It was feeling Rick�s warm body moving away from her which woke Evelyn, and as he sat up she opened her eyes. �What time is it?� she asked as she put her hand over her mouth, to stifle a yawn.
After stretching, Rick turned to face her, leaning down to kiss her soft lips before answering her question. �Almost 7am,� he said as he nuzzled his nose against hers.
�It�s a Saturday morning.�
�Yeah, perfect day to take Alex down to the office and start showing him what he will be doing when he comes to work on Monday,� Rick said. He watched as her brow furrowed. �Evie, we talked this over. He needs to learn about life, more so than he is doing now.�
�But it�s so much. He has his homework, Rugby, and working for you,� Evie said, feeling as though they were expecting too much of Alex.
Rick sighed, and leaned back drawing her to lay against his chest. �I promise not to let this job get in the way of his studies. Most of what he will be doing will be taking notes I draft during the meetings I have lined up for this week. Next week I�ll have him do some work in the factory, but not enough to tire him out,� Rick said as his hand traveled up and down her
back.
�Promise me that if his school work starts to suffer, then we will think of something else for him to do,� Evelyn said as she lifted her head to peer into his gorgeous blue eyes.
�I Promise,� he said as he began to kiss her, then stopped when they heard Heidi calling out to them. �Come in,� he called as he sat up.
The door opened, and their little girl walked in holding her arm against her chest. �It hurts,� she said as she sniffed, and crossed the room to their bed.
Rick picked her up without jostling her sore arm, and laid her next to Evelyn. Then walked into their bathroom and got the bottle of baby aspirin out of their medicine cabinet. After getting out two small pink tablets, Rick put the bottle back, and returned to his daughter and wife. �Here baby, take these,� Rick said.
Heidi sat up and chewed both pills, then settled down against his pillow shutting her eyes.
By now, Evelyn was wide awake, and decided to get up, and make a call to Dr. Fitzgibbens, to have him come over and take a look at her arm, to make certain nothing was broken.
While Evelyn started to dress, Rick pulled on a pair of slacks, then walked down the hall to Alex�s room, which was to his right, and opened the door.
Alex was still asleep, huddled into the covers, and Rick knew he wasn�t going to be happy about being woken up this early, on a Saturday morning, but they had things they needed to do. �Alex,� Rick said as he reached out and gently patted his shoulder.
�Go way,� he mumbled.
�Alex, you need to get up and get dressed,� Rick said, remaining where he was.
Alex groaned then lifted his head, opening his tired eyes to look at his father. �It�s a Saturday,� he said as he yawned.
�I know, but I have a few things I need to get from my office, and you need to get aquatinted with the job you will be starting come Monday morning,� he said. He watched as Alex hid his head in his Pillow.
�Okay, I�ll get up,� he said as he sat up in his bed.
Rick nodded his head. �We leave in 45 minutes,� he said, then left to finish getting dressed.
*********
While the guys went to Rick�s office, Evelyn sat in the parlor, waiting for Dr. Fitzgibbens to finish looking at her baby�s arm. As she waited, Jonathan walked in, wearing a black tuxedo, looking exhausted. Even though he was tired, he didn�t miss the worried look in her eyes. �What�s going on?� he asked as he sat beside her.
Before Evelyn could fill him in, Heidi appeared at the top of the stairs, and hurried down them, hurdling herself into Evelyn�s arms. �I don�t want to go to the Hospital,� she sobbed.
Dr. Fitzgibbens was quick to follow, and explained to Evelyn that an X ray was needed to get a look at the bone. �I tried to explain to her that it was just a picture,� he said.
�It�s all right, thank you for coming on such short notice,� she said.
�I�ll be waiting,� he said, then turned to leave. Marie came from the kitchen, and went with him to see him out, while Jonathan and Evelyn prepared Heidi for her journey.
*******
Alex had been to his father�s office several times before, but had never really been interested in what exactly his dad did. Now he was getting a look into that, and was finding it not to be so bad.
�Did Sam have to teach you all of what you know now, or did you know some about designing boats?� Alex asked as his dad showed him different tools.
