Thanks for all of your reviews on this story so far and Thanks to Alisa for beta-ing this for me.
Sorry for the late update. Enjoy!
Chapter Twenty Five: Coming Together
Silently pulling into the driveway of Nick's town house, Greg yawned widely as he shut off the engine of his car then reached into the back to collect his bag. He felt as though he had worked a double shift at the lab, when really he had only been driving for the past four hours from his mother's house, all the way back to his boyfriend's in Vegas. He had enjoyed the short time off work, minus the small mishap of his Appendix surgery obviously, but the surgery wound was almost fully healed by now.
Using his spare set of keys that Nick had given him, Greg quietly unlocked Nick's front door and placed his bag down on the floor. Carefully clicking it shut behind him, Greg made sure he double locked it in place before he made his way off down the hall towards AJ's room. He smiled softly as he saw the two of them fast asleep on either of the bed. He looked at the time realising they would be up soon so he tiptoed off towards the kitchen and began preparing a Thai chicken soup recipe his Nana Olaf had taught him how to make in his teens.
Nick slowly started to awake as the scents of chicken wafted through the house. He looked towards the door hearing noises in the kitchen then carefully climbed off the bed so he wouldn't disturb AJ from her sleep. Brushing a hand across his tired eyes, Nick head out into the hall, immediately smiling as he saw Greg stood in his kitchen over the stove, mixing something in one of his pots.
Tiptoeing his way over to him so he wasn't aware of his presence, Nick slipped his hands around the younger man's hips, circling his arms around his warm body. "Oh my god Nick, you scared me." Greg gasped as he placed his hand on his chest, feeling his heart rapidly pounding against his rib cage from the shock.
"Sorry baby," The older man whispered as he rested his chin on his shoulder, inhaling the scents of whatever he was cooking in the pot. "Mmmm, that's smell nice. What is it?" He queried.
"Thai chicken soup. My Nana Olaf's recipe." Greg turned in Nick's arms, smiling at him as they were once again face to face. "You want some?"
"I'd love some." Nick smiled then pressed a kiss to Greg's temple, pinning his body between him and the cupboard behind him. "I missed you, Gorgeous." He whispered as he feathered his fingertips through Greg's soft hair. "When'd you get in?"
"Just a couple of minutes ago actually," Grinning widely, Greg wrapped his arms around Nick in return, smiling against his warm parted lips. "I really missed you too, Nicky." He whispered before he joined their lips together, engaging their hungry mouths in a ravenous kiss. Greg gave out a soft grateful moan as Nick moved his hands down to cup the globes of his buttocks cheeks in his hands. "Rounding second base already?" He chuckled softly as they pulled back for a gasp of breath.
"I missed you." He responded before he plundered his partner's warm mouth with his tongue again, raising one of his hands to cup his soft cheek in his palm. He relished the feel of a warm muscular body against his own as he continued to hungrily kiss him, reluctantly pulling back as the need for air consumed him. "Mmm, you still taste exactly how I remember."
"Aw Nicky, it's only been a couple of weeks." The younger man giggled at his boyfriend's adorableness, secretly enjoying it more than he was letting on as no one had ever missed him while he was away or fallen for him this hard.
Caressing his hands over the familiar body in front of him, Nick whispered, "A couple of weeks away from you is just too long." Touching his lips to Greg's neck, Nick moved to wrap his arms around him, tugging him closer into his embrace. "You shoulda told me you were comin', but I'm glad you're here. I feel like I haven't seen you in months. Oh, how are you?" He suddenly remembered as he pulled back to tug Greg's t-shirt up his stomach to look at the bandaging. "Does it hurt?" He queried, brushing his fingers across the bare skin beside it.
"No, I'm fine." Greg carefully peeled back the bandage just to prove that he was okay. There was a small mark on his skin, just about three inches long. "See, its fine. The doctor said there was no infection and it's healing nicely so it won't leave a huge scar." Greg assured him, shivering as Nick's delicate fingertips feathered across the area. "See, I told you I was fine. I can pretty much eat whatever I want now. I just kept the bandage on because it itches when it rubs across my belt." He explained as he showed him how close it was to the belt on his jeans.
