Chapter Three-Hundred-Sixty-Six
The next morning bright and early, Kevin opened his eyes to find his little girl snuggled close to him, her thumb popped in her mouth and her Donald Duck held under her one arm and she was still sleeping soundly. He lay there silently watching her with worry in his eyes as he remembered last night when he tried to dress her in her pajamas – when she insisted that he doesn’t do it and almost threw a gigantic fit when he tried. Only when he threatened not to watch Lion King with her did she make that tantrum come to an abrupt stop and she sat there whimpering weakly. Finally he asked Jerald – who still isn’t on speaking terms with him to do it just to keep the peace.
Sighing heavily at the memory he leaned down and kissed Elenore’s forehead softly as he made a decision. This morning he would make her something special for breakfast – chocolate chip pancakes and bacon. Maybe he could even manage to make her pancakes in the shape of Mickey Mouse’s head. He’s never done that before, but he’s willing to try if it will put a smile on her face. Deciding he better get started on that now if he wanted to surprise her, he carefully crawled out of bed managing not to wake her up and he headed downstairs after pulling on some jeans leaving his princess in bed to catch up on much needed sleep. When he got down there, he spotted Jerald and Ann already awake and in the kitchen. They were sitting at the table enjoying toast and cereal. As soon as they walked in though their conversation came to an abrupt stop giving Kevin the feeling that he was being talked about.
Jerald rolled his eyes irritably at the sight of his baby brother and he buried his face back in the paper – something Kevin knows he rarely ever reads. Sighing softly, Kevin walked over to his mother and kissed her cheek softly.
“Morning Mom,” he greeted her softly before going over and starting to take out pots and pans that he would need, half expecting her to give him the cold shoulder treatment too.
“Morning,” Ann replied, half startling him. “How’d you sleep?”
“Good actually. I miss having Ellie close to me.”
“I’m sure if girlfriends didn’t sleep over here so much she would feel more welcome to crawl into bed with you sometimes,” Ann suggested casually while looking down at her breakfast.
“Not you too mom,” Kevin grumbled holding his irritation back but barely. “You haven’t even met her yet please tell me you aren’t going to just go by what everybody else is saying.”
“I just simply made a suggestion that maybe girlfriends shouldn’t spend the night over here so much – I didn’t mention names,” Ann replied calmly. “Nor did I make any judgement about them either.” Kevin rolled his eyes irritably as he crossed the kitchen to get out the pancake mix.
“But we both know you were talking about mine since Jerald’s girlfriend doesn’t sleep over here.”
“I’m just concerned for my Granddaughter is all Kevin,” Ann insisted. “She must be very confused about the two of you…”
“She’s fine.”
“Is she?” Kevin didn’t answer that question, as he himself doesn’t even know the answer right now.
“I understand that you think you love Summer honey, but that doesn’t mean you have to live together. You aren’t married you know…and I’m not sure if it’s particularly good for Ellie either.”
“If it were bad for Ellie, I wouldn’t be doing it.”
“Sometimes love can make you lose sight of right and wrong. Ellie needs you Kevin…from what everybody has been telling me she doesn’t get very much time with you. I wonder how that must make her feel since she just became your daughter and all?” When Kevin didn’t answer, Ann went on. “And why is Summer making decisions about Ellie? is that really wise? She’s not her mother.”
“No but she needs one mom, doesn’t she?”
“Well yes…but you and Summer aren’t married so that doesn’t give her the privilege yet.” Kevin shrugged his shoulders.
“What are your plans for the day?” Ann questioned casually.
“To spend the morning with Ellie and then I thought I would invite Summer over to meet you.”
“How about you, Ellie, Jerald, and the Littrells I spend the day on the beach and have a picnic? Lets make it a family day.”
“But mom you said you would meet Summer.”
“I’m going to be here all week honey. There will be plenty of time for that. I just got here, don’t you want to spend some quality time with your mother?”
“Yeah but mom—“
“--The first three days that I am here I just want it to be family. You see Summer every single day it wont kill you to have sometime without her.”
