Disclaimer: See chapter one. I do not own Sesame Street (so in there for you, Alyssa)
A/N: Hey everyone! Thank you so much for the reviews! I can't tell you how glad I am that everyone is enjoying my story thus far. I love finding reviews in my mailbox! Well, anyway, let's get going on chapter 5. Enjoy and review!
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February 29Beyond The Horizon
Chapter 5: Reflections
Faith Camden sighed nervously as she reached for the phone on her kitchen counter. She couldn't believe what she was about to do, doing it, no doubt, as a last resort. Here, in Dallas, Faith had friends: who didn't? She had friends, but none with kids-none with the experience required to supply her the guidance she so needed. She stopped, questioning herself once more. What was she about to ask of her dear friend? To toss aside everything and to come to Faith's rescue: that's what. She reached out and picked up the phone. With shaking fingers, she dialed the number that she knew so well, and after a few rings, Sarah picked up the phone.
"Sarah...it's Faith." She began nervously. After being greeted warmly by Sarah, she began to calm down...just enough to get out what she needed to say. "Sarah, I need to ask you a favor...a huge, huge favor. And if you can't do it, I totally understand, really I do. I won't even question it..." She took a deep breath. "Can you come to Dallas? I'll pay for your tickets. I just need someone to help me clear some things up, and I think you're the one to do so...maybe Chris or Michelle could keep an eye on little Emily, and of course there's Matt. But again, I mean, if you can't it's OK. I totally..." Sarah cut her off with a laugh.
"Faith, of course I'll come. I have some parent-teacher stuff up at the school for the twins, just need to get something worked out with Chris' teacher, but I'll be there Saturday morning, and you don't need to pay for my tickets. Any excuse to come see you is a good one, it's no problem. Really."
"Thank you so much" Faith said, finally calm again. She walked over and sat down in her husband's favorite chair in their living room: a puffy red recliner. She leaned back and held the phone to her ear with her shoulder as she put her hands on her stomach. "I really, really appreciate it."
"Is there anything you want to talk about over the phone?" Sarah asked, worried about her friend.
"No...I think it would be better to talk in person. Don't worry though, everything's fine...I just...well...we'll talk when you're here." In the background of Sarah's home, Faith heard Emily crying. Sarah sighed deeply.
"Faith, I have to go...Emily's crying again. Surely Chris or Michelle's fault, by the way, she keeps getting in their way, and they yell at her, and well, this is what happens. Are you sure everything's OK though...really sure that you can wait until Saturday"
"I'm sure. Now go take care of my niece." She told her sister-in-law. "I love you...bye." Sarah returned the sentiment and they hung up their phones. Faith set the phone on the end table next to her and rubbed her hands back and forth over her stomach carefully. Her body exhausted from hosting a child, she shut her eyes. She drifted off to sleep with her hands curled protectively around her abdomen, singing quietly as she slipped off.
"You Are My Sunshine
My only sunshine.
You
make me happy
When skies are gray.
You'll never know, dear,
How much I love you.
Please don't take my sunshine away
Please don't take...my sunshine...away..."
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Sarah hung up the phone and sighed. What could be bothering Faith so much that she wanted her to fly all the way to Dallas to help? She wasn't fooled by Faith's 'Nothing's Wrong' façade that she so often put on. Yes, she knew better than to fall for that for a second. She figured that it had something to do with the pregnancy, but...
"Mommy!" Whined Emily, breaking Sarah from her thoughts. She couldn't help but laughed when she looked at her precious daughter. She was covered from head to toe in chocolate pudding.
"Honey...!" Sarah began. "Who-who gave you pudding?"
"Chelly." She answered matter-of-factly. "She said that I was being annoying and to go do something else and I asked if I could have some pudding and she said yes and got it for me." She explained in her young, 4-year-old voice. Sarah shook her head disapprovingly.
"All righty then...we need to get you in the bath tub, pronto." She said, shooing the child toward the stairs. She made her way to the upstairs bathroom. When she got there, Emily was already sitting in the tub waiting. After starting the water, Sarah picked up the child's pudding-laden cloths off the floor and put them in the sink with some water. She turned back to Emily who was watching excitedly as the water filled higher and higher.
