Ram Remy (Providence Family Ties 4)

I’d just picked Toby up and was cuddling him against my chest when Remy sighed. “I suck at parenting. I suck at being a dad, Tana. Who has to go to the ER because their kid head butted them? This was probably why Carrie never told me she was pregnant.”

“So you didn’t get head butted by the baby?” I asked slowly, not following.

“No, that’s exactly what happened. I can’t multitask—did you know that?”

Sitting carefully on the edge of the bed, I rubbed Toby’s back. “Uh, I work with you. Trust me, I'd noticed that. I also noticed a lot of the guys can’t multitask, but that’s not something I’m unfamiliar with. My brothers and stepdad always say it’s not a ‘man-skill’ when we pull them up for it and my dad swears multitasking’s a myth.”

Remy stared at me for a moment. “You can multitask, I’ve seen you. Just this morning, you were doing three things in the stables and typing on your phone. I can’t even walk and type at the same time.”

“Not to be sexist, but if my stepdad and my brothers are telling the truth, me not having a penis has something to do with that.” Wanting to lighten the mood slightly, I added, “You implied earlier that you’re the only person to end up in the ER because of their kid head butting them. Well, you’re wrong, plenty of parents have.

“Did you know that when Hart was three months old, my stepdad, Merrick, ended up with a broken wrist because he puked on the floor in the store, and Merrick slid on it. When he was seven months old, he ended up getting stitches because Hart threw a flathead screwdriver at him, cutting him across the back of his hand. Then, when he was—”

“I get it, I get it,” Remy chuckled. “Hart’s the antichrist.”

That was an excellent way to describe my younger brother. He was ten years younger than me, and although I loved him, I could happily throttle him most of the time.

“He came out with horns, I’m sure of it. My point is, you’re not the first, and you definitely won’t be the last parent to have ended up in here because of their kid.”

This time when he looked at me, the lost and defeated look was gone. In its place was renewed determination. “You’re right.”

“And look on the bright side, at least you didn’t get stuck with Hart.”

The hinges on the door squeaking interrupted our discussion, and when I glanced over my shoulder, it was to see Nanette watching us with a wide grin on her face.

“Look at that baby boy. He’s a total Momma’s boy. I thought I’d about die when I saw him snuggled into his daddy before, but seeing him with you now, I can see the perfect picture. He’s crazy about both of you, no favorites at all.”

I opened my mouth to explain, but Remy got there first. “She’s one of his favorite people. I wouldn’t have the first clue what to do if it wasn’t for Santana.”

Her grin widened even more, and I couldn’t help but wonder how stretchy her skin was. If I smiled like that, I’d likely crack my lips or end up looking like the Joker.

“I love that. Well, y’all are a beautiful family who can now go home and look after each other.” Holding out some papers, she waited for me to take them.

“Here’s all the information you need, and we’ve sent through a prescription for painkillers to the pharmacy. Baby boy can have his normal ones if he needs them, but if he gets drowsy or starts throwing up, you need to bring him straight back or call 911.”

Although it felt good to be taking them home, her words made me feel anxious. “Is there a risk Toby has a concussion or some sort of brain injury? Shouldn’t he stay in here until you’re sure he doesn’t?”

“Mr. King was very straight with us about Toby being seen before we even touched his nose, and the pediatrician who dealt with him did an x-ray and some tests to check him over.” This didn’t surprise me at all. “Nothing came back to hint at a concussion, just the bruise and swelling you can see on the outside. We tell you to watch out for symptoms so that if something was there that we missed, then you know what to do.”

“Can you do the tests again before we take him home?” I blurted, not feeling all that reassured by what she was saying. “If there’s even a tiny bit of a chance you’ve missed something, double-checking it won’t hurt, will it?”

I swear, it felt like my heart was going to burst out of my chest, it was beating that quickly. The thought of anything happening to Toby was too much.