Elise had done quite well, better than her surgeon had expected, which made Erin feel so much better about the whole situation, especially when her daughter was cleared for release after just one week in the critical care unit. Erin had planned on her being there for the entire ten days. As David had taken charge of holding Elise close to his chest, Erin had listened carefully to the surgeon as she explained how to care for Elise's healing chest wound and what warning signs to look for that would necessitate a return to the hospital.
Finally, they were ready to head home, and she texted Haley, Helen, and Penelope to let them know the good news before cooing into her daughter's face and taking a few pictures with her phone. "I want to stay home for a month to care for her, but I know that the Director is already a little tense, given how that case in Nevada ended last week. So I'll have to content myself with leaving for home directly at five. And have you given thought to my suggestion of hiring a visiting nurse to help us care for Elise? I know that you've put fully committing to your next book on the back burner to take care of us, and I don't want you to put off your goals to take care of my daughter."
"Our daughter, Erin. Family isn't always made by blood. And I love her so much." She nodded as they stepped into the elevator, giving him a large smile as she pressed the button for the ground floor. "And I already hired a visiting nurse to help us out for the next few months. You're right, it will be nice to have an extra pair of hands making certain that we're doing everything right by Elise."
She nodded as Elise started to babble away at them, seeming happy, if tired. Erin knew that that would be a side effect of the surgery and medication, but she still wanted to wrap her baby in a fuzzy blanket and hold her close until she was completely healed. But she also knew that was a horrible idea, since she would never get better if she did that sort of coddling. "I wish that we could just teleport home, David."
"So do I, but that technology doesn't exist yet, stellina. Until then, you'll have to deal with me chauffeuring you there. Here, I know that you want to hold her now that we're headed to the car."
She nodded as she took Elise from his arms, cuddling her close and breathing in her unique scent. While she had been able to hold Elise as much as she wanted while she had been in the critical care unit, it was a much different thing to do so without having to worry about disturbing all the leads and wires attached to her, keeping track of her vital signs and making certain that she was all right. "Mama loves you, darling girl," she whispered in her ear before pressing a kiss to her temple and rocking them back and forth on her feet. "We'll need to do something nice for Penelope come Christmas, since she's been so good at checking in on us during this last week, and making certain that we're well fed."
"I have a few ideas in mind," he replied as they stepped out of the elevator and began to make their way over to the valet parking stand. After handing over his ticket, David slung his arm low around her hips, pulling her flush against him as they waited for the car to arrive. "And I already contacted Alan to let him know that we're heading home today, and he promised to bring the children to our house after they finish school for the day. And…"
"There's more?"
"We're going to have a full table at supper, I think. I know that Alan asked if he could stay, since he was concerned about Elise's health, and Haley mentioned that since Hotch is still away on a case that she'd like to come over and make certain that it went well. Also, if I know your assistant, she will be there, along with her wife, and maybe Penelope, too. So that's potentially six extra people. I know, I know, you probably don't want to see that many extra faces around the table this evening, but it will be nice to have all that support."
She nodded as their care arrived, allowing him to guide her outside. She easily got Elise into her car seat before climbing in next to her, not wanting to take her eyes off her baby just yet. "I suppose that I can deal with that for one evening. Though I'll be taking a nap with Elise as soon as we're home. Now that she's been released, I can feel all the worry and stress at last, and I am exhausted."
He chuckled a little as he met her eye in the rearview mirror. "And if I didn't have to start planning the meal for tonight and seeing if I have to buy any ingredients before I can start cooking, I would eagerly join you. You'll be all right for a few hours on your own, right?"
"I should hope so. And I can call if anything comes up." She turned her attention back to Elise before letting out a wide yawn. This seemed to spur David on to drive faster, since their speed picked up a little as he sang along to some song by the Rat Pack. There was a comfort in his voice, and though she tried to keep her heavy eyes open, she still managed to fall asleep not ten minutes into the drive home.
"It's okay to wake up now, Erin." Blinking, she looked up into David's eyes, seeing that he had already gotten Elise out of her car seat and was holding her close as he smiled at her. "Does manicotti sound good for supper?"
"Yes, very much so."
"Good, it's easy enough to make." She nodded as she stepped from the car and they went into the house before David handed Elise over once more. She cuddled her close to her chest before kissing him softly. "I will wake you up in a few hours, since you don't want your sleep schedule to get too fucked up."
"Thank you," she murmured as she left his side and headed directly upstairs, bypassing the nursery and going to their bedroom. She still wasn't too keen on having Elise share the bed with her, but it was large enough that she could probably not worry too much about Elise rolling off the bed. Still, as she set her down in the middle of the mattress, Erin lined the floor next to the bed with all the pillows save one, so that she would at least have a soft place to land if she did fall off while Erin was asleep. With that task done, she stepped out of her shoes and untucked her shirt from her skirt before climbing in next to her daughter, staring into her face as she struggled not to cry. "We're going to try and sleep now, Elise. We're home."
"Ma ma ma ma ma," she babbled as she nodded, and Erin smiled a little as she closed her arms around her daughter, drawing her close to her chest as she burrowed down into the covers, allowing her eyes to flutter closed as she tried to focus on the fact that Elise would be getting better from here on out.