Late Night Visit
"Hey, what are you doing up at this time?" Jude shook her head, walking into the kitchen in the middle of the night where Sean was sitting, looking to be doing work.
"I just had some stuff I had to finish." Sean told her, "What are you doing up?"
"Well I woke up and you weren't there. I got worried." She said, walking over to the kitchen as he watched her, "Is this going to be your new look?" She asked him, picking some grapes out from the box by their fruit basket, popping them into her mouth as she looked over at him from the kitchen.
"My new look?" He asked.
"Constantly working. Never sleeping. Never having time for anything else?" She asked, "Cause that's not what I signed up for." She made clear.
"I'm just finding my feet with all of this, that's all." Sean said, "It's actually going pretty well. And Theo has been a great help. Makes me feel bad that he's helping me with the job he wanted but… from what I can tell, he doesn't seem mad or anything." He said, "Cassie might… take a bit more time." He estimated.
"Yeah she's still a little weird with me but… it's getting better." Jude nodded, "These boxes are irritating me." She said, looking over at some boxes still on their kitchen floor, with some still in the living room and upstairs too.
"Moving sucks." Sean agreed, "At least we're almost there. And the girls seem to be doing good at their new school. You hear them at dinner tonight?"
"Yeah, they're making friends." Jude smiled happily, "And Mirren was outside playing this morning with the little girl across the street."
"Well that's one less thing for us to worry about." Sean said as Jude nodded, leaning over the kitchen counter, picking at the grapes.
"I don't think it's really sinking in for me." She admitted, "Being back here."
"Well we've not lived here in what? Six? Seven years?" He asked as Jude nodded.
"It does feel like home. So did New York but… I don't know." She shook her head, "It feels safer than what it felt like before."
"Well it is. You got nothing to worry about here." Sean assured her as she nodded.
"Yeah, I know." Jude said, walking over to him at the table, "You almost done here?" She asked.
"Yeah." He nodded, watching as she pushed his work away, sitting herself on top of the table in front of him as he smiled, watching her untie her bath robe where he realised she was only wearing a pair of panties underneath.
"I'm definitely done here." Sean confirmed as she chuckled, leaning forward and cupping his cheeks, kissing him passionately as he ran his hands up her thighs.
"Why can Ikea furniture never come with all the parts?" Theo questioned, sitting in the nursery late on trying to build the crib which had arrived.
"Maybe we've missed it in the box." Cassie said, pulling the empty cardboard box back over, kneeling up and looking inside it, only finding the plastic wrapping which the parts had come in.
"Chase's was never that hard to build." Theo remembered, "What happened to his crib anyway? It was in good condition."
"I gave it to charity." Cassie said, "I don't like holding onto things. Plus, someone who desperately needed it would have made better use of it, instead of it sitting in our attic collecting dust." She said as Theo nodded in agreement.
"Well I'm gonna have to call Ikea tomorrow. Bastards." Theo shook his head as Cassie chuckled.
The nursery was starting to come together. They'd successfully painted it and assembled a changing table and some drawers. It wasn't complete but it was getting there.
"I'm actually a little anxious about doing this." Cassie said as he turned to her.
"What?" He asked.
"Well… she's not here yet." Cassie said, "What if Monique decides she wants to keep her. And we have this nursery all set up waiting for her?" She asked.
"That can't happen." Theo scoffed.
"Says who? It's her baby." Cassie said as Theo looked across at her, "Legally, it is her baby." She nodded.
"And she's coming home with us." Theo nodded, "You heard Sandra… Monique is going to college when she goes back home. She wants no contact with the baby at all. She's clearly had time to think about all of this and put the steps in place." He said as Cassie nodded.
"Yeah.. yeah, I know." Cassie nodded, "It's just so different from when we had Chase. I could feel him. And I knew when he was coming." She said, "Part of me does hurt a little that we won't get the same kind of experience with her as we got with Chase. There's not gonna be that moment where the doctor puts her on my chest. And we're so happy to hear her crying." She said, hugging her knees to her chest as Theo looked across at her.
"Yeah and I know that's hard. More so for you than for me." He understood, "But… we get to take her home and be her parents for the rest of our lives. If getting that means we don't see her first seconds on earth… I'm alright with that." He nodded as she smiled.
"I am too." Cassie nodded, "It's just… it's all sinking in for me I guess and it's… well it is kinda scary." She laughed a little as he smiled, "If I was pregnant, it would have given me to time to prepare and be ready. It feels like it's all just hit me, and she's gonna be here soon." Cassie nodded.
"Yeah and it's gonna be great." Theo nodded, leaning over and kissing her sweetly as she smiled, "I'm nervous too." He assured her, keeping his face close to hers as she looked into his eyes. He didn't want her to feel alone in her worries, especially when he had the same ones.
