“I’m heading to the washroom. If there’s anything, call out, okay?” Lionel says as he stands from the couch, giving me a look filled with concern.
“I will, I promise.” I smile genuinely.
He nods and heads for the half bathroom beside the kitchen.
I decided not to go into work today since I woke up feeling lightheaded and dizzy. And since I’m not at the registeranymore, taking the day off isn’t as big of an issue as it normally would be. The bakers are in as well as the two day-shift employees, so I know everything will be fine.
I only had one delivery being made today, but I gave Octavia permission to sign it off for me. She’s seen me do it a thousand times, and she always helps me check out the order, so she knows what to do. I trust her with this, and I told her to call me if there were any issues.
Shane and the team are gone for the next five days, which means Lionel is on babysitting duty. And his worried look is due to the fact that he caught me midfall when I made it to the kitchen this morning.
He wanted to take me to the hospital right away to get checked but I refused, so instead, he called Shane and told him what happened. Then I had to reassure Shane that I was fine and I just felt a little lightheaded and was walking too fast.
He made me swear that if it got worse, I would go in and get checked. And then he ordered Lionel to contact Julian if it happened again. Not because he doesn’t want to be in the loop, but because he knows his friend won’t take my excuses and force me to go.
My phone pings with an alert from the gate, telling me that someone is requesting entrance. I zoom into the camera and notice it’s Emma’s car, and from the looks of it, there’s no one in the passenger seat with her.
“What the heck?” I buzz her in and stand from the couch, getting hit with another wave of dizziness, but it fades quickly.
I head over to the front door and swing it open just as she’s pulling up. She opens her door, but it takes her a few seconds too long to get out, and she seems to be grunting from what I can hear.
“Emma! What are you doing!? You shouldn’t even be driving!” I shriek.
She was just discharged from the hospital this morning. My parents were supposed to be with her for the next two days before they went home, yet they aren’t anywhere to be seen.
I’m about to rush down the steps to help her when the lightheadedness hits again. I place my hand against the doorframe and stop moving. “LIONEL!” I yell, hoping he hears me.
Within seconds he’s running toward me and comes to my side, his hands on my arms as he inspects every inch of me. “What’s wrong? Are you dizzy again? Do I need to call my boss?”
I shake my head, lying. “No, I’m fine. It’s Emma.” I point down the steps where she wobbles with discomfort around the car to the back passenger door. “She just had a C-section. She shouldn’t be driving, let alone carrying three children by herself!”
“Jesus,” he mutters under his breath. “What is it with you stubborn women?” He then shakes his head and points at me. “You stay up here? Understood?”
I nod as he rushes down the steps and instructs Emma to stay by the car and wait until he gets back. He hurries to grab the two baby car seats first, bringing the twins inside the safety of the home, then runs back down the steps to collect Gracie next and sets her on her feet beside the twins.
He then goes deeper into the house and comes back with a chair from the dining room. I watch with confusion as he sets it down beside Emma and instructs her to sit down on it. Emma complies with the same expression I’m carrying.
Once she’s seated, he tells her to hold on to the sides and lifts the chair into the air with her in it, the back of it pressing into his front. Slowly, he takes the steps one at a time until he hits the landing and sets it back down.
I’m honestly amazed at how simple he made that look, and with the way Emma just gapes at him, blinking repeatedly, shethinks the same. “I have no words for what just happened. I’m still processing,” she finally says as she stands slowly from the chair with a groan.
Lionel quickly helps her as best he can. “Are you okay to walk inside the house?” he asks her.
“Yes, I’m fine.” She waves him off.
Once inside the house, Lionel picks up the twins and brings them over to the living room, while I take Gracie’s hand and walk slowly by Emma’s side. He places them facing the couch as we sit down, and I let Gracie wander about, making sure there’s nothing lying around that she could harm herself with.
“I’m guessing you have bags in the car for them? I’ll go collect everything and be right back,” he says, before heading back out of the room.
I kneel down on the floor in front of the car seats and begin to unstrap one tiny sleeping body. “Emma, what were you thinking coming here like this? You could have hurt yourself! And where are my parents?”
“I’m fine, baby Brey. The drive wasn’t actually that bad, it’s only when I hit some bumps or braked too fast that it became uncomfortable.” She goes to come down and help me, but I motion for her to remain seated.
“And my parents? Weren’t they supposed to stay with you until they had to leave?” Once I’m done unclipping the first, I leave him in his seat, since we don’t have anywhere to set him down yet and move on to the next.
“They had to go sign some papers for the new house they bought. I waited until they left, packed up the kids and came over.” She shrugs her shoulder like it’s no big deal.Jesus, my parents will be worried sick if they aren’t already.
“I’m going to call them and let them know you’re here as soon as Lionel comes back.” I sigh. “But, Em, why are you here?”
