Melody's Crush

Chapter 13

Pulling into the drive, I immediately noticed that Jake's car was not home. For some reason, it actually put me at ease allowing me to relax the muscles I had no idea were so tense.

This week, I probably wouldn't see him much and especially after getting slapped like that from his mother, I probably wouldn't see him for the next ten years or so.

Chloe was the epitome of a perfect child all day. She did the occasional cry out for a changing and two feedings, but other than that, not a peep. That all changed when dinner came around.

In the kitchen, I was slapping together a measly meal of frozen pasta for two. Actually two bags after seeing what Kyle could scarf down in a meal today.

I was just turning down the heat to medium for it to simmer when an ungodly wailing came from the remote baby monitor hooked on my hip jean pocket.

Freaked out, I hightailed it down the hall and whipped around the doorway to see what was going on.

Of course, Kyle had already started attending to her but the cries just kept coming and they were getting worse and worse.

"What is going on?" I asked in a panic. Did babies really cry like this?

"I think she's colicky," he said.

"Licky what?" I looked at him as if he had just made up a word. "Colicky?"

"Yeah, it's when a baby can't get comfortable no matter what you do. My nephew had it. He cried non-stop for like two days. We all took turns carrying him."

"Seriously? Two days?" My mouth dropped. "But I have quarterly exams coming up."

"And I don't?" He cut his eyes at me as he continued to bounce Chloe in his arms, completely calm about the situation.

"But your grades don't matter." I popped my mouth leaving my fingers on my lips for a few seconds before dropping my hand to my side. "With your job and all I mean," I said sheepishly.

"That doesn't mean I don't study." His eyes narrowed as his lips pressed together.

"You do?" I asked bending into an innocent smile.

"Here." Frustrated, he handed her over to me. She continued to wail as it was clear that no amount of consoling was going to quiet her down.

Kyle pulled out his manual from what looked to be his backpack from school.

"I read that back to cover. There's nothing in there that talks about colicky."

"Colic," he corrected me over his shoulder.

"Colic. Colicky. Same difference. It's not in there." My ear was ringing as the crying miraculously was getting louder.

Regardless of what I said, Kyle still thumbed through the manual before eventually locking his eyes on a page. The crystals moved rapidly from side to side as he read the content quickly.

"Did you find something?" I asked unbelievingly. There was no way there was anything in the book about colic or I would have seen it.

"Hand her here," he motioned his hand with a give her to me sign as he tossed the book on the bed.

Walking over to him, I placed Chloe in his arms. He moved to the side of the bed placing her on top of it. Dropping to his knees, he unwrapped her from her blanket, cupped his hands gently around the heels of her feet and lifted them pushing her knees toward her tummy.

At first, I thought he had just lost his mind. But after a few minutes, the wailing gradually calmed into a regular cry before eventually going quite altogether.