Notes: It's been a busy month for me. I became an aunt amongst other things! Then the other site I post this on wouldn't work for me for the past few days and I post this chapter at the same time. Sorry for the delay but to make up for it, this is an extra long chapter! I hope you enjoy it.
Summary: It's an eventful spring for the Darcy family and their friends.
Wednesday, April 10th
For the first time in a while, the group had been unable to get together for a monthly dinner in March due to their busy schedules, so Fitz and Brandon broke the news via email that they were officially moving to a new house and their place was on the market. They wanted to host the monthly dinner in May to show everything off after they moved in.
March rolled into April in the blink of an eye and Eleanor began going to work with William on Mondays and Fridays, getting her more and more used to daycare. It was hard to believe that she was already five months old. While she was still little, the doctor assured them that she was developing right on track. Eleanor could hold her head up steadily, push herself up and roll over when she was on her stomach, and reacted with coos and gurgles whenever they talked to her. She was even becoming more expressive and making new sounds with her mouth, which delighted Lizzie and William to no end.
Lizzie was back at work five days a week. Since the first of the month, she had the social media team dropping little hints on Twitter about the new book project and they had a countdown on their website that would lead to the unveiling of the project on the first of May. While they were still in early stages of the project, it was creating some much-needed buzz and the viewing stats for the other ongoing projects were shooting through the roof.
Gigi would be on a business trip for most of the month, heading to London for meetings and then to Paris to scout out locations for another possible international office. She and Lizzie usually had a standing date on Mondays, but the only time their schedules would allow before Gigi flew out on Friday was today.
So, for the first time in a while, Lizzie was walking down the halls of Pemberley Digital without the intent of seeing her husband, who was home with Eleanor. According to his last text, he and Eleanor were working on her sitting skills. He sent a video of her sitting up unassisted for a moment before she sneezed and fell backwards. She pulled out her phone just as she was reaching Gigi's office so she could show her the video. She was barely paying attention to her path and expected to walk into her office. Instead, Lizzie walked right into somebody and dropped her phone.
"I'm so sorry!" Lizzie apologized, taking a step back.
"My fault, really," he assured, bending down to pick up her phone. He stood up and she got a good look at the man in front of her. He was as tall as William, had curly black hair to his ears, and a thousand-watt smile. "Phone looks fine too. No cracks. I'm Naveen—"
"Bhatt!" Lizzie finished, a bit enthusiastically as he handed over her phone "You're the new head of communications."
"Am I that notorious?" Naveen asked lightly, looking back into the office.
"No, but I have heard of you," Lizzie said. "I'm—"
"Lizzie? Is that you?" Gigi appeared in the doorway behind Naveen.
"Lizzie? As in the CEO of Decent Enough Productions, the wife of this company's CEO, and Georgiana's sister-in-law?" Naveen asked.
"So you've heard of me too," Lizzie said, shaking his hand. "Hi, Gigi. Naveen and I ran into each other."
"Quite literally," Naveen added, moving out of Gigi's way and leaning against the frame of the door.
"Are you okay?" Gigi asked and Lizzie nodded.
"No harm," he said before looking back to Lizzie. "What brings you to enemy territory?"
Lizzie smiled. "Gigi and I are having lunch. And I'd hardly consider our companies to be on the same level. Mine's still building its foundation."
"I did my research before I arrived and your company was consistently mentioned as one of the best. I'd say you've built your foundation," Naveen said. "It's one I'd happily work for if the right offer was made." He winked.
"I'm pretty sure I couldn't afford you," Lizzie said with a laugh. "But thank you for the compliment. You really know how to butter somebody up."
"Maybe you could butter this one up for me, eh?" Naveen gestured to Gigi. Gigi rolled her eyes behind him and Lizzie lifted an eyebrow in question.
"What do you need?"
"I've been here for nearly two months and barely know the city. Since I knew Georgiana from when she managed in London, I was hoping she'd give me a tour," Naveen explained. "I was just in here to convince her again but to no avail."
"I have it on authority that she's an excellent tour guide," Lizzie said, barely holding back her delight. "Don't worry. I think I can help you out. This city is definitely worth knowing through her eyes."
"Brilliant! Well, I really must get back to work. Enjoy your lunch, ladies. It was a pleasure to meet you, Lizzie."
"You too, Naveen," Lizzie said, waving goodbye. She waited a moment and then gently nudged Gigi back into her office, closing the door behind her.
"Don't even start, Lizzie!" Gigi said when she saw the obvious glee on Lizzie's face.
Lizzie ignored that. "First of all, you undersold that man. He's more attractive than I expected," Lizzie started. Gigi pressed her lips together to hold back a smile but it did no good. Lizzie noticed the faint blush in her cheeks and the sparkle in her eyes.
"Let me just tell my brother that," she said.
"I'm married, not dead. I can appreciate another man's looks," Lizzie told her, rolling her eyes. "I could go on and on about what I love about William but it would just gross you out."
"Get to the point, Lizzie," Gigi whined. "I'm hungry!"
"He clearly just gave you an opening. A tour of the city? Really, Gigi? Who's the one who set up a day of sightseeing when I was first here so I could get closer to her brother?"
"William did," Gigi pointed out, a bit smugly. "It was his idea."
"Okay, I'll give you that. Still, you orchestrated the whole day so that we'd be in pictures together and you stayed back to make sure that he was my tour guide instead of you," Lizzie said before squeezing her arm. "From that quick meeting just now, it's not hard to see that he likes you. You've talked about him enough that I know you like him too. Are you worried about what William might think? Or how he'd react?"
"No. He's gotten better about me dating. I think he's finally figured it out that I'm a grown woman and can take care of myself. I'm just not going to introduce him to every single guy I go out with, especially if it's just one or two dates. I don't see the point in that," Gigi said, chewing on her bottom lip.
"I know that," Lizzie said. "But I also know that there's no rule against interoffice dating here."
"Sometimes, it kind of sucks you know everything about this company," Gigi said jokingly.
"You love it," Lizzie teased back. "So? Why are you hesitating?"
"I'm really busy!" Gigi said defensively. "I'm leaving this week and won't be back until the end of the month."
"But what about planning for something when you come back? Don't tell me your time away is enough for his interest to wane."
Gigi sighed. "We'll see what happens when I come back. If there's still interest on his side."
"Oh, come on. You're amazing. I have a feeling he'll still feel the same way three weeks from now," Lizzie offered. "Absence makes the heart grow fonder. I know that from experience."
A hopeful expression spread across Gigi's face and Lizzie knew that was what she needed to hear.
"I mean…I am a pretty great tour guide."
"You are," Lizzie nodded, looping her arm with hers. "I'm looking forward to hearing about your eventual first date."
"I swear you're worse than me!" Gigi snorted.
"No one is worse than you," Lizzie grinned. "Also, you were right. He does look pretty good in a suit."
Gigi brightened further. "I told you!"
"Not as amazing as William does. Those suits fit so nicely…" Lizzie said wistfully and Gigi groaned.
"I don't need the details," Gigi said, tugging on her arm. "I'm starving. Can we go eat now?"
"Yes! I am too!" Lizzie said as they left Gigi's office. As they did, Lizzie remembered the whole reason why she bumped into Naveen in the first place and she pulled her phone out of her pocket. "Do you want to see an adorable video of Eleanor?"
