"What are you reading, baby?" Bridget asked as she sat down next to the brunette. She could see from the look of deep concentration on the younger woman's face that something was troubling her.
"I had Jillian send over a copy of the contract for the show. I wanted to be prepared going into the meeting, and have a chance to talk to you about it." She sighed and set her phone down on the couch beside her.
The blonde gave her a kiss on the temple. "I'm here whenever you want to talk."
"Is Em still in her room?"
"She is. She's building a city with her Lego." Bridget took a sip of her coffee.
"I don't know, Gidge. It just seems like there's a lot I'm not on board with in here." Franky gestured towards her phone.
"Just start at the beginning. We'll get through it." She reached down and gave the brunette's hand a small squeeze.
"Okay." Franky picked up her phone, and scrolled back to the beginning of the document. "Like here, the very first thing: Contestants are required to live in the on-set dormitories and agree to being recorded at all times. Contestants must also be available for filming on-set at any time." The brunette was quiet. She could feel Bridget watching her. "I didn't realize I'd have to live there. It wasn't like that with the other show I did. I can't, I just, I don't want to leave you and Em for that long."
"I won't lie, I wouldn't like it, but I understand what kind of opportunity this could be. You know I wouldn't tell you that you couldn't, right?" the blonde asked, as she moved in closer to Franky's side.
"I know. I see the look you have on your face right now though, and it makes me sad." The brunette cupped Bridget's cheek in her hand. "Em would be devastated, and on top of everything you'd have to deal with that on your own. I can't ask you to do that."
"I'll be okay. We'll be okay." The blonde gave a weak smile. She knew that something like this could lead Franky to her dream of owning her own restaurant, and if she had to deal with some temporary unhappiness to make it happen, then she would. "Maybe you can make some kind of deal with her about it?"
"No, it's not happening." Franky shook her head.
Bridget didn't say anything, but she wasn't going to let the brunette throw in the towel over this. She knew Franky was worked up right now, so she let it drop for the moment.
The brunette scrolled to the next point she had an issue with. "Look at this one. Contestants must participate in pre and post filming interviews. Questions may include topics related to the show or the contestant's personal life/history. Interviews are mandatory and refusal to answer questions on certain topics will result in dismissal from the production. So does that mean that they can ask me about my mom, my childhood, what happened with Pennisi? I don't want to talk about any of that and have it broadcast to the whole country."
"Baby, look at me." Bridget gave the brunette a small kiss. "You don't have to do anything you don't want to. I've said I'll support you if you want to do this, and I will, but I'll also support you if you don't want to. There are other paths to get where you want to go." The blonde put her arm around Franky's shoulders. "Do you remember what I said that night in bed when you first told me about this?" The brunette nodded her head. "What was it?" Bridget, of course, remembered but she felt like the younger woman needed to say it, so that it would stick in her mind.
"You said that no matter what, in the end, I'll still have you and Em and our life together." Franky closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"I just want you to keep that in mind, no matter what." The blonde looked down towards the phone in her fiancée's hand. "Is there more worrying you?" she asked softly.
"Last time they pushed me until they broke me. They knew I had issues, and they exploited them. I'm not that person anymore, and I don't want them to try to make it seem like I am. I don't want them twisting things I do or say to make me look a certain way." The brunette took in a slow, controlled breath. She could feel herself getting emotional, and she knew if she went into the meeting and ended up in tears, then they had won. They would think she was still emotionally weak and volatile. She had to be able to talk about this and come across as strong and confident.
"Why don't you ask if you can see the final edit of each episode before it airs? Then maybe if you see something you don't like, you can ask them to change it."
"Gidge, they're not going to give me that much power. That's like producer-level stuff." Franky tossed her phone onto the couch beside her.
"Hey." Bridget waited until the brunette looked at her. "Just remember, she came to you. Most people are auditioning for a chance to be on the show, and she wants you on it bad enough that she tracked you down and just offered you a spot." The blonde watched her face for a moment. "Ah, there's that annoyingly hot cocky grin." She gave a small giggle.
"Annoyingly hot, cocky grin?" Franky asked, her smile growing, and her confidence starting to return. "Why do you call it that?"
