"I like your truck," Lisa told him, breaking the silence that had descended upon them during the drive home. Both were trying very hard to let John sleep. He'd settled into his car seat without problems, and the nurse had adjusted things and shown them where his straps needed to be. Despite his small size, the seat fit him just fine at the lowest setting and had room for adjustment as he grew. Lisa glanced back to try and get an eye on him, but the seat was big along with the fact it faced backwards, and she could only see that he looked peaceful. She'd put a light blanket over his legs, no swaddle, and he hadn't kicked it off.
"I'm still getting used to it," he sighed, gesturing to the electronic panel that stared at him. "All of this is way too much technology. The only thing that I do like is all of the safety features, especially now," he glanced at her with a small nod. "It's got airbags and all, and you know my old truck barely had springs left in the seats let alone anything fancy like that."
"It's nice, functional, and even better," she grinned, "I don't feel every single bump in the road. That always made for an interesting ride. Thanks for bringing us home."
He glanced at her, a surprised look on his face and gestured, "You don't have to thank me. How else would you expect to get home?" She shook her head and looked out the window. Instead of poking that again, he changed the subject, "Ahh, I know your doctor said you had a short supply of blood pressure meds. Do you need me to stop so you can get your prescription?"
"No," she said with a soft smile. "I'll fill it sometime in the next few days. I'm not planning to keep him locked up or anything. Life has to go on, and adjusting to life with him now," she paused and looked back. "It's something we will both be doing."
The silence settled in again until they drove through part of town, "Wow, it feels like I've been gone for months, not just a few days. Maggie's," she sighed and shook her head. "I cannot believe how awful I felt in there the other day."
"You definitely are looking better. How's the head this afternoon?" Jack glanced to her as he asked.
"Dull headache, but it's much improved from the day John was born. I'm looking forward to the day I wake up, and it's finally gone. I think the blood pressure meds will help with that too," she told him. They chatted as the drive continued, and soon, Jack was pulling into Fairfield. He circled up the driveway, and Lisa said, "Oh, how sweet," as Jack pulled up to a stop. Her staff had left a sign on her door, "Congrats Boss and Welcome to Fairfield John!"
"Harry got my number the other day," Jack told her, "and called me to ask when you were coming home. I'm sure all of your stable will be glad to see you again and meet John."
"Yes," she said, unbuckling and opening the door. She eased out of the truck, still pretty sore, and she walked around to where Jack was getting John's seat out of the truck. Lisa just stood and looked out over her beautiful and beloved ranch. She wasn't sure how many times Jack had called for her, but she turned her head quickly and found him there, head tilted, waiting for her.
"You okay?" Jack asked.
"Just taking in the fresh air," she smiled softly. "Let's get him settled." Lisa grabbed her purse, along with one small bag, and followed Jack inside. He turned and handed her back her keys.
"Before I forget," he said as he handed them over from earlier when he'd had to get the car seat. "You need me to put that stroller in your car, or do you think you'll use it around here first?"
"Umm," she paused, not sure what to answer. "I guess just leave it for now. The doctor said walking was good for both of us, and it would help my blood pressure. Maybe I'll take John for a walk tomorrow to the stable."
She looked around the quiet, clean house. Annabelle had cleaned earlier in the day. Lisa could see movement out the back window in the paddock area, and she walked to the doors and opened them, stepping out onto the porch. Jack followed carrying John in his car seat. She just looked over the property, and she heard Harry yell across at her.
"Welcome home, Boss!" Harry yelled with a wave, riding one of the seasoned horses. She waved back and turned to Jack.
"Should we get him settled?" Lisa asked.
"Lead the way," Jack said quietly, following her and carrying the seat. She walked into the living room, and Jack put John's seat on top of the coffee table. He undid the clips and gently lifted him from the seat while Lisa just watched. He started to wake up and didn't like it, his lungs letting them know.
"He's probably hungry again," Jack told her, glancing to his watch. "Tell you what," he offered. "I'll get the things out of the truck, get his bottle made, and maybe I can feed him before you kick me out."
"Jack, I'm not kicking you out," Lisa sighed. "I just-"
"I know," he said, handing her the baby, his eyes locked on hers the whole time. "Just let me feed him, and I'll let you both get some rest, at least for now."
"Okay," she said with a nod. "You can feed him, and maybe I can work on something for us to drink too."
"One step at a time," he winked and walked toward the door.
Almost an hour later, as Jack sat on Lisa's couch holding a now fed and sleeping John, he found himself nodding off. Coffee cups emptied, the two were exhausted. Lisa, at the other end of the couch, was doing the same thing, both with the head bob every few minutes. Lisa finally shook herself out of it and stood, smiling at Jack there snoring with his head back and John in his arms, asleep with a bit of milk still on his face. She took one of the many pictures she'd been taking, and she quietly walked into the other room to retrieve her laptop from her stack of things. She grabbed her glasses too and walked back to take up the same spot on the couch. Jack woke a half hour later.
He looked over to Lisa and saw her working. He frowned and gestured to her, "Seems the roles are reversed, you and me. You are supposed to sleep when he is, not work. You're the one who has had the trauma this week."
"I'm fine," she waved, "and it's not work. I'm ordering things we'll need for John."
"Oh," he shifted slightly, watching his movement as he did. He shifted John just slightly, and both held their breath to see if it would wake him. He continued to sleep. "Guess he's out since he's got a full tummy."
Lisa grinned at that, and she turned her laptop screen so he could see, "Is that bedding okay for the cradle?" Jack glanced at it, surprised she was looking at that, and nodded in agreement.
"That looks nice to me, but that's your thing, bedding and all. I'm sure it will be fine," he told her.
"Well, I like this one," she stated with a single nod and clicked to add it to her cart. "He seems to be doing well with the bottles the hospital gave us, and the recommendation I was given was to not change something unless you have to. So," she looked to him, "I'm ordering a stockpile of those so we have them everywhere. I also have formula, diapers, wipes, a few more burp cloths because I only have a few here, and some other odds and ends. Can you think of anything more?"
"Socks," he said. "His little feet are really cold when he kicks out of that swaddle, and he's going to need some socks."
"Right," she agreed and did a quick search. She was quiet as she looked, and then, she looked back announcing it was done, "Added to the cart. Ahh, oh, some sleepers because again, I only have three or four, and seeing how he went right though his diapers already, I think we will need more."
Jack just listened as Lisa added things, and shortly after, she closed her lid and announced she'd finished.
"All of that was ordered. It should be here in a couple of days, and I'll make sure we both have the things he needs," she stated.
"Lise, just let me know. I can get things too," Jack pleaded with her. "You know what you want, but if you give me a list, I'll get it."
"Jack, it's fine," she said with a soft smile. "It's all ordered, and it's probably just easier if I bring it by one of these days when he is over at Heartland."
"Do you want to come over for dinner tomorrow evening? You have to eat," he suggested to her.
She made a face, "Could I take a raincheck? I would love just one day without having to go anywhere, just a day to start to settle and start figuring out how to be a mom. This isn't trying to keep you from him."
"Fine," he said, mouth almost in a frown. He looked over to her, "How about a compromise for tomorrow? How about if I bring some dinner over after we eat at Heartland? Maybe I could do the same," he gestured to right now, "spend some time with him, feed him, and check in on things. You get a meal out of it and some help because I want to be around."
She paused a moment but nodded, "Alright, that works for tomorrow. Heartland will happen, just another day."