A/N: Hey guys! I told you I'd update quickly if you review. ;) Here's chapter 2! Remember this chapter is Ryan's POV. :)
~*~*~*~*~CHAPTER TWO~*~*~*~*~*~
Pain is the first thing I feel when I wake up. My ass feels like somebody is trying to compress it to the size of a ping pong ball and my right hip and the back of my leg are burning like hell. I'm trying to find a comfortable position on the bed, but nothing I do is helping. Shit. I move my right foot and bite down hard on my lower lip. Maybe if I taste blood in my mouth, it'll take my mind off of how shitty my leg feels right now. My toes feel weird too. Kind of numb actually and there's this uncomfortable tingly sensation near my ankle. It feels like hundreds of needles are pricking at it. I try to move and... fuck. Okay, my ass is literally killing me. I take a deep breath and squeeze my eyes shut, clenching my fists together the entire time.
Keeping my eyes closed, I move my hand across Summer's side of the bed and sigh. She's not there. That's when I hear the shower running and glance over at the alarm clock next to our bed. It's eight in the morning. She's getting ready for work.
Suddenly I feel insecure remembering the conversation we had last night and reality sets in. I finally told her I lost my job three weeks ago. My boss told me it was nothing personal—that I'm not the only person who was being laid off that day. With the ongoing recession they just couldn't afford to keep paying so many employees, but I know better. It's the story of my fucking life. I'm never good enough. I've never been wanted. If it was nothing personal, then why the fuck does it hurt so much? Maybe 'cause I worked my ass off for that company. I gave them my all and I was never a day late, even the days my hip was killing me. In fact, I'd even do extra work for them almost every day. I'd get the executives and architects their coffee and do whatever errands they asked me to run. I did everything I was ever asked to do! Why is that never enough?
They told me I was one of their brightest guys. They'd promised me a future. They'd said when I finally finish my architectural degree, that this job will look great on my resume. So then why the hell was I laid off? What's with all the fucking empty promises? Everybody always gives me empty promises. Fucking Dawn. Trey. Hell everybody but Summer. And why can't I stop thinking about this? All this frustration is making my head hurt. No matter how hard I try, I get kicked to the curb so what's the fucking point?
Summer walks out of our bathroom with a towel wrapped around her petite waist, and suddenly I remember why I get up in the morning. At this point, it's for Summer and Lani. Just the sight of my beautiful wife makes me forget about the excruciating pain I am in—even if it's only for a few seconds.
"Morning sleepy head," She says, smiling at me with that radiant smile that makes me feel so... appreciated. Her beauty and innocence reminds me of an angel. She's my angel. If heaven exists, she's definitely heaven sent.
"Hey," I greet her. My voice sounds gruffer than I want it to, and I realize how dry my throat is. I can really use a glass of water. That's when I realize one is already sitting on the dresser. She must notice me looking at it because she removes it from the dresser and brings it to me. She never ceases to amaze me.
"I kind of figured you'd be dehydrated so I got you a glass of water. I mean you did pretty much sweat off enough liquid last night to fill a swimming pool."
I give her an appreciative smile and accept the cold glass of water from her hands. After taking a sip, I thank her and she slips off her towel, revealing her perfect figure.
"Now who's enjoying the view?" She teases me, removing the towel from her waist and reaching into her side of the closet for her work clothes. I can't hold back a smile. Summer always makes me smile. I'd be lost without her.
"Guilty as charged," I reply, struggling to sit up. I try to maintain my smile, though I wouldn't be surprised if it's coming off as more of a grimace considering the needle throbbing pain I just felt in my hip and lower back when moving my right leg. "But I think you're bending the rules a bit. It's no fair when a beautiful woman seduces a helpless cripple while he's stuck in bed," I say, half-jokingly and half-seriously. She's evoking so many feelings in me right now just by standing in front of me naked.
"Atwood's trying to win the sympathy vote I see," She jokes, putting on her bra. "You're not a true cripple, sweetie. If you were, you'd have a permanent handicap parking permit," She adds, winking at me with a hint of mischief etched in her soft features.
"Touché," I answer. God this sexy brunette is something else.
She slips on a knee high black skirt and a turquoise long sleeve blouse and then walks over towards our bed, swaying her hips seductively with every step. Her hair and make up is so perfect and elegantly done, and I swallow hard. How does she still manage to make me feel like that stupid little boy who used to nervously spit out Trey's ridiculous pick up lines when talking to girls?
