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Tori looked up at her mother with expectant eyes. Lizzie sighed and pulled her daughter onto her lap. She smiled as she brushed the sandy curls behind Tori's tiny ears.
"Why Gordo not here?"
Lizzie bit her lip. Tori absolutely adored Gordo, Miranda had told her how he would play with her during visits, how Tori's cheerful giggle rippled across the room as she anticipated his antics. He was the first male, besides Matt and her grandfather, that had gotten close to her. Everyone else, anyone from work, or one of the few dates she'd been on, Lizzie hadn't brought him home. The single time she allowed someone to get close...Lizzie closed her eyes trying to clear her head. She'd thought about this so many times.
From her own hurt, she wanted him to leave. From her own pain, she didn't want to know that he was sleeping down the hall. But as Tori slid her hand into Lizzie's and looked up at her, Lizzie knew that she couldn't do it. She couldn't tear Tori away from him.
Never in her life would she believe he would ever do anything to intentionally hurt Tori. She'd struggled with this the first week after the accident. As she watched her tiny daughter attached to machines, she'd hated him. She'd wanted to scream at him, she wanted to tell him to leave, never to see her again.
Nights with nothing but the steady plink of machines gave her time to think. He'd tried to save Tori, he felt awful. As angry as she was at him for his past mistake, she couldn't deny that there was a connection between him and Tori. She couldn't deny the adoration her daughter held.
Lizzie felt the small fingers touch her cheek. She opened her eyes and found herself staring into the wide pools of Tori's eyes. "Mommy, why are you sad?"
Lizzie smiled and hugged her close. Her decision made, Gordo would stay. Neither he, nor Tori would know what she had hinged on the decision to ask him to move out.
"You'll see him when we go home," Lizzie stated softly.
"He's still living with you?" Danny asked from his spot near the window.
Lizzie raised her eyebrows at the tone. Was it protective? Was it jealous? Or was it simply asking? She decided not to pursue it. It was a statement that could be taken too many ways, and she wasn't going to go into it now. Instead, she simply nodded. "Yes."
"Tori!" A deep voice rumbled from the doorway.
She let out an excited gasp and turned quickly around. "Dr. Tudge!"
The lanky figure walked into the room, a clipboard tucked under his arm, his dark hair in its usual state of mess on his head. He grabbed Tori off the bed, and lifted her into the air. "Oh no! Everything's broken! We'll have to put her in a full body cast!"
Tori's mock face of shock bubbled laughter from Lizzie. Tori pulled the clipboard from under Larry's arm, and studied it for a moment, her eyebrows knitted in concern. Her head popped up as she stared at her mother. "Did you take vitamins?"
Now, it was Lizzie's turn to play, she let her jaw go slack and glanced around. "Oh no! Was I supposed to? Dr. Tori, I think I'm feeling faint!" she pressed her hand to her head and collapsed onto the bed, closing her eyes.
"Mommy?" Tori timidly called.
Keeping her eyes closed, Lizzie fought the urge to grin as she felt the mattress move under Tori's light weight. The girl moved closer until she was leaning over her mother.
"Mommy? Mommy!"
Lizzie set up quickly and grabbed Tori's sides. Tori shrieked and giggled, as Lizzie pulled her into her lap, attempting to calm down what she'd started. "So, Dr. Tudgeman," she smiled, the title fit him so well. Larry had begun to intern at hospitals as soon as he was old enough to get a job, and summer classes at college and extreme dedication had quickly pushed him up. His love and devotion to the job were undeniable, and she wasn't going to question his judgment. He'd been a wonderful doctor to Tori.
Larry grinned at her before kneeling down to be at eye level with Tori. "Are you really ready not to see me anymore? Do you want to go home and leave me here all alone to take care of all these patients?"
Tori's face became serious as she tilted her head and stared at him. "You can do it."
The adults in the room all joined in an appreciative laugh as Tori stared puzzled at each of them. "What?"
Larry's laughter died down as he looked at Lizzie. "We've got one more check up, then you get to load all of her things down to the car." ***
Lizzie pushed the door open with Tori cradled in her arms. It felt incredibly wonderful to be home again, and to hear Tori's excited gasp at being home. "Mommy, down!" she insisted.
Without a choice, Lizzie lowered her to the ground where she broke into a run. "Gordo!" her tiny voice yelled.
"There's appreciation for you," Danny called softly behind Lizzie. Lizzie stepped quickly out of his way as he lugged Tori's many gifts into the house. Lizzie heard a soft shriek and smiled, assuming that Tori had found Gordo.