"Because it's a cocky grin, and I find it annoying that I find it hot; that I like it and it turns me on. On anyone else besides you, it would just be annoying." Bridget leaned in and gave her a soft kiss.
"Ah, I see. And when does this usually happen?" The brunette looked from the older woman's eyes, down to her lips and back again. She noticed a slight blush creeping into Bridget's cheeks.
"Mostly when we're in bed, or when you get a good reaction to something you're doing, or when you catch me watching you." She studied Franky's face. "I like it."
"Good." The brunette reached up and cupped Bridget's cheek as she gave her a long, slow kiss. She could feel the blonde settle in closer against her side.
"Auntie Bridge, I need roads."
Bridget opened her eyes to see Emily standing at the end of the couch looking very serious. The blonde cleared her throat. "Roads?"
"For my city. I have the buildings made, and now I need roads." The young girl climbed up on the couch beside Franky.
"You could paint them." The blonde suggested.
"On the floor?" Emily looked at them, confused.
"No!" They both answered in unison.
"I think there's some big sheets of paper left from when we painted your room. Let me check the garage." Bridget got up, and went to check.
"Will you and Auntie Bridge help me?" the small blonde asked Franky.
"Sure, bub."
The blonde returned a minute later, with the roll of paper she had found. "Here, this should work."
"Can we paint it now?" Emily asked excitedly.
"Yeah, let's do it outside on the patio though. I'll get the paint." She handed the paper to Emily.
An hour or so later, Emily had the blueprint of her city completely planned out and painted. The three of them had all worked on it, and the finished product had not only roads, but street signs, lakes, and parks as well.
That evening, as they ate supper, they decided to tell the young girl about the plans they had for New Years Eve. Liz had asked if they would mind Emily spending it with her, and that would leave them free to go out if they'd like. While they didn't have any big plans, they had decided to invite Vera and Jake over to ring in the year with them and had agreed that Emily would have a fun time with Liz.
"Em, so you know tomorrow is New Year's Eve, right?" Bridget asked as she ate a mouthful of her supper. Her niece nodded. "Liz has asked if you'd like to spend it with her. Kind of like how you did on Halloween. What do you think?"
Emily's face lit up. "Liz has good treats, and lots of really old movies!"
"Easy now, those were movies from my youth!" Franky said with mock hurt. The young girl giggled. "How old do you think I am anyway?"
Emily thought for a moment. "Um, forty?"
The brunette's mouth dropped open, and she heard Bridget trying to suppress her laughter. "Not even close, bub!" Franky said, shaking her head.
The young girl looked at Bridget, then Franky. "How old are you?"
"Twenty nine." The brunette replied.
"How old are you Auntie Bridge?"
"Forty four." The blonde glanced up with a small smile on her face. She knew that if Emily thought forty was 'really old', then she'd probably seem ancient to her.
"You're older than Franky." Emily stated. Bridget nodded her head. "Okay." The young girl went back to eating. "Are you going to have treats and watch movies too?"
"Something like that, yeah. Vera and one of her friends are going to come over." The blonde explained.
"I want to see Vera and meet her friend, too."
"Not this time, love," Bridget said calmly. She knew Emily had been testing them more lately, and they had to learn to be more firm with her. She knew it was partly their fault, and partly just a normal thing that kids do at her age. She realized that they had probably let her get away with more than they should have because of everything that had happened to bring her into their lives, but now that they had all settled in, they needed to create structure and expectations for her. Emily dropped her fork loudly on her plate. "Enough. Or you're going to bed early with no story tonight."
"But Franky said we could play one of the new games I got for Christmas!" The tears had started to form in the young girl's eyes. She looked to the brunette for help. "Franky?"
"You have to listen to Auntie." She and Bridget had had a couple of talks about how they wanted to discipline her since the night of the pyjama meltdown. They had agreed on being firm and backing each other up, but also on trying to talk through the girl's emotions with her after she'd calmed down. While Franky agreed with the blonde, she wasn't looking forward to the first time that Emily really put up a fight against her.
The young girl said no more. She took a few more bites of her food, with silent tears in her eyes. "Can I go to my room?" she asked quietly.
"You're done eating?" Bridget asked, and Emily replied with a nod. "Okay then."
