"Tess!" The gruff voice did nothing to stir the cocoon of blankets that surrounded the slumbering woman. Joel huffed and crossed his arms.
"Dammit. Tess!" Again, no response from the cocoon, but from across the room a faint babbling sound rose from the crib, signaling the awakening of the newest member of the family.
"Okay, okay. I'm coming." Wearily moving to the crib Joel can't help but to smile at the face that greets him with a toothless smile. The smile though quickly trembles as he realizes that he needs changing. And then the wailing starts.
With practiced motions, Joel gently sticks a knuckle in his mouth and moves into the small bathroom off the side of the room – a rarity in times like this. Grabbing the changing supplies he quickly sets about his task and it isn't until he starts the song again does he realize he's been humming to the baby. He awkwardly stops, unsure of where that song came from – he hadn't sung it since…
"JOEL!" Ellie's loud call interrupts all thought. He finishes changing the baby and swaddles him to help keep the damp chill out. He thinks of all the times he used to chastise Sarah about turning the AC down.
The sudden thought freezes him in the middle of the bedroom. He tries to think of why she would come back into his mind. He feels the sadness rising again, a tide of murky thoughts that would find all the wounds and reopen them. He can feel the panic starting to set in until a sudden jerk breaks his concentration. He looks down and sees his son with several hairs in his small hand. He chuckles a bit, and nuzzles him feeling the sadness and anxiety abating again. Pressing his lips to his son's forehead he whispers soft words of thanks to his son.
His Malachi.