"Thank you for bringing some stuff home, and for carrying it in," she sated, looking up at Danny.
"No problem," he nodded. "Anything to help you and Tori out. Do you need anything else?"
"No, we'll be okay," she nodded.
Danny mirrored the action, his hands shoved into his pockets. "You think you'll need an extra week from work? To get her settled in and things."
"I've already taken off so much time. I mean, I have that article about travel, I finished it when she was sleeping—"
"Lizzie," Danny interrupted, placing his hand on her shoulder. "It's okay. Spend time with you daughter. I'll see you in a week." He smiled at her then turned and walked down the walk.
Lizzie shook her head as she slowly shut the door. She wasn't going to think about Danny right now. She was going to find out what kind of mischief her daughter had gotten into.
She followed the chatter of Tori's voice until she was leaning against the doorframe to the guest room that had become Gordo's room. Immediately, her attention was drawn to the bags on the floor, which Tori had taken upon herself to inspect, then to Gordo's flushed face.
"What are the bags for?" She asked, though she knew, he was leaving.
Gordo wearily glanced from the top of Tori's head to Lizzie's worried expression. He gently shook his head, his eyes clearly stating that he would talk about it with her later.
Lizzie chose to ignore this, she strolled into the room for the first time since he'd occupied it, walked over and pressed the back of her palm onto his head. As she'd expected, the skin was overly warm.
"What are you doing?" he asked, pulled away, but only slightly.
"Lie down," she commanded. She knelt down next to Tori. "Will you go get Mommy a cold washcloth? Gordo's sick, we have to make him better."
Thinking that they were still playing the game from the hospital, Tori grinned and broke into a run for the bathroom.
"When did you start feeling bad?"
"Lizzie, I'm fine."
"Lie down. When did you start feeling sick?" she repeated firmly.
Gordo looked at her and sighed. "About three days ago."
Lizzie sighed softly. She'd taken in his flushed face, but heavy clothes, his clammy hands. While Tori had riffled through his bags, he'd seemed to be watching the carpet, displaying loss of focus. While in the hospital, she'd heard about these symptoms. "If we don't break your fever, we're going back to the hospital," she stated, leaving no room for argument.
Tori looked up at her mother with expectant eyes. Lizzie sighed and pulled her daughter onto her lap. She smiled as she brushed the sandy curls behind Tori's tiny ears.
"Why Gordo not here?"
Lizzie bit her lip. Tori absolutely adored Gordo, Miranda had told her how he would play with her during visits, how Tori's cheerful giggle rippled across the room as she anticipated his antics. He was the first male, besides Matt and her grandfather, that had gotten close to her. Everyone else, anyone from work, or one of the few dates she'd been on, Lizzie hadn't brought him home. The single time she allowed someone to get close...Lizzie closed her eyes trying to clear her head. She'd thought about this so many times.
From her own hurt, she wanted him to leave. From her own pain, she didn't want to know that he was sleeping down the hall. But as Tori slid her hand into Lizzie's and looked up at her, Lizzie knew that she couldn't do it. She couldn't tear Tori away from him.
Never in her life would she believe he would ever do anything to intentionally hurt Tori. She'd struggled with this the first week after the accident. As she watched her tiny daughter attached to machines, she'd hated him. She'd wanted to scream at him, she wanted to tell him to leave, never to see her again.
Nights with nothing but the steady plink of machines gave her time to think. He'd tried to save Tori, he felt awful. As angry as she was at him for his past mistake, she couldn't deny that there was a connection between him and Tori. She couldn't deny the adoration her daughter held.
Lizzie felt the small fingers touch her cheek. She opened her eyes and found herself staring into the wide pools of Tori's eyes. "Mommy, why are you sad?"
Lizzie smiled and hugged her close. Her decision made, Gordo would stay. Neither he, nor Tori would know what she had hinged on the decision to ask him to move out.
"You'll see him when we go home," Lizzie stated softly.
"He's still living with you?" Danny asked from his spot near the window.
Lizzie raised her eyebrows at the tone. Was it protective? Was it jealous? Or was it simply asking? She decided not to pursue it. It was a statement that could be taken too many ways, and she wasn't going to go into it now. Instead, she simply nodded. "Yes."
"Tori!" A deep voice rumbled from the doorway.
She let out an excited gasp and turned quickly around. "Dr. Tudge!"