�No, I�ve always had a knack for drawing, and I think that came from my mother. She was amazing with paints, and I think every picture that hung in our house, was something she had made,� Rick said, as he put away the last of the tools he used to draft out blueprints for different ships.
�Have you ever contacted them?� Alex asked.
�Nope. Come on, I�ll show you the latest yacht we built for a man living in France,� Rick said as he guided his son out of his office, and down the hall leading to the factory where the ships were made.
******
While Evelyn signed them in, Heidi sat on her uncles lap, huddled against him, very unhappy to be where they were.
The waiting room was full of people of all ages, and it was warm, much more so than it was outside. Jonathan had taken his coat off before taking Heidi, so Evelyn could sign her in, but Heidi still had her creme colored wool coat on, over her long sleeved navy blue dress. �Why don�t we get your coat off?� Jonathan tried.
�Noo,� she said as she buried her face against his chest.
Evelyn finished, and walked over to where her brother was sitting, on a white sofa. �Heidi, I brought a few books for us to read,� Evelyn said as she settled next to them.
�I want daddy here,� she said as she lifted her head from Jon�s chest.
The thought had crossed her mind to call Rick, but Evelyn had let it go, knowing that he needed to spend time with Alex, which was another reason he had decided to start Alex at the Factory. �I know angel, and when we get home, he should be there, and you can tell him about today,� Evie said.
�It�s going to hurt too much,� she said softly, resting her cheek against her uncle�s chest.
�Not too much,� Jonathan said. �Do you know what an X ray is?� he asked.
She looked at him and nodded her head, and then shook it.
�All they will do is have you lay on an examining table, and they will pull a giant camera over your arm, then they take a picture and that is all they will do,� he said as he gently hugged her.
�It won�t hurt?� she asked.
�Not at all,� he said, hoping they wouldn�t find anything more than just the bruising that was all over the top of her arm.
�Heidi O�Connell,� a nurse with blond hair called out. Jonathan stood up, and both he and Evelyn followed the nurse into the back, Heidi still in his arms.
The nurse led them to a small room and instructed them to put a hospital gown on her then left them to do so.
�Uncle Jon, you need to go out while Mummy helps me,� Heidi said as he took her coat off of her.
Jonathan left the room, waiting in the hall, until the door opened, and Evelyn told him to enter. While they waited he told Heidi about a time when Evelyn had broken her arm. �She was a baby, and I was chasing her in the Parlor, trying to get my bear away from her, when she tripped on the carpeting, and fell right on her arm,� Jonathan said.
�Hmm, I seem to recall mother telling me that you pushed me down,� Evelyn said, which caused Heidi to giggle.
�I would never do that to my sweet baby sister,� he said, acting hurt.
�What happened after that? Did your mummy spank you because you hurt my mummy?� Heidi asked, itching to know the rest of the story.
�You�re mum was so upset, that our mother was too busy tending to her, though I do recall I was sent to my room to wait for our father to arrive,� Jonathan said, amazed that he could remember something so clearly from when he had been only four years old.
The knob on the door turned, and Heidi got off the chair she had been sitting in and ran over to Jonathan. �Don�t let them take me,� she said as she huddled into his arms.
�Shh, remember what I said?� he asked as he gently rocked her.
�If it hurts I�ll never ever talk to you again,� she snapped.
�Heidi, that was very rude,� Evelyn scolded, which only caused her to start crying again. The day was turning out to be very long for everyone involved.
*******
It was a little past lunch when Rick and Alex arrived home, and only Marie was there, having made a fresh pot of chicken soup, as well as fresh baked bread.
As they sat down at the table, Rick inquired about Evelyn and Heidi.
�Dr. Fitzgibbens was worried she may have broken her arm, and sent them to the hospital to have it checked,� she said.
Rick shot up out of his chair. �Which one?�
�London General,� she said, as she brought Alex his meal.
Rick hurried to the front of the house and grabbed his coat. As he was getting it on the door opened, and in walked his daughter. She had on a navy sling, and her arm was in a cast from her shoulder down to her hand. He also noticed that she seemed perfectly fine.
