A Productive Morning
"You're going to be late and you know how much you hate that."
"I'm always late these days. No thanks to my new boss." Fitz pulled a tiny red and white floral print dress over Brexley's head as she lay on top of her changing table, looking up at her parents. He gave her an exaggerated happy face the moment she emerged from the pretty material, and she flashed him a grin. "It's a good thing she's pretty terrific. Hi." he cooed down to her.
Brexley moved her feet without much control of them, and looked around with wide eyes as her daddy finished dressing her.
Olivia scooped her daughter up the second she was completely done and inhaled deeply. "Somebody really should bottle the smell of baby. Oh my goodness, they'd make millions. It's just so calming."
"Remember that the next time you're changing a dirty diaper. That smell, nobody wants!" Fitz said, shooting his wife an unpleasant look.
"No, thank you." Olivia replied in an animated tone. She smiled at Brexley as they followed Fitz into the bathroom where he washed his hands, straightened his tie, and tried to do something with his curls. "What does your day look like?"
"I've got to talk to Jessica on the way to the office, then calm down grumpy ass."
"Fitz? Are you calling our daughter...?"
"What? No! I was referring to Huck." He said with a boyish grin.
"You're so mean to him sometimes."
Fitz continued on his to do list, as if she hadn't just tried to stick up for Huck."...and then make calls, schedule appointments – I've got to get a new suit for my next speaking engagement, and then..."
"Oooh! What time is your appointment with her?"
"Her who?" he asked with a crinkled face. He held out his arms to take Brexley from Liv, but she pulled their daughter closer and headed towards the kitchen.
"Miranda! Your tailor?" Olivia said with an eye roll. Looking at Brexley, Olivia said, "daddy's can be such hard work sometimes, huh?"
"Oh. Ummm, I think it was originally scheduled at ten, but then I think she had to move me to ten thirty? I can't remember shit anymore. Ever since we had our..."
"Don't say shit in front of our daughter." Olivia warned, giving Brexley a big goofy smile.
"But you just said it." He pointed out.
"Yea, but I'm the President." She reminded him with a small shrug.
Fitz gently took Brexley from her mother's arms and gave her a smacking kiss, bringing her down to cradle in his arms. "I can't remember anything ever since we had our little bundle of fearless, intelligent, beautiful, charismatic girl. Isn't that right?"
"That's a lot of adjectives." But Olivia was proud of him for pointing out other qualities before Brexley's cuteness. Even if some of them were still unknown about her.
Brexley was shifted to cradling in her father's left arm and he quickly put his right one around his wife. He gave her an intent look while clenching his jaw, and in that quiet but powerfully sexy baritone voice he asked, "do you wanna hear the adjectives I have for you?"
Her big curious brown eyes stared up into his blue ones that were beginning to cloud to gray. The word yes was on the tip of her tongue, but then she knew what would instantaneously be on the tip of his, and while that was the absolute best way to begin her day, they just didn't have time. "Whatever time you go see Miranda today, I need the latest details on what's been going on between her and Alex."
Fitz rolled his eyes. "Don't you have your bestie's number? Text him!"
"Funny. I don't have time with the ridiculous amount of paperwork that needs to be filled out and filed for my bid to run for a second term. Not to mention the press and meetings and wherever in the world things are getting fired up and why. You're going to see her in person today. Get information from her! I don't have time." She batted her eyelashes at him and added a very sweet, "please?"
"That President excuse comes in really handy for you sometimes, Mrs. Grant."
"I like it a lot."
He patted her ass before going to put Brex into her car seat. "I'll see what I can find out though."
Brexley was securely fastened into her seat, making happy noises. Fitz pulled his wife close, feeling her hands slide through the damp curls at the back of his head, and kissed her goodbye before they both headed to work. He made sure the kiss was something she'd be thinking about for a while. "Have a good day, Madam President."
She smiled at up him. "You too. I'll FaceTime you both in a few hours, okay? I love you."
"I love you too."
Olivia bent down and kissed her daughter, who was starting to get heavy eyed. "Have a good day, my fearless girl. Mommy loves you."
The sun was shining brightly in a clear blue sky. Sidewalks and streets were peppered with people busily going about their day. Car horns blared loudly from drivers too impatient to get where they were headed at other drivers in the same situation. The smell of different foods cooking at restaurants mixed with gasoline and other city smells wafted heavily in the air. It was another beautiful summer day in Washington D.C.
