“Oh, really?”
“Really.”
“I’ll set up the tub, then?”
“Sounds good.”
I try, again, to tell my beaver to calm down. Alex is in no condition for a monster cock ride, but the drooling has already commenced. She’s like Pavlov’s dog; any potential MC contact gets her all excited.
I run the water, throwing in some Epsom salts to help manage the aches. When the tub is half full, I strip out of my clothes and return to the bedroom to get Alex.
His eyes are closed. At first I think he’s just resting, but then I note his chest rising and falling evenly. The physical and mental toll this is taking on him is unfathomable. I return to the bathroom and turn the water off so the tub doesn’t overflow. Then I pad across the floor, shivering as I climb into bed with him. I pull the covers over me and snuggle up to his side.
Neither of us slept particularly well in the hospital, and I’m happy to be back in our king bed with our nice sheets and my favorite pillow. I don’t close my eyes; I just watch him, grateful that he’s okay enough to be lying next to me.
It’s in this moment that I realize the only future I want is one with him in it. My fears about doing something stupid at our wedding can be managed. This job I cling to isn’t nearly as important as he is. Nothing is. And that’s a scary thing to come to terms with, because all of this could have gone so much differently.
I could’ve lost him.
I decide that the next time the wedding is mentioned, we’ll pick a date. And we can start to plan. I don’t want my fear getting in the way of my future.
-&-
Eventually I must stop staring at Alex’s profile and fall asleep, because I have nightmares about the trip to the hospital. I’m running, but I can never seem to get close enough to touch him, and all my screams are silent.
I’m woken by gentle shaking. “Violet, honey?”
I pry my eyes open. Light pours in through a slight gap in the curtains. Alex is lying beside me, lines creasing his forehead, jaw clenched. His tension never leaves him, even in sleep.
I roll over to find Daisy smiling sadly at me. “I think you were having a bad dream.”
My face feels damp. I lift a hand and skim my cheek. It’s wet.
“Would you like me to let you go back to sleep?” She sweeps wet hairs away from my face. “I know you must be exhausted.”
I check the clock. It’s four in the afternoon. Even though I’m not going to work tomorrow, if I keep sleeping, I’ll be up all night.
I shake my head and crawl out from under the covers. Daisy’s eyes go wide. Which is when I remember I got into bed naked. I scramble to pull the covers back over me.
“I’ll meet you downstairs.” Poor Daisy’s cheeks are red as she scurries out of the room, closing the door behind her.
Shit. I flashed my mother-in-law. She saw my naked beaver. I’m embarrassed, but it’s not really all that huge a surprise, considering my propensity for self-humiliation. I’m careful not to jostle Alex as I get up again, creep over to my dresser, and throw on some leggings, a sports bra, and a sweatshirt.
When I get downstairs, Daisy’s in the kitchen, busy chopping fresh vegetables. She’s found the only apron I own, which features a picture of Alex’s hot body in a pair of boxers. I wonder if she knows she’s wearing her son’s torso.
She looks up from the head of broccoli she’s started on and gives me a bright smile, like I didn’t flash her my beaver moments ago. “We’ll let Alex sleep until dinner?”
“Sure.” I stand in the middle of Alex’s kitchen, which is also my kitchen, at a loss. “Can I help?”
“I bought a few bottles of wine. The whites are in the fridge. Why don’t you pick one and pour us each a glass?”
“Okay.” I open the fridge and find Daisy’s stocked us with serious groceries. It’s loaded with fresh fruit and vegetables and the wholegrain bread Alex likes—the stuff with all the seeds and nuts in it, like someone dumped in a box of granola and messed up perfectly good food. Daisy’s also picked up a loaf of enriched white Wonder bread and a brick of lactose-free cheese. For me. Three bottles of white wine line the middle shelf, all my favorites.
I’m overwhelmed with emotion. Which has kind of been the way of things for the past few days. Daisy always tries to be helpful. And she also likes to be heavily involved in her children’s lives, which sometimes means she gets a little meddle-y. But that doesn’t seem to be her intent.