Disclaimer: I own nothing
AN: Sorry for the delay, as I've said in my other stories, life is just crazy right now. I believe there will be one more chapter plus an epilogue, so enjoy!
Chapter Fifty Two
"Come on Soph," Logan pled with the infant. He was exhausted. Rory had fired the nanny a week earlier, and although she and Lorelai were interviewing candidates for someone to help with the four week old, it was mostly just Rory and the kids now. Lorelai helped when she could, of course. But there was only so much that she could do with running a business and getting into the holiday season. "You have to sleep. Mommy is asleep," Logan told her as he bounced the screaming baby on his shoulder. Sophie had managed to find her lungs, there was no denying that. It was nearly two in the morning and Logan had been carrying her around for two hours. He figured he had two options left at this point and he exhaled slowly, accepting his fate as he continued rocking and bouncing the little girl as they walked up the stairs to the master bedroom. "Ace," Logan whispered, not completely sure why because Sophie was still screaming at the top of her lungs. She had no temperature, she had been fed, her diaper was changed, she just seemed to be having a tough time. She had probiotics and gripe water, she had refused the soother she typically loved. They had put on layers and taken off layers, they had done everything. Logan smiled softly as Rory groaned and opened her eyes slightly. "I'm going to take her to work with me," he told his wife who made a face and began to protest but he continued before she could get anything out. "She is fine with me at work for the day. You sleep, do the interviews. I have people who can help me at work."
"You have a secretary," Rory groaned as she sat herself up on her elbows, honestly she was too tired to fight him on this. She knew if Logan was telling her that he was fine to get to Manhattan, he believed he was.
"We'll be home for dinner."
"Don't forget diapers," Rory kissed him, "I love you," she looked from him to their daughter, "and Sophie even if I have barely slept in three days, I love you too."
"We love you mama, just think, almost the weekend," he added optimistically.
"You're cute," Rory laughed as Logan kissed her once more and then walked away, taking the screaming child further away, for which she was thankful.
"Alright Soph," Logan was bouncing her and trying to toss whatever he could think of in the diaper bag. He knew they had formula in the mudroom and he would grab that on his way out of the house. A pile of diapers and wipes, diaper cream, a couple of soothers and a few sleepers went into he bag. It wasn't neatly packed like Rory always did, but it was the middle of the night, so he would go with it. He had slept from eight until eleven when he took over from Rory, he hoped she would sleep as long as she could. Eli had taken to helping the younger boys get ready on the nights that were particularly difficult which Logan certainly appreciated. Logan made his way down to the mudroom with the bag on one shoulder and Sophie on the other, "come on sweet girl," he told her as he maneuvered her into her carseat. Being in the car typically calmed her down which at least meant silence, even if he was in the car. He tightened the straps and popped a soother in her mouth which she took between small huffs and cries, her closed fist came to her mouth to try to keep the pink contraption in place. "Let's go, you can work with daddy. Maybe Auntie Honor will come see you tomorrow and daddy can nap in his office." Logan let himself into the garage and put Sophie in the back seat of the smaller of their two Mercedes SUVs, Logan knew that Rory thought it was dumb that he had bought a midsize SUV but he had no regrets. It was simpler, and he always knew that there was a car big enough for them, not to mention, they could afford it. By the time the garage door was closed and Logan was slowly driving out of their tree lined driveway and through the gate he had opened, Sophie had calmed down a great deal. By the time he hit the highway, she was fast asleep and at least Logan had a chance to listen to some podcasts as he drove. He pulled into the parking garage at the HPG offices around half past four with a sleeping baby. Honor had insisted that he needed a pack and play in his office and so it had been set up in the corner two weeks earlier when Honor had come for a spur of the moment visit where she reminded Logan that he wasn't supposed to be back in the office, and he had reminded his sister of the agreement for how much he would and wouldn't work, plus he was gearing up to take most of December off for the holidays. He grabbed the diaper bag and the sleeping infant and put her carseat carrier over, it was blush pink cotton thing that Rory kept telling him worked for a plethora of purposes, but he could barely manage to get around an infant seat. Once he secured it and checked on Sophie, he began the walk to the elevator and ignored the look of shock as he waved to the overnight security staff in the parking lot and began the quick trip up to the top floor of his building and used his security card to let himself onto his floor and then further into his office. The lights thankfully remained dim. He put Sophie and her seat on the ground and then went to the pack and play in the corner, looking to ensure nothing had been absently tossed inside of it and then he returned to the carseat. He had to decide, take her out and walk her to the pack and play, only a few steps away, or did he move her in the carseat, and then take her out and put her in the pack and play. He went with the latter. Carefully picking up the bucket seat and placing it down on the desk, he didn't even bother clicking the handle back to act as a support, he simply pulled off the cover and then slowly removed the content infant, thankful when she remained asleep as he maneuvered her. This he had learned was the trick. When she was asleep like this, it almost made him want to stay up and stare at her, but he had realized over the last few weeks that it was in fact necessary to sleep whenever possible. So he placed her onto the soft sheet that Honor assured him was the best money could buy, and then he watched as she continued to rhythmically suck on the pacifier. For his part, Logan took exactly three steps backwards and collapsed on the couch. He pulled out his phone and sent two messages. The first was to Rory, letting him know that they had arrived safely, and the second to his secretary, advising her not to come into his office, and also telling her to cancel any meetings before nine, and hold any calls until she was told otherwise.