"You look gorgeous this morning," I tell her. God I'm an idiot. Is that the best I can do?
"And you look terrible," She replies bluntly. Ouch. That's something I always loved about Summer though. At least she's always honest. She must notice my reaction because she quickly adds, "Kidding!" She then sticks her tongue out at me—youthfulness emanating from her large, hazelnut brown eyes. I always get lost in those eyes.
"Summer Roberts-Atwood. You're doing wonders for my ego right now," I deadpan, suddenly self-conscious. Absentmindedly, I run a hand through my hair, hoping to make it a little less messy.
"Your hair's fine, silly. It's the bags under your eyes I'm worried about," She explains. Worried. There goes that word again. She uses it a lot lately. I hate that I make her worry. All I want to do is make her happy.
"You don't have to worry about me, Summer. I'll be fine," I placate her. After all, I'm not a quitter. I've never been. I'll always do what it takes to fight for this family.
"I know, but you're going through so much right now, Ryan. I need you to know that we're in this together. You're not alone," She tells me lovingly. Her voice alone is so soothing. It's like she can read my mind.
"Back to the whole sleep thing though... it just looks like you didn't get the quality sleep last night that you needed. You know, I read in Allure magazine that we need at least two hours of deep sleep and an hour and a half of REM sleep per night. If you don't sleep properly, your body can't heal. We've gotta get you your pain meds ASAP," She finishes.
I nod slowly, taking a deep breath and trying to relax myself. The pain I'm feeling at the moment is unrelenting. She must notice because she frowns and sits down, reaching for my right hip and gently massaging it with both hands. I smile at her gratefully and when she smiles back, I see the love in her eyes. It's still amazing how we can both convey so much to each other without words.
Before I even ask she tells me, "I called my dad this morning. He's going to drop by and examine your hip sometime today. I figured it would save the money of having to go to the doctor again. I mean... your new insurance plan doesn't cover those kinds of visits."
"Thanks," I say, pulling her petite body towards mine and kissing her tenderly on the nose. I always loved her nose. It's such a cute, little nose. Thankfully Lani seems to have inherited her nose and not mine.
"You're so perfect," I murmur, stroking Summer's soft hair. It smells like strawberries. I love strawberries. My hand moves down to her perfectly shaped chin, and I caress her baby soft skin with my thumb—just admiring every delicate feature on her flawless face. Her eyes, smile, and freckles are my favorite.
"You are too," She humors me. I smirk and she smacks me in the arm. "What? It's true! Not a day goes by that I think you're not perfect."
"You basically told me this morning that I look like shit, and I'm supposed to believe that?" I continue laughing. She's gotta be humoring me. I mean I'm just a blue collar guy from Chino and she's a rich, beautiful girl from Newport Beach.
"I didn't mean it like that!" She frowns. "And just because you have bags under those mysterious ocean blue eyes of yours, doesn't mean you're not perfect," she explains herself.
"Mysterious ocean blue eyes, huh? You know, Roberts, we've been together for six years now and I think that's the first time you've ever told me that," I blush.
"Well it's true! And I love your nose! And your lips and your biceps and... well you're really hot, Atwood! I'm sorry if I don't tell you enough," She says, flashing me a brilliant smile.
I duck my head bashfully and when I look up again, I realize I'm still blushing.
"So what's your plan for today?" She changes the subject. I push myself out of bed and immediately sit back down again, fighting off a wave of dizziness. Fuck. I'm in so much pain at the moment that it's hard to breathe. Next thing I know, Summer is by my side helping me back up.
"Are you going to be alright? Should I stay home today?" She asks thoughtfully.
"I'm fine. Don't worry about me."
I hobble slowly into the bathroom, turn the sink on, and splash cold water on my face.
"You're not going out today, are you?" She asks.
"Do I have a choice, Summer? I've gotta go job hunting..."
"What you need is rest and a doctor." She tips her head to one side and plants a hand firmly on her hip. I hate when she's annoyed with me.
"Do we have to do this right now?" I sigh, squeezing my eyes shut for a few seconds and pinching the bridge of my nose.
"Yes, we have to do this right now! You already filed for unemployment, right?"
"Yeah, I did. I did the very same day I lost my job," I answer, meeting her gaze. Of course I filed for unemployment...
"Well then can't you take a break?"
"It's not like we've gotten the unemployment benefits yet, and even when we do... it won't be enough money to support us. You know that..."
