Mally walked back into her house to the sound of screeching and her father's voice giving strict directions. Most likely, Bailey had acted up once again. As she continued up the stairs, she could tell the voices were coming from inside the upstairs bathroom, the one she normally used. Bailey seemed to be protesting something, but she'd let her dad handle it like he always did. She and Natalie had just had a long, productive talk, and were friends again. They'd both apologized for their wrongs, and they were able to move on. Hey, they'd worked through their problems for seventeen years now. She really needed to go to the restroom, so Mally decided to cut through her parents' room and into their bathroom.
Mally washed her hands when she was done and examined her face briefly in the mirror. Then something caught her eye. A pregnancy test was sitting in the trash can on the floor. Mally squatted down and examined the box to make sure. It had been opened, and there was nothing in there, indicating it had been used. What wasn't she being told? Were her parents trying to have yet another little booger?
"You need to go sit on your bed until I tell you to come out." Nick told Bailey, as he opened the bathroom door, gripping his daughter's arm firmly. As Nick led her to her bed, Mally saw her little brother come out of the bathroom also, and he looked teary-eyed. Aidan saw his sister and demonstrated the universal sign for 'pick me up', by extending his arms up.
Mally's heart melted and she instantly reached for her blubbering brother.
"What's the matter, Aid?" She cooed, stroking his hair away from his eyes.
"Baiwey's mean!" He reported, clinging to his older sister.
"Oh yeah? What did she do?"
"She was pwayin' in the bafwoom and momma said not to, so I toad on her. She hitted me and cawed me a name when daddy came in." His voice was raspy with emotion.
"Oh, no." She soothed. "That wasn't very nice of her. Is daddy punishing her?"
"Yeah." He rubbed his eyes.
"See? Everything will be okay." Mally never thought she'd be thankful that Nick punished his kids whenever they misbehaved, but Bailey was a handful and needed consistency. Aidan was such a teddy bear, and needed to be protected sometimes from his conniving sister. Mally kissed her brother's head and took him into her bedroom. The twins weren't allowed in there, so it was a treat for the three year old.
Bailey was bawling her eyes out from the next room as Nick set her on her bed and gave her a few more strict corrective words. He wanted to swat her a few times on the butt right now also, but he promised he wouldn't. Instances like this were the hardest times to restrain himself, as she had put her and her brother's life in danger by playing with some toilet bowl cleaner that Mally had accidentally left out.
Nick took a deep, calming breath as he emerged from Bailey's room. He looked in the bathroom for his son, who he'd had to leave scared for the moment. When he didn't find him, he looked next in Mally's room. Nick breathed a sigh of relief as his eyes fell upon his two oldest children.
"Hey, bud. Are you okay?" Nick asked gently as he sat on the bed next to where Mally held her brother on her lap.
"Yeah." He said tearfully. Aidan lunged at his father, wanted to be held. Nick had raised his voice a little, but instead of being afraid this time, the little boy felt comforted and protected. His daddy had come to his rescue.
Nick winked at Mally in thanks as he cuddled his son, kissing his head.
"Well, I bet momma will be home in a few minutes. Why don't we all go downstairs?" Nick suggested, standing up with Aidan. The little boy clung to his father, and Mally followed closely behind them. She was just itching to ask her father about the pregnancy test, but couldn't in front of Aidan.
Between them, Nick and Mally cheered Aidan up playing in the living room. Nick started dinner when Sara walked in from work. She was greeted by contented faces, minus one missing.
"Where's Bailey?" She asked her husband as she kissed him hello.
"Serving a time out in her bedroom." He informed her.
"Uh-oh. What did she do this time?" Sara put her things down as Aidan clung to her leg, elated to see his mommy.
"She was playing with toilet bowl cleaner in the bathroom." He said quietly, and then rose his voice so Aidan could hear the next part. "But Aidan was such a good boy. He came and told me right away."
Sara beamed down at her son, who smiled proudly up at her. Yeah, he was a good boy. She picked him up and perched him on her hip as she praised him.
"You did? That is a good boy!" Sara kissed him multiple times. "We don't play with things in the cabinets, do we?"
"Nope."
"I'm glad you remembered and told daddy."
"Dad, I need to talk to you." Came Mally's voice from a few feet away. Now that Sara was home, she could steal her father for a few minutes.