"Aren't they all adorable?" Gigi asked.
"Yes but this one is from today and it's especially adorable," Lizzie said.
"Of course! Bring on the cuteness!"
Saturday, April 20th
Before Eleanor was born, Lizzie and William had a discussion about the importance of holidays to them. They both had happy childhood memories of the bigger holidays and wanted the same thing for their daughter. Easter was a holiday that conjured up more happy thoughts for Lizzie than William. For him, his parents hadn't seen the holiday as a religious one so he hadn't really celebrated it before. Lizzie had regaled stories with him of dyeing eggs with her sisters, getting Easter baskets with giant chocolate bunnies, and getting competitive with the Easter egg hunts. After hearing her stories, he wanted the same thing for their daughter and they planned to enjoy it.
They knew Eleanor wouldn't be the most active participant for her first official Easter but they still planned a few activities with their friends for the weekend, ending with their monthly dinner on Sunday instead of their usual Saturday. Charlotte and Lydia came over on Saturday afternoon to paint Easter eggs while William and Sam went to Fitz and Brandon's to help with packing.
While Lizzie set everything up in the dining room, Lydia and Charlotte were getting some play time with Eleanor. She watched from the kitchen as they sat on the floor in the living room, with her daughter between them. They had their hands stretched out to catch Eleanor whenever she rolled backwards from her sitting position. She was already regularly rolling onto her back from her stomach and had finally figured out how to roll onto her stomach in the past couple weeks. Now she was trying to master the art of sitting up unassisted for more than a few moments at a time. Lizzie and William had been making sure to be putting her in sitting positions, using pillows when they had her on the couch and a Bumbo seat when they were at the table.
"Whoopsie! And down you go again," Lydia cried, helping her niece back up. Eleanor was all smiles and squealed, smacking her hand on the floor. While she showed her frustrations with tummy time and learning to turn over, she thought everything about learning to sit up was hysterical.
"Lizzie, she's getting so much better at this!" Charlotte told her. "I can't believe how much she's grown since I last saw her!"
"You need to come over more often!" Lizzie reprimanded and Charlotte smiled sheepishly. "Our birthday dinner wasn't nearly long enough for you to visit."
"I've been so busy. The company is rolling out tons of new content so I've been having long days to make sure it's up to Ricky's standards. And Sam has had an influx of patients so his calendar has been booked solid for the past two weeks, as well as the next month. This weekend is a rare free weekend for us," Charlotte said. She thrusted out her hand when she thought Eleanor was going to tip over but the baby caught herself by slapping one of her little hands on the floor.
"I, for one, can't get enough of these chubby cheeks!" Lydia said, lightly pinching one. Eleanor lit up and smiled up at her. "I'm just sorry Adam is missing all of this."
"Family functions take precedence and his sister asked him to come home way before we planned anything," Lizzie said, shrugging it off. "I appreciate the effort you took to be here, though, especially knowing it can be hard for you to get weekends off when you're in previews."
"I think we all really needed this time to relax," Charlotte said. "I'm glad you set it all up, Lizzie."
"Eleanor needs her traditions and I loved doing this with you guys and Jane when we were younger," Lizzie said, getting smiles from both girls. "Plus, she loves seeing all of you."
"She just loves the attention," Lydia said playfully, picking the baby up and blowing raspberries on her belly. Eleanor squealed with happiness and kicked her legs.
"Just like you!" Charlotte teased. Lydia narrowed her eyes and stuck her tongue out at her. Charlotte returned the gesture.
"Don't make me separate you two," Lizzie said, shaking her head at their antics. She turned to Eleanor.
"Come back to Mommy, baby girl!" Lizzie said sweetly, taking her from Lydia's arms so she could get up from the ground. Her daughter cooed in her arms and she kissed the top of her head, holding her tightly for a moment. While Charlotte and Lydia took their seats, Lizzie set Eleanor up in her newly purchased baby jumper that she had put right next to the table. William had bought the activity jumper the weekend prior after a suggestion by one of the daycare employees. There were multiple toys attached to it along with interactive lights and sounds. Eleanor responded to it much the same way she responded to everything else lately, with big smiles and sweet laughter.
Lizzie had set up the newspaper-covered table with small paint brushes and numerous different dyes and had hardboiled two cartons of eggs. The three of them spent some time dying the eggs, experimenting with different colors and designs.
"It's a shame the guys couldn't join us," Charlotte said, putting details on her second egg. "I still can't believe they're moving. They've been in that place for years. Have you seen pictures of the new place?"
"I have. It's got an elevator," Lizzie said.
"I'm jealous that it's a detached house. That would be the dream," Charlotte said. "Completely unaffordable though. Sam and I would be lucky to find a single-family home in our price range."
"Are you planning to move, Char?" Lizzie asked.
"Not any time soon," Charlotte shook her head. "Probably when we have a baby."
"And when is that?" Lizzie asked eagerly.
"Not any time soon," Charlotte repeated emphatically. "It's going to be a few years so don't get all excited."
"Oh, come on. I can get a little excited at the prospect of Eleanor having a playmate," Lizzie said, looking to her daughter as she let out a high squeal. "That's why William and I would move. When we decide to have a second baby, we're going to move to a bigger place."
"That should be interesting," Charlotte commented, putting a finished egg in the carton and grabbing another. "You and William looking for a house that fits both your styles."
"I don't think it would be too bad. I actually love it here, even though it was his to begin with. We've remodeled plenty of it and given it the 'Lizzie flair,'" Lizzie said. "I love my library and office."
"Right. I'm just wondering what it would be like when you start from scratch," Charlotte said. "He would totally—"
"Hey!" Lydia interrupted. "You don't think Fitz and Brandon are moving because they're gonna have a kid, do you?"
"Nah. I think they just want more space," Charlotte said. "Can you imagine Fitz with a child of his own?"
"He's so good with Eleanor. She's always a happy camper when he babysits," Lizzie said. "He'd probably just spoil the hell out of his own kids and give them whatever they wanted."
"He'd want to be best buds with them," Lydia added. "Brandon would totes be the parent who makes all the rules."
"Yea," Lizzie chuckled. "William and I agreed that we would both try to lay down the rules."
"Good luck with that," Charlotte said as all three of them looked at Eleanor. She visibly lit up from the attention and bounced in place, squealing loudly.
"Eleanor! So noisy!" Lizzie jokingly reprimanded, bending over and bopping her on the nose. She sat back up and picked up her nearly completed egg. "Yeah. She's going to make it really hard for me to be the bad parent. She's so hard to resist as it is."
"Just leave the hard stuff to William!" Lydia suggested with a grin.
"That would work if he wasn't just as smitten with our daughter as I was," Lizzie said with a shrug. "We'll figure it out."
"Preferably before she gets mobile, which will be sooner than you realize," Charlotte pointed out.
"Don't remind me!" Lizzie groaned, looking around. "We need to baby proof this place ASAP."
"I'm surprised William hasn't already done it," Lydia said, holding up her egg to show them. Lizzie and Charlotte gave her praise for her design.
"Actually, we do have a couple baby gates from when the twins have visited," Lizzie said. "I'll talk to him when he gets home."
