Fate Heals

Chapter Twenty-Four

The past week has been exhausting, Noah and Beckett both being clingy. It has resulted in me having to wear both of them if I want to get anything done. Otherwise, I have stayed either in the bedroom or upstairs with Avery, just so I can get some peace of mind.

Jesse has been trying to help, taking the boys whenever he isn't out fixing something for Alpha Seren or building something for the newcomers. Noah and Beckett like to lay on his chest while he talks to him, his deep voice soothing both of them to sleep with ease. Those moments are the ones where I wish I had a camera, just so I could preserve these memories in hard copy.

Despite all of my exhaustion, though, I lay in bed unable to sleep. This is due to the fact that I have a baby attached to me, and I find it very difficult to sleep while nursing. The only times I could do it were while I was pregnant when even the discomfort of nursing could not keep me from sleeping.

Jesse is sleeping next to me, his arm wrapped around me. If it weren't for the two babies between us, I would be pressed up against him head to toe. A snuffling has me looking away from my mate and down to the sleeping babes. Beckett is curled close to his father, pacifier bobbing periodically as he slumbers. Noah, though, is getting distressed.

"It's alright, love," I whisper, my fingers running the length of his back in comfort. Today was his day with Ellen, and as per usual, he came back very distressed. Add in the fact that he is teething, and I have had him clinging to me for the entire night. Everything is irritating to him, even his pacifier that he usually loves. Probably because it rubs against his aching gums.

He turns away from me as he squirms, unlatching in the process. His little face scrunches up, his hands coming to rub at his eyes. He is tired, probably more than me. Without a sufficient nap during the day and his high distress, he is utterly exhausted.

Leaning down, I press a few kisses against his cheeks, pulling him up to my neck so that he can find some comfort in my scent.

"Peanut, it's alright," I soothe, petting the dark strands of his hair. "Mama's here."

"He not sleeping still?" Jesse asks, startling me. His eyes are still closed, but I guess he hadn't been sleeping as I thought he was.

"He slept for maybe an hour," I say, my voice scratchy.

"Why don't you get some sleep," Jesse says, blinking open his eyes. "I'll stay up with him for a bit."

Leaning over the babies, I press a kiss against his lips. "That would be great, but since he seems to only be soothed from nursing, I think that may be a problem."

"Are there any bottles left in the fridge?" Jesse asks, his hand moving to the small of my back. His strong fingers are wonderful as they start to massage away some of my tension.

Closing my eyes, I lean back against the pillows. "There should at least one left." Peeking open an eye, I see Jesse watching me with amused eyes. "Can you check for me, love?"
The endearment slips out before I can stop it, and I am too tired to think too much about it. Jesse just smiles though, his warm hands moving up to my hair and massaging my scalp.

"Of course," he says, slipping out of bed. He picks up a pair of sweats off the ground, pulling them on before reaching down to pick up Noah. "Get some rest. We'll be alright."

Noah's cries start to quiet the farther away they get. Now with Jesse's warmth gone, Beckett and I scoot closer together. Beckett is a lot calmer than his brother. I don't know if it is because he is only nine-weeks-old, or if that is just going to be his personality.

He blinks up at me twice, and I pull him against my chest, finding comfort in the proximity. When my babies are close to me, I know they are safe. Knowing that Noah will be perfectly fine with Jesse, I allow myself to relax into the mattress. Beckett wraps his tiny fingers around one of my own, letting out a heavy sigh before falling back asleep.