"Okay." Nick gently smoothed his fingers around the edges of the bandage, sticking it back in place against the surface of Greg's soft skin. "I just don't like it when people I love go into surgery, for whatever reason. I've lost a few people from complications in surgery; I couldn't bear losin' you too. I love you."
Greg smiled awestruck before he responded his usual line, "Love you more," then initiated another passionate kiss. As they pulled back for air this time, Greg wrapped his arms around Nick's warm body, holding him tightly in a warm comforting embrace that they both had missed while they were apart.
"Mmmm, that smells amazin'." The older man suddenly purred.
"What?" Greg queried as Nick was still resting on his shoulder. He turned his head to look at him, giggling softly as he realised he was sniffing the soup. "Oh yeah, I forget about that." Greg turned slightly in his arms so he could continue stirring it while Nick's arms were still securely wrapped around his waist. "Oh, how's AJ doing?" He suddenly remembered too, feeling bad for not asking earlier.
"She's breathin' okay today. Seein' her like that is so much scarier than any coffin." Nick confessed as he stepped around Greg to brew some coffee.
"My mom said parenting is scary." Greg quoted her as he took a sip of his soup to taste the strength of the spices. "I believe my sister would agree with her on that one. The triplets have been a real nightmare lately."
"That's natural though. Babies don't like bein' taken out of their Mama's." Nick poured out a mug for Greg then gestured towards it for him before he started to empty the dishwasher as it was all clean. "It'll be so good to have you here. I've got AJ all set up for school. I even got a part time babysitter for when I'm away at work. My neighbour, Mrs Fielder is a stay at home mom and I've known her for years. She's got two boys aged eleven and twelve, but she said she'll be able to look after AJ for a couple of nights a week."
"That's good." Greg agreed as he sprinkled in some more spices. "Really sounds like you've got everything set up there daddy-O."
"One more thing." Nick put down the plates he was holding then leant against the counter beside Greg as he attempted to ask him something. "I've been thinkin'... you know this place isn't really that big, and it's mostly all of my stuff the way I like it. I'm no expert on livin' with people, but isn't it better to live in a house that you both like?"
"I do like your place, it's very you."
"Exactly, it's all me." Nick pointed out to him. "I can't expect you and AJ to live here as is. It's all my stuff everywhere while your stuff will only be confined to the bedroom. So I was thinkin'... we don't have to do it right away of course. I was just thinkin' that maybe we could buy a place... in the future."
Greg looked at him surprised. Not only was he the best boyfriend he had ever had, but he was also moving things along pretty fast. He hadn't even moved in with him yet and he was already asking him if he wanted to buy a place with him, but then again, Greg could hardly see the day that this relationship would ever break up. They had been best friends for nearly ten years now, there was nothing in the world that would make him change his mind about Nick and he loved AJ, so Greg nodded as he came to his decision. "Okay, that sounds like a great idea."
"Really?" The Texan let out a breath of relief he didn't realise he was holding. "You're really okay with this; I'm not pushin' you or anythin'?"
"Honestly... I'd be more worried if you weren't asking. You're right though; this place isn't that big for the three of us. It's more of a bachelor pad for a single man, not the home of man with a beautiful little girl and a boyfriend, both of which need their own space."
"Okay." Nick smiled happily then returned to what he was doing, feeling better now that he had talked things through with Greg. "And Greg, if you ever need your own space in here, just let me know. For the time bein', this is yours and AJ's house too."
"Okay, I want the right side of the bed." He abruptly announced, giggling as Nick gave him a funny look.
"That's my side."
"I know. That's why I want it." Greg winked at him. "If you're lucky, you can sleep on it too. Oh and that hedge outside your window, it's gotta go. I hate that thing."
"Just because you used to bust your ass on it climbin' out the window." Nick chuckled as he retrieved his own coffee. "I'll see what I can do, but we don't know how long we can all stand to live here together. After about a week of trippin' over each other we might start shoutin' at each other, screamin' for our own space."
"You maybe, because you're a control freak."
"Hey, that's not fair. I shared a household with six kids, my parents and a boat load of animals. Trust me, I know how to share." Nick smiled at him as he gently tapped his boyfriend on the lower back. "You however, a spoiled little city boy might have problems with that." He teased him.
"Spoiled?" Greg chuckled, shaking his head at him. "I was not spoiled and my family wasn't always that rich. We're not really that rich now, your family are actually richer than mine."
