17. Jett

Chapter 17

My alarm goes off around five-thirty. I reluctantly get out of bed and head to the barely functioning gym for an hour workout.

We're on day three of our friends-only deal and it's going well. Monday, Stevie had her tumbling class then we took her to the small diner in town after with Wyla's parents. I'm no longer getting the cold shoulder from her dad, which I'm thankful for, but we still have a ways to go. Tuesday, I helped Wyla cook dinner then played some card games with Stevie. Who by the way is a bit of a sore loser. I'll have to work on that with her because as it turns out, she gets it from her mom.

I don't know how long it will take to do a complete course correction but I do get to spend the whole day with her. At the diner on Monday, Mrs. Bennett asked if she could have Wednesday off to help tend to the flowers at the walking track, to which I quickly volunteered to cover.

Wyla asked if I could come to their place around eight and she would bring home some take out for dinner. My meal plan has been completely shot to death these two weeks but I don't care, I'll take the extra workouts instead.

After I spend about an hour and a half at the gym, I swing by Anna's for a shower.

"Good morning," Anna sings when I walk in the door. She's sitting at her dinner table sipping on some tea with a nearly clean plate of scrambled eggs in front of her. "I got a little carried away with the eggs this morning, so I put the extras in a container in the fridge if you want to heat it up."

I hang my keys on the hooks by the door. "Yeah, that sounds good. I'm probably going to take a quick shower first."

Anna takes her last bite. "Good, because there's no way you could win Wyla over smelling like that."

"Shouldn't you be headed to work or something?"

Anna glances at her phone. "Shit, yes." She quickly stands and takes her stuff to the kitchen. I turn to head to my room down the hall when there's a knock at Anna's front door. "Hey, J, can you get that?" Anna hollers .

"Yeah," I toss back. I open the door, and Levi stands on the other side in his uniform. That seems kind of odd. "Hey, is everything okay?"

Levi seems confused for a moment then remembers it's seven in the morning and he's a cop coming over unannounced. "Oh yeah, sorry. I just got off work but I had something to give Anna."

I talked to Levi quite a bit at the beach this past weekend. He seems cool, about my age, and I'm gathering he's into my sister. "This early in the morning?"

Levi holds up a small package. "I know, but she's just really going to love it."

I'm about to let him in and go get her when she walks up, pushing me out of the doorway. "Hey, Levi, what's up?"

When he sees her, I have to wonder if it's how I look when I look at Wyla? Yeah, I think he's definitely interested in my sister. "Hey, guess what came in the mail yesterday?" He hands her the small package.

I'm pretty sure at this point I've now become invisible to both of them. I'd love to leave but when Anna pushed out of the doorway she backed me in between her and the entryway table. Unless I want to push Anna over… I'm stuck. Great .

"Shut up!" she squeals as she pulls out a book from the bag. "Is this for real? How'd you get this?"

Levi laughs. "Being she's my sister, it's not super hard to get copies of her books. She sends me early copies every release."

Anna is practically beaming at this book. She studies the cover intently then flips it around to look at the back. "Levi's sister is my all-time favorite author. I'm dying to read this book next month. Thanks for letting me see it, Levi." Anna takes one more look over the book and hands it back to him.

Levi chuckles, not taking back the book. "Why don't you check the title page inside?"

Anna raises an eyebrow, but flips open the book. "No way… she signed it to me!"

"Yeah, I told her how much you loved her books, so she sent me two copies. One for me and one for you." I can't really see Levi from this angle but I know that fucker is beaming at Anna's reaction.

"Thank you, Levi. I love it." Anna moves to gives him a hug, and I take my opportunity to get the hell out of there. I head into the kitchen and grab a bottle of water and an apple .

After another minute, I hear the front door close and Anna passes through the kitchen still marveling at her book.

"So… Levi?" I ask, as I take a bite of my apple.

"Hmm?" Anna asks looking up finally. "What about him?"

"What's going on there?"

