One or Two Things I Know for Sure

Chapter 13 Day

You get up to an annoying and loud alarm (your wife's idea, you'll kill her for it one day), it takes five attempts to push the snooze with your still sleep hazed mind. Then you proceed to pretend that the darn thing never went off (it doesn't work).

Allison nuzzles against your neck, murmuring about how you both need to be at work soon and the girls have school, you ask her to give you 15 minutes and she will forget all about work (she is tempted, but the alarm goes off again and all hope is lost).

Then there is a fight about who is going to shower first (she wins, and you remind her that you are the one who is old and handicapped. She ignores you) and you are left to go wake up your daughters.

You dry-swallow two pills (or as your daughters –and Jimmy- have come to call them your 'happy pills') and get up. The floor is cold as you limp down the hallway; half because you are suppose to gain more strength on your leg and half because you left your cane in the living-room last night.

Two of your daughters tell you that they really don't need to go to school today, when that doesn't work they both try to persuade you that another half-an-hour won't hurt (you want to give in); the other smiles and gives you a 'Morning Daddy' (you thank whoever was looking out for you when Maddy was conceived).

After making sure that all three are up and getting ready you barge into the master bathroom, Allison rolls her eyes at you as she rinses her hair (you just watch her for a moment, wondering how you got so lucky).

When you come down for breakfast Allison is finishing pancakes, she hardly cooks in the mornings and you wonder for a second if today is something you are suppose to remember (one quick look at the calendar tells you that you are safe). Maddy is running around setting plates and giggling her uniform already on, she stops and gives you a hug. She is the only one with that much energy in the morning.

Your two other daughters walk in just as the last pancakes are done (Anny-Bel still has her pj bottoms on), the still look half-asleep, mumbling something about how winter break won't be here soon enough.

You tell them to stop complaining and eat their pancakes (or you'll do it for them), because frankly you are still hungry. They roll their eyes and laugh, for a moment you wonder when it was that they stopped taking you seriously (you blame Jimmy).

Maddy gives you the rest of her pancakes while her sisters aren't looking, you kiss her cheek and send her to get her things ready.

When you drop them off at school they all lean over and give you half a kiss and a hug.

You don't pick them up at school, no their nanny does that. You and Allison don't usually get home till dinner time (if then), so you spend your days trying to figure out what your daughters are up to (not that you'll ever admit it).

At work you snap at nurses, call patients stupid, avoid the clinic (and Cuddy), bug Jimmy, and make fun of your fellows. But all the while you are thinking about your Anny-Bel disrupting class with her jokes and being the center of attention, your Maddy-girl with her quiet smiles and quick mind, and you tiny Lili-bug in a class were everyone was two years older than her but still being the smartest in her class.

So when you do get home, you make time for each of them. You want to know what they did at school and if they behaved (one out of three is better odds than you thought), you help them with their homework (insisting that they will never use it in life later on). You talk to Leah, watch t.v. with Annabel, and help Madeline with her piano playing.

When they are put in bed, when you lay down with your wife next to you, you realize this is what you were always missing before.

So you pull her to you and kiss her, telling her that she is making you soft.

She apologizes with a smirk in her lips and promises to make it up to you.

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New chapter for all you guys. I tried to have a few funny things here and there, hope you enjoy it.

I already have the next chapter pretty planned out so it should be up soon.

GabbyAbby