FIC: Celebrating with Three
TITLE: Celebrating with Three
AUTHOR: ic789
PAIRING: Nick Stokes/Gil Grissom
RATING: G
WARNING: Occurs midway through season 7
DISCLAIMER: In the land where men can have babies, and centaurs run free
SUMMARY: The family rings in the New Year together
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Please comment and have a wonderful New Year. :)
It was going to be a new year in three days. He was folding Jami’s Christmas clothes on her changing table before his ultrasound appointment. She had gotten so many outfits as gifts; he knew that they’d have to get rid of her smaller clothes. But the thought of giving away the outfit she came home from the hospital in was too much, and his hormones caused him to wipe a teardrop away.
Nick had taken Jami to the park to give Gil time to nap. However, when he lay down, he couldn’t fall asleep; he was anxious about the appointment, as this one would establish how healthy the baby was. So he put away everyone’s Christmas gift clothes; loving the domestic feeling of “home” it gave him.
“Hey Peanut, we’re back,” Nick called up the stairs. Gil heard Jami talking to her Dad about the trees. She just recently began constructing complete sentences to the delight of her fathers.
“Daddy-o, where ya’?” Jami asked as she peered into her room. She ran to Gil and he slowly picked her up and kissed her. “Hey Little Peanut! How’s my favorite girl?”
“I bwing yeaves,” she smiled and held out her hands full of various plant and tree leaves to him. Nick entered with her bag of stuff. “Man, we have a tiny botanist on our hands,” he remarked kissing Gil’s lips tenderly. “How ya’ feelin’?”
“Is she getting heavier by the hour? I don’t know how much longer I can hold her,” Gil kissed him back. “I couldn’t sleep, so I put away everyone’s gifts.”
“Here Hon, let’s put your leaves away,” Nick took Jami from his husband’s arms and over to her collection boxes. Santa Claus built her a tree with small Plexiglas bins on the branches for her leaves. They separated the leaves by size and color, which fascinated her. “What time are we takin’ her over to Catherine’s?”
“Three thirty. It’ll give us enough time to get to the hospital early, ” Gil finished hanging up the last little dress. “Catherine invited her to spend the night, so pick out some pajamas for her, okay? I’ve gotta put my feet up for a bit.”
“Jami, you’re goin’ to a pre-New Year’s pajama party!” Nick said to his daughter. She was more interested in the leaves and didn’t reply, so Nick began re-packing her little bag.
“Alright Gil, let’s get started, shall we?” Dr. Rotsac said as Gil lay back on the hospital bed. Nick held his hand while the nurse applied the cool gel to Gil’s abdomen. The doctor pressed the ultrasound wand to Gil’s belly, focused the videotape camera, and showed the men what he was looking for. “First, let’s measure your baby’s size. See, these numbers indicate the various lengths when I point the blue dots over a specific area.” Gil and Nick looked at the screen mesmerized; Gil was about twenty weeks along. “Here we’re measuring the size of the skull. It looks good, and here are the sides of the brain,” the doctor pointed out patiently. Gil was soaking up everything the doctor said because he knew Nick was astounded by the detail they could see, and wouldn’t remember anything except that their baby was alive and moved a lot.
“Look Peanut, he’s sucking his thumb! He’s sucking his thumb!” Nick practically squealed as the doctor explained how he was looking for abnormalities. Gil sighed in relief when Dr. Rotsac told them that there was no risk for Down’s syndrome.
When the time came to discern the baby’s sex, Nick stepped out of the room. He loved being surprised by Mother Nature, although he secretly hoped for a boy. On the other hand, Gil wanted to know because it made an impossible situation seem more real to him. “Happy New Year, Gil! It looks like you’re going to have a son to match that beautiful little girl,” Dr. Rotsac exclaimed as he showed Gil the beginnings of a tiny penis. The tears came suddenly, and Gil wished that Nick had stayed in the room. “Here’s a tissue, I’ll give you a moment,” the doctor said, and left the room.
“How’s he doin’ Doc?” Nick was concerned when the doctor emerged. “He’s great, I’m just giving him a moment to digest what I’ve told him. Don’t worry,” came the reply.
