Chapter Twenty One: With My Life
Sitting on the porch of her family's ranch, Jillian Stokes stared down the street at the bus stop her children used to wait at to take them to school every day. She started to wonder where all that time went. Even though she had seven children, each of their childhoods seemed to fly by and they were all off out in the world finding their place in it. The longer she stared at it the more she could see each of her children skipping off down the drive, waving a 'Bye Mama' towards her before they confidently and excitedly skipped across the street to get the bus to school.
She wished she had maybe held onto them a little longer so they wouldn't seem so far away from her now as all she had to keep herself company now were her memories of them growing up.
After she married her husband William Patrick Stokes, now State Supreme Court Judge Bill Stokes, she knew that she wanted children right away. Her dream as a child herself was always to grow up, marry a charming man and have lots and lots of babies.
It was challenging, but she wouldn't take any of it back or change a single one of her children for the world.
She remembered how excited she was the first time she took her pregnancy test when she was pregnant with her eldest Bill junior. The test itself seemed to take hours, leaving her and her husband both in suspense, but the second she saw that little plus sign appear in the screen she was overwhelmed with emotions then nine long months later she had her first child who she treasured dearly.
Two years after Bill junior she had her first little girl Lillian Amber Stokes. And she couldn't be happier with her little girl and little boy in her life, but then she found out she was pregnant again with Gwendolyn Denise Stokes, the fussiest of the three but another blessing from God that she would always treasure.
The new little Stokes family then moved into the ranch that they still call home now, only it was a lot smaller back then and needed a lot of work done to it, especially when Jillian found out she was pregnant again with twins this time.
From the beginning of each pregnancy she never regretted them as they were all a dream come true, but she was finding it difficult to cope while her husband Bill was out at work all the time and she was stuck at home with five children all under the age of five after the twins Veronica Bethany Stokes and Victoria Louise Stokes were born.
But still she wouldn't take them back for anything in the world.
They were all a blessing.
Jillian's husband made her promise not to have any more children for a while since they had their hands full with the five they already had. Jillian reluctantly promised, enjoying watching her other children growing up, excited to see who they were going to become.
Bill junior was always sporty and boisterous. She thought he'd grow up to be a pro ball player or something since he loved to play baseball all the time and he always won the games in the little league team he joined.
Lillian was always playing with her baby dolls and arranging picnics for teddy bears. She paid special attention to their manners around the picnic table, even prepared little sandwich squares and picnic food for the occasion. Jillian thought she would grow up to be a great mother just like her since she was doing all the things she did as a child.
Gwen was very sporty, the complete opposite to her big sister as she hated to wear dresses and she loved to run about in the dirt tearing her jeans and getting her clothes all mucky all the time. She loved to explore and go on adventures, often getting her lost in the grocery store all the time whenever she wandered away from her mother. But unlike her other children she didn't cry or scream until their mother found them, she would find her way back to her staying brave and calm the whole time. Jillian thought she would grow up to be an amazing woman with a brave kind heart.
Veronica was her little angel. She believed in angels, fairies, unicorns and she had an imaginary friend called Sungher that Jillian had to open doors for and set another plate for so she could eat her fairy dust food. If Jillian had forgotten to do that Veronica would complain that Sungher had to eat her dinner off the floor. Veronica loved to hear her father reading stories about magical dwarfs and princesses and she was always asking questions whenever they went to church. Jillian never wanted to destroy her spirit by revealing the truth to her of how horrible the world really was, so she let her believe whatever she wanted for as long as possible.
Like her big sister Lillian, Victoria loved to play with dolls. She even insisted that her baby doll had a separate seat in the car and that she wear a seatbelt in case they got into an accident. From this Jillian knew she would be a very caring mother and when her youngest daughter Kayla Maria Stokes was born six years later by surprise, Victoria always wanted to help look after her.
Kayla was her own free spirit too. She was a lot like Gwen, she liked to play sports, but she always stayed neat as a new pin. She was a very quiet child, but she had lots of ambitions hidden away behind her innocent features.
