Franky felt the bed move as the blonde turned over once again.

"You alright?" she asked, as she reached out to put her arm around the older woman again.

"Yeah, I just can't get comfortable. My nose is plugged, and I feel like I can't breathe properly." Bridget let out a sigh. "I should go sleep out in the living room. I keep waking you up." This was the first time that Franky had actually said something to her that night, but she knew the younger woman had been awake just as much as she had. Whenever she had a restless moment, the brunette was there with a small kiss, or an extra squeeze of her arm.

"No, you don't," Franky lied. She'd never admit it, and make the blonde feel bad over something she couldn't control. "Maybe if you sat up a bit it would help."

Bridget mustered her strength, and sat up while the brunette rearranged her pillows behind her.

Franky moved her own pillows as well, and sat back with her arm to the side so that the blonde could rest against her.

"Are you sure you don't want me to move out to the living room?" She asked, looking up at the brunette. "You're not going to be able to sleep well like this."

"I seem to remember we slept like this for a couple nights before just fine." Franky gave her a smile.

"Yeah, we did. That was when I gave you this." Bridget reached up, and touched the silver kite that was resting on the younger woman's chest just below the hollow where her collarbones met.

"Tell me what you're thinking." Franky had watched for a moment while the blonde ran her finger back and forth over the small charm, and had seen a smile flicker across her face.

"When you're on top of me," she glanced up, and saw that cocky grin already on the brunette's face, "and you're kissing me, pretty much anywhere, I always notice this trailing along my skin."

"That's hot." The younger woman gently squeezed Bridget's hip where her hand was resting, earning a giggle from the other woman, which quickly turned into a cough. "You should try to get some rest, babe."

Franky pulled the blonde closer, and felt her sigh as she snuggled in against her.

"I love you, so much," Bridget mumbled as she closed her eyes.

"I love you, too." The brunette pulled the blanket up higher with her free hand, making sure that the other woman stayed warm.

"Where's Auntie?" Emily asked as she sat on one of the stools in the kitchen, watching Franky prepare their breakfast.

"Auntie is getting some extra rest. She's still not feeling well, and she didn't sleep much last night." The brunette was feeling the effects of a restless night as well, but she figured an extra strong cup of coffee would do the trick for her.

"She's not going to work?" The young girl glanced down the hallway to see if there was any sign of movement in the bedroom.

"Not today, bub." Franky placed a bowl of fruit and yogurt in front of Emily.

"I want to stay, and look after her." She poked at a large piece of strawberry with her spoon.

"She'll just be sleeping all day. Besides, I need your help at the restaurant." The brunette thought that reminding Emily that she was needed elsewhere, would convince the young girl to come with her without her having to put her foot down, and tell her she couldn't stay at home.

"But she's sick." Emily's bottom lip quivered.

"Hey," Franky said quietly as she walked around the island and sat down on the other stool. "Auntie will be fine, it's just a cold. She needs to rest, and she'll feel better in a day or two."

"Maybe she didn't sleep last night because she needed cuddles." The young girl gave Franky a serious look.

"She got cuddles from me last night." It was all the brunette could do not to crack a smile at the fact that Emily thought she wouldn't have looked after the older woman.

"But…" The young girl looked down the hallway again.

"I know you don't like when one of us isn't feeling well." Franky reached out, and rested her hand against Emily's arm. It was partly to comfort her, and partly to be ready to stop her if she decided to take off down the hallway towards the bedroom. "You trust me, right?" The brunette waited, and got a small nod. "I promise that Auntie will be okay here by herself. If she needs anything she'll call me, and I'll come right home. Look, I even made her some food in case she wakes up hungry later." Franky got up and opened the fridge door. There was a container of fruit and yogurt, and a sandwich wrapped up, ready for the blonde. "So you come to the restaurant with me today, and then you and she can cuddle tonight like you did yesterday."

"Can we call and see how she's feeling?" Emily leaned out, and looked down the hallway again.

"How about I leave her a note asking her to call us? That way we won't wake her up." The brunette was trying her best to think of compromises, but the young girl was being insistent.

"Can I write it?" Emily asked.

"Sure." Franky actually thought it would be really cute for Bridget to wake up to a note from her niece. "Finish up your yogurt, and go get changed. Then I'll help you with the note if you want."

The brunette ate her own breakfast while Emily went and changed out of her pyjamas. The young girl was taking longer than usual in her room, and Franky was just about to go check on her, when she emerged carrying a piece of paper.

