Prior Rings

Chapter 49: Tris - Colic

A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, and to my wonderful beta reader, Rosalie! I'm afraid this is another short chapter, but given my schedule this week, at least it's something...

Chapter 49: Tris – Colic

(Five weeks after Abigail's birth; Tris is 26 and Tobias is 28)

Right now, I don't care how delicious the wedding dinner was. It was absolutely not worth it, not with how it has transformed my sweet little girl into a crying, screaming, thrashing, inconsolable package of raw nerves. Cara assures us that it's "just colic," and that it's nothing to worry about, but that word is nowhere near long enough for the agony that goes with it.

I have never been so tired in my life.

"So much for the swing," Tobias declares in aggravation, practically kicking it out of his way as he resumes carrying Abigail around the apartment. Shauna had assured us that the swing would help, saying it was the only way they got Lionel to sleep on many nights. Clearly, our daughter is different from their son.

But it's not like anything else has worked, either. By now, the apartment floor is riddled with items that we've used in our fruitless efforts, and the difficulty of navigating between them is adding to our overall stress.

Objectively, I know it's not Abigail's fault. Her stomach is too upset for her to eat or sleep, and she clearly isn't comfortable in any position. But after five hours of struggling to make this better, we're at our wits' end. I never knew a baby's cries could hit so many nerves.

"Can we get some of this out of the way?" Tobias snarls as he almost trips over a toy that's sitting in the middle of the living room floor. He kicks it in aggravation, launching it all the way into the kitchen, where it's promptly followed by the sound of shattering glass.

"Oh, that helps," I snap at him, grabbing Abigail from his arms. "Why don't you clean up the mess while I walk her around?"

I have rarely seen Tobias look so livid. "Fine," he growls, proceeding to throw items into a corner of the room, one after another, with no care whatsoever. The noise makes Abigail strain even more in my arms, somehow making her scream even louder.

It splits my last nerve. "Tobias, just...go! You're not helping." He glares at me for a moment before I add, "Go for a walk or something. Calm down."

The words cause him to freeze, his eyes widening as he assesses his current level of anger and self-control in a way I don't think he's had to do for years. He nods curtly before heading out the door.

Unfortunately, that leaves me alone with our very upset daughter.

"Abigail, please stop crying," I plead, feeling tears in my own eyes as I bounce her lightly up and down while walking through the hazard area that is currently our apartment. "Please."

She just continues to scream.

Switching back to singing, despite how sore my throat is at this point, I find myself stringing together nonsense from a dozen different songs. I'm too tired to remember the words, and it feels like my arms are going to fall off at any moment, and I can barely stay upright. How can someone this small wear me out this much?

A crashing sound from down the hallway catches my attention through everything else, and I stop moving for the first time in hours as I stare at the door. Should I go see what it was? Or should I lock the door and stay here where it's safe?

My fatigued brain doesn't reach a conclusion before the door swings open, and Tobias comes in, carrying a package of some kind.

"Put her down for a minute," he calls over the wailing that's filling the room. "And help me get this on."

My eyes roam over what he's holding, trying to identify it, before I finally recognize it as the baby carrier that Tori gave us.

"It's nice out, and nothing else is working, so I'm going to take her for a walk," Tobias adds.

Abigail's screeches reach a new level as our eyes lock. In the entire time we've been married, I have never once worried that Tobias would hurt me or any children we might have. But right now, we are both way past our frustration limits, and I can't help but wonder if he's sufficiently in control for this.

He can obviously see my doubt. "Tris, I'm not going to hurt her." Still holding my gaze, he holds up a pair of the protective earmuffs that he wears on loud construction projects. "I'm going to wear these, and put her in the carrier, and just walk." There's another pause before he adds, "Please trust me."

And I do. Laying Abigail in her crib and pulling the side up, I try to ignore her screams as I help Tobias wrestle the carrier into place, adjusting the straps and making sure it's secure. He gives me a half-smile as he puts the ear protectors on.

It takes both of us to get our crying, thrashing bundle of tension into the carrier and to make the final adjustments to ensure a safe, snug fit.

"Get some sleep," Tobias tells me firmly before heading out the door, the sound of wailing slowly fading away behind him.

For all of five seconds, I think that's an impossibility, given how worried I am about Abigail and how stressed I am by all of this. But exhaustion works wonders, and I'm out the moment I hit the bed.

I'm awakened by Tobias' weight as he lies down next to me. "She's finally asleep," he reassures me, sounding more tired than I've ever heard him, but relieved at the same time. Glancing at the clock, I realize that he must have walked her for close to two hours.

"Is she okay?" I can't help asking.

"Yeah." His voice is an exhausted whisper. "But I don't think you should eat anything spicy again for a while." He gives a strangled chuckle. "Like until after she's stopped nursing."

Somehow, I summon the energy to lean over and kiss him lightly. "Thank you for walking her."

He pulls me against him, resting his forehead on mine, and for a moment he just breathes my air. "I couldn't have done this with anyone else, you know." There's a vulnerability in his voice that hurts to hear, and yet sends a strange, sweet warmth through me at the same time. "I was thinking about that as I walked. About how much you healed me. If I manage to be a decent husband and father, it will be because of you."

But I shake my head. "No, Tobias. You're already amazing at both of those, but it's not because of me." I run a hand gently through his hair. "It's all you."

He smiles against my skin as sleep claims us both.

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A/N: Please take a moment to let me know what you thought of this chapter. This is going to be a rough week for updating, and I could really use the encouragement to find time to write.

Some news/answers to guest reviewers....

1. I have posted an outtake from "Prior Rings" as a separate M-rated story.  If you're old enough to read Mature material, please check it out. If you're not at least 16, please don't try to read it! I don't want anyone getting in trouble with their parents over my stories....

2. I'm sorry I haven't gotten back to my "Becoming Determinant" story in so long! I've been updating my Profile page on the fanfiction net site with when I expect to resume updating it. So, please check there for the latest estimate, though I'm sorry to say it's still subject to change. Too many competing priorities!

Thank you all again! I truly appreciate your support.