"You feeling hungry?" Leo asks me through the silence of our embrace. He had wrapped me up in his arms after my bath and handed me some of his clothes to change into. Not long after he pulled me into bed with him.
Surprised, he was still in his police uniform but just disregarded his belt.
I sigh "yea I guess" he rubs my shoulder and kisses the top of my head.
"I may not be a whiz in the kitchen but I can surely copy your baked potato soup" Leo teases, I roll my eyes.
"Sounds good to me" I mutter.
"And your lucky because I bought French bread" he says as he detached himself from me. I watch as he pulls the big white blanket over to me, stopping when it gets to my chin.
He smiles at me softly and leans over, kissing my forehead. I listen to his footsteps retreating. I snuggle further into his bed starring out large window surprisingly for his room. The New York sky was clear, not a single cloud in the sky. I could see over some buildings and others blocked my view.
I don't know how long I had been starring out the window until Leo came in with even a voice that always made me smile.
I turn in bed and Nellie quickly climbs up "hi Julie!" She smiles climbing up to me. I smile.
"Hi pretty girl" I say as I sit up and lean on the headboard, she snuggles into my side as Leo takes the time to settle back down on my other side. He hands me my soup and bread.
"How was school?" I ask Julie. Nellie stares at me before Leo brushes in.
"Tell her what you did in art class" Leo smirks. I raise my eyebrows at her.
She goes on to explain what she had made in art class which ended up being a terrible glitter explosion. I laugh.
"That would explain all the extra glitter left in your hair" I chuckle and try to brush off the glitter left on her head.
"Speaking off, Nells go take a shower or bath please before I have to clean the whole apartment with your pixie fairy dust" Leo jokes. Nellie pouts "now pumpkin" Leo chuckles. She sighs dramatically and falls onto the bed before rolling off and making her way to the hallway bathroom.
"I gotta make a call, you okay?" Leo asks grabbing his phone off the nightstand.
"I'm fine Leo" I nod. He gives me a tight smile before kissing my cheek and dialling someone on his phone as he exits the bedroom.
Nellie soon joined me back in the bedroom after we both finished what we were acquired to do.
We settled into the bed together turning on a Netflix kid show for us.
"Are you feeling better?" Nellie asks me.
"Feeling better?" I question her looking down a bit. She looks up at me.
"Daddy said you were feeling sick when I came home with Uncle Fin" Nellie says. I smile down at her as I pull her closer to me.
"I'm doing much better, now that your here" I smile and nudge her, she giggles.
"Did your uncle leave?" I ask her. She nods.
"Said something about Aunt Amelia" she smirks wiggling her eyebrows. I laugh.
She was so carefree and Finley didn't even tell Nellie about his situation with Amelia. I mean Leo didn't tell Nellie about her father either so.
Leo comes in his phone pressed tightly against his ear as he walks into his closet.
"What else did you do today in school?" I question Nellie.
"Math, the fun stuff"
"The fun stuff?" I ask shocked as I pull away from her. She smiles.
"I like it" She confirms.
"Of course you do" I chuckle and kiss the top of her head. Leo comes back, no longer on the phone but worry spread across his face.
"Well how do you two feel about going out for dinner?" He smiles. I stare at him.
"Yay dinner!" Nellie announces.
"I was thinking some Chinese food?" Leo suggests. Nellie nods before crawling out of the covers. She jumps up and Leo catches her.
"Alright let's get you changed out of these Princess pyjamas"
"But I like them" I hear her say as they exit. I take that time to stand up and grab clothes from my drawer of clothes. I changed into a pair of jeans and one of Leo's plaid shirts.
"Ready?" Leo asks as I enter the main area. I nod and he smiles. He guides Nellie and I out of the apartment.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
"How you doing darling?" Mom asks me as I place a small grocery bag on her counter.
"I'm good" I tell her.
"You really didn't have to go shopping for me, I could have gladly done it" She assures me.
"It's okay, I wanted to come early" I tell her. "Where's chris?"
"Jog" She tells me, helping me lay out all the food.
Mom and Chris has invited everyone for a dinner before Chris, Amelia and Finley fly down to California.
"Alright you can spit it out I know Leo told you"
"It's okay to have nightmares love, I mean like have you met your brothers"
"Mom I really don't need the talk of I shouldn't let my nightmares consume me" i quote.
"Just because you think your job isn't as high in demand as your brothers does not mean you can let you your emotions hide. Your job is just as demanding and important, you see different things in the ER then your brothers on duty" Mom reminds me.
I sigh and rub my forehead "I know mom" I nod.
"You have plenty of people to talk to Jules"
"I know ma"
"Okay well just don't forget that" She says. I nod.
Soon throughout the afternoon everyone trailed in, Lizzie was invited to our dinner as well over the past few weeks she's been getting to know us. She always looked comfortable around us now.
"Hey pretty girl" I smile as I catch Nellie in my arms. Leo trails in behind her closing the front door. "Hi" I smile at my boyfriend. He smiles at me before kissing me quickly.
"Finley said he'd be here soon, probably thirty minutes away" he tells me. I nod.
"Hey man" Archie shouts from the living room couch "beers in the fridge" my step brother winks. I roll my eyes at him. Nellie wiggles out of my arms and rushes over to Amelia.
"Your parents?" Leo asks stuffing his keys into his khakis pants pockets.
"Kitchen" I tell him. He nods and kisses my cheek before brushing past me and making his way to the kitchen.
I settle down beside Lizzie again, Nellie jumps out of Amelia's hands and runs towards the kitchen.
The door bell rings, shocking all of us "that thing still works?" Cooper jokes.
"Could be the paper boy collecting money!" Chris yells.
