Hey all. This chapter should have been up earlier. It wasn't sitting right with me and it needed to be tweaked a little.
Enjoy!
Wade pressed a soft kiss to his wife's head, his lips heating up at the touch. Sighing, he ran a hand through her hair. He wants to take the pain away from her. Neither one of them when dating had wanted the other to take care of them before when they got sick. With time, they grew to needing their significant other when sick. It's their comfort when sick.
"Can I get you anything?" He asked softly, gently scratching her scalp.
"No," she told him hoarsely. Her eyes drifting shut once more.
"I'll make you some tea," he told her getting up, hearing their little girl crying.
Zoe said nothing, snuggling down deeper into the blankets. Dozing back to sleep before Wade left the room, shutting the door behind him. The last thing he wanted was for one of his kids to wake Zoe up. She needs her rest. Not only that he doesn't want his kids to get sick either.
It took him some time to get Aurora settled down. She wanted her Mommy and didn't understand why she couldn't be with her mom. Didn't know why Zoe being sick meant no cuddles. When he got Aurora happy and playing, Will started in wanting a snack and the park. With it raining outside they'd be staying in. Otherwise, Wade would have taken them to give Zoe a little more quiet to sleep. By the time he got Will taken care of, finding him a movie to watch, Aurora started in again.
It wasn't until after lunchtime that both kids settled down enough for him to finally make the cup of tea for Zoe. He also heated up some soup from last night. He wanted her to have something to eat if she felt up to it. Checking on Will and Aurora to see they were okay, he headed up to the bedroom to Zoe. He smiled, entering the room to see her sitting up in the bed.
"Feeling any better?" Wade asked, placing the tray with the soup and tea on her nightstand.
"A little," she smiled, easily taking the cup of tea from her husband. "I thought I heard you say something about tea, but I also thought I hallucinated it," she said, slowly sipping the warm liquid. The tea feeling wonderful on her sore throat.
"The kids have been quite the handful today," he sighed. "Will is napping on the floor in the living room, having fallen asleep while watching a movie and poor little Aurora cried herself to sleep," he sighed, running a hand through his hair. He tried everything to soothe her. Nothing worked. He didn't like it; he hated seeing his kids in such a bad state, without being able to help them.
"Poor girl," Zoe whispered. Feeling a pang of hurt at her daughter in pain.
"Daddy," Will called, his little feet stomping on the steps as he ran up them.
"Rest," he told her, pressing a kiss to her forehead, feeling the skin under his lips still warm.
"I'll try," she told him, placing her cup down. Debating on if she wanted some soup or to read a little more in her book.
Wade caught Will outside the bedroom door. "Want to go build a fort?" Wade asked, slinging his son over his shoulder.
"Can we?" Will asked with giggles.
"Carry the pillows," Wade told him, placing him on the floor while he dug in the hall closest for extra blankets, sheets and pillows.
Will helped carry what he could to the living room. Wade bringing the rest and picking up what Will dropped along the way. They were half way through making the fort when they heard Aurora through the baby monitor.
"Keep building and I'll be back," he told his son. Will nodded, working away as his dad left. "Afternoon sleepyhead," Wade smiled, picking his girl up, showering her little face with kisses. "Are you in a better mood now? Huh?" He asked, getting her changed. "Let's go see what your brother has done with the fort," he said, giving her little tummy a tickle.
Wade frowned seeing the fort they made tore down, Will sitting in the middle of the covers. He sat down next to his son, placing Aurora on the floor between his legs, handing her one of her toys to play with. He gave his son a nudge, waiting to see if he would spill what happened.
"Oree will wreck it," Will said.
"Buddy," Wade sighed, pulling his son into his side. "I wouldn't have let Aurora wreck the fort. She'd play in her play pen until we had it finished," he said.
"It's okay Daddy," Will said getting up. "Imma play trains," he said, giving his dad a kiss on the cheek, going to his room to play with his trains.
