Part 120

Glenn was struggling. He sat at the window, looking out at the sleeping city, thinking about his parents. He already missed his father's advice. Especially with his girlfriend so close. She was sound asleep, looking so adorable.

But now things were complicated. He'd thought about having children but not for many years yet. He knew Porsha likely felt the same way. Even if she wanted kids, she probably didn't want them at just over eighteen and still in high school.

"Mmmm… Daddy… stop… please," her voice got his attention. She was tossing and turning. "Daddy! Please, don't… don't leave me! Daddy!" She screamed, sitting up.

He hurried to her side, pulling her into his arms. "Porsha, it's okay… it's okay, I'm here…" he rubbed her back as she cried.

She sobbed for several minutes until she felt her tears stop. "I'm sorry…" she whispered. "I didn't mean to wake you up."

He pet her head tenderly. "You didn't. I was awake. Thinking about my parents…"

She wiped her eyes. "And look at me, crying over my dad again. I thought my nightmares were gone. I'm sorry. I should be focusing on you. I'm so selfish."

The German shepherd shook his head. "You are not selfish. You miss your dad. You've been so busy taking care of me and my sister today and listening to my grief, I bet it triggered your nightmares. And I'm sorry."

She trembled. "You're so great. I want to take care of you. I like taking care of you," she said. "I love you."

He smiled despite his own pain. "I… I love you too. You've been such a rock for me the last couple of days. I don't know if I'd be able to handle this without you." He clutched her close.

The two sat together, just soaking in the warmth and comfort they each gave the other. Eventually, they crawled back under the blankets, falling asleep.

Neither saw the door slightly ajar and a set of eyes watching them.

The door closed and Nooshy looked up at the gorilla. "They're okay, Big Daddy. They went back to sleep," she reassured him. She felt her lip wobble.

He touched her chin. "What's wrong?" He asked, leading her to the kitchen. He made them each a mug of hot chocolate with marshmallows and got two large cookies from the cookie jars.

She shook her head. "Nothing. Are you okay with this? Do you think he'll treat her like she deserves?"

He chuckled. "I think so… He's shown himself to be trustworthy." He drank his chocolate slowly. "She's an adult now, Nooshy. I knew that eventually this would come. She'd find her own life."

The lynx nodded. "She won't need me to help her sleep anymore, I guess."

Marcus clapped a hand on her back. "You were a good sport about sharing your room and sometimes your bed to help her. I'm proud of you." He chuckled. "Of course, you're still sharing your bed for a few days."

Nooshy nodded. "Why not… let them stay longer. That way I can help Airlia. And Porsha and Glenn can be there for each other."

"I was leaning that way," he agreed. He studied her closely as they finished their cocoa and cookies. "Now, let's go back to bed." He walked her back to her room.

Fortunately, Airlia had not moved the entire time. She still slept fully and deeply.

Nooshy got back into bed. "Goodnight, Big Daddy."

Marcus smiled at her. He went into the nursery, checking on his infants. Rosamund was awake but watching her mobile. He chuckled. "You can't sleep either huh?" He picked the baby up and took her to the rocking chair. She stared up at her father with pure trust. "Oh Rosie…. I don't know what to do. Your daddy did something… terrible. I thought it was the right thing to do and I've spent all year citing the same excuses. But that's all they were. I did want revenge for my friend. I was so angry and I gave into my grief again. I'm no better than he was for what I did." He felt the tears in his eyes. "I've told myself that I was doing what was best for everyone and…" he began sobbing softly. "I'm a murderer and I don't deserve any of the blessings I've received this last year." He stroked her cheek and she laughed, reaching up to take his big finger. He smiled through the pain, letting the unconditional love of his baby bring him comfort.

"Marcus?" He heard a voice at the door. Suki was standing there. Her teary eyes told him that he'd heard his confession.

He got up and put Rosie back in her crib. "I'm sorry, Su… I'm…"

She hugged him. "You're not a murderer. I could have stopped you. I could have begged for his life or had him arrested before you got there but I wanted him dead too. So if you're a murderer, then so am I. If I had been strong enough, I might have done it myself. But neither one of us was thinking straight that night."

"Yeah, neither was he. So how is that excuse okay for me but not him. I don't know what to do, Su. I should have just confessed when I was arrested," he wept. "I'm so sorry. I took him from you and Porsha without even trying to find a third way." He sighed. "How do I… how can I make this right?" He hugged her tight.

She rubbed his back. She had nothing she could say to make him feel better. She could only hold him and let him grieve.

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The apartment echoed with shrill cries as Johnny tried desperately to soothe his baby. "It's okay, Noelle. Daddy's here. You've had everything you need. You ate, had your diaper changed… what do you need?" He pleaded as he bounced her.

Ryan came running in with a toy, waving at her so that it jingled. "Noelle, look at Dad. Look what I got." He tried to tease her but she was not to be soothed. "What do we do?"

