Chapter 35 #3
“Hoooooly shit, I’m leaking again.” Sam glanced down at her shirt, where two wet spots were forming. “I swear to God, no one tells you about this part. Sorry. You probably didn’t come here to see my milk spray show.”
I focused on the wall behind her like it was game film. “It’s fine.”
She barked a laugh, slightly manic. “Look at you being all gentlemanly while I’m a human dairy cow. Meanwhile, you’re standing there looking like you escaped from the cover of a romance novel. Life isn’t fair.”
Olivia started fussing again. I bounced more vigorously, which only seemed to offend her.
“Try the football hold.” Sam tucked James into a baby wrap against her chest, then came over and repositioned Olivia in my arms so she lay along my forearm, her head supported in my hand and her body snug against my side. “There. Now pat her back. Firmly.”
Miraculously, the new position quieted her a little.
Sam retreated to the rocking chair. James went silent, his eyes drifting closed. Sam exhaled like she’d been holding her breath for a week. “Finally.” She kept rocking. “Okay. How exactly is this image rehab supposed to work?”
I explained Sutton’s Epic Fail Luck Night concept while trying to figure out how to hold a baby and form a sentence at the same time.
Mid-sentence, Olivia demonstrated just how impressive newborns were by producing the loudest, wettest sound I’d ever heard come out of a human body, followed by a warm sensation spreading across my arm.
“Shit.” I stared at the damp spot spreading on my sleeve. “Something’s leaking. What the hell is it?”
Sam didn’t even look up. “Wipes are on the table beside you.”
I fumbled for one, not sure how to clean a baby without setting off the apocalypse.
“I’d help,” Sam added, glancing to James, “but movement equals screaming.”
I dabbed at Olivia’s mouth where a little milk had pooled.
“Not her mouth. Her diaper.” Sam’s tone suggested she was enjoying this. “She needs changing. Sorry about that. Newborn diapers are basically decorative. It’s like trying to contain nuclear waste with a napkin.”
I froze. “I don’t know how to—”
“Changing pad’s on the floor there. Diapers are in the bag. Wipes next to it.”
“Can’t it wait until your husband—”
“She can’t sit in a soiled diaper.” Sam adjusted the wrap and rubbed James’s back in slow circles. “I’ll talk you through it. Easy peasy.”
Carefully, I laid Olivia on the changing pad and fumbled with the tiny snaps on her clothes. She immediately started to cry.
“Great,” I grumbled, finally freeing her from the onesie.
“Be glad it’s only pee,” Sam called helpfully from her chair. “Now, back to Lila. What exactly do you need me to do?”
I peeled the soiled diaper away and nearly gagged. “You said it was just pee!”
“Did I?” Sam sounded completely unbothered. “My mistake.”
Holding my breath, I cleaned Olivia as best I could and fastened a fresh diaper, though it looked crooked and about three sizes too loose.
“Not bad for a first-timer,” Sam assessed. “Bathroom’s through there. Soap’s by the sink. You can leave her while you wash your hands.”
I fled to scrub my hands and rinse the sleeve of my shirt, but Olivia’s howling had me rushing back. I scooped her up and tried the shoulder hold this time, like I’d seen Sam do.
“So you want Lila to willingly put herself back in the spotlight.” Sam held a peaceful-looking James. “To embrace being the Epic Fail Girl at your hockey game. After she’s spent years trying to distance herself from it.”
“The way Sutton explained it, this would flip the whole thing. Take control of it instead of letting it control her.” I leaned against the doorframe with Olivia on my shoulder, afraid to sit on anything in case there were more surprise baby fluids on it.
“She’s letting it dictate her life. What if she could make it harmless? ”
Sam watched me for a moment, still rocking. “She’s let that video take over her life. It nearly destroyed her, you know. And she never even told me about it. She was too ashamed.” Her mouth pressed into a hard line. “Yeah. I agree with you.”
“You do?”
“She needs to stop running from it. It’s a stupid video. Yeah, it was embarrassing, but it doesn’t define her. It never did.” She pinned me with a look. “So do you actually care about helping her, or is this just about good PR for your team?”
I met her stare. “I’m doing this to help free her from it. I hate seeing her flinch every time someone mentions it, or that clip shows up again. She deserves better than being reduced to a meme.”
Sam nodded once. Then Olivia made a wet little gurgle, and before I could react, a stream of white liquid shot out of her mouth onto my shoulder.
“Sorry,” Sam sighed. “You should’ve used a burp cloth. These two go off without warning. Hand her to me so you can get cleaned up. And while you’re at it, grab me one of those pastries. I’m starving.”
I transferred Olivia to Sam, who somehow managed to hold both babies like she’d been born with four arms.
When I came back from the bathroom, Sam had her eyes closed, both babies miraculously quiet against her chest.
“They’re finally asleep,” she whispered. “If you wake them, you’re staying.”
I lowered my voice. “So about Lila…”
“I’ll talk to her.” Sam didn’t open her eyes. “You’re right. This could be good for her.”
Relief washed through me. “Thank you.”
“But…” Her eyes snapped open, locking on mine. “If this backfires, if she ends up humiliated again, I will make your life a living hell. Understood?”
“Got it,” I said. “The PR team will handle it professionally. This isn’t about exploiting her. It’s about giving her back control.”
“I’ll call Lila tonight.” She shifted slightly, careful not to wake either baby. “Can’t guarantee she’ll agree, but I’ll make her listen. And you owe me for this. Big time.”
“Anything you need.”
“Careful what you promise a sleep-deprived new mother.” A tired smile tugged at her mouth. “I might ask for weekly babysitting.”
I grimaced, and she broke into silent giggles.
“For what it’s worth, I think what you’re trying to do for Lila is decent. That Epic Fail bullshit has interfered with her life for too long.”
I blew out a breath, the tension finally easing. “Thanks for your help, Sam.”
“Do you mind letting yourself out? I’ve got my hands full.”
I left her house believing it might work. With Sam on board, Lila might listen. Maybe she’d finally step out from under that shadow.
By the time I slid into my car, I still had a wet spot on my shirt and I smelled like baby poop. But for the first time in a long time, I felt like I’d done something that mattered off the ice. Now I had to see if it worked.