(Alicia Karan Wolf-Peralta)
Now hours after the blowout Alicia was wrapped around Ava and when Ava began to softly stroke her hair the girl raised her head and fixed Ava with an intense and troubled gaze. "I know you're upset Li but I swear I'm not trying to hurt you. I love you sweetie and I only want to take care of you honest" The five month old didn't feel the need to respond and immediately went back to sleep.
Alicia had finally surrendered to sleep with ragged gasping breaths after hours of howling both in anger and frustration. Not even three teething toddlers or daily chin checks on Spence prepared the couple for the sounds that little body was able to make. With every inhalation Ava felt her teeth grit trying to ready for the assault of sound. If the crying had just been loud it might have been tolerable but the pitch rose until Ava feared that not only the glass but also her tympanic membrane would split into tiny shards. The fact that Ashlee had somehow fallen over in exhaustion spoke to the strain the young woman had been under for the past two months. Regardless of the hour or whether or not she was on diaper duty Ashlee did not rest easy until their children were sound asleep. So when Alicia's hitched breathing became more irregular Ava carefully got up rather than wake the blonde.
The girl's mahogany curls were matted with sweat and her face with still red with exertion hours later. Brushing the loose strands aside Ava tried to spot traces of her cousin in the girl's profile. The military and the hospital had shipped all of Justin's and Tomca's personal affects. Her cousin had never been one to collect things and gaining a wife and a child did not seem to alter that habit so there were few photographs. Justin was a stereotypical Italian with a Roman nose, sloping brow, with a bronze sun kissed complexion. Even from the few amateur and out of focus headshots it was clear that Tomca was a beautiful woman with slight feature and pale skin. Alicia had her father's coloring but her nose and cheeks were clearly a Serbian inheritance.
Slightly rocking and swaying worked for a few minutes until Alicia jumped up in Ava's arms determined to continue her battle. The toddler let out a stilted cry and Ava saw Ashlee shift in her sleep before they moved out of the bedroom. "Settle sweetheart. Just settle down." Ava whispered as she stroked the girl's head and back. It was strange how completely different and but how similar this was to taking care of her own children. Her other children Ava corrected and shook her head. Of course Ava loved the girl. From the moment Agent Hunt told her about the baby Ava had loved her if only out of obligation to abandoned Justin. But those feelings were vague and dependant on their common connection. It wasn't until Ava spotted her in the cramped living room that the emotion bloomed. At that moment Alicia wasn't just a living representation of random past events she was Ava's daughter.
Thirty minutes or three hours could have easily passed by the time Ashlee walked up behind them in the middle of Ava reporting her autobiography. She'd just gotten to up to her first meeting with Bill when Ashlee interrupted with "Hey do you think this is the best story for our little girl?" and watched as Ava broke out into a slow grin. "What's that for?
"It's true isn't it? She's our little girl. After everything Li went through she's finally where she belongs isn't she?" Ava asked not quite confident enough to make the mental leap until Ashlee wrapped her arms around them both and kissed the infant's cheeks. "We're finally taking you home honey."
The day was finally here after what felt like weeks of aggravation from not only her children but also the parentals. They'd bought the tickets months ago after Blake saw the ad online. Cirque du Soleil was in Chicago and everyone was packing up to drive the four hours and making a weekend of the event. Ashlee laughed that Doris and Olivia seemed more excited than the kids did but Ava's enthusiasm was right there with them if only for the respite from work. It had been a harrowing few months at the hotel because of a lost account and a nearly averted strike. She was only supposed to work a few hours a week but the hotel was so hectic that Ava spent more than a few nights in its suites just because it was too late to drive home. Ashlee hadn't been too sympathetic and threatened to bundle up the kids and the dog and head to the hotel herself on their fifth night apart. Ava never let the long hours interfere with earning her MBA but it was spilling over at home. This weekend was going to be about reconnecting to her family until a dreaded rash appeared.
