They both slept on and off that night, both waking up every so often and listening to the walkie talkie before falling back to sleep. They both woke up however when a small body snuggled into the gap that had appeared between the two of them over the night as they moved in their sleep.
"Ugh," Rick groaned as a small elbow caught him in the stomach.
He sat up and was aware of Kate doing the same thing on the other side of the bed. He reached over and flicked the bedside light on and then looked down to see that Thomas was sitting between the two of them, tears silently running down his face. Over the small boys head Rick could see that Kate was blinking her eyes in the sudden light before she too looked down to see Thomas between them, clutching Clint to his chest.
"What's wrong Thomas?" Kate asked, pulling her hand from under the duvet and gently using her thumb to wipe the tears from the boys' cheeks.
"Scared," Thomas sniffled, clutching Clint to his chest.
"What are you scared of buddy?" Rick asked softly, gently putting an arm around his shoulders and giving him a light squeeze.
"The bad man," Thomas sobbed, "The one who hurt mommy and daddy, he came back to hurt me too."
The tears that had been trickling down his cheeks now started streaming once more.
"Oh Thomas," Kate said, wrapping her arms around the boy and pulling him onto her lap, hugging him close, "You don't need to be scared. We're going to get him and until then you're going to be safe with us or your Aunt Penny."
Kate felt Thomas nodded into her chest and then rearranged her arms slightly so that Rick could slip his arms around the two of them, enclosing Thomas safely in the space between them. Once the boy had stopped shaking both Kate and Rick pulled back slightly and Kate used the corner of the duvet to wipe Thomas' face clean before reaching into the draw and pulling out a tissue and wiping his face clear of the snot that his crying had caused.
"Do you want to sleep here?" Rick asked once Kate had put the tissue to one side.
Thomas nodded before hugging Clint even closer to his chest and burying his face into the top of the bears head. Kate lifted him slightly and Rick pulled the duvet out from underneath him before Kate put him back down on the bed.
Kate was the first to lie down and once she was comfortable she opened her arms for Thomas. Thomas lay down too and huddled close to her, Clint face buried in her chest and Thomas' face buried into the back of the bear. Kate carefully moved her hair so that it was behind her on the pillow and out of the way, Rick helping with the bits that she had missed. Once Kate's hair was sorted and out of the way Rick turned off the light then lay down too, pulling the duvet over the three of them.
They all slept fitfully for the rest of the night. Every time Thomas twitched or made a sound both Rick and Kate would wake up and check on him before falling back asleep. Thomas slept through the rest of the night without waking up again which made both Rick and Kate very happy, even if they hadn't quite got enough sleep themselves. They however were used to working on little to no sleep, a five year old boy not so much.
When they woke up, Kate a few minutes before her alarm went off which meant she could turn it off before it woke the boy, Rick a few minutes later when he felt the bed shift as her weight left it. He sat up slowly and smiled at the now standing Kate before looking down at Thomas, who was still fast asleep, his thumb in his mouth and his teddy clutched to his chest.
Rick slowly got out of the bed and gestured with his head towards the door. Kate nodded and the two of them made their way out of the room quietly. They left the door open and then headed into the kitchen.
Once they were clear of the room, and in the kitchen itself Kate turned on the coffee maker before she leant against the counter and looked at Rick. Rick smiled at her and gave his eyes a rub before saying, "Did you sleep ok last night? After Thomas ended up in with us I mean?"
Kate nodded, "I slept ok yeah, a little different sharing with you and a kid, but I got some sleep so I'll be fine."
Rick smiled at her before he smirked and said, "Well just think, if we do have kids then at least we'll both be ok with little to no sleep if the little one stays up all night crying."
Kate stared at him for a moment, not really sure what to say. It was a little early to be talking about the hypothetical kids they may or may not have in the future. She however was saved from having to say anything as the coffee maker clicked.
Rick handed her two mugs and then turned to the cupboard and started pulling out what they would need for breakfast, bowls and cereal, stuff like that. Kate sorted out the coffees just the way that they liked it. As she finished adding the milk Thomas came out of the room rubbing sleep from his eyes and trailing Clint behind him by the teddies leg.
"Good morning," Kate greeted him as she passed Rick his coffee, "Do you feel better this morning?"
Thomas nodded and then Rick said, "Want some breakfast buddy?"
