Welcome back! Did you enjoy last chapter? Then you'll love this one! Hehe...
"He's passed out, and she's asleep - enough to recharge." She yawned tiredly, pushing her bangs away from her eyes as she took her place back at the kitchen table.
He nodded robotically, carefully maneuvering small stacks of various dollar bills from one part of the table to another, "That's great."
"Yeah, he ran around a lot today, so that probably helped… We should do something"
"Like what?"
"I don't know - go to dinner, maybe?"
"And what are we going to do with our kids? Leave them here?"
"We could get a sitter?"
Ricky moved another stack of bills towards him, "Who? It's 7 o'clock on a Friday night, nobody is available, and besides sitters are expensive."
Shifting, Amy drew her knees to her chest, resting her head atop them, "We could call your moms? Or my dad?"
"My mom is working late, Nora is at her meeting - and your dad has Robbie for the weekend"
That's perfect!"
"How is it perfect? Both kids are asleep so your dad coming over with Robbie makes next to no sense."
She brushed some lint away from her jeans, "Ethan?"
He stopped, furrowing his brow at her idiotic suggestion and started replaying how Ethan tried to sneak a girl into their apartment while he was babysitting, in his head, "After last week, no way" before going back to focus on the three piles he'd made, taking a $20 bill and putting it atop one of them. "Besides, staying home is the best thing for us right now, we're not exactly rolling in money here." He sighed, "We can have a nice, quiet dinner here. For free."
"Oh come on, you know that's not going to happen. Quiet doesn't exist and we'd both be eating with one hand while the other held a child." She scoffed at his statement, untangling her arms from around her legs, and getting up off the chair, "Don't you wanna go somewhere where we can be alone? No screaming, or crying, or distractions…" Amy stood behind him, wrapping her arms around the back of his neck, arms crossed over his chest, as her lips trailed light kisses down his jaw and around his ear, "we could find a dark booth somewhere and have dinner and maybe a little fun?"
"Bribing isn't going to work." Ricky smirked, leaning his head back a fraction and letting a small moan escape his mouth as she bit down on his earlobe. He put a hand over both of hers clasped on his chest, "As much as I'd love to make out in the back of a booth with you, we just can't afford it right now."
She sighed against his neck, as he sighed and went back to his task. "We seem to be spending more than what is coming in -" Sorting through a pile of papers and paperclipping more dollar bills to them, he turned his attention to her again, holding up a white slip the length of his forearm, "Why did you spend $40 on baby clothes?"
Taking her hands off of him, Amy walked over to the fridge and pulled out a yogurt, "I had to get her some clothes that actually fit!"
"What about all the shower stuff you got?"
"Ricky, she was born 7 weeks early! None of that stuff fits her yet. Aside from what your mom got us when we took her home, she's just now starting to wear the Newborn stuff we got - and that wasn't very much." She exclaimed, stirring the spoon before bringing it to her mouth
"What about John's old stuff? She's been wearing some of it anyway - they can share."
She swallowed, "She's a girl! She shouldn't have to wear her brother's clothes!"
Ricky rolled his eyes, stacking another $20 bill in the middle of the table, "I really doubt she cares what she wears, Amy, since it's just going to get dirty 20 minutes after we put it on her."
It was silent for a brief minute as he mentally counted the piles on the table as she walked slowly into the living room, peeking to see if their daughter was still asleep - which she was.
Paperclipping another set and setting it inside a box, "Look, we've got to slow down on the spending. Between the two of them, they're bleeding us dry." Making a few marks through the receipts with the pen in his hand, he sighed again, annoyed. "$21 on makeup?"
She spun on her heels, annoyed, "I was almost out, I had to restock."
"What for? We barely go anywhere besides school and daycare, what do you need to wear it for?"
"It'll last me about 3 months, calm down."
Biting the side of his lip, with his teeth, he twisted the ring around his finger, "I am calm. Amy. We seriously need to go on a tight budget - no more just spending because we want to."
"Like getting coffee?" She questioned, tilting her head and clicking her tongue against her teeth, smugly
"I'm serious. Otherwise, we'll be broke in 2 weeks." He deadpanned, giving her the same smug look she was giving him.
Rolling her eyes, she took another bite from the yogurt carton, before disappearing into the hallway.
"Did you forget we don't sleep in there?" Ricky asked a minute later when she reemerged and stood by the bookshelf.
"Yeah well I might be if I don't want to live by your stupid budget." Amy shot back, finishing off the snack, and setting it's empty contents on the shelf. Sighing, she pushed some hair away from her face, and bent down to collect some scattered baby toys from the hardwood floor, "What if I just asked my dad for some cash? He'll be okay with helping us out for a couple of weeks."
Scooting the chair back, he got up and walked over to her, "No, we're not asking anyone for money. We can make it, if we stop and really halt on spending a bunch. You'll see - it'll be our stupid budget" smiling tiredly as he rubbed his hands up and down her arms, as she pouted. "Do you want me to make you something? I can whip up some pasta or a salad really fast"
She pursed her lips and shook her head, grabbing her purse from the bookshelf, confusing him, "where are you going?"
Adjusting the strap against her shoulder, she grabbed the textbook littering the sofa cushion, "I'm going to Laurens to study. I've got that big test coming up on Monday -" She paused, lifting up the cushion before moving on to the nightstand, "do you know where my notebook is?"
