Frank returned to his temporary room to find his parents there with Callie. "How did it go?" Fenton asked, his brown eyes filled with hope.
"Not good," admitted Frank, sitting down on the bed and tiredly running a hand through his hair. He looked at his mother and gave her a faint smile. "But you're a grandmother, twice over," he said, then gave them all the information he had gleaned form as sketchy as it was.
"I think I'll go down and fix dinner," Laura said, rising. "They must have their hands full."
"I'll help," offered Callie.
"Not this time," Laura said, smiling apologetically at her daughter-in-law.
Frank took Callie's hand and pulled her down on the bed beside him. "Um, I think I'll take a shower," Fenton excused himself and left the two alone. He closed the door on his way out.
Joe left the kitchen and headed upstairs. He stopped at the first room and heard Roxy singing a lullaby and decided not to disturb her. He continued down the hall past the room he shared with Roxy and opened the next door. Two sets of blue eyes looked up at him from the floor with excitement.
Joe smothered a laugh and bit his bottom lip as he saw his twin two year old boys playing connect the dots with each other's chicken pox. "Daddy! Daddy!" one jumped to his feet and ran over to Joe. Joe bent down and picked him up, entering the room and sitting down on the bed.
"Now, what have we here?" Joe asked, his eyes twinkling in delight.
"Justin nekkted my dots," Jeremy told his father. "Look!" he insisted, holding up his shirt and showing his daddy his belly. "I got a elfant on my tummy!"
"Oh my!" exclaimed Joe. "You sure do." He traced an outline with his finger causing Jeremy to giggle then looked down at Justin who was holding up his shirt proudly.
"Would you look at that!" Joe said, showing just as much excitement as he had over Jeremy's belly. Joe reached out and traced the outline on Justin's stomach. "You have a lion on yours." Joe assumed, correctly, that this was what had been discovered on his belly since lions were Justin's favorite animal at the zoo and elephants were Jeremy's.
"I want to see mommy," Jeremy said, squirming to get down.
"Mommy is putting your sisters to sleep," Joe told them. "How about I tell you a story while we wait for her?"
"'Kay," agreed both.
"Back into bed," Joe told them. He thought it best to let them keep their animals and wash them off tomorrow morning when they would have to have another oatmeal bath. Why did all four of them have to get chicken pox at the same time? he wondered woefully.
The boys climbed into their own beds and Joe tucked them in, then sat down and started telling them a story. He was almost finished when Roxy entered the room. "Mommy! Mommy!" they shouted, reaching out to her.
Roxy came over and gave each of them a big hug and kiss. "And how are my little men this evening?" she asked.
"I'm itchy," Justin replied.
"Me too," Jeremy said.
"They could use some more calamine lotion," Joe suggested, standing up.
"Story," Jeremy reminded him.
"You finish telling them their story and I'll go get it," Roxy said.
When Roxy returned, Joe had finished the fairy tale and was changing his voice and making funny faces to amuse them. "Oh my, who let that bear in this house?" she demanded, hearing Joe impersonate Yogi Bear.
"It's daddy," Jeremy said, giggling.
"Daddy?" Roxy asked in mock surprise. She winked at Joe.
"Mommy tell us a story," Jeremy begged.
"But daddy already did," she told him.
"Please?" Justin pleaded, turning big blue eyes on her.
"Please?" Jeremy added, giving her the same puppy dog look.
"If you'll let me put this stuff on you first and the gloves so you don't scratch while you sleep," she bargained.
"'Kay," they agreed as one.
"I'll go down and start dinner," Joe whispered to her, standing up.
"Think they will want anything?" Roxy whispered back.
"I fed them at their usual time," Joe informed her. "They just decided to delay their bedtime a bit. Oh, Jeremy has an elephant on his tummy and Justin has a lion on his," he added, warning her in case the boys opted to make her guess what they were.
"I'll be down in a little while," she told Joe, reaching up and kissing him.
Joe left the three alone and moved down to his daughter's room. He opened the door and walked inside. Rhonda and Robyn were both sleeping peacefully. He smiled down at his twin daughters, thanking God for giving him such a wonderful family, then silently exited the room.
Joe returned downstairs and made his way into the kitchen, his nose twitching and his stomach rumbling as he smelled the aroma wafting from within. He pushed the swinging door open and went inside to find Laura busily preparing dinner.
"You didn't have to do this," Joe told her, the warm tone he had used with his family gone only to be replaced with the distant one he had come to use when dealing with people he did not know.
"I know," she said. "But Frank said you have two children. And babies and two year olds are a handful. I just didn't want to add to your and Roxy's burden by making you cook for all of us."
"Our children are not burdens," Joe told her, misunderstanding what she had meant. His appetite gone, he left the kitchen and returned upstairs.
