Among The Roses

Chapter 36: Meeting Sienna

Chiara looked at Drew inquiringly as they manhandled the luggage up the stairs. But when they got to what was to be Gary's room and began to carry their things inside, LeeAnne spoke up from the hallway, where she was standing holding the baby.

"And where will I be staying?" she asked, looking up and down the hallway.

"Oh, erm, well, there's another room on this floor, right next to this one, as a matter of fact," Drew said smoothly. "Follow me, I'll show you."

Noah, who was carrying the fold up crib, followed him, as did Chiara, who was carrying the baby swing.

"Oh, I'm sorry, that probably should've stayed downstairs, I don't use it much in the bedroom," LeeAnne told Chiara after they were inside the room.

"No big deal, I can take it back when we go," Chiara said with a smile.

Gary came in to see how everyone was getting along, and LeeAnne turned to him with a small pout.

"I thought you said the baby would have her own room? A nursery?" She turned to Drew. "Gary said your house was huge, a real English mansion. Isn't there another room where baby Sienna can sleep? Otherwise her crying keeps me up all night long."

Drew looked nonplussed. "Not really. I mean, there are more rooms up on the third floor, but they're not furnished yet, you see."

LeeAnne brightened. "That's okay. All she needs is her fold up, which we brought with us, see?" She gestured to what Noah was holding.

"No, I meant for you," Drew explained. "You'd want to sleep up there with her, wouldn't you? In the next room? And none of the bedrooms have beds or dressers or anything yet. I don't even think we put curtains up, have we, Neddy?"

Ned shook his head.

LeeAnne looked puzzled. "Why would I want to do that?"

Everyone looked at the tiny bundle, and Chiara did a little math.

"She's barely three weeks old, right?" she asked.

LeeAnne nodded.

"LeeAnne and the baby will both be fine in here," Gary said firmly, putting an arm around her. He took the fold up from Noah and quickly set it up, taking the baby swing from Chiara when he was finished.

"What do you say we head back downstairs and have a quick drink before dinner?" he said to Drew with a smile.

"I think I'll take a quick nap," LeeAnne told him, laying the baby down on the bed and stretching out next to her.

"Brilliant," Gary said, kissing her forehead as everyone else left her room.

"You know, I'll be leaving at the end of next week," Noah told him as they were going downstairs. "If she needs another room, I mean. I'm right next to where she is."

Gary quickly shook his head. He even looked over his shoulder to make sure that LeeAnne's door was still closed and that she hadn't overheard Noah's words.

"What?" Mara asked. Mara and Luke had joined them on the stairs as they all headed to the lounge for drinks.

Drew poured drinks for everyone after first nodding to Ned. Chiara didn't know what the nod was for until she watched him take his drink and go stand at the entryway to the lounge. From there he could see the stairs, and therefore keep an eye out for LeeAnne, should she wake up and come down to join them.

Ned was the lookout, in other words.

"So please tell me, Gars, how in the holy fuck did it come to pass that your baby mama and your baby have joined us here for what was supposed to be a few months of serious song writing and recording?" Drew asked in a low voice as he passed Gary his drink.