"Is this okay?" Emily held out the paper as she approached the brunette.

She'd chosen a yellow piece of construction paper, and drawn brightly colored flowers around the edge. In the middle, it said: 'Call me and Franky. Love, Emily'.

"It's lovely. Let's leave it right here on the island so she'll see it when she comes out to get something to eat or drink." Franky propped it up against the large fruit bowl.

"What if she's not hungry, or thirsty. She won't see it," the young girl was getting upset again.

"Okay." The brunette knew that Emily had a point. If Bridget wasn't hungry, and just got up and went to the bathroom, or didn't get up at all, then she wouldn't see it. "You can put it on her bedside table, but you have to be very quiet when you go in, and don't wake her if she's asleep."

"Yeah." Emily took the piece of paper from Franky, and walked back down the hallway.

The brunette followed behind to make sure that the young girl stuck to their deal. She watched as Emily quietly walked along the side of the bed, and placed the note on top of Bridget's phone. Franky saw her hesitate for a moment as she watched her aunt, then turned, and came back out of the room.

"All good?" the brunette asked as she pulled the door closed, softly. She saw Emily nod. "Good. Let's get going. Shayne will be there soon to meet us."

"Franky!"

Franky, Shayne, and Emily were working in the kitchen when they heard someone knocking loudly on the front door.

"I got it." The brunette set the box she was carrying down on the counter, and started out through the dining room.

"Franky, come on! It's raining!"

"Jesus, Booms, give me a second to get here." Franky reached up and turned the lock. She opened the door for her friend, and stumbled backwards as the other woman quickly pushed her way inside.

"Sorry Franky, but fuck, now I'm all wet." She took off her jacket, and hung it over the back of a nearby chair.

"Not always a bad thing." The brunette laughed, and gave her a cheeky wink.

"Fuck off," Boomer said as she pushed a wet strand of hair out of her face.

"Come on, I'll show you around." Franky took a couple steps then glanced behind her. "Best behaviour today, yeah? Em's here with us." The brunette loved her friend, but Boomer swore a lot, and given the reason for Emily's current suspension from school, she thought it best for her to try to keep it toned down while she was here with the young girl.

"Oh," Boomer covered her mouth with her hand. "All good," she mumbled.

"So as you can see, this is the dining room, and weather permitting, we'll have some outdoor dining space out on the back patio there. This counter," the brunette ran her hand along the new butcher block top as she walked, "will be a seating area as well. Down the hall to the side there are the washrooms, then further down is a storage room, and my office." She led the other woman through a set of swinging doors. "And here's the kitchen." Franky stood to the side, and let Boomer have a look around.

"This place is great Franky!" She said as she took in the whole of the kitchen.

"Thanks!" The brunette couldn't help but smile. She was proud of what she'd accomplished, and what it would mean for her and her family. "Booms, this is Shayne, he's going to be one of the chefs here, and you know Em, of course."

"Oh, yeah, I know the little bubs." Boomer gave Emily a small wave before she turned her attention to Shayne. "I've seen you on the show. You're a cute little one." She reached around, grabbed the young man's butt, and gave it a squeeze.

"Hey!" Shayne was surprised, and stepped to the side, bumping into Emily. Luckily he was able to put his arm around her, and steady her so she didn't fall over. "I have a girlfriend." He knew it was a ridiculous thing to say, but in the moment it was the first thing that came to mind, and he blurted it out.

"You're not supposed to touch people without asking," Emily said, looking up at the two adults.

At first Shayne thought she was talking to him because he had grabbed her to keep her from falling, but then he realized that she was looking up at Boomer.

"Yeah," the young man took another step to the side, careful to go around Emily this time, "what she said."

"She's right, Booms, no touching. I know he's adorable, but he's also very taken." Franky liked to take every opportunity possible to remind Shayne of his commitment to Vera, making sure that her threat was still fresh in his mind.

"Aw, yeah okay, sorry. Just having a bit of fun. No hard feelings, hey?" Boomer gave him a punch in the arm.

"Yeah, sure." He rubbed his bicep as he went back to his work.

"Em, let's make some lunch for everyone, yeah?" Franky called her over to the main workspace in the kitchen. She had said she'd let her cook something there this week, and she figured it was a good day to do that since they had a couple extra people to feed.

"What are we going to make?" Emily asked as she stepped up on the small stool the brunette had ordered for her. It was just like the one she had at the house that she used when she helped out there.

