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“Oh Momma. You look beautiful.”
Harper steps into the living room wearing a mustard colored dress with deep red and green flowers on it. Between the hem of her dress and the top of her boots, I can see a few inches of her soft legs.
“Awe, thank you baby,” she says as she gathers her purse and checks her makeup in the mirror by the front door.
Harper might have a night out with the girls, but Silas and I have a boys’ night planned: takeout from the local pizza joint, a few rounds of Jenga, before curling up and watching Star Wars. Raising him right.
“What are you ladies doing tonight?”
“Oh, nothing special. Violet mentioned some club in the city.”
My heart drops as I watch Harper’s lip tug to the side.
I deserved that.
“We’re just going to see a movie,” she says, glancing at Silas and then back at me. “But if I was going to a club, would you be okay with that? You know, me being a mother and all.”
Deserved that, too.
I didn’t mean for it to come out that way. I am the problem. It has nothing to do with her being a mother and she has been giving me hell about it all week. Between the cold shoulder, and the digs here and there, I don’t know which is worse. It wasn’t until she rebuffed a hug that I finally realized how mad she was. Trying to apologize, I ended up putting my foot further down my throat, practically choking on it.
Headlights flash across the front window as I wrap my arms around her, squeezing her tight against me, giving her no room to wiggle out. This time she lets me. The pounding of her heart beating next to mine and the warmth of her body pressing against me are what I’ve been missing all week. She brings her arms around my waist and squeezes me back. After a few deep breaths, I release her.
“I’m so sorry.” My thumb caresses her cheek.
“I know.”
“I didn’t mean it like that.” My fingers thread into her hair as I look into her eyes.
“I know.”
These two-word sentences are going to fucking kill me. “This isn’t over, is it?”
Her beautiful smile is disarming, but it is a fucking trick. “Not by a long shot.”
“That’s fair. Now get out of here. Violet just pulled in the driveway.”
Harper kisses Silas’s forehead one last time before slipping out the door. Watching from the window, like the creep I am, I come to terms that she isn’t going to let the idea of the club go. From what Nate and Violet say, I think she would fucking love it.
Again, I am the problem. Not her.
“Alright, little man. Momma is gone for the night. Just us dudes here. What do you want to do?”
“Take off my pants!” he screams. I burst out laughing, but before I can say no, he rips off his pants and tosses them on the floor. Crawling up onto the couch, he wraps the throw blanket over his legs and stares back at me. “You too, Daddy.”
“Well, I think the pizza delivery guy might not like that. Maybe later, okay?”
Already distracted by the TV, he doesn’t respond. Guess we are skipping Jenga tonight. I tuck the blanket up around him before heading to the kitchen to make some coffee. After the long week at work, I need a little pick me up so I don’t fall asleep before he does.
Our pizza arrives, and the delivery guy makes it out without being scarred for life or calling the cops on me. Good thing I kept my pants on. Sitting down to eat, I fold my slice in half and take the first bite. Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Silas watching me before folding his slice, too. With his legs crossed at the ankles, he sits the same way I am. My little man.
Honey and Silas are snoring away before the final scene of the movie. I am surprised he made it as long as he did. I turn the movie off, scoop him up in my arms, and carry him down the hall. Pulling back his blanket, I tuck him into bed. Giving him a slight kiss on the forehead, I then flip on his nightlight and turn on the sound machine. The sound of soft rolling waves fill the room.
Reaching the living room, I start cleaning up until I see headlights flash in the window. Moments later, Harper comes in the door.
“Hey,” she whispers.
“Hey, he is out cold and his sound machine is on. You’re good to talk.”
“Did you boys have a good night?” she asks as she places her purse on the table by the door, under the mirror and hangs up her sweater. I point to the discarded pants on the floor that I haven’t picked up yet, and she laughs. “How long after I left?”
“Seconds after the door shut.”
“What a kid.” Kicking off her boots, she stretches out her feet.
“Coffee?”
“Yes, please.” She follows me into the kitchen, and I start the coffee machine.
Pulling out the bottle of Irish cream from the cupboard, I ask, “Bailey’s?”
A thump comes from down the hall.
“Momma!” Silas cries out.
Harper rushes down the hallway to find him standing just outside his bedroom door. His clothes cling to his damp, sweaty skin.
“What’s the matter?” She places her hand on his head and gives me a look.
“I sick.”
I head to the kitchen where we keep the medicine on the top shelf of a cabinet and meet them in the bathroom. By the time I arrive, she has him undressed, wiped down, and sipping cold water. While she grabs a change of pajamas, I check his temperature and dole out the medicine before tucking him back into bed.
“Someday we’ll be out of this never-ending sick phase, but right now, I don’t see the light at the end of the tunnel,” Harper says with a heavy sigh. “That poor kid.”
After finally getting Silas back into bed, we collapse on the couch. Resting her head on the pillow, Harper tucks her cold feet under my leg. I carefully lift her legs and gently place them across my lap. Using my thumbs, I work out the knots in her calves.
“That feels so good. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
She releases tiny sounds of relief with every pass of my fingers.
“We should have bought stock in children’s medicine.” She snorts. “We would be rich by now.”
* * *
An alarm goes off, ripping me out of a deep sleep. My arms flail around until it finds what it is looking for. Attempting to turn it off, I knock my phone off the nightstand, and it lands on the hardwood floor with a thud. I jump out of bed and regret it immediately. The throbbing in my head and the persistent body aches send me crawling back into bed.
