70One week today I'll be a Mrs!
As the holidays approached, I felt uneasy. Not in the sense that something bad was going to happen, but that I was missing something.
It came to me like a brick wall in the middle of the night. I realized what was missing.
I slipped out of the bedroom and sat on the couch, looking at the call icon. Well, more it was taunting me.
I knew that it was late, but I wanted to do it while I still had my nerve.
I listened to the phone ring as I straightened the medicine bottles on the coffee table.
"Hello?"
"Abe?" I said.
"Hi. How are you?" he asked. I could hear the eagerness in his voice, but also apprehension. I hadn't spoken to him since he and Janine dropped that bomb on me, and I felt that it was time that I spoke to him. I had at least spoken to Janine.
"I know it's late, but I figured you would be the one that would be up this late," I said with a slight chuckle.
"In comparison to?"
"My mother," I said with a roll of my eyes.
Abe was quiet for a moment.
"I'm actually with your mother right now," he said slowly, "We're just getting home for dinner."
I nodded. "Oh. Good. Then I only have to make one phone call. You, me, Janine, we're having dinner at Risso's on Saturday. Just us, eight o'clock," I said firmly. I would have asked, but I needed to be direct here.
I could hear Janine's laughter in the background.
Abe cleared his throat, almost like he was trying not to laugh.
"Sounds perfect. Should we pick you up, or would you like to meet us there?"
"I will meet you there," I said.
"Alright then. How is Dimitri feeling?"
"What do you mean?"
"I know about his injury. Your mother told me."
"Oh," I said clearing my throat, "Better. He's sleeping through the night now. But he still has a pressure boot."
"Ugh! I had one of those when I was a teenager. It was the worst ever. Especially when I would get an itch under it," he chuckled, "But I'm happy that you called."
I nodded to myself.
"Thank you for respecting my request for letting me come to you," I said quietly.
"Of course, kiz. I should get off now. Sleep well," he said.
"Night," I whispered and hung up, smiling to myself before going back to bed. I carefully climbed into bed next to Dimitri, curling into his side without touching his leg. Dimitri wrapped his arm around me and kissed my forehead. I smiled in the dark and kissed his cheek.
"Good phone call?"
I snorted.
"Sleep-deprived Rose has more balls than well-rested Rose," I snickered.
"So, do you have plans for Thanksgiving?"
Lissa sighed. "Christian was hoping to go to his sister's after her nagging, but Royce is cluster feeding, and she has a studio apartment, and I don't want to spend my entire night in the bathroom," Lissa said into the phone.
I pursed my lips as I looked at the contract we proposed to Adrian. It seemed fair, and I was impressed with it. I was hoping that he was going to accept the offer.
"What about doing it at my house?"
"Still, with the cluster feeding-"
"One; not the first time I've seen your boobs. Two, Dimitri is the only man out of four children. All his siblings have children, and his mother used to be a midwife and deliver in their living room. You don't need to hide out in the bathroom, and I will enure all of your favourites will be there."
Lissa seemed uncertain.
"Yeah, but I won't even have a chance to eat."
"I will literally spoon-feed you. I will make sure that you have a hot meal, and enjoy yourself. And then I will take Lil' man when he finally goes asleep, and you can relax, and eat to your hearts content. Plus, we know that Christian would die to use our kitchen," I stated, smiling as I spoke. Christian had made comments about wanting a kitchen like ours.
"Rose, you don't have to do that."
"But I want to," I said softly, "You're a new mom, and I want to be there for you. So if it means feeding you while you feed Royce, I will do that. Because you're my sister."
Lissa sniffled on the other side of the phone, and I could hear Royce making noise.
"I'm sorry, I don't mean to cry."
"Don't apologize. Do you want me to come over? I can help clean up or something when I'm done work," I offered, but it just made her cry harder.
"Will you? We're both so sleep-deprived. I haven't actually showered in a week," she sobbed.
"I will," I promised, "How is Christian handling this?"
"He's doing a little better than me, but work is so demanding. He comes home, holds the baby long enough for me to eat and then practically falls asleep. And he's trying to help with the feedings, but Royce won't take a bottle-"
Lissa started to spiral, and I shushed her softly.
"Hey, hey, take a deep breath," I soothed, "It's gonna be okay."
I soothed Lissa for a few more minutes, whispering that everything was going to be okay. She just needed to wait three hours and I'd been at her house.
I swung by the Italian store and picked up the precooked lasagna before going to Lissa's house. When I got there, I knocked on the door before walking in. I was momentarily stunned before composing myself. Their house was usually pristine, but I could tell that I walked into a house with a month old baby.
"Lissa?" I said in a somewhat hushed tone, not wanting to risk waking up Royce.
"Living room," Lissa said.
I poked my head in, smiling at Lissa.
"Hey. I brought you two dinner," I said softly, gesturing to the lasagna.
Lissa smiled softly, but I could see that her eyes were red-rimmed. I went into the kitchen and set it on the counter before finding a plate. I cut a piece for her and grabbed a fork, going back into the living room.
