“Yeah, Uncle Adrian said he can’t play the drums for a long time. I brought him my favorite bear,” she reached behind her and pulled out a cute brown bear out of the backpack I hadn’t realized she’d been wearing. She was adorable.
“I bet he’s still in the living room if you want to go give it to him. Just remember, be careful. Don’t plop on the couch and don’t touch his shoulder, okay?” They both nodded in synchronization and then hurried towards the living room. I looked back at Adrian and Ethan.
“Is dinner done? It smells - weird.” Adrian made a disgusted face and walked into the kitchen. “What the hell.” I heard him say.
“Yeah, that’s why I help with the cooking at home. If it’s not chicken nuggets or pancakes she’s kind of lost,” Ethan chuckled. He was teasing, but his eyes revealed nothing but love.
I reached for the baby and took him from Ethan. Giving him a big kiss on his chubby cheeks, I took him to the living room to see Mark. He was sitting on the couch, looking miserable. He was looking at the TV, but his eyes were glazed over. Jimmy’s bear sat next to him, keeping him company.
“He’s probably a little gone right now. He was scheduled for his meds about half an hour ago.” Adrian came up behind me and explained.
“How was he when I was sleeping?” I asked. Ethan stepped past me and grabbed the playpen we kept packed up in the corner. He unfolded it and clicked it into place. I brought Blue over and set him inside as his dad grabbed his little box of toys and tossed them inside the playpen. Standing up straight I turned back to Adrian.
“You’d have to ask the two chefs in there,” he glanced towards the kitchen. I started steaming again, just thinking about them. Adrian chuckled.
“I had to go get the baby so Chase could go to radiation. But when I was here, he was mostly just angry. He wants to get back to work. You know how he is.”
I nodded, going to sit with my husband. He turned his head towards me and gave me a half smile.
“Hey baby. I can’t feel a thing.” I laughed and kissed his good shoulder.
“Well that’s good.”
“Can I have some pudding now?” He asked. Despite not wanting to go into the kitchen I stood up to go get the prepackaged cups I had bought earlier. Sure enough, they were in the fridge. I pulled them out and gave both Derek and Cleo a pointed look. They saw me and both looked away quickly.
“The mop is in that cupboard,” I told them as I grabbed a spoon. Derek shot a glare at me, but I didn’t back down. He sighed and told Cleo to go grab it.
Sitting back down with Mark I opened the packs and helped him figure out how to use his left hand. Of course, him being high off his rocker didn’t help the situation. He ended up a mess with chocolate everywhere.
Slowly everyone poured into the room and while we waited for dinner to cook, we watched TV. I was content in spending my evening like this when my phone rang and reminded me of my other obligations. I pulled my phone from my back pocket and swore. It was a text from Thomas.
EVERYTHING OKAY? YOU STILL COMING TO REHEARSAL?
“What’s wrong?” Cleo asked, her brows furrowed with worry.
“I forgot about rehearsal.”
“Oh, we can hold down the fort for you. Go.” I shot her a look and she held her hands up.
“I won’t step a foot in the kitchen. I swear. Seriously. We all understand the importance of rehearsal,” she said and everyone more or less agreed.
“Plus, I really don’t think Mark even realizes you’re sitting next to him right now, so I doubt he’ll notice if you leave for a while,” Adrian joked. Everyone chuckled and even I could agree with that. Looking up at him, I saw he was slowly closing his eyes.
“I’ll have dinner with you guys and get him settled and then go,” I decided.
Despite Derek’s first attempt at dinner, I was able to salvage it and dinner wasn’t half bad. Of course, he took credit for it. I didn’t feel like arguing about it. My stomach was turning, making me not up for much conversation.
Guilt was slowly seeping into my stomach as I finished cleaning up and getting Mark comfortable on the couch. I grabbed a blanket and laid him down. Taking another dose of his meds after eating made him drowsy. It didn’t feel right leaving him to go have fun with my friends- with Thomas.
Before he drifted off to sleep Jimmy handed him her bear and he clutched it tightly in his good arm. The twins went up to the playroom while the adults relaxed with Mark. I thanked them again and grabbed my keys.
Heading to the theater I couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that I shouldn’t be going. My husband needed me. I mean, he didn’t, but he did. Everyone else could handle helping him and his meds, but I was supposed to be his moral support.
When I got there, everyone was waiting for me. I apologized and explained what had happened. Everyone nodded and seemed sympathetic and understanding. When I glanced at Thomas, even though he was smiling politely, I could see that it didn’t reach his eyes. His eyes looked sad.
Stacie wanted to go over last night’s scene.
“Did you guys get a little more comfortable with each other last night?” She asked us. I glanced at Thomas and he smirked. I blushed.
