Going Home.

Chapter 15

As we enter the compound, I can see that a steady crowd is in the clubhouse so we make our way around the back. I see Carrie through the window of the kitchen and head towards her. Ryker excuses himself, leans in and give me a passionate open mouth kiss while he ducks away to go and get Jae.

I open the door as Carrie looks my way.
"Well it's about fucking time you got here, I've been warding off the vultures from yours and Rykers meals." She opens the oven and pulls out the plates.
"Where is Ryker?"

"He went to get Jae from the sitter." I reply. Carrie pops his into the oven again and puts mine onto the island bench. I pull two drinks from the fridge and pull up a chair while handing one to her.

"You look..... glowing?" Carrie says all while sizing me up. I nearly choke on my food.
"Carrie, I have no idea what you are talking." I reply while I avert my eyes towards my food.

Ryker walks into the kitchen carrying Jae. Carrie pulls out his meal and pops it down next to me while she takes Jae out of his hands.

"Tasha has to head back home, her dad is sick. I'll have to pull out of tomorrow's run." Ryker says to Carrie as he starts to flick through his phone.

"I can watch him." I blurt out. "I mean, I'm stuck here anyhow right, so I could watch him whilst you are away." I look up to see Carrie just staring at me and Ryker giving me a sly smile.

"Are you sure Mia? Babies are a little more different to older kids." Ryker says.
"How hard can it be, he just eats, sleeps and poops right?" I replied.
They both started to chuckle as Carrie started talking in a soothing voice to Jae. "Silly Mia, she has no idea how much fun a baby can be." 

I tucked back into my meal while they started chatting away about how things were going and some of the latest things that Ryker had read about.

I let out a yawn as I looked at the time.
"So where am I staying?" I asked Ryker as I finished up my plate and took it to the dishwasher. "I'll take you." He said as he stood up.
"Leave your stuff, I'll clean it up." Carrie said as she passed Jae over to him.

We headed out of the kitchen and down the hallway to the sleeping quarters.
"Your in Roo's old room. He still keeps one here just in case they need to stay over." Ryker says.  We head towards where Rykers room is and he unlocks the door across the hall from him and hands me the key.

My gear is already in the room and he must had opened the window, I can only imagine it had been a while since they had used it last.

"I'm just across the hall if you need anything." He said as Jae started to get grumbly. "Sorry, he is hungry, I better go and get him bathed and another bottle."

"Do you need a hand?" I asked. Ryker's face changed and he smiles at me as he says "Yes, that would be great."

I follow him out of my room and into his. He hands me Jae as he goes into the bathroom and runs the bath. I head over to the change table and start to unravel him

"Oh my gosh, how many layers are you wearing little man." I croon as Jae tries to grab my fingers. He hooks with his hand my ring finger and starts to suck in it.

"It'll have to be a quick one as he seems pretty hungry." I hear Ryker day as he looks over my shoulder. As I go to pick Jae up, he refuses to let go of me. He starts to let out all these verbal sounds.

"Daddy, can you say Daddy?" Ryker says to him. Jae turns his head towards Ryker and starts to let out more sounds while he tries to grab out towards him.

I giggle as Jae sits up and latch's his mouth onto Rykers nose. "Ow!" Ryker says and as he pulls back, I see a faint bit of blood on his nose.

"Is he teething?" I ask.
"I don't know." He says as he delves into Jaes mouth.

Sure enough, the gums are quite red and there is a small slither of white in the top gum.
"Oh no, on everything I have read about teething, I have not been looking forward to this." He says as he moves towards the bathroom.

"Do you have teething gel?" I ask as I start to look around through the small medical box that is next to the change mat. I remember when my wisdom teeth were coming through and how Bonjella was a God send in helping numb the pain.

"Ahh, no. I have Panadol, is that the same?" He replied. I whipped out my phone to check if you could use that instead. While I was researching, Ryker had finished washing Jae and came back into the room to get him ready for bed.

"No, they can be used together but Panadol is not the same. The teething gel will numb the area where the Panadol will work with the pain." I felt really helpful being able to research an important topic like that. I even looked up where you can buy it.

"It says you can get it from the Chemist Warehouse in Vicky Point . They are open until 9. Did you want me to go and get it." As I finished that last part, I yawned again.

"Your too tired to drive now. Would you mind watching him and I can go and get it? I'll get him all ready and in bed, so all you have to do is sit around until I get back." He replied.

"Sure." I say. Ryker gets everything sorted and hands Jae to me with a bottle.

"He should fall asleep after taking this bottle." He says as he grabs his keys and wallet and heads out the door.

I sit back against the headboard and let Jae nuzzle in while he drinks his bottle. I start to wonder about little things like, how old is he and what features he has that are his mothers. My heart aches a little as I think about this little guy and how he won't ever know his mother.

I start to think back to try and remember my mother, I don't remember much, just flashes of images. Most of my memories that I would class as motherly are with Aunty Kitty. I actually don't have any fond memories of my mother. I contemplate if maybe it is because my parents were taken so young and that is why I don't have many memories or if it is because I have lost some of the memories over time.

Jae has finished his bottle and as I go to get up and put him into his cot, he starts to whimper. I cradle him to my chest and his whimpering stops, so I take a few paces around the room, rocking him as I walk. I go to put him back down again but he starts to whimper again. I am starting to get tired myself, so I go and lay on the bed and build a pillow fort around him. I can hear his breathing and sense that he is fast asleep. I go to move my hand, but he stirs, so I place my hand over his body and lay down next to the pillow fort.

It is only a few minutes, when I too drift off to sleep.