Lean on me

Chapter 39

A week later, the two families are in New York for the convention. Sloan and Grayson volunteered to watch Tom and JJ while the others get everything ready for karaoke and the concert that night. Sloan had JJ laying on the couch cushions, her shirt pulled up slightly, and would lean down to blow on her stomach, making the baby shriek in laughter. She looks away when she hears a thud, immediately followed by Tom crying, only for JJ to roll off the couch and onto the floor, making her cry as well. 

"Oh God!" Sloan exclaims, picking her sister up at the same time that Grayson picks his nephew up. She holds JJ to her and presses a kiss to her head. "You're okay, Jaybird. It's okay." She cooes, trying to get the baby to calm down. 

"What the hell did you two do?" Sloan and Grayson both whip around, the actress smiling slightly when she sees Sebastian and Anthony in the doorway. 

"What are you two doing here?" She asks. 

"Apparently rescuing children." Anthony says, walking forward and taking JJ from Sloan. "What did you do to these kids?" 

"Nothing. Tom ran into the corner of the table." Grayson says, passing the toddler to Sloan as he reaches for her. 

"JJ rolled off the couch. I think it scared her more than anything." Sloan says before looking down at Tom as he rests his head on her shoulder. "Are you okay, Bubba?" He nods, wiping at his tears, and Sloan kisses the top of his head before looking at the clock. "It's time for their naps anyway so that could be why they're so upset, too." 

Tom was easy to get to sleep. Sloan just held him in her lap and rocked from side to side and he was out in minutes. JJ, on the other hand, wouldn't go to sleep for anything. Sebastian was the one to finally get her to sleep before he laid her next to Tom on the couch. 

"So what are y'all doing here?" Sloan repeats, looking at the actors sitting across from her and Grayson. 

"This is your first convention since you've been back." Sebastian shrugs. "We wanted to be here for moral support." Sloan gives them a grateful smile. 

"Thanks, guys."

Hours later, Sloan is putting in her ear-ins as she follows Grayson down the hallway and to the stage. She turns at the last second and looks up at her father with one question burning in her eyes. Do you really think I can do this? Jensen gives her a smile and nods, placing his hands on either side of her face so he knows he has her full attention. 

"You can do this, half-pint. You can do anything." He tells her.

"You think so?" Jensen gives her another smile and a firm nod. 

"I know so." Sloan smiles and nods once. Jensen plants a kiss to her forehead just as Rob and Rich finish introducing the teens and the screams of the crowd reaches their ears. Sloan looks back at Jensen over her shoulder as she comes to a stop at the edge of the stage, throwing him one last smile, a new determination in her eyes, before she walks confidently onto the stage with a big smile. 

"How y'all doin' tonight?" She yells into her mic, getting a bunch of screams from the audience. Sloan smiles and looks around the room as she places her mic in its stand. "Damn, it's good to be back." Her smile widens as the screams intensify. "Alright, so this first song was one that I started a while back and never had the time or the right words to finish it. It was inspired by something that a great friend said to me during one of the most difficult and dark times of my life." 

Hey homecoming queen

Why do you lie

When somebody's mean?

Where do you hide?

Do people assume

You're always alright?