Logan kicked off his shoes and leaned back, sleep came easily, exhaustion would do that to you. He woke up on his own about two and a half hours later, he could hear actively outside of his office within the c-suite. He groggily looked at the pack and play and smiled as he saw that Sophie, while she was awake, she was happily staring at the ceiling and kicking her legs around, seemingly not bothered at all by the change of scenery, and perfectly happy, unlike the bear she had been just a few hours earlier. "Hey Soph," Logan smiled as he ran a hand through his now mussed hair and stood up to get to the infant. He looked like hell. Of course. He was in sweatpants and an old Yale hoodie that he happened to grab when he had taken over from Rory the night before. He had clothes to change into at the office, it was a blessing and a curse, his job required so much of him, but it meant having so many things from home in his office wasn't strange to him. "Whadya think, should I get changed first, or do you have a stinky diaper?" he spoke in a baby voice and Sophie cooed in response. "I guess that means you first, right? Probably the gentlemanly thing for me to do…" Logan looked for the diaper bag he had essentially tossed on the floor a few hours earlier and began going through the contents. First he found a diaper and wipes, then the diaper cream, and then he pulled out what still seemed like an impossibly small outfit. She had grown, of course. She was in zero to three month clothing now, as opposed to the newborn she had initially fit into. He had grabbed an assortment of sleepers and zipped her into one that he believed was adorable, and even better, it had zippers instead of snaps. He was pretty certain whoever had invented the snap sleepers never had children and should not be allowed to interact with other members of humanity. "You are going to be the most beautiful girl in the office," Logan told her as he stripped her of the sleeper she had been wearing and began changing her diaper. He slipped the pink Ralph Lauren sleeper under her body and began putting her limbs in and zipping it up and Sophie stared at him intently, she seemed happy, calm. She would be hungry soon. He figured he would feed her and then get changed himself and start his day. He realized that he hadn't brought a baby carrier with him. Rory told him continuously how Sophie liked to be in her carrier, but not the wrap carrier. He would have to call Rory and ask what brand it was and then have his assistant track one down that he could use. He figured the office would be quiet given that it was Friday, but he would need his hands free to do his work. With any luck Sophie would sleep through a good portion of the day before he left in the early afternoon to get home in more than enough time for dinner and movie night with the boys. "How about some milk? Does that sound good? Daddy get you some milk and then he can go brush his teeth? I'm a bit skinky, but if anyone complains, I can blame the beautiful girl I have with me today, yes I can," he was nauseated by his own baby talk but that didn't stop him from continuing.
A few minutes later Sophie was fed and back in her pack and play with her soother, carefully looking at her hands and alternating between clenching and unclenching her fists while Logan got dressed and brushed his teeth. He looked at his phone and smiled at the message he had received from Rory, thanking him for taking her and saying she could come and get Sophie. He declined, of course. He didn't mind having her there, and it's not like anyone could complain to his boss. He knew his schedule was light and that is why he offered. "Alright Soph, ready to face the wolves?" Logan picked up his phone after putting his toothbrush back in his private washroom. "The wolves are gonna seem really nice and sweet, but don't let them fool you," he joked as he pressed a button and was connected with his receptionist a moment later. "Hey, can you get my dad over here, and also if you want to come in for a moment…?" he knew she would be thrilled to see Sophie. There was nothing the women in that building loved more than a baby and his secretary who was in her mid thirties and single was no exception to this rule. "Feel free to throw on the charm for my old man though," Logan told Sophie as he picked her up, "he's probably in a bad mood. It's pretty much his permanent mood."
