Chapter Twenty Eight

"No, c'mon. I promised Greg that I'd look after you." Prying the fourth bottle of beer from Nick's hands, Catherine set it down beside her on the table, giving the new father a wide smile. After another long shift at the lab, she offered to buy Nick a few drinks to celebrate the birth of his son. So far they were the only two that turned up, giving them very little to talk about as they hadn't been on the best of terms lately. "You know, there was a time, a long, long time ago that I thought you and I..." She playfully wiggled her eyebrows at him. "Of course I was kidding myself. You were far too young for me and you had your eyes on the new lab rat."

"Me?" Nick only registered half of what she said, giving her a surprised look. "You like me?"

"Liked you. I liked you. A long, long time ago." The woman defended herself. "Please, who wouldn't take a second look at you, especially when you first got here. I even thought that you and Sara might be a possibility after she showed up, but she didn't even take any interest in you when she first got here. Thinking back, she always had her head turned in Grissom's direction."

"Who?" The groggy man combed his fingers through his hair, giving her a confused look this time.

Catherine rolled her eyes, sighing softly, "Forget it. You know that this was supposed to be a celebration, right?" She reminded him. "You just had a baby."

"I didn't... Greg did."

"Oh, so now you're listening to me." She ordered herself another drink from the passing waitress, stopping Nick before he tried to ask for another for himself. "I can't send you back to Greg like this. What happened since I saw you at the beginning of shift? You were fine then."

"I called my folks." He propped himself up on his elbow, looking at his phone he had poised in front of him. "The second my father heard my voice, he handed the phone over to my mother and said 'it's him'. Like I was an infectious disease or somethin'."

"I'm sure he didn't..."

"He did mean it exactly like that." He stopped her there. "I swear, if I told him that I had cancer, he'd say that I deserved it. When I first told them about Greg, my Mama couldn't even look at me and he practically threw me out of the house."

"I thought you and Greg went over there one thanksgiving?" She remembered.

Nick smiled to himself, brushing the condensation off his beer bottle with his fingertips. "No, it was durin' the summer. Big anniversary dinner for my folks. It was a weekend that resulted in Colt though. Only I didn't know it at the time. Greg and I had already been datin' four years by then. My nieces and nephews pretty much fought my corner to get me a place at the dinner table. They kept askin' why I hadn't been back for so long. Instead of tellin' them that I wasn't allowed back, my Mama decided to invite us. She broke the ice by requestin' that we stay in a hotel and don't talk about our lives."

"Despite all that, you managed to find the time to make a baby?"

"Yeah, private moment by the lake." The man smiled slightly. "It would kill my Mama if she knew that he was made there. I think that would kill her more than the fact her second grandchild was made in a test tube. She doesn't believe in this whole test tube baby era. She thinks it goes against nature. More than me."

"You haven't gone against nature, Nicky. In any aspect of your life." Catherine tried to reassure him, but his mood wasn't lifting. "Jackson isn't technically a test tube baby, either. Things happened in the normal way, Greg was just inseminated to speed things up a little."

"Know it all." He smirked, taking another swig of his beer. "My Mama didn't even want to know about him. I remember when I was a kid back at the ranch, my sister, Lily went into labour with her first. My folks immediately dropped everythin' and rushed straight to the hospital to see her. They didn't stop talkin' about everythin' the baby did to everyone they met for months. She doesn't even want to know about my baby."

Catherine gently placed her hand in his, not sure what to say to comfort him.

"Am I doin' the right thing?" He looked up at her. "If I find it this hard to deal with people that have a problem with me, especially my own family. How are my kids goin' to deal with all of this? They have to grow up bein' the odd kids out. Two Dads, one of which who gave birth to them."

"It depends what you mean by 'deal with it'. Are you ashamed, Nicky?"

Nick shook his head, before dropping it back to the table in front of him. "I'm exhausted. I need a break."

"Don't avoid the question." Catherine jabbed him in the side, stopping him from zoning out on her again. "Nicky, are you ashamed of yourself? Because there's really nothing to be ashamed of. If anything, you should feel ashamed to have folks like yours."

"I'm not... ashamed." Nick whispered the bitter word, scratching his head as he looked up at her again. "I just feel like I've done somethin' wrong. When I was a kid, I knew right away if I had done somethin' wrong. My Mama was always really cold, actin' as though we didn't exist, while my father dealt with the issue. One time she didn't look at me for a whole week. I can't remember what I did. I never dared to do it again after that though."