Fitz wasn't paying attention to any of it from his spot in the backseat of the black town car as it moved toward the offices of Grant and Associates. Instead, he was on the phone with his secretary as First Gentleman, Jessica. "That engagement starts at one, correct?"
"Yes, Sir."
"And the following one is scheduled for the end of the month with another two weeks later."
"That's right. With more people reaching out to book you, you are looking at a busy fall and winter, Sir."
"That's fine. The fact that women's rights still need a spotlight shined on it in 2021 is beyond shameful. We'll need to be meticulous about making sure none of my speaking engagements coincide with any major event on the President's calendar. We can't be speaking about the importance of women's rights while trampling on the schedule of the most powerful woman in the world."
"I couldn't agree more, Sir. That's why I checked and double checked the schedule with her secretary."
"Cyrus is known for throwing little monkey wrenches into the President's schedule without warning." Fitz warned. He peeked over into the car seat securely buckled beside him. Brexley was sleeping peacefully. He watched her little pink lips quiver lightly as she unconsciously sucked her tongue. It was another thing she did that her father found to be the most adorable thing in the world. The list was already staggeringly long and grew in size every day. She was probably dreaming of a giant bottle. The thought of it made him smile. His secretary's voice brought him back to reality.
"Again, I agree. That's why I scheduled a meeting with her Chief of Staff in a half hour." Jessica assured him as she glanced at her schedule on the computer monitor in front of her. "I'm taking care of everything here."
"Thank you. I'll be in the office until one and then I'll be back at the White House after Brex wakes up from her nap."
"I'll see you both around two o'clock then."
"Give Cyrus hell if he gives you a hard time."
"I'll just remind him that I work for a man who is trying to take a stand for women's rights."
Fitz chuckled lightly. "He'll hate that."
"Exactly."
He ended the call a moment before the car came to a stop in front of the building where Grant and Associates was housed. One more peek over at Brexley revealed that she was still out. Knowing from experience that the bright sunlight would wake her up and piss her off, Fitz covered her using a light blanket. The back door was opened and he stepped out of the town car. After buttoning his suit jacket, he took a look around. It was gorgeous outside.
Fitz couldn't wait until Brexley no longer hated the sun and the two of them could spend some time outdoors.
His Secret Service agent, Clay was standing at attention while holding the door open for the First Gentleman. Fitz thanked him before leaning into the car and grabbing the handle of Brexley's car seat. No sooner was she out of the car than a gentle breeze blew the blanket, ruffling it up over the handle. The moment the sun made direct contact with her face, it crinkled and she was no longer asleep. Brexley Marissa Grant was now crying.
"Dammit." Fitz grumbled quietly. Before he could take action to prevent her from getting any angrier, Clay quickly leaned down and pulled the blanket back into place. "Thank you, Clay."
"You're welcome, Sir." The two men proceeded to step inside the building and then the elevator.
Brexley was still crying angrily when her father and the Secret Service agent stepped out of the elevator when they reached the floor of Grant and Associates. Huck vaporized immediately, giving his boss an angry scowl. "What the hell did you do to her?"
"I hate this part of my mornings, more than life itself." Fitz muttered as he continued walking to the conference room.
"You didn't answer my question." Huck demanded, following close behind.
The car seat came to rest in the middle of the large wooden table as Brexley continued to let her unhappiness be known. Giving Huck a matching scowl Fitz slid the canopy back into place and began opening the clasps that had been holding her securely in her seat. "You know, I'm getting pretty sick of your shit."
"You wanna do something about it?" Huck challenged, taking a step closer to the taller man.
Secret Service kept a casual eye on their boss's counterpart, but did nothing. The two men had constant pissing matches, but nothing ever came of them. It was just the way these two particular men conversed with each other. Besides, the tough guy had been thoroughly vetted a long time ago, and while his rap sheet was a lengthy and intriguing read, he was loyal to a fault to Mr. Grant. Their exchanges were humorous more than anything else.
"Please. I've been dying to kick your ass all over these offices." Fitz shot back. "Bring it on, tough guy."
"This again? Come on you two. Grow up!" Abby said in a disgusted tone before heading to the coffee pot.
