A few of you said you liked Sheby's brother, so he's back for another chapter!
I've had a few messages and reviews asking if this is going to become an ongoing fic. I really want to say no. I really want to say that it's just going to be a series of oneshots giving a peek into Shelby and Rachel's lives as Rachel grows up, because I can't manage a fourth ongoing fic. But I seem to have fallen in love with this little AU, so I'm going to say maybe. I'm not going to promise any sort of regular updates with this one, I'll just continue to update as and when I have ideas, but it appears it's going to be more 'ongoing' than I originally intended it to!
That being said, let me know if you have any suggestions, or if there's anything you'd like to see happen in future updates!
It was mid February when Shelby called her brother, questioning him about his health before nervously asking him, "would you like to come and meet Rachel?"
Daniel jumped at the chance, he'd spoken to Shelby on a near weekly basis since Christmas, reminding her that he was there if she needed anything but not pushing her, letting her take as much time as she needed with her daughter.
He knocked on Shelby's door two days later with takeout for himself and his sister and a stuffed grey rabbit for his niece, not at all surprised to find the baby settled against Shelby's chest in her sling. He was however surprised when, less than five minutes after they'd finished eating, she nervously asked, "would you like to hold her?"
Daniel nodded, "only if you'd be okay with that" he told Shelby, seeing her nod before standing, "let me wash my hands first" he said, knowing what a big deal this was for his sister and wanting to do all he could to make things easier for her.
By the time he returned, Shelby had Rachel bundled in a blanket, the baby whining quietly at being moved from the comfort of her Momma's embrace. "Can I…" Daniel gestured to his own chest.
Shelby nodded, slightly nervous but trusting her brother, "yeah, if you want to."
"Hello little one" he cooed as he lifted Rachel into his arms and rocked her gently, the baby stilling at the unfamiliar voice, "I'm your Uncle" he told her as he lifted his top, laying Rachel against his chest and pulling his tshirt back down before removing the blanket, making sure Rachel's head was poking from the neck of his top, "that means your Mom is my annoying baby sister, and when you're older I'm going to tell you all her embarrassing moments, just you wait kiddo."
Shelby laughed, tearing up slightly at the sight of Rachel curled up against her brother's chest. There were five years between her and Daniel and he'd always been her protector, she'd always known that he'd keep her safe, and she didn't even need to ask, she knew he'd do the same for Rachel.
"You look exhausted" he said as he looked over at Shelby, knowing her tears were caused, at least partly, by her tiredness.
"I am" she admitted, "Rachel had a bit of a rough night last night."
"Go get some rest then" Daniel told her, "I mean it Shelby, Rachel's settled, I won't go anywhere, go get some sleep, if she wakes and I can't settle her I'll come and wake you up."
"I'd really like a shower where I'm not trying to wash my hair and keep hold of a baby that cries if I try and go anywhere without her" she admitted, frequently torn between leaving Rachel to cry whilst she took a five minute shower or taking the baby with her, trying to shower with the baby in her arms.
"Okay" Daniel nodded, "go shower then. Shower then take a nap, I mean it Shelby, Katie isn't expecting me home any time soon. Get some sleep."
"You'll wake me if you need anything."
"I promise. Now, go and sleep before I change my mind" he joked, picking up the TV remote to turn it on, indicating that he wasn't going to discuss it any further.
Shelby took a last glance at her daughter, sleeping against her brother's chest before making her way upstairs to shower and maybe take a quick nap.
For the first time since her pregnancy, Shelby took the time to condition her hair once she'd shampooed it, allowing the warm water to rain down on her tired body as she relished the feeling of being able to take her time, of not feeling guilty because she'd left her baby screaming in the next room.
She stepped from the shower a while later and reached for the towels she'd left on the rail, wrapping the smaller one around her hair before beginning to dry herself off with the larger one. As much as she hated to admit it, her brother was right, she did need to take some time to herself, just being able to take a shower in peace had relaxed her more than she'd ever have imagined it would.
