The Will of Love and Life (Peterick)

Chapter Twenty-Nine

February 10, 2017

Pete sat in a chair at the dining room table, holding a spoon to his baby sister's lips. His mother was taking Wendy to her dance class, and since taking her own baby would've been too much of a hassle, she was left with Pete. Not that he minded, especially today.

Pete had an extra hour to himself before Patrick would get home, so Jane was a welcomed addition to his evening.

Patrick was more or less forced to go see his therapist after work. Joe drove him and stayed in the waiting room, and Pete and Patrick's car keys. He knew Patrick would probably be mad at him when he got home, but Pete would rather have Patrick angry than dead. As much as Patrick doubted it, Pete still loved him. Pete loved Patrick more now than the day he accidentally admitted it.

Pete was sitting on the couch with Jane in his arms when he heard the front door unlock and open. Jane didn't even look up from trying to unbutton the cuff of Pete's shirt. But Pete did look up. He couldn't see Patrick yet, but he could hear him dropping his stuff and taking off his jacket.

"Tricky?" Pete called out hesitantly.

Patrick walked into the room, looking at the watch on his wrist as he took it off. "Yeah, hi." He placed a kiss on Pete's forehead and went into the kitchen. He was completely oblivious to everything.

"How was your day?" Pete risked asking. His sister looked up at him, and he couldn't help but smile.

"Fine," Patrick said from the kitchen. "It was weird going back and everything. But whatever. It's over."

"Do you wanna talk about anything?" The baby reached up and grabbed his nose. He stuck his tongue out to make her laugh.

"Not particularly." Patrick walked back into the living room, and Pete rolled his eyes at the half of a raspberry PopTart he was shoving in his mouth. He was positive that Patrick hadn't actually looked at him since he got home.

"Hey, Patrick."

Patrick hummed and glanced over at him; his entire demeanor completely changed. "You have a baby."

"Come here."

Patrick sat down next to him, looking between Pete and the baby girl in his arms. He knew she was Pete's sister, and that Pete didn't do anything drastic without consulting him, but seeing Pete with a baby, regardless of whose she was, made his gut twist.

"Wanna hold her?"

Patrick's lips pursed in confusion. "How?"

"Here, I'll show you."

"What if I, like, do something wrong and kill her?" That seemed to be an actual concern running through Patrick's head, so Pete leaned over and kissed his cheek.

"She'll be fine, birdie."

Soon, Jane was resting in Patrick's arms. He looked over at Pete, who smiled brightly at him.

"See, she's okay."

Patrick looked down at the baby, whose eyes were closed and cheek was resting against his chest.

"What do I do with it?"

"Patrick, a baby is not an object."

"Well, then, what do I do with her?"

Pete shrugged. "You just hold her. She's not going anywhere." He reached over and adjusted the blanket around her. Her brown eyes opened for a second, but once Pete moved his hand they closed again. "She could sleep through a world war. Don't worry about waking her up."