The two women watched while Emily walked down the hallway, and closed her bedroom door behind her. Franky started to get up from the table, but Bridget reached out and placed a hand on her arm.
"Give her some time to calm herself. She did the right thing asking to go so she could be alone instead of continuing," the blonde said quietly.
"Sorry, I just…" Franky trailed off.
"I know, baby." Bridget gave her a small smile. "She's okay, I promise." Franky nodded, and went back to eating her meal.
When they had finished eating and had cleared away the dishes, Bridget decided to check on the young girl. She quietly opened her bedroom door and saw Emily laying on her bed. She walked over and sat down gently on the edge of the mattress.
"How are you feeling, love?" the blonde asked as she reached down and gently brushed the girl's long hair away from her face. Emily shrugged. "Anything you want to talk about?" The young girl stayed silent. "Okay." Bridget gave her a kiss on the temple and stood from the bed.
"Am I still allowed to play a game with you and Franky?" Emily asked quietly as her aunt was walking towards the door.
The blonde turned and retraced the few steps she had taken. She crouched down beside the bed, and placed her hand on her niece's cheek. "If you feel like coming back out soon, then yes. If not, it'll be too late to start one, and it'll have to wait until another night."
"Okay."
Bridget gave her a small smile, but it wasn't returned, so she stood up and made her way to the door once again.
"Is she okay?" Franky asked when Bridget had returned to the living room.
"She's upset about something." The blonde sat down beside the younger woman. "I told her to come out when she's ready."
It was over an hour later when Emily decided to leave her bedroom. Franky was sitting on the couch reading the first Harry Potter book from the set that Bridget had gotten her for Christmas, and Bridget was laying down, propped up against the brunette's side, playing a puzzle game on her iPad.
The blonde was the first to notice Emily standing where the hallway wall ended, watching them. "Hey, love. Feeling better?"
"A little." The young girl climbed up on the couch and onto Bridget's lap where she cuddled into her aunt, and rested her head against her chest.
Bridget set her iPad on the coffee table and wrapped her arms around the young girl. Franky continued reading, but draped her arm over both of them, resting her hand on top of the blonde's against Emily's back.
"If there's anything on your mind, you can tell us." Bridget whispered quietly.
"I just miss my mom and dad. They're never coming back." Emily was crying again, and the blonde could feel her tears against her skin.
"I know you miss them, love. And you're right, they aren't coming back, but you have us, and we aren't going anywhere." Bridget gave her a kiss on the top of her head. "It's okay to miss them, and it's okay to cry and be sad. What's not okay though, is to hold those feelings in and then act like you did at supper. Okay?"
"Okay. I'm sorry." The young girl was still crying, but she had calmed some.
"Okay." The blonde rubbed her back.
"Can I sleep with you guys tonight?" Emily knew the rules they had made about her sleeping with them, but every once in a while she tried her luck and asked.
"No, love. That's only for a special occasion like what we did on Christmas Eve, or if you're sick and we need to keep an eye on you." Bridget explained it the same way every time.
"But I don't feel good. I'm sick."
"No, you're not. You're upset. It'll pass." The blonde glanced at the clock. "It's getting a bit late. Are you sleepy?"
"A little." Emily mumbled as she turned her face further in against Bridget.
"How about I put you to bed? You can't sleep with us, but I'll read you a story, and lay down with you until you fall asleep. Deal?"
"Yeah."
It had taken longer than Bridget expected for Emily to fall asleep. It seemed that once the young girl had started to open up, she had a lot of things on her mind. When the blonde had managed to quietly slip out of her niece's bed, she found that Franky was already tucked into theirs with her book.
"Everything alright?" the brunette asked looking up from her book when she noticed Bridget standing in the doorway.
"Yeah. I'm just going to have a quick shower then I'll be in." The blonde pushed herself away from the doorframe and went to the bathroom.
When she returned a few minutes later, Franky closed her book, placed it on her bedside table, and held her arm to the side so the blonde could cuddle in beside her.
"You kept the body wash I said I liked," the brunette said with a smile. She lazily ran her fingers up and down the arm that Bridget had draped across her stomach.
"Mhm." The blonde turned her head slightly and left a small kiss on Franky's shoulder.
"Is she alright?" the younger woman asked quietly.