"Nothing," Anna squeaks, then clears her throat. "We're friends, and he knows how much I love his sister's books."

"Anna, come on. Friends? Really?" I raise a challenging eyebrow.

She rolls her eyes. "Yeah… friends. I think you've heard of this concept before." She gives me a smartass look.

I know she's throwing the whole "friends with Wyla" thing in my face but it's not making the point she thinks it does. "Right, you mean the friendship where the main goal is to get her to fall in love with me. That friendship, right?"

Anna purses her lips. "What's your problem?"

"No problem." I shrug. "He's clearly interested in you, though."

"He is not, J. Levi brought me a book, not a marriage proposal," Anna scoffs. "Don't you have a family to annoy or something? "

I choose to not respond to that comment with words… but I do flip her the bird instead and head out of the kitchen.

"Hey, fuck you too," Anna yells after me.

Damn, good luck to Levi.

After I shower, I throw on some gray sweats and a white t-shirt, then swing by the kitchen to grab the container of eggs that Anna left. I notice there are some fresh strawberries too, so I cut some up and put them into a smaller bowl of Tupperware. I grab my keys and start to head to Wyla's when she calls.

"Hey, I'm headed your way."

Wyla yawns. "Hey, sorry… but Stevie's been up since four this morning. She's sick."

"What? Is she okay? Do we need to take her to the doctor?"

"She's okay, I think it's just a stomach bug, so the only thing we can do is let it run its course. I'm not going into work today so you don't have to worry about watching her." Wyla's voice is soft, she sounds exhausted.

Like hell I won't. "Don't worry about it, Wy. I'll still come over. What do you need from the store? Soup? Sprite? Wait, can she have Sprite?"

"You don't have to do that." Wyla yawns again .

"Wyla, I'm coming over to help. No doing everything on your own anymore, remember? Tell me what to get or I'll buy a whole bunch of stuff that she probably can't have."

"Jett…" I hear Stevie yell for her through the phone. "Oh, she's getting sick again. Okay, I'll send you a list." Wyla hangs up.

After a few minutes, she sends me a list of stuff to get and that she would leave the door unlocked for me to come in whenever I get there, but I still knock before walking in.

Stevie sits on the couch curled up in blankets with a little trash can in her hands. I set the stuff down on the floor and kneel in front of her.

"Hi, Daddy," Stevie says pitifully.

"Hey, Little Bee. How are you feeling?"

"Not good, my tummy hurts," she cries.

The look on her face brings physical pain to my chest. "I know, sweetie. I'm sorry." I look around but don't see Wyla anywhere. "Where's your mom?"

"Mommy is in the bathroom, I think she's sick too," Stevie sniffles. "I didn't want her to get sick with me."

"Oh, it's okay, sweetie. Your mom's going to be alright, I'm going to go check on her real quick. Are you feeling okay right now?" Stevie nods her head and snuggles back on her pillow, still clutching the little trash can. "Okay, yell for me if you start to feel sick. "

She nods again. Poppy rests at the side of the couch staring up at Stevie. I give the dog a look almost wishing she could understand my wish to bark if Stevie starts to get sick again.

I knock on the bathroom door, but it's drowned out by the sound of her throwing up. I open the door and find her bent over the toilet. I kneel beside her, pulling back her hair as she goes again.

"You're okay, baby." I rub her back as she gets the last of it out.

"Sorry." Wyla sits up and flushes. "You didn't have to come in here."

"It's okay, Wy. How long have you been sick for?"

"I just started… Jett, you better go, I don't want you catching this either."

"Not a chance. Come on, let's get you to bed." I help her stand, she's wearing some green plaid pajama pants, a black tank top, and very much isn't wearing a bra… Focus, you dick, she's sick, stop staring at her boobs.

"I can't go to bed, what about Stevie?"

