Shopping
"Look at this little sailor outfit." Jude gasped, picking the small outfit from the rack in a clothes shop, "You have to get this for him."
"Why do you hate my son?" Thea shook her head.
"What? This is so cute." Jude objected.
"You're already making me put him in a shirt and waistcoat on Christmas Day." Thea scoffed, pushing the stroller where James was sleeping in whilst they browsed around the shops in the mall.
"If I had a baby I'd have a field day with dressing them." Jude said.
"God, your kids are gonna get bullied, aren't they?" Thea shook her head as Jude chuckled.
"Don't be nasty." Jude chuckled as they left the shop and walked down the mall, "How you feeling?"
"Good and bad." Thea nodded, "Good because I'm capable of actually doing this. Compared to where I was a month ago." She said, "Bad because it's still painful." She admitted.
"Well don't overdo it." Jude shook her head, "Why don't we stop for a coffee?" She nodded, "There's a shop right there."
"Yeah, ok." Thea nodded, heading into the shop, grabbing a seat whilst Jude went to get them a coffee.
"How you doing, buddy?" Thea looked into the stroller where James was lying sleeping, "You're a little angel, aren't you?" She smiled, stroking his cheek softly before sitting down at the table.
"Seasonal drinks are literally my favourite thing." Jude said, walking over with the coffees.
"Yeah but they're so diabetic." Thea shook her head.
"You're a doctor, you have to say that." Jude scoffed, sitting down at the table.
"Hey I still drink them." Thea chuckled.
"So is Dominic at work today?" Jude asked her.
"Yeah." Thea nodded.
"How is he doing?" Jude asked, "Are the meetings going ok?"
"Ok as they can be, I guess." Thea said, "I think he's definitely doing better than he was. The first couple days were rough but… he knows he's gotta push through it."
"Soon it'll stop being a problem and he'll feel better, I guess." Jude nodded.
"Yeah well addiction doesn't fully go away." Thea reminded her.
"You know what I mean." Jude raised a brow as Thea made a face at her sisterly.
"You finished college for Christmas now?" Thea asked, scooping some of the whipped cream from her drink up.
"Yeah, that's me finished." Jude nodded, "Kinda glad." She said wearily.
"I bet. I hated college." Thea shook her head.
"Well… a girl in my class was raped a few nights ago." Jude said as Thea raised her eyebrows.
"Oh my God." Thea shook her head, "Do you know her?"
"I mean… yeah, she's in my class. We're not best friends but still." Jude said, "Sean was dealing with it and he said that there's actually been a number of sexual harassment complaints filed from girls, all of them who go to the institute." She said.
"Seriously?" Thea asked as Jude nodded, "And do they know who it is? Is it someone who goes there too?"
"They don't know who. They're working on it." Jude said, "It's scary, right?"
"Yeah, no kidding." Thea shook her head, "You need to be careful." She said seriously.
"Sean is worried about me going. Said he would start taking me to and from when I go back after Christmas." Jude said.
"Can't blame him for worrying." Thea said, "But I'm sure by then it'll have dyed down. Just… keep your wits about you." She nodded.
"It's just scary when you hear it happen to someone you know." Jude said.
"Makes it more real." Thea agreed, "There's some sick fucks out there, that's for sure."
"Speaking of." Jude said, "Have you heard anything about Rio?"
"No, I deliberately asked dad not to tell me about anything. I don't really wanna hear that man's name." Thea said as Jude nodded, "I know he's in prison, that's enough. Now I wanna move on with my life."
"He's a lunatic just like his son." Jude nodded, "They're both where they belong."
"Hey, what have you got for mom and dad for Christmas?" Thea asked, changing the subject deliberately.
"I got mom some books that I know she'll like. Earrings. Pyjamas. Perfume-"
"Ugh… this is why they prefer you." Thea scoffed as Jude smirked, "And dad?"
"I got him this ugly Christmas sweater with pumpkins and skeletons on them." Jude said, "He was talking about another tattoo so I got him a voucher for it-"
"Jude!" Thea yelled as some people turned around in the coffee shop.
"What?" Jude asked, embarrassed.
"I told you I was getting him that." Thea said angrily.
"No you didn't." Jude shook her head.
