Chapter 50
Kate heard the door creek open as she lay cuddled in the middle of the bed next to her fiancé and then the mattress dip as their five year old crawled in next to her.
"Mom…" Alexis whispered, "Mom… wake up."
Kate opened her eyes and turned over in bed, "Yes, baby."
"Santa came, can we get up and open presents?"
Kate lifted her head over Rick to look at the clock next to the bed, 5:47 am.
"Lex, it's still really early."
"But, mom, the presents are already there."
She was right, they were, and now that Alexis was up there was no way that she was going to get her back to sleep for a few hours. Sleep was something that Kate was getting hardly any of these days. She had a baby that was five weeks old lying in a bassinet next to her, who was nowhere near sleeping through the night. In fact, he hardly slept during the night at all.
She shoved at Ricks shoulder, receiving a moan as a response, so she shoved again. His head shot up to look over at her, "Everything okay? The baby okay?"
"The baby is fine, still sleeping, but your daughter on the other hand.." Kate paused as Alexis head shot up over hers to look at her dad.
"Lex, what are you doing up?"
"Dad, the presents are here."
Oh yes, he knew they were there, he had set them all out before heading to sleep just a few short hours ago.
"Yeah, but cant we just get a little more sleep Lex? The baby was up late."
Alexis sighed, laying her head back down next to Kate's.
"Rick, there's no way she is going back to sleep. We might as well just get up and open the presents."
"She can wait." His tone aggravated, yet low.
"Rick, if she doesn't go back to sleep, then I wont be able to go back to sleep."
"Okay, lets go, up, everyone up." He whispered as he sat up and pulled his shirt off the floor next to the bed, pulling it over his head and heading out the door quickly.
"Why do you two always sleep with no clothes on? It's gross."
"We have clothes on Lex, just not a lot of them."
"I just don't get why dad doesn't wear shirts, and you never wears pants."
Kate laughed as she pulled the little girls body in to hers and kissed the top of her head, "Up munchkin, you want presents then lets go open presents and then maybe we can take a nap before breakfast."
They both crawled out of bed and Alexis grabbed Kates wrist as they were almost out the door. "You aren't going to bring Carter to open his presents?"
"Lex, he doesn't have presents, he's too little."
The little girl let go of her moms hand and walked over to her little brothers bassinet, she pulled his blanket up over his body, making sure his body was covered. Then walked back over and grabbed her moms hand to lead her out of the room.
Kate almost laughed at the cuteness of her taking care of him, but the truth was, Alexis was always looking out for him. Even in the middle of the night when he would cry and not go back to sleep, Alexis would sometimes get out of bed and come cuddle up next to Kate on the couch and just pet him, which more often then not worked.
"Lex, you're a really good big sister." Kate said, squeezing her hand and giving her a smile.
"It's my job, right? To be a good big sister."
"Yeah, it's your job, and you've done a great job, now go see what Santa brought."
Rick had already started the coffee so Kate had a seat on the couch, pulling a blanket up over her legs. Alexis started to sort her presents into piles, ones from Santa and ones from mom and dad. Rick walked over and handed her a cup of coffee, and then took a seat on the other end of the couch, and Kate gave him an eye roll to signal her annoyance.
"Okay Lex, get to opening." Rick said, rolling his eyes back at Kate, and taking a sip of his coffee.
"Really? I can go?"
"Yup, dig in."
After Alexis finished her presents she excused herself to go put them away in her room, and then Carter started wailing from the bedroom. Kate moved to get up but Rick stilled her, "I got him, you sit." and he moved to go get his son. When he brought him back he was perfectly swaddled and tucked into his dads arm, pacifier bobbing from his mouth.
"I think he might be hungry, which I can't really help with, but I changed him already." He said as he lowered the baby down into Kate's arms.
"Thank you."
She pulled her arm out of her shirt and wrapped it back over her shoulder, and Carter had latched on before she had even gotten settled. "You must be really hungry huh?" She whispered to him, petting his head as his wide eyes stared back up at her. His eyes were still a deep blue. Kate hoped they turn into the same blue as his fathers, but he was still too young to tell. He had gotten almost every other feature from her so she wanted him to at least have Rick's eyes, just like Alexis.
Rick leaned in and removed Carters hand from his mothers chest, pressing a finger in between his palm and fingers for him to squeeze. "How is my sweet boy?"