Now with six children in their hands ranging from eleven to just a few months, Judge Bill Stokes made the decision on his own to get a vasectomy so they wouldn't have any other children. But like all things, it wasn't one hundred percent effective and Jillian was pregnant again with what she promised to be her last child, baby Nicholas Parker Stokes.
At first Jillian did have some trouble trying to juggle seven children, especially when she started to suffer from post partum depression. She herself believed the cause to be because Nicholas had to be born by an emergency c-section to save his life, and she felt very distant from him because she didn't get to experience his birth like the others.
For several months she suffered from sadness, fatigue and anxiety; getting mad at her other children over nothing. With some help from her older sister Judith as her husband was of no use to her, Jillian managed to care for all seven of her children, starting to enjoy being a mother again.
Nicholas was the last, but definitely not the least. He was a caring sweet boy, constantly asking questions of how things worked. Just to put on a laundry load around him she found herself answering thirty or fifty questions of how it all worked and what happened next. Unlike his older brother Bill junior, Nicholas wanted to spend time with his mother when he wasn't off exploring the ranch on his own that was. She enjoyed his company though as her other children were starting to grow up to a point that they didn't need her anymore and she wanted to keep him the baby for as long as possible.
Jillian wanted to keep her children safe from harm, safe from the world and make sure they had everything they needed to grow up and become great men and women. But she never thought that she'd have to protect her own children from their own father.
Nicholas was always her special and beautiful little boy that had his own unique outlook on the world. It was when he started asking why he had to grow up and marry a girl that really made her worry though. At eight years old he had his first crush on the boy down the street. She kept this secret from her husband, knowing exactly how he felt about homosexuals.
All she wanted to do was protect him, love him and support him the way she was supposed to.
But when her youngest Nicholas started dating girls in Highschool and college, she assumed that it was just a phase he was going through; until she got an email the other day from a Gregory Sanders in Las Vegas that is.
The email from Greg was a heartfelt letter expressing how much this young man loved her son, and how they were starting their life together. She didn't know who this young man was, but the way he was talking about her son and describing the things he loved about him, a tear broke in her eye as her little baby boy was finally happy.
Her tears soon turned to anger as she read the part about her husband and Greg had asked her why she hadn't responded to Nick's letter that he sent her. But she had never received any letter from her son.
After hours of searching through her husband's desk, Jillian finally found the letter addressed to her from her son that had already been opened and read after it was kept from her. She read her sons words of how he never wanted to disappoint his own parents with a tight stabbing pain in her chest. Listening to his words of his love for this young man Greg Sanders, she knew it was real because she once felt the same thing for her own husband, but now she felt betrayed and hated him for telling her son that he was no longer welcome into his own home.
"Jillian." Her husband's voice finally called up the drive after hours of waiting for him. He looked at the bags packed beside her then to the tear streaks stained into her pale skin, wondering what was wrong. But before he could ask her, Jillian jumped to her feet and started yelling, cursing the ground he walked on and called him a 'Monster' which really threw him. "Jillian, what did I do?"
"Like you don't know!" She pulled the letter from the back of her jeans, holding it up to him. "How dare you keep this from me! How dare you say those things to my baby!"
"I'm his father. He's a..."
"You have no right to call yourself his father!" She boomed, grabbing her bags she had packed off the front step. "Don't you ever go near him again you bastard!" She gave him a hard shove out the way as she pushed past him to get to her car in the driveway.
Before she drove away from her once loving family home, Jillian pulled her set of keys off her keychain and threw them hard at his chest before she made her getaway off down the drive.
At two am on December the twenty fourth the year 2000 at Desert Palms hospital, Danielle Stokes-Sanders was born to Gregory Hojem Sanders and Nicholas Parker Stokes. Nick's biggest dream came true that day, making him the happiest man alive, and he had his loving partner Greg to thank for it.
Clearing his throat as he entered the waiting room that was a lot emptier then when he entered just a few hours ago, Nick alerted the attention of Mr and Mrs Sanders who were sat right by each other, clutching one another's hands tightly.
