CJ
Then, it all changed, and nothing but Mom and Jo’s recovery mattered. Not Rebel’s rebelliousness that gave her name a new goddamn meaning or Harley’s vindictiveness that came out of nowhere.
Since the moment Mom collapsed, their lives had become a never-ending loop-the-loop, soaring to highs brought on by relief and gratefulness and bottoming out to new lows because of new threats. To him. To Mom. To Rebel.
To Harley and, for that matter, to Jo.
But, now, five months to the day when he thought he’d lost her before he ever got to know her, his little sister was home.
It was late. Close to midnight, when the day would start anew and the momentous milestone would be gone. CJ couldn’t let it pass without holding Jo. He’d called Mom and asked if it was okay.
She’d given her blessing, though it didn’t surprise him when he found her in the nursery, waiting for him.
“Gunner’s asleep,” she whispered.
CJ glanced across the room at his little brother, asleep in a ‘big boy’ bed, and nodded. Except for a nightlight, the nursery was dark, but a sliver of light beamed in from the door that connected his parents’ room to this one.
Jo cooed.
His eyes widened. He hadn’t realized she was awake. “Can I hold her?” he asked in the same low tone she used.
“Would you like to take her for a walk?”
“I can show her my new room.”
“She’d love that.” He heard Mom’s smile, though he couldn’t see it. “Just call me when you’re back. I’ll feed her and rock her to sleep.”
“Okay, Mom.”
She waited until CJ cradled the baby in his arms before she turned and scampered back to her room.
He’d held babies since he’d been a toddler.
Mom helped him, of course, but she always fostered her children’s bonds, so Jo didn’t feel like a fragile, foreign object in his arms, especially now that she was healthy.
He walked down the darkened hallway and turned at the end, instead of going through the door that led to the grand staircase. Boxes, toys, photos, and furniture was everywhere, all taken from the vacated second and third floors. People and things were crammed onto one floor.
CJ hoped the construction went by quickly.
His new room was an ugly blue and only big enough for his bed, desk, chair, and chest of drawers.
“This is my room,” he told Jo, turning in a circle. “My temporary room. Kind of like yours.”
She blinked at him, her eyes startingly blue, though her hair was as black as his. She was so tiny and delicate. A little baby noise escaped her.
“I know,” he told her, pretending to understand. “Redecorations are a fucking pain enough. Remodeling is a nightmare.”
She shoved her hand into her mouth.
“Don’t worry. Mom will teach you to love it just like Rebel does. Dad and me will teach you to shoot and to fight like we did Rebel.”
Her little sock covered feet pushed against his chest.
“I hope my black eye and bruised face isn’t frightening you.” Harley hadn’t even commented. Probably because she’d gotten the scoop from Ryan and was used to seeing CJ banged up. He and Diesel stayed at each other’s throats.
Sitting in his desk chair, he began to rock Jo in his arms. If Gunner was awake, CJ could’ve read a story to her. Or, maybe, he didn’t have to read. Little Red Riding Hood had been a big thing recently. He knew that from memory.
By the time he finished, Jo was asleep.
CJ kissed her temple. “Welcome home, Squiggles.”