Mesmerized

treinta y tres.

Days always melted together for me during the holiday season, one day it was Christmas and the next day it was New Year's Eve; it was like I had lost all concept of time. I'd worked every day between Christmas and New Year's Eve, which left me exhausted but fulfilled in a lot of ways. It felt good to be there for people who didn't have anyone and though therapy was going well, I wasn't ready to be around my entire family in such an intimate setting.

As promised, I showed up at Mahdi's house at around eight, I'd gone there as soon as I finished my shift at the hospital and wasn't sure if I would be able to stay awake, but I'd try my best to. He greeted me at the door with a tight hug, the kind that made me close my eyes and breathe him in.

"You're tired." It wasn't a question, just a direct observation from the person who saw me the clearest. "Did you eat?" He moved out of the doorframe so that I could go inside, then closed the door behind me.

I nodded while trying not to smile, "I'm kind of tired, but not exhausted and I ate at the hospital." I followed him to the kitchen and stifled a yawn.

"If I'd known that you were working today, I would have picked you up." I felt his arms wrap around my waist, which caused me to look around for Cairo.

I saw the back of her head as she drew in the living room and released a sigh. "I wasn't supposed to, you know how that goes. How was your day?" I placed my arms on top of his, which were still wrapped around me.

"Pretty calm; me and Ro ran some errands and then I took her to hang out with my parents for a bit." Mahdi kissed the side of my neck and gave me one last squeeze before letting go.

It was difficult to keep my pout at bay while he took some fruits and juice out of the fridge. "Sounds nice; very domestic." I responded.

"I suppose it is, did you have a good shift?" He asked me.

I groaned in frustration, "There are new faces every single shift and that makes it difficult for things to run smoothly. I don't even know what I'll do when I'm running the unit." The thought still sent a chill down my spine; my promotion wouldn't take effect until the end of the month and I couldn't help but run different scenarios in my head. I did my best to focus on the positives, however the state of the hospital didn't make it easy.

"Cross that bridge when you get to it." Mahdi smiled brightly, "In the meantime, you can take this tray to the living room and relax." He suggested as he passed a tray of fruits to me.

I gave him a salute and followed his directions. Cairo was so focused on her drawing that she hadn't even greeted me until I put the tray down on the table next to her.

"Hey Cai." I said to her as I sat on the edge of the couch behind her.

She turned around and smiled, showing all of her little teeth. "Ari!" Cairo launched herself at me, causing me to fall into a laying position on the couch. I felt the wind get knocked out of me on impact.

"Crazy girl!" I chuckled. "What were you drawing?"

Cair sat on my stomach as she giggled, "Puppies, I wish I had a puppy. I'll show you!" She attempted to grab her art while staying on top of me.

"Wait a minute dare devil." I stopped her from falling on her head as I sat up and reached for the piece of paper, then handed it to her. "Here you go."

Cairo turned it to me and explained her artistic process. "This one is orange because you like orange and this one is blue because I like blue." She pointed to the animals that she'd drawn with pride.

"Very pretty, do they have names?" I asked her, finding it surprisingly difficult to keep my voice even.

She shook her head, "Not yet, maybe this one can be Cai and this one can be Ari?" Cairo was going to reduce me to a puddle of emotions by the end of the night.