Snow

Chapter Thirty Three

Willow didn't wake up until seven o'clock the next morning, and it was a miracle that my body didn't automatically wake me at two for her usual feed. I felt refreshed and awake, the circles under my eyes visibly lighter than they'd been the night before. It felt weird to have gotten a whole seven hours of sleep, when I usually survived on one - or less.

The nurse came in as Willow started crying for a feed, and I smiled as she passed me a bottle of milk taken from the bag of baby stuff prepared by the bus driver - Lee. He'd gone and joined the other buses in parking outside the venue after I'd let him know I was staying the night, but promised to pick us up whenever Will was discharged.

Willow managed to drink half the milk in the bottle, and though I was worried about her appetite, the nurse assured me that it was fine. "When d'you reckon she'll be allowed to leave?" I asked the nurse as I pulled a pair of leggings up Willow's legs.

"According to her files..." She glanced down at the clipboard in her hands, "Roughly midday today, once the paperwork is all sorted out." I nodded and thanked her, pulling a t-shirt over Willow's head and placing a kiss on her forehead.

"We'll be out of here in no time, love. Just you wait and see." She touched my face with tears in her eyes as she coughed, her body shaking with effort. "You'll be fine, Will. I'll take you straight home, I promise." Dabbing at her tears, I pressed another kiss to her forehead. "You'll be fine, Will." She smiled as I did, placing an open-mouthed kiss on my cheek in response.

"Mrs Biersack-Parke?" The nurse asked, sticking her head through the gap in the door to look at me. "Willow has visitors." I scrunched up my nose and asked who, hoping it wouldn't be Andy and Jinxx again. "They said their names are... Andy and Jeremy, I think." I let out a sigh and hugged Willow closer.

I guess they had a right to see her, as much as I wanted to keep her for myself. "Let them through, I guess." She nodded and shot me a smile, and I heard her telling them to come on through. "Will, look." I said, grinning down at her and pointing at the men approaching. "Look who it is!" She giggled and hit at my fingers, pulling it into her mouth. I laughed and adjusted her position so she sat on knee. "Say hi, love." She giggled again and kissed my cheek as I leant towards her.

"Kota..." Andy said gently, slowly coming closer as if I was about to hit him away. "Kota, it's daddy." I narrowed my eyes slightly and Willow frowned. "Kota." His eyes flashed with annoyance as she pushed herself closer to me, now uncomfortable with him again. "Kota, sweetheart, it's daddy."

She glanced up at me and touched my cheek gently. "Mo-mma?" I sucked in a breath, eyes wide as my frown transformed into a grin. She blinked and smiled back, seemingly reassured by my smile "Momma."

"That's right, Will." I gushed, kissing her forehead and hugging her to me. "That was her first word, by the way." I said, still grinning as I looked at Jinxx. I'd taken to referring to myself as 'momma', though Sammi was still her mum. She needed some form of normality - she was still too young to understand what had happened to Sammi, but I'd tell her as soon as she was old enough. "Say it again, love."

She beamed and poked my cheek, tugging my hair into her mouth as she spoke. "Momma." My smile refused to die down at all, and I couldn't help but squeal a little as she repeated the word. "Momma." She'd always sort of understood what I said to her, but this was the first full word she'd said - most of her speech was unintelligible gargling.

"You're so clever, Will." I cooed, ruffling her hair gently and checking her temperature. "But you're really hot. Let's get you your medicine, hey?" Propping her onto my hip, I got to my feet to call the nurse. She was stood just outside the room when I poked my head out, and smiled. "Is it time for her antibiotics yet?"