“Are we…?…Is everything…?…What…?…” Nick held his breath in anticipation.
“He’s fine. I think he’s just relieved that everything is going so well. Tell me, how has he been feeling?”
“He tires very quickly and his back hurts so much he’s havin’ more trouble liftin’ Jami. I’ve noticed that he isn’t sleepin’ as much either.”
“The second one can be more difficult during the actual pregnancy and much easier during delivery. Have you decided when to schedule the C-section?” Dr. Rotsac asked as his hand turned the door handle. Nick shrugged his shoulders, “Come on in, and let’s discuss it.”
“Are you feeling better, Gil?” Dr. Rotsac asked kindly. Nick could tell that something upset Gil and went over to his side. “Hey, are ya’ okay?” he rubbed his back. Gil pulled him into a tight hug and kissed his neck. “Yeah, I’m just so relieved that everything looks good and that we’re going to have a healthy baby,” Gil said haltingly.
“Yes, everything looks very good. You guys have some decisions to make and I’d like you to start discussing them now, okay?” Nick sat on the bed and held Gil’s hand. The doctor continued “You’re at the halfway point now. The baby’s size and growth is normal, if you were a female, I’d say your due date is in four and a half months exactly. First, please consider picking out your baby’s birthday around that time frame. The second thing I really want you to think about is whether you want another one.”
“What do you mean ‘another one’?” Gil said alarmed.
“Because of your rare condition, after the second live birth, our research shows that you could potentially procreate every chance possible. Usually, the men give birth once for the experience and then have their female part neutered, for lack of a better word.”
“Ya’ mean I could have him barefoot and pregnant for the next ten years or so?” Nick asked as seriously as he dared, then started giggling. “Please excuse my large child here, what do you mean?” Gil glared at Nick.
“Well, your body has become a baby garden. One man had six live births, within eight years. Unlike a woman, you can become pregnant again within weeks of giving birth. The estrogen stimulates more estrogen and it escalates within a short amount of time causing frequent pregnancies. If you didn’t have surgery, you would have to take an oral contraceptive and use condoms for at least the next twenty years, or until more research is done. However, once it’s done, it can’t be reversed.”
“What if he got a vasectomy?” Gil pointed in Nick’s direction. Nick turned to them with a frown, “I don’t think that’s necessary.”
“Even if he got a vasectomy, there is still a chance as you will be extraordinarily fertile; regardless of a regular menstrual cycle. I can give you some literature with statistics. Again, you should start considering it now.” Dr. Rotsac gave Gil some wipes to clean up with. “You could also harvest some of your eggs and have them frozen to be carried by a surrogate if you can’t decide whether you want a larger family.”
“How long is the recovery time if I had the surgery after giving birth?” Gil asked.
“With no complication, it’s an additional ten days or so. You’d have to spend more time in the hospital because of potential bleeding, but it’s an easy procedure once you’re already open.” The doctor handed Gil a few thick reports, knowing that it was easier for him to read it for himself. “Here’s the videotape of the ultrasound, and if there are no more questions, I’ll see you in two weeks.”
“Should I go get the blood work done now?” Gil asked getting up from bed. “Sure, I’ll inform the nurse. Any other questions?” Dr. Rotsac handed Nick an envelope with the ultrasound pictures. “Can he take anything to sleep?” Nick inquired. “I don’t want to prescribe anything right now, try light exercise and a ‘bedtime’ routine, if that doesn’t work in a week, call me. “
“Thanks, Doc. I’ll see you in two weeks.” Gil shook his hand and began getting dressed as the doctor left. Nick quietly handed him his various articles of clothing.
“A quiet table near the back will be fine,” Gil told the Italian restaurant hostess. They’d decided to take advantage of a pre-New Year’s ‘date’ since Jami was in good hands. Catherine was always enthusiastic about watching her whenever she could. Lindsey wanted to baby-sit to earn her own money, and Catherine was a great teacher. Since they didn’t trust many people to be alone with Jami, they both felt that they would groom a great baby-sitter in Lindsey, especially now with the second one coming around the corner.
