The Devil Walks Among Us; Book l - Completed 4/21/22

Home is Where You Are

"Alright, sweetheart," The nurse smiled as she entered the room, an empty wheelchair being pushed in front of her. "Are you ready to go home?"

"Oh, I am," Mia smiled, steadily trying to push herself up onto the bed, Michael quick to act as his right palm was between her shoulder blades, keeping her steady as she sat up. "I'm so ready to be home."

"Good. I believe you're going to heal up just fine. I'm going to give you this for the prescriptions that you need to be on," She explained, holding the slip in front of her to continue explaining the medications and their duties. "This is to help with any swelling and pain with both your wound and when your uterus begins to retract back to its normal size. You will have moderate to severe cramping when this happens and it usually takes between seven to nine weeks for your uterus to shrink back down. You'll feel them coming and it's best you have a heating pad handy. The wound we cleaned for your gunshot will heal nicely, but leave a scar and there was no damage to the bone and arteries. This is the slip you rely on for your oxygen tank refills. You just call this number here and tell them this four-digit number I have circled for you - this is your patient code with them. And they'll schedule a date and time to come out and switch out tanks." She explained.

"Okay, um, how long do I have to be on oxygen?" Mia asked.

"For now, at least two weeks. Your levels are stable, but where it's getting colder outside and your lungs are still weak, you're vulnerable to go back to a concerning percentage. There's a gauge on the tank itself that monitors your levels. If it gets below 88%, please seek immediate assistance."

"O-Okay..."

"Don't be nervous, honey. It'll all be okay. I'm sure you're ready to go home." She assured her as she moved the wheelchair closer to her bedside, Michael being quick to help Mia out of the bed before the nurse had the chance. Easily, he moved her hair from between her body and the wheelchair to make her more comfortable, frowning at how sore and tired she looked.

He was the one to push her along the halls of the hospital in the wheelchair, smiling down as the sleeping baby was nestled in her mother's arms, the new parents arriving at Big John's SUV, her brother smiling at her as they arrived. "How are you feeling?" He asked her.

"Better now that I'm leaving this place," She sighed, clutching the baby as she tried to stand up from the wheelchair, being stopped by Michael as she was already overstepping her boundary. "I'm so ready to go home and get back to it."

"No." Michael protested, shocking Big and Little John as it was their first time ever hearing his voice.

Mia smiled up at her older brother, assuring him that this was a major milestone in Michael's life. She let him take the baby from her arms, carefully holding her close to his chest before softly putting her into the car seat that he was sure not to forget before he and the Johns left the house to get Mia. He buckled the baby securely, fixing her sock on her little foot, smiling at how her foot was smaller than his own pinky finger, wondering how a beautiful creation such as his little girl was made by him.

He was amazed.

In a moment, he was back at Mia's side, assisting her to her feet as Big John grabbed the oxygen tank, putting it in the floorboard of the SUV, moving over as Michael reached over to latch the seatbelt, securing her to the seat, placing a warm kiss on her temple before shutting the door, opening the rear door behind her, securing himself before returning his gaze to the perfect little girl secured into the seat in the middle, Little John on the other side, both men seeming to be obsessed at how beautiful the baby was. Her infant skin seemed more than just smooth, her nose looked like a perfect button, and her fingers were always clasped around something. Michael couldn't help himself - he couldn't help but put his finger towards the baby's curled hand, holding his finger against her hand before feeling the familiar warmth of her fingers clasping around his knuckle.

With whatever heart he thought he didn't have, he had proof he was lying to himself - he swore he felt that son of a bitch swell within his chest.

Once arriving to the Johns' home, Michael helped Mia out of the front seat as he forced himself to be accepting of Mia's family, proud of himself for not glaring at Little John or Big John for carrying the baby... Although he wanted to.

She took a few steps before stopping, taking a deep breath as this was the most movement she had done in a few days. Definitely, her lungs were weaker now. "You alright, Mia?" Big John asked, turning to look at her after unlocking the front door.

"Yeah," She nodded, clutching her stomach. "I'm just sore. I-I need a nice hot bath and a nap." She forced a giggle.

"I'm sure you'll have a nursemaid for a while." Little John poked, looking at Michael.

"Yes."