Hello Everyone. Thanks for the reviews of the previous chapters. I dedicate this chapter to the ladies (and gents?) from the Luc and Eddie forum on digital spy, I was sooo happy I got a mention in your forum, it made my day! :)
This story is set about a month after the trip to the zoo.
Chapter 1:
Eddie stood in her bedroom looking at Luc as he packed the suitcase that was laid out on their bed. "I really wish you didnt have to go" she said to Luc as she handed him some t-shirts to put into the case.
"You know I dont want to either but the drug company is making me. I'm the keynote speaker at their conference, I haven't got a choice. I guess this is the price we have to pay for Elisilor being so successful" Luc replied looking at her with a pained expression. "It's only for a week and I'll bring you all back something nice, I promise" he continued.
"You'd better considering you're getting an all expenses paid trip to Las Vegas for a week and are being put up in a 5 star hotel" Eddie replied jealously.
"You could have come too, you know" Luc replied.
"I know, but who would we get to look after the kids for us for a week? No-one in their right mind would look after 4 children under 7 years old on their own, now would they?" she replied.
"I guess not. Are you sure you'll be able to manage ok?" Luc asked.
"I'll be fine. Karen is coming to visit for a few days at the end of the week, she'll help me with them." Eddie replied.
Luc closed over the suitcase and zipped it up. Eddie walked over and put her arms around him giving him a kiss on his shoulder. Luc turned around to face her. He gave her a lingering kiss on the lips. "I'll miss you" he whispered before giving her another kiss.
"I'll miss you too" Eddie replied before she kissed him back. She gently pulled away.
"Look at the time! I'd better get the kids up for school" Eddie exclaimed in a panic. She ran out of the room and into the children's bedrooms to wake them up. Luc finished getting himself dressed and brought his suitcase down to the hall beside the door. His taxi was picking him up in 10 minutes to bring him to the airport. There was a loud rumbling noise on the stairs as Elise and Liam came running down the stairs in their school uniforms. James followed down the stairs slowly with Eddie behind him. Eddie had Rose in her arms.
"Bye daddy, have a good trip" Elise said as she gave Luc a hug and a kiss on the cheek. She headed for the kitchen to get breakfast.
"Bye dad, see you next week" Liam said as he took is turn to hug Luc. Liam headed for the kitchen too. Luc bent down and picked up James.
"Bye bye daddy, keep away from the lions" James said. Luc looked at him puzzled.
"Lions?" he asked Eddie.
"The lion statues outside that hotel you're staying at, well I think that's what he means" replied Eddie. "I showed them pictures of Las Vegas and some of the hotels in it" continued Eddie.
"I will" replied Luc to James before giving him a kiss on the cheek. Just then a car horn sounded outside the door.
"That's my taxi. Bye Rosie-poo" he said as he leaned over to give Rose a kiss on the cheek. Rose just giggled. Luc stole a quick kiss from Eddie and headed for the door. Eddie watched as Luc put his suitcase into the taxi and got in.
"Wave good bye to your daddy Rose" Eddie said as she waved to Luc. Rose lifted her hand and waved too.
Eddie could hear some squabbling coming from the kitchen. "Lets go and see who's fighting over the cereal in the kitchen" she said to Rose as she closed the front door and headed for the kitchen.
Elise and Liam were having a fight over who owned the small toy that came in the cereal box. They were having the usual it's mine, no it's mine argument. Eddie walked in just as Elise grabbed the toy off Liam.
"Elise, give me the toy and eat the rest of your breakfast" Eddie demanded. Elise reluctantly gave Eddie the toy. They all finished their breakfasts, grabbed their coats and bags and Eddie walked them to school.
Eddie returned from school with James and Rose. She had a cup of tea before tidying up the house. She made some lunch for the three of them and played with James and Rose for a while. James sat down to watch his favourite show, Thomas the Tank Engine. James loved the show and couldn't be disturbed while it was on. Eddie left him to watch it as she called Karen to make the final arrangements for her visit. She checked on Rose who was having a nap and went back to the kitchen while speaking to Karen on the phone. She finished her call to Karen and went into the sitting room, there was no sign of James. She went out to the hallway to find James standing there with his coat on looking out the front door.
"What are you doing out here?" Eddie asked James.
"Time to get Li and EL from skool" James said. Eddie looked at the time on her phone and smiled, he was right.
