Another Life

29

quick content warning: smut (kind of). it's a cut-to-black, but still kind of smutty. it will make sense when you are reading it, however if that makes you uncomfortable please skip what is written in italics :)

We had stayed in the nursery a little while longer than planned, us ending up spending over another hour sat in there before Jay carried Macie back downstairs and into her own room again and this time we manage to keep her there. As Jay came back into our bedroom I had just put Alfie down in the bassinet and was now moving across the room to get changed for bed myself.

"She's really out." Jay whispers, trekking over to the bassinet next to my side of the bed in a somewhat tiptoed way.

I look up from the dresser and over my shoulder to watch as Jay ran his finger over the top of Alfie's hair and then he quickly comes over to me, lighting kissing the back of my head before ultimately he collapses down on his side of the bed.

He looks through something on his phone as I change into a loose shirt and sweats, us having the bare minimum of what could be classed as a conversation. Then I make my way over to join him under the sheet, fully intending on falling asleep quickly in order to get as much sleep as possible before we were to be woken up again by a certain someone.

But before I'm able to sit down on the mattress something inside me makes me come to a sudden stop, and I find myself staring at a spot that less than a week ago had brought my heart into my throat. Not a moment after I halt, Jay looks up from his phone after he obviously catches the movement in his eye-line. In the corner of my own eye I see him put his phone down and kneel his way across the mattress so he's sat in front of me. He calls my name a few times but it's only when he reaches his hand out and puts it in mine that I rip my gaze away from the spot on the mattress.

"Hailey, it's over. That's all over," he says before taking his free hand and uses it to pull back the comforter on my side, exposing the mattress. "See? Kev cleaned it the first night, he told us that. It's gone."

I nod quickly, staring back down at the now just cream sheet, unable to say anything. The sheet that had had a large area of it coated in a puddle of red not that long ago.

Jay tries to get my attention again but it doesn't work, although he still carried on with what he was planning to say. "Everything's fine now, we're back home with him. You're okay, Alfie's okay, everything went fine."

He scoots up the bed, sitting over the part I had been continuing to stare at before gently leading me down so I was sitting beside him. He puts forward his second hand, lacing it in mine. Jay doesn't say anything further so we just sit there until after a length of time - I don't know how long exactly - he leans forward to put his lips to my forehead and then pull me into his chest, another kiss to the top of my head this time.

Into my hair he whispers, "Everything's okay." and that's the last thing I can remember, the entire night just becoming a blur of waking up, feeding, changing and sleeping on repeat.

************

Eight months ago

We got to the motel just after eight. Our flight was supposed to leave two hours ago but after one thirty-minute delay because of the weather they suddenly put the flight off until the morning - like really early tomorrow morning - and after a discussion with Jay we decided we'd just stay in the motel a few minutes away rather than drive all the way back home only to have to leave the house again by three to catch the flight. This way we could have at least another hour of sleep and still be at the airport in time.

I threw the suitcase on the bed and let a groan out to the air as I heard Jay shut the room door behind him. I sigh, covering my eyes as I slowly step over to the bed and take the suitcase back off of it and put it on the floor.