Olivia woke Sarah apologetically a few hours later. "I hate to wake you up, but Emmy's ready to nurse," she told her. Sarah yawned as she reached lovingly for Emmy and began nursing her. "Do you still have the frozen milk you pumped?" Olivia asked Sarah. She nodded, yawning again.
"You're exhausted, and you're now recovering from giving birth and just breaking a bone. Why don't you skip one of your nursing times in the middle of the night and I'll give her the pumped milk. I know you can't skip more without it getting too painful or risking an infection," she said, remembering why Sarah hadn't been able to skip nursing sessions before. "Otherwise, I'd tell you to sleep the whole night."
Sarah looked gratefully at Olivia. "Just the thought of skipping one session is a relief," she said. "I usually nurse her around 9:00, midnight and 3:00, so if I skip the 3 am feeding, I could actually sleep from midnight to 6:00."
Once Sarah had finished nursing, Elliot and Eli brought dinner into the living room so Sarah didn't have to move. "Chinese food and movies were perfect for helping me feel better," she told Noah, who smiled proudly.
"What about ice cream?" Noah asked. "That's what I like when I have a sore throat or fever. Mom gives it to me if I've had a bad day too."
"I definitely need ice-cream," Sarah responded, smiling at Noah.
"Mint chocolate-chip, vanilla, chocolate, cookie dough or black raspberry chocolate chip?" Elliot called from the kitchen. "We take ice-cream very seriously," he added. "And we all have different favorites."
"We have a way bigger freezer in our new house, so we can keep more ice-cream here," Noah told her happily.
"Mint chocolate-chip please," Sarah said.
"That's my favorite too!" Noah exclaimed.
"The raspberry chocolate chip sounds really good too, though," Sarah added. "I might pick that next time."
"That's what my mom likes," Noah told her. Elliot brought in the ice-cream bowls.
"I like ice-cream after bad days too," Sarah told Noah. After they'd finished their ice cream, Sarah gingerly moved her foot off the pillow to go to the bathroom. Eli brought her the crutches. "Thank you," she told him.
Both Elliot and Olivia frowned as they watched Sarah try to use the crutches. "Sarah, have you ever been on crutches before?" Elliot asked, as she struggled back into the room.
"No," she responded.
"You aren't using them correctly," he told her. "Olivia's closer to your height. Let her show you." Olivia demonstrated how to use them, then helped her practice.
"That's easier," Sarah admitted. "I was too overwhelmed when Amita showed me how to use them to pay attention. I think she was worried about it. She texted me about having Thursday off and was insistent on coming over to check my foot. It didn't really make sense, because she wouldn't be able to see anything without x-raying it again. I think she didn't want to say she was worried I couldn't use the crutches."
"Let's get you settled into your room," Olivia told her. She stayed behind Sarah for support while Elliot brought in Emmy. "Thank you," Sarah told Elliot and Olivia. "So much. I don't know how I'd possibly manage without you."
"You don't have to," Elliot said gently.
"We mean it," Olivia added. "Let us take care of you." Sarah smiled slightly tearfully at her. Olivia hugged her, and Elliot left to give her privacy while she nursed. "All you have to do is nurse," Olivia continued, "and hold and snuggle Emmy when you want to. We can take care of everything else, okay?" Sarah nodded through her tears. "We'll help you get through this, I promise," she told Sarah, squeezing her shoulder reassuringly.
