Sprain-staking
Misty had just finished handing her newborn daughter over to her mother-in-law when a loud thud caught both of their attention.
"What in the world was that?" Delia breathed, glancing up at the ceiling. She was almost certain it had come from above their heads.
"I've got a pretty good guess," Misty grumbled, quickly shooting her own look overhead before returning her attention to Delia. "Would you mind keeping an eye on Elizabeth while I go check it out?"
"Not at all!" Delia fussed, beaming down at the wide-eyed baby and babbling, "I would love to watch after this little cutie!"
That got a smile out of Misty, and after thanking her mother-in-law, she headed upstairs and made a beeline for one of the bedrooms in the middle of the hall. If her suspicions were correct, which they usually were…
"Lookit!"
As soon as she opened the door, she was met with the sight of her young son jumping off his bed, landing with a boom on the floor.
"Aiden!"
The boy whipped his head around towards the door and, as soon as he saw his mother, went from elated to sheepish. Misty knew her son well enough to know that it wasn't because he'd been doing something he wasn't supposed to, but rather because he'd been caught.
"What's with the jumping off the bed?" Misty demanded, folding her arms.
"I'm bored," Aiden grumbled, sticking his legs out in front of him.
"And jumping off the bed, landing like a rock, that's fun for you?" Misty questioned.
There was a long pause before Aiden replied, "yeah!" Pointing towards the corner of his room, he added, "also, Michelle wanted to see me do it."
Misty looked in that direction and realized that her older daughter had been sitting there quietly the whole time, several stuffed Pokémon placed before her. As soon as Aiden called her out, however, the girl's face distorted into one of fury, not at all dissimilar to her mother's. "No, I didn't!" Switching her gaze over to Misty, Michelle cried, "I was just sitting here playing with the toys! Aiden was too, til he complained it was boring. Then he started jumping off the bed like he's crazy."
Glancing back at Aiden, Misty saw that he was now glaring at Michelle, which told her all she needed to know. "Aiden, you know I don't like lying."
The boy slumped his shoulders forward. "I can't help it that I'm bored!"
"I know," Misty sighed understandingly. "Look, I just fed your little sister, and I'm hoping she'll fall asleep soon. Once she does, we can play together. How does that sound?"
"Kay," Aiden mumbled, not sounding totally excited about the compromise.
"Michelle, how about you?" Misty called over to the girl.
"Yeah, I wanna play!" Michelle trilled, beaming at her mother.
Misty smiled. "Perfect! You two just keep each other busy for now. I'll be back up as soon as I can!"
With that settled, she turned and walked out of the room, although there was still some guilt gnawing away at her. Things hadn't exactly been easy since Elizabeth was born. She was a pretty well behaved and patient baby, which was good, but she was still a baby, meaning she still required a lot of care and attention despite her easygoing nature. This could be difficult for her older siblings, who weren't used to having to share their parents' attention. Yes, they were twins, but that was different. They were the same age, so it wasn't like their parents ever had to walk away from one of them to tend to the other while they were overly aware of what was going on. Not to mention it had only been the two of them for nearly six years. Now they had a whole, brand-new sibling to adjust to, and it was a lot, especially since she wasn't exactly old enough to play with them yet. Michelle loved to help take care of her baby sister, but that wasn't as thrilling for Aiden. He'd contribute every once in a while, but it wasn't something he wanted to do over and over again every single day. What he really wanted to do was play with stuffed Pokémon or watch battles with her, and at just shy of a month old, Elizabeth simply wasn't capable of that.
When Misty came down the stairs, the frustration must've been evident on her face, as Delia offered her a sympathetic smile. "Everything okay?"
"Yeah…" Misty sighed unconvincingly before shaking her head. "No."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
Misty shrugged as she dragged herself over to the couch, slumping down beside her mother-in-law. "Aiden's having a hard time with all of this. I know he loves Elizabeth, but it's still not an easy adjustment for him having her around. I just feel like I'm not paying enough attention to him or Michelle."
"You're doing the best you can," Delia comforted the downtrodden younger woman. "I always see you go out of your way to make time for the both of them, no matter how exhausted you are! Besides, I'm sure things are much more difficult without Ash here during the day."
