The Rich Man's Sorrow, part 10, "Come and Knock on my Door"
Carol had called Carter's grandmother just after agreeing to take care of Lucy. Millicent Carter would drop by with her great granddaughter's things later on.
While Carol was waiting for Millicent she made herself some dinner and decided to enjoy the silence and watch TV. Just by relaxing on the couch she discovered how exhausted she actually was, and a couple of minutes later she was sound asleep.
When the doorbell rang she'd been asleep for about an hour. That hadn't been possible since the twins were born. She turned off the TV and opened the door.
"Hey".
"Hello, Carol. I'm here with Lucy's things".
"Come on in".
"Thank you".
Carol let her fingers go through her hair. "I'm sorry about the mess. I was just taking a nap".
"A nap?" Millicent repeated surprised. "How do you manage taking a nap with three babies in the house?"
"Good question! It has never happened before. Maybe someone in day care gave them something".
Millicent laughed. "Maybe. So, where is my great-granddaughter? I'd love to see her before I go".
"Sure. She's sleeping in the girls' playpen".
They went over to the playpen where Little Lucy was sleeping.
"She sleeps so peacefully", Millicent said admiring the baby.
"Yeah". Carol nodded. "I'm glad she's too little to understand the dramatic start she got".
Millicent turned to Carol. "I want you to know how much I appreciate this. I've been a lot sick lately and I'm still a little weak. My doctor told me take it easy and rest, and that's not possible with a three month-old".
"Don't worry about it. John needs all the help he can get right now. I mean, it's hard to be a single parent, and he and Lucy didn't break up or anything. It must be awful to lose your partner like that. If this never had happened I'm 100 % sure they'd stay together forever. It wasn't hard to see how much they loved each other. Lucy was his soul mate". Just as Doug was mine, she thought.
"You are so right".
Later on Millicent left and Carol was left with the three babies again. This was it. No more sleep for at least three months. But no matter how tired she would be she wouldn't change places with Carter. It had to be terrible for him to be away from Lucy for so long. The thought of be away from the twins for three months almost scared her a little. Just as she decided to take a quick shower Little Lucy woke up. Carol hurried to the crying baby.
"Hey, Lucy", she said and hold her into her chest. "Did you have a good nap? Yeah, I think you did, but you missed your great-grandmother though. Don't worry, she will visit you".
Carol held the little child into her body and Lucy stopped crying. When she looked at her she could see so much of both Carter and Lucy in her. It wasn't hard to understand how much alike Lucy would be her mother. At the age of three months she already had the same face and smile as Lucy.
"Is it just me, or are you very wet? Yeah, I think so too. Let's get you changed before Kate and Tess wake up".
She took Lucy upstairs and changed her quickly. Just as she heard one of the girls cry she was finished. She hurried down with Little Lucy and put her in the playpen hoping she would be okay with it till she had taken care of the twins. Surprisingly she accepted being put back again, and Carol could run to the two screaming girls upstairs.
When she'd changed both Kate and Tess too she took them downstairs and laid them on a blanket on the floor before she checked on Lucy. She was just lying in the playpen waving her arms. Carol could see she obviously began to lose her patience, and Tess wasn't exactly happy to be just put on the floor.
Desperate to keep they quiet for a little while she put on some music while she prepared some dinner for the girls. Lucy was the easiest at the moment since she only ate breast milk compensate, but Kate and Tess had just begun eating some smashed potatoes. She decided to feed Lucy first and then the twins. They usually ate at the same time anyway.
Carol finished the bottle with milk and sat down in the couch ready to feed Lucy, who clearly understood that dinner was just around the corner, when somebody rang the doorbell.
"Great", Carol sighed. She put the bottle on the table and headed to the door with Little Lucy in her arms. "I'm sorry about that, Lucy". The baby wasn't exactly happy about getting disturbed during her dinner. "Hey, don't cry, sweetie. It's probably just a salesman".
"Hi, Carol", the person said as she opened the door.
"Hi", Carol said back.
"How are you?"
