New Family Members

Disclaimer: They're not min, wishing, but prolly never gonna happen.

Rating: G

Summary: pretty much what the title says. A few new members to the family, with some dramatic parts in the middle.

 

"Mum, come here!" five year old Alex called to his mother running up to her and dodging through the mass of people blocking him from his parents.

Since his birthday last month his mother had finally decided to let him wander away from their side while shopping at the marketplace, in the crowded streets of Cairo.

"Yes Alex?" She asked, looking up from the stand of fruit in front of her to her son, who was all too much like his father.

"Mum, can I keep him?" He questioned, sticking up a little calico kitten in her face.

"Alex, you already have a cat, and you never pay attention to her." She grumbled seeing the pathetic little creature mew as Alex held it by it's scruff for her to see. "It's awfully skinny, and it doesn't look too healthy."

"Evie, Evie look." Rick called as he walked up behind her and she turned to see a small puppy looking back up at her.

"Oooh, you guys!" She grumbled and merely walked away from her two men. "It's your decision Richard O'Connell." She shouted back and continued to look at various fruits and vegetables.

Rick looked down at his son who had a tiny kitten in his arms, and Alex looked up at his father who had a tiny puppy in his hands. "Well, since it's my decision, I suppose that it couldn't hurt could it?" Alex shook his head and pet the tiny kitten as Rick paid the man for him.

"Rick, come here." Evie called back to her husband and looked sadly into a cage in front of her. Three pure white kittens mewed loudly, all skinny like the one Alex had just purchased, as a sign perched on the top of the small cage read Three Pounds per kitten, good meat.

Rick smiled at his wife, and looked up at the man at the stand. "We'll take them." He handed over the money and took them out of the cage, placing them into the basket Evie was carrying and lightly raised his eyebrows at Evelyn as Alex held back laughter.

"What? I couldn't let someone eat them, they are after all kittens." She smiled and leaned up to kiss him lightly as the puppy yipped. "Well, let's go home."

She announced, and the new family walked back to the large summer home they had purchased before the manor in England.

Stepping through the door Jonathan was just putting on his coat as he gawked at the four new kittens and the puppy Rick was carrying. "I don't even want to know." He grumbled and left for his usual night on the town.

 

Later that night, Evelyn Rick and Alex all three sat in the living room. Having moved the furniture back they had the new family members wandering about the room. The puppy, which wasn't too much bigger than the three-year old cat Duchess that was already living in the house, sat on Rick's lap. He was a Jack Russell, and, according to Evelyn, the cutest thing she'd ever seen. The kittens were batting at each other, and after stuffing themselves had began to get frisky.

"Well Alex, what shall we name this one?" Evelyn asked lightly, picking up one white kitten with cream colored paws.

"Hmmm." He thought aloud, and finally it clicked.

"Bastet!" He grinned, and Evelyn nodded, kissing its head lightly as she set it back down. "I'll name this one John, after Uncle John," he said, picking up the calico and holding it tight to him.

"Well, we'll name this one Evie, after mom." Alex grinned, petting the white kitten with a brown spot over its left eye.

"One left Alex, who shall this one be?" Rick asked as the remaining kitten climbed up his back and onto his shoulder. She sat there and mewed lightly, licking Rick's ear.

"Polly. She looks like a parrot sitting there." He laughed and Rick lifted the kitten off his shoulder, seeing a cream colored tail as the only distinctive mark on little furry white body.

"Polly, Evie, Bastet and John, welcome to the family." He laughed as they began tackling the puppy, which had yet to be named.

"What about the puppy?" Alex asked, yawning and coming over to sit on Rick's lap. "How about Captain?" He suggested, and the family smiled.

"How about Captain Puppers?" Evelyn suggested, and Alex giggled and nodded, leaning against Rick's chest.

He stood up holding Alex close as they made their way upstairs. Rick got Alex ready for bed and the kittens walked in behind them, jumping up into the soft covers as Alex climbed in. He noted the massive ball of fur at the bottom of his bed, and looked up at Rick as he grabbed a book off of Alex's bookshelf.

"Dad, do people actually eat kittens?"

"Well son, here in Egypt, things are a lot different than in England. People here eat whatever they can, and whenever they can. Yes, some people do eat kittens." He answered and saw Alex lean back as Rick began reading the book titled Aesops Fables. By the third fable Alex was out like a light, and Rick pulled the covers up over his sons body, waking the kittens up. Evie the Cat didn't want to cooperate with Rick and climbed up to chew on Alex's ear, so he grabbed the kitten and carried them into the master bedroom where Evie was

reading a book by light, Captain Puppers sitting curled up on her lap. He handed her the kitten named after her, and she smiled, setting her book down to accept the small feline.