After the waiter brought their appetizers, Nick asked “What upset ya’ at the doctor’s office?”
“I wasn’t upset. I was just really glad that nothing is wrong with the baby. Remember when he said that we could still abort if there was a problem?”
“Yeah. It’s amazin’ how callous doctors can be, huh?” Nick stabbed at the insalata caprese. “He oughta realize that we want this baby, whether it has two heads or not.”
“Nicky, why do you say things like that? It will never happen and just gives you nightmares. Remember when Dr. Rotsac said Jami was small at three months in vitro, and you dreamed she would come out like ‘Stuart Little’?”
“That was one time, and I’d worked for thirty hours straight.” Nick waved his fork around. “Now tell me, what got ya’ upset?”
“I’m just really happy that our baby is healthy, with no problems. Unless you count thumb sucking. Besides, we have more important things to think about. Do you want more children?”
“Do you?”
“I asked you first. Can you try to be serious?”
“I am serious, and seriously answering you.”
“Why is this always such a sore spot with us?” Gil was annoyed.
“Because it’s a sore spot for you. I can’t physically have a child, if I could, I would have ‘em in a heartbeat,” Nick was offended.
“Let’s continue this conversation next year, okay?” Gil sighed with disgust.
Their dinners arrived; and they ate savoring the chance to eat a meal slowly together. The subject of another child didn’t come up again; they conversed about the New Year and how they were going to celebrate it instead.
“Warrick is goin’ to a party in his old neighborhood and asked us to go,” Nick said cautiously. “He said we could bring the baby.”
‘Why don’t we stay home as a family?” Gil asked matter-of-factly.
“C’mon, we’ll be home next year with the new baby and Jami, don’t you wanna go out for a change?”
“We’re out now. Besides, Brass invited me to a police party, and I said ‘no’.”
“Ya’ didn’t even ask me?” Nick faked offense.
“Well, since it was the first invitation we got, I could tell him we’ll see him there…” Gil smirked.
“Well, I’d like to stop in at Warrick and Tina’s party, maybe before Jami’s bedtime. They’d love to see her.” Nick broke off some bread.
“Let’s go get Jami tonight, since we’re celebrating, okay?”
“Right on.” They finished their meal, truly enjoying the other’s company and got their daughter.
It was New Year’s Eve 2006. Gil was exhausted at seven o’clock, and since he’d been sleeping soundly through the last few nights, Nick decided not to badger him about going out. Gil dressed Jami in her cute pink sleeper with the birds on it and put his Christmas nightdress on. It was a gift from Dr. Al, and it fit him perfectly. While Nick put on his reindeer pajama bottoms, Gil and Jami interrupted him.
“What are you doing?” Gil asked while Jami hugged his legs with her ladybug.
“Well, since we’re stayin’ in, I thought I’d get comfy like ya’ll.”
“Hey, I know you want to go to Warrick’s, go,” Gil rubbed his belly.
“Dad go,” Jami said bouncing up and down with her ‘baby’.
“No, it’s okay, I’ll stay here,” Nick replied, pulling out a t-shirt from his dresser.
“Nick Stokes, please don’t try my patience. I’m too tired to go out. Jami and I are going to try and watch ‘Animal Planet,’ and then we’re going to bed. Wake me up next year,” Gil yawned and rubbed his daughter’s dark hair.
“Are ya’ sure?” he asked incredulously.
“Here’s the situation, if you stay here, you’re going to annoy us both so much with all of your energy that we’re going to melt down, get it?”
“I’ll be home by midnight to ring the New Year in with ya’ll, okay?” Nick smiled happily, and went to pick out an outfit.
Gil and Jami waved at “Dad” as he left with Uncle Greg. He cradled her and took her up to the master bedroom; they were tired and fell into a comfortable sleep cuddled together in the big bed around nine o’clock.
