Even with his mother there to give him a light hand with running things, Esposito was certainly finding it a trick to balance all the tasks that needed to be accomplished in a day. He wondered how Meredeth made it look so easy, working from home and running the house as effortlessly as she did. He realized that there was far more effort behind it than was visible on the surface.

Today, day three of Meredeth being incapacitated, he hoped would be a better day, as each day since she'd been home had been an improvement. Rolling over to the buzzing of his alarm, he saw the clock read just past seven am and he groaned. He had his honey-do list, the one he'd made himself so that Meredeth would see he wasn't just good at being a cop, he could handle the domestic stuff that he usually left in her care too.

With a yawn, he rolled to his back, then to his side so he could watch his wife. She'd gone the day before to get her stitches out and that had been quite the trip for Trini. They'd been gone longer than Esposito had anticipated them being, but upon their return, he learned that Meredeth had taken Trini out for an ice cream date at Roscoe's Sugar Shack. Trini had been a very good girl, she hadn't cried once, and even kissed her mami's cheek when Meredeth had let out a little tear of relief that her incision was healing quite well, and the sonogram of her inside lady-parts were on the mend as well with no lingering infection. That kind of bravery deserved a treat, Meredeth had said, so she took her sweet-tooth daughter to get a cold, creamy scoop of Death by Chocolate; no mistaking it, she was Javier Esposito's child with that kind of chocolate-crush.

Esposito thought of the pride on both mother and daughter's faces when they'd come home as he stroked his palm over Meredeth's naked shoulder, toyed with the strap of her thin tank top. She still didn't fully understand, he mused, how it made his mouth water the way she was so comfortable being casually naked, like when she just walked out of the shower in the ensuite to her towel she'd forgotten on the end of the bed, or when she slept with no clothes on. Esposito had to take a moment or two to get his blood back in his brain before going to give her a good morning kiss on days like those.

Her eyes fluttered a little, and she smacked her lips together a little bit as she roused herself from slumber. When those beautiful blue eyes opened and focused on his, her smile was slow and sexy, and in Esposito's mind, she didn't even know it.

'Hey you,' she mumbled, forcing herself to wake up a little bit quicker. 'You been up long?'

'Five minutes, ten at most. Go back to sleep.'

'Nuh-uh. Meds are making me dream funny things, it's making me fidgety.'

'No spiders, though?'

'Nope. Those demons are long gone, my love.' Meredeth leaned forward, gave her husband a kiss with a little more heat behind it. 'So far, my body's adjusting to the hormones pretty well.'

'And how's the baby feeling this morning? Esposito grinned as he moved his hand beneath the covers to gently stroke her belly that would start to pop and puff up with one more baby soon. 'You've barely had any morning sickness, and your appetite's hasn't been as high, but maybe that's the lingering effects of the drugs?'

'Probably. Javi, we're okay, really.'

'I know, but this is the last time I'll get to be an expectant daddy,' he reminded her.

'Well, never say never.'

'Mere, I love you but five kids is a little much, no?'

'And what if this had turned out to be twins?' Meredeth arched an eyebrow in triumph at her small victory. 'Not saying that we should have one more after this, given the issues I've had but the dream of a hundred babies of our own is so much fun.'

Esposito had to laugh. 'There's the hormones in full-kick, Mere.'

'How do you know that?'

'Think of how we'd get all of those one hundred babies.'

'Practice.' She grinned with a wrinkle in her nose; even if she didn't feel it all the way, her blood was still running a little quicker in her veins as she and her husband pillowed talked like this. 'So what are you and the kids up to today while I slugify?'

'Actually, I was thinking if you're up for it, we might take a little walk over to the park, have ourselves a little picnic lunch with the kids and the dog.'

'Oh, God we are disgustingly all-American, aren't we? Should I wear pearls and a bee-hive?'

'I love you, Mere,' Esposito laughed, kissing her once more, then looking over at the little 'ewwww' he heard in the doorway to see all three children standing there in their pjs.

'Daddy, why mooshin all-time?' Leo asked, head cocked to the side as he walked in with his sisters. 'It yucky.'

'Trust me, in about ten years or so, you won't think it's yucky to kiss a girl you like.'

'Yes.'

'No.'

'Yes,' Leo insisted. 'Gils icky.'

'I icky?' Trini looked at her brother with indignance. 'Tessi icky too?'

'You no' gils, you sissers. Diffin.'

'Yes, but the girls you like might be someone's sister,' Meredeth pointed out to her son as he climbed into the middle of the bed. 'Like Nessa, perhaps.'

'Ew, no mooshin' Nessa!' Leo looked sincerely appalled by the idea. 'She fin!'

'Oh, you're just friends are you?' Esposito looked at Meredeth with a wink and a knowing grin. 'Guess it must be Violet Parrish-Robbins who's caught his fancy.'

Leo blushed fiercely. 'Violet lindy.'

'She is muy linda,' Tessi agreed, her little heart so proud her brother had a friend like she had Dell. 'But you gotta buy her fuh-lowers. Shane always buys Alexis fuh-lowers. RJ makes him do it.'