They slowly turned their heads towards him, giving him a curious look as he got a little closer towards them. "Daniel, Jean . . . would you like to meet your granddaughter?" Nick spoke softly, watching both of their eyes immediately lighting up.
"Granddaughter?" Jean gasped, clutching her husband's hands even tighter in her own. "Did he just say granddaughter?" Daniel just gave her a nod as he was too excited to form words. The excited grandparents instantly sprang to their feet, eager to meet the new addition to their family.
Jean quickly threw her arms around Nick's shoulders, clutching him tightly as he had made her the happiest grandmother alive. Daniel hugged him next then they both followed him off down the hall towards one of the private rooms where their son was sat upright on the bed with his little baby wrapped up in a blanket in his arms.
Jean immediately pulled her camera from her purse snapping a picture so she could remember this image forever. "Oh baby," She gasped as she got closer to see her granddaughter peacefully sleeping in her sons arms. "She's beautiful." Jean pecked a kiss to her son's forehead as she looked down at the beautiful little girl in his arms. Gentle tears slowly began to stream their way down her cheeks as it was the most beautiful image she had ever seen.
"You wonna hold her?" Greg smiled up at her.
Jean impatiently nodded, carefully taking the sleeping baby from her child's arms. "Oh my goodness, she's so tiny." While Jean fawned over her new grandchild, Daniel hugged his son tightly then his new son in law Nick again, congratulating them both before he turned back to his wife in tears as she gently rocked the tiny baby in her arms. "What time was she born?" Jean queried, counting the baby's tiny little fingers.
"Two am, on the dot." Nick proudly reported. "She's less than an hour old."
"Aww," Jean cooed as her granddaughter gave out the cutest little yawn. "She's so beautiful. Maybe you can even get her into modelling?" She teased, watching the two new father's surprised reaction. "Of course I was joking. All babies are beautiful... and she's the very best one." She smiled down at her granddaughter.
Nick carefully took a seat on the edge of Greg's bed, holding his hand in his lap while the new grandparents fawned over their grandchild. Nick gave Greg a wide smile as he looked towards him, pressing a kiss to the side of his head as he leant back against the head rest beside him.
"Hello." The nurse smiled at them all as she came in to check on Greg and the baby.
"You look exhausted baby." Jean smiled up at her son.
"I am." Greg smiled back at her, holding Nick's hand tightly beside him.
"We should let you get some sleep." Daniel suggested then saw the look in his wife's eyes that said 'Just you try and take me away from this baby.' Daniel gulped hard then tried again. "C'mon dear, we can come back in the morning." He suggested.
"We have to do a few more tests on the baby anyway." The nurse smiled at the new grandmother.
Jean reluctantly handed the baby over to the nurse, giving her son a kiss to the forehead before she and Daniel rushed off after the nurse, watching her wheeling their granddaughter into the baby ward with all the others.
They eventually left an hour later after watching all the tests to make sure their granddaughter was a healthy baby. Doctor Simpson checked over Greg a few more times while Nick stood at the window of the baby ward, watching his little girl peacefully sleeping in her little crib. Doctor Simpson gave Greg some more pain killers once he was done, leaving him alone with the nurses a moment to clean him up a bit and make him feel more comfortable after his c-section.
"Hey Nick." Doctor Simpson smiled as he caught Nick leant against the window of the baby ward. "You doing okay?"
"Yeah... how's Greg?" The concerned new father immediately asked.
"He's gonna be fine. He's going to be a little uncomfortable for a while from the caesarean, and we usually keep people who had a caesarean in for a few extra days, just in case. And your baby's heartbeat and breathing are fine. You've gotcha self a perfectly healthy baby there." He smiled at the new dad. "The nurses will continue checking on her every ten to fifteen minutes. Some baby's have difficulty breathing for the first time, but yours is doing fine. They're about to weigh her if you wonna come in?" He suggested, pulling open the door for Nick. "Celia, can you weigh the Stokes-Sanders baby now?" Doctor Simpson asked one of the nurses.