"Everything alright this morning?" Logan's receptionist came in with a smile which grew wider as she saw the tiny baby on his shoulder. "Oh my god she is here! Is Rory here? Can I hold her? Let me wash my hands, she is so sweet!"
"Relax," Logan laughed, "she's with me until we go, but I need you to find a baby carrier so I can work and walk with her."
"I can just hold her," the secretary, Meghan countered.
"I need you to do your job too," Logan laughed. "Is my dad on his way?"
"He'll be right here," Meghan nodded, "are you really not going to let me hold her?"
"Let the Fuhrer see her and then you can, alright?" Logan suggested and she nodded her head, telling him that she would get him some breakfast and find the carrier immediately. "See, everyone sees you and they go to mush. Can you make that happen now? Can you make the grumpy old man happy?"
"You better watch that no one else on this floor hears you talking like that," Mitchum was standing in the doorway with his arms crossed. Wearing a blue suit with a red tie as he watched his son interact with the little girl. "And don't try to tarnish my good name with that girl," Mitchum cracked half a smile as he walked to his son and essentially plucked the infant from his arms, "good morning Ms Huntzberger, you look beautiful."
"She lets her friends call her Sophie," Logan rolled his eyes and thanked Meghan as she returned a moment later with a coffee. "Thanks."
"Don't take all the baby snuggles Mr. Huntzberger," Meghan joked with Mitchum who shockingly chuckled at the comment.
"No guarantees," Mitchum smiled down at Sophie, "Do you remember me?" he asked, he had seen her about a week and a half prior when Rory and Logan had brought all of the kids to Hartford for a visit and Honor and her family had joined as well. Mitchum and Logan had spent a chunk of the afternoon working, but he had also spent some time with the kids. "I'm your grandpa? When do you think you'll be able to say that? Hmmm? Maybe sometime after mom and dad? Just make sure it's before your grandmother, because I need something to hold over here these days."
Logan rolled his eyes, "believe it or not dad, I did not just bring you in here to see the baby."
"Well I can certainly believe that," Mitchum shrugged and sat down. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"Well I want to talk to you about the bonus structure. We're nearing that time of year, and we have to vote on it. I think that we, meaning the executive team need to forgo our bonus this year."
"Forgo our bonus? Logan that is ludicrous. Our executives work hard, they expect that money."
"They are paid handsomely for their efforts dad," Logan told him firmly, he considered taking Sophie away for a moment, but decided that was unnecessary. Logan spoke calmly, the way he always did when he was talking business with his father. "I've done some research. The staff that have come in on an executive level from LHM are being paid 12.5% more than their counterparts in the industry, plus competitive benefits and a pension most people would kill for. Your executives are making 18% more than their counterparts, and are doing considerably less work. They are dinosaurs. We can't just keep throwing money away. We both have a responsibility to that. This needs to start from the top. I want to take the bonus payments that would normally go to our c-suite employees and distribute it amongst the lower level staff." Before Mitchum could interrupt, Logan continued talking. "If anyone wants to throw a fit, we offer them a package to leave. This is about the company moving forward. Next year hopefully things will have levelled out. We will have trimmed some of the fat from the publishing side of the organization, but we will have also incentivized our middle management and lower level staff to stay. The days of filet mignon for lunch while the regular employees get a shit cafeteria and pay out the nose are done. We need to treat our employees well from the bottom up, not the top down."
"It doesn't sound like I have much of a say in this."
"You're holding the baby, does that help?"
"Mildly."
xxx
Logan was pulling into the driveway just before two, he had gotten out as early as humanly possible, hoping to surprise Rory and also his goal and been to have Sophie fall asleep in the car, which he had succeeded at by timing his leaving Manhattan just after she finished a bottle. He parked the car in the driveway and brought her inside, smiling as he saw Rory sitting in the living room typing away on her laptop. When she noticed them enter, a smile came to her face, "you look gorgeous," Logan told his wife, she looked much more relaxed than he had seen her in days.
