Work Text:
"Baby?" Lucy murmurs.
Nothing.
Her hand slides across the mattress, finds Tim's pillow — cold. The cracked door lets a sliver of light in from the hallway. Her fingers meet the rumpled sheets.
Cries pierce through the wall, then Tim's voice, barely audible.
The crying fades.
Lucy pushes the comforter back. Her feet find the floor and she shivers. Tim's old sweatshirt is at the foot of the bed. She pulls it on. The sleeves swallow her hands.
The nursery door is cracked open. Lucy leans against the doorframe, arms crossed. Tim paces the nursery, in a t-shirt and sweatpants. Their daughter is tucked against his shoulder, and Tim is talking to her.
"…so the lion, he goes home. He's tired, the lion. He's been running all day. And what does he do? He lies down. Because it's nighttime. Like right now. You see the connection?"
The baby screams louder.
"No, clearly you don't see the connection."
"Okay. So the lion, he has a daughter. A little lioness. And the little lioness, she won't sleep. And the daddy lion, he doesn't know what to do anymore. Know anyone in that situation?"
The baby keeps crying.
"I gave you the bottle, changed your diaper, what more do you need? All we're gonna manage to do is wake your mother up."
Lucy smiles, her head resting against the doorframe.
Tim stops.
"Luce."
"Need help, babe?"
"Go back to bed, I got this."
"That's not what it looks like."
He sighs. Lucy says nothing, puts her hand on his arm and pushes him toward the couch.
He presses his hand flat against his daughter's back and settles into the couch. His head drops against the backrest. He closes his eyes for a second.
Lucy goes to get the blanket. When she comes back, Tim hasn't moved. The baby's face is buried in his neck. Her cries have lost their edge. Hiccups now, more than screams.
Lucy tucks herself against him and pulls the blanket over their legs. Tim's shoulder under her cheek. The warmth comes back.
The baby fights it a little longer. A shudder, one last hiccup. Then her weight shifts — heavier. Her breathing slows. Tim doesn't move.
His hand finds hers under the blanket.