Fracking Apocalypse - a ZNation 10K/Tommy Fanfiction

Oneshots pt 2 of 4

Just more mushy and memorable family milestones. :)

One shot #3

TJ's first week home was as amazing as it was exhausting. 10K had only been home for part of it since a day after TJ had come home from the infirmary Tommy had to get back to his shifts at work. The hours he worked would be what his family would use to get food and supplies until Bailey was back from maternity leave. He'd tried to plan ahead and worked as many extra shifts as he could before TJ was born so they'd have a safety net stockpiled but he didn't want to risk using it all up when he was still able to work.

Bailey, on the other hand, was loving being a stay at home mom. She knew back Pre-Z there were a lot of women eager to get back to work, or who would have their husband take paternity leave instead and stay with the baby, but she strongly disagreed. She was glad she didn't have to leave and go to a job like 10K did. She loved being there for every second of her baby boy's life. Every little coo, every wiggle, even the crying and changing she didn't want to miss. It hadn't been that long and yes she was sore and exhausted but she was still in love with motherhood. She'd lay in bed sitting up against the pillows with TJ in her arms sleeping peacefully and she'd spend hours just looking at him. His little body dressed in his tiny baby clothes, his little toes and fingers, his button nose and wisps of blonde hair that had gotten slightly darker to match her own hair.

When he woke up she fed him before bringing him to the sink where she'd left a basin and filled it with some lukewarm water and liquid baby soap while she held TJ to her with one arm cradling his head with her elbow. She took a soft washcloth and threw it in the sudsy water while she rested TJ on his changing mat and took off his onesie and his little socks before getting him in the bath. She couldn't give him a real bath until his umbilical cord fell off and TJ started getting squirmy now that he was naked and cold.

"Hey." She heard 10K call as the door opened and he walked in.

"Hey. You done for the day?" she called back as he put his gun and coat away in the closet. He had been wearing his Pa's old park ranger jacket more often, the dark green jacket giving Tommy's wardrobe a bit more variation in color.

"Yeah. My next shift isn't until two in the morning." He said walking over to her, "How have you been doing?"

"Good up until now, he's just getting a little fussy." She said as TJ squirmed more, splashing the water around.

"Here." Tommy said turning back to his stuff and rifling through his bag, "Will this help?"

He came back over and stood to her left taking a small yellow toy and holding it in front of TJ who stopped moving as he looked at it.

Bailey gave a playful surprised gasp as she looked at TJ, "Did Papa bring you a ducky?" she asked as TJ kept staring and she took advantage of his distraction and washed him as quickly and gently as she could. 10K kept using the ducky to hold TJ's attention but when Bailey looked back at him she noticed TJ's eyes weren't on his new toy.

"Tommy." She said softly not wanting to draw away TJ's attention.

"Mmmm?"

"He hasn't taken his eyes off you." She noted and in her peripheral vision saw 10K smile as he noticed the same thing. Then TJ brought his clean hand to his mouth and started sucking on his fingers as he stared at his Papa. Then the corners of his mouth turned up and she could feel the happiness radiating off 10K for being the first thing their baby smiled at.

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Life in Altura continued smoothly for the next seven months and their little family fell into a calm rhythm as Bailey and 10K adjusted to parenthood. Bailey brought TJ to work with her since Altura was still working on creating a school system. George had decided to use some of the spare rooms in the community building a floor below the infirmary and was just looking for citizens to work as teachers. Kaya had started communicating with Pacifica getting books and lesson plans for the different grades in the classroom but until they had a preschool or a daycare the baby stayed with Bailey – which she was clearly happy about. All in all TJ was a good baby and he'd sit quietly in his carrier by Bailey's feet as she worked sometimes sucking on a toy or his pacifier as he watched all the activity going on around him. When they were home Tommy would watch the baby while Bailey would make dinner or if they were eating at the dining hall that night she'd take a nap while he played with their son. Tonight they were eating in, after a long day at work Bailey wanted just a quiet night at home and cooking helped her unwind. She was making a tofu chicken recipe, since they couldn't eat meat because of the zombie virus, so they replaced it with tofu they got from the soy from the Old Frontera Outpost and she'd actually gotten pretty good at making tofu, once she learned how to properly prepare it. Meanwhile, 10K was on the floor with TJ who had started sitting up on his own, as he played with his toys. Tommy was leaning on his right elbow while taking TJ's toys with his left hand and hiding them behind his back. This made TJ give high pitched little shrieks while he smiled and he reached out his chubby little fingers for the toy until Tommy gave it to him. Every now and then Tommy would lean forward and give TJ a kiss on the head while he was playing with whatever toy he was holding at the time. When TJ got tired of the game Tommy got off the floor and picked him up letting TJ's bottom rest on his right forearm while their son leaned into his Papa's shoulder and Tommy used his one hand to hold TJ under his chubby arm against his ribs. He walked over to the kitchenette and looked over her shoulder at what she was making as she pulled the seasoned tofu out of the frying pan of oil and dunked it in a bowl of barbeque sauce before plating it.