I'm SO sorry. I suck at sticking to any sort of schedule when life and assorted crap piles up. And apparently I'm a little forgetful, too. I thought I posted this a week ago and since the site had been having issues with reviews it didn't strike me as odd that I hadn't gotten any feedback one way or another on this chapter. There is going to be a small time jump coming in either chapter 8 or 9. I'm still going over my edits.
(Also, for the time being I'm going to be alternating updates of this story with Holiday Surprise. But there are only a couple more chapters in the other story. Sometimes it helps keep things fresher for me when I multi-task.)
Thanks for your patience and I appreciate the reviews and feedback to the previous chapters. (And I do plan to get back and respond soon.) :-)
A few days later Angela found herself in the elevator of a Las Vegas hospital. She didn't have much of a plan aside from showing up and talking to her father. He had no clue she was here. The only people who knew were her aunt and Joyce. Joyce knew only because she was the one who shuttled her father to and from his treatments most days. He preferred it that way. While Angela didn't understand their relationship in the slightest, she'd given up trying to decipher it. It only ever resulted in confusion and a headache.
She stared at the control panel, watching as the numbers slowly went higher. She was trying to come up with a good opening with her dad- who probably wouldn't be thrilled to see her- when she received a text. It was Eric. He sent her a short video of Georgia attempting to roll a ball to Thor. Well, it was more like she picked the ball up and wildly flung it a few inches with her daddy's encouragement. It never got anywhere near the cat, but she was trying all the same. The cuteness was topped off when the feline brought his beloved toy mouse over and dropped it at the baby's feet. Angela was grateful for the distraction. Before she was able to send back a response the elevator doors opened and she moved slowly down the corridors, following the directions Aunt Trish had given her earlier.
Follow the Yellow Brick Road was the mental soundtrack as she followed the colored lines on the otherwise drab hospital tile. She smiled to herself, realizing that was a little more in step with Eric's train of thought- not usually hers'. Of course, he'd probably be singing along with the melody and skipping down the halls. By the time she reached the oncology unit Angela had visions of dressing Georgia as Dorothy for Halloween swimming around in her head. Finding red shoes would be easy enough. Pigtails on the other hand…Georgia was still bald and-
"Angela?"
She spun around and spotted Joyce leaning against the wall in the waiting area. "Oh, hi. Sorry, my mind was wandering. I was-I was actually thinking about next Halloween and how to dress Georgia." She shook her head. "Silly, huh?"
"I don't think so. It's nice to have a little distraction at a time like this."
"Yeah." Angela stared at Joyce, immediately struck by how similarly they were dressed. They were both wearing sweaters in nearly identical shades of yellow- though hers' was a chunky knit and Joyce was wearing a sweater set- and their pants were both gray. However she was wearing jeans as opposed to Joyce's linen trousers. Even their earrings were similar: small silver hoops. "Um…how's dad?"
"Your father is doing as well as can be expected for someone going through cancer treatments."
"That doesn't tell me anything."
"He's been better. This round of treatment does seem to be hitting him harder than previous ones."
"He's not going to be happy to see me, is he?"
"Angela, he is always happy to see you. That has never been the issue. It's you seeing him in this weakened state that bothers him. There's a certain image he wants you to keep of him and being in a wheelchair with his hair falling out is not that picture."
"He's always going to be my dad. It doesn't matter what- he's in a wheelchair," she asked.
"No, but when he finishes his treatments he's extremely tired and the orderly will bring him out in one."
"Oh." Angela was suddenly second guessing her decision to show up, especially alone. Maybe she should've taken Eric up on his offer to come along for emotional support. She was certainly wishing for it now. Georgia probably would've been okay with the Matthews' grandparents for a weekend.
Joyce reached out and put a hand on her daughter's arm in an attempt to reassure her. Angela recoiled at the contact and the reality of their relationship- or lack of relationship- smacked the older woman in the face. She opted to keep her hands folded in front of her instead. "Just treat your dad as you normally would. That's what he wants."
"Just be normal?"
"I'm not saying it's going to be easy, but yes."
"How the hell am I supposed to do that?"
"If all else fails, talk about Georgia," she suggested with a smile. "That's what he does when he needs cheering up."
"Really?"