Her relaxed state didn't last long as she heard a scream from downstairs that set her heart racing. She grabbed her robe and flew from the bathroom, she might still struggle to distinguish Rachel's 'hungry' cry from the cry signalling she needed a clean diaper, but that noise she recognised instantly, that was the sound of a baby who was uncomfortable, a baby feeling stressed, panicked and overwhelmed.
"She's okay" Daniel reassured Shelby, surprised that his sister had made it down the stairs without breaking her neck, "she's okay."
"No" Shelby protested, "she's not, that cry it means…"
"Look at her" Daniel said firmly, needing to focus his sister's attention, "I'm not going to stop because the pacing's helping keep her settled, but look at her Shelby, she's fine."
Shelby frowned but forced herself to focus on her daughter, the baby bundled tightly in a blanket against Daniel's chest, her head on his shoulder, pacifier in her mouth as he paced the room, bouncing Rachel lightly and 'shh'ing in her ear, and it was then that Shelby realised the TV had been turned off and the blinds closed so the room was lit only by a small side lamp, "what…" She might have been quick at getting downstairs, but as an experienced father, Daniel had been quicker in his attempts to settle his niece.
"I think Mommy might have forgotten that I've got a baby of my own" Daniel told Rachel quietly before looking up at Shelby, "Jake wasn't a preemie but he got a bit overwhelmed sometimes too, everything's so new for them so sometimes all it takes is for them to move their arm or their leg a bit further than they expected to, to startle them. A nurse in the hospital taught us this, it mimics being in the womb and comforts them."
Shelby nodded and sat down in the armchair, "it happens at night sometimes. She'll be sleeping and then suddenly she just screams" she whispered, she loved Rachel, loved her with every fibre of her being, but it was hard, she wasn't ready to raise a baby, hadn't planned this, and sometimes, at 3am when it felt like Rachel had been screaming for days, Shelby briefly wished that things had been different, that she was in New York, that her daughter was living with men who wanted her, who were prepared for her, but the thoughts were only ever fleeting, as exhausting as being a single parent to a sick infant was, Shelby wouldn't want to be Rachel anywhere but with her.
"Go and get some sleep" Daniel said softly, "we had something for Jake that helped keep him settled at night, I'll call Katie and ask her to go get one for Rachel too to see if it helps, and when you've had some rest I'll teach you to swaddle her like this too, but first you need to go and sleep Shelby, Rachel's fine."
Shelby nodded and held out her arms, trusting her brother to take good care of Rachel, "she'll be wanting a feed soon, I'll try and get her to take something now or you're just going to have to wake me up anyway."
"Okay" Daniel placed Rachel in Shelby's arms and kissed his sister's head, "let me make us both some tea" he said, wanting to give her some privacy.
Shelby reluctantly headed up to bed after she'd finished her tea, leaving Rachel sleeping in Daniel's arms, she was grateful for the opportunity to sleep, she was exhausted, had been living in a state of near constant exhaustion since Rachel's sudden appearance, but she was still wary of leaving her baby, even if she was only downstairs being loved by her Uncle. Her exhaustion won over her worry though, and Shelby fell asleep almost as soon as she'd crawled under the covers, unable to keep her eyes open a moment longer.
"Right Little One" Daniel shifted his hold on his niece as he pulled his phone into his pocket, "let me call your Auntie and ask her to get something for you and then we'll make Mommy some dinner for when she wakes up, does that sound like a plan?" he asked before frowning as he opened the refrigerator, "on second thoughts, it looks like I need to send your Auntie food shopping too don't I? What's your Momma been eating hey?"
"Dan?" Shelby frowned as she walked downstairs a while later to a quiet, tidy house and the smell of something cooking. As much as she hated to admit it, her brother had been right, she really did need sleep, she'd napped for almost two hours and was surprised at how much better she felt for it.