"Yeah, but we spent it on our futures instead of our childhoods." Nick pointed out to him, touching his lips to his cheek before he grabbed some bowls to dish the soup out into.
"Childhoods the best time of your life." Greg defended himself as he turned off the stove. "My mother just wanted to make sure that we enjoyed the good times while they lasted. She knew how cruel this world could be, she wanted us to be care free spirits who believed we could do anything."
"I'd have preferred a childhood like that." Nick smiled at him.
"It's not too late for AJ. She may have already lost her mother, but she's gained a father. And at the right point in her life too." Greg assured him before he started to pour out two helpings of his soup in the large bowls then a smaller amount into the child's sized one in front. "There we go... whoa," Nick completely startled Greg as he suddenly wrapped his arms around his shoulders, clutching him tightly. "Hey Nicky, it's okay baby." He whispered softly, gently smoothing his palms up and down his broad back where he carried all of his emotions as he felt his chest hitching slightly against him. "Honey, what's wrong?"
"I just don't wonna lose anyone else." His muffled voice whimpered against his shoulder.
"AJ's fine. Kids bounce back from these sorts of things all the time." Greg assured him as he continued to try and sooth him.
"I know. I never even knew I had her now I'm afraid to lose her."
"So that's the reason for the death grip." Greg chuckled softly, bringing one hand up to Nick's hair to gently brush his fingers through his soft strands of hair. "You're not gonna lose her, Nicky. There's no way your father can take her away from you, even if he wanted to. You're a great father, and family courts side with the real parents. They wouldn't award him her even if he does tell them you're gay."
"I know. I know. I'm sorry." He apologised as he had constantly been thinking about Warrick lately and how he was taken from him so soon. "I was afraid that I was gonna lose you too when I heard you were in the hospital." Nick breathed in the younger mans strong scents then slowly pulled back, pressing their lips together. "Do you have any idea how much I love you?"
"I'm starting to get the picture." Greg nodded to him, softly sucking on Nick's lower lip before he pressed a kiss to the tip of his nose. "I know you miss Warrick, Nicky. But nothing is gonna happen to me... or AJ. We're fine. I think we've had enough bad stuff happen to us for the last few years. It's time for the good stuff."
Nick nodded in agreement. "You're right; I do finally feel like my life is comin' together. I feel like I've been finally pushed to the limit of bad crap that can happen to good people, now it's time for some good stuff to happen. Like you... and AJ."
"See, I told you. C'mon, its soup time then you need to get some more sleep." Greg gently tapped him on the small of his back as he stepped around him to reach for the cutlery draw, struggling to pull it open with the child lock on it. "God I hate these things."
Nick laughed softly then helped him to unclip it so he could get what he needed from the draw. "It's for AJ's safety. Just be glad I didn't buy the ones for the toilet."
"God I hate those ones even more." Greg smirked then grabbed the bowls off the counter, setting them down on the other side near the stools. "Did you want it here," He indicated towards the breakfast counter then pointed off towards the bedroom, "Or in bed?"
"Here's fine. Besides, you usually end up spillin' runny food everywhere." Nick teased him then gently pressed a kiss to his neck as he stepped by him. "Leave AJ's, she's still fast asleep. We can heat it up for her later when she's awake."
Greg nodded to him then set down the cutlery beside their bowls. Nick grabbed a lid from one of the top cupboards and placed it over the top of the saucepan for him to keep it warm before he made his way over to the breakfast counter to take a seat. Greg licked his sticky fingertips then took a seat beside Nick, taking his first sip of the hot soup. "Mmm, this is delicious already. Everythin' you cook is delicious. I really missed you cookin' for me, G." Nick smiled round at him.
"Well I missed your smile, your romantic tendencies and your company." He winked back at him.
Nick playfully bumped his partner's elbow with his own, giving him a wide smile. "Don't get me wrong, I missed all that too," After licking his lips from another mouthful of the hot soup, Nick whispered, "But your cookin' is really amazin'."
"I guess that officially makes me your Mrs, since I can cook my man a good meal." The younger man chuckled as he dabbed his chin with his napkin. "At least I've got one good quality to help you around the house."
"That's not the only good quality." Nick assured him.
