Chapter 87
Phoebe slept surprisingly well through the night and was lying awake in between her parents. Alex peeked over at her, a friendly smile greeting her mother as little fists were stuffed in her mouth. Alex didn't know how she got so lucky but she sure was grateful. With Ryan still asleep the two of them needed to be quiet as not to wake him up. It was an hour before her alarm were supposed sound but she didn't mind some quality time with her daughter.
Alex sat up right, removing her diaper and putting on a clean one, discarding it downstairs before she headed back up into the bedroom. She thought she made a bottle for her the previous night but it turns out there was nothing downstairs since those two were empty and only filled with water. The empty one on her nightstand evident that there really wasn't any. Too lazy to go back down and make some more, she took on nursing instead, she didn't stop it completely and still nursed when laziness hit her or whenever she ran out of formula.
"Okay, there's no bottles for you so this will have to do right now." She whispered positioning the four month old in the crook of her arm, resting her back against the backboard. Phoebe grabbed onto her mothers breast, chubby hands squeezing as hard as they could while sucking rhythmically. "You enjoying that, bub?" Alex asked softly, big blue eyes looked up at the sound of her mother's voice, and the corners of her mouth turned up into a small smile, causing temporary loss of suction. Smiling down at Phoebe, Alex pat her back lightly as they both relaxed in the moment.
Ryan turned around and woke up at the loss of the small bundle that occupied the space next to him when he put his hand out, only to look up and find her and Alex have a conversation. Or more like Alex talking while the baby listened.
Alex caught the movement to her side and looked over to see Ryan staring at the two of them. "Sorry, we didn't mean to wake you." She apologized.
"No, you didn't. I need to get up anyway." He yawned and stretched. "Where are you off to?" Alex arched her brows not sure what he has planned. "The same place you're going." He stated as if that's not really a question she just asked. Once Phoebe heard her father's voice all thoughts of food vanished and she looked over at him, giving him a smile that he couldn't resist and he took her from her mother.
"The only place I am going to right now, is to have a shower." She said getting up avoiding the thoughts her husband may have of returning back to work. "So, we can shower together and save water." He suggested smiling. "Ryan, the doctor said you're not supposed to do any excessive exercise." Alex warned standing in front of the closet looking for the day's outfit. "That is not excessive exercise, Alex I'm a man. And I have needs." He tried again but she shook her head pulling out a loose white button down shirt and ripped jeans, throwing it on the bed.
"Well, then you better attend to your needs. Because sex is not gonna happen until you're in better shape. See it as motivation to speed up your healing." She pats his shoulder making her way towards the bathroom. "You're really mean sometimes." He grumbled shifting his attention to his daughter.
"Are you gonna stay home with me today? Since mommy doesn't want me to go to work." He suggested and the babbling baby seemed to agree with that statement, being rebellious at four months old and skipping a day at day care.
Ryan steadied Phoebe in front of him, stacking some pillows around her for support as he held onto her while she played with a brightly colored rattle. Laughing at the sound it makes whenever she shook it. Too much fun soon turned into tears when she accidentally hit herself in the face with it, looking at her father with matching big blue eyes. Her bottom lip poking out and she started crying.
"Oohh, that wasn't my fault, you're looking at me as if I did it." He laughed and picked her up from her pillows of safety kissing her as she cried. It soon subsided and she went back to picking it up this time hitting his chest and cheek with it.
Alex came out of the shower, a towel wrapped around her body her damp curly hair hanging over one shoulder. Drying herself with the towel in the bedroom, as she's putting on underwear. "Alexandra Booth." Ryan shook his head looking at her.
"What?" She asked confused not knowing what is so weird about what she's doing since she always gets dressed in the bedroom whether he is present or not. "I just told you I have needs, then you come out looking like you do and I can't do anything about it." He explained upset.
"And I told you to attend to it. I know I'm being horrible but I just want you to heal up." She kissed him quickly before shimmying into her jeans and putting on her shirt. "You have that look on your face." He said when she tied her hair after combing it out.
"What look?" She examined her face in the mirror to see if she can spot anything weird.
"The look that says you want to make me breakfast. I need to take my medication in order to heal up. I don't want my wound to get infected now do I?" He smirked as they made eye contact in the mirror.
