[Finding Emma 03.0] Megan's Hope by Steena Holmes Page B

sleep.
    With slow steps, she dragged her exhausted body towards their room and sank down on the bed.
    “ I ’ ll get up with him tonight, don ’ t worry. ” Peter knelt down in front of her and eased her socks off her feet.
    “ Are you sure? It ’ s my night, ” she halfheartedly argued.
    “ I ’ m sure. ”
    Everything about this baby was different from their other three. Since Carson had come home from the hospital, Peter had been right there: the perfect husband, the perfect father, the perfect helper. He ’ d adjusted his hours so that he could work from home more, something he never would have done while the other girls were small. But not only that … he was there to give Megan a breather when she needed it. She didn ’ t have to bundle Carson up and take him with her when she ran errands, wasn ’ t the one to walk with him when he was fussy or anything else she ’ d had to do with the other three when they were younger.
    It was nice. A relief.
    “ How much longer do you think Jack will be here for? ” Megan slid her body backwards on the bed until she rested against the pillows.
    “ He says he wants to see Christmas with Emma, that he has a special gift for her. ”
    Megan smiled. Yes, he did. He ’ d given it to her months ago, just in case … and she ’ d given it back to him last week. They were weeks away from Christmas and she ’ d do anything to help make sure he didn ’ t miss it.
    Her main reason — Emma.
    “ Just like she has a special gift for him, ” Peter said. “ She ’ s working so hard on it. ”
    It was true. Every spare moment, Emma drew pictures and wrote her stories, sometimes asking Megan or Peter for help. But more often than not, she wanted to do it on her own.
    “ I just …” She shook her head. “ I just can ’ t believe he ’ s still here with us. There ’ s been so many close calls … especially the last one. ”
    “ He ’ s a stubborn old man. It probably helps him that Doug is sharing a room with him. ”
    A week after Jack had been admitted into the hospital again, Doug had taken a fall at the farmhouse and broke his hip. Since then, he ’ d developed a cold that led to pneumonia and his body was having a hard time fighting it.
    “ They ’ ve both lost so much in such a short time. ” Megan leaned into her husband and rested her head on his chest.
    They sat there in the silence and Megan struggled to remain awake, just for a little while longer. She ’ d missed these times, of cuddling with Peter, being in his arms, feeling safe and secure.
    She tilted her head up and smiled when she realized he ’ d already fallen asleep.
    They were all exhausted. Not just her and Peter, but the girls and the baby too. Not knowing how much longer Jack had, the girls wanted to be by his side every chance they had, so they ’ d go and eat dinner with him each night in his room and stay until visiting hours were over. If Doug was having a particularly bad night, they ’ d leave earlier.
    But placing their focus on Jack meant they let other things in their life slide. Like the house. Thankfully Laurie came over often during the day and helped her with laundry or cleaning up the kitchen … all with the excuse that she just wanted to hold her godson while he was still small and unable to move.
    Tonight, the girls — Hannah, Alexis, and Emma — were all having a sleepover at Laurie ’ s place. The plan was that Megan would go over in the morning and have breakfast before they went out and ran errands. She ’ d promised the girls they would have a mom-daughter day, and Peter was going to stay with Carson and maybe go see Jack during the day.
    Rustling noises came through on the baby monitor and Megan held her breath, praying Carson wasn ’ t waking up. It only took a moment for him to settle back down, though, but she waited a few more minutes and forced her eyes to remain open, just in case.
    Thankfully all remained calm and she eventually closed her eyes, letting