"Yeah, definitely harder," Misty groaned, rubbing at her temple. When Ash had been on paternity leave, it had pretty much been his job to keep the twins occupied. That had worked out especially well for Aiden, who was always overflowing with energy. Ash was able to keep up with him in ways that Misty wasn't able to so soon after giving birth. He'd take the twins outside in the backyard to chase them around, or ride bikes with them to the park. Sometimes, Ash would even take them to Professor Oak's lab to visit and play with his Pokémon. He'd returned to work this week, however, and his absence was glaringly apparent. Aiden and Michelle (especially Aiden) were finding mischief wherever they could and coming to Misty much more often to complain about being bored. And even with baby help from friends and family, Misty just couldn't play at the level the twins were used to.
"Things will get better," Delia promised. "Just give it time! You'll all adjust, and you'll be a stronger family for it."
Misty let out a long sigh as she rested her head in her hand. "I know they will. I just wish it'd get better sooner." She glanced over at baby Elizabeth, who was still being cradled in her grandmother's arms. She remained awake, but her eyes were now half lidded, indicating that she was starting to grow sleepy. Finally smiling again, Misty reached over and stroked at her daughter's wispy, dark red hair. "Has she been good?"
"Of course!" Delia giggled. "A perfect little angel! I've just been telling her stories…she's a very good listener."
"I'm glad!" Misty chirped. "And it looks like she's starting to fall asleep, which is perfect. I told Aiden and Michelle I'd come back and play with them once Elizabeth was sleeping."
"Well, why don't you go back up now?" Delia asked, leading Misty to furrow her brow.
"Oh, Delia, I don't want to leave you with the baby. That's hardly fair."
"Why not? I can handle her very easily! My grandbaby is so sweet, I know she won't cause me any problems."
Misty bit her lower lip. "Are you sure?"
"Absolutely!" Delia replied. "Go on, play with those little sweethearts. I'll help lull Elizabeth to sleep and keep an eye on her while she naps."
Ever grateful for her mother-in-law's kindness, Misty was about to thank her, but instead was cut off by yet another pounding smash…this time quickly followed by a horrifying scream. The loud, sudden noise frightened Elizabeth, who began to wail in her startled grandmother's arms. Misty, who had jumped to her feet as soon as she heard the scream, suddenly froze once the baby started to cry, her body wanting to go in two different directions.
"It's okay!" Delia assured the stricken Misty over Elizabeth's cries, holding the baby against the chest. "I've got her; you go check on the twins."
"Right," Misty cleared her throat, rushing towards the stairs. Halfway up, she was met by a scared Michelle, who had started racing down the steps with tears in her eyes. "What happened?!"
"Aiden jumped off the bed again and he got hurt," Michelle shakily answered her mother's short question.
Misty cursed in her head. That had been her guess, and her fear. She'd just been hoping that it was wrong. And as much as she wanted to begin panicking, seeing the fear in her daughter's eyes enabled Misty to stuff those feelings down. "Okay, let me check on him."
Michelle nodded and ran back up the stairs, her mother following briskly after her. When the pair made it to Aiden's room, they found him sitting on the floor by the foot of his bed, his left leg bent at the knee and his right leg outstretched, his small hands grasping at it. After taking a quick survey of the surrounding area, and seeing no blood, Misty released a breath she didn't know she was holding.
Okay…that's good, at least.
"What did you do?" Misty asked as she raced over to her son, kneeling beside him.
Aiden sniffled and looked up at his mother, his face red and tearstained, and stammered through hiccups, "I-I landed f-funny on my leg and it h-hurts."
Misty's heart hammered away in her chest. Aiden crying was never a good sign. The boy got hurt pretty often, but he was tough and never cried over falls or scrapes or bumps or bruises. Now? He was on the verge of hysterics. And as much as that terrified Misty, she knew she had to keep her composure, or else it would just freak Aiden out even more.
"Which leg?" Misty continued, pointing at the straightened one closest to her. "This one?"
Aiden nodded, accompanied by a desolate little whine.
"Can you move it?"
She watched as his thigh twitched, trying to pull his leg up. It didn't take long for him to give up and rapidly shake his head, staring up at his mother with pleading eyes.
"Okay," Misty hushed, reaching out and touching her son's cheek. "We're going to get you all fixed up, don't worry."
"Mommy, I'm scared," Aiden whispered before starting to cry again.
Misty swore she could feel her heart breaking in her chest. Her poor, sweet boy, who was usually so brave and unbothered, was in serious pain and legitimately panicked. All she wanted to do was take the pain away from him and put it on herself, but she knew that wasn't possible. At the moment, the only thing she knew she could do was get him the help he needed.
