12TRICKY MEASURES

Chapter 12—Comfort

1

Callen woke up before his children did. He sat up for a little while and oriented himself. When he felt ready, he got up and refreshed himself. Then he went to each child's room to check them. They were all awake. He gave them each a kiss and a hug, and asked them to get up.

He went downstairs to the kitchen to finish making their lunches, and then brought all of the plates to the table in the dining room. Several minutes later, all four thudded quickly downstairs.

Nikolai ran at his father. "Hi, Papa!"

Callen laughed and picked him up and hugged him. He put the little boy into his tall chair, and then sat down.

"Guys, we need to talk, but not until after we eat," he said.

"You said after dinner."

"That's fine, Raisa," her father said.

Kira looked at Anya. What was happening, they wondered. Then they understood that their father was very much in charge of everything, and in control.

"I wanted to wait until after we ate so our food would be more enjoyable, and that's what we're going to do," he said in a no-nonsense tone.

2

"Papa, can Bubbie and Dedushka bring their store again?" Anya asked.

"Maybe," he answered. "I don't know if they're home yet."

"Where'd they go, Papa?" Kira asked.

"To Europe, I think," he said. "Guys, let's get done so we can talk, okay?"

"Okay, Papa," they all chorused.

He surveyed their faces. They looked refreshed, but with auras of sadness about them. He wished he could make their pain go away.

"Papa? Are you okay?" asked Kira.

"No, baby, I am not. I am worried. I am worried about all of you. I am worried about Mama. And I am worried about me."

Kira stared straight at Raisa. "Shut up before you start, Raisa!" she warned.

"What'd I do?"

"Nothing," said Callen. "And you better keep it that way!"

"Papa, are you visiting Mama tonight?" Anya asked.

"I want to, but I don't know if I can leave you guys alone again," he said. "You're…No. WE. We are all very upset, and leaving you guys alone like this doesn't feel good to me."

"Papa, we'll be okay," Kira began.

Raisa reacted. "No, Kira. You can't decide for us!"

3

"I don't like being alone either, Raisa," said Anya, "but it's okay if it helps Papa visit Mama. I wish we could, but none of us is old enough. Not even Kira. Just Papa is, and I think he needs to go visit Mama."

Callen smiled. "Thank you, baby," he said. Then he looked at Nikolai. "What do you think?"

"Papa, you have to hug and kiss Mama."

They all laughed.

"Yes, I do," Callen agreed. "What about you, Kira?"

She looked at him with sad eyes. "I think like Anya does."

"Okay. Most of you think I should visit Mama, and I think I should, too. Raisa, what about you?"

"Papa, it's scary when there aren't any grown-ups home with us," she said. "But I do want you to visit Mama so she can feel better."

"Thank you, Raisa," replied her father. "It's a little scary for me, too, but especially today. I want you guys to be feeling okay before I leave again."

"Okay, Papa," said Nikolai. "Papa, I think we feel good. We just get sad when we think about Mama. Then we get happy again because you hug and kiss her."

"Yay, Nikolai!" chorused his sisters.

"Papa, he got it," Kira said. "Guys, is it okay for Papa to go?"

"Sure," said Dr. Nikolai.

The other girls didn't say a word.

"How about it?" Callen double-checked.

Raisa nodded. "It's okay, Papa."

Anya nodded, too. "Yes, Papa."

Callen sat back, and passed his glance over each of them. He was very proud of their strength, and said so. Then he told them all that he loved them, and as he prepared to leave, he hugged and kissed each of his children.

"I'll be back sooner than later," he told them. "And I'm going to tell Mama how strong you all are, too. You guys are the best!"

4

The three younger children all turned toward Kira for guidance. She noticed, and nearly panicked. Then she pulled herself together because she knew their father was counting on her.

"Let's clean up in here, and then go watch a few movies. How's that?"

"That good, Kira," said Nikolai. He carried his plate to the kitchen and the girls followed suit.

Raisa stepped up and washed the dishes, and they all hugged her.

Kira rummaged through the cabinet, and found the box of popcorn. She showed it to them.

"Yes, please!" they all shouted. Nikolai hugged her.

5

Callen sat out in his car for a few minutes, until he had calmed down. He was overwhelmed by his children's support and bravery with their mother's accident. He shook off his melancholia, and then straightened up. He drove happily to the hospital.

There was a lightness in his step as he walked down to Anna's room, and a grin played hide'n'seek with his face. His eyes twinkled as he entered Room 215.

