They sat for a long moment; Sydney contemplating what her mother had told
her, and Vaughn contemplating Sydney. She tried to think back, to remember
what happened during those two missing years, but as always, it was in
vain. It occurred to Sydney that she had taken all of her mother's words at
face value. She had not once doubted their reliability. Why? Her mother had
done nothing over the last seven years to convince Sydney that she was
telling the truth, but for some reason she felt as though she could trust
the words her mother had just spoken. Maybe it was the fact that Sydney was
now a mother too. Maybe she understood her own mother's motivations, and
reasoning a little better now. She couldn't decide.
After some time Sydney pulled herself back to reality. She had slept most of the day, but she was exhausted. She reached for Vaughn's hand, linked her fingers with his, and led him by the hand up the stairs and into her bedroom. She didn't bother turning on the light but led Vaughn directly to the bed. She laid down first and then made room for him next to her. He followed her unspoken instructions and pulled the covers over both of them. Sydney pulled his arms around her, and nestled deeply into his shoulder. Vaughn kissed her hair, and then held her until they slept.
The morning came sooner than Vaughn expected, and was heralded in by the sound of Vaughn's cell phone ringing. He quickly answered it hoping it hadn't woken Sydney.
"Hello," He whispered.
"Dad?" Damien asked. Vaughn smiled at Damien's use of that name. His brother Alex had had no problem calling him dad after they'd been adopted, but Damien was a different story. He was the older brother, and had been forced to grow up too fast.
"Yeah Damien, what's up." Sydney shifted in his arms, alerting him that she woken up as well.
"Dad you've got to come home. Grandma's sick."
"What's wrong," Vaughn said as he began to pull his arm out from underneath Sydney.
"I don't know yet we're at the hospital. The doctors won't tell me anything until you get here." Damien sounded very upset.
"Alright Damien, I'll come right away. Where's your brother?" Vaughn had almost slipped out of bed when Sydney's eyes fluttered open, and she smiled at him. He decided to sit on the bed and talk, not wanting to leave her.
"He's here, he wants to talk to you, here." Damien said as he handed the phone to his brother. "Dad?" Vaughn could tell the difference in the boy's voices, easily.
"Hi, bud, are you alright?"
"Yeah, Dad, I'm fine, but Grandma's real sick. She was coughing all night, and then last night I heard this big crash, and I ran into Grandma's room, and she was lying on the floor, she wasn't breathing." Alex said. Vaughn could tell that he was trying to restrain tears, as his teenage voice cracked several times.
"Alex, everything's alright. I'm going to get on the next flight back to LA. Okay, please just hang in there okay!" Vaughn looked at Sydney whose expression was very worried.
"Alright Dad, we're at St. Joseph's. Call us when your plane leaves." Alex said a little more calmly.
"Okay, bud. I'll see you soon." He hung up the phone.
"What's wrong," Sydney asked immediately.
Vaughn scooted closer to her and stroked her hair. She looked so beautiful lying there on her big fluffy white pillow. He couldn't stand the thought of leaving her.
"My mother's sick. She had to be taken to the hospital last night. I'm afraid I have to go make sure she'd alright." He said still stroking her hair. Sydney began to sit up.
"I think maybe I'll go to LA with you." Vaughn was extremely surprised.
"Are you sure Sydney, I know it will be hard?" Sydney reached up and touched his face.
"My mother, was right. I have to go." She leaned in close and kissed him gently on the lips. Vaughn wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in closer. After a long good morning kiss, Vaughn pulled back.
"Alright, it's settled. We'd better get you and Ryan packed." He smiled at her. He was glad not to have to leave her so quickly after he'd found her. She kissed him one more time and then crawled off of the bed.
"I'll start getting my stuff together if you go wake the squirt and feed him a bagel." Sydney said as she opened the door to her closet. Vaughn smiled and got up. He headed straight for Ryan's bedroom, and found that he was no where to be found. Just before he began to worry, he heard the TV on in the living room, and found Ryan plopped squarely in front of it.