“But mom—“
“--Look at it this way little brother,” Jerald spoke up, putting his paper down and looking at Kevin. Kevin flinched at the sound of his brother’s voice. “The time away from her will only make your love stronger.” Kevin scowled and narrowed his eyes at Jerald whom he could see was highly enjoying this – their mom flying in from Kentucky and completely taking over. “If you are really meant to be with her then this time away from her will be worth it. And anyway, you owe Ellie big time. Not even you can deny that.”
“Fine,” Kevin scowled. “Mom will you do the honors of calling Brian and making the plans with them?” he asked while getting out Ellie’s TMNT plate and fixing it.
“Already been done,” Ann smiled. “I spoke to Jackie this morning. Josh and Chris have their hearts set on this.”
“Have their hearts set on what?” Elenore’s little voice spoke up as the kitchen door opened and she emerged from behind it.
“Kevin has volunteered to take the entire family to the beach for a picnic today Ellie, isn’t that great?” Jerald asked deviously. Elenore’s mouth dropped in surprise at Jerald’s news and looked to Kevin for confirmation.
“Really daddy?” She asked hopefully. “Just us? The family?”
“Really baby,” Kevin told her forcing a smile. “Just us. Why don’t you sit at the table Ellie? I have a surprise for you.” Elenore eyed him curiously for a moment, and then hurried over to the table and crawled up into her chair next to Ann and she looked at Kevin expectantly. Kevin grabbed up her plate and brought it over to her and he sat it down in front of her. As soon as she looked down at her plate she gasped in surprise. There in front of her were pancakes placed in the form of Mickey Mouse with three soft bacon strips right next to it. Kevin had placed a small cup of chocolate milk beside her plate, a fork, and the syrup bottle deciding he would let her be a big girl and put it on herself – with supervision of course.
“Mickey Mouse! Awesome!” She exclaimed happily, that big smile that he very much wanted to see forming on her face as she marveled over his masterpiece.
“Do you like it baby? I thought I would wake up extra early this morning and surprise you.”
“I loves it daddy! Thank-you!” She told him still very enthused over her breakfast and Kevin chuckled and kissed her cheek softly.
“Your welcome princess,” he told her. “Go ahead and put some syrup on. Mom will you make sure she doesn’t put too much while I make my breakfast now?”
“Sure,” Ann replied when she managed to find her voice to speak after being surprised by Kevin’s gesture herself. Kevin beamed and then went right to work on making his own breakfast and Ann looked to Jerald who sat there in silence but was clearly impressed with his younger brother as well.
~*~*~*~*~
Meanwhile at the Orphanage, Jennifer walked into the lobby after going through security and spotted Brooke standing there going through some papers. She looked up upon seeing Jennifer in the corner of her eye though and when she saw that she was all smiles – something she rarely sees anymore, she raised her eyebrow.
“Hey Jennifer…how are you?”
“I’m great, how are you?” Jennifer asked happily, making Brooke weirded out even more. Is this the same Jennifer that she knew just yesterday? The one who looked like it was a struggle just to keep from falling apart at the littlest thing that didn’t go her way?
“I’m pretty good,” Brooke smiled. “Have you noticed that everybody seems to be in a chipper mood this morning?”
“Well, it is a beautiful day…” Jennifer replied.
“Huh. That’s interesting…my brother said the very same thing,” Brooke informed. “What was interesting about him saying it though, is that he said it even after finding AJ and I locked in a make out session in my office. He didn’t even get mad.” Jennifer gave a nervous little laugh.
“Well, have you seen that sun today Brookie? I think that would make anybody in a good mood” she replied.
“True…” Brooke replied still sounding suspicious.
“Well, I’ma go – I have something I need to take care of. See you later Brooke,” Jennifer replied, and then walked off before Brooke could put the puzzle together. Jennifer headed in the direction of the Hospital wing and when she got there, she poked her head around the corner. Much to her relief, she didn’t see Anna sitting there. She walked out from being hidden and Cyndi caught sight of her.
“Hey Jenn…how are you this morning?” she asked warily.
“I’m good Cyndi, how are you?” Jennifer asked with a small smile. Cyndi raised her eyebrow, but otherwise didn’t comment on this new side to Jennifer.
