Page 12 of Redemption

“Is she okay, Mama?” Noah asks, his green eyes wide and filled with worry.

“She’ll be fine, buddy,” she says and winks at him.

“I tried to help Daddy with her. She didn’t like him for a long time.”

Tears sting her eyes, but she blinks them away. How did everything get this messed up so quickly? No, not quickly. It’s been a year. But this has gone so far off course that the path to get back has overgrown to the point she can’t even see it anymore.

She can’t fault Colt for thinking her fussiness stemmed from how unfamiliar he is to her. That was probably part of it. Maybe the added stress contributed to her illness. And she feels guilty for all of it.

The doctor came in and hooked up an IV to her baby, she nestles into her mother’s arms as Noah reads them a story. Calla stays focused on her big brother, and Lex feels grateful for her little man. He stepped up and took care of his little sister this weekend. Just like he’s helping her now. And she’s so happy he’s the big brother she always wished she had growing up.

Dr. West walks into the room. “I’m prescribing a dose of antibiotics to help flush this out. Just make sure to watch her fluid intake, and she’ll be fine. The biggest issue right now is how dehydrated she is. Her fever’s gone down, and she took the IV like a champ.”

He’s not unfamiliar with Lex or the rest of the club. He’s helped stitch them up so often, she’s pretty sure they paid for the braces of all three kids. Maybe even helped build up the college funds. She’s just happy to have a friendly face. “Thank you.”

“No problem, Mrs. Nichols. I’ll send the prescription to the pharmacy, and you’ll be good to go in a bit here.”

After he leaves, Noah takes over his job as storyteller again, and Lex leans back to take a deep breath. Part of her wishes Colt was here, but the other part of her feels relief to be without him. Once upon a time, he was one of the only people who brought her any type of solace.

You have to get used to not having him here all the time.This is your life now.Who’s she kidding? He wasn’t even here when he was at home.

She stayed at the hotel all weekend and spent most of the time crying alone in that big bed. No matter how many nights she spent without Colt, she’ll never get used to sleeping alone. It’s not something she ever expected to have to do again, and it’s lonely. But at the end of the day, she was lonelier around him than without. It’s time to move on.

Using the phone on the desk, she calls him to let him know what Dr. West said. It rings and rings before she hears his voicemail. Her heart sinks.

The part that kills her more than anything is the lack of surprise. If she’s honest, the fact he answered the first time shocked her. But she did kind of expect his concern for his daughter to keep him waiting for her call and watching the phone like she used to wait for his.

He’s probably on his way to Black Valley already. Maybe to see Diane.That’s not your concern anymore.

The nurse comes in to remove the IV. The little girl stays asleep in her arms, and she feels the full weight of everything. She needs to find a new home to settle in and get the kids back into a routine. The only goal on her mind consists of finding a comfortable place for them.

Noah clings to her leg as they walk out of the room, Calla heavy in her arms, but she’s too afraid to wake her by shifting. Instead, she just suffers through the ache in her muscles. Having Colt here to help her carry all of this, literally and figuratively, would be helpful in a perfect world, but she knows if he were here her anxiety and stress would have skyrocketed more than it already has. The newest addition to her ever-changing life comes in the form of anxiety she never possessed before, and she struggles to deal with it.

The sound of loud boots down the hallway catches her attention, and she instinctively freezes. She’d know the sounds of those boots anywhere, and all breath leaves her when her eyes land on her estranged husband.

“There you are!” Colt shouts.

Noah holds his finger to his lips. “Shh. The baby’s sleeping,” he says, his voice quiet.

“I just tried calling you,” she says as Ky rounds the corner with him. Based on the look he gives her, Colt’s told him what happened. His version, anyway.

“I was driving here,” he says. “I didn’t hear it.”

Shifting Calla gently, she looks down at their youngest. “She’s okay. We needed an IV to get fluids in her, and her fever’s down. I just have to pick up her antibiotics, and she’ll be fine.”

Seeing Colt wasn’t in her plan for the day, and she knows she looks terrible. Her greasy hair sits in a pile on the top of her head like it permanently does these days. It’s been two days since she’s had a decent shower, and she needs makeup. The bags under her eyes show just how little sleep she gets, and she can feel the puffiness from crying for two days straight. She looks freaking amazing. No wonder he wanted to stay away.

“But she’s good?” Ky asks, his eyes darting between the two of them with his conclusions clearly written on his face.

“Yeah, she’ll be fine.”

“Need help loading her into the car?” Colt asks.

Giving him a small smile, she refuses to look directly into his eyes. If she does, she’ll surely break. “No, I’ve got it. Got used to it a while ago.”

As much as she didn’t want to sound bitter, she couldn’t stop herself. No matter what he says or offers now, he spent so much time away from them she got used to being a single parent. The words have an effect on Colt as he leans backwards.

“Sorry,” she says. “I’m running on no sleep, and it just came out.”

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