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Special thanks to Cat Carroll (Of the J&J and Gen X6 fame) for all her help tonight in finally writing this chapter. We all owe her for anything I've written.
Thanks for all the reviews. Nothing makes me write faster than knowing people actually want to read it. I apologize for the delay in writing on any of my fics. I just started a new job and along with school and maintaining my social life, my writing has suffered. I'll try to get a chapter of Extra Ordinary out before next week.
I've been wanting to do this for ages, and I finally remembered. I really want to thank afan for all her fabulous reviews. There is nothing I look forward more when posting a chapter then hearing from her. Reviews like hers not only say 'good job', she gives me ideas on how to be better. There is nothing more invaluable than a honest reviewer. So thanks!!
Chapter Eight
For the first time in a very long time, I slept long, and I slept hard. I just have gotten like a full eight hours of sleep. Me sleeping eight hours is like anyone else sleeping for sixteen. For about two seconds, I had no idea what would possibly make me sleep. Then I reached up with my right arm to brush my loose hair off of my face when I realized why my arm felt so heavy. Then I spotted the cast on my arm and it all came back to me at once. I wasn't in much pain anymore, luckily, so I was now able to smile and laugh at the whole situation. Things like this only happen in my family.
I slid out of bed slowly, careful not to bump my arm against anything. The apartment was absolutely freezing, so I found a loose sweatshirt in my closet and managed to wiggle into it. It was going to take some getting used to working with one hand. When I stepped out of my room I very nearly tripped over Leo. Just when I was going to yell at him for standing in my doorway like a creepy little zombie, but he smiled one of his charming smiles and I quickly forgot. 'Good Morning!' He signed brightly.
I looked down at my hands, vaguely annoyed by the problems that this cast was going to cause me. "Hey." I said, holding my hands up to signal my lack of signing ability. He stared at the cast blankly. "Wait, do you know anything about last night?" I asked.
Leo shook his head. 'Dad said you were sick.' I can see why Dad wouldn't want to explain the whole thing to Leo, but did he really think that Leo wouldn't notice a big neon blue cast on my arm? "I broke my arm." I said simply. Something on my face told Leo not to question it further.
It wasn't that I didn't want Leo to know. I'd tell him everything he wanted to know about it. But then again, I could hear Dad in the kitchen. That was a good thing. Such a good thing, that all explanations would have to be put on hold till I found out what I could talk him into cooking. It'd been like fourteen hours since I'd eaten and I was getting pretty desperate.
"'Morning Daddy." I said and gave him a kiss on the cheek. I still talked to him since he'd effectively freaked out on Uncle Zack last night and there was no telling what mood he was in. Since Uncle Zack was at the table with all his major appendages attached, I figured Dad wasn't that pissed off anymore. Since Dad looked half asleep himself and only asked me what I wanted to eat, things were getting back to normal.
I sat down across from Uncle Zack. He was faring pretty well for a guy with twenty odd stitches. He didn't have much to say, other than the muttered 'good morning, but that was to be expected. No matter how many times I stabbed him, he was still going to be lovable, antisocial Uncle Zack.
Leo climbed onto a chair next to me and immediately grabbed Uncle Zack's unused spoon. Uncle Zack glanced up surprised when Leo began tapping out a steady rhythm with the spoon against my cast. It was so utterly retarded, something so totally Leo, that after a long moment of consideration, we all burst into laughter. It was just the thing we needed to get rid of that post-assault-with-a-deadly-weapon tension. Leo continued to tap lightly even after Dad turned back to the pancake batter he was quickly stirring and Uncle Zack went back to his toast. For a deaf kid, his skill in keeping a beat was surprising.
Leo's head whipped around when Mom tapped his shoulder. 'Last I checked,' She signed, 'your sister was not a percussion instrument.' Leo put down the spoon, not without rolling his eyes at me.
"It's okay Mom." I continued to look at Leo as I spoke so he knew to read my lips. "If he can find humor in the situation, then I'm not going to deny him that."
