The sound of a screaming Liv had me up on my feet immediately, heading toward the door before I even knew what the problem was. Running behind me, I heard Jose telling Tabby we’d be there soon, but it wasn’t until we were backing out of the garage and I was heading to their house that I thought to ask what was up.
“What’s wrong with the princess?”
“I think it might be a stomach bug, or maybe another ear infection? Tabby said she became fussy and refused to eat her dinner earlier, and when Dave picked her up, she projectile vomited all over Law and Katy Purry.”
Like I did every time I heard those poor animal’s names, I shook my head and shuddered. “Maybe it was pity for those poor little bastards? I mean, even I give the things extra treats when Tabby and Dave aren’t looking because I feel sorry for them.”
“Maybe,” she sighed, leaning her head back. “She keeps getting sick, and it’s her first birthday in two days. I think I need to take her to see her pediatrician and see if they can figure it out. Since Burt contacted us, it’s hit home that I don’t know any health conditions that run in that side of the family, and it makes me worry that something might be wrong with Liv, and I wouldn’t know what to warn them to look for.”
“You should maybe include that in your next email to him, just so you can tell them if it’s something that could be related to her not being well. It also doesn’t hurt to get her checked over given what’s going on, and you can never have enough peace of mind, right? Do you want me to come with you?” I asked as I pulled into their drive and cut the engine. When she didn’t reply, I looked over and saw her watching me with a frown on her face. “What?”
Undoing her belt, she leaned over and laid it out for me. “Like you really need to ask. Ellis, you’ve been in her life for almost a year now, and there hasn’t been one thing that you’ve missed from her first steps, to her first teeth, to her first words, to her first birthday because we all know you wouldn’t miss that for the world. You never ever need to ask if I want you there with us because, if you can get the time off, the answer will always be a hell yes.”
Hearing it like that and being reminded of the all the special occasions I’d witnessed, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel like throwing my hands up in the air like Rocky. On the back of that was the realization that I’d be there for all of her firsts, and I couldn’t fucking wait. Well, unless it was a boyfriend, but I’d seen Bad Boys II, I knew how the scene with Reggie went, and I could guarantee that DB would be right beside me helping scare the shit out of the guy.
“Let’s get our sicky girl.”
Hopefully, this time we’d get through it without getting puked or shat on.________________
Two days later…I know I’d said that I couldn’t wait to be there for her firsts, but along with the excitement of Liv’s first birthday came sadness – she was growing up. Soon she wouldn’t need carried or come to me for hugs, we wouldn’t sit on the couch with her asleep on my chest, and there was no doubt that she’d be a little hellion as soon as she could talk and move around properly. Ren Townsend had given me the following ‘helpful advice’, effectively shattering all my illusions of how an older Liv would be: they think for themselves, they talk for themselves, they move how they want, they get into everything, nothing is sacred, they develop an attitude, they dish that attitude out as often as they can… the list had gone on. None of that’s how I saw it all playing out, though, so this birthday was a sad moment for me. Her problem from two days ago had disappeared overnight, but she still had an appointment next week with the pediatrician to check her over just to make sure it was just the normal bugs and viruses that babies get. This meant, though, that she could enjoy her big day without being ill, and I was going to make sure that’s how it went down, even if I was sulking because of what Ren had told me.
“Stop moping,” DB muttered, waving at Tabby as she helped Liv with one of her presents. “Shit happens, they get older. This isn’t a revelation.”
Just then, Mom came out with more presents for Liv and I began to worry if her room was big enough for it all. “Do you ever think about having kids?”