"Hey big guy, what are you doing out of bed already." Vaughn said as he approached his son.
"Hey you're waked up!" Ryan cried running toward Vaughn, who he practically bowled over with a huge hug to the knees.
"You're waked up too!" Vaughn said excitedly as him picked the boy up. "Are you hungry?" He said kissing Ryan on the forehead.
"I ate Mommy's pizza!" Ryan squealed as Vaughn carried him into the kitchen.
"You did?" Vaughn said acting very surprised. "Where did you find Mommy's pizza?" By the time he'd asked the question he could already see the answer; all over the kitchen. The refrigerator doors were both wide open, along with almost every cabinet on the lower shelves. There was a trail of cereal leading from one cupboard, to the table, and a totally different trail of what looked like juice leading from the fridge to the counter.
"In the fid-er-ator!" Ryan said very matter-of-factly.
"I can see that." Vaughn said laughing. "What else did you eat?" Vaughn looked at the little boy.
"Some cheerio's, and some juice." He said as if trying to remember.
"Okay, big guy tell you what you go finish sesame street, while I clean up breakfast okay?"
"Okay!" Ryan said as Vaughn set him down on the ground. He ran off, crunching a few cheerio's under he little feet on the way. Fifteen minutes later, the larger part of the mess was cleaned up, as Vaughn heard Sydney coming down the stairs. He heard Ryan greet her with a big "Mommy!" as he continued to pick up cheerio's wedged in between the fridge and the cupboard. Sydney came into the Kitchen just as Vaughn had slipped his entire arm behind the fridge. She gave him a half worried, half confused look and then smiled.
"Ryan made breakfast for himself again, I see." She said walking over to the table.
"How ever could you tell?" Vaughn joked as he finally caught hold of the runaway cheerio. He pulled his arm out and chucked the cheerio at the trash can. Sydney was already dressed to kill, and packed evidently, Vaughn noticed the suitcase she's set down by the garage door. "I'm going to go get dressed." He said as he quickly washed his hands.
"Okay, there's room in that suitcase for your stuff if you want." She said as finished cleaning up the last of Ryan's mess.
"Okay." Vaughn called as he exited the kitchen.
No long after that, the threesome hit the road.
After some time Sydney pulled herself back to reality. She had slept most of the day, but she was exhausted. She reached for Vaughn's hand, linked her fingers with his, and led him by the hand up the stairs and into her bedroom. She didn't bother turning on the light but led Vaughn directly to the bed. She laid down first and then made room for him next to her. He followed her unspoken instructions and pulled the covers over both of them. Sydney pulled his arms around her, and nestled deeply into his shoulder. Vaughn kissed her hair, and then held her until they slept.
The morning came sooner than Vaughn expected, and was heralded in by the sound of Vaughn's cell phone ringing. He quickly answered it hoping it hadn't woken Sydney.
"Hello," He whispered.
"Dad?" Damien asked. Vaughn smiled at Damien's use of that name. His brother Alex had had no problem calling him dad after they'd been adopted, but Damien was a different story. He was the older brother, and had been forced to grow up too fast.
"Yeah Damien, what's up." Sydney shifted in his arms, alerting him that she woken up as well.
"Dad you've got to come home. Grandma's sick."
"What's wrong," Vaughn said as he began to pull his arm out from underneath Sydney.
"I don't know yet we're at the hospital. The doctors won't tell me anything until you get here." Damien sounded very upset.
"Alright Damien, I'll come right away. Where's your brother?" Vaughn had almost slipped out of bed when Sydney's eyes fluttered open, and she smiled at him. He decided to sit on the bed and talk, not wanting to leave her.
"He's here, he wants to talk to you, here." Damien said as he handed the phone to his brother. "Dad?" Vaughn could tell the difference in the boy's voices, easily.
"Hi, bud, are you alright?"