"Yes I did. The tattoo is literally for James. I said I would get him it to you when you were staying over. You totally took my idea." Thea said.
"I swear I didn't hear you." Jude said.
"You suck." Thea said grumpily as Jude chuckled, "I have nothing for anyone." She shook her head, "I'm so behind."
"Well you've been a little preoccupied. I wouldn't worry about it." Jude said, "I feel like a good Christmas is what we need after the past few months."
"Yeah, I agree." Thea said, "And it's James' first Christmas." She smiled happily.
"I have him so many cute things for him." Jude clapped excitedly as Thea smiled.
"So do mom and dad apparently. This kid is gonna grow up a little brat with how spoiled he is." Thea scoffed.
"Nothing wrong with some good family loving." Jude said as Thea smiled.
"Yeah, you're right." Thea nodded, watching someone walking by their table, accidently pushing her purse off of the stroller handle.
"Oh, sorry…" The guy turned around as Jude noticed him.
"Jeremy?" Jude shook her head.
"Oh, hi Jude." Jeremy noticed, picking up Thea's purse and handing it to her as Thea took it and watched, "How are you?" He smiled.
"I'm ok." Jude smiled.
"Christmas shopping?" He smiled as Thea looked at him closely, as if scanning him.
"Yeah but we gave up pretty quickly." Jude chuckled, "You?"
"Yeah, trying to get something for my mom." Jeremy said as Jude smiled, "Just glad the pressure of deadlines aren't weighing me down."
"Tell me about it." Jude smiled as Thea took a sip of her drink.
"Well I'll see you around, have a good Christmas." Jeremy smiled.
"You too." Jude smiled, watching as he walked away, turning around to Thea who was looking at her funnily, "What?"
"Have you slept with him before?" Thea questioned.
"What?" Jude chuckled, "No. Why would you think that?"
"He seems weird, I don't know." Thea said.
"I mean… he is a little weird but… he's harmless." Jude shrugged, "He's in my class."
"You're way too nice to people." Thea shook her head.
"No I'm just not rude like you." Jude said.
"I'm not rude. I'm a very pleasant person." Thea nodded.
"Yeah, right." Jude nodded, "When do you think you'll be back at work?"
"Probably after Christmas at this rate." Thea said, "I can barely go shopping never mind a full twelve hour shift at the ER." She shook her head as Jude nodded.
"You definitely don't wanna rush into anything." Jude nodded, listening as James began to cry from in his stroller, "Hey, buddy." Jude stood up, looking in the stroller, lifting James out and holding him in her arms as she sat back down, "What's up?" She smiled, kissing his little hand as Thea smiled.
"I can't believe he's almost five months old. It's insane." Thea shook her head.
"I love his hair." Jude pouted, playing with James' fuzzy dark hair.
"Dominic always spikes it up." Thea smiled, "You know I saw some baby pictures of me the other day, mom left some out for me, and he actually does look like me a little." She said.
"I said from day one he looked like you." Jude said, "It's so funny seeing dad with him. He's loving not having the added pressure of another female." She said as Thea smiled.
"I still worry about him." Thea admitted.
"Dad?" Jude questioned as Thea nodded.
"Yeah. If he's still having those panic attacks. Especially with Rio coming back and… everything that happened. I just… I hope he's ok." Thea nodded.
"Come on, it's easy to spot when dad isn't himself. He goes all… quiet and weird." Jude said, "He's doing ok. Plus, you know he always talks to mom." Jude nodded.
"Yeah. Yeah, I know." Thea said, "I'm glad they have each other." She nodded, "I mean… could you imagine if mom went through with the divorce all those years ago and they just… broke up."
"No, because they would have wound up back together." Jude said, "They're like magnets." She shook her head.
"It's sweet." Thea smiled, "Now I'm older, I can appreciate it a lot more." She nodded, "He's fell back asleep." She noticed James sleeping in Jude's arms as Jude looked down and smiled.
"He's just too cute, I can't handle it." Jude shook her head as Thea smiled, "Please can we go back and get that little sailor outfit." She pouted.
"Oh my God, no." Thea laughed, "You're not torturing my son like that."
"But it's so cute, he could be a little sailor man." Jude frowned.
"Absolutely not." Thea shook her head as Jude chuckled to herself, leaving Thea smiling and shaking her head.