"Don't be scared," Misty murmured, pulling her son into her arms. "You're going to be okay. I promise." And then, against her better judgement, Misty got to her feet with Aiden still in her arms.
She knew she wasn't supposed to. She wasn't even four weeks out from major abdominal surgery, and the doctor had been very clear about not lifting anything heavier than the baby until six weeks at the earliest. But at this point, Misty didn't feel she had much of a choice; she just needed to get her son help. In her head, she decided that if she just moved as quickly as she possibly could, it would be fine.
"Michelle, let's go downstairs," Misty instructed her daughter, who was still standing in the doorway. The little girl nodded and skirted out of the room, disappearing down the hall and stairs well before her mother. By the time Misty made it down to the living room, Michelle had already situated herself beside her grandmother, latched onto the older woman's side with a wary look on her face. Delia was still holding onto Elizabeth, who had quieted down at this point, but had freed one hand to stroke Michelle's hair. When she locked eyes with Misty, Delia didn't seem overly alarmed, which told the gym leader her daughter had already let her know what was going on.
"I'm going to take Aiden to the hospital," Misty breathed, her own voice sounding robotic to her. "I need to get his leg checked out. Do you mind staying here with Michelle and Elizabeth?"
"No, never," Delia quickly refuted. "You just go make sure Aiden is alright."
Misty nodded and pressed a hand against the back of Aiden's head, which he'd buried between her neck and shoulder. He was still sniffling, which Misty knew meant he wasn't about to look up. He was still young, but already, Aiden didn't like people to see him cry; and that included his grandmother.
"Michelle, you be good for Grammy, okay?" Misty beckoned to her older daughter. The girl nodded, holding more tightly onto her grandmother. "We'll be back as soon as we can."
And with that, Misty whisked her little boy out the front door and to the car, still trying to keep herself together.
XXX
Ending up back in the hospital less than a month after having a baby had not exactly been in Misty's plans, but here she was.
After getting to the emergency room, a doctor had quickly checked Aiden out and let Misty know that he did not think Aiden had broken any bones, but he'd still wanted to run some tests to be sure. After returning from getting an x-ray, the boy was still very upset and kept complaining his leg hurt, so a nurse was kind enough to give him some medication for the pain. At first Misty didn't know how necessary that really was, but when she saw him not even show an ounce of interest in the nurse's Chansey, she knew he was far from himself and needed something to help. The medicine seemed a bit slow to take effect in terms of helping Aiden's pain, but it was definitely getting to him in one way or another. As Misty watched over Aiden from a chair beside his bed, his eyes half lidded, he began incessantly moaning for her.
"Mommy…Mommy…"
"What is it, baby?" Misty cooed, pushing her son's bangs back. "I'm right here."
"Mommy…"
He groaned again, this time reaching out for her with his little hand. Unsure of what else to do, but desperate to give her son some kind of comfort, Misty got up from her seat and instead crawled into the hospital bed beside Aiden. She held him close and tucked his head beneath her chin, humming the same lullaby she'd used to sing to him and his sister when they were babies. Much to her relief, he stopped crying out, and before long, had actually fallen asleep. Misty let out a sigh, relieved that she had finally managed to get the boy to feel safe and relax.
If only I could've protected him before this happened…
The remorse had been eating away at Misty from the second she heard Aiden scream back at the house. Why hadn't she brought the twins back downstairs with her? She should've kept a closer eye on them both. Why hadn't she given Aiden a stronger warning about jumping off the bed? Even if it had been something as simple as the threat of a timeout. Why hadn't she just let Delia watch after Elizabeth and started playing with the twins sooner? She always felt bad asking, but she knew that Delia was more than capable of keeping an eye on the baby by herself, and even enjoyed it.
This is all my fault. I should've done more. Ugh, I'm such a screwup!
She gave her sleeping son another squeeze, staring ahead at the wall. As much as she hated that this was happening in a hospital room, Misty felt a strong desire to freeze this moment and never wanted to let him go. It was hard to get Aiden to sit still, and as he got older, he wasn't one for extensive cuddling, if any at all. But Misty loved snuggling her son, and any chance she got to hold him close, she would take it.
Misty soon began to drift off herself, her eyelids intermittently fluttering open and closed. Every couple of minutes, she would force herself awake to check on Aiden, afraid that something might've happened to him while she was dozing off herself. When she saw that he was still sleeping, Misty would relax and start closing her eyes…all before starting the same cycle all over again.