The lanky figure walked into the room, a clipboard tucked under his arm, his dark hair in its usual state of mess on his head. He grabbed Tori off the bed, and lifted her into the air. "Oh no! Everything's broken! We'll have to put her in a full body cast!"
Tori's mock face of shock bubbled laughter from Lizzie. Tori pulled the clipboard from under Larry's arm, and studied it for a moment, her eyebrows knitted in concern. Her head popped up as she stared at her mother. "Did you take vitamins?"
Now, it was Lizzie's turn to play, she let her jaw go slack and glanced around. "Oh no! Was I supposed to? Dr. Tori, I think I'm feeling faint!" she pressed her hand to her head and collapsed onto the bed, closing her eyes.
"Mommy?" Tori timidly called.
Keeping her eyes closed, Lizzie fought the urge to grin as she felt the mattress move under Tori's light weight. The girl moved closer until she was leaning over her mother.
"Mommy? Mommy!"
Lizzie set up quickly and grabbed Tori's sides. Tori shrieked and giggled, as Lizzie pulled her into her lap, attempting to calm down what she'd started. "So, Dr. Tudgeman," she smiled, the title fit him so well. Larry had begun to intern at hospitals as soon as he was old enough to get a job, and summer classes at college and extreme dedication had quickly pushed him up. His love and devotion to the job were undeniable, and she wasn't going to question his judgment. He'd been a wonderful doctor to Tori.
Larry grinned at her before kneeling down to be at eye level with Tori. "Are you really ready not to see me anymore? Do you want to go home and leave me here all alone to take care of all these patients?"
Tori's face became serious as she tilted her head and stared at him. "You can do it."
The adults in the room all joined in an appreciative laugh as Tori stared puzzled at each of them. "What?"
Larry's laughter died down as he looked at Lizzie. "We've got one more check up, then you get to load all of her things down to the car." ***
Lizzie pushed the door open with Tori cradled in her arms. It felt incredibly wonderful to be home again, and to hear Tori's excited gasp at being home. "Mommy, down!" she insisted.
Without a choice, Lizzie lowered her to the ground where she broke into a run. "Gordo!" her tiny voice yelled.
"There's appreciation for you," Danny called softly behind Lizzie. Lizzie stepped quickly out of his way as he lugged Tori's many gifts into the house. Lizzie heard a soft shriek and smiled, assuming that Tori had found Gordo.
"Thank you for bringing some stuff home, and for carrying it in," she sated, looking up at Danny.
"No problem," he nodded. "Anything to help you and Tori out. Do you need anything else?"
"No, we'll be okay," she nodded.
Danny mirrored the action, his hands shoved into his pockets. "You think you'll need an extra week from work? To get her settled in and things."
"I've already taken off so much time. I mean, I have that article about travel, I finished it when she was sleeping—"
"Lizzie," Danny interrupted, placing his hand on her shoulder. "It's okay. Spend time with you daughter. I'll see you in a week." He smiled at her then turned and walked down the walk.
Lizzie shook her head as she slowly shut the door. She wasn't going to think about Danny right now. She was going to find out what kind of mischief her daughter had gotten into.
She followed the chatter of Tori's voice until she was leaning against the doorframe to the guest room that had become Gordo's room. Immediately, her attention was drawn to the bags on the floor, which Tori had taken upon herself to inspect, then to Gordo's flushed face.
"What are the bags for?" She asked, though she knew, he was leaving.
Gordo wearily glanced from the top of Tori's head to Lizzie's worried expression. He gently shook his head, his eyes clearly stating that he would talk about it with her later.
Lizzie chose to ignore this, she strolled into the room for the first time since he'd occupied it, walked over and pressed the back of her palm onto his head. As she'd expected, the skin was overly warm.
"What are you doing?" he asked, pulled away, but only slightly.
"Lie down," she commanded. She knelt down next to Tori. "Will you go get Mommy a cold washcloth? Gordo's sick, we have to make him better."
Thinking that they were still playing the game from the hospital, Tori grinned and broke into a run for the bathroom.
"When did you start feeling bad?"
"Lizzie, I'm fine."
"Lie down. When did you start feeling sick?" she repeated firmly.
Gordo looked at her and sighed. "About three days ago."
Lizzie sighed softly. She'd taken in his flushed face, but heavy clothes, his clammy hands. While Tori had riffled through his bags, he'd seemed to be watching the carpet, displaying loss of focus. While in the hospital, she'd heard about these symptoms. "If we don't break your fever, we're going back to the hospital," she stated, leaving no room for argument.