A/N Hi, sorry it took me awhile to update this story. I'll try to keep up with it. I hope you're still reading. Enjoy :)
"Nate" Maggie could hear Sophie shouting from behind the hospital room door "Behave, please. You had surgery less than two days ago."
"I'm bored! I want to get out of here!" she heard Nate's reply. She shook her head smiling and helped her son get through the door.
"Hi Daddy" Sam run towards the bed ready to jump on it.
"Sam, careful" Maggie warned him. "Your father is hurt"
Sophie grabbed the little boy and lifted him up in her arms before he could do any damage. "Hey there. Your father is still hurting so you have to be careful where you touch him" she told him quietly. "And no jumping on the bed"
Sam frowned, but nodded. Then with his puppy eyes he turned his head towards his father. "Sorry, Daddy"
Nate smiled, "It's okay" he open his arms. "Come and give me a hug"
Sophie kept hold of Sam in her arms, but moved closer to the bed so that the boy could bend down and bring his small arms around his father's neck. Nate brought his left arm up so he could pat his son on the back. He tried to covered it, but he couldn't hide the small grimace of pain from Sophie. His eyes told her he was fine, but Sophie just glared at him
"Okay, Sam" she pulled him up. "How about we give your old man a rest?" and she sat on the hospital chair next to the bed so he could stay on her lap.
"Is it true that you caught the bad guys?" Sam asked excitingly nearly jumping from Sophie's knees. He so loved to hear his father's adventures, in his eyes he was an hero.
"More like they caught him" Maggie muttered under her breath.
Nate glared at her. "Yep, five bad guys in jail. Next time, I'll just have to remember to duck" he told his son a bit proud of himself. He did manage to stop a band of art dealers.
"Or maybe to call for back-up" Sophie added. They had already had that discussion the night before. He was an IYS agent, not a cop, even if sometimes he liked to think so just because he had a badge and a gun. He also liked to think that he really was a superhero or invincible, but she hoped that this event could be a wake-up call for him.
"Yeah, yeah" he waved her off not really wanting to have that argument again. He wasn't too happy to had been the receiver of her ranting the previous night. He didn't like to be smothered.
"She's right, Nate" Maggie intervened. "The next time you might not be so lucky"
And now his girlfriend and ex-wife were ganging up, brilliant. He rolled his eyes. "Could we talk about this when small innocent ears are not present?" he nodded towards their son.
"Fine" Maggie put her hands up in surrounding well knowing that they won't be discussing it again. "We do have a small problem" she finally addressed why she came by. "Do you remember that you were supposed to be watching Sam this weekend since I'm going to a convention? It's too late to look for a fulltime babysitter and Joan and Max are away camping."
"Sophie could watch him" Nate suggested.
"Sophie what?" the former grifter turned her head so fast that Nate didn't know how she didn't hurt herself. She looked at him like he had suddenly grew two heads… or worse… lost his mind.
"You could watch Sam for a few days." He repeated. "You'll be here during day anyway, so it will be only from evenings until mornings"
"Nate…" she tried to persuade him from the idea. "I don't know anything about kids"
"You've babysat your niece"
"Yes, but that was my niece…" she told him like that should explain things. "and it was only for a short time" she really didn't like the idea.
"You can do it" he smiled reassuringly.
"Sophie" Maggie intervened. "Please, I would be really grateful"
All three of them were looking at her with pleading eyes and she had to give up. "Okay" she sighed running a hand through her hair.
"Good" Maggie nodded satisfied. "I'm guessing you'll be staying at Nate's so I'll come by tomorrow at 5 pm. My flight leaves at 7."
"No problem" Sophie wondered what she's got herself into. In that moment stealing a painting and running from cops looked a lot simpler that babysitting a six years old.
"We need to go now, Sam" Maggie put her hand out for the boy to take.
"But we just got here" the little boy whined.
"I know, but I've got things to do. You'll be seeing more of your father in the next days."
"Okay" he put his head down in defeat "Bye Daddy" he gave his father a small wave.
"See you, buddy. And you'll behave for Sophie, won't you?"
Sam nodded. He then gave a small kiss on Sophie's cheek. "Bye Sophie"
"Bye sweetheart" she smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow"
Maggie and Sam left the room and Sophie and Nate were left alone.
"If you weren't already hurt, I would hit you right now" Sophie glared at him still not happy about the stunt he played on her.
He sniggered. "You're going to be fine"
"You don't know that. What if he gets hurt? Or what if I lose him when we're out?" she rambled in panic. "A lot of things could happen. I don't want to lose everything just because you've laid this responsibility on me. I…"
He laid his hand on top of hers. "You're not going to lose me" he reassured her again. "I've got full faith in you. I know Sam will be in good hands."
She snorted "Well, I don't think your ex-wife would have the same opinion if she knew I were a thief"
The next day at 5 pm, the doorbell rang in Nate's apartment and Sophie rushed to open it.