"I don't care! What good is getting a job if you're not well enough to work?" She retorts.
"You said it yourself. Bum hip or not—I'm not a true cripple. I can work." I'm getting a bit agitated now. The numbness in my right foot isn't helping either.
"You know what? Do what you want. I can't deal with this right now," She snaps at me. Shit. I hate early morning arguments.
"Summer...," I say—my mood dampening by the second.
"No, Ryan! I'm fed up with your stubbornness. I need to get Lani ready for day care."
"I'll stay home," I say quietly.
"You mean it?" She asks, visibly calming down. I nod.
"Yeah, I'll stay home. Rest. Wait for your dad to examine me. And I can take care of Lani today. The last thing we need to do is spend more money on day care."
"Thanks Ryan," she hugs me and I hold her close—not wanting her to pull away. Inevitably she does pull away after a couple of minutes and pecks me on the lips before wishing me luck with the day, saying bye to Lani, and heading off to work.
"How's my little angel doing?" I greet my daughter, stepping into her bedroom. She's already dressed—wearing jeans and a pink shirt with a character I recognize as Jasmine from Aladdin imprinted across the front. It'd be messed up if I didn't recognize these characters by now. Lani begs me to watch these movies with her practically every night.
"Daddy!" She beams and as she moves towards me, I sweep her up into my arms. A flash of pain weakens my body momentarily while she wraps her arms around my torso and luckily her bed is nearby because I've really gotta sit down if I'm going to keep holding her. It pains me to admit this, but I can barely walk this morning. I might need to use the cane today. It's been a couple years since I needed it too. Right when I need my health the most, it's being taken away from me.
"I missed you!" She pouts. "You wasn't home for dinner wast night."
Kissing the top of her head I say, "Daddy missed you too. I was bad. I should have been there."
"Bad Daddy!" She giggles and hits my arm, eliciting a fit of laughter from me. She is her mother's daughter.
"Hey, what did Daddy say about hitting?" I scold her.
"Hitting is bad. It hurts people," She answers correctly.
"That's right. So if you want to stay a little angel, you need to promise to stop hitting."
"I pwomise," she says. "I wanna stay a wittle angel."
When I look into her large blue eyes, I see innocence and adoration. When she came into my life, it was the first time I felt truly needed. The truth is, she inspires me every day to keep going. I want to make her proud. I want to give her everything I never had.
"Come on, munchkin. It's time to go downstairs."
"Okay," She agrees easily and when I stand up, she clings to my left leg.
"I've gotta walk you know," I chuckle. "I can't walk if you're squeezing the life out of my leg."
She lets go and follows behind me. By the time we reach the stairs she asks, "Why are you walking so funny?"
I sigh—not really sure what to tell her. "Daddy's got a bad leg," I answer. In the past I'm sure my limp hasn't been that noticeable to her. It hasn't been this bad since the months following the motorcycle crash and she was barely even old enough to talk then. Right now I can barely drag my right leg in front of me. I wish she didn't have to see me like this.
"Oh," She frowns. "Will it get better?"
"I sure hope so."
I open the safety gate and allow her to walk down the stairs.
"Careful Lani! Slow down. I don't want you getting hurt," I caution her as I stagger down the stairs behind her. Suddenly I'm thankful for the safety handrails situated on each side of the staircase. I doubt I'd be able to walk down without falling today if they weren't there. Summer was right. There's no way I can go job hunting in this condition.
By the time I finally catch up with Lani at the bottom of the stairwell, I'm breathing heavily. I really hope Neil comes early. I unlock the bottom safety gate and Lani runs into the kitchen.
"You hungry?" I ask, slowly following her and opening the refrigerator door to check out what we have left. I make a note to myself that we're running out of milk and orange juice.
"Yes! I want pancakes! Blueberry!" She exclaims with a wide grin on her cherubic face.
Almost methodically, I reach into the cabinets for the ingredients and start mixing up the batter. Half an hour later, she's contently eating a large blueberry pancake and some scrambled eggs. She's got quite the appetite for a four-year-old.
"Where's your pancake, Daddy?" She asks, looking up at me curiously. I'm not really hungry. Pain in a man's hip, leg, and ass will do that to you. Besides, we've gotta save money. There's no point in me eating more than I have to.
"Daddy already ate," I lie. It's a white lie. No big deal.
Several hours later, I hear the doorbell ring. It must be Neil. Lani's eyes are glued to the TV set, which tends to happen every time Barney is on. Personally I don't get what kids see in the purple dinosaur, but if it makes her happy, I'm happy.