"Well, I guess this is a whole new life for us, isn't it?" He asked as Evie rolled over, upsetting the puppy as it flopped in between the couple. He just curled back up, and wen back to sleep, the kitten joining him as Evie the Cat curled up against Captain's stomach.

"I suppose." She smiled and the couple fell asleep next to two of the five new members of the family.

 

"Richard! That dog of yours!" Evelyn yelled at her husband, as Captain took off around the corner.

It had been a couple months since they had purchased the pets, and they were all getting to be a handful.

"What ever he did, I'll take full responsibility for." He walked in and saw the tablecloth wrinkled on the floor, along with tonight's dinner. He looked up at Evelyn, who had her hands on her hips, and was tapping her foot in that motherly style.

"Rick, we really need to talk." She grumbled and the couple set to getting the kitchen cleaned up as Jonathan walked in.

"What hit here?" He questioned as he saw Rick with a mop, and Evelyn busy picking up the occasional green bean.

"The dog." Evie grumbled as she looked out the kitchen window to see Alex playing with the puppy out back. He laughed as Captain tripped him and he went tumbling into the grass, the dog instantly on him licking his face. "We can't take him back to England with us, and school starts next week. He'd be a disaster to the manor." She turned to Rick, knowing it was more his dog than Alex's was was. He was a companion, while to Alex, Captain was a good friend.

"I'm sorry honey, but..." she didn't finish, and Rick nodded, giving her a weak smile.

"It's okay. I was kind of wondering if we could take him to England, and then give him up. I'm afraid that if we give him to a family here he'd be eaten." He joked and Alex ran in, Captain on his heels.

 

It was Alex's first day of school, and he was happy to be back in England. His best friend Daniel met him in the hallway. "Alex! How was Egypt?" He questioned lightly, and Alex told him all about the kittens and Puppers, making him smile.

The day went by slowly, and Alex waited impatiently for the bell to ring so he could get home to play with Captain. The teacher said good bye to the class, and Alex made a dash for home, and ran up the steps, walking through the front door he yelled.

"Captain? Come here boy!" But the puppy didn't come running like it usually did.

He wandered around the house, and only found two kittens, Polly and John. "Evie? Bastet? Come on girls, come here." He called, yet they didn't come either. He walked through the back door and saw Evie sitting on the porch, and he walked up to her. "I'm home." He smiled and kissed her cheek lightly.

"Hey sweety, how was your day?" She asked and he hopped up onto her lap looking up at her.

"Where's Captain? I can't find him anywhere." He ignored her first question and looked her straight in the eye.

She sighed, and kissed his head. "Alex, Captain isn't going to be here with us anymore. He's too wild of a puppy to have in this place, and he'd break everything. Your father and I decided that two pets were enough, Captain and Evie and Bast went to the shelter downtown. They'll find good homes honey, I promise."

"No mom." He cried and jumped off her lap. "Go get them!" He yelled as Rick came to the porch where they were sitting.

"Alex, don't yell at your mother!" He scolded and carefully pulled his son to him.

Alex wiggled away from him, pushing him back. "No! You don't just give up family members!" Tears leaked from his eyes and spilled down his cheeks as he back away from his parents. "I hate you!" He yelled and took off through the path behind the house, leading into the woods.

"ALEX!" Rick yelled and stood up, angered at his son's sudden outburst. A gentle hand on his arm pulled him back down.

"Rick, don't be mad at him. Right now I don't blame him, but it wasn't easy for any of us. Don't be angry at him." She begged and saw him calm down, yet his brow stayed furrowed.

He sighed and the couple went inside to start lunch.

"Alex! Lunch is ready love, come on inside." Evie called out the back door, but he didn't come running. "Do you think I should go get him?"

"Nah. Leave him alone for a little while. When he gets hungry I'm sure that he'll come home." Rick pulled her back to the table and they ate a quiet lunch together.

"Hi, is Daniel home?" Alex asked as he knocked on his best friend's door.

Daniel's mother led him to his room and Alex knocked lightly.

"Come on in." He called, and Alex walked into the room seeing his friend busy with his army men. "Hey Alex, I thought you were going home to play with your puppy."

"Mom and dad gave him away. I'm runnin' away, you want to come?"

