Our Hourglass (Sequel to Perfectly Photogenic)

Chapter 55

One Year Later

"Happy Birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy Birthday, dear Carson, happy birthday to you!" Our friends and family sang to our son.

"Taste your cake, Carson." I smiled, placing his hand on the small blue smash cake we got him. He pressed his fingers into the blue icing and put them in his mouth, tasting sugar for the first time.

"Baby's first sugar rush." Ryan laughed, taking a picture of his son. Carson smiled and pointed at Ryan with fingers full of cake icing.

"DAH!" Carson squealed at Ryan. Carson hasn't fully said Mama or Dada yet, but he's coming around to it.

I cut a bigger cake into pieces and handed everyone else a slice while Carson and Ryan were still making a mess with the smaller cake. I smiled, rolling my eyes and dug into a piece of cake, putting a forkful in my mouth.

"Well you officially have a one year old now." My dad smiled, coming up to me. "He's quite the handful." He chuckled.

"Carson or Ryan?" I laughed.

"I'd say both, but boys will be boys."

"That's true." I smiled, watching on.

"I'm proud of you, you know?"

"Dad."

"I know this is about celebrating Carson too, but I just want you to know you're important too and I'm very proud of everything you've accomplished. Regardless of some minor setbacks in the past, you're still my daughter and I'll always love you. You're a kind, smart person and you're a caring, loving mother and wife." My dad said, gently kissing my forehead.

"Thank you, Dad." I smiled. "Ryan." I sighed, chuckling. He had blue icing and small pieces of cake in his beard and on his shirt.

"It was all his idea." He said, carrying Carson over to me.

"Excuse me, Dad while I hose these two off."

***************

"I don't look like I was attacked by a smurf no more." Ryan said, emerging from the bathroom.

"You want a gold star for taking a shower?" I asked, laughing.

"I'll take a kiss if you got one of those." Ryan smiled, coming over to me. I crawled across the bed to Ryan and knelt in front of him, placing my hands on either side of his face. Just as I was about to lean in, Carson started wailing.

"I'll get him." I sighed, pulling back from Ryan. I got up from the bed and walked down the hallway, going into Carson's room. "What's wrong, baby?" I asked, turning the light on.

Carson was standing up, holding onto the bars of his crib for support. I picked him up and immediately noticed the heat coming off his little body. "Ryan?" I called, carrying my son into our bedroom. "Ryan, he's burning up."

Ryan walked over and pressed the back of his hand to Carson's forehead. "Ooh, he is. I'll grab the baby Motrin." Just as Ryan headed into the bathroom, Carson puked all over the front of my shirt.

"And a towel too."

***************

"Ryan, we have no other choice but to take him to the ER. His fever came back and we're practically sleeping in the bathroom at this point by how many times he's thrown up." I sighed, putting on a fresh change of clothes.

"Alright, alright." He defended, changing his clothes as well. I got Carson prepared for the cold weather outside and climbed into the back with him, while Ryan drove to the hospital. We got him checked in and we're currently waiting for a doctor to see him.

"Did he seem fine this afternoon at the party?" I asked.

"He was perfect." I hurried up and grabbed a trash bin that was nearby and placed it under Carson just in the nick of time.

"Until now." I said, wiping my son's face with a paper towel.

The doctor came in and checked Carson out, saying it was nothing more than the common stomach virus. Just keep him hydrated and if he feels like it try giving him small amounts of bland foods. He wrote a prescription for us and said we could go home and rest.

The three of us were up until five in the morning when Carson finally got some sleep in. He was sprawled out on our bed, lying in between me and Ryan with his head against Ryan's side.

"I feel like if I moved all hell is going to break loose." Ryan whispered, looking down at Carson.

"Bathroom?"

"Correct." I carefully lifted up Carson's head and placed Ryan's pillow underneath him. "Nice move, teammate." I nodded my head and closed my eyes, trying to get some needed rest. I heard Ryan finish up in the bathroom and then felt a pair of lips on my cheek. I opened my eyes and saw Ryan smiling at me.

"What's up?" I asked, yawning shortly after.

"The kiss you never got to give last night. I'm giving you one because you deserve it and I love you for being the best wife and mother in the world."

"Thank you, Ryan." I smiled. He got back in bed and laid beside Carson, me and Ryan finally getting sleep after a rough night with a sick baby.

I'm so blessed to be Brianne Sitkowski.