Milestones

Unfortunately Calleigh suffered occasional but severe sickness. And she was prone to it any time of day effectively ending the "morning" part of the phase. Aimee hadn't had much of nausea when she was pregnant but strangely there was foods that she was normally fine with, that now tasted horrible or made her stomach turn just by the smell. There were times that Campbell's Chicken Noodle soup was all she could stomach for a day. This was the only remedy she could offer to Calleigh.

Kyle scowled. He was talking to his sister , leaning close to her as Faith laid on the floor on her back.

"Ow!" He said, rubbing his nose.

Aimee laughed watching the interaction between the two blue-eyed siblings. Kyle was starting kindergarten in September. Some of the single moms of the children who would be in Kyle's class didn't do a good job at all hiding the fact they were pissed that Horatio Caine was now a married man. On the day Aimee and Horatio took their son to see the school and meet his teacher, one married mom named Dina told Aimee "you know they're all jealous you married Lieutenant Caine. You have no idea how many women here had him in their sights and tried endlessly it get him to go out with 'em!"

Horatio wasn't oblivious to this fact, only acted so. There were some "rumblings" from some of these women that "maybe" Horatio and Aimee's marriage wouldn't last. They were "banking" on that based on the fact that Aimee and Horatio hadn't dated for that long before they got married and had another child.

All Aimee could do was shake her head. Horatio wasn't interested in any of those woman before he met her, why would he be interested in them if they broke up? For the most part, Horatio was just seen as a sexy single dad to the chatty women in question, they weren't looking at the big picture or the reality. "They have no idea it's at all easy being married to a cop. Not everyone is able to handle that just like not everyone is cut to be a cop."

Aimee then learned Dina's father had been a police officer in Oregon for fifteen years before being injured in a car accident.

Horatio was a completely hands-on dad but that didn't mean she wasn't alone with the children at odd hours for an extended periods of time because whenever his phone rang he had to leave. Aimee knew her husband didn't want to be gone as long as he was, or at the times he was called. He especially didn't like the very notion of why he had to leave, nobody would, or should anyway, but Horatio had a job to do, even if it were gruesome one that was not for a faint of heart.

Or stomach.

And even if his wife and children felt "short-changed" many times.

Though she hadn't known her son as a baby or toddler Aimee knew she was going to cry her eyes out on Kyle's first day of school, even if it was only a half day. Kyle's preschool, or the pre-K program as some referred to it, was run by Dade County Elementary School,so Kyle already felt like he went to school especially since a teacher were sent to his house when he didn't want to got to school for a while after his dad was shot. Feeling Kyle wasn't quite ready, Horatio had made the choice not to enroll in school till he turned six. Because of when Kyle's birthday landed, this meant he would turn seven in the middle of kindergarten. More than a few of Kyle's friends would do the same.

"I'm not sure if I want him to go to school yet," Aimee said to Horatio one night, even though they still had the summer before that happened.

"Oh, I know I don't," Horatio smiled.

Kyle was still his father's "little man" and daddy knew he would need him for years yet but having been the one who took him home from the hospital, changed his diapers, spent endless nights rocking him to sleep and watching him take his first steps seeing his son as an independent six-year-old was emotional for Horatio.

"What was his first word?" Aimee asked Horatio as she fed their six-week-old daughter late one night. It was around 11:30pm and Kyle was long asleep. The couple were in bed watching television.

"Hm?" Horatio asked sleepily.

"Kyle . His first word."

Dada.

Horatio smiled at the memory.

Kyle's babysitter, Eileen told Horatio she was worried the 11-month-old boy wasn't really saying any words yet, though he babbled constantly. No one else was worried, including Horatio or Kyle's doctor. Very late one night after Horatio had worked over fourteen hours he went to see his little boy. He missed him after all day despite the hour he hoped the baby was awake.

He was.

Sitting up in his crib in just a diaper and t-shirt, when he saw his daddy Kyle grinned, reached his arms up and as clear as day said "dada!"

Horatio was shocked out of his sleepy state.

"What did you say, partner?" Scooping the boy up into his arms and kissing him.

"Dada!" Kyle said again, grinning.

Horatio forgot his exhausted state completely. He felt excitement, pride and emotion bubble up inside of his chest.

Kyle gave his dad a very wet kiss on the mouth and hugged into his chest.

"I love you, Kyle, too," Horatio whispered, rubbing the baby's back and kissing his head. "I love you, too."

"He made my night that night."

"I bet he did, babe. I bet he did."