Yanto: Hopefully it won't take three months from now on! And thanks! I don't know much about babies, so I could also totally just be getting this all wrong.
Esuedros: I'll dive more into Remy's personal life...eventually.
Normal: Thanks! Hope you keep enjoying it!
Shananigan: Stupid uncontrollable circumstances. Don't they know that updating fanfic is important?! Heh. Anyway. Thanks! I definitely plan to unveil their situations soon.
Park: Or you could be right. -wink-
Wild: Thank you!
I was going to save this for next week, but since there is a Frankenstorm scheduled to hit where I live head-on, I figured I would at least give you another chapter before I drown from severe coastal flooding. Enjoy! Remember to review, 'cause reviews make me update faster (providing I survive the week!) I cut this chapter off a little short at the end, but I really just wanted to get it up before the storm hits. (...ironic how I couldn't wait til AFTER the storm.)
AFTER THE STORM
I won't die alone and be left there.
Well, I guess I'll just go home,
Oh, God knows where.
Because death is just so full and man so small.
Well, I'm scared of what's behind and what's before.
CHAPTER FOUR
TIME
A car alarm was going off and someone's child was screeching. Remy pulled a pillow over her head to block out the noise and the light. It hit her about two seconds into her futile attempts to fall back to sleep that where she was was too noisy to be her apartment in New Jersey. She briefly considered she might still be in West Virginia before it sunk in that she was in Illinois. She was at Cameron's place. That explained the scratchy couch and the crying baby. She pressed her palm to her eyes and exhaled a sigh as the vehicle outside ceased its obnoxious honking. But the baby was still bawling and Remy wondered what the hell Cameron was doing that she allowed it to cry for this long. It sounds like you're killing the thing, Cameron, she thought and groaned as she shoved the pillow off her face. She forced herself into a sitting position and stretched her arms up over her head before noticing the pink sticky note attached to the coffee table. She lowered her arms then picked it up.
Thirteen, her name was scrawled across the top in big bold letters. She wondered if Cameron even knew her as anything other than a number. She stifled a yawn and scrubbed at her eyes to try to rub away the blur that came from sleep before continuing to read.
Thirteen,
Ran out of diapers. Baby is sleeping. Be back in an hour.
~Allison
Remy lowered the paper back down to the table and shot a look toward the hall. So much for sleeping. Her lips parted and she looked at the front door then back to the hall again, at a loss. She hoped to God that Cameron had written that note an hour before. But then again, she didn't want her host walking in to find the stranger she trusted with her baby sitting absently on the couch as the child wailed loud enough to put the neighbors on alert. She ran her fingers though her disheveled hair as she climbed to her feet and walked on autopilot back to Cameron's bedroom. Her hand was still resting on the top of her head as she pushed the door open then stopped in the entrance. She hadn't thought any further than just walking into the room. But she had to do something before the kid burst a lung. Fuck, she regretted sleeping over. She snatched a plush rabbit off the dresser then shuffled over to the crib and peered down at Harper. The baby's face was covered in tears and red from crying.
"Harper," she cooed, trying to grab the baby's attention. Her voice was still hoarse from sleep and not at all soothing. She cleared her throat and rattled the toy in front of Harper's face. This caused Harper to stop crying. She stared up at Remy with wide eyes, her lower lip trembling threateningly. Panic was welling up in Remy's chest as she searched for what to say. She bit down hard on the inside of her lower lip then wiggled the rabbit again. Harper screeched.
"Please, don't cry," Remy begged. Her words were useless. "Look, Kid, your mother is going to walk in and think I'm back here pinching you or something." She dropped the rabbit at the foot of the crib and shot a nervous glance out of the room. She was going to leave, but she didn't want to leave on bad terms with Cameron. She couldn't say she particularly cared what Cameron thought of her, but she was on the run from police and she had barged into Cameron's house in the middle of the night. She carefully eased the baby up into her arms – being careful to support her head. Did three month olds still need head support? She couldn't remember, but she did it just in case. Upon being picked up, Harper stopped crying immediately. She blinked and looked up at Remy, who sighed audibly in relief.
"Now what do I do with you?" Remy murmured and lightly patted Harper's back. She looked around the room before making her way back toward the living room again. "Cameron should have left your instruction booklet in case you woke up."
Harper grinned and let loose a squeal at the sound of her voice. Her tiny hands batted at Remy's hair for a moment before grabbing a handful of it and shoving it in her mouth.
Remy groaned as her head was yanked to the side. It became obvious that the baby didn't need head support when she began bouncing up and down, trying to gather more of Remy's hair to eat. This was Cameron's payback for waking her up; Remy was sure of it. She tried to gently unclench Harper's fist to free her hair as she made her way into the kitchen. At least the bottle-warmer had instructions clearly printed on the front of it. She only wished the baby had the same. She gave up on getting her hair back and used that hand to open the refrigerator and grab one of the bottles. This was not how she intended to start her morning.