"Hi Sophie!" Sam ran inside and went straight to his bedroom to deposit his rucksack.
"Hmmm… Hi" Sophie was startled by the fast boy.
"Don't mind him" Maggie told her. "He is full of energy today"
"Great" the former grifter muttered.
"Okay" she handed her a piece of paper, "Here are all the instructions you'll need. Be sure he does all his homework for Monday"
"Homework? Seriously? He's only six"
"I know, but that's pre-school now. He needs to go to be in bed by nine. Not too much junk food, no matter how much he pleads you."
"Okay" Sophie nodded quickly looking at her list Maggie gave her.
"He's got enough to keep him busy when you visit Nate tomorrow and if it's stay a nice day on Sunday I guess you can take him to the park"
"Park. Got it"
"Thanks for doing this again, Sophie. You might have had plans for this weekend."
"With Nate, but since is in hospital…"
"Well, I must go. Sam!" she shouted. The boy came rushing back. "I must go now, baby. You be good to Sophie and listen to her like you would you father and I" The boy nodded and embraced his mother. "I'll see you on Sunday evening" And she was gone.
"Okay" Sophie was now uncomfortable since they were left alone. "What do you want to do until dinner time?" she asked uncertain.
"Play" the boy shrugged.
So they spent the hour before dinner colouring a pictures book.
"You're good" Sam stated seeing how carefully Sophie was drawing and colouring the picture.
"Thanks. I took some art lesson in college."
"Do you want to be an artist?" Sam asked curiously. "Mom did"
Sophie chuckled. "No, I just like painting sometimes."
The was a moment of silence. "Are you and Daddy going to get married?" Sam suddenly asked.
Sophie gasped nearly joking on thin air. What was she going to answer? He was the little boy watching her intensely waiting for her to say something . "I…. I don't know… if your father asks, maybe"
"I hope he does" Sam continued colouring. "I want a brother or sister."
With that few words, Sophie was literary left without words. "I… I think it's time for diner…"
They cleaned up and together they put together one of the few plates Sophie could cook. They then watched a movie a when it was nearly bed time, Sophie supervised him brush his teeth and getting washed and she then read him a story before he fell asleep. She gently left Sam's bedroom door open and she then collapsed from exhaustion on Nate's bed. She had been staring at the ceiling for what felt hours, when she felt her mobile phone vibrate on the nightstand. She immediately knew who it was.
"Hey" she gave a small smile even though she couldn't see him.
"Hey, babe. How is it going?" she heard his soft voice. She knew he wasn't supposed to be on the phone, so he had sneaked that phone call before the nurse's round.
"It was interesting." To say the least, the mentally added. "Your apartment is still in one piece and no one ran away, so I see those are good signs."
"Is he in bed?"
"Yes, I've just finished reading him a story and he was fast asleep."
"Good, did he behave? The Truth, I can recognize your lying voice, Miss Devereaux" he teased her.
"Yes, he was a good boy"
He heard the slight uncertainty in her voice. "What happened?"
She sighed, of course he could read her so well now. "Oh, the same old kids curiosity. Are you and Daddy going to get married and what about a brother or sister." She rushed her words hoping he wouldn't understand them.
"He what?" he hissed shocked. "How did you get away from it?"
"By avoiding the question. I guess we know what he wants for the future" she chuckled.
"You can say that. He gets the direct talking from his mother." There was a long pause. "Would you?" he asked hesitantly. "In the future, you know, get married and have children?"
She gasped blushing and for a moment there she felt like a schoolgirl. "I wouldn't mind… in the future… with the right guy…" she had a big teasing grin on her face.
"And did you? Find the right guy?"
"I've found the perfect guy" she breathed.
"Good" he smiled. He heard noises coming from the corridor. "I have to go now. I'll see you tomorrow"
"Okay. Nate, I love you" she told him sincerely.
"Love you too, darling" and he hung up.
After that phone call, Sophie felt a bit better. She was still scared about all this commitment talk, but she did find the right guy and maybe settling won't be that bad.
The went through with all her night routine and she then snuggled under the covers. She was sleeping on Nate's side so she could breathe his scent lingering on the pillow. It was the middle of the night when she heard the bedroom door open. She subconsciously reached of the drawer, but she mentally swore when she realized she wasn't in her apartment and she wasn't going to find a gun there.
"Sophie" she heard a whisper.
"Sam?" she put the lights on. At the door there was the little boy with puffy eyes. "Hey sweetheart, what's wrong?"
"I've had a bad dream" he sniffled. "Can I sleep here with you?"
"Of course" she smiled and patted the empty side of the bed.
Sam ran under the covers and snuggled against her.
"Do you want to tell what the dream was about?" she steadily ran her hand through his hair.
Sam shook his head. "Okay. You close your eyes and I'll be right here"
She felt the boy slowly being enfolded by the sleepiness and watched him steadily breathe. For a moment she imagined that it was her and Nate's child seeking her comfort. Yes, she could now see herself as a mother.