Laura hurried back into the bathroom unseen. She gripped the edge of the bathtub as she sat down, tears streaming down her cheeks. She had always known Joe had opted for the guilty plea because of their disbelief in him, but for him to actually do it just so he would die?
"Laura," Callie's voice came from the other side of the bathroom door.
"Just...just a minute," Laura replied, hastily wiping her eyes. She stood up and went tot he sink and splashed some cold water on her face and eyes, then used a hand towel to dry off with. She rewet the cloth she had gotten for Joe and opened the door.
"Are you okay?" Callie asked, looking at her critically. It was hard to miss Laura's bloodshot eyes but Callie had no idea she had overheard Pierce.
"Yes," Laura lied. How could she be fine when she had just learned Joe had tried to kill himself? "Um, would you help watch Joe and Roxy for a bit?" she asked.
"Of course," Callie agreed at once, taking the cloth from her.
Laura checked Roxy's skin on her way out, glad to find her fever had receded a bit. She reached across the bed and lightly brushed Joe's forehead, earning her a scowl from Pierce. Straightening, she turned and exited the room. She wanted to go to Fenton but a small cry captured her attention and she went to one of the open doors across the hall.
"Hello there," she said, going into the room when she saw the occupant of one of the beds sitting up and trying to scratch his back. She smiled at the little boy who looked so much like his father and came closer, faltering when she saw a duplicate lying asleep in the next bed.
"'Ho 're you?" the little boy demanded, his big blue eyes staring suspiciously at her.
"I...I'm a friend of your father's," Laura answered after a brief hesitation. She didn't want to force Joe into accepting her into his life and if his sons were to find out she was their grandmother, then he might never forgive her and there was already so much for him to forgive.
"Want Daddy," the little boy declared, looking rebellious.
"Your daddy and mommy are sick," Laura tried to explain to him. "They need to get some sleep."
"Want Daddy," the little boy declared again, his expression growing mutinous and his voice an octave louder.
Laura's smile grew. He was exactly like Joe! "Tell you what," she whispered, not wanting to awaken the other little boy. "I'll take you to see your daddy and mommy but we have to be quiet. Okay?" she asked, holding up her hand. He nodded and put his hand in the one she offered.
"My name is Laura," she told him. "What's your name?"
"Jeremy," the little boy answered. "I got a bruder. He's Justin," he continued, growing talkative. Again, Laura was aware of just how much like Joe this little boy was. "And we gotted two babies," he added, looking up at her with serious blue eyes.
"Two?" Laura asked, feeling a bit faint.
"Uh-huh," Jeremy said, nodding enthusiastically. "Robyn and Rhonda. I'm a big bruder now," he declared, proudly puffing out his chest.
Laura and Jeremy entered the room. Jeremy broke away from Laura and ran to his mommy's side. "Mommy," he cried in a worried tone.
Roxy's eyes flickered open. "Baby," she said, trying to rise but Laura was there immediately and gently pushed her back down.
"See, they're going to be okay," Laura told Jeremy. "They just need to rest and get better." Roxy shot Laura a grateful look but her eyes clouded over almost at once as she remembered who she was. "Why don't we go and put some more calamine lotion on your back and then you can go back to bed?" she suggested.
"Want to stay with mommy and daddy," Jeremy said, his nose wrinkling as he puckered his lips.
"Why don't you let the nice lady take care of your itch and then I'll come and tell you a bedtime story?" Pierce said, looking at the little boy and grinning.
"'Ho 're you?" Jeremy asked, tilting his head and looking at him quizzically.
"I'm an old friend of your dad's," Pierce replied. "You can even call me Uncle Pierce," he said. Callie let out an audible gasp at the man's audacity.
"Unkle Perse?" Jeremy repeated.
"Yeah," Joe rasped through dry lips.
"Daddy! You're wake!" Jeremy shouted happily.
"Daddy's sick," Pierce told the little boy.
"He my unkle?" Jeremy demanded, looking at his daddy. "Like Unkle Craig?"
"Close enough," Joe answered. "Now run along and be a good little boy while mommy and daddy are sick."
"'Kay," Jeremy said, returning to Laura's side and taking her hand.
"Thanks," Joe said to Pierce after the two had left the room.
"My pleasure," Pierce told him. "So, how many more you got?"
"Two boys; Jeremy, you met, and his twin brother, Justin."
"And two girls," Roxy added, sitting up a little. "Rhonda and Robyn."
"They are twins too," Callie added, pouring Roxy a little water and handing it to her.
Roxy looked at the water and felt her stomach churn. Callie held up the waste can and took the water away. "Ginger ale?" she asked.