"Sure, sweetheart." Nick told her, giving Sara another kiss. Mally started walking outside, and Nick just followed her. It must be pretty important if she wanted it this private. She sat down on the porch swing and Nick joined her, glad to be sitting down once again. "What's up? Did you talk to Natalie?"
"Yeah, I did. Everything's fine." She quickly got down to business. "Why was there a pregnancy test in your bathroom?"
Nick had a deer in headlights look on his face, so Mally knew she had stumbled upon something important. He knew something, and he wasn't prepared to tell her about it.
"Why were you in our bathroom?"
"You and the twins were in the other one!"
Nick sighed deeply, not wanting to have this conversation, but she had a right to know. Plus, Sara wasn't pregnant, so there wasn't much to hide.
"Sweetheart, Sara thought she might be pregnant, but she's not. It was just a scare."
"Are you trying to have another kid?"
"Mally, that's between me and your mother."
He didn't want to lie and say they weren't trying because Sara had made it very clear that she wanted another kid.
"So you weren't even going to ask me if I wanted another sibling? It affects me too, you know! How much of my life has been spent taking care of Bailey and Aidan?" Mally was getting upset. It seemed she was always being left out of things. Her parents seemed to think she wasn't old enough to understand adult issues, but was old enough to be expected to help regularly with child care. Well, she was part of this family too, and she was almost eighteen years old.
"You need to calm down." Nick tried, motioning with his hand to settle down.
"Come to think of it, you never told me how my mother died! Did you not think I could handle that either? How did she die?" Mally demanded, seething.
"Mal, don't do this." Nick told her, his tone dead serious.
"No! I want to know! I can handle it, dad."
Mally stared at her father and he didn't want to look her in the eye. She knew it must be something horrible. He didn't want to tell her, but he couldn't keep it from her forever.
"I don't want to tell you at this stage in your life, but if you really want to know, I'll respect your wishes."
"I want to know." She repeated seriously. Nick looked into his daughter's eyes for a few moments. He really didn't know if she'd be able to handle this.
"Mally, your mother died from a drug overdose. Methamphetamine. She'd been using for years, and it finally killed her. That's how she died."
Mally looked straight ahead, taking in the new information. She'd learned all throughout school how awful drugs were, and she swore no one she knew did drugs. But now she finds out her own mother did drugs? Did she take drugs when she was pregnant? Did her father know? Why didn't he stop her?
"Mally…" Nick reached to hug his daughter, afraid of the expressions crossing her face. They weren't good, and he could tell she was about to snap.
"No!" She pushed him away. "Why didn't you stop her? Why didn't you get her help?"
"Sweetheart, I tried to, but she wouldn't stop. Believe me, I didn't want her to be taking drugs."
"So you knew, and you didn't get her help? Couldn't you send her somewhere?"
"She was a firecracker. There was no controlling her, Mally. I tried everything, but she had to make her own decisions. She was in control of her actions, and I couldn't stop it."
Mally glared at her father for a few more moments. Then, in a flash, she was off the swing and running for the gate. Nick tried to grab her arm, but she was too fast. She went running out of the yard and off down the street.
"Mally!" Nick yelled at her, running after the emotional teenager. "Mal, get back here!" He thought he'd be able to catch up with her, but decided it was better to let her run. Nick stopped and watched her take off down the street. If he wasn't mistaken, she was probably heading for the Grissoms'.
Nick rushed back inside and got on the phone. He dialed the Grissoms', and Catherine picked up.
"Catherine, it's Nick. Listen, Mally just got really upset and she ran off. I think she's heading for your house."
"Why's she upset?"
"She found a pregnancy test, but Sara's not pregnant. And then I told her about how her mother died."
"Oh, Nick." He felt like a lecture was coming on, so he stopped her.
"Catherine, will you keep an eye out for her and call if she comes your way?"
"Sure thing."
"Thanks."
Nick knew he could hop in the Denali and hunt his daughter down, but she really needed her space right now. He had people looking out for her, so he knew she'd be safe
CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI
"You let her run away?" Sara gaped when Nick informed her their daughter was missing. It had been over two hours now; plenty of time for her to get to the Grissoms', and she hadn't arrived yet. She was probably just still walking, but with their jobs, Nick and Sara were extra ancy about Mally running off. The twins were playing in the backyard, and their parents were arguing in the kitchen.