Anna noticed his demeanor immediately. She held her arms up, and he leaned over and hugged her as best he could. Then he kissed her repeatedly. She finally caught hold of his face.

"You need to stop, my love," she said breathlessly. "I love kissing you, but we need to stop for a few minutes. I got some news for you!"

"Oh, yeah?" He fell into the clunky chair.

With an effort, she sat up on the edge of her bed. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, baby. I sat down too hard is all." He got up and hugged her.

Anna hugged him, and buried her face in his groin. "I miss you so much!"

He scritched her head, and she laughed. She looked up at him with every ounce of love she had in her. He couldn't resist her face, so he kissed her again.

"I think Dr. Nikolai will be very happy with me tonight," Callen quipped. He let go of her, and sat down again.

Anna wasn't going to be put off. Carefully, she slid off her bed and sat on his lap. She leaned back, wiggling her face into his neck, and letting her legs dangle. He put his arms around her.

"Why is that?" she asked.

"Because. Last night, he said I had to kiss and hug you, and I have been!" he replied. "And earlier, he told me I had to visit you tonight so I could kiss and hug you."

Anna laughed. She put her arms up, and put her hands on his head, and stroked him. "Callen, what else has been going on?"

"Oh, God, baby," he said. He bumped her off him, and lifted her onto the bed, and covered her up. "A lot. A lot of heavy duty stuff."

"Like what?"

He gazed into her green eyes. "A ton of sad stuff. Anna, the kids got into scrapes today. I had to pick up the girls for fighting, and I took Nikolai because he had had a bad day, too.

After we got home, each child cried his or her heart out. Anna, they couldn't stop. It all came to a head today, and the teachers have told me to keep them home until Monday."

"Monday? Their fighting was that bad?"

He shook his head. "Not really. What they couldn't handle was the baiting and teasing. Kira nearly killed a kid because he dared to imply that you were dead, for example. A girl in Nikolai's class insisted that you were not hospitalized, and he became horribly upset. Veronika had to hold him for a long time."

Anna grabbed his arm. "My poor babies," she cried. "What about Anya and Raisa?"

"They're messed up, too, baby. Raisa upchucked for real because she was so upset, and Anya's Math teacher broke up a fight before it happened. So, we're all home, and all exhausted, and all pretty upset. We all took naps, too."

"Killed?"

He smirked. "Oh, yeah. She beat the shit out of him!"

"G Callen! It's not funny!" Anna yelped.

"Oh, God, baby. I know it isn't. It was horrible, and I was standing right there. I had to pull her off the guy. Anna, baby, I cannot stay too long because of everything."

"I get it, my love," she sympathized. "I really do get it. Anyway, I got some news of my own!"

He leaned over and buried his face in her chest. "Man, have I missed you!" Then he kissed her neck, and nipped her slightly. "What's your news, baby?" He sat down again.

"Saturday!"

He sat bolt upright. "Saturday? You're coming home on Saturday?!" He kissed her.

She fussed with his face again. "Stop it, you silly man! Yes! The doctor told me Saturday afternoon!"

"Oh, this is awesome!" he crowed. "This is the best thing ever!"

"You do realize that I'll be on bedrest for a week like you were, right?"

"Right…Oh, damn. Damn. I don't want them jumping all over you!"

"Sit me up." He pulled her by her good arm, and then hugged her. "They won't because you're going to tell them that they can NOT jump all over me! Callen, after today, please tell them I'm coming home. They need to hear it."

He nodded. "I understand, baby. Hell. I needed to hear it, too!"

Anna smiled at him. "Yes, you did! You look better since you got here tonight."

"Thank you, baby. Just hearing your news has made me relax." He leaned over and kissed her a few times.

Anna laughed at him because he could not stop nuzzling her. He even nipped her a few more times. She hugged him hard.

"You need to stop!" She very badly wanted to spend the night with him, and was having a hard time fighting it. "Callen. Please stop. Please."

"Did I hurt you?"

"Oh, God, no! You're loving me too much right now! I don't think you should sleep over tonight. It's different now than before."

He grinned at her. "You know you're right, right?"

"Right," she agreed. "Come."

He leaned over, and she grabbed his face, and kissed him until his ears wiggled. Then she nipped his neck.

"Ow!" he yelped. "You. BAT." He rubbed his neck, and then laughed. Cupping her face in his hands, he kissed her very softly. "You beautiful bat baby. I can't wait to bring you home!"

6

"Guys, come on! Get comfy!" Kira growled. "We can't fight, please."

"Why?" Raisa posed.

