Chapter 67 #2
She was worn thin. The hospital environment wasn’t the easiest place to get any rest in. But more than that was her worry over Hope. She was finding it hard to function when she wasn’t near her baby.
The guys were incredible, though. Slade had come up with a schedule so that someone with her at all times.
In fact, it seemed like Slade had taken over organizing everything.
You should check in with him.
Make sure he’s all right.
Spencer was doing better after their chat. She hated that he’d been feeling guilty. He was fully on board with everything to do with Hope.
Rock was her silent sentinel. Always there. Always watching. Always anticipating her every need.
Quaid watched the nurses around her like a hawk, questioning the doctor constantly.
She was grateful for that, though. The past three weeks had been a blur for her. Recovery from the birth and worry over Hope had occupied her mind, leaving little room for much else.
“You’re going to have an amazing life, Hope,” she whispered to her. “You’re never going to want for anything. Not for attention or love. I’m always going to be there for you. And so will they. Your daddies ”
She swallowed back tears of joy and sadness. She wondered what it would have felt like to have her mum here. Then again, she would have made everything about herself. So it was probably better that she wasn’t here.
She’d never leave Hope to do this alone. She’d be there for her no matter what.
“You’ll never know what it’s like to be starved of affection and love.
To wonder what you did wrong because your own mum didn’t love you.
Because I will always show you and tell you how much I love you.
And you’re lucky, Hope. Most little girls only have one daddy.
You have four. Of course, you might not see it as a good thing when it comes to dating.
Because they’re all going to be overprotective, I can tell you that now. ”
“Damn straight we are,” Spencer said.
She jumped slightly, turning to see that they were all behind her. They moved so they stood in front of her in a semi-circle.
“What are you all doing here?” she asked, blushing slightly. “And how long have you been standing there?”
“Long enough for you to tell our daughter that she can date,” Spencer told her with a mock-scowl. He pointed at Hope. “Not happening, Hope. Get that idea out of your head. You are never dating.”
She snorted and shook her head, glancing around at the others to see if they thought Spencer was being as ridiculous as she did.
Only, they all looked serious as they nodded.
Dear Lord.
Poor Hope. She was in trouble when she got older.
Slade crouched and placed his hand over her knee. “We’re all going to be there for her and for you.”
“Neither one of you will ever go another day without feeling loved and wanted,” Quaid added.
Rock nodded, staring at her intently.
She sniffled. “I know. I was just thinking that a lot of women would want their mum’s to be here with them through this, supporting them.”
They all scowled, no doubt thinking about Sylvia. Quaid cleared his throat. “Do you want me to bring her back? ”
“Back?” she asked, startled.
“Yes. Back from where I . . . sent her.”
“You sent her somewhere?” she asked. “Where?”
“A nice island off the coast of Scotland. I found her a job and somewhere to live.”
Hmm.
That wasn’t quite adding up.
“Really?” she asked. “Mum hasn’t worked in years that I can remember. Why would she want a job on an island?”
“Well, she didn’t exactly want to go,” he said. “I gave her no choice.”
“Is she ever coming back?” she asked.
“Not unless she changes or you want me to bring her back,” he added.
“But you should know that I found her trying to video a member of the House of Lords in a compromising position. Not that he didn’t deserve what he had coming, but his wife and newborn baby didn’t deserve whatever she had planned. ”
Jesus. Well, she shouldn’t be surprised by what that woman would do.
“Leave her there,” she said. It wouldn’t hurt her mum to work for a while.
“Are you upset with me?” Quaid asked stiffly.
She gave him a shocked look. Then she shook her head. “Quaid, no. I know you did that for me. To protect me. I know that most of what you do is to take care of and protect me. And now this little one.”
“We’re here to take care of you,” Spencer told her. “Although you need to let us help you.”
“What do you mean?” she asked defensively.
Slade squeezed her knee. “You’re trying to do too much, Little one.”
“You’re exhausted,” Quaid added.
Rock grunted in agreement.
Spencer was staring at Hope almost hungrily. And she knew it was because he was dying to be the one holding her .
“I’m her mum. There’s a lot for me to do. And I’m not doing that much. The nurses do a lot.”
Although she could help more now that Hope was stronger.
“When is the last time you slept a full eight hours?” Slade asked.
“I’m a new mum. I’m not meant to sleep a full eight hours,” she protested.
“You’ve got plenty of people to help, though,” Spencer said gently. “So you can sleep.”
“You guys can’t express milk, though,” she said. “Not that I’m doing a very good job with that.”
Her chin was captured in a firm hand and her head was tilted back as Quaid stared down at her sternly. “You are doing all that you can. You had a traumatic birth, it’s usual for your milk supply to be affected by that. You are doing everything you can to help your milk come through.”
“What if it doesn’t happen,” she whispered. She was trying hard. Pumping every three hours only to get a barest amount of milk was playing havoc on her. She felt like a failure.
“Then it doesn’t happen,” Slade said simply. “But it won’t be because you failed. You have been trying everything you can.”
“We know it’s upsetting, Princess,” Spencer said gently. “But it doesn’t mean that you aren’t an amazing mum. Hope is getting everything she needs. What is important to her is that you are all right.”
Shit.
They were right.
“I just wanted it to work. I want her to have everything. I want her to know she’s loved and special and precious.”
“She will. Because she is all of those things,” Slade told her. “Just like her mama is.”
She nodded, feeling a tear slip down her face. Spencer gently took Hope while Slade lifted her and drew her against his chest.
“Let us look after you both,” he said. “It’s what we were put here on earth to do. To make sure that our two girls are happy, that they don’t have to worry about a thing, because we’ll take care of everything.”
“Okay, Daddy,” she whispered.
“My good girl. Our good girl.”