"I'll take care of her. You need to get some rest." Wyla opens her mouth to protest so I hold up a hand stopping her. "Wy, baby, you're sick. You need to get some sleep. I'll stay with Stevie. "

Wyla debates it for a moment, but relents. "Okay, maybe try small sips of Pedialyte, I don't want her getting dehydrated. If she can hold that down after an hour, she can maybe do a saltine cracker if she's up for it. Just don't let her—"

"I promise I won't let her overdo it. Come on. Bed." I walk her to her bed and pull the covers over her. "I'll be out there if you need me. Get some sleep." I brush her hair out of her face and my hand hesitates for a moment, even sick she's beautiful.

"Thank you." Wyla smiles softly and closes her eyes.

Back in the living room, neither Stevie nor Poppy have moved. "You want to try something to drink?"

"Yes, please." Stevie sits up and sets down her little trash can. "Is Mommy okay?"

"Yeah, honey, she's okay. She's not feeling too good either, so she's getting some rest. How are you feeling?"

"I'm thirsty," she mumbles.

"Okay, let me get you a drink, but we have to start small, we don't want to get sick again." Stevie nods and I get her a cup of the grape Pedialyte.

We start with a sip every twenty minutes. After an hour, she's held everything down and some color has returned to her face. I let her try a cracker and she eats about half of it .

No one told me having a sick kid is a form of torture. I'd give my right arm right now for her to feel better. Stevie requests for me to turn on the TV and she snuggles up next to me.

Near the end of Tangled , Stevie falls asleep in my lap. I carry her to her bed, and Poppy follows, curling up beside Stevie's bed. I tuck her in with her seventy-five blankets and kiss her on the top of the head. I try to get Poppy to come out with me but she refuses. I take the risk that the dog won't tear anything up because the bigger risk is waking Stevie up if I force her out.

I peek in Wyla's room but her bed is empty. As I reach the bathroom door I hear the toilet flush. I walk in and Wyla's brushing her teeth, when she looks over, she jumps. "Jett… you scared the shit out of me."

"Sorry, Wy. I was just coming to check on you. Stevie fell asleep, so I took her to her bed."

"How is she?" she mumbles with her toothbrush in her mouth.

"Better, I think, she drank and ate half a cracker. She hasn't gotten sick again."

Wyla's shoulders relax a bit as she finishes brushing her teeth. "Good."

"Poppy insisted on staying in the room with her. I figured that wasn't a battle worth fighting given the situation." Wyla nods, and I take a step closer. I'm so damn tempted to pull her to me, but resist. "How are you?"

"Okay, I think that was the last of it, but my body feels like it's been hit by a truck, and I have a headache." Wyla bends down to the cabinets and pulls out some ibuprofen. "Will you get me a glass of water, please?"

"Yeah, get back in bed. I'll be right back."

She nods, and when I return with the water, she's curled back under the covers.

She sits up to take her medicine and sets her water on the nightstand. "Jett… will you lie down with me?"

Um, hell yeah. "Okay, Wy." I slide in on the other side, not wanting to push it, but Wyla comes to me and rests her head on my chest and tangles her legs in mine.

"I'm sorry, you've had to spend the day with us sickos," Wyla says softly.

I brush her hair away from her face. "There is no place else I'd rather be, Wy."

"As friends, right?" she mumbles.

"As whatever you want me to be." I dare a kiss to the top of her head. "Get some sleep."

With that, she nuzzles closer and within two minutes, she's fast asleep.

For a while I just watch her, lightly stroking her hair, but eventually, I pass out too.

"Mommy, Daddy, wake up." I feel Stevie climbing on top of the bed and forcing her way in between us. "Mommy, Daddy… wake up," she whines. "I'm hungry."

I blink my eyes open. "Hey, Little Bee, feeling better?"

"Yes, but I'm hungry and thirsty."

Wyla untangles herself from me and sits up. "Okay, baby, come on, let's get some soup."

We climb out of bed, and Stevie jumps in my arms for me to carry her. I check the clock on the stove. It was about a quarter to ten when we fell asleep and now it's almost one in the afternoon. I set Stevie down at the table and force Wyla to sit also. "I'll heat up the soup."