"Well, he talks and brags about the both of you-Eric sometimes, too- but he adores that baby girl and loves being her grandfather. I swear he shows her pictures off to everyone he meets and just gushes over how smart and special she is and what a good mom you are."
Angela was doing her best not to break down. She refused to in front of Joyce, afraid that she would completely lose it and need to be comforted by her. What scared her the most was part of her wanted nothing more than for her mother to wrap her in a tight hug and tell her it was going to be all right, just as she had during the childhood moves to new states and countries or when Angela was four and still afraid of monsters in her room. She wanted it, but it wasn't going to happen. Even if it did how could she trust that Joyce was sincere and wouldn't bail on her tomorrow? She couldn't allow herself be vulnerable and bare her soul to someone who possessed such power to hurt her- had already hurt her. "Then I suppose it's a good thing I have a new video of Georgia to show him," was what she managed to say. "Eric just sent it. She's trying to roll a ball with Thor."
She always enjoyed the pictures and videos Alvin shared with her. "Sounds adorable. I know he'll be happy to see it." She picked up the bag that was at her feet. "Here. These will come in handy."
"What is it?"
"His neck pillow just in case he gets tired, masks- he's been wearing them because his immune system is compromised, and gum to help with the dry mouth issues. There are also a couple of airsick bags in there. Usually the nausea and vomiting doesn't hit him until later if at all because he has meds to control them, but every once in a while he gets sick in the car. And be careful when you're driving. Sometimes his chest can be sore where they do the radiation. The seatbelt can irritate it, especially if you have to brake quickly."
"Oh." That was a lot of stuff. "Is that why Aunt Trish's car has the seat belt pads on the passenger side?"
"Yes." Joyce realized she was looking more concerned by the minute. "I'm sorry. I'm not trying to scare you. I only wanted you to be prepared for the reality of his situation and not be blindsided."
"No, no, I appreciate the honesty. I just…he's kept me away from the beginning. I've never seen him like this."
"Do you want me to wait around with you until he's done? This way if there are any rough edges to smooth out I can-"
"We'll be fine," she interrupted in a harsher tone than intended. She certainly didn't need Joyce to intervene on her behalf.
"All right. The treatment room is straight down that hall. You can't miss it."
"Thanks."
"Just remember if he's grumpy or agitated it's not you. The treatments take a lot out of him."
"I'll try."
No matter how slowly she moved, it took Angela no time at all to reach the treatment room. She wasn't sure what to do. Did she knock or check in with somebody? She couldn't just barge in, could she? It wasn't like her dad was the only person in there.
"You're Angela, aren't you?"
She looked up and found herself in front of a kind looking woman wearing scrubs top with smiley faces all over. Angela was quite certain she had never met this person. "Do I know you?"
"No, we've never met, but I feel like I know you. Your dad shows pictures every time he comes in here."
She remembered what Joyce had said. "Right."
"I'm Maggie."
"Hi, it's nice to meet you."
"You, too. Does your dad that you're here?"
"Not exactly. This is sort of a last minute thing."
"Ah, well so long as he remains calm and relaxed there should be no issues. He's just about done. Were you going to wait for him out here or would you like to come in?
"Umm, I'm not sure."
"You don't have to be nervous. I know it's scary to see the people you love in this state, but he's still your dad. He's just got a little less hair and a port in his chest."
"A port?"
"It's easier for long term patients. Now, before I let you in I must ask that you wash your hands right over there." She pointed to a sink. "Are you feeling all right?"
"I'm fine. Just not sure what to expect is all."
"What I mean is, are you sick? Do you feel like you're coming down with something? Little Georgia hasn't run a fever since she's been teething, has she?"
"No, she…wait a minute. How do you know about Georgia and that she's teething? My dad," she concluded.
"Your daughter is the hit of the room."
"Thanks. I think. But anyway, no one is sick at home."
"Great. Just go wash your hands and I'll tell your dad he has a special visitor."
"Okay." Angela went to the sink and washed her hands, carefully following the chart that hung on the wall. Who knew there were special instructions for handwashing? She then followed the nurse to a quiet corner of the room that was occupied by her father. He was in a recliner and staring at a small television in his hands. He looked almost frail sitting under the blanket. Whatever hair he had a Christmas was now gone. Despite all that there was still an aura of quiet strength within. It let her know that even though he didn't look the same, it was still him in there. "Hi, dad."
