Tucked In...Again

It was late when I finally got home with Jenna but thankfully Jordan was just getting home himself.

“Where were you?” He asked me when he walked over to my car. “I tried calling a few times but you didn’t answer your cell.”

I told him it was a long story and asked if I could tell him later he put Jenna to bed. He told me that as ok.

About 9, he finally got Jenna settled into her playpen in the guest bedroom. I was sitting on the couch flipping through the channels, feeling kind of down.

“Hey what’s wrong?” He asked as he joined me on the couch.

I glanced at him, sighed and then told him...everything. I spent the next half hour running on about Carol and Phil, Jesse being sick and Jenna’s comic relief. “She’s a clown like you!” I told him with a smile.

Jordy leaned over and rested his head on my shoulder, he smiled up at me. “Of course she is, she’s daddy’s little girl.”

I gave him a half smile and he sat up again, “Oh babe what’s really wrong with you?”

“I don’t know,” I shrugged. “I just feel blah.”

Jordan was quiet for a moment as he watched some commercial on TV but the second it was over he turned to me. “It’s because you are here and not with Josh and Jesse, isn’t it?”

I was going to deny it but what was the point, I knew I wanted to be there with them and so did Jordan. “I’m sorry he’s sick Anna but you did everything you could to help him. Did Josh offer to come over here with Jesse?”

I shook my head, “Jesse was tired and wanted to go home. I think I’m just going to go to bed,” I told him as I got up. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Hey Anna?” Jordan jumped off the couch, grabbing my arm and turning me towards him. “He loves you babe, you know that. So please stop being ‘blah’ and find a way to be happy knowing his probably at home wishing you were with him.”

I gave Jordan a hug and continued on my way to my room.

I knew Josh loved me, that wasn’t why I was feeling ‘blah’. I was feeling sad because there was nothing I could do to help Josh keep Jesse with him, he had to let Carol pick him up on Sunday and take him home. I know this because I called Zack; he told me that unless there was real proof of neglect, there was nothing they could do to take Jesse from Carol. I told him about Phil not taking him to the hospital and he told me that there are cases where parents have denied medical treatment due to religion. “It’s horrible to think that people would do that to their kids but it’s an ugly reality sis.”

“Are you telling me that Phil and Carol have the right to stand by and watch Jesse die if he was badly injured?”

“In some life and death situations, family services and the courts can take legal action to get the child help but it’s a sticky issue, most won’t touch it.”

“Are you saying that Phil’s reason for not taking Jess to the hospital is based on religion?” I was starting to wonder what kind of guy Carol left Josh for. You definitely found yourself a ‘real’ man Carol. A real f***ed up one.

“I’m not saying anything Anna; you know I can’t talk about Phil specifically. I’m just giving you an example.”

I told him he was a pain in the butt and he told me he loved me too. Sometimes I hate my brothers…well not really but they aren’t always helpful.

I made it to my room but that was as far as I got. There was a knock on the front door, Jordan and I glanced at each other before he went to see who was there. When he didn’t come back, I assumed it was for him, until I heard tiny footsteps moving quickly through my kitchen. I turned around to see Jesse coming at me, dragging Mister Bear and a blanket behind him.

“Ama!” He exclaimed when he saw me and then he started to run towards me.

I knelt down, holding out my arms as he came closer and threw his arms around my neck. Gathering him in my arms, I rose from the floor and hugged him so tight, “I’m so glad to see you Jesse.”

“I see you too Ama,” his voice muffled by my shoulder.

Smiling, I walked out towards the kitchen where Jordan and Josh were talking about the kids. I slide up next to Josh and wrapped my free arm around his waist, “You make me so happy,” I told him as I gazed into those incredible blue eyes.

While Josh and Jordan continued to talk, I slipped off to put Jesse to bed in the spare room.

“Ama that baby!” he pointed to the play pen and gave me a confused look. “I sleep with baby?”

There were so many things I could’ve said to that but I had to remind myself that he was only a little boy. After I told him we had to be quite because Jenna was sleeping, I said to him, “No Jesse,” I walked over and pulled down the blankets of the bed. “You get to sleep in the ‘big boy’ bed, like daddy.”

“No,” Jesse shook his head and giggled. “Daddy sleep with Ama!”

I laughed, “Yes daddy will be sleeping with me.” I helped him get under the covers and tucked him in. “Good night sweetie.”

Leaving the door opened slightly so that Jess could get out if he needed to use the bathroom or needed Josh, I headed down the hall back to the kitchen where Josh and Jordan still stood talking.

“Hey guys,” I leaned against the wall from the hallway. “I’m kind of tired, it’s been a long day and…” I trailed off and shrugged.

To my surprise, both of them agreed that it had been a long day.

We all headed off to bed.

Jesse didn’t wake up once during the night and in the morning he was more like his normal self. It seemed the infection that he had was responding well to the medicines they gave him; he wasn’t having ‘accidents’ and his fever was gone before they let him out of the hospital. The only thing that remained was his ear infection but it was a lot better.