(6 months later)
I sighed as I sat down in the office chair I hadn't used for about 8 months. My desk was exactly as I'd left it with pens neatly in their pot and the photo frames, containing photos of myself and Harry in different situations, were still standing proudly near the edge. I reached into my handbag and pulled out the small white box. I took the lid off and pushed aside the white, crinkly paper to reveal a silver frame with a photo of Harry and Patrick already in it, ready to add to the collection of photos on my desk. I smiled as I placed it next to me and Harry on our wedding day, straightened it up and thought "Perfect" as I sat back and admired my son and husband together on my desk.
"Welcome back Lilo" a voice said from the door. I looked up to see Hazel stood there smiling at me. She rushed over, came behind my desk and pulled me into a tight hug. My clerk looked exactly as she had 8 months ago, but there was a large diamond on her ring finger.
"You're engaged?" I gasped. "Congratulations!"
"Thank you" she gushed as she pulled away and returned to the other side of my desk. She sat down opposite me and crossed one leg over the other. "But more importantly, show me your son!"
I twisted the photo frame I'd just put on my desk around and showed her the most up to date photo of Patrick. His hair was a light brown but was beginning to get darker and his eyes were no longer green, they'd turned my greeny brown color. Everything else about him was Harry; the shape of his face, his nose, his eye shape. Every time I looked at him I saw Harry, without a doubt.
"He's adorable" She sighed. "He looks exactly like your husband though!" She leant forward to get a closer look before sitting back again. "He's going to be a heart breaker." She winked.
"Oh definitely" I laughed. "But tell me about this fiance of yours. I've been gone 8 months max and you've gone and bagged a man!" I linked my hands together and placed them on the desk in front of me. I leant forward eager to hear more.
"Well" she blushed. "We'd actually been dating for about 8 months before you left!"
"And you never said anything?" I interrupted. Alice wasn't a close friend of mine but we told each other quite a bit. We were the only women in the office so we'd become friends that way.
We chatted for ages, her telling me about her tall, dark and handsome fiance who was a Human Rights lawyer here in London and about general gossip before I finally had to start reading up on my first case. I was being thrown straight back into work and I loved it.
I entered the apartment to the sound of crying. I stacked my handbag and briefcase by the door and headed towards the noise. It was coming from the kitchen, so I went straight there. I expected to see a red faced Patrick sobbing away in Harry's arms but was slightly relieved to see him sat in Louis' lap gazing at the source of the noise.
Niall was sat across the table from Harry holding Saffron who crying.Bay had given birth a month ago and they were both quite good with the baby, but Saffron was a crier. She cried so much more than Patrick did when he was only a month old. Niall was rocking her slightly in his arms and then bouncing her. I could see it in his face that he was desperate for her to stop. Harry took a sip of his tea and watched helplessly as his friend struggled.
"Hey!" I called over the noise. "What's wrong?"
"She won't stop crying!" Niall yelled back.
"She's been going for about an hour" Harry added. He looked slightly uncomfortable. It was clear he wasn't used to a baby that was inconsolable.
"Please, can you try?" Niall begged. His eyes were red with tiredness and he looked paler than normal.
"Sure" I headed over and picked the wriggling body out of his arms. I held her so her head was resting on my shoulder, looking behind me. I patted her back slowly and softly and moved around the room. I kissed Harry on the head as I passed him and flicked the kettle on. Saffron was still crying. "Shhh" I whispered in her ear as I bounced up and down slightly. I could feel her cooling down; her skin wasn't as hot because she wasn't thrashing around so much. "Where's Bay?" I asked as I poured the water into a mug of coffee with my free hand.
"She's at home, sleeping." Niall sighed as he rubbed a hand over his face. "Saffron was crying all night."
"I said I'd look after her and that he could go back and sleep as well but he refused." Harry shrugged. He turned Patrick on his knee to face him and started bouncing him up and down. Our son started to giggle and then something miraculous happened. Saffron stopped crying. Harry's knee stopped bouncing, Niall's head came up off the table and I stopped rocking the baby who was no longer crying.
"Woah." Niall whispered. He spoke too soon, Saffron started grumbling again. Harry quickly made Patrick giggle and she stopped. "That's so odd!" Niall sat up straight and looked at his daughter, then at my son. "Why does his giggle stop her from crying?"
"No idea" Harry frowned. It didn't last for long, the gurgles and giggles coming from Patrick caused him to smile. Niall stood up and came over to me.
"Can I take her?"
"Sure!" I turned around and passed her into his arms. He held her the same way I did and took her back to the table. Patrick was still giggling and Saffron was still quiet. "It's cute" I smiled before taking a sip of my coffee.
"What is?" Niall asked, he sounded a little less weary now that she wasn't wailing anymore.
I sat down next to Harry and kissed Patrick on the head. "That Patrick's laughing stopped her from crying."
"Yeah, we should record it or something." Harry added.
We sat in silence for a minute, the only sound was coming from Patrick.
"That's an amazing idea!" Niall gasped.
Harry looked at me and raised his eyebrows. "I was only joking, but we can if you want."
"Serious? Would you mind?" He seemed desperate.
"Nah, it's not a problem. Pass me your phone."
Niall reached into his pocket and pulled his phone out. He slid it across the table and Harry caught it. I watched as he opened up the voice recorder, placed the phone on the table and then proceeded to make Patrick giggle as hard and as much as he could. He did it for about 5 minutes before stopping the recording. "Will that be enough do you think?" He slid the phone back towards Niall. "I suppose you could mix it, link it together over and over so it goes on for hours. She can listen to it in the night then or something if she needs to."
"You're a life saver! I'm going to go and do that now. Thanks so much guys" he stood up and took his mug over to the sink. "Then I'm going to sleep for days." He sighed.
"Any time mate and if she ever wants the real thing, you know where we are." Harry said.
"Ha, cheers. I might take you up on the offer some time. God knows Bay and I both need to sleep. You two got off lucky." He waved over his shoulder as he left the kitchen.
"We certainly did!" I smiled. I reached over for my son and Harry passed him to me. I hugged him tightly and pressed my face into the top of his head. The smell of baby shampoo and talcum powder was refreshing after the smell of paper, leather and coffee that had surrounded me in the office all day. Not that I didn't mind that, but the scent of my son was better.
"She's loud that baby but she'll break hearts with those big, brown eyes." Harry said as he watched Patrick reach up to grab the necklace that was resting in the crook of my neck.
"Maybe Patrick will marry her." I laughed.
"Could you imagine?" he smiled. "That would be pretty cool."
I felt Patrick's hand drop from my necklace and looked down to find him falling asleep. His was head swaying as his eyes closed. "This poor guy is shattered." I stood up and hugged him close as I took him into his room and put him down in his cot. He was fast asleep straight away.