"I like when someone else is nervous with me." Cassie nodded, pecking his lips again as he smiled.
"How did things go helping Jude today? You guys doing alright?" He asked her.
"Yeah, we're ok." Cassie nodded, "Not perfect but… getting there, I guess." She said.
"I was pretty much working with Sean all day." Theo said.
"I noticed." Cassie said, "Out of choice or?"
"He was struggling with some stuff and asked for my help. So I gave him it." Theo nodded, "He is trying to do a good job. And I'm glad about that. If I can help then I will." He shrugged, "I've been having fun out on patrol again." He assured her.
"Yeah, you do look happy to be back." Cassie smiled as he nodded.
"I am." Theo said, "I realised today there's one unit I haven't worked in before." He said as Cassie shook her head with confusion.
"What?" She questioned.
"Bomb squad." Theo nodded as Cassie narrowed her eyes at him, "I'm assuming by that look, you won't be encouraging me to try it out?"
"Don't you even think about it." Cassie warned him.
"C'mon… talk about high pressure situations. That's my gig." Theo nodded.
"Talk about blowing yourself up." Cassie corrected, "No."
"Well… it would mean I'd have to travel anyway." Theo said, "But still… I think I'd be good at it." He nodded as Cassie looked at him, unimpressed.
"You are not joining bomb squad." Cassie scoffed.
"I did SWAT for a while when Chase was born. I did pretty ok-"
"That's not the same as bomb squad." Cassie shook her head, "I thought you were coming to work with me?"
"I thought you didn't want that." Theo said.
"Well it's not that I don't want it. I just don't want us to end up clashing or… taking work home with us." Cassie shrugged, "We didn't work so well together the last time-"
"Well we were having a baby and you were being weird." Theo shook his head as Cassie gasped and laughed a little.
"Well we're having another baby and I'm still weird so… you decide." Cassie nodded as he smiled.
"It might not be so bad." Theo nodded, "It's a tough division to work in. We could definitely lean on each other with it."
"Yeah, it is tough." Cassie agreed, "Only been doing it for a week and I don't know if I'm cut out for it."
"Of course you are." Theo said, "Ok… if you'll have me as your partner, I'll join homicide." He vowed as Cassie smiled a little.
"If I'll have you?" She smiled.
"Mhm." He nodded as she smiled, leaning in and kissing him, pushing him onto his back on the floor as he chuckled, grabbing her on top of him and kissing her again.
"Come on, give me some." Dominic whispered, wrapping his arms around Thea from behind in bed, listening to her chuckle as he held her around the waist.
"You had some this morning." Thea scoffed, "And I have to wake up at 4."
"On a Sunday? God's day?" Dominic questioned unhappily.
"I said I'd cover a shift at the hospital." Thea nodded, "Mama needs her sleep." She told him.
"You sure?" Dominic asked, running his hand down her stomach, hovering at the top of her shorts as she smiled, feeling him inside her panties.
"You didn't even let me answer." Thea whispered in a hum, rolling her head back under his chin, very much enjoying what he was doing.
"Your silence was a little telling." He whispered in her ear, taking his hand from inside her panties, running it up her body, pulling her flimsy pyjama top down below her breasts which he cupped.
"I'm going to work in the morning grumpy because you didn't let me sleep." Thea informed him, rolling onto her back, at the same time pulling him on top of her as he captured her lips with his.
She began to push his boxer shorts down when they heard a knock at their door.
It was past eleven o'clock at night, and so it was a little surprising to hear someone at their door.
"Who the hell is that?" Dominic shook his head.
"I'll go see." Thea nodded, "Maybe it's Sofia. You know how she is when she has sleepovers with her friends." She said, getting out of bed, "Maybe Lily's mom has brought her home." She nodded. It was the only thing she could really think of.
"If she doesn't like having sleepovers, why does she go?" Dominic questioned.
"Fear of missing out?" Thea questioned, "I don't know. I've told her she doesn't have to go if she doesn't feel like it. She seemed excited earlier when I dropped her off, though." She nodded, leaving their bedroom and heading downstairs.
She tied the string on her bath robe she'd shoved on, making her way to the door, turning the outside light on and opening up, her stomach sinking when she saw two police officers standing. She had no idea what she was about to be told, but she knew it couldn't be good.
"Ms Castillo?" One of the officers asked.
"Yeah?" Thea said timidly.
"I'm officer Peterson." The woman nodded, "This is my partner, officer Fleming." She pointed to the man beside as Thea nodded.
"What is it? What's going on?" Thea questioned, not interested in introductions.
"It's about your daughter, ma'am." Officer Fleming nodded, "There's been an accident."
