A/N: So unfortunately, I seem to be leaving Aidan out a little bit. Sorry! He's just such a sweet kid, and I don't want his character to do anything wrong. I'll try to include him some more and do a one-shot about him in "Full House…" for all you Aidan fans. He's a little absent in this one too, but he rocks anyway. Please enjoy, and I hope this isn't too depressing…
She looked like she had come straight out of a war movie, the way her body was banged up. The doctors had warned them that Mally looked worse than she actually was. She had a lot of bruising on her arms and some cuts on her face that looked gruesome, but were relatively minor. Mally had fallen asleep at the wheel and crashed over a small embankment, hitting two trees. Her right leg and left wrist were broken, but other than that, she would be okay.
Nick and Sara saw their daughter as they entered her hospital bedroom eagerly, but trying to keep quiet. Sara felt like she was stepping over a precipice, falling over the edge. She was so nervous and felt physically sick at seeing her daughter all banged up.
Her eyes were squeezed shut as she tried to sleep and get away from the pain, and her face seemed to scream frustration, loneliness, and disappointment in herself. She knew she never should have gone to California, and never should have left that late. Seeing her parents would be a mix of emotions – Mally wanted them right now more than ever, it seemed, to comfort her and tell her everything would be alright; that she was safe, and they loved her. But on top of that, she knew they'd be disappointed in her for going to California without telling them and not pulling over when she was tired.
Mally couldn't sleep worth a damn, though she kept trying, but finally felt a presence in the room. She opened one eye tentatively and saw her parents walking towards her bed. Her father's arms were protectively cradling her mother's, and Sara clung to his embrace as they came to see their damaged daughter. Their eyes softened when Mally opened her eyes all the way. Mally reached her right arm out to them, and Sara immediately magnetized towards her. Nick stood back as Sara wept over their daughter, taking in the sight and scent of her fully. Never before had Nick seen his wife so worried about Mally. He was, of course, elated that Mally was relatively okay, but he also couldn't help but think that his daughter had been selfish, and it had caused them all a great deal of worry.
Nick was glad he'd left their youngest three at home. Luckily, Mrs. Bradley was free next door and offered to watch over the three Stokeses while their parents went to the hospital. They were already fast asleep and unaware what was going on, but the parents felt guilty leaving them in the night like they had done.
"Momma, I'm sorry." Nick heard Mally whisper several times as she cried into her mother's shoulder. Sara finally sat down on the stool next to her bed and continued to stroke Mally's hair and face, being careful not to touch the tender spots. Mally's face showed relief, but was still laced in pain. Her eyes shifted up to Nick, who stood with his hands in his pockets. He wasn't quite as emotional as his wife, though he was just as concerned. His feelings seemed all mixed up inside at the moment. She was okay. She's okay. But none of this ever should have happened.
"Daddy…" Mally called out to her father, and that was it for the father. Nick walked to the other side of the bed and planted a single kiss on his daughter's forehead, and then stroked some hair back from the same spot, and allowed a relieved smile.
"I'm so glad you're okay, sweetheart." Nick shed a few tears, as he was finally able to touch his daughter again. He had been so afraid he'd lost her when the hospital called. The father of four never wanted a phone call like that again, because it had scared the crap out of him. As he looked down at her hopeful and comfort-needing face, Nick couldn't be mad at her this moment. The talking would come later, but right now, Mally needed his strength.
"I'm sorry, daddy." She sobbed again.
"Sssshhhh. I know you are sweetheart. You just relax, okay? The doctors are gonna make you all better, and we're here now. You just go to sleep, baby." Nick whispered to his daughter.
No matter how old she seemed to get, Mally still needed her parents every once in a while. It scared her how easily she'd agreed to drive across the desert to see Jason. How could her judgment be so bad? What must her parents think of her? She knew they were just thrilled right now to see her alive, but the questions would come. They knew she'd deceived them.
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Sara carefully looked on to Mally's hospital bed as she and Nick talked to her doctor. Mari and Bailey were currently jungle gyming around Mally's bed, climbing underneath and on top. Aidan sat in one of the nearby chairs playing his GameBoy, trying to ignore his sisters. Sara wished that Bailey would set a better example for her little sister, but alas, she was getting stir-crazy. When the bed moved slightly from their antics, Sara spoke up.
"Girls, you need to sit quietly and wait for daddy and I. We're talking to the doctor, and we need you to be very good right now." Sara told them from the doorway. Nick glanced in at his children, seeing they were getting bored, but continued to talk to the doctor.
"But momma, I'm so bored!" Bailey complained. Mally was currently in high spirits, but couldn't really chase after her sisters right now to help out. Her parents had been talking with the doctor for about fifteen minutes now.