At one point, however, she saw someone enter the room through her half-lidded eyes. Assuming it was the doctor or nurse coming with an update, or just to check in, Misty opened her eyes fully, clearing her throat to prepare for conversation. When she realized who it actually was, however, Misty picked her head up in interest.
"Ash?"
She blinked, trying to make sure what she was seeing was correct. But it was still her husband walking towards the bed, both he and Pikachu sporting near identical panicked expressions. When Ash saw Aiden lying in the bed with his eyes closed, he grew noticeably pale. "What's wrong? Did he pass out?!"
"No, he's sleeping."
"Oh…good…I think. How's he doing?"
"Okay," Misty sighed. "The doctor doesn't think he broke anything, but he did an x-ray just to make sure. We're still waiting for the results. A nurse gave him some pain medication, and I think that's what helped him fall asleep."
"Got it," Ash murmured. Then, trying to be lighthearted, he added, "so, what's helping you fall asleep?"
"The trauma," Misty deadpanned. Suddenly, a question arose in Misty's head. Raising an eyebrow, she asked, "wait…why're you here?"
Ash blinked, seemingly stunned by the inquiry. "Because our son is hurt?"
"Yeah, but how'd you know?"
"…Misty, you texted me."
"I did?"
"Yeah! I told you I was coming, but you never answered. I kind of just assumed that was your way of saying okay."
"Pi-ka, Pikapi…" Pikachu muttered, shaking his head.
"Oh, you must've texted that while I was trying to calm Aiden down," Misty breathed. "Well…I've been trying to calm him down for over an hour. I meant the most recent one…the reason I ended up in this bed."
Ash frowned. "That bad, huh?"
Misty shook her head. "You should've heard him scream when he fell. I can't get it out of my head."
Sitting down on the opposite side of the bed, Ash leaned over and caressed Misty's cheek. "I'm sorry I wasn't there."
Once again, Misty shook her head. "It isn't your fault. You had to go back to work. The only person to blame is me."
Ash furrowed his brow. "You?"
Misty switched to nodding. "I should've handled things differently. I had already caught Aiden jumping off his bed once; I should've never given him another chance. If I'd just brought him and Michelle downstairs -"
"Hold on," Ash interrupted, his voice kind but firm. "Misty, this isn't your fault. At the end of the day, Aiden was doing something he shouldn't have been doing. You warned him not to keep jumping off his bed the first time you caught him, right?"
Wordlessly, Misty nodded again.
"So, sometimes, kids just have to learn their lesson," Ash continued, sagging his shoulders before sprawling himself out on the bed. "That's always what Mom used to say to me when I was little and doing dumb stuff, anyway. I wish Aiden hadn't gotten hurt, but it happened. Maybe it'll scare him off from jumping off the bed like that again."
Misty laughed dryly. "I'm not sure if anything could scare our son."
Ash said nothing, largely because he couldn't really disagree. Glancing up, he watched as Pikachu, who had perched himself on Aiden's pillow, kept a close eye on the sleeping boy.
"You should never doubt yourself, Mist," Ash commented, lowering his gaze so it met hers once again. "Accidents happen, but you jumped into action as soon as it did! You're an amazing mom."
Smiling demurely, Misty nestled her head more deeply against the mattress. "Thanks."
A comfortable silence settled between the couple, and in that time, the gears in Ash's brain began to turn. Suddenly, and without any preamble, he sat up and stared at Misty. "Hold on…how'd you get Aiden into the car?"
"Well…"
"Don't tell me you carried him."
"What? It's not like he could walk!"
"Mist!"
"I'm fine! You literally just praised me for jumping into action!"
"I didn't mean that kind of action!"
After a short pause, Misty giggled sweetly; her first real laugh since everything with Aiden had gone down. "I'm still taking it as a compliment."
And hearing that little chuckle was enough to dissolve Ash's frustration, who knew full well just how anxious his wife had been throughout the whole ordeal. "Yeah, I figured you would. And I still stand by it."
XXX
Several hours later, Ash and Misty finally returned home, Aiden being carried by his father and Pikachu by Misty (she might've succeeded in getting Ash to excuse her carrying Aiden before, but he wasn't about to let it happen again). The only thing noticeably different about the boy was a fabric bandage wrapped around his right ankle and foot, and the fact that he was still a bit groggy from the pain medication.