“I’m doing good too, thanks. What brings you on this side of the building?”
“I was hoping to have a word with Doctor Johnson,” Jennifer began. “Um…Anna wouldn’t happen to be here would she?”
“Nope, just her daughter Julie. She dropped her off here early this morning for Doctor Johnson to watch while she works. Her grandmother apparently wasn’t able to watch her today.”
“Okay…where is he at then? Is he available to talk?”
“He’s in visiting with Donovan right now. I’m sure he won’t mind you going in there, he’s just keeping him company for a little bit.”
“Okay, thanks” Jennifer replied before heading down the hall where she knows the eleven year old’s room is located. When she got down there she peered in the doorway and spotted Donovan their leukemia patient sitting up in bed with magazines spread all over his lap and wearing a bandana and all smiles. Doctor Johnson was standing there looking at a magazine with a curly haired child sitting up on his shoulders – Julie no doubt. Jennifer has never been around to meet the little girl, but despite what she feels about her mother she can’t deny that she is adorable. She has short brown curly hair that touches her shoulders and light brown eyes and she looks very much like her mother. Jennifer won’t hold that against her though. After all, its not like she can help it. And it’s not like its Julie’s fault that her mother is a boyfriend stealer either. Pushing the negative thoughts aside, she moved into view of the handsome doctor and lightly knocked on the door. Doctor Johnson looked at her, the grin on his face suddenly turning to wariness.
“Jennifer?” He asked in such a professional tone that Jennifer’s heart ached and for a brief moment she scolded herself for doing this. Is she ready for this? She has to be. She has to put this all behind her.
“Is it okay if I come in?” She asked softly.
“I don’t think this is really the time or place.” Jennifer looked at him for a couple of moments and the nodded quietly.
“You are right. I shouldn’t have come here, it was a mistake” she told him and then started to turn around.
“Jen…wait.” She paused then, one foot out the door and she looked at his reflection in the window.
“Why don’t you go wait for me in the cafeteria over at the Orphanage? I’ll come have coffee with you. Just let me find a way to busy Julie first okay?” Jennifer nodded quietly and then walked out of the room. Doctor Johnson stared after her for a couple of moments, took a deep breath, and then eyed the children contemplatively.
“You can leave her with me if you want,” Donavan offered gently as he had sensed the tension between the two people that he had once thought would make a cute couple.
“I don’t know about that Don she—“
“--Will be fine,” Donavan insisted. “We’ll play video games and stuff. Please?” Doctor Johnson looked back and fourth between the kids, Julie now down in his arms and when he saw the hope in Donavan’s eyes he knew there was no saying no. He hasn’t had many visitors even remotely close to his age in quite awhile. It would be good for him. Caving, Doctor Johnson sighed.
“Okay, but she’s seven years old and very curious. Please don’t let her leave this room, okay? Her mother will have my head if anything happens to her.”
“It’ll be okay,” Donavan insisted. “I promise.”
“Okay,” Doctor Johnson replied and he warily sat Julie down in the chair next to Donavan’s bed. “Julie I want you to stay here and not go running off around this hospital alone do you understand?”
“Yes, I understand” She told him looking up at the doctor sweetly leaving him no choice but to smile back and melt at her cuteness.
“I’m going to have Cyndi come check on you every once in awhile,” He warned and then walked out of the room.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Ashley opened her eyes to an incessant ringing sound. Grumbling slightly into Nick’s chest at the annoyance of it, she went to roll out of bed only to smack right into something else. Opening her eyes slightly she realized it was the arm rest of the chair and suddenly the memory of last night flashed back into her mind - her and Nick making love for the first time in their bed. It was beautiful and it was special and time seemed to have stood still because he some how managed to make it all about the two of them expressing their suppressed love for one another. And then the second time a couple of hours later when they woke up – they shared wine together, talked a little bit, and then made a different kind of love in the very chair that they lie in together at that moment. Eagerness to explore one another…wild, passionate…oh there was lots of passion. The ringing sound that had awoken Ashley suddenly got louder and it suddenly clicked that it must be the phone. After a couple of more struggles she managed to free herself from Nick’s arms and the chair and she stumbled toward the counter where the phone was. When she got to it, she picked it up, turned it on and placed it to her ear.