"How long do you think they'll be over there helping?" Charlotte asked and Lizzie glanced at the time on her phone.
"At least another hour or two," Lizzie said. "I want to get the eggs done and get everything ready before they return though."
"Good luck with that. I've painted four eggs to your one," Lydia said smugly. "And Charlotte is on her third one!"
"Oh! You be quiet. Just keep painting!"
Sunday, April 21st
On Easter morning, there was a small amount of excitement in the Darcy household. William woke up to the sound of Eleanor's giggles from the baby monitor. Another second and reaching out for Lizzie, he realized she was already in the nursery, her voice coming through the speaker. He listened to her talking and stayed in bed, chuckling to himself at their conversation. She verbally debated on which outfit she should put the baby in, both of them Easter-themed. He didn't have to wait long to find out what she chose because she left the nursery with Eleanor, walking down the hallway to him.
"We're going to wake up Daddy!" Lizzie said in a sing-song voice as she approached the bedroom.
William tried to pretend to be asleep so Lizzie could wake him. Eleanor's high-pitched squeal of delight as they walked into the bedroom made it too difficult for him to hold back his smile.
"There he is! He's awake!" Lizzie said happily, bouncing Eleanor on her hip. "Good morning, Daddy!"
"Good morning! How are my two favorite ladies this morning?" he asked, sitting up and grabbing his glasses from the bedside table. He swung his legs to the floor, slipped on the t-shirt that was thrown to the bottom of the bed then held out his arms so Lizzie could hand Eleanor to him. She was wearing a white onesie that said 'Some bunny loves me' and a little bunny popping out of the writing. His smile grew and he pulled her in close, kissing both cheeks. "You are just too adorable, little missy."
"You all ready for your first Easter?" Lizzie asked.
"I think she is," William said, standing up. "She's appropriately dressed."
"Oh, it's your first real Easter too!" Lizzie said to him, a playful look in her eyes.
"What are you up to?" William asked, amused.
"It's just a little Easter egg hunt," Lizzie said. "I made it really easy since it's the first time for both of you."
"Did you really?" William asked. Lizzie nodded enthusiastically. He smiled and bounced Eleanor once in his arm, getting a happy gurgle from her. "Ready to go on a little adventure, sweetheart? Let's see what Mommy did for us."
"The Easter Bunny," Lizzie corrected, looking pointedly at him.
"Right. Of course. Let's see what the Easter Bunny left us!" William said to Eleanor.
He walked out of the bedroom with her in his arms and Lizzie following behind them, her hands behind her back. He made a show of looking for things as he went down the hall, checking behind a few of the pictures on the wall. As soon as he walked out of the hallway, he spotted a dyed egg on top of a bowl of fruit on the kitchen countertop.
"I think I found something!" William said, picking up the egg and showing it to Eleanor. "Do you see what the Easter bunny left? I bet he left us more!"
"You'll need this," Lizzie said, handing him a little basket from behind her back.
For the next five minutes, he went searching for more eggs and made a big show of it. He found a few more in the kitchen, the dining room, and the living room. Eleanor's laugh made it worth it. William's basket was full of eggs by the time he was finished with the living room, dyed and painted with different designs.
"I think we've found them all," William said, glancing around the room. Then he spotted something on the floor at the top of the stairs. He walked over and noticed they looked like cutouts of animal feet. Upon further inspection, he spotted a few more going down the stairs and he figured they must have belonged to the elusive Easter Bunny. "Hmmm. The Easter Bunny is not very sly. He left a trail!"
"Better check it out," Lizzie told him. That fact that she was including him so he could experience what her Easters had been like was touching. He smiled widely and bopped Eleanor on the nose, holding her close as he walked downstairs with her. He followed the trail to the sitting area near the exercise room where two large baskets full of goodies, one for him and one for Eleanor, were perched on the bench at the bay window.
"You made me an Easter basket?" William asked, looking back at Lizzie. She had a big smile on her face and was clearly proud of herself.
"Of course," Lizzie said, grabbing both baskets and bringing them over to the sitting area. William sat down and Lizzie took Eleanor from him before she handed her phone to him. He recorded everything while Lizzie helped their daughter go through her basket. Eleanor's was full of brightly colored toys and her eyes went wide with excitement as Lizzie held up a grey stuffed bunny rabbit. She reached out for the bunny and babbled when Lizzie gave it to her.
Once Lizzie finished with her basket, he checked his own to see what she had given him. There were a couple of ties in his favorite colors and one bowtie from a company he recently discovered and loved. There were plastic eggs full of jelly beans, a book, and some of his favorite candy. The pièce de résistance of the basket was a large chocolate bunny in a plastic box, which had yellow candy eyes and a pink candy bowtie.
"This is amazing," William sighed. "I can't believe you did this for me."
"It was my pleasure," Lizzie said, nudging his shoulder. "I'm glad you like it."
William leaned in to kiss her, prolonging the kiss by bringing a hand up to cup her neck. A little hand reached up between them and touched his cheek, making him laugh against Lizzie's lips. He pulled away and told Eleanor she was a silly baby. Then he kissed the top of her forehead and she cooed.
"So what's next on the Easter agenda?"
"Well, this little one has eaten, but I haven't. I'm starving," Lizzie said.
"I think it's time we go make ourselves some breakfast."
"Can you make some bunny-shaped pancakes?" Lizzie asked playfully and William chuckled, shaking his head.
"I think you'll have to settle for some Easter egg-shaped pancakes instead."
The rest of Easter was relaxing and Lizzie and William spent much of it playing with Eleanor and getting ready for the monthly dinner. William was making a pot roast and everybody else in the group was in charge of the sides and desserts. Eleanor was all dressed up in a spaghetti-strap romper that had multi-colored line patterns in spring colors and one row had Easter eggs with little chick faces popping out. There was a matching diaper cover complete with ruffles to go with it.
Everybody brought little Easter treats along with their dishes. Fitz topped everybody by bringing bunny ears for the group, along with a smaller set of ears for Eleanor. The first few times he tried to put them on her, she'd reach up, pull them off, and smile. Once Lizzie and William put their own set on, she stopped trying to take them off. Everybody else followed and they made a point of taking a picture. It was sent to Adam and Gigi, the only two missing from the party. The rest of the evening was full of good food, better dessert, and great conversation.
Saturday, May 11th
William had gone back to work full time at the beginning of May and was bringing Eleanor with him daily. She appeared to be adjusting well to her revised daily routine and all the daycare employees loved having her. William would drop her off around eight am and pick her up at five so they'd be home by five thirty to start on dinner. Lizzie would usually get home between six and six thirty and help out wherever she could. After eating, Eleanor would have her bath before they'd put her down for bed. The rest of the night was reserved for the two of them, sometimes spent catching up on emails and other work, but mostly just unwinding with each other.
The last couple days, however, had been difficult for Lizzie and William. They were worried that Eleanor was getting sick. On Thursday, Claire at daycare had talked to William at the end of the day and pointed out that she didn't seem her normal happy self. She was still taking her bottle but not finishing it off like she usually did. The other thing she noticed was that she was occasionally tugging on her ears.
