South-Side Renascent || c.g.

Secrets

Cailee

Two Weeks Later

Cody's whimpers and cries woke me up out of my short slumber. I groaned and turned to look at Carl, who was knocked out. I knew it was my turn anyway, so I cut my losses and got up.

"Hey, shh, it's okay. Mama's here," I whispered as I bounced her gently on my chest. Her cries died down a little but didn't cease. I lifted her up a bit to smell her diaper. I cringed at the scent that filled my nose.

I grabbed a diaper and baby wipes before changing her. I held her for a bit longer afterward and she started to cry again. She's probably hungry, I thought to myself.

I carried her downstairs and grabbed a baby bottle of breast milk out of the fridge. I warmed it and tested the temperature before feeding it to her. I was exhausted and my body was still going through painful changes, but her little face was all it took to forget about that stuff.

When she was almost done, I heard footsteps from the stairs. Carl walked into the kitchen rubbing his eyes, which had dark circles underneath them. He had been working himself really hard since we'd brought Cody home; he was always tired from the extra hours he was putting in at work.

"What're you doing up?" I asked him.

"I came to take over. I know you have school work to catch up on later. You need rest," he rasped.

"Carl, you need rest too. It's my turn, so it's fine."

"Cailee, please just get some rest. I promised that I'd make sure you finished school. I'm keeping that promise," he said, holding his arms out for the baby. I gave in and handed her to him.

"Thank you," I whispered and kissed his cheek. He smiled lazily and continued feeding Cody. I really wanted him to get some sleep, but I knew he wasn't budging and I didn't want to argue at three in the morning.

_

When I woke up I was alone in the room. I slipped some socks on and did my business in the bathroom before dragging myself downstairs. Carl was on the couch and Cody was lying in the little rocker Kev and V gave us.

"Morning," I said, leaning down to kiss Carl on the cheek from behind. I glanced at Cody who was wide awake and I smiled.

"Morning, baby. I made coffee," Carl said.

I smiled, "Just what I need. Thank you." I grabbed my favorite mug out of one of our cabinets and filled it with coffee. I took a seat next to Carl and sipped on my drink. He lifted my legs and pulled them up onto his lap.

"Foot rub?" Carl asked, looking at me. I nodded eagerly and he smiled, rubbing my feet. "What time is your assignment due?"

"A little after your shift starts, but I'm nearly done with it."

"Is Debbie still coming over later?"

"Yeah, she should be here in a couple of hours."

"Okay, good. I'm gonna go see Ian a little before work."

"I'm glad you're spending time with him," I smiled. They'd been hanging out almost every day it seemed.