Without a Clue {Diall}

Chapter Twenty-Three: The Polite Boy

Chapter Twenty-Three word count: 5457 words

(a/n: Trigger warnings for this chapter include: mentions of alcoholism, past abuse as a result of alcoholism, and mentions of death)

I glance behind my shoulder carefully as I walk towards the front door, Niall behind me, carefully carrying his own backpack, Grayson's diaper bag and his pop-up sleeper, as well as my purse. The only thing I've been allowed to carry inside is Grayson's tiny, royal blue backpack. I suppose I understand, but Grayson really doesn't weigh more than thirty pounds, and I could've helped Niall a bit more than he's allowed me to. Nonetheless, it feels nice to have Grayson sleeping quietly on my shoulder, his pale green blanket still clutched tightly in his tiny hands.

I knock on the door as Niall catches up to me, him smiling slightly at the tiny child asleep against my chest. It's my youngest sister who opens the door, and the smile on her face relaxes me instantly. I wasn't really worried about how she would take to my boys, though. She's a nearly sixteen year old girl, so anytime there's a baby involved, there's no way she couldn't be happy about it.

Madison holds the door open for the both of us as we walk in, and I'm quick to lead Niall to the guest room we'll be staying in. We haven't really decided if we're staying the night yet, but this is where we'll put G for now so he's got a quiet place to sleep. I sit on the plush comforter when I get into the room, and watch quietly as Niall puts down the various items he was carrying in the corner of the room.

Niall picks up the pop-up sleeper then and sets it up quickly and with ease, smiling up at me when it's done. He grabs a blanket from G's diaper bag and lays it down in the crib sleeper then nods his head toward the make-shift crib.

I press a few kisses to the top of Grayson's head, instantly starting to doubt that I'll have the willpower to put him down. It's so hard to do that, and I'm not really sure how Niall's managed it all this time.

"I love you." I whisper to Grayson, rubbing his back softly. I lay him down in the crib as gently as I can, lightly wiping the hair from his eyes afterwards. I place his pale green blanket over his side then, and stand up, noticing quite instantly that Niall's staring at me with a smile. I return the smile instantly, and walk towards him, ending up in a tight hug as he rests his cheek on the top of my head. Niall's still nervous, that much is obvious, but he's calmed down considerably since earlier.

"You good to go now, or do you wanna take a few minutes?" I ask Niall softly, my hands rubbing his back in a soothing pattern. He breathes out a few times as I press a kiss to his chest, allowing him to take the time he needs to answer my question.

"I'm alright." Niall says, but he pulls me a bit closer with a shudder. I nod against his chest before pulling away from Niall so I can look him in the eye.

"If you need to take a break just tell me, okay?" I tell Niall surely, and he gives me the sweetest smile with a nod, pressing a quick kiss to my cheek before heading over to where he sat down all of the things he just carried in. The bags rustle quietly as Niall digs through them to get into Grayson's diaper bag, locating the small child's blood-oxygen monitor, and the baby monitor. I watch quietly as Niall hooks up the machine, and laugh at the cringing face Niall makes when Grayson begins to stir at the monitor being pushed onto his finger. Niall stills slightly and I watch as Grayson blinks once before settling again, the cutest little yawn leaving his mouth. The relief on Niall's face is immense, and he quickly secures the monitor on G's finger with the special tape he's meant to use. If the monitor isn't taped down, it's possible it'll fall off if Grayson moves too much in his sleep.