"Well, sometimes life is boring, but you just have to deal with. Your daddy and I are having a very important conversation with Mally's doctor, so you need to sit still."
"How much longer?" She moaned with too much attitude, and stomped her foot. Nick witnessed her mini-fit from the corner of his eye. Sometimes he wished Sara would be firmer with the kids. She seemed to take too much of their nonsense at times, but he wouldn't.
"Excuse me, sir." Nick stopped the doctor and stepped into Mally's hospital room. "Bailey, sit down in that chair right now like your mother asked you to." He pointed firmly to the chair, and his face was no-nonsense. Bailey immediately obeyed, her face looking sullen. She gave her father a scowl, not willing to go down without a little attitude.
"You will sit there quietly until your mother and I are finished. Understood?"
"Yes, SIR." She said disrespectfully, crossing her arms. Her father just glared at her a few moments and didn't say anything, which wasn't a good sign.
"Bailey Catherine, you better lose the attitude real quick, or you will not be happy for what's in store when you get home."
Bailey stared at the floor and didn't say anything else. She couldn't believe that her parents expected her to sit still for so long. They knew she had trouble being still, so why were they being so mean to her?
Nick and Sara turned their attention back to the doctor and continued their conversation. Aidan sat on the floor with Mari and decided to teach her paper, rock, scissors. The little girl delighted in the new game and Bailey watched in disgust and boredom. Mally tried to rest the best she could with her three younger siblings in the room and her parents talking at the door.
"She will need to go through a fair amount of physical therapy with her leg." The doctor informed the parents. "Mally broke her right tibia and fibula in her lower leg, and she'll need to wear a removable ski-boot type cast after her initial one comes off and use crutches."
"When can she be active again?" Nick asked, knowing that Mally still loved to play softball and other sports, as well as going to her college classes. He could already see that Mally was getting depressed at the thought of being couch-ridden for the next few weeks, and possibly, months.
"She'll probably need to wait for about six weeks to walk with crutches, but I'd probably want her to wait a couple months after that before getting her back into active sports. She mentioned she plays softball and walks a lot at college, but we'll just have to see how her physical therapy progresses."
The doctors had put a rod in Mally's leg to keep it straight and together, and they'd already talked at length about the physical therapy that would be needed. Sara and Nick knew from talking to others how painful that could be, and also expensive. They'd already been having financial worries before all this happened, and their expenses had quickly become a nightmare. But they just kept reminding themselves that Mally's health was the most important thing right now. Whatever it took, Mally would make a complete recovery.
There was a crash in the hospital room suddenly, and the parents' heads snapped around to see what had happened. Mally had been startled awake at the noise, and was looking stressed and fed-up with her siblings right now. When they looked, Bailey and Mari had gone back to their playing around Mally's bed, and Aidan looked like he had tried to stop them. Nick and Sara had had enough, and thankfully they were finished with their questions.
"Daddy, I tried to stop them, but…" Aidan started.
"It's okay, Aidan." Nick told his son, excusing himself again from the doctor. Sara wrapped things up with the doctor while Nick tried his best to deal with the kids without going nuts. Bailey and Mari looked guilty, as they had knocked over some probably very expensive medical equipment to the floor.
Nick gripped Bailey's upper arm firmly, pulling her to her feet.
"Bailey, go sit in the hallway right now, and I'll be dealing with you later." He instructed her shortly, leading her to the door and to a spot on the floor, far from possible distractions. Mari was crying back inside the room because she knew she was in trouble, and didn't like it one bit. Her father picked her up under the armpits and set her on one of the chairs.
"And you will be having a time-out, Mari, for five minutes." Nick said as calmly as possible. He didn't ever want to scare his children, but his two girls needed some consequences right now. "You stay here in this chair until I tell you to get up. Do you understand?"
Mari nodded her head tearfully, upset that she was in trouble. Nick never liked having to give her a time-out, but he was happy that she actually seemed upset about it. When Bailey was her age, she would throw an even bigger fit and throw more attitude his way. Nick turned back to his son, who was sitting on one of the other chairs on the opposite side of the room. He was the only one of his younger children who seemed to be consistently well-behaved. As he watched Aidan for a few minutes, Nick couldn't help but notice he was looking down. Just as when he was a toddler, Nick often worried that he was overlooked because of his personality. The girls were getting all the attention because of their misbehaviors, and Aidan didn't seem to get as much because he was well-behaved. Nick didn't want him feeling left out or that he had to act up to get attention in this household.
"Aidan, bud, why don't you go down to the vending machine and get yourself a Coke?" Nick suggested, reaching into his back pocket and retrieving his wallet.
"Huh?" He looked confused.
