Anxious
"Can you try be a little more enthusiastic about this, please?" AJ asked, "And stop snacking before your dinner." She took the chips from her husband who was standing in the kitchen moaning and groaning to himself.
"I just don't know why we're doing this." Punk said.
"Because it's nice. The man is all alone and one dinner with him will not kill you." AJ shook her head, "Plus, Cassie and Theo are here so… it's not like it's a sit down interview I'm making you have with him." She shook her head.
"He seems to be the type of guy who is fine being on his own." Punk shrugged, "Like a lone wolf." He nodded as AJ made a face at him, "Ok, how come Dean isn't here then?"
"He's on vacation with Renee." AJ rolled her eyes.
"Then he should come back. Or we should reschedule for when he's here." Punk nodded.
"Oh, do you need your little brother to hold your hand?" AJ pouted in a funny voice as Punk looked at her, unimpressed, "He's a decent man, Phil. We don't have very decent family members. Let's just… have a nice night." She shook her head as Punk rolled his eyes, making a funny face behind her back.
"I can see you in the oven door." AJ noticed as Punk raised his eyebrows.
"Something smells so good in here." Cassie smiled, making her way into the kitchen, "No tacos?" She noticed.
"No well I can't give Dan tacos." AJ scoffed.
"It's like the queen is coming." Punk shook his head, leaving the kitchen as Cassie watched him.
"What's up with him?" Cassie laughed a little.
"He's being a crab, as per usual." AJ shook her head, "Can you help me set the table?" She asked.
"Sure." Cassie nodded, "Well I don't want it to feel like we're forcing him into this." She said, "If he's uncomfortable then it's just gonna make everyone else uncomfortable."
"He's not uncomfortable. He's just stubborn and… sometimes I think he's actually nervous." AJ nodded to her, "He gets all anxious about stuff like this."
"Well that's not good." Cassie frowned a little.
"He'll be fine once Dan is here." AJ assured her, "It's just a shame we couldn't have more people around with Thea still being in the facility and Jude being in New York." AJ nodded.
"Lucky your favourite is here, though." Cassie smiled as AJ nodded along.
"You didn't tell me Theo was planning on asking your dad about how drug dealing works." AJ said, looking over at Cassie.
"Hey, that is all Theo. I have nothing to do with that and I don't want anything to do with that." Cassie made clear.
"Hey, it's fine. Your dad said they had a good chat about it." AJ shrugged.
"Yeah, Theo said that but I didn't believe him." Cassie said.
"No, your dad was fine with it. I mean… I don't think anything is the same from when… we did that stuff but… if it helps Theo get a better clue, there's nothing wrong with it." AJ shrugged.
"I know, it's just… it is sort of weird." Cassie said.
"Weird is ok." AJ assured her as Cassie smiled.
"Hey, how is your job? Are things settled down?" Cassie asked her, putting forks and knives down on the table at each seat whilst AJ checked on the dinner she was preparing.
"A little." AJ nodded, "A lot of things have changed now because of the new CEO. It's just things I gotta wrap my head around." She said.
"Well you're good at picking things up." Cassie said, "Is your new boss nice?" She asked.
"I haven't spoken to much actually. He seems ok." AJ shrugged as Cassie nodded.
"I spoke to Jude earlier. She's planning on flying out this weekend with Sean and the girls." Cassie nodded.
"That's good." AJ nodded, "I'm not sure if Thea is gonna be out at the six week mark." She admitted.
"Why?" Cassie asked.
"Well me and your dad were seeing her last night at the facility and… she's doing real good but… she feels like she's still not prepared to be back home and… essentially with all that freedom. I think she's worried for herself." AJ nodded, "So I said to her, you go when you feel ready to go."
"She'll get there." Cassie said, "Every time I see her she's doing that little bit better. I sometimes stop by and have my lunch with her. I bring her a sandwich. We sat outside the other day, it was nice out." She nodded.
