Liv finished serving the meal, laying it on the table along with a basket of garlic bread, just as the other two got back from the bathroom. Amanda helped Noah into his chair then took a seat next to him, opposite Olivia.
They spent most of the time talking to Noah about the earlier visit to the park, how Frannie had chased her ball, then they had fed the ducks by the lake. Amanda was highly entertained by the little boy's determination to feed himself, which resulted in most of his face being stained orange from the sauce, and several bits of spaghetti in his hair.
When they had finished, Amanda volunteered to clean Noah up, not wanting Liv to ruin her pristine white t-shirt. Olivia removed the dishes to the kitchen and tossed a wet cloth across the counter to the blonde, where she stood picking pasta from Noah's hair. The little boy squirmed, eager to get back to his toys, but Amanda managed to turn the clean up into a game, and by the time they were finished, they were both giggling. Liv watched from the kitchen, enjoying the show as she set the dirty dishes in the dishwasher.
When he was finally clean, Amanda set Noah down on the floor and he ran off to the living room, she followed, sitting on the sofa where Frannie laid her head in her owner's lap. Amanda absentmindedly stroked her dog's ears while she watched Noah stacking building blocks higher and higher in a precarious tower, babbling away to himself happily.
She found her mind wandering to thoughts of a small blonde child doing the same thing. Amanda had spent many hours agonising over what to do about her pregnancy, she was hardly in the best position, at least financially, to have a baby, and her mother would no doubt disown her, but having spent so much time with Noah recently, she couldn't help but feel drawn to the idea.
A loud crash jolted her from her thoughts as Noah knocked over his tower. There was a brief pause, then a miserable wail from the small boy as he began to cry. Amanda jumped up and rushed over to where Noah sat, tears streaming down his face as he looked at the pile of blocks in front of him. As she laid her hand on his back, Liv came up behind her.
"Sounds like somebody is ready for a nap," the brunette smiled over Amanda's shoulder at her son as Noah raised his arms to his mommy, wanting to be picked up. "Come on, sweet boy, let's get you to bed." Liv said as she lifted Noah into her arms, cradling him to her chest.
Amanda's heart tugged when she heard the misery in Noah's cry. Her concern must have shown on her face because her lieutenant gave her arm a reassuring squeeze. "Don't worry Manda, he's just tired." Liv smiled, "he gets grouchy when he needs a nap."
Sure enough, once he was in his mother's arms the wailing had stopped. He burrowed further into the warmth and comfort of Olivia's chest, one of his small hands twisting a lock of his own curly hair as he blinked slowly at the blonde. Amanda reached out and gently stroked the back of her finger down his flushed cheek, a soft smile on her face.
Liv swayed slightly from side to side, shifting her weight from one foot to the other, and the toddler's eyes closed for longer and longer periods between blinks. After a couple of minutes, they no longer opened and she heard his breathing even out as his arm dropped to Olivia's breast.
Olivia took his small fist and kissed it. "He plays with his hair like that when he's tired," she said in a low voice. "I'm gonna go put him in his bed," she added as she wandered slowly towards the back of the apartment, Frannie close on her heels.
Rooted to the spot as she watched Olivia's curvy figure walking away, Amanda stayed where she was. Only when Liv was out of her line of sight did she realise she was staring, she had to shake her head to clear it. Wanting to make herself useful, she began picking up Noah's blocks and throwing them back into the toy box.
Liv came back after a minute, carrying the baby monitor with her, which she placed on the end table next to the sofa. "Manda, you didn't have to do that," she said as she saw Amanda toss the last couple of blocks into the full toy box. "But thank you," she added gratefully, as she sat down on the sofa.
Amanda offered a shy smile to her boss, "no problem," she said, moving to the opposite end of the sofa from the brunette. "Frannie stayed to babysit?" She asked, noting her pit bull was nowhere to be seen.
"I hate to break it to you, Rollins," Liv chuckled, "but I think Frannie is Noah's dog now. She hasn't been more than a few feet from him all day."
Amanda shrugged, "she's just real protective," she said, a note of pride in her voice. "She sees him as the most vulnerable member of the pack, so she has to guard him."
