“A bandage?”
“Yeah. You know how you have plasters for when you hurt yourself? Well, a bandage is like a much bigger plaster.”
Jack sat back and looked at me, thinking deeply. “Would he like aBlueyplaster?”
“I think he’d like that,” I said. “It would be very nice of you to give him one.”
“Can we get him it now?”
“Of course we can.”
Jack slid off my lap and walked over to his giraffe, picking it up gently and giving it a soft kiss on the nose. “I’m sorry, Giraffe.Kiss better. Daddy will give you aBlueyplaster. It can have Bluey on, she’s my favourite.”
My heart squeezed and I smiled. It was moments like this that made even the hardest days worth it. Jack was trying his best and that was all I could ask for.
The front door opened and closed again, Harper’s voice calling out, “I’m home.”
Oh, thank fuck for that.
“Harper!” Jack yelled, jumping up and running towards the door, holding Giraffe across his arms in some sort of rescue carry. “Harper, look. Look!”
“Hey,” Harper said as he appeared, his jacket still on and his bag slung over his shoulder. He was carrying a little gift bag too—I assumed it was some sort of party bag. Selfishly, I really hoped there was a slice of cake in there we could share. “Everything okay?”
I stood up and tried to work out how to summarise today without saying it had been a bloody nightmare. But my face must have said it all because Harper said “ah” and raised his eyebrows quickly before he knelt down in front of Jack.
“I… I hurt Giraffe,” Jack said sadly with a sniff. “I had all grumble inside an’ I pulled his leg but I said sorry and gave kiss better.”
“Oh dear,” Harper said. “Poor Giraffe. And I’m sorry you felt all grumbly.”
“Daddy says he needs a bandage so gonna get aBlueyplaster.”
“He needs a few stitches,” I said as I walked over to them. “But I don’t think I have a sewing kit.”
Harper nodded as he gently lifted Giraffe out of Jack’s arms. “I think he does too. Luckily, I happen to be a qualified teddy surgeon, so I think I should be able to fix him.”
“That would be wonderful,” I said as relief flooded me. “That would be great, wouldn’t it, Jack?”
“Why don’t you go and have a bath with Daddy while I operate?” Harper asked, looking between us with an encouraging smile.
“Can he come to bed?” Jack asked softly. It had clearly sunk in that Giraffe was poorly and it sounded like he was trying very hard not to cry again.
“He should be. Do you think you can get him a bandage and a plaster, though? I bet Daddy can help you find them.”
“’Kay.”
“Come on,” I said, offering Jack my hand. “Let’s go find a bandage. And we say, ‘Thank you, Harper’ for being so kind and helpful.”
“Thank ’ou,” Jack said. He held out his arms towards me, wanting to be carried rather than walk. It was a sign he was very tired and emotionally exhausted, and he wasn’t the only one. There was a tub of ice cream in the freezer calling my name, and I doubted there’d be any left by the end of the evening.
Maybe Harper would like to share it while he told me about his day.
And while he wouldn’t want Baileys on his ice cream, I was very tempted to add some to mine.
I carried Jack through to the kitchen and sat him on the island while I dug the first aid kit out, showing him various plasters so he could pick one for Giraffe before grabbing a small roll of bandage, which when I looked closely did actually have an expiration date. Huh, that was me told.
Harper had already gone upstairs, leaving his backpack and the party bag on the bottom stair, and I resisted the temptation to try and peer inside as I carried Jack up for his bath. He was definitely tired because he sat down on the bathroom floor while I ran the water and didn’t object at all to getting in. I sat downnext to the bath and we played with a few of the toys, but I could see Jack flagging, so I lifted him out and wrapped him in an enormous towel before helping him put his pumpkin pyjamas on.
“Here we go,” Harper said, appearing at the bathroom door as I helped Jack brush his teeth. “All better. He just needs his bandage on and some good sleep.”