"I was thinking we'd make something from the menu. Maybe the grilled cheese that I made on the show?" Franky thought that the young girl might enjoy getting to use the large flat-top grill.

"Oh, for sure." Shayne stuck his head out of the walk-in fridge. "Those were so good."

"Okay," Emily smiled at him, then turned her attention back to Franky, "let's make those."

"Franks, have you thought about who else is going to work here?" He asked, returning from the fridge.

"Yep. I've been in touch with Jenna, who's more than happy to come on board as a chef, and I have four interviews lined up tomorrow for wait staff, or which I only need to hire two. Should be easy peasy." She gave Shayne a wink.

"Jenna?" The young man hadn't realized that Franky was even considering hiring her.

"Yeah. Is that a problem?" She sensed a bit of hesitation from him. "This won't be as stressful and fast-paced as the show. She'll be fine."

"Oh, yeah, true. And no, no problem. You just caught me off-guard is all." He gave her a small smile, then went back to his work.

"Alright, Em, let's get to work on lunch." She started explaining to the young girl how to make her special grilled cheese.

Bridget was pulled from her sleep by the sound of her phone ringing beside her head. She reached up, and retrieved it from it's spot on the bedside table. She was expecting to see Franky's, or maybe Vera's number, but instead it was Emily's school.

"Hello?" Her throat was still dry from sleep, and she sat up a bit to take a sip from the bottle of water beside her clock. She'd registered a piece of paper falling to the floor when she'd picked up her phone, and now she reached over the edge of the bed and picked it up as she laid back down.

"Ms. Westfall?" The voice on the other end of the line sounded like they were unsure that they were speaking with the right person.

"Yes, this is Bridget." The blonde didn't know why, but she felt the need to specify which 'Ms. Westfall' the caller was speaking with.

"Ah, yes, Bridget, it's the receptionist from Emily's school calling. The principal has asked me to call, and remind you that she had requested to see you and your wife this week to discuss Emily's situation, and you haven't scheduled a time yet. How is four this afternoon?"

Bridget was caught off guard at first. She remembered Franky telling her that the principal wanted to see them, but with everything going on with the opening of the restaurant, and her being sick, they hadn't talked about it since. The last thing the blonde wanted to do today was to have to make herself presentable, and leave the house, but understood her responsibilities.

"Yeah, that's fine for me." Bridget glanced over at the clock, and saw that it was just after noon. "I'll have to check with Franky, but if you don't hear back from me, then assume we'll be there."

"Thank you, we'll see you then." The receptionist hung up.

The blonde now looked at the paper she had picked up off the floor, and smiled. It was the note that Emily had written for her to call them when she woke up. She found Franky's number in her contact list, and waited for the brunette to answer.

"Auntie Bridge!" It was Emily who had answered instead. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, love," Bridget said with a small chuckle, "I'm fine. I got the note you left. You did a beautiful job with it."

"Franky wouldn't let me stay with you." The young girl sounded almost like she was apologising for her absence.

"That's okay. She was right to make you go with her. You needed to get your schoolwork done, and help out." The blonde wanted Emily to know that she agreed with her wife's decision. "How are you guys doing?"

"Good. Franky let me make lunch for everyone in the big kitchen! I got to use the new grill!" The excitement was evident in the young girl's voice.

"Oo that sounds like fun! You're the first person to get to cook in there." It made Bridget so happy to hear Emily talk about something with so much joy.

"Yeah!" The young girl giggled. "Everyone said it was really good! I made special grilled cheese!"

"I bet it was delicious. Maybe you can make me one tonight when you come home." She'd take any opportunity to encourage, and support her niece's interests. She could hear Franky now talking in the background. "Can I talk to Franky now, love? I want to let her know how I'm feeling." She didn't want to mention the meeting with the principal to the young girl.

"Franky!" Emily barely took the phone away from her mouth before she called for the brunette, causing her aunt to wince at the sudden loud noise. "Auntie Bridge wants to talk to you."

"Hey, babe, how are you feeling?" Franky was hoping that the fact they hadn't heard from her until now was a sign that she'd been able to get some rest.

"Good." She paused. That was her standard answer, and the reply was so automatic that she actually had to remind herself that she could be honest and say how she really felt. "Well, a little better, I think, but still kind of crappy."

"Hmm, well that was a bit of a cryptic answer, but I'll take it to mean that at least you're not feeling any worse." Franky smiled, hoping that a bit of humor might help the blonde feel a bit better.