"You didn't do anything wrong." She looked at the vulnerable man in front of her, guessing he was feeling like that child from his memories again. "She's in the wrong here. You brought a beautiful little boy into this world. There's nothing wrong with that. Colt and Jackson are going to grow up loving you, feeling proud of where they came from, because Greg doesn't take crap from anyone. You shouldn't either, you have nothing to be ashamed of. Besides that cold mother of yours."

"She's still my mother." Nick pointed out to her, gripping handfuls of his hair.

"You're in your forties, do you really need your mother at this point in your life?" She turned her wrist to look at the time, before she glanced over her shoulder to see if Sara had arrived yet. "Some celebration party." The woman sarcastically remarked, finishing another glass of wine. "Will you be alright for a second, while I run to the little girls room?"

Nick gave her a frown in response, reminding her, "I'm in my forties. I'm sure I'll manage."

Catherine gave the man a giggle, before she slipped away to the ladies.

While she was gone, Nick reached for his phone, hoping he had a missed call from his mother, but there was nothing. He scrolled through his contacts in attempt to find someone else, but none of them compared to his own mother.

"Hi, Nick." Sara set her drink on the table, grabbing herself a chair to sit beside him. "I've just been on the phone to the care home that takes care of my mother. Can you believe that they lost her? She wanted to go for a walk and they let her go on her own. She eventually wandered back on her own. They're supposed to be the best, but they've been nothing but trouble from the start. Are you okay?" She asked, noticing how quiet he was. "You look wasted already. I thought you're supposed to be celebrating?"

"I was." He set down his phone again. "I thought you said your Mom was doin' alright now?"

"Oh she is, I just get the care home ringing me every other day with some kind of problem. Gil's Mom met her a few weeks ago. Gil wasn't there obviously, he's never there anymore. They got on pretty well considering." She took a sip of her wine, spotting Catherine making her way back to the table. "Hey, you're supposed to be looking after, Nick. Not letting him drink himself into a coma."

"That'll be those shots I gave him earlier." The woman playfully ruffled her hand through his hair, dropping into his seat beside him again. "Where have you been anyway?" She looked at her former colleague in front of her. "Greg's been worried sick about you. He thinks you've been avoiding him."

"I've just been to see him, actually." Sara defended herself, getting back to the point. "You gave him shots? You're supposed to be taking care of him."

"I don't need takin' care of." Nick lifted his head, resting against his elbow on the table, feeling as though the room was spinning. "How is he?"

"Greg? He's okay." Sara smiled as she pulled out her phone. "He's not his usual chatty self, but he's doing alright. Little Jackson is adorable. I love his name too, it fits him perfectly. Greg said that you're having a disagreement on his nickname, though."

Nick gave her a slight nod. "I like Jack, but he likes Jacks. He thinks it sounds cooler."

"Anyway, he's adorable." She compared her photos of the baby boy with the woman across the table. "He looks just like, Greg."

"I thought you weren't a baby person." Catherine giggled, taking a look at the adorable little boy's picture on her phone.

"I'm not." She took a sip of her wine, turning her attention back to Nick beside her. "Have you had anything to eat? You know you shouldn't drink without eating first. What's bothering you?"

As Nick remained silent, Catherine decided to fill in the blank for the woman. "He called his mother at work and told her about the baby. She didn't want to know."

"Oh." Sara gently placed her hand on the man's shoulder, trying to think of an explanation that would defend the woman's actions, but he didn't look as though he wanted to hear an excuse right now. "Do you want me to take you to see, Greg?"

"No." He struggled to his feet. "I'm goin' home."

"No, Nicky." Catherine pried the man's car keys from his hands, collecting her jacket from the back of her chair. "I'll drive you home. C'mon, sorry Sara. See you another time." She helped him to his feet, supporting his weight out the door. "How about we head back to mine, and I get you something to eat?"

"I'm not that easy." He chuckled softly, banging his head as he climbed into her car. "It's probably best actually. Got the mother in law, father in law, Greg's aunt and his cousins round mine at the moment." He held his head in agony, while Catherine strapped him in. "Colt will be wakin' up soon too."

"Mine it is then. My mother isn't staying with us anymore, so you can sleep in the guest room."

Crawling straight into Catherine's guest bed as soon as they arrived, Nick closed his eyes as soon as his head hit the pillow, ignoring his phone as it started to ring in his pocket. Catherine set down a tall glass of ice water on the bedside table for him, before she searched his jacket pockets for his phone.

"Someone called... Billy." She reported, holding it out to him, but the man continued to ignore it. "Hello?" She decided to answer it herself. "Um... no, he's not available right now. Can I take a message?" She nodded into her phone, feeling chills running down her spine from the man's raspy accent. "Okay, I'll tell him. Bye." She set his phone on the bedside table, informing him, "That was your brother, he wants you to call him back as soon as you've got some time. He's married, right?"