He shook his head, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand, "No, I don't - why can't you just study here? I can study with you."
"I appreciate the offer," yanking the red notebook from under a pile of coloring books and plastic blocks on the floor, "but I want out of this house - I need out of this house!"
"What about Emma?" Motioning towards the snoozing baby behind him
Her brow creased, adjusting the school supplies against her chest, "What about her? She's asleep, and I fed her 10 minutes prior to our budget meeting. She should be good for another couple of hours, and I won't be gone long." Her tone was becoming more pitchy, as the annoyance with her husband grew with each passing second. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, peering into the bassinet again before opening the door, "She'll be fine. And so will you," and closing it a little too roughly.
"I mean I just don't get it, Lauren. All he cares about is money lately. It's so annoying!" She paced the polka dotted rug, hands clenched to her side
Lauren rolled her eyes, flipping through another page of notes that they both were supposed to be studying from, "You can't really blame him though can you - you do have 2 kids, and you're not exactly the greatest at managing money - did you tell him about the 2 overdraws with your account?"
She stopped pacing, picking at a piece of skin on her thumb, "He doesn't need to know"
"You two are married, and besides that Ricky is bringing home most of the money since you've been out of work - so really he has a right to be uptight about this." Lauren closed the book, shuffling a mess of papers into a neat pile
Amy rolled her eyes at her friend, "Okay, one, I went back to work a few weeks ago so he's not the only one making money, and two - taking care of our kids is a full time job in itself, especially Emma who literally hates the world and wants everyone to know about it!" Taking a seat on the edge of the mattress, "He's treating me like a child who deserves an allowance!"
"True. But you got to cut him some slack, you guys did just bring home a baby - I can't imagine how stressful that must be. You both are always exhausted."
"Ha! Exhausted is an understatement." She let out a sad little chuckle, twisting her bare foot into the plush softness of the rug, "We have a broken baby, who hates bottles and refuses to sleep, who spits up anything and everything we give her."
Taking a breath and fighting the tears from spilling out of her eyes, "I'm drained. Beyond drained." She whispered, lip starting to quiver, "I mean what am I doing wrong, Lauren? What do I need to do?"
She sobbed, letting the hot tears cascade down her cheeks. "Nobody cares, and nobody understands our situation - they think I should be this doting mother and wife - who should be happy all of the time; because after all, I have two healthy kids, I'm married to a great guy, and everything should just be perfect…"
Sniffling, she wiped her nose with the back of her hand, letting the crack in her voice become more noticeable. "And when it's not - it's my fault; there is something wrong with me…" Amy began to sob harder, placing her head in her hands as her back began to heave.
"Maybe you should go home and talk to Ricky? Tell him how you're feeling?" Lauren tried to comfort, moving closer to her friend, and taking her hand, "Or your mom, or dad? Or Ricky's moms? I could call my mom, or my dad if you want?"
She sniffled a few more times before lifting her head from her hands, eyes red and puffy, "I'm fine, really." Shaking her head, she swiped the tears from her cheeks, rubbing her palms against her black leggings, "It's probably just my stupid hormones talking."
Lauren was about to respond, when a high pitched voice floated down the hallway, "Hey Lauren, the front was open -" The voice stopped, upon entering the doorway of the bedroom, "oh, hi, Amy!" Madison greeted, slightly confused as to why she was there, "Wait, are you going to the concert in the park with us?"
Amy pursed her lips, running a hand through her ponytail, as she shot a glare at her best friend, and crossed her arms over her chest, "Um, I didn't even know there was one - why is that?"
"You said you needed to head home. Ricky is probably waiting for you." Lauren countered, trying to give Madison a thanks a lot look that she couldn't see.
"He and his perfectionist bill pile will be just fine" Amy scoffed, swiping her purse from off the bed, "let's go have some fun!"
Letting her lead them out of the room, Lauren elbowed Madison in the side, speaking her frustration through clenched teeth. "Thanks a lot! She was about to go home!"
But Ricky was not fine.
After Amy's sudden departure from the apartment left him scratching his brow in utter confusion as to how they went from discussing their dwindling finances, to her needing to go study with her friends, Emma unknowingly woke up.
Organizing the box they used for bills, Ricky got up and put it back on the bookshelf, before going to check on John. Seeing that his son was perfectly content lying crookedly against the mattress, he tiptoed out of the room and cracked the door.
An odd odor wafted through the hallway, making him scrunch his nose in disgust, as a loud irritable cry sounded.
Taking the 7 steps into the living room, he nearly gagged upon the sight: There ly Emma, with a diaper blowout so bad it covered her bed, her clothes, and her.
Gagging again, Ricky used the top of his shirt to cover his nose before he got to work; in one swift string of motions, he grabbed as many baby wipes as his hand would hold and began wiping up the putrid mess.
Once satisfied enough to move on, he quickly unfastened every button of his daughter's clothing, and discarded it in the corner of the bed, thankful that that particular onesie snapped all the way down making it easy to take off, instead of the ones that snapped at the very bottom.
The shirt slipped from his face, causing him to grimace before rolling Emma over gently to clean the mess that traveled from the middle of her back, all the way down to the back of her knees.
Nodding at his clean-up job, he grabbed the bottle of baby soap from the bookshelf and sprinted into the kitchen: plugging up the drain and running the faucet on full blast as he dumped a cap full of the liquid into the water. Emma's cries became louder, beckoning him back.