“Hello?” she asked sleepily into the phone and only got the dial tone in response. Ring Ring the ringing sound came from across the kitchen and it hit her that it wasn’t the home phone after all, but Nick’s cell. Annoyed at her stupidity, she turned the house phone off and raced across the kitchen, eager to shut the noise up and, worried that the caller would soon give up. When she reached the cell phone she picked it up, flipped it open, and put it to her ear.
“Someone better be bleeding,” She informed and heard Nick’s muffled chuckle.
“Worse,” Brian spoke up on the other end of the phone, the stress in his voice evident immediately waking Ashley up completely.
“Worse?” Ashley asked worriedly. “What could possibly be worse then someone bleeding?” She leaned up against the counter, her body becoming stiff with fear and she heard Nick sit up in the chair. “Brian are my babies okay?”
“I don’t know. Dakota woke up screaming – not her normal I had an every day nightmare scream, but her heart wrenching sobs and I haven’t been able to get her to stop – its been going on for an hour and she keeps demanding I bring her to you. I told her I would try to get you on the phone.”
“Okay…put her on the phone,” Ashley replied seriously. Brian was quiet on the other end for a couple of moments, and then suddenly she heard a child crying. Her child.
“Mommy?” She whimpered weakly into the phone.
“Hey baby…what’s the matter?” Ashley asked while sliding down the counter so she was sitting on the cold tile floor and Nick was suddenly beside her wrapping the bed sheet around her to keep her naked body warm.
“I’m scared an’ wants you to come gets me.”
“Why are you scared? Tell me what happened Kota…”
“I hads a bad dream an’ I wanna makes sure your okay! You haves to be okay!” Dakota wailed.
“I’m fine baby,” Ashley reassured gently. “Daddy is taking very good care of me. It was just a bad dream, you know those aren’t real. Just pictures inside your head, remember what I told you?”
“NO! It was REAL mommy it was VERY real!” Dakota shouted, the hysteria evident in her voice scaring Ashley even more. “You were HURTS mommy an’ there was nothing I coulds do!”
“But I’m not hurt sweetheart, I’m right here in the house with your daddy perfectly safe.”
“But you won’ts be for long…” Ashley was silent for a couple of moments, the urgency in Dakota’s voice making her very nervous.
“Why don’t you tell me all about this nightmare and maybe I can try to help you…”
“I don’ts know all of it, lots of it was kind of confusing…”
“That’s okay just tell me what you remember.”
“Everybody was goin’ crazy…” Dakota began softly. “Grownups were everywhere, the hospital was very busy, us kids – the whole orphanage, hads to stay in one room, an’ somethin’ scary was goin’ on outside buts I don’t know what’s. I couldn’ts find daddy anywheres, an’ you were lyin on the ground hurts an’ bleeding…and nobody was around to helps you” She explained, and then began sobbing all over again.
“I see,” Ashley replied calmly. “Well baby, first of all nobody would ever not be around to help me if something like that was going on. You know that.”
“Everybody was busy an’ somethin’ really bad was goin’ on” Dakota sniffled.
“I understand that sweetheart but that just proves that it was just a rotten nightmare – scary pictures inside your head that aren’t real. Cause your daddy and your uncles…and security and Brooke are all prepared for anything that should go down. If something happens nobody would dare leave me alone.”
“Buts you know as much as I do that dreams sometimes come true.”
“Kota I need you to trust me on this okay? This is just a bad dream. Its not going to come true. You’ve been so stressed out lately over my kidnapping – traumatized even and its causing you to have trouble sleeping. That’s all it is…”
“How do you knows?” Dakota sniffled.
“Because I’m your Ashee…have I ever let you down before?”
“No your nots, you’re my mommy” Dakota insisted firmly, the trauma of her dream causing her to go beyond calling her Ashee.
“Be that as it may, I’ve never let you down in the past baby so why should I start now?”
