“And her,” Tate added. I pulled away slightly to look up at him and nod.
“Thank you.”
Cara’s single cry turned into light fussing so we moved out of each other’s embrace, and he pulled her out of her seat to feed her before heading back to the apartment. I stayed with him and we talked a little about our situation.
“He wants to come home already. I think he’s suspicious of us. Or paranoid. He doesn’t trust me for sure,” he revealed.
I raised an amused eyebrow at him. “I mean, you can’t really blame him? You just spent the last six months telling everyone who would listen that we were going to be together some day.”
Tate laughed.
“Yeah, I guess. Fair enough. Still awkward as hell. He really doesn’t remember any of it. He tried to give me this talk about staying away from you while he’s here and that you’re his. I had to bite my tongue more than once. He spent the last few months talking so much shit about you and him, oh man. I wanted to tell him.”
“Stop it!” I giggled, playfully slapping his arm. “He’s healing.”
“That mouth isn’t injured. Man, I totally forgot how much I can’t stand the fucking guy. Please, if he keeps running his mouth can I be the one to tell him when it’s time?”
“No!” I laughed. Cara finally stopped sucking on her teeny tiny bottle and Tate raised her to his chest to burp her. She was quick to do so. He then got to work putting her back in her seat. We stood together and he gave me a quick kiss goodbye.
“I’ll see you at home, okay?”
I nodded and went back to Ronny’s room.
Of course, Ronny was full of questions about where I had gone and what I was talking to Tate about. Thankfully, I didn’t get the opportunity to answer them because the nurse came in to remove his dinner and give him more drugs to get him to sleep. I squeezed his hand one last time before leaving for the day.
Two long weeks I spent my days with Ronny in the hospital and evenings with Tate at home. He would have dinner ready when I got there and I got to snuggle Cara as much as I wanted until we finally went to bed.
He was trying to work while she slept during the day but he was still adjusting to having to pause for her feeding and changing schedule. He assured me that he would have it figured out eventually.
A few days before Ronny was set to be released the doctor stopped me and wanted to discuss his at-home care. We stepped outside while Ronny napped to do so.
“He’s going to be on a lot of heavy sedation medication. He’s still in a lot of pain. He will be for a while. He’s got a lot of broken bones so walking isn’t an option. In fact, keeping him in bed for the next few weeks is the best thing for him.”
I blinked.
“What about the bathroom. I can’t...” I shuddered; the image of a bedpan wafted into my brain. He shook his head.
“It’s okay for him to use the toilet. But other than that he really needs to be in bed. What parts of him weren’t broken were bruised. I know we’ve talked about your situation before, but does he have a place to go that someone could help him?”
“I guess he can stay with me. He still hasn’t recovered his memory. How long am I supposed to wait?”
He frowned. “I don’t know. I really thought he’d recover those days. I would get him home, settled, and then do it when you feel the time is right. One thing I can not stress right now is that he can not be in charge of his own medication. He has a history of clinical depression and if he’s left to his own devices,, it could be a tragedy. Let’s not let that happen, okay?”
That night when I got home, I told Tate that Ronny was going to stay with us and he grew upset.
“Where does he plan on sleeping? He sure as hell isn’t sharing your room.”
“I know, I know. I’m going to put him in his old room. He’ll need his own space. I just...”
“Don’t know what to do about me and Cara,” he finished my thoughts. I nodded grimly. He swore and paced the kitchen in which we were having dinner in. “Okay, let me figure it out.”
We discussed our options at length that night and finally made the tough decision that Tate and Cara would be moving out for the time being. They would be going to his apartment above the bookstore. He was already paying for it and his things were there. It was pointless to not use the place. Plus, I could always use the excuse of going to the bookstore for going to visit them.
My lease was over in a few months and by that time Ronny would be healthy enough to move back in with Cash and I could move in with Tate and Cara. It wasn’t ideal, and honestly, I wasn’t for the idea myself, but Tate insisted.
“I don’t want the baby here with him being loud or purposely a dick to her or everyone else because we’re staying here. And it’s closer to my mom, who is going to watch her while I work until I figure out a nanny situation. It’s the best plan right now.”
“I hate the idea of going to bed without you two,” I sighed. My heart breaking at just the thought. He came and wrapped his arms around me.