"Sure. Where we gonna run off to?" Daniel jumped up and the two boys walked down the steps and outside.

"I don't know, but I'm not goin' home. They obviously don't love me anymore." He grumbled and got teary eyed as they walked down the street heading to downtown London.

"Well, would you mind if I went home after a little while, I like runnin' away, but I like goin' back home as well." Daniel asked and Alex nodded.

"Sure."

The boys walked into downtown London, and headed straight for the toy store.

"Why we goin' in here? We can't even buy anything, we don't have any money."

Daniel grumbled but followed Alex anyway.

"They have the new train set put up, and I want to see it." Alex announced and they looked back and forth across the busy street. The light turned red and the officer standing by waved them over.

"Afternoon gentlemen." He smiled and waited until they were across to let oncoming traffic pass through.

They spent two hours at the toy store when Daniel looked up at the clock on the front desk.

"Gee Alex, it's getting pretty late, I should probably get home." He said and Alex nodded.

"Here you go boys, just a little something for my two favorite customers." The sales clerk handed them each a lollypop and a toy soldier. The boys smiled and walked out of the store.

"Come on, I'll walk you home."

"What about you? Aren't you going to go home to sleep?"

"Nope. Runnin' away means you go away. I'm big enough to take care of myself."

Alex grinned and made his soldier stand tall. "En guard!" He laughed and they boys played together, clashing their new toys into one another, and pretending like they were in a huge battle.

"Hey look, my soldier can fly." Alex chirped and tossed it into the air. It went slightly to the left, and he looked up and walked to the side, trying to catch it so it wouldn't hit the ground and break.

"Alex, look out!" Daniel called, and a blaring car horn filled the air as the man inside the car slammed on his brakes, but not in time. The front end of the car smashed into Alex's body sending him flying away from the vehicle by four feet. The police officer stopped all traffic and the man jumped out of the car as they each ran to the injured Alex. "ALEX!" Daniel cried and ran out to where the man was examining him.

"He's not breathing." He announced and began to administer CPR.

"Daniel, go get Mr. and Mrs. O'Connell, tell them what happened and that he's going to be taken to the hospital." The officer ordered and the scared little boy nodded. He took off down the road and headed for O'Connell Manor.

"Rick, I'm getting worried. It's getting dark out and I don't have a clue where Alex is." Evie said as she looked back at him from the window in the front room.

"Me too." He stood and walked into the other room grabbing their jackets. He was helping Evie into hers when a pounding on the door made them jump.

Rick walked over to the door and opened it slowly, and saw Daniel in tears and sobbing. "Danny, what's wrong?" He asked, his nerves tightening as his stomach flip-flopped.

"Alex...he got hit." Was all he could say before he collapsed into Rick's arms crying.

"Got hit? Hit by what Danny?" Evie asked pulling the little boy into her arms and settling onto the love seat in the next room.

"We were playing with...with out new toys, and he...he tossed his up in the air. He went to catch it and wandered into...into the r.. road. A car hit him, and he's hurt really bad. The man that was...was driving said he wasn't breathing and was helping him when the police off...officer told me to come and get you."

He sobbed and held his head on her shoulder as he cried and tears slipped from Evelyn's eyes as well.

"Come on." Rick ordered and she carried Daniel out to the car and buckled him in as Rick started the engine.

At the hospital they had managed to get Alex breathing again, but he wasn't responding to anything. From what they could tell he had broken both of his arms and his right leg, along with two ribs. They had yet to see what mental damage or if any had occurred in his brain.

The man who had been driving the car went to the hospital with Alex to meet his parents and tell them exactly what happened.

Evie and Rick had dropped Daniel off at home, telling him that they would let him know as soon as they found out what was happening. They pulled up to the front of the hospital after getting directions from the police officer at the scene. Blood was on the ground a few feet away from the car, but the parents pretended they hadn't noticed it. They rushed into the front lobby and saw a tall man pacing back and forth, his hat in his hands as he nervously played with

it.

"Are you Alex's parents?" he asked as he saw them rush in, looking lost and worried.

"Yes, do you know what happened?" Rick asked as Evie stood trembling at his side.

"I was driving the car, and he all of a sudden jumped out trying to catch something. I hit the brakes, but I couldn't stop the car from hitting him. I'm so sorry, it was truly an accident." He was begging them to forgive him, and Rick nodded and waved him off.

"Don't apologize, what's going on right now?

"The doctors have him in surgery, they said he had internal bleeding and a punctured lung. The injuries they knew at the scene were two broken arms and a broken leg, and two ribs. That's all they would tell me being that I wasn't related." He explained and shook Rick's hand.

