Page 40 of Saved by my Baby Daddy Spy
You wanted the challenge, Hannah. Now it’s time to figure it out. You have the plot worked out. You just need to keep writing and eventually something that isn’t a giant load of shit will come to you.
I pull my hair back from my face, piling it into a messy bun on top of my head. Seconds later, the baby monitor comes to life and Kerrigan’s sharp shrieks reach me.
It’s the third time that she’s woken up tonight. Her sleep regression is taking a huge toll on me.
At least the others are on vacation.
Audrey, Preston, and Teddy left a few days ago and they should be gone for the better part of two weeks. Hopefully, by the time they get back, Kerrigan will be back to sleeping through the night instead of waking me up every couple of hours.
I glance at the monitor to see her standing up on her toddler bed with her doll in her arm. Her head is tilted back as she wails at the top of her lungs.
“It’s okay,” I say, raising my voice so she can hear me from my room. “Mama is coming, Kerri. Everything is going to be all right.”
I hum to myself as I make my way into her room and pick her up. Her hair is standing up in all directions as I balance her on my hip. She continues to scream as she drops her doll and grabs my shirt with her little fists.
“Everything is going to be all right, Kerri. Everything will be fine. It’s just a bad night.”
She continues to sob into my shirt, her tears soaking through the thin fabric. I sigh, bouncing her around and trying to calm her down. I sing all of her favorite songs and whisper to her, but nothing seems to be working.
“You know, I’m going to start crying,” I say as she finally settles down nearly half an hour later. I put her back in her bed and sneak out of her room.
Not even twenty minutes later, she starts shrieking again. This time, a couple tears do slip down my cheeks as I bury my face in my hands.
You don’t have to do this alone anymore.
I toy with my phone as I make my way to Kerrigan’s room. Though I know that I don’t have to be the only person to calm Kerrigan when she can’t sleep anymore, the thought of calling Holden feels like admitting defeat.
“Hey, hey, Kerri, it’s okay. Mama is here. Everything is going to be all right.”
Kerrigan screams as she runs out of her bed and across the room, straight toward my legs. Her little arms wrap around me, and she holds on for dear life, tears rolling down her cheeks.
“It’s going to be okay.” I pick her up and wipe her tears with the collar of my shirt. “Everything is going to be fine. We’re going to get through tonight and in the morning, we’re going to play all kinds of games.”
Kerrigan beats her little fists against my shoulder, shaking her head.
I don’t know what to do. It seems like she’s hitting her terrible twos early, and Audrey isn’t here to help me. I don’t want to call her and ruin her vacation, but she’s always been so much better at this kind of thing than I am.
I could call Holden. She might stop crying for him.
As I bounce her on my hip, I hit the button to call Holden. My heart is hammering in my chest and I feel like I’m on the edge of a breakdown as Kerrigan continues to scream. None of the books tell you what to do when the devil possesses your toddler and refuses to let her sleep.
“Hello?” Holden says, his voice raspy. “Hannah, is everything all right? Why is Kerrigan screaming?”
“She’s going through this awful sleep regression phase.” I sigh and bounce Kerrigan gently, trying to calm her. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have called. It’s just that this is the third time she’s been up, and I don’t know what to do. She won’t calm down for me and I thought that she might for you.”
“I’ll be there in a few minutes. I’m just a few blocks over at the hospital.”
“You don’t have to. I don’t know what I was thinking when I called you. I’ll be fine on my own. I can deal with this. It’s not the first time that she’s had sleep problems.”
He scoffs. “Hannah, I’m on my way. I’ll be there soon. And for what it’s worth, you should call me. We’re both her parents. I’m here to help you in any way that I can.”
“Thank you,” I say, my voice barely more than a whisper.
“Don’t thank me for stepping up and being her dad, Hannah. It’s part of the job. I’ll see you soon. Just try not to have a complete breakdown before I get there.”
He ends the call as I carry Kerrigan into the living room. She is sniffling and sobbing as I pace around the room with her in my arms. I toss my phone to the couch and whisper to her, trying everything I can to calm her down a little bit.
My head is pounding, and I feel like I’m going to be sick. Seeing Kerrigan like this is destroying me.