By Friday, it was apparent to both of them that something was wrong. She had woken up a couple times during the night and didn't nurse for very long when Lizzie tried to feed her. It also took longer than usual to get her back to sleep. William ended up staying home from work with Eleanor while Lizzie left work early, too wound up and worried to get any work done anyway. When Lizzie was putting Eleanor down for a nap, she noticed she felt warmer than normal and took her temperature. It had reached 100.1, which she had only seen one other time when she had her vaccinations. William called their doctor and discussed the symptoms but he was told not worry, to give her acetaminophen if her temperature went above 101, and to pay attention to other symptoms. If anything persisted for more than twenty-four hours, then it would be cause for concern. He made a doctor appointment for Monday, just in case.
Saturday was no better. Eleanor hadn't improved and she was the grumpiest Lizzie and William had ever seen her. They spent the better part of the day taking care of her and making sure she ate, no matter how fussy she got about it. They kept an eye on her temperature and it hadn't improved but it hadn't gotten worse. It was an exhausting day – she refused to nap for very long and it took nearly two hours for Lizzie to get her to nurse and down for the night.
"I hate this," Lizzie sighed, rejoining William. "I hate seeing her so miserable."
"I do too," William said. "I don't like waiting until Monday when she's like this. You don't think she's teething, do you?"
"No. She's drooling no more than usual and I checked her gums. They're not swollen. Plus she's not chewing on everything in sight," Lizzie said. "That's what Jane told me to look for."
"It has to be something. I'm hoping the doctor can give us some answers," William said, rubbing his hands down his face.
"I feel helpless," Lizzie confessed. "This is the part of parenthood I was dreading."
William stood up and pulled her in for a hug, rubbing her back. He may not have been able to do much for Eleanor but he knew how to comfort his wife. He pressed his lips to the top of her head and she sighed, wrapping her arms around his waist.
"She's going to get better and this will be a distant memory. Our happy girl will be back us in no time."
Lizzie pulled back a little and looked up at him, nodding in agreement.
"I hope it's sooner rather than later."
Sunday, May 12th
3:11 am
Eleanor had woken up just after midnight, crying and waking up Lizzie and William. William quickly got up to check on her and discovered that she had a blowout. While he cleaned her up and changed her, Lizzie changed the sheets in the crib and they threw everything in the wash. It took some time to get her back down but not as long as earlier in the evening.
Just after three am, they were woken up again by loud cries from Eleanor. It startled the both of them and Lizzie practically fell out of bed to get to her. William lay in bed for another minute, rubbing his hands down his face and trying to wake himself up enough to help. After a few moments, he found the energy to pull himself out of bed. He shuffled down the hall as his daughter's cries grew louder.
"Oh, dammit!" Lizzie yelped. That lit a fire under him and he sprinted the rest of the way to the nursery. He stumbled over nothing through the doorway of the nursery and then stopped in his tracks. There were unshed tears in her eyes as she held a wailing Eleanor away from her soaked chest. "She threw up all over me. She's so warm and clammy. There's something really wrong, Will."
"Give her to me," William urged, grabbing a burping cloth. He took Eleanor and wiped off her face while she kept crying. Her hair was matted down to her forehead and he could feel the heat coming off her in waves. Whatever was wrong with her was not good at all. "Go clean yourself up and I'll take care of her."
Lizzie nodded and hurried out of the room while he began to undress Eleanor to clean her up. He heard the sound of the shower turn on only a minute later. His daughter's cries were painful to listen to and were worse than he ever heard before. There was no doubt that she was seriously sick. As he cleaned her up from head to toe, he noticed that her ears were especially red. He began to suspect they had a lot to do with her pain. Before he put on a clean diaper, he took her temperature and promptly swore when he read the display.
Her fever had spiked to 105.2.
"Shit. Shit!" William swore, repeating it a few more times. His hands trembled as he changed her diaper and dressed her in as little clothing as possible. Then he picked her up and tried to console her as best as possible, anxious for Lizzie to get out of the shower. They needed to go to urgent care and get there quickly. Trying his best to soothe her and getting ready at the same time proved to be difficult. It was impossible to tie his shoes with one hand. He breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the shower go off and Lizzie walked out soon after.
"Hurry up and get dressed. We're going to the hospital. She's got a fever of 105," William told her as calmly as possible. To him, his voice sounded shaky at best though.
The drive to the hospital was one of the most stressful ones of their lives. Lizzie stayed in the back with Eleanor, trying and failing to calm her down and pressing a cool cloth to her forehead. Despite it being nearly four in the morning, it still took too long to get to there. Once they got there, the hospital seemed to have its own sense of time. Waiting around to be seen felt like hours and when they were finally called, it seemed to move in slow motion.
Her temperature hadn't gone down at all but the nurse assured them that the pediatrician on call would be with them as soon as possible. No matter how much he and Lizzie tried to calm her down, it did no good. The only amount of relief he felt was when the doctor, who introduced himself as Dr. Ricardo, finally showed up, reading over the notes that the nurse wrote. His exam was gentle and it made William and Lizzie feel a little better.
"Your daughter has an ear infection," Dr. Ricardo informed them. He explained the diagnosis more in detail, checking off all the symptoms that Eleanor had. He told them he was going to prescribe her a course of antibiotics that she would be on for the next ten days. As for her fever, he was going to have the nurse give her a dose of acetaminophen right away. He wanted her to stay for observation for a while because of her fever.
"Should we worry about this reoccurring?" William asked while he wrote on his prescription pad.
"It's possible that once she's had an ear infection, she'll get more in the future," Dr. Ricardo replied. "Keep her ears clean and it will be easier to avoid. You'll be able to recognize the signs now."
"We will," Lizzie said quietly. She looked to William and there was guilt in her expression. "I can't believe we missed this."
"Don't blame yourselves. You did the right thing by bringing her here," Dr. Ricardo said, handing William orders for the prescription. "You should still keep your appointment with your pediatrician for Monday. She'll be able to check and see how this little one is responding to the antibiotics."
"How long do you think we'll be here for observation?" William asked.
"A few hours to be on the safe side," Dr. Ricardo said, checking the time. "As long as her fever starts going down, you'll be okay to leave mid-morning. I'll send the nurse back in with her acetaminophen right now."
"Thank you," William sighed, running a hand through his hair.
After Dr. Ricardo left, the nurse returned less than a minute later to administer medication to Eleanor. It wasn't long before her cries were becoming more intermittent. She was tiring herself out from crying so much and Lizzie and William weren't feeling much better. They had been up for half the night and the sun had already risen.
"I'm going to pick up this prescription," William said to Lizzie after a while. She was hunched over their daughter, brushing her fingers through her hair and talking to her softly. Lizzie looked over at him and smiled tiredly. "I'll bring us back something for breakfast. Call me if you need anything."
"I…forgot my phone," Lizzie said in realization.
"It's fine. I'll just be quick," William said, kissing her temple. He leaned down and brushed his fingers along Eleanor's cheek, still feeling the heat from her skin. "I'll be back, sweetheart. Daddy has to get your medication so you'll feel better."
"I hope it works," Lizzie said and William exhaled.
"You and me both, love," William agreed.
After William picked up the prescription and brought back breakfast from the cafeteria, he returned to Lizzie and Eleanor to wait it out. The nurse came in a few different times and checked on Eleanor's temperature twice. Once it had fallen to 101, the doctor told them they were free to go. The nurse went over extensive after-care instructions about finishing her antibiotics course and to keep giving her acetaminophen throughout the day to get her temperature back to normal.