"Sure thing. Hello Mr Stokes." She smiled at Nick, carefully lifting the baby from the crib. "She's such a good baby. This one was born nine hours ago and he hasn't stopped crying since." She chuckled as she carried the baby over to her station. Nick smiled as he watched the other babies screaming, crying and waving their little arms and legs about in their cribs. He imagined they were probably screaming, 'Put me back in. I don't wonna be out here.'
Doctor Simpson stepped around the nurse, grabbing the chart for their baby. "Okay that's... five pound twelve ounces." He reported, writing it down.
"Is that okay?" Nick queried concerned.
"Average is around seven pounds. But there's lots of smaller or bigger babies." The nurse assured him, lifting the baby up into her arms again. She carefully lay the baby down on the padded surface while the doctor grabbed the measuring tape. They smiled as the little girl kept moving her legs, making it difficult for them to determine her exact length as she kept wriggling.
"There we go." Doctor Simpson smiled up at Nick before he wrote it down. "Eighteen inches."
"Doesn't she have beautiful big eyes?" Celia smiled up at Nick. "She's got your dark hair too." Nick smiled at her then opened his arms as Celia carefully handed his daughter over to him. "That's it, just support her head."
"We'll give Greg a minute to rest up then the nurses will bring her through and show you how to feed, change and cloth her." Doctor Simpson smiled at Nick who was still gazing into his daughter's eyes with the widest smile on his face. He couldn't believe that his baby was finally here after months of waiting, but he was really excited to start the rest of his life with both her and Greg.
After the night shift crew had finished at the lab, Sara, Warrick and Catherine stopped by the hospital before they went home, checking on their new daddy's. Nick had since returned to the room with Greg, watching him sleeping. He immediately spotted them at the door with their noses pressed against the glass, laughing softly at them. He quietly climbed up from his chair, leaving Greg fast asleep in the room while he joined them in the hall.
"Hey, what are you guys doin' here?" He whispered to them.
"Puh-lease Nicky, we couldn't go home without seeing your new baby." Catherine smiled to him, looking in at Greg before she threw her arms around Nick to hug him tightly. "I'm so glad you made it in time."
"So where's the little one?" Warrick queried.
"Right down the hall." Nick finished his hug with Catherine then led the three of them down the hall towards the baby ward, pointing out his little girl on the right.
"Oh my God!" Catherine gasped, leaning right against the window while Sara and Warrick stood in awe, admiring her in silence. "How much did she weigh?" Catherine asked him curiously.
"Um... five pound twelve ounces. And she's eighteen inches long." Nick proudly reported. "Oh and Greg measured her foot... two and a half centimetres."
"Aww." Catherine sighed as she looked over at her.
"Why do girls get so girly over babies?" Warrick chuckled, leaning up against the glass. Catherine and Sara both rolled their eyes at him, gazing into the room awestruck at the brand new Stokes-Sanders baby. "What's her name?" Warrick queried.
"At the moment, Greg's kinda been callin' the baby Danny... short for Danielle, but we haven't completely decided yet. He was too tired after." The three of them nodded to him then looked round as a nurse came out.
"Mr Stokes, your baby is awake if you'd like to hold her." The nurse smiled at him.
"Yeah, okay." Nick looked at his friends, seeing if they wanted to. Sara and Warrick were a little hesitant but Catherine was very eager and willing.
Nick and Catherine followed the nurse into the noisy baby ward towards Greg and Nick's little girl. The nurse carefully lifted her for them, placing her in Catherine's arms first as she had already sanitised her hands, anxious to hold the little angel.
"Wow, she's got such long fingers." Catherine smiled up at Nick as baby Danny wrapped her little fingers around Catherine's thumb.
"She gets them from Greg." Nick smiled at her then looked round as the nurse ushered Warrick and Sara inside to meet her. He smiled at them taking a slight step back so they could get a closer look at her.
"Nicky's little princess." Warrick grinned at him, giving him a buddy slap to the back.
"She looks like Greg." Sara admired her.
"She's got your dark hair though." Catherine smiled in awe as she gently brushed her hand across the few strands of dark brown hair on the baby's head.