"Yes." He rolled over onto his back. "He's also ten years older than me."

"Doesn't bother me, personally I've always liked older men. And younger man, actually." She smiled at the man, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. "Present company included. If it's really bothering you that much, why don't you try calling your mother again in the morning?"

"I never even told her that I had a boy. She never gave me the chance."

"You shouldn't care about what she thinks. I've never cared about what my mother thinks of me."

"Your mother's awesome though." He struggled to sit up, resting his chin on his knee. "I wish I didn't care. I wish I could just block out everythin' that she says, but she's my Mama. I still seek her approval in everythin' I do. I don't know how to stop. I never want my kids to feel like this or ashmed, but how can I change that if I can't even do it?"

"You're thinking a little too far ahead." Catherine stopped him there. "Your baby boy is barely two days old. You've got plenty of time for all that teenage angst, disappointment and stuff. Your boys are still just baby's. Give yourself a break."

"I can't. Greg needs me." He crashed back onto the bed behind him, staring up at the ceiling above him. "I care about him more than anythin'. I'll do anythin' to protect him. If that means that I have to cut my family out of my life... then it's a risk worth takin'. It's the only way to stop myself from breakin' down like this, every time one of them says somethin' about my life."

"If that's what you feel you have to do."

"How much did I drink?" He placed his hand over his head, wishing he could just pass out.

"Well, we started on shots, then you started on beers. Here, drink this." She helped him to sit up, handing him the glass of water. "Drink it all." She warned him. "Can't have you going back to Greg in this state. He'll think I'm out to get you for sure."

"Don't tell, Greg." He warned her, after taking his first sip. "I don't want him to worry."

"I don't really want to keep any kind of secret from..."

"I'll tell him." He stopped her there. "I just don't want it comin' from someone else."

"Okay." She reluctantly agreed. "No wonder you never drink as much as the rest of us when we go out. You're a very depressing drunk. Greg gets giggly over everything. Sara babbles about random things. I think I get giggly too, really flirty too, but you, it makes you the complete opposite of how you normally are."

"Sorry." Nick set the glass down, crashing back against the pillow. "I need to sleep."

"Okay." Catherine climbed to her feet, shutting the light off on her way out the door. "Night, Nicky." She called out to him, clicking the door shut behind her. She made her way across the hall to her own room, wondering if she should have left him a bucket to throw up in. He didn't look as though he was about to throw up when she left him, but the carpet in her guest bedroom was brand new.

She hurried to the kitchen to find a bucket, quickly making her way back to the guest bedroom to set it down by the bed.

As she stepped back into the room though, the bed was empty.

"Nicky?" Leaving the bucket on the bed, she slowly made her way towards the guest bathroom, smiling in relief as the man was stood over the sink, splashing his face with cold water. "Did you throw up?" She couldn't smell the familiar stench of vomit, so she guessed that his answer was a no. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah." He dried his face, crawling back into the bed. It wasn't as comfortable as his own and didn't have the familiar scent of Greg in the pillows, but he managed to doze off to sleep within a few minutes. He got about four hours of sleep, before the alarm clock on his phone started to buzz. He quickly turned it off before it woke anyone else up, grabbing his car keys off the bedside table to leave.

Fortunately for him, Catherine had driven his car back to hers, so he didn't have to walk a good few blocks to get back to his car. He drove straight over to the hospital to see Greg, finding him up and walking about, while their baby boy was sleeping in the crib.

"Mornin'," Nick handed the younger man a coffee he had bought from the shop downstairs, before he sealed a kiss to his lips. "Did you get some sleep?"

"More than you from the looks of it." Greg licked his lips, immediately tasting the alcohol on his partner's breath. "Sara did say she was going to meet you for drinks." He set down the coffee cup, taking Nick's hands into his own. "Are you okay?"

Nick nodded, giving the younger man a smile to prove it. "I'm fine. Last night would have been better if you were there with me. We wouldn't have Jackson if it wasn't for you." He gently placed his hands on Greg's hips, pressing another kiss to his delicious lips. "I wouldn't have any of this if it wasn't for you. I wouldn't even be the man I am today without you."

Greg smiled back at him, allowing Nick to gently hug him. "Dito." He spoke softly against his shoulder. "I wouldn't be the man I am if it wasn't for you. I never used to like kids, now I have 2 beautiful boys thanks to you. And I love them more than anything. I wouldn't have Colt and Jack if it wasn't for you." He pulled back to look into his eyes, feeling the familiar fluttering in his stomach as he looked into the man's eyes. "You made them, I just carried them around. Speaking of, shouldn't you be getting back?" He lifted Nick's wrist, looking at the time. "Not that I don't appreciate you visiting me, but Colt's gonna be waking up soon."

