Chapter 7
In the middle of the night, Leo lay in his bunk debating whether to drag his ass over to his home on his hands and knees and apologize to his wife or let her have space.
For the first time in his marriage, he didn’t know how to talk to his wife. He thought they worked in sync. The other team members finished their work and spent the long weekend with their families. He missed having her lie on his chest.
Finally giving up sleeping, he rose from his bed and dressed. He drove to his house and saw the light on. He watched Kit Kat hold the baby, trying to console their son. She appeared as tired as he felt.
Getting out of the truck, Leo entered the house.
“Leo,” she exclaimed, “You scared me.”
“What’s wrong, Kit Kat?” he asked.
“I don’t know. Derrick won’t stop crying. He’s not eating or sleeping,” she said, worried.
“Does he have a fever?” he asked, taking him from her arms.
“He didn’t earlier,” she said, pulling out the thermometer and checking his temp.
“What does it say?” he asked, glancing over her shoulder.
“It says 101 degrees. Let me get the acetaminophen. Strip him down, and I’ll give him a tepid bath. Maybe it’ll help calm him,” she said, opening the cabinet and getting the baby medication.
A cry from the other room let them know Derrick’s crying woke Grace. Kit Kat hung her head for a moment before measuring out the liquid and giving it to her upset son.
“Take him, and I’ll get Grace,” Leo offered. “I can get her back to sleep and then help you with him.”
Holding out her arms, Kit Kat took Derrick and headed toward their bathroom while he went into Grace’s room.
When she saw him, she held out her arms, and her hands beckoned him. “Daddy,” she cried.
“I’m here, my little warrior,” he soothed.
Picking her up, he changed her and sat in the rocking chair.
Leo rubbed her back and spoke softly to her.
“Do you want Daddy to tell you about bomb making or fallout shelters? I tried to talk your mama into letting me take you to visit the new K-9’s.
She says you can’t go until she’s checked them out.
We can have a little saddle made, and you can ride it. What do you think?”
Grace’s crying quieted as she lay her head on his shoulder. Her warm breath tickled his neck, and he loved the little sounds she made while sucking her thumb. Within a few minutes, she fell back to sleep. Rising slowly, he put her in the crib.
Leo entered their bathroom to find the baby still crying in the tub. “Should I call Michael?”
“I don’t think pediatricians make house calls this late at night. It’s a fever. Hopefully, the acetaminophen will kick in and work.”
“He’s more than a pediatrician. Michael’s part of the team. He may not participate all the time, but he’s there when we need him and vice versa,” Leo informed her.
“I know, but he has little ones, and he can’t be running up the mountain because our son has a fever. He’s acted fussy all evening. I thought he might be teething,” she said, taking him from the tub, drying him off, and redressing him.
“I don’t know, he seems…off,” he told her as he glanced at his son.
“If he’s still running a fever in the morning, I’ll call Michael,” she assured him, picking up Derrick and bouncing him gently.
“Why don’t you rest, and I’ll take the first shift?” he offered.
“You need to go back to the facility, Leo. I appreciate the help, but I’m still royally pissed at you,” she said, tiredly.
“I’m up for the day anyway. In a couple of hours, I’ll have to get Melody up to shower and get dressed.
Once he goes down, I’ll take my shower and prep everything.
I usually do it in the evening, but I didn’t have time tonight,” she reasoned.
“You’re carrying our child while trying to care for this one, and Grace will wake up in about an hour.”
“She’s sleeping until seven these days,” Kit Kat replied.
“When did she start?” he asked as he held out his arms for their son.
“Two months ago,” she said, handing the baby over.
Damn, he didn’t seem to know what happened in his own household. He came every morning and never realized it.
“I’ll pack the snacks for daycare and after school,” he offered.
“We no longer pack after-school snacks. Since the kids are older, they go to the hospital cafeteria with Avie and the other schoolchildren, have a snack, then do an outdoor activity before starting homework. By the time I pick Melody up, she’s almost done with everything except studying for a test,” she informed him.
Shit. Why did he not know?
“I’ll pack Derrick’s bottles and Grace’s snacks,” he said. “Go lie down for a bit.”
“There’s no need for his. My milk supply increased, and I’ve taken enough for the week to the hospital, and I’m there to breastfeed. Grace will only take a second,” she argued.
“Damn it, Kit Kat,” Leo swore out his frustration. “I’m trying, and it feels like you’re blocking my every move.”
“I’m not doing anything of the sort,” she denied. “Sometimes, I don’t think you’re aware of everything happening around you. It usually doesn’t bother me because you’re there when it comes to the kids.”
“What do you mean, ‘When it comes to the kids?’” he asked coldly.
“Frankly, Leo, I’m not sure how we created another child,” she admitted. “I rarely see you, and spending time alone feels impossible. If it’s not the kids, it’s work. You haven’t seen me in a while,” she confessed quietly.
Derrick finally fell asleep, and he took him to the nursery, shut the door, and returned to the kitchen.
“If I didn’t see you, then you might not be pregnant,” he teased, only to realize she didn’t take it kindly.
She sent him a scathing glare. “When was the last time you took me to dinner?”
Leo stopped to think. He pointed his finger at her and grinned. “I took you out last month. We ate fresh salmon, potatoes, and asparagus at that restaurant,” he said, snapping his fingers, trying to recall the name.
“You mean the take-out we reheated after you missed our reservations?” she retorted.
“Wait. What about the pizza date?” he challenged.
Kit Kat sighed. “You mean the pizza we ate while you surveilled your daughter at her first solo invitation playdate outside of Serenity Mountain?”
“Did you want to leave her alone?” he questioned. “Considering all the shit I found out about the dad, I’d figure you’d appreciate my safeguarding our daughter.”
“Finding out the dad sleeps with his secretary doesn’t constitute a federal crime,” she deadpanned.
“No, but it speaks of his values as a man. He doesn’t give a fart in space about his family. He betrayed his wife’s trust and let her down.”
“Even the best dads can let moms down,” she said quietly.
Leo rubbed his chest, feeling the pain from her words. What more did she want? He came home every night, helped with the kids, and maybe he needed to pick up his housework a bit, but she seemed to handle everything fine. Realizing she didn’t want him to stay, he took his jacket from the hook.
“I’ll head out. If you need anything, call me. I’ll check in later at the hospital. Can I bring you anything?”
“No,” she said as her eyes became watery. “I’ll be fine.”
It took everything in him to walk away. But at 0500, he didn’t feel like starting a fight when the first of three kids might wake up any minute.
He needed to address things, but he put it off.
Partially because he didn’t want to hear what she wanted to do about the baby.
Leo knew her pregnancy occurred because of his neglect, and although he felt bad, he wanted this child as much as the others.
Leo wasn’t sure Kit Kat felt the same way.