The Curve Ball - Samantha Lind Page 0,2

in search of another towel to give her.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. Justin obviously knows shit about babies, so it’s not like we can leave him alone with her. I’ll call you in the morning. I only saw the one can of formula and a few diapers, so we’re going to need to run to the store in the morning,” I hear Riley tell Derek, and her assumption about me not knowing shit about babies is spot on.

“I’ll get Jillian on it in the morning. Text her a picture of the formula so that she can get the same kind, as well as the diapers,” Derek tells her as I run back down the hall to grab the car seat.

“Do you want this for her?” I ask, holding up the seat.

“It isn’t recommended to allow babies to sleep in their seats, but put it down over there, so I have it if I need it. I will just be careful and have her sleep next to me. Tomorrow, we can get a pack-n-play or crib for her to sleep in,” Riley says as she lays Evelyn down on the bed. She must have moved over to it while I was out of the room.

“I’m so fucked,” I say under my breath, “I don’t know what I’d do if it weren’t for you guys.”

“We’ll get you through this,” Derek says, slapping my back. “I’m going to get out of here. Call me if you need anything. I’ll keep my phone on and next to me all night.”

“Thanks,” I say, the stress starting to roll off me.

“We’ll be fine,” Riley calls out, calm as can be.

Two

Riley

“Do you need anything?” Justin asks once my brother has left.

“I’m good. I’ll just get her changed and then try and get some sleep. She looks pretty tired, so I’m sure she’ll sleep for the next few hours, at least.”

“Okay. Thank you again for coming to my rescue. I owe you.”

“It’s not a problem, and my offer is still on the table to help you out if you need it. I haven’t found a job, and I love working with kids,” I tell him once again.

“Thanks, we can talk more about that tomorrow. Right now, my head is still just spinning over the events of the last hour. I still can’t get over the fact that Erica just dropped her off and left. Who’d do that?”

“I don’t know the details, but maybe she was having issues with postpartum depression, and this was her way of making sure that Evelyn was taken care of and not hurt,” I suggest.

“Postpartum, what?” JJ asks, a confused look on his face.

“Postpartum depression. Many women suffer from it. With all the hormonal changes that happen after giving birth, it can mess with some women, so in the long run, it might have been for both her health and Evelyn’s safety.”

“Wow. I’ve never heard about it, but that doesn’t mean much,” JJ tells me. I sit back and observe him. It looks like he was dressed to go out tonight. I’ve only spent a little bit of time around him, mostly at Derek and Jillian’s house or when I went with Jillian and the girls to training camp earlier this year. I can tell he’s so out of his element, and I find myself biting back a laugh from escaping.

“I’m fine here if you want to head to bed. I’m going to myself right after I use the bathroom,” I finally tell him. I make sure Evelyn is sleeping and in the middle of the bed. I grab two of the pillows and place one on either side of her. I don’t think she’ll go anywhere for the little bit of time I’ll be in the bathroom.

“Is she okay there alone?” JJ asks as I step away from the bed.

“She should be. She’s still pretty little to be rolling on her own. If you’d feel more comfortable staying with her while I use the bathroom, you can watch over her. I’ll just be a minute or so.”

I step into the connected bathroom and shut the door behind me. I lean against the door and draw in a deep breath, slowly exhaling as I rid the stress of the evening from my body. Tonight’s events were a curveball, one that I’d never have seen coming.

I quickly use the bathroom then wash my hands, drying them on the towel hanging from the holder. I pull the ponytail holder off, shaking out my long blond hair and