Greg beamed a wide smile at him then leant on his elbow once he finished his soup, deciding to watch the man he loved eating his portion a moment before he asked, "So, are you really, really sure that you want me to move in with you and AJ? You can change your mind at any time."
Shaking his head, Nick dabbed his chin then turned to look at Greg. "No, I'll definitely be wantin' you to move in with me." He assured him. "I've done some research actually, and it's actually easier for children to accept step parents of the same sex to the parent they're livin' with because they don't see them as a threat for takin' over the missin' parent. If you were a step mother instead of a step father to her, she'd have a harder time acceptin' you as you would have replaced the parent she lost." He explained, watching as Greg gave him a wide smile as he was so proud of him for taking his role as a new father this seriously. "What? I had to do the research. I love both of you. I want this to be an easy transition for the both of you too. I also found that same sex parents don't put as much pressure on their children to take on their expected gender roles, whereas straight parents usually do with the typical girls in dresses and boys playin' sports thing."
"Well you have nothing to worry about anyway." He winked at him. "You make a great father. You've practically changed your lifestyle to accommodate AJ into it anyway. And so far, you're doing an amazing job with her. I personally would have never expected her to call you 'daddy' so quick or to accept you as quick as she did after losing her mother and being dumped off here by her aunt. But because you're such a great guy, you made the transition easier and she could accept you quicker."
"I knew there was a reason I loved you." Nick finished off his soup then pressed his lips to Greg's, savouring the taste of the soup from his lover's mouth. "Mmmm, see baby, I don't just need you around for your cookin'. You're important for lots of things." Nick assured him with a cheeky wink.
"I'll bet." Greg chuckled softly then climbed to his feet off his stool to clear the things away. "Well right now, I really gotta go home and grab a change of clothes. I don't know if you noticed the smell from my clothes," Greg sniffed himself again then winced from his sweaty stench, "Not nice. I refused to let my mom do it because she's too busy looking after my dad and the babies, so I brought all my dirty laundry back with me. Including the stuff on my back."
"That's the worst part about time away, the back load of laundry once you get home." Nick smirked then finished off his coffee, noticing Greg's bag out in the hallway by the door. "Hey, you can do your laundry here you know, Greg. You don't have a machine at your apartment anyway, and I have a whole utility room there at your disposal." He pointed out to him as Greg stepped over to his dishwasher to load the bowls into it.
"Um... okay."
"I really don't mind you doin' your laundry here." He assured him as he saw the apprehensive look on his face. Giving the younger man a soft smile, Nick climbed off his stool and head over to Greg's bag to dump the clothing into the laundry hamper with everything else of his and AJ's. "There go, you've moved in already. Since you're gonna be livin' here anyway, we really should work out a system of which days to do laundry and that."
"You're really going all out for the roomies thing, huh?" Greg grinned round at him then stole a kiss from his lips. "I'll still need something to wear though, unless you want me walking around naked."
"In theory, yeah." Nick chuckled softly as he thought about it. "Just hurry back, okay?"
"Okay." Greg snatched another kiss then grabbed his keys off the side. "Bye baby." Nick waved after him, watching the younger man's beautiful face lighting up as he looked over at him.
While Greg head back to his apartment to grab some clean clothes and check his mail, Nick head back into AJ's room, giving her the bowl of soup Greg had made especially for her as she was now wide awake. She didn't have much of an appetite at first, but once she got the taste of the Thai chicken in her mouth, she happily gulped it all down before she soon fell back to sleep against her pillows.
Nick sat with her on the bed, soon dozing off to sleep himself while he was waiting for Greg to return.
Waking up to the sound of the doorbell an hour later, Nick rubbed his sleepy eyes open then carefully climbed off the bed so he wouldn't wake up AJ who was still sound asleep. Heading off towards the front door, Nick flattened out his messy bed hair before he pulled the front door open, surprised to see his mother stood in the doorway. "Mama, what are you doin' here?"
"I got your message yesterday about AJ bein' sick, so I flew right over to help you out." She quickly explained, sounding exhausted herself. "What kind of mother would I be, if I left you with a sick child in your first few days of bein' a single parent?" She asked as in a panicky voice as Nick took her luggage from her hands. "So where is she, is she okay? You look exhausted too, are you comin' down with somethin'?" She rushed through her questions.