Forgetting the asshole in the room with him, Fitz's large fingers finished the familiar task of unbuckling his very angry daughter. Once Brexley was free from her car seat, Fitz gently lifted her up into his arms, and began talking to her in a highly animated voice while gently bouncing in place. "Ohhhh kayyyyy. No more mean car seat. Is that better, my sweet girl? Yes, it is! Yea!"
Harrison paused in the doorway of the conference room. He had only caught the last few seconds of his friend's one sided conversation with his bawling daughter, but was concerned with his well being. Squinting he asked, "when did car seats become mean?"
Fitz chuckled at Harrison as Brexley's cries increased. Her little face was red and her hands were balls into tiny fists.
"Hand her over." Huck stated patiently, holding his arms out.
"We're not doing this anymore." Fitz stubbornly replied, and continued trying to quiet Brexley in his own way.
"Just do it." Huck demanded. This was his favorite part of the day.
"Nike called. They want their slogan back. Now go the hell away." Fitz demanded. He knew speaking in such a hard tone was only make things worse for Brex, but he was slowly beginning to lose his patience.
Abby came back with her hands over her ears. She shot Fitz a look that clearly told him she was highly annoyed and demanded, "Seriously? Why are you still holding her?"
"Because I am her father!" Fitz shot back.
"Come on, man. This is a place of business. Don't be a hero. Make it stop." Harrison added.
"Just give her to me." Huck said, smiling.
"I am trying to make it stop! All of you...just...shut the hell up!" Fitz sputtered. He could figure this out if they would just go into their offices and leave him alone with his daughter for two damn minutes.
Brexley was now wailing to Fitz's ears.
"There is only one thing that makes her stop making this much noise. And every morning for the past two weeks without fail, you try to handle it yourself. The sound is beyond annoying, so put aside your male pride and deal with it." Abby advised.
"Yea, dude. Come on. I can't even think straight with all this noise. It's gotta stop!" Harrison added. "Please!"
Closing his eyes, the three irritated voices began to swirl in his head, growing louder and more demanding. If they would all just mind their own business for once! Just give him some breathing space.
He was a fixer. He fixed things. Things that were a lot more demanding and embarrassing than a crying baby. But this moment...this fix, felt so much more important than anything he had ever handled for anyone before.
Sighing heavily, Fitz gave each of his three associates a death glare. He was about to once again hand Brexley over to Huck and watch like a frustrated spectator as his daughter was instantly quieted by someone else. Someone who had no children of his own, and had never – as far as Fitz was aware – had ever been around babies or children. This man had no known close ties with kids, but the second Fitz passed Brex to Huck, she immediately stopped crying.
It had shocked him the first three days. He hadn't been expecting that kind of reaction from her, and as he watched her turn off the tears and begin to look up at the bearded wonder as if he held the secrets of the universe, Fitz wondered if Brexley was playing him? The next few days watching Huck make the room become peaceful had been a gift from on high. But, the last couple of days, it had irritated the new dad to no end. How in the hell could Huck be a better dad for his own daughter?
Naturally, he felt a small twinge of guilt for feeling that way about his closest friend. Then his mind reminded him not to jump into the Huck fan club too fast. His own wife was the...well, the president of that too! The man who has done all of the covert, top secret, mind boggling, scary things should not have such a light touch with an infant.
Especially not his infant!
While an end to the crying was the ultimate goal for this particular minute, Fitz didn't give Brexley to Uncle Huck like he had for the past ten business days. The entire reason why he had decided to bring Brex to work with him in the first place was because he and Liv didn't want anyone else raising her. Huck could hold her and spend as much time with her as he wanted. This wasn't about that. It was about this becoming a habit for all three of them.
Brexley continued to cry.
What if from this, Brexley assumed Huck was always going to be the person to comfort her when she was unhappy? Some behaviors are learned, he knew from reading the baby books. Huck was a fantastic uncle, and a loyal friend, but he wasn't Brexley's father. His blue eyes flicked over to his long time friend.
It was time to break this particular habit. But how?
Closing his eyes once again and praying for patience, Fitz sighed heavily and pulled Brexley closer to his chest. His nose came to rest on top of her little head. Shutting out every other noise in the room, he took a second to try to focus on one thing. Whatever came to mind.
And then he inhaled.
Olivia's words from earlier that morning rushed through the front of his mind like an arrow headed straight for the target. Fitz opened his eyes and started lightly bouncing Brexley, as he made eye contact with each of his three co workers. Their confused expressions made this particular moment of clarity much more satisfying for him.