"You've been good all morning, bud, so I think you should be rewarded." He handed his son a dollar bill. Aidan looked at it a few moments, and then up at his dad, who looked totally serious. The seven year old took it slowly, still eying his dad a little.
"Thanks, dad." Aidan got up and hugged Nick, glad that he was finally being acknowledged. His sisters' antics had been driving him nuts all morning, and he had been about ready to either snap or start crying. It was as if his dad sensed it and knew exactly what to do. Aidan smiled widely and clenched his dollar bill as he walked down the hall.
"What was that?" Sara asked her husband, standing next to where he was sitting. Nick looked up to meet Sara's confused brown eyes.
"What? Aidan? I just sent him down for a Coke."
"I thought you were against rewarding him for good behavior. You went into a whole hissy fit with Miss Lorden about it, but now you're handing out dollar bills for behaving like he's supposed to?"
Nick looked over at Mally and Mari, who didn't seem to be paying any attention to the conversation, so he continued.
"Sar, it was just this one time. The girls' behavior has been abysmal, especially Bailey, so yeah, I let him have a Coke."
"Nick, you're missing the point." Sara scrunched her face a little, gesturing with her hands upset, "You were against the whole concept of rewarding them for good behavior. You can't just do it one day and not the next. The kids need consistency."
The day so far had been a trying one, with hard-to-swallow news about Mally, the threat of huge doctor bills, the girls' behavior, and now this disagreement. Stress was high between the two parents, so the conversation took a turn where it shouldn't have gone. At least not in a heated moment in a hospital near their injured daughter and toddler.
"Consistency?" Nick whispered in an irritated tone. "You want to talk about consistency? You're letting Bailey manipulate you, Sara. You bargain with her about her behavior, don't you see that? You're always pleading with her to stop. I'm the one who always has to punish them, and I look like the bad guy!"
"Nick, keep your voice down." She shushed him angrily. Mally had heard enough.
"Would you two quit arguing?" She sat up, an irritated glare to her normally beautiful face. "I'm trying to rest. Go have this conversation in your bedroom at home, would you?"
Their oldest daughter snapped them back to reality. This was not the place or circumstance to be arguing about the raising of their children. The two parents looked at each other questioningly for a few moments and then decided to shrug the argument off for the time being.
"I'll go take care of Bailey, will you talk to Mari?" Nick requested as Aidan walked back into the room, sipping a can of Coke.
"Of course, Nick." She said, a little sass in her voice.
Mally rolled her eyes at her parents. Sometimes they were clueless. They were both good parents, she figured out, but had majorly different styles. Sure, Sara was loosy-goosy, but they all loved her and did what she said most of the time. Her father was old-fashioned and no-nonsense, but very affectionate and loving. They all knew not to try anything around him, but couldn't think of a more approachable, caring, doting dad.
Mally watched as Sara lovingly dried Mari's tears and kissed her a few times on the face, murmuring comforting words to her that she couldn't make out. Mari was as good as gold a few moments later, and holding on to her mom, perched on her hip. Aidan walked over to his mother and she put her free arm around him and stroked his hair. The trio came to stand at Mally's bedside.
"Well, kiddos, I think your big sister needs her rest, and we've been driving her mad all morning, I'm sure. So we need to say goodbye and get back home."
"But what about Mawwy?" Mari inquired, ever concerned about her biggest sister.
"Mally needs to stay at the hospital a little longer so the doctors can make her better." Sara explained patiently, watching the toddlers face for reaction.
"But who stay here?" She was getting upset.
"We'll come see her tomorrow, baby. Mally will be okay here. She's a big girl."
"Don't worry, Mari, I'll be okay." Mally assured her, reaching her arms out to her baby sister. Sara let Mari lunge forward a little and lean down for a hug, being careful not to put the toddler's full weight on Mally. "Oh thank you for the hug. That makes me feel so much better."
Sara could tell Mally was being patient and caring, but she was really exhausted and needed her rest. She pried her daughter away, and she buried her face in Sara's neck. Aidan leaned over and hugged his sister carefully.
"I hope you can come home soon, Mally. I miss you."
Sara saw Mally's face twinge with emotion, and she was about to cry. She'd always had a special place for her little brother. He reminded her a lot of herself when she was younger. She wasn't quite so timid, but their hearts were much the same.
"I'll be home as soon as I can, Aid. Hang tight, and I love you. I'm always thinking about you." She sniffled. Mally wiped her eyes as he pulled away. Nick came in holding Bailey's hand, who still looked tearful. Mally felt sorry for her little sister, as she would most likely be in more trouble once they got home.
"Go say goodbye to your sister." Nick whispered, and shook Bailey's hand gently. Bailey walked quietly to her sister and gave her a brief, but heartfelt hug. She looked up to her big sister so much, but still didn't know why she'd gotten into this accident. Her mom wouldn't tell her where the accident was, or why they hadn't been allowed to see her until today.