"Yeah, Dad, I'm fine, but Grandma's real sick. She was coughing all night, and then last night I heard this big crash, and I ran into Grandma's room, and she was lying on the floor, she wasn't breathing." Alex said. Vaughn could tell that he was trying to restrain tears, as his teenage voice cracked several times.
"Alex, everything's alright. I'm going to get on the next flight back to LA. Okay, please just hang in there okay!" Vaughn looked at Sydney whose expression was very worried.
"Alright Dad, we're at St. Joseph's. Call us when your plane leaves." Alex said a little more calmly.
"Okay, bud. I'll see you soon." He hung up the phone.
"What's wrong," Sydney asked immediately.
Vaughn scooted closer to her and stroked her hair. She looked so beautiful lying there on her big fluffy white pillow. He couldn't stand the thought of leaving her.
"My mother's sick. She had to be taken to the hospital last night. I'm afraid I have to go make sure she'd alright." He said still stroking her hair. Sydney began to sit up.
"I think maybe I'll go to LA with you." Vaughn was extremely surprised.
"Are you sure Sydney, I know it will be hard?" Sydney reached up and touched his face.
"My mother, was right. I have to go." She leaned in close and kissed him gently on the lips. Vaughn wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in closer. After a long good morning kiss, Vaughn pulled back.
"Alright, it's settled. We'd better get you and Ryan packed." He smiled at her. He was glad not to have to leave her so quickly after he'd found her. She kissed him one more time and then crawled off of the bed.
"I'll start getting my stuff together if you go wake the squirt and feed him a bagel." Sydney said as she opened the door to her closet. Vaughn smiled and got up. He headed straight for Ryan's bedroom, and found that he was no where to be found. Just before he began to worry, he heard the TV on in the living room, and found Ryan plopped squarely in front of it.
"Hey big guy, what are you doing out of bed already." Vaughn said as he approached his son.
"Hey you're waked up!" Ryan cried running toward Vaughn, who he practically bowled over with a huge hug to the knees.
"You're waked up too!" Vaughn said excitedly as him picked the boy up. "Are you hungry?" He said kissing Ryan on the forehead.
"I ate Mommy's pizza!" Ryan squealed as Vaughn carried him into the kitchen.
"You did?" Vaughn said acting very surprised. "Where did you find Mommy's pizza?" By the time he'd asked the question he could already see the answer; all over the kitchen. The refrigerator doors were both wide open, along with almost every cabinet on the lower shelves. There was a trail of cereal leading from one cupboard, to the table, and a totally different trail of what looked like juice leading from the fridge to the counter.
"In the fid-er-ator!" Ryan said very matter-of-factly.
"I can see that." Vaughn said laughing. "What else did you eat?" Vaughn looked at the little boy.
"Some cheerio's, and some juice." He said as if trying to remember.
"Okay, big guy tell you what you go finish sesame street, while I clean up breakfast okay?"
"Okay!" Ryan said as Vaughn set him down on the ground. He ran off, crunching a few cheerio's under he little feet on the way. Fifteen minutes later, the larger part of the mess was cleaned up, as Vaughn heard Sydney coming down the stairs. He heard Ryan greet her with a big "Mommy!" as he continued to pick up cheerio's wedged in between the fridge and the cupboard. Sydney came into the Kitchen just as Vaughn had slipped his entire arm behind the fridge. She gave him a half worried, half confused look and then smiled.
"Ryan made breakfast for himself again, I see." She said walking over to the table.
"How ever could you tell?" Vaughn joked as he finally caught hold of the runaway cheerio. He pulled his arm out and chucked the cheerio at the trash can. Sydney was already dressed to kill, and packed evidently, Vaughn noticed the suitcase she's set down by the garage door. "I'm going to go get dressed." He said as he quickly washed his hands.
"Okay, there's room in that suitcase for your stuff if you want." She said as finished cleaning up the last of Ryan's mess.
"Okay." Vaughn called as he exited the kitchen.
No long after that, the threesome hit the road.