"I thought babies were supposed to be screaming and smelly," Sara looked towards a little boy as he started screaming his head off. "Like that one."
"Not all babies are like that." Catherine chuckled to her. "She is really light though. Lindsey was nearly eight pounds when I had her. She feels so tiny." She grinned up at the proud father beside her. "Congratulations Nicky. So, what time was she born? Is she a Christmas eve baby or..."
"Yep, two am this mornin'." Nick nodded to her. "She's a Christmas eve baby."
Catherine smiled up at him then looked back down at the tiny baby in her arms. "Well if you're ever strapped for a babysitter, I'm your girl."
"You work the same shift." He smirked, watching his little girl stretching her arms and legs out in Catherine's arms beneath her blanket. "I think we'll be okay. Greg wants to stay with her as long as possible and we've got Greg's parents livin' less than a mile away."
"And you don't wonna be a stay at home daddy?" Warrick smiled at him, watching the baby's curious eyes looking around at them all. "She's gonna be the luckiest little girl in the world to have you two as daddies."
"Speaking of, have you told your parents yet?" Catherine queried, raising her eyebrows as she saw him shaking her head. "You didn't?"
Nick shook his head again. "They don't really wonna know. I told my mom about Greg... in a letter though. She's not answerin' my phone calls at the moment so I had to."
"I'm sure once she meets Greg, and her little granddaughter she'll change her mind." Catherine assured him. "How can anyone say no to this little face? Her eyes are so dark."
"They change colour." The nurse assured her. "Some babies are born with blue or blue gray. They'll either go darker like Nick's or lighter like Greg's." She smiled at them all.
Nick smiled in agreement, taking baby Danny off Catherine's hands as she handed her over. "Well I gotta go pick up Lindsay from my sisters."
"Yeah, I gotta get some sleep." Warrick agreed. "Have fun there Daddy-O; take care of this little angel."
Nick nodded to them both, receiving a buddy hug from Warrick and a kiss to his cheek from Catherine before they head out the room together. Nick looked up at Sara once they were gone who still seemed to be mesmerized by the baby in his arms. "You wonna hold her Sara?"
"No," She quickly shook her head to him. "I'm afraid I might drop her." She gave him a slight smile as she took a step closer towards him. "So, how's Greg doing?"
"Okay, he's exhausted... but he's okay." Nick smiled back at her then glanced down at Danny as she looked up at Sara curiously. "You sure you don't wonna hold her? You are her aunt Sara." Sara gave him a surprised look then carefully dropped her shoulder bag to an empty chair so her arms were free. Nick carefully handed his baby girl over to her, making sure she had her and was holding her right before he took a slight step back. "See, nothin' to it." He smiled at her.
Sara gave him a nervous smile back before she turned her attention back to the baby, watching her jerky arm movements. "I can't believe she's really here. She's amazing."
"I know." Nick agreed with her. "I knew she was comin' . . . I just never expected this." Nick smiled as Danny gave out a yawn followed by a little gurgling sound that even broke through the walls of Sara's butch exterior, bringing a tear to her eye.
Sara stayed for a few more minutes just to hold her then had to leave so she could go home and get some sleep. Nick waved her goodbye, once again holding his little girl in his arms that made an uncontrollable grin spread across his features again.
"You wonna take this little one off to her other daddy?" Celia asked Nick, straightening the blanket around the little baby girl. Nick looked up at her then gave her a nod. Celia fixed up a bottle of formula then led the way off down the hall towards Greg's room, holding the door open as Nick came in with his baby in his arms.
Greg turned his head towards the door, smiling as he saw the look on Nick's face as he proudly carried his baby girl into the room.
"Hello Greg." Celia smiled at him. "Would you like to feed your little girl?" Celia carefully helped him to sit up straight, adjusting the pillows behind him to support him. "Comfy?" She smiled at him then took the baby from Nick, carefully handing her over to Greg.
Leaning against the side of the bed, Nick smiled as he watched the nurse showing Greg how to feed his baby properly with the bottle of formula.