"He's good. I think he might be awake for a while though, no signs of droopy eyes right now."
"He's too focused on the boob, no man goes to sleep with a boob in his mouth." Rick teased and she shoved her elbow into his side.
"Rick, be quiet your daughter could come in at any moment and she does not need mental images of that."
"She is getting a full view of it right now."
"That's different, this is a natural thing."
"And me sucking on them isn't?"
"Not something we do outside of our bedroom."
"Just so we are clear, I haven't had one of those in my mouth in 6 months."
"And you wont for a while either, Carter owns these now."
"Yeah, I'm fully aware." He sighed. "When do we go back to the doctor again?" Rick asked, raising his brow in her direction, gaining a laugh in return.
"Next week, and since we've been so good I know we will get the all clear. But we have to make sure the birth control situation is fully under control first."
"So when does that happen?"
"I think he will do it on my visit, but if not it wont be long after."
"Long after, as in how long?" Rick asked, pressing the subject like a sixteen-year-old boy, receiving an eye roll from his fiancé. "So basically there is not much sex in my future?" He pouted.
Carter let go of his mothers nipple with a pop right after his dads statement and started kicking his feet.
"Carter says no." Kate laughed and handed the baby over to his dad so she could fix her shirt.
Rick stood up and started bouncing his body up and down softly with Carter tucked into his chest.
"Rick, he isn't gonna go back to sleep."
"You don't know that."
"Yes, I do, he is wide awake now. Look I'm gonna go ahead and start cooking, everyone should be here right before noon for lunch and if I start now maybe I can sneak in a nap before they get here."
"Kate, I'll do the cooking if you want, you need the sleep."
"You need the sleep too, and I haven't pumped any so you'd have to wake me to feed him anyway. So I'll start the food and then pump for a little bit so that we will have plenty for me to take a nap later. So you can just go back to bed for a few hours."
"Okay, if that's what you want."
"Well, one of us needs to be rested, and today it doesn't look like it's my day."
Xx
Kate's parents arrived first and when Alexis pulled the door open at Kates request, Jim scooped her up and threw her on his hip.
"I brought you something."
"Oh yeah? A present?"
"Maybe…"
"Can I open it?" Alexis asked excitedly.
"In exchange for a wet one on the cheek you can."
Alexis grabbed his face and pulled him close, smacking her lips against his cheek and then releasing her hold. Jim lowered her to the ground and then turned to Johanna to grab the gift from her. He started to hand the gift to Alexis before pulling it back and nodding towards Johanna, "Grandma too squirt." Alexis laughed and then walked over to Johanna, reaching her arms up for her grandma to pick her up. After exchanging kisses and tickles, Alexis took her gift and ran off towards the living room.
"Katie, you look exhausted." Jim said as he walked into the kitchen to give his daughter a kiss on the cheek. "Where's Rick."
"Thanks dad, nice to see you too, and he's in bed."
"I think that's maybe where you should be."
"Well I have too much to do right now. I don't have time for sleep, but at least the baby is sleeping so I don't have to worry about him right now too."
Johanna came up behind her daughter and wrapped her arms around her waist.
"Merry Christmas baby."
"Merry Christmas mom." Kate smiled and looked back at her mother.
"You need a nap, go…"
"No, I have to finish up the food, I still need to pump for Carter, and I haven't even showered yet."
"Kate, you are overdoing it. Here, your dad and I can finish lunch while you shower and pump, and then we can all eat and then you're going to bed. We'll watch the kids for a few hours so you two can catch up on sleep."
"Mom, you don't have to do that."
"I know I don't have to, but I want to help, so go.." She shoved Kate towards her bedroom.
She walked in and checked on Carter and Rick, and then made her way into the bathroom to shower. It was only a few minutes before Rick was climbing into the shower behind her, startling her.
"You almost gave me a heart attack." She said as he wrapped his arms around her waist.
"Sorry, I just couldn't help myself." He kissed her shoulder and grabbed her hand, turning her around to face him before pulling her into another passionate kiss.
"I love you." he mumbled against her lips.
"I love you too." She mumbled, turning back around to face the water.
"Something wrong?"
"Not wrong, just a little confused."
"At what?"