Lizzie and William came home shortly after eleven am and they were feeling drained from getting so little sleep. Lizzie took Eleanor to the nursery to see if she would nurse and nap. While she fussed throughout nursing, she ate a little bit more than she had in the last few days. As for sleeping, she had cried so much that she exhausted herself out and fell asleep quickly after Lizzie put her in the crib.
"Well, she's down," Lizzie said, walking into the living room. She stopped when he turned around and she saw that he was on the phone. She mouthed 'sorry' and he held up a finger, letting her know it would only be another minute.
"Yes, that was Lizzie," William said, pausing. "You're sure? Thank you, Fran. I'll let her know and we'll call you later. Bye."
"I could have talked to her," Lizzie said before yawning. "Sorry. Weekly phone call?"
"Yep." William slipped his phone in his pocket. "She called you earlier but you left your phone here. I'm sure you'll have a message or two."
"Why so early? They usually call after dinner," Lizzie said.
"She was calling to wish you a happy Mother's Day," William said with a sympathetic look.
"It's Mother's Day?" Lizzie asked, her shoulders slumping. "I totally forgot. And we spent part of it in urgent care… Did you have plans?"
William shrugged, reaching out and rubbing her upper arm. "Things happen. Our daughter is what's most important."
Lizzie frowned. "And here I was hoping I could get in a nap while she slept."
"Then take one," William said. "My plans were simple and can be postponed until next year. I won't have to worry about trying to top this one."
Lizzie chuckled softly. "You're sure? You've had just as little sleep as I have."
"Don't worry about me," William said before kissing her forehead. "Today is your day. Get some sleep and then you'll feel better."
"You really are too good to me sometimes," Lizzie said, standing on the tip of her toes and giving him a kiss. "Thank you, Will."
Lizzie's nap ended up being postponed when Jane called her to wish her a happy Mother's Day. William kept coming in to check on her but he knew she needed to vent and talk to her sister. He would go in to check on her after he'd make a stop at the nursery, making sure that Eleanor was doing okay. After noticing how red her eyes were from lack of sleep, he insisted that she end the call. Just like their daughter, she didn't put up a fight as she slipped into bed. William turned off her phone for good measure and shut the bedroom door, in case Eleanor began crying.
While William was exhausted himself, he couldn't bring himself to get any rest. Once Lizzie fell asleep, he parked himself in the nursery for a while. When Eleanor finally woke up and fussed over her dirty diaper, he was quick to clean her up. He checked her temperature and breathed a sigh of relief as he saw that it had dropped further to 100.1 degrees. He gave her another dose of acetaminophen and took her to the living room to attempt to feed her. While he wished she would have had the whole bottle, he was happy that she drank half of it. All she wanted to do was cuddle, which he happily obliged her. He turned the television on for some background noise and settled on the couch while Eleanor laid against his chest. He rubbed her back while he half-watched some obscure movie, most of his attention on his daughter. She was the calmest he had seen her all weekend and he felt more useful than he had in the past four days. The buzz of his cell phone startled him slightly.
"Hello?" he answered in a hushed tone.
"Hey, William! It's Gigi," she replied. "Are you busy?"
"Not particularly," William said. "Why?"
"Where's Lizzie? I just tried to call her and I got sent straight to voicemail. Is everything okay?"
"Actually, we've had a couple of rough days. We spent half the night in Urgent Care with Eleanor," William said. She lifted her head at the sound of her name and he smiled at her. She looked at him curiously for another moment before putting her head back down, letting out a stilted breath. He kissed the top of her head.
"Oh no!" Gigi gasped. "Is she okay?"
"She had a high fever and an ear infection. Her fever is down but she'll be on antibiotics for the next ten days," William told her. "Lizzie is getting some sleep."
"And how are you doing?"
"Frankly, I'm exhausted but I want to keep an eye on Eleanor," William said, his words followed by a well-timed yawn.
"Typical brother," Gigi said and he heard her clucking her tongue. "You always forget about yourself when somebody is sick. You ran yourself ragged when I'd come down with a cold or had the flu. You've done the same thing with Lizzie and now you're doing it with Eleanor. It's great that you care so much but you can't get to the point that you make yourself sick."
"It's not that bad, Gigi," William said dismissively.
"If I know you as well as I do, you're running on fumes."
"I'll get plenty of sleep tonight and I'm staying home from work until Wednesday," William said roughly, holding back another yawn.
"I just want you to pay attention to your own needs too."
"I will," William promised. "Besides, I lost the chance to make Lizzie breakfast in bed for Mother's Day and I want to make dinner extra special. It's her first and we've already made it memorable for all the wrong reasons. I still have Mother's Day gifts for her that aren't wrapped and we were at the hospital when flowers were supposed to be delivered so I missed them."
"Okay, William. I have an idea and I think you're going to like it."
Lizzie woke up feeling refreshed. She checked the time and her eyes widened when she saw that it was after four, surprised William let her sleep so long. She needed to find and thank him but she had to check on Eleanor first. She was surprised when she found Gigi in the nursery, leaning over the crib.
"What…what are you doing here?" Lizzie asked in confusion. Gigi turned her head at the noise and gave her a big smile before bringing a finger up to her lips.
"Hey. I just got Eleanor to sleep," Gigi whispered, walking over to her. She led Lizzie out of the nursery and swung the door closed, leaving it slightly ajar. "She's doing pretty well. She took more than half the last bottle and the last time William took her temperature, it was 99.8."
"That's great," Lizzie said, furrowing her brows. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh. I called earlier for Mother's Day and William told me everything that happened. I know how my brother stretches himself thin when one of us gets sick," Gigi explained, slowly walking down the hall. "So I rallied the troops to help out. I made William go get some sleep but he didn't want to wake you so he's sleeping downstairs. I've been taking care of Eleanor while the guys are working on dinner for you."
"The guys?" Lizzie repeated. They emerged from the hallway and she found Fitz and Brandon in the kitchen. There were ingredients spread all over the kitchen counter and the two of them were preparing different dishes.
"Hey, Mama D!" Fitz grinned. "Have a nice nap?"
"I did," Lizzie said.
"Did she eat more?" Brandon asked Gigi.
"Yep!" Gigi nodded. "And she finally just went down."
"Wait a minute. I feel like I'm still asleep and having a lucid dream," Lizzie said. "When did you guys get here?"
"About forty-five minutes ago," Gigi replied. "We came to lend a hand!"
"Yeah. We're making a damn delicious dinner for you and Darce," Fitz said. "And Brandon has something special planned for your dessert, too."
"It involves chocolate," Brandon smiled.
"You three came over just to watch Eleanor, make us dinner, and then leave?" Lizzie asked, trying to comprehend.
"Happy Mother's Day!" Brandon said.
"Family helps family in time of need," Fitz said with a smile. "I knew something was up on Friday when Darcy didn't come in. When Gigi called for some help, Brandon and I agreed immediately. From what she told us, the last few days couldn't have been easy."
"It really has been stressful," Lizzie admitted, sitting down at the kitchen counter.
"Besides, we'd like to think you'd do the same thing for any of us," Fitz said, reaching over and patting her arm.