Celia soon left them too it, heading back to her station down the hall.
Nick pressed his lips to Greg's forehead, giving him a wide smile as he looked up at him. "How you feelin' baby?"
"Sore, happy, slightly nauseous, uncomfortable, tired and... I can't believe she's really here."
Nick smiled widely at him as he brushed his fingertips through his hair. "I think that pretty much covers it. And she's real." Nick reached for her little hand with his other hand, brushing his thumb across her tiny little fingers. "Sara held her earlier, she actually cried when Danny yawned." Greg smiled up at him, giving out a soft giggle. "And Warrick said she's the luckiest girl in the world."
"I feel pretty lucky too, I've got you... and my beautiful little girl."
"What about me? I've got you and our beautiful little girl." Nick grinned at him, touching his lips to his cheek. "I'm sorry I didn't keep my promise baby."
"Technically you did, you were there." Greg smiled up at him, readjusting his arm underneath his baby. "Isn't she the most perfect thing you've ever seen?" Nick nodded, thinking they were both the most perfect things he had ever seen. Greg carefully pulled the empty bottle from her mouth, handing it over to Nick while he readjusted her in his arms. "I thought she'd be bigger... or louder."
Nick smiled softly to him, holding his little girls hand between his thumb and index finger. "The nurse said she was such a good baby. There's a little boy in the ward screamin' his little head off. She must just have a curious mind like you."
Greg smiled up at him, resting his head back against the pillow beneath his head. "I love you Nicky, more than anything."
Leaning closer, Nick gently touched his lips to Greg's as the younger man wrapped one arm around his neck, tugging him closer to hug him tightly. "I love you so much too." Nick hugged him back, smiling against his neck, being careful of the baby between them that was looking up at the two of them curiously.
"You know my water broke all over the kitchen floor." Greg smiled up at him.
"Well I was gonna clean the place once everythin' was moved out. Amniotic fluid isn't usually what I'd use to clean the kitchen floor though." He smirked, gently brushing his fingers through Greg's soft hair. "I'm still sorry I wasn't there with you though. I left my phone in my locker while we were down in the impound lot. I never do that."
"You're completely forgiven." Greg assured him then looked down at his daughter in his arms. "Don't we forgive daddy? He made it on time didn't he?" Their baby girls jerky arm movements almost looked as though she was waving up at the two of them. "I'm your other daddy by the way. You're such a lucky little girl, you have two daddies. We'll explain that part later though." Nick smiled at him, pressing another kiss to his forehead as he was so adorable. "Can you stay Nicky?" He asked as he saw the time, realising all the visitors had to leave in less than twenty minutes.
"I'll try to. There's no way that I'm leavin' the two of you alone too long." He assured him.
"You don't trust me?"
"I trust you completely." Nick smiled down at him. "I just don't wonna leave you."
"Go borrow some handcuffs, chain yourself to the bed, refusing to leave." Greg giggled up at him.
"You won't need to do anything that drastic." Nurse Celia giggled as she entered the room. "I'll talk to the night shift nurses and let you stay if you want." She smiled at the two of them, taking the empty bottle from Nick's hands. "I'll bring the cot through in a minute. You alright holding her?"
"Yep." Greg smiled up at her. "I am holding her right aren't I?"
"Yes, don't worry dear." She assured him. "You're a natural. Just make sure you support her head, don't hold her upside-down or by the ankles or arms and you'll do fine." She smiled at them both then left the room, heading back down the hall to her station.
"See told yah." Nick winked at him. "I'm just gonna go talk to your parents out in the waiting room a sec."
"For what?"
"Son in law stuff." Nick smiled, pressing a kiss to his forehead before he left. "It'll take two seconds. I'll be right back."
"You better." Greg waved after him then leant back against the pillow, rocking his little baby girl in his arms. "Daddy and I love you very much little one. And I really wonna thank you for bringing him to me, that was the best Christmas present you could ever give your daddy." He smiled down at her as she gave out a wide yawn. "Not even a day old and already I'm boring you." He giggled as she stuck her tongue out of her mouth, giving him a smile before she made a soft gurgling noise. "You are so beautiful my angel."
