That Would Be Enough

12

Kate reluctantly began to settle into a routine with Madeline's care. Every other weekend and every Wednesday she was with her father. She spent the whole time worrying and missing her daughter. Lin did his best to distract her. He was now spending most nights at Kate's.

One particular Friday night, Madeline was with her father and Lin and Kate stayed in with a movie. Lin could tell when she was worrying about her daughter. Her forehead wrinkled and she got quiet. He gave her hand a supportive squeeze and tried to hug her reassuringly.

"Stop worrying," he told her gently as he stroked her hair.

"Sorry," she apologized, knowing she wasn't being much fun. When Maddie was away, she felt subdued and not in the mood to do much.

"Don't apologize," he said.

"It's just that he's had very little to do with her life," she explained. "He doesn't know how to take care of her."

"Well, she's pretty independent," Lin reminded her.

"Yeah, but she's got diabetes," she reminded him. "It makes me nervous that he's not paying attention and he's not going to know what to do."

"Well, if he's not sure he knows he can call you," he said. Lin glanced up at the clock. It was 11:00. He stood up and held out his hand. "Come on," he said. "Let's go to bed."

Kate accepted his hand and let him lead her to the bedroom.

The next day, they had a lazy morning, going out for brunch and taking a nice walk in the park. Kate hadn't received any phone calls saying Maddie was crying and upset, which was good. She worried that Maddie would be uncomfortable being with her dad, especially at bed time. So far, so good.

On Sunday, Jason brought Maddie back a little early at around 4:00. When the little girl walked in, she looked tired. Jason pushed her bangs back as he brought her inside.

"She hasn't been feeling well the last hour or so?" He confessed to his ex.

"Have you checked her blood sugar lately?" Kate asked, kneeling down in front of her daughter.

"Uh...no," Jason admitted. Kate sighed and guided her daughter to sit on the couch. She got out the monitor and quickly checked her. Her blood sugar was low.

"Jason, her blood sugar is low," she told him as she went to the kitchen to get a snack. She came back with some fruit snacks. "If she gets lethargic like this, you need to check. Madeline, you know that when you feel this way you need to ask."

"Sorry Mommy," she said quietly as she began to eat her fruit snacks.

"It's not your fault," Kate told her, feeling more frustrated than ever with her ex. "Jason, can I speak with you privately?"

They went back to the master bedroom to talk.

"If you cannot take care of our daughter, I am going to refuse to let her go with you," Kate told him firmly. "You cannot let her blood sugar get low like that."

"Kate, I'm sorry," he said. "It won't happen again. And you don't have the authority to decide if Maddie comes to me or not."

"Well, if anyone gets on my case about it, I'll let them know you've been neglectful. Don't threaten me," she said, crossing her arms. Jason just stared at her for a few long moments. His ex was really making this situation difficult.

He wordlessly left the room and walked over to Maddie, who was already busy playing with Lin on the floor. Jason gave her a kiss and a hug goodbye, then left.

Kate watched Lin and Maddie playing and felt relief. She seemed to already be feeling better, which was good. She was only four years old, and didn't realize how her diabetes worked yet. It was too much to expect a four year year old to regulate her own blood sugar. She didn't understand how her blood sugar corresponded to how she was feeling. And she shouldn't have to think about it yet. That's why she needed a responsible adult with her at all times. Kate was now even more worried than before.

"Let's go out to eat tonight," Kate announced, wanting to celebrate the return of her daughter.

"Yay!" Madeline celebrated. If it were up to her, they'd be going to McDonald's, but Kate wanted to go somewhere a bit more nutritious. They ended up hitting up a Panera-like local restaurant a couple blocks away. Maddie talked a mile a minute, telling them all about her weekend with her dad.

Kate was pretty sure Maddie hadn't been bathed since Thursday night, so once they got home she went straight into the tub. She requested for Lin to wash her hair, and he happily obliged. He carefully rinsed her soapy hair with warm cups of water. Once she was in her pajamas, she ran to her room, ready for stories.

Madeline was obsessed with Lin. She insisted he read to her. Kate stood in the door frame, leaning against it, watching Lin read quietly to her daughter. He made voices and had Maddie cackling with laughter. He really would make a great father.

Once the stories were finished, Kate came in to kiss her good night, then they closed the door. Now that her daughter was home, Kate relaxed in Lin's arms on the couch as they watched some television.

"You feeling better?" He asked her.

"Yes," she smiled. "Though I'm really concerned that Jason didn't think about her blood sugar being low."

"Yeah, that's a little worrying," he said. "Does Maddie understand what's going on when she feels bad?"

"Vaguely," Kate said as she examined his fingers. She wasn't sure how she found his hands sexy, but she did. They were long and looked strong and capable. "She's still a bit young to make a connection. When she gets a bit older, she can actually wear a device that will continually give her insulin. It's like a smart monitor. It will make things so much easier."

"That'll be nice," he said. "I was thinking I should probably learn how to test her too. In case I'm ever with her alone."

Kate nodded in agreement. The next morning, when it was time to check her blood sugar levels, she showed Lin how to do it. She let him do it as she walked him through it. Lin was impressed at how brave Maddie was about being pricked. She was used to it by now. He looked at the results and saw her numbers looked good. Maddie went outside to play.

"That wasn't so bad was it?" Kate asked as they watched Maddie run around, laughing.

"Well, it's not my goal in life to make children bleed," Lin said. "I could never be a nurse or doctor."

"That makes two of us," Kate agreed. "It took me a while to get used to pricking her. Made me flinch. What I'm not ready for is when she's old enough to do it to herself. I can't imagine pricking myself willingly."

"No, that sounds awful," he agreed. Maddie had a little while to play, then it was time for preschool. Lin offered to get her ready while Kate finished up in the bathroom. They dropped her off together and then both had places to be. After Kate had kissed him goodbye, she realized how much he'd become part of their daily lives. He helped with Maddie, cooked dinner, helped around the apartment, and stayed over most nights. It was almost like they were a little family. Kate had to admit it felt right.