A combination of factors made me decide to start updating this story again. So to anyone who is reading it now, was reading it five plus years ago, please take the next set of installments as you will. :)
Hearing a soft knock at the door, Brody stirred, frowning before he reached for and checked his phone. At the text alerting him who was outside he smiled, relieved to see that Maggie had gotten his message.
Carefully so as not to wake Carrie, he moved her arm off his chest and slowly slid out of bed. Tugging on his pants and shirt he walked to unlatch the door. Saw Farrah all but jumping up and down on the other side of it.
"Nick!" Farrah squealed.
"Shh, Farrah! I told you we needed to be quiet and let Carrie sleep in," Maggie reminded as Farrah squealed, ran at Brody.
"Hey," Brody scoffed, bending down. "What did your aunt just say?"
"I be quiet, I promise," she whisper-giggled as he rolled his eyes, hugged her.
"It's good to see you again, brat."
"You brat," Farrah teased. Breaking free of his arms she made a beeline to the bed.
"Farrah, what did I just-!" Maggie scolded.
"I let her sleep! I let her sleep," Farrah insisted. Wanting to prove her point she started tucking the sheets and blankets snugly around Carrie. Not realizing that she was 90 percent awake already.
"What..."
"Shhh, you go back to sleep now. Shh," Farrah ordered as Carrie stifled a laugh, realizing she was wrapped up in the bedding like a burrito.
"Well, if I'm asleep who's gonna order us breakfast?" she asked playfully.
"Pancakes?!"
"With chocolate chips. If you ever free me from this cocoon!"
Rolling her eyes, Maggie stepped in to assist Farrah with the untucking process.
"Maybe we should keep you bundled up. I don't know if your daughter needs the extra sugar this morning."
"Let me be the judge of that, alright?" Carrie said, kicking the blanket off the bed before reaching for Farrah. Pulling her into a fierce hug.
"You free! We get chips!"
"Yes. We get chips. And whatever else we think looks good, okay?" Carrie sniffled. Looking past Farrah's shoulder she mouthed a thank you to Brody, and to Maggie. Who smiled back until she caught a better look at Carrie's face.
"Carrie, what-"
"It's okay, Maggie. It's not as bad as it looks," Carrie sighed as Farrah tensed up in her arms.
"As what looks?" the girl questioned, pulling back and looking up, wide eyed.
"What happened? How did-"
"It's alright, Farrah," Brody interjected, approaching the bed. "Last night-"
"No! She tell me!" Farrah spat, turning back to Carrie as she arched a brow.
"Not when you're talking to me that way. Talking to anyone in this room that way!" Carrie scolded as Farrah's scowl turned to a pout before she looked down and away from her.
"Carrie.." Brody murmured as Maggie put a staying hand on his arm, continued observing from across the room.
"Farrah, can you look at me, please?" Carrie requested as the girl frowned, did so after a beat.
"My face hurts a little but other than that, I'm fine, and I'll answer your questions about what happened. But not until you say you're sorry to Brody for interrupting him, and to Maggie for not listening to her. I know you know better than to do that."
"I do. I know," Farrah said nearly inaudibly.
"Okay, prove it then," Carrie said, nodding in Maggie and Brody's direction. Glancing back at them over her shoulder, Farrah sniffled.
"I sorry, Nick. Mag. I...I know better," she cried, wiping her eyes with her sleeve as Carrie slipped an arm around her. Kissed the top of her head.
"It's okay, sweetie. We know," Maggie said, perching on the foot of the bed as Brody reached for a Kleenex, dabbed at Farrah's cheeks with it.
"Yeah, we do. So no more tears this morning, okay?"
"Okay. They done," Farrah said, giggling and squirming away when Brody kept at it with the tissue, saying he had to triple check.
"Speaking of, may I please get my bag so I can give your face a quick checkup?" Maggie asked.
"Maggie, I'm fine. Brody broke out the first aid kit last night and…"
Trailing off, seeing Farrah looking warily at her black eye, bruised and bandaged face that was admittedly starting to ache again, Carrie relented. Asked Farrah to help Maggie grab the doctor's bag from the mini van.
"Carrie, I could've gone out and gotten it," Brody said after they stepped out. "You didn't have to send Farr-"
Cut off when she leaned in and kissed him, Brody lightly laughed under it before pulling back.
"Just wanted to thank you without an audience. I told you last night you didn't need to call Maggie but-"
"I knew you wanted to see Farrah, and that I did, too. Plus, I figured I owed you."
"What?"
