A New Addition
Pairing: Nick and Sara
Nick and Sara are in Dallas attending a party for his parents' 50th anniversary.They have been getadvice from their families.
Disclaimer: I don't own Nick, Sara or any other CSI character. I do own Nick and Sara's families and any other non-CSI character.
Cynthia and Thomas' Golden Anniversary
Three generations of the Stokes family were sitting in the banquet room of Lucci's Italian Bistro. Thomas, Sr. and Cynthia were sitting at the table designated for the guests of honor. Their seven children with their families were seated in nearby tables. There was a DJ station and a podium near the dance floor.
Nick and Sara were seated with Marissa and her family.
"Sara has anyone besides Nick and your colleagues touched your belly?" Marissa asked.
"Yes, complete strangers see a pregnant woman and they think it's cool to put their hands on her stomach," Sara said. "It's so annoying!"
"I know it is," Marissa said. "It was even worse when I was pregnant with Brianna. You know what I said to the strangers. I told them that my stomach will open up, suck their hands in and the baby will eat them for nourishment."
"That's a good one," Nick said laughing. "Maybe Sara should say that next time someone touches her stomach."
"Maybe a good swat in the hand will do wonders," Sara said. "I hate to give people a graphic science fiction style threat."
"Whatever works best for you," Marissa said. "Anyway, do you have a name picked out for your little girl, yet?"
"We are thinking about Abigail Melanie, Vanessa Leigh, Rebecca Marie or Gabrielle Anne," Nick said.
"Nick, I think your daughter will love any of those names," Marissa said. "They are classical names that stood the test of time. I would have to kick both your asses if you named my niece Apple or Britney."
"We eliminated all dippy celebrity babies' names," Nick said putting his hand on Sara's almost six month pregnant belly. "No child of ours will ever be named after annoying pop stars, fruits or musical instruments."
The servers came around and served the first course of mushrooms stuffed with vegetable and saffron risotto and topped with fresh mozzarella cheese. It was beautifully plated with a light tomato sauce and some parsley. The aroma of the saffron permeated the banquet room. When the servers left, the party started to eat.
"This is still delicious," Nick said. "I haven't been here in almost eight years and nothing much has changed."
"Nicky, this place has been owned by the same family since it was established in 1950," Marissa said. "They are now in its third generation of ownership."
"Ralph's two sons have taken over?" Nick asked.
"No, his three daughters took over the family business," Marissa smiled. "They are really great about keeping traditions, but they are also innovative without sacrificing quality. It has become a popular place since you left for Vegas."
"I can imagine," Nick said. "I was afraid that the quality of the food would be less than Lucci's standards when I moved to Vegas."
"Nick, the stuffed mushrooms are delicious," Sara said. "I have never been here before, but I can tell that we will have a great meal. Little Princess and I are looking forward to the dessert."
"What? You aren't looking forward to the special entrée that Sabrina busted her ass to get for you!" Nick said almost offended for Sabrina.
"Of course, I am looking forward to the main course," Sara said. "I acknowledge Sabrina's effort. I'm sure it will pay off. I think Little Princess wants the dessert."
"Little Princess?" Marissa asked.
"That's what we are calling the baby until we settle on a name for her," Nick said. "When we found out Sara was pregnant, we called the baby Tadpole because she looked like a tadpole on the ultrasound. When she started to look like a tiny baby, we called her Mini-Baby. Finally, we found out the sex and it's a girl. So, we started to call her Little Princess."
"I remember that email you sent," Marissa said. "The word 'girl' was in vivid pink and in a capital letters. That was a special touch."
Nick and Sara smiled as they silently finished the appetizer.
The servers came back to take the dirty plates and forks. A few moments later, they returned with the salad which was served with balsamic vinaigrette and two tiny balls of fresh mozzarella. While the salad was eaten there was a lot of conversation. Sabrina was walking around asking everyone if everything was okay so far.
"Oh great, here comes Ms. 'Is-Everything-Okay,' asking about our dinner," Nick muttered.
"So, how is everyone doing?" Sabrina asked. "What about the food?"
"We are doing okay?" Marissa said, speaking for everyone at her table. "The food is great."
"I am happy that things are fine," Sabrina said. "The DJ will start playing music in a few moments. You know that we will do some dancing."
"I was wondering when we'll have some fun," Sara said.
"Are you sure you're able to dance, Sara?" Sabrina asked.
"Yes, I can still dance when I am pregnant," Sara said amused.
"Hey, I can remember you were dancing a lot during your pregnancies," Nick gently admonished his sister.
"Nick, I was just kidding around," Sabrina said and returned to her seat.
Moments after the servers took away the salad plates, the DJ appeared and started playing the music. Everyone got up and went to the dance floor. The DJ played both rock and country music from 1955 to 2005.
As soon as the music stopped playing, it was their cue to return to their seats. The main course was being served. There was a choice of chicken Marsala, steak pizzaiola and penne Caprese. The servers matched the entrée according to a color code on each place card. Red was for the steak, blue for chicken and green for the penne.
"Nick, are you trying to steal food from Little Princess?" Sara asked with a smirk.
"Sara, I would never do that to you or our daughter," Nick said. "I just wanted to try a little bit that penne Caprese. It is delicious. Sabrina really picked out a good pasta dish for you."
"Yeah, she did," Sara smiled. "This is one of the best pasta dishes I have ever eaten."
"The steak is excellent and cooked just the way I like it," Nick beamed. "The side of pasta marinara is light and delicious. The sautéed spinach isn't overpowered by the garlic. Would you like to have some of my spinach?"
