Debt

32: Mother Knows Best

Shayla was standing outside his door, and he got up to open it. She walked into the room, looking at the now spotless location of Abrielle's birth. Shawn had gotten the carpet treated the next day.

"So... Got any ideas?"

"Trying, but no."

Shayla looked at her sleeping sister-in-law. Nurse Carla was a miracle straight from heaven for young new mothers and their sleep.

"My daddy left me a house, down in Naples. He had like six. Barely lived in one. Evan was telling me he'd like to take Larielle there for a few weeks for his birthday. So maybe you and Bri should fly down with them, but you can stay in separate houses?"

"Who's going to be here if I go?"

Shayla motioned to herself as if Shawn was asking a dumb question.

"I can stay, Shawn. I can take care of myself. You have something more important to worry about, i.e your wife and newborn's safety. Just go to Naples, Shawn. I can handle it here. Take Erma too. She needa spend some time with her daughter."

Shawn sat there and looked over at his sleeping wife and thought about their week old son. Shayla was right. Even with Erma, he couldn't leave Bri alone. He saw what happened in Colombia when he did. And now it would be Abrielle and his baby.

Sighing, he conceded to stay in Naples. But he wasn't pleased to leave Shayla alone either.

"Alright, Shay."

"She can't leave for about another week or two. Nurse Carla will be with y'all, so she should be fine on the jet. Just try to stay low key."

"What they call me, Shay?"

"Even for you, Shawn. I'm serious. You make too much noise when you move. That's why you attract trouble. I mean don't even tell no one you leaving. Just do it."

He nodded. Shayla, although their age difference was a minor seven years, she could've been his mama too. When he was lost, she was the Northern Star. Like now. Increasingly, he was finding himself in a position where Shayla was holding all the answers, and he wondered how he had gotten along without her in the first place.

"Good. I'll give you the key and information. It'll be fine, Shawn. I'll be fine."

He just nodded, and she got up and left as Nurse Carla came in with the baby.

"Here you go, Daddy. It's time for an old lady to rest her eyes."

"Thank you, Nurse Carla. For everything. I couldn't trust no other midwife wit my family. Wit my wife and our son. You got her through it."

"That's what I'm here for, honey. I'm the family midwife. You have some man-time with the man child. I'll see you later."

Nurse Carla left and Shawn held his son, who was staring right at him. He held his little hand. "I wish I coulda gave you a perfect world, Vince," he said softly. "One where you was always safe and didn't have a daddy who couldn't even brag about how perfect you came into this world. I wish you had a daddy you could count on seeing the next birthday."

The baby's face was as if he understood perfectly what his father was saying. Shawn smiled a little. If anyone saw him right now, they wouldn't recognize him. He usually was stone-faced, impassive, and brandishing a weapon of some sort.

When Vincent started to look hungry, Shawn went into the mini fridge and got a bottle out for his son, putting it in the warmer. Ever since her milk came in, Abrielle started pumping milk. She said it helped her engorgement, although Nurse Carla did warn her that it also alerted her body to make more milk.