Chapter 152
Waking up a few hours later Alex felt better and stomach settled as she finally felt like the morning sickness had passed. Looking over in bed Phoebe and Ryan were missing and she assumed they were in the kitchen. "You feeling better?" Ryan asked glancing up when he saw her, momentarily dividing his attention between his daughter and his wife. Phoebe's little hands covered in some kind of blue liquid and Ryan had to restrain her from touching anything else besides the white t shirt on the table.
"Mama! Yook" Phoebe smiled broadly holding her hands up towards her mother so she can see what they are busy with. "Wow, what are you and Dada doing?" Alex asked walking closer to inspect it.
"We had to do something to entertain ourselves while you were sleeping, and we didn't wanna leave you alone." Ryan shrugged when Alex saw the blue and red handprints on the shirt, some of them smudged as her daughter's excitement probably got the best of her. "Food coloring." He explained as Alex ducked when he swiped a finger across her cheek, but it was too late as a red line was already showing on her right cheek, laughing she walked towards the stove.
"Breakfast is in the oven." He said over his shoulder, helping Phoebe off the counter, the toddler running towards her mother hands stretched out in the air. "Whoa, clean hands first before I pick you up." Alex stopped her, picking her up as she rinsed her daughter's hands under the tap to get the coloring out.
"What are the plans for today?" Ryan asked when he walked over to the sink cleaning his own hands under the stream of water. "I'm down for anything, I don't mind. Walk around the shops or have lunch on the pier?"
"Hmmm sounds good. What are we doing for dinner since we're expecting guests?" Ryan turned wiping his hands looking at his wife for an answer. "I haven't thought about that. BBQ and salad? I don't know I'm really not in the mood to cook." Alex said kissing her daughter as the two of them walked over to the couch and Alex sat down with her. Between eating and sharing bites with Phoebe, Alex and Ryan decided on the plans for the day and determining the time when Danika will be over by sending her a quick text.
In about an hour's time the family of three were dressed and ready to call it a day as they headed out the door ready for their new outing. Phoebe insisted on walking by herself and not wanting to be picked up, but the moment they headed out the front door she took off running towards the road to get to the water.
"Phoebe no!" Ryan said as he speeds up walking towards her. Upset she pointed towards the water when her father picked her up. "We'll go to the beach again soon, I promise Pheebs." Ryan kissed her cheeks while she kicked her legs in an attempt for her father to put her back down again.
"Phoebe Grace." Ryan warned and she looked at him with big eyes again, calming down eventually by the time Alex joined them out in the driveway, strapping her in her car seat and putting her bags in the back, Alex got into the passenger seat and fastened her seatbelt. "Are you okay now bub?" Alex asked turning around in her seat and looked at her daughter swinging her little legs against the bottom of the car seat. Looking up at her mother she extended her hands forwards but was restricted by the safety belts around her shoulders and waist, her bottom lip poking out as she started to cry.
"Hey it's okay bub. I'll pick you up in a little while. There you go." Alex handed her Barney who soothed her instantly almost as much as her pacifier does the same thing. Holding Barney close to her chest as her crying subsided, by the time Ryan entered the car.
Ryan glanced over at his daughter from the front seat who was so much calmer than a few seconds ago. "Mama powers." Alex answered his questioning looks and he nodded. "Right, I calmed her down as well while we were outside." He defended as they backed out of the driveway, while Alex texted Danika the address of the house they were staying and decided about a time. They drove around town and came across a little play store, the bright colors immediately getting their attention.
"You wanna go check it out?" Ryan asked and excitedly Alex nodded as they pulled up in the parking lot of the store, Alex getting out and picking up her daughter from the car seat. The slight breeze making its appearance and indicating that the seasons are changing and summer will soon be over. "Let's go see what's going on inside." Alex said and grabbed her diaper bag as the two of them headed through the front door while Ryan was busy checking something in the engine that made a sound it wasn't supposed to make apparently, not that Alex would know anything about.
Inside the store was much bigger than it was outside, and even more neon colors were visible. It was literally a playstore for babies and toddlers, which immediately gained Phoebe's attention, an in door jungle gym and some baking station, painting and more than enough other little games to keep the little ones occupied. A coffee shop separated by glass where some of the parents sat down and looking at their kids from the other side of the glass. Despite the brightly colored place all the staff members were dressed in black which was weird but made sense because one could easily identify them now, as they sat around with the little ones and engaged with them in the various activities.
"Mama!" Phoebe said hitting her mother's shoulder repeatedly until Alex looked at her regardless of her trying to talk to the lady behind the reception desk to find out how all of this is working while she is trying to fill out a little form. "Mama yook!" The little girl said even more excitedly and Alex abandoned the paperwork, glancing in the direction of Phoebe's excitement at the moment when Ryan entered the door, thinking she was pointing towards her father, but that was not the case as she could barely contain herself.
"Bah-eee! Dada yook!" Phoebe continued as her smile grew wider as the purple dinosaur approached.