Taking in a deep breath, Ricky scooped Emma up into his arms and held her with one hand, while the other quickly tugged the bassinet cover, along with everything that was on it, off. He shushed her cries with his mouth, trying hard not to gag again as he left the soiled bedding at his feet and walked into the kitchen again; shutting off the faucet, and carefully removing the diaper from her bottom before gently sliding her into the sudsy bath water.
Almost able to fully hold her head up without much assistance, Emma whined at the chill of the water, prompting her father to cup her neck with his hand while he ran a soapy dishcloth over her body.
10 minutes later he shut the faucet off again.
"There we go," He cooed, laying the freshly bathed infant on a pink towel splayed across the sofa cushion, giving her a small smile as she thrusted her fingers into her mouth and squirmed as he strapped the fresh diaper to her waist.
On his right, the phone he'd placed on the nightstand by a box of unused condoms, starting vibrating; letting off a series of rhythmic drum beats against the table.
Keeping a firm hand on his daughter's stomach to keep her from rolling off, Ricky used his other hand to grab the phone, quickly shoving it to his ear and keeping it there with his shoulder. "Hello… wait, Anne, slow down - What do you mean?" His brow furrowed as his frantic mother-in-law tried to relay information to him in very rushed and jumbled sentences: her loud crying making it difficult to understand her. "Ok. Ok, yeah, I'll find her - you just hang in there." He hung up, tossing his phone on the cushion, frowning at his daughter who had begun to cough before letting out a series of fussy whines as she started chewing on her fingers - a clear indicator to him that she was getting hungry and Amy was still not home.
"Wait, Ricky really walked that skank home to her dorm? And then has the nerve to tell you that you need to stop spending so much money whenever he goes to the coffee shop everyday?" Madison questioned accusingly, popping a pretzel bite into her mouth.
"Not everyday. Just the days where he has class." Amy answered, taking a sip from the plastic cup she held in her hand
"Still, I don't get how you guys don't have money - you live in a free apartment above the butcher shop, both of your cars were given to you, you get free childcare, and you both have jobs -" Madison popped another bite into her mouth, "What exactly do you spend that much money on?"
"Madison, babies are expensive." Lauren countered, stirring the straw around in her smoothie, "And just because they don't have rent or car payments, doesn't mean they don't have other bills, on top of everything 2 small children need like diapers, and clothes."
"Maybe, Ricky just needs to learn how to budget better - and quit getting so much coffee -" Madison shrugged, taking a sip from her smoothie, "or maybe he's cheating on you?"
"Madison!" Amy and Lauren yelled in unison, eyes wide
"What? Why else would he be so uptight about money and so defensive about seeing his friend who just happens to be a woman?"
"Here. Put this in your mouth to prevent you from saying something stupid again." Lauren stated, handing Madison her cup of mini cookies, before turning to Amy. "Ricky isn't cheating on you, Amy. He wouldn't do that."
Amy nodded, taking a cookie from the cup, "I know."
It was silent between them, the music pounding obnoxiously throughout the park. Amy picked at the grass, throwing the tips of the blades back on the blanket they were all sharing. Lauren nodded along to the beat of the music, as Madison continued shoving a handful of miniature Oreos into her mouth.
"It's nice being here, reminds me of old times before -" Madison started up the conversation again
"I got pregnant?" Amy finished her statement, chuckling lightly, "It's okay, you can say it. I've really missed us all hanging out,"
"And we've missed you, but we also understand that your kids come first - right Madison?" Lauren shot her friend a look, tapping her fingers against the blanket.
The crowd erupted in a loud roar as the music sped up.
"You know sometimes, being a mother is horrible, and I hate it." Amy whispered, staring off into the distance at a row of trees, "Some days I think it would just be easier if I locked myself in a room and just let things go; just a minute to myself without little grabby hands pulling me in every direction."
She sighed, twisting her rings around her knuckles, feeling the eyes of her friends on her. "I love my kids; I love John and Emma, I do but-" Her voice was starting to crack, as a stray tear slid down her cheek, "I'm tapped out on being this statistic; this teenager who gets dirty looks because she's carrying a car seat in one hand and a toddler's hand in the other." She sniffled, blinking a few times at the trees before turning her attention back to her friends who just stared at her with wide, confused and sympathetic eyes. Realizing how she sounded, she put a hand to her mouth, "Oh my gosh, that sounds horrible - I sound horrible!"
"Amy... are you okay?" Madison asked concerned, putting her right hand on her friends arm
Amy nodded, sniffling again, the tears in the brim of her eyes threatening to break free, "Depends on the day…"
"Hey, it's me. It's Amy, leave a message"
He sighed, "It's your husband again, leaving you yet another message because you didn't bother to pick up the last 20 times I called. Call me back as soon as you get this!" Ricky's tone was angry, tossing the phone onto the sofa cushion as he tried to shush his daughter's cries. Taking in a deep, annoyed, inhale, he pinched the bridge of his nose with his free hand as the whining toddler made his way down the hallway; his chubby fists digging into his eyes. "Hey, buddy"
John continued to whine, pointing at his crying baby sister in his father's arms, before puckering his lip out.
"I know buddy, Emma's crying woke you up." He gave his son a sympathetic look, switching his daughter from his right arm to his left, "mommy isn't back yet and she's getting hungry." He kissed her forehead, scrunching her small curls with his fingers.
