“Sweetie, Blair just needs sleep. If you’re here, she won’t sleep at all because she’ll be so excited about hanging out with you. If she doesn’t rest quietly, by herself, it will take her longer to get better, and until she’s better, she won’t be able to do fun things like carry you on her shoulders and run around with you. Wouldn’t you rather she gets better faster so you two can do all of that?”

Saved by the mom. Thank you, Erin.

Nolan was quiet for a moment as he wrinkled his nose as if he was deep in thought. “No.”

“No?” Shit. Blair really thought Erin had won this battle.

“No. I want to play NOW!”

“Well, that’s not happening.” Erin picked up a screaming Nolan and carried him out of the room. “You can see Blair when you get home. You’re going to school.”

Blair tried to follow them, but Erin turned around at the open doorway and pointed a finger at her as if Blair was her second child. “ Not you. You need to get back in bed.”

Blair brought her hand up to her head and saluted Erin. “Yes, Ma’am.”

Unfortunately, Nolan must’ve had her super stressed because she didn’t even crack a smile at Blair’s teasing. Blair got back into bed and shut her eyes, but it was no use. It was impossible to sleep when she could hear Erin struggling so much downstairs. She had to admit, though, she was pretty happy Erin had demanded she stay in bed, because she really  didn’t want to be dealing with that right now.

Is this what it’s like to be a parent? Feeling both guilty and relieved all at once? Having a child get on your last nerve but also doing everything in your power to protect that child? It certainly wasn’t for the weak. Blair was sure of that, and it explained why her feelings for Erin just continued to grow stronger. The fact that Erin could do this on her own was mind-blowing. Blair knew she never could.

After an hour of shouting and what Blair could only assume was a ton of tears from both parties, Erin and Nolan finally left the house, leaving Blair in complete silence for the first time since waking up. Why do I love this but also hate it at the same time?

She didn’t have much time to think about that question, because without the distraction of Erin and Nolan, her tiredness took over and she drifted off to sleep.

***

When Blair woke back up, it was to the sound of someone typing on a keyboard close to her. She opened her eyes and found Erin with her work laptop open, sitting in bed right beside Blair as if she were waiting to see what Blair needed from her.