Playing in the Snow

Jake woke up to the sound transmitted through the baby monitor, the sound of their one-year old daughter crying. She rarely woke up in the middle of the night, she was a deep sleeper. So, her waking up in the middle of the night meant something was wrong. As Jake made his way to his daughter's room, he saw her sitting up in the crib.

'Hey, Liz, it's okay,' Jake cooed as he carried her.

'Daddy,' the girl whimpered as she wrapped her hands around his neck.

'I'm here, I'm here,' Jake reassured. 'You hungry?' he asked as he offered her a bottle but she gently pushed it away. 'Hmm… you don't need changing and you don't have a fever, probably just a bad dream, sweetie,' he concluded.

'Daddy,' she whimpered again, clearly not wanting to leave her father.

'It's okay, I'm not going anywhere. Hey, how about we look outside, huh? It snowed tonight,' he said as he made his way over to the window. As she looked outside, Liz was in awe of everything seeming to be more or less covered in snow. 'It's pretty, right?' Jake asked. Liz simply gurgled and pressed on of her hands against the window. Jake took that as a yes and smiled. 'I don't think you've ever seen snow before,' he said as a matter of fact. Liz was born in Florida and Jake often called her 'the only good thing to come out of Florida'. Although she didn't know much before she became a Peralta-Santiago, it was highly unlikely that she had witnessed snow before. 'Maybe we can play in the snow tomorrow. What do you say, Liz?' Jake asked but the girl had already fallen asleep again. He smiled as he put her down back in the crib. 'Sleep well, baby girl,' he wished as he kissed the top of her head before making his way back to his own room.

'Liz alright?' Amy asked as he was getting under the covers. Both of them found it difficult to sleep without the other next to them and so she had woken up from her sleep when Jake went to take care of Liz.

'Yeah, just a bad dream,' Jake replied as he switched off the bedside lamp. 'We looked at the snow outside and she fell asleep,' Jake said as he got closer to his wife.

Amy smiled. 'That's nice,' she said as she rested her head on his chest.

'By the way, I told her we could play in the snow tomorrow.'

'Okay,' she replied, already halfway to being asleep. 'Goodnight,' she said.

'Goodnight,' Jake replied as he kissed the top of her head and they slowly slept again.

The next morning, it started snowing lightly again along with some winds. Their boys, Mac and Harry, were eager to go out and play as soon as they woke up.

'Daddy, there's snow! Can we go play? Please?' Mac asked at breakfast.

'Well, it's still snowing a bit and it's a bit windy… I'm not sure,' Jake replied. 'Ames?' he asked.

'I think it'll be alright to play,' she replied.

'Really?' Mac asked enthusiastically.

'Yeah, just keep yourselves warm.'

After breakfast, the parents made sure their children would be warm enough to play in the snow by making them wear thick jackets, caps and gloves. Mac and Harry ran outside in the backyard once they were ready. Just as Jake and Liz were about to join them, he turned around to look at Amy.

'Hang on, why aren't you ready?' he asked.

'Oh, well, it's still snowing and it's windy too,' she replied.

'But you said it was okay to go out.'

'Yeah, for you guys, not for me.'

'Ames…' Jake groaned.

'Look, I know I said I'd join you all but you know how I get cold so easily. I mean, I would've played with you all if it wasn't snowing or if it wasn't windy.'

'But it's Liz's first time in the snow.'

'I know, but I don't like to go out when it's snowing. It's too cold for me.'

Jake sighed. But he understood. She really couldn't deal with the cold. Sure, she had played in the snow before but that was when it wasn't snowing. He never wanted to force her to do something against her will. 'What will you do? You'll be bored all alone in here,' Jake pointed out.

'I can make hot chocolate.'

'You sure?'

'Yeah, you all go have fun.'

When Jake turned back around, Liz called out for her mother. 'Mommy?' she asked when she realized Amy wasn't joining them. Liz was really close to Amy, just as the boys were to Jake. Liz needed her mother almost all the time.

It hurt Amy to know that she wouldn't be there the first time Liz was going to play in the snow. 'Sorry, sweetie, but I'll make hot chocolate for you all,' Amy reasoned as she stroked her daughter's face.

As Amy was making the hot chocolate, she looked out into the backyard where her family was playing. She smiled as she saw Mac and Harry pretending to summit a mountain, while the elder helped the younger every step. She also saw how Jake was trying his best to make sure Liz was enjoying. But the girl seemed to be uninterested after the first few minutes in the snow. Amy sighed. She knew all four of them wanted her there but she had her own problems with the cold.

Jake put their daughter down and held her hands in attempt to cheer her up. She was trying to walk on her own for the past few days and Jake thought she might enjoy trying that on snow. 'You like the snow, Liz?' he asked.

'Mommy…' the girl said softly as she looked up.

Jake sighed. He knew how much Liz adored Amy. 'Sorry, Liz, but she can't come,' he told her.

'Mommy!' the girl exclaimed while pointing behind Jake.

When Jake looked to see what Liz was pointing at, he saw Amy approaching them. 'Hey, you guys!' she greeted them as she carried her daughter.

'Mommy!' Liz exclaimed happily as she wrapped her hands around her mother's neck.

'You decided to come after all,' Jake said with a smile.

'Yeah, something just didn't feel right about you four out here but me in there,' Amy replied.

'I'll say,' Jake said as they shared a soft kiss.

'Daddy, Mommy, help us make a snowman!' Mac asked after he saw their mother.

'Sure, sweetie, I'll be right there,' Amy replied.

Yes, Amy was feeling cold, very cold. In fact, the tips of her fingers bruised a bit, not to the extent that it hurt her though. But being there with her family and enjoying every second of it made her heart warm. And that was all that mattered.