Nick rubbed his little boy's back soothingly but couldn't help it when a sigh escaped. "Some days, I wonder. I really do. No matter how much you try to keep on top of it, some days when you're a single parent, it can just all get too much. I don't like to rely on other people too much because they're not always available. I try to do as much on my own as I can, no matter how exhausting it is. If I get sick, though, it can be beyond tough. It's a constant awareness of everything around me to try and not get sick, or to keep my head above board with my hours, and slotting everything in so Rory has everything he needs, which always comes before what I need. Without a doubt. That's what being a parent is. When you're expecting a baby, it's easy to get swept up in the romance of it all with all the cute little baby notions, but really, it's just plain hard. Especially alone. I try not to let the loneliness bother me, but it does. Of course it does. We're human. Shit like that bothers us."
He carefully shifted Rory from his arms over to Jeff's lap, but kept his hands around Rory's waist for a moment in case his son was going to scream the place down at the new location he was abruptly finding himself in. He wasn't always good with people he didn't know, and it could probably go either way. He watched closely, but even though he was clearly feeling miserable, Rory just proceeded to sit there on Jeff's lap and stare him out. His big brown eyes looked over Jeff's face but his little nasally snuffly breaths were pretty even, so he wasn't panicking. He was just sizing Jeff up, and then there was a glance at his daddy before he was right back looking at Jeff, probably wondering who the hell he was. But Rory's little pudgy hands closed over Jeff's wrists to hold onto him. He didn't look like he was about to loudly protest right off the bat... which was a good thing. "I'm not really the same person anymore. I mean, I guess I am deep down, but maybe it's just drowned out in trying to cope with fatherhood and work? All work and no play, all that sort of thing. At least in school, we had fun. Not so much of that anymore, unless I'm doing something fun with Rory. And even then, full-on daddy mode to make sure he's okay and safe. It's neverending."
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He carefully shifted Rory from his arms over to Jeff's lap, but kept his hands around Rory's waist for a moment in case his son was going to scream the place down at the new location he was abruptly finding himself in. He wasn't always good with people he didn't know, and it could probably go either way. He watched closely, but even though he was clearly feeling miserable, Rory just proceeded to sit there on Jeff's lap and stare him out. His big brown eyes looked over Jeff's face but his little nasally snuffly breaths were pretty even, so he wasn't panicking. He was just sizing Jeff up, and then there was a glance at his daddy before he was right back looking at Jeff, probably wondering who the hell he was. But Rory's little pudgy hands closed over Jeff's wrists to hold onto him. He didn't look like he was about to loudly protest right off the bat... which was a good thing. "I'm not really the same person anymore. I mean, I guess I am deep down, but maybe it's just drowned out in trying to cope with fatherhood and work? All work and no play, all that sort of thing. At least in school, we had fun. Not so much of that anymore, unless I'm doing something fun with Rory. And even then, full-on daddy mode to make sure he's okay and safe. It's neverending."