Marissa had just finished curling her hair when Dave knocked on the bathroom door to see if she was ready to go out to dinner. Marissa looked at herself one last time in the mirror, she smoothed a hand over the yellow sundress that she picked out to wear for their date, she figured dressing to the nines one night a week was enough so she went for a plain and simple soft yellow sundress that fell just above her knees. She then ran the brush through her hair so it now had just a hint of curl, she turned and slipped her slightly heeled sandals on and opened the door to find Dave standing in front of her wearing a pair of black dress pants and light pick dress shirt with the top two buttons undone, Marissa smiled at the pink shirt.
"You look great." Dave replied as he looked her over once the door opened.
"Not bad yourself." Marissa smiled. "Is Justice ready to go stay with Stephanie and Paul?"
"Yeah she's waiting by the door. She packed herself a little bag with a couple movies and dolls in case she gets board." Marissa walked toward the door to find Justice standing there holding on to her little pink book bag, which had a doll sticking halfway out.
"Mommy you look really pretty." Marissa smiled at the little girl as Dave opened the door.
"Thank you sweetie, are you ready to go to Paul and Stephanie's room?" Marissa took Justice's hand as they walked out the door followed by Dave.
"Mommy, can I stay the night with Uncle Paul and Aunt Stephanie?" Justice asked as they walked down the hall of the hotel.
"Baby we'll have to ask them if it's okay?" Marissa answered as the stopped in front of Paul and Stephanie's room door. Dave knocked on the door as Justice nodded her head.
"Hey guys come on in." Paul opened the door and Dave, Marissa and Justice stepped inside. "Hey Justice I went and got a couple movies for you to watch and we got a kiddy card game too."
"Uncle Paul, can I stay the night with you and Aunt Stephanie?" Justice asked as she sat her back pack beside the door.
"Let's go ask Aunt Stephanie just to make sure, come on." Paul took her hand and they walked towards the kitchen. "Hey Steph somebody here wants to ask her Aunt a question."
"Aunt Stephanie, can I stay the night with you and Uncle Paul, please?" Justice asked once Stephanie had turned around. When Stephanie heard Justice call her Aunt her face broke out in a smile.
"How could I say no to that?" Stephanie answered "Of course you can stay the night, if it's okay with your mom and dad."
"You can stay." Dave said as he looked over at Marissa to make sure. Justice smiled and ran over to Marissa and Dave and gave both of them hugs and kisses them walked over the door and grabbed her bag. "Well bring her some clothes when we get back."
"That's fine we'll be up for a while so take your time. She'll be fine you two go on and get out of here." Stephanie replied as they walked to the door. "If we need anything we'll call you, have fun and don't worry about her she'll be fine." Paul opened the door.
"Thank again you guys." Dave and Marissa stepped out in the hall.
"Have fun." With that Paul shut the door and Dave and Marissa headed down to the lobby.
"I thought since it's so nice out here tonight we could walk to the café." Dave looked at Marissa once they got outside.
"Really. That sounds great." They began walking down the sidewalk.
"It's not that far just down here on the corner." They walked down to the corner of the street to the little café. They walked inside and walked toward a booth in the back corner away from everyone else in the café, not that there were many people in there just an older couple sitting at the counter drinking coffee. Once they sat down a waitress in her late forties handed them a menu, she took their drink orders then walked back behind the counter. She returned with their drinks and Marissa and Dave gave her their orders. They sat and talked while they waited for their food and through their meal. When they finished they sat and talked for a while, Dave glanced down at his watch and noticed that it was now eight pm.
"I hate to say this but its eight o'clock we should head back so we can get Justice some clothes before she heads to bed."
"Is it really?" Marissa looked over at his watch. "I can't believe we've been here for almost three hours." Marissa stood from the booth with Dave as he laid a twenty on top of the bill. He then placed his hand on the small of Marissa's back and they walked out of the café.
