Chapter Seventeen
Blanket
Post-series

The crying begins again as soon as Kate starts the washing machine, and she mutters a curse, leans against the machine to try and keep her cool. Rick is due home any minute, and she's so glad that her partner will be back. Lily had been fine for the whole week he'd been gone, just a little case of the sniffles the day before. So as soon as Rick had offered to come home early, she'd insisted that he keep his original flight. It was just one more day, so even if the sniffles got worse, she'd be fine.

And then Lily woke up crying in the middle of the night, and has hardly stopped.

She only sleeps when Kate is holding her, and Kate feels awful, knows that her baby girl must feel terrible. Lily hasn't had a fever, but she sounds stuffy, and hasn't wanted to let go of her favorite blanket. Kate was fine with that, until Lily spit up all over the blanket - and Kate.

So Kate held her and rocked her until she finally dozed off. Once she was sure Lily was asleep, she set her in her crib, and snuck away to throw her sweater and the blanket in the wash.

Kate takes several deep breaths as Lily cries in the other room, and she feels her own tears pricking the corners of her eyes, tries to blink them away. It won't do either of them any good if she loses it. The washer is going, she can hold Lily while it runs, and Rick should be home soon to help. He can hold their daughter to give Kate's arms a rest, and maybe she can convince him to take over the laundry, too.

And, God, she needs a hug.

"Honey?"

Kate's head snaps up at her husband's voice, and she almost trips over her own feet when she rushes to the door to meet him, not even caring that she's just in her leggings and sports bra. He lets out an "oomph" when she collides with his chest, and she holds him tight, sighs when his arms envelop her.

"I should have come home yesterday," Rick murmurs in her hair, rubbing her back.

Kate shakes her head and leans back so she can look at him, and lets her tears fall. She's just so relieved to see him. "She was fine until last night. But it's been a long freaking day."

Rick cups her cheeks and gives her a tender kiss. "Let me change and I'll take her so you can rest." He looks down at her body, seems to notice her state of undress for the first time. "Where's your shirt?"

"Being washed. I got spit up on."

"Ah. So it's not a sexy homecoming surprise?"

Kate laughs and wraps her arms around him again. "With my unshowered, unbrushed hair? Not this time."

"Too bad. I really missed you."

They stand in the entry for a minute, just holding each other, until an extra loud scream pierces the air and Kate winces.

"I better-"

"Nope," Rick interrupts, stepping around her, "I got her. Go to the couch, bed, wherever you can rest."

She does follow him into their room to get a clean shirt, and when she bypasses her closet for his, he smirks. "Shut up," she mutters, pulling one of his hoodies over her head. Lily does start to calm once Rick is holding her, so Kate makes coffee and curls up on the couch, where she can watch them.

God, she's glad her partner is home.