So , you get a double dose today. I've just gotten a teaching job, so these will be more sparse, but the sad stuff is already done. From here on out they will be cute moments from the life of our three Musketeers!
Alexis sighed in relief as she closed the textbook. Reaching around sleeping six month-old Beckett cuddled against her body, she switched off the light. As she settled back against the pillows at the head of her bed, she heard a small cry from the doorway. With a less peaceful sigh, she flipped the light back on. Tiny Johanna Castle stood in the doorway, cradling her purple blanket against her chest.
"Lexie, I had nightmare," she whispered. Alexis smiled and patted the bed beside her. Johanna scampered over to the bed and climbed up.
"You need to sleep, Jo-Jo," Alexis whispered, running her fingers through her little sister's chocolate curls, "You're turning three tomorrow. Scout and Megan are coming over and so are Uncle Javi and Aunt Lanie."
"And Mommy, Daddy?" Johanna asked. Alexis's heart jumped into her throat. They'd finally made it two days without Johanna mentioning her missing parents.
"Oh Sparky," she whispered, "No, Mommy and Daddy love you, but they can't be there." Johanna sniffled again. Alexis pressed a kiss onto her sister's double cowlick, wiping away the tears of her own that dropped onto the toddler's head. Johanna fell asleep quickly, and Alexis followed.
It was only an hour later when little Beckett woke up. Alexis extracted herself and her sister from the bed. She padded down the stairs and placed Beck in her high chair. She placed a few toys on the tray and ran back upstairs for her study pages. She paused for a moment to study Johanna as she slept. Even in her sleep, Johanna displayed their father's non-stop energy. Her fingers twitched, as if she was composing a symphony soundtrack to her dreams. Alexis pulled the covers up around her sister's shoulders and placed a kiss on the birthday girl's head.
Alexis groaned at the sight that greeted her when she returned to the kitchen, arms laden with books. Beck had abandoned her toys in favor of placing her head on the tray and falling asleep. Alexis spread the papers on the counter and pulled out the ingredients for pancakes. She tried to sneak in as much studying as she could while she mixed the dry ingredients. Beckett only cat napped, waking as the first pancakes went on the griddle. Her fussing was satisfied by a helping of rice cereal mixed with peaches. Both girls giggled, the musical sound increasing with the addition of Johanna's laughter from the doorway. Alexis scooped her up into a huge hug.
"Happy birthday, Jo-Jo!" she exclaimed, "You're three today!" Johanna nodded vigorously. Alexis put her down at the table and served up a smiley-face pancake.
"Daddy-cake!" Johanna squealed with joy. Alexis smiled through the tears that built up suddenly behind her eyes. She was glad that her sister remembered their father's special breakfasts.
"That's right, Jo," she whispered, "Daddy used to make pancakes like this." She placed a kiss into Johanna's curls before serving her own plate.
Breakfast was cheerful, but quick, as Alexis' Medical Anatomy final was scheduled for that morning. She piled the girls into the car and drove toward their daycare center.
Three blocks from the center, Alexis encountered a roadblock. Stopping, she waved the nearest police officer over and dug out her morgue ID.
"What's going on?" she asked.
"There was some kind of a fire at a day care," he answered. As he did, Alexis' cell phone rang with a call from the director. She sighed in frustration and turned the car around.
She spent the drive to the University panicking. She called Jenny and Lanie, but the medical examiner was on shift and the detective's wife had been hit particularly hard by morning sickness and could hardly make it out of bed.
Alexis pulled into the school parking lot still searching for a solution to her problem. She found a parking spot and was extracting Beckett's car seat when the answer presented itself.
"Need a hand?" a man asked. Alexis whirled around to find herself face-to-face with a handsome semi-stranger.
"Macks?" she asked, stunned.
"Surprised to see me?" the man replied, "I don't plan on being a bartender forever, you know." He stepped closer and nudged her chin up.
"The goldfish impression, like most everything you do, is adorable, but it's not helping you get where you need to be. Do you need my help?" Alexis blushed, then nodded.
"You remember Johanna?" she asked. Her father had adored showing off his daughter, taking her everywhere, including to the Old Haunt. Macks nodded.
"And I met little Beckett when she was about two weeks old," Macks commented, taking the car seat. He scrawled his number on a piece of paper and tucked it into her hand.
"Go, Red, we'll be fine," he said, deftly undoing Johanna's seatbelt.
"Okay," Alexis said, kissing each of her sisters three times.
Two grueling hours later, Alexis emerged into the sunlight. She pulled out her phone, about to make a call, when a brown-haired missile hit her in the middle. Alexis swung Johanna up into her arms and covered her with kisses. Both girls' laughter rang out across the courtyard. Macks strolled up, Beckett in his arms.
"Thank you," Alexis said, setting Johanna down to take Beckett.
"It really isn't a problem. They're each a year younger than my kids," he replied.
"I didn't realize you had kids," Alexis said. Macks pulled out his phone.
"A boy and a girl, Bentley and Bethany."
"They're beautiful," Alexis commented.
"I see?" Johanna asked, tugging on Macks's arm. He leaned down to show the picture to the birthday girl.
"You they Daddy?" Johanna asked.
"Yes, I'm their daddy. That's Benny and Bethy."
"Where they Mommy?" Johanna asked.
"Their mommy is in heaven," Macks admitted sadly. Johanna hugged him.
"I sorry for you loss," she said, her voice heartbreakingly solemn.
"Thank you, Jo-jo" Macks said, returning the hug.
"They come to my party?" Johanna asked Alexis. The young student shrugged and turned to the gentleman standing in front of her.
"If Macks wants to bring them, they're welcome to come." Alexis shifted and scrawled the address to the loft under her own phone number. He took it carefully and tucked it in his pocket next to his phone.
"We'll see if we can make it."