"I'm goin'." Nick raised his hands like a suspect, quickly stealing a kiss from the younger man's lips. "I love you, I'll see you later." He made his way over to the little crib, gently pressing a kiss to his son's forehead. "I'll see you later too, gorgeous. Have you fed him yet?"

"Yeah, and changed his diaper." Greg struggled back onto his bed. "I swear that you've carefully planned all of your visits to miss the worst of his diapers." He giggled softly, resting his head back against his pillow.

"I will change every diaper when we get back home." Nick promised him, lifting the covers for the younger man. "I'll do all the midnight feedin's too. You need to take it easy, baby." He combed his fingers through his partner's pillow creased hair. "I can't wait to have you home again. It doesn't feel right bein' there without you. It's our home, but you're not there."

"How much did you drink?"

"Not a lot, from what I can remember." Nick tried to remember how much, but it was all a blur. "It's not affectin' me, I'm bein' serious. I miss you."

"I miss you too." Greg lifted the man's hand into his own, brushing his thumb across the man's wedding ring. "As soon as we get home, things are gonna be pretty hectic, but they'll get back to our own version of normal eventually."

"I know." Nick smiled at him, combing his fingers through the younger man's hair again. "I'm really proud of you, baby. You thought that you couldn't do it, but you did. You're really brave too. I couldn't have done what you did."

"It's easy when you have an amazing husband to fall back on." Greg adjusted the older man's jacket collar for him, giving him a smile as he looked into his eyes. "Don't kill yourself trying to keep everything together, Nicky. No one is expecting you to do everything. My folks are there for a reason. They can take Colt off your hands, while you get some sleep. You look like you need it."

"Okay." Nick agreed, pressing a kiss to the man's head.

"I'm serious, don't just say 'okay' then go back and try to do everything yourself. Let my Mom help out, trust me, she loves it."

"Okay, Greg."

"Promise me."

Nick gave him a wide smile, whispering, "I promise."

"Good." Greg gently pulled the man in for a tender kiss, before he hugged him tightly against his chest. "And don't worry about me, I'm fine. Jackson and I are gonna need you at full strength when we get back home, so you need to take care of yourself."

"I am and I will be there to take care of you both." He assured him. "I'll be back later. I'll bring Colt with me."

"Okay. I love you."

"I love you." Nick returned his smile, pressing a kiss to his forehead. "Bye, baby."

"Bye. Hey Nicky, bring me some chocolate." He sweetly requested, receiving a frown in response. "What? You said you're going shopping today anyway. You can get me some chocolate while you're there."

"I'm not gettin' you anymore chocolate." Nick pointed out the boxes of chocolate on his bedside table to him that his friends had bought him. There were baby toys on the other one, with all their cards that said 'Congratulations, it's a boy!' "You can't use the baby as an excuse anymore. You have to start eatin' healthy again now."

"When did I ever?"

"When you were datin' me," The older man reminded him, leaning closer to the bed. He pressed a kiss to his forehead, resting their foreheads together for a moment as he looked into his eyes. "I want you to live a long, long time. Our boys are gonna need you around when they're our age."

"Our age? I'll be... sixty." Greg sighed softly. "Older than my mother. I don't wonna live that long, especially if I'm not with you."

Wrapping his arms around the man's neck, Greg pulled him closer, clutching him tightly against his chest. He knew that Nick's chances of surviving as long as him were pretty slim, but he didn't want to be constantly reminded of that little fact. He thought that by having another baby, they could both focus on the positive side for the future, but it was clearly still on the older man's mind.

"You should go. Colt's probably wondering where you are." Greg released his hold on the man. "Nicky, things will be better once I'm out of here. You'll see. I'll be available twenty four seven for hugs, once I'm out of here."

Nick chuckled softly in response, taking another look at his sleeping son. "He's completely changed the way I look at life. A lot changed after I found out about Colt, but it's different when you actually see the little life comin' into the world. I thought Colt was the most amazin' creation in the world, but now I have two of them. It's a little overwhelming."

"It is for me too."

"You don't show it though. It's hard to read you." Nick stuffed his hands into his pockets, watching his son's little chest arching up and down with each breath. "It's been hard to read you since you became a father. It's like you've grown up without me."

"Nicky, look at me."

Nick turned his head, looking at the younger man beside him. "Last night, I called my mother." He confessed, realising that he really didn't need the woman's approval anymore. "She didn't even want to know about him. I drank quite a lot last night... enough to try and forget it, but now that I'm here. I realise that it's her loss. And . . . I need to grow up. Like you have. I don't need my folks around anymore. I'm a father myself now. You and my boys are the only approval I need now."

