“Yes, ma’am, whatever you say.”
“Now you’re just placating me,” she grouses, sticking out her tongue.
It took a bit of finessing, but seeing the look on Phoebe’s face as she cuddles Cami made it worth doing. She’s leaning against me with something Holly called a boppy pillow and Cami is settled inside it, unable to reach the hose that connects the covering to the wound vac. I listen as Phoebe hums to Cami and can feel when my daughter finally decides to stop fighting sleep. This right here, having both of my girls in my arms, is worth everything to me.
“Do you want Rebel to take her and put her to bed?” I whisper next to her ear.
There’s no real danger of waking Cami up; she can sleep through just about anything and that’s in part due to the woman curled into my chest. She told me during one of our many talks that she refused to keep the house ‘quiet’ whenever the baby was sleeping, so if Cami went down for a nap and she was in the middle of cleaning, she kept going, running the vacuum and singing along to the music she usually had playing in the background. I had noticed that even when the brothers werecoming in and out on their bikes, if my girl was napping, she didn’t so much as flinch.
“Not just yet, Eli. I’ve missed this so much,” she replies.
“Okay, Mama,” I tease, earning a glare. “No? What about Mami? She’ll figure out how to say it soon enough.”
“Eli,” she grumbles. “Youcan call me Phoebe or sweetheart, or any other pet name you decide on, but only Cami can call me Mama.”
“Bossy, I like it,” I murmur. I see her shiver as my warm breath hits the shell of her ear and grin. I won’t push for anything until the PICC line comes out. I think it’s because I know it’s a direct line to her heart. The last thing I’d ever want to do is start something sexual and it cause a problem for Phoebe.
“You ain’t seen nothing yet,” she retorts.
“Somehow, I think I’m going to enjoy your version of being bossy,” I admit. “Are you gonna miss this when we leave?”
She sighs and nods. “I really did enjoy doing the travel nurse thing. All I had to do was go in and work. No hospital politics that always seem to creep in, no worrying about who was involved with the cute doctor. Just punch in, do my twelve to the best of my ability, then leave. But there was no way I was going to leave Rosa once it became obvious that she was struggling, you know? So, I stayed on at the hospital with the understanding that Thelma might call on me from time to time.”
“Plus, you got to work with Ella,” I add.
“Thelma calls us the Dynamic Duo,” she says. “One of the things I pushed to the side, at least for now, was going back to schoolto become a nurse practitioner. They’re able to diagnose and prescribe medication, as well as order diagnostic testing.”
“What do you need to do to be able to do that?” I ask.
“I have to get my master’s degree in nursing, although Thelma has suggested that once I accomplish that, I get my doctoral degree, since the field is always changing. That way, I’d be prepared. Oh, and I have to keep my nursing license current, which isn’t an issue.”
“Let’s look into that once we’re back home,” I reply.
“Really?” She turns her head and I can see the surprise and excitement shining in her eyes.
“Yeah, sweetheart. I’ve also got something else in mind, but need to discuss it with Rebel first,” I tell her. “Now, how about we let Rebel get Cami so I can get you into bed.”
“That works for me. I’m glad I can just take the oral pain meds now, though. Crap, Ella has to do the nighttime antibiotics.”
“Then we need to get you sorted out because you’re going to need some sleep before you work your last shift tomorrow,” I reply.
“Yeah.”
She’s nearly asleep by the time Ella is finished. I helped her take a shower so she could get into her pajamas. The feel of her silky skin as I put her various lotions on has me fighting my body once again. I mean, she’s got a whole routine and now that I’ve taken over from Ella and am helping her, I can definitely say it worksfor her. Me on the other hand? Wash and condition my hair, wash my body, then get out and dry off. Sometimes, to mix it up a bit, I’ll trim my goatee and mustache before I shower. I grin as I clean up around the RV while Phoebe and Kevin snuggle in the bed. We’ll be heading home tomorrow night, so I want to make sure everything is secure today.
“He’s such a cuddle bug,” she murmurs as I finally climb into bed and curl up against her.
“He’s going to get bigger and still want to do what he’s doing now,” I warn as I reach out and pet him.
“That’s a problem for Future Phoebe, not Sleepy Phoebe,” she teases. “Good night, Eli, and thank you.”
“Why are you thanking me, sweetheart?” I ask.
“Because you tracked me down when you figured out where I was at. I missed you so much, but I know I needed the time to get my head sorted out.”
“Is it straight now?”
“Yeah, you’ve shown me how much you love me these past few weeks,” she admits. “I’m glad I took this chance.”