Fitz grinned. He grinned BIG.
He made a mental note to pay better attention to his wife when she spoke. The woman knew everything!
No, scratch that! Telling her that, hell, simply thinking it to himself would cause her head to double in size.
That beautiful lovely baby smell was calming! In a whisper only Brex could hear, Fitz told her, "your mommy is the smartest person in the whole world."
He kissed her soft head – inhaling that sweet distinct baby smell - as she continued to cry.
Today was going to be different. Today Fitz was going to try something else and he was going to do it now. He grabbed the blanket from on top of her diaper bag and turned on his heel, silently heading back to the elevator. Clay followed as if they had practiced doing this very thing for weeks.
"I wonder where he's going?" Abby asked as her head followed her boss' movement.
"There's only one way to find out." Harrison told her. The two of them, along with Huck quickly dashed to the elevator to find out.
Fitz stood in front of the doors, holding up a hand and spoke loud enough for them to hear him over Brexley's cries. "If you go with us, you keep your thoughts, questions, and opinions to yourselves. I am trying to be the best dad I can, and your sarcasm isn't needed. Not this time. Now if you can comply with that, you are welcome to join us."
The three associates wordlessly stepped inside the metal box, keeping some distance between them and their boss, and rode down to the ground level as Brexley continued to wail.
Fitz kept his hand on the back of her head and on her bottom as he walked to the door and stepped outside. Immediately Brexley jerked her head back as the sun hit her face. Her cries grew louder. She was well and truly pissed off.
"It's okay, sweet girl. That's the sun, and it's warm and bright." Keeping her back to the blinding light, Fitz went to stand under a tree that had been planted in the sidewalk years ago. He started lightly bouncing again with her in his arms.
Shielded from the direct rays from the shade of the tree, Brexley began to quiet and slowly turned her head in a wobbly fashion to look around. Her face was still crinkled and her expression made it clear that she didn't know exactly what to make of being outside. But the red color, as well as her cries, were beginning to dissipate. Finally, her eyes came to rest on her father and she gave him a smile that melted his heart.
"Hiiiii" her daddy cooed with a huge smile of his own.
He had done it! The practically impossible. He had gotten Brexley to stop crying. Feeling immensely proud of himself, he kissed the top of her head and nuzzled close, getting more of that tremendous baby smell before heading toward the small park across the street. "Let's go see what you think of grass."
"Mr. Grant?" Clay said, interrupting his charge's happy moment. "That's not a good idea. The park hasn't been cleared."
"I appreciate your concern for our safety, Clay, but we have Huck, Harrison, and Abby. No one is going to fuck with us for the five minutes of tummy time we are about to have."
The three associates smiled proudly, nodded at each other, and acted like they were a dangerous trio. "But Sir..."
"Five minutes. Any sign of danger and we will leave immediately. You have my word. But my daughter and I are going into the park."
Knowing he was outnumbered, and mildly curious about how the First Daughter handled her first tummy time outside, Clap relented. He stayed close to the daddy daughter duo and watched for anything or anyone who seemed like a viable threat. He somehow kept a straight face while listening to Mr. Grant explain in a humorously excited voice what each thing was as they passed it.
"Look at that, Brex! It's a little green leaf. Hi, leaf! You are so cute!"
"Dude, is this how Fitz is gonna be from now on?" Harrison very quietly asked Huck and Abby. "I mean, it's cool. He's a dad now. I knew things would change, but he's talking to a fucking leaf. And he called it cute."
Abby nodded mutely with a crazed expression on her face. She might have to rethink this baby gig. There was no way she was going to walk around talking to leaves out in public! She turned to look at Huck for the answer.
Huck slowed his steps some, and waited for his co-conspirators join him. In a voice barely above a whisper, Huck said, "be proud of him for a minute."
Harrison shot him a quizzical look.
Abby pointed at their boss with the same crazed expression.
"You want us to be proud of him for talking to a leaf?"
Huck grinned with a nod. "Yea. He's doing his own thing at being a dad. New parents don't know what the hell they are doing! Those baby books tell you a lot of good information, but they don't tell a new mom or dad..."
"Hold up. You read the baby books?" Harrison asked.
"Shut up." Huck said, in a warning tone.
"See, that's why he's Fitz's number one guy." Abby said with a wink.