Thomas nodded and Rick gestured for him to come closer. Once Thomas was within arm's reach Rick picked him up and placed him on top of the kitchen island, giving him a smile and saying, "How about you sit up here so you can see everything, just don't fall off ok."
Thomas nodded and both Rick and Kate gave him a smile before Kate started pouring cereal for herself and Rick while Rick asked Thomas, "What cereal do you want?"
Thomas pointed one of them out and Rick poured him a bowl full before adding milk and placing it beside Thomas. "How about you stay up there and eat," Rick said, "I don't think you're tall enough to be able to see the table from one of the stalls."
Thomas nodded and, after Kate had moved him so he was sitting more central on the island, he started spooning cereal into his mouth, crunching away happily.
Rick and Kate grabbed their own bowls and sat and began to eat. "Can I have some milk please?" Thomas asked quietly.
Rick nodded and stood and grabbed a cup and poured in some milk before placing it beside Thomas. Thomas gave him a smile in thanks and put his spoon down before picking up the cup and taking a drink before swapping back.
They all ate fairly quickly and then Kate left them to go and have a quick shower before she got dressed for the day. Thomas stayed perched on the island while Rick put all the dirty dishes into the dish washer. When he got to Thomas' dishes he asked, "Do you want anything else Thomas?"
"Can I have another glass of milk please Rick?" he asked.
"Of course," Rick answered, grabbing the milk and filling the boys' cup once more before putting the milk back in the fridge and grabbing the rest of the dirty bowls.
Kate soon joined them again, running a towel through her hair. "I'll grab a shower now," Rick said.
Kate nodded and Rick headed past her and into the bedroom. "So Thomas," Kate said, "Do you want to get dressed or do you want a quick bath or shower first?"
Thomas just looked at her, not saying a word. "How about just a quick wash with a wash cloth before you get dressed?" Kate tried again.
This time Thomas nodded in response and Kate lifted him off the table, but rather than putting him back on the floor she put him on her hip and headed up the stairs and into the spare room. She put Thomas on the bed and tickled him lightly, just to get a smile, before she grabbed the dinosaur bag from where Rick had put it on the chair and put it on the bed before sitting down herself.
She proceeded to pull out a clean set of clothes. "This ok?" she asked Thomas, holding up the clothes for him to look at; she had never had to dress a five year old before.
Thomas nodded and Kate smiled at him before she stood back up. She helped Thomas off the bed and back to standing on his own two feet. She then grabbed the clothes and the bag and headed out of the room, Thomas close behind her. At the top of the stairs Kate paused, she wasn't sure which bathroom to use or where Rick kept the wash cloths.
Thomas stopped behind her and began playing with the bear as Kate pondered over what she could do. In the end it didn't matter because Rick came out of the bedroom, his hair still dripping from the shower and his shirt undone and untucked.
When he saw that they weren't in the kitchen he turned to look around the loft before moving and coming to the bottom of the stairs. "You ok Kate?" he queried when he saw that she was standing still at the top of the stairs.
"Yeah," Kate answered, "I was just wondering where the wash cloths are so Thomas can have a quick wash."
Rick smiled at her and then came up the stairs before walking past her towards the airing cupboard. He opened the door and pulled out a wash cloth and clean small towel for Thomas to use. He then walked back over to where Kate and Rick were standing and handed both items to Kate, who took them with a smile.
"Use the en-suite," Rick said, "It's already wet in there so it doesn't matter so much if you make a mess."
Kate nodded and smiled before leading Thomas down the stairs and into the bedroom. Rick watched them go and then went back into the kitchen and made another cup of coffee for himself and Kate, putting them into travel cups so that they could drink them on the way to the precinct.
Thomas and Kate quickly got down the business and Thomas had soon been washed all over and dried off. Kate helped him into the clothes they had picked out and then put the towel into the washing hamper and hung the wash cloth over the taps to dry.
Kate put the pyjamas back into the bag and then she, Thomas and Clint all headed back out into the main part of the loft. They found Rick leaning against the counter, two cups of coffee next to him and a smile on his face. He had also found an old sippy cup of Alexis' which he had rinsed out and filled with juice so the boy could drink it in the car.
Kate smiled at him and grabbed her drink while Rick handed Thomas the thankfully plain yellow cup and grabbed his own drink for the counter.
Once everyone had everything they all headed out of the loft, locking the door behind them, and going down in the lift and out to the car.