Heather leaned back against the back of her chair in the food court of the Port Orleans hotel and gazed at him in stunned surprise.
"No plan for today?" she gasped. "But you always have a plan." Susie leaned forward beside her and stared at Luka in feigned alarm.
"How are we going to know what to do with our selves," she murmured. Luka snorted and tossed a cherry in her direction. Susie giggled as the cherry bounced off her nose and hit the center of the table. It rolled toward Lauren who reached out to grab it and popped it in her mouth.
"It's our last day," Luka sighed. "I just thought we should take a vote and see what people want to do. It's the…American way…right?" Susie and Heather looked at each other and then shrugged.
"So I think we should go around the table and see what people enjoyed the most or something that they want to do again." Luka lifted Lauren out of her booster seat to his lap.
"Let's start with you," he said. "What do you want to ride again?"
"The tea cups," Lauren said and Luka nodded his head.
"Okay," he said. "That's in the Magic Kingdom. And what about you…." Lauren tugged on his shirt.
"I wasn't finished," she said. "I want to go on the Petah Pan ride and the flying Dumbo and Aladdin's Flying Cawpets and…." Luka dipped his head and pressed a kiss to the top of her's.
"Okay, draga," he said. "It's someone else's turn now." Lauren slumped in disappointment. Luka turned to Abby.
"And you?' he asked. Abby frowned in thought and jostled the baby on her lap.
"I think…." she mused. "Buzz Lightyear's Space Spin thing."
"Me too, Mommy!" Lauren squealed and bounced in her dad's lap. Luka grimaced and settled her on his knees. Abby looked across the table at Henry.
"Your turn," she said. The older man nodded.
"Probably the Pirates of the Caribbean," he said. "That's in the Magic Kingdom."
"But you said you liked the stuff at Epcot," Susie protested. "It doesn't have to be something at the Magic Kingdom."
"No…..he asked what I wanted to do over. I want to do the pirate ride and maybe see the Hall of Presidents again," Henry nodded thoughtfully. He nudged Scott.
"That's easy," Scott sighed as he winked at his younger daughter. "Space Mountain, Thunder Mountain Canyon and Splash Mountain."
"And It's a Small World," Casey added with a shy grin. Scott wrapped an arm around her shoulders and hugged her.
"That's such a lame ride," Molly groaned as she dropped her napkin onto her almost empty plate of pancakes and syrup.
"That's your opinion," Casey retorted.
"That's a fact," Molly replied sharply.
"Okay, Molly," Luka interrupted the argument. "What is it that you want to do again."
"Well, I want to go to Universal to Harry Potter World like we planned to do today," she said with a glare toward her dad.
"We're going tomorrow," Scott replied mildly. "What's your choice, Heather?"
"I think…." Heather started.
"I don't see why we have to change our plans because of her," Molly retorted. "Where is she anyway?"
"Aunt Susan and Cosmo left early this morning on some kind of mystery trip," Susie said as she started gathering up plates and silver ware for the trash bin. "I am supposed to text her about where they should meet us this morning." Molly's head swung toward her father.
"See?" she spit. "She doesn't care about us like you think she does."
"That's enough, Molly," Scott replied calmly as he wiped a line of sweat from his brow. "One more word and you'll be in the hotel room for the day."
"That's fine with me," Molly crossed her arms and slumped in her seat.
"But Daddy," Casey protested. 'I want to go!" Scott sighed and glanced across the table at Abby buckling Declan into the baby carrier.
"No…." Scott said slowly. "You are going to go with us today, Molly. You are going to be Dr. Kovac's baby assistant. You get to sit on the benches and hold Declan so Abby and Luka can go on any ride that they want to."
"What!" Molly cried.
"What?" Abby's eyes widened and she looked at Scott in dismay.
"Oh, it'll be fine," Scott said as he slapped his hands onto the table in determination and stood up. "Come along, sweetheart. We need to put some diapers and wipes and stuff in your pack because I have a feeling you're going to need them today." He pulled Molly firmly from her chair and Casey followed them as they left the food court toward their rooms. Henry chuckled in delight.
"I gotta say it," he said with a twinkle in his eye. "I do like that man." He chuckled again and settled his hat on his head as he stood up.
"I'll meet you at the bus station," he said and went in the other direction.
"Luka…." Abby cried softly in panic.
"Let Scott handle it," he replied as he wiped syrup off Lauren's face with a napkin and stood up with her in his arms. Abby finished buckling the baby carrier.
"You do realize that we are likely to come out and find him in a trash bin, right?" she muttered. Luka laughed and tossed a giggling Lauren over his shoulder. Abby stood up with a protective arm under the baby's bottom.
"Or she might sell him to someone just standing in line…" she kept talking as she followed Luka, "…..or slip him into someone else's stroller when we're not looking." Her voice faded as they disappeared through the door.
Susie watched them go and then turned to look at Heather.
"No one even asked me what I wanted to do today," she frowned.
"Me neither," Heather pouted playfully. Their eyes went back to the breakfast mess on the table in front of them.
"Do you think they kind of take us for granted?" She sagged in her seat.
"Mmmm hmmmm," Heather nodded. The two teenagers sighed and stood up to clear the table.
"The Magic Kingdom sounds okay to me though," Heather said as she dumped a stack of dirty plates into a nearby trash receptacle.
"Me too," Susie sighed as she pitched plastic ware into a recycling bin. She out her hand on her hip.
"Besides, I want to see how this thing with the kid plays out," she grinned. Heather adjusted the sun glasses on her head and nodded.
Susan and Cosmo were waiting for them on a bench just under the railroad depot bridge at the entrance of the Magic Kingdom. As soon as he saw them, Cosmo leaped off the bench and bounced forward.
"We rode on the monorail four times!" he shouted gleefully. "We went all the way around!"
"Awesome!" Susie picked him up and swung him around. Scott approached as Susan gathered her things and stood up.
"Did you get to ride in the front car?" he asked. Susan took a deep breath and slipped her sun glasses on.
"Twice," she said with a grin. "And I am okay!" She frowned a little as she watched Abby tucking things into the rented stroller and watching Molly with a wary eye. Molly was ignoring all of them from a distance. Scott followed her gaze.
"What's going on?" Susan asked. He shrugged his shoulders and took her hand in his.
"I made Molly the official baby wrangler today because of her snitty attitude and Abby is afraid she is going to sell him to gypsies where we're not looking," he explained.
"What?" Susan laughed as she looked at him in surprise. Scott shook his head.
"It's a long story," he sighed. "Come on. There are good times to be had and its our last day here together." She grinned as their linked fingers tightened and they joined the rest of the family.