When they walked into the living room, they found Delia working on a puzzle with Michelle while Elizabeth slept in her baby swing. As soon as Michelle saw her parents and brother, however, she jumped to her feet and ran over to them, relief evident on her face. "Aiden!"
"Aw, you were worried about your brother, weren't you?" Misty asked sweetly, leading Michelle to nod. "I know it was scary to see him get hurt."
"Yeah," Michelle agreed softly. "Is he okay?"
Misty smiled and nodded. "He'll be just fine! He didn't break anything; it's just a sprained ankle."
Michelle pointed at his leg. "Is that why he's got it all wrapped up?"
"It is," Misty confirmed. "His ankle is swollen, so the bandage will help keep it compressed."
"Like a hug?" Michelle suggested with a tiny smile.
"Exactly like a hug," Misty giggled.
"And he'll have to keep his leg up for the next couple of days," Ash added, carefully placing the sluggish boy on the couch before gathering up some pillows to place beneath his injured leg. Grinning, Ash ruffled his son's hair and added, "but at least we don't have to cut it off, right, buddy?"
"Ash!" Delia gasped in horror.
"What? He knows I'm teasing!" Ash chuckled. "Besides, the doctor said it first. So, if you want to yell at anyone for making that joke, it should be him."
"I think sweet little Aiden has had enough for one day," Delia sighed, getting to her feet and leaning over her grandson. "Isn't that right, dear?"
Aiden peered up at his grandmother and nodded slowly before chirping, "I'm hungry."
"He's getting back to himself," Misty noted with a small laugh. "Slowly but surely!"
"Well, I'd be more than happy to cook dinner for all of us!" Delia trilled, reaching down to stroke her grandson's hair. "What would you like, sweetie? Anything you want and I'll make it for you!"
Aiden's eyes lit up at the question; easily the most excited and animated he'd been since his injury. "Cheeseburger pizza!"
"You've got it!" Delia confirmed. "I'll just have to run to the market to pick up the ingredients."
"Can I come, Grammy?" Michelle asked hopefully, spinning around to face her grandmother.
"Of course, you may!" Delia giggled. "I won't be able to do it without my special helper!"
Michelle laughed excitedly, running to go get her shoes. Misty, on the other hand, frowned sympathetically at her mother-in-law. "You don't have to bring Michelle with you, you know. I know you'd probably like some alone time after spending all afternoon with the girls."
"Hardly!" Delia scoffed. "Those two are such angels! Elizabeth ate well, and whenever she wasn't eating, she was sleeping. And Michelle was such a big help with her baby sister! The two of us just played games while Elizabeth napped, and it was very nice. Spending time with my grandbabies is my favorite thing in the world, so I would love to have Michelle accompany me to the market!"
That brought the smile back to Misty's face. "As long as it's alright with you."
Delia nodded to confirm as Michelle came running back with her shoes in hand. "I'm ready!"
"Perfect!" Delia cheered. "Let's get those on and head out!"
Looking over at her brother, Michelle called, "Aiden, do you want ice cream, too?"
The boy grinned. "Uh huh!"
"Do you want chocolate?"
"Yea!"
"And sprinkles?"
"Yep!"
Once again turning back to her grandmother, Michelle urged, "we hafta remember that too, Grammy."
"Don't you worry, sweetheart, I won't forget!" Delia promised her. "But we ought to get a move on. With his appetite coming back, I'm starting to think your brother might just eat the couch!"
"Oh, yeah," Michelle agreed with quiet realization. "Bye Mommy, bye Daddy! We hafta go!"
"Bye, seashell," Misty beckoned with a giggle. "Keep being good for Grammy!"
"Kay!"
Ash chuckled, stopping his daughter with his arm before she could skirt past him. "We know you'll be a good girl, princess. No worries there!"
"Yeah, I will!" Michelle promised once more. "But we gotta go so Aiden doesn't eat the couch, Daddy."
"Okay," Ash laughed, leaning down to kiss the top of Michelle's head. "Go on!"
With that out of the way, Delia and Michelle were finally able to leave the house. As soon as they were out the door, baby Elizabeth began to stir in her swing, whining unhappily.
"Oops," Misty murmured, walking over to the swing and lifting the baby out of it. "Hi, baby girl! Mommy missed you!"
Misty's voice led Elizabeth to open her eyes, and as soon as she saw her mother, she stopped fussing and cooed softly instead. Beaming, Misty held the baby against her and turned to face her son. "Would you like to watch some TV, sweetheart?"
