Sara watched Nick with amusement as he loaded Chelsea's minivan with
several bags. He glanced over at her and smiled. "What's so funny?"
She gestured toward the van. "You're packing like we're going on an expedition instead of to the zoo."
He grinned. "Have you ever gone to the zoo with a three year old before?"
She shook her head. "No."
He chuckled. "Trust me, it's better to be safe than sorry."
Sara still didn't quite understand why they needed to bring so much stuff. How hard could one kid be?
She found out soon enough. They were halfway around the zoo, at the farthest point from the parking lot when Fiona decided she was done with walking. Nick passed off the backpack he'd been carrying around to Sara and hoisted Fiona up onto his shoulders. Not having to use her legs, Fiona seemed to get a second wind. Every time they approached a new animal exhibit, she bounced up and down on Nick's shoulders and he would have to grip her legs so her heels wouldn't dig into his chest.
"Fiona, honey, Uncle Nicky's not made of steel." Nick's patience was beginning to wear a little thin on how many times he'd been kicked in the chest. His neck, which was already stiff when they started out, was getting even sorer the way she kept moving around on his shoulders.
Sara watched them with amusement. Sara had never seen Nick interact with any children other than Catherine's daughter Lindsey. He was really good with kids and despite the fact that at the moment he seemed to be a bit uncomfortable he was much more patient than she would be in the same situation. She would never have offered to cart Fiona around on her shoulders in the first place.
"Unca Nicky?" There was a slight edge of panic in Fiona's voice.
"Yeah?" Nick tried to look up at his niece without much success.
"I gotta go potty." The way she was squirming around, it looked like she had to go badly.
"Can you hold it a little bit longer?" Nick queried her as he glanced around hoping to spy a restroom.
"Uh, uh." Fiona's panic edged up a notch as she shook her head.
Sara wasn't sure what to do. She looked around hoping to spot a restroom, to no avail.
"Uh, Fiona, just a little longer, we need to find the bathroom." Nick decided he'd better just walk, hoping to find one along the way.
Sara looked at the map of the zoo which she'd gotten at the entrance to make sure they didn't miss an exhibit. "Hey, there should be one up ahead."
"I gotta go potty, Unca Nicky." Fiona looked like she was about to cry.
"There it is." Nick pointed and Sara was prepared to take the little girl into the restroom when the expression on Nick's face suddenly changed.
"I'm sorry, Unca Nicky. I hadda go bad." Fiona looked very apologetic, but relieved at the same time.
Nick meanwhile had felt instantaneous warmth down the back of his shirt. He let out a deep sigh and pulled Fiona off of his shoulders, setting her on the ground and crouching down to meet her at eye level. "Do you think you can let Sara help you change your clothes?"
She nodded and wrinkled her nose. "I'm sorry, Unca Nicky."
He smiled at her. "I know, honey. Uncle Nicky needs to go buy a new shirt while Sara helps you change, ok?"
She nodded. "Ok."
Nick glanced up at Sara. "There's a change of clothes for her in the backpack." He grinned and stood up, gesturing toward his shirt. "I'm just going to go get a new shirt at the gift shop. I didn't think to pack extra clothes for myself."
Sara looked somewhat amused as she reached for Fiona's hand. "Let's go get you cleaned up."
Fiona skipped next to Sara as they made their way to the restroom.
Thankfully, there was a gift shop near the restroom. Nick looked around for a few moments before making a selection. The cashier gave him a knowing smile as Nick paid for his purchase.
When Sara and Fiona emerged from the restroom, Nick stood there waiting, sporting his new zoo T-shirt, his other shirt in his hand. As they approached him, Sara raised her eyebrow and quipped. "Nice shirt."
He grinned a little too wide. "Glad you like it. If I have to wear one, so do you two." He held out a bag bearing the zoo logo.
Sara reached inside and smirked. "You bought us all matching T-shirts."
Fiona's eyes widened. "I got one too?" She looked very excited.
Nick nodded and grinned at his niece. "Yes, you got one too."
"Sara! Sara! I got a T-shirt too!" Fiona was jumping up and down, pulling on Sara's hand.
Nick gestured toward the restroom. "Go put them on. I'm not wearing this alone." Nick's shirt had a caricature of an elephant facing forward on the front.
Sara smirked. "Do you have a problem with supporting wildlife?"
Nick smirked back. "No, I don't, but I feel a little stupid wearing a shirt with the elephant's rear view on the back." He turned around to show her the back of the shirt, which had a caricature of the back view of the elephant.
"Unca Nicky, Mommy said 'stupid' is a bad word." Fiona's eyebrows had shot up in surprise at Nick's choice of words.
He tried to look sheepish to keep from laughing. "Sorry, honey. Uncle Nicky feels a little silly."
"He is silly isn't he?" Sara gestured toward him, a wide grin on her face as she spoke to Fiona.
Fiona looked up at Sara and started to giggle. "Unca Nicky is silly." She looked at Nick and continued to giggle. "You're silly, Unca Nicky."
Nick gestured toward the restroom. "Hey, I may be silly, but you're not getting out of putting those shirts on. Go on now." He was trying to restrain his laughter.
Sara smirked at him and headed back into the restroom with Fiona to change their shirts. They emerged a few minutes later sporting the new T-shirts. Nick stowed their other clothes into the backpack before slinging it over one shoulder.
"I wanna hold your hand, Unca Nicky!" Fiona grinned at Nick.
He chuckled and took her hand. "Ok."
Fiona grinned at Sara. "I wanna hold your hand too, Sara!"
Sara laughed softly and took the little girl's hand. "Ready to see the rest of the zoo?"
"Yeah!" Fiona cried with glee.