"I've always thought that you were pretty mature, anyway." Greg smiled proudly at him. "You should have come here to see me if you were feeling like that. I'm your husband for a reason."

"My husband that needs his sleep." He reminded him, pressing one last kiss to his head. "I gotta go. Get some sleep, I'll see you later, baby."

"Oh Connor, shh," Chrissie lifted the screaming baby out of the trolley seat, giving the other customers an apologetic look as she gently bounced her baby boy in her arms. His twin sister was completely quiet in her seat beside him, making the mother relieved as for once they weren't both acting up at the same time. "Please don't do this to me now, we've only just started. Tyler, where are you? I told you stay where I can see you."

"Mommy, can I have these?" Tyler climbed onto the end of the trolley, holding up a packet of Oreo's to her mother.

"No sweetheart, we've got loads at home. This is just a quick shop, before we head home to Daddy." The woman sent her away to put them back, tending to her son again. "Oh no," She felt that his diaper was heavy, realising why he was so unhappy. "Oh, Nick." She caught up to the man in the next aisle, with his perfectly behaved four year old sat in the trolley. "Would you mind watching Courtney and Tyler for a second? I've gotta go change Connor's diaper."

"Yeah, sure." Nick grabbed her trolley, pulling it closer to his own. "Where is... never mind." He smiled as he caught sight of Tyler grumpily returning to her mother.

"Daddy would let me have them." She scowled at her mother.

"That's why your Daddy's waistline is bigger than mine." The woman smirked, turning her attention back to the man in front of her. "I'm really sorry about this. I'll be back in a flash though, I swear. Stay with Nick a minute, Tyler. Mommy will be right back." She grabbed the diaper bag from the end of her shopping cart, before she hurried off to the ladies room with her screaming baby boy.

Nick pulled the shopping cart with baby Courtney inside a little closer to his own, worried about how he was going to do his weekly shop when he had both Colt and Jack to worry about. He usually shopped on his own, but Greg's Aunt Chrissie asked to go with him, before she finally returned home to her husband. He thought that she was amazing to cope with three kids as well as she did, making him wonder how his own mother even managed with seven kids for as long as she did without tearing her hair out.

But he couldn't cope with Colt on his best days, he had no idea how he would cope with two children.

While her brother was screaming in the ladies room, Courtney ran her curious little fingertips across the edge of the metal frame around her, before she stretched her arms out for the rubber handle in front of her. She garbled some adorable baby babble as she did, completely content in the shopping cart.

"Tyler, stay where I can see you." Nick stopped her from going any further than the end of the aisle.

"Can I look at the fish?" She returned to the trolley, pointing towards the wall of fish tanks down the end of the aisle.

Nick didn't want to move too far away from where Chrissie had left them, but he figured that she'd walk past the fish to get back to them. He pushed both the shopping carts towards them, stopping baby Courtney from throwing her shoe on the ground in the process. He slid it back onto her little foot once they stopped, fastening the little Velcro strap that she managed to undo herself.

"Look at that one." Tyler pointed to a long goldfish with white spots. "Do cats eat fish?" She curiously asked the man beside her.

"I suppose they do." He hadn't had a cat since he was younger than her, so he wasn't quite sure. "There's a dead one in there." He pointed to the tank with lots of little black fish in it. One was floating on its side against the top of the water, going unnoticed by the others that were happily swimming by.

"They look pregnant like Greg." Tyler giggled, pointing to another set of fish. "Do fish get pregnant?"

"No, I think they lay eggs."

"Daddy, get down." Colt interrupted his father, reaching his arms up to the man. He had been watching Tyler running around on her own outside of the trolley, making him want to do the same. "Daddy."

"Not right now, bud." Nick ushered Tyler closer, stopping her from getting knocked over by another trolley. He gave the woman an apologetic smile for the child getting in the way, but his apology was returned with an annoyed scowl. "Come and stand over here, Tyler." He motioned for her to stand behind her mother's trolley.

"I wonna look at the fish." Tyler weaved around the trolley, taking another look at the fish. "Do these fish live in the ocean?"

"Probably," Nick gave her a shrug. "It says tropical fish up there." He pointed it out to her.

"What does tropical mean?"

"Tropical. Um... well, it means that these fish come from hot places around the world. You ever been divin' in a reef or anythin'?" He asked her, getting a head shake as a reply. "Well, I think these fish all live in the reefs in hot countries." He tried his best to explain it to her. "I don't know a lot about fish." He confessed as she gave him a curious look. "Ask me any question about birds and I'm fine."

"My Daddy knows everything about big cats. He's been to India and seen lots of Leopards."

