The SONS Daughter

Anniversary

Jacklyns POV**

I was awaken at 3 am by the cries of my son, demanding that I feed him. I stumbled out of bed and stood for a few seconds, allowing myself to fully wake up before grabbing the delicate life that is my son. I crawled back into bed with him in my arms, and gracefully pulled my boob out from my shirt so he could eat. I clicked on the tv as a way to keep me awake while feeding him. He was so small and looked so fragile, my biggest fear was falling asleep and him falling out of my arms while I was feeding him. No, my biggest fear was losing him at all. In the short four months that he's been alive, he's faced a lifetimes worth of challenges.

After his feeding I sat down in the rocking chair with him, humming nursery rhymes to help soothe him to sleep. I held him close to me as I admired every detail that made up the beauty of my own flesh and blood. He had his father nose and eyes, and my smile. I carefully stood up, and gently set him back into his crib without disturbing him. I turned on his baby monitor, and headed into the kitchen to start my day.

I made myself some breakfast, and sat at my dining table inside of my empty house; a house that used to be a home.

The walls where now bare, and the floor was adorned with baby items. The kitchen sink overflowed with dishes, threatening to spill over with the addition of one spoon. The blinds had a layer of dust, as if they hadn't been opened in a decade, and the counter had bills stacked on top of each other, each one with threatening red ink stating that it was past due.

Headlights shined into the window, and I peaked in between the blinds like a middle age suburban woman would when the cops went to her neighbors house. After they turned off, I was able to make out Opies truck. I watched as he climbed out, and walked to the door adjacent to the kitchen. He opened the door, and turned on the light, jumping when he saw me sitting at the table.

"Jesus Christ what are you doing in the dark?" He asked, closing the door behind him.

"Why are you here?" I asked, ignoring his question.

"I just wanted to stop over and help clean up a bit, I noticed that it was a mess when I got Nate the other day." He spoke in a low tone, as if our son had the ability to hear him from the opposite end of the house.

"And you thought that sneaking in at 4 in the morning was a good idea?" I raised in eyebrow, truly in awe at his thought process.

"I wanted to be able to surprise you, I figured you would fallen back to sleep by now after feeding him." He said.

"Yeah well I tried but my nipples are fucking killing me." I pulled my shirt out to look at the sad state of my boobs. "Yup I mean the fuckers are sore."

"Do you need some nipple cream? I can pick some up for you today" he offered with no hesitation.

"Never thought that I would be having a conversation about my nipples at four in the morning, but yes I would appreciate some nipple cream if you get the chance." I took the last sip of my decaffeinated coffee, setting the cup next to the sink as the sink could hold no more. "I'm going back to bed. Try not to make too much noise." I walked past Opie and turned around before leaving the kitchen. "Oh and thanks Ope, I don't think I would've been able to handle this mess without just burning the place down." He chuckles in response to the truth I spoke.

"I would do anything for you and Nate." He replied softly, holding his eye contact for emphasis. I simply nodded my head in return, and may my way back to the comfort of my bed.

After falling back asleep, I woke up suddenly suspicious of the amount of sleep I got and how quiet it was. I quickly leaped out of bed, and ran to Nates crib. When I couldn't find him I started to panic. I shouted his name at the top of my lungs, running out out my bedroom and down the hallway to the living room. I stopped mid panic when I saw Opie holding his finger to his lips to silent me, while holding our sleeping son on his chest.