"Here," I whispered, setting the plate on the coffee table. Lissa blinked tiredly at me and whispered a thank you. I looked around for a moment before seeing the sling. I read the instructions and put it on before gesturing to her.
"Give me the baby and eat," I whispered. Lissa looked down at Royce as he laid on her chest before gently lifting him up to me. She helped me get him into the sling before sitting down again. I smiled at her and then moved around the living room, picking things up as I went. I could hear Lissa eating and I almost told her to slow down because she was eating so fast.
The living room wasn't as bad as I thought, it was mostly just clothes scattered around with baby blankets. I decided that to be safe, I would just throw everything in the wash.
"Oh, you don't need to do that," Lissa started but I stood up straight and pointed at her.
"Eat, and then go shower. And not a five-minute shower, I mean a real shower. Because you smell, and your hair looks like a bird's nest. A relaxing shower, and then clean jammies. And then, I will think about not cleaning," I said, smirking at her at the end. Lissa sunk back onto the couch and picked up her plate again. Once she finished her plate, she went into the bathroom. Once I heard the shower run, I threw everything in the washing machine and moved to the kitchen. I glanced at Royce every so often, making sure he was still asleep. He seemed to sleep like a champ, and it was making it easier to help Lissa out.
I heard the front door shut and turned the tap off on the sick. I tilted my head to see out the door and saw Christian walking softly through the hall.
"Liss?"
"She's in the shower," I said. He jumped and walked into the kitchen, rubbing his brow with his thumb.
"What are you doing here?"
"Making sure that you both have eaten and had a shower and have a moment to remember that you are, in fact, human beings," I said and pointed at the lasagna that I moved onto the stove, "Eat. It's from Bonzios."
Christian groaned as he walked around the island, heading for the stove. He detoured to me when he saw the sling and peaked over my shoulder.
"He's been asleep the whole time?"
"Half an hour," I said, "Lissa ate a whole plate and then I told her to shower. And I'm going to tell you the same thing."
Christian smirked, but I could see the circles under his eyes.
"You really didn't have to do this," Christian said. I smiled and shrugged.
"I don't mind. Also, I offered to Lissa that you could do Thanksgiving dinner at my place. We both know how much you don't want to go to Natasha's house."
Christian made a face.
"She held Royce for all of two minutes and practically threw back into my arms because he spit up," Christian said with a roll of his eyes, "I can't believe she raised me."
"She only was your legal guardian for four years. Not a whole lot of raising going on there," I pointed out, cutting a bite of lasagna from the pan and popping it into my mouth. Christian shook his head and leaned against the counter as he ate, his eyes drooping as he chewed.
"Is Royce not sleeping well?"
"Not for the last few days. He has Lissa up almost every two hours," he said, "And it jolts me awake when he cries."
"Have you tried the couch?" I asked with a shrug. I didn't want to seem insensitive, but if he needed to sleep for work, I figured he would have moved to the couch.
"Lissa suggested that too, but I can't sleep on the couch, and I feel bad leaving Lissa to it alone at night."
I nodded in understanding, looking down as Royce cooed quietly. Christian quickly ate the last of his meal and set his plate in the sink. I carefully maneuvered Royce out of the sling and handed him to Christian.
"I'm gonna check on Lissa," I whispered, heading out of the kitchen and into the hall. The shower was off, and I could smell Lissa's shampoo from behind the door.
"Hey, Liss? Christian's home."
There was no answer. I knocked on the door gently, and when there was no answer, I opened the door. I stifled my laugh and walked into the bathroom, crouching down and running my hand over Lissa's shoulder. She was in her bathrobe, leaning against the wall fast asleep. At least she made it out of the shower.
"Hey, Lissa. How about we get somewhere more comfortable?"
Lissa jolted awake, rubbing her eyes for a moment.
"Where's Royce?"
"Christian's got him," I said softly, "How was your shower?"
"Perfection. I feel better being clean."
I snorted. "Everyone does," I said as I helped her stand.
I was awoken by a soft cooing noise. I grunted and rolled, finding a little face hovering over him. I blinked and smiled, shifting to sit up.
"Hey, that's a face I wouldn't mind walking up to," I said thickly, wiping my eyes as I sat up.
Lissa smiled and shifted Royce in her arms.
"What are you doing her so early? I thought you were coming at around nine?"
"Rose, it's eleven thirty," Lissa laughed, "At least one of us was getting their beauty sleep."
I rolled my eyes and got out of bed, grabbing my house coat off the back of the door as I followed Lissa into the hall. I didn't expect to sleep so late, but it was the first time in a few weeks that Dimitri didn't accidentally wake me up in the night. He had been having pain in his sleep but would try to get out of bed, but would jostle me. I didn't blame him for it, it was an accident. I couldn't image that kind of pain.
I walked down the hall, smiling at Dimitri as I entered the kitchen. I could smell bacon in the air and my stomach growled loudly.
"Is there any left? Or was it for the stuffing?"
Christian pushed a plate across the island. "Here you go, porky."
I narrowed my eyes at him.
"Hey, I'm letting you use my kitchen," I pointed out and he rolled his eyes.
