Twisted Turnaround

Chapter 46

MILES

We finally come home.

After the long week in the hospital and the biggest scares of my life, we are finally ready to come home. Evie is perfectly healthy, and Andrea was awake from her coma. The doctor told her that she should take it easy and not overwork herself, but he had released her. She was fine, and the extra time her body hadn't wanted to wake up from the coma had given her extra strength. All in all, we were excited to come home.

As soon as we do, Andrea walks into the living room with Evie in her arms. She stands in the center of the room and spins around once. "Look, Evie, this is our home." For now. I would work hard to get us out of this small apartment and to a respectful home in a small neighborhood. That is the dream I'm working toward.

Andrea kisses Evie on the head and then looks up at me. "It will just be the both of us for a little bit," she speaks to Evie and then to me. "Because daddy's going to have to go take a shower and catch up on sleep." She looks down at Eve, grinning big, "Right, baby?" She waits for our daughter to coo at the statement, and when she does, Andrea is the happiest woman in the world. I look out for the moments she laughs at the presence of our baby girl when she doesn't otherwise. She has been going through an episode—something that was bothering her and masking her happiness.

I fully pieced it together in the hospital when she told her mom about her postpartum diagnosis's, and that's when I learned how she has been feeling. The reasoning for her not being happy with me or doing anything that brings her joy. The couple weeks leading up to the birth were hard on her, and it was also hard for her to work through her emotions. I finally understood why she had to break up with me. On top of anxiety, she had fallen into depression.

I don't know how severe it is, but the thing is, she is attached to Evie. If the little girl didn't have to be put down for naps, she would want to hold her forever. I think it had something to do with missing her so much the week she was in a coma. I wish I could tell her that everything will be alright, and when Evie is all grown up, she wouldn't even feel her mother's absence the first week. If she asked and the conversation came up, I'd tell her that her mother had been so strong giving birth to her and there were some side effects.

Andrea grins at me. "See, Evie thinks that you should go take care of yourself."

"I'll see," I say, moving further into the house and passing by them. I lean down and press a kiss to Andrea's head before whispering, "I love you." I can't stop myself from letting her know my real feelings. She hasn't called me out on it, so even though it pains me to not hear it back, I still say it. Because it's true and because I want her to know. I move into Andrea's bedroom and put all the things down.

The bassinet that we bought for our baby and all the items that she will need. I set everything down on the dresser before heading back to the living room.

"Why aren't you heading to shower?" Andrea asks when I walk back in. I give her a little smile and say, "Just let me get her bassinet fully ready so I know there won't be any trouble when I'm in the shower."

"You know that I can figure it out myself?" she asks as she watches me take the bassinet into her bedroom. I figured it would be easier to have the bassinet in the mom's room than mine. So when Evie is up in the night and fussing about being fed, Andrea will be able to get to her faster. I place it beside her bed and then make sure that the mattress is nice. After checking for any loose pieces, I look up. "Think it looks good."

"Yeah, it is good," she says, standing close to me where she nudges me with her arm. "Now can you go shower and take care of yourself?" she asks me, and then looks into my eye. "I don't even know why you hadn't come back home at all during my coma."