“Sometimes things happen that you can’ts control…sometimes people just leave you an’ they don’ts mean to.” Ashley felt her eyes threatening to water up, as she knows all too well how true those words are. Her eyes flickered over to a picture frame of her mother on the wall near by. Nick saw this and gently enveloped her in his arms suddenly knowing exactly what direction the conversation has gone in. Ashley took a deep breath as she let a tear drop escape and roll down her face.
“That’s…that’s very true sweetheart…” She began, fighting to keep her voice from faltering as much as possible. “But you know as well as everybody else how stubborn I am, right?”
“Yeah but mommy—“
“—Well, there you go then you see? There is nothing in this world that is ever going to get me to leave you.”
“Buts what if you cants help it?”
“Dakota Ann Carter, you listen to me right now young lady,” Ashley demanded firmly as more tears spilled down her cheeks. “I love you way too much to ever let anybody or anything take me away from you. You are what keeps me going. Do you hear me?”
“Yes…” Dakota whispered tearfully.
“I’m not going anywhere…and I’ll make damned sure of that. I love you Dakota…with my whole heart and nothing can keep me away from you. Nothing.”
“I loves you too,” Dakota replied softly. “When do I gets to come home mommy?”
“Soon sweetheart…” Ashley answered vaguely. “Brian is going to take very good care of you for us. You’re having fun over there aren’t you? Besides the scary dreams?”
“Uh-huhs. Joshy shared his bed withs me since Ellie wanted to stays home with Kevy last night.”
“Ohhh, I see” Ashley replied and she couldn’t help but smile a little as she rubbed at her watery eyes. “That was nice of him.”
“Uh-huhs. Brian puts me an’ Sarah in the spare room buts I ended up getting fed up withs her and sneaking into Joshy’s room.”
“And what did Brian think of that?” Ashley asked slightly amused.
“Well, parently I wasn’t as sneaky as I thoughts cause he video recorded my attempted stealth an’ took lots of pictures of us sleeping.” Ashley laughed at this.
“Well I’m definitely going to have to watch that video that’s for sure,” Ashley told her. She talked to Dakota for a few moments more and soon had her laughing and cheered up. After talking to Dakota she let Nick talk to her, and then the both of them spoke to Sarah, gave her their love and told her to take care of her sister – which she reluctantly agreed to, and then hung up. When they did, Nick gently pulled Ashley into his lap cradling her and he cupped her cheek in his hand before gazing into his eyes with concern.
“Are you okay?” he asked softly.
“Yeah…fine. Its just hard trying to reassure her when I don’t always know for sure myself you know?” Ashley asked softly as her eyes clouded with tears but she managed to keep them at bay.
“I know…” Nick told her softly and he leaned down and kissed her forehead.
“At least I managed not to lie to her,” Ashley replied softly and when he looked down at her curiously, she went on. “There really isn’t anything or anyone who can keep me away from her…if Sean does manage to kill me, I’m stubborn enough that I just might manage to come back as a ghost. Either way I am never leaving her.”
“Is that a promise?” Nick asked softly while gently shifting her in his lap so she is straddling him with the blanket wrapped around her. She wrapped her arms around his neck then and looked into his eyes seriously.
“I’m not going anywhere Nicky,” she told him firmly and she reached up and wiped away a fallen tear from his cheek. She cupped his face in her hands and leaned up and kissed his lips, his nose, his cheeks, his forehead, and he leaned forward and claimed her lips for his own before gently lying her back on the kitchen floor as she kept her legs wrapped around him.
“Fuck…that’s cold…very cold…” Ashley whimpered as her back touched the freezing tile floor and Nick deepened their kisses to silence her. He wasted no time in entering her, needing very much to be inside of her right now. If he could some how make it so they were one, life would be so great right now. He’d do anything to make sure she really doesn’t go anywhere…because life without her is not an option. He slid his hand underneath her head as a pillow and brought his lips down to her neck where he placed soft kisses. Ashley tilted her head back in pleasure and moved her hips up and down with him needing him just as much as he needs her and soon enough all of her fears began to fade away. Soon enough the only thing in the whole world that mattered was her and Nick.
Author's Chapter Notes:
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