Levi was staring at his fingers, frowning a little as he did the math. He curled the fingers of his left hand at first, shortly followed by the digits of his other hand as he mentally crossed off the amount of sleeps that had passed by. Idgie had said she would be away for eight sleeps. Today, according to his math, it had been eight sleeps. He went to Helena and showed her his hands, asking her opinion to be sure.
"Yes, sir, you are absolutely correct," she chuckled.
"Whatcha doing?" Levi asked then and proceeded to climb to sit on her lap, effectively preventing her from continuing her work.
"I was writing super boring reports," Helena responded and closed her laptop before Levi had a chance to see the images she'd attached to the report, namely the disturbing crime scene photos from a murder case.
The D.S.O. wasn't the kind of an agency that actively investigated murders (even though that did happen from time to time, their purpose being to eliminate any threat to the country and its people, not just acts of bioterrorism, and sometimes it involved lending a hand in apprehending suspected serial murderers), but the case Helena had been looking at involved victims being eaten... which was something that was enough to warrant the D.S.O. to assign an agent to work with the local authorities. So far nothing indicated that the acts of cannibalism had taken place because of zombies, everything pointed to the friendly neighborhood serial murderer who just happened to like the way people tasted.
Days like these it's the "normal" people that scare me, Helena mused.
"We have a couple more hours before Ingrid gets back home, what do you say we surprise her and fix her something really good to eat?" she then suggested and Levi nodded his head eagerly.
"Okay, what do you think she'd like?"
"Mmm..." the boy hummed for a long while, patting his cheek with his index finger as he exaggerated the gesture of thinking really hard.
"Chocolate cake!" he finally answered and Helena laughed softly, not sure if it was his preference of Hunnigan's, but then again, who didn't like chocolate cake?
"All right, let's go see if we need to go to the store or if we've already got everything," Helena then said.
After a quick check, she and Levi got to work. Usually when a recipe began with the words "cream sugar and butter together", she stopped reading, but she supposed that if there ever was the time to go the extra mile, it was now. Levi was in charge of mixing the flour and the cocoa powder together, and to Helena's surprise, the boy managed it without spilling half of it all onto the counter.
Shortly after adding milk and eggs to the creamed butter and sugar, Helena instructed Levi to add the flour and he did so meticulously, one spoonful at a time, until everything was done and ready to be put into the oven. Helena then offered the bowl to Levi and the boy proceeded to scrape the edges and what was left in the bottom, managing to get several smudges onto his cheeks as he did so.
"This is good!"
"Yup. But like any cake, it'll be less good when it comes out of the oven," Helena smirked and he sighed. He knew this to be true.
"Why do we even put it in the oven?" he frowned then at the lack of logic in that.
"I have no idea. Tell you what, next time, let's not do that, let's just eat the dough," Helena whispered conspiratorially. Levi was about to comment when he heard the door open and immediately dashed toward the foyer.
"Idgie's here!" he yelled exictedly as he went. Helena ran after him and managed to position herself between Levi and Hunnigan barely half a second before the boy jumped at the other woman.
"Whoa, careful, sir!" Helena commented as she caught the child who impacted into her abdomen like a blunt arrow. Helena didn't even want to imagine what would've happened if he'd collided with Hunnigan.
"Thank you," Hunnigan blew out a breath in relief. She wasn't feeling as bad as she had after the first couple of days that had followed the surgery (on a scale of one to ten... she was willing to give it about two hundred and seven), but the last thing she needed was to have the wind knocked out of her by Levi.
"I forgot," he said apologetically then.
"It's okay, sir. And I'm okay too, but I have to be careful or I'll get hurt," Hunnigan explained softly and reached to put her arm around his shoulders and hugged him a little before turning to kiss his cheek.
"What smells so good?" she then inquired as she pulled back slowly. Helena let Levi down from her arms and he reached to grab Hunnigan's hand into his own.
