Chapter 130: Strolling…
"A mother's love for her child is like nothing else in the world. It knows no law, no pity, it dares all things and crushes down remorselessly all that stands in its path." – Agatha Christie
"I've always been very zealous about not invading other people's private spaces." – Peter Jennings
"Isn't privacy about keeping taboos in their place?" – Kate Millet
"Animals are such agreeable friends, they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms." – George Eliot
"We should really get out of the tub Vaughn…we're already gonna look like prunes, and I'm really surprised your mom hasn't knocked on the door wondering if we've drowned…"
Vaughn chuckled, "We were kinda loud…"
Sydney smiled, "Well…I can't help it when you do that…"
He smiled mischievously, "Good…"
She ran her hand through his hair one more time before gently pushing him away and standing to get out of the tub. She let the water out and helped him get out of the tub, and sat him on the chair again. She set to bandaging the wounds again, following her standard procedure for doing so.
She replaced the wrap and sat down on his lap to shave him. He smiled and wrapped his arm around her as she ran the razor over his stubbly face.
She applied aftershave and then put robes back on both of them so they could go back to the bedroom.
"Ready?" she asked.
He smiled and nodded, taking her hand as she helped him get up. They moved out of the bathroom and into the hall where Sydney called out, "We're finally finished Amélie! Sorry we took so long…"
They both kept moving, waiting for a reply but one didn't arrive.
Sydney looked at Vaughn, who shrugged and said, "Don't look at me…I have no clue where she went, I was in the tub the whole time…" He smiled naughtily.
"You're so bad…it's a really good thing your mother is not here at the moment, she raised you better than that," Sydney teased.
He chuckled, "Yeah…right…"
She deposited him on the bed and turned to the bags of clothes that she still hadn't had the time to put away. "I really should hang this stuff up soon, it's gonna be really wrinkled…"
He smiled, "Where are you gonna hang it?"
"In the closet of course," she said slowly, looking at him like he was insane.
"Which closet?"
"What do you mean which closet? This one," she said pointing to the closet a few steps away from her.
"Am I moving in?" he asked quietly.
She smiled and moved to sit on the bed next to him. She thought a moment before she answered, "I guess I hadn't really thought about it 'officially.'"
He nodded, "You don't have to answer that, I'm not sure why I even asked."
"No…I want to answer it," she turned to look at him, "Ok, right now you live here, that much is a fact. When you're better, I don't see why that should change. I love having you here, I want you here…once your better we'll have to talk more about…stuff…your stuff…maybe we should think about getting our own place…" she stopped and tried to gauge his reaction. The look on his face made her heart melt. The smile that accompanied it was one of awe and contentment.
"I'd like that…" he said in wonder.
"That's a good idea then?"
"Yeah – you have the greatest ideas, remember?" he asked, leaning over to kiss her.
She smiled, "Let's get you dressed…" She got up and went back to the bags with one last parting kiss.
"I'd rather you say, 'let's get you undressed…'"
She turned around to look at him and smiled, "Later honey…later…" She went back to digging in the bags trying to find what she thought was appropriate attire.
"How's this?" she asked holding up what she had picked.
He had already been watching her, enjoying the view as she had bent over to riffle through the bags. He looked at the articles she had picked, an ivory short-sleeved button-up shirt and a pair of blue jeans.
"This ok? Or do you want a tee shirt?"
"No, that's fine," he said warmly.
She smiled and placed the articles on the bed and then went over to the dresser and socks and a pair of boxers for him as well. She came back to him and undid the belt on the robe, slipped it off his shoulders and tossed it on the bed. She helped him dress, buttoning the buttons on the shirt and helped him stand to get the boxers and pants on. She sat him down again and adjusted the sling so his shoulder was protected and then finished by helping him with the socks.
She smiled as she surveyed her work, "You look yummy…" she said happily.
He chuckled, "Thanks, you do too…I'd prefer if you stay that way…" he motioned to the robe.
She regarded him sexily, "You want me to leave it on?" she asked as she playfully loosened the ties.
A hungry and lustful grin spread across his face as she separated the material of the robe, exposing herself in all her glory for him.
