“Babe,” he says, voice shy and cheeks red.
“I more than like it. I love it.”
His smile brightens the room, and for a second it’s just me and him. But then Arianna’s necessities slam into me, and whatever was happening between us takes a back seat.
“We’ll resume this conversation at a better time. Now, tell me what she needs.”
“Give me your phone.”
I hand it to him, unlocked, and I watch him click and scroll until he finds what he needs.
“This,” he says, turning the phone to me.
He takes Arianna, and I’m out of the door as soon as I have my shoes on, my car keys, and my wallet.
“I’ll be back soon,” I say before closing the door behind me. I drive, cursing the speed limit, sighing in relief when I get to the shop and it’s still open. I rush through the aisles like I’m followed by hellhounds. A muffled scream of joy escapes my lips when I find what I’m looking for, scaring the man next to me, but I don’t give him a second look. Instead, I jog to the only available checkout, impatiently waiting in line. My card is at hand. It takes me thirty seconds to pay and then to jog to the car. When I check my phone as I’m opening the door, I’m pleased that I was only gone for fifteen minutes.
Jay doesn’t waste any time getting the syringe ready while I rock her. She cries even more when Jay gently pushes the medicine into her mouth, but we relax when it’s gone and she doesn’t spit it out.
After an hour of rocking her between Jay and me, she falls asleep, and I place her in her crib. Jay sits on the bed while I occupy the chair next to the cot.
I send Jay to bed when his eyes close repeatedly.
“I want to stay,” he protests.
“I’ll call you if I need you, but you should sleep a little, so we’re not both bone tired when she wakes up.”
“Okay.” But it’s easy to see that he’s not.
“Thank you, Angel,” I say before landing a kiss on his lips, then pulling back and turning him around. Before he can walk away, I land a pat on his delectable behind. “Sleep well.”
Once he’s gone I resume my position on the chair. It’ll be a long night.
CHAPTER 16
Jay
The house is quiet when I pad through the corridor with the soft step of a person who’s learnt the hard way to move like a whisper. When I reach Haden’s room, rays of morning sun are shining through the half-drawn curtains, spreading the golden light throughout the room, but not too much to disturb Arianna. I enter the room and pause at the crib.
She’s still asleep, curled on her side with her tiny fist against her mouth as if she’s fallen asleep half way through sucking on it.
I do this every morning, as seeing her while sleeping, all soft, warm, and defenceless, reminds me that I’m still safe and that no one is going to knock at my door to pretend I sell my body for money.
Some mornings when I wake up, I still believe I’m living in a dream, and I close my eyes so I don’t have to face reality. But then I hear Haden moving around, and Arianna squealing, and I relax on the bed, gripping the day ahead with both hands, because I know it’s going to be a good one.
Every day Arianna feels more a part of my life, a very important part, just like breathing.
The last two days have been a nightmare. Seeing her so sick, small, and defenceless has made me feel powerless.
It’s been even worse for Haden. His desperation has been like waves, sometimes high and powerful, close to choking those around him, and other times boiling under the surface but still as intense. His body has been unable to contain the energy always so close to exploding, though it never did.
He’s always composed and mindful of the tiredness we’ve both been under, especially when Arianna won’t stop bawling her eyes out, sleeping an hour at a time and forcing us to rock her for the next two. It’s been a waiting game, with moments we believed she was getting better, and moments of desperation when the fever would go up again.
There have also been moments of tenderness between us, made of those small everyday gestures that speak of care and support, like bringing coffee, or a blanket placed on each other when we fell asleep without wanting to.
Spending this time together, cuddling, caring, and worrying, has made the link created the first time I saw her in Haden’s arms tighter, making it impossible for me to imagine the day where she won’t be part of my life, where I can’t be here to protect her.
Caring for her together has made my bond with Arianna and Haden stronger, and my love for them has grown, as has my respect for the man who saved me, in more ways than just pulling that man off me.