The gorilla shook his head. "Maybe… I hate calling her at this time but…" he trailed off when a knock came at their door. Chelsea was waiting outside with an understanding smile. "Oh, Chelsea, I'm sorry we woke you up."

The leopardess took Noelle. "She's been crying for awhile, I know. Don't worry. She probably just has some colic." She tickled her chin. "It's okay little lambkin, Auntie Chelsea had to see her own baby through many a colicky night. Yeah, she did," Gently, she began massaging the baby's belly. She proceeded to go through a process of burping the baby over her shoulder and playing with her on the floor, lifting her legs in mini-baby curl ups. Suddenly, a massive fart echoed.

Ryan flopped down on their sofa, coughing as the gassy smell hit his nose. "Oh my gosh! Was that her? Is it really possible?"

The gorilla joined him in exhaustion, realizing the crying had stopped. "Oh, oh, Chelsea, thank you." He said. "How did you do that?"

She chuckled. "Often colic is caused by an excess of gas. It makes the tummy hurt. Remember that cry. And just do what I did." She held the baby. "Yeah, you feel better now, don't you little lambkin?

Yes, you do." She giggled. "Now, back to Daddy."

Johnny took his baby girl from Chelsea. "Thank you." He smiled down at her. She cooed up at him, her eyes shining with innocence.

"No problem," she smiled at them. "I better get back before René wakes up and finds me gone." She looked at Ryan. "If you need help, you can both call me. I'll happily help."

"Thanks. We were about to call Rosita. Thank goodness for you," the tiger laughed. "How do you like your apartment so far? Do you and René have everything you need?"

She nodded. "Yeah, we are very comfortable. I met one of your friends earlier tonight. The yak fellow. Blonde hair."

He laughed again. "Darius? Yeah. Look, if he said or did anything to offend you, I'm sorry."

She shook her head. "No, no. He was very nice. I dropped my groceries, broke my eggs and he helped me out. Even gave me a dozen eggs to replace the ones I broke." She explained.

Ryan blinked. "Good. If he ever does step out of line, just tell me. He can be a little bit of a narcissist, kind of full of himself."

She nodded. "I could see that. But otherwise, he was a sweetheart. I'm glad I could help you boys but I need to get back home. Goodnight." She left with a smile.

The tiger turned back to watch his husband with their baby. "Well, that's one crisis averted. Hopefully, we can do it ourselves next time."

Johnny nodded. "We'll figure it out." He stood up. "Won't we, Noelle?" The baby just stared up at him. "Back to bed."

Ryan nodded. "I'm going to check on Neo while you put her back in her crib. I'm surprised that didn't wake him up." He went and opened his door, peaking in. Neo had covered his head with his blanket but Ryan could see a light shining underneath. He chuckled and pulled back the blanket. "So that racket did wake you up."

Neo looked up from his book with a sheepish grin. "Sorry. It was loud so I was reading. I didn't want to get in the way."

The tiger shook his head. "Hey, if you can't sleep, you can't sleep. I'm glad you chose to be productive." He ruffled his fur. "You can read whenever you want to, Neo. I just ask that you do it with the light on so you don't strain your eyes. Would you like me to read to you while you fall back asleep?"

He nodded and handed the book back. It didn't take long. The voice of his dad lulled him back into his dreams. Ryan reached down and covered his son back right and put the book and flashlight on the bedside table. He went to the door and shut off the light. "Yeah, we can do this..."

--

Alphonso cracked several eggs into a bowl and poured in just a little milk, whisking the concoction together while the skillet began to heat up on the stove. He looked up when he heard footsteps coming down the stairs. "Good morning, Your Majesty."

Meena smiled at him. "Good morning, Alphie." They shared a quick kiss before he poured the eggs into the skillet. He continued to whisk the eggs as they cooked, keeping them from sticking to the bottom of the pan. She turned on their radio and an upbeat song filled the kitchen. "You know, I'm getting the strangest sense of Deja vu. I swear I heard this song in my sleep."

He nodded. "Me too. Though I won't complain, it's a good song. With a good beat, very positive." He seemed to be thinking something. When she met his eyes and smiled, he asked. "Are we thinking the same thing?" He asked as he crumbled up some sausage in another skillet.

She nodded. "I think so. Let's bring it up at the meeting today." She took a deep breath and her stomach rumbled. "Scrambled eggs and sausage."

He nodded. "I thought the twins might like some breakfast burritos. I even made homemade tortillas based on my abuelita's recipe." He showed her the array of vegetables, roasted potatoes, pico de gallo, avocado, fresh fruit and a bowl of freshly shredded cheese.

"That looks great. I bet that smell gets them up soon. Should we ask Ash and Tyler to join us?" She asked.

He thought. "Or, we could let them have a quiet breakfast." He suggested.

Meena nodded. "That makes sense. They won't have many of them anymore." She giggled. "I'll set the table. Loudly. I can't wait until we get to do this for our child." They laughed together, dreaming of their future.

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