"I guess I'll get it" I mutter seeing none of my brother getting up. Hopping up in the platform again and grabbing the change from the bowl.
The second I open the front door I was pushed to the side, falling down at the end of the stairs. A pair of hands quickly wrap around my neck.
"Hey!" Someone yells. I hear feet rushing towards me.
"Where is she!" The man yells. I struggle to breath as his hands tighten around my neck.
Suddenly the man was tackled to the floor and my eyes reopen as I let out a cough. Lizzie and Amelia quickly pulling me away from the two man wrestling.
"You okay?" Amelia asks me. I nod weakly. The man knocks Archie to floor and he falls with a thud. The man pulls out a gun and stands up. We all stand or in mind and Amelia's case we sit there.
"I want my daughter!" He yells.
"Hank" a voice call and I recognize it as Leo's. The man points the gun to Leo.
"I want my daughter!" He yells. "I know she's here!" He yells.
I realize him as Nellie's biological father.
"I can't let you see her Hank"
"Shut up!" He yells.
"Put the gun down" Leo says calmly his arms outreached.
"Let me see her"
"She's not yours to care for anymore Hank, put the gun down" my boyfriend says.
"I want my daughter you dipshit!" He yells. I lean against my best friend still struggling to breath.
"No" Leo says.
"Fine" Hank says as he cocks his gun. Leo was unarmed and not protected what so ever.
"Your daughter does not deserve this" Leo begins as I see Archie slowly sit up, I watch him reach underneath the small brown cabinet behind him.
"Don't put her in pain, you already made her watch her mother die in front of her" Leo says stepping forward. The gun still pointed at him. "Don't do this Hank"
"Don't tell me what to do" Hank growls. Leo steps closer and comes face to face with Hank.
"Don't do this Hank, put the gun down" Leo says. Hank shoves the gun to his forehead.
"Hank"
"Put the gun down" A new voice says, a gun was pushed to the side of Hank's head. Finley. I watch as Archie stands up aims the gun at Hank too.
"Put the gun down" Leo repeats.
"She's my daughter! Not yours!"
"You abandoned her" Leo says "killed her mother and ran, leaving her behind" Leo says his jaw ticking.
"My daughter" Hank yells and in a blink of a eye multiple gun shots were fired.
I open my eyes to see Hank on the ground and three men standing tall. Cooper quickly helps me stand up as police sirens come from down the street.
Finley, Leo and Archie demands all of us to step outside with Mom and Nellie.
We file out just in time to see police rushing in, Chris at their side.
"You okay?" Cooper asks me. I nod slowly as he checks my neck. He waves a paramedic as we stop in front of an opened ambulance. Coopers tells me to sit down on the vehicle and I sigh.
Cooper wraps a blanket around my shoulders as Nellie runs up to me and climbs into my lap. I hold her as she cries, muttering kind words into her eyes.
Everyone else gathered around us.
Nellie soon stopped crying and stuffed her head into my neck.
Leo, Finley and Archie walk out followed by police men. They all turn to each other and shake hands. Finley pats Leo on the shoulder before he turns to leave. Leo quickly spots us and jogs down the driveway and makes his way towards us.
Nellie quickly spots him and gets up, running towards him. He catches her in his arms and rubs her back as he slowly walks towards me. I slowly stand up and walk towards him.
He quickly wraps his arm around me, he switches between kissing the top of my head and Nellie's cheek "you okay?" He whispers to me. I nod slowly.
"I'm so sorry my girls" he whispers tightening his arms around us. I watch as paramedics carry the man who had the audacity to attack us in my parents house in a body bag.
Nellie's soft cries makes my eyes tear up as well.
Finley and Archie soon join us, my family quickly surrounds us.
"Hey pretty, you good?" Finley asks me squeezing my shoulder.
I nod as I pull away a bit from Leo still tucked into his side "Yea, thank you" I say. He gives me a tight smile. Leo kisses the top of my head.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I jump awake "hey, your okay" Leo says from behind me. I sigh as I let him pull me into his side. "Your okay" he soothes.
"Just a bad dream" Leo reminds me.
"It was real" I sob. Leo places my head on his shoulder as I sob into him.
"It's okay, we're okay" he reminds.
"Daddy?" We hear. I sniffle.
"Come here baby" Leo beckons. Soon Nellie climbs into bed with us.
I wipe my tears as Nellie lays down beside me, Leo drapes his arm around the two of us, holding us closely.
"I'm so sorry" Leo whispers into the silent room. I knew I heard him and I knew that Nellie heard him as well.
I closed my eyes wondering when I was gonna fall asleep but I didn't and ended up paying attention to Leo and Finley's hushed conversation.
"You gonna get suspended?" Finley asks his best friend.
"I'm listed as self defence until after Amelia's trail" Finley sighs.
"And after the trail?"
"We'll see" Finley says most likely shrugging.
"Should've let me continue talking to him man your likely going to be suspended"
"If you even opened your mouth he would've shot you straight in between the eyes. I would rather face suspension rather then have those two lose the most important thing in their life right now" Finley says.
The boys stay quiet for a moment "you'll be fine here?" Finley asks.
"Yea, I'm good" Leo says his fingers circle the skin on my hip. "Watch Amelia" my boyfriend taunts. Finley let's out a light chuckle.
"Don't worry man, plus we're travelling with a retired military man. I think we're good. Amelia's dad won't be hurting her"
"I'm just taking precautions. Julies been through enough" Leo says. I couldn't hear Finley but I did hear him stand up so I assumed he nodded.
"Have a good flight man" Leo calls.
"Thanks I'll call you when we land" Finley says before the door closes.