Chapter 32 #2
“I’m sure she’d like it,” Bryce said, because Codi had lived a lot of her life isolated, and she’d told him that one of the best parts about their life at Rising Sun Ranch was how many people could show up at any given time.
She claimed to love his big, loud family, and while he sometimes wanted to hide and needed silence, Codi didn’t mind having people around.
“You go in, baby,” Harry said, and he reached past Bryce to open the door. Belle slipped in with Lyric, leaving the two cowboys out in the hall.
“I bet you haven’t looked at the family text,” Harry said.
“No,” Bryce said.
“Kassie is organizing people to come help, not only with Codi and the baby, but at the farm too.”
Bryce nodded because he wasn’t going to turn down good help when it was offered. “I wouldn’t expect anything less,” he said with a smile.
Harry cleared his throat. “Bailey’s on it.”
Bryce’s eyebrows went up. “For which part?”
Harry frowned and pulled out his phone. “I can’t remember. Let me look.”
Bryce could just as easily look, though he’d likely missed hundreds of messages at this point.
Once Samuel had been bathed and Bryce sat with him in the nursery while they waited for Codi to be given a room, he’d texted the Young family thread and told them everything that had happened with the birth.
He’d sent a picture of himself with Samuel, as well as the boy’s name, and then he tucked his phone away and cuddled his son close.
Codi had been given a room only twenty minutes later, and Bryce had dedicated his time and energy to his wife, getting her ice chips, and then calling the lactation specialist when Samuel wouldn’t latch on.
Every hour seemed to bring a new milestone, and Bryce told himself that he’d been through hard things before—maybe not this particular hard thing, but others.
He knew he just had to make it a little bit longer, and then he’d be able to find physical rest through sleeping and gain mental and emotional rest in the Lord.
Harry looked up. “It looks like she’s bringing dinner in a few days, which means she’ll stay to help with housework, and Codi, and the baby, and then she said she can also do whatever you need done on the ranch that night.”
Bryce nodded and swallowed.
“I’m sure Kassie can tell her that she’s not needed,” Harry whispered.
Bryce shook his head. “Bailey is who Bailey is,” he said. “And Codi and I are super secure. If she wants to come help, I’m not going to tell her no.”
Harry didn’t seem to like that answer, but he shoved his phone in his back pocket and didn’t say anything. That alone said so much, and he rolled his neck and lifted one arm above his head to stretch it out.
“I actually think it’s good for her,” he said. “To see Codi and me, and to see our babies, and see how we’ve built this family together.” He exhaled as his muscles stretched and pulled. “And she’s with Reeves now anyway.”
Bryce switched arms and then moved down the hallway a little bit.
He watched as the dining tray got taken into a room a few down from Codi’s, but he hovered against the wall as there was no waiting area in here.
“She’s watched Matthew a couple of times,” Bryce said.
“Well, once Codi took something to OJ when he was at her house, and they spent some time out by the duck pond. It wasn’t really babysitting that second time. ”
“I think it’s wild you had her babysit at all,” Harry said.
Bryce understood that, because his daddy had said the same thing. “I don’t know how to explain it,” he said. “It just feels like maybe she needs it, and this is part of her healing.” A frown came to his face, and he didn’t have many brain cells left for this.
“It’s like…maybe she can see that I’m okay, so she doesn’t need to hang on to anything from the past.”
“And she and Reeves have been dating for a while.”
“Four or five months, I think,” Bryce said, as he didn’t really concern himself with Bailey’s schedule or life all that much. They’d be forever intertwined through OJ, but Bryce didn’t text her or call her much, and the one time she’d babysat Matthew for cousin night was a complete anomaly.
Belle slipped out of the room practically beaming as she approached. “He is the cutest baby ever, Bryce.” She grabbed onto him and gave him a hug. “Congratulations.” She then met Harry’s eye. “We should go, baby. She’s really tired.”
Harry nodded. “I’ll be by tomorrow, okay? I’ll bring you guys whatever you want for lunch.” He grinned at Bryce and clapped him on the back in another hug. Then they walked away.
Bryce had just turned to go back into his wife’s room when he caught sight of Abby walking down the hall, with Daddy only a half-step behind her. Pure exhaustion filled him, but what was he supposed to do?
Yes, he’d texted everyone that he and Codi didn’t want any visitors tonight, and that they’d all just be sleeping and trying to get their strength back. They’d be in the hospital for several more days, and there would be plenty of time for visits.
Still, he grinned at his parents as they walked toward him. “You two just can’t follow directions, can you?”
Abby smiled at him with all the maternal love in the world as tears leaked out of her eyes. “You just had a baby,” she said. “Of course we had to come.”
“Yeah, but I told you not to come.” He moved into their embrace and let his mother and father hold him and shore him up. He stole from their strength, hoping it would be enough to lend to Codi, so they could both make it through this first night with their new baby.