-Stevie-
The first day goes by pretty smooth, except for the insane amount of tears we all seem shed and Katrina's words. I can't stop thinking about her, telling the entire room that she couldn't wait to be apart of Lynley's life.
If I'm being honest, it made me want to flip over the entire kitchen table like the incredible hawk.
I can't do that again. I just won't.
I could hardly allow Lydia and Luca to go over to their fathers house once she was in the picture, which was as soon as he moved out of our home and into his own. It bothered me- every weekend they would be there, I just paced the house like a crazy person.
I don't want to share Lynley with her, too.
"Stevie, you should probably get some sleep." Lori stands behind the couch, running her fingers through my long hair as I watch Sharon rock the baby from across the room.
I don't want to go bed... I don't want to be all alone. "Will you sleep with me?" I turn my head to the side, looking at her out of the corner of my eye.
"Of course, sweetheart." Her hands fall on to my shoulders, slowly rubbing them.
"Sharon, do you wanna come cuddle with us too?" I give her a gentle smile and of course, she nods her head 'yes.'
"Let's go, sweets." Sharon slowly pushes herself out of the recliner, cradling Lynleys head as she trails towards us.
"Goodnight, boys." I look down to the living room floor, where Lindsey and Luca are both wrapped in blankets on two blow up mattresses.
They both had to give up Luca's room, since now we have a couple of more house guests- enough to fill four spare rooms and no one.... No one is sleeping in Lydia's.
"Goodnight, Steph." Lindsey pushes himself up slightly, letting his tired eyes stare right into my own. "Let me know if you need anything." He was always the best at getting up in the middle of the night, letting me sleep while he sang our kids back into a soothing state.
He was always the best dad and I was so jealous when Katrina got to have what I always loved, but it looks like we get a weird, abnormal second chance.
"Sleep well, mom." Luca jumps off his air mattress to wrap me in his arms. "Love you," He's always been a mama's boy, but he's never been this attached- like actually hugging me more than once a day and saying 'I love you' without me saying it first.
"I love you." I whisper as I softly kiss his cheek.
I give them one more wave before I lead the girls up to my bedroom.
"We are gonna put you into those cute little bunny pajamas your grandma got you." Lori walks right next to Sharon, talking to the baby in a quiet whisper so we don't wake anyone up.
"She's gonna look just too adorable." Sharon adds once we've made it into my room.
Lindsey already set up the bassinet right next to my bed, while I got baby bottles ready in the kitchen for her first night home. I'm so nervous that I won't hear her cry or I won't be soothing enough for her, because it's been so long since I've had to worry about having a baby to get up with in the middle of the night... I don't know how this is going to go, but I can only assume that it's going to be a nightmare.
"Come here, sweet girl." I reach under the bassinet, pulling out the box of baby clothes Lydia packed for the hospital.
I dig through it, but it doesn't take me long to find the footy bunny pajamas Lori was speaking of. It's so scary trying to put an infant into clothes, just because they are so small, so fragile which causes me to take my time getting her dressed.
"There you go." I gently bring her back up to my chest to carry her back to her bed. "Goodnight, little one." I slowly lower her in.
"Crawl in," Sharon giggles as she pulls the blanket back for me.
~~~
-Lindsey-
"Lindsey, wake up." Lori's voice makes me jump as she pulls me from a deep sleep.
"What? What's wrong?" I quickly sit up, looking around the house for the fire I assume has been started.
"Stevie needs some help. The baby won't calm down for any of us." She lets out a sigh as I scramble to get off the uncomfortable blow up thingy.
"Did she get her a bottle?" I rub my eyes, walking up the stairs and I can already hear the cries of a healthy baby.
"She's not stupid, Lindsey." Lori mumbles, and I know she rolled her eyes.
"I never said she was." Lori didn't like me before I screwed up my marriage- I don't want to know what she thinks about me now, especially after I hurt her best buddy.
I slowly push open the door to immediately be met by Stevie pacing the room with the baby in her arms. She's singing You Are My Sunshine as she tries to gently bounce the baby to some sort of rhythm. She's wearing this pink, silk nightgown- one that cuts off just above the knee, but her hair is a total mess and her eyes already have bags under them and it's only night one.
"She won't stop crying, Linds." Stevie whispers as tears fill her big brown eyes. "Can you try?" Her eyes look so tired, so sad and so stressed.
"Of course I will." I hold out my arms and she sets the girl into them. "Hey, baby girl." I run my thumb over her chubby checks, softly drying her tears and her cries slowly start to calm down.
It doesn't take her long to fall back asleep, probably tiring herself out from all those violent screams.
"Here, baby girl." I set her back in the bassinet, and I stand there for a moment just to watch her little eye lids flutter. "I think she's good." I whisper as I turn back around, just to see Stevie, crying.
I'm not sure where Lori and Sharon have disappeared to, but it's just Stevie and my heart shatters the second I look into her eyes for the one hundredth time today.
"Hey, Steph, it's okay." I try to assure her, but it doesn't really help.
"I'm scared." She mumbles as she comes right into my arms.
I sigh as I give her a gentle squeeze and then I kiss the top of her head. "It's only the first night, babe. It'll get easier." I have to believe it will. "And I promise- I'm always gonna be right here to help out."
