Kate slaps at her alarm clock, angry at it for waking her up at this ungodly hour. She lays there for a few minutes more, slowly coming out of Dreamland and into the Land of the Living. She rolls over to look at her still sleeping husband, mad at him for getting to stay home all day and have the luxury to sleep in.
Of course she knows how lucky their family is: that one of their kids' parents are there (nearly) every day when they get home from school to help them with homework or rush them out to various activities and doctors' appointments. Sure she gets to do that too, but sometimes that green monster of jealousy rears its head and makes her want to just stop going into work and stay home with her fastly growing kids. But then it passes and she realizes she loves the life they're leading right now. It works for them.
After a hot shower, which was momentarily interrupted as one, or more, of her kids got into their own morning showers, Kate feels more alive. Now, if only she could get some coffee in her body; that would wake her up even more.
She lets her wet hair fall down her back as she puts on underwear and slathers her body with lotion; water from her hair dripping down her back sends chills up and down her spine. Kate blow dries her hair and puts on make up before turning to the closet and pulling out an outfit: a simple white Oxford shirt and black slacks.
"Are you going to get up?" Kate asks her still sleeping husband as she leaves the bathroom. He grunts and rolls over, smashing his face into his pillow.
"Alright," Kate sighs. "Remember Finn has therapy this afternoon, you said you'd take her. But if you don't think you'll be able too, I can try and get out."
Rick sighs loudly, turning back over. He squints his eyes against the light emanating from the bathroom. "No, I can take her," he coughs, his voice scratchy with sleep.
"Great," Kate smiles, bending down to kiss him. "Go back to sleep; we'll be out of your hair soon. Love you," she says, walking out of their bedroom.
She narrowly misses stepping on the cat's tail, but luckily the smart animal moved at just the right time. "Sorry, Minnie," Kate says, taking the first stair and watching the tiger cat run away to find a new place to sleep.
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Two of her kids are in the kitchen getting ready for their day: Austin is spreading mayonnaise on his sandwich, and Danielle is sitting at the breakfast bar scooping up bite after bite of cereal. Kate expertly maneuvers around her youngest son and flips on the coffee maker.
"Hi, momma," Austin says, looking at her from the corner of his eye as he finishes making his lunch.
"Morning, buddy," Kate says, kissing her sons temple. "Have you eaten anything?"
"No," Austin sighs, slapping his sandwich together and sticking it into a Ziploc bag and into his lunch box.
"Are you going too?" Kate asks, getting her own breakfast together as she waits for the coffee to finish.
"Maybe," the seventh grader shrugs.
Kate sighs and sticks another English muffin into the toaster for Austin, while the boy goes to the fridge and pours himself a cup of milk and takes it to the bar, starting to sip at it.
"I had absolutely nothing to wear," Miyana announces, striding into the kitchen, her black ballet flats moving on the hardwood almost silently. Mia takes her backpack from where it was leaning against the wall across from the stairs and plops it onto one of the bar stools, moving around the room collecting her books.
"You wear a uniform, I thought that was supposed to end the 'nothing to wear' argument?" Kate asks, handing the muffin topped with peanut butter and jelly across the bar to Austin, looking up to Miyana. She's dressed in a light purple polo shirt and khaki pants; her long chocolate brown hair side braded a la Katniss Everdeen.
"It's supposed too," Mia says, raising her eyebrows. "But everything just seemed so boring today; it was hard to create an outfit, hopefully this looks okay."
"Why do you care what anyone thinks?" Austin asks his sister, following a bite with a long swig of milk.
"I don't, much," Mia retorts, heading for the fridge.
"Did anyone let the dogs out?" Kate asks, taking the last empty seat at the bar, one foot on the cross bar, the other curled around one of the legs.
"I did," Danielle says, standing up from her seat, going to set her bowl in the sink.
Just then, the afore mentioned dogs start scratching at the door to be let in, and Dani crosses the room and opens the door for them. The two animals: a brown and white Basset Hound named Clue whom they adopted from a shelter three years ago, and a black and brown Yorkshire terrier named Sawyer who was Miyana's tenth birthday gift, race in, tracking snow behind them.
"Sawyer! Clue! Come here," Danielle quickly calls them back; grabbing an old towel off the back of one of the kitchen table chairs and uses it to dry off the dogs before sending them off. She stands, pushing her loose blonde hair out of her face, heading to the front room for her backpack and cheer bag. She checks both before returning to the kitchen and sets her lime green backpack on the barstool she previously occupied, and dropping the black duffle bag with her cheerleading things in it to the floor.