They sat in the waiting room for three hours until a doctor emerged from the operating room.

"Are you Alex's parents?" he questioned and they nodded, standing to hear the final results.

"Well, there was extensive amounts of internal bleeding in his stomach and lungs, but we managed to flush most of it out and sew up the cuts. He was three broken ribs, one punctured his rib, and we set those back into place as well as this leg. His right arm was broken in three places and his left in two. We put those into hard casts while he was out. We had to reset his right leg and it's casted as well. We're waiting for the results from his brain scan to come back,

but all he had on his head was a large gash that required seventeen stitches. So far, that's all we can tell you."

he led them to a back room where Alex was lying on a bed that was tilted in back so he was somewhat upright. The loose gown was untied in front showing off three inches of stitches across his stomach and another two inched vertically on his chest. A tube was inserted into his mouth to supply foods and if he threw up he wouldn't gag himself and suffocate.

Tears filled both parents eyes to see their son in such bad condition as they pulled up the chairs along the bedside. "Alex love? It mum, we love you very much and you'll be okay." She reassured, rubbing a light hand over his cheek.

His eyes fluttered open and he gave a weak smile as they closed again. He welcomed the black as it took over his small frame as he slipped into unconsciousness.

Three days went by, and on the third day Alex woke up. He saw his parents asleep in the large chair next to his bed snuggled together. He smiled and the nurse walked in.

"Shhhh, they've been really worried about you. We all have." She smiled and removed the tube from his throat. He cleared it lightly, and looked up at her.

"I'm hungry." He said in a tiny baby voice, and he surveyed the situation.

It hurt to breathe, it hurt to swallow, it hurt to do pretty much everything. He couldn't use his arms, but e was pretty glad he couldn't feel them. They were

elevated slightly above his head and the nurse lightly took them both down, letting him lift them at his own leisure. His right arm was cast up to his shoulder, and was in an 'L' shape. His left was from the elbow down and he was able to bend it on his own. His leg was sealed all the way up to the hip, and he

could only move it up and down.

"My head hurts." He complained and she nodded, taking his temprature and checking to see if he needed a new bandage over his forehead. She removed the old one and only found a small drop of blood signifying that the wound had been sewed up sufficiently.

She laid him back again and looked over the 28 stitches across his stomach, and getting the same results. "I'll give you a shot in a moment that will take away the pain dear." She promised and he cringed.

"No, I don't want a shot." He cried, and Rick's eyes opened at the sound of his son's voice.

"Alex? Alex, are you okay?" he asked, carefully getting up as not to wake Evie as he carefully hugged his son.

"I'm okay dad, but she wants to poke me." He grumbled and leaned into his chest.

"She's been doing it for three days pal, don't worry. Here." He smiled and put his arm around him, holding his left arm still as she got the needle in place.

It stung for a moment and he cried out into his father's shirt, but by then it was done.

"Alex baby? You're awake." Evie smiled and sat up, going to the other side of the bed to hug him along with Rick.

"Mum, I'm really sorry that I said I hated you. I don't. And I don't want to be a runner awayer anymore. I want to go home." He leaned into her as the doctor walked into the room.

"Well, good afternoon young man." He smiled as he placed x-rays against an illuminated wall. "See Alex, this is your head." He pointed out and the family looked up at the skull that was on flimsy sheet. "There is absolutely nothing wrong with it. No internal brain damage, not even a bruised spot on your entire brain." He shook Rick hand and the doctor handed him a bottle of medicine. "Give

this to him three times a day, it should help hurry his breaks, make them go a little faster so we can get him back to school." He smiled and announced he could leave this afternoon after some tests came back in.

Three weeks later Alex was back into the doctors office to see about getting the casts removed.

"Well, we're going to take the left arm cast off, as well as the leg. I'd really like it if the right arm stayed cast for about two more weeks. Give that one a little more time to heal." Dr. Patterson grinned as Alex sat on his fathers lap as Evie held onto the tiny crutches.

The casts were removed and Alex took his first wobbly steps now that he was able to bend and walk on his leg.

Back at home the family was sitting down to dinner, and Alex was beginning to get accustomed to eating with his left hand.

"Alex, your mother and I decided to go back to see if Captain was still down at the shelter, but it turns out that he and the others were picked up by three loving families. I'm sorry son, but he wasn't there. So...we've decided to get you what you always asked for. Down at the boarding house your mother's horse and mine are going to be coming back here to the corral tomorrow, and we were thinking that it would be nice to go on family outings and rides. What would you

say to getting your own horse?" he questioned and Evie smiled at the look on Alex's face.

