Rated M for minor language.

Chapter Thirty-Five

Pizza, wings and beer. And diapers.

With just four weeks to go before his twin boys were due Eric Delko's friends were throwing him a pamper party. Kyle was invited too. His father and him made a deal that anything he said while drinking stayed here.

"Ditto," Horatio told him.

Despite feeling left behind in life by his friends Tim Speedle was hosting the gathering for his buddy. Hunter and his mom were keeping the mom-to-be company with same meal minus the beer. Aimee's parents had decided to get a kitten, Rachel and Cheyenna had been anxious to meet "Ted." What wasn't supposed to be a sleepover, ended up being one. Both girls had pajamas and extra clothes already at nana and poppy's for occasions like this. For the record the girls still wanted a puppy, not a kitten.

Putting the birth part aside, both Calleigh and Eric were getting very nervous about being parents to two newborns. Would they be able to give both enough love and attention? Would they even be able to tell the boys apart? What if they mixed them up?

These were all very real concerns for would-be parents to identical twins. But also things that would work themselves out.

"You know you can always ask for help from time-to-time. I know Eric's family is overbearing but my parents would babysit for you. With a baby for each one they'd be in heaven," Aimee told Calleigh.

She wasn't joking. She was told to pass on that message.

Calleigh knew Aimee and Horatio had their hands full. She couldn't blame them for not being able to offer babysitting time. Hell, they needed that themselves. Hunter was handful now that he was on the move. Cheyenna and Rachel weren't babies anymore but they were still little. They needed their parents' attention too.

Both Horatio and Kyle came home buzzed. Horatio managed to not talk about how sexy Aimee was until he saw her. Then he got handsy.

"That's nasty," Kyle slurred before going to his apartment where he fell asleep in drooling on the sofa.

Well, that was good while it lasted, Aimee laughed to herself.

Her husband managed to cop a feel before they went to the bedroom. But the moment she had him on the bed and were removing his clothes he fell asleep.

"I didn't…did I?"

Horatio's face went scarlet. He fell asleep before sex? Good lord. He really couldn't hold his liquor. He hadn't drank that much at Speed's. This was why he seldom did. The only saving grace was he didn't have a hangover this morning. They hadn't seen Kyle yet. They probably wouldn't for the rest of the day if he was hungover. Like father, like son Kyle couldn't hold his liquor either.

"You did," Aimee laughed. "And you snore when you're drunk. I'm surprised you didn't wake the baby."

Hunter didn't care if his dad had been hung over. He grinned at his father, trying to stand up in his crib.

"Hello little man," he said picking the boy up. "You're lucky you're so cute. I was about to play with mommy."


Horatio could tell him a thousand times that he was going to be fine, that he was going to be a great father. But Eric Delko was scared senseless. Not just about fatherhood but if his wife and sons were going to make it through the delivery safely. So many things felt out of his control right now.

"I know that feeling, Eric," Horatio told him. "I do. But you can't stress yourself. If you have to take care of yourself first. If you don't, who is going to take care of Calleigh? I highly doubt she wants it to be your mother."

Eric laughed. "Noted."

"You're going to be a great father, Eric. Just follow your instincts. And you are doing the right thing with setting boundaries with your family."

Did you and Aimee have to do that when she was pregnant with Rachel?"

"Well, we thought we have to but it turns out as much her mother wanted to be in the delivery room, she knew she couldn't handle it. Much less help Aimee," Horatio replied.

Eric remembered seeing Lacey's expression when she heard, apparently for the first time that Kyle had witnessed Hunter come into the world. The Cuban thought it was a mixture of shock and being grossed out. Neither she or her husband could wrap their heads around Horatio wanting to deliver the youngest three Caines at the hospital either. If everything went as they hoped with their twins, Eric and Calleigh wanted Eric to do the same.