"The books don't tell you what to do when you've tried every single thing in the book to get your kid to stop crying and they still don't stop. You just have to...figure that shit out by yourself."
After snapping her neck to make sure their boss couldn't hear them, Abby said, "Ohhh kayyyy. But why should we be proud of him?"
"Because he just did a cool thing for his daughter. He tried something new all by himself to get her to stop. He didn't rely on what always works, even though he was never really a fan of it to begin with."
"Dude? Are you on that baby juice? What are you talking about?" Harrison demanded, before immediately quieting down before getting into more trouble with Fitz.
"Why does he always pass Brexley to me in the mornings?" Huck asked.
"Simple. It quiets her down."
"Right. We all know that. He could have done that again today, but instead, he chose to try something he hadn't before to take care of it himself. That's kinda cool."
Abby turned her crazed expression onto the scary guy in front of her. "I'm with Harrison! Are you sneaking into her bottles? You LOVE spending time with that baby!"
"Absolutely I do. But I'm never gonna be her dad, and she should never want to be held by anyone more than her own parents." Huck shrugged. "I was gonna give him one more week and then I would have worked from home until he took care of it."
Abby's green eyes went from squinting at him to wide open in shock. "You are a very intelligent man."
"Thank you."
The three of them quickly caught up with the other three and entered the park. Thankfully, the park was empty, except for the lone occupant all the way on the other side of it, more than five hundred feet away from them. Huck kept a steely gaze on the young woman who appeared to be walking her dog. If she even thought about coming this way, he'd take her down without a care in the world.
Fitz handed the blanket he had grabbed to Abby and watched as she spread it on the grass in the middle of the small group. She watched her boss get on his knees and gingerly set the baby down on her belly beside him. A chuckle bubbled up as she watched Brexley lay down, head and all, as if the thought of doing anything whatsoever was exhausting. But then she lifted her head and squinted at the world around her.
By this time Fitz was on his belly too, facing Brexley. He could care less about grass stains on his clothes. He could change into another suit back at the office. His girl was happy and looking around like a little bobble head at the outside for the very first time. His excitement knew no bounds.
Father and daughter spent the next three minutes doing tummy time together. She made contented noises as he talked in a soothing tone or made funny faces at her. The ten minutes that followed after that, Fitz carried her and pointed out the things that they saw and explained what they were. He made a mental note to put a hat on her tomorrow to prevent the sun from pissing her off again.
Back in the elevator, Fitz held Brexley close as they all rode back up to their floor. The happy little gurgling sounds coming from her were a vast difference to her angry cries not even fifteen minutes earlier. Fitz was proud of himself for trying something different, and proud of Brex for being open to it.
When the elevator dinged and the doors slid open, Huck turned to Fitz and asked, "can I take her for a bit?"
That was different. Huck was asking and not assuming. He passed his daughter to Huck. "Of course. That'll give me some time to make a few calls and set up some meetings."
"What time is she due to eat?"
Fitz looked down at his watch. "In about an hour."
"Hey, Brexley." Huck cooed with a huge triumphant smile on his face. He looked down at her as he headed to his office. "How is my best tiny girl doing today?"
Abby followed Huck out of the elevator and smiled. "I don't know why she loves you so much – you are the exact opposite of daddy material - but it's the cutest damned thing to see."
Fitz watched them until they disappeared into Huck's office before going to get coffee.
His days were a little different now that he was bringing Brexley to work with him. He split his day in half, dedicating the morning to his business as a fixer and his afternoons to his duties as First Gentleman; unless something pressing from either job demanded his immediate attention. Carrying his coffee cup towards his own office to get some work done while his bearded friend spent some time with Brexley, Fitz stopped at the doorway and surveyed how the room had changed.
The entire room had been thoroughly baby proofed. Fitz and Huck had gone over every inch of the room looking for potential hazards for the newest Grant, even though she wasn't even mobile yet. Every empty outlet had a plastic insert, every edge of his desk had a bump guard, and every loose wire had been creatively removed from sight. Fitz had initially suggested that the drawers of his desk be baby proofed to prevent little fingers from getting accidentally closed in them. But when Huck had put the safety measure in place, he had an extremely difficult time getting the drawers opened, and he quickly had them removed.
Fitz wanted his office to accommodate his daughter above all else. One of the the two plush chairs on the other side of his desk had been removed. Abby had snatched them up, along with the glass table Fitz had gotten rid of, and carried them into her own office. The armoire that held extra suits now contained more of Brexley's things that her fathers.