�Daddy, I have a crack on my bone, where the bruise is, and they said that was making it hurt so bad. Dr. Fitzgibbens put this cast on me, and Mummy and Uncle Jon and me went to the store and I got a new baby doll,� Heidi said as the rest of the family walked into the house.
Rick knelt down and when Heidi walked into his arms, he hugged her gently, glaring at Evelyn, who merely passed him by. �Hey baby, will you let Uncle Jon take you to a picture show?� Rick asked.
�OH yes,� she practically screamed.
Jonathan had caught his brother-in-laws glare, as Evelyn passed him by, and knew that Rick was going to give her a piece of his mind, for not calling him to let him know what was happening.
�Come on pixie, let�s see if there isn�t something good showing today,� Jon said as he took her right hand. Pixie was his nick name for her; a name both Alex and he called her, and had been calling her since her birth.
*****
In the Kitchen, Alex had finished his lunch and was telling Evelyn about their moring when his father walked in. �Alex will you excuse us?�
�Sure,� he said, catching the hint of anger in his dad�s voice, and was very glad it wasn�t him he was angry with this time.
When Alex was gone, Rick walked over to the table and pulled a chair out from under it then sat down. �Why the hell didn�t you call me Evelyn?� he asked, starring at her.
�Rick, it is just a fracture, and....�
�She was taken to the hospital, and that is more than enough for you to call me,� he said as he stood up. �A fracture is a pretty damn big deal if you ask me, and I would have like to have been there for my daughter, but you couldn�t seem to be bothered to call me,� he said, ending his sentence with a yell.
Being yelled at, wasn�t anything Evelyn ever tolerated and she also stood up. �How dare you come in here and start spouting off at me like that. The only reason I decided not to call you, was because I thought you needed time with our son. Heidi did just fine with Jonathan and I there. Now if you will excuse me, I have a few things I want to prepare for tomorrow�s opening at the museum,� she yelled.
When she left, Rick sat down hard in the chair he had pulled out. She of coarse was right. This morning had been a good start for both he and Alex, and both of them had needed that. Likely it never would have taken place had he have known that Heidi was going to end up having a cast put on her arm. Now he had to think of a way to make up to his wife, and remembered a few weeks ago when she had begged for him to go to the Opera, a show which was taking place tonight. Quickly he ran to the phone and called the theater, and got in touch with the manager, a good friend of both of theirs, who pulled a few strings and said they would have two balcony seats waiting.
Once he had that lined up, Rick called a Greek Restaurant they liked, and made reservations for two, then went upstairs to Alex�s room knocking lightly on the door.
With all the time he had on his hands, Alex had decided to clean out his closet, something his mum had been after him to do for months, and had just pulled the last crate out when his father knocked on the door. �Come in,� he called out.
Rick did, seeing the huge mess, but ignored it. �Hey pal, can I ask a favor?�
�Aww, dad no, I�m not ready to handle her tonight,� he said.
�You don�t have to, I know you and Jonathan had talked about going to the picture show to see that war film, so I�ll lift your grounding for that, and get Megan to come and watch your sister for us. I need to repair the damage I did for yelling at your mum,� he said grinning at his boy, who had a huge smile on his face.
Alex agreed to that, and got back to what he was doing.
Rick�s� next move was to call Megan, and was glad when she agreed to come over and take care of Heidi. With everything in order, he left the house, and headed for the museum to ask his wife out on a date.
*******
In her office, Evelyn sat at her desk staring at the inventory list the curator had left for her to look over. She had been looking at it for over an hour, and finally pushed it away. What Rick said, had really hurt her feelings, though she realized she should have at least called him to let him know what was happening with Heidi. Evie jumped when someone knocked on the door.
�Come in,� she called out. When she looked up she found Rick standing at the door with a dozen red roses, and ran to him hugging him as tight as she could. �I�m sorry I didn�t call you,� she said, as he set the flowers down on a small stand by the door.