The quiet morning is ruined by Liam running into the kitchen, sliding on his socked feet, hiding behind the bar; Finn right on his heels.
"Liam! Give that back! Please!" She shouts, chasing after her brother. He's holding a stapled packet of paper in his hands, and is obviously holding it hostage from Finn.
"No way! I have to read it first!" He teases, holding out the pages dramatically in front of his face. "Let's see," he begins, "'Chapter One: Down a Rabbit hole. Lauren leapt across the bright green grass, the piano music flo-"
"Okay! That's enough! You guys are going to wake your dad up." Kate shouts, taking the packet from her son and laying it on the counter behind her. "What is this?"
"It's a story we had to write for Language Arts. It's due today and Liam took it off the printer!" Finn says, stepping out as if to hit her brother.
"Okay! Stop." Kate places a hand on Finns shoulder, holding her back and trying to calm her down.
"Come on! It was just a joke!" Liam laughs, a smirking smile covering his face. Just like his father.
"No!" Kate lays into Liam, her voice low and sharp, jaw set. "That is never a joke; even if you meant it to be. To your sister this is something very important and personal. You don't touch her, or any of your siblings', things without their permission, okay?"
When she doesn't get a response right away, Kate moves into Liam's line of sight some more. "Okay?"
"Okay," Liam answers, his eyes dark in the kitchen light.
"Okay," Kate nods. "Apologize then go finish getting ready," she instructs, walking away from the siblings. "One morning. Just want one morning where there are no fights," she mutters under her breath as she gets her own bag ready to go.
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Miyana drops her backpack into the trunk, making sure it is arranged just so before turning to retrieve her sisters' bag, setting in a similar manner next to hers.
"Do you want me to-" Mia asks, waving at her sister's walker. Normally it's Finn's responsibility to get her walker into and out of the car, but when someone offers to do it for her, she doesn't decline. Let someone else get their fingers pinched for a change.
"Yeah, thanks," Finn smiles, leaning onto the car for support as she hands over the metallic green walker. Liam appears behind her as she turns to get in and Finn simply shoots him a dirty look and shoves past him, still mad over their fight.
"What is her problem?" Liam asks, handing over his book bag.
"You," Mia says taking the blue bag and dropping it onto the pile carelessly.
"Me? Why? What did I do?"
"You were a jerk to her. You knew full and well you shouldn't touch her stuff, but you did. Why? Just to get a rise out of her? To see her reaction? Because you thought it was funny? Not cool." Liam steps back as Mia closes the hatchback.
"Come on, guys! Get in!" Kate says, shutting the garage door behind her and stepping down the wooden stairs. The two seventh graders hurry inside, but unfortunately for Liam: Mia gets in the back seat before him and shuts the door leaving him the passenger seat.
Like most kids their age: the front seat is coveted and constantly fought over. Sitting there means you are in control of the radio (unless mom or dad take control first), and get a seat warmer in the winter. But on this particular day the front seat with the furthest away they could put Liam from them as their grudge continued.
Danielle and Austin could care less. They were in the third row next to opposite windows, sweatshirt hoods up over their ears, lost in their iPod still half asleep. It was Miyana and Finn who had banded together against their brother.
Turning off their street and onto the main road, Miyana finally speaks up. "Put on 99.9," she requests, not wanting to listen to her brother's choice. Liam complies, trying to get back into good graces with his sisters.
"…Let's listen to the newest single from Lauren Eve and we'll be back with The Good, the Bad and the Gossip, right here on My 99.9!" The DJ, Johnjay, announces as his voice fades into the pop music.
They listen to the morning radio show all the way to school and through the wait in the drop-off line. When their turn comes, Liam is the first to hop out. He runs to the trunk and drag out Finn's walker, bringing it to her door.
Kate can't hear what Liam tells her, but she clearly hears Finn's snapped reply. "I could have done it." The mom sighs to herself, letting the siblings hash it out knowing that by that night or the next morning, everything will be fine with them.
"Bye! I love you!" Kate calls.
"Bye mom!" Liam says, ducking into the still open door. "Love you."
"Love you bud. Be good today."
"I will." And then he was gone, racing up the sidewalk to his friends.
"Bye momma. Have a good day," Danielle says to her, crawling through the middle seats, stopping to kiss her temple before getting out.
"Bye Dani."
After all the kids have gone into school, or joined up with friends out in the courtyard, and Kate has the chance to move, she follows the five cars in front of her through the right turn onto the busy morning road.
A minute later she's stuck behind a soccer mom who really needs to learn to drive, and her cell phone rings. She sighs out a breath and answers on the third ring.
"Beckett!"