"'That's all fine and dandy.'" Mom spoke and signed simultaneously. "'But Leo's got a doctor's appointment in an hour and he's still running around in his nightclothes. He can play with you arm all he likes later, he needs to go get dressed now.'" Leo's face fell and he walked out of the kitchen and past Mom. All of our faces lost the mirth of moments before and now were somber. For a little while, all of us had put the thoughts of Leo's illness on hold to deal with everything else. Then after that was dealt with, it was nice to forget about it all for a while. Sure, it was fake, but having that few minutes of relative peace in the kitchen with the homey scents of Dad's pancakes.
It was silent for several minutes; the only sound being heard in the kitchen was the occasional tap of silver wear against plates. The phone rang and Mom walked into Dad's office to answer it. I don't know why I suddenly relaxed when she was gone. It looked like Uncle Zack did too, because his shoulders instantly sagged.
"How's your arm?" I asked quietly.
Uncle Zack stared at me a moment, considering his answer. "It hurts." He said, his voice cold as ice. "But next time, don't slice. Stab, and then twist the knife. Causes more permanent muscle damage."
"You're lucky I got your arm and not your throat like I was trying for. You were too busy throwing me into a wall to give me another try." I shot back without thinking. I grinned when Uncle Zack's mouth hung open. Obviously, there was more of Mom in me than he expected. Finally, he recovered enough to fight back.
"I wouldn't have thrown you into the wall if you had stabbed me right." Pure evil glinted in Uncle Zack's eyes as he shook his head with mock disappointment. "I thought your mother would have taught you better than that."
I started to laugh before Dad's cool voice interjected. "I'll thank you not to teach my daughter how to kill more efficiently."
"What's the matter, Logan?" Uncle Zack asked innocently. "Afraid that you'll be the one who sneaks in next time?"
"Zack." Mom said disapprovingly from the doorway. "If you're going to make threats against my husband, please wait till the kids are out of the room. Then make them. All this vagueness makes you seem like such a wuss."
It was strange that everything that had been happening in the past couple weeks, Mom picked this situation to regain her sense of humor. Still, it was hysterical seeing the look on Dad and Uncle Zack's face as their individual insults sunk in.
"I really don't think Maddy need to be learning about killing efficiently." Dad muttered under his breath.
"Logan, relax." Mom replied, tapping the phone lightly against her hand. "She's seventeen. Since we don't let her carry a gun, she might as well learn how to do it right." Mom shot me a small smile. "If it hadn't have been Zack, who knows what would have happened last night."
"If it hadn't been me, then Maddy would have been just fine." Uncle Zack interjected in my defense. "Norms have absolutely no pain threshold." He said fixedly.
As amusing as this conversation was, Mom actually looked like she had something to say. The mood changed instantly as Mom's facial expression. "Logan, that was Dr. Willis." Dad's sat his coffee mug down on the counter. Uncle Zack glanced at me, his facial expression just as bewildered as mine. "He wants us there in an hour." Both Dad and Mom's face split into a large, ecstatic smile. So this was good news. "I'm going to go help him finish getting ready." Mom said, the same silly expression on her face as she turned and left the room.
"What was that all about?" I asked Dad as he dumped his coffee down the sink.
"The specialist that we took your brother to yesterday." Dad murmured quietly, his mind obviously in a complete other dimension.
"So." I finally asked, desperate for more information. "This appointment is good how?"
"He did some tests yesterday afternoon and the fact that he wants us back so fast probably means that he's going to be able to treat your brother." Now Uncle Zack was the only one who wasn't about to burst out into song.
"That's great!" I said, jumping up out of my chair and giving Dad a quick hug. "I'm going to go get dressed so I can go with you guys!" I started to make a quick exit so Dad couldn't tell me I wasn't going, but I wasn't quite fast enough.
"You aren't going." Dad said firmly. My face fell and my eyes narrowed.
"Yes. I. Am." I shot back defiantly. "I don't know why you're so insistent on keeping me out of this, but you're being totally irrational. I want to be there for Leo."
"We don't want you--" Dad began, but Mom's sudden scream stopped us all mid- sentence.
Adrenaline pushed me into the hallway in time to see Mom stumble out, clutching Leo's lifeless body in her arms.