'RJ make cookies.' Trini smiled shyly. 'Yummy cookies.'

Now it was Meredeth's turn to tease her husband. With a little groan of effort she sat up straight in bed, gave him a playful elbow in the ribs. 'Looks like our baby girl has designs on a Castle boy, Javi.'

'Oh, God. It's bad enough my oldest girl already has a boyfriend.'

'I do not!' Tessi retorted even as her plump chipmunk cheeks turn red as little cherry tomatoes. 'I am too little!'

'Agreed,' Esposito told her, then tossed back the covers. 'Alright, troops, time to let Mami get a shower and rest before we go to the park this afternoon. What do we want for breakfast?'

'Pan-c...c..cakes!'

'Bacon-eggs!'

'Oh-me-oh!'

Meredeth only giggled when her husband looked to her for a little help in refereeing the options. 'Hey, you didn't give any conditions, babe.'

'Okay, how about French toast with fresh fruit?' Esposito ventured and all three dark little heads bobbed in agreement.

'Taw-bees!'

'And oranges.'

'Boobies!'

'I think you mean blueberries, my lad.'

Esposito ushered his children out of the room, downstairs to the kitchen where they all found their spots at the kitchen table; he wasn't at all surprised to see his mother there, sipping tea and reading the morning paper. Her eyes sparkled with good humour as she watched her boy and his kids come into the kitchen.

'Morning, Javi,' she said, stirring her tea. 'How is everyone this morning?'

'Hungry. We're having French toast and fresh fruit if you'd like some?'

'I can make it if you want, give you a chance to get your morning plans sorted out.'

'No!' Trini's voice was plaintive as she shook her curly little head. 'Daddy do it!'

'Apparently, they only want me.' Esposito grinned at his mother.

'Then I'm going to start on the wash.'

'I'll save you a slice or two.'

They got through breakfast mostly without incident - Trini and Leo had decided that while they were waiting for round two of their French toast to try and toss berries into each other's mouths like they were seals with fresh fish. That had been curbed right away when Esposito told them if they couldn't eat their food nicely they wouldn't get to have fancy breakfast anymore. The twins had cut it out right away, and patiently waited until they were served.

After breakfast, all three children were enjoying story-time with their abuela while Esposito finished the laundry and multitasked it with cleaning the kitchen and setting about planning their picnic lunch for the park. Meredeth in addition to having her stitches out, had also gotten the all-clear regarding her diet post-surgery and she was free to resume her usual prenatal regime of high-protein, high-fibre.

With this in mind, Esposito stood in front of the fridge, contemplating making the beef-and-beans tex-mex dip she was so fond of when his mother came in.

'They're in the living playing, Tessi's got an eye on them, they're fine,' Rosalita assured her son. 'What are you working on?'

'There's a load of the kids clothes in the dryer right now, and a basket of towels waiting to be folded, they're the last two loads right now. I'm trying to think of what we can make for the park that'll be good and hearty for Meredeth.'

'What does she like?'

'She likes damn near everything,' Meredeth said behind them, making her husband and mother in law turn towards the sound of her voice.

'Hey, look who's up and around!' Esposito rounded the island, gave her a kiss. 'How you feeling?'

'Refreshed, impatient, puffy. Like someone who has a little someone growing inside her and she can't decide what she wants to eat.'

'I made the kids French toast, you want some?'

'Sure.'

'Daddy!' Tessi's voice hollered from the living room. 'Leo isn't playing nicely, he's hogging all the c..crayons!'

'Tessiana, indoor voice,' Esposito reminded his oldest child. 'What's the problem?'

'Leo no' sharin', Daddy,' Trini added in an impressive pout from beside her big sister. 'No' fair.'

'You're right it's not fair. Leo, what's the story, my main man?'

Leo rolled his eyes, irritated by the whole notion he was forced to explain himself. 'I good, Daddy.'

'So why are your sisters saying you're not treating them nicely?'

'I need cay-ons.'

'And so do Tessi and Trini. Everyone's sharing,' he reminded them. 'Or no one plays.'

'Fine, Daddy,' Leo sighed and nudged his cache of art utensils towards the centre of the table. 'I sorry.'

'Don't apologize to me, say sorry to your sisters, they're the ones you cheesed off, little bro.'

The boy muttered his 'I'm sorry's' to Tessi and Trini, then looked at his mother. 'Mami, why you down here? Why walkin'?'

'Because the doctor said where they got the bad stuff out of my body is almost all better now, and walking is going to help me feel like myself again.'

'Oh, okay.'

Leo toddled back off the the coffee table, and when Esposito turned back to look at his bride, he saw the little fires lighting in her eyes.

'Can I help you with something, Mere?' he teased her, and got a kiss - a big fat one with plenty of tongue - for his troubles.

'The moment I get the all-clear, I'm so going to bang you for being such a yummy daddy.'

'Well, then, you should see me fold my kids' laundry,' Esposito told her in a sultry voice. 'That really oughta do it.'