�Don�t be, I should trust you, and I do, I guess I�m just protective where our daughter is concerned. Evelyn, do you mind going with me to the Opera?�
At that Evelyn pulled out of his arms. �But you hate the Opera,� she said as she felt her eyes tear up.
�But I love you, and I can stand one night of screaming fat ladies, just to make you happy,� he said as he pulled her back into his arms and kissed her soundly on the lips.
When they parted she looked up at him with her beautiful hazel eyes. �I love you Richard O�Connell,� she said, then pulled his head to her�s and kissed him, not realizing that he had pushed the door shut with his foot, nor realizing that she was being lifted into his arms, until they parted for air, briefly before they began to kiss again, neither one caring about being in the museum where anyone could walk in on them.
*********
When she found out that everyone was going out accept for her, Heidi was most unhappy, and as her parents prepared to go out, she stood in their room with her good arm crossed over her chest. �It�s not fair,� she said again as Evelyn walked out of the closet carrying a royal blue dress, with a long slit going up the left side.
�Angel, you were able to go to the picture show with Uncle Jon today, and you need to rest,� Evelyn said as she unzipped the back of the dress.
�Well I want to go again,� she yelled.
�Heidi Grace O�Connell, you do not yell at me,� Evelyn said as she put the dress down and looked down at her daughter.
Heidi pouted. �I don�t care anymore,� she said.
Rick had finished shaving and walked out of the bathroom. �You will care when I spank your bottom,� he warned. He loved his baby with all his heart, but when she was disrespectful to either of them, he didn�t tolerate that.
�Heidi, why don�t you go downstairs and help Alex and Uncle Jon set up your fort,� Evelyn said hoping to get her mind on something else.
Rick had returned to the bathroom, and was starting to comb his hair when Heidi yelled again, and that for him was the last straw.
*********
Alex remembered how fun it was to make a fort, using blankets, and taking chairs from the dining room, setting them up so that three chairs were in a row on one side, and three chairs were in a row across from them. They had just finished stretching the blankets across the chairs, when they heard Heidi�s approaching cries as Rick carried her down stairs.
�Heidi look,� Alex said.
�Don�t want to,� she mumbled, her head resting against her father�s shoulder.
Rick sat down on one of the sofas, and in a minute she had quieted, and with her brother and Uncle�s persuasion went to inspect her fort, letting Rick finish getting ready.
�Wow, Megan and me will camp out, like you and daddy do when you go in the woods,� Heidi said as she scooted into her fort.
While she settled in, Alex got her new baby and brought that too her, then crawled in with her. �Heidi, I�m sorry I broke your arm,� he said, feeling worse now that it actually was broken.
�It�s not broked, just it has a crack on the bone, and It�s not a bad thing because I got Lilly,� she said as she hugged her baby.
�Hey partner, if we want to be on time, we need to head out,� Jonathan called.
�Well, have fun with Megan,� he said as he crawled out, shaking his head as she began to sing to her baby.
At the front door, as they were getting their coats on, someone knocked, and when Jonathan opened the door, Megan was there.
Alex had his back to the door, but when he turned and saw her all he could do was stare. She wasn�t wearing anything fancy, and fact had on a pair of gray slacks, and a white button down shirt, as well as a gold chain he had gotten for her a few months ago.
Jonathan watched the two of them for a moment. �Kiss her, and lets go,� he said knowing that if Rick or Evelyn knew he had let them kiss they would likely have his head, but he felt sorry for them.
Alex kissed her hard, dipping is tongue into her mouth, then managed to pull away and leave before his parents found them that way.
For long moments after he left, Megan stood dazed, then shook her head and went to find Heidi, which was her reason for being there.
*********
For almost two hours, Megan and Heidi played house with her babies, then they ate some of Marie�s chicken soup for dinner, and now they were in Heidi�s room getting ready for bed.
�I need my aspirin,� Heidi said once her night gown was on.
�Do you know where it is?� Megan asked.
�In mummy and daddy�s bathroom,� she said as she began to whimper.
�Okay, not to worry, I�ll go get you some,� she said as she helped Heidi get into bed. Finding the bottle was easy, finding it empty was not so easy, and when Megan returned and told Heidi, the tears flowed.
