"Please make it stop," Wade begged, handing his baby nephew back over to his brother.
"You act like you've never dealt with a crying baby before," Jesse chuckled softly, gently rocking his one month old baby boy. "What's with you?" Jesse asked daring to sit down, a smile creeping onto his face when little Liam stayed quiet his little eyes searching.
"When have I ever had to deal with a crying baby?" Wade asked with a little amusement in his voice. Jesse shrugged his shoulders. "It's just this thing with Zoe," he sighed, getting up to pace around the room. Jesse remained silent getting slightly dizzy from watching his brother pace he turned his attention to the sleeping baby in his arms. "You remember all those rumors about her time in New York?" Wade asked then stopping to look at his brother. Jesse nodded, he knew exactly which ones were true and which ones were false. "Things were good and now something happened to trigger her nightmares and they're getting worse and I don't know what to do to help her out," he sighed, running a hand through his head.
"I don't think there's really much you can do for her other than just be there for her. She needs to know that you're not going to leave her and that she can trust you Wade," Jesse told him.
"I know, but that's not enough," he replied. "I want it to stop, she's been making a big deal about seeing a professional," he confessed.
"Of course you do," Jesse told him. "You want her to be happy again. Give her a few days on this." He was trying to help Wade out, but he didn't know what it was he could tell him so he would chill out on this whole thing. He did know one thing; he was going to need to have a little conversation with Zoe.
"I don't think I can watch her struggle for another few days," he replied, plopping down in a chair. "How's fatherhood?" Wade asked, changing the topic at hand.
Jesse launched into how much he loved having his little guy around. That he may have been freaking out the closer the due date came and that he didn't think he was ready to have such a big role to play, but having Liam in his arms, put those qualms to bed and he was happier than he could ever remember being. Sleep wasn't an easy thing to come by when Liam was up every few hours but he wouldn't change it for anything else in the world. Eden was a gem when it came it Liam, she gave Jesse the space he needed to build a bond with his son, but she was there when Jesse needed that extra hand and Jesse really loved how easily and natural Eden fit into his life with Liam.
An hour later with Liam in his little bouncer on the floor between his father and uncle saw them playing video games when Zoe walked into the house. "Is this how you two really watch this little guy?" Zoe asked, putting her things down.
"He likes it," Wade pointed out pausing the game to look up at his wife. "How was work?" He asked concerned.
"It was fine," she replied, bending down to kiss him. "Nothing too exciting," she tacked on picking Liam up. "Speaking of work, shouldn't you be there?" She asked.
"Crap," he muttered under his breath seeing what time it was. Giving Zoe one more kiss he rushed out the door not wanting to be too much later than he already was.
"What?" Zoe asked, bouncing Liam in her arms, catching the weird look that Jesse was giving her.
"You didn't tell him, did you?" Jesse asked. She looked at him like she didn't have a clue on what he was talking about. "How you told me everything that happened while you were away."
"No, I didn't tell him," she sighed. "I wanted to tell him, but now I don't think it'll do any good, Jesse. It'll hurt his feelings that I went to you instead of him."
"Except you didn't come to me, I was just lucky enough to come see you when you needed to go to the hospital. I made you tell me everything that was going on," he quipped back. "He can't be mad about that, because you didn't even want to tell me."
"But I broke down and told you everything, Jesse. Things I can't tell him, because I'm ashamed that he'll think of me differently," she sighed.
"He loves you, Zoe. He won't see you as anything else but the person you are."
"You don't know that," she pointed out, sitting down on the couch. "I've known him just as long as you have."
"You're right about that Zoe, but I know my brother and nothing in this world can change his mind on how he feels about you or what he thinks of you. To him you're the strongest, bravest person he knows." Zoe looked down at his words, letting Liam wrap his little fingers around one of hers. "He's worried out of his mind about you; can't you I don't know listen to him about going in and talking this out with someone that can help you?" He asked.
"I want to, I do," she told him.
"But you're scared?" He questioned. Zoe nodded her head. "He'll go with you to hold your hand and keep you safe if you let him."
"I know he will," Zoe told him with a soft sigh.
"Just think about it, okay?" He asked her. Zoe nodded her head. "You'll be fine for a few hours?" He asked, getting up. "Everything you need is in his bag and if you need anything else, you know where I live and you have a key so help yourself," he told her.
"I got this, Jesse. It's not the first time I've watched him. We're good," she told him. Jesse took his son and kissed his little forehead telling him that daddy loves him and that he'll be back shortly.
With Jesse gone Liam started to cry. Zoe checked to see what it was that he needed and she sat down to feed him his bottle of milk. With him now sucking on his bottle Zoe took the time to really think about things. She couldn't be mad at Jesse and she felt bad that she had confessed in him and not Wade, she always told herself that Wade hated her and she didn't want to bring him back into her mess of things. And Jesse had been there at the right time. It was easier to confide in Jesse at the time, he wouldn't go back and run his mouth, Wade wouldn't tell a soul either except she really didn't want Wade to know. Wade would have came running to save her and she had felt like she didn't deserve to be saved after everything that she had put Wade through, maybe now she should sit down and tell Wade every last detail, but she was still scared to do that. Maybe Wade and Jesse were right. With Liam fed and burped she rocked him to sleep. With him down for a few hours, Zoe made the call.
Wade was sitting outside on his break when he spotted Zoe walking up pushing the stroller that housed Liam. He smiled thinking to a day in the future when she would be pushing their child in a stroller coming to see him. "What?" Zoe questioned, sitting next to him. He shook the thoughts away.
"Just thinking," he responded. "What brings you by?" He asked, peaking into the stroller, rubbing his little nephew's belly.
"We're out for a walk enjoying the fresh air, stopped by to get a bite to eat and to see this incredible guy I call my husband and inform him that I've made an appointment tomorrow afternoon and that it would be really nice if he could come along," Zoe told him.
"I think that incredible husband of yours can do just that," he replied. "Want your usual?" He asked. Zoe nodded her head. Wade got up, pulling Zoe up with him. He pulled her in for a hug. "You know I wouldn't make you go alone, Zo. You need me and I'm not going to let you down," he whispered in her ear. She smiled kissing his cheek.
Things were going to be scary, but in the end they were going to be okay, not only did she believe that she had faith in it.
