawn," I'll get the doctor."

"She should be fine. I'm sure you have it all under control, I just wanted to check in on you."

Romano smiled. "Always keeping an eye on the rookie, huh?"

Hooker laughed again. "Something like that. Are you calling in for today's shift?"

"I think I'll be fine. I'm fading real fast, so I'll be at the station on time - no worries."

"All right. Night, then, Romano."

"Night," Romano concluded, hanging up. He nearly missed the wall cozy, not remembering a time ever being this tired. Corrine finally seemed to have calmed down, so he went back to his room to put her to bed. Then something strange happened. The moment he set her down, she was upset again. "What now? You can't be cold..." He picked her back up, and she was fine again. His heart jumped a little, and in the silence, relief flooded over him. She was awake, but calm in his arms. He felt his shirt balled up in her tiny hand, and she wasn't letting go. It wasn't until she'd truly fallen asleep that Romano could set her down, and he stayed at her side. He smiled, remembering Hooker's words. Obviously, he was a parent for life, and would learn, but it seemed that things had started for the better. He'd been there for her when she needed comfort - him, the estranged uncle, turned father. Maybe he wouldn't turn out so bad, after all.