"Yeah, she's doing good." AJ nodded proudly. They could all see the hell Thea had been through, and she was making it out on the other side for sure.
"I'll go get the door." Cassie nodded after hearing a knock at the door, heading out of the kitchen and opening up the door where Dan stood, "Hey." Cassie smiled.
"Hi, Cassie." Dan nodded.
"Come in." Cassie smiled, letting him into the house as he stepped in.
"Smells good in here." Dan nodded. He always found his eldest son's house a very welcoming place. It always had more than a couple of people in it, and there always felt like a lot of love around the place. He liked that.
"I know, that was the first thing I said when I came in." Cassie smiled, "I can take your jacket." She told him.
"Is the little guy here with you?" Dan wondered.
"Theo or Chase?" Cassie teased as Dan chuckled, "They're both in the living room with my dad." Cassie nodded, "Go on through, I'll sit your jacket upstairs." She told him, heading away upstairs as Dan nodded.
He walked into the living room where Punk and Theo were sitting with Chase playing with some toys on the floor.
"Hey." Theo smiled, having come to known Dan pretty well from the times Cassie invited him over to their house.
"Hello." Dan nodded to them both.
"Hey." Punk nodded pleasantly.
"Dan!" Chase noticed as Dan smiled.
"Hey, little guy." Dan nodded, "I got you something." He told him as Chase made his way over, "I know how much you love these." He nodded, pulling out a toy aeroplane from his pocket as Punk watched.
"It's a plane!" Chase smiled, "Daddy, look." He turned to Theo, excited about this new toy.
"I see it." Theo smiled, "What'd you say?" He nodded to Chase.
"Thanks." Chase grinned, taking the toy plane from Dan.
"That's ok." Dan nodded, watching as Chase flew the plane around and down to his other toy cars and buses on the floor.
"Quite the transport system he's got going on." Theo chuckled.
"Yeah, looks like it." Dan smiled. He was nervous. Of course he was. He wasn't around his sons any longer than a brief conversation, so this environment was different. He wasn't at all like Sam who had no problem making an entrance and having a conversation. He was quiet.
"Oh, hi." AJ smiled, noticing Dan in the living room.
"Hi, April." Dan nodded politely.
"Uh dinner is ready. Good timing." AJ smiled to him.
"I uh.. I gotta go to the bathroom." Punk stood up, walking out of the living room as AJ watched him with slight concern.
"Come on, Dan." Chase took Dan's hand, walking him through to the kitchen as AJ smiled.
"You show Dan his seat." AJ smiled to Chase as Theo also followed.
Cassie came out of her parent's bedroom where she had stored Dan's jacket, watching as her father came upstairs.
"Hey, you ok?" Cassie asked him as he just nodded.
"Yeah I'm fine." Punk nodded to her.
"Look I… I never want you to feel uncomfortable with this. Mom suggested it and I thought it'd be a good idea. Maybe you'll surprise yourself." Cassie shrugged, "He's a decent guy."
"I just gotta go to the bathroom." Punk told her.
"Ok." Cassie nodded, watching him walk past her as she headed downstairs.
She headed into the kitchen where her husband and son were already sitting along with Dan.
"Mommy, come get dinner." Chase ordered as Cassie smiled.
"Ok ok, I'm coming." Cassie smiled, "This all looks amazing, mom." Cassie nodded.
"It does." Dan agreed, "You like cooking?" He asked her.
"I can do the basics." AJ smiled, "Phil helped with this too."
"Teamwork." Dan nodded, "Always the best way to get something done."
"I agree." Theo nodded as Cassie sat down at the table.
"I'll be back in a minute." AJ nodded, leaving the kitchen discreetly and heading upstairs, walking into their bedroom where she saw her husband sitting on the edge of their bed, "What are you doing?" She shook her head a little sadly.
"What do I say to him?" Punk asked her.
"What?" AJ shook her head.
