Page 86 of Miss Manage

Maybe I caught an hour, if that, dozing on the couch after I’d finally been able to get her down in her crib. But then she awoke again, crying and wanting to be held.

While baby Laura was fighting sleep in the swing, bouncer, and finally again in the carrier strapped to my chest, I started to clean. Dishes. Laundry. Trash. Each small task chipped away at the chaos around me. Maybe it was intrusive, given it was the ex-wife scrubbing Stassie’s counters and folding her kids’ clothes, but I couldn’t help it. If Stassie walked through the door tonight, I wanted her to find order instead of mayhem.

By morning, I still hadn’t heard from Steve, but finally, Stassie’s mom called Austin’s phone which he turned over to me.

When I hung up, I found Austin waiting in the doorway, his face pale. He was supposed to be thinking about his baseball game today, not carrying this weight.

“Well,” I started, keeping my voice steady, “the good news is Stassie’s with her parents in Los Angeles.”

His eyes searched mine. “What’s the bad news?”

“The bad news is they’re taking her to the hospital. She needs some help.” They believed it could be postpartum depression. I’d asked if they were able to come down, but she’d said something about her husband having a bad back and not able to sit in a car for long, and I knew she had her hands full getting Stassie the help she needed.

His face fell. “Is she going to be okay?”

I enveloped him in a hug. “She’s getting help, honey, and that’s the best thing to happen right now. And with her parents there, she’s in good hands.”

Austin’s phone rang and he held it up with his father’s number showing, putting it frantically on speakerphone. “Hey, Dad, I’m here with my mom at the house.”

“Hey. I’m waiting to board my flight home. I got your mother’s email.” The sounds of the airport echoed in the background. “Are the kids okay?”

“Yeah, we’re fine. When will you be back?”

“It’s a twenty-hour flight after connecting through JFK. Can I talk to your mom real quick?”

“Yeah, sure. See you tomorrow, then.”

“See you then.”

“Hey,” I took the call off of speakerphone.

“Hi. I’m guessing Stassie’s mom filled you in about her going to the hospital.”

“She did. Is she okay?”

He blew out a shaky breath. “She’s meeting with the doctors and they’re admitting her into the hospital.” He paused. “I know this is a lot to ask, but any chance you can help Austin watch the kids until I get back tomorrow morning?”

He was right. It was a lot to ask. “Yeah. We can do that. Any chance you have the number of one of your babysitters?” Austin had a game today, and the relief would be welcome.

“Uh. We’ve never used one.”

“Never?”

He muttered a curse. “I need to board the plane. I’ll call my parents and sister and ask if they can come out. Maybe they can get there by this evening.” His family would have to fly in from Kansas City, so the options would be limited. “Let us know and we can coordinate picking them up.” They might not be my in-laws any longer, but I’d help out where I could.

“Thanks. Talk to you as soon as I land.”

“Okay. Safe travels.” I ended the call and turned to Austin. “Stassie is getting help and your other grandparents and aunt are hopefully on their way. We’re on our own until either your dad or they get here.”

His eyes went wide, panic clearly flooding in. “What are we going to do?”

I surveyed my ex’s house knowing I wasn’t about to spend the full day here. “We’re packing up. Everyone’s coming to my house.” And I’d try calling a couple of agencies to see if they were able to send a babysitter to help us out.