+I don't own any CSI: NY characters. But the rest is mine. I really hope you enjoy reading this.+
Don tossed and turned in bed that entire night. Hannah tried to sleep through it but finally it got to be too much.
"Don, are you gonna sleep?" she questioned and smiled.
He smirked. "I can't, I'm so nervous. I got all this stuff going through my head. Like where she's gonna sleep, what three year-olds eat, what they like to do, who's gonna take care of her while I'm working, where we're gonna put her stuff."
Hannah put a hand on his chest. "Don't think to hard about it you might hurt yourself."
He laughed. "Katie Flack," he stated. "That has a pretty good ring to it. God, Hannah, I'm a dad."
She kissed his shoulder. "I know, how do you feel about that?"
"I'm so scared. I don't want to be like my dad; I wanna be around and make sure she knows I love her, you know."
"Yeah, my dad wasn't around a lot either but I always knew he loved me. I think it's different for girls than boys. Boys want to be close with their dads, and hang with them."
"You do realize you're gonna become a mom to her. Are you sure you're ok with that?" he looked down at her.
"Yeah, I think I'll be ok with it. All of this is just gonna take some time for all of us to adjust." She kissed his lips. "Let's get some sleep."
Even though it sounded good, and it was what Don wanted to do, he couldn't sleep. He tried, however, to not toss and turn so much as to not wake Hannah again. When he looked at the clock and it said seven, he threw back the blanket and got out of the bed. He made a pot of coffee then sat at the bar with it. He was supposed to go to work that day, so he got his phone to call his captain. He explained the situation to him and asked for him to keep it to himself for the time being. His captain was agreeable and Don was thankful to him for that.
An hour later Don and Hannah left the apartment and headed to the hospital. It took Don a while to get out of the car once they got there, but he soon composed himself and they headed in. They were standing hand in hand as they rode the elevator. Hannah could feel her own nerves rising in her stomach. The woman from Child Services was standing outside Katie's room. She smiled at the two of them as they approached.
"I'm glad you came," she told Don. "We always like to see the father step up to take care of the child."
"I realized I needed to do this, and not just for her." He looked at Hannah. "This is my girlfriend, Hannah Weber." The two women shook hands.
"Don, I have some paperwork for you to fill out before you can take Katie home with you."
"Why don't I go in and talk with Katie while you guys do that?" Hannah offered and the other two adults agreed. Hannah smiled at the little girl who was sitting in the middle of the bed. She was dressed in jeans and pink shirt. She was coloring in a book, and didn't look up at Hannah. "Hi Katie," she greeted.
Katie looked at her but she didn't say anything.
"My name's Hannah. What are you coloring?"
Katie moved the book so Hannah could see.
"Oh, a kitten, how cute. Are you ready to go home, Katie?"
"Yeah," she replied quietly. "Where's mama?"
"Oh, honey, she's gone away." Don and Ms. Callahan came into the room.
"Katie, you remember Don?" Ms. Callahan asked her.
"Yeah, police man," she responded with her broken English.
"Well, you're gonna go home with him, and Hannah, ok?"
"Mama," Katie responded and her bottom lip started to quiver.
"Mama won't be there." Ms. Callahan bent next to the bed. "Don, he's your daddy and he's gonna take care of you."
Katie looked at him as a tear fell down her cheek.
"Is that ok? Can Don and Hannah take care of you?"
Katie nodded then stood in the bed and reached her arms out to Don. He pulled her up into his arms and hugged her. Hannah looked at Don then Ms. Callahan who had the same tears in her eyes that she did. Hannah had never seen anything more heart-wrenching in her entire life. Ms. Callahan gave Hannah the car seat and Don through Katie's bag over his shoulder with her in his other arm. As they drove home Katie fell asleep in the back with a teddy bear tightly held under her arm. When they got to the apartment building, Don carried her to the apartment then lied her down on he and Hannah's bed for her to finish her nap. He slowly closed the door behind him as he came out of the room.
"I'll take her to my parents' when she wakes up," he told her as he approached Hannah in the kitchen.
"I have to go into the office in a little bit, so I won't able to go with you."
"I thought you didn't have to work today."
"Well, I wasn't going to, but I think you'll be ok alone with her for a little bit. Besides if you take her to your parents they'll help you out."
He leaned against the counter. "Yeah, we'll be fine. Where's she gonna sleep, Hannah?"
"I don't know. I wonder if she's too big for a playpen, at least for the time being. The one I use for Carson when he's here is in the closet. I'll set it up for you just in case I'm not back before she's ready for bed."
"I can't believe you're gonna abandon me on the first day she's here," he joked.
"Oh, you'll survive. You'll be surprised on how self-sufficient she is. You don't have to change any diapers or anything. She's almost three trust me, she's had some rules established. Oh, and I know you keep your gun in the nightstand like I told you not to, so you better get the gun safe from your place."
"Yeah, I'll get it on the way back from Mom and Dad's. What else do we need to do?"
"Don't try to think of everything now. Just get the important stuff out of the way, and the rest will come to you." She went over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "You'll be a good dad, I promise."
He kissed her lips tenderly. "God, I hope you're right," he responded as they parted.
It was a little after nine by the time Hannah got to her apartment. There were only a few lights on and she knew Katie was probably asleep, so she crept quietly through the apartment. As she pushed open the bedroom door, she saw Don lying on his side on the bed. She got closer and saw Katie lying next to him, fast asleep with her thumb in her mouth. Hannah smiled and noticed Don's eyes were open.
"Hey," she greeted and touched his arm. "How long has she been asleep?"
"About an hour. I don't want to wake her and put her in the playpen; she looks too peaceful."
Hannah bent down and kissed Don's hair. "I'm gonna change my clothes then I'll put her in the playpen."
Don lifted his head. "Can she sleep with us? Just for tonight I swear."
Hannah sighed. "Yeah, just tonight; we can't make this a habit." She went into the bathroom and came back to see Don asleep alongside his daughter. She smiled then got into the bed. She kissed Don's cheek then Katie's forehead. She was about to close her eyes when she felt Don's hand go into hers.
"I love you, Hannah," he whispered with his eyes still closed.
She smiled. "I love you, too."