Camo and Navy Blue [Book Two]

Six

Olivia

We ate breakfast together in silence. Even if there was fighting, someone was usually always speaking. This morning, everyone was quiet and Lilly still had tears slipping down her cheeks.

"Alright, clear your dishes and go get your shoes on," I sighed, once Jasper shoved his bowl away after barely touching his oatmeal.

"Yes, Mama," Lilly sniffled as she stood and rushed to the sink. I looked around the table, my eyes landing on my husband, who was watching me closely.

"Do you want me to drop them all off today?" He asked, and I nodded slowly.

"Yes, please."

"I'm not going to school today!" Tobias yelled suddenly, his hand swiping his full bowl of oatmeal off the table and onto the floor.

"To-"

"I hate you! I hate you all!" He screamed before running from the kitchen.

It wasn't long before Jasper was following him, and I was trying to catch up. I was so tired and still felt like walking death, so I didn't grab my sons before they made it upstairs and locked themselves in their room.

"Jasper and Tobias Stabler-" I started, but stopped the moment they yelled at me through the wooden door.

"You are the worst Mama ever!"

///

I was a mess on the way to work, and by the time my husband showed up, I had stopped crying only because I was too tired to continue crying over my three furious sons.

"Olivia, can you join me in my office, please?" Elliot asked, and I nodded slowly. I followed Elliot into his office and shut the door behind us. Elliot walked around and shut the blinds before pulling me tightly into his arms.

I rested my head in the crook of my husband's neck as the tears flowed once again.

"I'm so sorry about how hard the fighting has been on you lately. Especially with what our lovely twins did this morning. You are the best mama to our babies, and they would all agree to that... maybe not the boys at the moment, but in a few weeks they will agree," Elliot spoke softly, his fingers running through my hair.

"How are we supposed to keep our family happy and running smoothly when our children hate me? They don't respect what I say, and the boys beat each other up this morning! I told them not to, but did it anyway!" I exclaimed, as I shoved my husband away and stared him down.

"They don't hate you-"

"Yes, they do. Everything is so incredibly messy, Elliot... and I hate it! I should be excited about being pregnant again and bringing one last baby into our family, but this is the last thing I want to do! I bet we will get a call from the school today saying that Jacob, Jasper, and Tobias beat the shit out of each other and need to be picked up. They will be expelled, and we will have to find them a new school to attend!" I yelled, as my anger got the best of me.

Elliot frowned deeply and settled down on the edge of his desk. He scrubbed a hand down his face before speaking.

"We will figure out what is happening between them and deal with it. Until then, I think it would be wise for the twins or Jacob to do an after-school program. Then they won't be alone together when Maureen or Ma are the ones watching them. Okay?"

"Elliot," I whispered.

"It's okay, Liv. Everything will be okay."

///

Elliot stayed late that night, so I went home with dinner and was praying the entire way that the kids were all in good moods. When I got home, Jacob and Lilly greeted me at the door.

"Hi, sweethearts. How was school?" I asked softly, my arm wrapping around their backs and pulling them close. 

"I didn't get in trouble," Jacob smiled as he looked up at me. I let out a small sigh of relief and nodded.

"Thank you for being on your best behavior, sweet boy. Do you know about your siblings?" I asked, as Maureen came and grabbed the bag from me.

"Don't you know how school went for Jasper and Tobias?" Maureen asked me, and I shook my head.

"I haven't talked to them yet, and we didn't get a call from the school. Why?" I asked.

"Mom, they aren't here." Maureen breathed.

My eyes went wide as my kids stepped away from me.

"W-what?"

"They didn't get off the bus with Jacob and Lilly. I just assumed that you had to pick them up... Mom, where are they?" Maureen asked, her voice shaking.

"I don't know, Mo! Uh, Kathleen, come in here!" I yelled, as I pulled my phone from my pocket.

"What's wrong?" My second eldest asked, as she moved to where we stood at the front door.

"Jasper and Tobias aren't with me and your father... they are missing and I don't know where they are. So please stay here and watch Lilly and Jacob. Mo, you are going to drive around the school and see if you can spot them... they may have just stayed at the playground to make me upset... Uh, I will call your father and we will try to find them," I rambled.

"Mama! What if something happened to them?!" Lilly cried.

I stopped moving as bad thoughts flooded my brain.

What if my sons had been kidnapped?

What if they ran away and we never find them?

"Mama!" Lilly sobbed as she flung herself at my legs. I slowly squatted down to her height before smoothing her brown locks.

"They will be okay, Lils. Be a good girl for Katie and I will call later. I love you," I whispered.

///

I didn't want to worry too much and send out as many free officers as possible to find my sons, but I didn't even know where to start. I called the principal and informed him that the boys never got on the bus and were never picked up by me or my husband. He rushed into the school and I looked over the cameras with him as Maureen and Elliot drove around in search of our little boys.

"Here they are," He spoke, his voice full of excitement when he finally spotted my sons.

"Okay, track them on the cameras," I ordered. We went back to being silent, as we watched Jasper and Tobias walk right past their bus and to the crosswalk together.

I cried silently as my five-year-old little boys ran away together, their hands clasped tightly.