It was half an hour before they drove to the farmhouse that Cat spotted it. "Mommy Ally got an ouchie." Ava heard her daughter say as she loaded their car with strollers and suitcases and continued on without breaking stride. Years of scraped knees and busted lips had gotten her a bit calloused to that routine unless there was pool of bright blood. Kiss it, squirt some Neosporin, and cover it with a bandage but keep it moving Ava thought until Ashlee called her into the kitchen. Rolling her eyes Ava expected to be called on putting an empty cartoon back into the refrigerator until she saw her wife's eyes as she pointed towards their daughter.
"I didn't do it"
"I'm serious look at this." Ashlee said holding the smiling girl in Ava's face. Ally assumed it was a game and reached out to grip onto her mama's arms.
"Ash I don't have time for this I was packing."
Ignoring her wife Ashlee pulled up Ally's shirt exposing the toddler's shoulders and back. "It's getting worse. Yesterday I assumed it was just the heat but it's getting worse. It's spreading and the bumps look bigger." The girl had been sleeping a lot lately but her parents assumed it was because the kids were wearing themselves out during Stino's summer vacation.
"Maybe its" Ava tried before her wife over talked her.
"We can't go. I have to take her to the doctor."
"Ash the kids have been waiting on this forever."
"I'm not going to let this get worse or risk everyone getting sick. You're just going to have to call and cancel while I take her to the doctor's." Ashlee said moving to the back room before Ava reached out to stop her. "Ava I'm not taking our daughter to Chicago to see an overpriced circus when she could have God knows what. They can just go without us." She said without even a second thought. That was just who Ashlee was. Regardless of the cost she would give everything she had to her children or her wife.
"The kids don't have to miss the weekend just because of this."
"I'm not asking our parents to watch our three in addition to Colin and Sarah without any help."
"Neither am I" Ava laughed and said "You and the kids go and I'll take Allybear to the doctor" as she reached for the girl.
"No way am I leaving my sick child alone."
"She won't be alone I'm going to be here and we don't even know that she's sick. It might be an allergic reaction." Ava repeated while trying to control her tone. "It'll give me time to write my paper and work on the Beacon's spreadsheet." Taking Ashlee's concern personally did no good. Ashlee trusted no one but herself to care for ill family members regardless of the degree or filial relation. "Get Emma and Clarissa to ride with you and distract the kids from killing each other." It had taken some harsh words on both sides for Ava to hear the devotion behind the words instead of insult but fierce loyalty was one of the traits that led Ava to fall in love with the blonde. "Look at them do you want to be the one that calls everything off?" Stino was kneeling on the floor tying Cat's shoes as the girl sat on the sofa adjusting her pack straps. Spence was holding a favorite toy as he jumped up and down in the middle of the room.
Looking back and forth between her children and wife Ashlee tried again "I should stay here and you take the kids."
"You're going to have a good time and that's final." At the last words the children broke out in song causing Thomas to run from his bed to investigate. "Now we won't have to take him to the kennel. Solves everything" Ava tried again with a brighter smile. Ashlee wasn't easily swayed but she was outnumbered and Blake and Olivia kept calling to check on their progress.
"Are you absolutely sure? I could stay"
"Nope I didn't want to tell you this before but Ally kept complaining that we needed some one on one bonding. Didn't want to make you jealous." Knowing exactly what Ava was doing Ashlee just smiled and wrote out more instructions as she listened to Ava schedule with a receptionist. Standing beside the loaded car Ava had to literally bite her tongue as Ashlee once more repeated herself. "Okay okay I got it. Call before the appointment, call during, call afterwards and call if she gets any worse." She waved and held her sleeping daughter as her family drove away.
It had been a good night. Both Thomas and Ally were happy for the extra attention and space in the bed and Ashelee and Natalia had agreed to call every hour instead of every fifteen minutes. It had taken a few moments of silence not to yell that they should just put her on speaker phone so that Ava didn't have to repeat herself but that outburst was quickly stifled. Other than stressing out her family Ava could scarcely tell that there was anything wrong with the girl. She clung a bit more than normal but she was probably just missing her rambunctious brothers and sister. Ava was fully prepared for the pediatrician to look at her like a typical overdramatic parent until the woman's eyebrows rose as soon they walked in for the exam without seeing Ally's back.