I painfully make my way to the door and take a quick peek through the peephole to find that I'd guessed right.
"Hey Neil," I greet him, letting him into the house.
"It's good to see you, Ryan. How have you been?"
That's a loaded question, and I'm not sure how to answer it. Even though we bonded after my accident, things haven't always been peachy with Neil and I think part of me will always be cautious around him. I've always felt like I had to prove to him that I was good enough to marry his daughter. He wasn't even at our wedding. I know things between us are different now, but I still don't want to come across as weak or anything like that around him. At the same time, he's a doctor and I really need something to relieve the excruciating pain I'm in so I decide that in this case it'll probably be best if I tell him the truth.
"Honestly, I've been better, but I'll live. How are things with the case going?"
"I'm not sure. Last week I would have told you that everything seems to be going smoothly and that the case seems to be wrapping up nicely in my favor," He answers, knitting his eyebrows into a worried expression. He lets out a frustrated breath and adds, "This week, I'm not so sure."
I'm shocked that he's being this open and honest with me.
"Why? What happened," I ask nervously. Neil's fate directly effects Summer and Lani since he's helping us pay the mortgage for the house and sends money every month to help me support them. If something happens to his medical practice, we may not be able to keep the house unless for once things work out and I get another job soon. As it is now, I'm just hoping to get relief from the pain so that I can still keep my job at The Lighthouse.
"Oh, you know how politics go... They think they've found some new evidence to incriminate me and now the plaintiff has the upper hand," He confides in me.
I really don't know much about the case. I just know that he's being sued for negligence and that one of his patients died. Other than that, I know very little and out of respect for Summer and her dad, I haven't pressed for more information.
"I'm really sorry to hear that. I'm here if you need moral support," I reply.
I know it's probably a lame response, but I don't know what else to say. It sucks what he's going through. It sucks even more if he really did accidentally kill one of his patients. Hell that sucks for him having to live with what he did—if he did it that is, and generally the whole situation sucks for the patient's family whether he did it or not, but at the moment I feel like it's not my place to ask more questions about it so I drop the subject.
"I appreciate that, son," He says, which definitely grabs my attention. The only person who has ever called me son was a man by the name of Raymond Johnson. He'd been the first person to give me a job after I'd turned eighteen. There aren't many guys like that who are willing to give a guy with no high school diploma and a tarnished record a decent job, but he always used to tell me that he saw good in me. He never treated me like damaged goods. He never treated me like a criminal and that was the first time someone believed in me.
He's probably one of the only people I ever opened up to about my past. He knew the car theft wasn't my fault. My fucking brother dragged me along and I was scared and confused, but I didn't want to do it. I'd served several months in juvie for that shit and when I was released, I'd been sent to a group home. I'd practically been their slave. I was made to cook for them, clean for them, and do manual labor and they wouldn't allow me to attend school like all the other kids. They'd often starve me and isolate me from the other kids too. I tried to run away once, but I was caught and sent back and that's when the beatings started. I still choke up sometimes remembering it all.
Raymond would tell me that what happened to me in the group home and in juvie wasn't my fault. He'd tell me that it's not my fault my mom never got help for her substance abuse problems—that it's not my fault she abandoned me. He'd helped me get a GED and convinced me that I'm smart enough to go to college. After a couple years of hard work, I'd saved up enough money and he'd even helped me get a government grant and that's when I'd started attending Los Angeles City College. That's when I'd met Summer. I owed this man so much. He gave me hope and then one night I got a phone call from his wife telling me he'd had a heart attack and didn't make it. I'll never forget that night. It was one of the worst nights of my life.
"Are you alright?" Neil asks. I must have been really deep in thought to forget he's been standing here in front of me this entire time.
I let out a deep breath I didn't realize I was holding and answer,"Yeah. I'm fine. I just... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to zone out like that."
"It's not a problem. You just seemed to be out of it for a minute there. Here, let me help you sit down. You seem to be in pain," He offers.
"No, it's okay. I'm good," I assure him. For the first time I feel like Neil may be beginning to genuinely see me for meand care for me—not because of Summer or because I'm the father of his grandchild, but rather because he really wants to. I have to admit it feels good. I can't get my hopes up too high, of course, but it'd be nice to have someone looking out for me again the way Raymond did.
"Where's that gorgeous granddaughter of mine?" Neil asks—grinning from ear to ear.