"We made a cake!" he announced, proceeding to proudly escort Hunnigan into the kitchen to be able to present their handiwork to her.
"Well, honestly, Levi did most of the work, I was just watching over," Helena smiled.
"It's not ready yet, you're early," Levi then commented and Hunnigan nodded as she gingerly sat down at the kitchen table. The driver had decided to step on it after she'd had to ask him to stop for a while so that she could throw up, and it had taken all of her diplomatic skills (and promise to offer a generous tip) to convince him she wasn't detoxing or drunk, and that she would not puke into his car.
"It's all right," Hunnigan assured with a smile.
"Look away, sir," Helena then said.
"What, why?" the boy frowned and did exactly the opposite only to witness Helena lean over to kiss Hunnigan deeply.
"Not in front of me or I'll throw up!" the boy wailed, holding his tummy and pretending to double over in pain.
"Ow," Hunnigan chuckled into the kiss at his display, "Don't make me laugh, it hurts my wound."
"Can I see it?" Levi then asked. He'd been told that Idgie would be seeing a special doctor who would take a piece from her liver and give it to grandma, because grandma was hurting and the new piece would make it better. Even if neither of the women had explicitly explained to Levi what a surgeon was, he'd been able to put it together relatively easily since Helena had let it slip that Idgie would be feeling sore for a long while because she'd have a big wound and that he'd need to be careful with her because of that, and because Levi knew that in order for anyone to take a piece from inside someone else, they would need to get in there first... which in return meant someone had to cut the other person open... which was gross, but kind of cool at the same time.
"I don't know, it's kind of nasty," Hunnigan made a face.
"Pft, I'm a man, you don't need to baby me," the boy scoffed and Helena barely stifled a laugh at his bravado.
"Are you sure? Because I'll remember that if you end up having bad dreams because of the nasty wound, and I won't run to comfort you," Hunnigan drawled. Not that she'd be exactly "running" to anywhere for weeks.
"I know what I'm doing," Levi shrugged confidently.
"All right, don't say I didn't warn you," Hunnigan said in a sing-song-voice, straightened her back and slowly began to undo the lower buttons of her shirt, offering him plenty of time to let her know if he'd changed his mind. Of course, he did no such thing, but Hunnigan was willing to bet the house that he'd wish he had.
"Aaargh!" Levi and Helena yelled in unison when Hunnigan pulled her shirt aside and revealed the almost J-shaped big wound that streched from her upper abdomen all the way to her side, the black stitches contrasted by the red, irritated flesh it was sewn on making it look even worse than it was.
"Put it away!" Levi whined, pressed himself against Helena's legs as if to hide, and buried his face into Helena's stomach to escape the view.
"I told you!" Hunnigan said.
"Do you think I traumatized him for life when I showed him the scar?" Hunnigan inquired as she tried to get comfortable lying in bed, all too aware of her heartbeat because of the throbbing it caused in her abdomen.
"Nah, if anything, you'll be able to do the opposite when you show him how well it has healed," Helena assured, "Speaking of which," she then added as she dug into her bag and pulled out a few pill bottles.
"What are those?" Hunnigan frowned. She'd been prescribed more than enough pain killers at the hospital, she didn't need any more.
"Vitamin C, some B-twelve... Iron and zinc..." the younger woman listed and Hunnigan rolled her eyes a little. She knew Helena meant well, but for God's sake, she should stop Googling everything. If she didn't, at this rate, Hunnigan was certain that by the end of the week, Helena would be convinced Hunnigan somehow had smallpox (which, as far as Hunnigan knew, had been eradicated before she'd even been born).
"They're supposed to help you heal faster, and God knows you ain't getting enough of them just from your diet," Helena quirked an eyebrow and Hunnigan had to surrender when faced with that argument.
"True enough... the cake was delicious though," she then commented.
"Thanks," Helena chuckled, "although, in hindsight, I probably shouldn't have let you eat it, I read that excess sugar isn't good for-"
"Excess anything isn't good, but a couple of slices won't hurt," Hunnigan smirked.
