Author's Note: Merry Christmas all! This is the first story I've posted since last Christmas. Life has just been too much. I have stories I've started and little scenes, but things were just too crazy this year. All I can do is give you all a piece of advice that I've learned from it all - do your best to avoid packing up and moving twice in one year. Doing that along with serious work travel is just too much. I will do my best to get back into writing this year as I settle in to my new place. Not sure how long I'll be living at this one, but it will be at least a couple years.
As to this little ficlet - there's not a really a plot. I call it a Christmas piece, but really it's just a scene that happens to take place at Christmas time. I hope you enjoy. And I'll do my best to get more stories posted for you.
The light above the stove cast a warm glow in the kitchen as Clay quietly entered the house. Whenever he spun up Emma left it turned on at night in case he returned home after dark. He closed the door and locked it behind him. Toeing off his boots and freeing his arms from his coat, he dropped both in the mud room and turned as he heard Cerberus' nails clicking on the tile kitchen floor.
"Hey, boy." He leaned down to scratch the dog behind the ears. "Did you take good care of everyone while I was gone?"
Cerb groaned with pleasure as Clay rubbed the exact right spot on the faithful dog's back.
Heading for the stairs, Clay admired the Christmas decorations in the darkened living room. The tree they decorated before he spun up was a shadowy presence in the corner, while garland decorated the mantel above the fireplace.
Cerberus trailed behind Clay as he climbed to the second floor. "Everyone asleep, boy?"
Entering the bedroom, Clay smiled at the peaceful picture Emma made curled up in all the covers on the bed while using his pillow. He glanced at the time on his tactical watch as he removed it from his wrist to place on the bedside table. Lanie would likely wake up within the hour for another feeding.
Quickly and quietly, he pulled a pair of sweatpants and a Henley out of a bureau drawer. Stripping off his jeans and shirt, he put on the more casual attire. He grabbed the baby monitor off the base on Emma's side of the bed. By taking it with him, he hoped his wife's sleep wouldn't be disrupted while he took care of their daughter.
As he entered the nursery, a dim light emanated from the nightlight by the door. Setting the baby monitor aside, Clay approached the crib. His daughter still slept, but her body moved restlessly, which he recognized as a precursor to her waking up hungry.
Cerberus had followed Clay down the hall to Lanie's room. "What do you say, Cerb? You think Emma left some pumped milk in the fridge?" Clay frowned. "If she didn't, this whole let Em sleep op is canked."
Letting out a small woof of agreement, Cerb settled into the dog bed sitting by the nursing chair. A whimper from Lanie in her crib pulled Clay's attention away from the relaxing dog.
"Hey, baby girl, you hungry?"
His little girl's face scrunched up for a moment then she gave him a gummy smile. Lanie's response to his voice squeezed at his heart. She had only begun smiling recently, and knowing his presence could produce one touched him.
Carefully, he lifted her from the crib and rested her against his chest. "Let's check your diaper before we break out the food."
Lanie fussed as he laid her on the changing table. "Shhh, sweetheart, we'll take care of this diaper, and then wrap you up in a blanket and have some milk."
He unsnapped her sleeper and released her legs while she kicked her feet. Unfastening her diaper, he wrinkled his nose at the smell. "What's mommy been feeding you, huh?"
He disposed of the soiled diaper and cleaned her up. Pulling a fresh Pamper from the package, he lifted her bottom and placed it under her. Lanie's whimpering increased as he taped up the sides and redressed her in the sleeper.
His skills at changing his daughter and dressing her had improved dramatically since his first run through with the nurse after Lanie's birth. Getting through sniper training had been easier than Nurse Chandra's baby care lessons.
He lifted Lanie and rested her against his chest. "Shh, it's okay. Daddy's got you."
Her cries intensified, and Clay headed for the stairs, hoping to get past the bedroom before the sound woke Emma. Once in the kitchen he opened the refrigerator, relieved to find multiple bottles of milk Emma had pumped. He set about preparing one for his crying daughter.
"Almost ready, sweetie. Almost." Finally, he had the milk at the correct temperature. He headed for the couch, stopping to turn on the Christmas tree lights before grabbing a pillow to prop up his daughter and sitting down. Settling the pillow under his arm, he rested Lanie in the crook of his elbow.
Cerberus joined them, sitting at Clay's feet. His former teammate showed concern at Lanie's unhappiness. "Don't worry, boy. She just needs to eat."
She continued to fuss as he tickled her lips with the nipple. Opening her mouth, Lanie let him give her the bottle, but then she spit it out. His daughter definitely preferred being breast fed. He made a second attempt at getting her to eat. This time she accepted the bottle but took her time before beginning to feed.
"I know, baby, it's not the same as mommy." He smiled as Lanie relaxed and started to suck. Once his daughter developed a steady rhythm drawing on the nipple, Clay leaned back into the couch pillows.
The lights on the tree gave the room a festive but cozy glow, making Clay glad he and Emma put up the tree before he spun up. Lanie was too young to understand the holiday, but being a father completely changed his perspective on it. This would be their first Christmas as a family, and the real possibility that he wouldn't be here made his heart ache, but this quiet moment with his baby girl helped soothe that pain.
Lanie stopped sucking on the now empty bottle, and he slipped it from her lips, placing it on the end table. He wiped her mouth and placed a burp cloth on his shoulder. An experience with spit up landing on his neck taught him that lesson. He placed her against his cloth covered chest and gently patted her back.
Just as Clay thought he might have to start walking and bouncing Lanie to get the desired result, she let out a loud belch. He chuckled at the noise. "You've been listening to your Uncle Sonny, haven't you?" She grinned back at him as if she understood his every word.
Emma crept down the stairs, doing her best to be silent. She loved watching Clay with Lanie, particularly when he thought no one observed them. His obvious love for their baby girl delighted her. She smiled as she listened to him murmur to their daughter, telling her she needed to go to sleep while Lanie gurgled happily at her father's attention.
"Are you going to come down here with us or just creep on us from the stairs?" Clay's voice cut through Emma's contemplation of him bonding with Lanie. Busted again by his super SEAL hearing.
She descended the stairs and settled next to them on the couch. Clay leaned over and kissed her. "I wanted to let you sleep since you've been on your own with Lanie the last few days."
"That's sweet of you, and I probably could've fallen back asleep when I realized you were feeding her, but I wanted to see you and welcome you home." Emma gave a self-conscious shrug. "I missed you."
"I missed you too."
Smiling, Emma tilted her head up and kissed him again. "Welcome home. Thank you for feeding our girl."
"I love having time with her. I miss too much." Clay gazed down at his little girl and stroked her cheek with his thumb. Her eyelashes fluttered and her eyes closed again as she succumbed to sleep.
"She loves being with you." Emma reached over and tucked Lanie's blanket in closer. "I think she's asleep. We can put her back in her crib and get some sleep ourselves."
"Do you mind if we stay here for a bit and just enjoy this?"
"Not at all. We can stay here as long as you want." Emma grabbed the blanket draped over the back of the couch and spread it over her legs.
Clay lifted his arm and pulled her close to snuggle into his side. "She is the most beautiful baby I've ever seen."
"She really is." Reaching out, Emma smoothed some of the blond fuzz on Lanie's head. "And I'm not just saying that because I'm her mother."
Clay let out a low chuckle. "Okay, maybe we're a little biased, but still…"
Murmuring in agreement, Emma curled further into Clay's side and rested her head against his chest. Clay dropped a kiss on the top of her head and reveled in the feeling of holding his family close in the peaceful light of their Christmas tree.