"I love you, Bailey. See you soon."
Bailey smiled slightly and then went back to Nick. Sara and Nick said their goodbyes for the day. Somehow, they didn't think they'd be able to stay away from her until tomorrow when she was in this state. Nick especially couldn't bear to think of his daughter hurt and alone in a cold hospital room. It didn't seem right, but they had three young children to care for. After being on the verge of tears leaving the room, Nick decided he'd find a way to get back here for the night, not caring if he couldn't be at the top of his game for work tomorrow. Mally needed them.
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Aidan was watching television with his baby sister for the time being, so Nick and Sara thought it a good time to go talk to Bailey again. Since all the hassle of Mally's accident, they hadn't gotten to go to the doctor like they'd planned to discuss her medication. It was clear she needed something after her behavior today. They knew she wasn't an inherently bad kid. She made a lot of bad choices out of sheer boredom and stir craziness, it seemed. Bailey had been sent to her room when they got home, which she vocally opposed.
"Bailey, may we come in?" Sara asked as they cracked the door open. Bailey was sitting on her plastic hopper ball, still bouncing away when they entered. It was the only way she felt she could make her body feel better when she was cooped up in this little room. "Your dad and I need to talk to you. Can you sit still on that thing?"
Bailey stopped bouncing and nodded her head. She didn't like to misbehave, but she would get so mad at adults when they made her sit still or stay in her room. Their bodies didn't go crazy, but hers sure did.
"Sweetheart, why did we send you to your room when we got home?" Nick started after they'd settled on her bed. Bailey sat before them on her hopper ball, trying her hardest not to move.
"Because I was really bad at the hospital." She said, not making eye contact.
"And why did you misbehave at the hospital?" Sara asked her daughter.
"I was bored."
"I realize that, but is that an excuse to misbehave?" She reminded Bailey. They constantly talked to her about not making excuses for her bad choices. Bailey needed to learn to be accountable for her actions, but it had been a rough process.
"No."
"Bailey, what I don't understand is why you got up out of that seat after I specifically told you to stay there." Nick told the seven year old. "You disobeyed me, and got Mari into trouble. Why did you do that?"
"It's coz of my ADHD." Bailey threw the label out there. She'd heard her parents talk about it, and was going to use it to her advantage. ADHD must be the fancy name for that monster that lived inside her.
"Bailey, you're making excuses again." Nick told her, and Bailey knitted her eyebrows in frustration. "Your body may be making things hard for you right now, but you have control of your behavior. Today, you made the choice to misbehave at the hospital, and that's why you're in trouble."
"You said you'd get me help!" Bailey accused the loudly, staring at both her parents.
"We will get you help, but Mally's accident side tracked us a little. Tomorrow, we will go see your doctor." Sara explained.
"You like Mally better." Bailey whispered hatefully, staring at the floor. Deep down, she knew this wasn't true, but she would try anything at that moment to get back at them. They just didn't understand.
"Bailey Catherine Stokes, that isn't true and you know it." Nick said a little more forcefully than he intended. He loved all his children insanely and equally, and could never think about choosing between them. Right now, Mally was all alone at the hospital, and they were here trying to keep a handle on their already mouthy seven year old. "We love all four of you the same. With all our hearts, and we are trying to help you understand because we love you."
Nick let his words sink in for a few moments and could tell he'd struck a chord with his stubborn daughter. God love the little stinker. She was a courageous little one who spoke her mind, he had to admit.
"Mom and I are going to go downstairs now. You can come out when you can speak nicely to us and your brother and sister. Does that sound fair?"
Bailey nodded and started bouncing on her ball again.
As soon as they'd closed the door, the parents let out a deep sigh of frustration, but they'd made a bit of progress.
"Whoever said raising girls was easier needs to have his mental health checked." Nick sighed, running his hand over his face tiredly.
"You did just fine." Sara told him, then cupped his face and gave him an exhausted kiss. She was about to go downstairs when Nick caught her wrist.
"Sweetheart, I'm sorry if I snapped at you today." He said, heartfelt. "You're a wonderful mother. You really are. We're just very different in how we deal with things."
"Nick, I know I'm a softy." She sighed, a knowing expression on her tired face. "But you're a hard-ass. You need someone to balance you out." Sara smiled and kissed him a little more thoroughly this time.
"Maybe we should talk about this later, when we're not so tired and stressed out." Nick suggested.
"Sounds like a plan." Nick kissed her head and they walked hand in hand down the stairs, their minds all over the place, but undeniably on no other than Mally, Aidan, Bailey, and Mari.