Alvin was, surprised by her voice. He didn't know what to expect when the nurse said there was a special visitor here to see him. He definitely hadn't been expecting his daughter. "Angela…what are you doing here?"
"Why do you think?"
"You came to yell at me for not telling you sooner?"
She pulled a chair over and sat down. "No, not that I'm not tempted," she said with a small smile. "But that can wait."
"Your articles last week were brilliant. I don't know much about fashion, but you certainly-"
"Dad, stop. Don't change the subject. I didn't come here to discuss your biased opinions of my articles. How are you feeling?"
"I'm…," he stopped, realizing if he insisted he was fine he'd be fooling no one, especially his daughter. Even a blind man would be able to tell he wasn't what one would call fine. "I've been better."
"Is there anything I can do- anything I can get for you?"
"Do you have any new pictures of my granddaughter?"
She scooted the chair closer. "Actually Eric just sent me a new video. Georgia tries to roll a ball to the cat."
"It sounds like the perfect remedy. And for the record, your articles were brilliant. I especially liked your interviews with the people who keep the shows running behind the scenes."
/
/
"Are you serious? Please tell me she didn't. Perfect."
Jack came inside from talking the dogs out on an early walk and found his wife on the phone. She didn't acknowledge him and the look on her face could only be described as grave.
"What kind of charges is she looking at? Are they shipping her back to Texas?"
"Rach," he whispered and tapped her arm, "what's going on?"
"Thanks for calling, Megan. Yeah," she snorted, "I know, the perks of this job are endless. I'm going to fill Jack in. Okay, see you Monday."
"What's going on? What did Megan want?"
"Oh, she just called to let us know that Kara was arrested last night."
"She was what?"
"Yep, arrested. She had a day pass from the rehab center and went to visit her aunt and uncle. At some point she hooked up with one of her fellow…patients? I think that's what they call them. He was also on a day pass. Kara got into her uncle's locked liquor cabinet while Prince Charming scored some drugs."
He fell into a chair. "And then?"
"She stole her aunt's car and wound up crashing through a diner."
"Oh, my god, was anyone hurt?"
"No, just her and the guy- no major injuries though. Luckily the diner was getting ready to close and wasn't busy." She paced around the kitchen table. "She's in a Duluth hospital in police custody. The diner owner is pressing charges obviously. Megan doesn't know if they're going to be shipping her back here since this is a major violation of the parole that allowed her to go north or keeping her there."
"Man." Jack leaned back and ran a hand through his hair. "What do we do now? Kara sounded like she was doing so well in her letters. We told the kids she was working hard at getting better. Should we tell Evan and Nina?"
"Damned if I know."
/
/
"Um, dad, the directions don't mention anything about a drill," Eric said, observing as his dad took a power drill, clamps, and screws out of his tool bag. "They sent zip ties." The guards for the banisters had finally come in and he called his father to help with the installation. It was too awkward a job for one person.
"Eh, forget the directions. This way is better."
"But-"
"It'll be more secure. That's what we're going for, right? You want Georgia to be able to crawl around up here without worrying about her getting stuck between the rails or worse…falling."
"Well, yeah, but-"
"Then trust me. My way is better than directions. Grab the tape measure and help me measure the banister," he ordered. "With any luck we won't have to make a lot of cuts."
"Whatever you say, dad," Eric muttered.
/
/
Angela winced as she did her best to slowly go over a speed bump, but there was still some jostling. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." Alvin was successful in suppressing his sigh. It seemed every bump, pot hole, and stop sign she was checking how he was. "You don't have to ask every two minutes."
"I just don't want to hurt you. Joyce told me how sick and tired you feel after the treatments."
"Not every time. I'm tired, but I don't feel particularly sick right now."
"Well sorry," she fired back. "I've never seen you like this so I don't know how to handle it…or how you handle it. It's not my fault that this is new to me." She took a deep breath. What the hell was she thinking, yelling at him like that?
"If it's any consolation I don't know how to handle you seeing me like this either. I never wanted you to."
Angela pulled the car over. "I thought we went over all this months ago. What happened to no more secrets?"