"Saw." Nick corrected her, the same way he was always correcting his own son. "Yeah, your Daddy told me. He told me he's been on Safari in Africa to see Lions too."

"Mommy said her favourite was the giraffes. I wasn't even born then."

"Daddy." Colt started to whine, fidgeting in his trolley seat. "I want get down."

Nick anxiously looked around for Chrissie, but the ladies room was quite far away from where they were currently standing. "Okay, but you have to stay right by me." He warned him, figuring it would be the best way to stop his son from having a tantrum in the middle of the store. He lifted him out of the trolley, gently placing him at his side.

Colt held the bars of the trolley, walking round the edge of it to look at the fish on the lower shelves.

"Don't tap the glass, they don't like that." Tyler knelt down beside him, pointing to a little sucker fish against the glass. "My Daddy has those in his office fish tank. He has these big black ones with bulgy eyes too." She made O shapes with each of her hands, putting them over her eyes as she mimicked the fish in front of them.

Colt giggled softly, trying to copy what she was doing. "Daddy, can we have fish?"

Nick knew that question was coming, but he hadn't prepared an easy way to turn him down. "Look, there's Chrissie." He changed the subject, pointing down the aisle as he spotted Chrissie returning, giving him an apologetic look as she returned to her trolley.

"I'm sorry I took so long, the change table in there was broken. I had to change him over the sink. But of course they're all in use."

"No it's okay." Nick assured her, relieved she was back.

"Oh you're so polite. My sister hates shopping with me because I'm always leaving her stranded with the trolley in the middle of nowhere. I don't know why my twins always have to explode when we're grocery shopping." Lifting her son back into the trolley, Chrissie gave out a heavy sigh as she finally had her hands free again. "I didn't think having twins would be that different to having just the one baby, but it really is. Absolutely everything is doubled, from the diapers, sick mop ups and trying to get them both down for a nap at the same time is a nightmare."

"And you've still got the terrible twos to go." He smirked.

"Oh, I know. Tyler never really went through her terrible twos though, so I'm hoping they'll be like her. Or even like you, you're a very well behaved, little boy." Chrissie playfully ruffled her hand through Colt's hair. "Greg's coming home tomorrow, right? If he's anything like me when I got home after these two, he's gonna dive straight into bed with some proper food. That hospital stuff they feed you is horrible."

"Yeah, he keeps askin' me to bring him a pot noodle or somethin'. I'm gonna make sure he eats some proper food when he gets back."

"Mom, can I have these?" Tyler pestered her mother with another request.

"No, Tyler. We have those at home. Go and put them back." The woman ordered, sending the child off on another tantrum. "I blame her father for this. He's always buying those snack cake things for himself. If I let him feed the children, they'd blow up like balloons." She chuckled, checking the time on her watch. "Well I'm done, just gotta grab another bag of diapers. Callum's meeting us outside, so I'll see you... whenever." She smirked, giving her nephew's husband a hug goodbye.

"Thanks for all your help." He smiled at the woman, as she had been helping him out on the baby front. His mother in law had been a big help too, but Greg's mother didn't currently have two babies to look after. Her advice was a little outdated, since she hadn't actually had a baby in thirty years.

"Tyler, say bye to Nick and Colt." Chrissie ushered her daughter closer, while she lifted Colt into her arms. "Are you gonna be a big boy and help out with new little brother?"

"Yeah." Colt kept his eyes on the fish as he answered her.

"Good, boy. I suppose we'll be seeing you at Christmas." She lowered him to the floor. "He reminds me of Greg at this age. You're gonna have your hands full when little Jackson reaches this age." She giggled softly, giving Nick another quick hug. "Bye, sweetheart. C'mon, Tyler."

"Bye." Nick waved to them all, receiving an adorable little wave from Courtney. "Bye." He smiled widely at her, turning his attention back to his own child. "C'mon bud, let's leave the fish now." He carefully pushed his own shopping cart along, minding Colt's fingers as he clung to the bars. "Do you think we should get your little brother a comin' home present?" He suggested, spotting the toys aisle up ahead. He usually tried to avoid it so Colt wouldn't get distracted, but he seemed excited about picking out something for his little brother.

Colt skipped past the big toy trucks and things, making his way straight towards the baby toys at the end. "Daddy, a capa-tillar." He grabbed a multi coloured caterpillar off the shelf, crinkling it with his little fingers.

"It's a bit too big for little Jack." Nick pointed out to him, kneeling down beside his son. "He won't be able to play with it for a long time yet."

Colt returned the caterpillar to the shelf, turning his attention to the cuddly toys. "Jack has lots of teddy bears."