"I just got a call from the school. The principal wants to meet with us at four today. Apparently we took too long scheduling that meeting on our own." Bridget sighed.

"Are you sure you're feeling up to it?" The brunette didn't think it was fair that the school expected the older woman to come in when she'd been sick enough to take the day off work.

"Yeah, it'll be fine. It shouldn't take that long anyway." Bridget assumed this was probably a standard thing when kids got in trouble like Emily had.

"Alright, I'll see if Shyane can watch her while we're gone." Franky glanced over to see the two of them laughing at something the young man had just said. "I don't think it'll be a problem."

"Okay. How are you feeling? Not too tired?" The blonde was so grateful to the younger woman for looking after her, but she hoped that Franky wasn't having a miserable day because of it.

"I'm good. Had three coffees this morning." She'd made the two she'd had at home extra strong as well.

"Oh, I asked Em to make that special sandwich for me tonight. She sounded really excited about it." Bridget wanted to give the other woman a head's up.

"You'll love it." Franky realized that she'd never made it at home so it would be something new for the blonde. "I'll bring home the cheese for it."

"Sounds great. I'll see you in a bit."

They said their goodbyes, then ended the call. Bridget checked the time, and decided that she could get in a couple more hours of sleep before she needed to get up and ready for their meeting.

"Why do I feel like we're about to be punished?" Franky asked the blonde as they walked into Emily's school together.

"It'll be okay, baby." Bridget reached down, and gave the younger woman's hand a squeeze.

"Ah, the Westfalls," the receptionist greeted them, "go right in, Ms. Johns is ready for you."

"Thank you for coming in. Finally." The principal said the last part under her breath as she motioned to the chairs in front of her desk. "Please take a seat."

Franky had picked up on Ms. Johns' comment, and shot her a look. She felt the blonde's hand on her arm, encouraging her to be calm, and take her seat.

"I assume we're here to talk about Em's suspension?" Bridget wanted to get this started, so it could be over, and they could go back home.

"Yes, I must say it's a bit concerning." The principal opened the file that was sitting on her desk. "Emily was a model student until not that long ago, and now she's on her second suspension."

"The first one shouldn't count." Franky spoke up.

"I agree that the first one was a bit," Ms Johns searched for the word she wanted, "controversial, but nonetheless, it is on her record. Now she has a second strike against her."

"Second strike?" Bridget wasn't really into sports, but she knew what happened when someone got a third strike.

"As per our policy," she handed a sheet to the blonde, "if a student receives a third suspension, it is an automatic expulsion for the rest of the school year."

"Em isn't a bad kid." The brunette was having a hard time believing that the young girl was close to facing an expulsion.

"No, but her actions are ill-chosen at times. Her teacher has noted that she's been a bit more disruptive in class lately as well." She caught the look of surprise on the two women's faces. "You weren't aware of this?"

"One of us usually speaks to her teacher when we drop her off in the mornings. Ms. Williams has never mentioned it." The blonde glanced over at Franky, who shook her head, confirming that Emily's teacher hadn't spoken to her about it either.

"Maybe she felt the need to mention it in light of this latest incident." The principal gave a small shrug.

"When she's being 'disruptive'," Franky made an air quote with her left hand, "when is that? When she's supposed to be doing her work, or listening, or when?"

"I've been told it's usually when she's finished her work." Ms. Johns felt like the brunette was about to make a point.

"Because she's finished early?" Franky felt Bridget's eyes on her.

"Yes, academically there's no problem." The principal knew that, as far as her schoolwork went, Emily was one of the top students.

"Well maybe she's bored then." The brunette placed the large brown envelope she'd brought with her on the desk with a louder than necessary thud.

"What's this?" Ms. Johns hadn't asked them to bring anything with them, so she wasn't sure what it could be.

"Her assignments for the week that her teacher gave me on Friday when I picked her up. She's finished them all." Franky had intended just to give them to Emily's teacher, but now she'd decided she could use them to get her point across.

"She's finished all of them?" The principal took the sheets out of the envelope and flipped through them.

"That's right. In three days. Plus I made her read for a half hour each day after she finished those. When she's done all that, she's allowed to help at the restaurant." The brunette sat back in her chair, feeling that the worksheets had had the intended impact.

"Impressive." Ms Johns placed the sheets back into the envelope. "So there haven't been any behaviour issues at home?"

"None. She's a good kid." Bridget felt the need to step in and defend the young girl.