"Sar, she was really upset. She needed her space."
"She's grounded!"
"Huh?"
"She's not supposed to be going anywhere, Nick! She was over at the Grissoms' earlier, and now she's out wandering around? Doesn't sound like she's following the rules to me!"
"Don't be ridiculous. It's been a hard couple of days, and she needed to get away." Nick explained. He knew Mally's intricacies, and knew she wasn't deliberately disobeying him. She just needed to be alone. But that didn't mean disappearing for over two hours was okay.
"I think we should ground her for longer."
"Well, I'm her father and I don't think she should be!" Nick yelled, letting the emotions get to his head. Truthfully, they were both just worried about Mally, and stressed from the day's events, and they weren't thinking straight.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Sara snapped back. She hated when he got all possessive of Mally when things got heated. In the end, Mally always seemed to be HIS daughter, not THEIR daughter.
The front door opened, and in walked a tired looking Mally. Her hair was messy and her face defeated. One look at her, and the parents immediately forgot their quarreling and rushed to her.
Mally concentrated on the strong embraces of her parents, closing her eyes and taking in their scents. They clung to her, like they were afraid of losing her. Mally knew she'd scared them, but she couldn't stand to stay there any longer.
"Mally, why'd you do that?" Nick questioned his daughter, gently holding her head in his warm hands. Sara got her a glass of water. He kissed her forehead and then lead her to the sofa. "You scared the crap out of us." Nick continued seriously.
Mally's eyes welled up, and she took a sip of water.
"I just needed to leave." She croaked out as Nick stoked her haggard hair gently. She knew he'd forgive her, and that he was just glad she was home safe. "I'm sorry if I scared you."
Sandwiched between her two parents, Mally felt safe and protected as they both pressed a loving kiss to her head.
"You just had us worried for a while." Sara told her. "But don't do that again, okay?"
Mally nodded and finally just put her head in her hands and started sobbing. Too much had happened recently for her to deal with on an emotional level right now. First, her troubles in school and with Natalie, then finding out about her mother, her slight jealousy of her siblings, being accused of cheating, and the threat of a new sibling without her say so. Mally was overwhelmed, and she just let her emotions spill out again. She'd cried on her walk, and she still needed to continue now. Somehow she felt comforted by the fact her parents were always there for her no matter what she did.
Nick and Sara stole glances between each other. They'd been arguing so much lately about Mally and the twins that they'd momentarily forgotten what was really important. They knowingly met each other's gazes, speaking silently to each other, understanding that their fighting didn't matter right now. All that mattered right now was the teen sitting between them and their two precious children outside.
Sara rubbed Mally's back gently as she calmed down as Nick leaned down to see how she was doing.
"You're safe back home now." Nick reassured her, though it was more for him to hear.
"Why didn't you tell me you're trying to have another baby?" Mally asked, her voice tired and croaky. The parents shared glances again and decided to tell her the whole truth; everything they'd discussed so far.
"Sweetheart, we weren't trying for another baby." Nick started softly. "But Sara's period was a few days late, so she took a pregnancy test."
"Aren't you on birth control?"
"Yes, I am. But it's not one hundred percent. The test came back positive, but this morning I started my period."
"We weren't going to say anything because she wasn't pregnant. There was no reason to worry you with all you've been going through lately."
Mally almost snorted a little. How could they think she didn't want to know? Sure, she was emotional, but this was important stuff.
"Well, it affects me, so I'd appreciate if you told me about these things."
"Mally, that's not the type of thing we're just going to tell you." Sara explained. "It was between your father and me. At the time, it was none of your business."
"We weren't trying for a baby, Mal, is the main thing. We would ask you first if we were planning on it." Nick assured her. He wasn't about to agree to tell his daughter all about the intimacies of his relationship with his wife. It was none of her business. "You need to respect our privacy, Mally."
"Fine. Can I stay at Natalie's tonight?" Mally quickly changed the subject. She still didn't want to stay home tonight.
"No, Mally. You're grounded, remember?" Nick pointed out, though Mally knew perfectly well.
"So! We have to practice our dance for the recital." She whined.
"I'm sorry. You know the rules in this house. No exceptions. Plus, it's only two days."
