Devotion

Collection

It had just one 5 pm and Jack is clocking out for the day, collecting his belongings and placing his MacBook into his backpack he looks across at Nikki still running tests in the lab, glancing at his watch he knows they'd only got half an hour to get to Katy's nursery before it closes. Making his way over to the lab doors he pushes them open slowly, "Nik?" He calls.

She turns on the stool and looks across at Jack, she looks tired and stressed. "Yeah?"
"I'm heading off now, are you coming?" He asks.

Nikki stops and thinks for a moment, "I'm going to hold back... I need to finish this off," She responds and turns back to her work.

Raising an eyebrow Jack watches her from across the room, "So I'll just go collect Katy myself then?" He asks.
Nikki simply responds with a nod and says no more to him. Jack rolls his eyes and turns back and heads off out the Lyell.

Twenty minutes later he arrives at the nursery, entering the safety pin into the door he allows himself in, smiling at the receptionist as he passes on his way to the room Katy is located in. Waiting at the door to his daughter's nursery room he presses the bell.

Soon the room leader comes to the door and opens it, "Ahh Mr. Hodgson... no Mrs. Hodgson today?" She smiles cheerfully.
"No, unfortunately. She's got caught up at work again..."

She smiles with a nod, "What is it she does again?" She smiles making light conversation as they walk into the room past the baby gate and coat peg area.
"My wife is a home office forensic pathologist."

"Ahh, that would explain why little Katy is a bright spark for her age. "

Jack chuckles thinking about the number of times they have been told Katy is advanced for her age. "How has she been today?" Jack asks curiously.
"She has been rather unsettled today, we could put this down to her being away for so long on holiday or there is a possibility she could be cutting teeth.

As they walk across the room Jack notices Katy sitting on the floor surrounded by toys. She is the second to last child left and is currently being entertained by a key worker. Katy looks around babbling to herself her fist in her mouth, she suddenly notices her father and lets out a squeal, the biggest smile appearing on her face.

"Hello wee girl," Jack smiles cheerfully as he crouches down in front of her, she holds her arms out to him and he picks her up, standing back upright he presses a kiss to her head.

"This is the happiest we've seen her all day. She bumped heads with another child today and we have logged this on the app for you. She has also only had one nap today... but other than this she has been fine," the main key worker responds.

Jack smiles down at his daughter against his hip and presses a kiss to her head. "Thank you, that is great to know. I will let my wife know about this too. Katy will only be in during the morning tomorrow, managed to get some time off so thought about taking her to the park tomorrow," Jack smiles softly as he bounces Katy.

On leaving the nursery he secures Katy into the back of the car and takes a sigh as he wonders if Nikki will even come home tonight. Before they had Katy and way before they were married she made a habit of staying late at the Lyell even pulling all-nighters.

He hoped dearly that she hadn't slipped back into that habit. "Come on wee one, let's go see if Mummy is still at work," Jack smiles softly pressing a kiss to his daughter's forehead and shutting the backdoor.