"No Mama." He smiled softly at how worried she was about him. "She's in the bedroom, still sleepin', and I feel fine." He assured her, closing the door once she was in. "Mama, you really didn't need to fly all this way to check on me. She's not coughin' as bad as yesterday, so it was a bit of a waste of a flight. I really didn't need your help."
"Why not? I do it for my other children." She pointed out to him as she tiptoed over to the guest bedroom door to take a peek inside at AJ. She was still fast asleep on the large double bed in there. "You still haven't gotten her room set up?" The nosy mother noticed.
"No, that's my next job." Taking a seat on the arm of the sofa, Nick ran his fingers through his hair, giving out another yawn. "I was thinkin' of buyin' a new place anyway. This place is meant for one, and there's gonna be three people in here eventually."
Jillian looked round at her youngest surprised. "You mean, Greg?" Her lips spread into a slight smile as she no longer had to worry about him being alone. Fearing a child was suffering loneliness in a big city far from home had always been one of Jillian's biggest fears. "Well, I think that's a great idea honey." She excitedly exclaimed. "While I'm here I can help you out with that too. I might be of some use to you; you know I dabbled in real estate, right?"
Nick nodded his head, giving her a soft smile. "Thanks Mama."
"Daddy." A sleepy figure appeared in the doorway, rubbing her sore eyes open.
"Hey there sleepin' beauty," Nick quickly climbed to his feet and hurried towards her. He carefully lifted her up into arms, holding her small body against his hip. "How are you feelin', sweetie?" He whispered to her.
"A little better." Her little voice croaked against his shoulder while Jillian Stokes was stood opposite them with a wide smile on her face. She was so glad to finally see her youngest doing the parenting thing, just as she had seen her other children doing it with their own children.
Jillian then head off towards the kitchen while Nick tended to his daughter, deciding to clean up the mess in there while Nick was preoccupied with his child. As she stepped out into the hallway, she noticed that the laundry hamper was overflowing with clothes.
"Mama, you don't have to do that." Nick stopped her as she started sorting through the laundry.
"Nonsense." She chuckled softly. "You know how much I used to complain about doin' all of your laundry when you were kids? Well now I only have two peoples laundry to do, and I miss it. I'm bored without children in my life." She smirked as she carried a basket load of clothes off towards the machine in the utility room. "You lot gave me a purpose as a mother. Now you're all grown up, I hardly feel like a mother anymore."
"Okay." He sighed in defeat. "I thought you said that when I left you'd finally get a rest from it all?"
"Puh-lease, even after your children have left you're still their parent. People think that parentin' stops at eighteen. But trust me, it continues until the day you die." She chortled.
Nick nodded in agreement with her as he had seen that with the Sanders family, but he never realised that his sisters and brother still needed their mother just as much as the Sanders family still all needed their mother to sort out their problems.
"You'll see honey, the second AJ moves out for college, she'll need you more than ever." She smirked then found a brightly coloured t-shirt that didn't look like her son's style and it was too large to be AJ's. "Is this his clothin'?" She called out to him, holding it up in the air.
Nick whirled around to look at the t-shirt in her hands, giving her a nod. "Yeah, that's Greg's. Mama, you really don't have to do the laundry. I was about to do it myself actually."
"I don't mind doin' his stuff too." Jillian smiled round at her son then turned the t-shirt inside out before she stuffed it into the machine along with the rest of it. "I thought you said he hadn't moved in yet?" She queried as she found more of his clothes in the pile.
"He hasn't... he just got back from California."
"And he dumped his dirty laundry here?" She gasped as none of his daughter's husbands would ever have the nerve to do something like that to them. She instantly feared her son being the subject of domestic abuse from all the cases she had seen over the years.
"No Mama, I told him to leave it here. It's stupid him keep goin' back and forth between our places to get his clothes, so I told him to leave it here while he rushed back home to get some more of his clothes."
"Oh." Jillian sighed in relief then turned the machine on. "I was just checkin', sweetheart. You can never be too careful. Remember that awful man your cousin married? He went on frequent round the world business trips where he'd casually sleep around all sorts of women, bringing all sorts of STD's back to his wife, returning to her with an overflowing basket of laundry while he head out to strip clubs. Thank god she finally came to her senses."
"Greg's not like that." He assured her as he continued to hold AJ in his arms. "If you met him you'd know that. He's the most selfless person I've ever met."
