Page 33 of All of Me

"She ate some cheerios. Still not talking. What do I do?"

I typed back quickly: "You're doing great. Just keep her comfy. Be back soon."

When I returned, I found Shae sitting on the floor next to Tammy, who was still coloring intently. He looked up at me with relief.

"Hey," I said softly, setting the bags down. "How's it going?"

Shae shrugged. "Okay, I guess. She hasn't said anything, but she seems calm."

I glanced over at the little girl. To say this was fucked up was putting it mildly. “I can call Pink, but I’m not sure another new face is gonna help. Or I can take you there,” I added.

Shae held my gaze. “How did she even know I was here?” He sighed. “This isn’t even my house.”

“Do you want it to be?” I asked softly, hoping for the answer I wanted.

“Not because of my current situation, no.” I jerked back. He wanted to move out because of Tammy?

“Well, I put this down as your address at the hospital, but I’m pretty sure Diesel would fall over himself to give you one of his apartments, and Pink would love to have you both there.” I wentto stand. What did having a heart attack feel like? Because my chest was tight, and my throat was burning.

But Shae’s hand shot out and clamped my wrist. “I meant I don’t want you to offer us a homejustbecause of Tammy. You didn’t sign on to take care of a three-year-old, even if we worked out.”

I stared at Shae, processing his words. The tension in my chest eased slightly. "Shae," I said softly, "I'm not offering because of Tammy. I'm offering because I want you here. Both of you."

His eyes widened, a mix of hope and uncertainty. "You sure about that? This is...a lot."

I nodded, reaching out to cup his face. "I'm sure. We'll figure this out together, okay?" And I had to admire Shae. He might be overwhelmed but he was ready to step up. He’d have made a good marine.

Shae leaned into my touch, closing his eyes briefly. When he opened them, there was a new determination there. "Okay," he whispered.

A small noise drew our attention. Tammy had stopped coloring and was watching us intently, her big eyes curious.

Shae took a deep breath and scooted closer to her. "Hey Tammy," he said gently. "I'm Shae. I'm... I'm your big brother."

Tammy tilted her head, studying him. Then, to our surprise, she held out her crayon to him.

Shae's face lit up as he accepted it. "Thank you. Do you want to color together?"

She nodded—the tiniest of movements, but it felt like a breakthrough.

I watched them for a moment, my heart swelling. Then I started unpacking the bags, organizing the supplies we'd need, and…shit. Where the hell was she gonna sleep? Shae’s old room still wasn’t fixed. They’d finished the outside, but it needed plastering and painting badly. What about the small one nextto mine? It was full of old medical crap from Jim, but the room itself was sound, and the electricity was done. No private bathroom, but that wasn’t really an issue at the moment. We just needed furniture. I glanced back at Tammy and Shae, and they were both coloring. Tammy was rocking a little like she was uncomfortable, and I wanted to slap myself when awareness dawned.

“Tammy?” Shae seemed to have noticed the same thing, but before either of us could act, she stood and just peed. Then she burst into tears.

Calling myself every name under the sun, I hurried to scoop her up. “Never mind sweetheart,” I cooed. “You’re okay. Let’s get her in the shower. Grab her bag,”

I directed Shae, wondering when the fuck I’d turned into Mary fucking Poppins?

Shae

It took me way too many seconds of panic to unglue my legs. Tammy was sobbing like her heart was breaking and I was just standing there like a useless fucker. Some older brother I was, but then what the hell did I know about kids? Especially girls. Shit, I should have called Pink. I grabbed her small bag and followed them into the bedroom. Tammy wouldn’t let Drake go, and I’d bet she’d wet his clothes as well. I took a breath and went to start the shower so it could warm up, then emptied her bag and took out some panties, a tee shirt, and some black leggings. It was all she had. I knew Drake had bought some things and hoped there was at least a sweater or something.

“Honey, we’re gonna get you out of these wet things,” Drake said and glanced at me, and I suddenly realized we were two guys and well, this was awkward, but Tammy wasn’t old enough to do this herself. “You’re gonna have to help her,” Drake said, and I got that.

I ran to the dresser and swapped my jeans for shorts. She needed help in the shower, and I gently peeled her from Drake. “Come on sweetie, let’s get you all clean, huh?”

We went into the bathroom, and I very carefully got her soaking-wet leggings off. Drake knocked on the door and put a new sponge and some baby shampoo on the small shelf in the shower, then retreated and shut the door behind him. A pair of panties and a tee-shirt followed the leggings onto the floor, and I checked the water, then stepped in with her. She was surprised enough to stop crying, but made it clear she wasn’t about to stand up either. I ended up dumping half the bottle of shampoo on her and rinsing it off because that seemed easier with one hand available.

I turned the water off and stepped out, carefully grabbing towels. At least she let me wrap her up in one and sit her on another while I fastened one around me and ignored my soaking-wet shorts.

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