"Oh, and I may have kind of promised Levi I'd make another batch of the dough and I'd let him eat it raw because it's tastier that way."
"Helena!" Hunnigan scoffed.
"Don't worry, I'll leave the eggs and the baking soda out of it, it'll be fine," the younger woman shrugged.
"So, he'll be eating a bowl of nothing but sugar, butter and flour," Hunnigan quirked an eyebrow at what Helena offered as the healthier option.
"And cocoa powder that's like... at least seventy percent cocoa, which essentially makes it healthy for you," the younger woman commented innocently and Hunnigan chuckled a little. She patted the empty spot on the bed and Helena settled next to her, resisting the urge to instinctively snuggle up to the other woman and put her arm around her like she usually would have.
"So... how are you feeling? Mentally, I mean," Helena then inquired softly and nuzzled Hunnigan's temple gently, raking her fingernails lightly over her forearm.
"I'm okay," Hunnigan answered.
"Will you have to do this again if your mom keeps drinking?" Helena asked and Hunnigan scoffed. She didn't know if she'd even be able to donate again or if her mother would be allowed to receive another donation if she intentionally went on ruining another liver.
"I think if that happens, she'll have to resort to asking her favorite child," Hunnigan responded matter-of-factly.
"I think it's fucked up how differently she values you and Frank," Helena muttered.
"I suppose. I rarely bothered questioning it... I just did what I was told and tried to be what she wanted me to be. All the way from learning how to milk a cow to never tasting coconut until..." Hunnigan trailed off and chuckled ruefully.
Gotta let go.
"Coconut?" Helena frowned.
"Mom hates it, so we never had any reason to have it since she never used it in anything, and if Frank or I ever had the audacity to express interest toward it, mom would make a face and roll her eyes at us for being foolish enough to want to try something she'd already established was terrible."
"Wow..."
"Yeah."
"So... you didn't taste it until..?" Helena then asked and judging from Hunnigan's reluctance to discuss it in further detail, she gathered she might not want to hear it... yet, that made her want to know even more.
"Until Alexis and I went to our wedding cake tasting and one of the options presented to us contained coconut. I felt like an idiot when I was wondering what it was that tasted so good but felt like sawdust in my mouth," Hunnigan laughed awkwardly and Helena smiled.
"What was your wedding like?" she asked then and Hunnigan cleared her throat, offering a somewhat uncomfortable shrug. Helena exhaled deeply and sat up properly on the bed, moving to sit cross-legged and leaned her elbows to her knees.
"Ingrid, I don't want you to feel like you have to avoid talking about Alexis with me or when I'm around. I want you to remember her, for your sake and especially for Levi's. He deserves to know who his mother was, and you shouldn't have to worry about me. I know you loved her a lot," she said softly.
"I did," Hunnigan nodded and Helena grunted internally. She'd said she didn't mind, but at the same time, no, she really didn't want to hear it.
"...that said, I don't ever want you thinking that you're somehow in competition with her. You're not her, you'll never be her, and I'm not expecting you to be," Hunnigan said and when Helena's eyebrow quirked slowly, Hunnigan realized she'd misspoken somewhat.
"I meant that in a good way!" she hurried to elaborate, "You'd never do the selfish and manipulative things she did just because she knew she could get away with it... because I was such a spineless loser that I let her," Hunnigan sighed and hung her head a little before shaking it in exasperation.
"You would never abuse my love for you the way she did, that's what I meant," she then said quietly, her voice somewhat grim and embarrassed for having to admit she could be the kind of a person who would let others use her despite knowing she was being used.
"I wouldn't... even if I did betray your trust in a major way with the whole Silva-incident," Helena mumbled.
"At least you had a good cause," Hunnigan offered and Helena chuckled ruefully.
"Yeah, I suppose," she agreed, "So... the wedding. Were you the blushing bride in a poofy pink dress?"