"Well then," Wade laughed softly. "Want to help daddy clean up the mess?" He asked, picking her up. She offered him the toy she had been chewing on. "Thank you princess," Wade smiled, pretending to chew on the toy, making her laugh.
He sat playing on the floor with his daughter, losing track of time. Time didn't matter to him, not when he's making memories with his baby girl. She won't remember the time spent together, but he will, and it's these moments he cherishes.
"What's going on?" Zoe asked. She smiled watching her husband and daughter playing peek-a-boo with a sheet.
"Just playing," Wade laughed, keeping the game going. "You look better than you did this morning," he commented, whispering 'boo' at his daughter, lifting the sheet up. The color has, for the most part, returned to her face, and she's not as pale.
"I feel better. Not a hundred percent yet, but getting there. I only came down for some tea," she shared, heading off to make herself another cup of tea.
"I would've made you another cup," Wade said, following his wife to the kitchen, Aurora reaching for her mom.
"I know," she nodded. "I really wanted to get up and move about further than the bathroom," she shared with him, playing with her little girl's hands, not wanting to get too close. She didn't want to get her kids sick.
"Will is off for a fun-filled day of school," Wade announced, joining his wife in bed. "Aurora is spending the day with Grandpa," he smirked, rolling onto his side.
"And I told you that I am fine," she told him, rolling her eyes.
"I am not here to argue that point," he smirked, his hand going under the shirt she wore, to ghost over the warm flesh of her stomach.
"Your point being?" She asked with a sly smile.
"That we have the house to yourselves. That we won't have a child crying or yelling for us," he said, pressing a kiss to her shoulder. "Neither one of us needs to be at work for another two hours," he whispered, his lips skimming over her neck. "What do you say about having some quality time with your husband?" He husked the question in her ear.
"I say," she started to say, pushing him onto his back, following to hover over him. "I can't say no to that offer," she remarked.
She only was down and out for a day. Wade making her stay in bed and extra day to make sure that she was better. She didn't mind. He's capable of taking care of his kids. He is their father after all. Who doesn't like being waited on? As nice as the little break was. She can't wait to get back to being a mother and a wife.
Having time with Wade sans kids has been a rare thing for them since Aurora was born. She loves her kids greatly, but in saying that she loves her husband, and wants to keep that spark going between them. For many reasons. So this time where they can steal an hour or two of the day, it's worth it. She doesn't like leaving her kids when she is going to be doing something, knowing they could have come with. Even so, a date night with her husband does sound rather amazing. And they don't even have enough to leave the house for it to happen. A night in is fine too.
"Don't go making plans," Wade told her, stopping at the practice.
"For what exactly?" She asks confused on what her husband is going on about.
"For tonight," he laughs. That only makes her even more confused than she already was.
"What plans would I be making?" She asks him. "The only thing I have planned for the night is to spend it with my family," she informed him. The same thing she does most nights.
"Good," he stated, pulling her in for a kiss. One that shouldn't have happened on the sidewalk in front of the practice. A kiss they got lost in. "Love you."
"I love you," Zoe smiled, taking a step back from her husband. "Bye."
She tried to keep her thoughts on the work in front of her. She didn't want to mess up or act like she wasn't paying attention the parents coming in to see her. Each one is important, and she needs to give them all of her attention. And yet when she's alone in her office, instead of going through the paperwork that is slowly starting to build up on her desk, she's trying to work out what her husband is up to.
"This a bad time?" A deep voice startled her.
She placed her hand over her heart, turning to the now chuckling man in her office. "Yes! You gave me a heart attack," she scolded, turning to see her friend.
"That can be debatable," he chuckled. "I didn't mean to scare you. I didn't think you were that deep into your own world," he commented.
"Yeah, Wade is up to something, and I have no idea what it is," she sighed, sitting on the edge of her desk. "What can I help you with?" She asked, trying to see if any injuries were visible.