"She's in the living room watching Barney," I answer, offering him a small smile of my own. "Can I get you anything? A glass of water? Juice? I'd offer you wine, but we don't have alcohol in the house," I laugh lightly.
"No, you don't have to. Really I'm here for you. Let me go see my granddaughter for a little bit and then I'm going to examine that hip of yours. Summer tells me you've been in a lot of pain and by the way you've been walking today, I see she wasn't exaggerating."
"Thanks," I tell him. "Where do you want to examine me?"
"Here is fine. I have some medical supplies in the trunk of the car that I need to get and then we'll be good to go."
"So what's wrong with me?" I ask after Neil has finished the examination.
"Well, it's not looking good," He replies sympathetically. "It appears to be a pretty bad case of sciatica. The damage done to your sciatic nerve in the accident never recovered properly and now you're feeling the effects."
"But... it's been... it's been three years. I don't get it," I panic. If my condition is serious I can't work. If I can't work, I can't support our family. "Why now?"
"It's a fairly common occurrence for people who have had hip replacement surgeries, Ryan. You've been overdoing yourself. You've gotta slow down some."
"What do I do now?"
"I can call up one of my friends who specializes in these kinds of things. He's out of town this week, but next week he can give you a more thorough evaluation. In the mean time, I know you work at The Lighthouse on Saturday and Sunday. I can give you a cortisone injection on Friday. Maybe that way you can at least go to work. I had a feeling sciatica was the problem so I brought Apo-Cyclobenzaprine with me. It's a strong muscle relaxant," He explains, handing me a prescription bottle. "Take two tablets every six hours with a snack."
"Thanks Neil," I nod gratefully.
"This is stronger than the medications you've been taking the past couple of years so keep that in mind. You're going to be very drowsy," He warns me. At this point I don't care. I need some sort of relief or I'll go insane.
"Okay," I nod again. He pats me on the knee and then heads out.
Shortly after Neil leaves, I decide that it'd be best if I wait until after dinner to take the medication since it's going to make me drowsy. I notice it's already six in the evening and Summer still isn't home so I give her a call. She picks up on the first ring and tells me that she got caught up at work and will be home soon.
An hour passes and dinner is finally finished, but Summer's still not home. Maybe she's giving me a taste of my own medicine. Patience lately hasn't really been one of by strong suits. That's when she calls and tells me she ran into an old friend and won't be home until nine. I try not to feel disappointed when she tells me this, but I really need her right now. I want her to enjoy herself though. She deserves a break, after all—so I dismiss these unreasonable thoughts and focus all attention on my daughter.
"Lani! Dinner time!" I announce. She quickly scrambles from her spot in the living room where she's played with barbies for the past hour and rushes into the kitchen.
"Wummy, wummy, wwwummy in my tummy tummy tttttummy!" She sings and giggles, which makes me smile. "It smells good, Daddy!"
"I hope it tastes good too, princess," I reply, handing her a plate of vegetable lasagna.
"Where's mommy?"
"Mommy went out with a friend. She'll be back tonight."
"Okay," She says softly, stuffing her mouth with garlic bread. She's quiet just like me. Sometimes I wonder how much she'll change when she gets older. I know I'll worry like crazy when she hits her teenage years. If I had it my way she wouldn't date until she's forty. I hope I'll be a good father to her. I try as hard as I can, but I never had a true parental figure to look up to other than Raymond so this is still all new to me.
"Daddy, what are you thinking about?" She interrupts my reverie.
"How do you know I was thinking about something?"
"Becwause when you think you make that weally sewious face that you have now. Mommy calls it bwooding."
I have to chuckle at that. My kid knows me so well. "I was thinking about how proud I am of you, and how I hope I'll be a good daddy to you even when you grow up."
"Oh." She smiles. "I think you're the best-est-est-est-est-est daddy anyone could ever have." She probably doesn't realize it, but I'm fighting to hold back tears.
"Can you tell me a story?" She asks. Wow. Well, I've never been good with words, but I'm practically incapable of turning down my little girl. I just hope whatever story I tell doesn't suck too much.
"Well one day there was this poor little boy," I begin and then draw in a deep breath. "He had nothing. No family. No hope."
"Is this one of those weally sad stowies?" She furrows her eyebrows in confusion.
"No! No, I mean... it has a happy ending," I chuckle. "I promise."
"Good! I like happy endings. So what happens next?" She asks, leaning forward in her chair with a look of excitement.
