(AN: A really short chapter that takes place during season 6; episode 2 "Room Service" to explain why Nick was not as involved in that episode.)
"Thank you so much for helping." Emma Grace answered the door with a screaming five-month-old on her hip. It was apparent that Emma Grace hadn't gotten much sleep, and taking care of three sick children by herself were taking a toll on her.
Nick walked into the house to be greeted by a flushed eight-year-old Katlin running to him. Nick picked the sick child up and cuddled her in his arms. He turned to face Emma. "You don't have to thank me, Gracie. I want to help. Where's Marie?"
"I was able to get her to sleep right before you were able to come over." Emma Grace nodded her head towards the guest bedroom where Katlin and Marie slept when they stayed with Emma Grace.
Nick walked to the bedroom door and cracked it open so he could check on the seven-year-old. Marie was curled up in bed, holding her favorite stuffed animal. Gladiator, Emma Grace's nine-year-old Cane Corso Mastiff, was laying on the other side of the bed keeping an eye on Marie.
"Katlin lets get some medicine in you, Sweetheart." Nick knew that Katlin did not like the taste of the medicine, but her fever was back.
"I'll go get it." Emma Grace had managed to soothe Maggie, and the baby was resting in her arms.
"Gracie, go ahead and sit down. You look exhausted. I've got Katlin." Emma gave Nick an appreciative smile as she walked into the living room and placed the sleeping baby in the bassinet.
Nick managed to get Katlin to take her medicine, and thirty minutes later he placed Katlin in the bed next to Marie as both girls slept. Nick made his way into the living room to find Emma Grace asleep on the couch, and Maggie was sleeping peacefully in the bassinet.
Nick sat down beside Emma Grace and moved her head so that it was resting on his shoulder. He turned the TV on and lowered the volume as his girls slept.
Thirty minutes later, Emma Grace started to stir on the couch. "You thought you weren't ready to be a dad, but you're doing a pretty good job, Nicky."
"I'm still messed up Gracie." Nick feared that since he was still recovering from being buried alive, he wouldn't be able to be the type of dad the girls deserved or the kind of husband Emma Grace needed.
"You're not still messed up Nicky. You're strong." Emma Grace ran her hand over the back of Nick's neck in a soothing motion.
"Gracie, I freaked out because a bug crawled on my hand at a crime scene a week ago." Nick had not talked to anyone about what happened on the first night that he had come back to work. He had been too embarrassed.
"That's to be expected, Nick. But, just so you know, I'm not giving up on you. I'm not giving up on us this time."
Nick was shocked, but when he started to respond to Emma, Maggie began to cry, and Katlin and Marie could be heard calling for Emma Grace. "I've got the girls," was all that Nick could say as he headed for the bedroom to check on his girls.
Nick and Emma Grace worked together to soothe the three young children while they went through the worst of their colds for the rest of the day. Nick made it into the crime lab time to time. However, Nick and Emma Grace did not have a chance to talk about Emma's declaration that she was not giving up on a future with Nick any time soon.