His phone lit up again, the familiar beats sounding from it's speaker pushed against the cushion. Bending to grab it, he sighed again, pressing it to his ear, "Hello? How long?" He closed his eyes, "Yeah- okay...we'll be there soon." John pulled at the hem of his gray shirt, reaching his other hand up in hopes that his father would pick him up. Ricky took his hand, swiping his thumb over it as the boy's whiny cries got louder. "Go get your shoes buddy, we're going to go get mommy."
The crowd erupted in a wave of loud cheers and yelling as the song drew to a close and the band took a bow, "You've been a great crowd! Thanks and goodnight!"
Standing, Amy stretched and brushed some dirt from her pants, adjusting her shirt, "That was really fun."
"Maybe we should go get some ice cream, or go to the mall or something?" Madison stood up, gathering the littered food containers from the blanket into her hands
Lauren dumped her empty cup into a nearby trash bin, "I've got a test to study for - I'm going home"
Amy gathered her purse, slinging it over her shoulder, "Yeah, me too. Emma is probably up by now, as well as John. And Ricky is probably even more mad than when I left." She yawned tiredly, giving her friends a small wave as she made her way to her car, "I'll see you guys Monday."
Trudging up the stairs, she pushed the hair from her face, prepared to come face to face with his angry eyes as she turned the doorknob.
"Hurry up, John!" His voice boomed throughout the apartment, ignoring her as she stepped slowly into the doorway, and snapped the buckles of the car seat in place
She pursed her lips, raising a brow, "Well hello to you too?"
He rolled his eyes, walking past her and over to the bookshelf to grab various pieces of baby supplies before going back to the sofa, stuffing it all into the diaper bag on the end table, "Where have you been?" Zipping the bag closed, Ricky threw it over his shoulder, "Why did you never bother to answer your phone?
Amy stepped closer to the sofa, biting her lip, "I was at a concert," pulling out the phone from her purse, the black screen glaring against the kitchen light, "dead battery." He rolled his eyes at her again, shaking his head in disbelief that she never charged her phone before she went out. She was about to say something when a hand grabbed at the bottom of her shirt behind her back. "Hey bud, why are you up?"
"If you would have bothered to respond to the 96 messages I left you -" Ricky spat, taking the car seat handle in his hand, "we have to go - your mom called - Mimzy fell and she's not doing good. Your dad wants us up there tonight. So I got them ready - we were just waiting on you."
"Wh-w-what?" She stuttered, her attitude disappearing as she cradled her son against her, swallowing the lump in her throat as she kissed his hair, trying to hide her glassy eyes.
"Daddy, I need my bwaket!" John whined tiredly, swiping at his eyes with the back of his hand in an attempt to fight sleep.
Ricky snapped the buckles of his seat in place, kissing his forehead, and patting his head, "Your blanket is in the diaper bag, buddy, just sit and try to go back to sleep."
Shutting the door, he moved to the other side of the car where his daughter sat, screaming her lungs out. He gave his wife a strange look as she climbed in, bracing herself against the middle seat of her SUV as she began to lift her breast out of her shirt, "What are you doing?"
Getting her left breast out of the confinement of her bra, Amy helped Emma find the nipple, wincing when her sharp gums latched on, "She has to eat, and we have to go. I don't have time to feed her upstairs, and you need to drive."
Ricky scrunched his face again, raising an eyebrow, "Is that even legal?"
She shook her head at him, holding her sore boob in place as their daughter gulped eagerly, batting her arms, "You drive. I'll be fine."
25 minutes into the drive he pulled onto the freeway, turning the dial of the radio and checking the mirror before gliding into the other lane.
"Daddy!" John shouted, kicking his feet, "I hav to go potty, daddy!"
"John, we just left - can't you hold it?" He turned the wheel sharply, avoiding a unknown object in the middle of the lane
"No, I tant! I have to goooo!" He whined, kicking his feet again, faster, as he pulled on his buckles, on the verge of tears.
Sighing, Ricky checked the mirrors twice before gliding onto the shoulder and slowly coming to a stop
"What are you doing?" She asked, wincing again
He shut the engine off, "I'm letting him go pee."
"On the road?"
"That's what guys do, they pee on the side of the road when they need to." Undoing his belt, he threw open the door to get out "Stay here. Come on, John" Throwing the side door open, he quickly unfastened the 3 buckles of his son's seat and helped him out of the car, disappearing into the night as he shut the door.
The loud slam caused the infant to jerk, whimpering for a few seconds before settling and drifting back off. Clenching her teeth, Amy carefully removed her sore breast from her daughter's mouth and plopped it back into her bra, swiping her thumb across Emma's lip before putting the pacifier clipped to her onesie, back into her mouth.
Arching her back to alleviate some of the discomfort in her spine from being in that uncomfortable position, she slowly started to crawl over the console until she was squarely in the passenger seat.
The driver's side door came open, startling her as he popped his head inside, "Do we have a soda bottle or something? Our son doesn't know how to pee on grass apparently." Clicking on the light above the mirror, they began rifling through the messy floorboards, swiping away empty wrappers and discarded goldfish crackers until her fingers brushed against a small Yahoo bottle she'd tossed in the backseat two days prior. Handing it to Ricky, as he kept a firm grip on their son's shoulder and closed the door again.