Nick wobbled up the walk to his home at approximately eleven thirty. He stabbed the door a few times to get the key in, and was very thankful that Gil hadn’t set the home alarm on. Greg and he had stopped at a party that Jacqui’s friends were having at New York, New York; where tequila shots were being given away at an alarming rate. They made it to Warrick’s party in time to eat, and continue the party. Everyone wanted to buy Nick a drink as he was going to be a “new” father in the “new” year. But he was determined to share the big moment with his family, and got into the cab feeling no pain with enough time to get home.
“Hey ev’rybody, it’s gonna be a New Year! Where are ya’ll?” he announced as he turned the light on in the living room. He let his jacket fall to the floor and kicked his shoes off quickly in his excitement to see Gil and Jami. “Hello….is anyone celebratin’?” he called out as loudly as he could until he realized they were both in the master bedroom.
“Hey ya’ll, get up, it’s time for the New Year!” he said as he pushed the remote control’s “on” button and found the local coverage of Las Vegas. He’d brought hats and noisemakers for all of them from Warrick’s party, and proceeded to blow his horn. Gil and Jami awoke simultaneously with the same attitude towards their sleep being disturbed, “What the fuck are you doing?” Gil barked as Jami shrieked in fright and began to cry hard. They were both disoriented and Nick couldn’t help laughing at their outburst. He picked up his still shrieking daughter kissing and hugging her tightly. She wanted none of it, and writhed to get out of his arms, tears streaming down her little face.
“Nick, what the hell is going on?” Gil demanded as he took their now upset daughter back in bed. “I told ‘ya I’d be back to celebrate. In ten minutes, it’s gonna be a New Year!” he said trying to put a hat on Jami. “Geez, we were both soundly asleep! What were you thinking?” Gil’s face was becoming a red color that Nick had only seen a few times. “Whoa, I wanted to ring in the New Year with ya’ll, I told ya’ that when I left.” He sat on the bed with hurt feelings, and rubbed Gil’s back while looking sadly into Jami’s leaking eyes. She turned her face away from him as she put her thumb in her mouth, and buried her head into Gil’s shoulder still sobbing.
That small action was too much for Nick and he began to softly cry. “I’m so sorry, I just wanted to see y’all, and tell you how much I love ya’.”
“Alright, alright, Nick you know I hate it when you cry. I’m sorry we aren’t more awake.” Gil kissed the side of Nick’s head and pulled him in for a hug. “We fell asleep around nine. I’m sorry I yelled at you. C’mon, hon. Look, now it’s five minutes till the New Year, you don’t want to usher it in like this.” Gil wiped Nick’s tears lovingly, and kissed him deeply, tasting the alcohol. “C’mon, get into bed with us.”
Nick took off his pants, clumsily got the party hats and noisemakers, and got into the big bed. Jami was still upset, but had stopped crying and was inspecting the hats. She finally held out her arms to Nick, and he put a hat on her as she wiped at her own tears. “Hey Little Peanut, I’m so sorry I upset ya’ Look at the TV, it’s the New Year, Baby!” Nick nestled her onto his lap while cuddling into Gil.
“5…..4…..3…..2…..1…..Happy New Year!” both men semi-shouted along with the TV reporter, Jami caught onto the excitement and squealed loudly with them. Nick and Gil kissed as all three of them held hands on Gil’s belly. It was a kiss full of love, knowing that next year there would be four of them. They each gave their daughter a kiss and proceeded to make noise with the toys for her. She giggled, clapping her hands in baby pleasure.
“Well, since we’re up, I’m gonna change her, and see if she’ll settle back down,” Gil announced. “I’m gonna get a shower, Peanut,” Nick answered back. They kissed and got up.
About a half an hour later, Gil and Nick slipped back in bed together. Jami had calmed down and was fast asleep in her crib with her ladybug. As they got comfortable, Nick whispered “Hey Peanut, Happy New Year, I love you!” while nibbling Gil’s ear. “I love you too Babe. This actually turned out perfectly! Please, no repeats at the end of this year, okay Hon?” Gil said teasingly as he kissed Nick’s neck. “Well I might have too if the results are the same,” Nick answered when Gil’s hand rubbed his bare bottom suggestively. It was clear they were going to spend the first hour of the New Year practicing the art of baby making.