"7-Up, please," Joe suggested, knowing they didn't have any ginger ale. Joe shivered and Pierce pulled a quilt up around his shoulders.
"Looks like you two might have the flu," Pierce commented.
"Great," groaned Joe, closing his eyes. Soon, he was sleeping.
Frank woke up around four-thirty and hurriedly took a shower. After dressing, he ran upstairs and found Callie asleep in the rocker near the girls' cribs. "Hon," he said, gently shaking her shoulder.
Callie's eyes flickered open. "Hi," she whispered, smiling up at him sleepily. "I just had the most wonderful dream," she told him. "We had two little girls and...and..." she broke off as Frank's eyes roamed over to where Joe's daughters lay.
Callie got to her feet. "Not a dream and not ours," she amended. "Their names are Rhonda and Robyn," she continued. "Jeremy, one of the boys, woke up last night. His brother's name is Justin."
"Cool," Frank said, grinning. "All the guys in the family start with a J and all the girls start with a R."
Callie giggled softly. "I hadn't noticed, but you're right. What do you want to bet Joe named the girls and Roxy named the boys?"
"Sucker bet," replied Frank, grinning at her.. "Is mom still in with Joe and Roxy?"
"No," Callie answered. "She fell asleep in the boys' room."
NO!
That one word set Frank off. He was out of the room in a flash and across the hall. He stopped short just inside Joe's room. Pierce was spread out in a chair by the dresser and Joe and Roxy were lying on the bed, their cover in heaps on the floor.
Frank started over to Joe's side of the bed, stopping and changing course when Roxy moaned and sat up quickly. Frank plucked the waste can from the floor as he moved, getting it in front of her with no time to spare. She began retching and a slimy looking lime green liquid came out of her mouth. Frank rushed to the bathroom, wet a cloth and returned in time to hand it to her and take the waste can away. He was glad to see someone had had the foresight to line it with a grocery bag.
"Thanks," Roxy moaned, lying back. Joe twitched and brought his knees up a bit; a sure sign his stomach was bothering him. Frank quickly emptied the waste can and put it in a clean bag from the pile lying on the bathroom floor. He wet another cloth and returned to the bedroom. He set the waste can on the floor near Roxy and, pulling the sheet from the floor, covered her up.
Joe moaned and Frank went over and sat down beside him. "It's okay," Frank told him, his voice gentle as he touched Joe's hair. "Everything's okay."
"Pierce," Joe moaned the name. Frank's hand froze. "Pierce, I need you."
"Laura," Callie's voice came from the other side of the bathroom door.
"Just...just a minute," Laura replied, hastily wiping her eyes. She stood up and went tot he sink and splashed some cold water on her face and eyes, then used a hand towel to dry off with. She rewet the cloth she had gotten for Joe and opened the door.
"Are you okay?" Callie asked, looking at her critically. It was hard to miss Laura's bloodshot eyes but Callie had no idea she had overheard Pierce.
"Yes," Laura lied. How could she be fine when she had just learned Joe had tried to kill himself? "Um, would you help watch Joe and Roxy for a bit?" she asked.
"Of course," Callie agreed at once, taking the cloth from her.
Laura checked Roxy's skin on her way out, glad to find her fever had receded a bit. She reached across the bed and lightly brushed Joe's forehead, earning her a scowl from Pierce. Straightening, she turned and exited the room. She wanted to go to Fenton but a small cry captured her attention and she went to one of the open doors across the hall.
"Hello there," she said, going into the room when she saw the occupant of one of the beds sitting up and trying to scratch his back. She smiled at the little boy who looked so much like his father and came closer, faltering when she saw a duplicate lying asleep in the next bed.
"'Ho 're you?" the little boy demanded, his big blue eyes staring suspiciously at her.
"I...I'm a friend of your father's," Laura answered after a brief hesitation. She didn't want to force Joe into accepting her into his life and if his sons were to find out she was their grandmother, then he might never forgive her and there was already so much for him to forgive.
"Want Daddy," the little boy declared, looking rebellious.
"Your daddy and mommy are sick," Laura tried to explain to him. "They need to get some sleep."
"Want Daddy," the little boy declared again, his expression growing mutinous and his voice an octave louder.
Laura's smile grew. He was exactly like Joe! "Tell you what," she whispered, not wanting to awaken the other little boy. "I'll take you to see your daddy and mommy but we have to be quiet. Okay?" she asked, holding up her hand. He nodded and put his hand in the one she offered.
"My name is Laura," she told him. "What's your name?"
"Jeremy," the little boy answered. "I got a bruder. He's Justin," he continued, growing talkative. Again, Laura was aware of just how much like Joe this little boy was. "And we gotted two babies," he added, looking up at her with serious blue eyes.
