"You'll be on nights, and I'll be on days. It will be nice not to have to pay the sitter," Sara said as she finished writing done the eighty or ninety phone numbers that she thought I might need . . . just in case something went wrong while Reece and I were alone.
"So can you go through the activities schedule again?" I asked as I looked at the dizzying amount of notes that Sara had written for me. Reece's routine was complicated to say the very least.
"It's all on paper. Just make sure that you sleep when Reece is asleep. Otherwise, you won't make it through the night," Sara said with a smile, "You can leave some of your things in the bathroom. I'll clear out a drawer in my bedroom."
This was the most unconventional way for me to earn 'drawer status' at a woman's home, but I was happy that Sara extended the offer. She could have made this whole parenting thing much more complicated. With the 'old' Sara this probably would have been an uphill struggle.
"Thanks. I was going to call my parents today," I replied. I wanted Sara to know; more so, I wanted Sara to be prepared for my mother and my army of sisters.
"They'll be happy for you," Sara said with a sunny smile. She looked like she might even be looking forward to meeting my family in circumstances other me being trapped beneath the ground.
"I'm pretty certain that my mom is going to hit the roof," I replied.
"They love you. They will be happy as long as you are happy," Sara replied. I couldn't believe how wise she was. I couldn't believe how a year was able to turn her into a completely different person.
"They'll be on a plane tonight," I warned.
"Well, we both have tomorrow off. We should go pick out a baby seat for your SUV, so you can take Reece in your car," Sara said as she began to sketch out a shopping list, "I need to go shopping. Do you think you can handle Reece for an hour?"
"Is that a challenge, Sidle?" I replied.
"She should sleep for at least another hour. You should take a nap, too. How was work last night?" Sara asked. I couldn't imagine conversation that could possibly be more mundane and normal, but I found myself craving her attention. For two days, I spent every waking moment with Sara and Reece. Sara nearly had to force me out of the house, so I would be on time for work.
"Good. Nice and slow. Uh, Sar. You have baby puke on the back of your shirt," I said with a laugh.
"I normally end up changing two . . . three times a day. I have a mountain of laundry that needs to get done," Sara said slightly exasperated.
"You know . . . you don't need to go back to work so soon. I make enough to support all three of us," I replied. Money would be tight, but it didn't matter. I would sell everything I owned to provide for Reece and Sara.
"Nick, I love Reece . . . don't get me wrong, but I've been at home with her for three months. If I don't get out of the house soon, I'm going to go nuts. I appreciated the offer, but I can't ask you to do that," Sara said as she stood up from her chair and momentarily rested a hand on my shoulder. As she began to walk away, she let her finger tips graze my neck.
"Sar, you could ask me to move mountains and I would," I whispered under my breath.
"Please, I'm begging you to go to sleep," I begged the screaming infant. Reece had begun screaming the second Sara left for work. It had been three hours, but Reece showed no signs of stopping. I had tried a bottle, a bath, her favorite stuffed, yellow ducky, a ride in her stroller, and rocking in the rocking chair. Nothing seemed to make her happy.
"You are Sara's daughter, aren't you? Your mommy can be really difficult . . . at least, she used to be. She's a good woman," I said as I tried to give her the bottle she pushed away before.
After four hours of general fussiness alternating with bouts of screaming, I gave in and called my mother. She normally called me daily to 'check in,' but she had been avoiding me for the past two days. Sara chose to call it 'being stunned,' but I knew my mother. She was still struggling to sort out disappointment and happiness.
"Hon, you should take her on a car ride. You used to like that when you were a baby," Mom said.
"Reece hates everything," I said as I tried to get her to take the bottle.
"Oh, honey. Every baby is different. Krissy liked sitting on top of the clothes dryer. Megan liked to sit in her bouncy swing. Peter liked bluegrass music. That music nearly drove me insane," Mom said with a chuckle, "I want to come see Reece. I want to see Sara."
"Mom, I'm not going to ask her to marry me," I said firmly.
"I know. Just make sure Reece knows that she's loved. I'm going to talk to Dad about coming to visit this weekend," Mom said.
"Cisco is going to love this little spit fire," I said loudly over Reece's screaming.
"I know, honey. Oh, check her temperature. Anna had really bad ear infections when she was a baby. She would sit and scream for hours. Anna had tubes put in her ears. You should tell Reece's pediatrician that," Mom instructed.
"Thanks, Mom. I love you . . . I didn't mean to disappoint you," I said.
"Pancho, you couldn't disappoint me. You just surprised me. I want you to be happy. Now, you go take care of my granddaughter. I love you, honey," Mom said. Her voice was tearful sounding.
"I love you, too," I said before I hung up my cell phone, "Okay, Reece. Where does Sara keep your thermometer?"
I rifled through all the drawers in the nursery before calling Sara, who all but had a heart attack when I called. After finally locating the thermometer and taking Reece's temperature, I nearly fainted when it read 101.2 degree Fahrenheit. That seemed way too high for an infant. Thirty minutes later Reece and I were sitting in the waiting room of the pediatrician's office.
"You just have a little ear infection, don't you?" Dr. Ryan said as she tickled Reece's feet. Reece began to giggle; I made a mental note to remember that next time she started screaming bloody murder.
"My sister had ear infections as a baby. I guess she had tubes placed," I said suddenly thankful that I had decided to call my mother this morning.
