Standing, he brought Jasmine over to Jr.’s crib and set her down carefully. Her little fists and legs were pulled in as her head lulled to the side. Simon’s head tilted as he smiled down at her, “Bring him down when he’s done. Just be careful on the stairs.” He said leaving the room once again. Nodding, Cherish watched Simon leave before she gave Jr. her undivided attention once more.
About a half an hour later, Cherish felt Jr.’s mouth fall slack with a line of milk across his bottom lip. This caused her to smile while she pulled him away from her breast. This was far more than what she’d originally expected hours before. Fixing her shirt, she lifted Jr.’s little rump, and patted his back to burp him. She instinctively kissed along the side of his head because she knew infants fed off love and affection. Cherish shut her eyes and rocked from side to side, “Your daddy loves you, your mommy loved you. Shh sweet boy. Sweet, sweet boy.” She whispered.
Standing, she brought him to the crib and after a few seconds a little burp erupted from his body. Cherish relaxed and settled him down in the crib beside Jasmine. She then lifted her precious girl, kissed against her head, and rubbed along her back to wake her up for the gas to flow. A few, short moments later she too released a healthy burp. Pulling Jasmine away from her shoulder, Cherish kissed her pouted lips and placed her back in the crib beside Jr. Honestly, she didn’t want to overwhelm Simon even though he told her to bring Jr. to him. That and she was on heavy painkillers. She didn’t trust herself to go down the stairs with either children.
She stared down at the little babies as she ran a hand over her deflated stomach. Glancing from side to side, she felt thirsty. Cherish waddled into the bathroom and stopped. Of course, the bathroom was large and bigger than a small closet which initially caught her off guard. Stepping to the sink, she cupped her hands beneath the faucet and brought water to her mouth for a long drink. She then splashed her face with a sigh. Taking a moment to turn her head, she listened in the bedroom for any sound the babies made. With Simon downstairs in his own privacy, Cherish decided to clean herself up from the bleeding she had to endure. One last look at the babies, she left the door cracked, searched the bathroom for a wash rag and towel, and for once, took care of herself.
Chapter 2
What a night.
Situation after situation developed overnight for this broken, makeshift household that formed less than twenty-four hours before. There wasn’t any time for nightmares, forlorn dreams of Emily, or worries about Todd. Simon tossed and turned on the couch during the night and had traveled upstairs countless times to help with the babies. When one cried, the other woke and had to be rocked back to sleep while Jr. wanted to eat every hour; if Cherish was lucky. The entire night was a hazy blur filled with cries, diapers, groans, and feedings.
By the time sunshine touched Simon’s face, he was laying horizontally across the end of his bed. He’d told himself earlier that morning he needed a moment to gather the strength to make it to the couch. That was three hours before. He rubbed his eye and groaned while looking around. Cherish was balled up under the blanket. Her natural, curly hair spread in an array over the pillows with one stuffed against her face. All signs showed she was not ready to wake up.
Sitting up, Simon straightened his shirt before he went and checked on the babies with a droopy blink. They were still asleep and looked like sweet angels side by side. The same couldn’t be said for when they were awake. To Simon, Jr. looked to be content with the company of another and it hurt his heart. Would he be lonely without the love of his mother?
Habit placed him on auto-pilot. Taking a shower, he scrubbed down and felt like a human by the time he finished. He inhaled a deep breath facing himself in the mirror and began to shave. There wasn’t a hint of emotion to touch his features; a befitting look to accompany the dark circles under his eyes. After brushing his teeth and hair, he entered the room in just a towel. It wasn’t until he reached the closet did he realize the woman in his bed wasn’t the one he was intimate with.
A gargled whine escaped from the crib. Simon’s feet quickly carried him over and saw Jasmine in a struggle to wake up. Her arms tried to wriggle and break free from the swaddle blanket. Her feet kicked beneath her arms and her face scrunched up. Looking as though she was silently crying, she released a gasped start of a cry.
Maternal instinct caused Cherish’s eyes to open and her body to sit up. While she gained her bearings, she tilted her head and watched Simon lift her little girl from the crib. She rubbed her shoulder as Simon rested Jasmine on the bed and undid the swaddle. Somehow, in the middle of the night, he’d changed her into a night suit with little blue and gray wolves, “She’s not wet. I’ll go downstairs and get her bottle.” He said in a gruff voice.
Cherish rubbed her eye with the palm of her hand, “Okay. How is Jr.?” She questioned.
Half swaddled, Simon lifted Jasmine in his arms and took a quick look into the crib. His son smacked his lips had began to suck and his eyes clenched shut, “It won’t be long before he’s up.” He answered.
As Simon left the room with Jasmine
