"Hey, Tara!" Emily said urgently, jumping up from one of the overstuffed chairs in the waiting room of Tara's private practice when she emerged from one of the patient rooms. "Do you have a second to talk?"
Tara looked up sharply from her datebook, startled. "Oh! Emily... What... What are you doing here? I don't have Alex on the schedule for today, but..." Just to be certain, she flipped through the pages of her datebook again, failing to find Alex's name written that day.
"I know, I just...have a few questions and they really couldn't wait," Emily explained, then paused briefly. "I'll buy you lunch..." she added, hoping to sweeten the deal.
Tara sighed, shook her head, though she did so fondly. "Fine..." She gave her a playful, yet pointed stare. "But talk fast."
"How's Lindy doing?" Tara asked while they waited for their lunch to come. She glanced over at the baby who was currently sleeping peacefully in her stroller, apparently unperturbed by the drone of voices and the clanking of dishes in the little diner.
Emily smiled down at the baby as well. "She's been wonderful. She's such a laidback baby, she barely even cries...well, except when Alex tries to breastfeed her. Then, it's a battle." She pulled a face at that and Tara could read more from the expression than Emily could possibly have known.
"Oh?" she asked, hoping to get Emily to open up without prying.
"That's actually kind of what I wanted to talk to you about," Emily continued. "I can understand why Alex gets upset when Lindy won't eat, but...it's like she's afraid of her. She almost never wants to hold her. She won't bathe her or change her or even just cuddle her. I'm actually starting to get worried; it's been a week since she's been home, she should be bonding with Lindy by now."
Tara nodded slowly, almost as if she'd suspected as much.
That nod seemed to make Emily nervous. "It's bad, right?"
Tara held up her hands reassuringly. "First of all, you don't need to be too concerned. It sounds like Alex is just dealing with a mild case of postpartum depression. It's common, especially when the birth was in some way traumatic."
"Okay..." Emily said slowly. "So, you can help her? Because I'd do anything in my power to fix this, but I genuinely have no idea what to do and it's so stressful and..."
Tara rested a hand on top of Emily's to ground her. "Emily, I say this as your friend and as a therapist: chill." She kept eye contact with Emily so she would mimic her breathing until she stopped hyperventilating.
"Sorry," Emily mumbled. "I'm just really stressed out right now and I haven't slept in a week."
Nodding, Tara said, "I know, Em. I know. You're dealing with a lot, but this is fixable."
She sniffled then, surprising both of them with her sudden emotional display. "I'm sorry," she said again. "I didn't mean to unload on you like that."
Tara have her a pointed look. "Speaking as a therapist...and your friend, maybe you should see someone too. You've got a lot on your plate and..."
Emily shook her head. "First, I'll worry about Alex. Then, maybe, we can worry about me..."
Tara just shook her head disapprovingly, not surprised by Emily's refusal to seek help, but also not impressed.
When Emily arrived home, she expected Alex to still be in bed, as she'd spent much of the last week sleeping (Emily had chalked that up to her still recovering from the birth and subsequent blood loss, though she now feared it was something more insidious...).
Instead, though, when she came through the door, she was met with the sound of Alex singing along to the radio. She honestly couldn't remember the last time she'd heard her sing...but she hoped it was a good sign. "Alex?" she called down the hall.
She emerged from the kitchen wearing an apron stained with flour, clearly in the midst of baking something – which was also something Emily couldn't recall the last time she'd done so. "My beautiful girls!" she greeted, a bright smile lighting up her face. "I've missed you!" She proceeded to ease Lindy out of her stroller and bounce her a few times.
"You're in a good mood this morning," Emily said, stealing a kiss. "What changed?"
She shrugged, crossed the room to set Lindy in her swing. "I just woke up this morning feeling good," she said, as if that explained everything.
Emily followed after her, waiting for further explanation. When none seemed forthcoming, she said, "Well, I'm glad."
Alex nodded, returning to the kitchen, where she then peered into the oven to check on her cookies.
When she also failed to explain this, Emily asked, "What are you making?"
"Lactation cookies." At Emily's curious expression, she continued, "I figure the reason Lindy is fighting me is because I'm not producing enough...so I went online and did some research on how to increase my production. Turns out, because of blood loss, my iron levels must be low, so foods like oatmeal are really good for that. Also..."
Emily held up a hand to stem the verbal tide. "You've been busy," she agreed. "I'm glad. I've been missing my wife..." She wrapped an arm around Alex's waist, pulling her close so she could kiss her properly. She hummed against her lips. "I've missed this too..." she husked.
Alex grinned into the kiss. "I've missed that too," she agreed. She glanced over her shoulder at the oven timer. "Give me five minutes and we can make up for lost time?"
"I thought you had to wait six weeks?"
She smirked. "That doesn't mean I can't show you my appreciation for all you've been doing for me..." she whispered silkily, fiddling with the buttons on Emily's blouse. She once again captured Emily's lips, kissing her with hunger.
"I don't know what's gotten into you today, but I'm not about to complain," Emily teased.