Recovery

Chapter 7

[ HEY friends!! Sorry for the space between chapters. I'm in school for my LPN license and I've had my midterms this week so there wasn't a ton of time to write, but this week is spring break so I'll be writing more! Thanks for your patience, and I apologize in advance if there's more periods of time like this in the future]

Archie easily slips into a rhythm once being home, getting back into working and going to the gym. He spends every spare second with Claire, taking her on short walks in her stroller and just taking her out in her baby carrier to give Veronica a little bit of time to shower and do the things she needs to do.

Even though Veronica is working from home, Archie still wants to provide for them, and so he's constantly buying her groceries and checking in on them.

Late at night, Archie will sit beside Claire's crib and watch her sleep, her tiny little fists curling around her swaddle. One night, Archie too falls asleep, on the rug beside the crib. Veronica finds him laying like that and chuckles to herself. She softly rubs his back until his eyes are open and he's staring up at her.

"Shit, sorry Ronnie," he stumbles, sitting up. "I guess I just fell asleep."

"Don't apologize," Veronica laughs. "Why don't you crash on the couch?"

"I don't wanna intrude," Archie shakes his head, stepping up and stumbling. Of course he wants to stay, he wants his girls under the same roof as him, but he knows Veronica isn't ready and he's accepting that.

"No, you're not," Veronica shakes her head, reaching out for one of his hands. "I'd like you to stay, as long as sleeping on the couch isn't a problem for you. Then you can see Claire in the morning."

"Okay," Archie smiles softly. "I'll stay."

Veronica grabs him a couple blankets and sets them at the end of the couch. He stands in the doorway awkwardly and watches her crawl into the middle of their bed, his space entirely empty. It feels like pieces of him have been erased from the space. He leans forward and presses a kiss to her cheek, and she doesn't back away for once.

"Night, Ronnie," Archie smiles.

"Goodnight," Veronica smiles.

Archie expects to sleep easier knowing that they're close to him, but he can hear Claire already starting to cry in her crib. He suspects Veronica is asleep so he tiptoes into the room, lifting her from the crib.

"Shh," Archie soothes her. "What's wrong?"

The baby continues to cry, and Archie realizes she's hungry. He hesitates before heading to Veronica's room, knocking on the door slightly before going in. Veronica stirs before sitting up, rubbing her eyes.

"I'm sorry," Archie frowns. "She's hungry."

"That's okay," Veronica smiles to herself, reaching out her arms. "Are you wanting to eat, sweetheart? You can sit down, Archie."

There's some special connection Veronica feels when she feeds her daughter, knowing that she's taking care of her baby, and Archie thinks the same thing as he watches them, sharing a tender moment. Archie is to
the side of Veronica, admiring the two people he loves most in this world as she turns around and smiles.

"We've been lucky," Veronica informs him. "She's a good eater... she's not the best sleeper, but how could Mama and Dada even be mad when we get to see our cute girl?"

"She's perfect, Ronnie," Archie smiles. "You're both perfect." Veronica blushes at that.

"I'll go burp her," Veronica says softly, heading to the nursery. Archie stands by the door as he watches Veronica rock their baby to sleep. He knew from the moment they found out that Veronica would be an incredible mother, even though she had doubts, and watching them only proves that to him. "Okay, time to sleep sweetheart."