Baby Fever [Jacob & Edward]

2

Edward spends the rest of the evening huddled over instructions, written in two point font, trying to figure out how to set up a crib. He's reluctant to buy it at first, citing that her parents could be found at any moment. Though, he still couldn't see the harm in making the purchase. Even if she was only here for one night, he'd feel better if she wasn't sleeping in a car seat. He could just donate it. So, he has her seated a decent distance away, trying to ignore her confused gaze for the couple of minutes she managed to keep her eyes open, as he wrestled with bolts and screws.

He should've called Emmett. He knows he should've called Emmett. The thing would've been up in a matter of seconds if he'd just sucked it up and just called his brother, but he just hasn't figured out how to explain the predicament he's managed to get himself into this time. Especially with it coming so soon after the last debacle, he felt like a disaster magnet.

So, he takes the hour to put up the crib before carefully placing her into it.

Then, he just stands there staring down at her.

He thinks he'd feel better if he set up the baby monitors. He wrestles with the cords and finding a place to sit the camera where he could see her face. He listens to see if he can hear her little breaths through the speaker.

When he looks up, it's five in the morning.

What has his life become?

Before Edward had found her on his doorstep, he'd be doing other things. What other things? Grading papers. The next assignment wasn't due until next week, having been pushed back by his little predicament. Looking over autopsy files. There weren't any recent cases that involved autopsies, majority of the people who died in Forks were going straight to the morgue. He was just there for the odd outlier. He couldn't go to any appointments and, even if he could, he didn't want to bring home any germs. There was no work currently available to distract him.

In his free time, he would go hunting. He peers over at the monitor, mind conjuring up an image of a tiny face looking up at him from a sling while he tries to hunt a deer. It feels as ridiculous as it sounds.

So, he spends the night staring at the baby monitor.

In order to get out of his own head, he pretends to need breakfast. He gets up from his recliner, takes a shower, gets dressed, and chooses between a light pink and dark pink onesie before they pack up for their little trip. He finds a small diner that he's only ever seen the outside of and ventures inside. In contrast to the rusting sign atop the building and old advertising in the windows, the interior of the building looks cared for. It gives off the impression that someone takes pride in the clean checkered floors and the juke box in the corner that somehow still works.

He's distracted from the children shoving quarters into the machine by a waitress who seems eager to get him into a seat. He places the car seat inside of the booth and plops down next to it. The woman opens her mouth, teeth beaming with a genuine smile.

"So, what can I get you to drink, Honey?"

To his surprise, she doesn't linger. He watches as the woman goes running off to get him water, leaving him to glance over a menu.

He doesn't spend too much time actually looking, eyes scanning quickly over the words before he decides to just pick the next thing his eyes land on. The process only distracts him for a moment before he's focusing on the way the baby is wriggling in her car seat. He pushes the cover back so she can see that he's still there. They stare at one another for a second before he hears the sound of the bell above the door ringing and, as he's whipping his head around, he catches sight of a cop car parked outside.