"She is. She talked some more about her parents after we laid down. I think the holidays and memories of summer vacations are just a bit overwhelming for her right now. It seems like until now she just pushed away thoughts of missing them and focused on the daily distractions she's had. She needs some coping mechanisms." Bridget sighed.
"Is that something you can give her?" Franky turned her head and placed a kiss on the blonde's forehead.
"In theory, yes, but I don't want to turn into her therapist. I think she'd benefit more from some sessions with Brad. Tonight felt like she just wanted to get things off her chest, and she wanted that physical comfort of being close to someone. I highly doubt she was actually listening to much of what I said. I don't mind being the one she unpacks her thoughts with, or having a cuddle, and I don't think you do either." She saw Franky shake her head out of the corner of her eye. "It just can't get to the point again of her not wanting us to leave, or wanting to sleep in our bed every night, and she can't be keeping it in to the point where she acts out before she's ready to talk."
"I think it would be good for her to see him again. He helped her a lot the last time." Franky turned on her side so that she was now face to face with the blonde. "I don't want to spend a night listening to her cry again though. That was awful."
Bridget reached up and pushed the brunette's hair behind her ear then rested her hand on the younger woman's cheek. "I know, baby. Me either. This is something different though. It's about getting her to talk, and teaching her how to deal with her emotions before she gets to that point."
Franky nodded then placed a gentle kiss on the blonde's lips. "I love you."
"I love you, too."
It was just after supper the next day, and Emily had already left for the night. They had eaten their meal early to give Liz and the young girl more time to spend together that evening. Franky and Bridget had told her that it was okay if Emily wanted to stay up until midnight, but they doubted she'd be able to stay awake that late. With her niece gone for the night, she'd lifted the no alcohol rule, and had picked up some wine, and a bottle of champagne for them to share at midnight. Franky was just putting some finishing touches on the plates of snacks and appetizers when the front door opened.
"Hey," Vera greeted them as she entered the kitchen.
"Hey," Bridget said, giving her a kiss on the cheek. She looked behind her friend. "Where's Jake?"
"Oh he's just finishing up a phone call. His boss won't leave him alone." She sat a bag on the kitchen island. "This time I did bring some wine for us."
"Excellent. I'll set it over here with the rest." The blonde took the bottle and placed it on the counter.
They heard the door open again and a few seconds later, Jake joined them in the kitchen.
"Sorry about that." He gave Vera a kiss on the cheek. "Hey, guys."
"Is everything okay at work?" the governor asked as she helped carry some plates of food over to the coffee table.
"Uh, not exactly. They need me to come in for the night shift. Someone called in sick and the place has been a bit crazy lately so they can't work short. I can stay for a couple hours, but then I'll have to take off. I'm really sorry, babe." He sat down beside Vera and handed her a glass of wine.
"It's fine." Vera gave him a small grin. "It's not your fault if work needs you."
"We'll take good care of her Jakey." Franky flopped down on the other section of the couch.
"Yeah, you can just spend the night if you want, Vera," Bridget said from the kitchen where she was pouring wine for her and the brunette.
"Are you sure it's not too much trouble?" the governor asked.
"Nah, course not! I had the spare room ready for you guys anyway. I figured between the wine and the champagne, no one would be fit to drive by the end of the night." Bridget made her way over to the couch and sat down beside Franky. "Still want to do the movie? Or we could just chat."
Vera spoke up. "The movie sounds good." She looked to Jake for confirmation, and he nodded his head in agreement.
Bridget pressed play, and settled in next to Franky. She leaned against the brunette, so Franky lifted her arm and placed it around the blonde, holding her close. The movie they had chosen was a romcom, and while it wouldn't have been Franky's first choice, she didn't mind watching it if Bridget wanted to.
Every once in a while the blonde would stretch up, and give Franky a small kiss. It probably wasn't noticeable to anyone else, but the younger woman could feel Bridget's fingers moving slowly against her side, where her hand rested. The brunette once again caught Vera stealing glances at them the same way she had that night at the bar. The governor never realized she'd been caught, and Franky never called her out on it.
About halfway through the movie, the blonde got up and refilled hers, Franky's, and Vera's glasses of wine. Jake had stopped after the first one since he had to work in a few hours.