"Technically, Dimitri's kitchen. Anyway, be grateful I saved you some. It's the good stuff from the butcher on fifth."
I pinched a piece off the plate and sat at the island beside Lissa. Dimitri set a cup of coffee on the island in front of me. I shoved the last bite of my bacon in my mouth and took and sip of the coffee.
"Why didn't you guys wake me up earlier?"
"I told them to let you sleep in," Dimitri said, "You were out cold. Meeko jumped on you and you didn't even flinch."
I raised my brows, and I wiped my fingers on a paper towel before turning to Lissa.
"Can I have some cuddle time?"
Lissa smiled and passed Royce over to me, but as soon as he was in my arms, he let out a shrill cry. Lissa's face contorted and I knew that the cry was a specific cry. Lissa took Royce and sighed quietly.
"You don't have to go into the other room. If you're comfortable in the living room, it's perfectly fine," Dimitri said gently. Lissa smiled and picked up the diaper bag. She moved to the couch with her back to the corner the back of the couch covering her.
I took another sip of my coffee and rested my elbow against the island. I was perfectly content just listening to the three of them talk. I was surprised that Meeko hadn't come to greet me when I got up, but I heard his collar jingle behind Dimitri.
Oh course. He was where the food was.
"Have you heard from your mom lately?" Lissa asked.
I nodded as I took another drink of my coffee.
"Sort of. I spoke to Abe the other day. She was there."
"And?" Lissa asked with raised brows.
"I'm having dinner with them tomorrow," I said as I ran my fingers through my hair, "Not sure how it's gonna go. But it needs to happen."
Lissa nodded and glanced towards Christian, shifting on the couch to switch Royce to the other side.
"I mean to ask; how is Jasper's daughter?" Dimitri asked as he came around the island, his jane clinking against the floor.
"Oh…it's not good. His daughter was diagnosed with some kind of heart failure. They're putting her on the transplant list. He asked for a leave of absence. I told him that until Kirova, you, or Arthur were back I would grant it temporarily."
"That's horrible. How old is she?" Christian asked.
"Under ten? When he left, they originally thought that it was her diabetes, but the heart failure was making her blood sugar go all over the place. That's why they went to the hospital," I explained, "I feel horrible. He was pretty upset when he came to me."
"I don't blame him," Lissa whispered, stroking Royce's head.
"At least the server is back up and running," Dimitri mused as he kissed my head.
"I am never taking care of a tech issue ever again. Those clowns wanted to 'walk me through' it instead of coming to us like they were supposed to," I growled, already remembering the almost yelling match I had with the IT service on the phone.
Lissa smirked.
"Up until three years ago, you couldn't make a laptop update. Why would anyone expect you to take care of that?"
I stuck my tongue out at her.
"That's what I said!"
Dimitri chuckled as he watched towards the patio door, Meeko jumping up and running towards the door. We never had to worry about him peeing on the balcony, but he did like to lay on the patio to bake in the sun. But now that it was late November, he loved to lay in the cold.
"How have you been feeling, Dimitri? I remember when I broke my tibia in soccer it was not pleasant."
"Didn't Rose break your tibia?" Christian asked.
I glowered at him and tossed my balled-up paper towel at him.
"Hey! We don't need to remind everyone about that," I exclaimed, wincing when I realized how loud I was.
"I'm feeling better. I'm glad I can stop taking the heavy-duty medication. I hated how it made me feel, but at least the pain was manageable."
Lissa nodded and adjusted her shirt before sitting up, wiping the small bit of milk from Royce's mouth.
"Good. I'm glad," she said as she stood up, cradling Royce while she patted his bum, swaying side to side slightly. She came closer to me and extended Royce to me, and I gladly took him, sniffing his head. There was a part of me that ached holding him, but at the same time, he filled that small ach in my heart. If I focused on this live baby, I could pretend I wasn't feeling sad.
Lissa tsked quietly and tucked her hair behind her ear, her mouth opening to say something before it closed.
"What?"
Lissa bit her lip.
"I was just thinking how natural it looks to see you holding a baby," she whispered. My lips pulled into a frown-like smile.
"I was thinking the same thing," Dimitri said, leaving over me, his cheek brushing against my temple. I looked up at him and sighed quietly.
"It looks even more natural with you," I teased lightheartedly, breaking the tension that fell over the kitchen. I looked down at Royce again, smiling at the big blue eyes that looked up at me, his dark lashes framing his face.
"So Sparky, are you going to make me eat gross food today or is everything delicious."
"Don't I only make delicious food?" Christian drawled with a raised brow.
"No brussels sprouts," I stated.
"I'm not an asshole," he said, "But I am making yams. And you have to eat them because they're good for your skin. Maybe then you won't look so old."
I rolled my eyes.
"Fine. I'll eat the yams. But I want the bigger slice of pie. I can smell it in the second oven," I said."
"Deal," Christian said. I grinned in triumph at Dimitri.
"I made the pie, not Christian. And I made two. You're welcome."
I grinned wider and then looked at Lissa.
"And I'm gonna keep my promise about spoon-feeding you if I have to."
Lissa snorted. "I'll hold you to it."
Rough edit but enjoy!