Luka held Sam tightly. "Drive carefully," he told her. "If you get too tired, find a motel and stop for a while and get some sleep. And call me when you get there."
"I will, I will and I will," Sam promised.
"It's a shame about Nancy and Larry, though," Luka whispered. "I was looking forward to that."
Sam just smiled at him, and then turned to Alex, who was finishing off the last of the popcorn. He had grudgingly permitted his mother to give him a good-bye hug and kiss, before escaping to the sofa to allow her and Luka their good-byes. "Now Alex, you listen to Luka. You do what he tells you. If I hear that you've given him trouble, there will be hell to pay. Understand?"
"I'll be good, Mom," Alex said with a deep sigh.
"Bedtime is 9:30 every night. Homework gets done the minute you get home from school. Check your blood sugar four times a day..."
"Go, already, Sam!" Luka interrupted firmly. "You have a long drive ahead of you, and we'll be fine." He opened the door and, after giving her one last kiss, pushed Sam through it.
The minute the door closed, Alex jumped up from the couch. "This is going to be so cool, Luka. Just the two of us!" And there was a knock on the door. Luka opened it to see Sam standing there.
"Back so soon?"
"Forgot my bag," Sam said. She grabbed the bag, gave Luka another peck on the cheek, and was gone again.
"We are going to have sooo much fun!" Alex crowed."
"Yes, we will," Luka agreed good-naturedly. "So, how did the movie end?"
Alex shrugged. "You know ... another 20 or 30 got killed and Michael escaped again."
"So, does this mean there's a Halloween 18?"
"Yeah, and 19 and 20 too. Maybe we can rent them tomorrow? A triple feature?"
"Maybe. But, right now it's bedtime."
"It's still so early, Luka."
"It's almost 9:30. Your mother said ..."
"She didn't mean tonight!" Alex interrupted. "Tomorrow is Sunday, I don't have school. I always stay up until midnight on Saturday."
"She said every night, Alex. Besides, if we're going to have a long, exciting day tomorrow, you need to go to sleep so we can get up early."
"What are we going to do?"
"I don't know. I'll have to look at the paper and see what's going on. Maybe we could go a ball game, or the zoo, or the Museum of Science and Industry..."
"Or the morgue? Or maybe we could observe some surgeries? I kinda wish Mom had taken me to Florida with her. Not that I don't want to spend lots of time with you ... but I've never been to a funeral before. I've never seen a real live dead person."
"No dead people, Alex," Luka said firmly. "We'll both think about it and decide in the morning. Now go get your jammies on and brush your teeth. I'll be in to tuck you in soon, and maybe read you a story?"
Alex rolled his eyes. "Jammies? Read me a story? I know how to read, Luka. Probably better than you ... in English ..."
"Enough with the smart mouth. Off to bed." Luka had to laugh a little even as he tried to be firm with Alex. This was going to take getting used to. Parenting a preadolescent was a very different game from parenting a couple of toddlers.
Alex ran off to his room, still grumbling, and Luka took his own overnight bag into Sam's room. This was going to be fun. And the bonding time would do them both good. Alex was a good kid. A little rambunctious; a little too big for his britches, but really a good kid. Luka was sure he could handle him -- and if not ... well ... he could always hog-tie him and hang him from the coat rack until Sam got back.
After a few minutes, Luka knocked on Alex's bedroom door. "All ready for bed?" he asked.
"Yeah." Luka opened the door and went in. Alex was in bed ... dressed in ...
"Scooby Doo pajamas?" Luka asked, laughing again. "I never pictured you as that type, Alex."
"I'm not. Mom is. She got on the big Scooby Doo kick a few years ago, maybe she thought that it was what normal kids were supposed to be interested in. She told me once that she thought she was Velma in a former life. I almost never wear these, but I don't have any other clean ones. Mom usually does laundry on Sunday."
"So maybe we'll spend an exciting day tomorrow at the laundromat?"
"Or at the store? You can buy me some new pajamas."
"We'll see. Are you sure you don't want a story?"
"You could tell me a story," Alex suggested.
"Make one up, you mean?"
"No. Tell me some of the cool things that happened at work today."
"What kind of cool things?"
"I dunno. Any really gory traumas? Did you reattach any body parts?"
"Not today. And besides, the surgeons do the reattaching."
"What's the weirdest body part you ever had to reattach? Somebody's tongue?"
"No, Alex."
"Somebody's penis?"
"No, Alex. That's enough chattering for tonight. Maybe tomorrow I'll tell you some gory ER stories. Now it's late, and you need to go to sleep."
Luka tucked Alex in snugly, and said goodnight. He'd give him a few minutes to fall asleep, then settle down with Nurse Nancy. Watching it alone wouldn't be quite so entertaining as watching it with Sam ... but it would still be educational. Then he'd return it and rent Velma and Daphne as a welcome home treat. For both of them.
