I'm sure some of you expected me to go a different direction with those test results, and admittedly that was my original plan. But after introducing the possibility of cancer, and then listening to all of you, I decided to ease up and go a different way, though the aftermath of the scare will linger for a while. So you can all breath a sigh of relief...for now...because you know I'll just come up with something else.
But, as always, Tuckson is endgame. And Noah is da best.
Ed had just gotten up off the floor after sending his wife to their bathroom to freshen up, when he heard the door open and the lively sound of his son's voice fill the air.
"Then dey say 'stop drop and roll' and we all pac-tice it," Noah's little voice sounded excited and jubilant, as Ed made his way into the kitchen to greet them and he smiled at the sight. Noah had on an oversized plastic fireman's hat and was hopping alongside of Charlie, who was clearly holding quite the white box of whatever dessert they had picked up. Her face looked amused, but slightly overwhelmed, as Noah kept going with his exciting day.
"THEN we get to go outside, and they give us dese hats, and we got to take turns SPRAYING DA HOSE, Charlie!" He said, watching as she put the box down before grabbing her hands and making sure she was just as excited. She wasn't, but she tried.
"Wow!" She exclaimed, rubbing her brow and smiling down at him. "Did you put out a fire, No?"
"No," he said, his body slumping a bit, as if he was disappointed. "But now I know how!"
"Sounds like a great day," she said, finally looking up and seeing Ed watching them with amusement. "Hey Dad."
"Daddy!" Noah said, taking off across the kitchen, oversized fireman hat flailing about his head as he leapt into the man's arms. "You like my hat?"
Ed lifted the boy into his arms and squeezed him tight, before pulling back and giving him a classic Ed Tucker smirk.
"I love it, pal," he said. "Gonna be a firefighter when you grow up?"
"YEP!" he said, wiggling to get down and using a make believe hose to put out various fake fires in the kitchen. "See? I DA BEST fire-fighter, Daddy."
"I bet ya are," he replied, his voice a bit softer but his eyes still happily following his son's moves around the kitchen. Finally feeling like Noah was lost in his own world, Ed looked over to where Charlie was untying the red and white string on the bakery box, lost in her own little world. "Whatcha get for dessert?"
"As predicted," she said slyly, though not looking up. "Noah wanted rainbow cookie cake."
"Of course," Ed said, almost proudly. "We taught him well."
"Yeah," she said. "Lizzie is gonna be just like him…I just wish we could get them to where they would eat the cookies and not want the whole damn cake…"
Ed watched as she finally got it open and went to place it in the refrigerator, noticing her shoulders were tense and she wasn't making eye contact.
"Charlie?"
"Yeah?" she asked, finally looking up and meeting her Dad's eyes. Once she did, her stomach dropped. She saw a little redness in them, along with residual moisture, and immediately feared the worst. "Oh god…they called? Where's Momma?"
"Hey hey hey," he said quickly, walking over and taking her hands, realizing he had freaked her out even though it wasn't his intention. "She's just in the bathroom. Everything's fine, okay?"
"Sure," she said, her head shaking back and forth.
"Hey, No," Ed said, turning around without releasing his daughter's hands. "Why don't you go put your new firefighter stuff in your room, so it doesn't get lost okay?"
"Okay!" He yelled, and ran down the hall to get his bags, then took off across the living room and into his room, closing the door behind him.
"Where's Momma?" Charlie asked again, firmly, now that that Noah was out of hearing range. Ed took a deep breath, but was saved by the soothing voice that rang out behind him.
"I'm right here, sweet girl," she said, making her way into the kitchen having changed into leggings and a big t-shirt of Ed's. Charlie made a beeline for the woman, grasping her arms and looking into her brown eyes pleadingly. "Everything's fine," Olivia said softly and slowly, so the words would sink in.
"Fine?"
"Yep," Olivia confirmed, moving her hands to cup Charlie's face and kiss her cheeks. "The tumor is benign. No cancer. Just need it removed at some point."
"Oh god, Momma," Charlie said, her body slumping a bit in relief as she moved to engulf Olivia in a massive hug. "Oh I'm so glad. So so so glad."
"Me too, baby girl," Olivia said, one hand gripping Charlie's hair and the other rubbing her back. "Me too."
She pulled away slightly and opened her mouth to say more, but Noah came flying back into the room, still hyped up and noticed Olivia.
"Momma!" He shrieked, mirroring his greeting of Ed and jumping into Olivia's arms as well.
"I'm gonna go check on Lizzie," Charlie said, smiling at the scene in front of her. "Make sure to tell Momma all about your hat and your new career."
Olivia gave Charlie a funny look, but shook it off and turned her attention to her son, while her daughter made a quick exit.
"You see, Mommy, today we be firefighters…"
"Cake, Mama?" Lizzie asked for what was likely the tenth time at the dinner table. Ed just smirked and stood up, clearly heading to get the cake ready, and Charlie rolled her eyes.
"You gotta eat your peas first, baby," she said. "Just a few more bites, come on…"
"Papa…cake?" Lizzie asked, ignoring her mother's direction and turning her head to watch Ed work on putting the cake on a platter to bring to the table.
