"Beth." Jack nudged Elizabeth gently, rousing her from her sleep.
"Hm? Is Salem okay?" She quickly sat up, rubbing her eyes.
"She's fine. She's still sleeping, but I have to go pick up Harrison," he explained. "I just got off the phone with the nurse at his school. He got hurt."
Elizabeth's eyes widened, all thoughts of sleep suddenly rushing out of her mind. "How bad is it?"
"Apparently, he tripped and cut his head on a desk."
"Poor thing. Go get him!"
He rummaged through the closet for his shoes. "You'll be okay here with Salem? It sounds like I might need to take him to urgent care, so it could be a little while."
"We're fine. If I need help with anything before you get home, I can call your mom."
"Okay." He leaned down to press a soft kiss to her lips. "I love you, Beth. When Salem wakes up, tell her I love her."
"I will. I love you. Now go get our boy."
He kissed her one more time. "Bye."
A few minutes later, Jack was walking through the front door of the school. They showed him to the nurse's office, where he found Harrison sitting, holding a wad of gauze to his forehead.
"Hi, daddy!"
"Hi, bud. How are you feeling?"
"My head hurts."
He crouched down and gave him a sympathetic smile. "I'm sure it does. Why don't we get you checked out and take you to the doctor."
"Dr. Kevin?"
"Not this time. We're going to urgent care, because it looks like you might need some stitches there." He gently touched Harrison's forehead.
"Okay, daddy. And then home?"
"Then home. I'm sure Salem will be very happy to see you. She misses you when you're at school."
"She does?"
"Of course she does. You're one of her favorite people."
He giggled. "Let's go, daddy."
...
"Hey," Jack whispered as he stepped into the bedroom.
Elizabeth was reclining on the bed, nursing Salem. She smiled at her husband. "Hi. How's our boy?"
"He had to get five stitches, and he'll probably have a scar above his eyebrow."
"Poor kid. But he's okay?"
"He's great now. I stopped and got him a milkshake on the way home, so he's enjoying that and watching a little TV right now." He took a seat on the edge of the bed, gently brushing his fingertip across the bottom of Salem's foot. "How's Little Miss?"
"Hungry." She chuckled. "It had only been about an hour and a half since she last ate when she started fussing again."
"Well, she's a growing girl." He kissed Elizabeth's cheek. "I'm going to check on Harrison again. Do you need anything?"
"I'm fine. Tell Harrison I'll be out there as soon as Salem is finished."
"Will do."
"Where's mommy?" Harrison asked when Jack returned to the living room a few moments later.
"She's feeding your sister."
"Oh."
"Hey." Jack took a seat beside him, rubbing his back. "She'll be out here as soon as Salem is finished."
"Daddy?" Harrison snuggled into him. "Why does Salem eat so much?"
He chuckled. "Babies have to eat more often, because their bellies aren't very big. They can't eat very much at one time, and we have to make sure she eats enough every day to grow bigger."
"Oh. Can I call grandma and grandpa today?"
"Sure, bud." He retrieved his phone from his pocket and pulled up Elaine's contact information. "Do you want to tell them about the cut on your head?"
"Yeah. And can I show Salem to them?"
"Of course. Mommy and I sent them some pictures, but I'm sure they'll love to see her on facetime." He connected the call before handing the phone to Harrison.
"Hi, grandma." He grinned, waving at the phone when Elaine answered.
"Hi, sweet boy. What happened there?"
He touched the bandage on his forehead. "I got stitches, 'cause I hit my head at school."
"He's fine now!" Jack added.
Elaine chuckled. "Well, with a doctor as a dad, I expect nothing less. So how is school going, Harrison?"
"Good. Daddy almost forgot to take me the first day back after Christmas. He said he slept too long, 'cause Salem doesn't sleep good."
"Great," Jack laughed, taking a seat beside his son. "Just tell on me, Sonny boy."
"Oh, I remember those sleepless nights. How are you all settling in?"
"She's actually a really great baby. Isn't she, bud?" Jack nudged Harrison.