She giggled quietly and leaned her head against the window, staring out into the darkness of the almost desolate roadway. Sighing, she began to get emotional, letting the tears hit her knuckles as she hiccupped: the memories of her with her grandmother flooding her mind.
The side door flew open again roughly, smacking against the back of the SUV, as the toddler plopped himself back into the seat, allowing his father to snap him back in. "I peed in a bottle, mommy!" John's voice squeaked out, grinning as he swiped the hair from his eyes. She turned to him, putting on the best smile she could muster.
"Hey," Ricky whispered, drawing her attention to him, as he took her hand into his and brought it to his lips, "Don't worry - we'll make it."
Rushing through the door, he took the carrier from her, slipping it into the bend of his arm, "Go find your mom. I got them." Bending his knees, he quickly jolted upward, situating John's body more securely against his torso as he scanned his surroundings.
Thanks to the nearly empty roadways, the drive up was fairly simple, they only had to stop twice - once for John to pee, and another for Amy to change Emma.
Hearing his name, Ricky looked up, seeing George with his arms braced against his chest, and to his surprise, Nora sitting next to him reading a magazine. Walking over to them, he placed the carrier on a chair, holding firm to John's back with his hand as the boy sleepily mumbled something and then let his head flop back onto his shoulder.
"Ricky!" Anne shouted from her position a few feet away, slouching against the wall under a painting of a fruit bowl, "Amy is asking for you - she wants you to be there too."
"It's me. It's Amy." She whispered, taking her grandmother's frail and bandaged hand into hers, swiping her thumb over the dark purple bruises, "I made it - and I brought the kids. John and Emma - Your great grandkids, and Ricky. Ricky is here too." She sniffled, "Have you met Emma yet? She has your eyes- big green ones that go perfectly with the small dark curls she's getting."
Mimzy's chest rose and fell silently as the machines beeped, "I wish you got to spend more time with them - Maybe take them to the zoo like you used to do with me and Ashley, or a candy shop - John would go nuts there." A small smile came to her face, "remember when Ashley ate so much licorice, she started bouncing off the walls and tried to jump the living room window?" Chuckling, "You had to grab the broom to block it before she got the latch open." She swiped at her cheeks, hearing the light taps on the door.
"You okay?" He asked, taking a step into the room, careful of John's head against his shoulder.
"I don't know if she can hear me, or even knows I'm here" Amy whispered sadly, sniffling against the back of her hand
Ricky put the carrier on a chair by the door, using his now free hand to put it on her shoulder, squeezing it lightly, "She knows, Amy."
She put her hand over his, choking back tears, "How do you know that?"
It became silent for a minute, the beeping machines mixed in with their children's light snores. Ricky scanned his eyes over the woman he'd come to know over the years, fighting back his own tears seeing all the tubes and the machines, with their beeps and whistles, attached to her fragile body. Scooting over by the wall to give Amy some more space, he chuckled lightly, hoping that a joke would lighten the mood. "Hey, Mimzy. You look good - is that a new haircut?" It did not.
A mumbled cry sounded from the chair, pushing the pacifier out and kicking her premature legs against the confinement.
Without hesitation, Amy went over to Emma, lifting her out of the carrier and into her arms with ease, kissing her head to quiet her whimpers, "Hey, hey Emma - this is Mimzy, can you say hi?" She took a seat back on the bed, placing Emma in a sitting position on her knees where she grunted and batted her tiny arms, "Yeah!" Amy smiled at her, placing her small little hand atop of her grandmother's, "Mimzy, this is Emma" Her voice came out strangled, biting her bottom lip hard to keep from hiccupping, "Your great granddaughter."
Ricky let a tear roll down his face, as he kissed his son's hair, squeezing his small body tighter against him as a makeshift hug.
"Am I too late?" A voice asked, sniffling and crying into her hand.
"Who's a pretty girl?" Nora cooed, lifting her granddaughter to a standing position a few millimeters from her face, "Yeah, hi!" Emma smiled in response, flexing her little fingers against her grandmother's shirt, "aw, look at that smile!"
Ricky tipped his lip up at the sight of his mother and his daughter, looking around the room, he readjusted John's body again, wincing at the soreness of his back caused by the toddler's heavy frame, "is there anywhere to lay him down? He's getting heavy"
"I should have gotten here sooner." Ashley whispered against her hand, sniffling, and breaking the silence they'd both been in as they stared at their lifeless grandmother, "I took the first red eye out after dad called me. How long have you and Ricky been here?"
Amy shrugged, picking at a loose thread on the blanket covering Mimzy, "Not long. Ricky had to basically speed to get here."
"What do you mean? Mom called Ricky hours ago?"
"I know." Her head bowed, eyes shifting to the floor in guilt, "I was out with Madison and Lauren, and I didn't have my phone." Shaking her head, "If I had just stayed home -" She started to cry again, "we could have gotten here sooner and -"
"It wouldn't have mattered." Ashley finished, walking closer to the bed, "Dad said she wasn't having many good days anymore" She swiped at her cheeks, "besides, you know Mimzy, she's going to go out on her terms." Amy nodded again, staring sadly at their grandmother.
Ashley watched, desperate to rid the room of all the uncomfortable emotions, she let a small smile come to her face, "So how's my little niece? Dad wasn't kidding, she is small. I thought he was messing with me with those photos." She watched as Amy nodded again, absentmindedly touching her abdomen that once was her expanding baby belly.
