“I had Thelma check her over. Her ears are red and swollen, as are her gums. She called in an antibiotic as well as a steroid shot in case her fever spikes on the way home. I know you can give it to her if she needs it.”
“Maybe she should stay with us at night then, because that’s when shit usually goes south,” I murmur, thinking out loud.
“Let’s see how this first leg goes,” he suggests.
“Good idea. I’m going to change into something more comfortable, if that’s alright.”
“My philosophy on road trips is simple. We’ll never see anyone we run into again, so wear whatever will make it easiest on you,” he replies, grinning at me.
“Fuzzy socks and lounge pants for the win!” I tease, heading into the bedroom.
“I’m so sorry, sweet pea,” I whisper as I inject the steroid in her butt. “I promise you’ll feel better soon.”
When we stopped for the night, Holly let me know that Cami’s fever had started slowly climbing and after I checked her overthen called Thelma, we made the decision to give her the shot and start the antibiotics. Eli and Rebel went to the local grocery store to find the Pedialyte popsicles that’ll hopefully sooth her gums.
I carefully lift her then get her situated in my arms so I can rock her. I start singingYou Are My Sunshineto her and after a few verses, she sags against me, her cheeks flushed and covered in tears as she succumbs to sleep.
I feel myself being lifted and open my eyes to see Eli carrying me. “Where’s Cami?” I ask, suddenly wide awake.
“Already got her in the crib in our room,” he replies. “I didn’t want to send her back to Holly and Rebel since she’s sick.”
“I had thought about that as well, especially since they’ve got their own infant to deal with,” I admit. “Besides, between the two of us, we should be fine.”
He sets me on my feet next to the bed and I walk over to where the crib is against the wall. Looking down, I see she doesn’t look as flushed as she did earlier, so I gently put my hand against her forehead. It may not be an accurate way to determine whether or not she’s running a fever, but moms around the world have done that very thing for countless years. Smiling, I realize she’s not as hot and after carefully checking her over, I decide she should be good for the night.
Crawling into bed, I ask, “Were y’all able to find the popsicles for her?” They’ll help keep her from getting dehydrated since I know from prior experience that she won’t really want to eat or drink anything because it hurts due to the swelling in her ears. There’s a technical term for it, but I’m too tired to figure it out right now.
“Yeah, they’re already in the freezer so they’ll be ready to use tomorrow,” he says.
“Thank you,” I reply. “Are we keeping her with us full time since she’s sick? I’d prefer to but it’s totally up to you, of course.”
“I think we should,” he says. “I’d feel better with you being able to monitor how she’s doing. I don’t feel right putting that burden on Holly since she’s got her hands full with her three.”
“Good point. Well, it’s a good thing the car seat attaches to the booth in the kitchen,” I reply. “I honestly can’t wait to get home, but I’m also glad that I’m enrolled in paperless bills for most of the things I pay. That’ll mean less mail to pick up from the post office.”
He chuckles as he crawls into bed behind me, wrapping me in his arms. “I bet Kevin will go crazy having so much space to roam around in.”
“Probably so. I ordered an automatic litter box which should be waiting for us as well,” I tell him, my voice starting to fade as I drift off to sleep.
We end up having to stop several times before we finally pull into the clubhouse parking lot. I sit inside while Eli moves our things over to his truck, saving me, Cami, and Kevin for last. “You got everything you need?” he asks as he carries the baby while I tote the carrier that Kevin’s riding in.
“Yeah, I think so, outside of the food and whatnot,” I reply, sitting the carrier on the floor in the backseat as he snaps her car seat into its base.
“Rebel’s getting the prospects to clear all of that out and bring it into the kitchen at the clubhouse,” he advises. “They’re also going to detail it from our trip. He’s got a company coming in to put up a couple of those carport things that are used for protecting RVs from the elements so we can store it here.”
“It was pretty comfortable,” I admit. “Much better than Ella’s, that’s for sure, but she’s got the size she’s able to handle.”
“Let’s go home, sweetheart,” he says as he closes the back door. I climb into the passenger seat, travel weary and ready to take a shower in my own bathroom, then get into my comfy clothes.
“Best news I’ve heard all day, other than when you told me that her fever completely broke earlier this morning,” I reply, leaning my head against the headrest.
I’m dozing lightly when I feel the truck slow down and hear Eli ask, “Who the fuck is that?”
Opening my eyes, I stare in shock as I try to comprehend just why, exactly, my ex would be sitting on my porch. “That’s my ex-husband,” I murmur. “Haven’t seen or heard from him in years and he suddenly pops up out of nowhere?”
“Let’s go see what the fucker wants then, shall we?” Eli queries, a somewhat sinister smile on his face.
CHAPTER