"Not good," admitted Frank, sitting down on the bed and tiredly running a hand through his hair. He looked at his mother and gave her a faint smile. "But you're a grandmother, twice over," he said, then gave them all the information he had gleaned form as sketchy as it was.
"I think I'll go down and fix dinner," Laura said, rising. "They must have their hands full."
"I'll help," offered Callie.
"Not this time," Laura said, smiling apologetically at her daughter-in-law.
Frank took Callie's hand and pulled her down on the bed beside him. "Um, I think I'll take a shower," Fenton excused himself and left the two alone. He closed the door on his way out.
Joe left the kitchen and headed upstairs. He stopped at the first room and heard Roxy singing a lullaby and decided not to disturb her. He continued down the hall past the room he shared with Roxy and opened the next door. Two sets of blue eyes looked up at him from the floor with excitement.
Joe smothered a laugh and bit his bottom lip as he saw his twin two year old boys playing connect the dots with each other's chicken pox. "Daddy! Daddy!" one jumped to his feet and ran over to Joe. Joe bent down and picked him up, entering the room and sitting down on the bed.
"Now, what have we here?" Joe asked, his eyes twinkling in delight.
"Justin nekkted my dots," Jeremy told his father. "Look!" he insisted, holding up his shirt and showing his daddy his belly. "I got a elfant on my tummy!"
"Oh my!" exclaimed Joe. "You sure do." He traced an outline with his finger causing Jeremy to giggle then looked down at Justin who was holding up his shirt proudly.
"Would you look at that!" Joe said, showing just as much excitement as he had over Jeremy's belly. Joe reached out and traced the outline on Justin's stomach. "You have a lion on yours." Joe assumed, correctly, that this was what had been discovered on his belly since lions were Justin's favorite animal at the zoo and elephants were Jeremy's.
"I want to see mommy," Jeremy said, squirming to get down.
"Mommy is putting your sisters to sleep," Joe told them. "How about I tell you a story while we wait for her?"
"'Kay," agreed both.
"Back into bed," Joe told them. He thought it best to let them keep their animals and wash them off tomorrow morning when they would have to have another oatmeal bath. Why did all four of them have to get chicken pox at the same time? he wondered woefully.
The boys climbed into their own beds and Joe tucked them in, then sat down and started telling them a story. He was almost finished when Roxy entered the room. "Mommy! Mommy!" they shouted, reaching out to her.
Roxy came over and gave each of them a big hug and kiss. "And how are my little men this evening?" she asked.
"I'm itchy," Justin replied.
"Me too," Jeremy said.
"They could use some more calamine lotion," Joe suggested, standing up.
"Story," Jeremy reminded him.
"You finish telling them their story and I'll go get it," Roxy said.
When Roxy returned, Joe had finished the fairy tale and was changing his voice and making funny faces to amuse them. "Oh my, who let that bear in this house?" she demanded, hearing Joe impersonate Yogi Bear.
"It's daddy," Jeremy said, giggling.
"Daddy?" Roxy asked in mock surprise. She winked at Joe.
"Mommy tell us a story," Jeremy begged.
"But daddy already did," she told him.
"Please?" Justin pleaded, turning big blue eyes on her.
"Please?" Jeremy added, giving her the same puppy dog look.
"If you'll let me put this stuff on you first and the gloves so you don't scratch while you sleep," she bargained.
"'Kay," they agreed as one.
"I'll go down and start dinner," Joe whispered to her, standing up.
"Think they will want anything?" Roxy whispered back.
"I fed them at their usual time," Joe informed her. "They just decided to delay their bedtime a bit. Oh, Jeremy has an elephant on his tummy and Justin has a lion on his," he added, warning her in case the boys opted to make her guess what they were.
"I'll be down in a little while," she told Joe, reaching up and kissing him.
Joe left the three alone and moved down to his daughter's room. He opened the door and walked inside. Rhonda and Robyn were both sleeping peacefully. He smiled down at his twin daughters, thanking God for giving him such a wonderful family, then silently exited the room.
Joe returned downstairs and made his way into the kitchen, his nose twitching and his stomach rumbling as he smelled the aroma wafting from within. He pushed the swinging door open and went inside to find Laura busily preparing dinner.
"You didn't have to do this," Joe told her, the warm tone he had used with his family gone only to be replaced with the distant one he had come to use when dealing with people he did not know.
"I know," she said. "But Frank said you have two children. And babies and two year olds are a handful. I just didn't want to add to your and Roxy's burden by making you cook for all of us."
"Our children are not burdens," Joe told her, misunderstanding what she had meant. His appetite gone, he left the kitchen and returned upstairs.