AUTHOR: ic789
PAIRING: Nick Stokes/Gil Grissom
RATING: G
WARNING: Occurs midway through season 7
DISCLAIMER: In the land where men can have babies, and centaurs run free
SUMMARY: The family rings in the New Year together
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Please comment and have a wonderful New Year. :)
It was going to be a new year in three days. He was folding Jami’s Christmas clothes on her changing table before his ultrasound appointment. She had gotten so many outfits as gifts; he knew that they’d have to get rid of her smaller clothes. But the thought of giving away the outfit she came home from the hospital in was too much, and his hormones caused him to wipe a teardrop away.
Nick had taken Jami to the park to give Gil time to nap. However, when he lay down, he couldn’t fall asleep; he was anxious about the appointment, as this one would establish how healthy the baby was. So he put away everyone’s Christmas gift clothes; loving the domestic feeling of “home” it gave him.
“Hey Peanut, we’re back,” Nick called up the stairs. Gil heard Jami talking to her Dad about the trees. She just recently began constructing complete sentences to the delight of her fathers.
“Daddy-o, where ya’?” Jami asked as she peered into her room. She ran to Gil and he slowly picked her up and kissed her. “Hey Little Peanut! How’s my favorite girl?”
“I bwing yeaves,” she smiled and held out her hands full of various plant and tree leaves to him. Nick entered with her bag of stuff. “Man, we have a tiny botanist on our hands,” he remarked kissing Gil’s lips tenderly. “How ya’ feelin’?”
“Is she getting heavier by the hour? I don’t know how much longer I can hold her,” Gil kissed him back. “I couldn’t sleep, so I put away everyone’s gifts.”
“Here Hon, let’s put your leaves away,” Nick took Jami from his husband’s arms and over to her collection boxes. Santa Claus built her a tree with small Plexiglas bins on the branches for her leaves. They separated the leaves by size and color, which fascinated her. “What time are we takin’ her over to Catherine’s?”
“Three thirty. It’ll give us enough time to get to the hospital early, ” Gil finished hanging up the last little dress. “Catherine invited her to spend the night, so pick out some pajamas for her, okay? I’ve gotta put my feet up for a bit.”
“Jami, you’re goin’ to a pre-New Year’s pajama party!” Nick said to his daughter. She was more interested in the leaves and didn’t reply, so Nick began re-packing her little bag.
“Alright Gil, let’s get started, shall we?” Dr. Rotsac said as Gil lay back on the hospital bed. Nick held his hand while the nurse applied the cool gel to Gil’s abdomen. The doctor pressed the ultrasound wand to Gil’s belly, focused the videotape camera, and showed the men what he was looking for. “First, let’s measure your baby’s size. See, these numbers indicate the various lengths when I point the blue dots over a specific area.” Gil and Nick looked at the screen mesmerized; Gil was about twenty weeks along. “Here we’re measuring the size of the skull. It looks good, and here are the sides of the brain,” the doctor pointed out patiently. Gil was soaking up everything the doctor said because he knew Nick was astounded by the detail they could see, and wouldn’t remember anything except that their baby was alive and moved a lot.
“Look Peanut, he’s sucking his thumb! He’s sucking his thumb!” Nick practically squealed as the doctor explained how he was looking for abnormalities. Gil sighed in relief when Dr. Rotsac told them that there was no risk for Down’s syndrome.
When the time came to discern the baby’s sex, Nick stepped out of the room. He loved being surprised by Mother Nature, although he secretly hoped for a boy. On the other hand, Gil wanted to know because it made an impossible situation seem more real to him. “Happy New Year, Gil! It looks like you’re going to have a son to match that beautiful little girl,” Dr. Rotsac exclaimed as he showed Gil the beginnings of a tiny penis. The tears came suddenly, and Gil wished that Nick had stayed in the room. “Here’s a tissue, I’ll give you a moment,” the doctor said, and left the room.
“How’s he doin’ Doc?” Nick was concerned when the doctor emerged. “He’s great, I’m just giving him a moment to digest what I’ve told him. Don’t worry,” came the reply.