"Wow, look at that." Ryan said and the moment Barney approached them Phoebe extended her arms in Barney's direction as the character picked her up. Alex taking out her cellphone taking a quick picture of the moment she is sure her daughter would want to remember, or regret when she is a teenager.
Still in her one year old state of shock and excitement she kept touching Barney's face. "Hello sweetie, what's your name?" Barney asked and Phoebe's response left the grown ups laughing as no one could make sense of what she was saying, but in her defense she was almost certain that she said her name out loud in the moment. "Her name's Phoebe." Alex corrected as she finished the form she was filling out and handed it back to the lady behind the desk.
"That's a pretty name. It is nice to meet you Phoebe." The purple dinosaur answered from behind his mask, as Alex took her back so Barney can continue his rounds and the three of them can continue to find something to do, or more like watch Phoebe do her own thing. But the moment she was back into her mother's arms all hell broke loose as her time spent with her hero was short lived.
"Noooooo Mama!" Phoebe started kicking her legs against Alex in an attempt to be put down again so she can run back to Barney. "Hey, he's not going anywhere, before we go home you can go see Barney again." Alex bargained while Ryan picked her up and walked with her to the jungle gym. Her short attention span quickly made her forget about how sad she was a few moments ago as the new colourful slide intrigued her. Trying to make her way up the 4 step ladder, was a bit challenging but with the help of her father she managed to get up onto the platform, where she had to crawl a short distance in a see through tunnel like tube. She was hesitant as she wasn't sure if she'll get out on the other side as she looked around and saw her parents standing on both sides of the tube signaling for her to continue crawling until she reached the other side, where Alex waited for her.
"Maammaaa." The little girl started pulling a face, as she was on the verge of crying. Trying to stand up in the tube she noticed she won't be able to stand properly and bumped her head leading to even more crying, until Alex intervened from the other side of the tube where she would come out if she just continued crawling.
"Come on, you're doing great." Alex encouraged the toddler who continued her crawling at her mother's encouragement, while Ryan stood at the end of the slide so he can get her when she is done. Once she made it out, Alex guided her towards the slide and told her to sit down, giving her a little push as she went down. Squealing loudly as she slid down into her father's arms at the end of the toddler length slide.
"Whoa, that was so cool Pheebs!" Ryan's smile matching that of his daughter on his arm. "See that wasn't so bad." Alex praised ruffling her curls, they were about to walk away when Phoebe made them turn around again as she wanted to do the same thing again, for five times in a row after Ryan and Alex couldn't deal with it anymore and picked her up showing her the alternative painting station where she sat down with one of the staff members while her parents got comfortable on beanbags watching their daughter a few feet away.
"Uhhmm , mom we have aprons but her clothes might get dirty despite us trying to protect it." The blond haired lady explained to Alex as Phoebe was every ready to get her masterpiece going. "It's fine, you guys can go ahead." Alex smiled while the two of them went ahead to get their hands dirty.
"Do you think she'll have any energy left when it comes to lunch time?" Ryan asked almost certain she'll pass out in the car when they go to the pier for lunch. "I doubt it, but we'll have to wait and see. Thank you Ryan." Alex said looking over at him seeing the questioning look on her face.
"For what?"
"For everything. This trip, you being you, accepting me, being a good husband and father. Do I need to continue?" She asked looking over at him seeing the small smile on his face as he nodded and Alex hit him playfully.
"I wouldn't have it any other way. You are amazing. And I should be the lucky one to have you. And need I remind you that my love for you grows so much stronger whenever I realize that you are carrying our baby. He's gonna be perfect."
"He?" Alex looked at him quickly, as he nodded.
"Yes, and if it's not a boy we'll continue trying until we eventually get one." He shrugged nonchalantly.
"No Ryan Booth. Let's wait until the baby is born before we start placing all kinds of bets with this. So, if it is a girl what are we naming her?" Alex questioned looking at him expectedly.
"AJ." Ryan stated matter of factly, "Alex Junior" he laughed seeing the look on her face.
Laughing she shook her head as they glanced up at Phoebe who was having way too much fun instead of noticing her parents. Squealing in delight as she squirts out blobs of blue paint on the covered surface.
"And if it's a boy? Oh wait don't tell me probably RJ, Ryan Junior." Alex laughed as he nodded his head. "But seriously now. I've thought about names for a while now but I'm afraid to tell you about it." Alex confessed looking towards her husband who sat next to her on the neon green bean bag.
"Why? What do you have in mind?" Ryan asked but Alex shook her head.
"Okay then, I'll go first. If we happen to have a boy I'd like to name him Logan. And if it's a girl I'd like Leah." Ryan said seeing Alex smile as she is grateful that it wasn't those names he had mentioned to her earlier.
"Not bad. I've been thinking that if it's a boy I'd like to name him Asher. For Simon. Asher Logan Booth." Alex ended and looked over at her husband who wordlessly held out a balled out fist in her direction, and she fist bumped him as they wordlessly decided on a name for their unborn baby, that is if it is a boy which they are hoping for.
