Page 25 of Plunge

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Fletcher

THE NEXT FEW days are a blur, and frankly I’m thankful for the distraction. I don’t sit and dwell on the whole Thistle situation because my family is a hot mess.

Abigail had a rough, rough time of things and her blood pressure is still off the chain, apparently. Opal suggests the readmit her, and everyone panics about getting milk for the baby, taking care of the baby.

Hunter is so stressed out he’s barely sleeping. My mom and dad go back and forth between Hunter’s house and the hospital, and somewhere along the way, I learn how to change diapers and agree to help.

“My body is all jet lagged anyway,” I tell them. “What do I care if I’m up all night.”

So Louie and I develop a routine. Hunter wipes his ass and gives him a bottle and passes out on the couch.

I stuff Louie in a baby sling thing and I walk up and down the stairs for two hours until he wakes up again. Then I pass out while Hunter feeds him and wipes his ass again.

By sunrise each day, my thighs are burning, and more of my family members show up to help out. I get to sleep until noon or so, whenever my mother bursts into the house bellowing for her grandson and wanting to know when I got so lazy.

It doesn’t matter how many times Hunter explains to my mother that I’m on night shift with the baby, literally the opposite of lazy. Actually walking the baby for hours.

“Do you even have a job right now, Fletch?” Ma raises her eyebrow at me while she hands me a croissant from the bakery. Which I accept, because I can afford the calories doing eight hours of stair climbs every day.

“Ma, you know I own a company,” I tell her, talking around the almond chocolate goodness in my mouth.

“Yes, but you’re always zipping off immediately after Christmas to talk about race cars in Kuwait or wherever it is they race cars these days.” She flicks on the television for emphasis, where I catch a glimpse of one of the races Emily is handling in my absence.

“Can’t I take some time to help care for my one and only nephew,” I ask. “Shouldn’t you instead be hounding Diana to have a baby now that she’s a married woman and only invited some members of the family to attend the wedding?”

My sister eloped at an axe throwing bar with only Archer, Hunter and Abigail as witnesses. I couldn’t care less, but I know it drives my mother bananas and I’m hoping she’ll leave me alone to at least check my email.

She stands and taps her foot, reaching for the baby. Hunter hands him over and walks out of the room, and Louie starts screaming. Ma frowns and starts swaying a little.

“He likes really a lot of motion,” I tell her. “Bend your knees more.”

“Fletcher Crawford, are you implying I don’t know how to calm a baby? I think we managed just fine with the four of you.” She has to screech pretty loud to be heard because Louie is ramping up. Hunter pokes his head in from the living room.

“Louis prefers a vertical bounce,” he says, demonstrating. “Stairs are ideal.”

My mother scowls and stops her side-to-side sway, using just her arms to bounce Louie a bit. He slows his roll but is still crying pretty hard and red in the face. Hunter starts screaming that he needs to go be with his wife in the hospital but he can’t leave if he thinks his baby is in danger.

“Jesus, Ma, give me the baby,” I snap, snatching him from her arms. I walk over to the stairs and just walk up and down the bottom two steps and he snaps off like a light switch.

I can feel everyone in the room start to breathe again without the stress of Louie crying. I don’t know much, but I have learned there is nothing quite like an upset newborn to set a person in fight or flight mode. I don’t know how people do this alone. We are barely holding our shit together over here.

My mother’s jaw drops open as she looks at me cradling Louie’s head against my chest, slowly marching. She swallows and says, “Well, Fletcher, you really do seem to have a connection with him. I’m glad you’re here.”

I nod and march for a few more minutes until Ma says she’s going to go to Abigail and Hunter should stay home with me and Louie. She bustles out and I roll my eyes.

“Hey, Hunter,” I whisper shout above Louie’s head. “Can you take over? I have to try to get some more sleep.”

He nods and comes beside me. I move to hand him the baby and he shakes his head. “No, you keep marching. I’ll match your pace and we can slide him over. Perhaps he won’t stir if we don’t break contact.” I raise a brow at him. He frowns. “Maybe I should put my arm around you…”

I slide him his baby and go upstairs to lie down.

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