Oh God she's going to kill me. She and Natalia are going to absolutely kill me then find a way to bring me back so they can kill me again. Ava thought silently as the doctor inquired about the health of her other children. She's missed their first calls of the morning because the ringer was off and then her phone died just before walking into the waiting area and the car charger was nowhere in sight. Only a couple hundred miles separated Ava from certain death when she was finally able to talk to the women. The girl had been asleep since leaving the doctor so Ava had to force her to drink some milk with her Tylenol every few hours. It would do no good to say that the virus had almost run their course. The doctor suspected Ally had been sick at least a week ago and the typical symptom of fever had been hidden by her constant play. When Ashlee heard she was going to have a cow and Ava was almost more worried about her wife than she was about their daughter. Ally was oblivious to anything being wrong.
The house phone could be heard ringing as soon as Ava opened her car door and she didn't want to consider the voicemails and texts on her cellphone. Taking long enough just to let Thomas out to the backyard and put Ally to bed Ava sighed and held her breath before picking up the phone. Hello wasn't even out her mouth before Ashlee was yelling. "What the hell happened? I've been calling you for hours. How is my daughter?"
There were a thousand ways to ease into the news but Ava knew direct was best especially considering their children. "She's going to be fine but she has the measles."
"What?" Ashlee screeched before Ava had the chance to pull the phone away. "Oh my God is she okay? How's her breathing? Is she in any pain? I'm going to tell the others and I'll be home in a few hours."
"No"
"Excuse me? No? My daughter is sick and"
"And there is no reason for you to come because she'll probably be over it by Sunday."
"I'm not going to stay here screwing around when she needs me"
"You're not screwing around you're taking care of our other children. Doctor Adame said Ally is no longer infectious but do you really want to take that chance? Stay there and have a good time while I take care of Ghost Rider."
"Ava"
"Baby she's fine. Please stay." She didn't want to listen and neither did Natalia but the other women convinced them of Ava's wisdom. The first night had been breeze but the second Ally was feeling the full effects and screamed and yelled into the night. Nothing Ava did suited the girl who was also lonely for her family. The hostility almost rivaled their first night in Germany when she was taken from her foster family. Ava's tears were running just as freely as Ally's and Thomas had long ago hidden from the chaos.
Ava woke up to her wife sitting on their bed rubbing the toddler with oatmeal lotion a full twenty four hours before her scheduled arrival. "Did you at least obey the speed signs?" Ava tried with what she hoped was a light tone but it wasn't light enough judging by the way Ashlee narrowed and cut her eyes toward her. What she really wanted to do was yell at Ashlee for placing not only herself but their children in danger by driving the interstate upset in the middle of the night but that wouldn't change anything. It certainly wouldn't make Ashlee less prone to throwing her out of their bed if not the house.
"What else are you giving her besides Tylenol?" Clearly the younger woman wasn't in the mood to joke.
"I'm giving her cool baths and forcing Pedialyte every two or three hours." The curt nod was the only acknowledgement that Ashlee gave before returning to stare at their daughter. "She's going to be fine Ash." Ava said quietly. "The doctor doesn't foresee any complications and I'm following her every word."
Ashlee responded without looking up. "I should have been here and realized that she was sick. She had a fever for two to three days and I didn't even notice." Ashlee stopped as her throat tightened. "If something happened to her because I was careless and neglectful then I don't know what I'd do. I just love her so much" She finally choked out as she allowed Ava to take her in her arms.
"You have never been careless or neglectful with our children. Baby she's going to be fine. Doris and Olivia would have a fit if they weren't. Not to mention Natalia and Blake and Clarissa and Emma and Reva and Buzz and"
"Okay I get it" Ashlee laughed as they lay in bed watching the sleeping girl for several moments. When Ava pulled away to leave the bed Ashlee reacted refusing to let go.
"The kids are going to be up soon if they aren't already up tearing down the house."
Burrowing down further into the mattress Ashlee pulled Ava on top as a personal blanket. "I flew down. Natalia and Blake are driving the kids back." Just before she drifted off she warned "Oh Natalia told me to tell warn that you'd better run when you see her."