Page 79 of Brother to Brother

I sagged with relief, “You fucker,” I said smiling and he shrugged.

“Hell, lesson learned on her part. Best to get in reminders like that done when it’s small and as gentle as possible, like.”

I nodded and thought about that, adding it to the stack of lessons learned that I might be able to put to use with my own family in the future.

I saw Doc slip off out of the corner of my eye and had to smile to myself. I got up and went after the older biker and found him in the hall with Mel who was holding Noah. My boylookeda touch poorly, laying his head on his mamma’s shoulder, thumb in his mouth; spots of color on his cheeks. Doc was murmuring to Mel and put a hand to Noah’s forehead.

“Get him home, give him some children’s Tylenol and see how he does. If he gets any kind of worse, gimme a call and I’ll come look in on him. I’m sure it’s just one of those bugs kids get.”

“He wasn’t sniffling, or coughing,” Mel said concerned, it was about then Noah pulled his thumb out of his mouth and hurled all over my wife.

“Oh, god!” Mel cried and I went over to help.

“That’s because it’s a stomach bug,” Doc said and started laughing.

“Oh no, he really is feeling poorly isn’t he?” Ashton asked, coming out of the media room we pretty much affectionately had nicknamed the she-shed.

“Doesn’t look like,” I held Noah who had started crying and said, “Mel go get cleaned up, can one of you ladies gimme a hand with the floor?” I asked.

“I’m already two steps ahead of you, fella,” Everett said in her rich Irish brogue. She’d popped open the janitor’s closet with one of them floor sinks and was filling a mop bucket.

“Oh, poor guy get sick?” Aaron asked.

“Yeah,” I bounced Noah trying to get him to stop crying, or feel better and it was the worst thing I coulda done. He unleashed another torrent of throw-up that drenched my coat sleeve. I gagged, but held my shit together.

“Right, family cleanup it is,” I said making strides for the back door to get to one of the shower rooms near my room out back. Mel and I had clean clothes here, and I was hoping she had something for Noah, too.

“Oh no, did he get you too?” she asked, face sour.

“Yeah, let’s get cleaned up and get him home, yeah?”

“Oh, yeah.”

It was an awkward family shower time, but we managed and I realized that this was something that was pretty new to me. I mean, on the outside I was calm about it, but on the inside? Fuck, man; I was afraid. I wanted to know what was wrong and I almost didn’t want to believe Doc.

“You think he’s gonna be okay?” I asked and Mel nodded, smiling wryly.

“What?” I asked.

“Welcome to true fatherhood, you have officially arrived,” she said.

“What?”

“You aren’t really a parent until you get thrown up on or peed and pooped on,” she said cracking up. I looked at her and grinned.

“Bonus points that it was grape juice?” I asked and she winced, nodding.

“Oh yeah.”

I went from fuckin’ worried, and scared as shit, to glowing with some kind of absurd pride at reaching such a stupid and ridiculous milestone.

“You’re gonna be okay, Little Man, I promise.” I hugged my son and felt awful for him, but we’d go home and get him squared away and he would be okay. He had parents who loved him and a doctor that made house calls. He was one lucky little boy, and I was probably the luckiest son of a bitch alive to be his daddy.

Chapter 35

Melody

My hands shook as I smoothed down my white, fitted business blouse before tucking them into the neat, grey slacks I’d found among the clothes I’d evacuated from Arizona. I suppose I should just be grateful they stillfit.I was definitely heavier after bearing a child and with another on the way, even though it was still so early in the pregnancy, only slightly snug was better thanoh my god, what am I going to wear to court?

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