Never Giving Up (Never #3)(62)
“You know I’m just concerned about you,” he said, pleading with me to understand his point of view, looking up at me with so much love in his eyes I felt a tug at my heart. “These aren’t normal circumstances, Babe. This isn’t you leaving her for thirty minutes to go run an errand. This is you and her, locked in a room, for who knows how long.”
“I know. But this is what I signed up for. This is what being a mommy is all about. If she’s here, so am I.” Porter was silent for a moment, but I still took the opportunity to run my fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck. “There is, however, no reason for you to be here every night. This room was not made for two parents.”
“So, let me get this straight,” he said seriously, but with a small grin. “You get to stay here and play the Mommy of the Year role, and I get to go home and sleep in our comfortable bed all alone?”
I leaned down and pressed a long, gentle kiss to his forehead.
“You get to be Daddy of the Year for the rest of her life. Just trust that it would be impossible for me to leave her here.”
“As you wish,” he said, wrapping his arms around my waist, his head resting against my belly, silently asking for me to run my hand through his hair again; I knew how much he loved it. “So, I’m gonna go home then, and take some time to catch up on sleep and shower. I’ll come back later this evening with an overnight bag for you. Anything in particular I can bring you?”
I tapped a finger against my chin, pretending to think really hard about his question.
“If you brought me a chocolate milkshake, I would love you forever,” I said with a smile. My smile grew wider as I felt his hands travel around my waist and fall on my bottom. He pulled me against him with a playful gleam in his eyes.
“You were already going to love me forever, but I’ll still bring you a milkshake,” he said as he firmly yet gently tapped my ass.
“Of course you will,” I teased.
We both heard the door open and I turned as Melody walked in, carrying a plastic tub and some more diapers. “Hi,” she said sweetly. “Don’t mind me, just checking some vitals.” I left Porter and walked to the crib to watch Melody examine her. She took her temperature and listened to her heart.
I felt Porter come up behind me and kiss the back of my head. “I’m going to head out then.” I leaned back into him and let him take my weight for a moment. He tapped my bottom again and then moved in to kiss Mattie on her head, minding Melody and her work.
“Bye, Princess. I’ll be back later with a milkshake for your momma. You want one too? You’re gonna have to talk to her about that.” He stood up and winked and me. “I’ll see you in a bit,” he said, leaning in to press a small kiss against my mouth.
“Ok. I’ll see you later.” I watched him leave and then turned my attention back to Mattie. “Can’t you just look at the screen to get her heart rate?” I asked curiously after she removed the stethoscope from her chest.
“Oh, I’m listening for the abnormality. Her heart rate has been stable since she was admitted.”
“Can you hear it? The murmur?”
She looked around like she was afraid someone would hear her. “You know,” she said as she whispered and leaned in closer to me. “I really can’t.” She smiled at me. “Not that I think they are making it up, but sometimes when babies this small come in, the doctors just really try to be thorough. I’m sure if Dr. Edwards said she heard something, she’s just being thorough.” Everything was quiet for a moment while Melody finished her examination.
“So,” she said, drawing out the word. “Your husband is very sweet.” I could see her trying to hide her smile and it made me smile in return. I was used to women fawning all over Porter. It was inevitable and it usually didn’t bother me. I knew exactly what other women saw when they looked at him and I could appreciate it just as much as they could. Seeing Melody turn a pretty shade of pink as she blushed made me laugh out loud.
“He is very sweet. I’m a lucky lady.”
“How did you two meet?” She asked, moving around the room trying to avoid eye contact.
“Oh,” I said with a sigh. “It’s a long story. I guess you could say his mother introduced us.”
“Ah ha, well, if he has any younger brothers who don’t mind overworked nursing students, I’d be happy to meet them.”
I laughed out loud at her.
“Unfortunately, Porter is an only child. But my brother-in-law is closer to your age and he has brothers.” I paused and smiled at her. “He’s not as good looking as Porter, but he’s easy enough on the eyes.”
She laughed and our conversation moved on effortlessly as we stood in Mattie’s hospital room, prepping to give her a bath. It occurred to me, five minutes later, that this was the first time in over twenty four hours that I didn’t feel like my world could collapse around me at any moment. Something about Melody’s sweet nature and ability to take my mind off of the very real trauma happening around me, lifted my spirits in a way that I would be forever grateful for.
We had just finished drying Mattie off and dressing her again when the door opened and another white-coated person walked in. My heart stopped and my eyes darted to Melody.
“Can I help you?” Melody asked, her voice firm, but polite.