"He does." Nick agreed with him, as their family and friends had all bought him a soft teddy now. "He needs a special present from his big brother."

Colt nodded in agreement, hurrying down the next aisle where more baby toys were stacked. He walked straight past the large plastic walkers, stopping as he reached the softer toys. He went straight for a soft activity mat on the shelf underneath, taking a curious look at it. He pressed the squeaky nose on the cartoon pig in the corner, looking at all the bright colours and soft shapes.

"Daddy, Jack like this?"

"He might do." Nick took a look at the box that was stuffed under the shelf, realising it came with a mobile that hung over the top. Jack might not be able to play with it properly for a while yet, but it would be the perfect present from his big brother. "Is that what you want to get him?"

"Yeah." Colt made up his mind really quickly, giving his father a hand with the box. "Daddy, we get Papa present too?"

"What do you want to get him?" Nick lifted him into his arms, holding him against his hip as he pushed the shopping cart. "Don't say chocolate, Papa is watchin' his waistline now."

"Papa likes chocolate though."

"I know he does. But he's goin' to cut back now that he's had your little brother." Nick grabbed a few more things they needed along the way, wondering what Greg would even want after having a baby. He was hard enough to buy for over birthdays or Christmas, let alone after having a baby. "He hasn't had any alcohol in a while." He spoke out loud to himself, pursing his lips together as he looked at the bottles of wine that were on special offer. He wasn't actually a big drinker of wine himself, so he had no idea what was good.

Nick sat his son in the shopping cart as they reached the end, letting him hold onto his keys for the car, while he loaded everything onto the checkout. Colt handed them back to him as they reached the car outside, remaining put in the shopping cart, while his father unloaded the grocery's into the back of his car.

"Daddy." Colt pointed to the back of a car just driving in. "Look."

Nick looked round to see what his son was pointing at, smiling as he spotted a dog in the back of the car. "I see him. He's a big dog."

"Big doggy."

Nick gave his son a smile, quickly reaching into his pocket as his cell started to ring. He felt a chill immediately running down his spin as he saw who it was, making him worry that his mother was only calling to tell him how much she disapproved of what he was doing. "C'mon bud," He chose to ignore it, carefully lifting his son out of the cart. "How about on the way home, we stop by and see Papa in the hospital?" He suggested, strapping Colt into his car seat. "Just a quick visit before we head home for dinner."

"Daddy, you have go work?" Colt remembered.

"Yeah, but you'll be sleepin' while I'm workin'. Nana and Granddad are stayin' with you tonight. No Tyler or the twins tonight though. They're goin' home to their Daddy. And tomorrow, Papa and baby Jack will be home." He reminded him, getting a wide smile out of his son. "So, shall we go see Papa at the hospital?"

"Yeah. I miss Papa." Colt spoke softly.

"Me too, bubba."

Double checking his seatbelt, Nick gave him a smile, before he closed the door. He returned the shopping cart, driving straight over to the hospital to see Greg, while it was still visiting hours. He caught Greg while he was sleeping, being as quiet as he could to take a look at their sleeping baby boy.

"Hi, Jack." He whispered softly, lifting Colt up to see his baby brother. Jackson immediately stretched his arms out like a cat, giving Nick chills as Greg always did the same thing. "Jackson Gregory Stokes." He re-said the name his mother in law had said before, thinking that it fit perfectly for their son, even if Greg didn't think so.

"Oh, Mr Stokes." Nurse Maggie smiled as she stepped into the room, handing him a bottle full of formula. "You have to let it cool down first, but he'll be waking up for his bottle soon." She placed the bottle in his hands, giving the child in his arms a wide smile as she lifted him out of Nick's embrace. "You look just like your little brother. How old are you?"

"Four." Colt held four fingers up on his left hand, making the nurse think he was even more adorable.

"Do you have a pen?" Nick suddenly asked her, giving the woman a smile as she handed him a pen from her top pocket. He removed the Baby Boy card from the front of his son's crib, filling in his son's full name.

"Jackson Gregory Stokes." Nurse Maggie read it as soon as he finished. "That's a nice strong name. My eldest son just had his first. His little boy's middle name is Gregory too."

"What's his first name?" Nick curiously asked her, handing her back her pen as he slid the card back into place.

"Oliver." She smiled at him, handing him back his son. "And what's your name, young man?"

"Colt." He shyly spoke to her, burying his head against Nick's chest.

"Colton Nicholas Stokes." His father proudly said his full name, checking on his sleeping husband over his shoulder. He knew the younger man wouldn't mind about the choice of middle name he had chosen for their youngest, as he knew that he was the most important person in the world to Nick.