"So did you enjoy yourself?" Dave asked as they walked back to the hotel.
Marissa looked about at him. "You know what I have really enjoyed myself. It was just like when you and me first go together. We would walk down town to that little fifties diner and sit there until they closed the place and we would just talk about anything and everything."
"I remember that diner we'll have to go there when we get back." Dave slipped his arm around her waist. "So would you consider going out with me again?"
"I suppose so, but Dave I don't want to go to fast." Marissa slipped her arm around his waist and leaned into him, just then Dave's cell phone rang. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.
"Hey Paul we're on our way back to the hotel…" Dave paused and listened to what the other man was saying. Marissa could tell that something was wrong but couldn't hear what he was saying. "Yeah we're be there in about five minutes." Dave closed his phone and stopped walking.
"Dave what's going on?" Marissa asked worried.
"Marissa Paul and Stephanie had to take Marissa to the hospital, she was running in the room tripped and fall hitting her head on the corner of the coffee table. She's okay, but she needs stitches."
"Okay so let's get over there." Marissa said some what relieved.
"You okay?"
"Yeah I'm fine it's not the first time that she has had stitches. The first time I was a mess, I thought I was the world's worst mother and of course it didn't help when the doctor called children services to come check out the situation." Marissa and Dave began walking back to the hotel at a faster pace then before.
"They what?"
"Yeah they called children services said that the story I told wasn't consistent with what Justice told them. She was two what could she have said at the time, when the social worker talked to me and Justice she laughed at the whole thing and told me not to worry that they weren't going take Justice and that the doctor had no reason to call her down. Needless to say I never took Juss back to that hospital again."
"I can't believe they called children services that just crazy." Dave shook his head, a few minutes later they reached the hotel and Dave got the keys from the valet for the rental car and got directions for the hospital and they were off.
When they reached the hospital they parked the car and started walking toward the hospital entrance where Paul was standing waiting for them looking very nervous and worried.
"You okay?" Marissa asked him as they approached him.
"I'm fine as long as your not going to kill us for letting her get hurt." Paul replied.
"I'm not going to hurt you guys, kids fall and get hurt don't worry Juss is a tough girl come on let's go in and check on her." They walked through the automatic doors, down and hallway and through another set of automatic doors then into Justice's room where the doctor was just getting ready to start putting her stitches in, Steph sat beside Justice looking like she was ready to cry.
"Marissa and Dave I'm so sorry we should have been watching her better, I should have never let her run around but she was having so much playing and…and…"
"Steph its okay we're not mad." Dave said put a hand on her shoulder trying to clam her down.
"I just feel so bad about this whole thing. I understand if you guys don't want us to watch her again." Stephanie had tears in her eyes.
"It's okay, she's fine Steph it's just a couple stitches. If Marissa wants to still stay the night it's fine with us. Kids are kids they run, they fall and they get hurt no matter how much you watch them. Trust me I should know I'm her mother." Marissa stood next Justice and the doctor. "Why don't you go for a walk and calm down?" she suggested.
"If you don't mind I think I'll stay here while they do the stitches."
"That's fine." Dave walked over to Marissa along with Paul and Dave. The nurse and set a covered tray on the table beside the bed. The doctor told Justice to lay back on the bed and asked Dave, Paul, Marissa and Steph to hold her arms and legs still just in case she started to move around.
They walked out of the hospital a half hour later with Justice in Dave's arms. When they got back to the hotel Justice told Marissa that she wanted to stay with her Aunt and Uncle. Dave handed her to Paul when they reached their room and kissed her good night and Paul and Steph walked in their room. Dave put his arms around Marissa as they walked to their room, once inside their hotel room they sat on the couch and started watching a movie on HBO. Marissa laid her head in Dave's lap and stretched out on the couch, Dave watched her more then the movie he watched as she fall asleep, when she was completely out Dave moved out from under her, picked her up and carried her to the bed he tucked her in then sat on the side of the bed and watched her as she slept.