Crazy = Genius

Chapter 42: Good News

'Sometimes the truth don't sound like the truth, Maybe cause it ain't'

Lilianna exhaled in frustration as Rochelle let out another earsplitting wail. The child had not stopped crying for the past two hours and Lilianna was at her breaking point. She had tried everything from food, clean diaper, Jeremiah holding her, pacifier, singing and nothing had worked yet. She had moved into her and Terrence's room an hour ago to let the gangsters get back to sleep as the whole house had been awoken by the onslaught of tears the small child had let rip. The child was propped up in her lap as Lilianna sang song after song in hopes that one would spark the child's interest and get her to calm down. There was nothing wrong that she could tell, just a cranky and overtired baby. Her front teeth had mostly come in and her teething fever had died off weeks ago. Rochelle had been the best behaved yet since Lilianna had been introduced to the mansion, until tonight.

"I spent the whole day in my head, do a lil spring cleaning, I'm always too busy dreaming maybe I should wake up instead," She sang softly and rubbed little patterns into the baby's back. "Good news good news good news that's all they wanna hear, no they don't like it when I'm down."

The baby suddenly stopped wailing and hiccuped, her head tilting back and looking up at Lilianna with big, wide, but still very puffy, eyes. Lilianna continued to sing as relief rushed through her, she had found the song. "When it ain't that bad it could always be worse, I'm running outta gas hardly anything left."

Rochelle watched the woman intently as she sang with a smile. Just before the song was about to run out of lyrics, her eyes slid shut and she fell asleep against Lilianna's stomach. Careful not to awake the resting beast, Lilianna silently cheered and pumped her fists into the air in triumph. She let the child sleep there for another few minutes before daring to carry her to her crib. Just as she started to shift her into her arms, the baby started to fuss and her eyes fluttered. Lilianna stopped moving, settling back against the pillows behind her and holding the baby close. The child nuzzled its face into her soft chest and remained asleep. Her heart melted as the child rested against her and as she waited for the perfect moment to move out of the bed, she too drifted off to sleep.

Terrence shut the front door behind him and punched in the security code as he tried to keep his eyes open. With a glance at his watch, he realized how late he had stayed talking to the first tier gangsters he had yet to see since his breakout. It was 4 am and he was exhausted. He dragged himself up the stairs and quietly as possible, entered his bedroom. The door was left cracked open and as he walked in his heart melted at the sight before him. There was his Lilianna, propped up against the headboard fast asleep with Rochelle sleeping in her arms. He stood in the doorway and stared at the two with a stupid grin on his face.

Finally snapping out of his trance, Terrence moved into the closet and changed into a pair of sweats to sleep in. He walked up to the bed and reached over. His hand cupped Lilianna's cheek and he rubbed his thumb across the soft skin in hopes of waking her gently.

"Hey, sleepy." He teased in a whisper as she groaned and looked at him through half-opened eyes. "Do you want to put her to bed or are you going to hold onto her for the night?"

She glanced down at the baby and contemplated the options before slowly sliding under the sheets and keeping the baby securely cradled against her chest as she turned onto her side to sleep in a more comfortable position.

"She wouldn't stop screaming." Lilianna slurred, her eyes finally able to focus on Terrence as she spoke.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here to morally support you." He chuckled, pressing a kiss to her forehead and draping his arm over her waist. "But you very much need to sleep, goodnight kitten."