A few hours later Greg fell asleep as his next round of pain killers kicked in. The night nurses allowed Nick to stay in his room, watching over his daughter and his lover instead of sleeping. Daniel and Jean finally went home to get some sleep while the rest of Las Vegas were crawling into bed, getting ready to wake up for Christmas morning the next day.
Gently rocking his new baby daughter in his arms, Nick turned his head to look at the sleeping angel across the room. Greg was lying on his side in the hospital bed, soundly sleeping after everything he had just been through just a few hours ago. He now only looked four months pregnant since his stomach had gone down quite a bit already.
Nick never remembered being this happy before in his life. He couldn't remember a single moment of his life that he had smiled this much either. But with this little girl in his arms, and the man he loved lying across the room, he felt a surge of happiness igniting through his body, something he had never felt before in his life.
Nick carefully made his way over to the cot beside Greg's bed, gently lowering his daughter inside. He readjusted the little hat covering her short strands of dark brown hair, smiling widely as her eyes opened, revealing the exact same gorgeous gemstones as Greg's. She kicked her little legs about, smiling up at her father above her, making him the happiest man alive, again.
"Nicky, you're still here." Greg groggily spoke as he sleepily began to stir.
"Yeah." Nick softly spoke, taking a seat on the edge of his bed. "You okay baby?"
"Tired." He yawned.
Nick smiled at him, gently brushing his fingers through Greg's slightly spiked hair while the rest was stuck to the side of his head from the sweat. "You're beautiful Greg." He whispered softly to him, touching his lips to his forehead. "I love you so much."
"I already know you love me." He smiled up at him.
"Yeah, but now I really, really, really, really mean it." He grinned widely at him. "More than I've ever loved anyone or anythin'."
"I know." Greg smiled lusciously; holding Nick's hand in his own then turned his head to the side as their baby made a soft gurgling noise, fidgeting in her crib.
"You wonna hold her again baby?" Nick asked him. Greg looked at him nervously then nodded. Nick climbed to his feet, carefully lifting his little girl into his arms. He supported her head then gently placed her in Greg's arms, watching his eyes lighting up as he got to once again hold his flesh and blood in his arms.
"She's so tiny. I thought I dreamt holding her before. She gets smaller and smaller every time I hold her."
Nick chuckled softly. "They don't actually start shrinkin' until they're really, really old." He smirked, touching his lips to Greg's head again. "Ten fingers... ten toes... and a pair of beautiful eyes just like you. She's perfect." Nick watched as Greg counted her fingers and toes for himself. He grinned wider as their little girl curled her fingers from her left hand around Greg's thumb. "So you don't feel like you've trapped me anymore?" He queried.
"Well actually, I kinda insist that you don't go on any more dates with your loose women." Greg joked, making Nick smile at him. "Looks like we're stuck together for life though." He indicated towards the baby in his arms. "There's no getting out now Nicky."
"I for one am glad." Nick's mouth spread into a Cheshire grin as he saw his baby slightly smiling. "How else was I supposed to tie down Greg Sanders?" He snickered, leaning forwards to kiss him. Nick watched Greg yawning this time then carefully climbed to his feet to take the baby from his arms. "You can go back to sleep now baby." Nick pressed a kiss to Greg's forehead then carefully lay their daughter back down in her little plastic crib. "You can hold your little angel again when you're not so exhausted."
"You won't go anywhere will you?"
"Nope, they'll have to drag me kickin' and screamin'." Nick assured him, giving him a wide smile. "Just relax and go to sleep. When you wake up I'll still be here and it'll Christmas mornin'." He whispered softly as he smiled at him. "Everythin's gonna be okay . . . you trust me doncha?"
Greg nodded up at him. "With my life."
Sorry for the wait, it's been way too cold to write. We've got about four inches of snow at the moment, theres no buses or trains working so I had to walk to work and my fingers are freezing by the time I get back home to write lol :D I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review!
~ Holly