"Thank you, Fitz," Lizzie said, her eyes shining with unshed tears. She got up from her seat and walked around the counter, giving him a hug. Then she hugged Gigi. "And thank you for setting this up, Gigi."
"It's my pleasure," Gigi said.
"And thank you for whatever chocolate dish you'll be making," Lizzie said, giving Brandon a hug. He laughed.
"Chocolate cures all," Brandon said. "Or at least bad weekends."
"We all know how Darce loves his anniversaries and holidays, especially since you came along. This is your day and we intend to make it as memorable as possible," Fitz told her as she sat back down. Gigi grabbed a knife and began cutting up some vegetables.
"I think it's working," Lizzie said, glancing around at the ingredients. "What are you making?"
"Just go sit down, relax, and wait for your dinner," Gigi said. "We promise it will be delicious."
"Sounds good to me!" Lizzie slid off the stool and headed for the couch in the living room.
Fitz and Gigi gave Lizzie a ten-minute warning for when dinner was going to be ready so she could go downstairs to wake William up. He looked so peaceful stretched out on the couch that she almost didn't want to disturb him. She sat on the edge of the couch and brushed her knuckles across his stubbled cheek, studying his face. William hadn't been taking care of himself in the past few days. He had faint stress lines on his forehead, light circles under his eyes, and he hadn't shaved in a couple days. There was more gray hair growing out in his beard than before. He still only had his patches of gray hair on his sides but Lizzie loved it all. His eyes opened while she was noticing his new details.
"Hey," William said gruffly, clearing his throat and pulling himself up into a sitting position. "Everything okay? How's Eleanor?"
"She's better. Her ears are still bothering her but her fever is nearly gone," Lizzie said. "Everything good, especially since the helpers arrived. Was it your idea?"
William shook his head. "Gigi's. I was too tired to argue. I don't think I could have trusted myself with any part of the oven today."
"I know what you mean. I feel like I could sleep for a couple more days," Lizzie confessed. "But what sleep I did get was really helpful. I'm glad they're here."
"Me too," William said. "What are they making? It smells delicious."
"Something with chicken. They wouldn't tell me," Lizzie shrugged. "It should be ready in ten minutes."
"Then that should be enough time to open your Mother's Day gift," William said, getting up from the couch. Lizzie followed him with her eyes as he disappeared into the wine storage room. He returned soon after with a bouquet of flowers in a blue glass vase and a wrapped box.
"Of all the places you hid my present," Lizzie said with a raised eyebrow.
"Well, you haven't been drinking much since you're breastfeeding. I thought it would work," William said with a proud look on his face as he put the vase down. "And it did."
"The flowers are beautiful," Lizzie said, leaning in to smell them. "Thank you."
Lizzie took the envelope from the box and opened the card that read 'Giant hugs from your tiny human' on the outside. The inside was filled with the sweetest words from William and she had to hold back tears. He signed it at the bottom and there were some strange markings below that.
"That's Eleanor's signature," William explained. "I put the pen in her hand and that's what I got out of her."
"Very cute," Lizzie chuckled, grabbing the box. She unwrapped it and pulled off the lid, finding a mug and large tin container next to it. She opened the tin container to find various bags of her favorite tea. Some of them were from stores in San Francisco but a few of them were more difficult to find and she appreciated the gift even more. She pulled out the mug and her face softened when she saw 'Best Mom Ever' and Eleanor's handprints in green paint framing it.
"I love this," Lizzie cooed. "And I can't believe you found some of these teas! I could swear at least one of these was discontinued in the U.S."
"Two of them are. Gigi was kind of enough to look for them while she was on her business trip. Thankfully, she found them in a tiny shop in Paris," William said. "She bought all five boxes of one and three of the other. This is just a sampling. The rest are now in the tea cabinet."
"Could I love you any more than I already do?" Lizzie said with a grateful smile. She put her gifts down and leaned in to kiss him. "Thank you. This day may have started out terribly but it's ending in a much better way."
"It is," William said, kissing her once more. "Should we go check on Eleanor before dinner is served?"
"She should be awake by now. I have to thank her for my gifts!" Lizzie said, getting up from the couch before holding out a hand to help him up.
"She'll like that. She had a bit too much fun helping Daddy with the mug," William said.
"Oh no!" Lizzie laughed. "What happened?"
"Let's just say that paint is not allowed in this house again until she's old enough to know what it is."
Saturday, May 25th
It took nearly the whole week for Eleanor to bounce back to her old self. William and Lizzie both took Monday off so they could go to the doctor with her. They learned that she was responding well to the antibiotics and they should stock up on Pedialyte should she get sick and have trouble eating again. She had lost a few ounces from the whole ordeal but the doctor wasn't worried. William worked from home for the rest of the week to take care of her and used the opportunity to baby-proof the place by installing gates on the doorways and staircase, cushioning sharp corners of furniture, and putting child-proof locks drawers and cabinets.
Things returned to normal and they fell back into routine. Lizzie and William introduced Eleanor to solids with rice cereal, which was messy but funny at the same time. She had mastered sitting up. She could reach out for toys and support herself on all fours. Lizzie figured that she'd try and start crawling sooner rather than later with how determined she seemed.
On the last Saturday of the month, the three of them headed to Fitz and Brandon's new house for the monthly dinner. They were instructed to park in their garage, which could hold up to five cars. After years of scouring for a parking spot during their monthly dinners, it was definitely a treat. Fitz and Gigi greeted them as they parked.
"Welcome to House Williams!" Fitz greeted as they got out of their cars.
"Marathoning Game of Thrones again?" Lizzie asked, unlatching Eleanor's car seat from the base.
"You know it. Now, who wants a tour?" Fitz asked. "We're all unpacked and ready to show off."
"I'll take this cutie patootie off your hands," Gigi offered, taking Eleanor from Lizzie. "I've already had my tour. We'll be in the kitchen when you're done."
"Thank you, Gigi," William said as she left the room.
"Follow me!" Fitz instructed. Fitz led them past the laundry room and into the hallway, showing them the wine cellar with a small tasting room. One wall was a floor-to-ceiling wine rack and it was only a quarter full with wine bottles. He passed their storage room and went up a small set of stairs, which led out into their backyard. By San Francisco standards, it was rather large and even had grass in one section of the yard. They had a stone patio for entertaining, furnished with outdoor chairs and a large couch, along with a wooden table in the middle. The whole backyard was gated and a set of stairs led them to the street. In the corner of the yard, there was a long stone step that held mounds of dirt.
"The plants were dead so we tore them out. Brandon is going to start a vegetable garden," Fitz explained. There were two sets of doors from the stone patio and one more set around the corner that led inside to the den. Just past the stairs on the left was a guest bedroom and bathroom, mostly unfurnished with the exception of a bed and bureau.
"We're going to keep this a bedroom but we're going to turn at least one of the others into an office," Fitz said, leading them into the living room.
The living room was incredibly spacious and had a large L-section couch that was placed in the nook of the living room. A couple of other chairs sat around the large rug that covered the wood floors and a coffee table sat in the middle of all the furniture. The chairs and couch faced towards the massive television against the wall. At the other end of the living room sat a small square table and four chairs.
