Three Men And A Little Lady – Chapter 5
"Say something else."
"Fuck." Rebecca giggled at Smithy, as he wearily rubbed his head.
"Klein."
"Fuck."
"Oh god…" Smithy glanced over at the front door, before looking back at Rebecca. "She'll be here in a minute, you don't want to see daddy castrated do you."
"Ahh dada gone!" Rebecca pulled herself up, launching at Smithy, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"Dadda will be bloody gone in a minute." Smithy sighed, looking from his groin to Rebecca.
"Daddy." Rebecca smiled up at Smithy, patting the side of his face with one hand.
"Good girl." Nick smiled at Rebecca.
"'Ickey!" Rebecca bounced in Smithy's arms, attempting to get Mickey's attention.
"Come on ref!" Mickey threw his hands up as the football skimmed over the top of the net. "He fouled him!"
"Ickey!" Rebecca's demands got louder and she scowled as he kept ignoring her in favour of the TV. "ICKEY!" she screeched, before throwing her teddy at his head.
"What the…!" Mickey blinked, looking down at the TV, before looking accusingly at Rebecca. "You some sort of freakishly strong baby?"
Rebecca gave a soft 'hmph!', before frowning at him, "Ickey!" She scowled, holding her hand out, demanding the safe return of her teddy.
"What on earth are you doing?" Charlie stood in the doorway of the living room, looking round at the chaos in front of her.
"MUMMY!" Rebecca grinned, wiggling free and toddling towards her.
Charlie beamed and scooped her up as soon as she reached her, kissing her cheek and cuddling her, frowning round at the boys and the lager and Calpol stains covering the floor and furniture, as well as the empty cans and food wrappers. She opened her mouth to speak before wrinkling her nose as she smelt something.
"Wasn't me." Mickey held his hands up as Charlie looked accusingly at him.
"Mummy…" Rebecca giggled, kicking her legs as Charlie moved her head forward a little and sniffed.
"Come with me madam." She shrugged her jacket off and dropped it and her bag into Smithy's lap. "I want this room cleaning by the time I get back downstairs."
"But…football!" Mickey scowled as Charlie snatched the remote with her free hand, threatening to turn the TV off.
"NO!" Nick and Smithy chorused, about to leap for the remote if they had to.
"Clean. My. Room." Charlie glared around at each of them. "Or it goes off – and the boys go home."
Smithy frowned and muttered something under his breath, yelping as Charlie threw the remote at him, catching him on the cheek.
"So that's where Rebecca gets it from." Nick observed, smirking.
"Do it." Charlie threatened. "Or you're on the settee, Mr Smith." She turned without another word, heading upstairs.
Smithy sighed, before standing up. "S'almost half time anyway."
"Not yet it ain't!" Mickey scowled, not budging.
"Move!" Smithy insisted, pulling Mickey from the chair.
"He's just worried about not getting his leg over." Nick smirked, picking the cushions up.
"Oi." Smithy started collecting the lager cans up, scowling at Nick, before nudging Mickey along as he just stared blankly at the tv.
"Huh?" Mickey tuned back in before scowling. "Fine." He muttered, picking up the food wrappers, his eyes still glued to the tv.
"And were you a good girl?" Charlie smiled as she sat beside the bath, watching her daughter splashing happily.
"Yish!" Rebecca giggled, nodding enthusiastically.
"Was daddy a good boy?" Charlie asked, slightly more dubiously.
Rebecca looked thoughtful for a few seconds, before nodding, peering over the edge of the bath as Charlie bagged and binned her dirty nappy, giggling at the expression on her face.
"You stink!" Charlie grinned, gently and carefully splashing Rebecca.
"Nu huh!" Rebecca beamed, splashing back.
"She'll be down in a minute!" Mickey frowned, still glued to the TV, even though the first half had ended and the pundits were discussing tactics.
"Then move!" Smithy pushed him through to the kitchen, before returning himself with a carpet cleaner and a cloth, attempting to clean the pink stain on the carpet from the spilt Calpol.
Nick paused for a second and turned to watch him, biting back several comments which would have earned him at least one punch. "Alright down there, sarge?"
"Piss off." Smithy scowled, barely glancing up.
Mickey returned from the kitchen, clutching a bag of crisps to his chest as he sat back in the chair.
Nick sighed, seeing Smithy's expression change from 'mildly annoyed', to 'I'm gonna sodding kill you'. "Leave him." He tried to reason. "We'll get more done."
"Just you wait till we're at work, Webb." Smithy muttered darkly, finishing cleaning with Nick.
Charlie smiled down at Rebecca as she cradled her close, kissing her forehead, watching Rebecca yawn and stretch, rocking her gently. "Hush little baby, don't say a word…" She sang softly, taking a seat by the cot. "Daddy's gonna buy you a mocking bird…"
Rebecca's head lolled forward slightly against Charlie's shoulder and she murmured softly in reply as her hands curled lightly around Charlie's top.
"…And if that mocking bird don't sing, daddy's gonna by you a diamond ring…" Charlie smiled slightly, cuddling Rebecca tightly, before standing up and lowering her gently into the cot, turning the mobile and baby monitor on, before going through to the shower, gratefully sliding out of her clothes and into the warm water.
"Gerra move on!" Smithy insisted, dumping the last piece of rubbish, before settling back down on the settee, pleased they'd finished before the start of the second half.
"She is gonna let us watch it, ain't she." Nick settled in the armchair, opening a can of lager before settling back.
"Course she is." Smithy puffed his chest out slightly. "S'my house, my TV, my match." He said, wishing he felt as confident as he sounded.
"Who's house?" Charlie pulled the fluffy white dressing gown she was wearing over her pyjamas and headed in Smithy's direction, purposely dropping herself into his lap from a height, taking pleasure from his gasp.
"Ours." Smithy drawled, rolling his eyes, batting Charlie's arms down as she settled in his lap, brushing her wet hair back into a high ponytail.
"Good boy." She smiled, kissing his cheek as she curled up against him, "What you moaning about now?"
"Nothing." Smithy feigned innocence, talking for as long as the half time lasted. "Where's Becca."
"Asleep." Charlie wrapped an arm around Smithy's neck, leaning out for two cans of lager, passing him one. "Changed, bathed and out like a light, like she should have been, ages ago."
"She was." Smithy shrugged. "Mickey woke her up."
"Don't blame me!" Mickey snorted.
"You were the one that-"
"Boys!" Charlie rolled her eyes, "Calm down – as long as she's asleep now…"
"Shh." Smithy lightly tapped Charlie's backside. "Second half."
Charlie mock pouted up at him, before reaching behind her for a magazine, stretching her legs out as she snuggled against Smithy's chest as the referee blew the whistle to start the game, only glancing up as a distinctive soft, "Fuck," was heard through the baby monitor….
"MICKEEEEEY!"