"Elizabeth Margaret," Charlie warned, her eyes narrowing as the little girl clearly tried to get her grandpa to save her from the horror of eating her vegetables. "Two more bites of peas. Then cake. Papa is gonna leave the cake over there, isn't he?"
Ed, seeing he had almost stepped into trouble, backed his way back into the kitchen while holding the cake. Olivia, watching the entire scene with amusement, was trying not to laugh and failing. Luckily, Noah jumped in to save the day.
"Lizzie, I eated my peas," he said seriously and leaning over from his seat next to her high chair to scoop a bite into her baby spoon and push it into her mouth. "See? It easy."
"Thank you, Noah," Charlie said pointedly, glancing another playful but stern look at her father who was just waiting until he was able to be the savior and bring the little girl her cake.
Finally, Charlie was pleased with the situation and took the purple princess plate from the high chair, moving to the kitchen to rinse it.
"Cake! Cake!" Lizzie yelled, her hands hitting the high chair in excitement. "Bow Cake!"
"Yep, I got us Rainbow Cake," Noah said with a big smile. "Cuz I know it your favorite. Mine too, Lizzie."
"Tank you, Unc," Lizzie said, as if she understood that her uncle had gotten it just for her, and she moved her chubby hand to pat his cheek. "Ove you…"
"Love you too, Lizzie," Noah said. "Daddy, I have big piece?"
"Regular size piece," Olivia said, her eyes bright as she just sat back and enjoyed the normal antics of their family dinner. She loved the banter, the tiny arguments, the knowing glances, and the sneaky motions of her husband trying to spoil their granddaughter right in front of Charlie. She leaned over into Ed, as he came and sat back down next to her and squeezed her thigh. Despite the normalcy of their evening, she was aware that Ed was a little extra clingy. In fact, she had been forced to eat most of her meal one-handed because he refused to let go of her, not that she minded. But it gave her an awareness as to just how much this cancer scare had rattled her husband and likely her daughter as well, though she was being a little more distant with her feelings.
"Okay, Lizzie, here's your cake," Charlie said, setting the bowl in front of her before standing up to stretch. "Dad, will you keep an eye on her? I need to run to the back for a bit…"
"Sure," Ed responded.
"She doesn't get more cake…" Charlie said, eyeing him, then looking to Olivia for support. "Please?"
"No more cake," Ed said. "Promise."
A couple hours later, Ed reluctantly let go of his wife to set about getting Noah in the bath and ready for bed. As he monitored the progress of his shower, Olivia made her way across the house and into the other little hallway where Charlie and Lizzie's rooms were.
"Keep brushing, sweetheart," she heard Charlie say as she waited outside the hallway. "I'll be right back...oh! Momma! Didn't know you were out here."
"Sorry, baby girl," she said. "Was just waiting for you to finish up so I could cuddle my Lizzie-bug a bit before bed."
"Oh, she would love that," Charlie said, a small smile on her face. "Want me to yell when she's ready?"
"How about I just help finish up her bathroom routine?"
"Oh, sure, okay," Charlie said. "That's great…then I can throw this in the wash. You have anything to add to the load?"
"Grab Noah's school clothes?"
"Sure."
"Hey, Charlie?" Olivia asked, grabbing the girl's wrist to stop her from scurrying away.
"Yeah, Momma?"
"I love you," Olivia said, her voice a little emotional but she held it in as she watched her daughter's face momentarily relax and show the absolutely overwhelming array of emotions, before she tensed back up and smiled through the budding tears.
"I love you too," she said softly, crashing into the older woman and settling her face in her neck for just a bit. Olivia let out a relieved whimper, glad to be able to hold her grown daughter for a bit, rocking them back and forth like she usually did. "I'm so glad you're okay…so so so glad…"
"Me too," Olivia responded, pulling back and kissing her cheeks, before Charlie moved from her grasp, grabbed the laundry basket, and made a quick exit. "Me too…"
Letting out a sigh, and trying not to focus on how worried she was about Charlie, Olivia turned around and went into the bathroom, where Lizzie was bouncing up and down on her stool and brushing her teeth.
"Almost done?" Olivia cooed. "Ollie's gonna read to you for a bit…"
"Shhh, Liv," Ed whispered as his head popped up from between her legs. "Gotta be quiet…"
Olivia just whimpered and grabbed a pillow to cover her face as her husband dove back to her core, licking and sucking so quickly that she could barely stand it. Ed had been eating at her for about twenty minutes now, and he would get her close to the edge, before backing off and licking at her thighs instead, waiting for her body to relax a bit before attacking yet again.
Olivia, ever cognizant of the fact that their seven-year-old was sleeping across the hall, was doing her best not to let out shrieks of pleasure and frustration, but it was getting increasingly difficult.
"Ed…" she moaned softly. "Please…I can't...I gotta…"
Ed's eyes narrowed as he peered up at her from where his mouth was attached to her clit, and he seared two fingers into her. He watched in glee as her eyes widened and she slammed the pillow back over her face as her body tensed up and convulsed around his lips and fingers. Ed remained between her legs, licking a bit, before he slithered up her body, removed the pillow, and grinned down at her.