Around the corner was the dining room, which had views of the street and the house next door. There was a long table that took up a lot of the space and could easily sit ten people. A love seat was placed under one of the windows and a long cabinet that held their best dishes and glasses was against the wall.
The kitchen had stone countertops and a state-of-the-art stainless steel stove range. They had a double oven, which delighted Brandon to no end, and the microwave was just above it. The sub-zero fridge matched the wood cabinets. There was a good amount of counter space that gave everybody a place to work. The windows over the large double sink gave the room lots of light during the day.
"Getting the grand tour?" Charlotte asked. She and Sam had arrived thirty minutes earlier and she was helping Brandon and Gigi in the kitchen.
"We sure are!" Lizzie said, giving her a hug hello. "Where's Sam and Eleanor?"
"He's taking her for a ride in the elevator," Charlotte said.
"Maybe we'll pass them on the way up," Fitz chuckled. "Come on. There's more to see!"
The second floor had two master bedrooms with gorgeous views and large bathrooms connected to each one. One of the bathrooms had a modern claw foot tub, glass shower, and double sink. The second master had a balcony as well as a working fireplace, which Fitz bragged about. There were two other smaller bedrooms that were basically empty except for some moving boxes. Two more bathrooms and one half-bath were spread around the second floor.
"We're…still deciding what to do with some of the rooms," Fitz said. "We ran out of furniture to fill this place."
There was a small ding as they headed towards the staircase and the elevator door slid open, revealing a smiling Eleanor and Sam.
"Hey! Having fun?" Lizzie asked, waving at him.
"She thinks it's hysterical," Sam said. "Are you going down?"
"I still have the roof to show them but we'll be back down soon enough," Fitz said.
"See you down there," Sam said, waving Eleanor's hand as the door closed again. Lizzie heard the distinct sound of her daughter's giggle floating through the doors and she couldn't hold back her own smile. She followed behind Fitz and William to the roof deck and was hit with an unusually warm breeze.
"And the best part of it all," Fitz said, waving his hand in a sweeping gesture. "The view! Isn't it amazing?"
"It's gorgeous," Lizzie said. The house gave them a clear view of the Bay and Alcatraz in front of them and downtown. Coit Tower and the Bay Bridge could easily be seen from the right side of the house. The rooftop itself had a huge BBQ and grill, LED illuminated glass-panel guardrails, and a gas-fueled fire pit. Lounging couches and a large chair surrounded the fire pit and a little table sat between them. There was a picnic table in one corner with a big collapsible blue and white umbrella.
"Want to see the best part?" Fitz asked, pulling out his phone and typing away. He brought them over to an area behind the BBQ and waited a minute before they heard a low hum and whir. Once it stopped, he opened a door and three glasses of water sat on a tray.
"Is that a dumb-waiter?" William laughed.
"Sure is," Fitz said, handing them each a glass. "This goes right down to the kitchen. Now we can eat out here whenever we want without having to carry it up three floors."
"This place has everything!" Lizzie said. "Didn't you mention this place has Smart features?"
"We're installing the system this week. It should control the lights and everything. This really is a house of convenience," Fitz said. "I don't think we're ever going to move again."
"I wouldn't want to with a beautiful place like this!" Lizzie said. "We're going to have lots of BBQs this summer, right?"
"You got it, Lizzie D.!" Fitz nodded. His phone beeped and he checked it. "We should get back down. I asked Lydia to text when they got to the garage."
"Lydia and Adam are here?" Lizzie asked, glancing over the rail to see Adam's car. She quickly followed as Fitz led them back down the stairs.
"The next tour starts in one minute!"
After dinner and dessert, Lizzie took advantage of the rooftop and nice weather when Eleanor started getting fussy about being hungry. She sat on one of the lounging couches and took in the view while she nursed her daughter.
"Am I interrupting anything?"
Lizzie glanced back to see Gigi and she shook her head, adjusting her breastfeeding scarf to cover herself a little more.
"Nope. She's just eating. Come join me," Lizzie said. "Where are the others?"
"William and Brandon are in the wine room being wine snobs while Adam and Sam try to keep up, Lydia and Charlotte are dealing with their food comas in the living room, and Fitz was putting dishes away. I'm sure he'll be up soon," Gigi said, sitting down next to her. "It's a really nice night out."
"Right? I don't even need a jacket for once," Lizzie said. "Helps that they have such a wonderful view. I'd probably spend all my time up here."
"You have a great view too!" Gigi pointed out. "And a number of balconies."
"I'd feel more comfortable letting Eleanor wander around here where we're thirty feet above ground instead of hundreds of feet off the ground," Lizzie said.
"Fair enough," Gigi shrugged. "It's really a lovely house. They seem so happy to have moved."
A comfortable silence fell between them. The street noise was minimal from where they were but the fog horn could easily be heard. Soon, they heard the sound of footsteps and they both turned their heads to see Fitz heading towards them.
"Hello, ladies. I thought I'd find somebody up here," Fitz said, taking a seat next to Gigi. "I sort of wish it was cooler so I could make use of this fireplace."
"I'm sure you'll get plenty of use out of it soon enough," Lizzie told him.
"So, what are we talking about? What's the gossip? Any developments with the British babe?" Fitz asked, nudging Gigi.
"Fitz! I don't know what you're talking about," Gigi said, feigning innocence.
"You've been back from your trip awhile and I remember you said you'd give him a chance," Lizzie said, adding fuel to the fire.
"Okay!" Gigi snapped, rolling her eyes. "You two are the worst."
"You love us," Fitz said, nudging her with his elbow. Gigi hit him back and they started batting at each other like children. They broke out into laughter and continued their hitting. Lizzie was preoccupied with Eleanor, who had finished nursing and was squirming under the cover. She made quick work of adjusting her clothes before taking off the cover and resting Eleanor against her, patting her back to burp her.
"Alright, kids! That's enough," Lizzie said, finally getting control of them. "I swear you're worse than the twins sometimes."
"Blame Fitz," Gigi said.
"Nope. You're just trying to change the subject," Fitz said.
"So you finally say yes to Naveen asking you out?"
"No," Gigi shook her head. "I asked him out."
"Why the sudden change?" Lizzie asked. "I love it but I'm curious since you were so hesitant before."
"You know what? I thought about it while I was on my business trip. I like him and he likes me so why not?" Gigi said. "When I got back, I asked him if he was still interested in a tour of the city and he said yes. We went out last Saturday."
"Last week!" Fitz exclaimed in surprise. "I feel personally offended you're only telling me about this now."
"Don't give her a hard time or we won't get the details!" Lizzie scolded. She handed her daughter over to Fitz's waiting arms.
Gigi rolled her eyes. "I asked him out, he said yes, and we made plans to spend the day going around the city last Saturday. I thought I'd take him to some of the same spots William and I took you on your tour and then mix it up with some of the hidden spots that only locals really know about."
Eleanor interrupted her with a loud squeal, waving her arms around as Fitz bounced her on his knee. They all laughed and Gigi bopped her on the nose, making her smile.
"So, I picked him up in the morning and he had made a big thermos of English tea for the day for us. Said I need to be introduced to some proper tea," Gigi said. "I took him to some of the bigger tourist spots, like Coit Tower and Lombard Street. We walked down it this time. We went to Chinatown where we checked out way too many stores upon his insistence. He made it fun by having us pretend we were tourists. We ended up buying cute little souvenirs to put on our desks."