"Let's try her on ampicillin for a few days. That should clear the ear infection right up," Dr. Ryan said with a smile. It made me feel more at ease. "I'll give you a prescription you can fill at the pharmacy."
"Thank you," I said as the doctor handed me a prescription. I gathered up Reece, the baby carrier, and the diaper bag. I felt like a one-man moving crew. I understood why diaper bags were often the size of duffle bags; I needed to carry a million things with me 'just in case.'
Sara had insisted that I swing by the lab so she could see with her own eyes that Reece was okay. After a dose of the ampicillin and some baby Tylenol, Reece drifted off into some well-earned sleep. I struggled with the doors, the baby carrier, and diaper bag on the way into the lab. I received some really strange looks from Judy.
"Don't you dare wake her up, Sidle," I said as Sara ran up to me and immediately took Reece out of the carrier.
"Ecklie's not going to let me leave early," Sara said, "How is she?"
"Going to be fine. Is Grissom in? I might see if he'll let me have the night off," I said as I ran my fingers through Reece's curls.
"That means going public with Reece and our situation," Sara warned.
"Judy is going to tell everyone anyways," I replied with a smile, "She really scared me this morning. I'm going to go talk to Grissom. Are you going to hold on to Reece?"
"I have to go answer a page. Don't let her touch anything in Grissom's office," Sara warned as she handed Reece off to me.
The short walk to Grissom's office seemed to take longer than normal. I stood outside his door trying to think of exactly how explain how Reece happened. I tried to think of a way to do it without hurting Grissom anymore than Sara's absence already had. He was a fool to let her go in the first place.
"Gris, I need the night off," I said as I stood in the doorway. He looked up from his paperwork. He looked slightly confused as he waved me into his office.
"Who's that?" Grissom asked with a raise eyebrow.
"Reece. She's my daughter. She has a bad ear infection; I don't think I can leave her," I rambled as I tried to come up with something sensible to say.
"Is your wife . . . girlfriend busy?" Grissom asked as he continued his interrogation.
"Sara's still working. She's going to be tired tonight. I still haven't gotten any sleep. Someone needs to be awake enough to make sure Reece is okay," I replied as I quickly moved to keep a now wakeful Reece from touching a jar that housed Grissom's favorite fetal pig.
"It's okay. She can touch the jar," Grissom said as he began to analyze Reece for any trace of Sara and myself.
"Oh, no, she can't. God knows what's growing on this experiment," I thought.
"Gris, I wouldn't ask unless I thought it was important," I replied.
"Was Reece planned for?" Grissom asked. His question took me by surprise. I wasn't expecting him to ask something so personal.
"No, but Sara and I have everything under control," I replied slightly angered by his passive-aggressiveness.
"Well, she's cute," Grissom replied, "Take tonight off, but it's coming out of your vacation time."
"Thank you. Would you like to hold her?" I asked politely.
"No, that's okay. Make sure to stick to the antibiotic schedule. They work better if they are taken at precise intervals," Grissom replied as he went back to his paperwork. He had a really odd way of expressing his feelings.
"Man, who's the little chick magnet," Warrick said as he passed me in the hall slowing slightly to check out Reece.
"Reece. She's . . .," I began.
"That's Sara's little girl. Looks just like her mother," Warrick commented.
"She's my daughter," I finished. Warrick looked stunned.
"Wow, I didn't know. You guys didn't really advertise . . . wow," Warrick said as he stumbled over the words.
"I know. You working a double?" I asked.
"Lisa's at home sick. It's good to be at work. Just watch out when they get sick . . . it turned her into a whole new kind of bitchy that I never knew existed," Warrick kidded as if Sara and I were something other than parents to Reece, "Shit, I didn't mean to swear in front of . . ."
"If her first word is a curse word, I'll come kick your butt," I teased.
"She didn't touch anything, did she?" Sara asked as she all but pushed Warrick away. Sara began frantically wiping Reece's hands with a wet-wipe.
"Do you really think I would let her touch anything in that office? Gris is probably growing bacteria that haven't been identified yet," I replied as I kissed the top of Reece's head.
"Are you going to bring Reece to the lab so you aren't late tonight?" Sara asked. Warrick chuckled. Sara shot him a dirty look that immediately silenced any and all laughter.
"Gris gave me the night off . . . and warned me to give the antibiotics at precise intervals," I replied, "I'll make supper and make sure that she gets some sleep."
"Thanks, Nick. Have you gotten any sleep?" Sara asked, which caused Warrick to raise an eyebrow.
"No, I almost dozed off in the pediatrician's office," I replied.
"I'll try to hurry home so you get some sleep," Sara said as she kissed Reece on the cheek and inadvertently did the same to me. It made her blush. The subconscious does funny things when the conscious is preoccupied.
"I'll see you later," Warrick said as he took off down the hallway.
"Drive safe," Sara said as she hunched over slightly to wave at Reece as I began to walk out to the car.
I was thankful to be back at Sara's. Going 'public' with Reece was less painful than I originally anticipated. However, Catherine and Greg hadn't been clued in yet. Telling Catherine would no doubt be painful . . . considering how 'well' she got along with Sara.
"Hey, Reece. You get some sleep. I'll be right here when you wake up," I said as I laid her down in her crib. I sat in the rocking chair until was satisfied that she was indeed asleep. I walked down the hall to the living room, but I wasn't sure if I would wake up if Reece started crying. I gathered up a few pillows and took to the floor beside her crib. I drifted off into a dreamless sleep.