When Casey woke the next morning, it was to the blaring beeping of her alarm clock. Her eyes still closed, the attorney groaned softly and fumbled blindly for the off switch before rolling onto her back and attempting to fall back asleep. She had just started to drift off again when she felt the bed sag underneath new weight, and she felt her hair being pulled from both sides.
"Mommy, wake up," came a singsong voice that Casey recognized as Stephanie's.
"Wake up," Serena echoed, pulling on Casey's long red hair again.
Casey sighed softly and slowly opened her eyes. As she did she came face to face with both of her daughters, who were staring down at her eagerly. "Girls, why are you up so early?" she asked, rubbing her eyes in an attempt to wake herself up and force her eyes to stay open. "Where is Grandma?"
"Grandma called." Stephanie held up the receiver for the house phone, illustrating her point. "She's sick."
Casey sat up slowly and looked at her daughter, who had curled up at the head of the bed on Olivia's side. "She's sick?" the redhead repeated. She paused for a moment. "Stephanie, what did I tell you about answering the phone when Mama and I are gone?" she asked. She did not intentionally sound so frustrated, but she and Olivia knew firsthand what kind of creeps existed in the world, and dealing with them at work was enough horror. Worrying about their children being exposed to that was enough to make Casey crazy.
"Sorry Mommy," Stephanie answered, laying her head on Casey's shoulder and hugging her.
Casey sighed. "It's okay, sweetie. Listen, I'll call Aunt Marissa and see if she can come over. Would you like that?" The words were barely out of her mouth before the twins shrieked in excitement. When they were done, Casey wondered if her eardrums had burst yet. "I'll take that as a yes," she added, unable to resist the urge to smile. She looked at the clock and sighed, noting that it was just after eight. "Okay, let's go. I'll make you two breakfast." The attorney helped her daughters out of bed, then followed them out of the bedroom, down the stairs, and into the kitchen.
Forty five minutes later, she handed Serena a plastic cup full of orange juice and Stephanie one with apple and made sure they were situated with their bacon, eggs, and toast, as well as silverware and napkins. As they began to eat, Casey grabbed the receiver, the same one that Stephanie had brought her, and dialed her friend Marissa's number. She leaned against the counter, keeping an eye on the girls as the other line rang. Finally, just when she worried that it was going to go to voice mail, her call was answered. Hearing a groggy greeting from the other end, Casey smiled softly. "Marissa, it's Casey. I know it's early, and trust me, I wouldn't call you if it wasn't important. My mom can't babysit today, and I know the twins love you, so I was hoping I could sweet talk you into babysitting?"
"Hey, Case," Marissa replied. It was clear that she had just woken up, if her sleepy tone was any indication. "Your girls are very well behaved, and I would love to babysit them, but I don't know how long I can stay. I have a family thing tonight."
Casey covered the phone with her hand and looked over at Serena, who was standing on her chair. "Serena Marie, sit down before you get hurt," she ordered. As Serena shrugged and did as she was told, Casey sighed and spoke into the phone once more. "I understand, Marissa. I should be home around six. I'll owe you one."
"I have to leave your place by six thirty at the latest though. What time do you need me to get there?"
Casey checked the clock. It was a quarter until nine. "Uh, how about ten?" she asked. "I have court at noon, but I need to swing by the office first, so I need to leave here by a quarter after."
"I'll be there. See you at ten," Marissa replied.
Casey smiled softly, though she knew her friend could not see her. "Thanks. I owe you one."
"Don't mention it," Marissa answered, before the line went dead with a simple click.
Casey placed the phone in its cradle and sat down at the table, watching her two daughters with a smile. Of their usual "frenemies" style relationship, the twins were clearly in their friend stage today, which was a major relief to Casey, who was going to be gone most of the day. "You girls better behave for Aunt Marissa," she warned. "Or the boogeyman will get you tonight."
"We'll be good," Serena promised, lifting a piece of bacon from her plate and biting into it. Casey noticed that her eggs were relatively untouched.
"Serena, honey, I know that you don't like eggs that much, but you need the protein," Casey said. "I even put cheese on them, just the way you like."
Serena poked at her eggs with her fork and laid her head on her arm. "Okay, Mommy," she conceded, taking a tiny bite and nibbling slowly. She met Casey's gaze and quickly swallowed.