"People don't look at me the same way anymore. They see the cancer first and then pity me. I'm treated like a fragile old man who can't do anything for himself."
"Dad-"
"I never wanted you to look at me like that. I still want you to see me as the person you came to in the middle of the night when you had a bad dream, the only one you would trust to catch you when you were too afraid to jump in the deep end of the pool, or…"
"You're my dad. Nothing is ever going to stop me from seeing you as my dad. Not cancer or chemo or your hair falling out- nothing. Maybe you're not as physically strong as you used to be, but you have an inner strength that is unmatched, especially after all you have gone through. I've only ever questioned our relationship when you shut me out. That is when you become a different person to me and make me question everything I thought I knew about our relationship." She shifted in the driver's seat and stared at him. "We've worked so hard to get back on track and every time you lie or hide things it makes me wonder if that was all for nothing."
"I'm sorry. I suppose this time around it was me protecting my own ego and pride in addition to trying to shield you from the ugliness of all this."
"I get why you lied. Alan explained it to me, but it still sucks."
"You talked to Alan about this?"
"I needed to talk about dad stuff. He's good at that." She did wonder what Alan's reaction would be, knowing she flew out here. When they talked she'd agreed to honor her father's wishes and stay away. But that proved to be too challenging.
"I see."
She realized how it sounded. "I don't think you do. Dad, I'm not looking for a replacement. That's not what it is. Alan just…he can give me a perspective on what might be going on in your head that Amy or even Eric can't."
"Like why fathers sometimes act like boneheads?"
"You're not a bonehead. But you have to realize that I can handle this. I want to help you. I'm a big girl now. I'm also a parent. Sure, I may be a rookie, but I know how it feels to be hyper protective of your kid."
"Rookie? You're using sports' terminology?"
"Eric's influence I suppose."
Alvin reached for his daughter's hand. "You are an amazing mother: rookie of the year. Georgia is a very lucky little girl."
"Thank you, but most of the time I'm wondering how I got so lucky. Don't get me wrong, it's not perfect. Teething sucks and at this point I'd give up an arm if it meant she'd be happy for more than five minutes at a time and let me and Eric get some sleep, but I wouldn't trade it. I get to be Georgia's mom." She blinked back the tears that seem to come so easily when discussing her daughter. But they were happy tears. "It's…I can't even think of a word to describe it."
"Humbling? Awe inspiring?"
"To name a few."
"It's how I felt- still feel- about being your father." He paused to sip from his water bottle. "I'm sorry if you've ever doubted what a blessing you are to me." He cleared his throat. "I'm sorry you weren't equally blessed with the parents you deserve."
"Dad…"
"No, you got screwed over in the parental department. There's no way around that. I was forever putting the army first and missed endless amounts of time with you. Joyce…I let her off the hook too easily. I should've tried harder to convince her that you wouldn't be better off without her."
"I don't want to live in the past. We can't change it. All we can do now is learn from it and move on."
"But, I-"
"You're a human being who has made some mistakes. I figured that out a long time ago. And I'm sure it won't be long before Georgia realizes that her parents are human, too."
"I don't know about that," he began, almost amused. "I could see Eric trying to convince her that he's some kind of superhero and she is his sidekick."
"You listened in on one of his bedtime stories when you were in town, didn't you?"
"Maybe a little bit. That's quite an active imagination he has."
"Life is certainly never dull."
"My granddaughter is lucky to have such creative parents. I expect great things from her one day."
"Wait until I tell Eric you think he's great," Angela teased with a grin.
"Now, now, we wouldn't want it to go to his head." A quick burst of music filled their temporary silence. Alvin knew it wasn't his phone. "Everything okay," he asked, watching as she read.
"It's Eric. Alan came over to help install the banister covers- our last bit of baby-proofing- and Alan is apparently driving him insane."
"Why? What did he say?"
"It just says: HELP! Dad is driving me nuts."
"Today seems to be the day for fathers to do that."
"Oh, boy, now he says to be prepared with bail money and an alibi for him just in case." She put the phone back in her purse. "I'll call him in a little bit."
He reached for his water bottle again and inhaled sharply when the seatbelt strap brushed across his chest. His gray thermal Henley felt like it was embedded with tiny shards of glass.