"Yes, I am eating for two you know," Sara said. "You may have to give me a little more."
Nick took Sara's bread plate and put a small, but somewhat generous amount of the vegetable on it. He gave the plate back to Sara. She ate the spinach and smiled. Nick took his wife's smile as a sign that she thought it was tasty.
When everyone finished the main course, the servers took away all the plates, forks, knives and spoons. Heather saw it as her cue to get up from her chair and walk over to the podium. She was halfway between her seat and the podium when she noticed one of her daughters was tagging along. She gently took the little girl by the hand, walked her back to their table and told her to stay seated. She immediately made her way to the podium with a medium size envelop.
"Good evening, everyone," Heather said. "I hope everyone is enjoying the dinner that my sister Sabrina Stokes-O'Brien organized. Now, I want to present to mom and dad on their 50th anniversary a special present. Thomas and Cynthia, your seven kids and their spouses as well as your older grandchildren all chipped in for an extra special gift that is in this envelop. If could come right up here and I will give it to you."
Thomas and Cynthia got up from their table, went up to the podium and Heather gave them the envelop. Cynthia open it, took out the contents, showed them to Thomas and they were both in tears.
"I don't know what to say besides thank you," Cynthia said. "I can't believe you did this for us. You bought us a second honeymoon to Italy. We had our first honeymoon there. That is so sweet!"
Thomas was speechless, but he smiled at his children. He gave Heather a hug. Heather returned to her seat while Thomas and Cynthia walked around thanking their children, the spouses and the older grandkids for the surprise. When the couple approached Nick and Sara, they gave the youngest couple a smile. Thomas gave Nick's shoulder a light squeeze.
"I wish your daughter, our granddaughter, was here," Cynthia said to them softly. "I can't wait to meet her."
"We can't wait either," Nick said. "I am looking forward to cutting the cord and holding her in my arms for the first time."
"You are going to be a wonderful father," Thomas whispered to his youngest son. "Sara will be a great mother. That baby girl is going to be blessed with two awesome parents."
"Thank you, dad," Nick said as a solitary tear slid down his face.
The older couple returned to their seats. Everyone had to wait for the DJ to return his post to play more music. Two of Nick's sisters and their husbands went to the dance floor and started to dance. They were joined by Sara and Nick. The rest of the family joined. Nick held Sara as closely as he could and kissed her. They both got stares from Sabrina, Marissa and their husbands, but Nick scoffed them off. The music and the dancing went on for another half hour. When the music stopped, everyone returned to their seats and looked forward to the dessert.
The dessert was a chocolate mousse cake that was on top of a pinwheel design of crème Anglaise and raspberry puree. On top of the cake were homemade whipped cream, a light dusting of powdered sugar and a sprig of mint. As the servers started give each guest his or her own slice of the cake, there was a mass ogling over the dessert.
"Wow, this is too beautiful to eat," Sara said.
"I know what you mean," Nick smiled. "I love how it is presented! This cake belongs in an art museum, not in my stomach."
"Nick, shut up and eat your dessert," Marissa said. "Sara, you eat yours, too. Your Little Princess wants to have it, too."
The servers came by to ask the guests if they wanted coffee or tea and took the orders. Nick asked for a cappuccino while Sara asked for some peppermint tea. Moments later, everyone got their requested coffee or tea beverages. Between eating the dessert and drinking the coffee or tea there was conversation, laughter and jokes.
The DJ resumed playing music, but nobody wanted to dance. Still, he played it anyway. The men assemble around Nick to give him advice on what to do and not do when Sara goes into labor. Ryan told him never say anything that can be potentially offensive or ambiguous in its meaning. Josh's advice was never wear a t-shirt that say 'Coach', Marissa nearly broke his nose while she was in labor with Brianna. He also mentioned that Sara appears to be the kind of woman who wouldn't tolerate such idiocy. Nick reassured his father, brother and brothers-in-law that he will be with Sara all throughout the labor and delivery.
Meanwhile on the other side of the banquet room, Sara was getting advice about the third trimester and what to expect. They told about the bizarre cravings and to gently make Nick aware that he would have to see her eat some weird food combinations. Marissa told her to prepare a baby bag with a change of clothes for her and something for the baby to wear on her first trip home. Sara admitted she was a little nervous about labor and giving birth. Her mother-in-law and sisters-in-law tried to approach this concern by telling that it is hardest work that gives her the sweetest reward, meeting her daughter. As the women went to be reunited with their husbands and collected their children, Kathleen pulled Sara aside.
"Sara, I need to tell you something," she said.
"What is it?" Sara asked.
"Don't tell Nick," Kathleen said. "It's a surprise. Mom is going to take a leave of absence from work. She is going to Vegas in mid-October and she is staying with you for two months. She's going to be there when the 25th grandchild arrives. She also wants to help you and Nick to adjust to life as parents."
"Thank you," Sara said. "Kathleen, don't worry, your secret is safe with me. Tell me the date of her arrival and I will ask Warrick to pick her up at McCarran."
Kathleen smiled and gave Sara a squeeze in the hand.
An hour later, everyone started leave the banquet room, but not before picking up a small souvenir of the event. It was a sachet of lavender with a ribbon that said 'Thomas, Sr. and Cynthia's Golden Anniversary, July 25, 2005'. The Stokes siblings, except Nick, went home with their families. Nick and Sara went with his parents to Stokes Manor, where they were staying while in Dallas.
TBC