Nick and Sara stood in baggage claim waiting for their luggage to drop onto
the carousel. A small voice called out over the din. "Unca Nicky!"
Nick turned toward the direction of the voice and a wide grin spread over his face. "Well, who is this? You sound like little miss Fiona, but you can't be her, you're too grown up."
An earnest little face attached to a little girl of perhaps three looked up at Nick. "No, Unca Nicky. I Fiona."
Nick leaned down and scooped the little girl up into his arms. "Why I hardly recognized you. You're practically grown up. Did you drive yourself here?"
She shook her head vigorously. "Mommy drive."
Sara watched the interaction between Nick and his niece with amusement.
A breathless Chelsea reached them. "Oh, good, she found you. I turned around and she was gone." Chelsea looked at her daughter and scolded. "Honey, you can't go running off like that."
A pout formed on her face. "I see Unca Nicky."
Chelsea's expression softened. "I know, honey, but you need to stay with mommy." Chelsea looked over at Sara and grinned. "Who needs a gym membership with a three year old?"
Sara smiled.
Something caught Nick's attention out of the corner of his eye and he turned back toward the carousel. "I think our bags are finally coming off." He handed Fiona to Chelsea and grabbed both his and Sara's bags before she had the opportunity.
Sara nervously put her hands into her pockets.
Chelsea noticed her demeanor and smiled. "So, Sara, how was the flight?"
Before Sara could answer, Fiona tapped Chelsea on the shoulder. "Mommy? Mommy? Mommy? Mommy?"
Chelsea rolled her eyes for a moment. "Honey, mommy is talking."
Fiona pointed at Sara. "Who is she?"
Sara chuckled softly, but before she could answer, Nick interjected. "That's my friend, Sara. We're going to show her Dallas."
Fiona clapped her hands. "Yeah." She turned her attention to Sara and started a virtual monologue. "We go to pick Aidy and Conna at school. Daddy go work. Do you swing? I like swing. Sliding good too. We got kitty. She nice. Ouchy sometime. Not play nice. I like appas. You like appas? We show you Dawas! You like Cowboys?"
Sara looked dizzy trying to follow Fiona's words. She glanced over at Nick who was doing all he could to not laugh. Chelsea took pity on her. "We're stopping to pick up Aiden and Conner at school on the way home. I hope you're not allergic to cats, we just got a kitten and fortunately for her, she's got her claws. I don't know if Nick told you or not, but Kevin works for the Cowboys, so the kids get pretty excited about it."
"Uh, ok. No, I'm not allergic." Sara managed to reply to Nick's amusement.
As they made their way to Chelsea's van, she kept up a steady stream of questions. "So, the flight was good then?"
"Uh, huh." Nick replied.
"Sara, have you ever been to Texas before?" Chelsea continued.
Sara shook her head. "Not unless changing planes counts."
"You're going to love it. There is so much to do in Dallas. It's too bad that football season is over, we could have taken you to a Cowboys game. Too early for baseball. But I bet we could get some Maverick's tickets." Chelsea mentally calculated if she knew anyone with season tickets.
"I'm sure that whatever we do will be fun." Sara replied smiling.
"You're pwetty." Fiona grinned at Sara.
"Thanks. I think you're pretty too." Sara chuckled at little girl.
They loaded the luggage in the back of the van and both Chelsea and Nick insisted that Sara sit in the front. Both of them were well aware that when Aiden and Conner got in the vehicle, pandemonium would ensue and they thought it best that they ease Sara into things considering how quiet she'd been.
Sara studied the landscape as they threaded their way through traffic toward Chelsea and Kevin's home. She felt a bit overwhelmed just meeting a three year old and she silently wondered how she would do meeting the rest of Nick's family. Perhaps coming to Dallas wasn't the best idea after all, but now it was too late to change her mind. She would just have to suck it up and enjoy herself. Nick was her good friend after all; she just hoped that he would be sensitive to the fact that she was an only child. It hadn't occurred to her until they were talking on the plane just how many people were in Nick's family.
In the back of her mind, she was aware that Nick and Chelsea were talking and that Fiona kept interjecting her own comments. But she found herself deep in thought wondering about her own life and what she was missing out on by being so immersed in work. Nick had been right, she needed a vacation, but deep down she knew she really needed something more than that. People had hinted at it for years, some more strongly than others. Sara really did need an outside diversion. The way that case had affected her showed her that unless something changed, something significant, she was going to burn out and the only thing she'd ever loved doing would be gone, and then what would she have to live for. Not that she felt she was in danger of going over the edge, but if she continued the course she'd set without altering things, the eventuality of where things were headed was certain.
"Sara?" There was a hint of concern in Nick's voice as he called to her from the backseat.
She glanced back at him curiously. "Sorry, what?"
He grinned at her, but she could tell he was concerned. "Did you want Chelsea to drop us off first, or go pick up the boys at school?"
Sara glanced over at Chelsea who was smiling. "Uh, either is fine. Don't go to any trouble."
Chelsea raised an eyebrow. "We have to go past the house anyway to get to the school. The traffic back from the airport wasn't as bad as I thought, so if you and Nick want to get settled before hurricane Aiden and Conner get home, I thought I'd give you the chance."
Sara glanced back at Nick and shrugged her shoulders.
"Chels, why don't you just drop us at the house." Nick could tell that whether or not Sara would admit it that she needed some time to collect her thoughts.