“Are we…?…Is everything…?…What…?…” Nick held his breath in anticipation.
“He’s fine. I think he’s just relieved that everything is going so well. Tell me, how has he been feeling?”
“He tires very quickly and his back hurts so much he’s havin’ more trouble liftin’ Jami. I’ve noticed that he isn’t sleepin’ as much either.”
“The second one can be more difficult during the actual pregnancy and much easier during delivery. Have you decided when to schedule the C-section?” Dr. Rotsac asked as his hand turned the door handle. Nick shrugged his shoulders, “Come on in, and let’s discuss it.”
“Are you feeling better, Gil?” Dr. Rotsac asked kindly. Nick could tell that something upset Gil and went over to his side. “Hey, are ya’ okay?” he rubbed his back. Gil pulled him into a tight hug and kissed his neck. “Yeah, I’m just so relieved that everything looks good and that we’re going to have a healthy baby,” Gil said haltingly.
“Yes, everything looks very good. You guys have some decisions to make and I’d like you to start discussing them now, okay?” Nick sat on the bed and held Gil’s hand. The doctor continued “You’re at the halfway point now. The baby’s size and growth is normal, if you were a female, I’d say your due date is in four and a half months exactly. First, please consider picking out your baby’s birthday around that time frame. The second thing I really want you to think about is whether you want another one.”
“What do you mean ‘another one’?” Gil said alarmed.
“Because of your rare condition, after the second live birth, our research shows that you could potentially procreate every chance possible. Usually, the men give birth once for the experience and then have their female part neutered, for lack of a better word.”
“Ya’ mean I could have him barefoot and pregnant for the next ten years or so?” Nick asked as seriously as he dared, then started giggling. “Please excuse my large child here, what do you mean?” Gil glared at Nick.
“Well, your body has become a baby garden. One man had six live births, within eight years. Unlike a woman, you can become pregnant again within weeks of giving birth. The estrogen stimulates more estrogen and it escalates within a short amount of time causing frequent pregnancies. If you didn’t have surgery, you would have to take an oral contraceptive and use condoms for at least the next twenty years, or until more research is done. However, once it’s done, it can’t be reversed.”
“What if he got a vasectomy?” Gil pointed in Nick’s direction. Nick turned to them with a frown, “I don’t think that’s necessary.”
“Even if he got a vasectomy, there is still a chance as you will be extraordinarily fertile; regardless of a regular menstrual cycle. I can give you some literature with statistics. Again, you should start considering it now.” Dr. Rotsac gave Gil some wipes to clean up with. “You could also harvest some of your eggs and have them frozen to be carried by a surrogate if you can’t decide whether you want a larger family.”
“How long is the recovery time if I had the surgery after giving birth?” Gil asked.
“With no complication, it’s an additional ten days or so. You’d have to spend more time in the hospital because of potential bleeding, but it’s an easy procedure once you’re already open.” The doctor handed Gil a few thick reports, knowing that it was easier for him to read it for himself. “Here’s the videotape of the ultrasound, and if there are no more questions, I’ll see you in two weeks.”
“Should I go get the blood work done now?” Gil asked getting up from bed. “Sure, I’ll inform the nurse. Any other questions?” Dr. Rotsac handed Nick an envelope with the ultrasound pictures. “Can he take anything to sleep?” Nick inquired. “I don’t want to prescribe anything right now, try light exercise and a ‘bedtime’ routine, if that doesn’t work in a week, call me. “
“Thanks, Doc. I’ll see you in two weeks.” Gil shook his hand and began getting dressed as the doctor left. Nick quietly handed him his various articles of clothing.
“A quiet table near the back will be fine,” Gil told the Italian restaurant hostess. They’d decided to take advantage of a pre-New Year’s ‘date’ since Jami was in good hands. Catherine was always enthusiastic about watching her whenever she could. Lindsey wanted to baby-sit to earn her own money, and Catherine was a great teacher. Since they didn’t trust many people to be alone with Jami, they both felt that they would groom a great baby-sitter in Lindsey, especially now with the second one coming around the corner.