Jillian smiled at her son then gently placed her palm on AJ's forehead to feel her temperature for herself as the child sleepily reclined against her father's shoulder. "Have you taken her to a doctor, sweetie?" She asked.
"Nope, I figured it was just a cold."
"Yeah, but you have to be more careful with kids, honey. I'll find you a good doctor in the area and try to get you an appointment for today." She gave him a motherly smile then head over to her bags to retrieve her laptop from her travel case.
Nick carried AJ off towards the sofa while his mother was busy and sat the sick child down on his lap. Nick smiled as he had always wanted to know what it was like to be a father after watching his sisters and brother do it for the past few years, and now he knew.
Jillian booked a doctor's appointment for AJ then continued with the cleaning while Nick got AJ ready to take her off to her doctor's. "Thanks Mama, you know Greg's gonna be back soon." He noticed the time on his watch, wondering where he had got too. "I just texted him to let him know you were here. Did you want me to pay for your hotel room?"
"No, no." Jillian shook her head to him. "I'll pay my own way. Now go on, you don't wonna lose this appointment. The doctor is one of the best around and she's very busy."
Nick thanked his mother again for her help then lifted AJ into his arms and carried her out to his truck. Once he arrived at the doctor's office, Nick lifted AJ into his arms again just as she started to cough and wheeze, cradling her against his chest as he carried her into the waiting room. As there were no empty seats in the waiting room from all the other sick children, Nick stood against the wall with AJ against him.
"Daddy, I wonna go home." She rubbed her sore eyes as she looked up at him.
"I know, the doctors are gonna make you better though, sweetie." He whispered, gently patting her on the back to clear her chest. "We won't be here much longer, okay?" He smiled softly to her then caught sight of a woman across the room that was staring at him. Nick noticed she had a four year old little boy with her, but all her attention was focused on him.
"Mr Stokes." A female doctor finally shouted from down the hall. "You can come in here now." She indicated into her office as the man turned around.
Nick nodded to her then head off down the hall, watching a young mother leaving the room with a red faced baby from all of its crying. Nick carefully set AJ down on the bed, watching the doctor disinfecting her hands before she came over to check on AJ. "What's her symptoms?" The female doctor queried.
"She's shakin', sweatin', um... coughin' too." He recalled all her symptoms off the top of his head. "Yesterday she only had a sore throat; I think she has a fever too."
"Okay AJ. I'm Doctor Harper. I'm just going to listen to your chest okay?" She softly whispered as she unbuttoned her jacket for her then carefully lifted her spotted pink pyjama top to listen to her chest with her stethoscope. "You've been monitoring her temperature?" She queried the nervous father.
"Yeah, I wrote it down every time I took it." Nick pulled the slip of paper from his pocket to show her.
The doctor nodded as she read through then looked towards AJ. "Can you take in a deep breath for me, sweetheart?" AJ tried her best as her breathing continued to stutter. "Have you given her anything for it?" Nick shook his head as she looked round at him. "It sounds like a chest infection, Mr Stokes. She probably has fluid on her lungs. Has she been coughing up phlegm?"
"Yeah." He nodded.
"Make sure she doesn't swallow it. It sometimes makes children throw up." The doctor carefully folded her pyjama top back down her chest then grabbed a clean thermometer to take her temperature for herself. "It's nothing too serious, but it's good you came in. You can buy some over the counter antibiotics." The doctor wrote down the different types, along with some child safe painkillers. "The painkillers will help with her fever and the antibiotics should clear her chest infection." The doctor carefully removed the thermometer from AJ's mouth and recorded down the temperature. "That's not too high for a fever. If she gets worse or it continues for another two weeks, come back." She instructed.
"Thank you." He pocketed the slip then zipped up AJ's jacket and lifted her up into his arms again.
"Plenty of sleep and fluids too." Doctor Harper cautioned him as he headed towards the door.
Nick nodded to her, thanking her again before he carried AJ back to his truck. He head to the nearest 24/7 pharmacy, carrying AJ around in his arms as he looked for the medications. AJ was starting to get sleepy at this point, quietly sucking her thumb as she leant against his shoulder. He frantically searched the shelves then found the antibiotics section behind the counter, reading all the different labels for himself as he was very cautious about the different ingredients and things they put in them after years of working his job.
