A cry tore through the dense night air at 2 a.m. and woke both Sharon and Andy up. Disoriented at first, it took Sharon a moment to realize the crying came from Ember. She felt Andy pushing the blanket aside and getting out of bed.
He turned on a small light on his way to Ember's cot and Sharon could see him bending and scooping the 11-month old baby into his arms.
"Dada's here," he said softly to the infant. "Babe, can you move over? I think she needs to be changed."
Sharon got out of bed, still rubbing her eyes. She straightened the sheets, making room for Andy to lay Ember down.
With his hand still placed on Ember's chest to prevent her from rolling off the bed, he turned and grabbed Ember's diaper backpack.
Sharon watched Andy move quickly and efficiently as he changed Ember's full diaper. She could tell he was experienced by now and realized what an asset he must have been to Rainie during Sharon's absence. It also dawned on her that Rainie would have never trusted Andy to take Ember away for four days had he not been an integral part of her caretaking. After all, spending a few hours with an infant and spending four days away from home with them was not the same thing.
Once he was done, Andy picked Ember off the bed and began pacing around the room with her, turning the light off to provide a darker environment for Ember.
"Andy, I can do that, go back to bed," Sharon said.
"I'm used to this, don't worry. Go back to sleep," Andy replied and began humming a soft tune as he rocked his body from side to side. It took a few moments until he put Ember down in the cot and returned to bed.
Sharon wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close to her.
"I'm sorry you had to wake up," he whispered. "She usually wakes up much earlier, but because of the flight her schedule got messed up."
"It's fine, Andy. I'm glad to see both of you. If she wakes up again, please let me handle it. I haven't seen her in eight months and she's so big now. I want to get to know her."
"Okay," Andy whispered and entangled his feet with hers. "But she usually sleeps a full night."
Despite of Andy's claim, it wasn't long before Ember woke up again, this time screaming at the top of her lungs. True to her word, Sharon was the one who got up this time and she picked Ember up from her cot. Holding her granddaughter in her arms for the first time since Ember was 3 months old made Sharon's heart race with excitement. She caressed the baby's soft curls and whispered words of love to her. When she touched Ember's forehead, she realized that something was wrong.
"Andy, she has a fever," she said.
Andy was out of bed in mere seconds and turned on the light. He rummaged through the diaper backpack until he found a thermometer and pointed it towards Ember's forehead. The temperature read 102.5 degrees. Andy shrugged and took a bottle of baby fever syrup out of the bag. He measured the correct amount and drew it into an oral syringe.
"You don't seem surprised," Sharon said.
"She has a little viral infection. The doctor said it was nothing serious, and that all we need to do is to lower her fever. She'll be fine in a few days," Andy said.
"Poor baby, you don't feel well, do you?" Sharon asked and kissed the crown of Ember's head.
Andy wrapped his arms around Sharon's waist from behind and rested his head on her shoulder. "She likes it when you rock her from side to side. It calms her down."
Sharon took his advice and began swaying from side to side, creating a soothing motion for the infant in her arms. Just like Andy did before, she hummed a song, and watched as Ember looked at her, mesmerized by the woman she didn't know.
"She doesn't usually respond well to strangers, but she likes you," Andy said.
"Maybe she knows I'm her grandma and not a stranger," Sharon replied.
"Maybe," Andy said and pressed a kiss to Sharon's cheek.
It took another twenty minutes until Ember's fever went down. She was still awake, but rested comfortably in Sharon's arms.
Sharon watched the tired gaze veiling her granddaughter's eyes and willingly handed her over to Andy when he decided it was time to put Ember back in her cot. He gave Ember her pacifier and turned off the lights, explaining to Sharon that Ember was sleepy enough to fall asleep on her own.
Four days passed quicker than either Sharon or Andy wanted, but on the last evening of her spring break, Sharon had to say goodbye to Andy and Ember at the airport as they headed home. Because Andy had been to San Francisco before, they haven't done much. They mostly spent their time together, shopping, eating out and going to a picnic at the park. It was the first time since she left Los Angeles that Sharon felt truly relaxed and at ease.
Before saying goodbye, Andy promised to try and keep a more regular video call schedule and made her promise that she'll go to the occupational therapy clinic. He even scheduled the first meeting for her and said he would call her afterwards. In their eight years of marriage and two years of dating prior to that, Sharon learned that Andy was a good caretaker. But spending this year mostly on her own, she had to rely on herself. Even though Andy left San Francisco, she still felt that he has taken care of her and made sure that she would be okay after he leaves. Sharon appreciated that and it felt good to be able to rely on someone other than herself for a few days.
When she walked into her dorm after returning from the airport, she was happy to find Sullivan in the room. Even though she knew her roommate was about to grill her, in an attempt to find out if Sharon had sex or not during her vacation, she was almost looking forward to it. Sharon has never excelled at saying goodbye, so anything that would alleviate the sudden emptiness that she felt would suffice her. She knew that the next time she'll see Andy will be after her graduation, when she returns home. Luckily, graduation was only three months away, and Sharon knew that once exams start, the time will pass fast.
-TBC-
