"I'm fine," he insisted, resting his face against the wooden floor. "I'll just... I'll stay down here."
She frowned. "I asked you not to do it. I didn't want to hurt you so I didn't physically stop you. I asked you, Jack."
She pulled away from him, her actions sharp. "Stop it! Stop! You wouldn't even be here if I hadn't have left you!" Her voice seemed fierce, but there was something in her voice that made her sound nervous. "If I stayed you would have been okay. They wouldn't have hurt you as bad." She glared down at him. "And now you're on the floor because of me and you won't accept my help. What am I even good for at this point? All my presence is doing is hurting you."
Aubrey woke up at her words and started crying, her eyes wide as she regarded her mother. Jack looked up at the baby, shifting as best he could to lean his back against the bed, trying to keep from wincing. Aubrey crawled over to his head, patting his cheek for reassurance as tears streamed down her face, and Jack reached up, taking Aubrey from the bed and settling her on his lap, the whole time not meeting Avice's gaze. Aubrey buried her head in his shirt as she wailed, her tears making damp spots in the fabric.
Avice said nothing, just watching him for a moment before opening the door and leaving quietly, shutting it behind her.
He looked up as she left, running his fingers through Aubrey's dark, curly hair. Gradually, her sobs lessened and Jack looked down at her as she tilted her head back, her tear-filled eyes worried. "There we are, baby girl. See? Everything's fine," he murmured, wiping the tears away with his thumb. "She's okay." He inhaled deeply before shifting and setting her on the bed. "Let's try and get back up here..."
Avice stood outside the door, covering her face with her hands with a shuddering sigh. She murmured something to herself, her voice cracking slightly before she sat against the door, burying her face in her arms.
Jack was asleep in his bed some time later. Aubrey was curled up in his arms, her forehead pressed against his sternum, and his arms were wrapped around her.
Avice had entered the room after they had fallen asleep, sitting next to the bed and sleeping herself, her brows furrowed.