"Nicky Stokes." A voice suddenly startled him.
Nick turned round, surprised to see Brass stood beside him. "Hey Jim, what are you doin' here at this hour?" Nick lifted AJ slightly higher in his arms, resting one hand on her back as his eyes turned towards the two boxes of cough drops in Brass' hands.
"Oh, I've got the day off."
"Oh, well... take it easy."
Brass let out a soft chuckle. "I never drink on the job, Nicky." He smirked as he saw the CSI's judgemental looks. "I really do have a cough, I haven't touched a bottle in a... few months now. The cough drops are for my cough." He explained himself then diverted his attention towards the child in Nick's arms. "Wow, so is this the little AJ that everyone at the lab is raving about, huh?"
"Yeah, she's got a bit of a fever and chest infection in the moment." Nick gently smoothed his palm up and down her back as she gave out a chest cough. "I should get her back off home."
"Yeah, you take care of her." Brass gave him a smile, noticing that concerned father look in his eye, the same one he always got whenever Ellie was hurt or sick.
Nick quickly paid for the antibiotics he had selected then carried AJ back to his truck outside. Sitting AJ on the edge of the back seat, Nick read through the instructions, deciding to give her some now so they would take effect quicker. Remembering how he used to be with medicines as a child himself, Nick had picked up one of the antibiotics that had a fruity flavour so AJ was more likely to take it to help her, rather than to complain about the taste like he had been guilty of doing so many times.
"Good girl." Nick smiled at her as she took it without any fuss. "Get in your seat, we're goin' back home now." He instructed. AJ climbed into her seat, sleepily rubbed her itchy eyes again as Nick buckled her in.
"Hello, you must be Greg." Jillian Stokes warmly greeted her son's boyfriend, approving already as he had brought groceries and he was much more handsome then she ever remembered. "I'm Jillian Stokes, Nicky's mom. I came to help out with AJ for a while, he told me you'd be comin' back."
"Hi, Mrs Stokes." Greg warmly greeted her as he set the grocery bags down on the side.
"Please, call me Jilly. All my close friends and my thousands of other son in laws call me Jilly." Jillian chuckled softly as she realised what she had just said in front of her son's boyfriend. "I didn't mean... anyway sweetheart, just call me Jilly."
"Okay... Jilly." Greg felt weird about calling her by her nickname, but he gave her a polite smile then started to unpack the groceries. "Did Nick manage to get a doctor's appointment for AJ?"
"Yes, he just called a few minutes ago. He was takin' AJ with him to buy some over the counter antibiotics. The doctor said it wasn't a serious cold." She explained as she stepped up to one of the bags to help him unload. "I hope you don't mind Greg, but I started the laundry. Since I was doin' Nicky and AJ's things, I thought I'd throw yours in there too. That's alright isn't it?"
"Uh... yeah, but you really didn't have to do that." He assured her as he struggled with the stupid child lock on the fridge so he could get the things inside it.
"Here honey." Jillian chuckled softly as she stepped up beside him and showed him how to open it properly. Greg gave her a grateful smile then set the milk and fresh OJ down in the fridge door. "Don't be embarrassed. I was always lockin' myself out of things when my husband child proofed the house. Some of these fathers do go a bit over the top on tryin' to protect their children." She chuckled as her son had become one of them.
"Well you know Nicky; he's always careful and organised about everything." Greg smiled round at her. "My own mother is pretty much the same. If she had it her way she would have wrapped us all in bubble wrap growing up." He chuckled as he scored away the rest of the food.
Jillian smiled back at him then turned her head towards the door as she heard a knock. "Maybe Nicky forgot his keys?" She suggested as Greg looked as surprised as her.
"Nicky never forgets his keys." Greg pointed out to her as he hustled off towards the door to open it up. As soon as Greg opened the door, he widened his eyes as he saw the familiar face at the other time. Too stunned to see them here at Nick's house, Greg didn't have time to duck as an angry fist swung towards him.
Sorry for the long gap between the updates on this story. I'm having a bit of writers block with it lately. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I'm sorry I left it on a cliffe ending. I'll try and get the next chapter to you quicker then this one so you won't have to wait too long to find out what happens :D Thanks again to Alisa for beta-ing this for me!
Thanks for reading, Please Review!
~ Holly