T-Bone - L. Wilder Page 0,86

two should move in with me.”

“Wait ... really?” she gasped. “We haven’t even been in the same room together for almost six months, and now you want us to move in together?”

“Sure do. The sooner the better.” I looked down at JT as I told her, “We’ve already wasted too much time, and I don’t want to miss another second of being with you both.”

She thought for a moment, then replied, “Let me think about it.”

“What’s there to think about?”

“A lot.” Alyssa shook her head. “I don’t want us to jump into anything just because we had a baby.”

“That’s not—”

“Beckett,” she interrupted. “I’m just asking for a little time to think about it.”

“Okay, I get it. Take all the time you need.”

We stayed with JT until the nurse came over and told us that visiting hours were over and that we could come back the following morning to see him. Neither of us wanted to leave him, but under the circumstances, we didn’t have a choice. Alyssa looked like she was on the verge of tears as I wheeled her out of the NICU and back to her room. With the nurse’s help, we got Alyssa back in the bed, and it wasn’t long before she drifted off to sleep. Even though I was completely wiped, a storm of thoughts kept whirling around my head, making it impossible to sleep. I just couldn’t seem to wrap my head around it all. In one crazy day, my entire world changed. I was a father. I thought the odds of that ever happening had come and gone, but I was wrong. In a blink, I was handed a real chance of having it all.

The next morning, Jessica, the nurse on duty, came down bright and early to take us to see JT. Unlike the day before, he was resting in his little incubator bed, and Alyssa and I were both surprised to see that there was a small tube in his nose. I could hear the concern in Alyssa’s voice when she asked, “What’s that?”

“It’s his feeding tube.” Jessica tried to reassure us both by saying, “He’s still having a little trouble latching, so his doctor ordered the tube to ensure that he’s getting the nutrients he needs. But don’t worry, it’s not uncommon for preemies to struggle a bit. He’ll catch on.”

“How long will he need the feeding tube?”

“Just until he can take four to six ounces on his own.” Jessica leaned over and picked up JT, then carefully placed him in Alyssa’s arms. “He’s a tough one. I have no doubt that he’ll figure it out.”

“So, does that mean no more bottle feeding?”

“Oh, no. We still want to give him every opportunity to try on his own. You can either try nursing him, or I can go grab a bottle if you’d like.”

“I just pumped, so a bottle might be best.”

“You got it.” As she turned to leave, Jessica told her, “I’ll be right back.”

Alyssa let out a sigh as she looked down at JT. I could see that she was worried. I was too. I felt completely helpless, and that wasn’t a feeling I was used to. I was a man who fixed problems, but this wasn’t something I knew how to fix. All I could do was try and be supportive and pray that JT would figure out this feeding thing so we could take him home. Alyssa looked over to me as she said, “He’s going to be okay, Beckett. I just know it.”

“Of course, he is.”

“It’s hard to think of him being in this place, but at least we know he’s getting the best care.”

“Yeah, they seem to be on top of it.”

Jessica came over and offered Alyssa a small bottle of the breast milk she’d pumped the night before. She leaned down and ran her hand over his tiny head and whispered, “All right, little man. Let’s see what ya got.”

Alyssa placed the tip of the bottle at JT’s mouth, but he quickly turned away. She tried once more, and after the same result, she started to become worried. “He just doesn’t want it.”

“Maybe Dad should give it a try,” Jessica suggested.

“I doubt that’ll make any difference,” I scoffed.

“Won’t know unless we try.” Jessica lifted JT from Alyssa’s arms and carefully handed him over to me. “Maybe you’ve got the special touch.”

“Mmm, don’t know about that.” Reluctantly, I took JT in my arms, and as I cradled him close to my chest, I looked down

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