After the waiter brought their appetizers, Nick asked “What upset ya’ at the doctor’s office?”
“I wasn’t upset. I was just really glad that nothing is wrong with the baby. Remember when he said that we could still abort if there was a problem?”
“Yeah. It’s amazin’ how callous doctors can be, huh?” Nick stabbed at the insalata caprese. “He oughta realize that we want this baby, whether it has two heads or not.”
“Nicky, why do you say things like that? It will never happen and just gives you nightmares. Remember when Dr. Rotsac said Jami was small at three months in vitro, and you dreamed she would come out like ‘Stuart Little’?”
“That was one time, and I’d worked for thirty hours straight.” Nick waved his fork around. “Now tell me, what got ya’ upset?”
“I’m just really happy that our baby is healthy, with no problems. Unless you count thumb sucking. Besides, we have more important things to think about. Do you want more children?”
“Do you?”
“I asked you first. Can you try to be serious?”
“I am serious, and seriously answering you.”
“Why is this always such a sore spot with us?” Gil was annoyed.
“Because it’s a sore spot for you. I can’t physically have a child, if I could, I would have ‘em in a heartbeat,” Nick was offended.
“Let’s continue this conversation next year, okay?” Gil sighed with disgust.
Their dinners arrived; and they ate savoring the chance to eat a meal slowly together. The subject of another child didn’t come up again; they conversed about the New Year and how they were going to celebrate it instead.
“Warrick is goin’ to a party in his old neighborhood and asked us to go,” Nick said cautiously. “He said we could bring the baby.”
‘Why don’t we stay home as a family?” Gil asked matter-of-factly.
“C’mon, we’ll be home next year with the new baby and Jami, don’t you wanna go out for a change?”
“We’re out now. Besides, Brass invited me to a police party, and I said ‘no’.”
“Ya’ didn’t even ask me?” Nick faked offense.
“Well, since it was the first invitation we got, I could tell him we’ll see him there…” Gil smirked.
“Well, I’d like to stop in at Warrick and Tina’s party, maybe before Jami’s bedtime. They’d love to see her.” Nick broke off some bread.
“Let’s go get Jami tonight, since we’re celebrating, okay?”
“Right on.” They finished their meal, truly enjoying the other’s company and got their daughter.
It was New Year’s Eve 2006. Gil was exhausted at seven o’clock, and since he’d been sleeping soundly through the last few nights, Nick decided not to badger him about going out. Gil dressed Jami in her cute pink sleeper with the birds on it and put his Christmas nightdress on. It was a gift from Dr. Al, and it fit him perfectly. While Nick put on his reindeer pajama bottoms, Gil and Jami interrupted him.
“What are you doing?” Gil asked while Jami hugged his legs with her ladybug.
“Well, since we’re stayin’ in, I thought I’d get comfy like ya’ll.”
“Hey, I know you want to go to Warrick’s, go,” Gil rubbed his belly.
“Dad go,” Jami said bouncing up and down with her ‘baby’.
“No, it’s okay, I’ll stay here,” Nick replied, pulling out a t-shirt from his dresser.
“Nick Stokes, please don’t try my patience. I’m too tired to go out. Jami and I are going to try and watch ‘Animal Planet,’ and then we’re going to bed. Wake me up next year,” Gil yawned and rubbed his daughter’s dark hair.
“Are ya’ sure?” he asked incredulously.
“Here’s the situation, if you stay here, you’re going to annoy us both so much with all of your energy that we’re going to melt down, get it?”
“I’ll be home by midnight to ring the New Year in with ya’ll, okay?” Nick smiled happily, and went to pick out an outfit.
Gil and Jami waved at “Dad” as he left with Uncle Greg. He cradled her and took her up to the master bedroom; they were tired and fell into a comfortable sleep cuddled together in the big bed around nine o’clock.
