Sabrina ; The next generation

26

The next morning, I woke up with me being the only person in the bed.

I turned over on my other side and my eyes landed on Naomi who was walking back and forth, rocking Willow in her arms.

She quickly noticed that I was awake, and offered me a faint smile as her way of saying good morning.

"I hope it's okay I picked her up. She was crying and I wanted to let you sleep."

I shrugged.

"I don't mind. It's better than having you scream at me."

Naomi sighed.

"I didn't scream at you."

"Nah. You just accused me of being in love with Tomas."

She didn't answer. She looked at me for another moment and then looked down at Willow.

"I thought about you every day." I said quietly, my cheek pressed to the pillow. "When they told me they had you in that room, I freaked out. It was the same day I found out I was pregnant. I tried to get to you but the door was locked and Emmanuel grabbed me. I was chained to my bed for two days."

"Sabrina. I love you so much. I freaked out because you were talking as if what he did to you was okay. It wasn't okay, and it was his fault, but I don't want to fight about that again. I'm really sorry about what I said."

I didn't answer. Instead I pulled the duvet up closer, shutting my eyes.

"There you go sweetheart." I heard Naomi say in a voice I hadn't heard.

I turned and looked at her.

She was using a baby voice while putting Willow down, and that voice made me go soft.

Which I hated, because right now I needed to be mad with her. When Naomi walked around the bed to sit on the edge of my side, I laid back down and shut my eyes, but then Willow started crying again.

I got up, throwing the duvet aside before walking to the crib. I picked Willow up and then made my way to the door.

"Bree, can we talk about this?" Naomi asked. "Now now, but... sometime today?"

I shrugged, walking out of the room and down the hallway.

"I know." I whispered, pressing a kiss to Willow's forehead. "I'll make you a bottle."

I walked down the staircase and turned to walk into the kitchen where mum was the only person awake.

"Good morning beautiful." She smiled. "How'd you sleep?"

"I had to get up and feed her at four in the morning." I said.

"Well, that's how it is with babies. You're lucky you only had to get up once." She chuckled. "When you were a baby, I got up four to five times each night to feed you."

She handed me a bottle of formula that I hadn't realised she stood with, and I took it.

"I made it for her so you didn't have to." Mum told me. "And I was thinking that if you'd like, I can help you make a routine."

"A routine?" I asked as I did what Marco taught me last night, and Willow immediately started eating.

"Yeah. To make things easier for you. Newborn babies needs to be fed about every three hours which fits quite perfectly if you fed her around four o'clock."

"Oh..." I muttered, but then nodded. "I'd like that. Thank you mum."

"You're welcome, sweetie." Mum smiled at me. "Why don't you go sit in the living room with her while you feed her? I'll bring in a cloth for when she needs to burp."

I thanked mum again, before walking to the living room, taking a seat in the corner of the sofa.

I watched her eat, and the way her eyes were solely focused on my face made my heart melt.

As I stared at her, my vision blurred as my eyes teared up.

"I'm sorry." I whispered to her. "None of this is your fault."

"And it isn't yours either." Mum said as she walked into the living room with a cloth that she threw over my shoulder.

Then she sat down on the ottoman across from me.

"What do you think of the name Willow?" I asked, watching my mum as her eyes focused on my baby.

"That's cute. Are you thinking of naming her that?"

"I've already named her that." I said, and mum looked at me. "I decided on it last night."

Mum only smiled, reaching over to brush a finger over Willow's hand.

"She's going to grow up to be a very beautiful little girl." She said softly and I smiled, looking down at my daughter.

Mum then stood up and leaned down to press a kiss to my head. "I'll make you some breakfast."

I heard footsteps on the stairs in the foyer while mum walked away. I heard her greet Naomi and tell her where I was, and then Naomi showed up in the living room.

She walked over and sat next to me on the sofa.

She looked good.

She hadn't spent hours getting dressed. She rarely ever did.

She wore a pair of black loose jeans and a navy blue jumper. Her hair was brushed through but it was loose around her face and shoulders.

But even though she didn't spend a lot of time getting ready, she still looked incredibly beautiful.

"What can I do to make up for what I said?" She asked quietly, gently rubbing my shoulder.

I shrugged.

"Right now... I'm just upset. Give me time to cool down, yeah?"

"Okay." She whispered, nodding. "Do you want me to go?"

"No." I sighed. "I mean... no, I don't want you to go. I don't want you to ever go, because I can't— I can't sleep in that room alone."

"Don't worry. I'll stay as long as you need me to." She assured me. "Though I might need to get some things from my own room at home."

I nodded.

"I need something else too." I said, and Naomi tilted her head, waiting for me to ask. "I want you to come see Tomas with me."

I looked at her and her eyes widened.

"Sabrina, I can't—"

"Please, Naomi. I can't do it alone, okay? I need to see him and have him meet his daughter."

She looked down, clenching her jaw, and I couldn't read her. I didn't know what she was thinking.

"I need you to be there with me." I said, and she sighed.

"Fine." She said. "I'll go with you but if you two start to play family, I'm out of there."