Childish

31

Alex pulled his keys from his pocket and searched until he found the key he needed to unlock the door. He pushed the door open and stepped inside. "Mon, it's me."

"Do you just let yourself in wherever you want? It's a little creepy."

Alex chuckled as he followed the sound of her voice through the house. He entered the kitchen and set my diaper bag on the table beside a stack of envelopes. "I thought it would be easier than knocking."

"It is. But don't get into the habit of doing it."

Monica turned from the sink to look at Alex. "You said Lyla isn't feeling well?"

"She got sick at school. I think she has a bug or something."

"Can you get my medical bag from my room?"

"Let me lay her down and then I'll go get it." Alex walked into the living room and laid me across the couch cushions. He pulled a throw from the back of the couch and laid it over my small body. He started to walk away from me but I whined and grabbed the sleeve of his shirt.

He sighed and knelt down beside me. "Ly, I'll be right back."

I used both arms to reach out toward him. "Stay."

He rubbed my back a few times before he laid me back against the couch. "You're safe here, Ly. I just have to go down the hall for a minute."

A sob escaped my lips but I let my arms fall back to my sides as I tried getting comfortable. I didn't like the thought of him leaving me, even if it was just to go down the hall for a minute. But I had to.

As Alex headed down the hall, Monica filled the space where he had been. She laid my bear against my side and covered it with the blanket.

"Does your tummy hurt?"

I nodded.

She put the back of her hand on my forehead. "I think you might have the flu. Hopefully, it's only a 24-hour thing."

"Someone in her class got sick a few days ago. She probably got it from them." Alex walked back into the room and handed a small duffle bag to Monica. She rested it in her lap and unzipped it from the top.

She instructed me to open my mouth and placed the tip of a thermometer under my tongue.

"You'll want to give her more liquids than usual for the next few days. And make her drink chicken broth every few hours."

She pulled the thermometer from my mouth and waved it in the air before putting it back in the bag. "She's has a low temperature so you don't need to take her to the office but keep an eye on it until she feels better."

"Thanks for your help, Mon."

"You know you could have taken her to work. Anyone there would check on her for you. You know, since you're their boss and all."

Alex rolled his eyes. "You know how I feel about that place."

"It's a job, Alex. Besides, you're doing good there. You don't want to screw everything up around here by giving it up."

"There's still so much left to be done. It's almost overwhelming at times."

"If anyone can do it, it's you."

He sighed. "I wish that were true."

Monica set the bag on the coffee table beside where Alex sat, his eyes watching me. "Dad wouldn't have given you your second-in-command position if that weren't true." The way she spoke of her dad sounded so sad. I couldn't tell if that was because he shot her or because he was dead. Or both.

I pulled the blanket up over my shoulders and settled into the cushions and the throw pillow under my head. "Daddy?"

Alex leaned forward, resting his arms on his legs. "What's up, Ly?"

"Can I have some water?"

"Yeah. I'll be right back." He pushed himself to his feet and disappeared into the kitchen.

Monica glanced at Alex in the kitchen before she started to speak. "Are you doing okay being with Alex?"

I nodded.

"He's taking care of you? He actually figured out how to take care of someone else?

I rolled onto my back. "For the most part. He's a good daddy."

"I hope you're talking about me." Alex walked in and handed me a sippy cup of ice water. He sat down at the other end of the couch and propped his feet up on the coffee table.

Monica rolled her eyes. "It's not always about you. But yes."

"I knew it."

I pushed the blanket aside and crawled to the other end where Alex sat. I curled up in his lap, using his arm as my pillow.

He laughed as he looked down at me. "Are you comfortable now?"

I glared at him. "Leave me alone. I'm not feeling good."

He ran his fingers through my hair, brushing it away from my face. "I'm sorry, baby."

Monica sighed. "You're so mean to her, Alex. She's just a baby."

Alex said, "She's not a baby." At the same time, I said, "I'm not a baby."

Monica rolled her eyes and moved closer to the window. "If it wears diapers and uses a pacifier, it's a baby."

I groaned as I pulled the blanket tighter around me.

"Mon, Lyla doesn't like to be called a baby."

"What do you want me to call her then? A toddler? She's still a baby no matter how you phrase it."

Alex sighed and let his head fall back on the back of the couch. "Benjamin Owens' conditioning at its finest."

"Alex, do you know it's snowing?" Monica said.

"I noticed. We'll be fine to drive later. My tires are in good shape."

"No, it's like snowing snowing. I can barely see anything from all the snow."

"Wait, what?" Alex lifted me off his lap and laid me on the couch. He walked over to the window Monica was looking out of and his eyebrows rose. "So I guess we're staying the night then."

She sighed. "Fine. But I'm not giving up my bed."