Ready or Not
Eric groaned and rolled over. Another groan and the shifting of the bed enlightened him to the fact that Taylor was still laying next to him and it was definitely too goddamn early to be awake.
A strange rattling sound reached his ears and he groaned again, somewhere deep in his still sleepy state something told him he'd heard it before and that's what woke him up. His brain tried to determine what direction it was coming from and match it to something that could possibly be making the sound. As if being helpful, the sound came again and Eric's face scrounged. The sound was coming from a weird direction and therefore he couldn't place where it was coming from.
The rattle sounded one more time, but this time it was quickly followed by crying from the same direction. Taylor started stirring and Eric let out another loud groan.
'I'll go,' he sighed.
Taylor mumbled something, but settled back down.
Eric blinked his eyes open and bit back yet another groan. The bedroom was still completely dark. Most definitely too goddamn early for anyone to be awake.
He stumbled out of bed and suddenly, something in his mind clicked. Ezra's crying was coming from somewhere that didn't sound like his room. Suddenly wide awake, Eric quickened his pace to get to his son.
In the hallway he flipped on the light, ready to fight anyone trying to take his son. But he found only Ezra, sitting on the floor by the gate at the top of the stairs, crying. Eric blinked at him for a moment and then the rattling sound clicked. It had been Ezra shaking the gate and now he was probably upset it wouldn't open. With a sigh Eric walked over and scooped Ezra up.
'You can't walk stairs yet, you little monster. And mommy and daddy would be very sad if you tried on your own and cracked open your skull. What are you doing out of bed anyway? And who let you out for that matter?' Eric mussed as he wiped Ezra's tears, the boy now settled to sniffling now his dad was holding him.
Eric walked into the nursery and put Ezra back in his crib, handing him one of his stuffed bears. 'Go back to sleep, it's too early to be up yet,' Eric told him.
When Eric left the room again, something was nagging him. With a frown, Eric waited just outside the door, watching Ezra in his crib through the cracked door. He was just about to give up and go back to bed, when Ezra stood up. Eric bit back a groan as he watched Ezra climb out of the crib. With a sigh, he walked back into the room and scooped up Ezra, just as his feet touched the ground. 'Okay, you little monster, you win.'
He carried Ezra into the master bedroom and put him down on the bed next to Taylor, before getting back in himself.
Taylor cracked an eye open. 'Why is there a kid in our bed when we agreed we wouldn't let them?'
'Because he needs a bed,' Eric shrugged, watching Ezra mutter nonsense to himself while holding his bear up.
'He's got his own bed,' Taylor protested.
'Yes, well, unfortunately, Houdini here has figured out how to climb out of his prison. He needs a bed before he manages to seriously hurt himself doing it.'
'Fuck,' Taylor groaned, burying her head under her pillow.
They managed to doze for an hour more with Ezra being content between them, before Taylor's alarm told them it was time for her to get up. Taylor blinked at Eric when he too started getting out of bed.
'You don't have to get up just yet,' she pointed out.
'As if I'm going to get any sleep anymore, thanks to your son,' Eric grumbled.
'Oh, he's my son now?' Taylor laughed.
'I'll ask Alan if he can watch Ezra Saturday so we can go shopping for a bed.'
'Oh, good thinking, I didn't know you could have bright ideas this early,' Taylor teased.
Eric made a grab for her, but Taylor quickly shot into the bathroom. With a laugh, Eric picked Ezra up from the bed and took him back to the nursery to get dressed so they could all start their day.
Eric and Taylor were walking through the furniture store, trying to find a new bed for Ezra. Taylor pointed to the race car beds and Eric venomously shook his head.
'We'd do better getting one of those extendable ones. He'll be able to fit in it longer and there's enough cars on kid covers that we don't also need to get a car bed,' he explained. 'And it's more Wes's style if he'd had a son.'
'I guess you have a point,' Taylor agreed. 'But if they had had an airplane bed, you'd've lost that battle.'
'Only if it was a fighter jet,' Eric laughed.
Taylor walked on to the extendable beds. She looking around for a few in a style she liked and comparing them. When she turned to ask Eric for his opinion, she found he hadn't followed her. Casting her eyes around the store, she quickly spotted him and walked over.
'Hey, we're here because Ezra outgrew his crib. We're not shopping for a new one,' she joked.
Eric nodded absentmindedly and meekly followed her when she tugged on his arm. The process of picking out a bed was exasperating for Taylor. Somehow, Eric seemed to have clocked out and barely offered an opinion. To Taylor, he looked like he was lost deep in thought.
'So, are we going to pick a bed today, or are we postponing until your head's back from the clouds?'
'Huh? Oh, sorry,' Eric shook his head. 'This one looks great to me.'
Taylor rolled her eyes and went to find a store clerk to help them process their order. They soon left with a promise of delivery by the end of the week and some bedding ready to take with them right now.
They were in the bathroom brushing their teeth that night when Taylor turned to Eric.
'So, are you going to tell me what's bothering you or am I going to have to guess?'
'What do you mean?' Eric raised an eyebrow.
'I mean that you've been lost in thought ever since our visit to the furniture store,' Taylor replied exasperated.
'It's nothing,' Eric shrugged.
'Eric Myers, you had better tell me what the hell is going on, or so help me god, I'm kicking you out of the house and you can figure out where you're sleeping until you decide to tell me,' Taylor glared.
'I shouldn't,' Eric shook his head.
'E-ric,' Taylor threatened.
'Fine,' Eric closed his eyes. 'It just hit me that Ezra's growing up so fast today.'
'Yeah, he is, isn't he?' Taylor's voice softened.
'And it made me realise… It made me realise that I don't wanna let go of that just yet,' Eric admitted.
'Babies don't stay babies forever, Eric,' Taylor laughed.
'I want another one,' Eric admitted. 'And I know I said that it's your body and your call, but walking around the furniture store today and seeing all those cribs, I realised I want another one now.'
Taylor's eyes grew wide in shock.
'You know, forget I ever said anything,' Eric shook his head and turned to leave the bathroom.
'Wow,' Taylor smirked. 'Big macho man Quantum Ranger really has turned into a sap.'
Eric shot a glare over his shoulder.
'But you're my sap,' she added, quickly walking over to him and wrapping her arms around his waist. 'And I never realised how incredibly sexy it is to see you being a sap over our kid. I wonder if you're doubly sexy being a sap when there's two kids.'
'Now you're just making fun of me,' Eric huffed, but didn't try to move away from her embrace.
'Maybe a little,' Taylor agreed. 'But now that you mention it, I think I might be ready to start thinking about trying for another baby.'
Eric turned around in her arms and wrapped his own around her back, resting his forehead against hers.
'I really do want to try,' he sighed. 'But I also don't want to hear a few years down the line that you felt pressured into it and you weren't quite ready for another baby.'
'I'll think about it,' Taylor promised. 'And I promise not to make you wait too long for my answer.'
'That's all I can really ask of you,' Eric smiled and moved to press a kiss to her forehead.
'Come on,' Taylor pulled away and caught his wrist. 'Let's go to bed. We ain't be trying for a baby just yet, but that doesn't mean we can't practise. And I hate to admit it, but you being a sap is a real, unexpected, turn on.'
Eric laughed and allowed Taylor to lead him away.