Special thanks to Cat Carroll (Of the J&J and Gen X6 fame) for all her help tonight in finally writing this chapter. We all owe her for anything I've written.
Thanks for all the reviews. Nothing makes me write faster than knowing people actually want to read it. I apologize for the delay in writing on any of my fics. I just started a new job and along with school and maintaining my social life, my writing has suffered. I'll try to get a chapter of Extra Ordinary out before next week.
I've been wanting to do this for ages, and I finally remembered. I really want to thank afan for all her fabulous reviews. There is nothing I look forward more when posting a chapter then hearing from her. Reviews like hers not only say 'good job', she gives me ideas on how to be better. There is nothing more invaluable than a honest reviewer. So thanks!!
Chapter Eight
For the first time in a very long time, I slept long, and I slept hard. I just have gotten like a full eight hours of sleep. Me sleeping eight hours is like anyone else sleeping for sixteen. For about two seconds, I had no idea what would possibly make me sleep. Then I reached up with my right arm to brush my loose hair off of my face when I realized why my arm felt so heavy. Then I spotted the cast on my arm and it all came back to me at once. I wasn't in much pain anymore, luckily, so I was now able to smile and laugh at the whole situation. Things like this only happen in my family.
I slid out of bed slowly, careful not to bump my arm against anything. The apartment was absolutely freezing, so I found a loose sweatshirt in my closet and managed to wiggle into it. It was going to take some getting used to working with one hand. When I stepped out of my room I very nearly tripped over Leo. Just when I was going to yell at him for standing in my doorway like a creepy little zombie, but he smiled one of his charming smiles and I quickly forgot. 'Good Morning!' He signed brightly.
I looked down at my hands, vaguely annoyed by the problems that this cast was going to cause me. "Hey." I said, holding my hands up to signal my lack of signing ability. He stared at the cast blankly. "Wait, do you know anything about last night?" I asked.
Leo shook his head. 'Dad said you were sick.' I can see why Dad wouldn't want to explain the whole thing to Leo, but did he really think that Leo wouldn't notice a big neon blue cast on my arm? "I broke my arm." I said simply. Something on my face told Leo not to question it further.
It wasn't that I didn't want Leo to know. I'd tell him everything he wanted to know about it. But then again, I could hear Dad in the kitchen. That was a good thing. Such a good thing, that all explanations would have to be put on hold till I found out what I could talk him into cooking. It'd been like fourteen hours since I'd eaten and I was getting pretty desperate.
"'Morning Daddy." I said and gave him a kiss on the cheek. I still talked to him since he'd effectively freaked out on Uncle Zack last night and there was no telling what mood he was in. Since Uncle Zack was at the table with all his major appendages attached, I figured Dad wasn't that pissed off anymore. Since Dad looked half asleep himself and only asked me what I wanted to eat, things were getting back to normal.
I sat down across from Uncle Zack. He was faring pretty well for a guy with twenty odd stitches. He didn't have much to say, other than the muttered 'good morning, but that was to be expected. No matter how many times I stabbed him, he was still going to be lovable, antisocial Uncle Zack.
Leo climbed onto a chair next to me and immediately grabbed Uncle Zack's unused spoon. Uncle Zack glanced up surprised when Leo began tapping out a steady rhythm with the spoon against my cast. It was so utterly retarded, something so totally Leo, that after a long moment of consideration, we all burst into laughter. It was just the thing we needed to get rid of that post-assault-with-a-deadly-weapon tension. Leo continued to tap lightly even after Dad turned back to the pancake batter he was quickly stirring and Uncle Zack went back to his toast. For a deaf kid, his skill in keeping a beat was surprising.
Leo's head whipped around when Mom tapped his shoulder. 'Last I checked,' She signed, 'your sister was not a percussion instrument.' Leo put down the spoon, not without rolling his eyes at me.
"It's okay Mom." I continued to look at Leo as I spoke so he knew to read my lips. "If he can find humor in the situation, then I'm not going to deny him that."