Somehow, Remy managed to place the bottle in the warmer and keep from dropping the squirming baby on her head. The tiny foot kicking her directly in the stomach hurt more than it looked like it would. She inhaled and hoisted Harper up higher so she would at least be kicking a different area for a moment and waited for the milk to warm up. "Your mother is revenge-driven," she muttered, even though she knew that wasn't the case. She heard enough about Cameron to know that she had been the nicest person in the entire hospital – aside from Wilson. But thinking the opposite made her feel better about the situation. As she continued to wait for the bottle, she opened one of the cupboards above the sink and looked for food. "I bet she reads Old Mother Hubbard to you every night," she added when she noticed the cupboard was bare.
Harper finally pulled Remy's hair of her mouth, but kept a tight grip on it. She grunted and blew a few spit bubbles at the woman holding her. Drool slid down her chin.
"I feel the same way," Remy answered and shut the cupboard door. She turned off the bottle warmer. It felt as though it as at an okay temperature, but she dripped some onto her arm just to be sure. It occurred to her that she was probably squirting her wrist with her ex-coworker's breast milk. Her cheeks flushed as the situation felt worse than it was and a scowl etched itself permanently across her face. She used her foot to push out one of the kitchen chairs then took a seat and adjusted Harper in her arms. She had never even so much as babysat before, yet, here she was, trying to feed a three month old. "Here comes the train?" she tried and placed the nipple of the bottle against Harper's lips. The baby latched onto the bottle and let go of her hair at the same time. Remy fought the urge to wipe the drool from her hair because both of her hands were now busy. She dropped her head against the back of the chair and looked down her nose at the child in her arms.
Harper gave her a toothless grin and made a gurgling noise before she resumed drinking.
"Okay, so maybe you're a little cute," Remy caved. She lifted her head again and kept eye contact with Harper. The baby was staring at her rather intently as she listened to the sound of her voice. "I can't believe I'm having a conversation with an infant." This earned her another grin and an even more enthusiastic gurgling noise. Of course the baby would find her predicament funny. She beat her head back against the chair again and closed her eyes.
xxxxx
Cameron couldn't return home soon enough. Remy straightened herself up and turned to face the door when the lock clicked the knob turned. The door was pushed open and Cameron let herself in. She was carrying about ten grocery bags – most of which she dropped on the floor upon entering. She turned around and shut the door behind her.
Remy had used her time alone with Harper to prepare an entire speech about how she may have overstayed her welcome, but she was not a nanny. She placed the empty bottle on the table and got to her feet as Cameron turned to face her – ready to speak. "That is a lot of diapers," she blurted out and looked at the bags. So much for a speech.
Cameron turned away from her and surveyed the clear grocery backs on the floor. She picked up one that was filled with bread and eggs then grabbed another that contained produce. "I thought you might be hungry," she replied and began lugging the groceries into the kitchen.
"For diapers?" Remy deadpanned.
Cameron looked confused.
Remy smirked.
Cameron seemed to brush off the comment and began to empty the groceries onto the kitchen table. "Was she any trouble?" she questioned and looked over fondly at Harper. "I didn't expect to take so long." She seemed rather frazzled as she crossed back through the kitchen to grab more bags from the living room. "The hospital called about missing paperwork as I was on my way to the store and I had to track down who put it in the wrong spot. Then the self-check outline was broken and all the other li-"
"Breathe, Doctor," Remy cut her off. "She was fine. Let me help with those." She scanned the area for somewhere to put Harper before remembering the swing she had spotted in the living room the previous night. She carried the baby over to it then situated her safely inside before turning to help gather the other bags that were on the floor. She picked up the remaining three and carried them to the kitchen with ease. "I can't imagine trying to shop and carry a baby around at the same time." She pulled a few cans of soup out of one of the bags and placed them on the table. "But I could never even find time to shop and deal with House at the same time." She set the other two bags on the table and looked up at Cameron, who was just staring at the groceries. "You okay?" she questioned and quirked a brow at her.
Cameron's head shot up when she realized she was being addressed. "Yeah," she answered and nodded her head after a moment. "You were saying something about House and shopping?" She gave Remy a smile that seemed sincerely warm but slightly forced then pulled the bread out of one of the bags.
Remy blinked and rubbed the back of her neck. She moved her hand and absently scratched her head then opened one of the cupboards to begin putting things away. She opened her mouth to tell Cameron that she planned the make her leave after lunch, but Cameron began speaking first.
"Do you think all mothers feel like this?" she asked. Her voice had taken on a more somber tone.
When Remy turned around, she was staring at the groceries again. She looked around as though Cameron was going to start confiding in someone other than her. "Like what?" she asked. Her words were rushed because she didn't know what else to say. Not only wasn't she a mind-reader, but she had never exactly been someone's listening ear before either. She wasn't good with feelings.
Cameron made an ambiguous hand movement before looking up at Remy. "Like there's not enough time," she answered. Her voice cracked. She licked her lips and looked around then began to make herself busy by putting groceries away as Remy just stood there staring at her. She seemed to regret her words. Her lips pursed together and she lifted the bread to place it in one of the cupboards.
The more she looked at Cameron, the more evident the dark circles under her eyes became. Remy brushed her fingers through her hair and looked around the kitchen again before making a choice she knew she was going to regret. She walked across the floor in only a few steps and took the bread from Cameron's hands then put it in the cupboard herself. "Well, there's enough time for you today," she stated.