“Hi!” Leighanne’s voice rang out perkily, and seconds later, she stepped into the entrance area, Baylee in her arms. Nick’s eyes widened in surprise; Brian was right – Baylee had grown. And Leighanne had shrunk. The last time Nick had seen either of them was shortly after Baylee’s birth. Baylee had been so tiny then... and Leighanne had still been rather huge. But the weight she had gained during her pregnancy was gone now, and her figure looked almost the same as it had before she had gotten pregnant, only a few pounds heavier.
“Hey!” said Nick, grinning. “You look wonderful, Leigh!”
Leighanne laughed. “Thank you,” she said, returning his smile. “You look great yourself... but what happened to your leg?”
“Stress fracture,” Nick replied, briefly explaining what he had told Brian earlier in the car. Then, he went up to her and bent down to Baylee’s level. “Hey, Baylee,” he cooed, gingerly touching the top of the baby’s head, which was covered with a thin layer of wispy, light-colored hair. He was rewarded with a wide, toothless grin. “Hey, he smiled at me!” he exclaimed excitedly.
Brian laughed, his eyes lighting up. “Well, he likes you.” He walked up to his wife and son, tickling Baylee’s cheek. Baylee smiled again, following Brian with his eyes, which were big and blue. “Baylee, this is Nick, your godfather,” Brian said, talking to his son as if he could actually understand. “You and Nick are gonna have a great time together, aren’t you?”
“Do you want to hold him, Nick?” Leighanne asked.
“Well, I...” Nick looked down helplessly at his crutches.
Leighanne smiled. “Here, come on in the living room. You can sit and hold him. You probably want to get off your feet anyway, huh?” She led the way into the living room, Nick limping along behind her. The room had changed greatly since the last time Nick had been there. The furniture was the same, but now there was a playpen set up in one corner and an infant seat and one of those baby gyms in the middle of the floor.
“Here, have a seat,” said Leighanne, patting the large sofa.
Nick gratefully sat down, propping his crutches up next to him. Feeling more at ease, he reached out his arms for Baylee. “Come here, squirt,” he said, as Leighanne handed him the baby. It had been awhile since he had held a baby, but he was well aware of how to do it, having played the role of the loving big brother when Angel and Aaron were born. Setting Baylee in his lap, he curled his arm around the back of the baby’s head for support and grinned up at Brian and Leighanne.
“Aww! Bri, isn’t that just the cutest thing? Go grab the camera; I want to get a picture!” Leighanne gushed.
Brian ran off and returned seconds later with a small camera, which apparently they had sitting around the house for all those Kodak moments. Nick figured they must have millions of pictures of Baylee by now, which he was sure to be shown at some point during his visit. Readjusting Baylee in his lap, he smiled broadly as Brian snapped a picture.
“Cute,” Brian agreed, grinning like a little kid. “He’s almost able to sit up on his own, Nick. Watch.” Coming up to Nick, Brian sat Baylee up a little higher and moved Nick’s hand from the baby’s head to his back. “See?” he said excitedly, as Baylee sat there. “He just needs you to hold him up a little; before long, he’ll be sitting up all by himself.”
Smiling down at Baylee, Nick offered the infant his finger, remembering how Angel and Aaron would always grab onto it when he did that. He assumed it was something all babies did, and it turned out he was right. Baylee immediately wrapped his tiny hand around Nick’s finger. Nick couldn’t help but smile, looking down at those tiny pink fingers clutching his big one.
“You’re gonna make a good dad someday, Nick,” Brian commented softly, smiling as he watched the scene.
Nick grinned back at him. “Really?”
“Definitely.”
Nick patted Baylee’s back gently and smiled at the thought of having a son of his own someday in the future. He hadn’t thought of settling down and starting a family in a long time; it was not something that was even remotely close to happening. Yet, as he sat holding Brian’s child, he realized that someday, he really would like to have a family, a wife and children. And at that moment, there seemed to be nothing in the way, no barrier that could prevent this dream from coming true.
In just over a week, there would be.
***
Nick flew home to Tampa after nearly a week in Atlanta. At the airport, he embraced Brian for a final time and wished he never had to let go, never had to go home. The next morning, he would be checking into Tampa GeneralHospital for a round of tests, a prospect that frightened him, despite how reluctant he was to admit it. He had never been in the hospital before, except for the occasional trip to the Emergency Room with a minor injury. He was nervous, and the fact that he knew he was going to have to go through it alone was disheartening. Yet there was no point in telling anyone – he didn’t want to worry Brian or anyone else for no reason.
And so, he pulled away from Brian’s hug, pasted a large smile on his face, and said, “Take care, Frick. I’ll see you in a few weeks.”
“You too, Frack,” Brian answered back with a grin, patting Nick’s shoulder. “Rest that leg.”
“Will do,” Nick vowed. “Thanks for letting me come visit.”
“Thanks for coming. I had a great time; it was good to see you again.”
“You too, dude.”
The final boarding call for Nick’s flight crackled through the intercom system, and Nick knew he was stalling. Finally, he forced himself to go, saying goodbye to Brian for a final time and ambling off to his plane, dreading the flight home.
***