"Why not, you little brat?" Anya hissed. "Raisa, you are not the only one upset by all this, so you need to stop. Why do you want Papa to get upset with us?"

"He needs our help," Kira continued. "And that means all of us have to cooperate. I don't want him to get sad at us."

"Sad? Don't you mean mad?" Anya said.

"Nope. And he won't get mad. He'll get sad if we mess up tonight, and I don't want Papa's feelings to be hurt. Not for any reason." She handed the remote to Anya. "It's your turn."

Anya took the remote. "Thank you, Kira!" she said, happy to be in charge of choosing the movie. She scrolled through all kinds of things, and finally settled on many Pink Panther cartoons. There was no dialogue, so they all had to focus on it.

"Anya, that was the best!" chirped Raisa. "He's so funny!"

"Yah," agreed Nikolai. "Me?"

"Okay," Kira said. She watched him scroll through the different movies, and was surprised by how adept he was.

At long last, Nikolai chose Huckleberry Hound. He liked the dog's blue color, and wanted to see what he does. The kids all thought that Huckleberry talked funny.

"Good job, Nikolai," said Kira. "He was pretty fun!"

"Thank you, Kira," he replied, handing the remote to Raisa. "I think you should go next so you don't get messy." He handed the remote to her while Kira and Anya laughed hard.

They all wondered what Raisa would choose. Kira hoped it would be suitable for kids, and not adult-themed. After much scrolling, Raisa finally chose My Little Pony.

"Eww," said Nikolai.

He was next to Kira, so she hugged him. "Please don't, baby," she said aloud. Then she mumbled to him, "I don't like it either, but we have to play fair. Okay?"

He leaned into her. "Okay, Kira," he whispered.

When it ended, Kira said, "That was cute, Raisa."

"Aren't you going to pick a movie?" Anya asked. She scooped up the remainder of the popcorn crumbs. "Yummy," she commented as she put the bowl on the coffee table.

"Yes. Yes, I am," Kira replied, scrolling endlessly through the movies offered. At long last she settled on Walt Disney's Robin Hood. They became intrigued as none of them had ever seen it.

"That movie was really good," Anya commented. "Guys, do you think Papa will be home soon?"

7

"He should be," replied Callen from behind her.

Anya's eyes opened real wide, and then she sprang up, and jumped over the back of the couch so she could hug her father. "Papa! You're home!"

He picked her up and hugged her tightly. "Yes, I am home." He leaned on the back of the couch. "Baby, go sit down," he said as he braced for Kira.

She ran at him, and practically jumped into his arms. She hugged him as hard as she could.

Callen gave her a kiss before he asked her to sit down. Then he went around to the front of the couch, and picked up Raisa. He hugged her very closely, and she was happy to be in his arms. After a bit, he put her down, and lifted Nikolai into his arms. He kissed his little boy many times. At last, he set him on the couch. Then he sat on the coffee table. He studied each child until they were all impatient.

"Guys, two things. I have something very good to tell you, and then we are all going upstairs to bed, in our pajamas. And I've decided to let you all sleep with me again!"

"Yay!" all four children yelled. "But, Papa, what is your news? We need to know right now!"

A huge smile crossed his face. "Guys, Mama is coming home on Saturday!"

"Really?" they all asked.

"Really for sure," Callen answered. "She was very excited, and so was I!" He braced himself for the barrage of hugs that he was going to get, and he did. A hundred times over, and he hugged them all back.

"Nikolai said I had to hug and kiss her so she would get better, so I did," Callen continued. "And Mama hugged and kissed me, so I feel better, too."

Kira and Anya glanced at each other, and put their hands on their own necks, and then they glanced at their father's neck.

"Papa," said Kira, "I think you went to see that bat again!"

"What bat?"

Anya jumped on him. "The bat that keeps biting your neck!"

"Oh, that bat!" Callen replied, laughing. "Guys, she is the best bat baby in the world, and I love her so much! Now…let's turn off the lights, and go to bed!"

8

"Papa, why did we all get home early today?" Anya asked.

"Because your teachers saw that you were having a hard time with the accident," he said.

"Was the accident scary for Nikolai?" asked Kira. "He's so little."

"Oh, God, Kira. Yes. Very much so," Callen said. "The kids in his class kept telling him that his mom was not in an accident, and all he could do was cry. They hurt his feelings. Like what Tone did to you."

"Papa, he is an ass!"

"Perhaps so," he answered. "But Tone hurt you, Kira. He thought he was being funny by suggesting that your mom was dead, but it wasn't funny. Not at all, so you beat him up. I understand that, but it wasn't exactly the right thing to do."