"Maybe I'm being sensitive but this morning when you brought me my coffee you just handed it to me and went to sit at the other end of the couch, away from me. I mean if it's nothing and I'm being crazy just tell me and I'll shut up, but it's literally been on my mind all day and I cant help but think that something is wrong."
"Kate…" he said in a low voice.
"So something is wrong."
"No, nothing is wrong, I was just tired, and irritated at the lack of sleep and when you insisted on getting up then I was a little mad, not gonna lie, but I got over it."
"Okay, so we're good now?" she questioned, raising her brow at him.
"We're perfect." He said, pulling at her waist and wrapping his hand around her neck to pull her into a kiss.
"I love you so much, and we've been doing so good about not fighting, I just.." She said as she placed a soft kiss to his chest.
"I know babe, and it was my fault, I was just grumpy and I'm sorry." He apologized.
"I know the feeling."
"It's so nice and quiet in here." He whispered, pressing a kiss to the top of her head as he held her.
"I know, I could fall asleep right here, standing up."
"Is it everything you thought it would be? Parenthood?"
"A lot less sleep and a lot more love. I'm happy, just tired."
"We're better though, right?" he asked.
"I thought it would make it worse, having a newborn in the house, but every time I hold that little boy, I cant help but be thankful for you, for helping me make him, for helping me take care of him… for taking care of me."
"You do most the work Kate."
"No, I don't. So what…I get up with him when he cries and I feed him."
"Yeah that's most the work."
"No, you do most the work because you have to do everything else by yourself. You cook and clean and try to give me as much peace and quiet to take naps."
"Well I feel bad because you're not getting any sleep."
"You're right, I'm not, but I'm still thankful that you're helping so much."
"Well I'm thankful for all you do for me too."
"Which isn't much right now. I bet you can't wait for the all clear, huh?" She smiled, backing away from his warm body.
"Don't remind me."
"Sorry." She laughed.
"But just so you know, that amazing body you got going on there is all mine next week." He said, eyeing her post baby body. Her curves were thicker but she was still stick thin, and her boobs were amazing.
"Maybe… if my doctor can go ahead and give me the birth control. If not, then you aren't allowed anywhere near me with that thing." She laughed, nodding down at his penis.
"Yeah, maybe I should get a vasectomy."
"Uhhh, no, you're not getting a vasectomy, I am not done with it completely, just a few years."
"So you want more?"
"Of course I want more, just maybe after I get Carter potty trained. They say one kid in diapers at a time."
Carter started to cry from the other room and Rick opened the door, wrapping a towel around his waist and heading into the bedroom.
Kate finished rinsing off and joined him in the bedroom. Carter was laying in the middle of the bed kicking his feet while his dad put clothes on.
"Hey sweet boy," Kate said as she lay down next to her son and peppered kisses over his cheeks.
"Kate, get dressed, your dad knocked and said lunch is ready."
"Okay, okay…"
The two of them hurried to get dressed and Rick changed Carters diaper before making their way back into the kitchen.
"Did you two shower at the same time again?" Alexis asked, scowling at her parents.
"Yes, conserving water." Rick replied
"Am I gonna have another baby brother now?" the little girl asked, and the room burst into laughter.
"No more baby brothers for a few years Lex." Kate told the little girl as she took a seat next to her at the dinner table.
"Now who wants to say Grace?" Jim asked and Alexis raised her hand.
"Me."
"Okay, go."
"Dear God, thank you for my mom and dad, and gram, and grandpa and grandma, and this food, and all my presents, and most of all thank you for my little brother, but please make him stop crying so much and keeping my mom up. Amen."
Three months, fifty chapters, and now it's finished. I think I am going to do the series of one shots, that was the most demanded. It might be a week or so before I can post that. Just depends on my free time. Hope everyone enjoyed.
I also had more people asking about why I asked for reviews. Like I said, I don't want people to toot my horn by any means. I just like to hear feedback, I love it when people talk about their opinion of whats going on in each chapter and it also motivates me to write when I know people are waiting for the next chapter to be posted. Sorry if that disappoints some of you, if you don't want to review you don't have to, but I would love to hear what you have to say about each chapter. Knowing that you're invested makes me want to give you more.
And just because I decided to do a series of one shots doesn't mean I wont start another story with these characters set in the future as well. Stick with me, I'm just starting this universe.