Mally huffed and got up off the couch, snatching up her glass of water. She'd made some progress with her feelings with her parents, but she was still angry with them. And now she couldn't escape it. She was stuck here for the night when she needed Natalie the most.
"Mally, you're lucky we don't increase it with that stunt you just pulled." Sara called after her daughter. Mally was a sweet girl, but lately she'd become more disrespectful to both her parents. Nick knew what his wife was thinking, and pulled her gently to sit back on the couch as Mally stormed up the stairs to her room. They heard the door slam.
"She'll be fine."
"What's with her attitude lately?" Sara asked, as if he'd know the answer.
"Beats me. I guess just a whirlwind of emotions." Nick leaned back, kicking his feet up on the table.
"Do you want to talk about reproducing, now we've started?"
She sounded so technical and business-like about it, the way she talked. Nick gave her a curious look, testing her level of humor. Sara smiled a little and laid her head down on Nick's reclined chest.
"Shoot, kid." Nick gently stroked her hair, letting her vent.
"Okay. I'm thirty seven years old, and you're thirty nine. My biological clock is ticking down and I want to have at least one more baby."
"At least?"
"Yes. And if we wait much longer, we'll be old geezers by the time our offspring hit college. I want to be able to play with them when they're little, and still be active. It'll be harder in my forties."
"True." Nick agreed, seeing her point. "But what if we have more Baileys? How will we ever keep up with the little devils?"
The two parents smiled, thinking of their youngest, and glanced outside. Bailey was chasing down her brother and winning. She was a handful, but she was a gift, just like Mally and Aidan.
"I think some kind of molecular abomination must have occurred when your sperm found my egg."
"Is that what you're calling it?" He smiled down at his wife. "And what if we have twins again? Raising two at the same time has been trying, I have to tell you."
"We'd deal with it, like we are now. You never know, we might have a really easy kid for once. A Rhoades Scholar and winner of the National Spelling Bee." Sara dreamed. "A future forensics genius, who holds the same curiosity for…"
"Sara, it sounds like you want to mail order a kid. It doesn't work that way."
"Well, that wouldn't be any fun. We'd be missing the best part." Sara sat up and leaned in to kiss her husband sensually.
"And what's the best part?" He smiled into her lips, teasing.
"Do I have to show you again?" She moaned, kissing his face and his laugh lines as they peeked out.
"You are the expert, Mrs. Stokes."
CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI
After dinner, Nick suggested to Mally they should pick up a game of catch, something they hadn't done in a long time. Mally jumped at the chance to be out of her room and happily agreed. She'd been moping in her room until it was dinnertime and had gotten over some of her emotions. The warm, dusk air did wonders for her spirit as she found a spot on the opposite side of the yard as her father. Sara was entertaining the twins on the swingset when the father and daughter started throwing back and forth.
Loving the feel of the ball hitting her glove snugly, Mally couldn't help but notice her younger brother watching them in awe. He really did think this was a cool game, and Mally couldn't agree more. She'd loved doing this exact thing with her father ever since he taught her when she was four. It had been just them back them. Always just the two of them throwing back and forth. But it occurred to Mally it could be more fun with more people. Before, she had been defensive about anyone else playing with them, but right now she wanted nothing more than for Aidan to join in. He looked up to her so much, and Mally wanted to make sure Nick had someone to play with when she was gone at college next year.
"Mawwy, can I pway too?" Aidan asked, practically reading his sister's mind. Nick watched his daughter, leaving it up to her. She'd gotten pretty upset a month or so ago when the twins had joined in, so he didn't want to tread on that ice again with all her emotions right now.
Mally met eyes with her father and smiled. Yes, it would be wonderful if he joined in. That would make it perfect. Mally went to the tub of toys they kept just inside the back door and managed to fetch out her old mitt. The one she'd used when she first learned.
"Sure, bud. Use my old mitt."
Aidan's eyes lit up as Mally tossed him her old mitt. He knew how important that mitt was to his big sister, and even at the tender age of three, knew something very special had just happened.
There in the back yard on a warm spring evening, Aidan learned how to play real catch with his daddy and his big sister. And nothing could be more perfect.
THE END!
A/N: Any interest in more? I have some ideas swimming in my head for a sequel, but just checking to see if there's still interest out there. If so, how many years should I jump ahead, and should they have another kid? What should it be? Thanks as always for reading and sticking with me!
