Part 324
"H'lo?" The tiny voice called out timidly from the door of Nick and Becca's bus. "Aunt Becca?"
Becca was in the back changing the baby when she heard Jesse call her name. "Jesse?" She closed the last snap on Garrett's sleeper and walked out to find Jesse standing in the aisle looking lost. "Baby, what are you doing here?"
"I'm NOT a baby," she insisted.
Becca laughed. "I'm sorry, sweetie, that just kind of slipped out. I meant it in a nice way, and besides, you're your mama's 'baby'. Right?"
"I suppose," she agreed. "Whatcha doin'?"
"Just hanging out, Jess. It's hard to have the baby around all the crew and other people that are backstage, you know? Too many germs and too much noise."
"He might get sick?" Jesse frowned as she reached for Garrett's tiny hand, and then smiled as he grabbed her fingers.
"That's right. He's still pretty little, and Uncle Nick and I want to keep him as healthy as we can, so we keep him away from strangers."
Jesse became completely absorbed in watching Garrett's every move, and Becca watched her, a huge smile on her face.
"Would you like to hold him?"
"I can hold him?!"
"Sure, you're a big girl. Come sit by me and I'll show you how."
Jesse scooted close to Becca and held her little arms just the right way, grinning as Becca placed the squirming bundle in her arms. Jesse giggled as Garrett stretched and yawned.
"Hold him tight, Jess," Becca reminded her.
"Like this?"
"Just like that," Becca said, smiling down at the happy little girl.
Garrett seemed quite content to be held by a different pair of arms, so Becca took advantage of the brief interlude to stand and stretch. She grinned as she watched the two of them, Jesse talking softly to the baby, and Garrett with his blue eyes fixed on hers in response. "Jesse, stay there for a minute, I'll be right back."
"Okay," she answered.
Becca took a few seconds to duck back into the bedroom and grab the camera. They looked so cute together that she couldn't resist snapping some pictures of the two of them. As she snapped the last one, she asked, "Jesse, where's your mommy?"
In spite of the baby's weight, she managed to shrug nonchalantly. "Working with daddy and Uncle Kevin."
"Backstage?"
"Uh huh."
"So I’m guessing that you got bored, huh?"
"I wanted to go play, but they were too busy."
"Well, I'm glad they let you come to see me, Jesse." Jesse didn't answer her, and Becca missed the brief look that passed over the little girl's face. "You know, when your mommy has her babies, you're going to be such a big help."
"I know," she answered confidently as Becca smothered a giggle. "Mommy says I can help her take care of them."
"Well, I'll tell you what. You can practice on Garrett, that way you'll be an expert by the time you're a big sister for real."
"Yay!" she squealed, which unfortunately startled the baby, who began to wail in protest.
Jesse was mortified. "I'm sorry! Aunt Becca, I didn't mean to make him cry!"
"Sweetheart, it's all right. Babies are like that. Tell you a secret," she continued in a whisper. "Sometimes Uncle Nicky makes him cry, too."
"Really?" she giggled.
"Really," Becca smiled. "Tell you what, come take a walk with me. I'm getting bored sitting out here and could use the exercise." Taking the baby back from Jesse, the three of them set off for a walk around the loading docks. The crowd wasn't so big there, as all of the equipment was already inside, and it was inaccessible to the fans. Better than nothing, Becca mused.