"How are you?" Ashley asked, taking a seat beside her and touching her arm. Amy looked at her sister with glassy eyes, about to say something when another light knock sounded against the doorframe.
"Can Eugene have the room, please?" Anne asked her daughter's, as she struggled to help the old man stand against the wall; his knees weak upon seeing his wife lying lifeless in the bed.
"There we go," Nora smiled, pulling the blanket out of the infant's mouth as she snapped the buttons on her purple onesie shut, and brought her back into her arms. Emma whined, thrusting her fingers into her mouth as she kicked her legs.
"Here, I'll take her." Ricky stepped in, taking the fussy infant from his mother. "You wanna go find mommy?" He patted her back and stood up to go search for his wife.
As if on cue, Amy came walking down the narrow hallway, pushing the hair from her face as she wiped her cheeks. "You found her!" His voice pitched, jostling the baby in his arms.
She ran a hand through her hair again, sighing in exhaustion, "Did you bring a bottle? I don't even think I have the energy to nurse right now." Emma's little whimpers started escalating to muffled cries as she squirmed in her father's arms, pushing her head away from his chest. "Is there even a place for us to go?"
He looked around, "The bathroom?"
Her face contorted in disgust at his suggestion, as he slid their daughter into her awaiting arms. "Can you bring me a chair or something?"
Obeying, he scurried to find a chair that wasn't occupied, and brought it over quickly. Taking a seat she settled in, adjusting the baby in her arms. He handed her the pink blanket slung over his shoulder. She shook it away, "You know she won't eat like that." Blowing the air from his cheeks as their child's cries began to get louder the longer she was made to wait for her food, he took the blanket in his hands and spread it out; draping it over his broad shoulders the best he could. "What are you doing?" She giggled at her husband's antics.
Ricky chuckled too, moving in closer and crouching further down to create a barrier of just the three of them, shielding them from the eyes of the outside world. "You need to nurse, and I need to shield you."
Amy giggled again, patting his cheek playfully, before lifting her shirt and using the breast opposite the one she used previously that night. His eyes were sympathetic as he watched her wince in discomfort as their daughter's sharp gums aggressively sucked. Biting her bottom lip, she closed her eyes and leaned her head against the wall.
"He's really getting big" Ashley shuffled over, running her fingers through her nephew's blonde locks and letting a small smile creep onto her face as his small body snored against the makeshift pallet of chairs; one of his small arms pinned under his chest, while the other hung lazily off the side.
Nora stopped reading her pamphlet about keeping up with your A1C, and smiled down at her grandson, "Yeah, he is"
"The last time I was in a hospital this long was when he was born" Ashley twisted the tip of her boot into the tile, "Amy's labor took forever - too long for one person to stand - especially after she wanted me to hold that stupid camera all the time." She chuckled, swiping her thumb over John's forehead the way she always used to do when he was a little baby, "All that time there… led to him. Crazy isn't it? He's now been here for three years, and Amy has another baby - I have a niece..."
She smiled at John again, before looking down at the tile floor, "Listen, I know we don't exactly know each other all that much… Is he good to her?" Nora arched a brow at her, watching as the teen bit her lip and picked at her thumbnail. "Like is Ricky a good dad and husband or whatever?" The question is more of curiosity than concern.
Taking a second, Nora stared behind her at her son draped in a pink blanket to shield his wife and youngest child, a large smile coming to her face, "Ricky is a handful at times, but… he's honestly the best." She turned around, "He's the best daddy to John and Emma." Pushing a strand of hair behind her ear, "The way his face just lights up whenever he's around them; he loves them so much."
"That's good. They deserve it." Ashley nodded slowly, "Is Amy okay? I heard she went through alot with her labor and stuff…" wiping a tear away quickly, in hopes that nobody saw her do it.
Nora did though, and put a hand to Ashley's knee, "They're fine. Amy had a rough go at first with Emma being in the NICU for a while, but she seems to be doing good now - And Emma? She's just the sweetest little thing! She smiled at me today…" Nora sniffled, "I'm just so thankful that I get to watch them both grow, and be a part of their lives after all that I've done."
Ashley nodded again, putting her shaky hand over Nora's on her knee, "They're lucky to have you. And hey, you're part of our crazy family now."
"M-mmmommmyyy" John cried in whiny spurts, rubbing his fists into his eyes. He was tired and confused and just done with everything as he tried to get comfortable laying sideways with his head pressed into his dad's lap.
"Hey bud, come here." Nora stuck her arms out, ready for her grandson to leap into them. John shook his head, recoiling and continuing to whine. Ricky gave her an apologetic look, his eyes starting to droop in fatigue and slight irritation.
Amy came back into the waiting area, two Styrofoam cups in her hands. Handing one of them to him, she sat down in the chair across from them, and sighed, "She's still not asleep? It's been hours."
Pressing the cup to his lips, Ricky's face contorted in disgust at the vile taste of the stale coffee, but needing the caffeine desperately, he pushed past it and took another sip; trying to both keep the cup from bumping John, and maneuvering it away from Emma's grabby hands. "I'm working on it." He shook his head at her, trying his best to jostle their daughter who kept pushing herself up and squirming in his one arm grasp, her fussy whines becoming more pitchy in volume.
Taking a sip of her own stale beverage, Amy grimaced and held it out to Nora, who just shook her hand to decline.
