Disclaimer: I do not own 'ER' . I just happen to love the characters it has given us.
Susan Lewis sighed heavily as she opened her car door and stepped out in the late summer sun. It had been a long day at the hospital. She was looking forward to a quiet evening at home. Right now she was picking her son up at his day care center. She glanced toward the fenced play area and smiled. She looked for Cosmo amongst the children and staff. Her smile faded. Where was he? She hurried into the center's brightly painted front door. The director was waiting for her at the counter. Cosmo was sitting in a chair behind her, happily coloring with markers. He looked up when he heard the door open and then his smile faded when he saw Susan. He hopped down from his chair and hid under the receptionist's desk.
"Oh no," Susan sighed. "What now?" Olivia Brannick glanced back at Cosmo and then turned to Susan.
"We had another biting incident this afternoon," she said. 'That's the fourth one this month." Susan shook her head and scowled in disappointment at Cosmo, who was peeking out from under the desk at her. He growled at her and hid his face again.
"I'm very sorry, Dr. Lewis," Olivia continued. "Parents are beginning to complain. I am afraid you are going to have to make other day care arrangements for Cosmo. At least until he gets over these biting issues."
"I understand," Susan said and fumbled as she gathered up the envelope and papers that were on the counter for her. Olivia handed her a bag that contained her son's things and then opened the half door at the counter.
"Come on, Cosmo," Olivia said as she lifted him from under the desk. "Time to go home with Mommy."
"Don't wanna go home with her," he struggled to free himself. "Her's mad!"
"I'm not mad, Cosmo," Susan reassured him as she took him in one arm and struggled with the bag in the other. "We'll talk about this at home with Daddy."
Susan carried him out to the car and buckled him safely in his car seat. She got in and turned on the CD player. She didn't really hear the Wiggles music any more when it played. Cosmo loved it though. Her thoughts were racing. What were they going to do now? Chuck had just gone back to work at the hospital because they'd decided that Cosmos needed to be around other children and with the new house, they needed the extra money. They had searched high and low for a good daycare that they could afford. What now?
Chuck's car was parked in the driveway when they got home and Cosmo raced for the back yard as soon as he was free from the car seat. Susan followed him through the garage door to the patio in back. Chuck was busy at the grill.
"Hey...Starman!" Chuck exclaimed as Cosmo threw himself at his knees and hugged him. Chuck stepped back from the barbecue grill and tossed his son into the air. He hugged him and then set him down. Cosmo raced off toward his swingset. Chuck's eyes met Susan's and he reached into an ice bucket on the picnic table and pulled out an open bottle of beer. Susan sighed and dropped into one of the deck chairs.
"I know... I know," Chuck said as he turned back to the chicken he was grilling. "'There was a message on the answering machine." She shook her head and watched her son climbing up the side of the swing set to the top of the slide.
"That Sammy kid is just a pansy anyway..." Chuck muttered under his breath.
"Chuck!" Susan groaned. "Doesn't it bother you that our son has been ridden out on a rail? From DAYCARE? He's three years old, for cripes sake!"
"It's not that big of a deal," he said as he turned the meat. "There are lots of other places. He just wasn't happy there."
"We looked at them all, Chuck," she said. "This one was the best, remember?" Chuck sighed and sat in the lounge chair next to her. He took her beer and drank from it before handing it back to her. He chuckled and gestured toward the swing set.
"Look at him, Susan," he said. "We made that." Cosmos stood at the top of his slide and threw his arms out wide. He plopped down on the slide backwards and tumbled down toward the grass at the bottom. Susan gasped and started to rise but Cosmo stood up, brushed his bottom off, shook out his straight sandy blonde hair and with a huge smile ran to climb up the side of the swing set again. Apparently he didn't like the slide's ladder today. Susan threw her head back and laughed. Chuck leaned over and kissed her cheek.
"He's perfect," Chuck said.
"Yeah..." she agreed and giggled as Chuck kissed her lips. She pulled away as her cell phone rang.
"Don't answer that..." he groaned and reached out to hold her.
"Come on, Chuck..." she wheedled. "It might be Chicago. Abby is due any minute now." Susan laughed as he sighed heavily and sat back in his chair. She took the phone out of her pocket and pushed the buttons.
"Hello?" she said. "Yes, this is Susan Lewis...what? Oh my god..." Chuck looked at her as she reached for his hand. The color had drained from her face.
"Susan?" he said as he sat up straight. Susan squeezed his hand and her eyes filled with tears.
"It's Joe," she whispered.