A dark and stormy night rocked the city of Detroit and ruined a perfectly good night's sleep. Wrapping Hannah up in her soft purple blanket and holding her to his chest Connor paced back and forth in his room as he tried to soothe the seven week old baby's cries and help her get back to sleep. Unsure of what he could do about the storm Connor just drew the curtains shut to keep out the lightning flashes and tried to sing a soft song to distract Hannah from the raucous thunder as it shook the house.

"Shh... It's okay, Hannah." Connor soothed as he rubbed his right hand up and down Hannah's back in a comforting manner. "It's just a storm. You're safe."

The house shook again as thunder roared and the harsh wind knocked out the power blanketing the house in total blackness.

"Oh, no." Connor's yellow glowing L.E.D. provided the only light in the house as he exited his bedroom and walked into the livingroom as he continued to try to get Hannah to lull to sleep. Sumo whimpered from the pillow in the corner of the livingroom and thumped his tail as Connor and Hannah entered the livingroom for the night. "It'll be okay. It's just dark."

"And loud." Hank commented as he joined Connor in the livingroom with his phone screen guiding his way. "I'm not surprised she can't sleep through this storm."

"Did Cole have problems with sleeping through storms?"

"Yup. Right up until he was four years old."

"What can I do to help her?"

"Keep doing what you're already doing. Keep her feeling safe and warm, and eventually she'll tire out and fall asleep. Storms are the worst for babies since they can't be stopped."

"I hope so. She can't continue to have sleepless nights like this."

"You're talking about HER losing sleep? What about you, son?"

"Me?"

Sitting down on the couch beside Connor the senior detective and experienced father put his right hand on Hannah's back for a moment before pressing his right palm over Connor's forehead. "Your light has been yellow for the past week and you feel warmer than usual. You're exhausted."

"I can manage."

"But you shouldn't have to." Dropping his hand Hank rubbed Hannah's back a little to offer his own comfort to the crying baby. "You need to take the precinct up on the paternity leave and spend less time working and more time parenting."

"Why? Hannah is thriving and growing normally."

"Yes she is, but that doesn't mean you still don't need some time to fully adjust to being a father."

As Hannah continued to cry Connor readjusted the baby again his left shoulder and sighed. "I can do this, Hank."

"I'm not saying you can't, but I am saying you need to pace yourself."

"Pace myself, how?"

"Well, when Cole was born I took care of him for the first week while Barbara rested after the delivery, then the second week she took over so I could catch up on some sleep. Then we just kept alternating the weeks until Cole was content and Barb and I settled into a comfortable routine, then took care of him together. For you, well, you're not taking the time off that Barb and I took, and you're a single parent. You're trying to do too much too soon."

"I promised Hannah that I'd keep her safe and happy. I won't break that promise."

"Connor, son, asking for help or admitting that sometimes you need a break from taking care of a baby isn't anything to be ashamed of. It's okay to have a moment to yourself and it isn't selfish to take a moment to ensure you're still healthy, too. It's not breaking a promise to not dedicate your every free second of time to Hannah as she grows up."

"...I know." Putting his right hand to Hannah's dark hair Connor rubbed at the baby's soft locks and sighed as he leaned back against the couch and felt Hannah snuggling down against his chest. As she settled in she began to quiet down and with that quiet came a sense of relief. "...She's calming down."

"Yeah, I think she's listening to your heartbeat. It's must be pretty comforting."

"My heartbeat?" Looking down Connor noticed that Hannah had her right ear pressed to Connor's chest and she had her eyes closed. Moving his hand to cover up Hannah's left ear to keep the storm from upsetting her again Connor smirked a little and felt like he was doing something right by his young and helpless daughter during that stormy night. "I'll remember this in the event of future storms."

"And remember that you're not alone in this. I'm going to help you raise Hannah and I'm going to do it as the best damn grandfather in this entire city."

"Thank you, Hank."

"Now, lay down on the couch and get some sleep. Keep Hannah right where she is and go into rest mode. I'll keep an eye on the storm with my phone and if anything happens I'll wake you up. Okay?"

"Yes, okay." Slowly laying down over the couch as Hank stood upright Connor made sure Hannah was safely snuggled down against his chest, and couldn't accidentally be dropped during the night. "Thank you for the advice, Hank."

"You're welcome, son. Now take my advice and get some sleep. Okay?"

"Okay. I'll see you in the morning." Watching as Hannah drifted off to sleep Connor adjusted his left arm to keep Hannah secured against his chest, and rubbed her hair lightly with his right hand. "I think Hank is going to help you become a wonderful young lady where I cannot help you. His experience with children is beyond invaluable, and I'm truly grateful that he's here to help us both."

Watching the storm through the front livingroom window Connor sighed a little and gave Hannah a kiss on the top of her hair. The flashes of lightning went unnoticed by Hannah, and the thunder began quiet in the distance. The storm was beginning to pass over the city.

"I know I can do this Hannah, I just need a little more time to find my own fatherly routine."

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