"Help me!" Lucy yelled, throwing her hands up in the air out of frustration. "I can't do it by myself!" She added, grabbing an empty baby bottle off the counter and tossing it towards Crosby.
"Hush," He was half asleep, having just spent an hour trying to get the baby to go down for bed. "You're gonna wake her up already." Crosby let out a deep sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose to prevent a headache... but that wasn't very likely, especially since those had become quite inevitable in the weeks leading up to that moment.
"I can't do this!" Lucy's voice was loud, yet she could feel the tears sting her eyes as she sank back against the kitchen counter.
She truly felt like she was on the verge of having a breakdown. She hadn't slept in days, she had puke in her hair, she couldn't remember the last time she'd changed her clothes, or ate a real meal and it all just seemed so overwhelming.
Motherhood was tough, but she had no idea just how harsh it could be and she was crumbling quick.
"Please, please settle down." He was begging her to just lower her voice to keep Everleigh asleep; maybe then they would be able to rest a little bit as well.
"Oh-" she was getting ready to let him have it, but right before she could get the words out, the sound of Everleighs loud cry filled the apartment.
Sighing heavily, Crosby's tired eyes met hers. "She's awake, ya happy now?" He was so fed up- so over it all.
He didn't think they would ever move past that newborn stage... It just felt so never ending. It seemed like there was no light at the end of the tunnel- not with the baby, and not with their marriage.
"Is your mom awake?" She glanced over at the clock on the stove, frowning when she realized that it was three in the morning. "Maybe we can call her?" She didn't know what else to do- she couldn't get her to settle down... it was almost impossible.
Everleigh was almost three weeks old, and they could count on one hand how many times they'd gotten her to sleep for more than two hours at a time... That wasn't what they expected when they dreamt of being parents and even though neither of them admitted aloud- they were both thinking it.
~
Standing in the foyer, wrapped in her robe with her hair pulled up into a lose clip, Stevie watched out the side window as Crosby hurried up the sidewalk. "Hi, honey." She pulled open the door, motioning for him to get inside before the rain got either of them soaked.
"I'm sorry that I woke you up." He stepped inside, setting the car seat down on the chair as he slipped out of his coat.
"Don't be sorry." She assured, a big smile spreading across her tired face when her eyes met Everleighs. "Are you being a handful this morning?" She had the sweetest baby voice, even at four in the morning... Her patience amazed Crosby. "You are?" Stevie gently unbuckled the baby and carefully brought her up to her chest.
"She hasn't stopped crying all night." He followed her through the house and into the living room, where Lindsey was sitting on the couch.
It was dark- the only light in the room was the one Stevie had turned on while she waited for them to get there... It really fit with the gloomy mood Crosby was in.
"Do you not feel good?" Stevie whispered to the girl as she took a seat next to her husband.
Everleigh was wrapped up in a little yellow blanket, all snuggled up and warm... She just totally melted her grandmothers heart, and Stevie had a way of calming her down like no one else could.
There was a connection between them- one that was obvious to everyone, even Everleighs mother.
"Where's Lucy?" Lindsey's eyes were glued on the baby, watching as Stevie used her index finger to circle Everleighs little facial features.
Leaning back against the wall, their son let out a really heavy sigh. "She didn't want to come." He didn't really ask her- he just figured that it would have been better if they gave each other some space.
His mother was right- his mother was always right. But she knew what she was talking about when she told him that it was hard to be married, but having kids and juggling a marriage was a lot harder.... He wasn't even sure he knew who Lucy was anymore, but deep down, she felt the exact same way about him.
It was like two strangers trying to raise a baby.
"Is she okay?" Stevie looked up at her oldest, heart sinking into the pit of her stomach.
She felt bad for them, she really did, but she was also certain that they just weren't as prepared for that role as they thought they were in the beginning... Two kids taking of a kid wasn't ideal and she knew that.
"She's tired." He shrugged, almost certain that was it... she was just a little sleep deprived- like all new parents.
"Well," She glanced over at Lindsey for a second, having already had the conversation with him before Crosby got there. "If it's okay with her, we can keep the baby for the night so you can get some sleep?" She didn't want to make anyone mad, especially not Lucy, but she also wanted to be helpful at the same time.
"That would be great, mom." He came a little further into the room, kissing her head before he patted his dad on the shoulder. "I really appreciate this."
~
It was only about half an hour later when Crosby stepped into the apartment, silence greeting him instantly.
It had been a long week, so long that Levy decided to give them all some space and he went to Janies for awhile... he really needed to get some peace and quiet, but he didn't tell them that.
It was worse without Levy there- he was a buffer and a lot of help when it came to Everleigh, but they knew he had his own life too.
"Lucy?" He had brought her a donut from the bakery down the street, but it was so quiet, he had secretly hoped she had fallen asleep.
But after he trailed through the small apartment looking for her, his eyes finally landed on the note sitting on the coffee table in the living room.
