“Not really. He spits up after every bottle. Even when I burp him,” I say, taking the seat my dad was in earlier and moving it next to Sheridan.
“Okay. I’ll try feeding him again in a little while and see if he keeps any of it down,” she says as if she’s lost in her head trying to figure something out. This is nothing new when it comes to Sheridan if something is bothering her and she’s trying to get it figured out.
“Little Fairy, he’ll be okay. Our boy is a fighter and will recover from this before we know it. The doctors will doeverythin’ in their power to help him. Just be prepared because we might not be able to hold him for a few days. That was one thing the doctor did say a little while ago. If he gets any worse, we’ll have to leave him in the bassinet. We can still come in and see him, but we won’t be allowed to hold him. They’ve also been monitoring his heart and everything is normal. He’s just sick,” I try to assure her as we both watch Leo sleep against her chest. “Sheridan, we really need to talk about everythin’. Soon.”
“I know we do. Right now, something always seems to be going on. Doctors and everyone else are in and out of the rooms we’re in. The second we can leave here, we’ll talk about everything,” she responds, her voice still wavering with the emotion filling her.
“The main thing we need to figure out is where you’ll be stayin’ permanently when you’re discharged,” I say, knowing where I truly want her to live.
Leo and Sheridan should be living with me. I want our family to be together under one roof where I can help Sheridan with Leo when she needs it. The need to be there every second to protect them and help them no matter what they’re doing is overwhelming.
“I thought we were going to your house. Do you not want us to live there any longer?” she questions me, taking her attention off of Leo for the first time since she walked in the room.
“I don’t want you anywhere else, Little Fairy. My son and you belong on the compound and in our home. I’ll get the Prospects to pack up your house and move you in completely today,” I tell her, my voice filling with excitement because this is the best case scenario I can think of.
“That’s not necessary, Axel. I can pack up the house and move it to yours on my own,” she says as I already start to shake my head no.
“Not happenin’. I’ll get everythin’ taken care of, Little Fairy. Let me do this for you,” I tell her as a nurse comes in to check on Leo. “This is one fight you won’t win, Little Fairy.”
“Stubborn as ever, Axel Coleson,” she says, exasperation lacing her tone.
During the rest of visiting hours, we simply enjoy spending time with Leo. He gets sick every time we try to feed him. His pediatrician comes in and lets us know he has the flu. There’s really nothing we can do for him because he is so young. For now, we’ll keep monitoring him and keep a close eye on his fever. When visiting hours are over, the nurses promise to keep us updated on him throughout the night. Sheridan cries for hours after we leave Leo and there’s nothing I can do except hold her in my arms and try to reassure her he’ll be okay. Honestly, I’m not sure if I even believe my words at this point.
Chapter Fourteen
Sheridan
TODAY HAS BEEN a roller coaster of emotions. For the last two weeks, I’ve spent every second possible in the NICU with Leo and Axel. It’s been easy because I’ve been in the hospital and just walk to the NICU and spend hours with Leo. Thankfully, our son got over the infection he had and is thriving once again. He’s gaining weight, eating, and doing everything he should be. The only drawback is his oxygen levels continue to drop at night. That’s the only reason he’s not being discharged. The doctors can’t find any particular reason why his oxygen levels are dropping, they simply do. It’s not as bad as when he was first born so their only guess is his lungs weren’t quite developed as much as they should have been when he was born and they’ve been focusing on taking care of that. Anyway, I’ve been discharged and today will be the first time I go home when visiting hours end. Axel and I won’t be in the hospital with our boy in case something happens and we need to get to him immediately.
My back is bothering me, however I don’t need another surgery to fix any damage. It was injured in the accident, but the swelling has gone down and the pain is slowly receding to the normal levels I’m used to. The doctors aren’t concerned any longer with that since it’s what I deal with on a daily basis. There’s nothing more they can do for me. I’ve got all the pain medicine and muscle relaxers to help me cope with everythinglike I do normally. It’s something I’ve learned to deal with on a daily basis and only use the medicine I have on hand when it’s absolutely necessary. Now, I hardly use it because I want to breastfeed my son. I’ve been pumping when we can’t be with him and the nurses from the maternity ward take it into the NICU so Leo has it overnight with the nurses. All of my other wounds have healed with the exception of my wrist. I still have the cast on and it’s a burden I can’t wait to get rid of. Thankfully, I don’t have that much longer with the cast on and then I’ll have to strengthen my wrist again.
“What’s goin’ through that head of yours, Little Fairy?” Axel asks me as we sit in the room with Leo.
