Variables | Joshaya ✔︎

What Has She Done?

𝕛𝕠𝕤𝕙

When I come back out from putting Dillon to bed after feeding him I notice that Gabi and Maya are asleep on each other in the armchair. I smile at the sight and grab a blanket, placing it over them. They move a little, but they just adjust a little in the chair, and I sigh in relief. They needed a day where they can catch up on sleep; I've only been here for a few hours but I can already tell that both of them don't get enough time to just press pause and take care of themselves for a change.

I make sure that I don't wake them up as I walk over to the kitchen and sit down at the island, just playing on my phone until I hear Dillon again. I quickly run into the room, making sure to not wake Maya and Gabi. I quickly pick him up out of the crib and place him on the changing blanket, changing his diaper while he plays with his little cow and by the time I'm done, I know that he's up, and he's not going back to sleep. So, I take him back into the kitchen and have him sit on my lap, cradling his head since he still can't keep it up by himself. He coos and babbles as I smile fondly at him, I cant help but feel like I finally have a place somewhere. Here, in this apartment. Maybe it was necessary that I was offered a chance to do remote learning right when this little guy showed up on Maya's doorstep, making everything even more difficult than it already was for her. So, thank god everything happened the way it did. I look back down at the little guy, and see he's still babbling to himself as he fiddles with the little cow that's still in his tiny hands. I smile at the adorable sight, reminding me of all of the pictures that my mom took throughout my childhood. I was her miracle baby after all, so she probably felt like she needed to document every moment of her youngest child's life. It wasn't very fun, feeling like you're being watched and/or recorded every second of every day, but it's cool to look back at all the memories and emotions showed in any and all of the photos and videos. I smile back at all of the photos, but then I feel Dillon squirming in my arms, and he starts to whine. Oh god, Maya's gonna wake up if she's not up yet. I pick him up and go to the fridge, opening it and grabbing a bottle. I place it in the microwave for 30 seconds and wait for the milk to warm up. I hear footsteps. Darn it.

I turn around to see Maya.

"Hey Josh," she says sleepily, rubbing her eyes, "How long was I out?"

I shrug, "Not long, I changed Dillon's diaper, he took a little nap, I played on my phone, and now we're here."

She nods, "Okay, not bad."

I nod, "But you need to get more sleep, I can tell that you both are more than 24 hours behind in sleep."

"Well, it was nearly impossible to fall asleep when you have a 4 year old who seems to never have an off button except for random times during the day where she wants to cuddle and falls asleep on top of me, and then the odd day where that time is around bedtime; those days are the best," she smiles as the microwave goes off, and I laugh lightly as I start to feed Dillon.

"Well, now you have me, and since I now do remote learning, you can actually sleep in on the weekends," I point out, making her smile.

"Yeah, but you seriously don't have to do this," she says, "I can manage-"

"I know you can manage this by yourself," I stop her, "But then you fall behind on school, never have time to have fun with your friends, and are making yourself unhealthy in the process."

She sighs and nods, "I know, I just.... it's so hard to think about me when there's her..." she trails off, her gaze going over to Gabi, who is still out cold on the armchair.

I nod in understanding, "I completely get it, you just need to focus on yourself from time to time, so that you can stay happy and healthy."

She nods, "I know."

I nod again, "Then, if you do know, why don't you go into your room and take a well needed nap so you can somewhat catch up on your sleep; I'll take care of them," I say, motioning to Dillon in my arms and Gabi in the armchair.

"I'd love that," she says, as a yawn tumbles from her lips, "But are you sure?"

I smile back at her, "Of course, this is exactly why I'm here."

She nods and yet another yawn comes out, and I can't help but laugh, place my hand on her lower back as I put Dillon in his carrier and say, "Now go get some sleep."

She laughs lightly and I can't help but have a smile on my face as I lead her to her room and tuck her into bed, "Goodnight."

"Goodnight Maya," I say, smiling and leaving the room, closing the door behind me just as Gabi starts to stir. Oh god. The party's only just getting started.

What has she done to me?

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Word Count: 928