Page 53 of Nowhere To Hide
Jo walked Dr.Foster out, giving us a few minutes alone as I looked over Charlie’s shoulder at sweet Molly.
“She’s so beautiful,” I said softly, pressing a kiss to Charlie’s cheek.“Dr.Foster is right, you did an amazing job getting her here.Look at how perfect she is.”
“I still can’t believe she’s here.It doesn’t seem real.”
Just then, the baby started fussing, making us laugh as if she were reminding us that she was very real.
Charlie shifted and lifted the baby to her breast, doing exactly as Jo and Dr.Foster had taught her to ensure the baby latched correctly.I leaned back, giving her some privacy as I sat there and thought about how everything in my life had just changed because the woman I loved just had a baby that I would die to protect.
Jo came back upstairs to help Charlie take a shower and clean up, which left me on baby duty, which I didn’t mind one bit.I sat on the floor, holding Molly as she slept peacefully in my arms.My heart raced at the thought of being a part of her life and loving her like she was my own because now that I held her, I couldn’t imagine ever walking away from this little girl.I wanted to be there for her the same way I wanted to be there for her mom.
“Charlie’s good, but I’m leaving the bathroom door open just in case she needs anything,” Jo said as she smiled at me holding the baby.“I still can’t get over how cute she is.”
“I haven’t been around many babies in my life, but I have to say, she is absolutely the cutest baby I have ever seen.”
“I’m going to work on changing the bedding so everything is ready when Charlie finishes her shower.Do you have spare sheets somewhere?”
“Yeah.I can change the bed if you want to hold Molly,” I offered, not wanting Jo to have to worry about stuff I could take care of.
“Well, I would never say no to baby snuggles from little Miss Molly,” Jo replied, her voice going to a tone I had never heard from her before.Perhaps she had a soft side after all.
She walked over and carefully took the baby from me, cuddling her tight to her chest as she swayed back and forth and stared at the bundle in her arms.I got up and started working on changing the bedding, knowing that Charlie was already upset about the mattress being ruined.I, however, couldn't care less.
Once I finished making the bed, we heard the shower turn off.
“Here, take Molly, and I’ll go help Charlie,” Jo said, handing me the baby.
I knew that at some point, we would have to put her down and let her sleep in her bassinet, but I wasn’t ready to let go of her just yet.
Jo got Charlie situated in the bathroom and went over some basics about what she needed to watch for regarding blood clots.I tried to listen as best I could so I knew how to take care of Charlie in case she needed me, because there would never be a time in my life when I wouldn’t take care of the woman I loved.
Thirty-Five
Charlie
The first week of beinga new mom, I slept like shit, and it had nothing to do with getting up frequently to take care of Molly.Axel had been there for me the entire time, helping with diaper changes and burping Molly after I fed her, but nothing could stop the worry that nagged at the back of my brain that something was going to go wrong.
