Needles

He could take multiple dead bodies in the same room, the smell of decomposition, even body parts not connected to the torso they were to be. But Eric Delko couldn't take the sight of his daughter, the apple of his eye, getting needles. Hearing her wailing during the injections and continued crying afterwards broke his heart. One wouldn't have to know a lot about babies to be able to tell the cries were ones of "I'm in pain." You could tell by the sound. The doctor had warned them that the baby could have pain in her legs where the needles were given. She told Calleigh that giving the baby some infant Tylenol a half hour before they arrived at the doctor's office mind help the baby's discomfort and the mild fever she might develop afterwards.

The medication might have helped with any fever but not with Nevaeh's pain. She cried continuously for three hours. The day prior Eric had mentioned to Horatio that he was going to be in late because he wanted to go with Calleigh when she took the baby to the family doctor for her shots. Horatio told him that was fine. Eric didn't mean to demean his wife's parenting skill, and Calleigh never took it that way, but considering the reactions Nevaeh had to the immunizations he didn't want his wife to have to cope alone. Plus being a daddy's girl, having daddy around for cuddles might help, even just a little bit.

Before Eric even spoke when Horatio answered his phone he heard his godchild's cries in the background.

Poor baby, he thought.

"H?" Eric said.

"Eric. Sounds like someone needs mommy and daddy home today," Horatio said. "Take the day. We'll only call if we really need you."

After three hours Nevaeh had cried herself out and was exhausted and very thirsty. Her eyes were heavy while she drank from her bottle. Holding it herself was out right now, her daddy held it for her. Nevaeh's eyes started to close as she drank the last bit of formula from the bottle. Calleigh had given the baby another low dose of Tylenol before she was fed. The baby fell asleep almost immediately after she spat out the rubber nipple. The three hours had been an ordeal for all three, the couple didn't care about their own exhaustion. It had just been so hard to listen to the baby cry like that and not be able to do anything about it.

Since they had bought her home from the hospital Nevaeh's parents had made sure she had slept in her bassinet or crib. She never slept in their bed; till that evening. Nevaeh slept pretty soundly nestled in between her parents, only occasionally whimpering in her sleep from some of the lingering discomfort.

He couldn't resist. At six-thirty Horatio had to call and check on his godchild. Nevaeh had awaken from her long snooze. She was in a slightly better mood but not her smiley self. She wasn't in any mood to play; she just wanted to cuddle. And sometimes cuddles are an uncle's specialty. When Nevaeh went his arms so easily and hugged into his shoulder Horatio told her parents that they should go out for some fresh air and go for a bite at the café just two minutes from their home.

"You sure, Horatio?" Calleigh asked.

"Sure," the older man said. "She's happy enough. I know how to take care of her and where all the important stuff is."

"I guess that was our first grueling experience as parents," Eric said to his wife at the empty café. They were surprised to find they were the only customers there.

"Yeah," Calleigh said with a sigh. "It was tough, wasn't it? But I guess if we think this is bad now in a few years we'll look back at this and call it an easy one."

The two were glad to get out for a short while. And maybe, just maybe, Horatio would have the magic touch and could make their baby smile again.