Ask Me If I Care (SWAT Generation 2.0 4)

Once he was down, and I was sure he wasn’t going to continue to puke, I shucked out of my sweatshirt and tossed it down onto the rubber mat beside him, then leaned forward and started to take his baby onesie off.

He allowed me to undress him with minimal crying on his part.

Ripping into the box of diapers, I pulled one out and then took care of his overly-full diaper before reaching into my back seat and pulling out the blanket that I kept there for when I got cold.

Wrapping it around his shivering body, I picked him up and snuggled him tight, loving the way he felt in my arms.

I loved babies.

Even more, I loved when they were sweet like Raj apparently was—even if he was sick.

It didn’t take long for Hayes to arrive, and he looked forlorn.

“Everything okay?” I asked as he arrived.

He looked at an obviously sick Raj and said, “I’ve never done the sick baby thing before. I don’t even know what to do when I’m sick.”

My brows rose.

“Pretty much you just keep him hydrated,” I said. “Keep an eye on his temperature…you have a thermometer, right?”

He nodded. “The CPS chick gave me one of those forehead ones.”

I nodded. “Good. Perfect. Give him Tylenol again when he needs it. You can switch it up with ibuprofen if his fever’s still high after Tylenol.”

He groaned. “I’ll give you a hundred bucks to help me.”

I snorted. “Hayes, I would but I’m fairly sure that in about ten minutes, I’m going to drop dead from period pains. I’ve only lasted this long on necessity.”

He frowned.

“My periods suck,” I told him. “They’re literally the worst. It’s only a matter of time before it gets to the point where I’m moaning in bed between doses of meds.”

He looked like he didn’t like the sound of that.

“Shit,” he grumbled.

“I’ll give you my number, though,” I said. “If you think you need help, I’ll walk you through it.”

I handed him Raj when he looked like he could handle it.

Then shivered.

“Do you need a jacket?”

I was about to say no when he went to his truck and opened the door.

Before I could tell him I didn’t need one, he tossed me a black hoodie with white writing on it.

It said ‘KPD SWAT.’

Nothing too fancy, but it smelled like him and I wanted to put it on and never take it off.

“I can’t take this,” I said, shaking my head.

He shrugged. “Just give it back later. I don’t want you to freeze on the way home.”

I didn’t point out that my car had a perfectly working heater.

Why?

Because I wanted the man’s sweatshirt, that’s why!

“Okay,” I said softly. “Thank you.”

He buckled the kid into the front seat of his truck, and I pinched my lips together to keep from laughing.

“Hayes,” I said softly.

He looked at me in surprise.

“You’re supposed to put babies in the back seat.” I paused. “Facing backward at that.”

He frowned.

“You’re a police officer,” I said. “How do you not know this stuff? It’s the law.”

He shrugged. “There are a lot of things that I know. Such as speeding in school zones. Whether it’s allowed to have a gun at a bar. Things like that. Whether a kid is supposed to be forward facing or not…”

I held up my hand. “Babies die if they’re turned around too early.”

Hayes sighed.

“What age can they be turned around?”

All the while I told him about the laws and regulations—I did have to pull the information up on my phone to read to him—he switched the car seat around and put it in the back seat. Facing backward this time.

“I’m sure he had a hell of a time up there, though,” I teased.

Hayes groaned. “Being as I’ve never had to deal with kids before…”

My lips twitched.

“You’ll get there, Hayes,” I said as I dropped into my car. “Have a good night. And good luck!”

I smelled his sweatshirt all the way home.

And when I went to bed that night, it was the only thing that I wore to bed.Chapter 5Nerd? I prefer the term ‘more intelligent than you.’

-Coffee Cup

Hayes

“You look like you survived.”

I looked over to see Ares, in her prim and proper school attire, standing there looking pissed with her arms crossed over her chest. And by prim and proper I meant a black pencil skirt that was so tight I could see her every curve and a white sleeveless top that was almost just as tight. The wide belt was purple.

Purple.

It fit her well.

And her hair was up in a matronly bun at the back of her head, making me wish for the curly hair that I saw at the grocery store a few days ago.

I grinned. “Barely. I’m glad Ryan was able to get home early.”

Ares’ smile was so fast falling off of her face just as quick, that I almost questioned whether I saw it at all.