What's a Girl to Do? (Season 3)

Chapter Four: The Stages of Grief

I get up when my alarm blares at six-thirty, which causes Iana to stir immediately thereafter. I shove my comforter aside and get up and out of bed, flipping on the light and crossing over towards her crib. I lift her effortlessly, putting her onto the changing table and taking her out of her sleep onesie. Once I ascertain that a clean diaper is in order, I whip it off and clean her, before replacing it with a clean one. I then lean down and kiss her forehead, preoccupying her as I sanitize my hands and select an outfit for her that day.

Autumn had officially begun over the weekend, and now Iana could officially dig into her autumn wardrobe—supplemented by me for the last several weeks. I grabbed a pair of brown leggings, as well as a long-sleeved brown dress, for her to wear, along with a pair of brown baby Mary Jane shoes. Once I got her dressed, I lay her down on the center of my bed, digging into my closet and finding a black dress, tights, heels, and a sweater for myself to wear. I dressed quickly, not wanting Iana to take a fall off her bed, before replacing the provisions in her baby bag and gathering my own things. Once the important documents on the Farris case were organized accordingly, I put them in my own bag, before putting both bags over my shoulder and carrying Iana in my arms as I headed downstairs.

"Morning," I called as I entered the kitchen, putting the bags onto the couch and trooping into the kitchen. I kissed Liam's forehead and put Iana in her highchair, heading to the fridge to get out a bottle for her. "Good night?" I asked Ian as he sipped a cup of coffee. "You and Trev were out pretty late..."

"Yeah, fine," Ian replied, scrolling through his phone.

"Something interesting?" I asked, getting a couple cereal bars down from the cabinet for my breakfast before crossing back to Iana. I sat in front of her and positioned her bottle accordingly, and I smiled as she attempted to reach up and grab it herself.

Ian shrugged. "Just checking traffic reports. If there's a big accident, I'll probably end up being called in early..."

"Good to be prepared," I put in, turning to regard Liam. "Smaller bites, little man—we don't want you choking."

Liam grinned. "Okay," he replied, taking smaller bites.

"Hey, it's Monday, right?" Ian asked.

I sat up straighter in my chair, knowing it would be easier on my back if I made an attempt to sit correctly while assisting Iana with her morning feed. "Yeah. Why?"

"Good, just wondering," Ian replied. "It's a day where you take Liam to school and drop off Iana at daycare..."

I nodded. "Per our agreement," I replied. "Of course, we also agreed to open up the negotiation of Liam getting himself to school, once he starts middle school..."

"Maybe," Ian said, looking unsure. "It's not the same as it was when we did it..."

I smirked. "Hey, the public transportation system in Seattle wasn't all bad. If you got a good route for your day, it worked out pretty well..."

Ian laughed. "I always thought you'd be a part of a carpool..."

"You would think so," I replied, giving up with Iana and taking her out of her high chair again, grabbing a towel from the counter and draping it across my lap. "But carpools," I went on, laying her down, her bottle in her mouth, "were for children with friends."

"You really didn't have any friends?"

"Uh, no," I replied, rolling my eyes, for before I reached the age of twenty-one, I'd barely had a normal interaction with anyone. "I was that freak who read Tort and constantly wanted to be left alone. I was the very definition of anti-social. I didn't receive it until I was twenty-one. I didn't have a drink until I was twenty-one, or a cigarette." I shrugged my shoulders, looking down at Iana for a moment. "I didn't realize that I could have a baby until I was twenty-one..."