"What does she do with you at the restaurant? She talked about it a lot in class apparently." At the start of the meeting, the principal had been annoyed that she'd had to chase down the pair for a meeting, thinking they were turning out to not be taking an active interest in Emily's schooling, but she could see now that that wasn't the case.

"Anything I ask." Franky shrugged. "She filled the salt and pepper shakers the other day. She sorted the silverware one day. Today she helped us unpack, and organize some of the food shipment, and she cooked lunch for myself, and the two other workers. I promised her I'd let her cook something in the big kitchen this week."

"Well I'm glad she's enjoying herself, but it hardly seems like she's gotten much of a punishment." Ms. Johns knew that she was probably overstepping her boundaries, but what happened at home often impacted what happened at the school.

"We talked with her, and worked out why it happened, and what can be done to avoid it happening again." The blonde understood that, to someone on the outside, it didn't seem like much, but they didn't know the whole situation.

"And why did it happen?" Again, the principal knew she was pushing her limits.

"It was a…" Bridget glanced over at the younger woman, "family issue."

"Which was?" Ms. Johns looked at each of the women.

"Private, and none of your business." Franky had gone up against the principal during Emily's first suspension, and ever since, she'd had a lower opinion of the woman.

"Ms. Johns," Bridget decided that it was time to end this, "we've spoken with Em about this, and she understands that what she did wasn't acceptable. It's also my understanding that Franky made her apologize to her teacher as well. We know that you needed to tell us that she's on her last chance, but if there's nothing else, I think we should leave it here. As you can probably tell, I'm not feeling well, and I'm sure both you, and Franky have had long days."

"I agree." The principal was grateful that the blonde gave her a way out. She didn't like to admit it, but she found Franky to be a bit intimidating, especially when it came to her defence of the young girl. "I do hope the next time we meet, it's under better circumstances."

"Me too." Bridget stood, then reached out, and shook Ms. Johns' hand. She waited while the brunette did the same, then led the way back out to their car.

Franky stretched out her shoulders, and flexed her fingers as they walked. She'd been tensed up during the whole meeting, and she needed to work out the busy energy.

"You alright, baby?" The blonde placed her hand on the younger woman's back.

"Yeah," the brunette sighed. "I could have handled that better. I just…." She trailed off, and shook her head.

"We did what we thought was best for Em, and you didn't like her questioning that." Bridget understood her wife very well by now.

"Yeah, and I didn't like how she kept wanting to know what was wrong. I know I fucked up with Em, and I'm making it right. You and Em know that, and that's what matters. She," Franky pointed behind her back towards the school, "doesn't need to know. Plus, Em is a sensitive kid. She wouldn't like everyone knowing her business."

"No, she wouldn't, but baby," they'd made it to the car now, and the blonde stepped in front of Franky, and put her arms around her neck, "we have to deal with these people for the next five years or so. We shouldn't make that relationship with them any more difficult."

"Maybe not." The brunette studied the older woman's face.

"What do you mean?" Bridget saw her shrug. "She has to go to school, it's not an option."

"Yeah but she doesn't have to go to this one." Franky gave a nod towards the building.

"I guess not. There are other schools nearby." The blonde had just let Emily continue at the school Tim had chosen for her when he'd first left the young girl in her care. There were a few other options in the area.

"Nah." Franky shook her head. "She's bored. She's like me; needs to keep moving, and busy, and have her mind occupied. She needs something that will challenge her like a private school, or a tutor, or homeschooling, so she can move along faster.

"Franky," Bridget began, "I don't disagree with you, but we don't have the money for that."

"I'll figure it out. I'll make it work." The brunette shook her head again to clear it, and looked up at the sky. "If it's what she needs, I'll make sure she gets it."

"Hey," the blonde waited until Franky made eye contact with her, "if it's something she needs, we'll make sure she gets it, okay?" Bridget loved the brunette's dedication to the young girl, but she was very much committed to them handling the issues that came up as a team. "For now, let's just see if she continues to seem bored, or if that kind of goes away as the work gets harder. If we're seeing the same issues down the road a bit, we'll sit down, and have a talk with her. She may not even want to make changes, in which case, she'll need to learn how to control her emotions better. She's old enough to have a say in these kinds of things."

"Yeah, you're right." She placed a soft kiss on Bridget's lips. "Let's get home so you can rest some more."

"Wait, I was what?" The blonde laughed, making it known that she was listening for Franky to say it again.

"I said you were right." Franky gave her another small kiss. "Come on, let's go home."