"'That's all fine and dandy.'" Mom spoke and signed simultaneously. "'But Leo's got a doctor's appointment in an hour and he's still running around in his nightclothes. He can play with you arm all he likes later, he needs to go get dressed now.'" Leo's face fell and he walked out of the kitchen and past Mom. All of our faces lost the mirth of moments before and now were somber. For a little while, all of us had put the thoughts of Leo's illness on hold to deal with everything else. Then after that was dealt with, it was nice to forget about it all for a while. Sure, it was fake, but having that few minutes of relative peace in the kitchen with the homey scents of Dad's pancakes.
It was silent for several minutes; the only sound being heard in the kitchen was the occasional tap of silver wear against plates. The phone rang and Mom walked into Dad's office to answer it. I don't know why I suddenly relaxed when she was gone. It looked like Uncle Zack did too, because his shoulders instantly sagged.
"How's your arm?" I asked quietly.
Uncle Zack stared at me a moment, considering his answer. "It hurts." He said, his voice cold as ice. "But next time, don't slice. Stab, and then twist the knife. Causes more permanent muscle damage."
"You're lucky I got your arm and not your throat like I was trying for. You were too busy throwing me into a wall to give me another try." I shot back without thinking. I grinned when Uncle Zack's mouth hung open. Obviously, there was more of Mom in me than he expected. Finally, he recovered enough to fight back.
"I wouldn't have thrown you into the wall if you had stabbed me right." Pure evil glinted in Uncle Zack's eyes as he shook his head with mock disappointment. "I thought your mother would have taught you better than that."
I started to laugh before Dad's cool voice interjected. "I'll thank you not to teach my daughter how to kill more efficiently."
"What's the matter, Logan?" Uncle Zack asked innocently. "Afraid that you'll be the one who sneaks in next time?"
"Zack." Mom said disapprovingly from the doorway. "If you're going to make threats against my husband, please wait till the kids are out of the room. Then make them. All this vagueness makes you seem like such a wuss."
It was strange that everything that had been happening in the past couple weeks, Mom picked this situation to regain her sense of humor. Still, it was hysterical seeing the look on Dad and Uncle Zack's face as their individual insults sunk in.
"I really don't think Maddy need to be learning about killing efficiently." Dad muttered under his breath.
"Logan, relax." Mom replied, tapping the phone lightly against her hand. "She's seventeen. Since we don't let her carry a gun, she might as well learn how to do it right." Mom shot me a small smile. "If it hadn't have been Zack, who knows what would have happened last night."
"If it hadn't been me, then Maddy would have been just fine." Uncle Zack interjected in my defense. "Norms have absolutely no pain threshold." He said fixedly.
As amusing as this conversation was, Mom actually looked like she had something to say. The mood changed instantly as Mom's facial expression. "Logan, that was Dr. Willis." Dad's sat his coffee mug down on the counter. Uncle Zack glanced at me, his facial expression just as bewildered as mine. "He wants us there in an hour." Both Dad and Mom's face split into a large, ecstatic smile. So this was good news. "I'm going to go help him finish getting ready." Mom said, the same silly expression on her face as she turned and left the room.
"What was that all about?" I asked Dad as he dumped his coffee down the sink.
"The specialist that we took your brother to yesterday." Dad murmured quietly, his mind obviously in a complete other dimension.
"So." I finally asked, desperate for more information. "This appointment is good how?"
"He did some tests yesterday afternoon and the fact that he wants us back so fast probably means that he's going to be able to treat your brother." Now Uncle Zack was the only one who wasn't about to burst out into song.
"That's great!" I said, jumping up out of my chair and giving Dad a quick hug. "I'm going to go get dressed so I can go with you guys!" I started to make a quick exit so Dad couldn't tell me I wasn't going, but I wasn't quite fast enough.
"You aren't going." Dad said firmly. My face fell and my eyes narrowed.
"Yes. I. Am." I shot back defiantly. "I don't know why you're so insistent on keeping me out of this, but you're being totally irrational. I want to be there for Leo."
"We don't want you--" Dad began, but Mom's sudden scream stopped us all mid- sentence.
Adrenaline pushed me into the hallway in time to see Mom stumble out, clutching Leo's lifeless body in her arms.
