Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 59265 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 296(@200wpm)___ 237(@250wpm)___ 198(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59265 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 296(@200wpm)___ 237(@250wpm)___ 198(@300wpm)
I stopped for coffee, then food, before pulling into Willa’s driveway.
I walked in to the sound of not only Adelaide crying, but Willa as well.
“Hey,” I said, voice soft, as I placed down the food and drinks and walked toward Willa on the couch. “It’s okay.” When I reached for Adelaide and Willa easily let her go, I knew that it had been a rough day after a rough night.
I pressed Adelaide to my shoulder as she squirmed and screamed, rubbing my hand up and down her back until, little by little, she quieted down.
Willa, though, only cried harder, curling into herself and rocking.
“I couldn’t do anything right,” she whimpered.
“Hey, it was just a bad day,” I said, curling my free arm around her and pulling her to my side. “You’re exhausted. She’s exhausted. And you’re feeding on each other’s energy.”
She sniffled and nodded, but I could still feel the tears through the arm of my tee. “I don’t understand what was so wrong. She’s been fussy before, but never like this.”
“Has she slept at all?”
“Not really. Twenty minutes here and there.”
“That’s probably all it was. The more tired she got, the more upset she was.”
“Maybe,” she agreed, exhaling hard.
“Why don’t you go sneak a nap in?” I asked. “I can handle her for a few hours.”
“I can’t ask—”
“You’re not,” I reminded her.
“But what if she—”
“If she needs you, I will bring her to you. I promise.”
She looked torn, but so exhausted she was probably barely seeing straight.
“I’m just going to nap here,” she said, reaching behind her to settle the pillow against the arm of the couch.
“Okay,” I agreed as she settled.
She was out cold in under two minutes.
I pulled the blanket off the back of the couch and covered her before getting up with Adelaide, who I didn’t dare put down if she was sleeping, to take out Tuna, then grab a few bites of food.
It wasn’t long, though, before Adelaide started to fuss again.
Wanting to give Willa at least an uninterrupted hour or two, I took Adelaide up to the nursery to rock her in the glider, then put her in her swing, then back out to rock again.
Willa wasn’t imagining it—Adelaide was more than a normal amount of fussy. At least that’s how I felt based on the experience I had around babies. Which, admittedly, wasn’t a ton, but felt like a decent frame of reference.
I did manage to keep her mostly quiet for the better part of two hours.
But when she kept trying to turn her face toward my chest, I figured she was probably hungry again.
I was going to try to gently wake up Willa, but just as I was coming around the couch, Adelaide let out a full-on wail that had Willa jolting upright, eyes wide but unseeing for a moment.
“I think she’s hungry,” I explained, voice gentle as I handed her the baby.
“Oh, right,” she agreed as I pressed a burp cloth to her shoulder then walked toward the kitchen to reheat the coffee I’d gotten on the way home for her.
When I walked back in, Willa was wide awake.
“How long was I out?”
“Just about two hours.”
“She slept the whole time?”
“Not at all. You’re right. She’s definitely fussy today. Coffee? I got you full caffeine today. I know it’s been a rough one. But I can make decaf if you want.”
“God, no. I need this.”
“I brought Italian too. Hopefully, she settles after this.”
The problem was, Adelaide didn’t seem to want to nurse. Willa tried and tried again, but told me as she burped her that she was barely drinking.
But she did fall back to sleep afterward, so we figured she was just tired.
After changing her, Willa joined me in the kitchen to nuke dinner and eat.
I fed Tuna and took him outside.
When I got back, Willa was once again asleep on the couch. And I didn’t dare wake her.
So I took Tuna for a long walk that he probably didn’t need, since he was already worn out, but more to clear my own head so if I walked back in to chaos, I would be able to be the calm both the girls needed.
But all was quiet in the house.
Tuna took himself to the bed Willa had ordered him, curled up, and passed out. Not sure what to do, I sat down on the couch at Willa’s feet. I didn’t want to abandon her, in case she woke up and needed me. But I also didn’t want to walk around her house when she wasn’t aware of it, either.
So I sat and half-watched TV and half kept looking between the girls, feeling a warm sensation and a tug that I was sure would pull if I strayed too far from them.
But as the fourth hour passed and not only didn’t Willa stir, but neither did Adelaide, the overwhelming feeling was worry.