His eyes roamed over her whole beautiful form, "You should close the door," he said softly, "We don't know where my mother is, but if she walks in…it's different than hearing us," he said with a wink.
Sydney smiled back at him, "Actually, we can't mess around too much longer Vaughn – it's lunchtime already. We spent the whole morning in the bath tub."
"You say that like it's a bad thing," Vaughn said jokingly.
Sydney went to the dresser and pulled out various articles of clothing. "It was a really good thing, but we have to start the day sometime…"
"I don't particularly want this day to start," he said honestly.
She came back over to him half-dressed and kissed him, "I know baby." She gave his shoulder a squeeze and finished dressing.
"I should make lunch and we should really figure out what happened to your mother."
As soon as the words left Sydney's mouth, the front door opened and closed and the scamper of little feet on tile could be heard.
Donovan, tail wagging like a metronome on speed and tongue lolling, came bounding into the room and headed right to Vaughn's side. The dog jumped up on the bed and proceeded to show his master just how happy he was to see him.
Vaughn chuckled at the dog's affection and scratched his ears the way only he knew how.
Amélie's voice called out, "Everyone decent?"
Sydney chuckled and Vaughn smiled at the comment before Sydney answered, "Yeah, everyone's good…"
Amélie's head peeked in the room, "Well! You aren't raisins…I'm surprised! Either that or I thought perhaps someone was drowning the two of you with all the commotion from behind that door!"
Flashback
Amélie walked past the bathroom door on her way to the spare room when she heard the sound of things crashing from behind said door. She quickly moved to the door, her hand on the knob, ready to go in and assist, but other noises; noises of a different 'commotion,' definitely NOT struggle-like came from behind the same door. Her hand faltered. Donovan came trotting over and looked quizzically at Amélie and then at the closed door. He twisted his head to the side and looked back at Amélie.
She smiled at the dog, "I think they're busy, boy. Let's go for a walk…"
She grabbed the leash from behind the door and hooked the end on Donovan's collar. She jerked lightly on the leash as the dog seemed fixed on the spot he was sitting on. He took one last look at the door and then relented, following Amélie out the door.
As they walked down the sidewalk, Amélie explained, "You see Donovan, Sydney has a very important job, especially today. She's taking care of Michael, keeping him safe…it'll be a rough afternoon for him."
The dog looked at the sidewalk and then at his master's mother, listening intently.
He let out a few short barks.
"That's right Donovan," Amélie said smiling.
End Flashback
Both Vaughn and Sydney blushed at Amélie's statement.
"I have to clean that up yet," Sydney said absently. She looked at Amélie, "You took Donovan for a walk?"
"Yes, we took a very LONG walk, didn't we boy?"
Donovan barked happily as Vaughn continued to give him attention.
Vaughn smiled at his mother, "It's your fault mom…"
"Why is that Michael?" Amélie asked.
"You told Sydney to take care of me…she was just listening to instructions…"
Amélie smiled, "I did tell her that yes…and she followed my instructions well then?"
Vaughn smiled, "Yes she did."
Sydney was blushing beyond belief.
Amélie turned to her, "It makes me very happy to know that you make Michael happy…never be embarrassed about that Sydney…"
Sydney nodded, "I'm not embarrassed by anything Vaughn and I do…"
"But there's no need for details," Vaughn reminded Sydney.
She smiled at him and Amélie nodded, "True Michael, very true."
"Well, I'll start making lunch, what do you want?" Sydney asked Vaughn and Amélie.
"Why don't I make lunch…you can clean up…" Amélie suggested.
Sydney smiled, "Good plan…"
Amélie smiled back, "How about chicken nuggets?" she suggested, "I think I saw some in the freezer when Will was trying to conceal all of the junk he bought."
Both Vaughn and Sydney smiled, "Sounds good," Vaughn said and Sydney nodded.
"I'll go clean up then," Sydney said and helped Vaughn sit back on the bed before she left.
Both women went off to do their respective duties and Donovan stayed with his master who was making up for lost time.
"Well boy, I hope you've been taken care of…but I think you have…Will does a good job, doesn't he?"
