Page 60 of Derecho

“Thank you, Lach.”

“Well, I’m not totally done. Hawk brought a bunch of Beckett’s clothes over, and I got them sorted into the drawers, here, but you can arrange them however makes sense. Birdie told me the best diapers and wipes to get.” I walked over and opened the closet door. “So there are a couple of boxes here in the closet, and I didn’t want the little guy to only have hand-me-downs, so I ordered a few outfits that we’ll need to wash, but Jessie showed me the kind of detergent to get. Oh, and the little cart next to you has a bunch of stuff that Jess said she needed for breast feeding, and I made sure to get bottles and the formula Colt and Vi told Beau and Birdie about. I guess Connor and Juniper both did well on it, but we can try others if the little guy’s tummy doesn’t like it, and you decide you don’t want to nurse.”

Lainey stared at me, the glider stilling. Her eyes sparkled, and then her head fell into her hands.

“What’s wrong? Why are you crying?! If you hate it, we can return it all. I didn’t mean to make you upset or overstep.”

“Stop.” Her body shook as she breathed in past the tears. “This is the kindest thing anyone has ever done for me. I was frozen with fear and I couldn’t decide…I don’t…I don’t know how to say thank you. All I got you was chocolate p-pie!”

Lainey dissolved into her sobs, her hands reaching up to cover her face again. I moved around the room, sitting on the edge of the bed, my hand landing on her knee. “Hey, I happen to love chocolate pie!”

“I know! Your mom told me!”

I didn’t understand why that would make her cry. “So, you’re upset because you got me something I’d love?”

“It’s not enough. Nothing will ever be enough to say thank you for…all this. And it’s not just this…you’re excited for him to be here, and I haven’t felt that yet. I wasn’t allowed to…”

“God, Trouble. You can be excited if you want to be. Or, if things are too overwhelming, I’ll be excited for the both of us.”

“This is too much, though…”

“No. It’s just enough. I wanted to do this because being prepared and taking care of the people I care about makes my anxiety quiet. So, really, all this was incredibly selfish of me, and you’re helping me by saying it can stay, okay?”

“Okay.” She smiled, her face still wet from her tears. Lainey sucked in sharply, her hand moving to her side. She reached out, wrapping her fingers around my wrist, guiding my hand to the spot where hers had just been. “He must be excited to come out and enjoy his space. He’s kicking me like he’s trying to jump start his space ship.”

A thump landed against my hand. Then an even bigger one. Lainey groaned as something rolled under my palm. “That’s wild,” I said breathlessly.

“He’s a regular gymnast already. Would you ask Birdie to come up here?”

I got up from the bed, nodding. “You’re really okay with this?”

“It’s incredible.” Her eyelids fluttered shut. “I feel so relieved that it’s all just…done.”

“Good.” That was exactly how I’d hoped she’d feel.

I made my way downstairs, feeling like I was floating on a fucking cloud.

“Hey.” Birdie’s hand landed softly on my back. “How did she react?”

“Like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.”

She sighed. “Perfect. You knew exactly how to help her, Lach. The two of you⁠—”

“Are friends.”

“Right. Well, I know you probably want us to clear out of here, but I think I need to stay.”

“Why?” My mind immediately jumped to seeing the pain on Lainey’s face that she tried to hide in the kitchen. “She asked for you to go upstairs, but I didn’t think anything was wrong.”

“Lainey’s been acting differently today. Like…she doesn’t feel well, but she doesn’t want to say anything.”

I knew her emotional reaction earlier was more than just feeling like she owed me something. “You think the baby’s coming?”

Birdie bit her bottom lip. “I think she’s had some contractions…but they’ve been spaced out weird, so it could just be her body getting ready for the real show. Today, tomorrow, in two weeks. It’s hard to know. I kind of just want to stay for a little bit to see if being home helps…you know?”

“Yeah, yes. Stay. Holy fuck.” My hand landed on the back of my neck. “Should she even stay here? Maybe it’s better for her to be at your place. With the storm.”

“I’ll ask her.”