"Hah, as if I'd ever allow myself to be seen in anything other than a custom tailored suit," Hunnigan smirked.
Helena couldn't sleep, she was still too much on edge. She figured it was kind of backward for her to feel that way, she hadn't been the one who'd had to endure major surgery to help save the life of an ungrateful parent, and yet... she's been terrified, and that feeling was still lingering. She was stuck in the anxiety of not knowing if everything would be fine, even though Hunnigan was right there, obviously safe and sound, all okay aside from some aches and pains that would eventually pass.
How the fuck do you think she felt going in? Never occurred to you to even ask, did it? Of course not, you were too busy whining and moaning about how you were scared, she needed to assure you.
"Oh, my God, I am such a selfish bitch," Helena exhaled quietly when the realization hit her. It was true, she hadn't asked. She'd just assumed that Hunnigan was fine, that she'd cope. Nobody ever asked her how she really was.
Not even me, Helena thought grimly and swallowed hard against the lump beginning to form in her throat.
All those grand promises about how she wasn't like Alexis, that she'd treat Hunnigan better, and still... it had taken her about two seconds to go from a giver to a taker. She of all people should've been the exception, she knew that from Hunnigan the statement of everything being all right was just an automatic response. Everything around her could literally be on fire and she'd still insist she was just dandy.
"Helena?"
"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you, go back to sleep," the younger woman whispered and tried to hide a sniffle, but couldn't quite manage it as convincingly as she'd hoped.
"Are you crying?" Hunnigan mumbled sleepily.
"I'm just... relieved you're okay and that you're here," Helena responded. It wasn't an outright lie, it was partly due to that too.
"I'm fine."
"Of course you are," Helena chuckled through tears and leaned to kiss Hunnigan's forehead softly, "Of course you are," she repeated in a whisper and moved to pepper the other woman's cheek with light kisses.
Helena tried arguing with Hunnigan about it, but the other woman wouldn't take no for an answer. She would need to take Levi to preschool and go to the office to grab some things to be able to work from home, she might as well give Helena a ride. The younger woman had said she'd do it and that she could bring Hunnigan the stuff from the office, but Hunnigan just rolled her eyes.
"I'm not an invalid," she said stubbornly as she grabbed her keys and began heading outside where Levi was already waiting by the car.
"You could've fooled me," Helena taunted as she watched Hunnigan walk slowly across the driveway.
"Knock it off," Hunnigan sighed and unlocked the car. Levi climbed into the backseat and Helena leaned down to help him with the seatbelt as Hunnigan got into the driver's seat. She stifled a grunt as she reached for her seatbelt and buckled it in. It pressed against the wound uncomfortably and should there be an accident, it would surely do her more harm than good, but it beat having to listen to the continuous noise the car would make if she left it unbuckled.
They arrived at the school a few moments later and Helena escorted Levi in while Hunnigan waited in the car, unwilling to put herself through the pains and aches of having to get up and get back in. Maybe she'd bitten of a bit more than she could chew... but she'd never admit as much to Helena.
"You know, you are allowed to take a break, you don't have to prove anything to anyone," Helena then commented when she returned and Hunnigan started the car.
"For Christ's sakes, Helena, I'm driving the car, not pushing it," Hunnigan rolled her eyes. The younger woman was about to speak when Hunnigan's phone rang. It was paired with the car via Bluetooth and the ring tone came from the speakers, unnecessarily loudly.
"God, fuck, shit, I hate that fucking thing!" Helena cursed, startled by the noise. She didn't understand how the hell that was supposed to enhance driving safety seeing as it was likely to give the people in the car a heart attack.
When Hunnigan pulled over, Helena frowned and was about to comment that wasn't the purpose of this horrible handsfree that the driver wouldn't need to stop to talk. When Helena glanced at the screen on the dash, she realized what the real reason for the sudden stop was.
Incoming call: Alexis Kingston