At one point, Franky reached down and took Bridget's hand in hers to stop it's journey across her side. The blonde just smiled up at her before turning her attention back to the movie.
By the time the movie was over, the three women were each into their third glass of wine.
"I hate to run ladies, but if I don't leave now, I'll be late for work. Thanks again for the invite." He smiled at Franky and Bridget. "Let me know if you want me to stop by and pick you up on my way home tomorrow morning." Vera gave a small nod, as Jake leaned in to give her a kiss. Judging her body language, at the last second, he opted for one on her cheek instead of her lips, then headed out the front door.
Vera watched him go, then turned back just in time to see Franky give Bridget a gentle kiss.
"You know what would be good?" Franky asked no one in particular. She didn't wait for an answer before she took off down the hall and into their bedroom.
"She's like a teenager sometimes, hey?" Vera gave a small laugh.
"What do you mean?" Bridget knew that Franky was just a big kid at heart, but she wasn't sure if her friend was talking about something particular or not.
"She likes to sit close to you while we watched the movie, and is always giving you kisses."
"Yeah, that's not just teenage stuff though. I like it, too." The blonde gave her friend a smile.
"But why? I don't feel that with Jake." Vera looked down, slightly embarrassed.
"Ah, well, it's fun with the right person," Bridget said with a wink.
"What's fun with the right person?" Franky reappeared holding what was left of the bottle of tequila from Bridget's birthday party.
"Baby, no." The blonde laughed, took the bottle from the younger woman, and set it on the counter behind her. Hopefully out of sight and out of mind. "I was just telling Vera that kissing and stuff is fun with the right person."
"Well, I don't know about with just anyone, but I've been told it's fun with me." Franky's cocky grin made an appearance as she winked at Vera.
Bridget gave the younger woman a playful nudge with her elbow.
"I think we all need a round of shots. Where's that tequila I brought out?" the brunette asked, looking for it on the counter. "Ah!" Franky spotted it, half hidden behind Bridget. The brunette reached behind her and grabbed the bottle with one hand, then reached up into the cabinet and found three shot glasses. She lined them up on the island and poured in the tequila.
They drank the first round, and Franky began to pour another.
"This is the last one for me. Okay, baby?" Bridget was already feeling the effects of the wine, and they still had the champagne for midnight, which was now less than an hour away.
"Me too," Vera said, picking up her glass.
They drank that round, and the brunette filled up her own again.
"I can handle it." She winked at Bridget when she saw the blonde give her a questioning look.
"We'll see," the older woman said with a small laugh.
The time until midnight passed quickly. Bridget handed a glass of champagne to Franky, and she had to admit that the brunette didn't look all that drunk despite the three shots earlier.
"And in three, two, one! Happy New Year!" they all said in unison, and took a sip of champagne.
Franky gave Bridget a soft kiss, then turned her head to give Vera one on the cheek.
"Wha-" The governor hadn't been paying attention to her friends, and when she saw something out of the corner of her eye, she turned her head to see what it was.
Vera hadn't expected that it was the brunette moving in to give her a New Year's kiss on the cheek, and their lips briefly touched for a couple of seconds before they both pulled away in surprise.
"I, uh…" Vera put her fingers to her lips. "I didn't mean to…"
"If you wanted a kiss, you could have just asked." Franky gave her a smile, trying to lighten her mood.
"No, uh, I'm sorry." She looked at her friend. "Bridget…"
"Don't worry about it." The blonde smiled at her.
"Anyone want another before bed?" Franky asked, holding up the bottle of tequila. Both women shook their heads, so she proceeded to pour just one for herself.
Bridget never said a word, but silently placed a glass of water on the counter beside the brunette. When Franky sat down the bottle, the blonde quickly picked it up, and placed it quietly into a nearby cabinet.
They sat in the living room and talked for almost another hour when Bridget noticed the brunette's eyes starting to close. "Alright, time to call it a night, I think," she said, patting Franky's leg.
The blonde made sure all the doors were locked, and turned off the lights in the main part of the house. She then pulled Franky up off the couch and walked with her to their bedroom.
