Page 39 of The Rough Ride

“No cousins or babysitting?”

Nick shook his head. He had cousins, but he’d refused to babysit them because, you know, he didn’t want to hurt them, and he wouldn’t leave his mother for too long in case his dad came home lit-up.

Lindsay moved closer. “Let me in there, I’ll show you how to change a diaper. One time, and you’ll never forget. Ollie’s a real pee king. Half the time his diaper’s dry until you take the thing off, and then he goes all over the place. Hand me the dipey-wipeys.”

Nick moved aside and looked around. Natalie handed Lindsay the wipes she was looking for and took a long look at Nick.

“Your shirt’s ‘izgusting, Mr. Nick.”

“Yep.”No kidding.Reinforcements were in his gear bag.

“First, you put the baby belt on and snap it shut. Ollie’s a mover. Before you peel the old diaper down, make sure you have a peepee-teepee in your hand to put on top of his thing. I guess Hilde didn’t bring the bag back after washing. We have like a hundred of them. They’re probably in the laundry room. I’ll look when we go downstairs. But if you don’t have a teepee, Mom says to place a couple tissues over him. Slide the old diaper out, use these wipes to clean him off, slide the new diaper underneath his butt and fasten just like this. Tight but not too tight. Too loose, it falls off. Too tight, he gets a rash.”

Lindsay shot him a sideways smile. “Got it?”

“Yeah. Thanks. I appreciate the lesson.”

“Might as well get him dressed now, too. Clothes are under here. He hates shoes, so he has thick socks with grips on the bottom. He’s been trying to walk for a few days. If hestarts walking while the ‘rents are out of town, use your phone and get it on video for Mom.” She pulled out a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, worked the pajamas over Ollie’s head, slipped on the new clothes as she instructed Nick tobend the fabric, not the babyand finished with a pair of bright, red-striped socks.

She picked Ollie up. “I’ll carry him downstairs. You’re soaked.” She giggled one last time. “Where’s Hilde?”

“She’s not feeling well today and isn’t coming.”

Lindsay’s face fell. “I hope Mom doesn’t ask me to babysit. I’ve been really counting on this weekend at the Benson’s. We’re going crabbing and waterskiing with an inner tube.”

A pang of memories hit Nick’s chest. How many times had he stayed home as a teenager working out on the bag in the basement, refusing to leave in case the old man wandered in and started on his mother? He’d missed sports, dances, and just hanging out with the guys. All to babysit his parents.

He took a deep breath. “Tell you what, Lindsay. You help me figure out how to make sure these two don’t get hurt, and I’ll talk to your mom.”

23

Nick had Ollie and Natalie on the backyard swings when Angie finally called. Between pushes, he explained the Hilde situation in hushed tones.

When she got over her shock, Angie asked, “Is Lindsay still there?”

While everything in him had wanted to beg Lindsay to stay until the end of his shift, he just couldn’t do it. Her infectious teenage excitement had been damn near contagious as she’d packed for her trip. He’d never forget the grateful look on Lindsay’s face as he gave her a wink and closed the Benson’s car door.

“No. I sent her off an hour ago with the Benson’s. We’re sticking with the schedule you laid out in your notes, and Lindsay was kind enough to explain any questions I had about the younger kids. She even installed their car seats in my truck, just in case.”

“Let me find Beau.”

Angie’s heels a faint staccato in his earpiece, he threw another ball to Precious.

Angie didn’t mute the phone.

“I need to go back, Beau. Hilde’s in the hospital. I’ll explain later. Nick’s on the phone. He’s by himself with Natalie and Ollie.”

“Yeah?”

“I need to fly back to DC. Now.”

“Is everybody all right, kids okay?”

“Yes. They’re fine. But we didn’t hire SecureIT to babysit our children. I don’t want the kids to feel tossed aside, and it’s not fair to him or his crew to leave them with two kids under five with everything they usually do.”

“Mama bear, has any blood been shed?”

“That’s not the point, Beau.”

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