Page 178 of More than Friends

“You want to hold him?” she whispers without looking up at James. He nods and she passes Ian.

She wipes her face but continues to cry. I’m not sure what to do. She takes a really shaky breath and then says, “I need to blow my nose or something.”

I point down the hallway to the bathroom. She nods and sets off that direction with about six agents. James watches her with worried eyes until she disappears.

“It’s postpartum hormones,” he says, quietly. “I mean she misses her parents, but she’s a bit fragile right now.”

His eyes still linger on the door. “And tired. She resumed her First Lady responsibilities recently. I think it’s too much. She’s so anxious about everything. She’s not sleeping. Hardly eating. I’m having her see a therapist.”

“Do you think she’s depressed?” I ask.

He takes a deep breath in through his nose. “Maybe?”

He sighs. “Yes. She wasn’t like this after Vivi. I’m worried about her. She had a really easy pregnancy this time and the delivery didn’t have any complications, but she’s had a lot of breastfeeding issues, and she’s mentioned several times that she doesn’t feel like she’s doing a good job with him. I don’t understand what she’s talking about. She’s doing a great job.”

His shoulders sag. “I catch her crying all the time. Like I’ll wake up in the middle of the night and she’ll be in the bathroom sobbing. The other day I walked into the nursery. She was changing his diaper and just weeping. I don’t even know how she could see what she was doing, she was crying so hard. I asked her what was wrong, and she said nothing.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I think she might need to take a step back – go into some sort of program or just get more treatment. I’m not sure what to do.”

He looks at Ian for a minute and says, “She won’t talk to me other than to insist she’s fine, but she’s not. I don’t know how to help her. I just want to fix it, and I can’t.”

He pauses for a second and then says, “Just keep an eye on Maggie the next few weeks.”

“I will, of course.” I pat his arm. “You’re a good husband. She’s lucky to have someone who cares so much.”

He gives me a sad smile and then says, “How’s Maggie?”

“Exhausted,” I say.

“No doubt. It’s going to take some time. Wasn’t the easiest path to get this one, was it?”

I shake my head. “No, it wasn’t. I wouldn’t make a very good woman. They are tougher than us.”

James snorts. “They really are.”

Elizabeth comes out of the bathroom, looking a bit tired, eyes red. She straightens her shoulders and smiles at us. A smile that doesn’t match her eyes. When she reaches us, she wraps her arms around me and settles into a side hug. “How’s breastfeeding going?”

“Great,” I say. “He’s eating great. No problems.”

“Thank goodness,” she says. “Everett struggled in the beginning. He had a tongue tie. Took us too long to figure it out. He’s getting better but he’s still not gaining weight like he should.”

I squeeze her tighter to me. “You’re doing a great job. I hope we’re as good of parents as you guys.”

“Thanks,” she whispers, stepping back.

“We should let you get some rest,” James says, handing Ian back. As soon as I take him, James pulls Elizabeth in for a hug and then kisses the top of her head. Her eyes start to water again.

“Let’s get you home. You need to rest too,” he says to Elizabeth.

“Yeah, all of us are tired. Tell Maggie we dropped by,” Elizabeth says.

“Of course.”

James fixes his eyes on me. I shift under the weight of his gaze. I’m bracing myself a bit for whatever he’s about to say. “I’m really proud of you, Declan.”

I look from him to Elizabeth and back, surprised. “Really? You don’t still think I’m a dumb fucking idiot?”

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