Once they were inside, the brunette gave her a long slow kiss. In the back of Bridget's mind it registered that Franky was good at this even when she was as drunk as she was. She felt the younger woman reach for the bottom of her shirt.
"Mmm, baby, not tonight. Vera is right next door, and drunk sex is never quiet." Bridget gave her a smile, then gently took her hand and diverted it away from her shirt.
The brunette smiled back at her. "Come on, I can rock your world, Gidge."
The blonde let out a laugh. "Okay, but quietly."
"I think the quiet part is up to you," Franky said with a smug grin on her face.
Bridget shook her head, and gave her a quick kiss. "I'm going to go to the bathroom. I'll be back in a minute."
She finished up in the washroom, then went to the kitchen to grab two bottles of water. She figured Franky would be grateful for them in the morning. When she got back to the bedroom, she saw that the brunette was under the covers, and was now quietly snoring. It appeared that she hadn't even bothered to get undressed. The blonde smiled to herself. Clearly there would be no one 'rocking her world' tonight. She crawled into the bed, and Franky stirred slightly, just enough to wrap her arms around Bridget, and pull her close.
"I love you," Franky mumbled before she drifted off again.
Bridget smiled. "I love you too, baby."
The first thought in Franky's mind the next morning was pain. Her body hurt, her head hurt, and when she turned over in bed, it felt like the world was moving around her. Bridget was already up. She could hear her and Vera talking in the kitchen, and she could smell the breakfast they were cooking. The smell made the brunette's stomach turn, and she could feel the bile rising in her throat. Franky threw the covers off, and ran to the washroom where she proceeded to empty her stomach into the toilet.
Bridget and Vera had seen the brunette's sprint to the toilet, and heard the aftereffects of the alcohol she had consumed the night before. They watched as she made her way a few moments later to the kitchen, her eyes still half closed against the bright morning light.
"Hey, baby. Want some breakfast?" The blonde smiled. She knew that Franky most likely didn't even want to think about food, but she remembered the brunette's insistence the night before that she would be fine.
"No." Franky gave her a sideways glance as she joined them at the kitchen table. "I don't even remember going to bed last night."
"So you don't remember telling me that you could 'rock my world'?" Bridget tried to keep a straight face, but Vera laughed and almost choked on her coffee.
The brunette cringed. "Please tell me I didn't say that."
"You did."
"God, that's so cheesy. But did I?" Franky managed a half grin.
"Baby, you were asleep when I got back from the bathroom." Bridget couldn't help but let out a small laugh.
"Ugh." Franky folded her arms on the table in front of her and rested her head on them.
"Don't worry, you'll get another chance." The blonde said with mock seriousness as she reached over and rubbed her back. "You should at least have some water, and take something for the headache."
"Okay," Came the brunette's muffled reply. Franky turned her head when Bridget got up to get her water so she could see the other two women. "How are you guys fine and I'm a mess?"
"You had two more shots of tequila than we did, and I'm pretty sure you had a second glass of champagne at some point too, but I wasn't really paying attention," the blonde said, setting the glass of water and the bottle of pain relievers on the table as she took her seat again.
The brunette took two of the pills with a couple mouthfuls of water. "Ugh, that doesn't feel nice." She rested her head back on her arms.
Bridget reached out and rubbed her back again while she resumed her chat with Vera.
After a few minutes, she could feel Franky's muscles starting to relax. "Why don't you go back and lay in bed, baby? Get a couple more hours of rest before Em comes home."
The brunette sighed. "Alright. Sorry I'm not better company, Vera," she said as she stood.
"No worries, go get some more rest," the governor said as she took another drink of her coffee.
Franky leaned down to give Bridget a kiss, and saw her flicker of hesitation. "I brushed my teeth," she said with a smile.
The blonde gave a small laugh, and kissed her fiancée.
Bridget was sipping her second cup of tea when Liz arrived with Emily. The young girl came around the corner from the entryway, and gave the blonde a hug.
"Where's Franky?" she asked, looking around the living area.
"She's still in bed. She's not feeling her best this morning." Bridget caught Liz's eye, and the other woman gave her a knowing smile. "Why don't you go put your bag in your room?"
"Ah, you're nicer than I was, love. I used to beat on the pots and pans 'till she woke up when she lived at my place and came home like that. Only happened a couple times," Liz said after Emily had gone, and gave the blonde a wink.
