my chest.
“Call if you need anything,” Dad instructs. I stand and watch as he leads my mom out the door and into the parking lot. It won’t surprise me if he drops her off at home, and she starts whipping up Paisley’s favorite foods to bring over to my place, so we have them on hand.
I head back to her treatment room, finding that Lilly and Mike have left, and she’s talking to Lindsay.
“Hey, how’s it going in here?” I ask, smiling at my girls. I love thinking of these two as mine.
“Someone is ready to be sprung free,” Lindsay says, flashing me a smile.
“Lee should be here shortly with my truck, so once he texts me that he’s back, I can sign her out.”
“Sounds good. I’ll just need your signature on a few pages.” Lindsay goes over all the discharge paperwork with me, explaining when Paisley will need to follow up with the Orthopedic as well as things to watch for over the next few days and weeks while she heals up.
“Do you mind staying in here with her for a few minutes while I go talk to Lilly and Mike?”
“Of course not,” Lindsay assures me. I squeeze her hand quickly before going to talk to Lilly. “Hey, just wanted to let you know that Paisley’s been discharged. I was going to take her home, get her settled, and keep her for the next few days. I figured that would help you guys out; Mike will have his hands full taking care of you and the baby.”
“Thanks, Tucker. Can you have her come in here before you leave so I can give her a hug and kiss and show her our matching casts?”
“Sure can. Are they going to let you head home anytime soon?”
“I think so, just waiting on the doctor to come in again, I believe.”
“Good, I’m sure both of you will do much better at home. Don’t worry about P; I’ve got her covered for however long it takes. I’ve taken the rest of the week off already, and if you still need help with her next week, Mom is more than willing to help. That goes for anything. If you need help during the day with Owen, and Mike needs to go to work, just call her; she’ll be more than willing to pop over, I’m sure of it.”
“Thanks, Tucker. We really appreciate it,” Lilly says again.
“Let me go get our girl, and I’ll be right back.” I do just that, bringing Paisley in to say goodbye to her mom, then stop at the nurses' station to say goodbye to Lindsay before I take her out to Lee and my waiting truck.
“Nona wants to know what kind of ice cream or popsicles you want her to bring you,” I tell Paisley once I’ve got her home and settled on the couch. I insisted on carrying her inside the house. Even though I know she’s perfectly fine walking on her own, I still don’t want anything else happening to her. The pain meds they gave her at the hospital made her a little woozy and sleepy. The last thing I need is her falling while trying to walk because of the side effects of the meds.
“Strawberry,” she says as Buckley hops up on the couch next to her, settling into her side. He licks at her fingers that stick out of the cast on her left hand.
“Anything else you want to request before Nona stops at the store on her way over?” I ask, kissing her forehead.
“No, I’m just tired,” she tells me.
“Okay, sweetheart. How about you watch some princesses and maybe take a nap, then.”
“All right, Daddy,” she agrees, shifting until she’s comfortable on the couch. Her eyes hardly open as I flip the TV to her favorite channel. I don’t expect her to even last this full half-hour episode with how heavy her eyes are.
15
Lindsay
“How’re things going?” I ask Tucker as I approach the porch. He’s rocking back and forth on one of the chairs he keeps out here.
“She’s been sleeping for a while. I think the pain meds are still in her system,” he tells me, holding out a hand for me to take. I do so immediately, and he pulls me onto his lap. I accept the seat, leaning against him and resting my head on his shoulder.
“God, today was terrifying. It feels like an entire week has gone by, and here it is, only seven,” he murmurs after a few minutes of