"Are you okay?"
"It's noth… "As much as Alvin hated showing weakness in front of his daughter, she said she wanted honesty. "Actually I'm a little sore from all the consecutive days of radiation. I'm glad I have a two day break from it."
"Sorry. We've probably been sitting here too long talking." She could see his energy levels were fading. "I'll get you home." Angela put the car into drive and carefully began the trip back to Aunt Trish's house.
"You don't have to apologize. It is never a chore to talk to you. But I suppose I am feeling a little tired and in need of a nap." He chuckled humorlessly. "What does it say when I have the same sleeping requirements as my seven month old granddaughter?"
"That you're in good company? And Georgia won't be seven months for a couple more weeks. She's six and a half months. Don't rush her, or me for that matter. I can't believe she's climbed that hill and is now closer to turning one than she is to the day she was born. How the hell did that happen? "
"Time marches on, baby. You can't stop it. You'll see." He relaxed against the headrest and closed his eyes. "I do have one question for you."
"Sure."
"In Eric's bedtime stories to Georgia, what's with the name?"
"What name?"
"The detective in his stories: Handsome Man or something ridiculous like that?"
Angela was grateful the light had just turned red so she could laugh without worrying about traffic. "It's Good Looking Guy, that's him."
"Where on earth did he come up with that?"
"It's Eric. Do we really need any other explanation?"
"No, I suppose 'it's Eric' will suffice."
"Did you get to hear the theme song? I'll sing it for you if you want."
He opened his eyes. "There's a theme song? Well, of course there's a theme song," he exclaimed, supplying the answer to his question. "It is Eric after all."
/
/
"When's lunch? I'm starving."
Rachel saw Evan standing in the doorway out of the corner of her eye. She was at the sink trying to rinse the breakfast dishes while Calum squirmed around on her hip. "Dad and Nina went to pick it up. They should be back soon."
He frowned. "What do they have to pick up? On Saturdays we have dinner leftovers for lunch and there is still lasagna in the fridge."
She shifted Calum from one hip to the other and got a toy from the counter to keep him occupied. "We thought it would be fun to have a treat today so he's picking up burgers for you and Nina and chicken nuggets for Milo."
"Is something wrong?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Because whenever something is wrong or you and dad want to have a grownup talk with us you buy special food."
For someone so guarded Rachel couldn't believe how perceptive he was, especially for an eight year old. It seemed Evan was always on alert, watching for something that could upset the nice little applecart they had going. She knew she could try to lie and smooth over the "special food" but why? He wouldn't believe it and she honestly hadn't noticed that she and Jack tried to temper difficult conversations with tasty treats. "We do have something to discuss with you guys."
"Is it bad?"
"We'll talk in a little bit, I promise." She heard the car pulling into the garage. "Can you help Milo wash his hands before we eat so I can get Calum set up in the swing?"
"You're ignoring my question. That means it's bad."
"Evan, please?"
"Fine."
Rachel watched him walk into the living room and take Milo by the hand. The toddler tried to fight it at first- no kid likes to be dragged away from their toys- but became very agreeable with the promise of his beloved chicken nuggets. She was knocked out of the momentary kinship between the two when their baby brother swung his toy around with reckless abandon, smacking her in the face. "Ow!" Calum was oblivious to the noise she made, but he picked up on the change in her body language and the look on her face. He loved faces and never stopped studying them. Faces were the main way he learned about a person. When tears filled his eyes and his chin began to quiver, Rachel ignored the pain in her nose and put on an exaggerated happy face: she stuck her tongue out, blew raspberries…whatever she could think of to make him smile again. Luckily it worked and she was placing him in the swing just as Jack and Nina walked through the back door.
"Mommy, guess what!"
"What?"
"Daddy got us French fries and milkshakes, too."
"Oh, wow, that sounds like a super special treat today." Jack was avoiding her gaze, but he wore a guilty expression. It was as though he hoped he could make up for Kara's transgressions with gifts and make them disappear. "Really," she whispered. "I thought you were going to get the apple slices."
"No one ever wants the apple slices. Fries win."
"Fair enough," she conceded, "but milkshakes, too?"
"So they get a little extra calcium today."