A crib and changing table stood side by side against one wall. Standing close by was an exact replica of the trashcan in Brexley's nursery at the White House. No one wanted the smell of a dirty diaper lingering within the confines of the offices. A portable play area had already been purchased for when she finally was mobile. For now, though, she was content to spend a little time each morning with her favorite tough guy.
By the time he had gotten a little work done, Huck came into his office holding Brexley. The littlest Grant wasn't crying, but she was squirming in his arms.
"Is she okay?" Fitz asked.
"I think she knows I'm a softie for her." Huck explained with a small smile. "She started whining a little and rooting around. I don't think she wants to wait for her bottle."
"She does the same thing to me and I usually cave. Be right back." Fitz said with a chuckle. He got out of his chair and went to warm up a bottle.
When he returned, Brexley had grown much more impatient. Setting the warmed bottle on his desk, Fitz took his daughter out of Huck's arms. "Come here sweet girl."
Holding her close on his shoulder and patting her back lightly to keep both of them calm, Fitz looked Huck in the eye. "We're good, right?"
"Yea."
"You know I wasn't trying to be...a jerk earlier about Brex." Why was this so awkward all of a sudden?
Huck nodded. He could tell his friend was squirming a little. He was enjoying it.
"I..." Fitz cleared his throat. "You are her godfather, and underneath all of the bullshit I give you..."
"Were you cleared to use that work in front of Brex?" Huck asked with a smirk.
That snapped Fitz out of his weirdness. "Shut the hell up!"
Brexley stirred slightly in his arms at her fathers slightly louder and firmer tone.
Fitz held her closer and took a little sniff, feeling immensely better for it. "The point is, I'm never going to keep you from her. I know you love her. You'd be crazy not to. She's amazing in every way."
Huck held up his hand for a moment, effectively shutting Fitz up. "I know she's a great kid. And I know why you did what you did."
"You do?" Fitz asked.
"Yea. And we're fine. I respect you as her father and I would never overstep in that area. Never doubt that."
Now it was Fitz's turn to nod once.
"Are we done with the touchy feely bullshit?"
"Have you been cleared to use that word in front of her?" He gave Huck a superior grin.
Huck slid back into his tough guy persona once again. "Touchy feely bullshit isn't in my job description and I'd hate to have to kick the ass of the First Husband."
Fitz scowled in an instant. "Go do some actual work. And don't let the door hit you in the ass!"
Huck headed back to his office, knowing there were no hard feelings between them. Life was easier that way.
In her daddy's arms, Brexley began to let her father know that she wanted food right now!
"You know the drill, Brex. Daddy has to change your diaper before you get your bottle. Come on. Let's get you all clean and dry and then you can take a little nap once your bottle is gone. Okay?"
Brexley gave one solitary pitiful cry.
Her father chuckled at her attempt to skip the diaper change. Some things she could change his mind about. Changing her diaper before she ate wasn't one of them.
After she had been changed and was in her father's arms, doing her best to stay awake long enough to empty a bottle, Fitz's phone signaled a FaceTime call. Seeing that it was his wife, he propped his phone up against his coffee cup. He expertly tucked the bottom of the bottle under his chin and slid his finger across the screen of his phone. "Hi."
Olivia smiled at the image on the screen in front of her and gave a little wave. "Hi."
Hearing her mother's voice, Brexley opened her eyes and perked up. "Do you hear mommy, Brex?"
"How is my little love this morning?" Olivia asked.
"She's perfect. Ready for a nap though. Spending time with Huck every morning makes her sleepy." Fitz joked.
"Awww, we both have the same favorite..."
"Liv! Don't you dare." Fitz warned quietly. "Not today."
"I was going to say ex-CIA operative. Jeez." She replied with a grin.
"Yea. Okay."
Brexley's eyes went back to drooping, and before long she was asleep.
"Did she do the thing again this morning?"
"She did."
"Did everyone see it?"
"Naturally."
"And did you give her to Huck?"
"No. Actually, I took matters into my own hands, much to the dislike of Clay."
"Uh oh. What did you do, Fitz?"
"I took her outside instead of giving her to Huck."
"She hated that, didn't she?"
"It took her a minute to adjust, but she loved it."
"No, she didn't!"
"Yea, she did."
"Really?"