"So this little boy grew up. Things always went bad for him, but one day he found someone who believed in him," I continue, struggling to keep my emotions in check as the memories of my childhood—or lack thereof—hit me all at once.
"What does it mean to believe in someone, Daddy?" Lani asks attentively.
"It means...," I begin, but then take another deep breath and blink back a few tears that I hope she doesn't notice. "Well how about I give you an example."
"Okay," She nods eagerly.
"I believe in you. It means... it means no matter what you do, I see the good in you. I know that you're good enough. Whatever you want to be someday—it can come true. You just have to work hard at it. And if it doesn't, then daddy still wouldn't think any less of you. He knows you'd find something else that you're good at."
"Oh! Oh! I want to be a ballerina!" She smiles brightly.
"I know, sweetheart, and someday soon I'm going to get you signed up for lessons."
"You're the best!" She coos with delight and I can't stop the grin that spreads across my face. "So what happens next in the stowy?"
"Well for the first time in his life, the boy had hope and because of it, he got to go to school."
"Wow! I go to school next year!" She exclaims.
"You sure do," I smile warmly at her.
"So he goes to school and then what?" She asks impatiently.
"He met a beautiful princess and loving her saved him," I continue the story, leaving out the part about what she was saving me from.
After Raymond died, I'd fallen into a state of depression. I'd been dating Summer for a year at that point, but without her, I don't know how I would have pulled myself together. The one person who'd believed in me and who loved me unconditionally—the only father figure I'd ever known—died. It felt as if whenever something good would come into my life, it'd be taken away—just like that. And while I know Raymond hadn't abandoned me, at the time I couldn't help but feel that way, but Summer was always there to remind me that I wasn't alone.
When I'd first met her, I never thought she'd be the type of girl I could fall for. She was a party girl and a social butterfly and I was a loner. She loved shopping while I could never fathom spending that much money. She was into materialistic things like clothes, make-up, and jewelry while I couldn't care less how I looked as long as I was clean and presentable. She loved pop music and I was into old rock, classical, and some rap. She liked chick flicks and I preferred the movies shown on the Turner Classic Movie channel. Probably the only thing we had in common at the time was the fact that we both enjoyed working out to relieve stress. Yet somehow this girl—this vibrant, bubbly girl got through to me and broke down my defenses when no other girl had been able to do that, and over the course of time, she gradually transformed from that spoiled, shallow girl to the strong, caring woman that I love. I learned that we did indeed have some things in common. Her mother had abandoned her and she'd had a stepmom with substance abuse problems. She'd been depressed in high school and even overcame an eating disorder, but she's come so far and she's grown so much. I love her. She completes me.
"Daddy...," Lani wines. "You're bwooding again instead of telling the story!"
Her comment elicits laughter out of me. How was I blessed with such a sweet kid?
"So what happened next is, the boy married the beautiful princess and they gave birth to a beautiful angel together."
"Like me!" She beams.
"Yep! Just like you! And so for the first time in the sad boy's life, he had a family and hope. Their little family went through hard times, but in the end, they always found a way to stick together and they lived happily ever after," I finish. Maybe someday she'll realize the little boy in this story was me.
"Yay! I told you I like happy endings, Daddy!" She exclaims, shoving another forkful of lasagna into her mouth and again I'm reminded that no matter how hard life gets, as long as I have my family, everything will be okay.
After dinner, I finally take the meds and lie down in the living room, setting my laptop in front of me. The goal is to apply to as many jobs online as possible. I figured if I can't go out physically looking for jobs, at least I can still do it online and it never hurts to submit your resume to multiple companies. I feel two tiny hands nudging my arm and realize that Lani has climbed into my lap.
"What are you doing, Daddy?" She asks—her eyes wide with curiosity.
"Applying for jobs, my little angel," I reply, drawing her closer to me and kissing her cheek with all the love I can muster. She curls up on top of me, and I hold her in my free arm while continuing to submit as many applications as I can. After about an hour, the pain in my leg hasn't subsided as much as I hoped it would, but I'm so drowsy that I can barely keep my eye lids open. While keeping my position on the couch, I gingerly set the laptop down on the floor and then kiss Lani's forehead. By the time Summer comes home, we're both fast asleep.
A/N: As always, if you review and give me feed back, I'll probably get more inspired and update sooner. As it is now, life is very stressful, but I'm in love with hurt, struggling daddy!Ryan and mama!Summer and I enjoy writing this so I hope you're enjoying it. :)