"Colton Nicholas Stokes and Jackson Gregory Stokes." Nurse Maggie gave the children both wide smiles. "You do look like your Daddys. Good strong names for beautiful little boys." She smiled as she gently tapped Colt's chin. "Wait for that to cool down." She motioned towards the bottle still in Nick's hand, before she left the room.

"Here go, bud, give Papa a hug." Nick gently placed Colt on the bed beside his partner, making sure he was careful of Greg's stomach as he crawled towards him to hug him. Greg remained fast asleep, slowly moving his arm slightly to hug the child closer as he felt his warmth against his side. "Be careful with him, okay." He warned Colt, while he made his way over to the crib across the room.

Lifting out his sleeping baby boy from inside, Nick pressed a kiss to his delicate little forehead, taking a seat on the chair beside Greg's bed with him. He let his little arms out of the blanket as he started to wake up, catching his eyes opening into little slits. He could just about make out the dark iris beneath his little eyelids, before his son's eyes fell closed again.

Jackson wasn't wearing his little cotton hat that he had been wearing before, giving Nick the chance to see his son's hair now that it was dry. It really was the same colour as his own, but the way it stuck out all over the place made his hair look more like Greg's style. His hair was thicker on the top of his head rather than the sides, giving him an adorable little Mohawk style. The same style that Greg first had when he joined the lab.

"You test it on your wrist."

Nick glanced up at the bed, smiling as he realised that Greg was wide awake and looking at him. "The bottle?" He lifted it from his lap, giving Greg a smile. "Thanks. But I know, baby. I was just... watchin' him. He's beautiful."

Greg giggled softly in response, holding Colt closer against his side. "Now I finally got my wish. I knew that you were hurting about Warrick when you left me. The first time I held Colt, I felt this unexplained feeling of pure happiness as I looked at this beautiful creation in my arms. I felt that it completely blocked everything else out. I immediately wanted you to feel that. I wished that you were with me so that you could. So that everything you were feeling about Warrick and whatever you were going through would just go. I finally got my wish though. Almost four years late, but at least you got to feel it."

Nick gave him a smile in response, carefully studying his baby boy in his arms. "I feel it. Whenever I'm away from here, I'm always worryin' about how we're gonna cope with havin' another baby in the house. When I'm here . . . it all just goes away. I know that sounds a little cheesy, but I don't worry about a thing when I'm holdin' him."

"Exactly what I wanted you to feel." Greg watched as his husband climbed to his feet, making his way around the other side of the bed. "What?" He gave the man a curious look as he sat on the bed beside him.

"Nothin'," He shook his head slightly. "I just think that you're amazin'. I thought that because you were an only child, you'd be a little more selfish than most people, because it was only ever you that your parents doted on. But you're always thinkin' about me in every decision that you make, even when I'm not here. I may have grown up with a brother and sisters, but I've been thinkin' of myself since I left home."

"But you always have the most empathy for others on the job."

"I'm still pretty selfish though." Nick adjusted the baby in his arms, gently placing his hand in Greg's. "I left for me, because I needed space. I stayed away because I didn't want what was happenin' to me to affect you. I didn't even think about how it would make you feel."

"Nicky, I don't think that you're selfish." The younger man stopped him there. "I'm already married to you, remember. You can't flake out on me now that the baby is born."

"I'm not." Nick assured him, leaning forwards to press a kiss to his forehead. "I told you that I'm not goin' anywhere and I mean it. I just wanted to make you a promise that I'm gonna try and be there for you, the same way that you have always been there for me. You could have moved on with your life while I was gone, but you waited for me. You're amazin' for doin' that, and you deserve to be with somebody that's gonna treat you like a prince."

Greg looked at him surprised, sensing that he was serious. "Nick, I don't want you to change."

"But I have to. I have responsibilities now." Nick looked at the three of them in front of him, giving the younger man a smile. "You and my boys are my number one priority now. It's my job to take care of you, and I'm not gonna let you down."

"That's a lot of responsibility to put on your shoulders."

"Yeah, but I can do it." Nick smiled widely at him. "I have the most amazin' husband that believes in everythin' I do. He makes beautiful baby's too. There might be the chance of another little Stokes in the not too distant future."

Giggling softly, Greg gently pulled the man closer, sealing a kiss to his lips. "I love you so much. I can't wait to get back home with you. No more baby's for a while though. I don't want to be that far away from you again, even if this beautiful baby is the end product. We need some time for each other now."

"I hate to break it to you, G, but I hear baby's, especially newborns, take up a lot of time."

His partner smiled back at him, before he turned his gaze towards the sleeping angel in his arms. "He's totally worth it though."


Thanks for reading, please review!

~ Holly