Back Home
"I wish we stayed two nights." AJ admitted as they pulled up outside their house after their night away. It was exactly what they needed.
"Me too." Punk agreed, turning the engine off as she turned to him.
"I had a nice time." She smiled, playing with the back of his hair as he nodded.
"I did too." He smiled, leaning over and kissing her sweetly as she cupped his face.
"Hey!" Coleen yelled, walking out of the door and getting their attention as AJ turned around, "I think Viv has an ear infection."
"Well that's us home." Punk nodded as they both got out of the car and headed into the house.
"She's in her bed. She had a fever last night and this morning she said she wanted to chop her ear off." Coleen informed them both as they headed upstairs.
AJ burst into Vivian's room as she saw her daughter lying crying in her bed, "Oh, baby… what is it?" AJ sighed. It was painful to see either of them crying.
"My ear, mommy." Vivian cried as AJ sat down on the edge of the bed, "It's sore." She cried.
"I think you should take her to the doctor for an anti-biotic." Coleen nodded.
"Yeah, ok." AJ nodded.
"I'll take her." Punk nodded, "You stay here." He told AJ. He knew when it came to the girls having an infection or the cold, she wanted to fight doctors to make sure they got the best treatment, so it was best she stayed at home.
"Ok, call me." AJ nodded, watching as Punk lifted Vivian up from bed, "Here, baby. Take Elmo." AJ nodded, handing Elmo to Vivian who took him and hugged him tightly, crying into her father's shoulder, "It's ok. You're gonna be ok." AJ soothed, kissing her cheek as Coleen stood at the door and smiled softly.
"I'll call you." Punk assured AJ who nodded, watching as he left the room and headed downstairs.
"Daddy, it's sore." Vivian cried as Punk nodded, patting her back softly as he put her down so he could get her jacket and shoes on.
"I know, baby. I know. The doctor will give you some medicine and it won't be sore." Punk said, helping her with her jacket, grabbing a hat too to cover her ears, "It'll make you feel all better." He assured her, lifting her back up as she buried her face into his neck and squeezed Elmo tightly as they left the house.
"It just started this morning?" AJ asked Coleen as they headed back downstairs.
"She had a fever last night and was saying she didn't feel so good but I… I thought I'd just gave her too much candy." Coleen admitted, "She woke up at like… 5 this morning and she was just crying in pain. I was gonna call you guys but then she fell asleep and she only woke up an hour ago and… it was still hurting her." She nodded.
"It's best to get it checked out." AJ nodded, walking into the kitchen where Raimy was, "Hi, baby." AJ smiled.
"Mommy." Raimy smiled, jumping off the chair and running to her as AJ hugged her tightly, "I missed you. Vivian isn't feeling well, she has a sore ear." Raimy informed her mother.
"I know. Daddy is taking her to the doctors right now to get her some medicine." AJ nodded, "How are you? Did you have fun with Coleen?" She asked, brushing the six year old's hair out of her face as Raimy nodded.
"Yeah, we made cupcakes yesterday." Coleen smiled, "I saved you and daddy one." She said, "It's over there."
"Oh." AJ smiled curiously, walking over to the cupcakes which were covered up, "Oh, wow… they're so pretty." AJ raised her eyebrows. She knew Raimy was always creative in everything she did, and she took her time with things to make sure they were perfect. She loved that about her so much, "These are beautiful. I'll have mine later." AJ nodded to her as Raimy smiled.
"Will Vivian be ok?" Raimy asked as AJ nodded.
"Yeah, she'll be fine." Punk assured her, "She's just got a sore ear, that's all." She nodded.
"Ok." Raimy shrugged, putting her headphones back in and taking her switch into the living room with her as AJ smiled.
"Were they both ok? Apart from Viv's ear." AJ said as Coleen nodded.
"Yeah, they were no trouble." Coleen said, "I think I needed it. It took my mind off of everything going on with Patrick."
"He still not called?" AJ asked her as Coleen shook her head.
"I don't think he will." Coleen admitted honestly, "Maybe I just gotta be fine with that." She said.
"Someone will come around who… will be perfect for you, and they'll understand you. You're still so young." AJ nodded.
"I just really liked him." She shook her head.
"I know." AJ sighed.
"How was your night anyway?" Coleen shook her head, "Enough about my tragic life."
"Hey." AJ shook her head, "We had a nice night." AJ nodded, "It was nice to… get some time alone." She nodded, "I just hope Viv is ok." She shook her head.
"Yeah, she'll be fine." Coleen nodded.
"Vivian, can I get you to sit up here for me?" The kind lady doctor asked as Vivian sat on her father's knee, not budging, holding onto Elmo.
"Go sit up for the doctor to take a look at your ear." Punk encouraged as Vivian shook her head, "Any chance you can look here?" Punk wondered, as he realised Vivian wasn't going to let go of him, or Elmo.
"Yeah." The doctor compromised, "Look that way for me, sweetheart." She pointed as Vivian done as she said, letting the doctor look in her ear, "It looks very inflamed so I suspect an infection." She nodded, "Are there any other symtoms she has? Any vomiting or sickness?" She questioned.
"No." Vivian answered for herself, "No I haven't been sick." She shook her head as the doctor smiled and nodded.