I look up to find Axel holding Leo against his bare chest. I’ve never seen a better sight in my life. Axel is an extremely good looking man and I’ve always looked at his body when he’s worn nothing more than shorts while working out. Now, seeing him take care of our son makes him look that much better than ever before. For a moment, I get lost in staring at the man I’ve loved for longer than I’ll ever admit to anyone else.
“Today is gonna be hard when visiting hours are over. I won’t be going back to my room here in the hospital. I’ll be leaving the hospital entirely. Leo will be here all alone,” I answer him honestly, tears filling my eyes with the thought of us leaving him here.
“Little Fairy, he’s not gonna be alone. Knuckles and my dad are stayin’ here overnight. They volunteered so I can take you home and get you settled in at the house. Mom and the other ol’ ladies have been cookin’ up a storm and have filled the freezer and refrigerator with food. If anythin’ happens to Leo, Dad or Knuckles will contact us immediately. They’re not gonna let him out of their sight,” Axel informs me and I really shouldn’t besurprised because no one in the Dirty Slayers will leave our son alone.
“That makes me feel slightly better, but it’s not the same,” I tell him as the first tear slides down my face and lands on my arm.
“I know it’s not the same, Little Fairy. However, it’s time for you to leave the hospital. Time to start livin’ your life again and think about the classes you’ll be startin’ in the new semester. Mom and the other ol’ ladies have already said they’ll watch Leo so he doesn’t have to leave the compound while you’re in class or on campus. I don’t know what your plans are so we’ll have to figure that out. I’ll fully support whatever decision you make though. I know how important gettin’ your degree is to you and will do everythin’ I can to help. For now, you need to focus on healin’ the rest of the way and bein’ here for Leo the second we can be,” Axel says, walking over and handing our son to me.
I hold Leo’s small body close while Axel helps me pull my gown down so I can get some skin-on-skin time with him. Axel pulls my gown down while I move Leo’s body so he can get it down from between us and then he grabs the blanket Jolene made for Leo and places it over us. Once he’s sure we’re settled and don’t need anything else, Axel takes a seat in the second rocking chair and looks at me.
“When we leave here, can you take me to the lawyer’s office? I have something to take care of and need it to happen now. This isn’t something I can wait on taking care of,” I ask him, knowing that my mother will soon be trying to get her hands on my money once again.
I know without a doubt she’s behind the accident that just happened. If she isn’t, then Jess is. Though, my gut is telling me it was my mother behind the entire thing. She’ll try to kill me so she can use my death to steal my money. That’s not going tohappen. Everything I have will be left to Leo with Axel as the representative. If anything happens to me, our son and Axel will be taken care of for the rest of their lives. And, Leo will always have a home with the house I have from my grandparents. That’s one of the things we went over when I was in the lawyer’s office. It’s also something my mother knows nothing about. As far as she knows, the house was sold and the funds were added to the trust that was in my name. She has no clue there’s a home I have in my name and can move into at any time.
The house is on the outskirts of town and has a large amount of land attached to it. It’s perfect to turn into the ranch I want to eventually start to help kids and animals once I finish school. When I was young, I used to love going to my grandparents and exploring the land to find all of its untold secrets. My dad and grandpa would spend hours with me as I explored and found all sorts of treasures. I’m sure most of them were put there by them as a way to see me excited and full of wonder only found in the innocence of children. However, these are the memories I’ve cherished for so many years and will never forget.
“I’ll take you there. Everythin’ okay?” he questions me, sitting up straighter in his rocking chair and more alert than I’ve seen him in days.
“Yeah. I’m just putting a Will together and need to make sure my lawyer knows exactly how I want everything. You know about the trust I had from my grandparents. My mother hasn’t once changed and has been trying to get her hands on the money. Now that it’s fully mine, she’s already called and threatened me about giving it to her. The will is to ensure everything goes to Leo with you as the representative so his future is set and he won’t have to worry about anything,” I say, my voice void of any emotion because my mother is horrendousand if I allow myself to think of her, I’ll get pissed off and that’s not something Leo needs to feel from me.
“The fuck?” Axel says, keeping his voice low but full of shock as he turns more toward me and leans in closer. “Why would you make me the representative, Sheridan?”
“You’re Leo’s dad and if something happens to me, you’ll need it to raise him. I’m not saying you don’t have money of your own, but this is a safeguard to ensure she can’t get her hands on the money and take it all away because she’s a selfish bitch who can’t stand the thought of not having the money she wants to keep her in whatever she’s doing these days,” I say calmly as I rub my hand up and down Leo’s warm back.
