Like Eating Glass-Chapter 15
Wow this story has taken forever for me to write. Sorry about that, but I think this is the last chapter unless it ends up getting super for sticking with me, incase you were wondering, I did great on my finals 4.0 this semester and I somehow managed to incorporate Flashpoint into my final exam for my Honors Philosophy class...yay! Alright, you know by now but I don't own Flashpoint and I'd love to hear what you think about the conclusion. Thanks again for reading!
Sleep didn't come easily to Wordy despite the slightly lessened anxiety and the sheer exhaustion resonating in his bones. He and Shelly hadn't talked much after he went upstairs to tuck Allie in, they were both tired and wanted to rest and they knew that the following day would be draining with all three girls home and snow on the ground. He didn't know what it was but the snow always made his girls more energetic. They bounced out of bed early in the morning, running down the halls to inform their parents of the snow as if they weren't aware of the winter wonderland outside their home.
"We can play a little later girls, let's go make some breakfast." Wordy said as he got out of bed and pulled on a t-shirt and pair of jeans. The girls pulled him towards the stairs. "I've got it Shell, you rest a little longer." He called from the top of the stairs as he lifted Allie into his arms and followed the Claire and Lilly down the stairs.
"What are we going to make for breakfast, Daddy?" Claire turned around to speak with him as they got to the bottom of the staircase and Wordy froze for an instant. He put Allie down and knelt in front of Claire, looking at her with a sad smile before pulling her into a tight hug. He extended his arm and pulled Lilly and Allie into the group hug, holding them for a minute.
"I love you girls so much, always remember that." He said softly before letting them go.
"We love you too, Daddy." Claire looked up at him. He stood up quickly to hide the tear running from his eye before heading to the kitchen, the three girls following him.
"How about we make some pancakes?" He said as he surveyed the kitchen and the ingredients they had.
"Can we put nanas in them?" Lilly asked innocently.
"You mean BA-nanas." Claire correctly quickly. Lilly nodded and Claire smiled knowingly.
"No, choco chips." Allie crossed her arms and spoke to Lilly as Wordy stepped in between them.
"I'll put bananas in some of them and chocolate chips in some of them." He said placatingly. "Claire, can you help Allie get the chocolate chips and Lilly, can you get the bananas?" He asked as he put the pan on the stove top. The four of them got to work but it was slow going since no one besides Wordy could work around the heat...or reach the countertop. When Shelly came downstairs things moved much more efficiently.
"Mmmm," She said as she entered the kitchen. "Banana chocolate chip pancakes, that sounds really yummy girls." She said as she helped them set the table. Wordy cooked a few pancakes for Allie with just chocolate chips and then the rest of them with bananas. He placed the stack on the table as they all dug into the meal. Wordy made smily faces on their pancakes with syrup and the sound of his girl's laughter almost made him forget about the rest of his week.
"When can we play?" Allie asked with a mouthful of pancake.
"No talking with food in your mouth." Shelly said firmly as Allie swallowed.
"When can we play in the snow?" She seemed to be bursting with the question.
"Well, after we eat and clean up and get dressed and then we can walk to the park." Wordy said as he thought about the plan. The car was most likely snowed in and he didn't think that they'd want to wait while he shoveled out the driveway. Shelly took a sip of her hot coffee.
"If it's okay with you, I think I'll stick around and do some cleaning, first storm of the season..." Shelly looked down at her coffee again and Wordy felt anger course through his veins as he remembered the physical pain that Shelly felt during the first snow storm of the winter. After all the broken bones, dislocated joints, and strained muscles that she had endured during her time with Blake, her body ached until it got used to the cold.
"Of course, Shell. Why don't you just relax and watch some T.V.? I'm home so I don't want you to worry about a thing." Wordy said as he got up and gathered some plates. Shelly made a move to follow but he gave her a jokingly strict look. "I've got it, you relax today." She leaned in and kissed his forehead as he backed away and put the dishes in the sink.
Allie was nearly bouncing off the walls as she finished her pancakes and got up from the table, bringing Wordy her silverware and then running upstairs to find her snow clothes. Claire and Lilly quickly followed suit as Shelly brought them upstairs to bundle up and get ready and Wordy cleaned up the rest of the breakfast. Though he was putting on a smile with his family and his kids, he still felt a tightness in his chest that constricted his breath and forced him to remember why he was not at work. He felt his cell phone (which never strayed far from his pocket) ring on the kitchen table and dried his hands before answering.
"Wordy." He said calmly into the phone, not recognizing the number.
"Good morning Wordy, this is Dr. Luria." The familiar voice came over the line as Wordy froze for an instant before remembering that they left a message on her voicemail.
"Hi Doc. I figured you'd be snowed out today." He said as he took a paper towel and wiped down the kitchen table, needing something to do with his hands.
"Oh my office is closed but I checked my voicemail from home and it seems like we should try to meet very soon." She said in a conversational tone. "Greg said that you've got the rest of this week and the beginning of next week off and that your leave can be extended if needed."
"Yep." He said as he saw a purple blob come down the stairs, fully engulfed by a waterproof coat, snow pants, and boots.
"How about tomorrow morning then, 9 AM?" She asked.
"Sounds good, Doc."
"Daddy, I'm a purple marshmallow!" Allie yelled as she ran towards Wordy.
"I see cupcake, you're very purple." Wordy motioned for her to play in the other room as he focused on the phone again. "Sorry Doc, I'm taking the girls to play in the snow." Wordy said as he skillfully pulled his own boots on, balancing the phone on his shoulder as he spoke.
"Ah, well I'll let you get to them but I do have one question I need to ask you." She paused and Wordy knew what was coming. "Greg said that he was really worried about you, he said that you expressed some things to him last night..." Wordy grimaced a bit but spoke firmly and calmly after making sure that Allie couldn't hear him.
"I know what you're talking about Doc and I know that he's worried but I'm doing okay, better than I was last night at least."
"I'm glad to hear that Wordy, I really am." She said in a confident voice. "But I do have to ask, where are your service weapons?"
"I usually only had one at home and Ed has it right now." He said quickly.
"Good. I'll let you get back to your kids, call me if you need anything but I'll see you tomorrow morning."
"Thanks Doc, see you then." He hung up the phone as Shelly came down the stairs with a puffy green blob (Lilly) and a light blue blob (Claire).
"Who was that?" She asked as the girls joined Allie in the other room.
"It was nothing, I've got to do a psych evaluation tomorrow, procedure." He shrugged as he tied his boots up. He didn't want to lie to Shelly but he didn't want to worry her unnecessarily.
"Can we play, now?" Allie came to the hall where they stood and asked impatiently.
"Okay, okay." Wordy said as he pulled on his coat and gloves. Though he knew that there were still light flurries of snow falling he seemed vastly underdressed compared to his children. He grabbed a cap from the closet and pulled a hoodie over his head before going into the basement and finding a plastic sled. "You girls ready?" He asked as they all jumped up and ran out of the house.
"Bye, Mommy!" They yelled behind them as they went out into the front yard and saw the snow almost up to Wordy's knees, almost engulfing them. He placed the sled on the ground and helped Allie and Lilly inside as he took Claire's hand.
"Alright, let's get to the park." He said as he dragged the sled behind him and walked with Claire down the deserted street.
I lied, one more chapter. I didn't originally outline this scene but I needed a transition and that transition got a lot longer than I thought it would be. The next chapter will be the last one and it will be up very soon. Tell me what you think.