"Really? I can have my own?" he asked and they nodded.

"The horse ranch down the street is selling some of it's horses this week, and we were planning on taking you down there tomorrow." Evie grinned as she collected the plates and put them in the sink.

"Thanks mum! Thanks dad." He laughed as he hopped down and gave them each a big hug as Jonathan emerged from his room with a book. "Uncle John, I get to have my own horse! Mum and dad are going to buy it for me tomorrow, and I get to pick it out and everything." He announced and Jonathan smiled.

"Well, you know horses are a big responsibility Alex, it's not like a puppy." He picked him up and carried him over to the table as someone knocked on the door.

"I'll get it, I'm on my way out." Jonathan said his good byes and opened the front door. "Hello Daniel, come on in." he led the other boy into the dining room and took his leave.

Alex walked over to his friend. "Hey, wanna go play?" he asked and the two ran upstairs to Alex's room.

"Chalk another one up for dad." Evelyn laughed and he helped her wash the dishes.

"Well, you can chalk up as many as you want for me, but you're the one who brought him into the world through an opening the size of a lemon, so I think you're going to win." He laughed and kissed her cheek lightly.

"Good analogy." She laughed and they finished cleaning up the kitchen together.

The family went to the ranch on the outskirts of London the following morning as planned, and Alex talked the whole way there.

"If it's a boy, I'm gonna name it Rameses! And if...if it's a girl I'm gonna name it...well...I don't know. I want a boy." He rambled making his parents laugh.

"here we are." Rick announced and they all filed out of the car as a man in bib overalls walked over.

"Good day sir, ma'am." He nodded to Rick and then Evelyn, and then looked down at Alex. "What happened to your arm lad?" he asked, and Alex's shyness took over as he hid his face in his mother's stomach.

"We had a little accident a few weeks back." She smiled and rubbed her hand through his sandy hair.

The man introduced himself as Chet Burman, the owner of the horses. "I have a fine one picked out for you Mr. O'Connell, she's really sweet and docile." He called out and led a beautiful dapple mare out into the open where they were standing.

"But daddy, I want a boy." Alex reminded his father, and he nodded.

"Can you try this one out please? Just to see what kind of horse you're used to?" Alex nodded and he carefully walked up to the mare, and stretched out his hand to rub her muzzle, but she wasn't interested. She pulled her head back and whinnied, pulling up to rear. Alex stepped back and Rick shook his head.

"No thank you, not that one. She must not be too fond of children." He smiled and Chet got the horse back into her stall.

"Oooh, dad look." Alex exclaimed looking out into a nearby corral.

A beautiful pure white mare stood grazing. She had long nimble legs and was young, still had a while to grow.

"That she is. She's a looker isn't she?" Chet asked and Alex nodded.

"Here girl." He called and stuck his hand through the fence. She came right over and nuzzled her soft white nose into his hand. He rubbed her softly, and Evelyn even scratched her head over the fence.

"May we see this one?" Rick asked and Chet nodded, opening the fence to lead her out.

"This was my daughters horse, but she really didn't want anything to do with riding. We used her and her mother as a riding horse for children at the local fair." He explained. "She loves kids."

"I can tell. Well Alex, would you like to see how she rides?" Evie questioned and her son nodded.

A small child's saddle was place on her back and a bridle attached. Alex was soon perched high on the horse. He took the reins gently, and an extra rope was attached so Chet could lead the horse. Alex fell in love with her, and he hugged her neck over the saddle horn.

"Dad, mum, I want this one." He smiled and Rick helped him down.

"How much for her?" Rick asked as Chet handed Alex a brush and he carefully brushed the mares coat where he could reach.

"Well, I usually wouldn't asked anything under 2000 pounds for her, but since you're my first buy I'll give her to ya for 1500." Rick nodded and shook the mans hand. They went back into the office and closed the deal.

Later that night Rick and Evelyn tucked Alex into bed. "Thanks you guys, I really like my new horse. I've decided to name her Nefertiri." He smiled and Evie smiled.

"I'm glad you're happy son, we're just thrilled that you're okay." She kissed his head lightly and Rick did the same.

"Love you." Alex sighed as he drifted off to sleep, and his parents closed the door lightly.

"We did good." He laughed and they went to clean up the front room after games of chess and toy soldiers.

End