/
As lunch was winding down Jack and Rachel found themselves on the receiving end of Evan's stare. "What's going on, buddy," he asked. "Something wrong with your milkshake?"
"I want to know the bad news."
"What bad news?"
"He knows something is going on, Jack."
"How?"
She held up a fry. "Special food."
"Oh." He sighed. "All right, you deserve to know. Nina, come here."
She barely looked up from the floor where she was playing with the toy that came with her meal. "But I'm playing, daddy."
"You can go back to playing in a minute. Mommy and I need to talk to you."
"Can Donkey listen to the talk, too?" She held up her new little toy. "Donkey always gives good talks to Shrek."
Jack wasn't sure whether to laugh or roll his eyes. "Yes, Donkey can listen, too."
Nina got up from the floor, went over to Evan, and perched herself on the edge of his chair. He didn't try to shove her off or even protest. Instead he scooted over to give her more room. "Okay, now tell us."
"I got a phone call from Megan this morning," Rachel started. "You guys remember how a judge gave your mom permission to move to Minnesota to go to a special hospital so she could try to get better?"
"Yeah, she sends us mail sometimes."
"That's right, Nina. Well, she got into some trouble last night."
"What did she do?"
"The hospital said since had been doing such a good job that she could go visit her aunt and uncle for the day. When she was there she took their car without asking and got into an accident and crashed the car into a restaurant."
"Did she get hurt?"
"Yes, but she's going to be okay."
"Did she drink or get drugs? Because the last time she crashed her car it was after she had some drinks."
"Yes, she drank and did drugs."
"She's in big trouble," Nina concluded.
"That's right. We wanted to let you know because you're probably not going to be getting letters for a while. The police are going to take her to jail once she can leave the hospital."
"Did she hurt anybody else," Evan questioned.
"No one in the diner was hurt, just her and the person in the car with her."
"A guy?"
"What makes you ask that?"
"There's always a guy," he mumbled. "Can I go to my room?"
"Are you okay? Do you have any questions or anything you want to say?"
"No, I want to go to my room."
Jack glanced at Rachel before nodding. "Sure." He left the room without another word…or even a look back. "Nina, do you have any questions?"
"Yes."
"What is it?"
"Can you help me get the cherry out of my shake? It fell to the bottom."
That was a problem they could fix. "Sure. Let me get a spoon."
/
/
"You like those sweet potatoes, huh?" Eric smiled as Georgia alternated between trying to eat her food and playing with it. He had been relieved when she awoke from her nap and was ready to eat. It spared him from having to listen to his dad talk about how the designers of baby-proofing products needed to step up their game. "Yeah, that's good stuff. Maybe daddy will get a chance to eat while you're distracted and happy." As much as he loved having a lot one on one time with his daughter lately, it was exhausting to be on call and alone 24/7 without Angela. He didn't know how single parents did it. A couple minutes later he sat at the table and felt little eyes watching him, and this time they weren't Thor's. "What? You've got your food. This is daddy's lunch."
He was amused as she squawked at him and gestured wildly, sending little bits of sweet potato and avocado everywhere. She was repeating the same sounds over and over, clearly trying to tell him something. "That's a good point, but I don't know."
"Someone sounds determined," Alan observed. He walked into the kitchen and went to the sink to wash his hands.
"She's just trying to sweet talk me into giving up my sandwich. But it's not going to work," he said in a funny voice, moving closer to the highchair. "No, it's not." He kissed her cheek, delighting in the giggles that followed.
"Is she eating those chunks of food?"
"I don't know how much she's eating, but she's definitely tasting it and getting used to food. Not to mention she has so much fun making a mess."
"She's not going to choke on them?"
Eric rolled his eyes. "No, dad, she's not. She gags a little sometimes, but she learns."
"But what if she-"
"Did you finish putting up the guards?"
"Yes, they're all set. Now Georgia is free to crawl. Is there anything else you need me to help you with?"
"Nope, I don't think so. You can go if you want. I need to get her in the tub and give her a bottle before her nap." If he left there wouldn't be the constant game of 20 questions to be sure Eric knew what he was doing.
Alan couldn't help but notice Eric was being awfully short with him. "Is something wrong, son?"