"Wow, you got a degree in animal psychology I don't know about?" Olivia quipped, and they both chuckled. "Speaking of psychology," the brunette added, "are you gonna fill me in on the case?"
Amanda spent the next half hour going over the details of the case they had picked up. When she described Phoebe's injuries, she once again got a sick feeling in her stomach. Liv detected a slight tremor in the younger woman's voice, but didn't call her on it.
"…so now we just need to wait on the psych eval before Barba can decide how to proceed." She concluded. "Hey, do you think you can get your guy Huang in to take a look at him?"
Liv shrugged, "last I heard, George was in Oklahoma, but I've got a few other shrinks in my phone book. I'll try Rebecca Hendrix in the morning."
"Well that's everythin'," Amanda said as she clapped her palms down on her knees, and made to stand up. "I s'pose I oughta get my stuff together and get out of your hair." She turned, heading to the bedroom she had been sleeping in for the last couple of nights.
Taken aback by the younger woman's sudden departure from the room, Olivia just sat there, momentarily frozen. After a few seconds she followed, watching from the doorway as Amanda threw her few belongings into her duffle bag. "Manda, where are you going to go?"
Amanda shrugged her shoulders, "Back to the precinct, I guess. Look Liv, I appreciate you puttin' me up and everything, but you don't want me and Frannie here gettin' underfoot. I'll find myself a new place in no time, don't worry about me."
Olivia raised her eyebrows at her detective. "First of all," she said folding her arms and leaning against the door frame, "it's literally part of my job to worry about you." She said, trying not to laugh. "Second of all, when have you ever known me to put up with something that I'm not happy with?"
Amanda stopped what she was doing, putting her hands on her hips and rolling her eyes at her lieutenant. "Liv, come on, aren't you sick of me by now? I know I'm a pain in the ass to work with, and, given I'm 36 and single, I'm guessing I'm not much easier to live with."
Olivia lifted one finger, ready to answer back, when she heard the tell-tale sounds of Noah waking up from his nap over the baby monitor on the table behind her. "Hold that thought," she said as she turned and left the room.
Amanda sighed and shook her head as she resumed her packing. She could hear the indistinct sound of the brunette's voice over the baby monitor, followed by a miserable wail from Noah. Seconds later, Olivia reappeared in the doorway carrying her squirming son, closely followed by a concerned Frannie. Olivia called out to the blonde, "he wants you."
The corners of Noah's mouth were turned down, and there was a sheen of tears in his crystal blue eyes. He twisted this way and that, apparently looking for something. When he spotted Amanda across the room, he leaned away from his mother, holding both arms out to the blonde with grasping fingers, and a piteous cry of "Manna!"
As if on autopilot, Amanda strode across the room, lifted him from Liv's arms and cradled him to her chest, where he tucked his head under her chin and took hold of the collar of her shirt in his chubby fists. The tightness in her chest, that had begun when she had first heard him wail, loosened and contentment flooded her system. His warm weight was reassuring and a small smile played around her mouth, knowing the little boy had truly missed her. She buried her nose in his hair and snuggled him tighter to her body.
Olivia placed a warm hand over Amanda's on the toddler's back, "I think he was worried you would be gone again when he woke up, like this morning." She smiled as Amanda's eyes narrowed in mock suspicion at her over Noah's curls. "Hey, I can't help it if my son has a thing for pretty blondes." Liv laughed in a defensive tone. "Anyway, back to your earlier point, you are not a pain in the…" she mouthed the word 'ass', "…to work with, or live with. Honestly, it's been nice to have a little adult conversation around here these last couple of days. He," she indicated her son, who appeared to have fallen back to sleep in the younger woman's embrace, "loves having you here too."
Rolling her eyes once more, Amanda knew she wasn't going to win the argument. She caught sight of the sparkle in Olivia's eyes as the brunette pressed her lips together, trying not to laugh. "Using your son for emotional blackmail is not cool, Liv," Amanda grumbled, trying hard to keep the smile from her own face. "Fine then, what's for dinner, roomie?"
Olivia couldn't help it, she burst out laughing.