There were times he still had to stop and pinch himself. He'd be walking down the hallway and catch his reflection in a mirror or an elevator door and he'd see the smile on his face, a smile that a few years ago seemed like an impossible feat. His life had changed so much so fast. His children had already brought him joy, but now it was more than that. He still had his children of course, but he now had something more. He now had a woman in his life that accepted him for who he was, with all his flaws.
To have found that kind of love would be miracle enough, but this woman also loved his children. Phyllis wasn't the Susie Homemaker type and she made no claims otherwise. What she lacked in domestic skill however, she more than made up for in passion. She loved deeply, protected fiercely, and surprised him each and every day. The end of the day always excited him because he knew he'd be coming home to her.
Today she'd picked up the kids, taken them to the park and picked up dinner for them all of them. He could hardly wait to get home to spend a nice evening at home with the three most important people in his world. He stood just outside the door, fully expecting to hear the sounds of his children's laughter, but instead being met with silence. The key slid into the door easily as he stepped inside.
The living room seemed empty with no sign of Johnny, Katie, or Phyllis. "Johnny?" Billy's voice rang out through the empty room. Almost immediately he heard the tell tale sounds of little feet hurriedly moving down the steps. Katie jumped into his arms eagerly, wrapping her tiny arms around his neck in a tight embrace.
"Hi Daddy," she grinned.
Billy pulled her in tight against his chest and placed a quick kiss on her cheek before reaching down and patting Johnny's head. "Hey guys," he said softly. His eyes looked up towards the stairs, fully expecting to see Phyllis appearing. "Where's Phyllis? Are you all watching a movie upstairs?"
Johnny shook his head. "She had a headache," he said quietly, his own forehead crinkling a little as he spoke. "She went and laid down on the bed after we got home and she let us eat on the floor while we watched tv in the bedroom."
"We were real quiet too," Katie said proudly. "Cause we knew she didn't feel good and we didn't want her head to hurt more."
"I'm sure you were." Billy moved towards the stairs, anxious to get up and check on her. She'd been a bit out of sorts lately and he couldn't help but wonder if the extra hours and stress at work were simply becoming far too much for her to handle. His life had changed a lot recently, but he had to remember that hers had changed as well and while she was dealing with stress at work, she was also now inheriting two small children. He knew she loved Johnny and Katie, but he also knew from experience that they could be quite the handful. "Is she sleeping?" He looked over at Johnny as he asked the question, expecting the little boy to be more perceptive than his younger sister.
Johnny nodded. "Yeah and she must be really tired cause I couldn't even get her to wake up to change the tv so we could watch Netflix."
Billy felt his heart begin to beat faster. He gestured to the tv in the living room. "Here," he said as he handed the remote to Johnny. "You know how to do this one, right? It's just like the one at Mom's." He hesitated just long enough for Johnny to move over to the sofa and settle down beside his sister before his feet began to climb the stairs. There was no reason for him to expect the worst, but for somehow he did. He knew there was something very wrong and his instincts, especially when it came to Phyllis, were almost always right.
"Phyllis! Phyllis! I need you to open your eyes for me. Come on, sweetie. Open your eyes for me, please!" Billy felt his entire body give way as he finally saw her eyes flutter and open. "Thank God," he signed as he let his head rest against her shoulder for a moment. "Look at me," he sighed, cupping her face in his hands. "You hear me?"
She blinked slowly, taking a moment to remember where she was and how she'd gotten there. "Billy? What's the matter?"
"Forget about me." His ran his hands down her arms as he gripped her ice cold hands in his. "What happened here?"
"I just had a headache, so I had the kids eat dinner in here while they …" Her voice trailed off. "Are the kids okay?" She moved quickly to sit up, her eyes searching the room for them as she felt her head begin to swim as the sound of her heart beat began to echo in her head and ears.
"They're fine. They're downstairs watching Netflix. Don't worry about them right now. I'm worried about you." He studied her intently. She was pale and her skin felt like ice. He hadn't missed the expression on her face when she'd tried to sit up, the way her eyes had moved back and forth so quickly, a clear indication that she was, yet again, dizzy.
"You don't need to be. I'm fine. It was just a headache and I guess I just feel asleep. It's the fact that you've got such good kids. You've got to blame them for being so well behaved and quiet." She tried to laugh and ease the tension as she looked at him, but he wasn't laughing. "What's the matter?" She reached up and touched his face, feeling his hand touch hers and squeeze it slightly.
"You really don't know, do you?"
"Know what? Why you're acting so weird? No. I don't."
"I've been up here trying to get you to wake up for almost five minutes now. It's like you were trying to wake up, but you couldn't. I was about thirty seconds away from calling an ambulance and if you don't agree to let me call Vic and let her pick up the kids so we can go get you checked out tonight, I'll be calling that ambulance anyway."