"Thank you," Rory closed her computer and stood up immediately taking the carseat from him and looking at Sophie who was still asleep. She turned to Logan and kissed him. "You're an amazing dad."
"It takes two," Logan told her with a smile. "Did you sleep?"
"I did," Rory nodded, "and my mom, apparently having heard the desperation in my voice, which is weird because I could have sworn I sounded like rainbows and unicorns, so she actually came by this morning and took the boys to school."
"So you've just been here relaxing? How downright scandalous. What would Emily Gilmore have thought?" Logan laughed as they both sat back down on the couch.
"She would've loved my bunny slippers," Rory stuck her toes out and showed off the slippers that she had been wearing for years.
"Somehow I am not convinced," Logan wrapped an arm around her. "Did you talk to any of the nanny candidates?"
"I can't pick," Rory pouted. "I've never had a nanny. It feels like I'm failing, or accepting defeat. They are my kids. I should be able to take care of them."
"No one questions if you can take care of them," Logan told her calmly but firmly. "Rory, we have five kids…and I have a big job, and when you go back to work, you have a big job…I think we should prioritize all of us being sane over what other people think about us having help."
"What if they are mean?"
"Rory, we hire them. And you'll be here, I'll be here, it's just help." Logan tried not to let his frustration show, he understood her apprehension. But he also couldn't make driving to Manhattan in the middle of the night a regular occurrence when things went haywire with a newborn. "What about a night nurse? If we have help at night, even just from midnight until seven, and then during the day she is on us." Rory grumbled a response that was better than she had given him any of the other times he had brought it up. "Even just for a few weeks Ace, it's not forever."
"If you ask Honor for some names, I will ask Paris if she has any and we can go from there?" Rory agreed.
"Something tells me there is a but coming?"
"What makes you think that?" Rory asked innocently as she heard Sophie begin to fuss in the carseat. "Come here sweet girl," Rory went to her immediately and picked the infant up out of the seat. "Did you have fun with daddy? Were you a good girl? You were a lunatic yesterday and mommy needed sleep…."
"Ace," Logan wasn't about to forget about the discussion at hand.
"I will interview night nurses, but…" she paused. "I want to do a birth announcement."
"A birth announcement?"
"You know, Logan and Rory Huntzberger are proud to announce the birth of their daughter…."
"Ok… and what brought this up?" Logan had thought they agreed not to publicly address her birth.
"Well I did one for the boys. I was looking through their baby books, and it seems strange that Sophie won't have one."
"Where would you want to publish it?"
"Well that was the other thing…." Logan raised an eyebrow, he could see that Rory was essentially using the same tactic on him that he had used on his father. Using the baby to butter him up, the only difference was that he wasn't snuggling her at the moment. "I want to announce it in my first issue as editor…."
"But that isn't supposed to be for months," Logan was confused now, maybe it was the exhaustion.
"But if we hire a nanny, and a night nurse….maybe I could go back sooner?"
"What did you do?" Logan exhaled, trying to keep his emotions in check. She had wanted the time off. He hadn't forced her to take time off. She had wanted to be at home with Sophie until she was older.
"Hugo sent me some stuff," Rory explained. "Look, it was just a few articles and I really enjoyed reading them and critiquing them….you're mad…."
"I'm not mad," Logan told her honestly. "Confused? Sure. But I'm not mad." He paused for a moment, he remembered encouraging Rory to go back to work. Telling her to find herself and not get lost in being a parent if that was what she wanted. He could hardly try to tell her now that she shouldn't be doing those things because it was his child she was home with. "If we hire a night nurse and a nanny, you have a deal."
"Deal."
"Now give me the baby," Logan laughed as he looked at Sophie.
"You had her all night!" Rory told him playfully.
"I was driving, I just want to stare at her."
"She's perfect"
Logan and Rory Huntzberger,
Along with Eli, Luca, James and Christopher Cramer
Welcomed daughter and sister, Lorelai Sophie Huntzberger to their family
Baby girl was born in Hartford Connecticut and is happily at home with her parents and brothers, enjoying her time being spoiled by her grandparents, Aunt and Uncle, and cousins.