"Jesus, baby," she said, breathlessly, but with a smile. "You were about to kill me…"
"I wanted to hear you scream…" he said, teasing her nipples a bit, signaling he wasn't quite done.
"Yeah, well, we have a child across the hall…"
"Can't we just sound proof his room?" Ed asked flippantly, causing Olivia to roll her eyes and laugh.
"No!" she said through her giggles. "What if he needs us?"
"He'll be fine."
"Ed…"
"Okay, okay, I know. I just…those noises you made in Alaska…I want them again…"
"We just got back…"
"But it wasn't enough…"
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah. It will never be enough."
"Baby…" Olivia whispered, reaching up and stroking his cheek with her hand, watching as he fought the emotions swirling inside of him.
"I'll never get enough of you. Of your smile. Your laugh. Your words. Your hugs. Your kisses. Your heart. Your soul…" he began listing, as if it were the easiest and most important list in his life. "Your body…your whimpers…your sighs…your moans…I want more…all the time, I'm wanting more of you."
"You have me…" she responded.
"I know," He said, pulling himself out of the emotion and allowing his sexy smirk to return to his face, allowing the skin to crinkle at his eyes. "And right now, I want those moans…"
"Gotta work for them…" Olivia said, her smirk growing and her eyes darkening as she watched Ed's face change from teasing to determination.
"Oh, that I can do…" he said, suddenly pulling her into a sitting position and turning her around, so she was on her knees and flush against the headboard. He brushed her hair back and to the side, so he could suck at her neck as he pushed into her from behind and listened to guttural groan come from her throat.
"Yep," he said, beginning a slow thrust, careful to not knock the headboard too loudly into the wall. "Just like that…"
It was approaching two in the morning and Charlie was still tossing and turning, not able to close her eyes due to the swirling emotions in her head. She was deeply regretting giving Trevor the okay to head back into the city. He had offered to stay and not go into work this week given the results they were waiting on, but Charlie had insisted he go, telling him she'd be fine and she'd call if she needed him. But now here she was, alone in her bed and stuck in a sea of anxiety, while the rest of the house was asleep, at least to her knowledge.
Finally giving up, she rolled out of bed, threw on her slippers, and trudged out to the kitchen to get some water. After gulping down the glass and placing it in the sink, she made her way back towards her room and decided to detour. Slowly cracking Lizzie's door, the young mother slipped inside and stood over her daughter's crib as she watched the little girl sleep peacefully. She was resting on her back, curls were splayed all over the mattress, hands resting on either side of her face almost like a starfish. She was the picture of perfect contentment.
Making a split second decision, Charlie reached down and carefully scooped her up, cradling her into her chest as she made her way back to her bedroom with the still sleeping angel. She crawled into her own queen sized bed, making sure Lizzie was snuggled in tightly next to her, before turning the lamp off and nestling into her own pillow. She held Lizzie close, as the girl kept breathing softly against her chest, and rested her chin on top of her little head.
"I love you, Lizzie," she whispered, as tears began to slowly make their way down her cheeks. "I love you. And I know I'm just a mess right now, but I'm gonna be better. I promise, I'm gonna be better for you. You just stay right here with Mommy, and it's gonna be okay."
Little Lizzie stayed tucked into her chest, one of her tiny fists gripping her Mommy's shirt, almost as if she knew there was something going on. Eventually, Charlie cried herself into a fitful sleep, hoping for a better and easier day when she woke up.
Meanwhile, Ed and Olivia were still wide awake across the house. Fully sated, but not able to sleep, the couple had finally settled into the bed. Olivia's back was to Ed as he wrapped her tightly in his embrace, feeling the rise and fall of her stomach and chest as she breathed. Olivia's hands grasped at his wrists, showing she wasn't any keener on being out of his arms than he was in the moment.
"You okay?" He asked, his voice low and rumbly, but full of concern.
"Yeah," she whispered. "I just have this feeling…"
"What kind of feeling?" He asked, a little alarmed that she wasn't more relaxed after the test results.
"Oh, not about me," she said quickly, having felt his body tense up when she said the words. "Charlie. Something isn't right."
"I know," Ed admitted.
"I've noticed it for a while now…"
"So have I, but I was so focused on your health…"
"I know."
"We'll switch gears tomorrow, see what's up."
Olivia turned around at those words, resting her hands on Ed's chest and look up at him with a grateful smile.
"Love you."
"I love you, too," he replied, kissing her forehead and closing his eyes. "But I need ya to sleep, so I can sleep too."
Chuckling, Olivia settled herself down and closed her own eyes, allowing the sense of relief from the day and the safety of her husband's arms to lull her into a content slumber.
I know I've spoiled you all lately with daily updates, but that is likely to slow down a wee bit. Just a warning. Don't panic, but occasionally I have to do things like work and stuff. At least until I figure out how to get paid to write Tuckson all day.
Review, please? I need to know I'm on the right track here!