"I know, Papa, but he made me so mad. And it HURT!" She started to cry.

"I'm sorry, baby," Callen said. "I hope to hell that he apologizes to you next week."

"Papa, how come I upchucked?"

He smirked slightly. "Because you were upset, Raisa, for real. Saying you're going to upchuck when you're mad is baby behavior. That's why nobody likes it. Raisa, did you notice that you did not get in trouble when you upchucked for real?"

She stared at him, hard. "Yah, Papa! I did. How come?"

"Because you weren't being fake. You were very upset, Raisa, and sometimes, people do upchuck when they're very upset. Even grown-ups do it."

"Do you?"

He smiled a crooked smile. "No, but I almost did last night."

Raisa's eyes opened very wide. "Oh, my God!"

Callen looked at her. "Raisa, please do not swear."

"You did!"

"Raisa Elizabeth. You need to stop," Callen said. "But I need to stop, too, and apologize to all of you. I know better, too."

"Papa, the kids were bad to me, and I cried in school," Nikolai said. He climbed over Anya and Raisa so he could lie down on his father. "Papa, I'm still sad. I want Mama to come home."

Callen hugged the little boy. "She's coming soon, baby. She'll be home on Saturday, which is the day after tomorrow."

"Yah?" He kissed his father's chin. "I want to see Mama!"

"We all do, Nikolai," said Anya. "Papa, is she okay?"

"Pretty much," he replied honestly. "She isn't broken, but she is banged up. She has stitches in her arm, and staples in her—"

Kira sat bolt upright and stared at him. "Staples?! Mama got stapled like paper? Oh, my God, Papa!"

"Oh, boy, Kira!" he laughed. "But, yes, baby. Mama is stapled like a piece of paper, and that's why you all must be very, very careful with her when I bring her home. Okay, guys?"

Raisa whimpered. "Papa, can't we hug her? I need to hug her." She started to cry.

"Come, baby," Callen said to her. He held up his arm, and she squiggled over to him, and laid her head on his chest. He wrapped his arm around her.

"Okay, guys. Listen carefully," he cautioned. "You can all hug Mama, but you have to do it very softly so it doesn't hurt her."

"Papa, are you careful, too?"

"Yes, Raisa. I am, but I forgot once, and she squeaked."

"Papa!" Anya reacted. "Did she cry?"

"No, but she let me know it hurt, and she had to lie down again," he replied. "She's okay."

Nikolai poked his head up. "Papa, did you hug and kiss her?"

"Yes, I did, Nikolai," Callen said.

Kira lay down again. "Papa, what do the staples look like?"

"Staples," he said simply.

"Papa! Come on!" Kira cried, trying not to laugh at him. "Really?"

He turned toward her with a twinkle in his eye. "Yes, really."

Kira grinned at him, seeing the humor in the awful situation.

"Guys, I've done what I can. It is very important that you are careful with her when she gets here. The other thing is that she cannot go anywhere. The doctor says she has to stay in bed for at least a week, and that's what she is going to do. Do you all understand that?"

"Yes, Papa," they chorused.

"Guys, get down," Callen said to Anya and Nikolai. Raisa and Kira need time to be hugged, too."

Both children gave him a big hug and kiss, and then scooted back to their places on his bed.

"Come on, you two," Callen said to Raisa and Kira. He held his arms open, and Raisa climbed right on top of him. Kira climbed over her siblings, including Raisa. She wanted Callen's arm around her, no matter what. She laid her head on his heart.

"Thank you, Papa," she said.

He smushed her. "You're welcome, baby."

Anya popped her head up. "Papa, do you think we could see Mama's staples?"

"I don't see why not," he said.

"Ewww," said Raisa.

"Maybe ewww," said Kira, "but I want to see."

"Enough!" Callen said. "Game over. All of you get settled."

"Okay, Papa," said Nikolai. "Papa, can I have my pillow?"

His father glanced at him. "Sure, but how come you don't have it?"

"You didn't say to bring them," Anya pointed out.

"Oh, boy!" said the father. "Okay. Anya, you go get everyone's pillows, okay, please?"

Laughing, she climbed off the big bed. She returned momentarily with an armload of pillows. She handed them out carefully before she climbed onto the bed again. Once there, she settled in the middle spot. "Good night, Papa." And her siblings echoed her.

"Good night, guys."

They all turned over and got comfortable. Nikolai snuggled into Kira, who let him. Anya leaned on him, and Raisa leaned against her father. He settled on his stomach, holding Anna's shirt. Soon after, they were all sound asleep.