Week 3 - UDC 1
11. red
She'd been watching the kids out in the yard across the street while doing dishes, smiling as the smaller boys played tag and the oldest one supervised and wondering why her daughter was sitting with the Mitchell boy, working on something on a notepad with him on the porch. A tell-tale rumble filled the air and she saw Pete look up and follow something, probably a jet from the rumble, with his eyes, and then return to whatever it was. "Gene?"
Her husband carried their youngest, four month old Harmon James, over to join her at the sink. "Looks like they're having fun out there."
"Still wondering what they're doing with that note pad."
"Could be a word game."
Lillian reached over with a wet, soapy hand and tousled her baby boy's soft hair with a grin. "What do you think, huh? Should we go see what sissy is doing?" His non-verbal laugh answered her and Eugene rolled his eyes playfully. "He's going to need a bath anyway."
"True."
12. grey
From her chair in the shaded spot on the far side of the porch, Juliana saw her neighbors before Isaac did and laughed to herself at his reaction when Eugene let down his four-year-old, Arnold, and encouraged him to join in the game of tag. Lillian joined them on the porch, waved at her with her free hand, and then looked over Pete's shoulder with a discerning frown. "Oh, not a word game like Gene thought it was. Math."
"Times tables, Momma!" Kristy told her excitedly while Pete blinked up at her in silence, clearly startled.
Lillian smiled. "Well, good." The infant in her arms burbled and she looked from him, to Pete, and back again. "Mind if I sit, Pete? It's such a nice evening, and..."
Pete glanced over at her with wide eyes and Juliana nodded. "Uh... sit down, Nurse Blake?"
"All right," Lillian said as she joined them on the steps, and then Baby Harmon was reaching and trying to get to Pete. Juliana frowned that the interaction as it continued, wondering why he was so hesitant. "You want him, huh? Pete, what say you give me the notepad and I give you the baby for a minute?"
13. white
Juliana glanced over to where Isaac and now Eugene were supervising tag and noticed that Isaac was watching them with an interested frown. She motioned to his younger brothers and he rolled his eyes at her, but nodded. "Go on, Pete. Give Lillian the pad."
"Does he have colic?" She paused and looked at Lillian, who was frowning at that.
"No," Lillian finally told him and was it her imagination, or did his posture relax ever so slightly? He still didn't hand her the pad, however, and instead took Harmon in one arm and carefully situated him on his knee.
14. black
The last baby he'd held had been Maggie, Pete realized as he looked at Kristy's younger brother, looking back at him with a huge smile. Maggie, less than a month old, laughing up at him. Had it really be nearly a year? It felt like less, and all of a sudden, all he could hear was Nicky crying.
A hand on his arm and he jumped slightly, glanced at Kristy to find her frowning at him. She pointed to the notepad in question, grabbed the pen. "Sixteen times three, divided by four?"
Harmon cooed at him suddenly and Pete blinked, at once on the porch again with Juliana watching them from her chair and Lillian next to him. "Nurse Blake?"
"Hmmm?"
He wanted to ask her all about Colic, but couldn't figure out how to voice it in a way that wouldn't sound stupid. Kristy nudged him and he looked to find that she'd done the problem... not exactly how he'd have done it, but she did get twelve.
"That was easy," Kristy told him, giggling.
15. blue
The screen door opened and Juliana smirked at Will's expression of amusement. She motioned him over and he joined her, standing by the chair. "I almost think the boys are going to wear out Isaac and not the other way around."
"Maybe," Will said, tone careful. "Sure you shouldn't be laying down?"
"Yes, I'm sure. This is more relaxing anyway." She nudged his arm and he glanced down at her. "I could have sworn I nearly saw a smile."
"Oh yeah?" Will studied Pete as he managed the four month old on one knee while explaining fractions to Kristy who drew circles at his direction, Lillian listened, smiling contentedly. "Was it the math or the baby?"
"Could have been the flyover... or all three. I don't know."
Their attention was taken by a sudden question that was almost too low to hear... "Why'd you name him Harmon James?"
Lillian glanced back at them momentarily, as if considering something, then returned her attention to Pete. "The neighborhood that my grandmother grew up on? At least six other boys, aside from her older brother, were named James. She told us that we could name this one James, but it couldn't be his first name, nor could it be a common one. Harmon came about because my cousin Amos served as a Corpsman on the Hornet in '69, and that December they lost an Aviator with that name. A tribute, if you will, to someone... in this case two someones, one familial and one not."
Pete considered her for a moment before tickling little Harmon and getting him to giggle. "I like that."