The tone of the room was somber; an elderly couple had finally headed out, and the 4 other stragglers sitting in chairs were passed out, snoring. It was after midnight at that point, the lights in the hallway dimmed to combat the harsh fluorescent bulbs of the waiting area.
After John woke up twice, confused and disoriented because he wasn't in his bed, and didn't have his stuffed animals beside him, he'd finally become too tired to manage; constantly whining as his body fought the sleep that he desperately needed.
Nora would take turns with John, humming him to sleep, or pacing the floors in hopes that his whiny cries would settle, since Amy was mostly with her mom in Mimzy's room, and Ricky was mostly trying to calm her other crying grandchild down. Everyone had hit their max.
Taking another couple of sips from the cup, she sighed at her husband's failed attempts to lull their daughter back to sleep; his shushes and gentle pats to her back doing nothing as Emma squirmed and pushed against his chest, crying in short, fussy, spurts like she always did.
Running her palms over the fabric of her leggings, Amy took another sip before putting the cup down and standing up, "I'm going to go find Ashley"
He could feel the hand on his shoulder, shaking him roughly, but not yet wanting to leave the dream he was in to go back to the harshness of reality, he ignored it; nuzzling deeper against the makeshift pillow he created with his jacket.
"Ricky!" Nora shouted again through a whisper, using both hands to shake him a little harder, "wake up!"
He scrunched his face, disturbed, and squinted his eyes against the harsh light, not ready to open them fully or come back to reality yet. She shook him again, staring until he grimaced, and his eyes opened fully; the fluorescent bulbs stinging his retinas. Taking in a deep breath and unknowingly jolting, "What time is it?" He carefully started to raise himself higher in the chair, careful of the sleeping baby pressed into his chest: her small body rising and falling in rhythm with his own breathing. "Where's Amy?" Blinking again, he fought the urge to rub his fist into his eye socket.
Nora's face fell, reaching out her hand to take his, "She's outside…" she sniffled, "They're letting her go, Ricky."
He shook his head lightly, trying to both wake up and process what his mother was trying to tell him. His confused face must have given it away because Nora let out a small sob and it became clear - they were taking Mimzy off the machines. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he blinked back tears, "Does she know?"
Nora nodded, swiping at her cheeks with her palms, "Anne asked them all to come back to the room to say their goodbyes," she sniffled again, "but she couldn't handle it, and ran outside crying."
With a slow, sad nod, Ricky carefully lifted John's head from his lap with his left hand, sliding slowly out from under it, while his right gripped firmly to Emma's sleeping body. "Do you mind?" He gestured to his daughter, gently placing John's head back onto the padding of the chair, and shifting her weight.
Obliging, Nora carefully scooped Emma from Ricky's arms, tensing up when the baby twitched, and made small little noises, but released a breath and positioned her in her arms.
Running a hand through his messy curls, he blew air from his cheeks, once again fighting the lump forming in his throat, "I need to go comfort my wife."
"Amy!" He shouted into the darkness, rubbing his palms over his arms to fight the chilly early April air, "Amy you out here?" Taking a few steps forward, he spotted her under the awning of a poorly lit building, the blue bench she was sitting on beginning to rust on the sides.
"I heard..." His voice was soft, watching as she buried her head in her hands and shook with heavy sobs, echoing into the night.
Coming up for a second of air, she shook her head and hiccupped before beginning to sob again, harder.
Taking a seat, Ricky wrapped his body around hers, letting his tears hit her hair as he kissed it repeatedly, "I'm so sorry"
Heaving in his arms and clutching his gray shirt tightly, "It isn't fair, Ricky!" Amy cried, biting down on her lip, "Why now? Haven't we been through enough this year?" He held her tighter against him, rocking them both back and forth on the bench, "I-I'm n-not red-read-y to say go-good-byeee"
"I know." He kissed her temple, "But if you don't, you'll never forgive yourself. You'll never be able to get this moment back, Amy."
"I - I c-c-can't" She sputtered, burying her face into his chest
"I can stand outside the door if you want?" Letting more hiccupping sobs escape her throat, Amy nodded, using a shaky hand to wipe her face. He kissed her temple again, "Shhhhh," rubbing his palms up and down her arms, "It's going to be okay."
It felt like hours had passed as he stood against the wall, bracing it with his left foot to keep from falling over. Wiping at a few stray tears on his cheeks, the door clicked. Taking his foot off the wall, Ricky stepped closer, watching as the blue door creaked open and it's occupants started filing out.
George stood, clutching Ashley's hand tightly as they both wept. Eugene was next, his old and tired body barely staying straight as he wobbled in shaky footsteps with a handkerchief clutched tightly in his palm.
He could see her start to shake as her footsteps got closer, and before he could even say her name, Amy barreled into him, placing her right hand over her mouth to muffle the loud sobs. He kissed her forehead, before cupping her cheeks in his hands and pulling her closer into his embrace, as he tried his best to kiss the tears away while she held onto him with all the strength she had left to give.
Tossing the key onto the mattress, he shut the door with the heel of his boot, locking it securely with the flick of his forefinger.
Putting the carrier on the floor, he carefully plopped John's sleeping body on the mattress closest to the window; making sure to put a few pillows next to him so he wouldn't roll onto the floor before moving onto his youngest child.
Crouching down, he unbuckled the straps, lifting her out and gently placing her inside the playpen; catching himself quickly when he leaned a bit too far in.