It was around 12:30 when Phoebe called it an end to her day, but not without having to say goodbye to Barney first before they left for part two of wherever it is they were going on. They drove down the street, and stopped at another parking lot, deciding to walk on the boardwalk to see all the little shops and tourists attractions. Alex felt like she was seven years old again, seeing all the little things making her long for her childhood.
"Oooohhh babe look there." Alex said excitedly and pointed to a store where they sold cotton candy in blue and pink. "I need to get some." She smiled broadly as Ryan had no idea what she was so excited about, but he and Phoebe who he held on his arm followed her regardless. Alex looked like a kid in a candy store when she walked away with pink cotton candy.
"You planning on sharing that?" Ryan asked looking at his wife as she engaged in large chunks of the pink, sweet, fluffy candy. "Fine." She broke off a piece putting it in his mouth, attempting a smaller piece and gave it to her daughter who didn't seem to be much of a fan as she refused a second helping.
"And pictures." Alex pointed towards a photo booth, as they headed towards it. Trying to get Phoebe to sit still and Alex trying to not to get the cotton candy as part of the picture but by the time the timer went off they three of them still had not decided on a pose and the pictures that were taken consisted of them laughing as Phoebe's hand got a bunch of cotton candy stuck in it and she didn't know want to put it back in her mouth to get it off, so she put her hand in her father's mouth instead which is when the picture was taken. The second one didn't do much better as Alex tried to do damage control on that picture by trying to get it off her daughter's hand, and the third attempt was satisfying. Although non of them minded the previous two as it was just as perfect.
They walked a few more feet towards a little restaurant, and Phoebe's sleepy state became evident after this. But Alex's motherly instincts wanted her daughter to eat first before she allowed her to dose off. The two adults ended up ordering the same burger and fries, although Alex substituted the beer Ryan ordered with an orange juice for herself. Ryan and Alex feeding Phoebe fries between bites of their own as they tied to finalize the menu for tonight and had light conversations until Phoebe became fidgety and they were ready to call it a day.
"Wow, she didn't even bother going to the beach today." Ryan said when they pulled into the driveway. "Yeah wait until she wakes up and sees the water she might change her mind again." Alex reminded him not to get too excited too soon. When Phoebe was down for a nap, Alex laid down next to her and ended up sleeping as well although it wasn't planned, as she was woken up by a text from Danika letting her know they'll arrive in about an hour.
She made her way to the kitchen to see Ryan was busy with the engine again from the window. "What's going on?" Alex asked standing in the door.
"I don't know. But something is wrong. I need to sort it out before we leave tomorrow." He answered not turning around to look at her where he was busy getting his hands dirty.
"Okay, I'll get some salad started, Danika said they'll be here in about an hour." Alex said walking back inside, smiling at her baby who got off the bed by herself, and stood in the kitchen looking for familiar faces. "Hey bub, you had a nice sleep?" Alex asked accepting Phoebe's empty bottle picking her up for a diaper change. Ryan came back inside, and walked out the back door getting things ready for the BBQ after he washed his hands when there was a knock on the door when Alex came back into the living room.
Opening the door she saw Phoebe and Danika refused to greet her cousin. "Phoebe wow. Look at you so pretty. You look just like your mother." Danika continued opening her arms hoping that the little girl would come to her. Phoebe looked up at her mother, and Alex nodded as she walked into her aunt's arms. "Hello pretty girl." Danika continued as Ryan entered to meet the guests.
"Sorry but Alex you know Malik. I'm Danika, I assume you're Ryan." Danika started the introduction way the opposite of how it was supposed to be done but they all seemed to understand what she meant with it in the end. "She's been like this since we were little. She's a special child." Alex laughed seeing the look Danika gave her as the two of them headed further inside the house and Ryan and Malik went outside to attend to the BBQ.
Guys apologies for the long absence. Also for the ending as I feel it is rushed. I have an idea for a new undercover case okay, so hear me out. Like people living in extreme poverty conditions that Ryan and Alex has to spend the night as this family knows the coming and go-ing of the drug dealer, or the person making the community worse than it already is as he/she influences the youth or whatever the case may be, I haven't decided yet. BUT, with Alex being pregnant and all (like a little over 2 months as we have established thus far) I don't think it would be realistic to do something like that, but I think it would be really cool and I want it to be an eye opener for both of them. As I have a little drama planned that would happen at that poverty stricken house that would make them realize live is about more than just money and earthly things. I'd REALLY REALLY like to hear your thoughts on this.
Also thank you for the new follows and favourites. I'm really sorry that my updates are so infrequent these days, I took a bunk day off uni to write this chapter (my parents doesn't need to know about this right, not everyone attends all their classes ). Okay, I think that is all I wanted to say, thank you for staying around and still enjoying the story. Remember to drop me your thoughts on the suggestion above.
Lovies-S
