Hannah waved her fingers in the air and laughed.
“She’s feeling much better,” Dakota said. Knowing her daughter was healing was such a relief. Getting used to dealing with a baby was hard enough, but when that baby was sick, it was a nightmare.
She and Hannah had been together nearly a week now. They’d established something of a routine. The follow-up visit to the pediatrician had been much better than that first encounter. The doctor had said Hannah was doing well. Her weight was up, and her ears were clear. Hannah had to finish the course of antibiotics and there was still teething to get through, but all that was doable.
“She’s eating well,” Denise said. “I can tell she’s feeling better. Do you have her on the new formula?”
“Yes. We were lucky. Her tummy handled the change well. The doctor said to start her on solid food in another week, which is a whole week sooner than we expected. That will help her gain more weight and catch up with her age group.”
She finished drying the little girl, then put a new diaper on her and slipped her into her pajamas. By then, her daughter was half asleep. Her eyes sunk closed and her body relaxed.
“Go ahead,” she told her mother. “You put her to bed.”
Denise smiled at her. “Thanks,” she whispered, and picked up the baby.
Hannah snuggled close. Denise crossed the room and settled the little girl on her back in the crib. After starting the mobile, they dimmed the lights and stepped out of the room.
“I’m so lucky with her,” Dakota said, as she adjusted the volume on the baby monitor. “Hannah enjoys being with people. I’ve heard that some of the children from orphanages are cautious around anyone new. In this town, that would be a problem.”
They settled on the sofa. Her mother looked at her.
“You’re doing well,” her mother told her. “I know you’re terrified half the time, but it doesn’t show. Soon you’ll be terrified only a quarter of the time, which is something to look forward to.”
“Thanks,” Dakota said. “You’re right. I am scared. It’s getting a little better. Knowing that she’s healing helps a lot. As does all the company. Ethan and Liz stopped by a couple of days ago and I’m getting lots of visits at work.” She smiled at her mother. “You’re helping a lot, too.”
“I love having her here. Finally a grandchild who lives close to me. You’ll have to tell me if I become one of those annoying, interfering grandparents. I’m not saying I’ll change my behavior, but I will at least feel guilty about it.”
Dakota laughed. “As long as you feel guilty, then I guess it’s okay.”
“So you’re handling the stress? You’re sleeping?” her mother asked.
“Better than I was.” Finn had stayed with her the first couple of nights. Just having him around had made everything better. But she’d realized that at some point she had to face motherhood on her own. She hadn’t slept at all the first night he’d been gone, but since then she’d been sleeping more and more.
“Sometimes I freak out for no reason,” she admitted. “Does that get better?”
“Yes and no,” her mother said. “You freak out less and then they become teenagers. That’s when the real nightmare begins.” Denise smiled brightly. “But that’s some time away. Enjoy Hannah while she’s still young and rational.”
“We weren’t that bad,” Dakota told her.
“You didn’t have to be that bad. There were six of you.”
“I guess you have a point there.”
Her mother studied her. “At the risk of interfering, how are things going with Finn? I haven’t seen him around. Or is he here when I’m not?”
“Finn has been a great help with Hannah,” Dakota admitted. “Which has been wonderful. But romantically…”
It was difficult to explain the relationship, mostly because she didn’t understand it herself.
“He’s a great guy, but we want different things. We were having fun together, only it started to get complicated. He’s here about his brothers and…” She shrugged. “I don’t actually have an answer to that question.”
“I got that,” her mother said. “I’d wondered if it was getting serious with him.”
“It wasn’t,” Dakota assured her, then wondered if she was lying.
She thought about Finn a lot and missed him. She knew he was working at the airport and told herself that was why he hadn’t been around. There were plenty of tourists to keep him busy. And Raoul had mentioned he’d had another meeting with Finn about starting a nonprofit program.
“I see.” Her mother studied her. “None of my girls are married. Sometimes I think it’s my fault.”