New Life (Book 2)

Chapter 3

I open my eyes and the first thing I smell is blood. Like an idiot, I inhale and it almost drowns me. I push back the blanket and fly out of bed, checking if the sheets are stained but they are clean. Relieved, I hurry to the bathroom. As I enter, I see Sierra with her head in the toilet making me pause. She holds up her hand and shows me one finger asking for a minute. I close the door softly and walk to the sink, rinsing blood off my hands.

"Are you okay?" I ask, glancing at her sideways.

She nods and gets up from the floor, flushing the toilet. "I won't tell if you won't." She says with a sniffle. She closes the toilet and sits on it.

I rinse my nose with some warm water, making sure I get rid of all the blood. "Deal," I tell her and get my toothbrush.

She pulls herself up and takes the sink beside me and reaches for her brush, too. We finish together and put our brushes in the holder. I follow her out of the bathroom and that's when I notice Grace is not in bed. "Where is she, anyway?"

"She's on call today. She won't be home until tonight."

I frown, already missing her. "Damned twelve-hour shift."

"I know right? But I'm happy she finds somewhere she belongs and she's helping to save lives every day."

"She's a superhero."

"Quite literally." She looks back at me with a smile and reaches for my hand. I take her hand and she pressed a kiss against the back of it. "You're my hero."

I blush as we walk down the hall together. When we reach Irelee's room, Sierra opens the door to peek in. She is still very much asleep which is a relief. We close the door and continue to the living area. I release Sierra's hand to run to the coffee machine.

"Hey, no caffeine."

I glare at her as I start the coffee and reach into the overhead cabinet for my favourite mug. I get the coffee creamer and put it on the counter before turning to her. "Nothing can stop me from drinking coffee."

She snickers from her stool. "A baby can."

"Well, thank fucking Christ I'm not pregnant."

"Emilie!"

I gave her a serious look. "Don't Emilie me. I have never seen a penis in my life. Ever. I know my body, and I know I'm not pregnant."

Sierra frowns, stiffening in her seat. "Something is wrong with your coffee."

I sniff the air and my coffee smells amazing like it always does. "My coffee smells fine. Something is wrong with your nose."

She scowls. "Nothing makes sense."

I point at her, seeing her go pale. "Do not puke on the counter."

"I'm not gonna–"

She runs down the hall after hopping from the bar stools. I pour my coffee and take a sip. "Hmmm."

I move to the living room and turn on the news. There's only shit on it about the upcoming election. I'm not overly enthused about politics, but my job requires me to know what's always going on in my country and especially in the state's capital. They are talking about the presidential campaign that is supposed to happen this weekend and I pray Harvey keeps his word and doesn't come up with some bullshit reason to send me to that since I'm supposed to have two weeks before he needs me again.

I hear tiny footsteps behind me and turn around to see Irelee. She's in her Hello Kitty nighty and carries her blankie in the same hand that she sucks her thumb with. Her hair is a mess and falls into her face. She comes toward me and lays her head on my lap, her warmth infectious. I brush her hair away from her eyes, feeling the silkiness of it against my fingers. "Good morning, Baby."