"I'll go get Rose and we'll be on our way" Eddie replied. She ran upstairs and got Rose. She came back downstairs to James who was getting increasingly impatient. "Hurry mummy, late" replied James. They made their way to the school to find Elise and Liam waiting for them. Liam and Elise excitedly told them about their school day. James listened to Liam's every word in silence.
When they got home, Liam and Elise headed up to their bedrooms to get changed out of their uniforms. James followed Liam to his room. Liam had been working on building a big fort out of lego and got annoyed when he saw that it had been tampered with.
"Elise, did you touch my fort?" Liam shouted.
"No. Why would I?" she replied.
"Well if it wasnt you who was it?" Liam asked.
"I dont know. It wasn't me. It could have been James" Elise replied. Liam looked around and found James kneeling down on the ground playing with the fort.
"That's my fort. Dont touch it" Liam shouted as he pulled James up by the arm off the ground.
"Aaagh, hurtin me" James screamed before bursting into wails of crying.
"What's going on up there?" Eddie shouted from the bottom of the stairs. Elise rushed into the room to find James crying and holding his arm with his other arm.
"What did you do? You've hurt him" Elise said angrily to Liam. Eddie came rushing up the stairs. She ran into the bedroom. She ran over to James.
"What happened?" Eddie asked turning to Elise and then Liam.
"I only pulled him up off the floor cos he was messing with my fort" Liam admitted guiltily. Eddie examined James's injured arm gently. James squealed in pain.
"It's ok sweetheart" Eddie said trying to soothe James. "You two get your shoes and coats on and meet me in the hallway, we're going to have to go to the hospital to get this checked out" she said to Liam and Elise. They ran downstairs and did as they were told. Eddie gently lifted up James and brought him downstairs. Elise ran into the sitting room and grabbed Rose from her playpen and put her coat on her. Eddie grabbed the stroller and put Rose and James into it. They headed for the hospital. As they approached the hospital building Eddie called Sacha.
"Hi Sacha, I'm coming over with the children. I think James has damaged his arm, can you have a look at him for me?" she asked.
"No problem. Come straight into AAU" Sacha replied. When they got to the ward door Sacha let them in and brought them to a side bed.
"What happened?" Sacha asked.
"Liam pulled out of James's arm. I think he might have pulled a ligament" replied Eddie. Sacha gently examined James, he squealed in pain again.
"I think you're mummy might be right" Sacha said to James. "We'll have to send you for an X-ray, little man. It's just to make sure there's nothing else wrong" Sacha explained gently. James started to cry again. Eddie tried to console him. Liam got really upset seeing James crying again and he ran towards the ward door, just as he got to it one of the porters opened the door. Liam ran down the corridor with tears running down his face.
Eddie quickly asked Sacha to keep an eye on the children before running after Liam. Eddie ran down to the end of the AAU corridor but there was no sign of Liam. She stopped and thought for a minute before heading to the basement of the hospital. She headed to a very familiar door. She could hear sobbing coming from inside the wet lab. She opened the door gently and spotted Liam sitting in the corner of his dad's old lab. She went over and sat down beside Liam. She stayed silent for a few minutes trying to think of what to say.
"You know, this was where me and your dad had our first kiss. It was such a long time ago and we've been through a lot since then. We've both hurt each other since then but you know what?" Eddie said.
"What?" asked Liam through his cries.
"We were able to forgive each other because we love each other very much. James will forgive you because he loves you too" Eddie replied.
"How do you know that?" asked Liam.
"Why do you think James was playing with your fort and why he wanted to get the same bed as you have?" asked Eddie. "It's because he adores you. You're his big brother. That's why he wants to be involved in everything you do" Eddie explained.
"Do you think so?" asked Liam.
"I know so" replied Eddie before pulling Liam into a hug. "Come on. Lets go back and see how James is" Eddie said before helping Liam up. They returned to AAU to find James looking better. Sacha had given him something for the pain and James was excited about going to have his arm X-rayed as Sacha had explained to him that he would be able to see inside his arm with the X-ray. A few hours later they left AAU to head home. James was in the stroller, he reached out and took Liam's hand as they walked back home.
When they got home, Eddie made them something to eat. She got them all to pose for a picture to send to Luc. She told them to pull faces as she took the picture. She sent the picture to Luc with the caption, "Your little monsters and I miss you. :)".