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“Remember, Mama is still hurt. You have to be careful of her arm. See it. She can’t lift you. Make sure you don’t bump it.”
“Law, let them come here. I need their hugs,” I pleaded. He stood up and the kids much more calmly came to me. They held out their arms, and I bent forward to embrace them with one arm. It sucked that I couldn’t hug them properly.
“Mama, we’re so happy you’re home,” Daniel practically shouted.
“We missed you. Don’t go away again,” Dena said softly.
“Mum mum,” Dylan babbled. My head snapped to look at Law. Had I heard right? Law nodded as he grinned. When did Dylan start calling me mum? It made my day to hear it. Along with a hug, I gave each of them a kiss. As I let them go, I checked them over. I didn’t see any bruises and they seemed to be their usual boisterous selves.
“I’m so happy to be home and to see you. I swear, I think you’ve all grown. What have Harlow and the other mommies been feeding you?” I teased. Harlow was standing in the entry. She smiled at me.
“You know, we feed them sunshine, meat and potatoes and let them hang with bikers. It’s the kid-growing formula around here. How’re you feeling? Tired?”
“A little, but I’m more tired of being in bed. I’ve missed them so much it hurts. Thank you to you and all the ladies for taking care of them. I can never repay you.”
“Honey, that’s what family does. No need to say thank you. I won’t stay. You’ll want to spend some time with the kids. If you guys need anything, don’t hesitate to call one of us. I expect you’ll have a line of visitors soon. Throw them out if they get to be too much.”
She gave me a hug then gave one to Law before telling the kids goodbye and leaving. I sank back further into the cushions. My arm was hurting and it was time for more pain meds, but I didn’t want to take them. If Law realized I was in pain, he’d insist on it. He hated to see me push to tolerate the pain.
I watched as the kids jumped around and played. I listened to their excited chatter as they told me about all the things they’d done while I was gone. It sounded like the whole club had taken care of them. They’d had a blast.
A yawn broke out about an hour after I got home. Of course, Law saw it. He got up off the couch. He’d been sitting with me, holding my hand.
“Okay, it’s time for you to take a nap. You’ve done enough for now. And don’t think I don’t know you’re overdue for a pain pill. You need to take it. It’ll help you to rest.”
“Jake, I’m fine. I don’t need to go to bed.”
This time, he didn’t listen. He scooped me up and marched down to our bedroom. Inside, he laid me on the bed and removed my shoes. He tucked me underneath the covers.
“Stay right here. I’ll be back,” he said sternly.
When he returned, he had a glass of water and a bottle of pills. I didn’t fight him when he shook one out and handed it to me. I was hurting a lot. I swallowed it with a big gulp of water. As I lay there, I watched him. He made sure the blinds were fully closed.
“Babe, I’m going to shut the door. Here’s your phone. If you need anything, text me. I’ll be with the kids. We might go out to play on the jungle gym. If so, someone will be in the house. Get some rest.”
“I will. Thank you, honey.”
He gave me a kiss before leaving. Slowly, the medicine took effect and I dozed off.
Law:
As I watched the kids play, my mind was on Tonya. She wasn’t herself. Sure, she had been through an ordeal, but she was pushing herself too much. She was acting like she had something to prove. She didn’t. No one expected her to come home and dive right back into everything she did before.
She’d only been home for two days and already I caught her more than once trying to lift Dylan and wrestling with laundry. Every time I did, I reminded her about her restrictions and did it for her. I knew she was frustrated, but it couldn’t be helped. I didn’t want anything to set back her healing. Despite having the help of all the ladies, she tried not to use them. It was all I could do to get her to let them watch the kids.
I’d taken leave to care for her. My chief hadn’t been thrilled with the unplanned leave, but I hadn’t given him a choice. He either allowed it or else. I had more than enough time on the books. I covered shifts all the time for other people. It was time for them to step up to the plate and cover mine. Over the next month, I’d see how she did.
She was still trying not to take her pain meds, which I hated. You could see at times how much she hurt. I’d let her go only so long before I put my foot down. I didn’t want to boss her around, or at least not outside the bedroom, but she wasn’t giving me a choice. Right now, she was supposed to be taking a nap. Soleil was at the house. I was taken aback when I saw Soleil walking toward me. I hurried over to her.
“Is everything alright with Tonya?”
“I think you need to go talk to her. She’s in the bedroom crying and she won’t tell me what’s wrong. Go. I’ll watch the kids.”
I took off running for the house. Racing to our room, I opened the door to find that Soleil was right. Tonya had her head buried in her pillow, sobbing. I rushed to the bed and sat down on the edge. I gently rolled her over on her back despite her resistance. Her face was wet with tears. I wiped them away. “Baby, what’s wrong? Are you in pain?”
She shook her head no and wouldn’t answer me.
“Then why are you sobbing your heart out? Tell me. I can’t help if I don’t know what’s wrong.”