Jack’s bed.
I hear a groan coming from behind me and a shuffling of blankets. As he lies there, the blanket tightly wrapped around him, his sunken eyes lock onto mine.
“You okay over there?” I ask.
“What time is it? I slept like shit.”
“It’s seven o’clock.” I tug at the blanket underneath me, but I don’t have the strength to pull it free. Fuck it. I’ll just freeze. “Were you kicking me all night?”
His hand reaches up to pull the blanket away from his face. The bloodshot eyes and ashen skin are telltale signs he caught Silas’s bug. “Whoa.”
“What?” Using every ounce of energy, he attempts to sit up. Reaching over, I place my hand on his chest, urging him to lie back down.
“Just stay there. Let me get up, get some medicine or coffee or something for you. Us.” Moving slowly, I pad my way to the kitchen and turn on the coffee machine. Already out of breath, I rest against the counter as the coffee brews. The machine emits a series of beeps, each one feeling like a sharp needle poking my brain. Fumbling through the cupboard, I find what we need before I pour two cups of coffee.
Still wrapped in his blanket, Jack emerges from the bedroom only to bypass the kitchen and crawl on the couch. He slips his shaky hand out from under the blanket and takes two pills and the mug from me.
“Your body hurts too?” I ask, curling up on the other end of the couch and wrapping the throw blanket over my body, the chills setting in.
“It hurts so much.” His eyes close, and his head gently falls back against the couch.
“We need to call into work. There’s no way we can go in like this,” I say, getting up to find my phone. Jack reaches out and grabs my wrist.
“I already texted Wolf and Nate. Winnie will hold down the fort and Nate is handling my team today. I texted the daycare, too.”
Leaning back on the couch, I sigh with relief. Walking down the hall to find my phone seemed too far, anyway. Last night was rough. After the third or fourth time cleaning Silas up and giving him little sips of water, Jack and I eventually crashed into his bed, since it was closest to Silas’s room.
“Momma! Daddy! What’s for breakfast?” Silas pops into the living room, bright eyed and bushy tailed, looking very rested and very healthy.
“How you are feeling, buddy?” Jack asks.
“Great! Oh no, Daddy. You sick?” Silas comes over to Jack and places his hand on his forehead. “You hot, Daddy,” he says with a furrowed brow.
“I’m okay. Go check on Momma.”
Silas turns to me and shakes his head before heading down the hall.
“What was that about?” I laugh and regret it immediately as my stomach sours. Silas returns a moment later and places a very wet and very cold hand on my forehead. Closing my eyes, I let out a sigh of relief from his cool touch.
“How’s that Momma?”
“Perfect, baby. Thank you.”
“Welcome!” Hopping into the kitchen, he grabs his packed lunch from the fridge before returning to the living room. Squeezing in between us, he turns on a cartoon, and pulls out a banana from the bag.
Breakfast is served.
*
A knock on the door wakes me from my sick-induced nap. Silas is still between us, his lunch bag empty on his lap and a new cartoon on the TV. Jack snores softy while curled up at an odd angle. If his neck wasn’t sore before, it will be now. Dragging myself off the couch, I wrap the blanket around my shoulders on my way to the front door.
“Wow. You look like shit,” Wolf says.
“Thanks boss. What are you doing here?”
“We came to check on you. I have electrolytes, fruit, crackers, some ginger ale...” Aubrey says as she pushes past Wolf and into the living room.
“Aubie!”
“Hey little man.” She sees Jack down for the count and puts her finger across her lips. “Daddy’s sleeping. Let’s not wake him up. You look like you’re feeling well.”
“Momma and Daddy are sick. I’m okay.”
She pats him on the head and continues to the kitchen. Turning to Wolf, I motion for him to come in and close the door behind him.
“You didn’t need to come.” Suddenly lightheaded, the room around me begins to spin. Wolf grabs my elbow and leads me to the spot I vacated just a few moments ago.
“Good thing we did. The two of you do not look well. And with a boy running on all cylinders, there is no way you will get the rest you need and entertain him at the same time.” Wolf and Aubrey share a look and she heads down the hall. Moments later, she returns with Silas’s backpack.
“Hey Silas, want to come hang out with me and Uncle Wolf for the day? That way, Momma and Daddy can get some rest.”
Silas squeals and jumps up, running down the hall to get dressed.
“You don’t mind?” I ask them.
Wolf wraps his arms around Aubrey, pulling her to his side. “Not at all. We can handle the tyke for the day. We will bring him home after supper. Are you okay with that?”
“I really appreciate it, you guys.” Tears threaten to fall. I am not one to cry often, so I am going to blame this on the illness. “Thank you. He wasn’t well last night, but it was a matter of time before we got it.”
Aubrey passes me a popsicle.
“What is this?”
“This is what Violet told me to take over. Doctor’s orders. She said it will help.”
I struggle to open the package, as my hands are sore and achy. Wolf reaches over and tears the end and pulls the popsicle out for me.
“Thank you. I feel so fucking useless.”
“You just need rest,” Aubrey says.
Silas returns, fully dressed in his pirate costume. “Got my pie atch, Uncle Wolf!”
Wolf lets Aubrey go and scoops him up in his arms. “Aye matey, let’s hit the road then. Park first? Then maybe Mable’s for lunch?”
“Yar!”