"I will, I will and I will," Sam promised.
"It's a shame about Nancy and Larry, though," Luka whispered. "I was looking forward to that."
Sam just smiled at him, and then turned to Alex, who was finishing off the last of the popcorn. He had grudgingly permitted his mother to give him a good-bye hug and kiss, before escaping to the sofa to allow her and Luka their good-byes. "Now Alex, you listen to Luka. You do what he tells you. If I hear that you've given him trouble, there will be hell to pay. Understand?"
"I'll be good, Mom," Alex said with a deep sigh.
"Bedtime is 9:30 every night. Homework gets done the minute you get home from school. Check your blood sugar four times a day..."
"Go, already, Sam!" Luka interrupted firmly. "You have a long drive ahead of you, and we'll be fine." He opened the door and, after giving her one last kiss, pushed Sam through it.
The minute the door closed, Alex jumped up from the couch. "This is going to be so cool, Luka. Just the two of us!" And there was a knock on the door. Luka opened it to see Sam standing there.
"Back so soon?"
"Forgot my bag," Sam said. She grabbed the bag, gave Luka another peck on the cheek, and was gone again.
"We are going to have sooo much fun!" Alex crowed."
"Yes, we will," Luka agreed good-naturedly. "So, how did the movie end?"
Alex shrugged. "You know ... another 20 or 30 got killed and Michael escaped again."
"So, does this mean there's a Halloween 18?"
"Yeah, and 19 and 20 too. Maybe we can rent them tomorrow? A triple feature?"
"Maybe. But, right now it's bedtime."
"It's still so early, Luka."
"It's almost 9:30. Your mother said ..."
"She didn't mean tonight!" Alex interrupted. "Tomorrow is Sunday, I don't have school. I always stay up until midnight on Saturday."
"She said every night, Alex. Besides, if we're going to have a long, exciting day tomorrow, you need to go to sleep so we can get up early."
"What are we going to do?"
"I don't know. I'll have to look at the paper and see what's going on. Maybe we could go a ball game, or the zoo, or the Museum of Science and Industry..."
"Or the morgue? Or maybe we could observe some surgeries? I kinda wish Mom had taken me to Florida with her. Not that I don't want to spend lots of time with you ... but I've never been to a funeral before. I've never seen a real live dead person."
"No dead people, Alex," Luka said firmly. "We'll both think about it and decide in the morning. Now go get your jammies on and brush your teeth. I'll be in to tuck you in soon, and maybe read you a story?"
Alex rolled his eyes. "Jammies? Read me a story? I know how to read, Luka. Probably better than you ... in English ..."
"Enough with the smart mouth. Off to bed." Luka had to laugh a little even as he tried to be firm with Alex. This was going to take getting used to. Parenting a preadolescent was a very different game from parenting a couple of toddlers.
Alex ran off to his room, still grumbling, and Luka took his own overnight bag into Sam's room. This was going to be fun. And the bonding time would do them both good. Alex was a good kid. A little rambunctious; a little too big for his britches, but really a good kid. Luka was sure he could handle him -- and if not ... well ... he could always hog-tie him and hang him from the coat rack until Sam got back.
After a few minutes, Luka knocked on Alex's bedroom door. "All ready for bed?" he asked.
"Yeah." Luka opened the door and went in. Alex was in bed ... dressed in ...
"Scooby Doo pajamas?" Luka asked, laughing again. "I never pictured you as that type, Alex."
"I'm not. Mom is. She got on the big Scooby Doo kick a few years ago, maybe she thought that it was what normal kids were supposed to be interested in. She told me once that she thought she was Velma in a former life. I almost never wear these, but I don't have any other clean ones. Mom usually does laundry on Sunday."
"So maybe we'll spend an exciting day tomorrow at the laundromat?"
"Or at the store? You can buy me some new pajamas."
"We'll see. Are you sure you don't want a story?"
"You could tell me a story," Alex suggested.
"Make one up, you mean?"
"No. Tell me some of the cool things that happened at work today."
"What kind of cool things?"
"I dunno. Any really gory traumas? Did you reattach any body parts?"
"Not today. And besides, the surgeons do the reattaching."
"What's the weirdest body part you ever had to reattach? Somebody's tongue?"
"No, Alex."
"Somebody's penis?"
"No, Alex. That's enough chattering for tonight. Maybe tomorrow I'll tell you some gory ER stories. Now it's late, and you need to go to sleep."
Luka tucked Alex in snugly, and said goodnight. He'd give him a few minutes to fall asleep, then settle down with Nurse Nancy. Watching it alone wouldn't be quite so entertaining as watching it with Sam ... but it would still be educational. Then he'd return it and rent Velma and Daphne as a welcome home treat. For both of them.