"What am I supposed to say to him? I mean once… once I get past the hello, how are you, what have you been up to… then where does it go?" He looked at her worriedly.
"Baby, don't overthink it." AJ shook her head, "Do you think I know what I'm going to say to him. I know as much about him as you do." She said, "Cassie's here, she… she's a lot more familiar with him so she can hold the room if things get a little awkward." She nodded, "I'm… I'm sorry, I didn't know you were this anxious about it." She sighed, sitting down beside him. Had she known he was this nervous about it, she wouldn't have suggested it, but at the same time she wanted him to get over this worry and fear.
"It's ok. I mean… I don't even know why I'm so uptight about it." Punk shook his head, "Sometimes I just don't believe that's my actual father." He admitted.
"Well of course, he's only been in your life for a few years. I know your relationship was tough with Sam but… in a way she was always around. She wasn't always there for you but she was there in the distance." AJ nodded, "Dan is like a stranger, and I know that's kinda hard. Especially so late in your life." She said as Punk nodded.
"I know he's a decent guy and he's friendly and he's great with Cassie… I think this has more to do with me." He nodded to her.
"I know you can do this." AJ nodded, "And I think… I don't know, I think deep down part of you wants to know him." She said as Punk nodded.
"Maybe that's why I'm nervous." Punk shrugged.
"You got nothing to be nervous about." AJ said, brushing her hand down the back of his hair as he nodded, "Come on. Dinner is gonna be getting cold." She stood up, extending his hand out to him as he looked at it, taking a deep breath and nodding, taking her hand and standing up.
"Only you can talk me into something I don't wanna do." He said as she smiled.
"For life, baby." AJ nodded, leaning up and kissing him before walking out of the bedroom with him.
"Hey, Thea. I'm just checking in." Gail smiled, walking into Thea's room where she was sitting in bed watching TV.
"Hey." Thea smiled, "Please have a cookie, my mom keeps baking me batches and… I just know I'm putting on cookie weight." She shook her head as Gail chuckled.
"Well if it means anything, you look much better for it." Gail assured her as Thea just smiled, "How you been feeling?"
"I'm ok." Thea nodded to her, "I'm supposed to leave her in two weeks and… I don't know, it's kinda scary." She shrugged as Gail nodded.
"It is but… if you don't feel ready then that's ok. Getting out of here and back to your normal life is where the real challenge is. Because there will be temptation." Gail said, "That's why it's important that you continuously go to therapy every week. Sometimes it might feel like a drag, I know, but… for the long haul it'll really help." She nodded to her.
"Yeah, that's what my sister says." Thea said, "It's just… almost like I don't trust myself."
"I can understand, but there will come a point where you will, and you'll be stronger." Gail said as Thea nodded.
"I feel like I have… come a really long way, in a short amount of time." Thea said.
"You have. And it's important you recognise that." Gail said, "And you've been thrown this curve ball of being diagnosed with an illness that… up until now you really had no clue about. That's hard in itself too." She said as Thea nodded, "But you're doing really good. I'm sure your friends and family around you have told you but… I'm still gonna tell you, too. You're doing good." Gail nodded to her as Thea smiled.
"Thanks." Thea nodded.
"I'll let you get back to…" Gail looked over at the TV.
"Golden Girls." Thea said as Gail smiled.
"Good choice." Gail nodded.
"Oh, wait. Take a cookie." Thea said, "I'm serious." She nodded as Gail smiled, walking over and taking one of the cookies from the box.
"Tell your mom I said thanks." Gail nodded, taking a bite, "Wow, these really are good." She nodded as Thea smiled, watching her leave the room.
She sunk back down against the pillows, watching the TV and finishing her cookie when she heard her door open again. She turned and looked, sitting up a little as she watched Vincent walk into the room.
"Why are you here?" Thea sat up.
"I gotta talk to you." Vincent said, sitting down by her bed as Thea looked at him uncomfortably.