"Mamma!" She shrieked when the water got up as high as she was comfortable with. Sarah rushed over and shut off the water with a quiet laugh. Ever since she was a baby, Emily had been terrified of the water getting too high...so sure that she would drown. Sarah was at a loss to what had originally prompted the fear, and unfortunately, thus far, it had stuck. "Thanks."
"You're welcome." Sarah told her. "Ok, spin around. We need to get this icky stuff washed out of your hair. She grabbed the plastic cup off the side of the bathtub rim and filled it with water, pouring it over Emily's head once it was full. The child squealed with delight as the water trickled down her back and neck. Sarah got a hand full of the yellow colored baby shampoo-conditioner and rubbed it around in her daughter's hair. Emily giggled even more as the bubbles from the later made their way slowly down her forehead and neck. After she washed Emily's hair, Sarah had her daughter stand up as she drained the dirty tub water. She turned the shower-head on a low setting and rinsed the remaining pudding and bubbles off the child.
As soon as her mother shut off the water, Emily jumped out of the tub and onto the rug where Sarah wrapped her tightly in her red Elmo towel. She brushed through her daughter's curly brown hair with a comb for just a second before the 4-year-old took off out of the room and down the stairs. Sarah followed the little girl into the family room where she was sitting on the sofa.
"I wanna watch Elmo!" She cried. Sarah laughed. Emily had always loved Sesame Street, just like Chris and Michelle had as children. They used to be in the TV room every time it was going to be on, without fail.
"OK, but first, go up to your room and put on your jammies...I have them laid out on your bed." Emily took off like a flash. Sarah laughed and reached into the cabinet, getting out Emily's favorite Sesame Street video and popping it into the player. She pushed the play as she saw Emily hurrying back down the stairs, dressed in her pink pajama's that her Grandmother, or as Emily called her "Granny Annie" had given her. She snuggled onto the sofa and smiled as her video started.
Sarah stood back against the wall, watching her youngest child contentedly. When she had found out that she was pregnant again, she had been terrified. Now she knew only one thing for sure. This was the best thing that ever could have happened to her.
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March 1
The Kinkirk home was completely silent when Kevin came through the door after a long day at work. He shut the door quietly behind him and locked it. When he turned around, he smiled. Lucy was standing at the bottom of the stairs dressed in her pink silk robe, tied loosely around her waist. Kevin walked over and put his arms around her. He looked down at her face. Though the room was dimly lit, he could still see the way that her loose blonde curls framed her face, just as they had since the day he met her. Still, every day, they seemed to be more beautiful, more refined. He loved it. She smiled at him.
"Watcha thinking about?" She asked him quietly.
"You." He told her with a smile. She smiled back and they kissed. "How was your day?" he asked.
"Good...plain." She answered. "Brooke was having some trouble with her homework so Claire helped her, which I thought was sweet. Brooke seems to be having a harder time in 6th grade than she has before."
"Wasn't it like that with Claire and Noah though as well?" He asked. "I thought their homework and studying picked up then too."
"I think—so--." She told him, yawning loudly half way through her sentence. Kevin laughed and kissed his wife on the forehead.
"Honey, you didn't have to wait up for me. Come on, you're tired. Go to bed." He took her hand and led her upstairs. When they got to their bedroom, Lucy got in bed and under the covers easily. Kevin leaned down and kissed her. "I love you."
"I love you too." She answered him sleepily. Kevin stood there watching her fall asleep for a few minutes. Soon, her breathing deepened, signaling her decent into slumber. Kevin smiled. He loved the way she looked when she was asleep. No, he loved how she looked no matter what she was doing. Weather she was all dressed up to go to one of the charity balls that the police department held every so often or if she was in plain shorts and a tee-shirt, drenched in sweat after working outside all day. Yes, he loved her the same, no matter what. To him...she was always just Lucy, his adorable, gorgeous wife; and that was that he ever wanted.
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A/N: I hope, like usual, that you really enjoyed this chapter! Reviews would be so greatly appreciated! You know how much they help me write!