Childish

53

Alex and I had barely spoken together on the phone in the entire time we'd known each other. I couldn't remember the last time we even did. So when he called Monica and asked for me, I was a bit surprised.

I held the phone to my ear, hesitating before I spoke. "H-hello?"

"Hey, Lyla. How are things with Naomi and Ty?"

"Um... they're okay, I guess. I've already gotten yelled at if you can believe that."

He chuckled. "Yes, I can."

"So... how's the baby?"

"He isn't letting us get much sleep but he's doing good otherwise."

"I'm glad he's bugging you guys for me since I'm not there."

"Very funny, Lyla. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that Naomi and Ty are going to have you until Saturday. Then I'll come to get you."

I groaned. It was only Monday. That meant I had to stay the rest of the week and had to trust that they would pick me up every day at daycare. I wasn't sure I was ready for that considering I'd barely made it through one day. It was made abundantly clear that I couldn't handle changes to my normal routine.

"Lyla, I thought you'd be happy to get away for a while. I'm sure you've gotten tired of being around me all the time."

"I mean, I do but... this is different."

"You know we didn't send you away so we wouldn't have to deal with you for a few days. I sort of figured you'd want some time away before you actually had to be around the baby."

"Yeah, but... it doesn't feel that way."

"Lyla, you're my kid no matter what. A new baby isn't going to change that."

I sighed. Hearing him say that should have made me feel better but it wasn't.

"You worry too much, Lyla. Try to have some fun with Monica while you're there. She's not so bad."

"She's the one that yelled at me."

He laughed. "I can believe that. Well, I guess I better get going. I don't want to leave Naomi for too long. Be good for Monica or she won't want you to stay anymore."

I rolled my eyes. "I'll try my best but I won't make any promises."

"Yeah, well, I know how you are."

"I know how you are, too, jerk."

He chuckled. "I'll see you on Saturday, Lyla. Please, be good."

"If you insist."

"Bye, Lyla."

"Bye." I ended the call and handed the phone to Monica. I was hoping the next few days would pass by quickly. I was ready to get home, even if it meant being around the baby. I was going to have to get used to it eventually.

"Go play, sweetie. I'll come and get you once dinner is ready." Monica helped me onto the floor. There was a pile of toys in the corner of the room. I knew I needed something to keep me busy while I was there, and I felt Monica wasn't too keen on screen time. But I'd gotten used to playing with toys and 'using my imagination'. So it didn't bother me.

I spread out my toys around me and surveyed what I had brought. Alex told me to pack some toys so that when Naomi went into labor, he could easily grab everything and we wouldn't have to deal with it at that moment. So I grabbed what I could. Some blocks, my stuffed animals (obviously), and a coloring book with crayons. If I was gonna be gone for a few days, I at least wanted things that would hold my attention as well as keep me from getting bored.

---

I wasn't sleeping well at school. Knowing that Alex wasn't going to pick me up at the end of the day made me antsy and more anxious than I normally was. It usually took Ms. Diane rocking me in the rocking chair for me to even fall asleep. And that usually took a while. I ended up sleeping better at night even though it was a little awkward sleeping with Monica.

I still didn't know Monica that well. I only trusted her because Alex trusted her. The entire time I was getting used to him, she continuously made me feel more at ease about the whole situation. I just wished that kindness kept coming even after everything was said and done.

She was still asleep when I woke up the next morning. She had one arm draped over her chest and one tucked under her pillow. She slept on her back and I knew it was because she was still recovering from being shot. Alex said it wasn't a permanent injury but getting shot by your own father wasn't something you recovered from overnight. Even once her back was healed and she had relearned to walk, those emotional scars would still be there.

I watched as she slept. She looked so calm and relaxed. Normally, she held tension in her shoulders and arms. She was always thinking of things whether it be her work or her relationship with Ty or something else altogether. She never had time to unwind except when she was sleeping.

She started to wake and I quickly shut my eyes and pretended I was still asleep. I clutched my bear closer to my chest.

Thinking I was still asleep, she climbed into her wheelchair and made her way into the bathroom.

I kicked the blankets off my legs and sat up on the bed. Her bed was surprisingly comfortable. Enough so that I didn't miss my bed at home. I didn't mind sleeping in a crib but it was nice to not have to.

Ty walked in and stopped when he saw me. "Where's Monica?"

"She's in the bathroom."

He nodded. "What are you doing up so early?"

I shrugged. I didn't have alarms to set to wake me up. I mainly just relied on everyone else to wake me up when it was time to get up.

He walked over to the dresser and opened the top drawer. He took out a dress shirt and slung it over his arm. "Do you like staying with us so far?"

I nodded. "Yeah, it's not so bad."

"Good. We really want you to feel welcomed here."

"Can I ask you something? And please don't be offended."

He raised his eyebrows. "Alright. Go ahead."

"Are you and Monica ever gonna have kids?"

He sat down on the edge of the bed. "We've talked about it a little. It's still early to decide if we want them enough to try. But I want to wait until Monica is ready."

"Do you think we will?"

"That's my hope. But it's all up to Monica. She's still recovering from everything that happened last year and I don't want to push her."

"How is she handling everything that happened?" I knew that if anything happened between me and my parents, I wouldn't take it well. Losing my dad after he went insane was something I wasn't sure I could handle.

He sighed. "Most of the time, she's okay. Sometimes she has nightmares about what happened."

"Do you think she'll get better enough to walk?"

He glanced toward the bathroom. I could hear the water running in the sink. "She's working on that. She's healing and improving slowly but she'll get there. I know she will."

I moved closer to him and set my bear in my lap. "You love her, don't you?"

He looked down at me with a knowing smile on his face. "I really do."

---

What do you guys think of Ty? I really wanted to make a character that was just... good. Alpine has so many sketchy people already that I didn't want to include another. Both he and Ms. Diane are like... angels.