Wyla nods and sits next to Stevie. Poppy scratches at the back door so I let her out then fix them both some canned chicken noodle soup.

"Thank you," both of my girls say when I set the bowls in front of them. I make myself a quick sandwich before joining them at the table.

They manage to eat half of their soups. As I wash up their bowls, Wyla takes Stevie to the couch where she begs to watch Tangled again since she didn't get to finish it, and neither of us have the heart to argue.

Once the movie ends, Wyla clicks off the TV. "How are you feeling, baby?"

"Better," Stevie says with much more enthusiasm in her tone than she did this morning. "Can we go somewhere fun now?" Stevie looks back and forth between Wyla and I for one of us to answer.

"Well, Little Bee, you've been sick. I think we will stay here today."

"No," Stevie whines. "I have my powers back now, Daddy. We can go somewhere!"

I glance at Wyla, confused by Stevie's use of "powers," but Wyla gives me a confused smile back.

"Your powers?" Wyla chuckles.

Stevie holds up her hands as if it was obvious. "Yeah, you know, when you can play and you're not sleepy. I have powers to do things now."

Wyla and I both start to laugh. "Baby, I think you mean energy." Wyla continues to laugh. "But I think I like your idea of powers better."

"Yeah, me too," I agree.

Stevie starts to squirm on the couch, her "powers" clearly kicking back in as she can't be still .

"Okay, little girl." Wyla stands from the couch when Stevie kicks her lightly on the side. "We can't go anywhere because we don't want to get other people sick…" Stevie whines loudly, testing Wy's patience. "We can have fun here but no whining."

Stevie jumps up like she hasn't been sick all morning. "Okay, I promise!"

For the next couple hours, we paint on canvases at the kitchen table. Well, Wyla and I paint the canvases, Stevie paints them, the sheet, the chairs, the dog… herself. The girl is wild, her powers completely restored.

While Stevie helps me clean up her masterpieces, Wyla makes her "famous" grilled cheeses. She heats up some tomato soup for her and I, then some more chicken noodle for Stevie.

"What are we doing next?" Stevie asks when Wyla takes her dishes to the sink.

"I think up next is going to be bedtime. Mommy goes back to work tomorrow."

Stevie sinks in her chair. "No, I don't want you to go to work. You work all the time."

The words aren't directed at me but even I feel them like bullet.

Wyla takes a deep breath. "I know, baby, I'm sorry, but it's mommy's job. I have to go. "

"That's not fair." Stevie crosses her arms and her lip hangs so low she could trip on it. It's at that moment I want to tell Wyla to quit her job and I'd give her everything in my bank account, but I know Wyla would probably slap me for that. My girl is independent, not having money that feels like her own isn't something she'd go for.

"Stevie, please don't pout." Wyla walks back to the table and pulls Stevie in her lap. "Mommy's powers are still low, but she's trying. What can I do to make it a little better?"

Stevie cuddles into Wyla. "We could make a sister pile."

Based on Wyla's face I can tell the "sister pile" isn't on the top of her list for things to do tonight.

I chuckle. "What's a sister pile?"

Stevie's eyes light up. "Sister piles are so much fun, Daddy. Mommy makes a bed in the living room and I bring out all of my blankets and animals, then we have a sleepover! You can sleepover too. Belley says that her daddy would sleepover in her piles with her and her mommy sometimes."

"Stevie—" Wyla starts but Stevie isn't done stating her case.

"It will be so fun, Mommy, please! I'll be good, I promise." Her eyes are full of pleading. They practically put the nail in the coffin for not doing a pile tonight .

Wyla sighs. "Alright, fine, but you have to sleep, little girl. No playing or talking once we get settled." Stevie bounces up and down like a ball in Wyla's lap, which elects another sigh from Wyla. "I mean it, Stevie. I'll move you back to your bed if you don't."

"Okay, Mommy." Stevie beams and leaps from her lap. "I'm gonna get my blankets."

Wyla shakes her head. "If I told you to run, would you listen?"

"Not a fucking chance."