"MmmHmm. We stood under the tree out front and she looked around for a minute or two, and then we went into the park for some tummy time."
"You didn't FaceTime me for her first tummy time?"
Shit! He had forgotten all about it. "I'm sorry, Liv."
"I'm mostly kidding. She'll do tummy time tonight with mommy. But now I know why Clay wasn't happy." Olivia told him. "What did Miss Brexley think of tummy time?"
"She really liked it, Liv. We only left her on her belly for a few minutes, but she did great."
"We?"
"Well, naturally this nosey bunch wanted to see what I was going to do since I wasn't giving her to Huck immediately."
"You're such a good daddy."
Fitz smiled happily at her praise. "I think we should take her out on the lawn near the Rose Garden. It's much safer there, and it'll be nice to spend some time outside with her. I want her to love being outside."
"That's a great idea! We should take her outside this afternoon! We are all happier when we spend some time outdoors." Olivia agreed. "Awww, look at her. She's out like a light."
"She's had a busy morning. I'm going to lay her down so I can have a busy morning myself. I'll see you around two."
"Give her a kiss for me. Love you."
Fitz kissed Brexley's chubby cheek. "Love you too."
He was no sooner back in his chair than Abby walked into his office. Seeing her boss with empty arms, she glanced over at the small form sleeping in the crib nearby. Without invitation, she sat down in the only other chair in the room.
"What's up, Abby?" he asked.
"You were late today." She replied matter of factly.
"I wasn't aware that you had been promoted to my time keeper." He shot back in a slightly annoyed tone.
"Don't get defensive on me. When you first told us that you'd be bringing your newborn to work with you, I thought it might last a week. Two tops. And at first you weren't just late. You were lucky to get here by ten." She chuckled recalling her calm cool and collected boss arriving hours late and looking like he dressed himself in the dark after going through a tornado.
"You'd have baby puke on your shoulder, your socks didn't match, and you looked exhausted the moment you arrived."
"Thanks for the pep talk, Abs." Fitz mumbled. "now, if you don't mind..."
"But. Lately, you've shown up looking like the well dressed fixer that you are, your clothes match and are clean. You're still a little late here and there, but you have learned a lot about being a working dad, and you've made adjustments in your schedule. You no longer look like a harried fashion nightmare covered in unnamed baby fluids."
He gave a full belly laugh at her accurate description of his mornings just a few short weeks ago, and then froze as his eyes darted over to where his little angel lay peacefully. "I was kind of a mess. It took me some time to figure out how to get both of us ready and out the door on time. Can I tell you a secret?"
"I love secrets." She grinned conspiratorially.
"My first day back was going to be the Friday before the Monday that I actually came in. I could never get everything together and get both of us out the door. By eleven o'clock I was completely exhausted! So we just stayed home."
"If that wasn't so pathetic, it would be much more humorous." She teased. "I know we all give you grief about how Huck can quiet her down so easily, but you are doing a great job with her. I had my doubts about you becoming a dad. Especially a working dad. She's happy and well taken care of, and somehow you haven't lost your mind yet, so that's a bonus."
"Your compliments need work, Abs." Fitz joked.
"You know what I'm saying."
"I do. And I appreciate it. I'm still not where I'd like to be time wise. The schedule still needs to be tweaked here and there so we show up to work on time. But it's getting there."
"At least you don't need Huck to get her quiet every morning now. That's a huge deal. Really. You should be proud of that."
Fitz glanced over at his still sleeping daughter. "I'm even prouder of that than anything else."
"You should be. She's lucky to have you and the President for parents."
"Abby?"
"Yea?"
"Are you done kissing my ass?" She glanced up at the ceiling as if in deep thought. Looking back at him she replied, "yea."
"Great. Now get out of here so I can do some work before she wakes up from her nap."
A/N - I wanted to put Fitz in a situation with Brexley where he was at his wits end. Any parent will probably say they've been there. But I wanted to intentionally linger there for a minute. The thoughts, the feelings, the pressure. I tried to do it justice. And when you get to that place where you feel like you are going to lose your mind, something happens (your baby sleeps through the night finally, or whatever) & you just feel on top of the world. Like, maybe I won't screw up this little person after all. That is a legit parental thought! I'm sorry it took me so long to get here, but it feels good to write again after not having anything to say. I'll try really hard to make sure that doesn't happen again. So, if you're still reading this story, thank you very much.