AN: Okay. This is where I need your opinions. Who should the person be? At first I was planning it to be Doug but then I thought it would be too soon for him to come back. Please tell me:)
Carol had called Carter's grandmother just after agreeing to take care of Lucy. Millicent Carter would drop by with her great granddaughter's things later on.
While Carol was waiting for Millicent she made herself some dinner and decided to enjoy the silence and watch TV. Just by relaxing on the couch she discovered how exhausted she actually was, and a couple of minutes later she was sound asleep.
When the doorbell rang she'd been asleep for about an hour. That hadn't been possible since the twins were born. She turned off the TV and opened the door.
"Hey".
"Hello, Carol. I'm here with Lucy's things".
"Come on in".
"Thank you".
Carol let her fingers go through her hair. "I'm sorry about the mess. I was just taking a nap".
"A nap?" Millicent repeated surprised. "How do you manage taking a nap with three babies in the house?"
"Good question! It has never happened before. Maybe someone in day care gave them something".
Millicent laughed. "Maybe. So, where is my great-granddaughter? I'd love to see her before I go".
"Sure. She's sleeping in the girls' playpen".
They went over to the playpen where Little Lucy was sleeping.
"She sleeps so peacefully", Millicent said admiring the baby.
"Yeah". Carol nodded. "I'm glad she's too little to understand the dramatic start she got".
Millicent turned to Carol. "I want you to know how much I appreciate this. I've been a lot sick lately and I'm still a little weak. My doctor told me take it easy and rest, and that's not possible with a three month-old".
"Don't worry about it. John needs all the help he can get right now. I mean, it's hard to be a single parent, and he and Lucy didn't break up or anything. It must be awful to lose your partner like that. If this never had happened I'm 100 % sure they'd stay together forever. It wasn't hard to see how much they loved each other. Lucy was his soul mate". Just as Doug was mine, she thought.
"You are so right".
Later on Millicent left and Carol was left with the three babies again. This was it. No more sleep for at least three months. But no matter how tired she would be she wouldn't change places with Carter. It had to be terrible for him to be away from Lucy for so long. The thought of be away from the twins for three months almost scared her a little. Just as she decided to take a quick shower Little Lucy woke up. Carol hurried to the crying baby.
"Hey, Lucy", she said and hold her into her chest. "Did you have a good nap? Yeah, I think you did, but you missed your great-grandmother though. Don't worry, she will visit you".
Carol held the little child into her body and Lucy stopped crying. When she looked at her she could see so much of both Carter and Lucy in her. It wasn't hard to understand how much alike Lucy would be her mother. At the age of three months she already had the same face and smile as Lucy.
"Is it just me, or are you very wet? Yeah, I think so too. Let's get you changed before Kate and Tess wake up".
She took Lucy upstairs and changed her quickly. Just as she heard one of the girls cry she was finished. She hurried down with Little Lucy and put her in the playpen hoping she would be okay with it till she had taken care of the twins. Surprisingly she accepted being put back again, and Carol could run to the two screaming girls upstairs.
When she'd changed both Kate and Tess too she took them downstairs and laid them on a blanket on the floor before she checked on Lucy. She was just lying in the playpen waving her arms. Carol could see she obviously began to lose her patience, and Tess wasn't exactly happy to be just put on the floor.
Desperate to keep they quiet for a little while she put on some music while she prepared some dinner for the girls. Lucy was the easiest at the moment since she only ate breast milk compensate, but Kate and Tess had just begun eating some smashed potatoes. She decided to feed Lucy first and then the twins. They usually ate at the same time anyway.
Carol finished the bottle with milk and sat down in the couch ready to feed Lucy, who clearly understood that dinner was just around the corner, when somebody rang the doorbell.
"Great", Carol sighed. She put the bottle on the table and headed to the door with Little Lucy in her arms. "I'm sorry about that, Lucy". The baby wasn't exactly happy about getting disturbed during her dinner. "Hey, don't cry, sweetie. It's probably just a salesman".
"Hi, Carol", the person said as she opened the door.
"Hi", Carol said back.
"How are you?"
AN: Okay. This is where I need your opinions. Who should the person be? At first I was planning it to be Doug but then I thought it would be too soon for him to come back. Please tell me:)