A Moment in the Cabin

It Is Good To See You

"I've got him!" I hear Rose call from the kitchen when Toby wakes from his nap, and I sink back down into the couch. She is really taking my "minimal activity" order to heart. When I was released from the hospital, I was given instruction to keep my arm in the sling to help with the healing in my shoulder and to take it easy. Rose, going into full mama-mode, has been enforcing it. Now I understand how Rose feels when I fuss over her when she gets hurt. It's been a surprisingly long two weeks.

"Look bubba, Papa!" Rose cooes as she saunters into the living room, turning her body so that Toby can look directly at me. I give her a smile raising my good arm out to her and she skips over and snuggles into my side, moving Toby so he is cuddled between the two of us.

I drop my head down and kiss Rose's head with a sigh, closing my eyes and resting my cheek against her hair. At least with being off I get to spend more time with Roza and Toby. I take a peek down at Toby, who already asleep again so I shuffle our bodies gently into a more reclined position.

"Can I get you anything? You should probably take your painkillers soon," Rose asks a few moments later, but I shake my head again. "No, this is all I need right now. Besides, my shoulder doesn't hurt today."

Big. Fat. Lie. My shoulder and chest ache, but I don't want her to move. I just want to hold her for a little while longer. But that wish is squashed when the doorbell rings. Rose sits up with a groan, but I shake my head and gesture for her to take Toby. "I can answer the door, Roza. It won't break me."

I hear her grumble under her breath as I head to the door, adjusting the strap on my sling as I go. I turn the latch and open the door, half expecting it to be Kaitlynn who has been coming by once every other day with food, but I wasn't expecting the two people in front of me.

"Lissa?"

Lissa gives me a small smile before looking at Christian who is holding their infant daughter. Christian gives me a smirk and I step aside to let them in. "What are you two doing here?" I ask quietly, not wanting to tip Rose off just yet. Lissa is still a tough subject with Rose, and it's been better to not approach the subject lately.

"We heard what happened and wanted to make sure you're ok,' Lissa says softly, her eyes darting around the front room in curiosity. Christian shrugs and wanders down the hall with Lydia and my eyes widen as I go after him. So much for not tipping Rose off.

"Sparky?! What are you doing..." Rose exclaims as I follow Christian into the living room, only for her eyes to fall behind me, "here?" she tappers off, standing up slowly as she stares down Lissa. I turn and look at Lissa who looks slightly uncomfortable, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.

"It's good to see you, Rose," Lissa says hesitantly as she tucked her hair behind her ears. I look back to Rose and feel my chest tighten up at her expression. I've seen a lot of expressions on her face in the last year: pain, both emotional and physical, happiness, joy, bliss, contentment. But the look of uncertainty is different. She doesn't respond to Lissa and simply scoops Toby back into her arms and leaves the room, shutting the nursery door behind her.

The three of us looked at each other before looking back at the door. Lissa looks uncomfortable, Christian looks around the room before setting Lydia down, giving me a frown.

"Well. That went...well," Christian says with a humorless chuckle. I grab the bottle of painkillers off the cabinet and go to sit down on the couch, gesturing for Lissa and Christian to sit as well. Lissa seems uncomfortable as she shifts in her seat, but being that Christian has been here before, he is at ease and leaning into the chair.

"How is your shoulder? You had mentioned you were having nerve pain," Christian asks a moment later, and I flash him a look to quiet down. I haven't told Rose about the nerve pain, or the tremor yet. I brought it up to the doctor the other day but asked him to keep it from Rose. She has enough to worry about on her plate.