Riptide: A Christian Yelich Story

Four

And here begins the whirlwind of sadness...

***

Amelia was obviously uncomfortable as she packed Christian's duffle bag. He had an afternoon game before going to LA for All-Star week activities. Nathaniel was feeling better, but was still under the weather, and, if anything, she felt worse.

"Jesus, Mils, you look like shit." Christian frowned when he game through the door, reeking of sweat. The smell, which was normally fine, caused Amelia to gag and shake her head.

"Please shower. Please," she begged, needing to close her eyes and steady herself. This migraine was insane. Her head was absolutely pounding behind her eyes and her stomach was churning.

Christian rolled his eyes and went to shower. He loved his wife to death but she was a damn nag sometimes. He threw on some sweatpants but went shirtless to greet his girl after his shower. She looked exhausted and sick, so he wanted to make sure she was okay to take care of Nathaniel for three days.

"Babe, I can pack my own bag. You should be resting," he said softly, sitting down and laying her head on his lap. "Thank you for starting it for me." He whispered and kissed her temple. He absolutely hated seeing her in pain.

Amelia napped restlessly for about an hour while Christian packed for LA, keeping an eye on Nathaniel who was playing with some soft toys. The boy let out a short whine after a while and Amelia opened her eyes.

"He's hungry... Did I seriously fall asleep on you?" She hated being anything less than perfect.

"It's fine," Christian hummed, lounging on the couch a bit. "I'm gonna change and Shaw's picking me up in 30. You gonna be good?" He asked, effortlessly getting up and running a hand through his hair.

"Of course. Have fun in LA... I love you and I'm so proud," she smiled and leaned up to give him a kiss from where she was feeding the baby.

"I love you, too, princess. Feel better soon. I have plans for when I get back," Christian said with a smirk, always finding it insanely attractive to watch Amelia feed Nathaniel.

Amelia smiled a bit; she was still hurt from the previous night, but she didn't have the energy to fight.

"Change him before you leave?" She asked gently, wanting Christian to have some alone time with the boy before being gone for a few days.

"Seriously? I have to go to work, Amelia," he sighed and rolled his eyes and went to get dressed.

Amelia curled up on the couch, annoyed that he kept insinuating that she doesn't do any work.

Despite his prickly reaction, Christian still changed Nathaniel and groaned in frustration when the baby peed on his button-down.

"Jesus FUCK!" he shouted out and finished changing him before pulling his shirt off and changing. "I work my ass off and make millions so that you can stay home. This is your job. Not mine. Now I'm going to be late to mine," he snapped, throwing the soiled shirt into the hamper and storming past Amelia. He had gone 0-for-4 with 2 Ks that day and was already antsy, not to mention he felt pressured to perform at the All Star Game, too.

"He's a baby... He can't help it, Christian..." Amelia frowned, trying to soothe the scared baby. "And it isn't my job to be a mother. I am a mother, just like you are a father. Have fun this week," she said sadly, face full of hurt.

"Whatever," Christian rolled his eyes and grabbed his bag, slamming the door when he left.

***

The Attanasio jet touched down in LA around 7:00 pm, and Christian immediately met up with Giancarlo Stanton and Bryce Harper on the tarmac, smirking.

"What's the move for tonight?" Christian was obviously unaffected by the altercation he had with Amelia.

"Uhhh... nothing much. Just going back to the hotel," Harper smiled awkwardly. "You should get back, so you can tell your baby goodnight."

"Yeah, I suppose. I'll see you guys tomorrow for the workout," Christian could tell something was up, but he flashed his million watt smile anyway.

Tell Nate that I love him and kiss him goodnight for me.

Christian wasn't really in the mood to deal with more of Amelia's constant nagging and complaining she'd been doing recently, so he opted not to call her and texted her instead.

He already misses you and asked for "da" at bath time. He can't wait for you to get home.

Amelia always replied instantly, and Christian just read her message without response, unpacking his duffle bag. The exact place where he started was notable; Amelia packed it impeccably, even including a picture of the three of them at the hospital when Nathaniel was born. Meanwhile, he kinda just shoved stuff in there and hoped for the best.

He sorted everything he'd need for the next few days and ordered some Chinese, ready to just binge and watch TV for the night and relax. Finally a night off where he didn't have to worry about being woken up at 3:00 am by a screaming baby.

"ALL STAR GAME FESTIVITIES BEGIN" was strewn across the TMZ screen, showing Harper, Stanton, Judge, and the like all partying with tons of booze and smoking hot LA chicks.

Is this what he's been relegated to? A life of not having any fun? Is that seriously it?

He hated it.