He shrugged. "She's kinda loud, but I like to hold her."
"I bet you're a great big brother."
"He is." Jack ruffled his hair. "And there's his baby sister now." He smiled as Elizabeth padded into the room, Salem sleeping in her arms.
"Mommy!" Harrison exclaimed. "I wanna show Salem to grandma!"
"Okay, just try to be quiet. She just fell asleep."
Jack took the phone from Harrison, and Elizabeth carefully lowered the baby into his arms, situating a pillow beside him to help him support his sister.
"Do you see her, grandma?"
"I do. She's beautiful."
"Daddy says she looks like mommy. He says I look like my mommy, too."
Elaine smiled. "You do look like your mom, sweet boy."
"Grandma? Can you give me more pictures of my mommy?"
"Sure. I'll see what I can find and send them to your dad."
He looked down at his sister, then back at his grandma. "I want to show my mommy to Salem."
"I bet Salem will like that very much."
...
Jack gently bounced Salem, trying to soothe her so Elizabeth could sleep a bit longer. "Why don't we go look at some pictures, baby girl?" he whispered, carrying her quietly down the hall.
He pointed at various pictures on the wall, describing who they showed: a wedding photo of him and Elizabeth, Harrison with his cousins and Elizabeth's parents, Elizabeth and her sisters, Charlotte and Tom.
"This picture has me and your brother and his mommy, Olive." Jack pointed at the family picture from when Harrison was a newborn. "It might be a little confusing for you to understand for a while, but I was married to Olive before I married your mommy. She went to heaven when Harrison was just a little bit older than you are right now, so it was just me and your brother for a while. But then I saw your mommy again, and we fell in love, and now you're here. Someday soon, I'll tell you about how your mommy and I met."
Salem blinked her dark eyes up at him, trying to focus on his face as he spoke.
"I'm so blessed that I got to love Olive, and now I get to love your mommy. Olive gave me Harrison, and your mommy gave me you." He kissed her forehead. "I just hope you and your brother both know how loved you are."
"Daddy?" Harrison wandered out of his bedroom, rubbing his eyes.
"Good morning, bud. Do you want some breakfast?"
"Yeah." He glanced over at the picture Jack had been looking at. "Daddy?"
"Hm?"
"Do you think my mommy in heaven is happy that I have a baby sister now?"
"I think so." He ruffled his hair. "And I think she'd be very proud that you're such a good big brother."
He smiled. "Can I have eggs and toast for breakfast?"
"Sure, bud. Do you think you're up to holding your sister while I make it for you?"
He nodded. "I can do that."
...
Simba lifted his head when the front door opened.
"Hi, boy," Jack greeted him, scratching him between the ears. "It's just me. Where's Beth?"
"Changing your daughter." She came down the hallway, Salem bundled up in her arms. "Somebody spit up all over her sleeper."
He gasped in mock surprise. "Not Salem." He lifted the baby from her arms. "She would never do that."
They both moved to the sofa, sitting down beside each other.
"How are you doing, sweetheart?"
She shrugged. "I'm okay. Just tired."
"I've got her for now if you want to go take a nap."
"No. I just want to sit here with you." She leaned her head on his shoulder. "I miss you, Jack. And I know that's weird to say, because you've been with me almost constantly since she was born."
"No, I get it. All of our attention is taken up by the kids right now. Even when Harrison is at school and Salem is napping, we're still focused on them." He leaned over and kissed her temple. "In a few weeks, whenever you're feeling up to it, we can have my mom or your parents take the kids for a couple of hours. We can have some time, just the two of us."
She sighed. "How did you do this by yourself?"
"I didn't. I had Olive's parents to help me, and my mom, and Faith and Carson. And I only had Harrison to take care of. I didn't have a kindergartener and a dog to worry about, too."
"But you were grieving."
"I never said it was easy." He looked down at Salem and smiled. "But that's the past. Now I'm here. I have you, and this perfect little princess."