"She had a fever last night but I think it's gone down." Punk said.
"Let's take it anyway just to be sure." The doctor nodded as Vivian sighed, resting into Punk. She was in pain and exhausted from the lack of sleep she'd gotten, and she wasn't all that fond of sitting in the strange doctor's room, hence why she was grabbing onto Punk like her life depended on it.
"What's that?" Vivian asked as she saw the thermometer.
"This is gonna take your temperature." The doctor nodded, "I need you to stick out your tongue for me." She said as Vivian opened her mouth just a little bit, "A little wider." The doctor smiled as Vivian shook her head.
"Come on." Punk nodded, "Just open it a little wider." Punk said.
"If your daddy takes his will you take yours for me?" The doctor asked as Vivian nodded slowly, "Ok." The doctor nodded, getting another thermometer. It wasn't uncommon to be faced with difficult toddlers and children who didn't like the doctors.
Punk opened the mouth, letting the doctor take his temperature as Vivian watched curiously to see what was going on.
"There we go." The doctor nodded, "And he's got a good temperature." She said as Vivian looked at her father who nodded to her.
"Ok." Vivian was convinced, opening her mouth wider and letting the doctor put the thermometer under her tongue to take her temperature.
She then took it out and saw that she did have a slight temperature, "Ok, you have a temperature but not too bad. It's probably just coming off the ear." She explained to Punk who nodded, "I think we'll start her on some anti-biotics. That will clear the infection up." She nodded.
"Great." Punk nodded.
"Hey, would you like a lolly pop?" The doctor smiled as Vivian looked over curiously, "Here, you can choose." She nodded, taking the tub and showing her them all as Vivian smiled, looking to her father who nodded.
"Thank you." Vivian smiled politely as she took a red one.
"That's ok." The doctor smiled, "You'll be able to pick up the medicine outside." She told Punk who nodded gratefully.
"Thank you." Punk smiled.
"She fell asleep right away." AJ nodded, walking into the living room later on after putting Vivian into bed. She was exhausted and after getting her first dose of medicine, AJ hoped she could get a good sleep.
"Yeah, she looked exhausted." Punk sighed as AJ nodded, sitting down beside him on the couch, "She was a little fussy at the doctors." He said.
"What do you mean?" AJ questioned, smiling over to Raimy who had her headphones in and was playing her game on the other couch.
"Well put it this way, I had to get my temperature taken so she would." Punk said as AJ smiled a little.
"She's still a baby." AJ said, "She's shy."
"Vivian is not shy." Punk scoffed.
"Well she's not well. You know how it is when you feel like shit. You don't want people poking at and annoying you." She shrugged as Punk nodded in agreement, "Raimy made us cupcakes last night. They're in the kitchen." She told him.
"I saw them." Punk smiled, "I thought they'd been bought. They're really good." He shook his head as AJ smiled and nodded, looking over to Raimy.
"Maybe she'll be an artist." AJ smiled. The best thing was being able to give the girls a bright future, and support them with whatever it was they wanted to do. She was so happy and excited to watch them grow, but terrified at the same time.
"Maybe." Punk smiled, looking over at Raimy, "Hey, is Coleen ok? What's going on with her?" He asked.
"Oh… well you know that guy she was seeing? I think it was just casual." She said.
"Uh… yeah, I remember her saying something about him." Punk nodded.
"She told him about everything, her past. I think they were getting close and she wanted to tell him." AJ nodded, "But he just… up and left." She shook her head.
"He just walked away?" Punk shook his head as AJ nodded, "That's shitty." Punk sighed.
"Yeah, and she really liked him." AJ sighed, "I think she feels a little bit trapped by it all. Her past. How everything always comes back to it." She said, "And I know what she means. It's hard. People ask me simple things in the store like… am I seeing my family for the holidays, and it… it makes me think about it all." She nodded, "I look at the girls and I just…" She shook her head, looking over at Raimy, "The thought of handing them over to that world… not caring about them, caring more about money than them… I just… I can't understand it." She shook her head.
"They weren't good parents. They weren't parents actually." Punk nodded, "They obviously didn't know love." He said, "Some people just… shouldn't be allowed to have kids." He shook his head.
"Your parents could still be out there." AJ nodded, "I mean… technically, maybe your parents did the right thing by you. If they weren't fit to look after you, they still made sure you went somewhere safe." She said as he nodded.
"Yeah, it still comes back to that idea of not having a family, though." He said, "I always thought if my mom really loved me she would have at least tried to be my mom." He nodded.
"What was wrong with her?" AJ asked him.
"She was on drugs." Punk nodded, "I'm not mad about it. I grew up with a roof over me and clothes and friends." He said, "It could have been worse." He said.
"It's just nice we can give them a better life, huh?" AJ said as Punk nodded, "I just told Coleen that someone will come around one day and… they'll be perfect for her." She nodded, "And they'll understand her."
"Yeah." Punk agreed, "I hope she doesn't get too down about it." He said.
"I think she's ok." AJ nodded, "Sometimes she handles things better than me." She admitted truthfully.
"She'll be fine." Punk nodded, kissing her head as AJ curled into him and relaxed.