See the Joy - Chapter 16
"Strange, isn't it? Each man's life touches so many other lives. When he isn't around, he leaves an awful hole, doesn't he?" — Clarence, It's a Wonderful Life
The kids spot his mother before he and Kate do, yanking their hands out of their grip and running to her with joyful abandon.
(It leaves him and Kate with all of their stuff, including the small pile of groceries they'd picked up on the way back into town, but that's fine. At least they're all already inside the building and mostly into the loft.)
"Gram!"
"Gwam!"
"Gwam!"
Three eager bodies collide with his mother's legs as she gets to her feet, but the admonishment that's on the tip of his tongue fades away when his mother laughs and wraps her arms around Lily and the twins. She hasn't wanted them to treat her as if she's fragile; she's going to let her grandchildren hug her the way they always have.
"Oh, hello my sweethearts. I've missed you. How was your little jaunt into the wild outdoors?"
She cups Reece's head with one hand, drawing Lily's knit cap away from her head with the other. Rick watches her drop kisses on all three of their foreheads, her eyes closing each time as if she's savoring their closeness.
"Uh huh! We looked in the tel'scope and saw stars! So many stars, Gram," Lily rests her cheek against her grandmother's side. "And there's snow!"
"Ya Gwam," Jake picks up. "S'me sized snow!"
Martha laughs. "You-sized snow? Goodness, it's a wonder you didn't get lost in a snowbank then, darling."
Beside him, Kate chuckles. The snow hadn't been quite that high, but Jake does love a good dramatic retelling.
"What about Eva?" his mother asks, tweaking Reece's cheek. "Did she enjoy your trip, too?"
"Uh huh. Eba didn't wike snow, though. I fink she's an indoor baby." Reece grins at his grandmother's laughter, ever the charmer.
"Some of us just are, kiddo. Nothing wrong with that." She winks before straightening up and holding out her arms to Rick – more importantly, to Eva. "And there she is, my little sweet pea. Come see Gram while your Daddy brings all those bags inside."
Rick snorts. "Nice to see you too, Mother." He hands over the baby, though, taking a moment to drop a kiss on his mother's cheek even as she's distracted again by the kids.
She does look up after a second, offering him a gentle smile, one that belies the wry tone she uses when she says, "We'll catch up as soon as I've made my rounds, Richard, don't fret."
He makes sure to huff as loudly as possible, just to keep up the act. Kate rolls her eyes but doesn't say a word as she breaks off and moves to the bedroom to put their bags down. They'll deal with taking everything up to the kids' rooms later.
Soon enough, his mother puts Eva in the bassinette that stays beside the couch and sends the children to take their bags from Kate, joining him in the kitchen as he takes all of the necessary ingredients for their Christmas Eve dinner and stages them to start cooking. They left the cabin later than planned (one day they'll remember that with their children, everything takes longer than planned), so the prep is going to be a little rushed, but they'll manage, and they won't have to eat too late, either. Being behind schedule doesn't stop him from accepting the tight hug his mother offers, nor the kiss on his cheek and brush of her hand in his hair.
"How are you?" he asks against her shoulder.
"Better now," she admits. "A good night's sleep was exactly what the doctor ordered."
He doesn't dispute that, though they both know the doctor has been ordering a little more than a solid rest. She doesn't want him to worry, though, and so she's going to pretend there's nothing at all amiss.
He squeezes her tighter anyway. "Did the doctor also order you to pack your entire apartment?"
She scoffs, patting his back. "Don't be ridiculous, darling. I left plenty at home. Besides, two of the bags have gifts. Everything else needs to go upstairs.
Rick nods. Kate had called before they left the cabin to broach the idea with his mother about spending some extra time with them at the loft now that her show is done. Martha had agreed, not without some argument over the logistics and fairness of taking the baby's room away from her (and he's thankful to Esposito and Ryan for being around to help them out on short notice), but he still hadn't quite expected to see so much luggage.
"Wait, you didn't bring all this up yourself, did you?"
"My driver helped, Richard. I barely lifted a finger. After all, I have a fresh manicure."
He laughs, shaking his head. He holds onto her for a moment longer before releasing her and taking a step back.
"Get you a drink?" he offers.
She waves him off. "Just sparkling water for now. I," she hesitates, "well I've cut back on the vino; it's good to do a cleanse once in a while, you know."
"Uh huh." He lets the rest of the reasoning go: she can't drink while she's being treated.
"Don't worry, drinks or no drinks, I haven't lost the spark of fun that makes me fabulous."
That makes him laugh. "That is a thought that never crossed my mind, Mother. Never."
His mother ducks into the other room to get Eva, returning with the baby. His daughter is awake again, but content enough to stay snuggled up against her grandmother's shoulder as his mother settles on a stool at the breakfast bar and takes the glass of water he offers.
He pours one for himself as well, leaving an empty glass for Kate if she wants one. She might have some wine before her father arrives, or she might forget it altogether so she can nurse Eva later without worrying. Most of the time she pumps, and when it's necessary they supplement with formula, but he knows she loves the closeness nursing brings and figures it's something she'll want to do on Christmas.
"And how are you?" his mother asks, tilting her head. "I know it's not easy without Alexis here this year. Katherine told me all about Lily's reaction, and I can't imagine yours was much better."
She's not wrong. He'd responded exactly as well as Lily had, though he'd managed not to let it out in the back seat of a car. Since then, he's been trying to forget that his eldest daughter won't be joining them until next week.
"I'm…" he stops to collect his thoughts, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm better now that you're here."
She reaches out to him, offering him her hand. He takes it, squeezing her fingers – maybe a little too tight, but she doesn't seem to mind. If anything, she holds his hand tighter as well.
At least until the boys come crashing down the stairs, Lily hot on their heels. She releases his fingers and beams at the children.
He hears her next words over the excited chatter, though he knows they're meant just for him,
"Me too, kiddo. Me too."
Prompt: Reunions
Thank you for reading. If you celebrate, I hope you are having a happy Christmas Eve in whatever form it may take for you. If you don't celebrate, I hope your Sunday has been easy.