Casey shook her head and looked over at Stephanie, whose plate was almost bare except for a few spare bites here and there. "Steph, if you're still hungry, there's more bacon. Want some?"
"No," Stephanie answered quickly, chewing on her last piece of bacon.
"No, what?" Casey asked. She didn't want to sound like a strict parent, but she knew that if there was any perfect age to instill good manners and behavior, it was around two.
Stephanie looked up at her and smiled softly. "No, thank you, Mommy," she replied.
"Much better." Casey returned her daughter's smile and then looked from one twin to the other. "Aunt Marissa will be here soon. When you two are done eating, I want you both to go into my room and sit down on the bed. I'll put on some cartoons for you while I get ready for work, alright? And, if you two behave while I am in the shower, and also while Marissa is here, I will take you both out for ice cream tonight. How does that sound?" She knew she did not even need to ask, because ice cream and dolls were the best incentives to get the girls to behave.
Serena smiled brightly. "Yay, ice cream!" she cried, before quickly shoving several bites of egg into her mouth.
"Serena, use your manners, please," Casey answered. "I don't want you to get sick, honey."
Serena swallowed and took another bite, though this one was noticeably smaller than the last one, which relieved Casey, who did not have the desire to take her little girl to the emergency room first thing in the morning.
Twenty minutes later, Casey turned the near boiling shower water off and wrapped a towel around her body and another around her hair. Stepping carefully out of the shower and onto the bare tile floor, she paused where she stood and listened for any sound from her bedroom. Hearing two distinct giggles and the sounds of the cartoons, Casey smiled to herself and checked on the girls just to make sure. They were so focused on laughing at the TV that they didn't notice her. Seeing them sitting so close to each other on the bed, co-existing without fighting, was a rarity that she reveled in, and one that she did not want to disrupt.
Leaving the door open a crack, she walked into the closet that was in the bathroom, and chose her outfit for the day. She dressed in a black suit with a light blue blouse peeking out, and zipped one of her favorite black skirts. After slipping into a pair of black stilettos, Casey dried and brushed her hair, pulling it back in a simple silver clip, then applied her make up. Once she was finished, the attorney checked her reflection in the mirror and smiled softly. She hung the towels up and turned the bathroom light off, closed the door, and stepped into the bedroom.
"You look pretty," Serena said, looking from the TV to Casey and back again.
Casey smiled. "Thank you, sweetie. What are you girls watching?" she asked curiously, examining the television, which was currently on commercial break.
"The Little Mermaid," Stephanie replied. "Sebastian was singing. He's funny."
Casey laughed. "I know, sweetheart. Listen, I want you two to promise me that you won't answer the phone or the door. Let Aunt Marissa do that, and only her, got it?"
"Got it, Mommy," Serena agreed.
"Good," Casey answered. Hearing the doorbell ring, Casey gave each of her daughters a hug and walked down the stairs and to the front door, the girls close on her heels. After peering through the peephole, Casey opened the door and smiled. "Marissa, you're early."
"How could I resist the temptation of seeing these two?" Marissa asked as the twins pounced on her, hugging her tightly. "I'm actually glad you called. I didn't have anything planned during the day."
Casey smiled and stepped aside to allow her friend to enter. She closed the front door and led Marissa and the twins into the kitchen. "Well, I appreciate you coming on such short notice. If you hadn't come, I think I would have had to take them to work, and a courtroom is definitely not a good environment for them."
"I understand," Marissa answered, sitting down at the dining room table. Serena and Stephanie crawled into her lap, still refusing to let go of her. "Even if you would have called an agency, there is no guarantee that you would have been able to get someone trustworthy."
"Exactly," Casey agreed. She checked the clock and sighed. "Okay, I really have to go if I'm going to avoid traffic. I'm glad you're here early, because I just realized that I need to stop for gas." The attorney grabbed her purse, zipped it, and then buttoned her coat, which had been draped over her chair at the table. Reaching for her briefcase, she took it and her purse, and made sure her keys were clipped to the strap on her purse. She hugged Marissa and then the girls and smiled. "For lunch, there is some pasta in the refrigerator for them. All you need to do is heat it up. No snacks unless they eat first, and no soda if they are bad. If they do have soda, only half a can each, maximum." Casey took a deep breath and checked the clock again. "I have to go."
Marissa nodded. "I got it," she promised, smiling reassuringly at the young attorney.
Casey thanked her once more, smiled, and then rushed out. She had a long day ahead.