"Is that where the little dragon came from?" Fitz asked.
She nodded. "I treated him to lunch and then we made our way to Fisherman's Wharf where we acted like tourists again. It's actually a lot of fun. Makes me love this city even more," Gigi said. "I set up a behind-the-scenes tour of the aquarium since it was his first time and we fed the sharks. Once Eleanor is older, you need to bring her."
"We're going to take her all over the city," Lizzie said, brushing her fingers through her daughter's hair. "You're going to love it so much, Eleanor!"
"Maybe the whole group could tag along," Fitz suggested. "We could make a day out of being tourists while Eleanor discovers the greatness of this city."
"That sounds like a great plan. When she gets more mobile," Lizzie said. "Which will probably be way too soon."
"The story's not over," Fitz said, turning his attention back to Gigi. "Keep going, please."
"Okay so after the aquarium, we walked all up and down the wharf. We got some hot chocolate at Ghirardelli Square, we checked out the seals, and we window-shopped," Gigi said. "He even suggested we go to Alcatraz but they were sold out so we'll go another time."
"Second date secured!"
"Actually, we're going to the movies on Thursday so…" Gigi said, trailed off.
"Oh really?" Lizzie perked up. "I like where this is heading."
"Me too," Gigi admitted. "And he treated me to dinner after all of it. It was a much quieter place and it was nice to sit and talk. We made plans for the movies this week and we called it a night after dinner."
"And?" Fitz asked, leaning forward a little.
"And I dropped him off at his place," Gigi said.
"Aaaand?" Lizzie repeated.
"And he's a really good kisser," Gigi said, blushing as she tucked some hair behind her ear.
"I knew it!" Fitz said, pumping his fist in the air. "That British babe is good for something."
"Calm down. We're trying to be casual about this. I'm just saying that he's good company and kisses well."
"Maybe you're trying to be casual but I don't think Naveen knows what the word means since he's joined you for lunch at least twice in the past week," Fitz said.
"It's not like we were alone. Other people were at the table," Gigi said defensively. "Just…don't grill him."
"You've got it, Gigi D.," Fitz promised. "But I think he'd fit right in with our core group."
"Oh, he totally would," Lizzie said. "William already likes him in the professional sense. I'm sure he'd get along with him personally too."
"It's a little soon for that," Gigi said. "I'm closing this topic. Can we talk about something else? When are you and William going to go on your weekend getaway?"
"Probably July. We'll keep you in the know since Eleanor will need looking after that weekend," Lizzie said. "I don't want to miss any more work right now because we're going to be casting for our Scholastic book project over the next week or so."
"I've been reading that book! It's so juicy," Fitz said. "I kind of love Nate even though we shouldn't be rooting for the bad boy."
"Don't say anymore! I barely started!" Gigi cried. "Don't ruin it for me!"
"Okay, no more book talk," Lizzie laughed, taking Eleanor from Fitz's lap and standing up. "I think we should head back downstairs. We need to get going because this little one still needs her bath and a bed time story."
"A bath and a bed time story? Spoiled, Eleanor!"
"Yeah. We just started a book of Mother Goose rhymes and she gets such a kick out of it," Lizzie said, thanking Fitz as he held the door open. "Much better than Anna Karenina, which is what William suggested."
"What!" Gigi cackled. "He had to be joking."
"He was," Lizzie said. "But she loves us reading to her. William even does the voices with me."
"I'm going to need video graphic evidence of that ASAP, Lizzie D. I am not kidding," Fitz demanded.
Lizzie flashed a mischievous grin.
"I have my ways. You'll see it soon enough."
Sam and Adam had long since given up on the wine conversations of William and Brandon and had headed back upstairs to find their partners, leaving the two of them in the wine room. William was checking out a bottle of pinot noir that Brandon had recently acquired from a vineyard in Oregon.
"This one is nice," William commended him, sliding the bottle back into its rack. "You guys should take a trip to Monterey to fill out these racks. We found some of our favorite wines there when Lizzie surprised me for my thirtieth birthday. We'll have to be on the lookout for some wines when we go to Napa."
"That would be nice. Gigi just gave me a bottle from Paris," Brandon said, pulling out the bottle. "Hermitage la Chapelle 1961."
William whistled. "Good find! You'll never end up drinking it though."
"I know," Brandon laughed, returning the bottle to its spot. "It's too valuable. Thankfully, she brought a cheaper bottle from the same vineyard so we can enjoy that."
"It's nice that you have so much space for your wines now."
"It really is. This place is exactly the sort of place I've wanted for years," Brandon said. "In a way, it reminds me of my childhood home."
"You had an elevator and barbeque on the roof?" William asked cheekily.
"Ha ha," Brandon said. "We were in the suburbs so it was spacious. All the bedrooms were upstairs, we had a yard, and there was space between each house. When I moved here, I never dreamed I'd be living in a house like this, or that my kids would be able to grow up in this kind of house."
"It's definitely the kind of house you can see yourself raising kids in," William said.
"It is," Brandon said. "Did Fitz tell you the latest? We may have found our surrogate."
"Brandon!" William said, perking up. "That's great news!"
"It's not set in stone but we love everything about her. She's exactly the type of person we'd want carrying our child," Brandon said. "We met her at the clinic once but we've made arrangements to meet again next Saturday."
"Maybe by this time next year, you'll be parents," William mused.
"That…would be something," Brandon exhaled. "There's still so much to do. If she agrees, we all have to go through a medical screening and get all the legalities of it in order. Then we're on our way."
"Are you still planning to tell the rest of the group soon?"
"If everything's on track by the next monthly get-together, they'll know," Brandon said. "It depends on how successful the IVF process is before we announce anything else. Fitz and I talked about it and—"
The two of them paused as they heard voices approaching and turned their heads. Lizzie walked into the room with Eleanor on her hip and William smiled.
"Hi there," William said. "Haven't seen you in a while."
"You've been down here nerding out about wine forever," Lizzie teased. "But we should get going. It's getting late for Eleanor and she still has her whole nightly routine to get through," Lizzie said.
"We have more of Mother Goose to read," William said, reaching out and brushing his fingers across the baby's cheek. "I'll be there in a minute. Just wanted to finish up talking to Brandon."
"Okay. Don't be too long," Lizzie said, heading out of the room again. The two men waited until they heard the footsteps on the stairs before talking again.
"You and Fitz talked?" William offered, wanting Brandon to continue.
"We decided he's going to be the donor this time," Brandon finished. "You know…start with the crazy Williams genes for the first kid."
"It would definitely prepare you for the next kid with your easygoing genes," William said. "I'm really thrilled for the both of you."
"We are too. It's scary but exciting," Brandon said.
"That's the gist of becoming a parent right there," William said. "If all goes according to plan, maybe you can get another bedroom in this house occupied soon."
Brandon smiled widely. "That's the hope right there."
Notes: Another chapter down! I'll be posting pictures of Fitz and Brandon's place over on the blog as an extra and there may be one or two other extras shared as well.
Thanks to Sarah for her continual editing help. She's the reason I haven't given up on this story yet. That and knowing there'd be at least a couple readers saddened by an abandoned story. :)