Donovan barked softly, and Vaughn smiled. He swore the dog understood him sometimes.
Amélie started to prepare the lunch, getting a pan for the oven. She smiled when she thought of her son and Sydney. She was absolutely truthful when she said that she was happy for them; she couldn't have found a better partner for him. They seemed to fit in every way…and anything that made her son's daily struggle easier (within reason of course) had her approval. She put the nuggets on the sheet, arranging them and smiled, thinking of Michael as a boy. He was similar then; so determined, so intelligent, so responsible, so…his father. William Vaughn had passed many things onto his son, but Michael had taken all those things and excelled them beyond limits that William never possessed. He had surpassed his father's ambition, his father's determinism, his father's ethics, his father's decisiveness. Michael had turned William's negative points into enormous successes. His father would have been delightfully pleased. He'd wanted so much for their son, opportunities like every parent wants that they never had, and Michael had worked hard to reach an ideal of what he thought his father would have wanted.
Amélie, lost in thought, began to wonder if she'd ever really told him how proud his father would have been. She made a mental note to be sure to do so. She busied herself getting plates ready and everything else out while the nuggets cooked in the oven.
Sydney smiled when she entered the bathroom, it really did look quite the site. There were pieces of glass and plastic and wax littering a large track of the floor. A careful observer very well might have been able to deduce what happened from the way the debris arced on the floor.
Sydney retrieved the broom and dustpan from the closet and began to sweep the pieces together. Once she had the floor free of debris, she rinsed the tub and picked up towels and washcloths that had been strewn haphazardly after their trysts.
Sydney smiled as she grabbed the dirty laundry and thought about Amélie's way of completely making their sex life a topic of normal discussion. She appreciated the fact that Amélie didn't seem to mind that she and her son engaged in acts of the carnal nature and that she almost encouraged it, almost as if she knew it made her son feel safe.
After she dropped the dirty items into the laundry shoot, she made her way to the kitchen. Amélie was smiling as she took the nuggets out of the oven.
"Hello Sydney, get everything cleaned up in there?"
Sydney smiled back, "Yes, I did…please tell me that smile that you have right now is because you've remembered another story about Michael's childhood."
Amélie chuckled, "You really enjoy those, don't you?"
"Immensely!" Sydney informed her.
Amélie smiled, "Well, I'll have to think of some more, but no, I was just thinking about how much Michael reminds me of his father, yet at the same time, he's surpassed his father in every aspect."
"Surpassed him how?" Sydney asked.
"Life in general…he's more successful, more together, more daring, more confident, more loving than his father was. He's become someone his father would be so proud of. I was just wondering if I'd ever actually told Michael that."
Sydney smiled, "I'm sure he'd love to hear it again, even if you've already told him."
"Yes, I'll remember to tell him later."
Sydney smiled, "Did you need help with anything?"
"No, I think I've got it under control."
Sydney smiled again, "You know, we can save on dishes, just give Vaughn and me one plate…we always wind up eating off of each other's anyway…"
Amélie smiled, "I caught that the other day when you just used one…"
"You did?"
"Yes, I thought about it too before that – the night with the spaghetti. I thought it would have been easier to just have one…"
Sydney was utterly pleased, she wanted desperately to say something that could convey what emotions were warring in her, but she couldn't find the words.
Amélie as usual seemed to pick up on it and changed the subject, "Does Michael still eat chicken with ranch?"
Sydney smiled, "Yes he does…I'll get it out of the fridge."
She took out the ranch and the ketchup as well and placed a generous amount of each on the plate. She put the bottles back in the fridge and turned around again. Amélie was about finished and Sydney approached her, and touched her arm to get her attention.
Amélie turned towards her with a questioning glance.
No words were exchanged. Sydney smiled and then pulled Amélie into a fierce hug. Amélie gasped in surprise and then chuckled sweetly and hugged Sydney back just as fiercely.
"Thank you Amélie…for everything…"
"Thank you for taking care of my son…"
They shared the hug for several minutes, and Amélie let Sydney decide when it should end. She'd been deprived of a mother for so long…they both smiled and picked up the lunch dishes and carried them to the bedroom.