"Two?" Laura asked, feeling a bit faint.
"Uh-huh," Jeremy said, nodding enthusiastically. "Robyn and Rhonda. I'm a big bruder now," he declared, proudly puffing out his chest.
Laura and Jeremy entered the room. Jeremy broke away from Laura and ran to his mommy's side. "Mommy," he cried in a worried tone.
Roxy's eyes flickered open. "Baby," she said, trying to rise but Laura was there immediately and gently pushed her back down.
"See, they're going to be okay," Laura told Jeremy. "They just need to rest and get better." Roxy shot Laura a grateful look but her eyes clouded over almost at once as she remembered who she was. "Why don't we go and put some more calamine lotion on your back and then you can go back to bed?" she suggested.
"Want to stay with mommy and daddy," Jeremy said, his nose wrinkling as he puckered his lips.
"Why don't you let the nice lady take care of your itch and then I'll come and tell you a bedtime story?" Pierce said, looking at the little boy and grinning.
"'Ho 're you?" Jeremy asked, tilting his head and looking at him quizzically.
"I'm an old friend of your dad's," Pierce replied. "You can even call me Uncle Pierce," he said. Callie let out an audible gasp at the man's audacity.
"Unkle Perse?" Jeremy repeated.
"Yeah," Joe rasped through dry lips.
"Daddy! You're wake!" Jeremy shouted happily.
"Daddy's sick," Pierce told the little boy.
"He my unkle?" Jeremy demanded, looking at his daddy. "Like Unkle Craig?"
"Close enough," Joe answered. "Now run along and be a good little boy while mommy and daddy are sick."
"'Kay," Jeremy said, returning to Laura's side and taking her hand.
"Thanks," Joe said to Pierce after the two had left the room.
"My pleasure," Pierce told him. "So, how many more you got?"
"Two boys; Jeremy, you met, and his twin brother, Justin."
"And two girls," Roxy added, sitting up a little. "Rhonda and Robyn."
"They are twins too," Callie added, pouring Roxy a little water and handing it to her.
Roxy looked at the water and felt her stomach churn. Callie held up the waste can and took the water away. "Ginger ale?" she asked.
"7-Up, please," Joe suggested, knowing they didn't have any ginger ale. Joe shivered and Pierce pulled a quilt up around his shoulders.
"Looks like you two might have the flu," Pierce commented.
"Great," groaned Joe, closing his eyes. Soon, he was sleeping.
Frank woke up around four-thirty and hurriedly took a shower. After dressing, he ran upstairs and found Callie asleep in the rocker near the girls' cribs. "Hon," he said, gently shaking her shoulder.
Callie's eyes flickered open. "Hi," she whispered, smiling up at him sleepily. "I just had the most wonderful dream," she told him. "We had two little girls and...and..." she broke off as Frank's eyes roamed over to where Joe's daughters lay.
Callie got to her feet. "Not a dream and not ours," she amended. "Their names are Rhonda and Robyn," she continued. "Jeremy, one of the boys, woke up last night. His brother's name is Justin."
"Cool," Frank said, grinning. "All the guys in the family start with a J and all the girls start with a R."
Callie giggled softly. "I hadn't noticed, but you're right. What do you want to bet Joe named the girls and Roxy named the boys?"
"Sucker bet," replied Frank, grinning at her.. "Is mom still in with Joe and Roxy?"
"No," Callie answered. "She fell asleep in the boys' room."
NO!
That one word set Frank off. He was out of the room in a flash and across the hall. He stopped short just inside Joe's room. Pierce was spread out in a chair by the dresser and Joe and Roxy were lying on the bed, their cover in heaps on the floor.
Frank started over to Joe's side of the bed, stopping and changing course when Roxy moaned and sat up quickly. Frank plucked the waste can from the floor as he moved, getting it in front of her with no time to spare. She began retching and a slimy looking lime green liquid came out of her mouth. Frank rushed to the bathroom, wet a cloth and returned in time to hand it to her and take the waste can away. He was glad to see someone had had the foresight to line it with a grocery bag.
"Thanks," Roxy moaned, lying back. Joe twitched and brought his knees up a bit; a sure sign his stomach was bothering him. Frank quickly emptied the waste can and put it in a clean bag from the pile lying on the bathroom floor. He wet another cloth and returned to the bedroom. He set the waste can on the floor near Roxy and, pulling the sheet from the floor, covered her up.
Joe moaned and Frank went over and sat down beside him. "It's okay," Frank told him, his voice gentle as he touched Joe's hair. "Everything's okay."
"Pierce," Joe moaned the name. Frank's hand froze. "Pierce, I need you."