The corners of her lips turned up. "She is pretty perfect, isn't she?"
"Just like her mama." He kissed her softly, gently. "I love you. Please let me know if you need anything, even if it seems silly."
Her smile widened. "Salem, you have the best daddy in the whole world."
...
"Look at you, bud." Elizabeth sat up straight when Harrison and Jack came through the door.
"No more stitches!" He threw his hands in the air in celebration. "And Dr. Kevin gave me a sticker and a lollipop."
"What sticker did you get?"
He stepped up to her and stuck out his chest, pointing at the sticker on his shirt. "It's Simba!"
"Of course." She smiled and kissed his cheek. "I'm not surprised. Speaking of Simba, why don't you go take him outside? I need to talk to daddy."
"Is he in trouble?" Harrison furrowed his brow, looking between his parents.
"No." She chuckled. "We just need to talk about some grown-up stuff. Go take Simba out before you take your coat off, and maybe you can help me give Salem a bottle when you come back in."
"Really?" His eyes widened.
"We can try, see if she'll take one."
"Go quick, bud," Jack nudged him. Once assured his son and the dog were outside, he turned toward Elizabeth. "So what grown-up stuff do we need to talk about?"
"It's not really grown-up stuff, but it's something I don't want Harrison hearing about yet. I know his birthday is still four and a half months away, but I found the perfect present for him."
"I'm intrigued."
"The Lion King musical is coming to town in June. We could surprise him with tickets. Salem will be five months old by then, so she should be fine to stay with your mom or my parents for a few hours."
Jack grinned. "He would love that. Go ahead and get tickets. And why don't you see if your sisters want to come and bring Aaron and Willa?"
"Good idea. Maybe we can look at tickets tonight."
"Mommy? Daddy?" Harrison poked his head through the back door. "Are you done talkin' about the grown-up stuff?"
Jack laughed. "Yes. Come on in, bud."
"Can I give Salem a bottle now?"
"Patience, Harrison. I need to make a bottle first." Elizabeth ruffled his hair.
"Why don't you help me change her diaper while we wait?" Jack suggested.
He wrinkled his nose. "No, thank you. Can I help mommy make the bottle?"
"Sure." Jack lifted Salem from the bassinet, where she had just woken up. "I'll be right back."
A few minutes later, Jack lowered Salem into her brother's arms. Elizabeth sat beside him, ready to help.
"Okay, hold it up to her mouth, and hopefully, she'll take it." She handed Harrison the bottle. "It might take her a little bit, because she's never eaten from a bottle before."
He held the bottle to the baby's lips, and she immediately latched on. Harrison laughed. "She did it!"
Jack took a seat next to Elizabeth, smiling as he watched their two kids together. He kissed her temple. "They're pretty great, huh?"
She met his eyes and smiled. "That they are," she agreed.
"By the way, I saw those new stuffed animals in Salem's room. Where did those come from?"
"Oh, Fiona and Clara came by to meet her, and they had made those for her. There are a couple for Harrison, too."
"Presents for me?" Harrison's eyes lit up, and he accidentally pulled the bottle from Salem's mouth in his excitement. "Oops." He returned the bottle to her mouth, and she settled back down, content in her big brother's arms.
"Yeah, Miss Clara and Dr. Miller made an elephant and a zebra for Salem, and a dog and a cow for you. They said they're trying to find a pattern for a meerkat, though, but thought you would like those in the meantime."
"Cool!"
"We'll have to make sure we thank them the next time we see them."
"We gotta go to the zoo for that, daddy." He wiggled his eyebrows.
"I know." He laughed. "Maybe next weekend."
"Mommy, can I go see my presents now?"
"You don't want to finish giving Salem her bottle?"
He just looked up at her with his big brown eyes.
"Okay," she chuckled. "Give her to daddy. He can finish feeding her."
As soon as the baby was out of his arms, Harrison took off running down the hall.
Jack settled in, giving Salem her bottle again. "I love that kid so much."
"So do I." Elizabeth leaned against his side. "And I love you."