"She's fine" Daniel smiled, "here" he carefully lifted Rachel from under his shirt and passed her back to Shelby, "there's a lasagne in the oven for you that'll be ready in about 20 minutes and Katie brought you some food round, Rachel was asleep on the couch and I took the bags from her on the doorstep" he reassured her, "she didn't come in. You didn't have anything in so I got her to get things you can just grab quickly."
"Food shopping was on my to do list for tomorrow" Shelby said honestly.
"We'll I've saved you a job then" Daniel smiled, "and Katie picked this up too, Jake had one when he was born, it was a life saver" he said as he handed over a box.
"What is it?" Shelby asked, taking the box as Rachel nuzzled into her.
"It's a sheep, but it plays white noise and heartbeat and 'womb' sounds, and it has a sensor, so if she stirs, it'll automatically start again. As silly as it sounds, one of the nurses told us when Jake was tiny, that sometimes it can be too quiet for them at night, especially if, like Rachel, they've got used to sleeping in a hospital, that's why they get startled if they wake up. They're used to some level of noise."
"We'll give it a go tonight, thank you." Shelby smiled and kissed Rachel's head, "I hope you said thank you to Uncle Dan too kid."
"We've had a lovely long cuddle" Daniel smiled, "that's thanks enough. Is there anything else you need before I go and see my own little monster?"
Shelby shook her head, "how much do I owe you?"
"Don't worry about it Shel"
"But the food and…"
"It doesn't matter" Daniel insisted, "now, let me show you how to swaddle her to settle her and then I'll get off." He laid a blanket out on the floor and folded it into a triangle, "lay her down" he gestured to where he wanted Shelby to lay Rachel before talking her through how to bundle her up the way he'd been shown when his son was born, giving her tips and advice as he did.
"Thank you" Shelby sat back on her heels once she was sure she knew what she was doing, "not just for this" she gestured to Rachel, swaddled in a pink blanket on the floor, "for the sheep and the food and for watching her and…" she was so used to doing everything on her own that she felt a little overwhelmed by the fact her brother hadn't minded her taking a few hours off from her responsibilities.
Dan smiled and pulled Shelby into a hug and kissed her hair, the two rarely shared affection like this, but he knew that his sister needed it right now. "You're not on your own Shel, I know Rachel's your daughter" she'd told him that Rachel's dad 'wasn't in the picture' and he hadn't pushed for more, "but you're my sister and if you need anything, all you need to do is call. Katie too, she understands that you're not ready for Rachel to meet everyone yet, but if you need anything and I'm at work, call her, she won't mind Shel."
"Thank you" she wiped at the tears she'd shed.
"Nothing to thank me for" Daniel smiled, "you're doing a fantastic job raising this little one" he reached out and gently tickled Rachel's stomach, "but it's okay to need help sometimes."
"I know" Shelby whispered, "maybe you could come round again soon?" she suggested, "with Katie and Jake?"
Daniel nodded, "I think they'd like that" he told her, "you just let me know when you're ready" he told her.
Shelby had Rachel in her arms as she said goodbye to her brother, the baby beginning to stir from her nap, "are you waking up to say bye to Uncle Dan?" she asked, stroking Rachel's cheek with the back of her index finger as she saw her eyes flutter open, the baby letting out a tiny yawn, Shelby's heart swelling with love as she saw the corner of her daughter's mouth curl in a slight smile, "I know" she murmured, "I've missed you too kid."
As much as she'd enjoyed seeing her brother, being able to step away from Rachel for a few hours to rest, safe in the knowledge that Rachel was being well looked after, Shelby loved having Rachel back in her arms, she'd become so used to having her daughter against her chest that it felt almost foreign for her not to be there, "you and me against the world kid" Shelby whispered as she rocked Rachel in her arms, "but I suppose it wouldn't hurt for us to have a few other people on our side would it?"