Childish

57

I was wide awake when Alex came to get me. I'd slept most of the morning and was awake during my normal nap time. I knew it was a bad routine to get myself into but it wasn't my fault. I wasn't the one screaming all night long.

He raised an eyebrow at me as he walked over to where I was playing. "You should be asleep right now."

"I wasn't tired."

"Why?"

"I took a nap earlier. Before lunch."

He knelt down beside me. "Nap time isn't until after lunch."

I rolled my eyes. "I know that. I was tired earlier so I took a nap and now I'm not tired."

"You should have only been tired during nap time. Your normal nap time."

"Well... I wasn't."

He sighed. "Maybe you should go to bed earlier tonight."

"Or maybe I don't?" I asked, looking up at him with a smile playing on my lips.

He tried his best to hide his smile as he focused his attention on the toys in front of me. "Help me clean up these toys and we can go home."

Ms. Diane walked over and put her hand on my back as she sat down beside me. "Do you mind if we talk for a minute?"

I looked between her and Alex. "Am I in trouble? Every time you say that, I get in trouble over something."

She laughed. "I promise you're not in trouble, Lyla. I actually wanted to say something to Alex."

I looked at him at the same time she did. I had to admit that it was exciting to see him be in trouble over something for once.

"I think we need to talk about Lyla."

My eyes widened. What the hell?

Alex sighed and it seemed like he already knew what this conversation was going to be about. "I know, I know. Noami and I are still trying to figure out how to... make this work with the baby and Lyla and..."

"I know it's hard. Having a new baby is tough on anyone. But you can't forget about Lyla. She's been struggling with her sleep all week and I'm worried she's not getting enough at home."

"I don't think any of us have. Cooper's dealing with colic right now."

"Ah, I see. You don't always prepare for that when you have a new baby."

He nodded.

"I think you and Naomi should discuss things at home to find a happy medium. I understand that the baby can't help crying but Lyla doesn't deserve to be punished like this, either."

I felt bad. I really did. Naomi and Alex didn't want a baby that cried all the time. They never signed up for it yet it just happened. And it wasn't just me that was suffering. I knew Alex and Naomi weren't getting enough sleep. Alex still had to work so it was probably more difficult for him than it was for me. I could sleep at school if I needed to but Alex couldn't do that. So something did need to be done to fix it for all of us.

Alex nodded and looked at me with eyes that either gave off sympathy or tiredness. I couldn't quite tell which it was. "I'm sorry, Lyla. We're going to try to fix this."

Ms. Diane put a hand on his shoulder. "If you need anything, give me a call. I might not always be the most help but I've been around babies for a long time now. I know a little bit."

He nodded. "Thanks. We really appreciate it."