"For defending my honor last night," he said as she looked at him quizzically.
"You weren't exactly a damsel in distress at the bar. Pretty far from it, actually," Carrie snorted, tracing the bandage on his temple with the pad of her thumb.
"I wasn't talking about the brawl so much as what pushed us into it in the first place," Brody sighed. Reaching for her hand on his face he lowered it, twined their fingers.
"I thought you didn't want to bring her up."
"I don't, I just-"
Met with an arched brow he shook his head, lowered his voice.
"Not now. Not with Farrah right outside the door. I-"
"Then later, alright? I insist."
When he nodded Carrie squeezed his hand a little tighter, knowing he wouldn't have agreed, would've been content to bury and block out the number Nancy did on him at the hospital, if he didn't know doing so would come back around to bite them both later on.
"Well, so long as you're insisting," Brody said, giving her a soft smile.
"Good, it's a date," Carrie chirped, still holding his hand as she curled up on his shoulder.
"Just so long as we don't have it on the fucking bathroom floor," Brody scoffed as she laughed.
"Or a mildew stained motel bathmat," she grimaced.
"Shit, did I ever put that shower rod back up-"
"You mean that rusted stick that used to be a shower rod? Leave it."
"Carrie, I can't just-"
"Either you leave it or Maggie's giving you a tetanus shot!" she exclaimed, sitting up as Farrah and Maggie walked back in the door.
"Or I'm giving who what?"
"Nothing, Maggie. Don't worry about it."
"Easier said than done when it concerns you two," Maggie scoffed. "Now. Where's my physician's assistant?"
"Here! I here," Farrah chirped. Grabbing a pad and pen from the desk she jumped onto the bed to sit between Carrie and Brody. Meanwhile Maggie pulled the desk chair over, sat down across from her sister.
"Okay, remember how I showed you to check for concussions?" she asked as Farrah nodded, raised her index finger in front of Brody's eyes.
"You follow this," she coached as Brody suppressed a laugh, did as asked while Maggie gave Carrie a more thorough once-over.
"How am I doing so far, doc?" he asked as Farrah uncapped the pen, started scribbling in the notebook.
"I put it in chart."
"Farrah, may I see his chart?" Carrie asked as the girl frowned, shook her head.
"No! It private! Hippo."
"HIPAA, Farrah," Maggie laughed. "You're right though. It is private."
"She's very diligent," Brody said as Carrie crept over, tried to sneak a look at the notepad as Farrah giggled, hugged it close and fought to hide it from her.
"I trained her well," Maggie laughed.
"Fine, can someone at least read my results to me?"
Frowning, Farrah looked over at Brody.
"I know, I know. Hippo. I promise though I won't listen," he said, putting his hands over his ears.
Handing Farrah a notebook of her own that she'd been writing in, Maggie smiled as the girl giggled, read it off.
"Patient is Caroline Ann Mathison. Age 34. She has cut on forehead, bump on lip, and a very hard head. Will make full recovery if she rests, gets hugs, and eats breakfast."
"And doctor to assistant, I think we can make at least two of those things happen," Maggie grinned, getting to her feet as Farrah nodded, threw her arms around Carrie's neck.
"I'll run out and pick up some breakfast for us."
"Yeah, I'll go with. Think there's a diner not too far up the road we can stop at," Brody said as Carrie nodded, squeezed his hand once before letting go.
"Get back safe, okay. And soon. We're starving."
"Yes. Soon," Farrah said, earning arched brows from all three of the adults in the room.
"Please," she corrected shyly, cuddling closer to Carrie as Maggie and Brody stepped out.
"So, you have a good time with Josie last night? I heard you two went to a sleepover."
"It okay," Farrah shrugged.
"Just okay?"
"Josie's friend's mom, she say she fix hair."
"Oh, she's a hairdresser?"
"Yes. She ask if I want a braid. I say yes, but she no make it right," she grumbled as Carrie frowned curiously, sat up.
"Not right? May I see?"
Nodding, Farrah lowered her hijab to reveal all her hair twined into a taut fishtail French braid.
"Farrah, I think the braid looks pretty."
"Yes?"
"Definitely. Very professional. What don't you like about it?"
"It too tight. I thought she do it normal or with ribbon like you," she said solemnly as Carrie nodded.
"Well, we've got some time before they come back with the food. I don't think I have any ribbon around but if you want-"
"Yes! Yes," Farrah grinned, quickly sliding the elastic band off the end of the braid and handing it back to Carrie.
"Alright," she smiled. "If you insist."