"Fine, if I make you breakfast will you stop whining? You're such a big baby." She smiled looking at him.
"Yes, I will. And Phoebe said she wants to stay home with me. Tell mommy what you told me Pheebs." Ryan encouraged, turning his daughter around in his arms so she can make eye contact with her mother, and as if on cue, she said what her father assumed was agreeing to his statement. Causing both parents to laugh.
"All right then." Alex smiled waling out of the bedroom towards the kitchen.
"We make a mean team Pheebs. Fist bump." Ryan bumped one of her little fists that was curled up in her mouth, laughing at his silliness. There is nothing in this world he wouldn't do for his daughter who stole his heart the day she came into the world.
Alex settled for making pancakes. While cleaning Phoebe's bottles and making some formula in two of the bottles for later in the day while she and her father gets up to who knows what. She took the pancakes upstairs along with a glass of water, as she and Ryan ate breakfast in bed. Weirdly, she was dressed and ready to leave for work but had a hard time convincing herself to do so, she really wanted to spend the day with her family.
Nimah sat head down at her desk, laying her head on her arms. "And then?" Alex asked Shelby but the blonde shrugged. "Hey, what's going on?" Shelby asked softly resting her hands on her swollen belly. "I'm thinking of becoming a nun." Nimah mumbled not lifting her head from her folded arms. "What happened?" Natalie tried but Nimah shook her head. "I don't wanna talk about it."
"Can we go to the gym after work?" She asked the three of them. Shelby pointed to her belly, Alex pointed to the framed picture of Phoebe and Ryan on her desk and she stared at Natalie. "Fine. We'll all go with you. We can leave an hour earlier." Natalie said not taking no for an answer.
"You can sit and watch Shelby, but you're going." Natalie answered the questioning look on the blonde's face and she nodded, switching on her computer.
"We should probably bathe you hey." Ryan said to himself and Phoebe looked up at him. "Or you can watch TV for another hour." He changed his mind, enjoying the time he has with his little girl. "Why are you gnawing at your fists so frantically?" He asked taking her little fist out of her mouth to have a look, but that didn't work because she balled up her left hand and used that fist as a substitute from the one she just lost.
"I'm gonna take that one out also, I just wanna have a look." He laughed inspecting her gums. There were slight red patches on her gums which he wasn't sure what it was. He'll ask his wife once she's home what that could be.
He flipped her over on her tummy and she arched her back grabbing at the toys strewn out in front of her, all of which she tried to put into her mouth. Snapping a quick picture sending it to his wife.
Nothing exciting happened at the office, and around 4PM the four girls got up and left. Heading towards the gym on Nimah's request still not sure why. They all felt overdressed as they entered but Nimah had a gym bag and changed into other clothing before throwing punches at the red boxing sack swinging in front of her.
The other three looking at each other waiting for someone to make the first move on who will ask the question they've all been wondering about.
Alex walked over and grabbed a hold of one of her friend's hands. "Hey Nimah, honey what's going on?"
"Maybe I just need to be in better shape. Maybe I need three friends standing in front of me to encourage me, instead of gawking at me like three bitches." She said pushing Alex out of the way and continued throwing punches at the red sack.
The three of them looking at her with shocked expressions and took a seat on the floor against one wall, legs stretched out in front of them. "I have no idea what that was all about." Shelby said looking for confirmation from the rest, where they looked at their friend still hitting frantically.
"Is she and Clive still together? Maybe it has something to do with that." Natalie rationalized not sure what other explanation there could be for Nimah's sudden fitness behavior.
She walked over to them with a bottle of water in hand and took a seat on the floor beside Alex. "I saw some make up tutorials online, maybe I should change up my look. Smokey eyes or something" She breathed taking a gulp of water.
"Okay." Shelby nodded her head not knowing how to respond to that.
"I saw it on a Facebook site. There are these professional make up classes you can sign up for."
"Yeah, I think those are for when you're interested in working in the movies or special effects or something." Natalie told her, but the look Nimah gave her made her stop talking.