Amy was laying atop the mattress on the opposite side of the small room; her arm tucked tightly under her head as she sniffled.
Not wanting to make the 2 - 3 hour drive back home, Ricky called around for cheap hotels while Amy was saying her goodbyes to her grandmother.
The room was small, but convenient for the purpose - it had 2 beds, a bathroom, and a small playpen which is all they really needed for the night.
Flipping the switch on the wall and plunging the room into total darkness, he brushed her leg with his hand, "You should try and get some sleep," sitting down on the edge by the pillows, tugging on a string attached to a lamp, tossing the watch on to the small nightstand and removing his shoes.
"I want you…" she whimpered quietly, almost inaudible
He turned his body a fraction, eyes meeting hers, as he put his hand to her cheek and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear with his finger, "you're exhausted, you need to sleep…"
She put her hand over his, gripping it, her eyes glassy as pain dulled their brown sparkle. Shifting her weight, she scooted up slightly, running her palm over the fabric of his jacket, eyes raking over him as she started inching closer. Taking a shaky breath, "I - I need you…" Amy pressed her lips to his, prodding his tongue and moving onto his lap, cupping his cheeks.
Ricky's hands went to both sides of her hips, pulling her in closer to straddle him as he broke away from her mouth and started in on her neck; pressing his lips feverishly to her skin, as she moaned and tugged his hair with her right hand and the left fisted the bottom of his gray t-shirt.
Breaking apart, he quickly removed his shirt in one swift motion over his head, as she did the same before their lips connected again. Rocking into him, Amy could feel his excitement, fumbling with the zipper of his jeans and moaning again when he grabbed her butt and bit down on her bottom lip.
Her eyes were clouded with a mixture of pain and lust as Ricky lifted his bottom up just enough to push his jeans down to his ankles before kicking them off with his foot, and hooking the tips of his fingers into the waistband of her black leggings: one swift tug sending them below the hem of her black bikini underwear.
A stir stilled them in their tracks, eyes locked, as the tiny human they created sneezed twice but thankfully didn't wake inside the playpen. They were so lost in each other, they had completely forgotten that both their children slept mere feet away from them.
He put a hand to her chest, breaking away breathless, "We should stop - John's right there!"
Pushing her bottom lip out in a small pout, Amy glanced over at her sleeping son before turning her attention back to her husband; the abs on his torso tight, and the southern hemisphere of his body ready to go. She bit her lip, shyly, trailing her fingers down to the button on his black boxers, "He's young, and doesn't really know what's going on… besides he's asleep…"
"Don't tease me." Ricky smirked, stilling her hand from going any further, "you have to be quiet - otherwise you can explain to John what we're doing."
Nodding, she laid back against the pillows, tossing the beige comforter aside and sliding under the white sheet, as he pulled the string on the lamp down - plunging the room into total darkness. He supported his weight with one hand above her, connecting their swollen lips once more while the other hand undid the button on his boxers.
Ricky's eyes were clouded, raking over her almost completely naked body under the thin white sheet they shared; hardened and pulsing, as her hands ravaged up and down his bare arms, digging lightly into his biceps.
"Mm-" Amy moaned, arching her back when he gently started to suck the skin of her pulse point and drug her panties down her legs.
Smirking again, he positioned himself, sliding in slowly to give her time to adjust since they hadn't had sex in what felt like ages.
She took in a deep breath, grabbing the nape of his neck and pulling him back down, as his movements started increasing and his thrusts became deeper.
"Ric-" Amy coughed, as he nipped at the dip in her bra where her breasts pushed together, causing her back to arch again
"Shhhh" Ricky chuckled softly, clamping a hand over her mouth, "you're gonna wake them up!" She nodded and he removed his hand, continuing to rock into her as he found his groove.
"Mm - Mm - Mm" She moaned with each thrust, raking her nails down his back and biting her bottom lip to keep from screaming his name when he took her right breast into his grasp and squeezed gently, kneading it in his palm as the nipple got hard under her bra.
He was close and he knew she was too by the way her hips pushed against his and her nails dug deeper into his skin.
With a quiet grunt, Ricky pushed himself deeper, watching as her eyes rolled back, and felt her tighten around him, almost at her climax. He dipped his head back down, prodding his tongue with hers and dragging her bottom lip between his teeth, when her legs began to shake, and her nails clamped hard into the flesh of his biceps as she came and moaned loudly into his mouth. His own moans coupled with hers as he spilled into her.
Amy's eye's were screwed shut as his thrusts became slow and sloppy before he collapsed against her chest, both struggling for air to replenish their burning lungs.
"We...needed...that" Ricky panted, trying to regain enough strength to remove himself from his wife. She nodded, swallowing and taking in another deep breath. Pushing up on his hands, he slowly removed himself, rolling onto his back, "think you've got it in you for another round?" His lungs were on fire, the sheets clinging to his skin.
Amy turned to face him, not even caring that her hair was a mess and that a giant wet spot was gathering around her nipple. With a small smile, she nuzzled into him, trailing her nails lightly across his heaving chest.
Like clockwork, a muffled little whimper turned into a merciless cry, as Emma kicked her little legs in the air and the room was no longer quiet.
She sighed, pulling away and bringing the sheet closer against her skin, "That'll have to wait"
Hope you enjoyed the last scene, I figured it was way past due for these two!