"I'm sure she loved that." Bridget gave a small laugh. "I'm going to see if she wants something for lunch in a few minutes, so I'm guessing Em will be getting her up. Thanks again for taking her for the night. There were no problems?"
"No, love, she was an angel. Managed to stay up until midnight too."
"Good. She's been acting out a bit lately. Just testing some boundaries, but I'm glad it's only with us."
"She's a good kid. Tell Franky I said happy new year, will ya? I have to get going. I've got some paperwork to look after at the Centre." Liz gave Bridget a hug before she left.
"Can I go in?" Emily was standing at their bedroom door.
"Just wait a few minutes. I'm going to see if she wants something to eat for lunch or if she wants to sleep some more, okay?" Bridget gently moved the young girl aside, so she could open the door. "I'll be out in a minute."
Franky still had the curtains drawn, and the blankets over her head.
"Baby." The blonde gently lifted the edge of the blanket. "Do you want something to eat?"
"I don't know." The brunette thought for a minute. "Maybe?"
"Okay I'll make some toast. Em's back too and she's asking for you. I told her you weren't feeling well, but she really wants to see you."
"Tell her I'll be out in a minute. I'll lay on the couch and hang out with you guys." Franky rubbed her eyes and sat up slowly.
"Are you sure?" Bridget reached out and brushed a few strands of hair off the brunette's face.
"Yeah, I did this to myself, I need to suck it up." She groaned and stretched as she stood up from the bed. "I think I'd like a shower first before I try to eat something though."
"Okay, I'll wait until you're done to make your food." The blonde squeezed her arm, and left her to get showered.
When Franky got out to the living room, Emily was waiting for her on the couch, dressed in her pyjamas.
"How was your night with Liz, bub?" the brunette asked, sitting down beside the girl.
"It was good! She had crisps, and candy, and we watched movies, and she made a big breakfast for us. She cooks good like you. And I stayed up until midnight!"
"She taught me how to cook. Why are you still in your pyjamas?" Franky asked, giving a small tug on the girl's sleeve.
"Auntie Bridge said you were sick and needed to rest, so I wanted to rest with you, and look after you like you did when I was sick. I got you a pillow and a blanket and the bucket." Emily pointed to the bucket sitting on the floor.
"Well let's hope we don't need that, but thank you. That's very kind of you." The brunette put an arm around the young girl and pulled her into a side hug. She glanced over to the kitchen where Bridget was watching them with a smile on her face.
As soon as the toast popped out of the toaster, Emily got up and waited for Bridget to put butter on it so she could bring it to Franky. The blonde gave her a bottle of sports drink to go with it as well. Bridget figured she could use the extra electrolytes since she'd thrown up twice more after Vera left.
"I think I'm going to lay down again. Would you like to watch some cartoons or something with me?" Franky took her plate over and put it in the dishwasher.
"Okay." Emily began to unfold the blanket she had gotten for Franky.
"You going to hang around too, Gidge?" the brunette asked. Bridget had been cleaning up from the lunch she'd made for her and Emily, and Franky wasn't sure if she had work she needed to do, or if she was free for the day.
"A lazy day on the couch with you two sounds good to me." She gave the brunette a kiss.
Franky laid on her side and Emily laid in front of her so they could both see the screen, while Bridget settled onto the other section with her own pillows and blanket.
"Franky gets to pick what we watch, since she's sick." Emily handed the remote to the brunette, as her aunt smiled and shook her head.
Franky scrolled through the cartoon options. "Hey, do you know these guys?" she asked Emily. The girl shook her head. "The teenage mutant ninja turtles. It's an American cartoon. These four turtles touched a bunch of goo and became kind of human-like and the guy who raised them looks like a big rat. They fight crime and this evil guy called Shredder."
"Cool! I want to watch that!" Emily said excitedly.
"Did you watch them, Gidge?" the brunette asked as she pressed play.
"They were after my time. I never watched it, but I know the basic idea." The blonde pulled the blanket around her.
"Prepare to be amazed then."
Bridget smiled as she watched Emily's focus on the show, and Franky filled in all the details for her. This was the perfect way to end their holidays.