The boy seemed to think about it for a moment before frowning and shaking his head. "I want you, Mommy."
Despite how the afternoon had gone, and Aiden's overall demeanor since getting hurt, Misty still seemed rather surprised. "Me?"
Aiden nodded and rubbed at his eye. Ash just smiled and ruffled his son's hair once again before announcing, "I'm gonna go get changed out of these stuffy work clothes. Come on, Pikachu!"
The electric mouse, who had curled himself up next to Aiden to comfort the boy, got back to his paws and leapt towards his trainer, landing skillfully on the man's shoulder. Chuckling, Ash shot Misty a knowing wink before disappearing up the stairs, much to his wife's amusement. With both Ash and Pikachu gone, she crawled onto the couch beside Aiden, still clutching Elizabeth to her chest.
"How's your ankle feeling?" She asked, nodding towards his injured leg.
"It still hurts," Aiden murmured, looking down at the leg himself. "But not as much as before. I think -cause it's wrapped up…and -cause I took medicine."
Misty nodded. "That makes sense. You did cheer up before when Grammy and Michelle were here to greet you!"
"That's -cause I want them to think I'm brave," Aiden replied.
Misty furrowed her brow. "Think you're brave? That's a little silly, Aiden; you're a very brave boy!"
Aiden shook his head. "No, I cried in front of -em before. That's not brave."
"No one ever said crying means you're not brave," Misty refuted. "Actually, I think that means you're even more brave, because it means you're okay with showing people how you feel!"
The boy's eyes widened. "Really?"
Misty smirked. Aiden might've worshiped the ground Ash walked on, but he still took her words to heart. She'd like to think that in her son's mind, she was a close second to his father. "Definitely! I cry sometimes, but I'm very brave. Tough, too!"
Aiden grinned. "Yeah, you are!"
Giggling, she pulled the boy against her side. "I'm glad you know that!"
The boy laughed softly himself, nestling his head beneath his mother's arm. Misty's smile widened as she watched his eyes close halfway. He was still being so affectionate, and it brought her right back to when he was a baby and then a toddler who loved to cuddle. She still hated that he was hurt but was grateful it wasn't worse…and for his more snuggly side making a reappearance.
She moved her hand up to thread his jet-black hair through her fingers, silently chuckling at the soft, purr-like sound of approval he made in response. Elizabeth, who was still resting on her mother's chest, mumbled and reached for her brother herself, wiggling her tiny fingers at him. As though sensing their presence, Aiden slowly opened his eyes fully and smiled before reaching over to touch the baby's hand. Elizabeth cooed and grabbed onto Aiden's finger, wrapping her little hand around it while her brother giggled softly. Misty, meanwhile, watched on adoringly. "I think she's trying to make you feel better!"
Aiden raised an eyebrow. "She's too little to know I got hurt!"
"Maybe, maybe not," Misty mused before adding with a wink, "babies are a lot smarter than people give them credit for."
Aiden hummed, like he was seriously thinking about such an idea. In that moment, Ash and Pikachu returned, and both smiled at one another when they saw Misty, Aiden, and Elizabeth all snuggled up.
"Aw, look how sweet!" Ash fussed. "You're all keeping Aiden company!"
"Of course!" Misty replied warmly, not realizing Ash had come back until she heard his comment. "I know what it's like to be stuck on the couch, so I would never leave Aiden alone."
Ash nodded in understanding. "I should probably go get him some ice to put on his ankle. The doctor said we should do that, right?"
"Yeah," Misty confirmed. "Every couple of hours."
"Pi-ka!" Pikachu squeaked, raising one of his paws in the air.
"You'll help?" Ash translated with a smirk, to which the electric type nodded. "Sounds good!"
As the two left the room again, this time for the kitchen, Aiden gazed up at his mother. "Am I really gonna be stuck on the couch?"
Misty smiled sympathetically at her son. "For the next couple of days, yes. You need to rest that ankle!"
Aiden pouted as he threw his head back. "That's gonna be so boring!"
Unable to help herself, Misty allowed her smile to twist. It had been a long, long, long day, and she was beyond tired and frayed. But already, she could see Aiden reverting to his usual self, and that alone was beginning to normalize things a bit. "Well, maybe now you'll realize all that time you spent complaining about being bored, you weren't all that bored to begin with!"
