Devotion

Just Visiting

Jack walks into the Lyell placing an evidence bag down on Clarissa's desk with a smile on his face, Clarissa looks up at him peering over her reading glasses and picks up the evidence bag, and looks at it. Sitting back in her wheelchair she then heads over to the pieces of evidence Thomas had found at the crime scene when collecting the child's body from the scene of the crime. 

Clarissa looks between the two pieces of evidence and brings them back to Jack's desk where he is now sat, "Are you okay? Thomas said you seemed a little distant at the crime scene earlier" Clarissa quizzes curiously as she places the evidence bags down on his desk. 
"Lucy" Jack simply responds.
"Lucy?" She copies curiously. 

Jack takes a breath and leans back in his chair, "The name of the young child we found at the park earlier today... It was an accident, police saw the CCTV, she clearly couldn't swim and her mother wasn't nearby when he fell into the pond... the rest is explanatory," Jack breathes biting his lip. 

"Jack... I know it's hard, you must see it so differently now you have a child of your own." 
Jack just looks up at the ceiling and closes his eyes briefly, "She was two years old Clarissa, what life is that? nothing, barely seen anything in her short life," Jack replies as he picks up a pen and messes with it. 

"Ask Thomas to be transferred from the case Jack," Clarissa responds. 
"No way! I can't do that every time we get a child case, just because I have a daughter of my own. I'll be fine. Water off a duck's back in the end right?" He grins.
"It will never be, you know that Jack," Clarissa responds. 

Clarissa watches her colleague closely for a moment and then looks at his phone, "How are Nikki and Katy?" She smiles moving on the subject.
"They're fine, Nikki took Katy out for a walk today. Sent me this photo, Nikki telling me Katy sleeps just like me," Jack chuckles. 

"Any chance of some baby cuddles soon?" Clarissa asks. 
"Nikki has mentioned it once or twice, I am sure I can convince her... even if you come round to ours," Jack smiles.

The pair smile at each other, with Katy on his mind Jack gets down to business with his daughter clearly making him smile through all the evidence bags he has to go through. Around half an hour later they hear the door buzz open, "Think Adam is back... ask him about the body from the Dowell Estate and when the body is ready to be seen for DI Hanna," Jack speaks as he reaches for the next piece of evidence the pair are working on. 

"Adam? by any chance could you call DI Hanna when you have a moment," Jack speaks not lifting his eyes from the task in front of him. 

With no response, he looks up and smiles "What are you doing here?" He chuckles pulling his gloves off. In front of him is Nikki stood in the doorway with the car seat resting on her forearm and Katy in the car seat wide awake. 
"Couldn't keep me away, sounded like you needed Katy's cuddles before you got home," Nikki grins. 

Clarissa looks up at sees the blonde pathologist before her, a grin appears on her face, "Hello stranger!" She says sitting back in her wheelchair and moving around the desk to see Nikki. 
Nikki places the car seat down on the floor and hugs Clarissa and smiles cheerfully as they pull away, "You look amazing, I was full-on expected the sleep-deprived look," Clarissa smiles. 

"I am knackered but got to keep going," Nikki smiles. 
"So can I have a cuddle?" Clarissa smiles looking down at the tiny baby in the car seat. 
Nikki glances down at Katy and smiles, "Of course, although I think you'll have to fight Jack for a cuddle," Nikki smirks watching Jack crouch down in front of the car seat and scoop Katy out. 

"Cup of tea?" Clarissa smiles noticing she won't get to hold Katy just yet. 
"Would love one," Nikki smiles as she picks up the empty car seat and changing bag and walks over to her desk placing it down on the floor and sitting at her desk. 

Clarissa makes Nikki a drink and brings it over to her and looks at Katy in Jack's arms, "How is life with Katy?" Clarissa asks Katy. 
"I love it, I love her... Just wish she would let me sleep and didn't colic during the night," Nikki responds keeping her eyes fixed on her daughter. 

"Max's niece used to colic during the night came down to intolerance to baby power milk."
"She is only on breast milk at the moment, she occasionally has powdered milk," Nikki smiles. 

After a while, Clarissa finally gets to hold Katy. In the time they are sat chatting Adam finally comes back to the Lyell from a crime scene, he walks into the offices and looks over at Nikki. Adam was yet to meet Nikki even before her maternity leave started they hadn't crossed paths, Jack looks across at Adam and smiles, "Oh Adam... this is Nikki... I mean Dr. Alexander, my wife..."

"Oh Hi, Nice to meet you... Dr. Adam Yuen, Your maternity cover... Nice to finally meet you. Hopefully, we get to work together when you return to work. I read about your work, that paper you did on anthropology and facial reconstruction... amazing, had me gripped," Adam gushes as he shakes Nikki's hand. 

He finally lets go of Nikki's hand and allows her to sit back down, Nikki glances across at Jack as Adam walks into the kitchen area. Jack smirks looking at the confused look on Nikki's face, he chuckles slightly and mouths to her 'A little over passionate'.  

'I can tell'  Nikki mouths back to Jack. 
The pair look over at Clarissa holding Katy, "So?... Well, does she make the cut, pathologist material?" Jack quizzes. 
"Definitely," Clarissa smiles as she continues to hold the newborn. 

Nikki stands up and picks up her empty mug and walks into the kitchen area where Adam currently is, she makes herself a cup of tea and takes a moment to pull her phone out of her jacket pocket and look through a few messages. Jack glances across at Nikki and smiles as he watches her pour the boiling water into her mug, from behind he notices Adam looking her up and down while sipping a bottle of water. "She's off-limits mate... spoken for," Jack speaks up with a chuckle watching the new pathologist flush bright red knowing he had been spotted checking Nikki out. Nikki glances over her shoulder at him before picking up her drink and walking back over to Jack but this time sitting on Jack's lap instead of sitting at her own desk, Jack wraps his arms around her waist and strokes her hip slightly.