Dolly

Nineteen

NIALL 

“I’m going to drive five miles an hour and I’m going to wrap the whole car seat in bubble wrap so Arabella doesn’t get hurt at all through our voyage home.”

I laughed and shoved more things into Mary’s bag. I guess she was right when she said to stop bringing things to the hospital. Now I have to room in any bags for her things.

            “You’re being so dramatic, Niall.” She sighed and sat on the bed next to the car seat that Arabella was already occupying. I stuck my tongue out in her direction and continued gathering her things. Along with the things people had brought over for Arabella.

            “Harry and Diana are at our house, did I tell you that? They have been staying there for a few days with Tony while I stayed with you.”

            “I thought you’ve gone home to sleep the past few nights.” Her face scrunched together in a state of confusion.

            “Well… I—I lied. I told you I was going home but then I’d go down and look at our little princess for a little bit. I waited for you to fall asleep and then I’d come back and sleep on the couch.”

            “Why?” she laughed and looked over at Arabella sleeping in her seat.

            “Because if something happened to you or Arabella, I’d be here right away.” I shrugged, swinging the bags onto my shoulders and took hold of Arabella’s car seat. “I told you, I’m going to be here for you more and more.”

            “Do you think—” she paused, biting her bottom lip. “Do you think you’d still be here if I had been pregnant two and a half years ago?”

            To be honest, I didn’t even know. Two years ago we were running from our problems. We were trying to make a life for ourselves that wasn’t all violence. I was scared to death about falling for this girl. Adding a baby into that mix would have scared me ten times more than I already was.

Of course, I took care of Tony when he was just a baby, but that’s what brothers are supposed to do. Care for the younger ones and make sure they make it through life with the proper help.

“I like to think I would be.” I quickly answered. I got Arabella’s seat into the car and all buckled up then opened the passenger side door for Mary and closed it soon after she was in comfortably. I didn’t want Mary to think that I was scared to have a baby, because she would think the worst. She would think that I was plannin’ on leaving her again. 

It’s a good kind of scared this time. I’m scared that I won’t be able to keep all the bad boys away. I’m scared that I won’t be able to help her with girl things if Mary isn’t home. I’m scared that she might think she can’t talk to me about boys.

“What if she likes you better?” I started up the car and glanced in Mary’s direction while I waited for a response.

“That’s a dumb question. Of course she would like me better,” she laughed, soon shaking her head, “I’m just kidding.”

“I’m serious, Mary!” I chuckled. “Girls almost always like their mothers more than their fathers.

“Now that’s not true. My mom could be just as bad as my dad sometimes. Yeah she cared for me, but sometimes she didn’t even bat an eye lash when he was bein’ mean. I didn’t like either of them more than the other.” She defended, gripping my hand that rested on my knee.