Prompt: 'Mother's intuition' was all that Elizabeth needed to say to get Henry's attention - this isn't the first time Elizabeth's had it, and she's always been right.
The first time it happened, Stevie was 3 years old. The house was silent and Henry was marveling at the peace that could be achieved with giving a toddler a small piece of candy, though he was sure that he'd be regretting it when he sugar high kicked in. Elizabeth was lying on the couch with her head in his lap, both of them with books in their hands. It was a good night. He sighed. Then Elizabeth sat up suddenly knocking both books to the floor.
"Something's wrong." She said before scampering to their daughter's bedroom. Henry shook his head this wife's paranoia, but a harsh cough sounding from Stevie's room sent him running.
By the time he got there, Stevie was crying in his wife's arms, the half-eaten piece of candy on the floor. He knelt by his two favorite girls and placed a hand on his daughter's back.
"Is she ok?"
"Yeah. She's fine, aren't you big girl?" Elizabeth soothed. He looked toward his wife's eyes and found only relief.
The second time, Alison was 7. She'd come home from school with overly bright eyes and a tremulous smile on her face. "I'm fine," she'd answered when Henry asked, and he'd left it alone. But the second Elizabeth saw her daughter, she said, "Noodle? Who's bothering you at school?"
As it happened, there was a new girl in Ali's school who was upset about a mix up after school at the pickup line. "I don't know why she's being so mean to me! She used to be nice! But she said *sniff* that you and Daddy didn't *sniff* want me!" With that, she launched herself into her mother's arms. "Baby... shhh... you're okay. And Noodle? Look at me." Ali lifted her face reluctantly.
"Your father and I want you. We love you to the moon and back. OK?"
The third time, Jason was 5. All was quiet in the McCord house. Parents and all 3 children snuggled up in bed. Until Elizabeth woke Henry from a sound sleep. "Did you hear that? Something's wrong. Check on the girls and I'll check Jason." As Henry's still sleep numbed brain struggled to catch up and actually check on his girls, Elizabeth all but sprinted to Jason's room.
She opened the door to find him peacefully asleep on his back, and she was about to turn and check the girls herself when her little boy started making a weird choking noise.
She rushed into the room and sat him up in bed where he promptly woke up and threw up all over her.
"Call it mother's intuition."
Alarm bells started ringing in Henry's ears. She was always right about that. He started running out the door. "Have your motorcade pick me up. Let's go get our daughter."