"Home it is." Chelsea grinned.
Nick turned toward the direction of the voice and a wide grin spread over his face. "Well, who is this? You sound like little miss Fiona, but you can't be her, you're too grown up."
An earnest little face attached to a little girl of perhaps three looked up at Nick. "No, Unca Nicky. I Fiona."
Nick leaned down and scooped the little girl up into his arms. "Why I hardly recognized you. You're practically grown up. Did you drive yourself here?"
She shook her head vigorously. "Mommy drive."
Sara watched the interaction between Nick and his niece with amusement.
A breathless Chelsea reached them. "Oh, good, she found you. I turned around and she was gone." Chelsea looked at her daughter and scolded. "Honey, you can't go running off like that."
A pout formed on her face. "I see Unca Nicky."
Chelsea's expression softened. "I know, honey, but you need to stay with mommy." Chelsea looked over at Sara and grinned. "Who needs a gym membership with a three year old?"
Sara smiled.
Something caught Nick's attention out of the corner of his eye and he turned back toward the carousel. "I think our bags are finally coming off." He handed Fiona to Chelsea and grabbed both his and Sara's bags before she had the opportunity.
Sara nervously put her hands into her pockets.
Chelsea noticed her demeanor and smiled. "So, Sara, how was the flight?"
Before Sara could answer, Fiona tapped Chelsea on the shoulder. "Mommy? Mommy? Mommy? Mommy?"
Chelsea rolled her eyes for a moment. "Honey, mommy is talking."
Fiona pointed at Sara. "Who is she?"
Sara chuckled softly, but before she could answer, Nick interjected. "That's my friend, Sara. We're going to show her Dallas."
Fiona clapped her hands. "Yeah." She turned her attention to Sara and started a virtual monologue. "We go to pick Aidy and Conna at school. Daddy go work. Do you swing? I like swing. Sliding good too. We got kitty. She nice. Ouchy sometime. Not play nice. I like appas. You like appas? We show you Dawas! You like Cowboys?"
Sara looked dizzy trying to follow Fiona's words. She glanced over at Nick who was doing all he could to not laugh. Chelsea took pity on her. "We're stopping to pick up Aiden and Conner at school on the way home. I hope you're not allergic to cats, we just got a kitten and fortunately for her, she's got her claws. I don't know if Nick told you or not, but Kevin works for the Cowboys, so the kids get pretty excited about it."
"Uh, ok. No, I'm not allergic." Sara managed to reply to Nick's amusement.
As they made their way to Chelsea's van, she kept up a steady stream of questions. "So, the flight was good then?"
"Uh, huh." Nick replied.
"Sara, have you ever been to Texas before?" Chelsea continued.
Sara shook her head. "Not unless changing planes counts."
"You're going to love it. There is so much to do in Dallas. It's too bad that football season is over, we could have taken you to a Cowboys game. Too early for baseball. But I bet we could get some Maverick's tickets." Chelsea mentally calculated if she knew anyone with season tickets.
"I'm sure that whatever we do will be fun." Sara replied smiling.
"You're pwetty." Fiona grinned at Sara.
"Thanks. I think you're pretty too." Sara chuckled at little girl.
They loaded the luggage in the back of the van and both Chelsea and Nick insisted that Sara sit in the front. Both of them were well aware that when Aiden and Conner got in the vehicle, pandemonium would ensue and they thought it best that they ease Sara into things considering how quiet she'd been.
Sara studied the landscape as they threaded their way through traffic toward Chelsea and Kevin's home. She felt a bit overwhelmed just meeting a three year old and she silently wondered how she would do meeting the rest of Nick's family. Perhaps coming to Dallas wasn't the best idea after all, but now it was too late to change her mind. She would just have to suck it up and enjoy herself. Nick was her good friend after all; she just hoped that he would be sensitive to the fact that she was an only child. It hadn't occurred to her until they were talking on the plane just how many people were in Nick's family.
In the back of her mind, she was aware that Nick and Chelsea were talking and that Fiona kept interjecting her own comments. But she found herself deep in thought wondering about her own life and what she was missing out on by being so immersed in work. Nick had been right, she needed a vacation, but deep down she knew she really needed something more than that. People had hinted at it for years, some more strongly than others. Sara really did need an outside diversion. The way that case had affected her showed her that unless something changed, something significant, she was going to burn out and the only thing she'd ever loved doing would be gone, and then what would she have to live for. Not that she felt she was in danger of going over the edge, but if she continued the course she'd set without altering things, the eventuality of where things were headed was certain.
"Sara?" There was a hint of concern in Nick's voice as he called to her from the backseat.
She glanced back at him curiously. "Sorry, what?"
He grinned at her, but she could tell he was concerned. "Did you want Chelsea to drop us off first, or go pick up the boys at school?"
Sara glanced over at Chelsea who was smiling. "Uh, either is fine. Don't go to any trouble."
Chelsea raised an eyebrow. "We have to go past the house anyway to get to the school. The traffic back from the airport wasn't as bad as I thought, so if you and Nick want to get settled before hurricane Aiden and Conner get home, I thought I'd give you the chance."
Sara glanced back at Nick and shrugged her shoulders.
"Chels, why don't you just drop us at the house." Nick could tell that whether or not Sara would admit it that she needed some time to collect her thoughts.
"Home it is." Chelsea grinned.