Saving Grace (Narry)

Twenty-One

"You're teaching her some bad habits, you know? I'm not gonna cover for you if Louis ever asks me where Grace learned all these behaviours from."

"Relax, babe." Niall told me with a more calming voice. "I'm taking her up now." He picked the remote up from the table, which Grace was happily trying to grab at and then started whining when Niall didn't let her have it. "Grace," he told her, "we're done with the telly for now. You gotta go upstairs now and have a wash up before bed. Harry wasn't a fan of your spaghetti sauce painting like I was."

He stood up, with Grace now secure in his arms, and then turned around to pick her bottle off from the couch, handing it to her in replacement of the remote she really wanted to have. Then Niall walked over to me, leaning Grace over so I could give her a quick kiss.

I kissed her on her soft orange cheek before I told her to have a good time and night. Niall leaned over next so I could kiss him too. For a moment, I acted like I didn't really want to kiss him because he thought he was being so sly with me. I made him wait for a few seconds before I shook my head at him and pecked him on his cheek.

"I'll be up in a few minutes to check up on the two of you." I told them, remembering the last bath that Niall gave Grace. I didn't know if Louis allowed splashing at home but Niall certainly didn't have a problem with it. I think he let Grace move her hands into his hair to act like she was washing his. I wished I had been there to see that instead of the aftermath with puddles all on the tile flooring.

"Yes, sir." Niall gave me a mocking nod before he gave Grace a tiny bounce and going off towards the bathroom.

I continued on to walking to the couch where they had just been, wanting to sit down and rest my aching back before I want to check up on them. It felt good to sit down after a long day of caring for Grace. As much as I love each moment with her I'm really glad that Niall comes in and takes over things, even when he's the one who is exhausted from being at work all day. As I've said, Grace brings something out in him. I'd say that Niall loved being a father already.

I wasn't really paying attention to what I had on. My eyes were actually closed so I could take a second and just sit. I lightly scratched at my forehead as I leaned back into the couch more.

I did my best not to let my mind drift off to all the things I was able to push aside during the daytime. My mum had rang up that afternoon and asked me how Niall and I were doing with Grace. She hadn't met her and she still cared enough to know how the temporary addition to the family was getting along. I told her that Grace's surgery would be during the next week and that's when I told my mum that I was pretty worried and nervous over it. She told me that I was doing an amazing thing, constantly letting me know how proud she was of both Niall and myself. I liked being able to hear that from her and one day she'd get to meet her own grandchildren, and hopefully continue saying those things about their parents.

This week was already going to be over. If I thought I was having trouble during this one, then this next one coming up wasn't going to be any better. We had so much to get through and barely anytime to complete it. I was going to be a wreck. We had to wait for a call from the hospital about what we should be doing the day before surgery for at-home preparations, or it could even be a rescheduling. I had no idea yet but my stomach was uneasy about it. We also had to make sure that Zayn and Louis were notified about things, as well as having a webcam with Louis and Grace so they could see each other before her surgery. I didn't have anytime to take care of Niall or myself so that was another reason we usually stayed up talking after putting Grace down for the night. It was our only time we really had together right now.

"All right, let's see how those two are doing." I told myself as I stood up from the couch. As I walked over to the staircase I tried my best to listen in to see if I could hear anything from the bathroom, hoping I could catch them in the act of something they probably shouldn't be doing.