He worked to remove the baby from her highchair. It was difficult because she was covered in food and clad in only a diaper and socks. She was also acting like, as Angela called it, a wriggly octopus. "I just want to get Georgia to nap before she remembers that she hates sleep."
The elder Matthews wasn't convinced that that was the reason. "Wow," he said with a chuckle and shake of his head.
"What?"
"Just a little bit of déjà vu, that's all. You also thought food was meant to be worn instead of eaten at that age. I remember I'd have a spoonful all ready for you and at the very last minute you'd psych us out and turn your head and end up with peas on your cheek or in your ear."
"That won't happen with Georgia."
"It's already happened."
"I meant it won't happen with peas. She hates them. Yeah," he responded to her little babbles. "You hate peas just like mama." Eric moved his head back when she put a food covered hand up to his mouth. "What…are you sharing? Okay." He pretended to eat her hand, resulting in big belly laughs. "All right, goofball, bath time."
"She likes baths?"
"She loves 'em. And she's starting to get the hang of splashing, which just adds more fun."
"At least until the floor is a mess."
"That's what towels are for. Besides, Georgia's only got the little baby splashes down so far." He held Georgia a little tighter when she started squirming again. "Okay you wiggle worm, is this your way of saying it's time to quit talking about this bath and get on with it?"
"I'll go clean up the mess I made and be on my way. We don't want to distract her and delay that nap."
"Okay."
Alan hadn't expected him to immediately agree. They hadn't spent a lot of time together lately. There was the occasional dinner and lately help baby-proofing, but that had been it. "Or if you want, I think there's a basketball game coming on. It's been a while since we hung out and watched a game together. I know the Sixers aren't having the best season, but we could order a pizza and-"
"Thanks, dad, but I think when Georgia naps I'm going to try and sneak one in, too. Maybe we'll try next weekend."
"Sounds great. I'm just going to pick up. All this baby-proofing would be for nothing if Georgia got ahold of a screw." He was almost out of the room when Eric called him. "Yeah?"
"Could you lock up when you leave? If Georgia does knock out right away I don't want to have to go all the way back down. Thor's tough, but I don't know how much he'd excel at guarding the house."
"Sure."
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Angela tossed and turned, unable to sleep. She had a big bed in a quiet room all to herself, but all she could think of was what was missing. It was weird without Thor snuggling against the small of her back. There were no squeaky sleep sounds from Georgia- no listening for her cries. Eric wasn't an arm's reach away and ready to offer a hug. Even when he was sound asleep he always seemed to sense when she needed one of his hugs. She'd be home in less than twenty-four hours, but at the moment that knowledge wasn't enough to help her sleep.
On top of that, she was dealing with seeing her father sick, really sick. He'd taken a long nap after they returned from the hospital and Aunt Trish hoped that meant this treatment wouldn't hit him hard. Instead he woke up sick as a dog. He couldn't keep anything down, felt so weak he had trouble standing, and was just so tired and sore. It was almost a relief when Angela had to go out and get a refill of his anti-nausea pills. As many times as she tried to tell herself that she was prepared to see him sick, it turned out that she wasn't dealing with it very well.
After a few more minutes of restless shifting Angela finally gave up on the elusive sleep and decided to make some tea. When she emerged from the basement she was shocked to find her dad at the kitchen table. "Dad, what are you doing?"
"The same thing you're doing," he answered with a wry smile, "not sleeping."
"But you're sick. You should be in bed."
"I'm feeling a little better now. It comes and goes."
"Oh…that's good. Right?"
"Yes. The water in the kettle is still hot if you want tea."
"That's actually why I got out of bed. Do you need anything while I'm up?"
"A cup of applesauce from the fridge would be nice- and a few slices of lunchmeat. I need to try and eat something." She retrieved her dad's requests before preparing her tea. After a few minutes she joined him at the table.
"How are you doing, baby?"
"I feel like I should be asking you that. Seeing you in that condition…it's not easy."
He shrugged. "This…this was just a bad night. I have good ones, too. Most of the time they fall somewhere in between." They sat together in a comfortable silence for a while, though Alvin noticed that his daughter couldn't stop staring at him. "I knew you'd look at me differently."
"You're right, dad, I do." Angela reached across the table and squeezed his hand. "It turns out you're even stronger than I thought."