Jalen unlocked her front door and walked inside. She found four of her younger siblings sitting in the living room watching television. When they heard her come in, they all turned to look at her, but it was Omari who got up and came over as the rest of her sisters gave some form of greeting.
“Hey, Jae,” Omari greeted, wrapping her little arms around her.
Jalen reached down and picked her up. “Hey, Bitty,” she responded, calling her by the nickname she vaguely remembered their mother giving her as a baby.
“How was work?” Landon asked.
“It was good. One of my patients got to go home today.”
‘That’s good,” Mikal stated.
“Kodi made enchiladas,” Nathan said.
“She made fiesta corn too!” Omari exclaimed excitedly. It was one of the little girl’s favorite side dishes. So, she wasn’t surprised that she was so excited about it.
“I got to put your plate in the microwave,” Nathan informed.
Jalen smiled at her. “Thank you, Itty.”
Putting her youngest sibling down, Jalen entered the kitchen. She opened the microwave to see what type of container they had put it in. Once she removed the lid from the Tupperware container, she warmed it up. Going to the refrigerator, she pulled out a bottle of water.
When her food was warm, she took it out and sat at the table to eat while her sisters continued to watch television.
Jalen finished her food and then washed her dishes before going back into the living room. It was ten minutes to nine, and normally she would send her youngest three siblings to bed, butit was a Friday night. It was their normal routine to watch a movie together on Friday nights when she was off.
So instead she went to her bedroom to shower.
Once done with her shower, she dressed in a pair of shorts and a tank top. She returned to the living room and took a seat in the empty spot on the loveseat.
“We’re going to watch The Princess and the Frog,” Omari announced.
“Again?” Mikal asked.
“Yes, because it’s my turn to pick,” Omari countered.
The movie started, and it wasn’t long before Nathan had settled in Jalen’s lap. They were only about thirty minutes into the movie, and Jalen looked over to see Omari, who was nestled in Landon’s lap, fast asleep. She then looked down to see that Nathan was sleeping too.
As gently as possible, she shifted her younger sister before standing with the child in her arms. She walked down the hall, into their bedroom, and laid Nathan in the top bunk and tucked her in. Grateful that either Kodi or Landon had already had them change into their pajamas.
She returned to the living room to take Omari from Landon and put her in the bottom bunk.
Jalen went back into the living room. This time, sitting on the couch with Mikal and Landon.
“Kal, you can change the movie since they’re sleeping,” Jalen told her.
“No, it’s fine. We can finish this.”
Jalen held in a laugh. As much as she complained about Omari choosing the movie, Mikal liked it just as much.
Settling in to finish it, Jalen ensured her phone was close by, so she could pick up Kodi when she called.
4
Jalen sat at the nurse’s station, inputting information into her patient’s files. She only had a few more hours before the end of her shift. She didn’t have many patients assigned to her for the day, so it had been pretty relaxed. She had just finished keying in the last patient’s vitals when someone stepped up to the station.
“Hey, how can I help you?” she questioned. It only took her a few seconds to recognize the person. “You’re Alynn’s uncle. Is everything alright? She didn’t get an infection or anything, did she?” she inquired worried.
“Rohan,” he reminded, as if she could have forgotten. “And no, she’s perfectly fine. I’m actually here to see you.”