�I need them to make my arm not hurt,� she sobbed as Megan tried to soothe her. While she had been playing, she hadn�t thought about her arm, but now that she was being still, it was throbbing, mostly due to the Doctor touching it and putting the cast on her.
Megan tried all she could to calm her down, but Heidi was in pain, and she finally had to call the Opera house hoping she could convince the people on the other end to go get Rick or Evelyn.
*******
While Evelyn was very into the Opera, looking down at the actors with the special binoculars the theater provided, Rick was bored out of his mind, and was doing his best not to go to sleep.
�Oh Rick, this is so beautiful, do you want to see?� Evelyn asked as she offered him the binoculars.
�Sure,� he said as he held them to his eyes, and looked at the fat ladies as they screamed about something in Italian, a language he didn�t understand.
As he watched them, A man walked in to the balcony area where they were seated, and whispered something into Evelyn�s ear, then left. Rick felt her hand on his arm and leaned back in the seat, ready to let her watch the rest of the show while he slept.
�Megan says Heidi doesn�t have any aspirin, we need to get home to our daughter,� she whispered.
Another guilt trip, Rick had meant to stop by the apothecary to get more aspirin for her, and now that would have to wait till morning. He got Evelyn�s coat and his, and once in the main hall he helped her put her coat on, then got his on and the two of them headed home.
******
Bundled up, in not only their coats, but also with blankets wrapped around both of them, Megan and Heidi sat on the front stoop waiting for Rick and Evelyn to arrive home. Heidi was sitting on Megan�s lap, sitting cross ways, with her good arm pressed against her chest. �I want my daddy and my mommy home,� she said softly.
�I know you do, and they shouldn�t be too much longer,� Megan said as she pulled the blankets more closely around them.
Not to long after that they arrived, and Megan stood as Evelyn came running to them.
�I need my aspirins,� Heidi said as Evie took her. �Thank you so much for staying with her, Rick is waiting to take you home,� Evie said as she held her baby against her left hip.
�It was no problem. I hope you feel better.�
�Bye Megs,� Heidi said, and gave her a kiss, then rested her cheek against Evelyn�s shoulder. They watched as the car pulled away, then Evie took her daughter inside to try and get he to sleep without aspirin, guessing it was going to be a long night.
*****
An hour and a half later, Jonathan and Alex arrived home from their movie, and when they walked into the parlor, they found Rick and Evelyn laying on a huge pallet made up of lots of blankets and pillows, with Heidi asleep against Rick�s chest.
�No aspirin,� whispered Rick.
Heidi lifted her head from his chest looking at her brother then her uncle. �They have to stay with us and camp here,� she said as she sat up rubbing her eyes.
�Hmm, that sounds fun,� Alex said as he took his shoes off, and settled down beside Evelyn.
�Daddy scoot over, and let Uncle Jon lay next to mommy and I will be here,� she said.
Jonathan had intended on going back out, but was now stuck. He considered telling her no, then saw O�Connells glare, and decided to stay put. Once he had his shoes off, he crawled onto their pallet next to his baby sister, and once everyone had a blanket, Heidi was happy and settled down, laying against her father�s chest. �Uncle Jon, did mommy go camping with you and grandfather Carnahan?� Heidi asked as she sat back up.
Rick reached up and gently tugged on a lock of Heidi�s soft hair. �You need to go to sleep. Uncle Jon can tell you a story, but I want you to lay still,� he said.
She sighed, and once again rested against his chest sticking her fingers into her mouth, listening while her uncle and her mum told her all about the time Evelyn had gone camping with the men, and fell asleep just as the story started to get interesting.
While she slept Rick and Alex had to keep from laughing while Jonathan told them about Evelyn�s first encounter with a frog in her shirt. For most of the night they both talked about that trip, a trip, Evie described as the most horrid time of her life.
The sun was just starting to come out when Jonathan left the group to sleep in his own bed. Everyone else was asleep, but only for a short while, until Heidi would be up, ready for a new day, despite how tired anyone else might be.
MORE SOON