Grand-Slam

It'll be okay

જ⁀➴
After taking Charlise advice and seeing a doctor, I was prescribed Zoloft for my post-partum depression, and after a couple of weeks, I began to feel normal again.

Violet was now five months old, and it was becoming a lot easier to get her to follow a proper schedule, sleep better throughout the night, and throw fewer tantrums, as I understood her needs more quickly than when she was first born. I was finally at a point where I was content with everything, feeling like I was getting myself back.

The boys had begun another season, which meant Bo was going on road trips, something he had not been used to yet. Of course, we learned to navigate our relationship with him being away as often as he was, but it was different now. He wasn't just leaving his girlfriend at home; his daughter was here, too.

It was around 11PM when I was awoken by Violet next to me in her bassinet. She had come down with a cold the other day, which was a bit odd to Bo considering the warmth of the temperature in Toronto, but I assumed it was a one-off thing. Mariana told me it would clear up on its own after I called her in a slight panic.

I had kept Bo updated while he was in Colorado for a three-day series against the Rockies. Still, with the time difference and my fear of putting my congested baby to sleep without her choking, we hadn't been able to call like we usually did so he could say goodnight to Violet.

I sat up and leaned over her, seeing her squirm in frustration as she struggled to breathe. I felt my stomach drop as I sat her up, hoping that her nose was just stuffed and would slowly clear out if her head was at a different angle. Now that I was touching her, I felt how sweaty and hot she was, her onesie damp along with her hair.

I reached over to turn the bedside lamp on, the new light illuminating the room and emphasizing the paleness of her skin. I picked her up and brought her to her room to change her out of her damp clothes as she wailed in my arms. While I had become used to this during our rocky start at learning how to live with each other, it broke my heart to know she was in pain and not just crying out of discomfort.

I changed her diaper and put her in a new onesie, whispering a reassuring "I know" as I rubbed over her belly. I decided to take her temperature before panicking until I saw her spiked fever. She continued to cry so hard she would choke and cough, scaring me enough to have me racing for a pair of shoes and grabbing my phone and wallet.

I strapped her into her car seat and started the car, driving to the ER while sending Bo a quick text about our situation (don't text and drive, y'all).

Once we arrived, I walked up to the front desk, trying to speak to the receptionist over Violet sobbing, feeling tears of my own well up at her state. The receptionist advised me to sit in the waiting area and that a nurse would arrive shortly to get us.

As I walked into the waiting area, I moved around the chairs in circles while bouncing Violet, seeing the exhaustion plague her features as she slowly began to calm down. With her head resting on my shoulder, I could hear her coarse breathing, how she struggled to take oxygen in, and it scared the shit out of me. I knew what we both needed right now.

I sat with her in my lap, pulling my phone out as she exhaustedly stared around the room. Other patients in the waiting area smiled and waved at her to cheer her up. As soon as I clicked the call button, Bo's face appeared on the screen, immediately capturing Violet's attention.

"Hi, baby Vi, how are you, princess?" Bo said in a baby voice.

She grabbed at the phone as she babbled to her dad, a smile growing on his face at her cuteness before he slowly began to notice how sick and tired she looked.

"Really? Daddy misses you, too. Are we gonna watch Fishies when I'm home?" Bo said, pretending to have a conversation with her as she babbled back.

Her expression lit up at the mention of Finding Nemo, or as we referred to it, "fishies."