Protecting Her(47)

“Can I run you a bath, or get you something to drink, or give you a massage? Just tell me and I’ll do it.”

“I just want this. Us. Together. I feel like you’ve been gone for months and I’ve missed having you in my life. I want my husband back. I want you back, Pearce. For good. That’s all I want.”

I kiss her. “I’m back, sweetheart. For good.”

I roll onto my back and she nestles against me. I pull the covers over us and she falls asleep in my arms.

The next day, the three of us have breakfast together, then go to the pumpkin patch. One of the neighbors told Rachel where to go, which is good because I wouldn’t begin to know where to find one.

It’s a warm day for October, bright and sunny and perfect for picking pumpkins.

“Dada.” Garret points to a mini pumpkin. Rachel and I are standing behind him. We’re at a large farm and there are several acres of pumpkins all around us.

Rachel crouches down next to him. “Do you want that one?”

He tries to pick it up but it’s too heavy and he ends up falling down and scraping his hands on the prickly vines. He starts crying.

“Garret!” Rachel races to pick him up. She holds him against her and he cries even harder. “We better go home.” She sounds panicked.

“Rachel, he’s fine.” I pick up his hand and look at it. “There’s no blood. It’s just a scrape.”

“Yes, but it could get infected. I need to get him home.” She’s overreacting. Garret is fine. But her reaction is scaring him and making him cry even more.

“Let me take him,” I say to her.

She reluctantly gives him to me.

I hold him in one arm and face him toward the pumpkin patch. “Look at all those pumpkins, Garret.” He stops crying and gazes out at the field. “Do you want to go look at the really big ones?”

He looks at me and smiles. I wipe the tears off his face. “Let’s go see the big pumpkins.” I start walking off.

I hear Rachel behind me, talking quietly. “Pearce, we need to get him home.”

“He’s fine,” I say quietly back. We reach a patch of giant pumpkins and I set him down next to one. “That’s as big as you are, Garret.”

He laughs and hits the pumpkin with his palms.

“Let’s get that one.” I remove it from the vine, hoist it up in one hand and pick Garret up with the other.

Rachel is watching me, but keeps looking at Garret with worry and concern. I’ve been at work so much that I haven’t seen her with him other than a few minutes a day. I didn’t realize she was so overprotective of him.

“Why don’t we get a few of these smaller pumpkins that are more Garret’s size?” I say to Rachel as we come to that part of the field again.

“Um, okay.” She bends down and points to one. “Do you want this one, Garret?”

He claps his hands together.

I laugh. “I guess he likes it. Get that one and a few more that size.”

As we walk to the entrance to pay, Garret grips my shirt and lays his head on my shoulder. It warms my chest and makes me smile. I love him so much. I can’t believe I’ve missed so much of his first year. So many moments, just like this one, I’ve missed because I spent all my time at work.

My son needs me and I haven’t been here for him. Ever since I got home last night, he’s followed me around, and when I hold him, he clings to me, like he thinks I’ll leave and never come back. It hurts me to see him act that way, knowing I’m the cause of it.

We get home and have lunch and then I put Garret down for a nap. I go back down to the kitchen where Rachel is cleaning up.

“Hey.” I go up to her, taking the dish towel from her and setting it aside. “What was going on today?”

“What do you mean?”

“Why did you get so upset when Garret fell down?”

“He was hurt. I was worried about him.”

“Do you always react that way when he falls down?”

“If he’s hurt, then yes.” She sounds angry, defensive.

“Rachel, he’s just learning to walk. He’s going to fall down. You can’t react that way every time he does. It scares him.”

She backs away. “Don’t tell me how to react. You’ve been with him one day. That’s it! I take care of him all day, every day. I think I know how to take care of him.”