Nick wobbled up the walk to his home at approximately eleven thirty. He stabbed the door a few times to get the key in, and was very thankful that Gil hadn’t set the home alarm on. Greg and he had stopped at a party that Jacqui’s friends were having at New York, New York; where tequila shots were being given away at an alarming rate. They made it to Warrick’s party in time to eat, and continue the party. Everyone wanted to buy Nick a drink as he was going to be a “new” father in the “new” year. But he was determined to share the big moment with his family, and got into the cab feeling no pain with enough time to get home.
“Hey ev’rybody, it’s gonna be a New Year! Where are ya’ll?” he announced as he turned the light on in the living room. He let his jacket fall to the floor and kicked his shoes off quickly in his excitement to see Gil and Jami. “Hello….is anyone celebratin’?” he called out as loudly as he could until he realized they were both in the master bedroom.
“Hey ya’ll, get up, it’s time for the New Year!” he said as he pushed the remote control’s “on” button and found the local coverage of Las Vegas. He’d brought hats and noisemakers for all of them from Warrick’s party, and proceeded to blow his horn. Gil and Jami awoke simultaneously with the same attitude towards their sleep being disturbed, “What the fuck are you doing?” Gil barked as Jami shrieked in fright and began to cry hard. They were both disoriented and Nick couldn’t help laughing at their outburst. He picked up his still shrieking daughter kissing and hugging her tightly. She wanted none of it, and writhed to get out of his arms, tears streaming down her little face.
“Nick, what the hell is going on?” Gil demanded as he took their now upset daughter back in bed. “I told ‘ya I’d be back to celebrate. In ten minutes, it’s gonna be a New Year!” he said trying to put a hat on Jami. “Geez, we were both soundly asleep! What were you thinking?” Gil’s face was becoming a red color that Nick had only seen a few times. “Whoa, I wanted to ring in the New Year with ya’ll, I told ya’ that when I left.” He sat on the bed with hurt feelings, and rubbed Gil’s back while looking sadly into Jami’s leaking eyes. She turned her face away from him as she put her thumb in her mouth, and buried her head into Gil’s shoulder still sobbing.
That small action was too much for Nick and he began to softly cry. “I’m so sorry, I just wanted to see y’all, and tell you how much I love ya’.”
“Alright, alright, Nick you know I hate it when you cry. I’m sorry we aren’t more awake.” Gil kissed the side of Nick’s head and pulled him in for a hug. “We fell asleep around nine. I’m sorry I yelled at you. C’mon, hon. Look, now it’s five minutes till the New Year, you don’t want to usher it in like this.” Gil wiped Nick’s tears lovingly, and kissed him deeply, tasting the alcohol. “C’mon, get into bed with us.”
Nick took off his pants, clumsily got the party hats and noisemakers, and got into the big bed. Jami was still upset, but had stopped crying and was inspecting the hats. She finally held out her arms to Nick, and he put a hat on her as she wiped at her own tears. “Hey Little Peanut, I’m so sorry I upset ya’ Look at the TV, it’s the New Year, Baby!” Nick nestled her onto his lap while cuddling into Gil.
“5…..4…..3…..2…..1…..Happy New Year!” both men semi-shouted along with the TV reporter, Jami caught onto the excitement and squealed loudly with them. Nick and Gil kissed as all three of them held hands on Gil’s belly. It was a kiss full of love, knowing that next year there would be four of them. They each gave their daughter a kiss and proceeded to make noise with the toys for her. She giggled, clapping her hands in baby pleasure.
“Well, since we’re up, I’m gonna change her, and see if she’ll settle back down,” Gil announced. “I’m gonna get a shower, Peanut,” Nick answered back. They kissed and got up.
About a half an hour later, Gil and Nick slipped back in bed together. Jami had calmed down and was fast asleep in her crib with her ladybug. As they got comfortable, Nick whispered “Hey Peanut, Happy New Year, I love you!” while nibbling Gil’s ear. “I love you too Babe. This actually turned out perfectly! Please, no repeats at the end of this year, okay Hon?” Gil said teasingly as he kissed Nick’s neck. “Well I might have too if the results are the same,” Nick answered when Gil’s hand rubbed his bare bottom suggestively. It was clear they were going to spend the first hour of the New Year practicing the art of baby making.