Page 37 of All I Need (Hearts of the South)
“No, only for Amy.” She swiped her finger across the screen. “Hello?”
“Hey, just curious, but are they supposed to cry like this?” If someone didn’t know her, they wouldn’t catch the hint of anxiety underlying Amy’s bright voice. Hamilton wailed in the squawking cry of a newborn.
“I don’t know. I’ve never had one.” She leaned back against the headboard.
“Oh, my God, Savannah, this is not the time. I’ve changed her and fed her, and I don’t have a clue what to do next. I read on a blog that adopted infants can be stressed by being separated from their birth mother, and if that’s true, is that why she’s crying? Maybe she’s in pain, and I can’t tell—”
“Amy, she’s not in pain. Trust me. You’d know. And please stay off the Internet. Yes, she may be stressed, but that’s probably true of all newborns.” She yawned. “How long has she been crying?”
“Ten or fifteen minutes, maybe. Since Rob got in the shower. She doesn’t cry when he has her.”
“It’s probably his voice.” Next to her, Emmett settled against his pillow, arms folded behind his head. “They like a deep male voice.”
“He carries her like a football. I can’t do that, Savannah. I’m afraid I’ll drop her.”
“You’re not going to drop her.” As sweet as it could be to watch Amy when her infinite planning went off the rails, Savannah knew when not to push her sister’s buttons. “Relax a little, enjoy her, and I promise you, you’ll figure it out. You realize she’s already stopped, right?”
“Because I sat down to talk to you and put her on my shoulder.”
“There you go then.”
“I really wish you didn’t have to go in to the ER today.”
She smiled at Amy’s small voice. “You will be fine, I promise. Call me if you need me, and I’ll be by this afternoon after my shift. But you won’t need me. You have this.”
“Okay.” A shaky note of confidence imbued her sister’s words. “I’ve got this.”
“Yes, you do. I’ll see you later.”
With the call ended, she dropped the phone on the bed and laughed, face buried in her hands. “Lord help him, I hope Rob knows what he’s in for.”
“You’re a great sister. She’s lucky to have you.”
“It depends on what day of the week it is.” A smile tugged at her mouth. “You’re not hearing us when we’re arguing.”
“So you have plans after work then. What about after that?”
“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “How about if I text you?”
“Sounds good.” He glanced at his phone, grimaced, and sat up. He brushed his mouth over her shoulder. “I have a Saturday seminar today and have to get ready. Want to shower with me?”
“I don’t know. Shower activities can be dangerous.” She dared to let her fingers drift over his. “I had to put stitches in the back of Rob’s head one time because of shower sex.”
“Told you, no sex yet.” He cupped the back of her head and kissed her. “And I promise not to let you fall.”
* * * * *
“Hey, Roger, these are for Ray Lewis over at the paper. He’s supposed to pick them up later.” Emmett dropped the folders in the outbox at the department’s front desk. Lewis was a major pain in the ass, requesting copious amounts of reports through the Open Records Act. At least one morning a week, Emmett spent an hour or so simply fulfilling those requests.
On the way back to his closet-sized office, he stopped at the vending machine in the multipurpose room for a bottle of water and to distribute a set of memos on available professional development into officer boxes. For once, the room sat empty, save for the brunette leaning against Rob’s desk, eyeing the intricate notes he’d compiled on the whiteboard for the EMT shootings. Her trim dark suit screamed Fed or GBI, and visiting officers weren’t exactly a rarity.
“All I did was ask when you were coming back to work.” Troy Lee strode in from the back hallway, Rob at his side. “It’s not a declaration of undying affection.”
“Admit it.” Dressed casually in jeans and an Auburn T-shirt, Rob grinned. “You miss me.”
“I’ve gotten used to having someone to talk to in the car.”
The brunette looked around at that, amusement curving her full mouth. “I assumed you’d talk to yourself.”