As Fiona swung between them, Nick glanced over at Sara and smiled. He was very glad she'd come to Dallas.
She gestured toward the van. "You're packing like we're going on an expedition instead of to the zoo."
He grinned. "Have you ever gone to the zoo with a three year old before?"
She shook her head. "No."
He chuckled. "Trust me, it's better to be safe than sorry."
Sara still didn't quite understand why they needed to bring so much stuff. How hard could one kid be?
She found out soon enough. They were halfway around the zoo, at the farthest point from the parking lot when Fiona decided she was done with walking. Nick passed off the backpack he'd been carrying around to Sara and hoisted Fiona up onto his shoulders. Not having to use her legs, Fiona seemed to get a second wind. Every time they approached a new animal exhibit, she bounced up and down on Nick's shoulders and he would have to grip her legs so her heels wouldn't dig into his chest.
"Fiona, honey, Uncle Nicky's not made of steel." Nick's patience was beginning to wear a little thin on how many times he'd been kicked in the chest. His neck, which was already stiff when they started out, was getting even sorer the way she kept moving around on his shoulders.
Sara watched them with amusement. Sara had never seen Nick interact with any children other than Catherine's daughter Lindsey. He was really good with kids and despite the fact that at the moment he seemed to be a bit uncomfortable he was much more patient than she would be in the same situation. She would never have offered to cart Fiona around on her shoulders in the first place.
"Unca Nicky?" There was a slight edge of panic in Fiona's voice.
"Yeah?" Nick tried to look up at his niece without much success.
"I gotta go potty." The way she was squirming around, it looked like she had to go badly.
"Can you hold it a little bit longer?" Nick queried her as he glanced around hoping to spy a restroom.
"Uh, uh." Fiona's panic edged up a notch as she shook her head.
Sara wasn't sure what to do. She looked around hoping to spot a restroom, to no avail.
"Uh, Fiona, just a little longer, we need to find the bathroom." Nick decided he'd better just walk, hoping to find one along the way.
Sara looked at the map of the zoo which she'd gotten at the entrance to make sure they didn't miss an exhibit. "Hey, there should be one up ahead."
"I gotta go potty, Unca Nicky." Fiona looked like she was about to cry.
"There it is." Nick pointed and Sara was prepared to take the little girl into the restroom when the expression on Nick's face suddenly changed.
"I'm sorry, Unca Nicky. I hadda go bad." Fiona looked very apologetic, but relieved at the same time.
Nick meanwhile had felt instantaneous warmth down the back of his shirt. He let out a deep sigh and pulled Fiona off of his shoulders, setting her on the ground and crouching down to meet her at eye level. "Do you think you can let Sara help you change your clothes?"
She nodded and wrinkled her nose. "I'm sorry, Unca Nicky."
He smiled at her. "I know, honey. Uncle Nicky needs to go buy a new shirt while Sara helps you change, ok?"
She nodded. "Ok."
Nick glanced up at Sara. "There's a change of clothes for her in the backpack." He grinned and stood up, gesturing toward his shirt. "I'm just going to go get a new shirt at the gift shop. I didn't think to pack extra clothes for myself."
Sara looked somewhat amused as she reached for Fiona's hand. "Let's go get you cleaned up."
Fiona skipped next to Sara as they made their way to the restroom.
Thankfully, there was a gift shop near the restroom. Nick looked around for a few moments before making a selection. The cashier gave him a knowing smile as Nick paid for his purchase.
When Sara and Fiona emerged from the restroom, Nick stood there waiting, sporting his new zoo T-shirt, his other shirt in his hand. As they approached him, Sara raised her eyebrow and quipped. "Nice shirt."
He grinned a little too wide. "Glad you like it. If I have to wear one, so do you two." He held out a bag bearing the zoo logo.
Sara reached inside and smirked. "You bought us all matching T-shirts."
Fiona's eyes widened. "I got one too?" She looked very excited.
Nick nodded and grinned at his niece. "Yes, you got one too."
"Sara! Sara! I got a T-shirt too!" Fiona was jumping up and down, pulling on Sara's hand.
Nick gestured toward the restroom. "Go put them on. I'm not wearing this alone." Nick's shirt had a caricature of an elephant facing forward on the front.
Sara smirked. "Do you have a problem with supporting wildlife?"
Nick smirked back. "No, I don't, but I feel a little stupid wearing a shirt with the elephant's rear view on the back." He turned around to show her the back of the shirt, which had a caricature of the back view of the elephant.
"Unca Nicky, Mommy said 'stupid' is a bad word." Fiona's eyebrows had shot up in surprise at Nick's choice of words.
He tried to look sheepish to keep from laughing. "Sorry, honey. Uncle Nicky feels a little silly."
"He is silly isn't he?" Sara gestured toward him, a wide grin on her face as she spoke to Fiona.
Fiona looked up at Sara and started to giggle. "Unca Nicky is silly." She looked at Nick and continued to giggle. "You're silly, Unca Nicky."
Nick gestured toward the restroom. "Hey, I may be silly, but you're not getting out of putting those shirts on. Go on now." He was trying to restrain his laughter.
Sara smirked at him and headed back into the restroom with Fiona to change their shirts. They emerged a few minutes later sporting the new T-shirts. Nick stowed their other clothes into the backpack before slinging it over one shoulder.
"I wanna hold your hand, Unca Nicky!" Fiona grinned at Nick.
He chuckled and took her hand. "Ok."
Fiona grinned at Sara. "I wanna hold your hand too, Sara!"
Sara laughed softly and took the little girl's hand. "Ready to see the rest of the zoo?"
"Yeah!" Fiona cried with glee.
As Fiona swung between them, Nick glanced over at Sara and smiled. He was very glad she'd come to Dallas.