After another half an hour of watching Nimah attempt to get in every possible piece of equipment the gym has to offer they were ready to call it a day. It took some pleading to get her out of there but eventually they did it. Alex rove the four of them over to an ice cream shop and after they ordered they sat in the car eating ice cream, at 04:45PM.
"Nimah what's going on?" Natalie was the first to break the silence.
"Clive and I broke up, and it wasn't pretty. My status with men on a scale from one to ten is about a minus five right now. Good men, bad men, all men. What if I never find the right guy. I'm either pushing them away or we can't stand each other, or they push my buttons. And then I look at the three of you whishing I have what you guys have, because that is perfect." Nimah rambled from the front seat turning around so she could see Shelby and Natalie's faces as well.
"I mean, that picture Ryan sent you of Phoebe. Caleb always coming over just to rub your belly. Quade texting to ask if there's anything you want for dinner. I want something like that." Nimah leaned her head against the seat not knowing what else to say anymore.
"Do you have any idea how many frogs I had to kiss before I met Ryan? There was Mike whose parents didn't approve of him being in a relationship with an Indian woman." Alex started.
"And then there was Darren, who told me to color my hair because he couldn't be seen in public with a dumb blonde." Shelby chimed in.
"And there was Logan, who cheated on me with his high school girlfriend in my apartment." Natalie concluded causing an eruption of laughter from all of them.
"Nimah the point it, we all had a lot of really bad break ups before Caleb, and Quade and Ryan. The right guy for you is out there, you don't have to change who you are in order to find him." Alex told her.
"Okay, maybe I overreacted. And I brought you guys along with me when you all have something better to do. Get us back to the office so we can go home." Nimah leaned over and put her seatbelt on.
Natalie shook her head when Nimah said that. "Quade didn't text me today to ask what I want for dinner so tonight I'll have to cook."
Alex reached over and air fived Natalie as she turned around to buckle up her seat belt. "And I need to see if Ryan's not a grumpy cat anymore, because I wouldn't have sex until he's better."
"The joys of being pregnant." Shelby laughed as they pulled out of the parking lot and headed for the office.
When Alex got home Ryan and Phoebe were in the middle of watching a football game. She leaned over and kissed both of them before picking Phoebe up sitting on the couch opposite Ryan with Phoebe in her lap. Not that he paid any mind to her all his attention were on the game, it wasn't until she was sighing loudly that he tore his eyes away from the TV screen to look at her for a few seconds
"Yes?"
"What was the name of that Special Agent I met in the briefing room a couple of weeks ago?" Alex asked wiping Phoebe's dribbling mouth.
"Uhhm, there were ten of us." Ryan answered eyes back on the screen.
"The tall one, with the pretty eyes." Alex tried, getting him to remember.
"Pretty eyes?" Ryan scrunched up his face, clearing his throat watching the game again
"Warren or Warrick or something. He said he was single and I thought I could set him up with Nimah. Or that waiter at the bar we always go to, dark hair with the beard…"
"What are you doing?" He eventually asked looking at her suspiciously.
"She and Clive broke up and she's not taking it well, and I wanna help."
Ryan set his feet down from the table and looked at her. "Okay, I'm gonna get up, get you the box of Oreos in the kitchen and a bottle of water. Then, I'm gonna come back and finish watching football. At no point in this am I going to talk anymore about Amin's love life."
"Okay." Alex said when he passed her on his way to the kitchen. She and Phoebe moved over to the couch where he sat a few seconds ago waiting for him to return with the treats.
She waited for him to settle before leaning into his shoulder as Phoebe played on her lap. "Babe but what if.."
She didn't get to finish her sentence as he kissed her full on the mouth silencing her in the middle of her sentence. Handing her a cookie to eat, hoping to silence her even if it's just until his team managed to get their touchdown.
Hey guys! I received some feedback about the request I made yesterday. I promise the *guest* who reviewed that something like baby nr2 will show up in the future as this story progresses. Thank you for reading. Not much happening in this chapter I just wanted some family moments and Ryan will get back to work soon. Also, another *guest* reviewer said I should read my first chapter and then the latest one I published and how much my writing has improved. THAT MADE ME SMILE THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE POSITIVE ENCOURAGEMENT. From all of you, I appreciate it. Sorry for the long note. Let me know what you think about this one. Lovies-S.
