"Her eyes are open?!"
"She's not responding to anything but yes." I rushed past the doctor, smiling warmly. Sure enough, Bel was looking around aimlessly, not even noticing me walk over to her and take her hand. She felt me, I knew because she wiggled her fingers in mine. I laughed lightly at her curiosity and gently prodded her shoulder.
She turned to glare at her shoulder, but seeing as my finger was no longer there, she gave a little annoyed huff. I tickled under her chin and this time she caught my wrist. She eyed my hand, fascinated, cocking her head this way and that. She smiled, a thin little one, but my Bel smiled again. She put her palm to mine, comparing the sizes of our hands like a child. The whole top knuckle of my fingers went over her seemingly damsel hands, but it didn't deter her curiosity. I moved my hand slightly so I could lace my fingers with hers and she jumped a little. I think she was surprised I could move my hands too. It was so goddamn adorable.
"Hey baby." She didn't look up from our hands, looking at them from every angle. "You can't hear me can you? You can see my hand, at least. Did you miss me? It's good to see you smile again. What's going on in that head of yours, hm? Do you know how well you're doing?
"Jamie misses you, love. They won't let him in yet, though. Caught the flu, poor kid. They're just waiting until it's completely out of his system to see you. He's grown in the last month. That's two thirds of the time you've been here, huh? The last time you really saw him was last month...
"You're just full of energy, aren't you? I would be too if I had got to sleep for two weeks. I'm impressed you stayed still as long as you did. What kept you laying there, hm? You are a little fighter, you'll keep what yours and that was your life, huh?
"Ow! Don't do that, fingers don't bend backwards. Oh...yours does. Mine don't. Sorry. Yes, that's a nose. Is it soft? I wouldn't nose I've never petted my own nose before. Get it? Shalice loves those kind of jokes...
"You always had a thing for my eyes, huh. Yours a pretty too. NO, DON'T POKE THEM! That hurts, silly button... You're just fascinated by me today, aren't you? Oh-hello. You can lean in to me as close as you like, if that helps you see any better. I don't mind.
"You want me up there with you so you can further investigate? Very well...aw, thanks for the hug, baby bunny. You didn't know that but it was. Cuddly, aren't you? Yes, you can lift up my arm. I can do it too, see? All on my own. Yeah, I'm human too, I look like you do.
"NO NO NO DON'T-touch there...I trust you but you're not...mature? right now, so... Okay here. Pillow. In my lap. I'm not moving it. Oh I just made it fascinating, it's off limits, dammit...We have a baby at home I should know how it works.
"Yeah, you can lay in my lap. Cozy? You don't look sleepy yet. I take it back, you yawned. How can you have the...the...I dunno ability to fall asleep again? You've been asleep all this time and you're just waking up and exploring and you're already getting all droopy-eyed...
"You haven't been awake and moving is strange to you, I guess it makes sense. You wanna cuddle? You always were one to bundle up to someone and fall asleep. Hi. You can lay your head under my jaw, it's alright. I'll stop talking now, you don't have to threaten me with a poke. Alright alright. Love you. Sleep well, baby."
Niall brought a lively Jamie in his arms. He kept making little noises, curious if there would be a response. He held onto my finger as we walked to the room.
"Jeez, kid stop squirming!" I opened the door for Niall to walk through. I slipped in behind him, shutting the door softly. Jamie froze.
Shelby poked out from under the sheets, innocently eyeing Niall and Jamie. She looked behind them and recognized me and smiled. Not so much a mature grin, but a roller-coaster I'm-having-so-much-fun smile. She rolled on her back and reached out to see Niall and Jamie and investigate.
It's how she greeted people. New people. She learned what hurt and what people didn't like, and then would patiently wait for me to fall asleep with.
I was a little irked with Harry because instead of pushing her off when she discovered his top half and decided to proceed to his lower region, he sat there looking her over, like he was checking her out. But she was less interested in sex and why he had a package in his pants and hers was on her chest.
"Niall, make sure to keep an eye on them both. She can get rough."
"What do you mean?"
"Just set him over your junk, spare yourself the embarrassment." He looked at me like I was deranged then cautiously sat down on the bed, holding a now very still Jamie.
Shelby knew I was watching, I think. She didn't do anything mischievous like she'd done when I wasn't in the room, and was very gentle with Jamie. Like she already knew how delicate he was.
She was enthralled when Niall had to go and leave Jamie to take a call, Jamie had the same mental capacity as hers at the moment. Jamie balled the sheets in his chubby fists and bounced a little, like he wanted to show his mum. Shelby watched and very cautiously, very gently, put a sheet around him, over his head but angled so he could still see and hold his sheets. I could've watched them play for hours, it was like Charades with an occasional happy squeal from Jamie. They both started to lose energy with intreats, but content they had new playmates. I sat down so Shelby would snuggle up to me and rocked Jamie to sleep.
YOU ARE READING
Kiss Me Before the Sky Falls
Hayran KurguI don't know how it happened but I wouldn't change a minute of it. It went from a Nando's waitress to Niall's girlfriend. Then Liam's jealous phase and being thrown away like we'd never had anything. I remember, I can count the seconds, when I was a...