"Rusty nail," he shrugged, rolling his shirt sleeve up. "I thought it was fine, but it got infected," he explained, showing Zoe his forearm.
"Do you know the last time you had a tetanus shot?" She asked, leading the Mayor into the exam room.
"Over 5 years ago," he shrugged.
"Okay," she nodded, moving about to get everything set up to give him the booster shot. "I'm going to give you the shot than clean out your wound," she told him.
"Next time I will be coming straight in," he said, refusing to look at Zoe and her going about to get his arm ready for the shot.
"You did nothing wrong, Lavon. A cut isn't going to get infected every time. Your tetanus shot is still good. It's just best to give you the booster shot," she explained. "It'll be quick," she told him.
Giving Lavon the shot and cleaning the cut out on his forearm, took very little of her time up. She told him she'd check it the next time they were over for Sunday dinner. Something they don't do a whole lot of lately, and something they're trying to get back to doing. Even if it's only once a month.
With the day being a slow one, it happened to drag on, giving her more time to think of what Wade had planned for tonight. She worried a little of what he could be up to. However, the rest of her was excited to see what her husband is up to. It's been far too long since they've had a night alone. Even if they go nowhere and the kids are there, and it's a family thing, she'd still be happy because she's spending time with her family. Memories are always looking to be made. She wants her kids to enjoy their childhood the way she had with her dad.
"Wade?" Zoe called out entering the dark house. She left the lights off, placing her things on the side table. Getting no answer from her husband, she moves through the house. "What are you doing?" She asked with a smile, holding the roses she picked up along the way from the front door to the back door. Each single rose equaling a dozen.
"What does it look like?" He asked.
"It looks like," she smiled. Looking at how he transformed the backyard. White twinkle lights strung up illuminating the space. Blankets and pillows laying out on the ground. And Wade, her lovely husband, sitting with his guitar, softly strumming the strings. "We're missing the kids," she commented, coming to sit on the pile of blankets and pillows, making herself comfortable, placing the roses next to her on the ground.
"Grandpa was more than willing to keep them all weekend," he told her. Zoe giggled. A weekend without kids, sounded like heaven to her. Even so, she didn't know if she could stay away from her kids that long. "They'll be back tomorrow," he assured her. He much like his wife, couldn't stay away from his kids longer than a few hours.
"Tonight is all about us," Zoe smiled, helping herself to a glass of wine.
"To us," he toasted, clinking his beer bottle with her wine glass.
Zoe sipped on her wine, as Wade started to play their song on his guitar. Zoe smiled laying back, to soak up the way her husband's voice warmly cocooned her. She watched the stars come to life. A new star shining bright in the night, sky as her husband switched songs. All love songs.
"You don't need to sing to me. You've already got me," she told him. "Come join me," she said, patting the spot next to her.
"I like singing to my wife," he smiled, placing his guitar down, easily moving to sit next to his wife, beer in hand. Cuddling with Zoe under the stars beat out singing to her any day.
"I love hearing you sing and play," she confirmed, moving to cuddle into his side, her head resting on his shoulder, her hand playing with a part of his tee on his chest. "Never stop," she whispered.
"You're the only audience I need," he replied, kissing the top of her head.
She didn't know if the night could get better than laying under the stars with the one she loves deeply. Words weren't needed, not when their love spoke so much volume for them. She was close to drifting off, when her stomach broke the silence of their little bubble of love.
"I've got it," Wade chuckled lightly, getting up. It took him no time to walk through the house to the kitchen to grab the shrimp scampi, he was keeping warm.
"Wade, this smells delicious," she said, breathing in the buttery, garlic aroma. With a smirk, Wade filled his fork with the food, holding his hand under the food to catch it if it falls. "Wade," she moaned, savoring the flavors exploding on her tongue.
Spending time with her husband in their backyard, having dinner, watching the stars and him playing their song plus more. Nothing couldn't beat that. Not a single fancy restaurant. What's better than spending the night with the love of your life? Curled into his side? Just being in the moment?
